Binder6 october15, 2013 by GLOBAL MEDIA MIRROR LIMITED

Jonathan, Mark, Tambuwal, govs felicitate with Muslims Civil Defence deploys 100, 000 to guard infrastructure P.6,7,8

Vol. 31 N0. 700 115

Crashes: NCAA set to probe indigenous airlines Oduah

Punish violators of aviation regulations –Fashola P.10

Tuesday, Tuesday,June October 7, 2011 15, 2013

N150 N150

National Conference:

Presidency slams Tinubu ...says his comments mischievous, dishonest and not well thought out

APC leader: Shadow boxing, Presidential foul language can’t change my view IT IS OBVIOUS THAT HIS INITIAL REACTION ON ARRIVAL FROM

NIGERIANS ARE SADDLED WITH A PRESIDENT WHO BELIEVES

OVERSEAS MEDICAL TRIP WAS NOT WELL THOUGHT OUT AND

FICTION IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN FACT AND IMAGINATION IS

WAS ROUNDLY OPPOSED, REJECTED AND CONDEMNED BY A CLEAR MAJORITY OF THE

NIGERIAN PEOPLE...

–Jonathan

MORE GENUINE THAN REALITY.

WHILE WE WOULD NOT MIND SUCH A PERSON TO BE A LEADING FIGURE IN OUR NOLLYWOOD...

–Tinubu

OBIORA IFOH AND FELIX NWANERI

he Presidency yesterday took on the leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, describing his comments on the proposed National Conference as mischievous and dishonest. For President Goodluck Jonathan, those criticising the confab initiative are doing so in error. But Tinubu yesterday insisted that he has raised provocative questions which no amount of shadow boxing and presidential foul language can change. Tinubu had on his arrival

Why I rejected conference committee membership –Nwabueze The Patriots’ chairman says he has prostate cancer

P.9

Shell suspends production of 150,000bdp of crude oil ...shuts TNP pipeline P.4

Arafat Day celebration in Mecca, yesterday.

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Gunmen bomb police station, bank in Kaduna Policemen disarmed, flee from scene 25 Nigerian pilgrims arrested for stealing in Saudi Arabia

P.6 P.4

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

R O L E UM

G ER I A N NI

N T IO A L P NA

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Photo News

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

L-R: Osun State Commissioner for Environment, Mrs. Olubukola Oyawoye; Governor Rauf Aregbesola and his wife, Serifat, during the 2013 World Global Hand-washing Day celebrations at the Freedom Square, Osogbo, at the weekend.

L-R: President, Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NIRA), Mrs Mary Uduma; immediate past Chairman, Board of Trustees, Dr. Adeola Odeyemi; new Chairman, Mr. Chima Onyekwere and Secretary of the Board, Mrs, Ibukun Odusote, representing the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, at the inauguration of the NIRA Board of Trustee members in Abuja, at the weekend.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Former National Publicity Secretary, Peoples Democratic Party, Sen. Eniette Okon (left) and member, House of Representatives, Hon. Farouk Lawan, signing the condolence register during their visit to the family of late Solomon Lar in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

L-R: TV Presenter, Frank Edoho; National President, Down Syndrome Foundation Nigeria, Rose Mordi; Head, Quality Assurance and Training, Etisalat Nigeria, Flora Ekundayo and specialist, Social Media Support, Andrew Enebeli, during a charity football match organised for the Down Syndrome Awareness week, sponsored by Etisalat, in Lagos, yesterday.

National News

25 Nigerian pilgrims Shell suspends production of 150, 000 bpd Shuts TNP pipeline again arrested for theft in Saudi Arabia N UDEME AKPAN

least 25 Nigerians ostensibly in Saudi Arabia to perform this year’s Hajj have been arrested for stealing. The thieves, whose identities were yet to be disclosed, “but all with prior criminal records, have been arrested in Makkah,” according to Saudi Gazette, quoting Makkah police spokesman, Lt.-Col. Abdul Mohsin Al-Maiman. “The thieves robbed pilgrims inside the grand mosque and broke into several shops and houses in Makkah. Several members of the gang were arrested red-handed and they guided the police to other members, who were hiding in an old building on Al-Mansour St. “No fewer than 80 cell phones and over SR50, 000 in currency were seized from them,” the report

said.

About 1.38 million pilgrims from Nigeria and 117 other countries are performing the Hajj this year, according to Saudi Minister of Interior and Chairman of the Supreme Hajj Committee, Prince Muhammad Bin Naif. Saudi Gazette quoted Prince Muhammad as saying that of the 1, 379, 531 foreign pilgrims, 752, 424 were men representing 55 per cent and 627, 107 were women forming 45 percent of the pilgrims. “The number of pilgrims this year was less by 377, 439 (about 21 per cent) compared to last year,” the paper said. “The number of pilgrims who arrived by air was over 1.29 million. Over 72, 000 pilgrims arrived by sea and 14, 898 by land,” it added.

igeria yesterday suspended the production of 150, 000 barrels of oil per day following a fresh attack on Shell Petroleum Development Company’s Trans Niger Pipeline (TNP). The attack culminated in the complete shut of the entire 28-inch pipeline which facilitates the production and export of Bonny Light, Nigeria’s premium crude oil grade. Spokesman of the firm, Mr. Precious Okolobo, who confirmed the development in a statement ssad; “A fire outbreak was reported within the SPDC JV right-of-way at Patrick Waterside, Bodo, Ogoniland and close to the Trans Niger Pipeline (TNP) even as investigations and repair work continue on last week’s spills in the area.” He continued; “The entire TNP system, comprising the 24-inch line and the 28-inch line had been

closed on October 9, as a precautionary response to the spills, but the 28-inch TNP was reopened shortly after investigations established that the leaks were on the 24-inch line only. “The 28-inch TNP has now been shut again due to the fire at Patrick Waterside. The fire has now gone out but the 28-inch will remain closed until checks are carried out, he stated. Okolobo said this means that the entire TNP has been shut, resulting in the deferment of the production of 150, 000 barrels of oil per day. The force majeure on Bonny Light exports remains in place. He said; “Investigation into the earlier incidents showed that unknown persons had drilled holes on the 24-inch TNP at B-Dere, while an excavation was observed at Bodo West. Investigation into the spill at Nonwa-Tai is continuing.” He also said that Shell Petroleum Development

Company (SPDC) is taking appropriate action to minimise the impact of these on the environment to ensure the safety of members of the community, SPDC staff and its contractors. The spokesman continued; “SPDC will initiate clean-up and remediation as well as provide relief materials and compensate those who may have been impacted by the spill upon the establishment of volume and impact of any operational spill as determined by the JIV report. Country Chair and Managing Director of the firm, Mr. Mutiu Sunmonu, said in a recent report that: “As a Nigerian, and one who has spent a great deal of my career in the Niger Delta, my greatest immediate concern is the issue of crude oil theft, which is an increasingly dangerous menace.” He said the volume currently being stolen is the highest in the last three

years, with over 60, 000 barrels per day from SPDC facilities alone. Sunmonu said this is a huge loss and the effects of this industrial scale theft are devastating for both the people and the environment. He said most of the stolen crude makes its way to the international market and a smaller percentage is refined locally with thick smoke from illegal refineries lining the shore in many parts of the Niger Delta. Sunmonu added; “The land, shorelines and water are heavily polluted with oil as a result of these activities. This is a crisis situation because the solution is beyond the capacity of any individual company. “Our concern is that, if these activities continue at this rate, the effects would be devastating, not only for the social and environmental structure of many areas of the Niger Delta, but also for Nigeria’s economy.”

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

News

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Gunmen bomb police station, bank in Kaduna OMEIZA AJAYI, A ZA MSUE AND JAMES ABRAHAM

unmen on Sunday night attacked a Divisional Police Station and a commercial bank in Makarfi Local Government Area of Kaduna State. According to reports, the attackers invaded the town when residents were asleep. National Mirror gathered that the gunmen, suspected to be armed robbers, destroyed the police

station and the bank with explosives as officers escaped into the neighbouring houses for safety. An eyewitness, who pleaded anonymity, said: “The gunmen disarmed police officers while some escaped. Actually, I can’t tell you that people were killed because the attack happened in the midnight of Sunday.” Governor Mukhtar Yero, who visited the spots of the attack in Makarfi, the hometown of the former governor, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, called for closer security-communi-

ty collaboration Yero called on members of the public to assist the security agencies with useful and timely information towards securing the lives and properties of all. In a statement signed by Ahmed Maiyaki, Media Adviser to the Governor, Yero said investigation into the incident has began and no casualty was recorded during the attack. Kaduna State Police Commissioner, Mr. Olufemi Adenaike, confirmed the incident in a telephone

interview with National Mirror. “No casualty. We mobilised our men to the area and the situation is calm,” he said. “People are going about their normal business in Makarfi. No arrest so far. The armed robbers didn’t carry away money in the bank as our men launched counter-attack on them during the incident.” As part of efforts to protect critical national infrastructure during the sallah celebration, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC,

L-R: Chairman, Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, Mr. Ledum Mitee; President Goodluck Jonathan; Chairman, Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, Mrs. Clare Short and Executive Secretary, NEITI, Hajiya Zainab Ahmed, during their visit to the President in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO: STATE HOUSE

said that it has deployed 100, 000 of its personnel across the federation. The Commandant General of the Corps, Dr. Ade Abolurin, in an operational signal to Zonal and State Commandants as well as various Sectional Heads, charged the corps to ensure effective deployment of their personnel in all nooks and crannies of the country including black spots where criminal elements hibernate. While explaining that the massive deployment was necessitated by the current security challenges facing the country, Abolurin assured Nigerians of a hitch-free celebration. He said the deployment would also cover all mosques, praying ground and other strategic places that are likely to be targets of attack. Also, apart from the regular deployment of personnel, sniffer dogs, SWAT, Special Forces, Nuclear-Biochemical Radioactive Unit, Counter-Force and Counter Terrorism Units are to ensure that their personnel are widely deployed while ambulances have been deployed in strategic places in case

of emergency. “Our operational strategy of deployment shall leave no area uncombed, as the Corps along with other security agencies has put in place machineries to tackle every security challenge that might arise,” he said. In Plateau State, the Special Task Force, STF, said it has taken certain measures aimed at ensuring peace in the state during the Sallah celebration. The STF in a statement in Jos yesterday, signed by its media officer, Captain Salisu Mustapha, said security agents would increase at checkpoints in the state throughout the festive period. According to STF, security agents would also intensify vehicular search at all checkpoints in the state. Movements of vehicles, Mustapha said, would be banned from entering premises of recreation centres during the celebrations, while worshippers have been advised to pray at grounds nearest to them and should not carry any form of weapon while going or returning from Eid prayers.

National Conference: Presidency slams Tinubu

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from medical trip overseas rejected the National Dialogue and called it a ‘Greek Gift’ He said the fact that President Jonathan was calling for such conference at a time when the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was having internal crisis was diversionary and an act of public deception, which according to him was also ill-timed because of the supposed closeness to the forthcoming 2015 elections. But addressing a press conference in Abuja yesterday, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, said that the President took a bold initiative to call for a national conference without the obnoxious “no-go-areas” so that Nigerians can once and for all have the opportunity to address all pertinent issues regarding the polity, while calling the opposition to embrace the opportunity to transform Nigeria into a united nation.

He said: “It is heartwarming that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu finally made a seeming volte- face on his initial opposition to the convocation of a National Dialogue/Conference by President Goodluck Jonathan in his October 1st national broadcast. “It is obvious that his initial reaction on arrival from overseas medical trip was not well thought out and was roundly opposed, rejected and condemned by a clear majority of the Nigerian people, in particular, the authentic Yoruba leadership in the South-West. “It is therefore crystal clear and unarguable that whatever position the APC leader holds on the issue of the National Conference does not represent the views of the majority of Yoruba people in the South-West. “His assertion that there is an ulterior motive for the conference is purely conjectural and speculative; and has no foundation in any reasoning or logic. The onus

is heavily on him to prove this; hence we will not dwell too much on this unjustifiable conclusion.” Okupe maintained that Tinubu by his statement was trying to play politics with the national conference, which many Nigerians have been advocating for many years. “Desperate politicians and self-seeking political leaders tend to believe that their quest for power or insatiable appetite for wealth accumulation through politics is superior to the genuine desires and innate aspiration of the ordinary Nigerians. “While the Bola Tinubu’s of this world focus only on the 2015 general elections, most patriotic ordinary Nigerians are more concerned with the emergence of a true united nation, based on equity and justice to all its component parts, devoid of schisms and rancour, which has made it impossible for us to benefit from the full potential of all the God-given

resources of our great nation. “Senator Tinubu in his criticism of the conference asked: ‘Where is the capability, where is the sincerity?’ He also queried: ‘Will this president have the guts to implement fully all final resolutions of the conference without fear or favour?’ “On all these queries, we state that for the first time in the history of postindependence Nigeria, a Federal Government took a bold initiative to call for a national conference without the obnoxious “no-go-areas” so that Nigerians can once and for all have the opportunity to address all pertinent issues regarding the polity and has also given the advisory committee freewill to determine its nature and/or structure. “This is a definite demonstration of boldness and sincerity by the administration of President Jonathan. “Our dear Senator Tinubu wants the Yoruba Nation and indeed the people of La-

gos State to believe that he is sincere in rendering public service to the state and the people, whereas he has heavily garrisoned the state political apparatus with a sizeable number of his immediate family members. “Nigerians should ignore the vituperations of socalled leaders who don’t see anything good in anyone or any programme except they are either in control of it or that it is tailored to satisfy their inordinate desires and greed. “Like Mr. President said at the inauguration of the Advisory Committee on National Conference, let us move forward with honest conviction and patriotic courage to strengthen this Republic and get it to work better and brighter, for all of us, to the glory of God,” he said. The presidential spokesperson also maintained that President Jonathan has shown convincingly that he is a credible, reliable and capable leader by his unprec-

edented achievements in such a short space of time and that he most certainly does not flip flop as the opposition politician insinuates. President Jonathan, who also spoke on the issue in his Sallah message yesterday, said that it was in keeping with the avowed commitment and firm belief in the right to freedom of expression and the right of all people in a democracy to make choices on how they wish to live and be governed, that he unfolded plans for an orderly national conversation on national problems and challenges. He stated that those who continue to say that the initiative was diversionary or aimed at promoting certain political ambitions were in error. Jonathan said that the objective of the initiative was to create an acceptable and workable platform for a national dialogue or conference that would help to resolve the issues that still

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News

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Jonathan, Mark, Tambuwal felicitate with Muslims ROTIMI FADEYI AND FELIX NWANERI

olitical leaders yesterday in their sallah messages urged Nigerians to use the opportunity provided by the celebration to pray for the unity and progress of the country. President Goodluck Jonathan gave assurances that his administration remains fully committed to the implementation of measures and policies that would further promote and enhance national peace, stability and progress. In his Eid-el-Kabir message to the nation, Jonathan also assured Nigerians that his government would continue to give very focused and purposeful leadership to the nation while expressing commitment to achieving significant improvements in the living conditions of all Nigerians through the diligent implementation of agenda for national transformation. Jonathan maintained that his government would be proactive in taking all actions deemed necessary for the restoration and sustenance of peace and security in all parts of the country. While felicitating with Nigerians on the sallah celebrations, he congratulated those who have been able to undertake the Hajj in fulfilment of their religious obligations. He stated that as they undergo the rites of the Hajj in the Holy Land, and celebrate the Feast of Sacrifice, he urged Muslim faithful to offer special prayers for peace, harmony, unity, security and progress of the country. Jonathan also implored them to always find time in the midst of the Eid-el-Kabir celebrations to meditate on the immense benefits the nation can derive from a greater exhibition by its people of piety, honesty, selflessness, tolerance, peaceful co-existence with others, equity, fairness and justice for all, which are an integral part of the message of the Holy Prophet. “My administration also remains fully committed to the implementation of measures and policies that will further promote and

enhance national peace, stability and progress,” Jonathan said. Senate President David Mark in his message, urged Nigerians to take advantage of the proposed National Conference to present their positions so that the nation can continue to live in peace. He said Nigerians had more to gain being together than going their different ways. Mark urged leaders of all faiths to preach the good news of oneness, peaceful coexistence, trust and love for fellow citizens. He lamented the security challenges facing the nation and pleaded with all Nigerians of goodwill to rise up to the occasion to tackle the menace headlong. “With the collective resolve and determination of all of us, we can solve the problem and live like one big, united nation where no one is oppressed or afraid of each other. “I believe that our size and diversity is our strength. God did not make a mistake in putting us together in one country. We should, therefore, use our strength and God given potential for good,” Mark said.” “That is why we must agree as a people to address our problems in an open, frank and honest manner because nobody is coming from the moon or space to solve our problems,” he stated. The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, urged Nigerians to redouble their efforts and work for the unity and progress of the country. He said the occasion of the Eid el-Kabir celebration calls for repentance and forgiveness of one another, especially now that the country is facing numerous challenges. In a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Malam Imam Imam, Tambuwal enjoined Nigerians to be steadfast in love to one another. He said that it is by so doing that the people can be committed to what is just and right for the nation. Tambuwal urged the

Muslim faithful to intensify their prayers for peace in the country, and admonished religious leaders to lead their followers properly so that they do not depart from the truth. The Speaker assured that the National Assembly would continue to be

guided by the wishes and aspirations of Nigerians in the onerous task of making laws for peace, unity and good governance of the nation. Also, All Progressives Congress, APC, leader and former governor of Lagos State, Bola Ahmed Tinubu,

called on Nigerians to pray for a new, progressive leadership for the country at all levels of governance. “In the face of our current challenges, we all must renew our commitment to build a new country and work to bring about a new leadership that

People loading rams in a vehicle in preparation for Eid-el-Kabir celebration in Enugu, yesterday.

will end the cycle of youth unemployment, hardship, deprivation and near economic strangulation Nigerians are currently experiencing,” he said. Tinubu said Nigeria is destined to be great and her citizens destined to benefit from that greatness.

PHOTO: NAN

National Conference: Presidency slams Tinubu

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cause tension and friction in the polity, reinforce the ties that bind the country’s many ethnic nationalities and ensure that Nigeria’s immense diversity continues to be a source of strength and greatness. He stated that the desire was for the majority of Nigerians to key into the process and agree on the best way forward for the nation. The President explained that his government has been greatly encouraged in this regard by the very positive reaction of various national interests to the initiative. He urged all Nigerians to give their fullest possible support to the renewed effort to harness the efficacy of dialogue and consensusbuilding for the future wellbeing and progress of the nation. In the address, Okupe also challenged all APC governors to publish how they spent the funds that accrued to them from the Subsidy Re-investment Programme, SURE-P. According to him, of the total amount of N582.2bn that accrued to SURE-P between 2012 and 2013, the Federal Government got N255bn, while N219bn went to the 36 states. The balance of N108.2bn, according to him, went to the 774 local government Areas. The presidential spokes-

person called Tinubu to move with the trend and refrain from always criticising the transformative efforts of the Federal Government. Okupe said: “Amazingly, Tinubu spoke ignorantly on the issue of the Sure-P. He ought to have been better informed rather than the shameful falsehood he tried to disseminate on the utilisation of the Sure-P funds. “We submit for the records, the allocation to SureP and the projects to which the Federal Government has applied them. These are verifiable facts. The Federal Government receives 41 per cent of the total Sure-P funds, while all the states and local governments receive the remaining 59 per cent. “The leader of the APC should publish the total amount of money received by the APC states and the projects for which they were used for Nigerians to see who is reliable and capable and who is not.” But the former governor and leader of the APC, in a statement by his Special Adviser Media, Sunday Dare, said the reaction of “Goodluck Jonathan’s presidential cry babies to his extensive comments on the proposed national conference was predictable, as rather than deal with the salient and substantial issues surrounding the proposed confab, they “skirted around them.”

Tinubu, had while providing an insight to why he is opposed to the conference in a statement on Sunday, said the Federal Government must answer some fundamental questions about the timing, sincerity as well as the capability and credibility of the President to deliver a genuine national conference. He maintained though he remains an unrepentant supporter of a genuinely Sovereign National Conference, he is suspicious of the present concoction because it is half-baked and fully deceptive. According to him, government’s sincerity is questionable; the timing is also suspect, especially “now that this government is sinking in a pool of political and economic hot water of its own making.” Decrying the resort to abusive language and name calling, by the President’s aide, Tinubu said: “The reaction of Goodluck Jonathan’s Presidential cry babies to Tinubu’s extensive comments on the proposed national conference was predictable. As usual, rather than deal with the salient and substantial issues surrounding the proposed National Conference raised by former Governor Tinubu, the reaction from the Presidency skirted around them. “In typical fashion, it resorted to abusive language

and name calling. Okupe, like a punch drunk pugilist threw several empty jabs and went on a flight of fancy praising his boss and flaunting fictional achievements of the administration in the face of Nigerians. “We leave it to Nigerians to judge. They are the ones who feel the pains and millions will not be able to relate to all the fictional transformational achievements reeled out by the Presidency. Nigerians are saddled with a President who believes fiction is more important than fact and imagination is more genuine than reality. While we would not mind such a person to be a leading figure in our Nollywood film industry, I am frightened that he is the Chief Resident of Aso Villa and surrounded by a cast of like minds. “Tinubu’s searching questions about the Jonathan Conference remain fundamental. We urge Jonathan and his cry babies to take time to read through the statement and address the cloud of doubts surrounding the proposed conference. This is a flipflopping Presidency and on this issue it must provide answers. Tinubu is satisfied that that he has raised the provocative questions that need be asked and no amount of shadow boxing and presidential foul language can change that.”

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

News

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

EID-EL-KABIR CELEBRATIONS

Amosun calls for total obedience to Allah

gun State governor, Ibikunle Amosun, has called on Muslims in the country to demonstrate, at all times, total obedience to the will of the almighty Allah so that they can receive bountiful rewards from Him. The governor noted that the unconditional obedience of Prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his son and adhere to the teachings of the holy Qur’an offered guidance on how Muslim faithful in the country could receive abundant blessings and favour from Allah. In a statement signed

by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Mrs. Funmi Wakama, Governor Amosun said; “Nigeria can overcome its current challenges and attain its goal of a developed and prosperous nation if all citizens live in total obedience to the will of the Almighty.” He called on the faithful to continuously demonstrate the cardinal tenets of Islam by living in peace with their neighbours and being their brothers’ keepers. He congratulated the entire Muslim Umaah and wished them a happy celebration.

Wada tasks religious leaders to pray for Nigeria WALE IBRAHIM LOKOJA

ogi State governor, Idris Wada, yesterday called on Muslim Umaah and other religious leaders in the country to continue to pray for the unity and progress of the nation. In a message on the occasion of this year’s Eid-elKabir celebration in Lokoja yesterday, Governor Wada

said the people of Nigeria have cohabited for so long a long time and should continue to live in peace for the rapid development of the country. The message was signed by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Strategy, Mr. Jacob Edi and was made available to journalists in Lokoja, the state capital. He said the founding fathers of Nigeria and those

who laid down their lives for the sake of the country will not be happy if the nation disintegrates, adding that everyone must join hands together to make sure the country attains greatness. The governor also called on religious leaders, both Muslims and Christians, to always see one another as brothers and sisters and preach messages that will always bring the people

together and improve the economy of the country. While congratulating the Umaah for witnessing yet another Sallah, he particularly urged Muslims to seize the opportunity of the teaching and importance of the Eid-el-Kabir to pray for the peaceful co-existence of people of the state, stating the government will strive very hard to deliver all electoral promises across the state.

Ajimobi congratulates Muslims, urges peaceful coexistence

yo State governor, Abiola Ajimobi, has admonished Nigerians to imbibe the spirit of love, togetherness and peaceful co-existence so as to enhance the growth and development of the country. The governor, in his message to Islamic faithful on the occasion of this year’s Eid-El-Kabir festival, said it was only in an atmosphere of peace that Nigeria could achieve the desired greatness. He condemned the spate of violence, brigandage and wanton destruction of lives and property in some parts of the country, saying this was against the sanctity of human lives. While congratulating Muslims, the governor urged them to use the occasion of the Eid-El-Kabir

to pray for the peace, progress and economic emancipation of the country as well as on the security challenges currently confronting the country. He also admonished them to continue to exhibit love towards their fellowmen and dedication to the service of humanity as exhibited by Prophet Ibrahim. Governor Ajimobi further reiterated his administration’s commitment to the upliftment of Oyo State and to ensure that it is put on a sound footing. Part of his efforts at achieving this, he said, was the various developmental projects which his administration has executed since its inception as well as the urban renewal programme which has changed the face of the state.

Al-Makura calls for sacrifice, obedience IGBAWASE UKUMBA LAFIA

asarawa State governor, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, has called on Muslim Umaah to use the occasion of the Eid-el-Kabir celebration to reflect on the virtues of love, sacrifice and obedience as Islam teaches peace, good neighbourliness and kindness. He stated this in his goodwill message to the people of the state, adding that Muslims should also sustain their prayers and commitment for the peace, progress and development of Nasarawa State in particular and Nigeria in general. The governor urged all Muslims to celebrate the

festival by reaffirming their obedience to the injunctions of the almighty Allah as contained in the Holy Qur’an and the Hadith. “My dear people of Nasarawa State, on this blessed occasion of the 2013 Eid-el-Kabir festival, I wish, on behalf of the government and good people of the state, to congratulate and felicitate with the state Chairman of the Jama’atul Nasril Islam, the Ulama and the entire Muslim Umaah as we celebrate this important festival. “To our brothers and sisters who are currently performing the holy pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, I pray that the almighty Allah will accept your hajj and reward your acts of worship.”

A crowd of market women potesting ASUU’s protracted strike at the gate of the Federal Ministry of Education in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO: ROTIMI OSASONA

Muslim groups call for moderation SEKINAH L AWAL AND KEMI OLAITAN

s Muslims around the world celebrate Eid-el-Kabir today, Muslim groups across the country have called on all to imbibe the lessons in Sallah, which include readiness to make sacrifices in the interest of others, willingness to fulfill promises and to implement agreements. The Companion and the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) gave this advice

in separate press releases made available to National Mirror. The Companion’s National President, Alhaji Musibau Oyefeso and MURIC’s Director, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, called on Muslims to do Sallah in moderation and for all leaders to lead by example. “Something urgent must be done to take care of Nigeria’s army of unemployed youths. We suggest a social security system that ensures that every jobless Nigerian receives a token

amount capable of feeding him. “Prophet Ibrahim, who was still childless at old age made a pledge to Allah that he would sacrifice his son should Allah give him one. Despite the serious implications of this pledge, he actually took concrete steps to actualise it. “Herein lies a big lesson for Nigerian leaders and politicians who have formed the habit of reneging on their promises.” They urged government to act now to reduce hunger

in the land and enjoined Muslims to ensure that the lessons of the Eid are not lost on them. “The spirit of sacrifice, love, sharing and forgiveness including faithfulness to promises should continue to be our guide and watchword in our daily lives even after the Eid.” In a related development, Deputy Senate Whip and Senator representing Oyo North senatorial district, Senator Hosea Ayoola Agboola, also charged all to prayer more for peace in the country.

Alaafin canvasses love, peace, tolerance KEMI OLAITAN IBADAN

s Muslim faithful all over the world celebrate this year’s Eid-el-Kabir, the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III, yesterday congratulated Muslims in the country on the opportunity of witnessing the festival, urging them to embrace the

culture of love, tolerance and peaceful living among themselves. His counsel came against the background of the security challenges facing the country on account of the intolerance exhibited by some people against the government, leading to perennial fear and untimely death of many innocent citizens. The monarch in a re-

lease signed on his behalf by his Media Assistant, Alhaji Azeez Fehintola, and made available to journalists in Ibadan said; “I use this medium to congratulate my Muslim brothers and sisters across the globe for being opportuned to witness another Eid-elKabir celebration this year. “I pray Allah to spare our lives to witness many more in glorification of

His name on earth.” Oba Adeyemi also used the medium to appeal to Nigerian leaders to always be considerate of the welfare of the people they rule over, acceding to their legitimate demands, in order to achieve obedience, loyalty, peace and harmony in the land, just as Allah demonstrated it in the lives of Ibrahim and Ismail in the holy Qur’an.

News

Tuesday October 15, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

EID-EL-KABIR CELEBRATION

ACF, Yero felicitate with Muslims A ZA MSUE KADUNA

he Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has felicitated with Muslims on the Eid-elKabri celebration, saying the festivity symbolises absolute submission to Allah through personal sacrifices in promotion of peaceful coexistence, reconciliation and forgiveness. In a statement signed by its spokesman, Anthony Sani, ACF said one way of demonstrating total sub-

mission to God is for all those who profess true Islam to live up the tenets of Islam as a religion of peace in their daily lives. The statement reads: “This is because few things are less pleasing to Allah for any faithful to play havoc to His sacred injunction of inviolability of the individual. Worst still when such inviolability of individual right is said to be perpetrated in God’s name. “That is why ACF cannot be tired of praying to God for the peaceful celebration of the Sallah and prays to

Allah to provide us with all that it takes to help promote peaceful coexistence among groups and among individuals for the good of all Nigerians as well as for unity of the country. We hope God would make it possible for us to experience many more decades of peaceful celebration of Eidel-Kabr.” In his own message, Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero of Kaduna State urged Muslims to imbibe the spirit of sacrifice as exemplified by Prophet Ibrahim (AS) when he intended to

sacrifice his son Ismail in obedience to the Will of Allah. In a statement signed by his Director General of Media and Publicity, Ahmed Maiyaki, the governor called on Muslims to continue to make sacrifices towards entrenching lasting peace, unity and development of Kaduna State and Nigeria at large. Yero urged Muslims to extend hands of friendship and love to followers of other religions for the sake of building lasting peaceful co-existence.

Dankwambo appeals for sustained peace DANJUMA WILLIAMS GOMBE

overnor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo of Gombe State has appealed to residents to sustain the prevailing peace in the interest of the state’s development. In a goodwill message marking the Eid-el-Kabir, the governor said his administration would continue to

Muslims mustn’t allow Nigeria to fail –Ahmed WOLE ADEDEJI ILORIN

People travelling for the Eid-el-Kabir celebration at the popular Yankari Liberation Park in Bauchi, yesterday.

PHOTO: NAN

Aregbesola urges tolerance, cooperation ADEOLU ADEYEMO OSOGBO

sun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola yesterday urged Muslims to tolerate people of other religions. Aregbesola, in a statement signed by the Director, Bureau of Communications and Strategy, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, said what the nation needs at this critical moment is peace, security and cooperation among the diverse

people of the country. The governor called on Muslims to uphold the sacredness of human life, saying God did not command or appoint anyone as judge to take the life of another in the guise of protecting any faith. He said: “Political leaders and followers, religious leaders and their adherents must come together and forge a harmonious relationship for the love of their country. According to Prophet Muhammad

(SAW), the love of one’s country is part of faith.” The governor also urged Muslims faithful to emulate Prophet Ibrahim and his son (Ismael), whose unshaken belief in, perseverance and fulfillment of their promise to their creator earned them salvation, everlasting and divine compensation, as well as glory till today. He, however, asked residents of the state to embrace peaceful co-existence. The interim Chair-

man of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, Mr. Adelowo Adebiyi, urged Muslims to pray for the continuous successes of Aregbesola’s administration. Adebiyi, in a sallah message issued by the party’s interim Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy, Mr. Kunle Oyatomi, said Aregbesola’s administration deserves special prayer on a special day like Sallah day for God’s abundant blessings.

Kano Muslims storm Niger Republic, Chad to buy rams OTHMAN SALIHU KANO

uslims in Kano and its environs have stormed neighbouring Niger Republic and Chad to buy rams and bulls for the Eidel-Kabir celebration. A ram seller, Haruna Abdullahi, said yesterday that it is difficult to import

cattle into Nigeria from the neighbouring countries as was the case in the past due to insecurity. The difficulty, according to him, has reflected in the prices of the cattle. Our correspondent, who went on a market survey yesterday, reports that a moderate size ram which sold for between N15,000 and N20,000 before

the Eid-el-Kabir celebration now costs between N25,000 andN30,000. A medium size ram is sold for between N35, 000 andN40, 000 as against between N25, 000 and N30, 000 it was purchased in the past few months. The big ram goes for between N50, 000 and N65, 000 as against between N35, 000 and N40, 000 it

was sold before now. However, a medium bull which was sold for between N67, 000 and N70, 000 before the Eid-el-Kabir celebration now goes for between N83, 000 and 90,000, which the traders still see as give away price. The situation was the same in all the major ram markets our correspondent visited.

support security agencies to enhance robust protection of lives and property. He said Islam preaches peace and love; understanding and peaceful co-existence among members of every community irrespective of religious or ethnic affiliation, saying: “We should therefore imbibe its tenets by promoting harmonious relationship between diverse people”.

wara State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed has urged Muslims to conduct themselves in a manner that would make Nigeria to survive as a nation. In his Eid-el-Kabir message in Ilorin, the state capital, Ahmed urged Muslims, especially those on the Mount Arafat to pray for peace and development of the country. The message, signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Wahaab Oba, said: “Our existence as a country is God ordained and we must entrust its success on to Him alone”. The governor said for Nigeria to realise its potentials as a nation, followers of all religious persuasions must work collectively and submit to common religious doc-

trine of being their brother’s keeper. He advised Muslims to see beyond the festive essence of the Eid-el-Kabir, saying: “It is symbolic representation of total submission to the Will of Allah, goodness to one another and service to humanity as exhibited by Prophet Ibrahim.” Ahmed thanked religious leaders, traditional rulers, community leaders, trade unions and politicians for their prayers and love to ensure peace in the state. According to him, the success of Nigeria’s fledgling democracy is a function of robust exchange of ideas and continuous dialogue between the government and the people. The governor, however, promised to carry all stakeholders along in the implementation of his administration’s agenda.

Fayemi urges steadfastness ABIODUN NEJO ADO EKITI

overnor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State has urged Muslims to remain steadfast in their faith to Almighty Allah for giving them opportunity to witness another Eid-elKabir celebration. He urged trhe Muslims not to relent in their prayers for the state as it “inches nearer to the 2014 governorship election”. Fayemi, in a goodwill message by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Olayinka Oyebode, said: “Ekiti, which is reputed to be one of the most peaceful states in Nigeria needs to sustain the peace being enjoyed to ensure a smooth and peace-

ful conduct of the governorship poll next year”. The governor congratulated Muslims for being alive to witness this year’s Eid-el-Kabir, which he described as “an important landmark in the Islamic calendar celebrated worldwide”. Fayemi advised the Muslims not to be carried away by the celebration, but to demonstrate that the lesson of sacrifice thought by Eid-el-Kabir was not lost on them. Fayemi noted that the readiness of Prophet Ibrahim to relinquish his son, Ishmael, for sacrifice demonstrated absolute submission to the Will of Almighty Allah which he urged all Muslims to emulate.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

National News

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Why I rejected conference committee membership –Nwabueze Says, ‘I’m suffering from prostate cancer’

FELIX NWANERI

oremost constitutional lawyer and leader of The Patriots, Prof. Ben Nwabueze, yesterday explained that he opted out of the National Conference Advisory Committee because of long battle with prostate cancer. The elder statesman was nominated by President Goodluck Jonathan as a member of the 13man committee to formulate modalities for the convocation of a national dialogue, but he excused himself in a letter to the President on October 2. Nwabueze explained that he would be abroad

“for medicals and may be away from Nigeria for some time,” and suggested another elder statesman, Chief Solomon Asemota (SAN), as his replacement. Disclosing the nature of his ailment in a statement made available to National Mirror yesterday, the former Minister of Education and Youth Development said he had to cut short his stay in London for medicals and returned to Nigeria last Saturday to keep a long-standing commitment to chair the Anambra Literary Creativity Festival at Awka scheduled for today. He added that he would be back in London after the Awka engagement to continue his medicals.

The statement reads in part: “It is not generally known to people that I have been fighting prostate cancer for some years now, and have been kept going by consultations from time to time with and treatment by a Consultant Oncologist at Charing Cross Hospital, London. “My appointment with the Consultant Oncologist had been shifted many times because of several postponements in the dates of The Patriots meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan and the National Summit at Uyo, both of which eventually took place on 29 August and 3/4 September respectively, leaving

me free at last to travel to London on 8 September for my medical appointments. “After The Patriots fruitful meeting with the President, a member of our team who has access to him on a personal basis was mandated to go back to get him to set up the Committee on the National Conference of which he had earlier given a hint. “My understanding from the contacts with him was that The Patriots would be asked to nominate a member to the committee. I never expected to be appointed chairman or member of the committee, and would, quite frankly, have considered such an appointment inappropriate in the circumstances. It is an appointment

for a younger person, not for an old man of 83 years afflicted by ill-health.” Nwabueze assured the commitment of The Patriots to work with the committee and to give it all necessary assistance, if called upon to do so. He said: “While still in London and before the setting up of the Presidential Committee was announced, I wrote to 13 prominent lawyers and political scientists to join me in a committee to prepare a Draft People’s Constitution which will be submitted for deliberation at the Uyo National Summit when it re-convenes in terms of Paragraph 7 of the communiqué adopted at the 3/4 September meeting, and

thereafter to be presented to the Presidency and the National Assembly as a working paper for the National Conference proper. “This is the area in which I think my contribution to the work of the conference would be particularly useful, and I do not see this as in any way conflicting with the Terms of Reference of the Presidential Committee, although they (i.e. the Terms of Reference) contain a somewhat vaguely worded item, to wit, to advise government on legal procedures and options for integrating decisions and outcomes of the national dialogue/conference into the constitution and laws of the nation.”

Market women protest ASUU strike EMMANUEL ONANI ABUJA

ome market women yesterday stormed the Federal Ministry of Education in Abuja to protest the protracted strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU. The protesting women, numbering over 200, carried placards which bore such inscriptions as: “Stop playing politics with our education,” “Stop the strike, having students at home.” The protesters, who insisted on seeing the Supervising Minister of Education, Chief Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, were later addressed by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr. MacJohn Nwaobiala. The protest, which began about 11am, was coordinated by the President of National Association of Market Women, Felicia Sani, who berated the warring lecturers for not sheathing their swords, despite Federal Government’s offer of

N30 billion, as “earned allowance”. Sani said the strike, which has lasted about 105 days, was assuming a political dimension, as was alleged by President Goodluck Jonathan. While addressing the protesters, the permanent secretary assured that the strike would soon be suspended. He said: “The concern by the Market Women was not a surprise in view of their position as mothers to the students who have been with them at home for nearly four months now.” Nwaobiala enjoined the women to be patient, while charging them to ensure that their children and wards remained law-abiding. The university lecturers embarked on strike on July 1 to protest Federal Government’s non-implementation of the 2009 agreement. Despite the release of N30 billion, the union has insisted on the full implementation of the 2009 FG/ ASUU agreement.

Pupils of Army Day Primary School in Benin receiving lecture sitting on the ground, yesterday.

Nigeria needs NEITI’s support to end oil theft –Jonathan ROTIMI FADEYI ABUJA

resident Goodluck Jonathan yesterday urged the Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, NEITI, to increase support for government’s efforts to stop the exportation of stolen crude oil. Speaking at an audience with the Chairperson of NEITI, Ms. Claire Short, the

President called on NEITI to join his administration in working to ensure that refineries that receive stolen crude oil from Nigeria were identified and punished. He said NEITI’s efforts in criminalising ‘blood diamonds’ from African mines had helped in curtailing that illegal business, stressing that the body should further support Nigeria in its confrontation with the

National dialogue must be open to all –Middle Belt OBIORA IFOH ABUJA

eadership and members of the Middle Belt Forum, MBF, have said that the planned national conference should involve all ethnic groups and not be restricted to only the major ethnic groups. The MBF Chairman, Prof. Jerry Gana, said this

in a statement. Suggesting ways to make the conference acceptable, Gana said every ethnic group must have at least one representative before proportional seats were allotted to the bigger ethnic groups and other interests. While commending President Goodluck Jonathan for initiating the dialogue, the MBF chairman said the forum was also satisfied

PHOTO: NAN

with the quality and composition of the newly inaugurated advisory committee on national dialogue. Gana called on members of the committee to ensure that the national dialogue was truly representative, credible and patriotic, insisting that it must also be orderly, peaceful and productive. He said: “We also hope that the conference will fo-

cus less on politics and posturing, and avoid reckless brinkmanship. “We must proffer workable solutions to the developmental problems facing our country. We need urgent solutions to the problems of poverty, unemployment, low productivity, insecurity, corruption and the reoccurring mismanagement of our resources and opportunities.”

forces stealing crude oil. The President explained that crude oil theft from Nigeria involved the collusion of foreigners while the stolen crude was refined abroad, stressing that NEITI could use its mechanisms to help track down the thieves and those receiving the stolen crude oil. Jonathan, who observed that Africa was losing a lot through leakages in the mining and extractive industry, also urged Short and her colleagues at NEITI to help in ending the exploitation of Africans and African nations by multinational companies engaged in the extraction of the continent’s immense natural resources. The President announced that in keeping with the Federal Government’s commitment to giving NEITI all necessary support and freedom to discharge its duties, he would

inaugurate an expanded inter-ministerial committee next week to ensure greater synergy in its investigations to facilitate the implementation of its recommendations for greater probity in Nigeria’s oil industry. Commending NEITI’s efforts to discourage exploitation and corruption in extractive industries across the world, Jonathan assured Short and her team that Nigeria would continue to strive for even greater openness and transparency in its oil and mining sectors. In her response, Short assured that NEITI would assist Nigeria in its efforts to prevent sale of stolen oil in the international market. She noted that the battle to halt corruption in the Nigerian oil industry could not be fought by Nigeria alone thus the need for an all inclusive solution.

News

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

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Crashes: NCAA set to probe indigenous airlines OLUSEGUN KOIKI AND MURITALA AYINLA

he Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, has revealed that plans are underway by it to embark on financial, operational and mechanical audits of all the indigenous airlines operating in the country. This is as the agency insisted that the IRS Airlines, which had an incident in Kaduna Airport, did not have an emergency landing. Speaking yesterday in Lagos, the DirectorGeneral, NCAA, Capt. Fola Akinkuotu, said that the agency would carry out the audit of the airlines in conjunction with a foreign firm. He said that the audit would be a continuous exercise for all the airlines, saying that the essence of this was to boost safety in the sector. He said: “We are going to audit all the airlines in the country. We are going to do a joint audit with a foreign firm on this. This is to boost safety and it is going to be continuous. “We intend to put in place regulations that will ensure that our airlines have International Air Transport Association Operational Safety Audit, IOSA, audit. The IOSA audit will be compulsory and they must have it as a way of going forward and to ensure that the systems are tidy.”

It will be recalled that stakeholders and professionals have expressed concerns about the status of the indigenous carriers in recent time, especially with the crash of Embraer 120 aircraft belonging to Associated Aviation Limited on Thursday October 4, 2013 at the Lagos Airport. Barely 72 hours after the accident, another airline, Dana Air had an air return in Port Harcourt following a mechanical fault in one of its two engines. The incident led to the suspension of the operations of the airline by NCAA. NCAA said that operations of the airline were suspended in order for it to conduct operational and mechanical audits on the airline. Besides, on Sunday, IRS Airlines had hydraulic problems in one of its engines when it was about to land at the Kaduna Airport. This has further raised questions about the financial power of all the airlines. Speaking on the IRS Airlines incident, Akinkuotu insisted that the aircraft with the registration number 5N-HIR did not have emergency landing at the airport, but said we might have an abnormal situation. The NCAA DG said: “For the purpose of reinforcement, we wish to restate that the affected Fokker 100 aircraft landed safely at the airport, following a hydraulic alert

in the cockpit while on final approach at the airport. “We wish to appeal that news reports on aircraft incident and accident should be made with caution, after all facts have been cross-checked with the appropriate authorities because of the sensitivity nature of the aviation industry to the general public.” On frequent air returns lately, Akinkuotu said that the agency would continue to interact with the operators and dialogue with them on how to improve their operations. “There are lapses from the operators and it shows they have a role to play in ensuring total safety. NCAA will continue to interact, educate and enforce the law as stated in our Act. “Whenever we find out

ONITSHA

combined team of policemen and soldiers yesterday shot a kidnap suspect dead and rescued a victim who had been held captive for some days. The rescue operations, sources said, took place at 3-3 Area of Onitsha where the security agents engaged the kidnappers in a gun battle. According to the sources, the kidnappers had taken their victim whose identity was not immediately known to an unknown destination, while the family waited in vain for the suspects to establish contact

with them. It was, however, gathered that the police eventually received information that the victim was kept in an uncompleted building in a remote area in Onitsha. The sources said when information about the victim’s whereabouts got to the police, they contacted the Army Barrack in Onitsha to seek the soldiers’ assistance in the rescue operations. Then operations lasted for about an hour. A police source, who did not want his name mentioned, told journalists that as soon as the kidnappers saw the security personnel, they opened fire on them,

Air Vice Marshal Monday Morgan at the Government House, Alausa, Ikeja yesterday, Fashola lamented the high casualties arising from the nation’s aviation woes. He said punishing erring officials in the sector will demonstrate values for the lives of air passengers. His words: “The aviation industry is under public scrutiny now, which is safety in the sky. I want to use this medium to appeal to you and your colleagues in the aviation sector, of what is needed to be done in order to improve upon safety in that area. According to him, “We must never think twice about it. It makes our job easy. This is because we have responsibility for safety of lives and property in the state. But it is not only

safety that is induced by terror and crime. We cannot secure lives and property if certain safety standards are not kept. “It adds to the index of the causalities that we may have to deal with. There must be uncompromising standards about ensuring safety whether on the side of the military or aviation industry. Everybody must work together to make the Nigerian aviation industry safer. “So that when people board aircraft from the country, they must feel confident that nothing unusual will happen. We know that the aircraft are mechanical devices and mechanical devices can fail. But there is a protocol for keeping mechanical devices operational and functional.”

L-R: Chief Executive Officer, Murtala Muhammed Foundation, Aisha Muhammed Oyebode; Mrs. Ajoke Murtala-Muhammed; Vice Chairman of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, Murtala Muhammed Foundation, Mrs. Abimbola Fashola and former Minister of Education, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, at the Foundation’s Conference Dinner in Lagos, at the weekend.

Kidnap suspect shot dead as security personnel rescue victim NWABUEZE OKONKWO

that staff are not being paid, we will interact with the operators to do the right thing, but the staff too should inform us of any non-payment,” he said. The Chairman of IRS Airlines, Alhaji Rabiu Ishaku Rabiu commended NCAA for its comprehensive oversight functions of the airlines. However, IRS Airlines counters were not selling tickets to passengers at its base in MMA2. Meanwhile, Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos yesterday called on the Federal Government to punish those discovered to have compromised standards in the Aviation industry. While playing host to Air Officer Commanding, Logistic Command, Nigerian Air Force, Ikeja,

while the team returned the fire. The police said that after the gun battle, one of the kidnappers was found dead, while others fled with bullet wounds. When contacted, the Anambra State Police Public Relations Officers, Mr. Emeka Chukwuemeka, said he was yet to receive any report on the incident, but promised to get back to journalists as soon as the report was available. The Police Area Commander for Onitsha, Benjamin Wordu, confirmed the rescue operations, but declined further comments on the ground that the case had been taken over by a superior hand.

Ekiti APC, PDP trade accusations over Jonathan’s planned visit ABIODUN NEJO ADO EKITI

he ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State yesterday traded accusations over plans to foment trouble during the President Goodluck Jonathan’s proposed visit to the state on Saturday. APC Interim Chairman, Chief Jide Awe, accused the PDP of planning to cause violence in the state during Jonathan’s visit to give the impression that members of the ruling party were out to embarrass the President.

But the PDP Public Relations Officer, Pastor Kola Oluwawole, said the APC should be investigated by the police and other security agencies over the allegation, saying: “Each time they, APC members, are planning evil, they will always mention the name of our party as a cover up”. The President plans to visit Ekiti State at the weekend for part of the activities marking the maiden convocation ceremony of Afe Babalola University in Ado-Ekiti. Awe alleged at a press conference yesterday in Ado-Ekiti that PDP planned to foment trouble so as to pave the way for

the declaration of state of emergency in Ekiti. He also alleged of plans by members of the opposition party to disrupt the third anniversary rally of Governor Kayode Fayemi billed to hold at the Oluyemi Kayode Stadium tomorrow Ado-Ekiti. Awe said: “We got from a grapevine source that the PDP was planning to disrupt our programme particularly that of Wednesday holding at Oluyemi Kayode Stadium in other to embarrass the governor. This was a calculated attempt to frame up some of our members as trouble makers”.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

South West

Tuesday October 15, 2013

LASTMA to motorists: Stop making phone call on wheels MURITALA AYINLA

he General Manager of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Mr. Babatunde Edu, has urged motorists to stop pinging or making phone calls while on the wheel. Edu said the agency had deployed more traffic personnel to some strategic roads in the state metropolis to ease transportation during the Ei-El-Kabir cel-

ebration. The LASTMA boss, who claimed that making phone calls while on the wheel distract concentration and contribute to traffic gridlock, added that more towing vehicles had been released to remove broken down vehicles and other impediments on roads to ease movement. Speaking with National Mirror yesterday in Lagos on the agency’s preparation for the festive period, Edu urged motorists to always

obey traffic laws and observe safety measures. According to him, the moves to ensure traffic flow were taken owing to the volume of vehicles that drive in and out of the state for the Ed-el-Kabir celebration. Edu urged traders and motorists not to turn the roads and walkways to market and car parks, saying the festival would be enjoyed if all roads users respect their rights and observe safety measures.

He said LASTMA had deployed more traffic personnel to entry points into the state and markets in order to ensure free traffic flow. Edu added that the personnel were to ensure free flow of traffic, check speed violation, dangerous driving, use of handsets while driving and overloading. He explained that though the influx of vehicles conveying people coming to the state for Sallah shopping and movement out of

the city for the Eid-il-Kabir celebration are responsible for the “slow pace” of vehicular movement across the state. While appealing to the commuters to bear with the situation, Edu assured that LASTMA would do everything possible to ensure that travel time of commuters was not unnecessary prolonged. Edu reiterated that adequate research and information had been gathered

by the agency to determine the best approach and solution to each traffic problem, adding that the agency would apply scientific solution to the peculiarity of each area. He said the continued influx of people and vehicles into the state necessitates periodic traffic review of traffic management plans, assuring that with the new plans, travelling within the state during peak period would be less tedious.

National confab: Fasehun urges inclusive representation AYO ESAN

L-R: Chairman of the Tribunal of Enquiry, Hon. Justice Sunday Ishola; Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola and his deputy, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, during the presentation of the report of the causes of the December 26, 2012 fire and explosion at No. 45 Ojo-Giwa Street, Idumota, Lagos, yesterday.

Re-classification not initiated to change school identity –Aregbesola ADEOLU ADEYEMO OSOGBO

overnor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State yesterday explained that the on-going education reform embarked upon by his administration was not initiated to obliterate the heritage and change the identities of schools in the state. Speaking at this year’s World Global Hand Washing Day celebration in Osogbo, Aregbesola said the school re-classification was initiated to ensure total reengineering of the state education sector so as to make it functional.

He said: “Contrary to insinuation in some quarters that the identity, heritage and tradition of some institutions are at risk of being distorted or totally changed, my administration has no plan, either in the immediate or remote period of time to change any school’s tradition. “The correction is necessary in view of allegations from certain groups that the reclassification is aimed at removing the identities of some schools that were originally set up by missionary groups before the take-over of schools 38 years ago. “No matter what those

who are bent of frustrating the government effort towards the realisation of the best system of education for the state, my administration would not deter from giving students total and qualitative education for a prosperous and rewarding future.” The governor, however, assured that the government would retain identity and heritage of the schools regardless of their previous inclination. Aregbesola said: “Let me state categorically that our administration has no intention whatsoever to change the character, heritage and the identity of any

school. A good example, which is not far to seek, is the recently completed school in Alekuwodo. We have retained the name of the school, Salvation Army Middle School. “I don’t think that anybody, even the founder of the school, would be dissatisfied with what we have done to that school. “The example of Salvation Army Middle School, which name is retained by the government, is a testimonial that all the negative campaigns by some individuals amount to sheer hypocrisy and pure lies calculated to derail the good policy of the government.”

Politicians responsible for rot in judiciary –Ayorinde KENNY ODUNUKAN

hairman of the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria (LACN), Chief Bolaji Ayorinde (SAN), has blamed the rot in the judiciary on interference by politicians, businessmen and traditional rulers.

He said the interference was responsible for the high level of corruption and the rot ruining the judiciary. In a lecture entitled: “53 years after Independence: The many faces of judicial rot” delivered at this year’s lecture of the National Association of Judiciary Correspondents

(NAJUC) in Ikeja, Lagos, the Senior Advocate of Nigeria said: “It is this class of persons that bribe, intimidate, harass or influence judges to depart from their sacred oath of office and the path of honour and rectitude. “A judge who hobnobs with this group may well be unwittingly allowing

his position to be compromised and possibly jeopardised”. Ayorinde, however, decried a situation where the judiciary is deliberately underfunded and made to go cap in hand to government, particularly for capital expenditure, describing the development as official corruption.

he founder of the the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), Dr Fredrick Fasehun, has said that the proposed national conference’s representation should be all-inclusive and equitable for the over 371 nationalities in the country. Fasehun said the conference should produce the constitution that could be used to govern the country from 2015. Addressing journalists yesterday in Lagos, Fasehun said: “Everyone must synthesise its own views, aspirations and demands on Nigeria as a nation. Not only will the majority tribes of Hausa-Fulani, Yoruba and Igbo feature in this conference, it must be representative of all Nigeria’s minority tribes, the Isoko, the Gwari, the Yagba, the Ogoni, the Birom, the Tiv, the Awori, the Baruba and the rest”. He said apart from ethnic representations, specific individuals and interest groups should be drafted into the national conference project. Fasehun said: “In this line, we recommend the likes of Wole Soyinka, Olisa Agbakoba, Priscilla Kuye, Pat Utomi, Omoyele Sowore, Dora Akunyili, Julius Ihonvbare, Turai Yar’Adua, Doyin Abiola, Shehu Sani, Tanko Yakassai, Hamza Al-Mustapha, Frank Kokori, Umar Dangiwa, Onyeka Onwenu, Grace Alele-Williams, etc. Also special interest groups should be co-opted, including labour, youth, women, the handicapped, the aged, traditional rulers (one per state), the clergy, the Nige-

ria Bar Association (NBA), Boko Haram, OPC, Afenifere, Arewa Consultative Forum, Egbesu, MASSOB, NDVF, MEND, Child Rights Advocates and the Press.” He added: “The current generation of president, governors and legislators will be the last under the 1999 Constitution. And in 2015, elected president, governors and legislators can begin to serve under the new Constitution. “Spill-over tenures of president, governors and legislators will expire upon the commencement of the new Constitution in order to prevent the existence of a hybrid Republic, one in which political operatives hold loyalty to two different constitutions.” Stressing that the national conference should be pegged on the past works of PRONACO, the National Dialogue of President Olusegun Obasanjo and Nigeria’s past Constitutions, Fasehun said the resultant document from the conference must be subjected to no endorsement or ratification by the executive, legislative or judicial action or pronouncement, but to plebiscite or referendum. He said: “Its ratification will be by plebiscite or referendum, where a majority of ‘YES’ votes will ratify or endorse the new people’s Constitution.”

Fasheun

South-East

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Monarch’s imposition: Imo SSG escapes lynching CHRIS NJOKU OWERRI

he Secretary to the Imo State Government, SSG, Prof. Anthony Anwukah, yesterday narrowly escaped lynching when angry protesters besieged the Government House to protest the alleged imposition of his inlaw as the traditional ruler on the community. The protesters from Umuohiagu Autonomous Community in Ngor Okpala Local Government Area, who were initially peaceful, suddenly turned violent on sighting Anwukah when he drove into the Government House, Owerri. Unknown to the SSG, he ran into the crowd of people who immediately

pounced on his vehicle. The protesters stoned Anwukah with pure water sachets, as they attempted to drag him out of his car, pouring invectives on him for wanting to impose his in-law, Justice Ambrose B. C. Egu (rtd) on Umuohiagu as its monarch. However, the security operatives at the gate rushed to save him from the wrath of the demonstrators while his driver hurriedly reversed and took another entrance into the Government House. In a protest letter jointly signed by the youth leader of the Community Government Council, CGC, Fidelis Ekeimo, the Secretary of the Council of Elders, Elder Charles, the woman leader, Mrs. Florence Iyeh and three others,

ASUU members protest FG’s refusal to implement agreement CHARLES OKEKE AWKA

he Nnamdi Azikiwe University, NAU, chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, yesterday protested Federal Government’s refusal to fully implement the 2009 agreement it signed with the union. During the protest at the Arroma Freedom Square in Awka, the Anambra State capital, members of the union carried placards with varying inscriptions denigrating the government, while their leaders blamed the Federal Government for not taking concrete action to honour the said agreement to pave way for universities to reopen. The protest started in the morning when the ASUU members drawn from NAU and Anambra State University, Igbariam, stormed the Arroma Freedom Square with placards and began chanting solidarity song, while others were distributing leaflets containing the union’s position on the strike to motorists and passers-by. Some of the placards read: “FG: Agreement is agreement,” “Nigeria: Right Country, Poor Education,” “Kill education, kill development,” “ASUU Strike, no going back,” “FG: Save University education,” “No politics in

education.” As the protest progressed in the presence of armed policemen drafted to maintain order, the Chairman of ASUU NAU, Prof. Ike Odimegwu and the Nsukka Zonal Coordinator, Dr. Chidi Osuagwu, later briefed members on why they should remain steadfast in pursuing the strike. In his speech, Odimegwu warned of the consequences of allowing the strike to collapse. The union leader also refuted the claim by the Federal Government that enough funds were not available to fully implement the contentious agreement. He said: “What we are saying in effect is that enough is enough, agreement is agreement. It borders on morality that the agreement is not being respected by the Federal Government. Government must obey the agreement; there is no politics.” On his own part, the Nsukka zonal coordinator said UNIZIK had been a turning point in the struggle to get the 2009 agreement implemented. Osuagwu also spoke on the issue of no work, no pay policy being enforced against ASUU members. He said: “They are now operating no work, no pay policy and our position is no pay, no work.”

the protesters rejected any attempt by the SSG to impose Egu on them as their traditional ruler. The people said Egu was not from Ojiwe village, therefore, was not qualified and was not elected by

the community. They said the people elected one Athan Agbakwuru from Umuchoko kindred of Ojiwe village as their Eze-elect on July 30. The letter reads in part: “It is injustice and corrup-

tion of the highest order for Ojiwe being the first village to be deprived because Justice Egu’s in-law is in the governor’s cabinet.” The protesters appealed to Governor Rochas Okorocha to stop the planned im-

position of Egu as the next traditional ruler. Responding, the Chief of Staff, Government House, Sir Jude Ejiogu, promised that government would look into the issue to ensure justice at the end.

L-R: Ace comedian, Chief Chika Okpala; Treasurer, Anambra State People’s Assembly (ASPA), Enugu chapter, Chief Julius Olisa; All Progressives Congress governorship candidate in Anambra State, Sen. Chris Ngige and President General, ASPA, Chief Peter Okoye, during Ngige’s meeting PHOTO: NAN with members of the assembly in Enugu, yesterday.

Robbers raid The Sun office in Onitsha • Gang leader in police net

NWABUEZE OKONKWO ONITSHA

he police in Onitsha, Anambra State are now grilling the suspected ring leader of a fourman robbery gang which stormed the circulation office of The Sun Newspapers and other adjoining offices in the commercial city, yesterday and stole over N400,000. The suspect, whose identity could not be ascertained at press time, was apprehended in the Fegge area of Onitsha, near the Onitsha drugs market, while three of his gang members escaped arrest. According to a source,

the four suspects, who operated on two motorcycles, had stormed the one-storey building office of The Sun at 57 Old Market Road, opposite Onitsha General Post Office, robbed three offices one after the other, including The Sun, Complete Sports and Canefield Investment Limited, a stock broker and fled. The source, who said the armed robbers did not shoot at any of their victims, disclosed that they stole N370,000 from the office of Canefield Investment, N80,000 from the distributor of Complete Sports, and an unspecified amount of money from a drawer at The Sun office.

It was gathered that as soon the robbers left The Sun office, they crossed over to the drugs market in the Fegge area of Onitsha and continued with their nefarious activities. However, luck ran out on them when a combined team of police and soldiers on patrol were alerted. The ring leader was arrested as he fell into the drainage in an attempt to escape, while his accomplice fled. The soldiers took the suspect to the Onitsha Military Cantonment for a brief interrogation before they handed him over to the police for thorough investigation.

At the Police Area Command Headquarters, Onitsha, some of the victims of the robbery identified him as the one who was commanding the robbers during the operation. The Area Commander, Benjamin Wordu, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), who confirmed the arrest, said he got a distress call that some hoodlums were robbing some people near the drugs market and immediately dispatched his patrol team to the area. Wordu disclosed that the suspect had been taken to the police medical clinic for first aid treatment following some injuries he sustained when he was trying to escape arrest.

I left my work plan in Govt House –Ngige DENNIS AGBO ENUGU

he Anambra State gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Chris Ngige, has given reasons why he wants to seek re-election. According to Ngige, he wants to return to the Awka Government House because he left there abruptly, with his work and aspirations unfulfilled. The APC governorship candidate said yesterday

that his eight years’ blueprint for development of the state was jettisoned by Governor Peter Obi with most the strategic projects left undone. He said because his work plan was abandoned by his successor, he would dust the blueprint up to rebuild the state once more. Ngige spoke when he met with the Anambra Peoples Assembly in Enugu. The candidate said that service to Anambra people was dear to his heart. He said: “I forgot my

work plan at the Government House and that is what I want to go back and collect.” According to him, security has to be restored in the state as well as unfettered freedom of movement, equity and fairness. The governorship hopeful emphasised that during his aborted administration, he injected Anambra people’s money into service, paid teachers, pensioners and the people were proud. Ngige also promised that his administration, if re-

elected, would offer the citizens free maternal health service and free malaria treatment. He said: “We revolutionised road construction. It is not true that we did asphalt only in Idemili, we also built roads in every other parts of the state. “The present government has collected over N2 trillion with nothing to show for it. I met only N38 billion in the Anambra State Government purse but left N12.8 billion in the coffers.”

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SUPER TUESDAY Most governorship contenders in Anambra are political merchants –Umeh

Politics

Incessant air mishaps: Minister’s burden

42,43

Time ticking for G7 governors, new PDP The search for peace in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has lingered for a while and there seems to be no end in sight. OBIORA IFOH, in this piece, revisits the positions of the dramatis personae and wonders why they had stuck to their grounds.

even aggrieved governors under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, that include Aliyu Babangida (Niger), Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto), Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano), Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa) and Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers) are resolute on their vow that until their grievances are attended to, there will be no peace in the party. In the greater part of this year, they have virtually undermined the leadership of the party and to a large extent, the Presidency. They have also violated all known rules in the books of the party, using all manner of expletives and dared the helpless party leadership to do its worst. The National Working Committee, NWC, of the party led by Alhaji Bamanga Tukur has however resorted to calm after all efforts to iron-fist-handle the recalcitrant leaders could not yield any immediate result. Rather, the aggrieved members have grown in width and strength and have even over-stepped its bound by challenging the legitimacy of the Tukur leadership, such that it now parades itself as the authentic leadership of the party.

INEC, court’s denials Both the courts and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, have denied the new PDP any form of recognition. In a letter addressed to the National Secretary of the New PDP, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, signed by INEC’s Acting Secretary, U.S. Usman and dated October 2, with reference number INEC/LEG/ PDP/19/III/245, the electoral umpire’s correspondence which reads:“Re: Notification of changes in the leadership of the PDP and request for formal recognition,” promptly denied the Baraje-led faction any recognition, stating that the “commission will not withdraw recognition from the leadership of the PDP elected at elections duly monitored by the commission.” Also on Thursday, a Lagos High Court presided over by Justice Oludotun AdefopeOkojie, said it had no power to assume jurisdiction over a matter which originated outside its territory. Baraje, Oyinlola, and the National Deputy Chairman of the New PDP, Dr. Sam Jaja, had asked the court to restrain Tukur and

Babangida

Amaechi

Lamido

Kwankwaso

TOP STORY

THERE ARE A NUMBER OF THINGS GOING WRONG AND BECAUSE

other NWC members from further parading themselves as the officials of the PDP.

Wielding the big stick But a few days ago, the party appears to have woken up from its slumber and have constituted its disciplinary committee after every effort to bring this group of aggrieved members to a roundtable failed, the last being the presidential reconciliation effort which had been postponed at the instance of the new PDP. From the look of things, it appears that the leadership of the PDP has lost its patience and they are ready to deploy the stick after the carrot approach failed to achieve its desired goal. Only last weekend, the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, sealed the Adamawa Government Lodge in Maitama, Abuja which quartered the operational office of the new PDP for misuse of residential office for political reason.

WE ARE THE MAJOR PARTY THAT FORMED

THE GOVERNMENT, WE MUST HAVE WHAT IS

CALLED DUE PROCESS, RULE OF LAW,

TRANSPARENCY AND INTEGRITY IN SYSTEMS It is also believed that the party leadership may have decided to hammer the six northern governors through, first suspension and later expulsion should they not accept the supremacy of the party.

Why are the governors fighting? Governor Lamido of (Jigawa), one of the arrowheads of the dissenting G7 Gover-

nors, said: “In our own party, we feel there are a number of things going wrong and because we are the major party that formed the government, we must have what is called due process, rule of law, transparency and integrity in systems. So, the fight between me and PDP is a fight between injustice and justice, between rule of law and rule of hooligans, who have taken the party hostage and therefore taken Nigeria hostage. We are going to fight this course until the right thing is done; the party must come back to its original role.” Also speaking, Governor Aliyu said that the whole essence of the struggle was to build a democratic culture in politicians to the extent that their words would always be their bond. He said: “ The whole essence is about democracy and morality. Democracy in the country may not necessarily flourish; morality means that if you make an agreement, whether privately or publicly, we must learn to keep it. It comes to a time when you give me this, I will give you that. These are internal aspects of the party. We have the capacity to resolve whatever the differences are.” Also, Governor Kwankwaso said the agitation is ultimately aimed at purifying the party and saving it from self-destruction even as he said that party members had, under the Tukur leadership, been subjected to various forms of intimidation in a bid to satisfy the wishes of “microscopic individuals” at the expense of the interest of the overall majority. He accused the Tukur-led PDP of disregarding the constitution and manifesto of the PDP and, according to him, “having realised the weaknesses of the party, we decided to rescue it and make it a better party. Going by the antecedents of the Bamanga-led group, we consider it appropriate to move against him and you would agree with me this is the right time to bring changes and reform the party so that it can serve the interest of the masses.” Governor Wamakko also explained that the struggle by the G-7 governors was to ensure that no individual or group will be too powerful enough to hijack party machinery. He said the governors had only committed themselves to ensuring the suppression of what he described as parochial and selfish interest by some few members, adding that the impression that certain members of the party were bigger than others had been the bane of the ongoing problem in the PDP.

The demands The governors and some other notable members of the party, who are aggrieved with the way the party is being run, are demanding that President Jonathan should not contest the 2015 elections; that state party structures should be returned to the govCONTINUED ON PAGE 41

Politics

THE

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Incessant air mishaps: Minister’s burden

PARLIAMENT Senators stopped short of demanding the immediate sack of the Aviation Minister, Mrs. Stella Oduah as the lawmakers, last week, debated the crash of the Associated Airlines aircraft, which claimed over 16 lives, writes GEORGE OJI.

he facts were as staggering as they were startling. In less than 24 months, the nation had witnessed a total of seven fatal air mishaps and two averted crashes. These were exclusive of the four other crashes involving military aircraft. In all of these air accidents, over 200 lives were lost. So, on October 23, when the nation woke up to yet another news of an air mishap, involving the Associated Airlines plane within the vicinity of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, it was enough to incur the rage of the lawmakers. On June 2, 2012, an Allied Airlines aircraft crashed in Accra, Ghana, killing 10 people on the ground. The following day, June 3, an aircraft belonging to Dana Airlines crashed in Lagos killing about 153 persons on board. This was followed by the Nigerian Police helicopter, which crashed on March 23, killing a Deputy Inspector General of Police, Mr. John Haruna and three other officers on board and several other people in Kabong village, Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State. Before then, the Odenegene Air Service (OAS helicopter) crashed on a flight to Akure in the same 2012 killing all on board. Of course, the Taraba State governor’s aircraft crashed in Yola, Adamawa State, while attempting to land last October, injuring Governor Danbaba Suntai and others. On December 15 last year, an Augusta 109 helicopter crashed in Bayelsa State, killing the former National Security Adviser, NSA, General Andrew Aziza and the Kaduna State governor, Sir Patrick Yakowa, as well as two naval pilots and two aides. Of course, the Associated Airlines plane crash, which happened in Lagos on October 3, killed 15 persons instantly, while the 17th victim later died in the hospital, just as three persons are still in the hospital receiving treatment. The two averted air mishaps involving Kabo Air aircraft conveying Sokoto pilgrims and the Maxi aircraft conveying the Taraba pilgrims all occurred on October 4, this year. All of these facts were revealed as the Senate debated a motion last week on the crash of the Associated Airlines plane. Expectedly, none of the senators could conceal their anger over the accidents, which they described as one too many. What was most unfortunate was the accidents took place at a time the Aviation Ministry and indeed, the President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration were showcasing and revelling in their strides in the reform of the aviation sector. All the senators, with only very few exceptions laid the blame for the misfortunes on the door steps of the Aviation minister, Mrs. Stella Oduah, and the regu-

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Oduah

Ekweremadu

The crashed Associated airlines plane.

latory agencies within her ministry. The general position of the lawmakers was that these air mishaps were simply avoidable, which resulted from the handiwork of human error and the failure of the regulatory agencies. The Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, who presided the day’s plenary was so angered that he said that in some other climes, the minister would have either resigned or in some extreme cases, had committed suicide. “The life of every Nigerian must count,” an enraged Ekweremadu insisted, stressing that, “In some places when certain things happen, people take responsibility and the least they do is to resign. In some other places, people commit suicide, even for the failure of their subordinates.” He said: “So, because those things don’t happen we will have to keep emphasising things over and over again, we keep repeating ourselves as broken records.” He noted that the problem simply had to do with the issue of safety standards. “It is not just about the planes because the standard all over the world is the same,” he enthused. He observed that aviation is international business and the regulations are the same all over the world. For Ekweremadu, the problem has to do with those who will enforce those regulations. As far as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Business and Rules, Senator Eta Inang (Akwa Ibom North-East) was concerned, the crashes were the fault of the Aviation minister, who he blamed for busying herself with mundane issues of contract awards, rather than insisting on the enforcement of standards.

IN SOME PLACES, WHEN CERTAIN THINGS HAPPEN, PEOPLE TAKE RESPONSIBILITY AND THE LEAST THEY DO IS TO RESIGN. IN SOME

OTHER PLACES, PEOPLE COMMIT SUICIDE, EVEN FOR THE FAILURE OF THEIR SUBORDINATES “It appears that the current minister concentrates more on the infrastructure and ecstatic of the airports and not the functionality and state and status of the aircraft flying. “What is happening is a failure of the aviation industry and the relevant regulatory bodies who take pride in awarding contracts and things that bring in money illegally but do not think of the safety and welfare of Nigerians. It is good to have tiles and granites at the airports, to put flashy fittings on the walls and the roofs, but is that what aviation reform is all about?” the lawmaker queried. Enang was certain that the problem had little to do with the existence of requisite laws and regulations in the sector but more with the enforcement capabilities. “There was a time in the early 2000 when one of the problems we had was that our laws were not in compliant with the interna-

tional best practices and in 2006, we passed a comprehensive Civil Aviation Act and we were asked to make additional regulations and we complied, yet these laws and regulations have not been enforced and not observed and we keep having accidents and crashes. Our aviation laws and regulations are very comprehensive. These regulations and laws having being made, to what extent are they being enforced or complied with?” he qwewed. Enang was also concerned that the Aviation minister and her ministry pays little or no attention to the monitoring of the operations of the private plane service operators who provide charter services to some rich Nigerians who patronise their services. “In any minimum way that the ministry has thought about the aircrafts, they have given little or least attention to the small aircraft operating charter services whereas they have paid greater attention to the bigger aircraft flying commercial services.” The worry of the lawmaker was that some of the aircraft that fly our airspaces are not allowed to fly in the air spaces of other countries, including the less developed democracies of the world. “In India and most other countries of the world,” Enang noted, “the aircraft that fly in this country are not allowed in those countries. If they do not fly in those countries, how come that they have been certified and allowed to come and fly in Nigeria?” According to the lawmaker, “Is time to look for a surgical knife and conduct real surgery on the aviation sector. It is time we considered a vote of confidence or a vote of no confidence on all the aviation parastatals and ministry in this country at the end of this.” Senator Oluremi Tinubu (Lagos Central) anger stemmed from the statement credited to the Aviation minister that some of the air accidents are simply unavoidable. She was furious that the minister who is supposed to imbue confidence in air travellers is the person that turns round to instil fear and worry. “What the Aviation minister said this morning was very alarming to me when she stated that in air travel, we cannot really avoid such disasters. The statement was really very scary and air travel is supposed to be the safest and for anybody like the Aviation minister to make such a statement is very unfortunate. Is the minister supposed to imbue confidence in air travellers or to create fears in them as she did with the recent statement credited to her? I think we have to look into that,” Tinubu suggested. Another worrying aspect of air travel in Nigeria, according to the lawmaker, is the state of the nation’s airports runways, which she described as the worst in the world. “I want us to look at the state of our runways. Have we ever considered our take off and our landing. Our runways are the bumpiest in the whole of this planet earth. Each time I land in any of these airports, I weep for this country. We look at the state of our aircraft and I say, even if our aircraft are safe today, what about our runways. Those are what I want us to look at when we begin the investigations. We should stop playing politics with the lives of people,” CONTINUED ON PAGE 44

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Tuesday, October 15, 2013

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Tuesday, October 15, 2013

OYO STATE OF NIGERIA

Diamond for your Royal Crown, Kabiyesi

HIS IMPERIAL MAJESTY,

OBA (DR) LAMIDI OLAYIWOLA ADEYEMI III, JP LLD CFR THE ALAAFIN OF OYO

Kabiyesi, Iku Baba Yeye, The Alaaﬁn of Oyo. On the happy occasion of your 75th Birthday, the Government and millions of people of Oyo State thank the Almighty for blessing you with long, useful and continuously relevant years. As the lodestone custodian of Yoruba culture and tradition, you are a unifying force and anchor of stability for the Yoruba race and all other members of humanity who call the Nigerian SouthWest “home.” We appreciate your service to our people, and salute your imperial majesty as you celebrate this 75th (Diamond) Jubilee. K’ade pe l’ori. Ki bata pe l’ese. Esin Oba a jeko pe. Kaaabiyesi O!

Sen. Abiola Ajimobi Governor of Oyo State

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Views

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Tackling Osun’s water challenges MIKE ADEMOLA

itizens of the United States of America are being described as a “dehydrated bunch” because they are not heeding the experts’ recommendation for a healthy living that adult should drink not less than eight glasses of water daily. And there is a report that the US First Lady, Michelle Obama, is launching a campaign to get her compatriots to take more water instead of sugary drinks to help create a healthy population. She calls her initiative Drink up. There is no such crusade in Nigeria. But there is obviously a weightier seriousness the Osun State government is attaching to the issue of providing potable water for the citizens, having observed the multi dimensional importance of water at the human, social, economic, cultural and industrial levels. In June 2013, the government of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola launched a massive intervention programme to serve notice that his administration is genuinely grassroots-based. One key way of proving this is to attend to the basic needs of the vast majority of the population. Given the fact that water is at the root of every human activity – industrial, domestic, cultural etc. – he has set out to connect with the people through water. The governor launched the rehabilitation of the Ede Water Works, which had gone into ruins since it was built about 60 years ago. It essentially services 160 towns and villages in 12 Local Government Areas of the state. Suffice it to state that 70 percent of the water needs of the people of the state is served from here.

Sadly over the years, however, and especially during the era gone by, the Water Works lost its shine and glory. At the inception of the Aregbesola Administration, in 2010 for instance, its installed capacity had dwindled to a mere 15 percent, with major equipment completely broken down and staff morale low. The same sordid scenario also played out in other major and mini water works across the state. However, as soon as Governor Aregbesola settled down, the first thing he did was to provide an initial N417 million intervention fund to quickly reverse the downturn of this Water Works. Through the fund, the following equipment were promptly procured and installed: two brand new intake pumping machines; 1.5 MVA generating set; two transformers; and seven dozing pumps. This intervention immediately impacted positively on the output of the Water Works as production rose to 30 percent and staff morale boosted. Not satisfied with this state of affairs the governor with members of the state Executive Council spared no effort in setting aside another whopping N2 billion, the amount required for the full and unfettered rehabilitation of this Water Works. The government is also supplying more dozing pumps and brand new chlorinators, with all pipe works meticulously undertaken. In the full rehabilitation works also are re-jigging of all civil structures, beautification of the environment, regeneration of the staff quarters to boost staff morale, and the procurement of two additional transformers. The rehabilitation work will be concluded in exactly 12 months, which will hopefully raise our production capac-

THE ADMINISTRATION IS PROVING THAT THERE IS A LINKAGE BETWEEN THE AVAILABILITY OF WATER FOR ALL AND GENERAL ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT ACROSS ALL SECTORS ity to 95 percent. This is a terrific advancement, which international agencies have both enthusiastically endorsed and supported. In addition, another whopping N2.2 billion has been set aside to replace obsolete asbestos pipes with more durable plastic pipes, which will be healthier for distributing water too. For the people of the State of Osun, all of this has been an advance movement. The gains are real. The empirical evidence cannot be hidden and access to water resources has demonstrably and significantly increased. The administration is proving that there is a linkage between the availability of water for all and general economic and social development across all sectors. Meeting such a fundamental need has first ensured there is enhanced life, since healthy treated water provided by this government carries the needed nutrients, minerals, dissolved salts and trace elements, all referred to as the building blocks of growth and healing energies, to the people. Secondly, in taking direct charge of

providing water, the government is taking away the stress and expenses incurred by the people in going several miles to look for water. This preserves the energy of the people for productive services to the society. Thirdly, because the government is coordinating the sinking of bore-holes, there is no indiscriminate and haphazard construction of wells, which degrade the environment and cause long term hazards and ecological challenges. Finally, the scheme would not allow the people fall into the hands of sherlock water dealers who rabidly commercialize water provision and in the process destroy the health of consumers. We thus have the picture of a caring government that has an all-round view of judiciously administering the mandate it has received from the people. As the Aregbesola administration attends to the nuanced shades of politics and governance we see it giving equal care to those things that matter to the majority. This is what should matter at the ballot in the 2014 governorship poll in the State of Osun. Has the incumbent government touched the lives of the people where they require the touch? Has it been faithful to its commitment to serve? Has performance delivery been one sided in favor of the elites, to the neglect of the poor? The passion with which Aregbesola is handling the issue of providing water to the people since he came on board is a pointer that he deserves an encore at the next poll to enable him consolidate what he has done for the people. Ademola is a businessman in Oriade LGA, Osun State

Air disasters: The gods are not to blame ANDREW KUKU

igerians usually blame any bad thing that happens on the devil, but the reaction of the Minister of Aviation, Ms Stella Oduah, to the chartered Associated Airlines plane which crashed in Lagos on October 3, was a departure from the norm. The Minister described the accident, which claimed 16 lives, as an ‘act of God’. An ‘act of God’, according to a famous British writer and politician, Sir Alan Patrick Herbert (A. P. Herbert), is ‘something which no reasonable man could have expected’. This could explain why Nigerians were enraged by the Minister’s comment, because the aviation industry, according to stakeholders, has been an accident waiting to happen. The plane crash did not come as an unexpected occurrence to those with inside knowledge of the industry. This much we have seen in the reactions of those in the aviation business, and senators who have made startling revelations about the rot in the industry. So, the Minister’s words were like ‘satanic verses’ aggravating an already charged atmosphere. Senator Smart Adeyemi is among those who will not forgive the Minister’s blasphemy. He told Nigerians that God had nothing to do with the plane crash. According to him the aircraft had been

on the ground and not flying for long and it was undergoing repairs. Therefore, the plane could not have been expected to pick passengers. Also while reacting to the Associated Airline plane crash on a Channels Television programme, a pilot and a representative of Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) opened a catalogue of woes in the industry. According to them, the aviation authorities concentrate on money making; they care less about the aircraft. People now obtain Air Operating Licenses the way Nigerians used to obtain driver’s licence, which even the blind could obtain. The authorities are allegedly not conducting the necessary tests. Aircraft are left in the open for long periods at the mercy of the elements. Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority appears to have been disorganised. This regulatory authority is now charging people money, and the Minister is said to have opened another supplementary account for these payments. How can they do that? Cargo aircraft like the ill-fated Associated Airlines’ Embraer 120 now pay $3000 before take-off from Lagos to Akure, and $3000 back to Lagos (N961, 847). One operator observed sarcastically that the cost of flying 30 times at that rate could even buy another aircraft. The airlines in Nigeria are the most taxed in the world. To issue a Certificate of Airworthiness, some airlines

THE PLANE CRASH DID NOT COME AS AN UNEXPECTED OCCURRENCE TO THOSE WITH INSIDE KNOWLEDGE OF THE INDUSTRY pay $10,000 (N1, 603, 075) for that piece of paper. When operators battling with economic recession now pay so much money for so many things they have to handle, the authorities are pushing them to the point where they have to start cutting corners. Some of these operators are not even paying staff salaries. The Minister must look inwards. Why are these charges overwhelming the airlines? Parking fees in Nigeria triple charges in other African countries. An aircraft pays over $5000 (N801, 539) to stay overnight in Nigeria. Today, foreign airplanes can’t sleep in Nigeria and no airplane can do anything and the domestic airlines are being strangulated. Too many charges and the charges are too high. Everyone who wants to import aircraft must see the Minister personally to get her consent. The industry is distressed. While the Minister was busy making money, squeezing water out of stone-dry opera-

tors, and awarding bogus contracts for airport facelift, the body is rotten. We are being flown by hungry and disgruntled pilots who have not received salaries for up to six months. The Minister appears to be putting cosmetics on the face of a person who is dying from kwashiorkor. When Nigerians expect the Ministry to be suffering an agony of guilt over series of avoidable deaths in air accidents, Ms Oduah chose to rub salt in the wounds of those who lost their loved ones in the accident. The Federal Government must look for competent people to run the sector. We have big problem in our hands and except we come out clearly and address this issue, the worse is yet to come. As long as we keep complaining about blackouts at airports, aging aircrafts, high fuel cost, empty seats on passenger flights, fears of terrorism, poor navigation and landing aids, and inadequate training for pilots, we don’t have to blame the gods. Kuku, a public affairs analyst, wrote from Lagos 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.

Editorial

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

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Eid-el Kabir and Nigeria of today

s the final rites of the Muslim pilgrimage of Hajj, the fifth pillar of Islam, are being concluded, the faithful worldwide are today marking the Eid-el Kabir festival. Eid-el Kabir, an annual re-enactment of the redemption of sacrificial vow of Prophet Ibrahim, is recognised by Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It marks the exemplary demonstration of faith by Prophet Ibrahim, acclaimed as the father of faith. Thus, obedience to the will of God and the spirit of sacrifice of Prophet Ibrahim and his son, Prophet Ismail, are what will be honoured by the Muslim community today with the slaughtering of rams, camels or cows, depending on individual capability and preference. As Nigerian Muslims join their counterparts around the globe in marking this day of sacrifice and wishing all faithful Eid- Mubarak, public expectation is that the inherent lessons of the event being marked would moderate the activities of celebrants, considering the challenging times the country is contending with. For Nigeria, the occasion demands a very sober reflection on the state of the nation – especially the grave manifestation of insecurity, collapse of infrastructure, disruption in education, political chaos and social dislocation, to name

just a few. It is obvious that at the root of the troubling indices is the absence of the spirit of sacrifice among the nation’s leaders and managers. Most shocking have been the pervasive poverty of faith and the fear of God in a nation where religious enterprises have by far outpaced economic and functionally productive ventures. Equally sad is the fact that while ecumenism has become a big industry in Nigeria (which should ordinarily translate to cooperation among faiths), the country is being further polarized along religious divides, instead of being united in the fight against evil and corruption. Yet, Islam and Christianity, the two most dominant of the Abrahamic faiths, in their letters and pristine forms, neither condone corruption nor hypocrisy, vices that are responsible for the mess Nigeria is wallowing in today. A strong suggestion is being made that most of the leaders of faith in the country presently are not living up to their responsibility as catalysts for the reformation of the mind and character of their followership. Instead of preaching the Holy Scriptures undiluted, many religious leaders appear to have derailed. Their presence is more profound in the pursuit of vanity, the

October 15, 1970 Thirty-five construction workers were killed when a section of the new West Gate Bridge in Melbourne collapsed. The West Gate Bridge is a steel box girder cable-stayed bridge in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It spans the Yarra River, just north of its mouth into Port Phillip, and is a vital link between the inner city and Melbourne’s western suburbs with the industrial suburbs in the west and with the city of Geelong.

THE FINE TRADITIONS AND PRECEPTS OF

ISLAM GUARANTEED PEACE, HARMONY AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE EARLY ERA OF ISLAM

exploitation of their followers and using the latter to breach the peace and security of the nation. Of course, and justifiably too, most Nigerians have become disenchanted with the hypocrisy and corrupt exploit of many conmen now posing as religious leaders. Indeed, the dishonesty and atrocities dogging religion in the country have forced many to abandoned their faith or slip into vices and criminality. After bad leadership, nothing destroys a nation like corruption among the clergy and religious scholars. For, a corrupt clergy makes a mockery of the divine calling by preaching only that which corrupt leaders want to hear. It is not surprising that Nigeria has been on a perilous journey with a combination of corrupt leadership, a perverted clergy and disillusioned scholars. On the auspicious occasion of this year’s Eid-el Kabir, therefore, Nigerian leaders and the clergy need to re-examine their values and practices. They

owe the nation the bounden duty of leading the country to greatness and the path of righteousness in deference to a scriptural saying that righteousness exalts a nation and sin destroys it. As critical stakeholders in the nation, religious leaders in particular owe the nation the responsibility of not just praying and preaching, but practically contributing to the reform process in the country. By the same string, the ‘Ulama’ (Muslim scholars), for example, have an eminent role to play in holding the government of the day accountable and responsible; and routinely engaging the government constructively on issues national and public interest. The fine traditions and precepts of Islam guaranteed peace, harmony and development in the early era of Islam. Same can be re-enacted in presentday Nigeria. The country, more than any other time in her history, urgently needs the intercession of all citizens and stakeholders to be able to pull down the walls of stunted growth and underdevelopment, insecurity, instability and disunity. The Eid-el Kabir feast is a reminder that a lot of sacrifice is needed to take the nation to greater heights. We wish all our readers Eid-Mubarak!

ON THIS DAY October 15, 1990 Soviet Union leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to lessen Cold War tensions and open up his nation. Gorbachev (born March 2, 1931) is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the Soviet Union, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991.

October 15, 2011 Global protests break out in 951 cities in 82 countries. The October 15, 2011 global protests were part of a series of protests inspired by the Arab Spring, the Icelandic Revolution, the Portuguese ‘Geraçao a Rasca’, the Spanish ‘Indignants’, the Greek Protests and the Occupy movement. Global demonstrations were held on October 15 in more than 950 cities in 82 countries.

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Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Privatisation of GENCOs, DISCOs marks new beginning The Federal Government has handed over the GENCOs and DISCOs to preferred bidders. UDEME AKPAN who traces the evolution of the sector from the beginning to the present, reports that the advent of the new investors promises to create many multiplier effects in the nation’s economy.

r. Femi Salami who lives in Ikosi area of Ketu, Lagos has not witnessed consistent supply of electricity in the past six months. Despite the situation which has compelled him to depend more on private generator at higher cost, his monthly estimated bill from the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN has increased from N6, 000 to N10, 000. Salami is not alone. Other consumers also have similar experiences. Take the case of Godwin Ode who occupies a three bedroom flat in Durumi 11, Gariki, Abuja as an example. His monthly bill has increased from N5, 000 to N9, 000 with or without electricity. Efforts aimed at getting the new metres in order to ensure they pay for what they consume have not yet been successful. As Ode pointed out over the weekend in Abuja: “I have paid for the new metre, but it has not yet been in-

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Aero Contractors

Afam power plant

stalled t me.” The case of Salami and Ode are not peculiar. They represent the sad experiences of consumers in different parts of the nation. But the situation may likely move from bad to good as the Federal Government seems ready to hand over 15 Electricity Generation Companies, GENCOs and Electricity Distribution Companies, DISCOs to preferred bidders. The development which appears to be President Goodluck Jonathan’s birthday gift to Nigerians as the nation marks its 63th anniversary portends a good omen for consumers. The Chairman of the National Council on Privatisation, Technical Committee, Mr. Atedo Peterside made it emphatic that: “Nigeria’s power sector will benefit from a major paradigm shift from October 2013 when the effective handover of the bulk of the PHCN Discos and Gencos takes place. In the execution of the privatisation programme, I always favoured strict adherence to rules

Privatisation of GENCOs, DISCOs marks new beginning

and argued against the granting of needless waivers and exemptions for minor and sloppy violations even where the rules gave the authorities such latitude to “forgive” minor unprofessional conduct. He remarked that: “Additionally, I believe that an industry that is undergoing major transformation, after decades of incompetence and graft, must be made to rapidly adopt high standards in order to signify to all the participants that it is no longer “business as usual”. In any case, the “win-win” aspect of the reforms arises from the better alignment of goals between the industry players and the consumer, as the disciplined pursuit of revenue and growth by the Discos and Gencos should translate into many more hours of continuous electricity for the consumer who only pays for electricity supplied and consumed. Peterside optimism seems to be based on the progress so far made on the privatisation pro-

cess. He maintains that: “Virtually all the preferred bidders have paid for the firms, thus raising hope for the handing over privatized firms. Peterside pointed out that by the payment deadline of 21 August, 2013; private sector core investors had paid a total of $1.130 bn for 60per cent equity controlling stakes in nine Discos (namely Abuja, Benin, Eko, Ibadan, Ikeja, Jos, Kano, Port Harcourt and Yola). Peterside stated that: “The core investors for the 10th Disco (Enugu) paid their $126m late and so the National Council on Privatisation, NCP directed that they must pay a late penalty fee equal to Libor + 5 per cent for the number of days for which they were in default and the preferred bidder for the 11th Disco (Kaduna), which has a separate timetable, is expected to pay a total of $163m within 6 months, thereby completing the $1.419bn that was originally targeted from the sale

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) LagBenin: 07.45, 11.00, 15.30 (MonFri/Sat/Sun) 12.30 (Sun 15.30 (Sat) Ben-Lag: 09.15, 12.30, 17.00 (Mon-Fri/Sat/Sun) 17.00 (Sat)

IRS Lagos-Abuja 7.30 8.30 7.45 8.45 09.30 10.30 10.30 11.30 12.30 13.30 14.30 15.30 16.30 17.30 Lagos-Kano 08.00 09.15 10.30 11.45 14.30 15.40 18.15 19.30 Los-Maid&Yola (Mon-Thur) 09.30 11.30 Fri- Sun 10.30 12.30 Kano-Lagos 07.30 08.45 14.00 15.15 17.30 18.45 Kano-Abj 10.45 11.30 Abj-Lagos 09.00 10.30 11.00 12.00 12.00 13.00

CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

Unemployment: Experts want jobseekers to acquire newer, better skill sets

Alarm over decrease and pollution of surface, underground water in Lagos

Business & Finance

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

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Privatisation of GENCOs, DISCOs marks new beginning CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19 of all 11 Discos. He also remarked that: “For the Gencos, a total of $1.077bn was received from the core investors by the same 21st August, 2013 payment deadline date for equity stakes ranging between 51per cent and 100per cent in 4 Gencos (namely Egbin, Geregu, Kainji and Ughelli), while the core investor for the 5th Genco (Shiroro) completed its $111.6m payment a few days late and will also pay a late penalty fee equal to Libor + 5per cent for the number of days for which they were in default. However, many stakeholders look forward to the eventual placement of the GENCOs and DISCOs in private hands at least a reason. It would mark the effective involvement of players other than the Federal Government in the important sector as it was at the end of the 19th century when the first generating power plant was installed in the city of Lagos in 1898. Available records showed that from 1898 till 1950, the pattern of electricity development was in the form of individual electricity power undertaking located all over the towns. Some of the undertakings were Federal Government bodies under the Public Works Department while some were controlled by native and municipal authorities. By 1950, the British colonial government passed the ECN ordinance No. 15, thus placing the undertakings under Electricity Corporation of Nigeria, ECN. From April 1, 1972, the ECN and the Niger Dam Authority, NDA were merged to become the National Electric Power Authority, NEPA. Evidence abounds to show that NEPA made efforts to construct some infrastructure to boost generation, transmission and distribution of electricity in different parts of the nation. But it failed to accomplish much because of many problems, especially bureaucracy, inadequate funding, corruption and external influence in the workings of the institution. These and other factors compelled the Federal Government to not only change its name from NEPA to PHCN but also unbundled it into different companies. Specifically, the 2005 Electric Power Sector Reform Act (EPSR Act) called for unbundling of the firm into 18 successor companies: six generation companies and 11 distribution companies and one national power transmission company. It was the unbundling that culminated in the present privatisation of the GENCOs and DISCOs. The Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises, BPE, Mr. Benjamin Dikki, who is optimistic about the privatisation process stated that prior to 1999, the sector was at the lowest point. He stated that of the nation’s 79 generation units, only 19 were in operation, while average daily generation stood at 1,750 megawatts. He commended President Jonathan for embarking on the transformation of the sector through the introduction of new measures, including the creation of the Presidential Action Committee on Power, PACP, which consisted of ministers and heads of agencies that have important roles to develop policy and grant instant approvals for critical decisions. The PACP, which acts like a dedicated

President Jonathan

Chinedu Nebo

IT IS PERTINENT TO REMEMBER THAT THIS IS REALLY THE “BEGINNING OF A JOURNEY” AND NOT THE “END OF A JOURNEY” AS SOME HAVE MISTAKEN IT TO BE. Federal Executive Council, FEC for the power sector, was structured to drive the implementation of the reform of Nigeria’s power sector. In other words, PACP brought together all relevant agencies together to assist in executing its mandates, including the planning and execution of various short-term projects in generation, transmission, distribution and fuelto-power that are critical to meeting the stated service delivery targets of the power reform roadmap. The government further established Presidential Task Force on Power, PTFP to accelerate the delivery of all the milestones provided in the Power Sector Reform Roadmap (PSRR), which Jonathan launched in August 2010. The PTFP, with the responsibility of developing, monitoring, facilitating and fast-tracking the power sector roadmap delivery targets, set the stage for the irreversible transformation of the power sector from a moribund sector to a viral, self-sustaining and largely privatised Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry. For effective operations, the PTFP collaborated closely with the Federal Ministry of Power, the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Bureau of Public Enterprises, BPE, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Agency (NERC), the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, the Bureau of Public Procurement, National Gas Company Limited, NGC and the PHCN, among others. The Chairman of PTFP, Engr. Beks Dagogo-Jack, said: “The truth of the matter is that until you have moved the ownership and the management of the sector into the private hands and until the private people have configured their business agenda, created the additional capital that they need to recover the lost capacities in our grid, changed manpower, retooled Information Communication Technology (ICT), start to do those business the way private people do business instead of government, those things cannot be catapulted; there is so much speed you can run that space.”

The Federal Government launched power sector roadmap, which set out a clear implementation plan of the Electricity Power Sector Reform Act (2005). This reaffirmed its commitment to resolve the power crises and set the path for power sector improvement. The government, sequel to this reform agenda, strengthened the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), the regulatory body in the industry, for the purpose of providing appropriate regulatory functions for the electricity market in Nigeria. More than that, the Federal Government also held a retreat for potential investors before embarking on road shows in various cities, including London, South Africa, United States of America and other countries to generate interest in the industry. The policies, structures and bold steps generated interest from stakeholders, especially local and foreign investors in the privatisation process, which, a source said, gave hope to Nigerians and inspire confidence in President Jonathan’s Transformation Agenda. The breakdown of the preferred bidders for the DISCOs as approved by the National Council of Privatisation (NCP), indicated that Kann Consortium won Abuja Distribution Company at $164 million; Vigeo Power Consortium for Benin at $129 million; West Power & Gas for Eko at $135 million; Interstate Electrics Limited for Enugu at $126 million; Integrated Energy for Ibadan at $169 million; NEDC/ KEPCO for Ikeja at $131 million; Aura Energy Limited for Jos at $82 million; Sahelian Power SPV Limited for Kano at $137 million; 4Power Consortium for Port Harcourt at $124 million and Integrated Energy Distribution and Marketing for Yola at $59 million. For the GENCOs, the preferred bidders included Amperion for Geregu Plant at $132 million; Mainstream for Kainji Plant at $50.76 million with commencement fee of $237,870,000; North-South for Shiroro Plant at $23.60 million with commencement fee of $111 million; Transcorp/Woodwork for Ughelli Plant at $300 million and CMEC/Eurafric for Sapele

Atedo Peterside

Plant at $201 million. Others that scaled through were Integrated Energy Distribution and Marketing Company, the preferred bidder for both the Ibadan and Yola Distribution Companies; Sahelian Power, Kano Distribution Company; Transcorp/ Woodrock Consortium, Ughelli Power Plc; Amperion, Geregu Power Plc; Mainstream Energy Limited, Kainji Power Plc; and CMEC/EUAFRIC Energy JV, which made part-payment for the acquisition of Sapele Power Plc. At present, the Federal Government seems almost set to handover the privatized firms to preferred bidders. Investigations showed that it has already paid severance benefit to 32,860 personnel of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, representing 69 per cent of 47,913 cleared for the exercise. This is part of the measures aimed at ensuring that the GENCOs and DISCOs are successfully handed over to preferred bidders. The data of the Ministry of Power, which confirmed the development, showed that the government through the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, OAGF, has paid 32,860 PHCN workers. The document showed that efforts were still being made to resolve issues concerning about four per cent of the workers who had audit queries, corrections and those with regularisation related issues. It added: “Those with biometric related issues are also being attended to. Their non-capture during the biometric exercise was because they did not make themselves available for capture. It was not government’s fault. However, government is making concerted effort to ensure their capture. They are about 3,000 workers, cutting across all the SCs. More than that, efforts are also ongoing to test the market operators’ settlement systems and processes, constitute dispute-resolution panel and declare the TEM in the sector. The Minister of Power, in anticipation to the resolution of issues, stated that he would soon formally declare the TEM to enable the investors commence business in different parts of the nation. Nebo reassured all Nigerians and investors of government’s resolve to pursue the transformation agenda to the end and monitor the emerging transition market in order to protect the interest of consumers and investors.

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Business & Finance

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

PHCN successor firms’ $3bn proceed is biggest globally – BPE TOLA AKINMUTIMI, ABUJA

he Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Mr. Benjamin Dikki, has said that the over $3 billion proceed expected from the privatization of the 18 Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) successor companies makes it the biggest ever privatization transaction in global history. Dikki, who disclosed this in a keynote presentation to “The Nigeria Investors’ Summit” held in United States of America last week, noted that the Nigerian Government had been consistent in its policy to open up its economy and create the enabling environment for the private sector to thrive. A statement by the Head of Public Communications of the agency, Chigbo Anichebe, quoted the BPE boss as saying that the present administration had intensified its efforts to create a conducive environment to attract private sector investments in infrastructure through the institution of sound policies; liberalization by abrogation of monopoly laws; and separa-

L-R: Chief Operating Officer and Executive Director, Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Deepak Srivastava; Director, Corporate Communications & CSR, Emeka Oparah and Company’s General Manager, Brand Assets, Obinna Aniche, during the launch of Airtel Red Hot Promo in Lagos, yesterday.

tion of roles of policy formulation, regulation and operations. Other initiatives he identified as helpful to the nation’s privatisation drive, particularly the ongoing Power Sector Roadmap include, instituting appropriate legal and regulatory frameworks; setting up of independent regulatory agencies and limiting government to policy formulation, planning and technical regulation; and appropriate fiscal and tariff incentives. Dikki

Arik Air to train 40 Pilots in London O LUSEGUN KOIKI

rik Air has said that it is spending over N312million in training of 40 pilots in London. The airline said that the student pilots who were picked after initial application and assessment would be trained in CAE training facility for simulator assessment to test their skills for eventual selection and employment. The airline said that the students were picked from over 130 applications received earlier in the year, adding that their recruitment would further increase the number of pilots on its payroll. An online statement signed by the spokesman for the airline, Mr. Ola Adebanji stated that before the students were selected, they were screened, adding that the list was pruned to 120 and the candidates called in for psychometric analysis and aptitude test, which was conducted electronically. He explained that out of the 120 that sat for the aptitude test, 58 were successful and were further subjected to oral interview to pick the final 40 that is going for the assessment at CAE, London. Commenting on the exercise, the Act Deputy Managing Director, Arik, Capt. Ado Sanusi, said that the

successful pilots after the assessment at CAE would be sent for initial type rating on the airline’s Boeing 737NG, CRJ900/1000 and Q400 fleet. Besides, the airline stated that it would this month conduct another round of interview for aircraft engineers and the successful ones sent to Lufthansa Technik training facilities in Europe. Sanusi disclosed that Arik Air is committed to developing local capacity and this explains the huge investment in the training of Nigerian pilots. The statement reads in part, “Since the demise of Nigeria Airways, there has been no concerted effort to employ and train such a huge number of professionals. This is another Arik Air’s contribution to the development of Nigeria’s aviation industry. “We recently entered into an agreement with Cranfield University, UK for the training of our staff. Also, we have sent 12 of our pilots to Airbus facility in France for a full initial type-rating and 80 per cent of these are Nigerians.” One of the students on training to CAE, Olamiti Oluwakayode, commended the airline for the training. He said that he had always wanted to be a pilot ever since he was a child and promised to be a good ambassador of the country in Europe.

explained that the reform initiatives that were implemented so far by the government had worked even as he urged prospective investors to take an informed decision that the upcoming reform initiatives would work. Expatiating on renewed moves being undertaken by government to divest its equities in some sectors of the economy and allow private investors to take control, he explained that opportunities were in the telecommu-

nications and the transport sectors, stating that the NITEL and its frequencies are still available for sale in a guided liquidation process that will commence soon. In the transport sector, Dikki said that the Railway Bill, National Inland Waterways Bill, Ports and Harbour Bill, and National Transport Commission Bill were ready and soon to be sent to the federal legislature for passage even as he pointed out that reforms in the housing sector had

equally reached advanced stages. According to him, said the Bureau, in collaboration with key stakeholders, is currently reviewing the policies, legal and regulatory framework to attract private sector investments in the sector. Specifically, he listed the Abuja Commodities and Stock Exchange as one of the entities in the front burner of the privatisation agenda now, adding that “we will harness the warehouses and silos all over the country and link them up to the trading platform for Warehouse Receipt Trading system. Once we make prices and buyers predictable, we have a mega boom in the making.” Dikki said the planned reform in the Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) will commence with the privatization of Bank of Industry (BOI) and Bank of Agriculture (BOA) while noting also that the Bureau has begun the review of the policy, legal and regulatory frameworks for the tourism sector as a means of attracting private capital into the sector.

NASS to legislate on Growth Enhancement Scheme TOLA AKINMUTIMI, ABUJA

he National Assembly has unveiled plans to give legislative backing to the Growth Enhancement scheme (GES) through an enabling Act in order to sustain its operation and institutionalize the process in the nation’s agricultural sector. Giving the hint when he led the House Committee on Agriculture on oversight to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Chairman, Hon. Mohammed Tahir Munguno, described the GES as a huge success that should be sustained in the current drive aimed at

repositioning the agricultural sector as the mainstay of the economy. Addressing a large crowd which included the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, the Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Ibukun Odusote, and the Directors and Value Chain leaders in Ministry, Munguno said “the GES Scheme is perhaps one National Policy in Nigeria everybody has hailed and called for its sustenance. We have transverse the length and breadth of this nation, the request has been for us to make GES permanent through an enabling law. That we must do, Honourable Minister” According to a statement issued by the Acting Director, Information and Public Relations in the

Ministry, Mr Greyne Anosike, on the visit, the Chairman wondered how the Ministry was able to achieve much with only 35 per cent of its 2013 Capital budget released so far. The Committee members also commended the brilliant way GES was being implemented, noting that with fertilizer and other input reaching the door step of farmers, the coast is clear to ensure that no succeeding administration tampers with this policy as well as the Ministry for its prompt remittance of internally generated revenue. Responding, the Minister thanked the Committee for its cooperation and advice which, he noted, had the deepened the internationalization of the GES.

Capital market stakeholders seek tax incentives

apital market stakeholders, yesterday called for the introduction of tax incentives by the Federal Government, to deepen the growth of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE. They told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that there was need for government to make quotations attractive and to boost the performance of companies already listed. , Chief Executive Officer, APT Funds and Securities Ltd., Malam Garba Kurfi said that tax holidays would enable new entrants to consolidate on their operations and project for the future. Kurfi said that tax holidays would encourage more companies to seek listing on the nation’s bourse.

President, Progressive Shareholders Association of Nigeria ,PSAN, Mr Boniface Okezie, said that taxes paid by quoted companies and investors in the market were enormous. Okezie said that taxation, like corporate tax in the market, contributed to the closure of some manufacturing companies operating in the country. He said that government should announce tax holidays, as it had failed to provide social amenities and a friendly operating environment for companies. Meanwhile, a turnover of 1.48 billion shares worth N15.16 billion were transacted in 21,606 deals last week, against the 1.63 billion shares valued at N15.37 billion

traded in 15,935 deals in the previous week. The Financial Services sector remained the most active, accounting for 996.51 million shares worth N7.76 billion, traded in 11,818 deals. The Conglomerates sector followed with a turnover of 320.56 million shares valued at N774.09 million, achieved in 1,656 deals. Also, the NSE All-Share Index rose by 65.8 basis points or 0.18 per cent to close at 36,991.62, compared with the 36,925.82 posted in the preceding week. NAN reports that the market capitalisation grew by N21billion or 0.18 per cent to close at N11.782 trillion, from the N11.761 trillion recorded in the corresponding week.

Business & Finance

LADOL projects N56bn investment for Egina FPSO integration FRANCIS EZEM

n line with its commitment towards local content development in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, the Lagos Deep Offshore Logistic Base LADOL, which incorporates the LADOL Free Zone, is concluding plans to invest additional N56billion ($350 million) towards the Egina Floating, Production Storage and Off-take FPSO vessel integration. This is sequel to Federal Government for the company as a designated Deep Offshore Logistics Base as part of Apapa Ports, Nigerian Ports Authority’s approval for the Samsung Nigeria Training Academy (SaNTA), a training facility domiciled on the LADOL as well as NPA’s preliminary approval for FPSO facility in LADOL, among others. Managing Director of LADOL, a fully indigenous firm, Dr Amy Jadesimi, who spoke in Lagos at the weekend, shortly after a facility tour of the new fabrication site at the base, hinted that the

fresh investment was specifically designed to enhance the Egina vessel platform integration. According to her, the project will be handled by a Joint Venture (JV) partnership between Samsung Heavy Industries based in Korea and LADOL would undertake the integration of the Egina FPSO platform. “LADOL’s competence in handling this first-of- its-kind project in Africa, is no longer in doubt as Federal Government has granted the necessary Joint Venture approvals, which will pave the way for the project to commence very soon”, she said. She also said that the choice of LADOL for this unique project was informed by its track record in providing logistic and other allied services to major oil and gas companies in the country, one of which was the final integration of the famous Agbami oil field facility. It was gathered that series of vessel simulation carried out along the Apapa Ports coastline revealed that apart from being the

Tuesday, October 15, 2013 only fully indigenous-owned body of its kind in Nigeria, the location of the base makes it most suitable in Nigeria for the berthing a vessel as big as an FPSO platform. “LADOL is already servicing oil and gas majors, contractors and service companies. The largest FPSO in Nigeria; the Agbami platform was supported and handled at LADOL”, she also insisted. She revealed that other necessary approvals and hurdles such as the Nigeria Export Processing Zone Authority NEPZA Planning Approval for FPSO Facility came on 28th November 2011; NPA Planning Approval for FPSO Fabrication Yard came August 2, 2013; NPA Planning Approval for FPSO Quay for Integration on 8th October 2013 following which the detailed design was completed in August 2013. In addition to these series of approvals, it was further gathered that the organisation has signed no fewer than 19 separate agreements with Samsung over three years with the active involvement of seven separate world -class Nigerian and International Lawyers, Financial Advisors and Consultants. “Our total Investment in FPSO Facility at LADOL to date is $102.5 million.

IFAD Programme Coordinator, Mrs Irene Jumbo-Ibeakuzie (left) and Executive Director, Wholesale Finance, Bank of Agriculture, Alhaji Ahmadu Waziri, at the signing of a memorandum of understanding on agricultural credit for Niger Delta farmers PHOTO: NAN in Port Harcourt, yesterday.

AfDB launches 3-year $500m inaugural Green Bond UDO ONYEKA

frican Development Bank, AfDB, has launched its inaugural Green Bond transaction, as the momentum in Africa builds toward development embedded with climate action. According to AfDB, Green Bond program would provide countries with financing programs in sustainable energy, resilient rural coastal and forest landscapes, and globally scalable knowledge on low-carbon and climate resilient solutions. In a statement by the bank investors can make a difference with their investment by financing climate change solutions through AfDB’s Green Bonds. “The proceeds of the Green Bond would support the financing of low carbon and climate resilient projects in line with AfDB’s long term strategy which focuses on

inclusive and green growth. Projects to be financed include those in renewable energy generation, energy efficiency, vehicle energy efficiency fleet retrofit or urban transport modal change, biosphere conversation projects, solid waste management, fugitive emissions and carbon capture, urban development, and water supply and access. “With the market clear of competing dollar supply due to the stalled US budget discussions, the AfDB decided to take advantage of the clear issuance window and announced their inaugural 3-year Green Bond transaction in the London, October 9.” The bank said initial pricing thoughts for the 3-year USD 500 million transaction were shown at midswaps plus 5 basis points area and quickly attracted indications of interest from US and European socially responsible investors. “This first Green Bond of the African Development Bank is

part of its quest to use publicprivate partnerships to meet the challenges of development in Africa. It is another opportunity for private capital to earn market rates of return, while supporting sustainable and low-carbon growth in the continent,” says President, African Development Bank Group Donald Kaberuka, According to the bank very strong support came from investors focused on socially responsible investing, who bought 84 per cent of the bonds. “The distribution by investor type was as follows: 43 per cent with asset managers, 28 per cent with central banks and official institutions, 28 per cent with insurance companies and pension funds, and 1 per cent with retail and private banks. In terms of geographical distribution, 52 per cent of the bonds were placed with accounts in the Americas, 39 per cent with EMEA, and 9 per cent with Asia.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Promasidor partners Rosedale farms on dairy production ADEDEJI ADEMIGBUJI

n line with President Goodluck Jonathan’s Agricultural transformation Agenda, Promasidor Nigeria Limited; has signed a joint venture agreement with Rosedale Farms Limited to boost the dairy sector of the Nigerian economy. The partnership, according to the Managing Director, Promasidor Nigeria Limited, Mr Keith Richards at the press briefing at the weekend in Lagos, will foster more local integration and develop import substitution in the company’s production process. Keith noted that, Promasidor is desirous of collaborating with Rosedale and the Reids in the business of production of value added fresh-milk based products, such as cheese, butter, yogurt and allied products. He said, “Promasidor, Rosedale Farms and the Reids have

agreed to pull resources together to incorporate the company known as ‘Diary Farmers Nigeria Limited’, adding that the agreement is another milestone for the company which will herald a new day in the dairy industry, the company shall contribute a substantial amount of funds as start-up capital for the business, processing equipment, drive marketing and distribution efforts as the leading shareholder while Rosedale Farms and the Reid’s have equal shares of the new business venture. Also, Mr. Irvin Reid, a representative of Rosedale Farms Limited said the farm’s future plan with its years of experience is strengthened by the investments of Godilogo Farms as well as the joint venture business partnership with a successful manufacturer such as Promasidor will help to scale up production and begin to achieve better results with higher commercial value.

NTDC urged to encourage inbound tourism

he Chief Executive Officer of Desco Tourism Development, Mr Desmond Majekodunmi, on Monday urged the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation NTDC to encourage inbound tourism to boost the economy. Majekodumi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that Nigeria had enormous tourism potential that could be showcased to the world. Inbound tourism is tourism by non-residents of a country, usually those that come for holiday or for business. “Nigerians are inclined to outbound tourism by going to countries like U.S., Canada, Germany and Kenya. “This is because so many Nigerians are not aware about the rich tourism potential the nation is blessed with,’’ he said.

Outbound tourism is when someone goes out of his own country for either holidays or business trips. Majekodumi said that outbound tourism had not been beneficial to the economy, adding that inbound tourism should be encouraged because of its value to the economy. He, therefore, called on the Federal Government to provide a conducive environment for tourism investors and ensure adequate security of visitors coming into the country. Majekodunmi said that adequate security would give foreigners and investors the confidence to invest in the nation’s vast tourism potential. He said that this would also enable the NTDC to achieve its tourism transformation agenda.

NASME commends FG for slashing cost of business registration

he Executive Secretary, Nigerian Association of Small and Medium Enterprises, NASME, Mr Eke Ubiji, yesterday commended the Federal Government for reducing the cost of business registration in the country. Ubiji gave the commendation during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria ,NAN, in Lagos. According to him, many entrepreneurs have not been able to register their businesses owing to the high cost and rigours of the registration process. “Registration difficulties have been a big challenge for Nigerian entrepreneurs. If your organisation is not registered, it lacks credibility. “People will not be encouraged to do business with you. Any business that is not registered is

operating in the dark,” Ubiji said. The NASME scribe said that the price reduction would, however, create ample opportunities for the establishment of more small and medium enterprises that would reduce unemployment in the country. “In a country like ours, where there is a high rate of employment, many people are desirous of having their own businesses. “New businesses are expected to spring up, with this reduction. “These businesses will grow and soon start employing more capable people to run and expand the businesses,” Ubiji said. NAN reports that the Federal Government has slashed the cost of registering businesses by half, starting from Oct. 1, to encourage investments in the country.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Jobs & Career

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

The National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, and the International Labour Organisation, ILO’s recent report show that young people between the ages of 18 and 25 form the bulk of the unemployed in the country and the continent. Mastering new set of skills, analysts say, go a long way towards beating off unemployment, writes MESHACK IDEHEN.

Unemployment: Experts want jobseekers to acquire newer, better skill sets

econdary School Leaver, Mr. Peter Osadiaye, is optimistic that his decision to take up learning the art of industrial fittings for aluminium products will put him in prime position to secure a job after his training. He told National Mirror he decided to add that skill set to his formal education so that he could always have something to fall back on, should he not be able to get a job with his certificates, saying he has no regrets today for making that decision. “Employment hopefuls within and outside my age range can beat off unemployment by mastering new skill sets, and focusing on them to achieve success. Newer and better skill set will ensure you are on top of any vocation you choose”, he told our correspondent. According to him, the new set of skills he has learnt in the business of aluminium fittings at industrial levels have made him a master of the art, with companies queuing up to pay for his services. Generally agreed by jobs and career experts that over 80 percent of job seekers in the country lack local and globally accepted skill and competence that will lift them out of the unemployment zone, stakeholders are canvassing for the learning and mastering of alterna-

Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu

Rotimi

EMPLOYMENT HOPEFULS WITHIN AND OUTSIDE MY AGE RANGE CAN BEAT OFF UNEMPLOYMENT BY MASTERING NEW SKILL SETS, AND FOCUSING ON

THEM TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS.

NEWER AND BETTER

SKILL SET WILL ENSURE YOU ARE ON TOP OF ANY VOCATION YOU CHOOSE tive skill outside conventional training and education, in order to effectively grapple with the unemployment challenge on multiple fronts. According to the analysts, one of the biggest mistakes job seekers make when setting out to look for jobs after their education or training is to start looking in the area where they have

been educated or trained. People Management Expert, and Managing Director of Team Building Nigeria Limited, Mr. Yinka Olugbodi, said that it follows the same pattern even for experienced professionals who on becoming unemployed usually commence their search for a job mostly in the sector they have been in, or for the

ITF to bridge Real Sector’s skills gap –DG MESHACK IDEHEN

he Director-General of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Professor Longman Sambo Wapmuk, said the ITF will expand its operations to cater for growing demand in the area of capacity building in the industrial sector. Wapmuk said plans were on-going at ensuring that ITF has training centres all over the country In order to ensure the nation has the right skills needed for industrial growth. Speaking with National Mirror in Lagos, the ITF DG said plans were also ongoing at ensuring the commercialisation of some of the products that were locally assembled by its trainees as part of their projects during training, adding the fund has undergone a metamorphosis that has translated it to a world-class training institute with state-of-the-art-training facilities. He disclosed that a Brazilian firm had been contracted to handle the restruc-

turing of the Ikeja office to a world-class training institute, explaining ITF will establish 37 Industrial Skills Training Centres, one in each State and the Federal Capital Territory, with six Centres of Advanced Skills Training for Employment (CASTE) for skills broadening and up-grading. The fund, according to him also envision the establishment of three Specialised Centres for Culinary Skills (SCCS) to develop skilled personnel for the hospitality and tourism sector, saying in addition, that Sector-Specific Skills Training Centres will be established to cater for skills need of Manufacturing, Agric-Agro Allied, Construction, and other critical sectors of the Nigerian economy. “in each of the 46 Centres, training will be offered in 25 Trade Areas. Each of the Trade Areas will enrol 25 trainees in line with international best practice for effective “hands-on” learning. The process will generate a total of 29,875 readily employable graduates annually. Hundreds of construction workers, instructors, admin-

Wapmuk

istrators and other personnel that will be employed for the centres will contribute greatly to reduction of unemployment in the economy,” the ITF DG said. He reiterated the organisation’s commitment to the fulfilment of its mandate, especially strengthening of the private sector, disclosing that the institute’s National Industrial Skills Development Programme would have trained over 37,000 Nigerians by the end of 2013.

type of job they have lost. In the same vein, Human Resource Management Expert and Managing Partner of Soreb Consulting International, Mr. Kunle Rotimi, pointed out that mastering new skill geared towards tackling unemployment remains a pivotal aspect in the fight against unemployment in the country, and that overcoming unemployment does not always mean staying stagnant and placing self at the same level at all times. Rotimi said further that unemployment should be considered a possible chance to raise the level and get new skills and a new better position that improves life individually and collectively. Outlining how to learn and adopt new skills aimed towards contending with unemployment, raising productivity and establishing multiple sources on income for the young and experienced job seekers, Youth Professional Mentoring expert, Mr. Emeka Ifezulike, said one of the best ways to get ahead and make use of unemployed time is further education. Job skills education, as offered by institutions and agencies like the Industrial Training Fund and the National Directorate of Employment, (NDE), said Recruitment Expert, Mr. Sunny Agboju, are also avenues to learn and adopt new skills that can successfully challenge unemployment. According to him, “despite the difficulty in implementing policies and other challenges that agencies like the ITF and NDE faces, they are still able to offer various forms of job skills training to help overcome the barrier of not having enough skills for trying out on new job”. Furthermore, Agboju said programs like ordinary and advanced computer classes, apprenticeship programs in any of the numerous trades and vocations, the job skills evaluations access to show where your true strengths as someone seeking to learn and adopt a new skill lies and access to various seminars and workshops are some of the benefits that seeking to learn a new set of skills provides. However, he added that other concerned stakeholders like the government and federal and states levels and the organised private sector, (OPS), must remain committed to such initiatives, considering that overcoming job skills barrier is easy when the learning comes at a minimal or free cost to the unemployed. On his part, while urging the hundreds of thousands of the country’s youths that bemoan unemployment daily to learn and adopt new skills, President of London based Global Peace Movement(an NGO committed to decent and equitable living and workplace), Dr. Mike Uyi, told National Mirror that unemployment and layoffs are stark realities of the downsizing, reengineering, restructuring, and automation in a sluggish global economy where corporations are trying every trick in the book to reduce costs, increase productivity and keep the organisation lean, mean and profitable.

Jobs & Career

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Tips for excelling in a panel job interview

f the different types of job interviews, the one that can seem the most intimidating is the panel job interview. This type of interview consists of several interviewers posing questions rather than one on one. The interviewers are often a combination of an executive level manager, department manager over the position being applied for and an employee in that department. The interviewers can all be management level, too. Panel interviews are known for rapid questions with an eye to see how well an applicant handles stressful situations. Though this type of interview is definitely an advantage for the interviewers, it can be to an applicant’s advantage, as well, if handled right. Preparing for the interview is critical for it to be a success, beginning with submitting your resume and application for the position. Here are a few tips for excelling in such situations. Research- Learn everything you can about the company, the department you would be working in and the specific position you are applying for. This will help you formulate questions to ask and answers to give as well as helping you feel a little more at ease with the interviewers. Rehearse- Practice every part of the interview you can, from the introductions to the close of the

interview. Friends and family can help to get accustomed to rapid questions. This is a good time to formulate the questions you would like to ask, such as those regarding the specific duties you would be expected to carry out and what procedures there might be that relate to certain aspects of the job. Dress for success- Use care in selecting your clothing for the interview. You should go with business dressy. This means coat and tie for men. For women, there is a bit more choice. A modest dress or business type suits of slacks or skirt with a jacket are very appropriate. The first impression needs to be one of a person who is serious about doing his or her best for the company, so jeans and t-shirt or anything too revealing won’t do. Be prompt- In fact, arrive a few minutes early. Not too early or the wait could be long enough for you to begin fidgeting. About ten minutes is good. Just long enough for you to relax and not feel rushed. Present yourself to the receptionist as soon as you arrive. Be polite and amiable when giving your name and the purpose of you visit. This is where you begin showing one of your best assets -- your smile. Bring a copy of your resume for each interviewer and a note pad for taking notes dur-

ing the interview- Don’t assume that each person will already have a copy. Even if this is the case, it will show preparedness to have them with you. Taking notes during the interview will demonstrate a serious attitude about the position. Make a good impression during introductions- Greet each interviewer with a firm handshake and a smile. Call the person by name, not only as a courtesy to the person but also as a way of connecting the name to the person so you can call each interviewer by name during the course of the interview. Answer questions fully but don’t ramble- Giving good detail in answers is good but don’t add irrelevant information. This is where your research on the company will help tremendously. Your answer can be relevant to that specific company. You can also make relevant reference to answers given to other questions. Make eye contact- This is very important as eye contact conveys confidence and leadership qualities. When answering each question, start and end with eye contact with the questioner, then also make eye contact with the other interviewers. It should appear natural, so don’t move as though just going back and forth. Source: yahoojobs.com

An employee attending to customers

Shoe-making can generate 280,000 jobs, says LAPAN MESHACK IDEHEN

hairman of the Board of Trustees Leather and Allied Products Association of Nigeria (LAPAN), Alhaji Bashir Danyaro, has said shoe making can create at least 280,000 jobs for Nigerian youth if government supports the leather industry through good policies, Danyaro told journalists after the summit on the leather industry that recently ended, that youths can easily learn shoe-making and other leatherrelated manufacturing jobs with little help.

He pointed out that there is no single factory in Nigeria that produces one million shoes in a year, meaning stakeholders have to create 70 shoe companies to be able to produce 70 million shoes. According to him, if each of the 70 factories employs four thousand workers, you can imagine the number of people that can be employed. Speaking in the same vein, a Director of FAMAD, a popular shoe-making company that used to be known as Bata, Mr. Muhammad Haruna, lamented that the company and its peers are no longer what they used to be due to influx of foreign shoes.

Haruna urged the government to support the industry instead of just throwing open the nation’s borders for all manner of goods to come in, adding even developed nations do not leave their borders and markets open without protecting local industries. He noted the situation was indeed sad, as local players in the leather sector have allowed the Chinese, Indians and other Asian countriesto beat them in the game of knowing the taste of the consumers and giving them what they want as far as shoe making and leather products were concerned.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Job vacancies

pening job vacancies this week are the positions for software engineers from www.findjobafrica.com,with the incoming expected to be based in Abuja and Lagos. The Description for the job includes working knowledge with at least 3 years of demonstrable experience with windows and desktop system administration technologies, Knowledge of computer port configuration, software installation and antivirus operations and Ability to debug medium to complex computer issues. Others are ability to use windows and Mac desktop support, ability to configure routers and printers, setup and operation of system and network monitoring software and working with backup software solutions, including working knowledge of mobile applications and installation of apps. Platforms should include Iphone, Android and blackberry Qualifications for the posts are a minimum of university degree, bachelor’s degree in information technology, software engineering or a related discipline. Ability to work with limited supervision, be a self-starter, and able to work closely with others. Excellent verbal and written communication skills are also needed. Still from www.findjobafrica.com are the posts for customer service/logistics supervisors who are to be based also in Lagos. Receive and attending to customers, tracking orders and deliveries, assisting in local marketing and sales and managing pick up centers in areas are some of the description for the job. Others are to manage promotions and advertisements in local area, maintain sales activity records and prepare sales reports, communicate customer requests to management, participate in marketing and sales events and any other tasks as assigned from time to time by manager Qualifications required are Minimum of 5 years work experience managing staff .must be conversant with ecommerce and possess online buying experience and be familiar with USA and UK sites. Excellent communication skills, Target driven and proactive are also required. www.jobberman.com said it is recruiting full-time ve-

hicle drivers that are to be based in Lagos and other locations across the country. Responsibilities includes that the drivers shall strictly observe traffic rules and regulation and maximum speed and shall maintain assigned vehicles always clean and in good condition, necessary maintenance such as washing and /or cleaning of assigned vehicles shall be done and scheduled properly for the convenience of the client. The driver shall be responsible for the routine checkup of the vehicles, routine check-up to include but not limited to oil, brake function, water, lights & tire condition and the likes, and shall endeavor to give attention of the client or its passenger whenever or wherever, and must always be at sight of the clients. The drivers are expected to always drive the vehicles safely and comfortably and must exercise defensive driving while on the road to prevent accident. Reckless driving shall be sufficient ground for driver’s recall and consequently be a cause of termination. Qualifications and Requirements are a minimum of SSCE, 1-3 years experience and Good communication skills. From www.jobberman. com still are openings for health, safety and environment officer also to be based in Lagos. Responsibilities are to ensure the implementation of the Project HSE management system (plans, procedures and specifications) and contractual security requirements within UFR package for all aspects of the work. Ensure the HSE requirements are fully addressed in all aspects of design and that the design complies with HSE Company Rules and General Specifications and Provide specialist advice supports, engineering and technical assistance to the Package Manager on HSE matters. Qualification and Requirements are a graduate bachelors degree (BSc) or equivalent in any engineering or physical science, and formal training in HSE with recognized qualification or certification. Minimum 10 years working experience in the Oil and Gas production projects, with minimum 7 years on position(s) of similar HSE responsibilities is also needed.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Real Estate & Environment dayoayeyemi@yahoo.com 08033312578

The dwindling fortune of surface and underground water in Lagos State was, again, brought to the fore at the weekend during the 2013 Walk for Nature. Government and stakeholders were tasked on the need to work out practical, sustainable and affordable solutions to the issue. DAYO AYEYEMI and MURITALA AYINLA, report.

Alarm over decrease and pollution of surface, underground water in Lagos

ater is not only a resource, it is a life source. Water is important for the provision of safe, secure drinking water; healthy aquatic ecosystem; and reliable, quality water supplies for a sustainable economy. But the decrease in the supply of quality water for consumption has continued to be a source of worry among citizens. Raising the alarm over the decreasing surface and underground water, during the 2013 Walk for Nature programme at the weekend, the Lagos State Government also decried continuous pollution of water source by the industries and manufacturing companies. To this end, the state government said it has embarked on design of new policies that would enhance sustainable water supply as well as improve sanitation services in the state with inputs from stakeholders. The annual Work for Nature programme with the theme, “Water for Life” was organised by the state Ministry of the Environment in collaboration with the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF). The Commissioner for the Environment, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Office of Environmental Services, Mr.Hakeem Ogunbambi, an engineer, explained that the programme was targeted at stimulating state wide awareness for the environment and to promote positive attitude towards the environment. Describing the theme of the year’s Walk for Nature as apt, the commissioner said it was aimed at focusing attention on the importance of water as a precious gift of nature. On his part, the President of Nigeria Conservation Foundation (NCF), Chief Philip Asiodu, urged the need to find ways to work on practical, sustainable and affordable solutions that could be applied immediately to water needs locally for consumption and to secure the food system, build a resilient agricultural landscape, avoid the loss of lives and properties occasioned by flooding. In order to achieve the internationally agreed water-related goals contained in the United Nations Millennium Declaration, and in Agenda 21 and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation of the World Summit of Sustainable Development ( WSSD), Asiodu said the Water for Life Decade (20052015) was declared to focus on water-related issues at all levels and on the implementation of programmes and projects at all levels.

Deep well like this is susceptible to pollution

The primary goal of “Water for Life” decade is to promote efforts to fulfil international commitments made on water and water-related issues 2015, which is just round the corner. The water decade, he explained focused on encouraging countries to build on the efforts made to date to protect, use and manage freshwater resources in a sustainable manner, saying water challenge is a governance challenge. ‘‘These goals can be met only through knowledge and research, partnerships, and water conservation,” the NCF boss said. He said this year’s Walk for Nature was one of the efforts in Nigeria to draw public attention to the issues surrounding water management and conservation, and to advocate actions by individuals, organisation and government to be part of the campaign for “Water for Life.” He stated that World Health Organisation’s survey has it that “four of every 10 people in the world do not have access to simple pit latrine; and nearly two in 10 people have no source of safe drinking water. “Every year, millions of people, most of

them children, die from diseases associated with inadequate water supply, sanitation, and hygiene.” He pointed out that disease transmitted through water or human excrement was the second-leading cause of death among children worldwide after respiratory diseases. According to Asiodu, water scarcity, poor water quality, and inadequate sanitation negatively impact food security, livelihood choices, and educational opportunities for poor families across the world. He said, “It is obvious the responsibility for ensuring a healthy, secure and sustainable water supply and systems for our communities, environment, and economy is a collective one. The quality of life depends on it.” Speaking, Governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola urged residents to do all they could to conserve water, saying over 900 million people do not have access to potable water . The governor who was represented by the Special Adviser on Environment, Dr.Taofeek Folami, stated that the theme for this year’s celebration “Water for Life” is topical as human race is seriously chal-

WATER CAN EXIST WITHOUT MAN, BUT MAN CANNOT EXIST WITHOUT WATER. THIS REVEALS THE INEVITABILITY OF WATER TO OUR COLLECTIVE SURVIVAL.

WITHOUT WATER, THE CHANCES FOR SURVIVAL OF MAN, ANIMALS OR PLANTS IS GREATLY CHALLENGED

lenged with access to potable water and excessive flooding occasioned by the effect of climate change. “Water can exist without man, but man cannot exist without water. This reveals the inevitability of water to our collective survival. Without water, the chances for survival of man, animals or plants is greatly challenged,” he said. Fashola restated his administration’s commitment towards ensuring availability and access to safe, adequate and reliable water supply. He said, “As a matter of fact, the Lagos State Water Regulatory Commission is working with relevant stakeholders to ensure the state has an all embracing water policy, in order to improve water supply and further boost the economic viability of the water sector. “In addition, we have established miniwater plants at different locations across the state, in other to meet the quest of our people on water supply, and further discourage indiscriminate sinking of bore holes. “The governor called Lagosians to join hands in establishing environmental vanguards in their communities in order to assist in protecting government facilities such drainage channels, prevent dumping of refuse in drains, and desist from littering roads and streets with pure water sachets, bottled water plastics and other forms of waste. The state government also appealed to landlords, property owners, tenants to refrain from dislodging human waste and septic tank waste into water bodies.

Real Estate & Environment

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Stakeholders seek new funding options for road infrastructure OLUFEMI ADEOSUN

ike every sector of the Nigerian economy, the road sector has been, over the years, plagued with policy inconsistencies, endemic corruption and above all, inadequate funding. The usual cliché from the successive government in Nigeria is that government has various competing needs and as such cannot be relied upon to solely shoulder the responsibility of road financing. However, if this line of argument cannot be invalidated, the outright failure to create an enabling environment which is capable of attracting private sector investment in the sector through pragmatic policy framework is inexcusable. This glaring indiscretion on the part of the handlers of the nation’s economy has not only manifested in the increasing number of roads that are in bad shape across the country, but could also be traceable to the little efforts so far made to open new road networks. For instance, while it is estimated that the country would require about N750billion yearly to finance the 35,000 kilometre of federal roads, less than N100bn is being allocated in the national budget. Besides, the little fund yearly budgeted for road financing is also not been fully released. According to the Minister of Works, Mr. Mike Onolememen, an architect, out of the budgetary provision of N143billion for the year 2012, only N110billion was released. It is therefore not a surprise that the just concluded 20th National Council on Works meeting which took place in the ancient city, Ilorin devoted a significant part of its deliberations to how to open up the frontier of financing available for road infrastructure development in the country. The year’s meeting, which bring together various stakeholders in the road sector, including commissioners of Works and their permanent secretar-

One of the bad spots on Eko Bridge, Lagos

ies from the 36 states of the federation, directors in the Ministry of Works and officials from the relevant MDAs, has as its theme: ‘Reforming the Road Sector for Sustainable Economic Development.” Opening discussion, the Minister of Works, Mr. Mike Onolememen,an architect, who presided over the meeting, stated that despite the efforts of the governments of developing nations to improve road infrastructure network, inadequate financing system had remained a huge challenge. He said, “Roads in most developing countries are often poorly financed and managed. Consequently, between 30 per cent and 50 per cent of roads in developing countries are in poor condition, costing the national economy about 3.5 per cent of the GDP annually. Mainly, this is as a result of increased vehicle operating cost, longer travel times, higher accident rates, more freight damage and additional cost of road rehabilitation. “According to a World Bank Report

(1988), poor financing of road infrastructure by the public budgeting procedures and poor management by the public road administrations, have been identified as major cause of the deterioration of roads in developing countries.” Citing the Nigerian case, Onolememen added that while in 1983, only 150,000 vehicles were plying Nigerian roads; the number had bloated to about 10 million in the last two decades. According to the minister, if the country must address its huge infrastructure deficit and achieve its developmental agenda, particularly the Transformation Agenda of the present administration and the long time goal of becoming one of the 20 most virile economies of the world by the year 20:2020, there must be huge investment in infrastructure. He added,” With adequate investment in road sector alone, it has been estimated that in order to adequately support economic growth at the current growth

rate and meet vision 20:2020 target, we need to invest in the construction of at least 14,000km of new roads annually for the next seven years. We will also have to maintain and rehabilitate the existing road network as a matter of routine. This will require that average expenditure on roads to increase seven-fold to nearly N750bn.” For the country to be able to bridge the road infrastructure gap and also bring it at par with other emerging economies, the minister noted that there must be a strong collaboration with the private sector and multilateral agencies like the World Bank, Africa Development Bank and other development agencies. He explained that the recent Private Public Partnership arrangement the Federal Government worked out with a consortium for the construction of the second Niger Bridge underscored the relative stability of the country’s business environment.

Real Estate Unite 2013: Funding mechanism for housing development to top agenda DAYO AYEYEMI

he question of how to advance the real estate sector for economic growth, harness the World Bank’s estimated N160trillion trapped in the Nigeria’s housing sector and reduce the 17million housing deficit will top the agenda, as Africa’s professionals and investors gather this week for

the second edition of 3INVEST’s Annual Real Estate Unite Conference and Awards. The theme of this edition is “Advancing Nigeria’s Real Estate for Economic Growth”. The awards platform is designed to elevate the standard of practice within the industry by identifying, recognising and rewarding best practice within the industry. Commencing at the Civic Centre Lagos, Nigeria on Thursday, Chief Executive Of-

Block of flats at Gateway-Sparklight Estate, Ibafo, Ogun State

ficer of 3Invest Limited,Ms. Ruth Obih, said the event would focus on mechanism of funding and accessing finance by gathering the most influential perspectives on solutions to the foundation issues which are policy and regulatory driven. Besides, she stated that the conference would examine the issues in other sectors of the industry and how to integrate them into an economic force that will guarantee national prosperity. Speaking glowingly about the event, Obih said, “Real Estate Unite 2013 is not just all about housing. If you look at the design of the event from conception, it will help integrate the entire industry as a system that can deliver and play an integral role in national prosperity. However, infrastructure and urban development is topping this year’s edition because of its social and economic benefits to the people and the nation. Our passion at 3Invest is to be part of a sector that can cater for the enormous shelter needs of Nigeria’s ever-growing population and at the same time contribute significantly to economic growth through Foreign Direct Investment, strengthening of small scale businesses, and sustained growth

through capacity building, employment and wealth creation.” She explained that the award ceremony is another side to the holistic view of the event by identifying and rewarding performance as an important element in industry’s growth. “That is why we have put more effort in building prestige into the awards by partnering with Boston Consulting Group trained Sagacci Research. This is not a jamboree. It one of many ways of ensuring that there is a reward for excellence, which is central to our advocacy mantra. When we advocate for an industry, we don’t just air our views in the media or on conference podiums, we also create incentives that the best of our industry to the fore,” she said. In her view, a member of the Real Estate Unite Advisory Board and Special Adviser to Ogun State Governor on Housing Development Mrs. Jumoke Akinwumi, said, “Real Estate Unite is itself perhaps the only platform available in West Africa that has established the opportunity for dialogue, cross-learning and co-operation between the largest group of players and stakeholders in the real estate industry”.

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Give me one chance to sink England –Lewandowski 28

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sport

We lost the game because the referee was poor. We scored a goal that he cancelled and the referee also did other things that were questionable –Sewnet Bishaw, Ethiopia coach

Nigeria tackles Italy in friendly

lans have been concluded for the Super Eagles to play Italy in London on November 18 at Fulham ground, Craven Cottage, as the African champions begin in earnest their preparations for the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals. In a statement in Addis Ababa on Sunday, moments after the Super Eagles secured a 2-1 win over Ethiopia to put a firm leg in the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals, the Nigeria Football Federation and its Match Agent, Jairo Pachon of Eurodata Sport announced:

“We are pleased to confirm a top international friendly match, against world’s number four, Italy, on the 18th November, 2013 at Fulham’s Craven Cottage. The match will kick off at 7.45pm.” “We are also happy to confirm a match for our Super Eagles home team against Jordan in Omman on the 28th October. This match that will serve Jordan to prepare for their World Cup playoff match against Uruguay will also help Nigeria to prepare for next year’s African Nations Championship.”

Oduamadi dismisses Ethiopia IKENWA NNABUOGOR

uper Eagles winger Nnamdi Oduamadi has warned Walya Antelopes of Ethiopia to forget having any thoughts of causing an upset in the return leg of the 2014 World Cup playoffs on November 16 in Calabar. The Brescia of Italy striker told a local radio yesterday that the Ethiopians stood no chance of beating the Eagles in Eagles’ back yard. Oduamadi expressed confidence they would run over their opponents to book their flights to Brazil

in grand style. “Ethiopia were boasting that they would upset us in Calabar in the return leg but those are just their wishful thinking because they stood no chance,” he assured. “They will beat them well in Calabar and pick the ticket to the finals. Our team is upbeat about the return leg and we will complete our mission in style.” Eagles were stunned by the robust and direct play of their opponents in the first leg in Addis Ababa last Sunday but came back with a stroke of luck to claim a 2-1 victory.

Keshi congratulating John Obi Mikel after a game in the AFCON finals in South Africa last January.

Irate Ethiopians Pelt Eagles’ Bus …Igiebor injured, NFF report to FIFA, Police T he Super Eagles and the Nigerian delegation led by NFF President, Alhaji Aminu Maigari returned to the country early Monday morning at about 4:30am with tales of ill-treatment from Ethiopian fans in the 2-1 win over the Walya Antelopes on Sunday. It would be recalled that on arrival, the Eagles were given a bus infested with coackroaches but the team took it in its stride. When it was time for training, the police team attached to the team deliberately took routes that are traffic-jammed, yet the team refused to be intimidated. Matters came to a head on match day, when all manner of soft drink bot-

tles were hauled at Nigerian players and supporters, when the Ethiopians thought that they had scored an opener in the first half. Television replays later showed that Godfrey Oboabona cleared the ball off the line. It did not end there, when the Nigerian team was returning to its Saro Maria hotel abode after the game, some fans laid ambush and started hauling stones at the team’s bus. One of the heavy stones shattered the rear windscreen of the bus, sending all inside the bus scampering for safety. With all taking cover. Real Betis star, Nosa Igiebor was the unlucky

one as the stone slashed his right palm leading to profuse bleeding that was immediately attended to by team doctor, Ibrahim Gyaran. NFF Vice President, Chief Mike Umeh, said the matter has been reported to the FIFA Security team at the match venue and he hopes action will be taken. The Ethiopian Police were also intimated with the ordeal of the Nigerian delegation by Eagles CSO, ACP Baba Abubakar, even as the NFF has promised that it will give the Ethiopians the best of hospitality when they come to Nigeria in November for the return leg.

World Cup qualifier: Keshi demands total commitment

S Oduamadi

uper Eagles boss, Stephen Okechukwu Keshi says the team will play as if it had not played a first leg encounter when both teams clash November 16, in the Canaan City of Calabar, Cross River state. Speaking after his side’s 2-1 win over Ethiopia in Addis Ababa at the weekend, Keshi said he was not disappointed by the gritty display of

the host and praised the resilience of his players in rebuffing them. “The Ethiopians were very good and tactical and that shows how good their coach is, but we were the more experienced side and it showed at the end of the day,” Keshi recalls. Super Eagles rallied back from a goal down to beat the impressive Walya Antelopes 2-1 in the first leg played in Addis Ababa on Sunday.

Turkey-based Emmanuel Emenike evened scores after the hosts had taken an early second half lead and doubled his efforts from the spot after he had been brought down in the 90th minute. The coach said the impact of the Eagles’ second half substitutes was massive as it had immediate impact on the match and eventually gave the team the upper hand.

Sport

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Gedo doubtful for Ghana

Krol charges Tunisia to score

gypt striker Mohammed Gedo Nagi is a doubt for Tuesday’s 2014 World Cup Africa playoff first leg against Ghana after sitting out training Sunday night. The Hull City player has been hit by flu and could not train with his teammates on Sunday in Kumasi. His situation will be assessed again by Egypt’s medical team on Monday when they hold their final training session. Geddo climbed off the bench to score the only goal Gyan for Egypt in the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations final played in Angola. The 30-year-old has been inactive for six months and yet to play for Hull in the Premier League this season.

Fully prepared Ghana ready to rumble

Gedo

hana coach Kwesi Appiah says his players are armed to the team to face Egypt on Tuesday in the World Cup playoff first leg playoff in Kumasi. Appiah has been training with the full complement of his squad for the past week and has expressed satisfaction at the way things went. He saw his side thrash secondtier side Asokwa Deportivo in a test match played at the Baba Yara Stadium last Friday. With Ghana having a clean bill of health, Appiah says his troops will give nothing but their best. “At the moment, we have been able to put our best players together and preparation is equally going well,” the ex-Ghana captain told Ghanafa.org “With the team together and willing to give more than 100 per cent knowing what is at stake, we can be confident of a fine result.” Ghana are seeking a third successive appearance at the FIFA World Cup final while Egypt want

We achieved our goal – Cameroon coach

ameroon coach Volker Finke, following his side’s goalless draw in Rades, said that they achieved what they set out to do. Finke explained that the Indomitable Lions aimed not to lose in Tunisia in the first leg of their 2014 World Cup qualifier, and that is exactly what they did. The Lions were the weaker side on the day but managed to keep the Carthage Eagles at bay and will now head into the return leg in Yaounde next month as favourites, knowing that a win by any margin will secure a ticket to Brazil. “We came here not to lose

and we managed it. The first 20 minutes were extremely difficult. After that we played more liberated and started to display our usual football,” said Finke. The German coach added that he wasn’t surprised by Tunisia’s attacking display, adding that the defeat to Cape Verde in their last group game encounter was to their [Tunisia’s] benefit. “It did not surprise me. Our opponents are a very good team and it is logical that they succeed in giving us problems. Their defeat against Cape Verde had been to their benefit. Their players really wanted to prove their true potential.” Finke

to return to the big for the first time since 1990. Meanwhile, Appiah has charged his wards to show perfection on Tuesday against Egypt in the crucial encounter in Kumasi. The Black Stars go into the match without any injury concerns since they moved to the Garden City last Wednesday to continue preparations. The two-time World Cup finalists face an Egypt side who won all six matches during the Group stage of the eliminators. Ghana are without some key players- Kevin-Prince Boateng, Mohammed Rabiu, Jonathan Mensah and John Boye-due to injuries. Also Harrison Afful is suspended for this crucial assignment after collecting two yellow cards from previous matches. “The most important thing to do will be to get things done the right way in terms of approach and get a decent result,” Appiah told the Ghana FA official website.

unisia coach Ruud Krol is positive the Carthage Eagles have what it takes to score in Cameroon. The North Africans failed to score on home soil despite having countless opportunities to do so in the first leg of their 2014 World Cup qualifier, but despite the failure Krol is confident that Tunisia can score a vital away goal in Yaounde in the second leg next month. The Indomitable Lions goalkeeper Charles Itandje emerged as the hero on the night, with the shot stopper making several sparkling saves to help his side force a goalless draw in Rades. “It is a pity to have missed so many opportunities. We were in control for most of the game, with some shaky phases from time to time,” said the Dutch coach. “We must not forget who were in front of us. Now we will do everything to score a goal in Yaounde. We have what it takes to achieve it.”

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Give me one chance to sink England –Lewandowski

oland striker Robert Lewandowski says he believes a single opportunity could be enough to turn him into a Polish hero - and ease his Wembley pain as England host Poland for the final Group H game of the Brazil 2014 World Cup qualifiers in Wembley this evening. The last time Robert Lewandowski played at Wembley, the evening ended with the visitors in red and white deliriously celebrating a great victory. But he was not wearing the Polish national team colours; he was in the yellow and black of Borussia Dortmund, devastatingly defeated by Bayern Munich in last season’s Champions League final. For Lewandowski, Wembley is associated with the biggest disappointment of his career so far. Returning there five months later with Poland, he is immensely determined to take the opportunity to ease his previous painful memories of the stadium. England will have to be exceptionally wary tomorrow night of a dangerous opponent with a little

Lewandowski

extra motivation. It is ironic tha dowski will be see Poland to make up ter experience wi sia: normally it is way round. With he has in recent se come one of the st Bundesliga and Ch League. For his co of Europe’s leadin has yet to savour nificant. The nearest he scoring the openin Euro 2012 at the Stadium in Warsa failed to find the as the Poles wen the group stage. A remains some un among Polish fans true capabilities w Poland he does no creative midfield line provided at first by Shinji Ka now by Marco Reu

Ancelotti: I could retire after R

C Krol

arlo Ancelotti could retire from coaching once his spell at Real Madrid comes to an end. The Italian joined the Spanish giants this summer from Paris Saint-Germain, signing a three-year deal with the nine-time European champions. “A lot of people have asked me about the possibility of coaching Roma or the [Italy] national team in the future,” Ancelotti told Sky Sport Italia. “I don’t know. I could even decide to retire after

my experience Madrid.” The 54-year-ol at Parma, Roma Milan before tu coaching in 1995 Ancelotti won and cup double w sea in his firs in charge at Bridge, before sacked in May spite finishing s the Premier Leag He was also a UEFA Champion winner during h at Milan and le the Ligue 1 title l

Arsenal table official b

rsenal will be offered Real Madrid striker Karin Benzema at a bargain £20million in January as the Spanish club step up their bid to sign Luis Suarez from Liverpool. Gunners manager Arsene Wenger was interested in Benzema in the summer but was not prepared to pay the £40m asking price for the France international,

who cost £30m w signed from Lyo Now reports suggest Real bos celotti is unhap 25-year-old forw has scored just t eight appearanc drid this season He’s prepared zema leave to h swoop for Suare portedly still ke Anfield with the

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sport

Tuesday, Tuesda da d ay y,, O October ctttob c ober ob e 15, 2013

Europe poised for last-day drama

at Lewaneking with p for a bitith Boruss the other h his club, easons betars of the hampions ountry, one ng strikers r any sig-

came was ng goal of e National aw. But he net again nt out at And there ncertainty s about his when with ot have the d supply Borussia, agawa and us.

Real at Real

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he quest for places at the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ will take a decisive turn in Europe on Tuesday when the group stage ends with the four remaining automatic spots and eight play-off off berths to be settled once and for or all. Belgium, lgium, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands erlands and Switzerland have already stamped their tickets ts to the main event after winning ing their sections. As for Russia ia and Spain, they stand on the he verge of joining them providing ding they can avoid upsets in their final outings, with the former travelling to Azerbaijan baijan and the holders entertaining ining Georgia. Bosnia-HerRooney zegovina vina and England also have Brazil in their sights and require wins against Lithuania uania and Poland respectively ively to complete the eight task. b e s t Meanwhile, anwhile, the eight secondbest runners-up will be placed granted ted a second chance to t e a m s qualify fy via the play-offs. For the from the second-placed nd-placed sides in groups nine groups A to H, results against the will be bottom m team will not be granted a counted ted in the calculasecond option, as Group I contains portunity to one country less than the qualify. rest. In group C, In group A, everything may y all remaining have already been decided in this tension was resection, on, but top dogs Belgium have solved in this secannounced their intention to sign off tion on Friday, though winwith another win to finish with an al- ners Germany will be looking to finish most perfect record of 28 points from unbeaten. As for Sweden, they know a possible 30. Croatia are certain of they will complete their fixtures in secsecond place, meanwhile, yet will be ond place, with a play-off place already keen to bolster their points tally in guaranteed. Scotland to guarantee themselves a Having booked their trip to Brazil alplay-off berth. ready, the Netherlands in group D, will Italy made sure of their own prog- set out with the goal of remaining unress two games ago in group B, but beaten and ending their campaign with behind them the race for second spot the most prolific attack in Europe. In conwill go down to the wire. Four teams trast, Turkey, Romania and Hungary all can still win that particular tussle, find themselves separated by two points with Luboslav Penev’s Bulgaria in and finish with home games as they enthe driving seat thanks to their con- deavour to seal second. While Hungary siderable goal-difference advantage. will look to boost their goal difference Should they come out on top against against an Andorra team yet to secure a the Czech Republic, they will have single point, Turkey face the more dauntevery chance of finishing runners- ing mission of taking on the Dutch, with up – though that might not be enough Romania preparing for the more manto wrap up a play-off spot. Only the ageable task of tackling Estonia.

bid for Benzema

when he was on in 2009. s in Spain ss Carlo Anpy with the ward, who two goals in ces for Man. d to let Benhelp fund a ez who is reeen to leave e Bernabeu

his preferred destination. Other clubs around Europe will also be interested in Benzema and Arsenal will be near the top of the list despite Olivier Giroud making a flying start to the new campaign with four goals in seven appearances. But should Wenger prevaricate, Jose Mourinho is also interested in taking Benzema to Chelsea, and may pounce.

Benzema

Lewandowski

Shehu

2013 Governor’s Cup: Shehu rues loss YEMI OLUS

ne of Nigeria’s top players at the ongoing Governor’s Cup Lagos Tennis tournament, Lawal Shehu on Monday blamed his 2-1 loss to compatriot, Sani Adamu on fatigue. The former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) champion said, “I got tired and was too weak to move around. But that’s tennis, you don’t always win. I guess this wasn’t my lucky day.” In other matches, Clifford Enosoregbe beat John Otu 6-1, 1-0(retired), Christian Paul beat Eric Vehovec from Canada 3-6, 6-2, 6-1. While Ante Pavic of Croatia defeated Edward Christopher Anefu of Nigeria 6-2, 6-0. US-based Nigerian lady Idia Amen lost 6-3, 6-2 to Zarah Razafmahatratra of Madagascar while Women’s Singles No. 1 seed Tadeja Majeric (Slovakia) beat Nigeria’s Blessing Samuel 6-0, 6-0. Youngster, Sarah Adegoke fell 6-0,6-0 to the superior serves of China’s Xi-Yao Wang while Number 2

seed, Nina Bratchikova beat Alexandra Riley (USA) 6-3,6-3. Meanwhile the much anticipated wheelchair tennis event earlier planned to hold during championship has been shifted to a later date. The decision to defer the staging of the event was taken by the Local Organising Committee (LOC) when it was discovered that there would be no time for it considering the tight fixtures of the matches of the Governor’s Cup. The main-draws fixtures which had been fixed to begin by 12noon will now serve off by 10a.m each day of the competition to enable earlier conclusion of the first week and the grand finale in the second week on Saturday, 26 October; a shift from the earlier Sunday, 27 October pencilled down. The Tournament Referee, South African Anton Rens has given the LOC Saturday, 26 October as the grand finale date where Women’s Singles final will be played by 2p.m. and the Men’s Singles by 4p.m.s

Sarki winner nails Wolfsburg IKENWA NNABUOGOR

x Chelsea youth-teamer Emmanuel Sarki netted the match winner as Wisla Krakow defeated Bundesliga campaigners Wolfsburg 2-1 in a friendly on Sunday in Krakow. The game was one of the friendly games lined for the multiple Polish champions in the FIFA free weekend ahead of the resumption of the Polish Super League this weekend The visitors opened scoring in the 46th minute only for Medjoevi to restore parity for the Polish club in the 63rd minute. In the 73rd minute, Wolfsburg goalkeeper Grun gifted the winning goal to the former Golde Eaglets star as he failed to stop his powerful shot from about 30 meters. The game was witnessed by more than 5000 spectators. Wisla Krakow are the only undefeated side in Poland after 11 rounds of matches. The league resumes this weekend as the second-placed Wisla are guests of

Zawisza Bydgoszcz. Sarki is expected to make his 12th league outing for the Krakow side. Sarki, who penned a fresh three - year contract with Wisla this summer has been involved in all the matches played by Wisla Krakow in the championship. The former KVC Westerlo winger arrived the Polish side from Belgian club Waasland-Beveren last January.

Sarki

Sport

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

On the track with

YEMI OLUS danyella172003@yahoo.com

Idowu dropped from lottery funding

Pearson gets new coach

he woes of former world champion Phillips Idowu have been compounded after he lost out on the lottery funding for the 2013/14 athletics season Last week, the Berlin 2009 gold medalist was banned from driving for 24 months and fined £145 and £85 in costs after magistrates heard that an emergency forced him to drive while drunk. The high-profile athlete who competes for Great Britain took a break from the sport last year and missed the World Championships in Moscow. Also among those to miss out are fellow former world medallists Andy Turner, Jenny Meadows and Lisa Dobriskey. Meadows and Dobriskey won 800m bronze and 1500m silver respectively at the 2009 World Championships while two years later in Daegu, Turner claimed 110m hurdles bronze. Yamile Aldama, the 41-yearold Cuba-born triple jumper who won world indoor gold last year, has also left the programme. UK Sport, the body which distributes the funding, has narrowed its criteria, meaning only athletes considered realistic medal contenders for the Rio 2016 Olympics are eligible for ‘podium’ funding. Previously the emphasis had been on the likelihood of making a final. The result is a smaller crop of 22 athletes on top-level funding, plus 16 on relay funding.

Egwero (in green) was Nigeria’s sole participant in the sprints at the World Championships

Why our male athletes fumbled – Coach T

he quest for survival coupled with other distractions is one of the reasons Nigeria’s male athletes failed to live up to expectation during the 2013 athletics season, says grassroots coach, Adu Uruemu. In recent years, the inability of the national male athletes to hold their own among their contemporaries from other parts of the world has been a source of concern to the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN). Ogho-Oghene Egwero was the sole entrant in the 100m at the World Championships while Noah Akwu was the only quarter miler to qualify for the 400m, albeit with

a ‘B’standard. The 4x100m relay team failed to meet the qualifying standard for the Moscow Championships while the 4x400m team didn’t make it past the heats. None of the male jumpers participated in the biannual championships as well and Uruemu believes that athletes need to be monitored in order to maintain their focus. He said, “It is more difficult for male athletes to be focused than their female counterparts because men have so many things on their mind especially family issues. “It might not be marriage but they might bear a lot of responsibilities such as catering financially for their parents and siblings and

when the finances are not forthcoming they might get distracted. As a result, some of them might skip training. “When much needed support from government or individuals is not forthcoming, they might want to go into other things to make ends meet and might lose that touch in the process. “A week is enough for an athlete to lose form. Timing is also key in this equation. The major focus is usually the national trials which should not be. Most of our athletes tend to peak at that period and fizzle out afterwards. They just make the team and make up the numbers without necessarily being fit.”

ympic 100m hurdles champion Sally Pearson has chosen a former assistant coach and training partner Antony Drinkwater-Newman as her new coach. Pearson announced last week that she was splitting with her coach of 14 years Sharon Hannan as she sought new ideas and motivation to lift her back to the top after her silver medal at this year’s world titles. Drinkwater-Newman was Hannan’s assistant from 2006 until 2011 and now has a junior squad on the Gold Coast. “Antony and I have trained together over many years in the same squad and also while he was Sharon’s assistant. I was excited by the fresh ideas that Antony has developed and I know that we work well together,” Pearson said. “Antony will be able to train beside me and that will be special. He is the logical choice for me and I am really keen to resume training shortly. I have a well developed team around me and they will provide support to Antony in this early phase of developing our athlete-coach relationship.”

Pearson

Glasgow 2014: AFN set to camp athletes

Ogba

he Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) have concluded plans to commence preparation for next year’s Commonwealth Games as 70 athletes are selected to resume camping at the Teslim Balogun Stadium Complex, Lagos on October 21. AFN President, Solomon Ogba also revealed that the programme for the 2014 season has been approved by the board and will be unfolded to the media in the near future. He said, “We want to announce that we will start our programmes for next year with the conditioning phase of our athletes from October 21 to January 2014 at the Teslim Balogun Complex.”

“ The Lagos State Government has graciously agreed to provide us accommodation. I know that in the course of camping the athletes, we are going to have a lot of cross country races as part of the conditioning and over distance events. “We are doing this because next season is a busy one. We have the World Indoor Championships, maiden World Relays, Commonwealth Games and a host of others. “Also, the progamme for next year has been approved by the board. We will try and make sure that the conditioning goes well and we will try and focus on the dieting of the athletes. “We will do a lot of blood work on them so that we know where to focus

on since they have different needs.” Technical Director of the federation, Navy Commodore Omatseye Nesiama revealed the process through which the athletes were selected: “We have been able to rate the athletes following their performance last season. We picked the top 10 athletes over various events so we have at least 70 of them,” he said. “We want to prepare all of them even though we are not sure if all of them will eventually make it for the Commonwealth Games. We have to prepare all of them though because we do not know those who might spring surprises at the end of the day”.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Real Estate & Environment

Most developed country is the most mapped nation –Adeaga Mr Bode Adeaga, is the President of the Nigerian Institution of Surveyors. In this interview with DAYO AYEYEMI, he speaks on the importance of surveyors to the environment and the economic development and advancement of survey profession in the country, among other issues. Excerpts. positioning of rigs. But you find out that foreigners have taken over because of the level of the people will have. We will get to government to let people and government authority know what we can do. Some of the products of surveying are not physical, it is not about building a 10-storey building, but the data needed for the construction is provided by surveyors. Our works are not physical, it is scientific. They are not seen, therefore they are not been appreciated by the people. Data of N200million may not be appreciated because they are not physical. The data are been used by the people and the final product is what the people see. Surveyors have not been utilised in this country. Why some countries are thinking of electronic train, we are still embracing locomotive trains. Hope your members are embracing the evolving technologies in the sector? We know use new technology. In most university, we collect data, managed them and utilised them. The Boundary Commission has full fledge surveyors. It is the surveying department that delineate boundary. Even the INEC needs the services of surveyors because the distance and boundary of polling areas are needed for credible election. You can know the number of village and number of houses

Nigeria celebrated her 53 years of independence recently, do you think it is necessary? It is a mixed reactions or feelings; in some areas , we have moved forward, in some areas, we have not because those of us who witnessed the past would be able to judge. Presently, we found out that we haven’t got infrastructure development but when you are talking generally, to me, we have not really achieved much. Though, we have not really achieved much, but we can rejoice that we are still together as a nation. Averagely, this is not what those of us who have been born prior to 1960 are expecting. What has been the achievement of government in the area of built environment? Frankly speaking, in the built environment, we have not achieved much because Nigeria professionals have not been fully engaged in project implementation. I expect those projects being handled by foreigners to be handled by Nigerians. We attended same School with some of the foreigners, and we know they are not the best. In those days, who won’t buy Chinese products, but nowadays we are for them. This also applied to buildings and roads; in those days, we had J.A Oni and sons, Okeowo and Co and the likes constructing quality roads in the western states. When you look around, you still found out that some of the roads constructed then are still solid. But nowadays, no indigenous company is engage to do such and it is our government that caused it. All these Chinese companies you see around, their government sponsored them, gave them the wherewithal so that they can repay the money. All they do is to go out, source for the job and do them. They have their government backing. How many individual can get equipment these foreign companies have? We attended same university, same institution, same brain but our government will leave you to yourself. So in the built environment, we have not done anything, we still rely on old infrastructure. Can you shed light on the role of surveyors in the built environment and in nation’s economic development? The roles are many. I used to tell people that right from the creation of the earth, surveyor has been brought forth. When we are talking of survey, we are talking about positioning; we are talking of the data you need in the execution or design of any project. Project executions are based on the data provided by the surveyors. There is no project in this world that you want to execute without recourse to the data provided by the surveyor. So, let see road, to cut both the longitudinal and cross section profile of the road, it is the surveyor that will provide the data, without it you can execute the project. After the data have been provided, the engineer will make use of the data to design the road because your profile will show the undulation of the road. When you want to built your road, you will need a quantity surveyor and architect. The quantity surveyor cannot quantify the materials needed for the construction of the building without data supplied by the surveyor, likewise architect because he has to get data on topography and size of the land. To everybody, the earth surface is flat, but to surveyor, the earth surface is not flat. He has to know the topography of

Adeaga the land. Now, surveying has even gone beyond that. What of during decision making? Surveyor provides data needed for decision making. For example, all the hospitals, and that is what the president wants to do know. He wants to know the number of institutions in the country. Who will provide the data except surveyors because he has to know the location and position of these institutions? What of building of railway? Who will provide the data and the routes, the bridges and toilets? They are the works of surveyors. What of water transportation, it is the surveyor that would provide the data and show where there are wrecks. In advanced countries, they are really automated. It is often said that the most developed country is the most mapped country. For instance, in the military, you need the surveyor for reconnaissance and the map is used very well during war. How would they know the location of the enemy without map produced by surveyors? It is wide. The only thing in the country is that we limit the role of surveyors to cadastralmeasurement of parcel of land. What in flood control? You need data for flood control and waterways. There is no area you don’t need surveyors. Are you saying that the underdevelopment of the nation is as a result of not making use of the services of surveyors? Yes! For instance in overseas, once you get to the airport, you can get to the counter and pick the street guides. Who do you thing provided the street guides? It is done by surveyors. If I look at it, either you are taking blue line or red line to where you are going, it would be there. You move without

asking anybody and you can get to your destination. What of navigator that you fix on your car that will show you the way, who provide it? It is the surveyor. When conducting census, you need the services of surveyors. During the last census, many villages are extinct but in our own map, they are there. In fact, we can do the census of this country in one day if you make use of the services of surveyors. The only thing is that everybody will come out on a field and to scatter during certain time through satellite. We have high resolution satellite above one metre resolution. It can also been used in agriculture. When you know the value of the land, you can know the number of plant and you can calculate the yields. In dam construction, you need the services of surveyors. What are you doing to let government know the importance of your profession to nation’s development? You know, our institution is trying as much as possible to liaise with the Office of the Surveyor-General because we are professional body and we want to bring up certain matters so the he can go through them and talk with the minister and present some of our proposals to the government for implementation. We are organising programmes to be able to highlight our programme so that the government will know. It is unfortunate that we don’t have any surveyor in the government either at the executive or national assembly level to push some of our proposals. People still look the works of surveyors as that of the olden day where they stay in the bush to measure. In the oil industry, you can do without surveyors because you have to lay the pipes to the depot and you need surveyors; even in putting in place oil rigs, drilling and exploration of oil, you need the service of surveyors for the re-

Why do you think government don’t use indigenous surveyors? Indigenous surveyors are competent but the equipment is too expensive. Even when bidding for the project, government would asked if you have foreign partners. Equipment is one thing and if there is no equipment, what can you do. When talking about knowledge, we can match any foreigner in the area of knowledge. The Chinese developed over the year. What is the way out? The way out is to believe in ourselves One year after your elaection, what has been your achievement in office? When I took over the leadership of the institution a year ago, I rolled out certain goals. We were having important project before us then which was the organisation of world conference of the International Federation of Surveyors. We were to hold it and we were expecting over 10, 00 surveyors worldwide. It was a big project before us. Not by my own design but by the design of God, I was the president when the conference came. We have been planning to host it over 5 years and it came during my period but by the grace of God, it was adjudged to be the best ever. It was a great achievement. Secondly, we have been able to build the confidence of our members. Thirdly, we have been able to increase the number of our membership because of the way the administration conducted its programmes. We have been able to have land for our secretariat in Abuja. The Nigerian Institution of Surveyors is renovating is building at Victoria Island, Lagos which was in comatose when it was handed over to us. God has given this administration the grace to carry out the renovation. It is a 7-storey building built by our past leaders. We have been able to make some young surveyors to show interest in the profession.

Real Estate & Environment

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Dine in style with luxurious tableware

here is nothing more luxurious than being able to dine in style. Tableware is the dishware used for setting a table, serving food and for dining. Tableware can be meant to include cutlery and glassware. The process of buying tableware sets and dinnerware sets should be an exciting one. This is because you have the opportunity to choose designs and style that appeal to you. They should be of high quality and have the capability of complimenting the dining room and as such, it is important to consider the following factors before making your choice. The kind to buy: There are different types of tableware sets in the market. Some are made from casual dinnerware while others are made from fine china. As such, decide what suits your needs best. Type of dishes you need: In this regard, it is ideal to note ideal dinner sets and dinnerware sets include things such as cups, bowls, salad or dessert dinner plates or bowls. Again, consider your needs before deciding which of these options auger well with your needs. This choice should also depend on whether or not you entertain guests. The number of dishes: It is important to note that these sets have different number of dinner plates, crockery, bowls and cup among others and for this reason, make sure that you make purchases that augur well with your needs. Again, if you are into entertaining guests, consider

buying large number of dinner sets, tableware sets and dinnerware sets as they are cheaper and economical for you.

come in varying styles, shapes and sizes and for this reason, whether you choose contemporary or traditional sets should be a personal choice.

Traditional versus contemporary sets: Dinnerware sets and tableware sets have evolved over the years. They

The pattern and colour: As mentioned earlier, dinner plates come in different patterns and colours and as

such, it is important to ensure that you select those that compliment the dining room. It should have the capability accent and not clash with the wall decoration and other items found in the dining area. Courtesy: www.hueyscatering.com

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Real Estate & Environment

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

DAYO AYEYEMI

WITH AGENCY REPORT

Scientists push for rich biodiversity in cities

ncreasing urbanization over the next decades presents not only unprecedented challenges for humanity, but also opportunities to curb climate change, reduce water scarcity and improve food security. World’s first global assessment on the relationship between urbanization and biodiversity loss, has stated. In the assessment released in New York, entitled “Cities and Biodiversity Outlook (CBO)”, argues that cities should facilitate for a rich biodiversity and take stewardship of crucial ecosystem services rather than being sources of large ecological footprints. The volume of research is produced by Stockholm Resilience Centre (SRC) together with the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), in partnership with UN-Habitat and ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability. The detailed scientific foundation of the CBO, Urbanization, Biodiversity and Ecosystem services: Challenges and Opportunities - A Global Assessment, which was launched today in New York as part of local celebrations to mark World Habitat Day, has involved more than 200 scientists worldwide. It states that over 60 percent of the land projected to become urban by 2030 has yet to be built. It further states that if current trends continue, 70 percent of the global urban population will be urban by 2050. This presents a major opportunity to greatly improve global sustainability by promoting low-carbon, resourceefficient urban development that can reduce adverse effects on biodiversity

Proposed floating homes for Makoko waterfront community, Lagos

and improve quality of life, it says. It is noted that production and consumption activities heavily concentrated in cities have contributed to some 80 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions; yet innovative solutions to combating climate change will also come from cities. With rich biodiversity, cities have enormous potential to mitigate climate change.Preservation of larger outlying green areas, green corridors that connect larger green patches, green roofs and “brownfields”, or land previously used for industrial purposes or certain commercial uses, can also be used as carbon sinks rather than emission sources. The Japanese district of Yokohama, for instance, which emitted almost

20 million tons of CO2 in 2007, has recognized the importance of biodiversity in stabilizing the local climate. Revenues from a new tax system have since been used to conserve green areas, and roof tops and walls were fitted with greenery. Yokohama now aims to reduce per capita carbon emissions by at least 60 percent by 2050. What is important, according to the assessment, is to develop and incorporate already existing green spaces into the functional infrastructure of a city. “The innovation lies not so much in developing new infrastructural technologies but to work with what we already have. The results are often

Emissions rate puts billion more at risk –Research

n extensive new study by climate impact researchers warns that humans will struggle to cope with drastic and rapid changes to the planet unless greenhouse gas emissions rates are cut now Allowing the Earth’s temperature to rise by more than 2ºC will see dramatic changes in vegetation across the planet and expose a billion more people to severe water scarcity, according to new research. So vast are the potential changes that the scientists from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) in Germany comment that they doubt if humans have the capacity to manage the impacts it will have. A temperature rise of 5ºC would cause all ice-free land on the planet to experience dramatic changes in its eco-systems – for example, tundra turning to forests and African grasslands to deserts. In a paper published by the international scientific journal Earth System Dynamics, the scientists say they are surprised at how much worse the impacts would become once the 2ºC threshold is passed. At the moment, they say, the failure of politicians to make commitments to cut emissions means that the temperature is set to reach and pass the danger zone of 3.5ºC. While the scientists spell out what will happen to the vegetation and the water availability, they do not venture into predicting what conflict might arise if a billion people or more whose food supply would collapse embarked on mass migration to avoid starvation. The “green” areas of the world most affected are the grasslands of Eastern India, shrub lands of the Tibetan Plateau, the for-

ests of Northern Canada, and the savannas of Ethiopia and Somalia. The melting permafrost of the Siberian tundra will also be significant, releasing further greenhouse gases. The changes in vegetation are only part of the story. The report also concentrates on the effect of temperature on water shortages for the human population. Even if global warming is limited to 2ºC above pre-industrial levels, another 500 million people could suffer water scarcity, and this will grow substantially as the temperature rises. Research expert on water scarcity, and lead author of one of the three studies contained in the PIK paper, Dr Dieter Gerten, , said mean global warming of 2ºC - the target set by the international community - is projected to expose an additional 8% of humankind to new or increased water scarcity. However, a rise of 3.5 degrees – likely to occur if national emissions reductions remain at currently pledged levels – would affect 11 per cent of the world population, while a rise of 5 degrees could increase this to 13 per cent. “If population growth continues, by the end of our century under a business-asusual scenario these figures would equate to well over one billion lives touched,” Gerten says. “And this is on top of the more than one billion people already living in waterscarce regions today.” Parts of Asia, North Africa, the Mediterranean and the Middle East are particularly vulnerable to further water scarcity. The eastern side of the United States and northern Mexico, already short of wa-

ter, will suffer further stress. Maps published with the paper show the areas most at risk from both water shortages and vegetation changes. One of the worst affected regions is an area that includes Pakistan and the border area of India - which is already suffering from floods, droughts and a subsequent loss of crop production. The scientists use their findings to show that the current world leaders have the key to the fate of the planet. If they reduce emissions now, they could prevent the worst of the temperature rises, but if they fail to do so the consequences will be dire. The paper says a warming of 5ºC - likely

far cheaper and more sustainable as well,” said Professor Thomas Elmqvist, scientific editor of the assessment. Executive Secretary of the CBD, Dr. Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, added that “the sphere of influence of city leaders goes well beyond urban habitats. The decisions taken by local authorities affect ecosystems near and elsewhere, with important feedback effects. By taking the steps to conserve and sustainably use biodiversity, local authorities can ensure that biodiversity will continue to provide cities and their inhabitants with much needed services including freshwater, clean air, food security and protection and resilience against extreme weather, floods and other environmental risks.” Amongst a number of other important points, the assessment also highlights the potential for cities to become more self-reliant when it comes to securing sufficient access to water and food. “Cities need to learn how to better protect and enhance biodiversity, because there is a direct relationship between biodiversity and food security in cities,” Elmqvist said. The study highlights a wide range of successful initiatives by cities, local authorities and sub-national governments in both developed and developing countries. For instance Kampala, the capital and Uganda’s largest city, has found a way to preserve its vast and highly visible agriculture, even in densely populated areas. Similarly, Cuba has since 1987 focused on urban and suburban agriculture to counter its crisis of lack of imports as well as malnutrition and iron deficiency in the population.

to happen in the next century if climate change goes on unabated - would put nearly all terrestrial natural ecosystems at risk of severe change. “So despite the uncertainties, the findings clearly demonstrate that there is a large difference in the risk of global ecosystem change under a scenario of no climate change mitigation, compared to one of ambitious mitigation,” says geoecologist Sebastian Ostberg, lead author of the third section of the study. While the report does not speculate on the actual effects these changes will have on the ability of the human population to survive, the scientists permit themselves the observation that it is hard to see how humans can adapt to such rapid changes.

Green Solutions Expo holds in Nairobi

his month high-level delegates from across the globe will gather at the headquarters of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Nairobi, Kenya, to spotlight, showcase and scale up innovative local solutions to global problems at the 2013 Global South-South Development Expo. South-South cooperation has already given birth to many inspiring initiatives. For example, under the enlighten initiative over 40 countries from the developing world are following a global strategy on the phase-out of inefficient lighting, leading to a significant reduction of global greenhouse gas emissions. Then Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia have committed to conserving and sustainably managing the Heart of Borneo— 220,000km2 of tropical forest on

the island of Borneo and one of Asia’s last great rainforests—which is home to the threatened orangutan, pygmy elephant, clouded leopard, and the critically endangered Sumatran rhino. The Expo, hosted by UNEP in close coordination with the UN Office for South-South Cooperation from October 28 to November 1,—aims to harness such Southern-grown development solutions, which address both existing and emerging development challenges head-on. “Some of the most extraordinary answers and solutions to environmental sustainability and sustainable development in the 21st century are today emerging from the South,” said Achim Steiner, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director.

Real Estate & Environment

A DEDEJI A DEMIGBUJI

ejuosho Property Development Company (TPDC), the developers of the Phase II of the New Tejuosho Ultramodern Market, has announced that the landmark commercial project will be concluded by the end of the year 2013. Speaking to journalists at the new market in Tejuosho, Lagos recently, the company’s Head of Sales and Marketing, Comfort Oluwadairo, said although sales of shops are still going on, the project, which includes over 1660 shops in various sizes, key clamps, underground parking, and technology assisted security would be available to their owners by the end of the year. She confirmed that the Phase II of the new Tejuosho Ultramodern Market is not involved in any court procedure or litigation that may slow it down or adversely affects shop owners. “As you can see all around, we are putting finishing touches to the prop-

Tejuosho Market Phase II for completion in December

Proposed transportation for Lagos metropolis

erty and work is proceeding at a steady pace. We are satisfied with the progress right now. We are a wholly independent real estate development company and

Demolition: 70% of property owners have been paid compensation –Ogun govt STORIES: DAYO AYEYEMI

ot fewer than 70 per cent of individuals and corporate bodies whose property were demolished as a result of the on-going road construction across Ogun State have been duly paid compensations by the state government. Special Adviser/Director-General of the State Bureau of Lands and Survey, Mr. Adewale Osinowo, disclosed this while addressing members of the State House of Assembly Committee on Lands and Housing during their budget performance monitoring visit to the agency. Osinowo, in a statement signed by the Bureau’s Press Officer Mr. Ademola Orunbon, explained that the compensations were being paid to different categories of property owners after valuation had been carried out by rel-

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

evant government agencies, assuring that others would soon be paid. He also stated that the Geographic Information System (GIS) of the Bureau had reached 70 per cent completion, affirming that it would be completed and ready for use by the first quarter of next year. The director-general noted that the GIS would provide adequate information on land matters, transactions, documentation and assist in training the people on lands administration, pointing out that other agencies would benefit from GIS services. On the issuance of Certificate of Occupancy (C of O), the Special Adviser stated that it took the Bureau only six weeks to do this if relevant documents were made available and others conditions met, emphasising that he had cleared and issued all outstanding C of Os. According to him, the 33 schemes be-

our agreement with the government is clear: Develop this property as a market and we have followed that contract to the letter,” she said. ing undertaken that could be used for residential and industrial purposes would soon be given some facelifts as channelisation, construction of road networks and other infrastructural developments are being undertaken to attract buyers. Meanwhile, the State Ministry of Housing has acquired another 50 hectares of land at Kobape for sites and services for individuals interested in land for residential purposes. Commissioner for Housing, Mr. Daniel Adejobi who made this known while hosting the Committee added that the on-going Abeokuta City Centre and Agbara Industrial park would soon be completed, assuring that more housing units would be constructed before the year runs out. Responding, the Committee Chairman, Hon. Remmy hazzan, enjoined the land Bureau to resolve excision issues with villagers, saying this would assist in curbing the menace of land encroachment and implored the two agencies to improve on their revenue drives.

NIQS boss calls for unified surveying bodies

he President of the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS), Mr. Agele Alufohai, has called for the unification of surveying bodies, in line with global best practices. Alufohai made this call at the 44th Annual General Meeting/Continuous Professional Development (CPD) of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), Nigerian Group, at the Ikeja Sheraton Hotel, Lagos. The NIQS boss said that the changing times calls for new strategies and emphasised the need for the various surveying institutes operating in the country to come together and form a dominant voice to advocate for the industry’s issues. He said, “There is no arguing that significant differences exist between various disciplines of surveying but as we recognise these differences, we must also consider the advantages of

building bridges between our various surveying disciplines for there is great wisdom in the saying that there is unity in strength.” He added that acting together will promote the surveying practice, create a bigger voice on national economic issues about problems that directly impact on the practice and those that the surveyors are qualified to speak about by virtue of their training. “Imagine if we succeed in creating a platform that develops a strong identity as the voice of surveying in Nigeria, such a voice will be much louder and will command greater attention and respect when we speak on issues such as the evolving new national housing policy or cost and transparency issues in the design and administration of the Petroleum Subsidy Reinvestment Programme. ” he said.. Alufohai told the gathering that sur-

veyors should find ways to do what branding experts call “positioning” which simply means that “what we all do as different types of surveyors must have a single and powerful representation in the minds of Nigerians”. Speaking on the issue, the Past Chairman, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), Mr. Austin Onaro, stated that the cause for the non-unification of the surveying bodies be identified first. Except this is done, he added that the idea of a unified body may never come to pass. He urged other surveying bodies to come together to close the gap amongst surveyors. The Chairman, RICS Nigeria Group, Mr. Barin Epega commended Alufohai for his address and success in his practice. He urged younger chartered surveyors to emulate Alufohai by acting with the highest level of integrity towards building the country.

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As for its relationship with the phase I of the development, she said, “The Tejuosho Property Development Company does not have any connection whatsoever with the Phase I or its developers.” She added, “This project is also exclusively financed by Zenith Bank and we have a great relationship with the bank. Even as prices of building materials, fuel, and labour went up, Zenith Bank provided more financing so that the project would proceed without glitches. It has been a wonderful partnership with Zenith Bank all the way.” Wayne Bushell, special consultant on the project also expressed his enthusiasm on the venture, which he described as one of a kind. “Having worked on similar developments across Africa, I believe both shoppers and traders will be exceptionally thrilled when they discover what has been built here. More importantly because it is as at the heart of Lagos, it makes shopping a truly fantastic experience.”

Long-term urban development: UN to assist Anambra, Nasarawa, Osun states

he United Nations say it is providing support for development of long-term urban management strategies and policies through the development of Structure Plans for three cities in Anambra State, four cities in Nasarawa State, and nine cities in Osun State, through a methodology that emphasises sustainable urban transportation as a key thematic issue. This was disclosed last week by the UN-Habitat Programme Manager for Nigeria, Mallam Kabir M. Yari, during 2013 World Habitat Day organised by the Lagos State Government in Ikeja. Represented by the Programme Officer, UN-Habitat, Mr. Paul Okunlola, Yari stated that other include the promotion of sound urban energy and urban mobility patterns – with proposals currently being developed for a Regional Study on the Greater Ibadan-Lagos-Accra-Abidjan Urban Energy Corridor, an initiative being proposed in collaboration with the ECOWAS Secretariat; as well as a joint UN Habitat/UNDP project. The 2013 UN’s World Habitat Day was marked throughout the world with nations showcasing their programmes, projects and policies to promote sustainable urban developments. Yari hinted that the United NationsHabitat, in conjunction with the United Nations Development Project (UNDP) has offered to support Lagos in its quest toward a sustainable urban development. He noted that the United Nations system in Nigeria, under the guidance of the UN-Habitat Programme Office (HAPSO), has worked tirelessly to support initiatives considered essential to achieving more sustainable urban development as a tool for promoting national development. The initiatives, he said were geared toward the strengthening of local governance in order to increase the capacity of cities to sustain infrastructure and basic services through a Good Urban Governance Assessment of 18 urban local governments selected from eight states.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Aviation

Associated plane crash: More questions over NCAA’s autonomy, safety The unfortunate crash of Embraer 120 of Associated Aviation Limited within the Murtala Mohammed Airport, MMA, Lagos has, once again, raised concerns over safety of the Nigerian airspace and the autonomy of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA. OLUSEGUN KOIKI reports.

he Nigerian aviation industry no doubt is facing serious challenges and it seems as if those saddled with the responsibilities of managing the sector are overwhelmed by the challenges. The helmsmen seem to be confused not because they are incompetent, but because of censorship and unconstitutional monitoring of their activities by the Federal Government. The recent Associated Aviation Services Limited plane crash really exposed the weakness of the sector. It revealed that information management and sharing in the sector is very poor. On the unfortunate day, several inaccurate and uncoordinated information were released to the media. Even those not statutorily responsible for such coordination took the centre stage and in the end, turned an industry that is internationally regulated to a laughing stock. The manifest of the victims onboard the plane took over 13 hours to be released to the public by the regulatory body despite the fact that the document had been released to the agency since noon and when eventually it was released, rather than the 20 names of the victims, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Industry, NCAA, came out with 17 names that were hand written. Till date, the agency has not come out to release the names of the other three persons onboard the ill-fated plane. Besides, the accident exposed that effective policing of the airline sub-sector by the industry regulator, NCAA has reached its lowest ebb as both the management of NCAA and the airline in question disagreed on the last date the crashed Embraer 120 jet last flew. While the airline management, led by its Chief Operating Officer, COO, Alhaji Taiwo Raji told the media that the crashed 120 Embraer aircraft flight no 361 last flew on August 30, 2013, NCAA 24 hours later released a different date to the media. A report by NCAA insisted that the plane last flew on August 22, 2013 and not the August 30, 2013 earlier claimed by the airline. This contradiction however revealed that there are lapses in the records kept by both NCAA and the airline. This conflicting record, National Mirror learnt has started generating not only controversy, but also questions on the truthfulness of the records being peddled around by both parties. The Director of Consumer Protection Unit, Alhaji Adamu Abdulahi who spoke on the issue stated, “Before the ill-fated flight, the airline last operated the EMB 120ER 5N-BJY aircraft on a charter flight on the 22nd August 2013.” Besides, the former Airport Commandant, Murtala Mohammed International Airport, MMIA, Lagos, Group Captain (rtd), John Ojikutu, immediately after the crash, raised fresh fear about the safety of the Nigerian airspace. Ojikutu told journalists that the plane crash involving the corpse of the former governor of Ondo state, Chief Olusegun Agagu and other 20 others, revealed that Nigeria still lacked efficient accident management. Ojikutu accused the Ministry of Aviation of taking over the roles of NCAA as spelt out in the Act establishing the agency and other Civil Aviation Authorities in the global aviation industry. He explained that the taking over of the roles of NCAA and other operators in the industry, led to the conflicting figures and information being released immediately after the crash. He insisted that NCAA was supposed to take the leading role, after the Accident Investigation Bureau, AIB was inappropriately silent on the matter.

Oduah

Engr. Kyari

THE CAA DEFINES THE ROLES OF NCAA AND OTHER INDUSTRY OPERATORS AS AGAINST THE MINISTRY.

RECENT EVENTS HAVE SHOWN THAT SUCH ROLES PROVIDED FOR HAVE BEEN TAKEN ON BY THE MINISTRY AND THAT EXPLAINS THE CONFLICTING FIGURES BY THE MINISTRY

FEDERAL AIRPORTS AUTHORITY OF NIGERIA ON THE THURSDAY CRASH

AND THE

“The CAA defines the roles of NCAA and other industry operators as against the ministry. Recent events have shown that such roles provided for have been taken on by the ministry and that explains the conflicting figures by the ministry and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, on the Thursday crash. The NCAA has been inappropriately silent or what is its role in all these mess?

“Secondly, we have gone through the circus of uncoordinated aviation emergency management procedures of which, are universal, but over the years, we have not developed emergency management programme for the airport and outside the airport.” Ojikutu decried that despite the myriads of accident, which had occurred in the country for a few years now, the authorities are yet to define the first and the second responders from accident within and without respectively. He said that such roles fall within the purview of FAAN and the Local Government Areas in accordance with global practises, but noted that such exercise had always been greeted with confusion in Nigeria at most crash sites in the country. The aviation experts insisted that States, LASEMA, NEMA and NSCDC can only be the third responders in any crash. “That explains why every agent wants to claim superiority at the crash site, which the emergency programme has not efficiently defined.” Besides, the crash has raised fresh fear about the sustainability of the Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, Category One obtained from the United States of America in 2010. Experts insisted that such avoidable deaths could lead to the revocation of the license by America from Nigeria. But, a member of the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers, Engr. Sheri Kyari sees it differently. Kyari in an interview with our correspondent on the issue said that such crash would not lead to the suspension of the category by America. Category One, is the highest safety standards in the globe. Without the attainment of the Category, no airline can fly into the U.S. He said, “I don’t think we can go so low to losing Category One because whatever happens, we don’t pray for any further crash, but definitely, a lot of activities will always happen like incidences or accidents to get us knocked out. I don’t really think we will lose our Category One. We will not go so low into losing our Category One.” But, he agreed that Nigerian airline sub-sector is faced with myriad of challenges bothering on inappropriate policies of the Federal Government, huge debt portfolios of the airlines, insufficient funds to expand operations, inadequate training for staff, salary arrears, shortage of qualified manpower and lack of good corporate management policy among others. Although, Accident Investigation Bureau, AIB, has not disclosed the probable cause of the latest crash to the public, but feelers received from some experts in the sector alleged that the crashed plane was not adequately maintained by the owner before it crashed. Just recently, a former aircraft engineer in the defunct Nigeria Airways, Engr. Ajayi Adigun insisted that maintenance errors contributed at least 39 per cent to aviation accidents and perhaps more importantly to events that initiate accidents or unsafe flight conditions. Adigun explained that pilot error comes later in the sequence of events after something might have gone wrong with the airplane itself, adding that 12 per cent of major aircraft disasters involving Boeing aircraft were attributive to maintenance and inspection errors. He said, “Maintaining aircraft is a complex and demanding endeavour. It consists of numerous interrelated human and machine components. The complexity of such interface means that errors are likely to be introduced and ways to detect errors and deal with them are needed. The safety of the flying public is first and foremost dependent on the proper functioning of the aircraft and its components. “In any maintenance process, it is the ability of the maintenance personnel to work together that determines its success. The very nature of the industry is such that engineers and mechanics will often need to work together; therefore communication and team working skills are important.”

Aviation

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Dutse Airport’ll create jobs –Lamido The Governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Sule Lamido in this interview with OLUSEGUN KOIKI, said that the ongoing construction of Dutse Airport by the State Government in conjunction with the Federal Government will make the state one of the self-reliant in the country. He also promised that the airport will be officially commissioned in the next four months. Excerpts: The ongoing construction of Dutse Airport by the State Government has really gulped a lot of funds from the coffers, what is the economic importance of this to the state? This is a very important question, but before I answer that, I want to say here that you must first of all conceive what we call zonal economic airport and Jigawa has been clarified as one of them. With this airport, we would be able to utilise fresh agricultural produce from the state and based on the programme of the Federal Government, several agricultural produces are supposed to be taken from here to Europe and other continents. There are also plans to have a cargo terminal for the exportation of agricultural products. You see, when you conceive a programme, by the time it develops, what you will generate from it will surpass your own imagination. As part of the plans, we hope to have at least 80 big stalls here, which will equally employ lots of people from the state. Also, when it finally picks up, the agricultural produce alone will create jobs for thousands of people and before you know it, many young people will like to go back to farming and even employ lots of people for their projects.

Airside shegzzy4live2000@yahoo.co.uk 08186007273

Nigerian airspace as an endangered specie

A Sule Lamido

Personally, I want to say that there is no limit to the number of employments that would be generated from this airport alone. Jigawa is going to be a state of prosperity because of the attention it will command in the country. Governments allover the world are handing off from business are giving such to private investors to develop based on several schemes, is the State Government thinking of handing over the airport to private investors in the future? You must know that investment is a process and people can only invest when they know or think they can make profit in their business, which means the facilitation has to be done by the government and later on, if the business stabilises, private investors can now take over and therefore, the terminal is 100 per cent government investment. Personally, this is a huge commitment by the government for the state and it is very important. Towards the 2011 electioneering campaign, President Goodluck Jonathan made four promises to the people of this state and what you are seeing now, is a future hub of agric economy of Nigeria because may be in the next three years, you will be seeing a Jumbo or Boeing 747 taking off and landing on these runways with tomatoes, fish, beef, rice and many other things. Can you do the breakdown of

money spent on this airport project so far and how much do you intend to spend before the project is finally concluded? The fees breakdown is as follows, phase one, over N7.4bn would be spent. On the phase two, N3.9bn is expected to be spent and on compensation to the indigenous people here, the State Government paid the sum of N393m, which brings the total project cost to N11.7bn. The foundation laying ceremony was conducted by His Excellency President Goodluck Jonathan on the 6th November, 2012 and the work actually started in February with the work target of 12 months. The state government ensures quick payment to the contractors handling the project and also made necessary compensations to the owners of the farmlands and hamlets that were demolished for the actualisation of this historic project and relocated to another area with provision of basic infrastructure to them.

but the reverse seems the case in Nigeria as question marks are perpetually asked about the appropriate maintenance of airplanes in Nigeria. The recent Embraer 120 aircraft, which crashed in the Murtala Mohammed Airport, MMA, Lagos within a minute of take has come with several unanswered questions. First, which engineer from the NCAA certified the aircraft for operations after the engineer of the airline certified it for flight? When last did the aircraft last flew and who flew it and to which airport? What is the true position of its insurance papers and, which company actually insured it? These and more are the questions still waiting to be answer from the Ministry of Aviation, NCAA, and even from the airline itself.

Now that Category One is slipping away

its performance, but all might be history very soon. The first accident to dent the ‘viable’ record in 2012 was Dana Air, which killed 163 persons onboard and on the ground and since then, the airspace suddenly become a death trap for flyers. Airside thinks if the government does not take a proactive step, Category One may in the next couple of months become a history as America will not lower its standards because of the country.

Etihad Airways passenger revenue exceeds $1bn

L-R: Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Alex Badeh signing the Memorandum of Understanding with the Nahco Aviance during his courtesy visit to Nahcoaviance headquarters at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, recently. With him are Chairman, Nahcoaviance, Alhaji Suleiman Yahayah and the Managing Director of the company, Mr. Kayode OluwasegunOjo.

Ghana from seven to 10 a week and from 2014, it intends to begin operation of a Boeing 747-400 on the route, further growing capacity. This is in addition to the direct daily services it operates to Lagos and Abuja in Nigeria from London.

ll is not well in the Nigerian aviation industry. At present, experts in the sector are not sure of what will happen to an aircraft, which takes off from point A going to point B. While also, air passengers are not sure of landing safely at their chosen airport. This was the situation in the 2005 and 2006 era, but all that changed with determined and proactive management led by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA. Unfortunately, we are back to that era of uncertainty and fear. Accident can not be eradicated in the global aviation industry, but things are put in place to avoid it from happening. Human factors and weather conditions are the major albatross to aviation safety in the globe while maintenance is the least cause of accident,

igeria enjoyed accident free period for close to six years; 2006 to 2012. Within the period, the country attained the United States’ Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, Category One Status and the International Civil Aviation Organisation, ICAO, safety audit with 98 per cent, which You did promise at commencefurther raised the bar of the ment of this project that it would be country’s aviation industry. completed within a year, but it still In fact, Nigeria was the cywitness a little delays, what caused nosure of eyes in the continent this delay? and some African countries It is true that I promised that this airport project would be commis- visited Nigeria to understudy sioned within 12 months and I did say that indigenes of this state will take off from here to the Holy land in Mecca, but that was not realised by the government.

British Airways elevates Kola Olayinka

he United Kingdom giant carrier, British Airways late last week, elevated its former Country Manager, Nigeria, Mr. Kola Olayinka to the position of Commercial Manager, West Africa. With this new appointment, Olayinka would be responsible for the airline’s commercial operations in the country as well as Ghana, Sierra Leone and Liberia. The airline said, Olayinka would be overseeing the activities of the airline in Lagos and will report directly to the area general manager for Africa and Europe. British Airways only started flying to Sierra Leone and Liberia less than a year ago and is already planning to increase services from three to four a week later this month. Plans are also underway by the carrier to increase services to

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“West Africa is an important growth market for us and our customers are better served by a commercial team which knows and understands the region and has the autonomy to respond promptly and effectively to local market conditions.

tihad Airways says it has continues to achieve record growth in the third quarter of 2013, with revenue from passenger services exceeding $1bn for the first time and passenger numbers passing the three million mark. An online media statement sent by the airline’s representative in Nigeria stated that the total revenue rose 11 per cent to US$1.4bn, compared to US$1.3bn in quarter three of 2012, while network-wide passenger load factors reached 81 per cent. Passenger revenues increased by 10 per cent in quarter three 2013, to just over US$1.03bn (2012: $938m), while cargo revenue was up by 39 per cent to US$244m (2012: US$176 million), according to the statement. Revenue from codeshare and

equity alliance airline partners was US$247m in quarter three 2013, 36 per cent higher than the $181m delivered in quarter three 2012. Partnership contributions accounted for 23 per cent of total quarter three passenger revenue, while passenger numbers rose by 11 per cent to 3.06 million (2012: 2.75 million). The President and Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways, James Hogan, said the quarter three growth occurred in a climate of increasing capacity and ongoing price competition. It also compensated for reduced travel during the Holy Month of Ramadan, which fell across the traditional peak travel months of July and August. “In addition to our own growth in quarter three, we continued to develop our partnership strategy.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Insurance

Health insurance development hindered by poor awareness –Ukiri The Chief Executive Officer of Avon Healthcare Limited, Mrs. Simbo Ukiri, in this interview with MESHACK IDEHEN, said the relevance of health insurance in national development cannot be overemphasised, and that more awareness needed to be created to make the scheme a success. What can be done to make the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) grow faster and better? I think right now, discussions are going on between the regulators, all health management organisation, HMOs,and hospitals. Every key stakeholder that is part of this system is part of this discussion being spearheaded by the NHIS. The ambition is there with the NHIS, it is very strong, the passion is also there to fix this, so that it will not be seen that we as a country have not been able to achieve the same stride as our contemporaries are doing when it comes to health insurance coverage for the populace. I am very confident with the kind of discussion going on that in a year’s time, Nigeria will have a good story to tell. Ukiri Can you throw more light on how health insurance works? I will compare health insurance with other forms of insurance. Comparing health and motor vehicle insurance for instance, people do comprehensive vehicle insurance, while others do third party. You insure your car against theft, fire and other things, but you pray they don’t happen. For some people, it doesn’t happen, and for others, it does. Health insurance is similar because you insure your health against a specified list of possible occurrences. One day, one or more of those things on that list will surely happen. You can’t possibly avoid it because from time to time you will fall ill. God forbid, accident may happen or not, but it is certain that nobody has a perfect health from the first day he is born till the last day that he dies. In health insurance, you know that those services will be required and will be used. How does insurance meet different health needs? That is one level, but each person can actually choose within a wide variety of health insurance plans, and choose the one that is most suited to his own needs because we also have different kinds of health needs at different ages. Health insurance makes sure that when you go to the hospital, you don’t have to pay from your pocket because ill health doesn’t give an advance warning. In addition to that, health insurance makes sure that if there is a need for any form of health service that you would normally not be able to afford; insurance will make sure that you don’t die because it is a system that spreads risk across many people. Let’s say 100 people are insured against cancer, each one of them cannot afford cancer treatment, but by the time you look at the collective premium all the 100 people have paid over a period, that pool makes it possible for one, two or three people to have cancer treatment without any impact on their finances and without the fear of their inability to afford the treatment. It is a system that gives the people access to higher and more expensive health care services that they would not have been able to have access to on their own. In addition, it is a system whereby people are able to access health care services when ill health comes without dipping their hands into their pockets. For a yearly premium, such needs are covered. Does a person with health problems have to go for a test to have insurance cover? That is called adverse selection in our industry because, really, health insurance, like all other kinds of insurance, is based on probability. That is why the value is in the pool that is created. The value is in when you have a mixture, some have and some don’t have. By the time people who

IT IS A SYSTEM THAT GIVES THE PEOPLE ACCESS TO HIGHER AND MORE EXPENSIVE HEALTH CARE SERVICES THAT THEY WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO HAVE ACCESS TO ON THEIR OWN know they have an illness buy a plan just to take care of the illness, you know it is no longer probability or insurance, it is a certainty. So, if someone already has it, it is not that the person cannot take out an health insurance policy, the person can still do that, but what most health insurance firms do is that pre-existing conditions like that must be disclosed because the cost of taking care of that condition will be built into the cost of the premium; this is because it is a certainty. The uncertainties are other ailments outside what a person already has. So, you can say this person has already been diagnosed with cancer; there is a premium that person will pay because there is a pre-existing condition that has been disclosed. Or, there are many ways insurance companies mitigate such cases. It is either that they won’t cover it for the first two years, and after two years on the plan, they begin to cover it or; if they are going to cover it from day one, they give a higher premium. There are many ways of looking at it, but it is something that needs to be disclosed at the point of buying the plan. What structure have you put in place to bridge the gaps in health insurance plans? First, one needs to think of why we have not been able to cover more people. This would give one the idea on what structures to put in place to address the challenges. One of the challenges has been the lack of awareness and lack of enough investment in marketing activities to point out the benefits of health insurance. We will address this. We are going to work very closely with our regulator in changing the mindset of most Nigerians and pointing to them the valuable benefits of taking out health insurance plans. We don’t pray for it, but when the unexpected happens and there is a terminal disease or there is an accident, then what does one do without insurance? What about those who are not covered by large corporate organisations? Also, there is a large sector of Nigerians in the informal sector. Prior to now, most HMOs concentrated on the

federal civil servants as well as the large corporate organisations. The reason for this is because they are easy to identify and reach, but what happens to the people outside this large coverage? That is where we come in and that is why we have positioned ourselves with the kind of distribution channels we are developing. We are also developing sales channels to be able to reach smaller companies, the self-employed and professionals, to reach them and make our products easily accessible to them. The matter is how easily can they access care if they need it? These are the major things we have taken into consideration before coming into the market. And, we believe that we have the right structure in place to enable anybody that wants it to have access to it. If a person with insurance cover gets ill where there is no registered hospital, what should he do? What we advise is that you first call our centre. We have a 24/7 call centre, which all our enrolled members and clients have access to. At this call centre at any point in time, we have one or two medical professionals on duty. We can also reach our data base and advise on the nearest hospital to where that person is making the call from. But even if there is no hospital within our network where that person is making the call from, we can always tell the person a hospital nearby that may not even be on our network but where the person may pay personally. The assurance and comfort is that even if the person has to pay, that money will be refunded because that person has access to care that is covered by the health care policy he has with us. What is the maximum number of dependants a person can register under the National Health Insurance Scheme? It is very free and open; you can register as many people as you want, even a family of six can register, more children, multiple wives, all of them can be registered under a health insurance plan. What may be relevant to say is about the price, a plan that has been planned for a family has a person, his spouse and four children under 18. So, additional subscription will come at a different price. Is health insurance expensive? I can say definitely that taking a health insurance policy compared to not taking it is a lot cheaper. It is cheaper for us as a society, it is cheaper for us as individuals, it is also cheaper as a country trying to develop a robust and international standard health care system. At the end of the day, by the time you pay that annual premium, over time, no matter what happens to you, it is not expensive.

Insurance

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

IMF says Nigeria lacks actuaries required for IFRS STORIES: M ESHACK IDEHEN

he International Monetary Fund (IMF) has affirmed that there is a shortage of actuaries in Nigeria which the nation’s insurance industry need in view of the fact that insurers are now required to adopt the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). The IMF therefore advised the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) to consider using the Education Fund to develop university programmes to groom future actuarial professionals. In its Detailed Assessment of Observance of Insurance Core Principles, the IMF stated that “There is a shortage of actuaries in Nigeria. NAICOM could consider using the Education Fund to develop university programmes to groom future actuarial professionals.” Nigeria has five qualified actuaries including Ajibola Ogunshola of Ajibola Ogunshola & Co, Rotimi Okpaise, Managing Director, HR (Nigeria) Limited, Femi Oyetunji, Managing Director, Continental Reinsurance Plc, Sir Chike Oyeka of Chike Oyeka & Co and Kingsley Miller, an employee of Leadway Assur-

Commissioner for insurance, Fola Daniel

ance Company Limited. It was learnt that Ogunshola is already in retirement. IMF, in the report, said “There are few professional qualified actuaries working in Nigeria. The use of actuarial valuation is not mandatory for non-life insurers and it is only required every three years for life insurers. The low demand for external actuaries is covered by one actuarial firm. “The Actuarial society is affiliated to the International Actuarial Association (not a full member); however it has not been very active in promoting development of the profession and further education of the local actuaries and does not provide accreditation. Currently only

five professionals working in Nigeria are fellows of foreign actuarial associations. The introduction of IFRS is creating demand for actuaries that currently the country cannot provide.” An actuary is a business professional who deals with the financial impact of risk and uncertainty. Actuaries provide expert assessments of financial security systems, with a focus on their complexity, their mathematics, and their mechanisms. Actuaries evaluate, manage and advise on financial risks. They apply their knowledge of business and economics, together with their understanding of probability theory, statistics and investment theory, to provide strategic, commercial and financial advice. The core of actuarial work lies within pensions and insurance, where professionals are most likely to start off. Some actuaries may move on to investment banks at a later stage. The profession has consistently ranked as one of the most desirable in various studies over the years. In 2006, a study by U.S. News & World Report included actuaries among the 25 Best Professions that it expects will be in great demand in the future.

NCRIB urges members to build strong brokerage firms

resident of the Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers (NCRIB), Laide Osijo, has appealed to members of the brokerage profession to come together as a strong body to sustain the processes in the system in order to provide quality services to clients. In a speech she delivered at the farewell interaction with journalist in Lagos, thanked all members of the council who have contributed significantly towards making her tenure successful. She said, “Today, through the grace of the Almighty God, I have overcome all my fears as I leave the council better than I met it. What we have done in the last two years was to, against all odds, build a strong institution that will outlive all of us. The onus is therefore on our members to sustain the process through our collective efforts. Emerging leaders of the council must therefore see themselves as being under obligation to deliver quality service to members, while the

followers have the right to demand for dedication and effective service delivery from those who thrust themselves to lead.” According to her, it was often said that the worth of any professional lay in his or her continuous acquisition of knowledge as well as subjugation of such individual to established code of ethics and discipline. That also served as the distinguishing mark between a professional and a mere “tradesman “. In the last two years, she said, the council took significant strides to affirm ethical prescriptions, especially those espoused in the 2003 NCRIB Act and the Rules for members. The intention is to restore the dignity and respect expected of insurance brokers as the professional arm of the insurance industry. “In order to drastically reduce the vexatious incidence of quackery and unethical conduct by brokers, the regime put in place stringent conditions for the admission of new members. We made it

as a point of duty to ensure that all new entrants into the profession appreciate the professional expectations and dynamics of insurance broking; hence discipline and ethics became the hallmark of our practice. The investigation panel and the disciplinary tribunal were properly constituted and empowered to handle cases of infraction on the rules of conduct by members.

Osijo

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tips for preparing for insurance sales interview

elling insurance can earn you a substantial income, and if you grow a big customer base, renewal commissions let you build wealth over your career. But how can you optimize your chances of getting into the insurance industry, or of making a move to a more profitable position? Careful preparation for the interview is the key. These tips by www.insure.net can help in preparations for an insurance sales interview. Brush up on the industryGo to competitors sites and learn what kinds of trends are going on in the industry. What are the drivers that will be influencing the market over the next 18 months? Your knowledge indicates your competence and interest. Prepare to sell yourself in a minute-Create the 60-second sell, take your five best selling points and link them together in a couple of sentences. Talk about your selling prowess-How you can bring in sales -- that will be the main focus of the interview. Professionals coming from functional areas other than direct sales should talk about how they can excel at selling. “Candidates should talk about why they’re suited for sales [and] why they would thrive in that environment. Be ready for the tough questions-Salespeople often have checkered careers, so they need to be able to talk confidently about their work history. Prepare answers in advance, anyone can improve their interview if they write out answers to questions like, have you ever been fired?’ Find out what you will be doing all day-How much time will you spend in the office?

Paying calls on clients and prospects? Filling out paperwork? Working late? Now’s the time to find out. “Ask what is a typical day in the life of an insurance sales executive at this particular company. Show you know how to learn-Insurance products are complex and changeable. In addition to demonstrating a basic knowledge of your prospective employer’s business, you need to convince the interviewer that as a new hire, you’ll be able to drink from the proverbial fire hose. The interviewer will be looking for trainability. Come with questions that transcend the obvious-Show that you have thought about this career opportunity enough to ask questions that go a step further than your rivals. The questions you ask have two potential benefits: You can communicate information about yourself, and you can gather the data needed to decide on a job offer. For example, ask about turnover rate, the types of people who are most successful in the job, training, technology support and actuarial support. Zip your Lips on money untillate in the game-“You really have no leverage to talk about compensation until someone wants to hire you. In any case, there’s usually not much an insurer will do to sweeten the deal beyond its standard salary-and-commission structure, at least for stafflevel sales positions. But do ask the interviewer to get real about compensation-Don’t be satisfied with broad claims to the effect that the sky’s the limit. Ask what their top earner makes and their bottom earner. Source: www.insure.net

Choosing an insurance policy Check several sources for the best deal- Try getting quotes from an insurance focused website, but be aware that many online services may provide prices for just a few companies. An independent insurance agent that works with several insurers in your local area might be able to get you a better deal. Make sure the insurance company is licensed and covered by the state’s guaranty fund- The fund pays claims in case the company defaults. Your state insurance department can provide this information. Check the financial stability and soundness of the insurance company- Ratings from A.M. Best, Standard and Poor’s, and Moody’s Investors Services are available online and at most public libraries.

Research the complaint record of the company- Contact your state insurance department or visit the website of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, which has a database of complaints filed with state regulators. Find out what others think about the company’s customer service- Consumers can rate homeowner insurance companies at J.D. Power’s website. Once you pay your first insurance premium, make sure you receive a written policy- This tells you the agent forwarded your premium to the insurance company. If you don’t receive a policy within 60 days, contact your agent and the insurance companies. Source: www.usa.gov

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Capital Market

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Index gains 0.2% as bulls sustain hold JOHNSON OKANLAWON

rading in equities continued on bullish note on the Nigerian Stock Exchange yesterday, as investors appetite on stocks rose further. Specifically, the All Share Index appreciated 0.16 per cent to close at 37,051.14 points, compared to the gain of 0.08 per cent recorded on Friday to close at 36,991.61 points. Market capitalisation gained N19bn to close at N11.804trn, higher than the increase of N12trn recorded on Friday to close at

N11.785trn. All the sectorial indices added value to their stocks except the Industrial Goods Index which lost 0.07 per cent to close at 2,217.35 points, while the Alternative Securities Market closed flat. The NSE 30-Index rose 0.11 per cent to close at 1,737.67 points, while the Banking Index gained 0.18 per cent to close at 401.02 points. The Insurance Index increased 0.48 per cent to close at 139.46 points, while the Consumer Goods Index was up 0.58 per cent to close at 1,048.59 points. The Oil and Gas Index

added 2.85 per cent to close at 201.04 points, while the Lotus Islamic Index appreciated 0.26 per cent to close at 2,597.42 points. Forte Oil Plc led the gainers’ table with N4.92 or 10.25 per cent to close at N52.92 per share, followed by Con Oil Plc with N1.44 or five per cent to close at N30.24 per share. Custodian Insurance Plc gained eight kobo or 4.94 per cent to close at N1.70 per share, while Academy Press Plc was up nine kobo or 4.76 per cent to close at N1.98 per share. Fidson Healthcare Plc appreciated 10 kobo or 4.76 per cent to close at N2.20 per

share. Conversely, UBA Capital Plc dropped seven kobo or five per cent to close at N1.05 per share, while Transinational Express Plc lost six kobo or 4.55 per cent to close at N1.26 per share. Costain Plc dipped five kobo or 4.55 per cent to close at N1.05 per share, while Thomas Wayyat Plc fell four kobo or 4.40 per cent to close at 87 kobo per share. Wapic Insurance Plc declined four kobo or 4.17 per cent to close at 92 kobo per share. A total of 246.4 shares valued at N2.96bn were exchanged in 4,189 deals.

Source: NSE

US debt doubts keep lid on shares, yen rises

he lack of an expected deal over the weekend to avert a looming United States debt default kept world equity markets and the dollar under pressure yesterday, while the yen rose as some investors shifted into safer assets. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Republican leader Mitch McConnell held talks that Reid on Sunday called substantive. Reid did not provide details. Though Reid’s remarks gave some hope that Congress soon might pass legislation to fund the government and raise its borrowing authority, investors took a less optimistic view. “Everybody went home last Friday figuring we

had a deal in our hand,” said Brad McMillan, chief investment officer at Commonwealth Financial in Waltham, Massachusetts. “But then you go through the weekend and the news was pretty much bad.” Even if a deal gets done, which McMillan said was likely, the standoff had created justifiable anxiety and tremendous uncertainty, he said. “We’ve done more damage both directly to the economy, through the shutdown, and indirectly through postponing decisions and reintroducing uncertainly in the decision processes than anyone appreciates,” McMillan said. MSCI’s world equity index fell 0.2 per cent, while the FTSE Eurofirst 300 in-

dex of leading European shares was little changed, up about 0.04 per cent. On Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 72.63 points, or 0.48 per cent, at 15,164.48 points. The Standard and Poor’s 500 Index was down 8.57 points, or 0.50 per cent, at 1,694.63 points. The Nasdaq Composite Index was down 15.30 points, or 0.40 per cent, at 3,776.58 points. The cautious mood was reflected in the market’s neutral reaction to news that factory output in the euro zone grew at its strongest pace in two years in August. “It’s not time to be adventurous right now,” said Alastair Winter, chief economist at Dan-

Source: FMDA

iel Stewart. “I don’t think people should be in a rush to do anything.” The dollar, as it has since the budgetary crisis, bore the brunt of the nervousness, shedding 0.47 per cent against the safer option of the yen to trade at around 98.10 yen. The greenback also slipped 0.55 percent against the Swiss franc at 0.9072 francs, while the euro rose 0.32 per cent to $1.3584. Adding to market worries, China said exports dropped 0.3 per cent in September from a year earlier against expectations of a six percent rise, while annual inflation rate hit a 7-month high of 3.1 per cent, limiting scope for rate cuts.

PSA shares slump on talks with Dongfeng, France

hares in PSA Peugeot Citroen fell 10 per cent yesterday on a Reuters report it was preparing a 3-billion-euro ($4.1bn) capital increase in which Chinese partner Dongfeng and the French state would secure stakes in it. A draft agreement, which Peugeot hopes to conclude this year, would envisage state-owned Dongfeng Motor Company Limited (0489.HK) and the French government each contributing 1.5 billion euros to acquire matching stakes of between 2030 percent, people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Friday. Peugeot, among the

worst casualties of a sixyear European car sales slump, is seeking more cooperation with Dongfeng or another automaker as it struggles to cut costs and losses that have threatened its survival. Responding to the report, PSA issued a statement reaffirming that it was examining new industrial and commercial projects with different partners, together with the financing that would accompany them. PSA stock was 10.19 per cent lower at 11.105 euros as analysts noted the capital hike would automatically reduce the value of existing shares in the carmaker.

“Depending on terms we would likely regard such a large capital raise as a negative for existing shareholders given the likely dilution,” analysts at Citi Research said in a note. Chief Executive Philippe Varin said in July that Peugeot was on track to beat its 2013 goal of halving its industrial cash burn to 1.5 billion euros. Making further inroads into the Chinese market is a key part of its bid to increase global sales. The 3-billion-euro cash injection would amount to 68 percent of PSA’s 4.39-billion-euro market value. It would be worth

about 40 per cent of the new share capital and also dilute the seven per cent stake held by United States partner General Motors Company. The Peugeot family would lose control of the company because the cash injection would dilute its 25.4 per cent stake and 38.1 per cent in voting rights. “There is no great secret, Peugeot is on the look-out for partners,” Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici told French radio. “PSA’s financial situation is not difficult ... the main thing is making sure there is an industrial logic to this.”

Market indicators All-Share Index 37,051.14 points Market capitalisation 11.80 trillion

Stock Updates GAINERS COMPANY

OPENING

CLOSING

CHANGE

% CHANGE

48.00

52.92

4.92

10.25

CONOIL

28.80

30.24

1.44

5.00

CUSTODYINS

1.62

1.70

0.08

4.94

ACADEMY

1.89

1.98

0.09

4.76

FIDSON

2.10

2.20

0.10

4.76

CADBURY

51.60

53.91

2.31

4.48

UAC-PROP

16.01

16.69

0.68

4.25

AIICO

0.87

0.90

0.03

3.45

DANGFLOUR

9.22

9.50

0.28

3.04

CONTINSURE

1.12

1.15

0.03

2.68

CHANGE

% CHANGE

LOSERS COMPANY

OPENING

CLOSING

UBCAP

1.40

1.33

-0.07

-5.00

TRANSEXPR

1.32

1.26

-0.06

-4.55

COSTAIN

1.10

1.05

-0.05

-4.55

THOMASWY

0.91

0.87

-0.04

-4.40

WAPIC

0.96

0.92

-0.04

-4.17

IKEJAHOTEL

0.75

0.72

-0.03

-4.00

UNITYBNK

0.58

0.56

-0.02

-3.45

AFRIPRUD

1.86

1.80

-0.06

-3.23

LEARNAFRCA

1.70

1.65

-0.05

-2.94

SKYEBANK

4.40

4.30

-0.10

-2.27

Primary Market Auction TENOR

AMOUNT (N’mn)

RATE (%)

DATE

91-Day

20,159.21

11.80

10-Oct-13

182-Day

43,490.87

11.64

10-Oct-13

364-Day

68,184.89

11.74

10-Oct-13

Open Market Operations TENOR

AMOUNT (N’mn)

RATE (%)

DATE

183-Day

92,995.00

12.00

17-Oct-13

182-Day

63,717.87

12.00

17-Oct-13

Wholesale Dutch Auction System AMOUNT OFFERED

MARKET DEMAND

AMOUNT SOLD

DATE

$300m

N/A

$297m

9-Oct-13

$300m

N/A

$231m

7-Oct-13

Capital Market

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Stock exchange daily equities summary Equities as at October 14, 2013 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)

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Politics

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Time ticking for G7 governors, new PDP CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13 ernors; and that the suspension slammed on the Rivers State governor should be lifted. Recall that the G7 governors in August at the Yar’Adua Centre recounted the numerous sins of Tukur and why he must first step aside. These sins include; the inability of the Tukur leadership to conduct the National Executive Committee, NEC, meeting at least four times in a year as stipulated by the party constitution; the inability of the leadership to resolve the crisis in about nine states where there are inconclusive congresses; his inability to keep to the agreement of returning all the former members of the NWC who resigned for the interest of the party; exclusion of some perceived opponents of the few powerful members who are alleged of trying to hijack the party. They also frowned at the suspension of the Deputy National Chairman, Jaja, by the state chapter in clear violation of the party’s constitution. There was also the suspension without due process of Amaechi and Wamakko of Rivers and Sokoto states respectively. Tukur was also accused of taking side with Tony Nwoye’s candidacy in the forthcoming Anambra State governorship election when INEC said it only recognised the state exco that produced Senator Andy Uba, instead the leadership went ahead to suspend Uba and some other members close to him in defiance of subsisting court orders. They also said that the alleged illegal dissolution of the Adamawa State chapter of the party is a clear abuse of power by Tukur thus causing confusion in his home state. However, the National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh told National Mirror that such demands are unattainable and that the party cannot succumb to the blackmail of the aggrieved leaders. Also, the Akwa Ibom State governor, Godswill Akpabio assured party members that the aggrieved governors had dropped their demand that President Jonathan must not seek re-election in 2015.

Influence and ambitions of the governors Of all the seven governors, Ahmed is the only first term governor. His loyalty to the Saraki dynasty is unmatched and it appears that he is only dancing the tune being played by his master, Senator Bukola Saraki. For him, political survival is the only thing that matters. But for the rest, the future of their states after they leave office in 2015, particularly, who succeeds them is of much importance to them. Records available after the 2011 general elections shows that only Jigawa and Sokoto governors have as much followers in their respective states and can vouch to win election without the PDP support. Recall that the Niger state governor won his election with very minor margin. He had almost given up hope and it is on record that Niger State is very much a CPC- now an APC state. In Kano, it took the decimation of votes by the then CPC for the ruling party in the state, the ANPP to lose election in favour of the PDP. Today, both the CPC and ANPP have successfully merged and clearly commands more support in state. Adamawa is unapologetically a PDP state. Efforts by Governor Nyako to win an Assembly seat in Adamawa using pseudo-party, KOWA Party, was met with a crushing

2015 and that he intends to work with the PDP present leadership. Sources told National Mirror that President Jonathan is empowered by the party’s constitution to call for a mid-term convention where some officers in both the state and the national can be changed. The national leadership of the party also has the powers to appoint a caretaker state executives in states where the tenure of the exco has expired. Currently, states like, Rivers, Sokoto, Adamawa and Kano are not under the control of the state governors. It is also believed that Kwara, Jigawa and Niger may follow suit. The implication is that, the state governors in these affected states may have very little influence over the delegates to the convention that will produce the presidential candidate come 2015.

The onslaught begins Ahmed

Nyako

...SO THE QUESTION OF SUMMONS TO ANY GOVERNOR DOES

NOT ARISE. AT BEST, WE ARE COMMITTED TO RESOLVING OUR DIFFERENCES defeat. In Rivers, no other party exists except PDP and the absence of Amaechi will only change nothing. It is on this calculation that the seven governors are working hard to retain the structures of the party in their respective states as that will see them through to their political pursuits, particularly as most of them have indicated interest in running for the Senate.

Any chances decamping? Rumours have been rife of the imminent decamping of some of these governors to other parties particularly to either the APC or PDM but fresh facts have emerged on why they have chosen to stay back within the main PDP, despite the refusal of President Jonathan to yield to any of their demands. National Mirror gathered that the initial attempt to join the APC crumbled after the G7 governors demanded that the party’s structures in Rivers, Kwara, Niger, Sokoto, Kano, Adamawa and Jiagawa be handed over to them, if they were to join the opposition. This was what they called the first condition upon which they would publicly declare for the APC. “The APC team at the meeting rejected the condition as the APC itself is made up of three parties just trying to fuse together. They were told they can only join as ordinary members and without preconditions,” the source said. It was learnt that many APC leaders, especially those from the North-West, kicked against the idea on the grounds that most members of the G7 from the zone are political rivals to leaders of the APC in their respective states. According to the source, the APC in Sokoto, led by former Governor Attahiru Bafarawa, rejected any possibility of the party structure being handed over to Wamakko, his rival in Sokoto politics. The same situation was said to have played out in Kano State where former Governor Ibrahim Shekarau was said to have rejected such condition on the ground that the opposition in the state is well grounded even without Kwankwaso.

Wamakko

Again, the only option left for the governors was to decamp to the PDM but again, it was jettisoned after it became evident that the party has the interest of former VicePresident Atiku Abubakar, only and that forecloses any other ambition of the members who wants to aspire for higher office.

Any hope of reconciliation? The question may become irrelevant in weeks to come if the governors fail to retrace their steps. This is because the party appears to be willing to move ahead without the aggrieved governors. After the group defaulted in the October 7 reconciliation date hiding under the banner of the pilgrimage breaks, though, a new date has not been fixed but sources told National Mirror that the Presidency will drop on the table a ‘take it or leave it’ option for the governors and the aggrieved members of the new PDP. Peace efforts of former leaders particularly General Ibrahim Babangida, General Abdulsalami Abubakar and Chief Olusegun Obasanjo as well as former party chairmen appear to have been jettisoned as suspicions became rife that they may have taken sides. Recall that President Jonathan had at the convention ground said that doomday’s prophesy about the PDP breaking up before 2015 general elections will fail, noting that it was the only party that has retained its identity, logo, slogan and has not fused into other parties. So it is believed that the President will not be in a hurry to dispense with the governors in as much as he would prefer not to superint the death of the party.

Does Jonathan stand to lose anything from G7 defection? It is no longer in doubt that President Jonathan harbours a re-election ambition come

Minister of the FCTA, Senator Bala Mohammed, has explained that he sealed off the Adamawa State Governor’s Lodge in the Maitama District, Abuja because of what he termed abuse of the master plan. “All Governor’s Lodges in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja are enshrined in the Abuja Master Plan to be for residential purposes but not for political party secretariat as Adamawa State Governor’s Lodge is currently being used. The Governor’s Lodge, as it is today, is being used as a political party office thereby negating the spirit of urban planning and causing nuisance and disturbance on the residents dwelling in that area of the city as well as inflicting undue pressure on the infrastructure and services therein, contrary to the principles of the Abuja Master Plan,” he said. It is believed that this action is one of the very many others that will follow suit. It is also believed that most privileges that some of these governors enjoy that are not constitutionally backed may be withdrawn including tampering with security details. It is believed that even before the rescheduled peace meeting by the Presidency, pressure is mounting for the summoning of the Abubakar Kawu Baraje-led group including six out of the G-7 governors to appear before the newly-appointed Disciplinary Committee headed by Second Republic Transport Minister, Umaru Dikko. The governors to be summoned by the PDP are Aliyu, Wamakko, Kwankwaso, Nyako and Lamido. Amaechi is not likely to be summoned because of a pending case involving him and the party over his suspension from the party. However, the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Metuh, feigned ignorance of the planned move to invite the governors. “I am not aware of any such move; the disciplinary committee is a statutory body of the party. This is not the first; it is about the six or seventh of such, so the question of summons to any governor does not arise. At best, we are committed to resolving our differences,” he said. Spokesman of the Baraje group, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, confirmed that the new PDP was aware of the setting up of the disciplinary committee ‘and its intended purposes’. “We are very much on top of the situation, we are aware of what is happening especially the setting up of the disciplinary committee and its intended purposes; but of course they know that it is Tukur who should be the first to appear before the committee to explain how he got back to the PDP after his expulsion from the party.” As it is, time is fast ticking for the G7 governors.

Politics

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Most governorship contenders in Anambra The National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Chief Victor Umeh in this interview speaks on the November 16, Anambra State governorship election, his party’s chances and takes a swipe at the candidate of the All Progressives Congress for the poll, Chris Ngige and the need for continuity in the state’s governance. FELIX NWANERI brings the excerpts: The crowd at the flag-off of your party’s campaign for the forthcoming governorship election in Anambra State was unprecedented, how were you able achieve it? There was no secret behind the grand flag-off rally that we had other than the appreciation showed by our people because APGA has not disappointed them. Secondly, the governor, who is on his way out, has kept faith with the people. Therefore, it was a show of solidarity and expression of trust with the way that we have piloted the affairs of the state in the past seven and half years. Like I said at the rally; before we came, this place was a war zone. Dr. Chris Ngige, whom we removed through the court because of his lack of honour in keeping weird agreements he entered into with the people who forced him on the people of Anambra State when he lost the election, opened the state to all kinds of macabre warfare. Nothing worked despite the noise being made at that time that he was standing up against his estranged godfathers. But when we got rid of him, the way and manner Governor Peter Obi went about with the relaying of the foundation for sustainable governance in the state was completely unparalleled. The state has been taken out of the doldrums to a level where people are now proud to say that they are from Anambra State. All those negative things that the state was associated with during the pre and Ngige era are gone and nobody would wish to go back to those old ways. So, this time around, our people are determined to sustain the good governance they have experienced. Your party’s candidate and his running mate seem to have intimidating academic qualifications. How will this translate to electoral relevance? First of all, nobody would want a mad man to preside over his affairs. In choosing the party’s candidate and his running mate for this election, we were mindful of the strategic partnerships that Governor Obi has been able to bring to bear in the governance of the state. The international development partners and donor agencies that have partnered with Obi cannot deal with people who are not knowledgeable to pilot the affairs of government. The European Union, Canadian Development Agency, United States Agency for International Development and even the World Bank will be comfortable to deal with people who have the requisite experience, education and exposure to continue to put their money here. Unknown to people, Obi did not only

excel because he was managing statutory allocation very well. That was not the reason for the turnaround in the state. Before we came in, Anambra State was not getting anything from the Millennium Development Goals, MDGs, fund because the people who were here then did not understand what it was all about. It was not until Obi came that the state was able to build that confidence that started attracting funds from the MDGs scheme. These development partners are well established organisations internationally; before they can deal with you, they must ascertain that you know what to do with the funds; they will look at your ability to manage resources; they will also be convinced that you have the sincerity of purpose; that the monies sent down would be channelled to projects designed for development. Looking at their career profiles and education, we are convinced that they will readily want to continue to engage the people of the state in all areas of development; that was why we made the strategic choice. We cannot replace Obi with somebody that our development partners will not have confidence in. Some of the characters parading themselves as candidates for the election do not understand the simple rudiments of good governance. Also, you cannot vouch for their capacity to husband and manage resources very efficiently. Normally, if you are approaching these development partners, you would be required to present the qualifications of a chief executive officer. If you come with profiles of people who never saw the four walls of a university, they would be scared. Our party’s candidates are well exposed, and apart from their qualifications, they have attended top management courses at top universities abroad. So, I am sure that our international development partners will find it pleasing to deal with them. How has APGA been able to resolve issues over its primaries? Everybody must appreciate the fact that only one aspirant will be the candidate of the party in a particular election. All those who contested to become APGA’s governorship candidate in the election have come to the realisation that APGA is the only party they have. Secondly, no matter how aggrieved anyone may feel for not becoming the candidate, over time, he or she must have deep reflection over the choice the party made. We acted in the best of the party. It is instructive to note that we did not go out of our way to stop anybody and from what we have seen thus far; there is no way our candidate and his running mate will not stand out in a fair contest. I must also point out that after the party’s primaries; we engaged all those who participated in the exercise to review the processes. We had meetings with them individually and collectively, particularly those who were not cleared to go into the final stage and none of them could fault their non clearance. Sometimes, when you allow emotion to overtake your sense of judgement; you are likely to over carry yourself. Most of them came to the realisation that they wouldn’t have fared better. We were very open with all the aspirants. That was why you saw all of them at the flag-off of our campaign. We had 10 of

Umeh

SOME OF THE CHARACTERS PARADING THEMSELVES AS CANDIDATES FOR THE ELECTION DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE SIMPLE RUDIMENTS OF GOOD GOVERNANCE...

IF YOU COME WITH

PROFILES OF PEOPLE WHO NEVER SAW THE FOUR WALLS OF A

UNIVERSITY, THEY WOULD BE SCARED them at the rally. Hon. Uche Ekwunife, who came second, was there with her supporters to show solidarity to our candidate, Willy Obiano. Chief Paul Odenigbo, a former Secretary to the State Government was there; Francis Idigo; John Nwosu; Emeka Nwogbo; Patrick Obianwu; Tony Nnacheta were all there. The only person who was not there was Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, who did not

keep faith with his promise that if he fails to be our candidate, he will join hands to build the party. That clearly shows that he did not come to build APGA, but to use the party as a platform to pursue his personal ambition. The other aspirant who went to court; Chike Obidigbo was in our last meeting, but he had an engagement on the day of the rally and he wrote a letter to explain his absence. So, we have been through with the process of reassuring all concerned that APGA is one family; that one person will be the governor and that God determines what anyone will be at any point in time. There is the allegation that APGA’s candidate was imposed on the party by Governor Obi, what is your reaction to that? That is a pedestrian argument by some members of the opposition parties in the state, particularly the All Progressives Congress, APC. In this process, Ngige of the APC remains the only candidate that was imposed on his party. It is no longer news that Senator Annie Okonkwo was a major contender for the APC’s ticket, but when it was obvious to Ngige that he may not get the ticket because of the stronger followership that Okonkwo enjoys in the party in the state, he (Ngige) had to get some people from outside the state to get the leadership of the APC to force Okonkwo to step down for him. That was the main reason why he (Okonkwo) withdrew from Ngige’s campaign management. He was to lead Ngige’s campaign, as designed by the APC national leadership, but he opted out because Ngige, shortly after

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Politics

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

are political merchants –Umeh

emerging as the party’s candidate breached several agreements they reached, including the nomination of his running mate. Okonkwo stated it clearly that one of the reasons why he reneged from his appointment as Ngige’s campaign manager was that Ngige has not repented from his old ways; that he would never keep any agreement. If Ngige had been exposed to internal party democracy to contest against Okonkwo, he would have lost the ticket. The fact is that the national leadership of the APC was deceived that Ngige has a cultfollowership in Anambra State. He has nothing to fault our candidate with that is why he is now alleging imposition in APGA. I am the national chairman of the party, so there is no way anyone can impose a candidate on us. There was no bargain to make Obiano the candidate of APGA. He emerged the party’s flag bearer because we found in him the right person to do the job at this point in time. If we felt that he cannot do the job, there was no way he would have emerged as our candidate. He was not imposed on APGA by Obi. The process through which he emerged was subjected to screening and the capabilities of the aspirants manifested before the party members proceeded to vote. Ngige is not in any position to criticise anybody because he has always been a political fraud. In 2003, he was foisted on the party; he lost the election, but his backers used the machinery of the Federal Government to rig him into office. In 2010, he contested again through the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, and he was defeated by our

party. This year; even when the APC forced Senator Okonkwo to step down, there was another candidate, Chief Godwin Ezeemo, who had to leave the APC for the Progressive Peoples Alliance, PPA, because of imposition. The APC primary election was a sham, the result was written in an hotel room. They said he polled 63,000 votes and gave someone like Senator Okonkwo 9,000 votes. Ngige has always been aided to rise through fraud and he will turn around to pontificate and insult people. So, Ngige’s argument that Obiano was imposed on APGA by Governor Obi is puerile; what he should bother himself with is how to challenge Obiano on his capacity to govern Anambra State. The other time, he said Obiano worked in a bank where Obi had interest, but I and so many others are shareholders in the bank. What Ngige should be looking at is the character of our candidate and his career record. Let him come out with any blemish he can expose to the public, otherwise he is not making any point. Let me also make a point that is very instructive. All the stakeholders that we have interacted with have always asked if we are convinced that Obiano will replicate what Obi has done in Anambra State. And once Obi says yes, they will say they don’t need any further explanation. They want Obi’s enviable record to be sustained; they want his humble approach to governance and the way he has taken the state to a height that is enviable. Ngige lacks all these, he has no reference point and everybody he has dealt with had always come out with a tale of woes. Nobody will endorse him here. The people he is coming to Anambra State with are strangers - Bola Tinubu, Adams Oshiomhole and Rochas Okorocha, who is on the throes of death, politically. They are the people who will queue behind Ngige and tell Anambra people to vote for him. You will not see any personality from the state mounting the podium to campaign for Ngige, because he is somebody who has run his political career aground, as a result of inability to keep faith with agreements he entered into. You seem to be convinced that the election is as good as won by APGA, where does the conviction come from? We have performed very well in the state and one law of nature is that nobody is quick to give up a good thing. You will always want to keep those things you treasure. If you have a political party that has brought hope to the people and new attitude to governance; it would be foolhardy to gamble with somebody who is just making promises that you are not sure would be delivered. Our campaign trust is; telling the people what things were when we came in; what we have done within the period that we have been in power and the things that we are going to do in the future. So, there are clear ways of assessing us. The other contenders cannot be assessed. It is either that some of them have failed in business or that they are political merchants. You cannot associate them with anything that is promising. This stands us out in the process. We have not said that we have won, I am only been reasonable in assessing our chances in the election. We still have work to do. After the cam-

paign flag off, we went into a meeting that lasted till 2.a.m the next morning, because we know that we have work to do to keep the tempo the way it is and get the people out to vote and to design strategies of checkmating electoral malpractices. There are people going round at the moment, who are experts in under-hand businesses, they want to subvert the electoral process, so we have a lot of work to do. Having said this, I will however tell you that we have nobody standing on our way based on electoral goodwill, but we need to do our own bid to protect the electoral process in order to translate the votes that we will get to victory. If there is any message our opponents have for the people, I challenge them to come up will them and their backgrounds as well as the schools they attended and their school mates. That is why we are flaunting what we have. It is not enough to tell the people of Anambra State ‘I love you, I want our state to be the best in the world, I will make everybody happy if voted into power.’ These are general promises. The question should be; what capacity do you have to deliver these promises? You can make wonderful promises, but if you don’t have the capacity to fulfil them, we would be gambling with you and the state will crash. The major factor that will decide who wins the election is not about how much money that you will throw around. Most of them have been borrowing money to deceive the people. It is not about money, but the capacity to run the office of the governor of Anambra State and keep it on the track that APGA has put it. You should equally be able to convince the people that whatever you will do would be a complete departure from what obtained before APGA came. Some of the candidates are going about with convoys of over 50 vehicles; these are the things we saw before Obi came in and downsized the operations of government’s officials. You would be making a mistake if as a candidate for an election; you think the only way you can impress our people is by lining up more than 100 vehicles in your convoy with dispatch riders. It is a sign of what to expect when such candidate gets into office, but I don’t think that’s what our people want. Your party has kept faith with its promise of ensuring power shift to Anambra North Senatorial District, which has not produced a governor since the creation of the state. So far what is the response of the other two

THE OTHER CONTENDERS CANNOT BE ASSESSED. IT IS

EITHER THAT SOME OF THEM HAVE FAILED IN BUSINESS OR THAT THEY ARE POLITICAL MERCHANTS. YOU

CANNOT ASSOCIATE THEM WITH ANYTHING THAT IS PROMISING

districts, and has zoning come to stay in Anambra politics? We did not really choose Obiano because he is from Anambra North, though it is true that our governor made such promise during his campaign in 2010; that for equity, he would want somebody from Anambra North to succeed him. We as party leaders insisted that whoever will succeed Obi, whether from Anambra North or any other part of the state must meet certain criteria. If you look at our primaries, we had aspirants from all the three zones, so it wasn’t a policy that the ticket was zoned to the North. Ekwunife who gave a strong showing comes from Ananmbra Central, so also Emeka Nwogbo. From Anambra South, we had John Nwosu. You know that I and Governor Obi come from Anambra Central alongside Ngige, so I am assuring you that we will choke him up in the zone because his arrogance has come to a level that he should be taught a bitter political lesson. He has not won an election in the past; the senatorial seat that he claimed to have won was rigged and we have the evidence. But because he had always been mischievous, he kept challenging the decisions of the election petition tribunal, filling so many interlocutory appeals to frustrate Dora Akunyili’s petition. What caught up with Akunyili in that election was the 180 days bar for proving election petitions by the Electoral Act. We had evidence of inflation of votes in his local government; where if the number of accredited voters is 250, total votes cast would be 750. Those results should have been set aside by the tribunal, but he frustrated the process through crafty management of that tribunal. That is why he is in the Senate, not because he won the election. So, all the odds are against Ngige in this election. His party, the APC is an enemy party in Anambra State; our people don’t want to hear about the party. Just few weeks to the nominations, his brother, Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State deported some Igbos from Lagos and dumped them here in Anambra in the wee hours. Ngige came out with a public statement, supporting that action. You cannot just wipe that out. We don’t understand why Ngige would want to be the governor of Anambra State through the APC, when whatever he would be doing would be approved by people who are not from the state. Our people are now much wiser. The election to the office of the governor of Anambra State is not about Ngige; he is just one individual. He was there illegally in the past and he did not satisfy the people of the state because he was too sectional in his approach to governance. He did not work in all parts of the state, like Obi has done. He did not construct one metre of road in Onitsha where he flagged of his campaign. There was nothing he did in the entire Anambra North Senatorial Zone. But when Obi came, he took development to all the three zones of the state. So, based on these, I will tell you that our people know that the issues that will determine the election are very important. Ngige cannot be here as APC governor and be going to Lagos to consult on matters that affect our people. We are at home and fully in firm control of the affairs of the state. We want our people to represent us and our political interest in Nigeria and it is only through APGA that we are guaranteed of that true representation. Ngige cannot provide it.

Politics

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

We’ve not zoned VP to South West –APC

he All Progressives Congress, APC, has dismissed the report published by a newspaper on Monday that the party has zoned its vice presidential slot to the South-West instead of the South-East. APC assured Nigerians that the party, at no time, discussed the issue of its presidential and vice presi-

dential slots, hence could not have zoned any of the posts. ‘’Our party is an inclusive national party which will definitely accommodate the interest of all Nigerians in all its actions. We are therefore urging all the good people of Nigeria to ignore this fabricated story. There is no iota of truth in it,” the party said.

In a statement issued in Lagos by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the report was orchestrated by those who are threatened by the high profile and prospects of the party’s candidate in the forthcoming governorship election in Anambra State. “Having realised that their attempt to milk the

so-called deportation issue has fallen flat on its face, these desperate politicians have now resorted to outright lies and wild imagination. They figure that if they played the South-West against the South-East, by saying the APC has zoned the VP slot to the former over the latter, some people may just fall for it. This is cheap politics,’’ it said.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Kalu calls for unity among Nigerians

former governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Kalu, has congratulated the Muslim community in Nigeria and around the world on the celebration of Eid-elKabir. Kalu urged them to uphold the teachings of the holy book as they celebrate. He said the lessons of the celebration, especially unity across board, should not be lost in the euphoria of merrymaking. Kalu, in a goodwill message signed by his Special Adviser, Alhaji Oyekunle Oyewumi, said: “It is with joy that I felicitate with the Muslim faithful on the celebration of Eid-el-Kabir. “We must use the special season to reach out and cel-

ebrate with one another for the sake of unity. “It is a period to reflect on our spiritual life as individuals and how we can promote peace and unity in Nigeria.” Kalu admonished all Nigerians, irrespective of religion, to imbibe the spirit of love, brotherhood and tolerance among themselves as exemplified by Prophet Mohammed (SAW), adding that the security challenges facing the country can only be overcome if we all respect each others’ belief, opinion and religion. He also used the opportunity to call on Nigerians to remain law abiding, while challenging government at all levels to be responsive to the welfare of the people.

Delta Central: Dafinone seeks cancellation of poll FELIX NWANERI

Former President Ibrahim Babangida (right) during a visit to former Governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Kalu at his Abuja residence at the weekend.

Ex-Abia LG chairman arraigned for alleged fraud

former Transition Committee Chairman of Aba North Local Government Area of Abia Stat, Appollos Alozie, was on Monday arraigned before a Magistrates’ Court in Umuahia for alleged fraud. Alozie was alleged to have attempted to induce the family of the state governor to allow him to continue in office. He was said to have committed the offence between May and August 2013 in Aba North Magisterial District. It was alleged that Alozie

had within the said dates, paid in the sum of N4.4 million into an Access Bank 0008035473, to enable one Uche Stanley and others induce Governor Theodore Orji and his son, Chinedu Orji, to allow him to remain as the chairman. Stanley and the other accomplices are also standing trial in a separate suit for the same offence. When the charge was read, Alozie pleaded not guilty. The defence counsel, Bar. Ben Ukandu, applied for bail for the accused on grounds that the allegation

was not substantial and that the facts of the case were not before the court. Ukandu said that the accused was a well known figure who had no previous criminal record, adding that the accused reported to the court from his house. The prosecution counsel, Sampson Onyemucheya (ASP), urged the court to discountenance the bail application, adding that it was unfortunate that the defence counsel challenged the veracity of the alleged offence. “A man who allegedly

gave the sum of N4,450,000 as espoused cannot be said to be a man of integrity,” he said. Onyemucheya urged the court to take judicial notice of a separate suit number U/393C/2013 between the Commissioner of Police and Stanley and two others, who allegedly collected that sum to carry out the inducement. He said that the accused was a complainant in that charge. “We know the case is a bailable one but we want the court to exercise its discretion in granting bail,” he said.

he candidate of the Democratic Peoples Party, DPP, in last weekend’s by-election for Delta Central Senatorial seat, Chief Ede Dafinone, has rejected the result announced by the Independent National electoral Commission, INEC, and called for an outright cancellation of the poll. Addressing a press conference at the weekend, Dafinone described the election as a complete sham, saying the people of the district were violently denied the right to choose a senator of their own. He said: “There was no election, as defined by our laws. The scale of impunity, assault, molestations

Incessant air mishaps: Minister’s burden CONTINUED FROM PAGE14 she concluded. Banabas Gemade (Benue North-East) was of the view that the issue needed to be looked at holistically, particularly the way professionals are trained in the country and the way they are deployed and how their work is monitored and supervised and how we treat the issue of criminal negligence. He described as disheartening that today, nobody pays attention to the issue of negligence, which he sees to be at the centre of the problem of air travel accidents in Nigeria. He stated that in every single event, that occurs, somewhere along the line someone must likely not have perform his duties professionally, yet we do not seem to deal with this problem. He said: “It is disheartening to see that the number of fast moving transport in-

struments in this country, nobody has paid attention to see that they are closely monitored to ensure that they are always in top quality and in design. In the ocean, so many boats are capsizing, on the roads, so many car accidents take place, not to talk of in the air. This all sums up to show that we need to do something about the professionals who work in the various regulatory bodies in Nigeria.” He stated that a regulatory body is to have professionals to monitor those who do the work. He alleged that in Nigeria not only do we have unqualified people, we have complacent people who sit in their offices and all they do is wait for promotions to earn more money, leaving the job to be done by half baked or unqualified artisans or technicians who may have emergency trainings not more

than National Diploma. According to the lawmaker, elsewhere in the world, the professionals are not only properly trained, they are made to undergo routine trainings and retraining in order that they can perform their duties properly. He was of the view that in Nigeria, we cannot see where constant training and refresher courses are given to people who work in these industries. For the lawmaker, the best way we can deal with these incessant air and other accidents in this country is to go back and overhaul the system of monitoring. “The laws are there in all respects. We must ensure that in our oversight responsibilities the laws are properly complemented,” he said. Senator Abubakar Sadiq Yar’Adua’s (Katsina Central) intervention was by way

and violence by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, thugs/cultists and the supposed security agents was just unimaginable. The lopsided and partisan involvement of state security apparatuses in supporting the PDP and the brazen use of thugs to unleash violence and mayhem on our party members and the electorate is unprecedented. “Thus there is now very serious concerns for the progress of our nascent democracy and diminishing hope for peace, unity and good governance of Nigeria now and in the immediate future. The significant confidence brought into our elections in 2011 due to visible improvements on the 2003 and 2007 elections was completely wiped off on Saturday.”

of reassurance on the state of the nation’s runways. The lawmaker who is a trained pilot disputed the claims by Mrs. Tinubu that the country’s runways are the worst the world over. “Certain statements have been made on the floor of this chamber that needs to be corrected, like the statement that our runways are the worse in the world. This is not true, Port Harcourt is a brand new runway, Lagos is a new runway, Katsina is a new runway, Yola is a new runway, Kaduna is a new runway, Maiduguiri is a new runway. This chamber appropriated money for the renovation of those runways and they have been so rehabilitated,” he said. At the close of debate on the motion, a decision was reached by the senators to summon the Aviation minister to appear before the Senate in plenary to brief the lawmakers on the state of affairs of the nation’s aviation sector.

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Community Mirror NSCDC arrests suspected thief in Katsina

“Though I remain an unrepentant supporter of a genuinely Sovereign National Conference. I am suspicious of this present concoction because it is half baked and fully deceptive” FORMER GOVERNOR OF LAGOS STATE, ASIWAJU BOLA AHMED TINUBU

Fashola urges residents to conserve water MURITALA YINLA

he Lagos State Governor, Mr Babatunde has charged residents on the management of water resources, saying it is too crucial to the survival of man to be subjected to all forms of abuse. Fashola, who noted that over 900 million people in the world lack access to potable water, assured residents that his administration would to ensure that every citizen has access to adequate and reliable water supply. Speaking during the ‘2013 Walk for Nature’ at the Lagos State House, Marina, Fashola urged

residents to collaborate with government at ensuring that water is well treated and from its extraction to the final usage. He described the theme: “Water for Life” as apt, saying no time was better than now. “Only 2.5 % of the Earth’s water is fresh water, and 98.8% of that is in ice and groundwater. Less than 0.3% of all fresh water is in rivers, lakes, and the atmosphere, an even smaller amount of fresh water is contained within biological bodies and manufactured products,” he said. The governor who spoke through his Special Adviser on the Environment, Dr Taofik Folami said “Water is the source of

life; a valuable resource that plays a central and critical role in all aspect of life. It covers 71% of the earth’s surface. On earth, 96% of the planet’s water is found in seas and oceans, 1.7% in groundwater. 1.7% in glaciers and the ice caps of Antarctica and Greenland, a small fraction in other large water bodies, and suspended in air. “It is therefore clear that water can exist very well without people, but people cannot exist without. This reveals the inevitability of water to our collective survival. It is vital to all forms of life. Without water there will be no people.” While disclosing that the 25,000m3 water treatment plant is under construction in addition

to the four treatment plants in the state, the governor said the aim of treating water is due to its significant value, saying recycling remains a credible option of conserving water. Harping on the significance of water and need to preserve it, the Environment Commissioner, Mr Tunji Bello also appealed to residents to preserve water in order to avoid contracting diseases from it. Bello, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Office Environment Service, Mr. Adeniyi Ogunbambi said that shortage of water had been at the centre of the world discussion lately, saying that lack of water kills faster than lack of food.

L-R: Wife of Delta State Governor, Mrs. Rolinyere Uduaghan; representative of the wife of Lagos State Governor, Mrs. Rhoda Ayinde and participants at the inauguration of Pink Ride in Lagos last week Saturday.. PHOTO:

House numbering to begin in Osun, Edo ADEOLU ADEYEMO OSOGBO

private firm, EKINAKOL Company Ltd,in conjunction with the Osun State Ministry of Lands and Physical Planning have concluded arrangements to begin house numbering for easy identification and effective security check. The company’s operating manager, Mr. Ojo Olanrewaju who made this known at Osogbo, said the exercise would begin in the reservation areas and government estates in the state

before moving to other areas. He said “the numbering would also add beauty to the houses as the project would be done in phases and will start with about 10,000 houses. The first phase will be completed in four months. Security agents will have no difficulties identifying houses and other structures when carrying out their duties.” The manager maintained that the project would be carried out at no cost to the state government as private investors will foot the bill. Olanrewaju, also stated that house numbering had become

imperative because of the level of growth, saying this will ease difficulties encountered by those trying to locate addresses. He stated that his company would work with town planners to get a meaningful result, even as he revealed that MTN and VISAFONE have indicated interest in joining the exercise. He said, “In specific term, our numbering system will be designed to ensure proper identification for residence or visitors. The house numbering will provide opportunity for proper security check and gathering in any part of the state.”

Indigenes launch N100m education fund in Edo SEBASTINE EBHUOMHAN BENIN

or the people of Uneme, in Edo North District, last Saturday was historic as the indigenes raised over N10m at the N100m education appeal fund by the Uneme National Development Association, UNDA. The activity was held at the Oba Akenzua Cultural Centre, Benin City with Governor Adams Oshiomhole as special guest of honour and Mr. Jibril Aku,. While the two indigenes were honoured for their contributions to the development of Uneme community, two others also honoured, include member, House of Representatives, Hon. Peter Akpatason and Edo State Commissioner for Environment and Public Utilities, Prince Clem Agba. Explaining why the community focused on education amongst other basic necessities lacking in the community, Dayo Alabi, President of UNDA said education would provide the foundation to solve other problems in the community. Mr. Alabi said, “Some of us saw the telephone for the first time after graduating from the university. That is not the age we want our children to belong to. Some of us are just learning how to use the computer. He therefore listed how the state administration has aided the development of Uneme with basic social amenities such as roads, rural electrification, and potable water as well as primary and secondary buildings.

Fire guts 86 shops at Ikeja market FRANCIS SUBERU

ore than 86 shops were, on Sunday night, destroyed at the Police Officers Wives Association Market, POWA, in Ikeja, Lagos. Though no life was lost, the fire destroyed properties worth millions of naira, even as it took the Lagos State Fire Service more than three hours to put out the blaze. It was gathered that the fire started on Sunday night when a woman was cooking near a power generating set. The generator later exploded and fire

soon spread to other parts of the market. An eyewitness told Community Mirror that before the fire service responded, hoodlums had looted some shops. A shop owner, who identified himself as Chukwuma, said his shop was completely razed. He said he knew of the incident around 9.30pm but could not do anything to salvage his goods in the shop. Confirming the incident, the Director of Fire Service, Lagos State, Mr. Rasaq Fadipe said the service was informed of the incident and quickly rushed to the scene but were distracted by hoodlums in the area.

Community Mirror

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Ekiti praised for security of lives, property NSCDC arrests suspected thief in Katsina T ABIODUN NEJO ADO EKITI

JAMES DANJUMA KATSINA

he Katsina State command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, has arrested a suspected thief, for stealing metal desks. Aliyu Ibrahim, 25, was arrested at the Barhin Housing Estate while stealing metal desks at a primary school. Parading the suspect, the state corps’ commandant, Musa Zabura, said the suspect was

arrested on October 13 when a case of stealing was reported to his office. Zabura, said some personnel of the command were immediately dispatched to the school, and they were able to apprehend the suspect before he could get away with the stolen property. He said the suspect would be arraigned before the Katsina Magistrate Court I for prosecution, with call to the public to always report related incidents to the corps for necessary action.

he people of Oye Council Area of Ekiti State have expressed satisfaction with the security of lives and property in the area, saying it is the result of the government’s stance on security. Speakers at a town hall meeting for residents of the council area by the Ministry of Information at the council secretariat in Oye Ekiti, he also lauded the various development programmes of the administration in the different communities. Others including Messrs Gabriel Anjorin and Michael Akinwumi called for the renovation of the health centre at

Ijelu Ekiti and construction of a road linking the community with Itapa Ekiti. In his speech, Chairman of Ekiti State Council of Traditional Rulers, Oba Adamo Babalola, charged traditional rulers and other citizens to partner with the government to reinforce security network in the state. Babalola, who is the Onitaji of Itaji Ekiti, advised the people to always report strange people in their domains to their monarchs for onward information to security agencies. The monarch praised the government for providing adequate security in the local government areas, which he said had facilitated the rapid development in all the 160 towns in the state.

He said: “You know the challenges faced by our country in the area of security, so people must be security conscious. Our people must report any strange face or movement to the monarchs, so that we can take appropriate steps before things get out of hand.” The Information Commissioner, Mr Tayo Ekundayo, who said the importance of security could not be over emphasised, said government would spareno effort to sustain the relative peace being enjoyed by the citizens. Ekundayo, said the governor assured that more senior citizens in the council area will benefit from the increase of beneficiaries of the social security scheme from 20,000 to 25,000.

Nigerians urged to imbibe savings culture SAM OLUWALANA

Officers of 302 Artillery Regiment, Onitsha donating gift items to motherless babies home at Otuocha in Anambra East Local government Area of Anambra State, yesterday.

NGO blames government for rape DANJUMA WILLIAMS GOMBE

he Programme Coordinator, Centre for Community and Health Development, Mrs. Lucy Usen has accused the Gombe State Government of keeping silent when ever rape cases are reported to it. She made the disclosure in Gombe ahead of their meeting with stakeholders increasing cases of child rape in the state organized by Child Protection Network. However, the Director of Child Welfare in the Gombe State Ministry of Women Affairs, Mr. James Maiyamba denied the claim saying there is no truth in the allegation because all NGO’s and other relevant authorities get the information on rape cases from the ministry.

He stated that Mrs. Lucy Usen’s claims have no basis because they have no legal authority to receive rape cases. According to him, the police furnish the ministry with such cases which it later brings to the attention of NGO’s He said government, especially through his ministry takes the issue of child rape very seriously and is doing all it can to fight and eradicate the menace from the society. Mrs. Usen had in her allegations blamed the police for allowing rape cases die prematurely even when they are reported. According to her, the Gombe State Government and the police have not done enough to eradicate child rape, pointing out that they have failed to take advantage of this humanitarian gesture to fully nip the menace in the bud.

PHOTO: NAN

Commissioner advises parents on education TONY ANICHEBE UYO

he Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Mr. Aniekan Umanah, has said that quality education is the greatest asset parents can give to their children, to ensure a full realisation of their potentials. Mr. Umanah stated this when he was honoured with ‘Man Among Men’ by the Catholic Men Organization,CMO, Abak Parish, to mark this year’s Father’s Day celebration. The Commissioner, who was honoured alongside 19 others, said investing in children’s education is the most effective means of reducing poverty and inequality. He advised parents to encourage their children to go to school and devote themselves to studies

for great academic attainments. He said focus should be on girl-child education because, the training and empowerment of women can bring about a total change in the society. According to him, apart from being the key to unlocking a country’s potentials for economic growth, education enables a man to earn respect and recognition. Mr. Umanah dedicated the award to God for his blessings and to Governor Godswill Akpabio, who gave him the opportunity to contribute his quota to serve his fatherland. Among other award recipients was a one-time Commissioner for Information, Mr. Moses Ekpo; former member representing Abak State Constituency, Mr Uwem Udoma and former Chairman of Etim Ekpo LGA, Chris Okorie and Engr. Nicholas Idungafa.

igerians has been advised to employ the culture of saving as a tool for achieving financial stability and other economic goals in life. This advise was given , in Port Harcourt, capital of Rivers State, by the management of Unity Bank, when it rewarded some of its South zone customers during the draws for its 3-In1 Aim, Save and Win Promo. The Zonal head of the bank, Dac Chukwura, advised participants to desist from waiting to earn big before considering saving parts of their income. “People should know that banks accommodate any cash lodgment no matter the amount and steady saving of idle cash affords the saver confidence and security to adequately think and plan when best to judiciously invest while it remains safe in the bank. The essence of the promo was to encourage customers to develop the culture of saving and to drive retail banking to the grassroots’’, he advised. In the South zone draws in Port Harcourt, Agoho Gabriel won the star prize of a soundproof generator for categories of customers with minimum of N100, 000 account balance, while Ajamomu Philip Ethemena branch won an LED TV star prize for the N10,000 customer category. Runners up in both categories also won various prizes including Blackberry phone, deep freezer and a gas cooker while invited guests were rewarded with phones and umbrellas. Chukwura said, “Staffs of the bank and their relatives were barred from participating to guard against doubts among the public. It has been a rewarding experience and the winners going by the feedback we get.’’

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

World News

US Senate seeks deal to avoid default as time runs short

“A different baby is born today, a giant...A child that walks immediately. The baby that fights for your living wage. You must be afraid of that child.” -South African, Former ANC Youth Leader, Julius

Africa’s ICC ultimatum poses dilemma for West –Analysts

WORLD BULLETIN

CAR troubles could spill over –Hollande

he African Union’s demand for the International Criminal Court to defer trials against Kenya’s leadership is unlikely to get UN Security Council support but poses a dilemma for Western powers, analysts said. An AU summit on Saturday stopped short of withdrawing from The Haguebased ICC, but it urgently asked for the deferral of the cases against Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto so they can fulfil their duties to run the country. “This declaration sends the wrong message, that politicians on the African continent will place their political interests above those of victims of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide,” said Tawanda Hondora, an Amnesty International deputy director. The Kenyan leaders have been charged with crimes against humanity for allegedly masterminding the ethnic violence that left at least 1,100 dead after disputed 2007 elections. Justice for the victims and a clear stand against immunity for heads of state would be among the key arguments against a trial deferral, analysts said.

Ibrahim

No winner again for Mo Ibrahim African leadership prize PAUL ARHEWE

WITH AGENCY REPORTS

he Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership -- the world’s biggest individual prize -- has no winner for the fourth time in five years, it was announced Monday. At a press conference in London, the Mo Ibrahim Foundation said there would be no winner for the second straight year, stressing they would not lower the bar of excellence required to win the lucrative prize. “After careful consideration, the prize committee has determined not to award the 2013 prize,” said committee chair, Salim Ahmed Salim, the former Tanzanian prime minister and one-time head of the Organisation of African Unity,

which became the African Union. The award, set up by Sudanborn telecoms tycoon, Mo Ibrahim in 2007, carries a $5 million (3.7 million euro) prize paid over 10 years and $200,000 annually for life from then on, with a further $200,000 per year available for 10 years for good causes backed by the winner. The award goes to a democratically elected African leader who demonstrated exceptional leadership, served their mandated term and left office in the last three years. The Mo Ibrahim Foundation has now awarded the annual prize only three times since it was established, plus two special awards given to South Africa’s Nelson Mandela and South African former archbishop Desmond Tutu.

The last laureate was former Cape Verde president Pedro Pires, who won in 2011. Former Irish president Mary Robinson, who is on the foundation board, defended the decision not to award the prize and questioned how often such a prize would have been awarded in Europe. “We couldn’t find a leader of that excellence” they were looking for, Robinson said. “We didn’t ever expect that we would award it every year.” The London-based foundation also publishes the Ibrahim Index of African Governance, ranking 52 countries according to 94 indicators grouped under safety and the rule of law, participation and human rights, sustainable economic opportunity and human development.

Taylor prefers Rwandan jail to UK

Taylor

x-Liberian President Charles Taylor has asked to serve his 50year sentence for war crimes in Rwanda, rather than the UK. In a letter sent to the court that convicted him, he says it would be easier - and less expensive - for his family to visit him in Africa. He also said he feared being attacked in a British prison. Taylor was convicted of aiding rebels who committed atrocities in Sierra Leone during its civil war. Last week, a UK minister confirmed that Taylor would

be transferred to a British prison. He was convicted by the UNbacked Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL), but his trial was held in The Hague in case it sparked renewed unrest in West Africa. The Netherlands only agreed to host the trial if he was imprisoned elsewhere. “My position is that serving my sentence in Rwanda, in my home continent of Africa, would be substantially more humane not only on my own account, but also on account of the impact on my family.”

He noted that the court’s statutes said access for prisoners’ relatives should be taken into account when deciding where they should serve their sentence. He said that it would be cheaper and easier to travel to Rwanda - and that Liberian nationals could obtain visas at the airport, unlike in the UK. Taylor, 65, was convicted on 11 crimes including terrorism, rape, murder and the use of child soldiers by rebel groups in neighbouring Sierra Leone during the 1991-2002 conflict, in which some 50,000 people died.

French President Francois Hollande said yesterday the collapse of the Central African Republic could destabilize the region, as he sought to drum up support for increased military intervention while on a state visit to South Africa. France committed on Sunday to increasing the number of troops in its former colony by year-end, under a U.N. resolution, to help prevent the state spiralling out of control with the risk the power vacuum could encourage militancy. The Central African Republic has descended into chaos since mostly Muslim Seleka rebels ousted President Francois Bozize in March, the latest coup in the poor but mineral-rich country. “There is a political emergency because there is no state,” Hollande said as he addressed reporters in Pretoria alongside South African President Jacob Zuma. “There is also an emergency at a regional level because there is a risk of spill over. We might witness religious conflict,” he said, in comments translated from French. There have already been sectarian clashes in the conflict that has driven more than 400,000 people from their homes, fleeing violence including murder and rape.

‘Belgium detains suspected Somali pirate kingpin’ Belgium has arrested a suspected Somali pirate leader believed to have earned millions of dollars in ransom payments over years of operating off the East African coast, Belgian media reported yesterday. Mohamed Abdi Hassan, known as “Afweyne” or Big Mouth, was detained when he arrived at Brussels Airport on Saturday, the De Standaard newspaper said yesterday. Federal prosecutors said they would hold a news conference on Monday afternoon regarding two people picked up at the airport on Saturday and suspected of involvement in the hijacking of the Belgian ship “Pompeii” in 2009. They declined to say whether one of the suspects was Hassan. He is suspected of having commanded gangs which gained a fortune in ransom payments from merchant ships and yachts which they seized over more than a decade of piracy. He said in January he had put his pirate days behind him and retired. United Nations experts have accused a former Somali president of shielding him by issuing him a diplomatic passport.

World News

WORLD BULLETIN

4 of 7 kidnapped Red Cross workers freed in Syria

Officials say a Syrian Arab Red Crescent volunteer and three of six Red Cross staffers taken hostage in Syria are free and safe. Robert Mardini, the International Committee of the Red Cross’ head of operations for the Middle East, said on Twitter that the four were released “safe and sound.” The ICRC’s Geneva office confirmed the tweet was accurate, but provided no more details Monday. Gunmen abducted the seven on Sunday after stopping their convoy in north-western Syria.

Iran hopeful on Geneva nuke talks Foreign Minister and chief negotiator Mohammad Javad Zarif voiced hope Iran and world powers can agree at talks this wee k on a roadmap towards defusing the standoff over Tehran’s nuclear activity, but warned the process would be complex. The negotiations about Iran’s nuclear program, to start in Geneva on Tuesday, will be the first since the June election of President Hassan Rouhani, a relative moderate who wants to thaw Iran’s icy relations with the West to secure the removal of punitive sanctions that have hobbled its oil-based economy. Western nations believe Iran’s uranium enrichment program is covertly meant to achieve a nuclear arms capability. Tehran denies this, saying it wants only to master nuclear technology to generate electricity and carry out medical research. “Tomorrow is the start of a difficult and relatively time-consuming way forward. I am hopeful that by Wednesday we can reach agreement on a road map to find a path towards resolution,” Zarif said in a message posted on his Facebook account late on Sunday.

Al Qaeda September attack targeted joint Yemeni-U.S. drone base The Yemen-based branch of al Qaeda said on Monday its attack on a Yemeni army base last month targeted an operations room used by the United States to direct drone strikes against militants, and it threatened more such assaults. Dozens of militants stormed and captured the headquarters of the Yemeni army’s Second Division in the eastern coastal city of al-Mukalla on September 30 and took some military personnel hostage. Military officials said four Yemeni soldiers were killed and nine wounded in a counter-strike to retake the base.

.S. lawmakers in the Senate said yesterday they hoped to reach a deal soon to reopen the government and avert a looming default as investors worried that Republicans and Democrats might not be able to resolve their differences by a Thursday deadline. After weekend negotiations proved fruitless, senators from both parties said they still thought they could reach agreement in the coming hours. With the most unrealistic demands off the table, the two sides were trying to craft a temporary measure that would allow Washington to step back from the ledge. “I’m hopeful we can have something meaningful by the end of the day,” Republican Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi said on MSNBC. The Treasury Department says it cannot guarantee that the U.S. government will be able to pay its bills past October 17 if Congress does not raise the $16.7 trillion debt ceiling by then. It’s not clear whether Congress can meet that deadline. Even if Republicans and Democrats in the Senate reach agreement on Monday, hard-liners such as Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz might be able to delay a vote for several days. The House of Representatives also would need to sign off on the plan. Republican leaders there face strong pressure from a vocal conservative flank that is deeply reluctant to make concessions to President Barack Obama and his Democrats. Many say they won’t back any deal that doesn’t undercut Obama’s 2010 healthcare reform law, the Affordable Care Act - a non-starter for Democrats. “We’ve got to draw some lines in the sand now. This, to me, is an

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

British PM sends greeting as Muslims mark Eid festival

T Mason Palmer (R), 10 months old, by his father in front of federal workers demonstrating for an end to the U.S. government shutdown on the west front Photo: Reuters of the U.S. Capitol, recently.

US Senate seeks deal to avoid default as time runs short epic battle over Washington versus America, and I hope America wins,” Republican Representative Matt Salmon of Arizona said on CNN. Analysts expect that any deal is likely to come down to the wire. Though Treasury likely will have enough cash on hand to meet its obligations for a week or so, it might be forced to pay a higher interest rate on the bonds it is due to issue on Thursday. Banks and money market funds are already shunning some government bonds that are normally used for short-term loans. In China, the largest foreign holder of U.S. debt, the state news agency Xinhua said it was time for a “deAmericanized world.” U.S. stocks fell at the open yesterday. The S&P 500 Index was down 0.53 percent and the Dow Jones

Industrial Average was down 0.48 percent by mid-morning. The ongoing government shutdown is beginning to weigh on the economy as well. The hundreds of thousands of federal employees who have been temporarily thrown out of work are likely to get back-pay when the standoff is resolved. But they aren’t getting paid now, forcing many to dial back on personal spending and cancel holiday travel plans. Any agreement that would come in the following days would not resolve disagreements over long-term spending and the Affordable Care Act that led to the standoff in the first place. Despite the objections of rank-and-file conservatives like Salmon, many Republicans are eager to move the discussion away from “Obamacare” and toward possible spending cuts.

he British Prime Minister David Cameron, yesterday, sent greetings to Muslim faithful as they mark this year’s Eid al-Adha celebration today, a press release from the British High Commission in Nigeria has disclosed. Cameron said: “I send my best wishes to Muslims in Britain and around the world celebrating the holy festival of Eid al-Adha. “At this time of year, as is so often the case, we will see Muslims of all ages and backgrounds putting others before themselves, giving to worthy causes and praying for those in need. “I commend Britain’s near three million Muslims for their charity, their self-sacrifice and their devotion to God. I believe that our country is a much stronger one because we have people of faith and belief. Britain’s Muslims, Christians, Jews, Sikhs and Hindus; their institutions and their values help give us that strength. “As the year draws to an end we are reminded of the incredible, and continuing contribution made by Britain’s Muslim communities. This year I’ve met with Muslim businessmen and women, entrepreneurs, faith leaders, public servants and hardworking families. They and so many others play a vital role in our country and I’m proud to be Prime Minister of a nation where people of all backgrounds and faiths can have a stake in our future while freely practising their beliefs. “With a New Year comes renewed hope for the plight of Muslims and others who are suffering in our world. I am delighted that the British Government has been able to keep its promise to invest 0.7% of our gross national income on helping the world’s poorest. I am grateful that we have been able to partner with Muslim and other organisations to help those in need overseas.

Three Americans win Economics Nobel for trend-spotting

hree Americans won the Nobel Prize for economics yesterday for developing methods to study trends in stock, bond and house prices — work that has changed the way people invest. Eugene Fama showed in the 1960s how hard it is to predict markets in the short run, while Robert Shiller two decades later showed how it can be done in the long run. Lars Peter Hansen developed a statistical method to test theories of asset pricing. For their separate research, the three economists shared the $1.2 million prize — the last of this year’s Nobel awards to be announced. “Their methods have shaped subsequent research in the field and their findings have been highly influential both academically and practically,” the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said.

Fama, 74, and Hansen, 60, are associated with the University of Chicago. Shiller, 67, is a professor at Yale University. Hansen said he received the phone call from Sweden when he was on his way to the gym. He said he’s not sure how he’ll celebrate but he’s “still working on taking a deep breath.” Shiller, an economist famous for having warned against bubbles in technology stocks and housing, said he reacted with disbelief when he got the call. “People told me they thought I might win. I discounted it. Probably hundreds have been told that,” he said to The Associated Press. Fama helped revolutionize the practice of investing by showing it was difficult to predict individual stock prices in the short run. That led to the emergence of index funds as a common investment.

Shiller

Shiller showed that there’s more predictability in stock and bond markets in the long run. That encouraged the creation of institutional investors, such as hedge funds, that take bets on market trends. In the late 1990s, Shiller said the stock market was overvalued “and lo and behold he was proven right” when the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, said Nobel committee secretary Peter Englund.

“He also predicted for a long time that the housing market was overvalued and again he was proven right,” Englund said. The U.S. property market suffered a crash in 2007 that helped fuel the global financial crisis. Englund said he believes the three laureates agree on the findings for which they were awarded. However, Fama and Shiller have different “interpretations of the real world,” he added.

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World News

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Tense: The thief ordered the driver to hand over the controls of the motorbike so he can steal it.

Motorcycle-jacking: At a busy intersection, a red bike pulls up on the motorcyclist’s left side and the passenger of that bike points a gun at him - ordering him to stop and get off his vehicle.

Undercover policeman kills thug as he robs motorbike

tunning video is going viral showing a motorcyclist who was attacked at gunpoint by two assailants in Sao Paulo, Brazil. While one of the robbers brandished a gun in an attempt to steal the victim’s chopper, he was thwarted when a police officer unexpectedly emerged and shot him from across the street. The chaotic incident, which unfolded rather quickly at a stoplight, was captured by a helmetbound camera the victim was wearing at the time of the attack, Gawker reports. It was later uploaded by a YouTube user named Anderson Mangai, although it is not immediately known whether he was the victim. It’s also unclear when, exactly, the incident unfolded. The New York Daily News, among other outlets, reports that the attack on the biker possibly took place on Saturday at 3 p.m. While the footage be-

gins with the motorcyclist serenely driving down the road, two men on another bike — the main culprit with the gun is identified by some outlets as Escarante Leonardo Santos – emerge, grab the victim’s vehicle and wave a gun his face. Bowing to the armed assailant’s commands, the victim abandons the motorcycle — and just when it seems the gun-wielding culprit is about to escape the scene, two shots ring out and a police officer downs the assailant. It’s unclear what happened to the other thief, but it appears from the clip that he sped away from the scene. Reddit commenters have been discussing and dissecting the violent event at length, with one individual translating the alleged conversation that unfolded between the robbers and his victim. Once the thief was down, the victim lashed out at him and expressed thanks that his bike

wouldn’t be stolen. “Now you’re gonna rob in hell. You’re not gonna take away my bike,” he reportedly said. “You’re not gonna take it, thank God.” It’s unclear what happened to Santos following the shooting. While Gawker claims that the popular assumption is that he will survive, The Daily Mail reports that the man who uploaded the original video said that he died from his injuries. Thief Holds Motorcyclist at Gunpoint in Chaotic Robbery Attempt in Brazil But Cop Unexpectedly Saves the Day He was apparently taken to the hospital for surgery following the incident, but that his condition has not been made public. A statement from the police department called the officer’s actions both warranted and appropriate. • Culled from Daily Mail

Getting away: As the thief in orange mounts the bike, his accomplice zooms off on the red bike.

Not so fast: Just as the thief is about to drive off, a police officer appeared out of nowhere and shoots him two times.

Fatal: According to the person who posted the video, the thief later died from his injuries.

Hysterectomy: Doctor tells teen to give birth

Doctors warned Amy that if she wanted to be a mother she should start trying immediately so she dropped out of university to try for a child with her partner, Jack Photo: Mediavia

young mother says she has no regrets after doctors told her to have a baby aged 19 - or lose her chance of parenthood. Amy McStein, from Liverpool, gave up her university education and job prospects to fulfil her dream of becoming a mother. She took the drastic decision after doctors told her a gynaecological condition she was suffering from was getting worse - and it was only a matter of time before she would need her womb removed.

Ms McStein, now 22, was suffering from endometriosis - a painful condition in which small pieces of the womb lining are found elsewhere in the body. Her condition was diagnosed after she suffered years of agony, resulting in her suddenly collapsing during a family meal in the summer of 2010. ‘Despite going back and forth to the doctors, I was told time and time again that it was just normal period pain. I felt totally helpless,’ she said. ‘Then one day, I was out

for dinner with my family when I felt a sudden, sharp pain in my stomach. It took my breath away and before I knew it, I woke up on the floor. I had fainted. ‘I spent all night in accident and emergency and doctors finally dismissed it as trapped wind. ‘A few weeks later, in July 2010, I collapsed again and doctors found a five centimetre diameter cyst on my right ovary.’ Ms McStein was transferred to Liverpool Women’s Hospital where she had a

minor operation to drain the cyst. Waking after the procedure, she was told the news. She said: ‘I had severe endometriosis, and had to be started on a drug to induce menopause straight away. ‘The bombshell utterly floored me. I was just 19 years old. They gave me injections and told me I needed to have a hysterectomy as soon as possible. Medics explained that if she wanted children, she had to get pregnant immediately, or she might never get another chance to be a mother.

Cocktail

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

FOR YOUR SUCCESS

WITH DR. DEJI FOLUTILE

Today's Tonic (214) If you want advice and you want to avoid big mistakes, seek help. Surround yourself with winners. – Richard Carlson Surround Yourself with Winners! The way of the wise is the short cut to success. The wise does not rely only on himself. The wise reach out to the wisdom of others to move forward. The Holy Book says that in the multitude of counselors, there is safety. The wise knows that revelation is not focused on a single mind. The wise will rest on the shoulders of others to grow taller and bigger. The wise will do anything to cultivate the friendship of winners and tap from their collective virtue from time to time. The wise knows that you can’t be in the midst of winners and be a failure except the person is a fool. DR. DEJI FOLUTILE Tel: 08035219966 Email: deji.folutile@gmail.com Follow me on Twitter @folutile

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Oddities

Man fends off attacking bear by grabbing its tongue

Canadian man says he successfully fended off an attacking black bear by grabbing its tongue. Gilles Cyr says he was walking through his wooded property near Grand Falls, New Brunswick, two weeks ago when the bruin burst out of the woods and assailed him, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported Saturday. “When I opened up

my eyes it was on top of me -- with the friggin’ noise, it’s crazy the way it growls,” Cyr said. ‘His mouth was wide open right in front of my face so the last thing I remember I had his tongue in my hand and I didn’t want to let go because he was trying to fight me off. So he was hit-

ting me with his claws, so I says, ‘If you’re going to hurt me, I’m going to hurt you too.’ So he was biting his tongue at the same time.” Cyr said he thought he was a goner. “For a second, I thought I was dead ... that’s the first thing that comes to your mind

when you open your eyes and see that friggin’ mouth full of teeth and a tongue in there,” he said. “It’s like ... an extreme sport.” Cyr said escaped behind a tree, lucky to wind up with only superficial claw wounds to his belly and a bite on his knee.

Policeman suspended for speaking with celebrities during patrol

Florida police officer was suspended for 10 days without pay for filling out community contact cards saying he spoke with celebrities on patrol, police said. As part of his job with the Hallandale Beach Police Department, Officer Josue Hernandez, 28, is required to fill out community contact cards, detailing who he

spoke to while on patrol throughout the day, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported Sunday. Internal Affairs opened an investigation into Hernandez’s conduct after his supervisor noticed he filled out a dozen cards saying he spoke to the likes of wrestler Dwayne Johnson -- aka The Rock -former Cincinnati Reds

catcher Howard Schnellenberger and Samuel Clemens, also known as Mark Twain. Union leader Jeff Marano said he didn’t know of Hernandez would appeal the suspension. Hernandez told Sgt. Terence Thouez, who conducted the investigation, that the cards were a joke and that he wouldn’t do it again.

A man fleeing from a female brown bear in Chorzow, Poland, in 2010.

PHOTO: ZUMA PRESS

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South South

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

C’River LG Service Commission sacks 47 for fraud RICHARD NDOMA CALABAR

ross River State Local Government Service Commission has terminated the appointment of 47 of its staff for offences inimical to the growth of the service. The Chairman of the commission, Prince Njah Nkang Abang, disclosed this in an interview with

our reporter in Calabar yesterday. Abang, who spoke on the achievements and challenges of the commission, said five staff of the service were sacked last month for various offences. The chairman said 17 others were suspended while three were demoted for gross misconduct. Abang said some employees, whose offences ranged from absenteeism,

certificate forgery, fraud and harmful practices capable of hampering the growth and smooth flow of operations of the commission, were relieved of the duties. He said: “There was a case of someone who tendered a degree in Engineering in one of the universities in India only to also present a diploma from one of the nation’s tertiary institutions.”

The chairman also said that some of the certificates discovered by the panel were written in Pidgin English. He said when some of the affected employees were asked to mention the names of the vice-chancellors of the universities they claimed to have attended or the names of their heads of department, none of them was able to do so.

Rodents take over Bayelsa’s 18-storey five-star hotel EMMA GBEMUDU YENAGOA

eeds and rodents have taken over the site of the Bayelsa State Governmentowned five-star hotel in Yenagoa initiated by the former governor now President Goodluck Jonathan. The firm handling the 18-storey project, Gitto Construction, had abandoned the site before the immediate past administration in the state left office. When our correspondent visited the site yesterday, nobody was there while weeds and rodents have taken over the place. Investigation showed that the project was launched in 2006 by Jonathan’s administration and only the second floor of the building was erected before he was elevated as vice-president. It was learnt that the administration of former Governor Timipre Sylva continued with the project and erected the structure to the 18th floor before it was abandoned about four years ago.

Though Governor Seriake Dickson said the state government had paid N4 billion for the completion of the hotel, but work is yet to begin at the site. When contacted, the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, said the hotel was not abandoned, adding that the site was being sand-filled. An environmentalist, who is the state Project Officer of the Environmental Rights Action, ERA, Alagoa Morris, said the hotel was well conceived, stressing that the project would have been completed if Jonathan had completed his term as governor. He said: “It shares the same fate with the 500-bed hospital started during the Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha’s administration. Both projects are sitting in limbo. It is unfortunate. “The blame should go to succeeding state administrations that failed to see these projects as priority projects, especially the 500bed hospital. Both projects would have added to the unemployment reduction drive in the state.

Confab: Group wants Bakassi Peninsula revisited RICHARD NDOMA CALABAR The younger brother of the late Prof. Omo Omoruyi, Pastor Eghosa and widow, Mrs. Joan Omoruyi, in Benin, yesterday.

I’ll miss Omoruyi for everything –Widow • Prostate cancer, major cause of men’s death – NMA SEBASTINE EBHUOMHAN AND MARCUS FATUNMOLE

ife of the late Director-General of the defunct Centre for Democratic Studies, CDS, Abuja, Prof. Omo Omoruyi, Joan, said yesterday she would greatly miss her husband. Omoruyi, according to the family, died on Sunday night. Speaking amid tears, the widow said: “I will miss him. I will miss everything about him.” She said she was with her husband, who returned home last month after receiving treatment for cancer overseas, till he gave up the ghost. The widow described the deceased as a good family man who did his best for his

family in his active years. The late Omoruyi, a professor of Political Science, who taught at the University of Benin and a former gubernatorial candidate of the defunct Nigeria Peoples Party, NPP, in 1979, died at the Faith Mediplex, a private hospital owned by the Benson Idahosa family in Benin. The late Omoruyi was seen as a political colossus in Edo South District, especially by politicians who sought his counsel for one thing or the other. His counsel was believed to have paved the way for the district’s overwhelming support for Governor Adams Oshiomhole’s governorship bid in 2007. Although his family did not give his age, sources said he was 78 years old. Meanwhile, the Nigerian

Medical Association, NMA, said yesterday that prostate cancer “is currently the leading cancer afflicting men” globally. The association said this in a condolence message, signed by its President, Dr. Osahon Enabulele, to the family of the late Omoruyi. Omoruyi died after a protracted struggle with prostate cancer, over which he had reportedly accused his friends, including the former military President, Ibrahim Babangida, of abandoning him. The NMA noted that the circumstances surrounding Omoruyi’s death should propel all tiers of government in the country to join the league of countries involved in active search for more effective and permanent solutions to the dreaded scourge.

This, the association said, they could do by investing more resources in researches aimed at producing a cure for advanced stages of prostate cancer and other forms of cancer. NMA also called on government at all levels to collaborate with it in “the aggressive pursuit of her healthy living and regular health check-up campaign”. The association urged Nigerians to cultivate the right habit of regularly consulting their licensed and duly registered medical doctors/dentists for periodic health check-ups in view of its benefits, which, it said, included prevention and early detection of all forms of cancers and sudden deaths among Nigerians.

group, under the aegis of the All Cross River Youth Forum, ACRIYOF, has resolved to revisit the ceding of Bakassi at the proposed national conference. The group also said it would demand a return of Bakassi Peninsula to the original owners, the people of Cross River State. ACRIYOF’s Coordinator, Mr. James Ibor, said in a statement issued in Calabar yesterday that the handing over of Bakassi remained illegal until the Nigerian constitution was amended to grant the ceding. He said: “Nigeria’s constitution clearly spells out that for any part of the country to be ceded, the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria must be amended and that was not done in the case of the Bakassi handover as neither the Senate of Nigeria nor the House of Representatives passed a bill approving the handover.” Ibor added that the hand-

ing over was born out of the inordinate ambition of some leaders to actualise their selfish interest which he described as severe injustice against the people and the land. The coordinator added that the injustice must be redressed. He said: “Even with the discovery of fresh facts, Nigeria never made a move to institute an appeal against the ruling which the International Court of Justice, ICJ, agreed that any appeal against its ruling can be effected within and during 10 years after the judgement. “Much is being said about the Green Tree Agreement signed by General Olusegun Obansanjo and Paul Biya, which Cameroun has persistently and consistently refused to obey and has continuously harassed our people.” Ibor also said that at the National Conference, the group would re-open talks on the dormant nature of the Calabar port with a view to finding a lasting solution to the dredging of the shallow channel.

North

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

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CAN wants Shettima to revisit compensation for Boko Haram victims INUSA NDAHI, MAIDUGURI

he Borno State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) yesterday called on the state governor, Kashim Shettima, to revisit the issue of compensation to those affected by the February 18, 2006 sectarian crisis and the Boko Haram victims. The call was made by the CAN Chairman in the state, Rev. Titus Pona, during the

commissioning ceremony of the new CAN office complex in Maiduguri, at the weekend. Pona said during the February 18 crisis, in which 158 churches were demolished and lives and property worth millions of naira were destroyed, a committee headed by the then Secretary to the Borno State Government, Ambassador Baba Ahmed Jidda, was set up to look into the crisis. He said the committee was to ascertain the extent

of damages with a view to compensating the victims, but that till today, nothing was heard about the recommendations of the committee. While the chairman commended Governor Shettima for demonstrating genuine interest in the restoration of peace in the state, he also expressed the association’s sympathy to those affected by the two crises. The association also appealed to the state gover-

nor to allow Christians to teach Christian Religious Knowledge (CRK) in public schools and also provide worship places for Christians in the government’s housing estates built across the state. He said such will promote a sense of belongingness among the various faiths and ethnic groups in the state. In his address at the occasion, Governor Shettima, who was represented by his Commissioner for Spe-

cial Duties, Joshua Ishaku Sharah, congratulated the Christian community in the state for staying back to develop the state despite the security challenges faced by the people. He said his doors are always open to CAN, urging the body to visit him and channel their grievances as they always show a sense of understanding and cooperation in matters concerning the government. Sharah assured the association that his govern-

ment is ready to work with the Christian community in order to move the state forward, adding that the issues raised by the association will be looked into. In his contribution, the Brigade Commander of 7 Division, Major-General Obidah Ethan, called on CAN in the state to continue to pray for the security agencies as their weapons can fail, but that prayer is divine, adding that no amount of armory can succeed without prayers.

Seven killed, 11 injured in Birnin Gwari auto crash

t least seven people were confirmed dead and 11 others injured at the weekend, when two vehicles collided at Dogon Hauwa village, 14 kilometres from Birnin Gwari, in Kaduna State. Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in the area, Mr. Mike Olagunji, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna that the accident occurred on Sunday at about 11.37pm. Olagunji said five of the victims were burnt beyond recognition while the other two died from the injuries sustained during the crash. The commander said the bodies of the seven victims had been deposited at Birnin Gwari General Hospital, while those who sus-

tained injuries were also treated at the hospital. Olagunji added that the corps was able to trace the relations of the victims from the passenger manifest recovered from the bus. He said those affected had been evacuated by their families. He said the accident involved an18-seater Mazda bus with registration number: XA 75 BUJ heading for Ilorin from Kaduna and a fuel tanker with registration number: XC 163 KMC going to Kano from Lagos. The FRSC commander attributed the crash to over-speeding, saying that the driver of the bus rammed into the tanker when he lost control of his vehicle while trying to avoid a pothole.

PDP zoning arrangement threatened in Niger PRISCILLA DENNIS, MINNA

he Peoples Democratic Party (PD) zoning arrangement in Niger State appeared threatened yesterday as a former governorship candidate of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP), Dr. Mustapha Abdulsalam, from Lapai Zone ‘A’ insisted that he would join the governorship race, despite the zoning of the seat to Zone ‘C’ by the party’s leadership. It will be recalled that based on a ‘gentleman’s agreement,’ the party had agreed in 1999 that the seat should rotated between the three senatorial districts, with Zone ‘A’ producing Engr. Abdullahi Kure, followed by Zone ‘B’ which also produced Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu, the incumbent, while Zone ‘C,’ under this

arrangement, is expected to produce the next governor in 2015. But Abdulsalam, while inaugurating his Advisory Stakeholders’ Committee from all the eight local government areas that made up Zone ‘A’, said when the time comes, he will contest even though the seat has been zoned to Zone ‘C’. He said the zoning arrangement in operation in the state is neither in the nation’s constitution nor that of the ruling PDP at the national level and should therefore, be discarded. “Irrespective of the zoning arrangement, I am coming out for the party’s primary. I am in the race to serve the people of Niger State. After all, the so-called zoning or ‘gentleman’s arrangement’ was not recognised by the national body of the party.”

Former Bauchi State governor, Adamu Muazu (left) and daughter of late Chief Solomon Lar, Hon. Beni Lar, during a condolence visit to the family in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

Cross petition stalls Olofa’s appeal in court IWOLE LORIN

ADEDEJI,

he lead judge in the appeal panel hearing the case of the Olofa of Ofa, Justice Raphael Chikwe Agbo, was yesterday taken aback by the petition written against members of the panel by the rival Olugense Ruling House, expressing lack of confidence in the panel. The Olofa, Alhaji Muftau Gbadamosi Esuwoye, in the Ofa Local Government Area of Kwara State had approached the Ilorin Division of the Federal Court of Appeal, asking for a stay of execution of its earlier judgement against him, pending the outcome of his appeal at the Supreme Court. The three-member panel is headed by Justice Agbo while other members include Justices Isaiah Olufemi Akeju and Uchechukwu Onyemenam.

The Olugbense Ruling House has petitioned the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Aloma Maryam Mukhtar, alleging bias against the Ilorin Appeal Court panel in the ongoing case before it in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital. The appellate court had in July this year declared the selection and installation of the monarch from the Anilelerin Ruling House, Alhaji Mohammed Mufutau Gbadamosi; the Olofa of Offa as illegal. The two ruling houses; Olugbense and Anilelerin, are said to be the two ruling houses from the same progenitor in the ancient town. Following the July judgement, however, the Anilelerin Ruling House filed a stay of execution at the Appeal Court and also filed an appeal at the Supreme Court, restraining injunction against the execution of the judgement. The Olugbense Ruling

House followed suit via a petition accusing the appellate court panel of justices of encouraging the state government “to disobey, disregard or treat court judgement with impunity.” Shortly after the announcement of appearances for the litigants yesterday, when counsel to the Olugbense Ruling House, Toyin Oladipo, told the court that he received a copy of the petition right there in the court, Justice Agbo snapped; “Do you mean your client is controlling you?” The judge continued: “We received tendentious petition sent to the CJN purportedly signed by a member of the ruling house alleging bias against them. I have never had it so nasty since my 30 years practice at both the bar and the bench. I have put in10 years and 20 years at the bar and bench respectively. “I had high regard before

my posting here for the Ilorin bar, but I must tell you this is a nasty welcome. “We are not continuing with the case until the CJN decides on the petition. The case is hereby adjourned sine die.” The letter entitled: “Petition against panel of Court of Appeal sitting on motion for injunction/ stay of execution of judgment in Appeal No CA/ IL/71/2012 between Alhaji Shehu Oyeniyi and two others,” was signed by Prince Saka Keji. The petition reads in part: “The Kwara State government which has appealed against the judgement has refused to recognise and install our candidate, Prince Abdulrauf Keji, which the Appeal Court has declared to be validly nominated. Instead, it has actively encouraged the deposed Olofa to continue to parade himself as the Oba.”

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Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Features

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

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Inscriptions on houses to pre-empt fraudulent sales

‘This House is not for sale’

hat could have informed an elderly woman, to burst into tears in public and draw attention of this reporter on one sunny afternoon? The initial thought before jumping down from the bus conveying him to Oyingbo area of Lagos was that she might have been a victim of pick pockets or area boys who daily exploit innocent victims with impunity. However, that thought vanished when Mrs. Tinuade Ireyemi who did not care of who was listening to her story with intermittent sobs, narrated her ordeal. “God, why did you give us this type of a boy in the family? What is our sin that you cannot forgive us? Where did we get it wrong? Amidst this lamentation, some of the bystanders who were later identified as members of the extended family, told her not to be too dejected because of the naughty behaviour of Kunle who was the cause of the crisis. Suddenly she started crying again. “Adegoroye, are you sleeping in heaven? I did not err on all the instructions you gave me as the eldest of your children. I never, for a single day, deny any of my siblings all their entitlements and according to your instruction, l sent all of them to the university, please don’t sleep in heaven all this burden is too much for me” she wailed. It was later learnt that Adegoroye was the owner of the house in one of the major streets at Ebute-Metta with a bold inscription “This house is not for sale, beware of 419”. He had six of such buildings scattered all over Lagos metropolis. National Mirror learnt that the only son and the fourth child in the family of six who was simply identified as Kunle had sold one of the houses and wanted to sell the second one before the bubble burst and the eldest daughter, Ireyemi (nee Adegoroye) was alerted by a distant family member. This was the point this reporter met Ireyemi who eventually narrated why the family found itself at a crossroads because of Kunle’s misbehaviour. “That was why it was boldly written on all other houses belonging to our father that “this house is not for sale” in order to prevent what is happening now, since we are not resident there, if not because of this

‘This House is not for sale’ is a common inscription on many houses on the streets of Lagos whether in the highly populated Ajegunle or low density areas like Ikeja or Ikoyi. The question is, who wants to sell and buy these houses illegally? In this report SINA FADARE x-rays the issues at stake. inscription on the building, the buyers would not have bothered to probe more about the authentic owner of the house”, she added This brief experience encouraged this reporter to probe further why many houses whether on the outskirts of Lagos, the suburbs or in the ghettos of Ajegunle and Ijora Badia were inscribed “this house is not for sale, beware of 419”. For two months, this reporter was on the streets of Lagos and the ancient city of Ibadan to inquire why such inscriptions are so pronounced on many of the houses along major streets. Passing through Queen Street in Yaba area of Lagos, from the beginning of the street to the end, this reporter was shocked at the number of the houses bearing such inscriptions, “this house is not for sale, beware of 419”. This is not different at Apapa, Old Yaba, Simpson, Borno and Ibadan street, all in Yaba. It was shocking to see the number of the houses with this inscription when passing through Agege area of Lagos metropolis including Mulero , Omotoye, Abiodun Ibidun, Adeniji and others. From Agric bus-stop in Ikorodu area of the state, towards Owutu to Alagbede area, it is the same story, as uncompleted buildings are not left out. Speaking to National Mirror why she was forced to write the inscription on her building, Mrs Omotayo Adeife , a middle- aged widow narrated the ordeals she passed at the hands of her late husband’s relatives, therefore she wrote that in order to ward off any prospective buyer because she is not ready to sell the only property left by her husband. “I lost my husband three years ago, unfortunately immediately he died one of his younger brothers muted the idea of selling the property even before his final

burial. I quickly contacted one of my late husband’s lawyer friend and necessary documentations were put in place. Thank God, my husband wrote the name of our first child on the house document as if he had premonition that he would soon die. That saved me the embarrassment my late husband’s family wanted to put me through” she explained At the ancient city of Ibadan, the story is the same, from Molete axis of the city, to Alakia area, to Olomi, Academy and Iwo roads. However, an estate agent in Inalende area of the city, Mr Demola Ariyibi said that most of the inscriptions on these houses were mere decorations by some landlords, especially those who do not want people to be aware that they want to dispose of such a property. Ariyibi said that most of the cases he has handled in the recent past are of willing sellers who did not want the tenants to know that the houses have been slated for sale. “I was shocked about two months ago, when l received a call from another agent that a property belonging to a prominent family in this area is available for sale. When l got there, it was boldly written on all the available spaces on the wall that ‘the house is not for sale’. “After independent investigations, l realised that the man wanted to sell the property because two of his children were already laying claim to the house. He told me that he wanted to shock them; therefore he wrote that inscription that the house was not for sale until he disposed the property. The children could not believe their father sold the property when they heard. At the end of the day, the matter was settled at family level.” Ariyibi, however did not foreclose the fact that there might be the crisis of who should take what after the

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Features

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

‘Property owners should write their wills’ Mr Steven Jagun is the Chairman of the Lagos State branch of the Nigeria Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers. In this interview with SINA FADARE, he argues that a lot of problems arising on properties after the death of their owners could be avoided if people write their will.

A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO OWN THESE PROPERTIES DO NOT KNOW THAT THEY NEED TO PUT A PROCESS IN PLACE SO THAT THESE ASSETS CAN BE PROPERLY TRANSFERRED TO THEIR CHILDREN death of the first owner of the property, which in most cases, a polygamous husband who after would be discovered to have had children outside the home. Such crisis could compel the family to inscribe,”This house is not for sale” to pre-empt any of children of wanting to dispose the property without the family consent. Speaking with National Mirror on the issue, Eddy Eworo, an estate valuer, said at this point in time, Nigerians need a lot of education and enlightenment on what needed to be done on a property at a given time. He said: “Most people do not know that the building on a title is not the property but the title itself. A lot of properties do not have proper titles. A lot of people who own these properties do not know they need to put a process in place so that the assets can be properly transferred to their children.” Eworo, noted that a lot of people even among the educated class are ignorant of what is at stake, especially on title or landed property:” A lot of people go on to obtain loans and mortgages on their title and do not know what it entails. They do not understand that the documentation should be properly done. Sometimes, the property owner does not take time to have proper document on the title, therefore someone else could lay claim to it. Sometimes, the owner dies and there is fighting within the family on the title. All these can warrant writing such inscriptions on the property, the valuer added. He argued that misunderstanding among family members always give room for such in-

scriptions on a property. He said, “Some times, the extended family members are trying to claim authority on title that does not belong or willed to them. There is a lot of confusion. A lot of this stem from ignorance. Aman mortgages a property, and therefore the property is in the market. Then you will see someone coming in the night to inscribe “this property is not for sale”. Eworo explained that this type of problem could be avoided if a lot of things taken for granted by the family are properly done particularly on properties, adding that writing a will after proper documentation of a title will assist so that crisis does not occur after the death of the first owner. He argued that those who are supposed to know, especially the educated ones do not, “That is why you have many properties with one problem or the other in Lagos and countless inscriptions put on them. Speaking to National Mirror on why the Lagos State Government is handicapped on the issue, the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr Olutoyin Ayinde, said though most of the houses with , ’Not for sale’ were put to deface the building, there is little the government can do onit because it is a personal property which they have right to inscribe anything they desire on it. He said: “In this part of the world, our culture is very strong on the issue of heritance and properties that belong to the family, therefore one must be very careful before dabbling into it. In most cases, crisis arises in the family on properyt, especially when the owner is no more, and the children failed to reach a consensus on the sharing, that is why you see such inscription. This is done to make sure none of the family members disposes of the property without proper consensus. He counselled that the best way to avoid this type of situation is to write a will on how they want the property be shared after death of the owner, and by so doing, a lot of crises emanating from family disputes on properties will be avoided.

Hardly can you pass through any street in Lagos and not see ‘this house is not for sale’ written on them. What do you think is wrong? People should learn to deal with the professionals. Professionals, based on their training and experience, over time, will know how to go by those things. Some people have to write those things because there are charlatans outside there that are desperate. If the place is in a choice area, they will introduce it to the people and knowing fully well that the people will be interested, because of that people are afraid not to fall victim and quickly write ‘this house is not for sale’ on such title. You cannot see such an inscription in a house in the village or in the bush or area that such property cannot sell. In order not to introduce people to it, the owners want to pre-empt that and write on their houses. ‘This house is not for sale’. Sometime also, because of the nature of our environment, some people want their transaction to be strictly private. By the time two or more people see it, they will be painting the picture as if that person is in distress and that is why he is selling his property. Majority of those houses are family houses, what you find out is that there is no will in place. That is why the role of a will cannot wished away in cases like this. People often think that there would always be tomorrow and they die and end up not putting their house in order. Now you see people fighting, especially when the man has more than one wife. One part may want to sell, the other may not want to sell, and therefore there is a lot of commotion.

Jagun

People should try to put their house in order, write necessary will and state how you want your properties treated in case of any eventualities. Aside this, greed from the family also invokes things like that. With such a tag, the buyer of any property will have to go the extra mile to ask a lot of questions and probe deep into the family of those who want to dispose of such a property, ensure that his lawyer drafts an agreement that will tie a lot of things together or, in some cases, you do not pay all the money in full, take possession for a period agreed upon so that if there is any disturbance, you can easily re-trace your steps. People should engage the services of a professionals who can be reported if he misbehaves and this will make him more careful. Can it be stopped? Not really, but what we are doing at our level is to sensitise the people not to patronise quacks who have no second address. If the government feels that it is becoming embarrassing, it can enact a law that will forbid people to deface their buildings. The Nigeria Institute of Estate Valuers is working in conjunction with the Lagos State government to regulate agencies. There is the Lagos State Real Estate Transaction Department in the Ministry of Housing, their business is to register and regulate estate agency. If you are not sure of the person you are dealing with, you can go to this body to authenticate his genuineness. These of quacks are the ones that the local people are dealing with because of their accessibility.

WORLD RECORD

Longest journey by car in a single country

Vol. 03 No. 700

Alaafin: Celebrating a worthy royalty @ 75

xactly 75 years ago today (15th October, 1938), a child was born to the royal family of the then Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Adeniran Adeyemi and Olori Ibironke Adeyemi 11 of Epo Gingin Compound, OkeAfin, Oyo in the western part of Nigeria. When the time came for his christening, he was called Abdul Lamid Olayiwola Atanda Adeyemi. Little Adeyemi did not enjoy the tenderly and loving care of a mother, having lost his at a very early age. He got the Quranic education at the Quranic School, Iseyin; later went St. Andrews Primary School, Oyo. His primary school education was disrupted when he was moved to Abeokuta to live with the then Alake of Egbaland, Oba Oladepo Ademola. However, his stay in Abeokuta was again to be truncated by the

N150

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

The longest journey by car in a single country is 15,793 km (9,813.3 miles) and was achieved by Gennadij Paramonov, Alexey Vorobiev, Alexander Nesterov, Andrey Ivanov, Ilya Novikov, Alexey Simakin, Rafael Usmanov and Denis Solomovich (all Russia), and Rainer Zietlow (Germany) who drove three Volkswagen Amaroks from Moscow to Petropavlovsk (Russia) from 8 February to 8 April 2013.

ormer Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) scribe, Chief Taiwo Ogunjobi and former Nigeria Premier League (NPL) Chairman, Chief Rumson Victor Baribote have been banned from football related activities for at least 10 years. A communiqué signed by Chief Emeka Inyama after a meeting

Guest Columnist

Fehintola Azeez

rebellion led against “tax without representation” by Chief Mrs. Funmilayo Ransome Kuti between 1947 and 1948. The struggle forced the Egba monarch into exile in Osogbo, the present Osun State capital. Undaunted by the setback, the young Adeyemi stayed back to face life squarely, engaging in menial jobs to survive. When it was time for his secondary education, he got admission into St Gregory’s College, Obalende, Lagos, having come second in the entrance examination. His experience in Lagos was equally a challenging one. He soldiered on, wrote his Senior Cambridge Examination and got excellent grades that qualified him to study Law at the University of London. His London trip was facilitated by the late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, who organized a financial support for him through the African Continental Bank (ACB), Yaba, Lagos. However, while arrangements were on for the trip to the United Kingdom, fate played a cruel game on him. Exactly on the 14th February, 1960, 48 hours to the scheduled date of departure, his father, Oba Adeniran died, thus aborting the plan of studying abroad. The alternative was to get a job with the Royal Exchange Assurance, Marina, Lagos. Though without a university education, Oba Adeyemi has put to effective use his mastery of English Language, English Literature and History, the three subjects that gave him the UK law admission. He is a prolific writer. In the area of Yoruba and world history, he is in a class of his own. He had been guest speaker at numerous forums organized by professional bodies and groups. Of great importance were two of such ar-

THE ALAAFIN HAS DISPLAYED A GREAT DEAL OF INGENUITY IN BRINGING TOUCHES OF MODERNITY TO THE

ANCIENT OYO PALACE ticles written as far back as 1968, which have today become fulfilled prophecies. The first was “I Shall Be Great” and the second “I Shall Be The Next Alaafin”. Barely a week after the second article was written, the young Adeyemi was selected as the Alaafin-elect by six of the seven Oyo-Mesi in March, 1968. That marked the beginning of his tortuous journey to the exalted throne. Because the then government of the day was not well disposed to his emergence as Alaafin, the selection exercise was repeated three times and he won on all the three occasions. Rather than endorsing his appointment, the Western Region government hid under the cloak of the then on-going civil war to halt the whole process. Though, the process was reopened again after the civil war in 1970, but it was a new beginning. His nomination was announced on 18th November, 1970; and the government eventually approved and gazetted his appointment in December 1970. And so at a tender age of 32, he became Alaafin Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi 111. Alaafin Adeyemi 111 is an energetic, diligent, courageous and irrepressible leader. He has taken traditional leadership to an-

other level, using his exposure, wealth and power to benefit his people and mankind. The immediate family of the late Sam Ojebode, a former skipper of IICC Shooting Stars of Ibadan, will forever be grateful to the Kabiyesi for building and furnishing a house for them in the memory of their late father and husband. The Alaafin has displayed a great deal of ingenuity in bringing touches of modernity to the ancient Oyo Palace without losing its traditional essence, a development that has turned the place to a tourist centre. This touch is not only about the infrastructure and architectural design of the Palace, but also about the individuals that have statutory and traditional functions in the Palace. He has made life more comfortable for all of them. Talking in September 1984 about the essence of the royalty, Oba Adeyemi had said: “Traditional ruler should be seen as the perfect embodiment of the culture of the place, as well as the synthesis of the aspirations and goals of the nation. This is not only in social values of veracity, egalitarianism, justice and democracy; but in dress, utterances and comportment; evens the mere necessary trivialities that mark Nigeria and the locality as a distinctive entity”. In ensuring the preservation of the culture and tradition of his people as well as giving it international outlook, the Alaafin appointed two years ago Dr. Paula Gomes, a Portuguese who has engaged in a great deal of research and organized educative lectures to showcase the beauty of Yoruba culture and tradition, a Cultural Ambassador. In 1979, the Federal Government honoured Oba Adeyemi with the national honour of Commander Federal Republic (CFR), and a year later the same government appointed him the pioneer Chancellor of the newly established Uthman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto, a position he held for a record time of 12 years of three terms. A complete family man, Oba Adeyemi is an indefatigable monarch, an enigma of unequal passion for the great good of all. Happy birthday, Kabiyesi, igba odun, odun kan! Alhaji Azeez is media aide to Iku-Baba-Yeye

Sport Extra

NFF slams ban on Ogunjobi, others of the NFF Executive Committee which was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia stated: “The Committee, based on the report of an investigative committee headed by Barrister Chris Green, approved a 10year ban from all football-related activities on one-time NFF Gen-

eral Secretary and former NFF Executive Committee member, Chief Taiwo Ogunjobi. “The Committee, based on the report of an investigative committee headed by Chief Emeka Inyama, approved a 15-year ban from all football-related activities

on former NPL Chairman, Chief Rumson Victor Baribote. These decisions by the Executive Committee are subject to ratification of the Congress of Nigeria football at the next Annual General Assembly, as contained in the NFF Statutes.”

Ogunjobi

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