Friday, december 27, 2013

Financial Times urges FG to audit crude oil sales account TOLA AKINMUTIMI ABUJA

Alison-Madueke

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he Financial Times of London, one of the world’s leading

Vol. 3 N0. 753

Reply to Obasanjo:

newspapers, has advised the Federal Government to conduct a comprehensive audit of crude oil sales transactions and payments.

The call followed the rag-

Apo killings: You can’t testify in camera, NHRC tells SSS P.6

ing controversy surrounding reports of unremitted crude oil sales proceeds.

The action, which aligns with the position of the CONTINUED ON PAGE 2>>

Abubakar

Friday, December 27, 2013

N150

Jonathan has desecrated –APC President’s offi ce ‘It’s time to call a truce’ OBIORA IFOH ABUJA

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he All Progressives Congress, APC, has accused President Goodluck Jonathan of desecrating the office of the President by allowing himself to be drawn into exchange of words with former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

The party in a statement said in other climes, the President would have sim-

ply issued a terse response to such a letter, denying the allegations that border on national security.

It added that the former President’s observations had been noted and that the government would study them, stressing that the ship of state was on course.

President Jonathan had last Sunday in an 11-page letter replied Obasanjo’s 18-page letter, which raised CONTINUED ON PAGE 2>>

Sanitation: Lagos lifts restriction order on movement P.11 Revellers at Elegushi Beach in Lagos, yesterday.

Sultan tasks Muslims, Christians on religious tolerance P.10

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Fashola

Blackout mars Christmas celebrations

…as electricity supply shortfalls worsens nationwide Abubakar

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Friday, December 27, 2013

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Jonathan has desecrated President’s office –APC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

questions over the leadership style of the President.

While refuting the allegations levelled against him and his administration, President Jonathan said that the letter by the former President was intended to harass him out of 2015 election.

He also said that the letter was capable of setting the stage for subversion and a threat to the security

of the nation.

The President also accused Obasanjo of instigating the crisis in the ruling Peoples Democratic Party and doing him grave injustice by the letter in which he was wrongfully accused of deceit, deception, dishonesty, incompetence, clannishness, divisiveness, and insincerity, amongst other.

But in a statement issued in Lagos by its Na-

tional Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the APC said while it is not interested in joining the fray over the issues contained in the letters written by both men, the decision by the President to go personal in his reaction crossed the threshold of decency and brought the Presidency - and indeed the country - into disrepute.

“The President, who accused Obasanjo of doing

him a great injustice, has himself done a great injustice to the Presidency, which is an institution in which he is only a tenant.

In the end, the President of Africa’s most populous nation, the leader of the foremost black nation on earth and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria simply desecrated his own Presidency and allowed those

Police Officers celebrating Christmas at the Police Headquarters in Abuja yesterday.

Financial Times urges FG to audit crude oil sales account CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

monetary authorities, in the view of the newspaper, is the only feasible means of resolving the confusion over the reported loss of billions of naira in crude oil earnings.

The FT in its editorial entitled: “Time for Nigeria to plug its oil leaks”, published on December 22, said that despite efforts to entrench transparency in crude oil exports and revenue earnings, there appeared to be little progress made in opening the country’s “notoriously opaque oil industry.”

It added that one conclusion that could be drawn from the official confusion over the proportion of oil revenues going missing was that little progress had been made in bringing greater transparency to the sector.

“Africa’s leading oil producer still hosts an industry subject to billions of dollars in abuse, in obvious need of more stringent monitoring.

The latest debate around the issue was sparked by a leaked letter to Goodluck Jonathan, the President.

“In it the central bank governor warned that the state oil company had failed

between January 2012 and July 2013 to account for nearly $50bn in revenues from oil sales. Somewhat inured though many Nigerians are to big-ticket scandals, the scale of this revelation elicited a sharp national intake of breath,” the FT added.

While, the Central Bank’s calculations contained major omissions, necessitating officials to whittle the figure for related shortfalls down to more like $11bn, the FT noted that there were big questions still left to answer.

First, according to the newspaper, is how the state oil company (the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation) justified withholding the $11bn identified, an ugly development which was part of a bigger puzzle over falling oil revenues that necessitated the Central Bank Governor, Mallam Lamido Sanusi, to raise the alarm in the first place.

According to the FT, part of the answer lies in industrial-scale theft direct from pipelines as well as regulatory uncertainty orchestrated by prolonged delay in the passage of the Petroleum

Industry Bill, which many analysts believe would help in cleansing the rot in the upstream sector, particularly the crude oil sale revenue abuses and frauds.

It submitted that farreaching legislation designed to clean up mess in the sector has been languishing for five years. As a result there has been a marked drop in investment in fresh production by the international oil companies.

“Yet the shortfalls on the books are not fully explained by production losses and fluctuations in price. Oil earnings this year are down by about a third in dollar terms compared with 2011, while the fall in exports is on average 10 per cent. Swap contracts, when crude oil allocated for domestic consumption is exchanged for refined product imports without money changing hands, may be hiding further substantial losses.

“To fill gaps in the budget this year the finance ministry has had to draw down on the rainy-day savings fund (Excess Crude Account) that is financed by windfall earnings above the budgeted

price of oil. This has left Nigeria unnecessarily vulnerable to shocks”, the FT added.

In the editorial’s scathing final paragraphs, the FT concluded: “Heading into the 100th anniversary year of its creation, Africa’s most populous nation should be in a better position. Investor interest in the country’s potential as a market and a motor for regional growth has rarely been higher. The oil price is high and the economy is growing at about 7 per cent. Not for the first time, Nigerians are being let down by poor stewardship of the oil industry, on which their country still depends for more than 90 per cent of export earnings.

“Mr. Jonathan should order a forensic, external audit of the oil accounts to clear up the confusion. This could go two ways. It could expose the real extent of losses owing to gross mismanagement and knock a further dent in public confidence. However, it could also show that government is serious about plugging the holes, while adding urgency to the passage of legislation meant to restore the industry back to health.”

who can only be likened to gravy train passengers, rascals and knaves to seize the initiative from him.

“This is what happens when a President is surrounded by self-serving, boot-licking and dishonest people, at the expense of seasoned technocrats and veteran policymakers, who would have reminded the President that while critics can afford to fire all sorts of darts at him, as the custodian of the Presidency at this point in time, he cannot afford to respond in kind because, in doing so, he would be debasing the Presidency as an institution,” APC said.

The party said the President was not unaware of this because he struggled in his letter to maintain some minimum level of decorum, and then quickly lost control and engaged in a bare-knuckle fight.

“The President himself knows that he ought not to have engaged in such exchange when he wrote early on in his letter: ‘It is with the greatest possible reluctance that I now write this reply. I am most uneasy about embarking on this unprecedented and unconventional form of open communication between me and a former leader of our country because I know that there are more acceptable and dignified means of doing so’.

“However, he quickly jettisoned such reluctance and, in an unfortunate debasement of the tone and quality of statecraft, went full blast, calling the former President a liar, a conflict instigator and an unreliable ally, among other inferred derogatory labels that may have now shut the window to reconciliation between him and his political God-father, in addition to portraying Nigerian leaders as delinquents.

“To worsen matters, President Jonathan could not restrain himself from using even the revered and ecclesial platform provided by his appearance at a Church service on Christmas day to further lambast his critics and spew out hot words.

This, surely, is not what is expected of a President, a leader and anyone

who wants to be a nation builder. It is time to call a truce!” it said.

It will be recalled that former President Obasanjo in a reaction to Jonathan’s missive said that he would no longer make any comments on the matter having made his point.

Obasanjo’s Special Assistant, Media, Tunde Oladunjoye, had in a statement on Monday said: “Since the publication of the letter written by the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR, which was in response to the letter earlier written by revered former President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR; we have received several requests from local and international media asking to know Chief Obasanjo’s reaction to Mr. President’s response”.

“One, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR, acknowledges Mr. President’s letter/response.

However, Baba, as he already indicated in his December 2, 2013, does not wish to make further comments beyond the contents of his last letter to the Mr. President or react to the said letter/response from Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. Let me quote from page fourteen, paragraph two of Chief Obasanjo’s letter to Mr. President dated December 2, 2013 and titled Before It Is Too Late: “I will maintain my serenity, because by this letter I have done my duty to you as I have always done, to your government, to the party, PDP, and to our country, Nigeria’.

“Two, let me reiterate here, that Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR has tremendous respect for the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

“Chief Olusegun Obasanjo sincerely appreciates all of you, my cherished colleagues; gentlemen and women of the media profession, who have been very upright, ethical and robust on the subject matter.”

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Friday, December 27, 2013

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Photo News

Friday, December 27, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Christmas Celebrations

Cross River State First Lady Mrs Obioma Imoke Cutting the Tape to declare the Children’s Parade of the 2013 Calabar Carnival Open yesterday.

A Cross Section of tourists at the Children’s parade of the 2013 Calabar carnival yesterday

Members of the Freedom Band at the 2013 Calabar carnival

A participant performs during the opening of Calabar children carnival, yesterday.

Choir and Orchestra of The Apostolic Faith Church, Ekiti District, during the Christmas Concert of the church, in Ado-Ekiti, yesterday.

Picnickers on Boxing Day at the Oniru Beach in Lagos, yesterday.

PHOTO: YINKA ADEPARUSI

Children enjoying Christmas holiday at Trans amusement park Ibadan, yesterday.

Children enjoying Boxing day holiday at Heritage park, Oshodi, Lagos. PHOTO:ADEMOLA AKINLABI

Fun seekers at the Trans Amusement Park in Ibadan.

Fun seekers at the National Art Theatre Iganmu, Lagos yesterday.

PHOTO:NAN

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

News

Friday, December 27, 2013

Blackout mars Christmas celebrations UDEME AKPAN

WITH AGENCY REPORT

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any Nigerians celebrated this year’s Christmas in darkness as electricity supply dropped from 4,500 megawatts to about 4,000mw as a result of limited gas and poor transmission infrastructure.

The drop in power supply means that many parts of the country will be in darkness throughout the weekend as not much would be done until January.

Investigations by our correspondent showed that poor power supply being experienced by consumers was a direct function of limited gas

supply and other factors.

“Indeed, the electricity generation companies, GENCOs, have the capacity to generate more megawatts but cannot do that because of limited gas supply to thermal plants.

“This is a major challenge, which we hope to overcome in the sector whenever there is improvement in gas supply.

“There were also transmission issues. Transmission has not witnessed much improvement as expected mainly as a result of issues like limited facilities and vandalism which was worsened as a result of the collapse of transmission tower no 69 that culminated

in the loss of 132 KV transmission line,” a source in the Federal Ministry of Power who confirmed the situation said.

The General Manager, Public Affairs of TCN, Mrs. Seun Olagunju, who spoke with National Mirror, said the actual transmission could not be ascertained as she was on holiday.

She said: “I have to be in office before I can confirm that to you. I will certainly let you know when I get back to work.”

But investigation showed that both generation and transmission of power have been affected despite promises to provide more power to different classes of con-

sumers.”

Specifically, the transmission of electricity was expected to witness much improvement after the takeover by Manitoba Hydro International, MHI of Canada as TCN manager.

The deal between the Federal Government and Manitoba was sealed to enable the government reduce generation loses and maximise electricity transmission in the nation.

But not much has changed as the nation that generates a little over 4,000 megawatts still records losses associated with transmission.

This has attracted the comments of many people, including government of-

L-R: Head of Operations, Federal Road Safety Corps, Lagos State, Mr. Adeoye Irelewuyi; Lagos State Sector Commander, Mr. Chidi Nkwonta and Deputy Corps Public Education Officer, Abuja, Mr. Bisi Kazeem, during the Operation Zero Tolerance on the LagosIbadan Expressway, yesterday.

We can win the war against terrorism –Jonathan ROTIMI FADEYI ABUJA

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resident Goodluck Jonathan yesterday said that it was possible to record total victory in the war against terrorism as his administration is steadily winning it in the country.

According to him, the Federal Government, the armed forces and the national security agencies would continue to build on the successes they have achieved against terrorists, insurgents and their sponsors.

Jonathan through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, was reacting to media reports which quoted him as saying that terrorism in the country has come to stay.

A statement issued yes-

terday by Abati said; “The war against terrorism is very winnable and President Jonathan’s administration is steadily winning it in Nigeria.

“The Federal Government, the armed forces and the national security agencies will continue to build on the successes they have achieved so against terrorists, insurgents and their sponsors.”

While reacting to the media report, Abati said such reports are completely untrue and a mischievous misrepresentation of the President’s remarks at a Christmas church service which was held at the Cathedral Church of the Advent, Life Camp, Abuja.

The President urged the media to avoid undue negativity and stop scaremongering while joining

hands with the government to patriotically promote peace, national security and political stability in the country.

Abati further explained in the statement that Jonathan’s verifiable remarks at the church were to the effect that in comparison with some other countries which have experienced the scourge of terrorism, Nigeria has made remarkable progress in dealing with the security challenges posed by terrorism and insurgency.

The statement said: “Headlines such as; “Terrorism Has Come to Stay” and “Insurgency Far From Over –Jonathan,” are therefore most incongruous with the thrust of the President’s remarks and amount to taking extreme editorial liberties

with his comments at the church service.

“It is apparent that in their indecent haste to cast the most sensational and negative headlines, some editors never paused to consider that it would have been most absurd for a President whose administration has done so much to reverse the tide of terrorism, to publicly assert the contrary,” the statement added.

Abati said when Jonathan worshipped at the church on Christmas Day, he only pointed out that whereas terrorism remains a global challenge and a source of continuing concern in some countries, Nigeria has done comparatively better in reducing the incidence of terrorist attacks within its borders to a “reasonable level.”

ficials.

For instance, the Chairman, Technical Committee of the National Council on Privatisation, Mr. Atedo Peterside, said: “Transmission is the life-blood of this entire electricity eco-system and it is also potentially the weakest link at present.

“I am reliably informed that currently stranded capacity due to transmission evacuation constraints is in the region of 100mv.

“The ability of TCN to catch up with generation availability and also keep pace with future expansion will depend on its continued access to financing for its needs and also its ability to execute and rigorously monitor project implementation to high professional standards.

“The latter will inspire confidence and open the door to even more funding.

Conversely, if that confidence is lost early on, then third party financing will dry up and the burden of financing TCN’s expansion will fall on the Federal Government of Nigeria, FGN. “Unfortunately, the board of TCN is yet to get its act together. Since the appointment of a chairman and some initial board members was first announced some months ago, so much time appeared to have been lost in squabbling over who does what, when and how.

“If TCN does not deliver the goods in 2014, there will be a crisis of sorts when the 10 NIPP power plants come on stream. The same can be said for the Gas Supply and Gas Transportation arrangements.”

Chairman, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, Dr. Sam Amadi, also said that Electricity Distribution Companies, DISCOs, are not getting enough power to supply based on transmission issues.

Meanwhile, visits to Mile 12, Ketu, Ojota, Maryland, Palmgrove, Onikpanu, Bariga, Lagos Island, Oshodi/ Isolo, Apapa, Mushin, Iyana Oworo, Ijaye Ojokoro and Alagbado neighbourhoods of Lagos State revealed the areas had been experiencing a blackout since December 25.

Some of the residents, who spoke on the issue expressed displeasure over the failure of the DISCO’s to supply stable electricity under the existing arrangements.

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A resident of Mushin, Mr. Ayo Adeyinka, said that the privatisation of the power sector had not been beneficial to the citizens in spite of the government’s efforts to make things work.

“We have never seen it like this before. There was light on December 24, although it was on and off till 7a.m. on the Christmas Day. “Since that time, up till this morning, we have not seen light in any part of this area,’’ he said.

A resident of Ketu, Mr. Sunday Olarewaju, noted that the Ikeja Disco management had not given any explanation for the prevailing blackout.

“We do not know if electricity workers are on strike or not.

“In our usual way, we have checked the transformers and moved round but there is no sign that a major fault was responsible for the blackout,” he said.

Olarewaju said that the residents’ representatives were planning to go to the nearest Disco office to demand an explanation for the blackout.

Mr. Adeloju Shokoya, a resident of Lagos Island, expressed regret that he and his family had a “harrowing experience celebrating Christmas without electricity.

“If there is light, you will not meet most of us outside; we would have been somewhere else watching films or football matches.

“I have been on generator since Christmas Day with the hope that they would soon restore electricity supply. Up till this morning, we have not seen even the normal flashing they give us at times,” he said.

Another Lagos Island resident, Mr. Adetola Williams, however, said that the people would continue to enjoy themselves, whether there was light or not.

Whether there is electricity or not, man must enjoy himself. Yesterday, we were outside drinking and we used generators to power our musical sets in order to enjoy ourselves.

“From the look of things, we may do the same again today because l don’t understand this palaver anymore.

“You know they do what they like but they cannot spoil our enjoyment and merriment in this Christmas period,” he said.

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National News

Friday, December 27, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Let our budgets meet people’s aspirations –Kaka FEMI OYEWESO ABEOKUTA

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L-R: National President, Polymer Institutes of Nigeria, Dr Imanah Joseph; Head of Distribution, Integrated Polymer Products Ltd; Mr Madahtil Padmanabhan; Chief Executive Officer, Newport Technologies Ltd; Dr Oludayo Dada and Director, Pollution Control and Environmental Health Department, Ministry of Environment, Mrs Olufunke Babade, at a National Stakeholders’ Workshop on the Phase Out of Biodegradable Plastic in Nigeria in Abuja, recently,

Apo killings: You can’t testify in camera, NHRC tells SSS ISE-OLUWA IGE ABUJA

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he National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, has issued a fresh summon on the Department of State Security Service, DSS, to appear before it on January 7, 2014 to publicly explain the role it played in the killing of eight squatters in a building in the Apo area of Abuja.

That was after it turned down a request by the DSS to testify in secret in the ongoing enquiry into the killings.

The dead, now popularly described as Apo 8, were mowed down by combined men of security agencies in the country.

They were said to be members of the Boko Haram sect plotting to launch a suicide attack on Abuja before they were extra-judicially killed.

But the extra-judicial murder was trailed by identity controversy.

The squatters, who were said to be mostly tricycle riders and petty traders, were killed on September 20 by a team of soldiers and SSS operatives in a pre-dawn raid.

The security agencies, however, insisted that the victims were suspected terrorists who first attacked its officials, a claim faulted by witnesses and

Issues fresh summon on it to appear Jan 7

residents of the area, who described the attack as unprovoked; and the victims as homeless tricycle riders and petty traders.

The NHRC, which is investigating a petition alleging that those killed were Okada riders rather than terrorists, had invited all those involved in the killing to appear and shed light on their roles.

The DSS was one of the governmental agencies invited to give evidence in the matter.

Although, the agency said it was willing to help the commission, it begged to give its testimony in camera.

The request was made via an oral application by the DSS before the NHRC. Ruling on the request, NHRC said: “We have a composite oral application by the Department of State Services (DSS) with two prongs: one to take the DSS’ testimony in these hearings in camera; the other to relocate to the DSS Headquarters in Abuja to view exhibits and take evidence from some intelligence assets in the custody of the DSS. “Counsel representing the DSS cites national security as the reason for this application.

“Rule 66 of the Standing Orders and Rules of

Procedure (STORP) of the commission require the commission to apply the rules of fair hearing.

“Specifically, Rule 66 (1) (a) of the STORP requires us to be ‘fair and just’.

“Rule 67 (1) empowers the commission to ‘authorise in its discretion such measures as may be necessary for the protection of parties, victims, evidence, witnesses or any participants in the complaints process.’

“This Panel is mindful of the sensitive circumstances of this case.

“We are equally mindful of the need for confidence in this process of fact finding and in the institutions of safety, security and access to justice in Nigeria.

“We are also mindful that the DSS has already addressed the press on the operation relating to the subject of the current proceedings and that the Chief of Army Staff and the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), with whom the DSS had close co-ordination in these operations, have already testified in public.

“In our view, it is in the interest of all the parties and of justice to take the testimony of the DSS in these proceedings under

oath and in public.

“With respect to the testimony of the intelligence assets and the inspection of the exhibits in the custody of the DSS the Panel rules that we shall inspect and examine those; where they are in the custody of the DSS and in the presence of the petitioners or their legal representatives as the panel may determine.

“All persons whom the panel may authorise to attend the inspection, not being staff of the DSS or members of the panel or staff of the commission shall, prior to the inspection, make and subscribe to an oath of confidentiality in terms of the Oaths Act.” National Mirror reports that the NHRC, had, last week, begun hearing into the killings.

There were reports after Monday’s sitting that the human rights commission okayed an application by the SSS for a secret testimony by its operatives at its headquarters in Abuja.

But it has emerged that the news report distorted the ruling of the commission.

It was learnt that the SSS would testify in the open at the NHRC headquarters on January 7.

he lawmaker representing Ogun East senatorial district at the National Assembly, Senator Adegbenga Kaka, yesterday said that the future of the country looks bleak except its annual budget preparations are tailored towards meeting the aspirations of the people.

He said yearly budgets prepared by chief executives must be made to meet the yearnings of the citizenry, especially in the area of capital projects and implementation.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with National Mirror, Senator Kaka condemned the situation whereby 70 per cent of the country’s annual budget is expended on recurrent expenditure.

He, however, canvassed that there must be a re-ordering of priorities in the budget preparations both at the state and national levels in such a way that it would meet the yearnings of the populace.

“The masses are not getting enough! What we have in the budget is nothing but an annual ritual. A situation whereby 70 per cent of our budget is annually going for recurrent expenditure can never be acceptable to the populace.

“Again, when you look at the capital expenditure, which is about 28 to 30 per cent and you now said at the end of the year, only 40 per cent achievement is recorded; that means that the actual proportion that goes into capital implementation is less than 20 per cent. And if it is less than 20 per cent, it falls short of what the people expect us to do.

“That is why we are saying that there must be a re-ordering of priorities.”

The lawmaker also charged state Assemblies and the National Assembly to ensure that the job of oversight by them are carried out thoroughly to ensure that money voted for such in every budget go to the desired end for which it was meant.

“Then those of us at the National Assembly must do more of the oversight functions that will compel

the executives not only to devote more money to the capital expenditure, but to also oversee their activities so that the money voted for such goes to the desired end for which it is meant.”

Commenting on the series of endorsements of some political office holders witnessed in recent time across the country, particularly in his party, the APC, Kaka said such endorsements were nothing but a misplaced priority.

He said that the party is still at the formation level, yet to have national, states and local governments’ executives and wondered why some people have started endorsing anyone for another term of office.

“It is disheartening to hear that some people have started endorsing some for second term, when we are yet to properly establish the party.

Kaka maintained that the leadership of the party are still finalising arrangements on the commencement of registration of members to accommodate all the defectors from other political parties, who all joined forces to establish APC and endorsements of any political office holders would injure the interest of other defectors.

He described those propagating and championing the second term ambition for some candidates as enemies of progress.

“We are yet to complete the foundation; people have started picking their rooms. The idea is crazy as it indicate a high level of misplaced priority.”

Emphasising that the notion of automatic ticket would not work, the lawmaker added that all the elective office seekers, including the governors, senators as well as others would have to queue and seek the consent of other stakeholders before they could emerge as flag-bearer of APC. He added that the party itself is yet to have substantive chairmen in all the state of the federation and warned those parading themselves as chairmen of the party to desist forthwith, stressing that the harmonisation committee of the party is yet to be inaugurated.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Friday, December 27, 2013

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Friday, December 27, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

HIV/AIDS: Institute treats 28,000 patients this year

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he Institute of Human Virology, Nigeria (IHVN) says that it has placed no fewer than 28,000 persons living with HIV and AIDS on treatment this year.

Chief Executive Officer of IHVN, Dr Patrick Dakum, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja yesterday that the institute also conducted HIV tests for more than

200,000 pregnant women.

“Out of the tested pregnant women, about 9,000 were found to be HIV-positive. We placed them on treatment to prevention the transmission of the virus to their unborn babies.

“This means that we have at least attempted to save a minimum of 9,000 babies from having HIV in 2013; the IHVN is scaling

up efforts in the Prevention of Mother–To-Child Transmission of HIV (PMTCT) programme “Our funding agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), gave us a directive to step up efforts in certain states; we are able to add on to the number of sites that we support,’’ he said.

Dakum said that the institute also added about

600 new sites across the federation through which it was supporting HIV and AIDS treatment as well as the PMTCT programme.

He said that the institute also provided training for health workers on how to care for people living with HIV and AIDS. Dakum, however, conceded that one of the challenges facing the institute related to the bad

infrastructure in primary health care centres for the provision of PMTCT services.

“Primary health care centres must work and for them to work effectively, they must have good structures.

“The centres should have buildings that are conducive to human habitation; buildings where patients will go in and find

seats before obtaining appropriate health care services,’’ he said.

Dakum underscored the need for the government to provide quality health care delivery for the citizens.

He, nonetheless, commended President Goodluck Jonathan for his efforts to intensify Nigeria’s commitment in the fight against HIV and AIDS.

Deaf Muslims seek improved knowledge for better devotion Niger NUJ plans N50m

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embers of the Association of Deaf Muslims in Nigeria (ADMUN) yesterdaty called on Muslims to encourage them to acquire Islamic knowledge.

The National Chairman of the association, Alhaji Usman Nahuche, made the call at the opening of the 22nd edition of the National Conference of Deaf Muslims in Gusau, the Zamfara State capital.

He said that Islamic scholars had denied members of his organisation the opportunity to acquire

Islamic knowledge that could enhance their devotion and general interactions.

Nahuce, who is also the permanent secretary in the Zamfara State Agency for Poverty Alleviation, said that “all it takes to teach a deaf person is mastery of sign language and patience.”

Also speaking, a prominent member of the association, Alhaji Suleiman Dabbo, said finger spelling techniques as well as other welfare packages had gone a long way in ensuring that the deaf acquire both Islamic

and western education.

He appealed to government at all levels to establish special education units in public schools for the deaf as well as offer them scholarships.

In his remarks, the state governor, Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari, assured the association of the government’s readiness to address the problems of its members.

Yari, who was represented by the Commissioner for Religious Affairs, Prof.

Abdullahi Shinkafi, said

the government pays 20,000 religious leaders monthly stipends.

He expressed his administration’s willingness to partner individuals and organisations in the effort to promote the Islamic religion in the state and the nation in general.

NAN reports that the theme of the conference, which is being attended by participants from 21 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), is “Consolidating the Activities and Welfare of Deaf Muslims in Nigeria.”

motel –Chairman

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he Niger State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) plans to construct a 20-room motel at the Council’s secretariat. The motel is to cost N50 million.

NUJ Chairman, Mr. Ilya Garba, announced this at a media briefing yesterday in Minna on the Council’s plans for its Press Week.

Garba said the venture was to boost the revenue base of the Council.

He said other structures, including a Cyber

Cafe would be provided at the motel to serve the interest of the union members.

“The plans for the motel had been mooted in the past but we decided to move it forward and make necessary arrangements for its take-off.

“Already the drawings for the structure and bill of quantity are ready.

“The 20-room motel will serve the needs of the union members upon their transfer to the state as well as other interested members of the public.

THE JOB SHOW

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VACANCIES

n behalf of the Lagos State Government, NAFS S.G. Nigeria Limited (a professional training and consultancy firm) invites dynamic and focused young graduates who wish to make a career in verbatim reporting to apply for engagement as trainees at the Stateís newly established training centre.

Job Title: Training and Employment Location: Lagos Qualifications: Candidates must have: ?A minimum of a Second Class (Lower Division) Degree from an accredited university or a Higher National Diploma; A good command of both written and spoken English.

Prior working experience is not compulsory, although computer literacy is an advantage. Preferred candidates should be below the age of 35 years.

If your application is accepted,

you will: ?Be trained free of charge to use a stenograph machine to record court and other proceedings ?Be employed by the Lagos State Government as an official verbatim reporter upon successful completion of the training programme.

Closing Date 2nd January, 2014 Interested applicants should submit as one attachment in Microsoft Word or PDF format, a CV and cover letter to: lagos.verbatim.training@ gmail.com All applications must be submitted no later than 2nd January 2014.

Only short listed candidates will be contacted

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Friday, December 27, 2013

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CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS

Bishop asks North-East residents to pray for peace DANJUMA WILLIAMS GOMBE

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he Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Gombe, Bishop Henry Ndukuba, has encouraged people of the NorthEast zone of the country to use the Christmas period to pray for the peace and stability of the region.

The North-East has been a theater of terrorists’ attack in the last two

year.

The Bishop, who sympathised with those who have been victims of one form of terrorists’ attack or the other, called on them not to be weary, but be steadfast in prayer to end the wanton destruction of lives and property.

Bishop Ndukuba said: “For us in Gombe and the North-East, in this Christmas period, we strongly identify with all those

families, whether Christians, Muslims or nonreligious people who are going through turmoil.

The message for us in this Christmas period is that our consolation has come.

“With what the nation is passing through, the country needs only the intervention of God in our affairs since our leaders do not seem to know what the problem of this nation is.

“Just imagine the happenings between former President Olusegun Obasanjo and the incumbent President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, if the two men, who should know what is happening in this land do not even know what is happening, and they are carrying rumours that have the capacity to destroy, then we need God. “We want to encourage

KADUNA

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overnor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero of Kaduna State has spent his three-day Christmas holiday with Christian clerics and traditional rulers in the Southern part of the state.

The Southern Kaduna was predominantly popu-

Yero celebrates with Christians lated by Christians.

Yero, a Muslim from Zaria, embarked on the tour to first class Chiefs on Christmas day and retired to his Kafanchan Governor’s lodge bed late night.

He had discussions with different groups of Christian clerics, includ-

ing the Catholic Bishop of Kafanchan, Bishop Joseph Bagobiri, before addressing political groups in a programme security men barred journalists from its coverage.

While addressing youth and women, Yero said he was in the South-

ern part of the state to celebrate Christmas.

“All of us in Kaduna are one. Where ever the part one comes from, there is the need for all of us to unite and work for peace.

We have to shun our differences and work against things that divide us.”

Xmas gifts: SOS Children village director lauds donors

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he Director of SOS Children’s Village in lsolo, Lagos State, Mr. Benjamin Buraimoh, yesterday commended individuals, corporate organisations, churches and government establishments for their donations to the children

at Christmas.

Buraimoh told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the village received gifts such cows, chicken, rice, biscuits, drinks, clothing and cash.

“Our children at the 10 family houses in the Village enjoyed themselves

on Christmas Day. “This Boxing Day, we allowed four family houses to go out for picnics at Lekki Beach and an event centre at lkeja, with some members of the public.

“When compared to what the children’s village received in 2012, l will

say that we have marginal improvements in donations from sponsors and donors,” he said.

Buraimoh said that the 10 family houses at the SOS Children’s Village accommodated not less than 99 children aged from 16 years and below.

Ogun residents differ on essence of Boxing Day

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ome residents of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, yesterday expressed divergent views on the essence of December 26 as a public holiday, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

In separate interviews with NAN, some expressed

the belief that December 26, known as the Boxing Day, was just a public holiday to sleep off the “ hang-over’’ from the Christmas enjoyment.

But others see Boxing Day as a day to stay around their families and also reunite with friends and fami-

lies.

Some also said the true essence of December 26 was that it is a day to share gifts and show love to people around.

Mr. Wale Titus, a businessman, said the meaning of Boxing Day was not known to him, adding that

chaos, let us speak and pursue peace because the God we serve is a God of peace.”

Celebration was hitch-free in FCT

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he police said the Christmas was celebrated in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Wednesday without any incident of crime.

The FCT Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Altine Daniel, who confirmed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday, said everything went well in terms of security.

“Things are going on well, we have not recorded any incident so far,” she said.

Daniel urged FCT residents to be securityconscious and report any suspicious movement to the police or other law enforcement agencies.

It will be recalled that the Commissioner of Police in the FCT, Mr. Femi

Ogunbayode, had assured residents of adequate security before the Christmas.

He said the command would collaborate with other security agencies to achieve the objective.

Also, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Sector Commander in the FCT, Mr. Kayode Fanola, told NAN that only two road traffic accidents were recorded in the territory on Christmas day, but were not fatal.

According to him, one of the crashes occurred on the Kubwa Expressway while the other was on the Nyanya Highway.

“The crashes are normal and were not fatal,” he said, calling on motorists to drive with care.

Lagosians dump greeting cards for SMS, phone calls

A participant displaying during this year’s children’s parade at Calabar carnival, yesterday.

A ZA MSUE

people to celebrate and pursue peace. To the religious leaders, let us stop preaching what will bring

it was just a public holiday.

“I really do not know the significance of Dec. 26. All I know is that the day helps to give me time to visit the friends I have not seen for a long period of time.

“The day for me is just to party with friends and enjoy myself,’’ he said.

T

he popular Christmas greeting cards have been replaced with Short Message Service (SMS) and telephone calls by most residents of Lagos, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

NAN reports that some places known for the sale of greeting cards in Lagos, including Ojuelegba, CMC, Ojota, Boundary, Lawanson, Ikorodu Roundabout, among others, were either displaying few cards or none.

Agreeting card seller at Ojuelegba, Mr. Festus Okechukwu, Mr. Festus Okechukwu, said the business was no longer lucrative.

Okechukwu said: “At Ojuelegba here, we are not up to four persons selling cards at this open place, unlike before. Many people are no longer buying cards like before. Between Dec. 1 and now, I have not sold up to N10, 000 worth of cards.

“When the business was moving, there were cards I sold for between N800 and N1, 500 each. Today, I can’t ask anybody to pay so much for a card, so that I will not scare them away. I have to sell few cards because there is little patronage.”

Another seller at Ojuelegba, who simply identified himself as Fred, said that the regular seizure of their goods by officials of Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) also discouraged many sellers from going into the business.

“The selling of greeting cards is a seasonal business.

In the past, many students make quick money through the selling of cards, but that has changed due to declining patronage,’’ Fred said.

A correspondent of NAN who visited Ikorodu , Ojota, CMC and Lawanson, reports that no seller of greeting cards was seen in the open areas, unlike it used to be at Christmas.

NAN reports that the few people who wanted greeting cards had to go to supermarkets to get the cards of their choices.

Some Lagosians, however, told NAN that greeting cards was no longer in vogue since the introduction of the GSM to Nigeria.

Mr Ebuka Ogboanugo, a University student, said that he stopped sending cards to people in 2010, stressing that he now sends text messages to family and friends.

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Friday, December 27, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS

Sultan tasks Muslims, Christians on religious tolerance KEMI OLAITAN IBADAN

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he President-General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) and the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammed Sa’ad Abubakar, yesterday called for religious tolerance

among adherents of both Islam and Christianity.

Abubakar, speaking at the formal opening ceremony of the 96th Islamic Vacation Course (IVC), organised by the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN), B-Zone, held at IVC permanent site, Kilometer 30, Lagos/Ibadan

Expressway, said when Muslims and Christians tolerated one another, there would be peace in the country.

He said the act of violence as being exhibited by the members of the Boko Haram sect, has no basis in Islam.

The governor of Osun

State, Rauf Aregbesola, while speaking at the ceremony, emphasised that Muslims should preach Islam with knowledge and wisdom as the act of violence negated the teaching of Prophet Muhammad.

He called for consistent prayer to end the sociopolitical crisis rocking the

country.

Also, the governor of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun, urged religious leaders to imbibe the act of mutual relationship in their teaching in order to enhance peace, which Islam symbolises.

The MSSN President, Southern Zone, Mallam

Mushafar Alaran, who said over six thousand students from 17 states of the South-West, South-East and South-South geo-political zones of the country attended the programme, said the essence of the course was to instill the true teachings of Islam in the participants.

Dressmakers record boom, engage more hands

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ressmakers in Asaba, Delta State, yesterday said they have recorded more patronage this yuletide compared to the 2012 season.

They hailed the high patronage of their services as opposed to the lull in the 2012 yuletide season.

Some of them, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Asaba, the capital city, said they had to engage temporary workforce to meet customers’ deadlines.

“I must say that we are really impressed at the high patronage from our customers as compared to what we experienced in 2012 during the yuletide,” said Mrs. Oluwatoyin Alade.

Alade, a seamstress, said in spite of complaints of hardship by some of the customers, they were still able to purchase new clothes for their children and wards.

“Our business has been better this year, compared to what we experienced during last year’s yuletide; this has really made us happy,” she said.

Mr. Divine Ejima, who runs a unisex dressmaking outfit, said the increase in patronage com-

pelled him to engage the service of two other tailors to avoid disappointing his clients.

“Just for me not to disappoint my customers this year, I stopped collecting clothes from my customers since the last week of November.

“And in spite of my engaging other tailors, I still have a lot more work to do before the New Year celebrations.

“This has kept me busy and there is pressure, as I work late into the nights to meet up,” he added.

Mr. Fred Okolie, another tailor, said although this period had been impressive, his greatest challenge was meeting customers’ deadline, as some of them may quarrel with him if their clothes were not ready on time.

Meanwhile, some customers who spoke to NAN said, although, there was hardship in the country, they still needed to look good.

Mrs. Gloria Ebikeme said: “For being alive alone, it is worth thanking God for, and one of the ways I can appreciate my God is for me and my family to look good and be happy.”

Picnickers at the Trans Amusement Park in Ibadan, yesterday.

PHOTO:NAN

Boxing Day: Fun seekers throng event centres in Lagos

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un seekers yesterday thronged event centres across Lagos to celebrate this year’s Boxing Day with families and friends.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the fun seekers were seen wining, dining and participating in different types of games at the Bar Beach, Lagos.

One of the fun seekers, Miss Funke Adeogun, told NAN that she really enjoyed herself on Christmas Day, adding that she came back for a repeat of the

merriment on the Boxing Day. “I had a lot of fun yesterday; that was why I came back here to continue from where I stopped,” she said.

However, Mr. Calvin Ibe expressed dismay at the current state of the Bar Beach.

“I actually came here with the intention of swimming at the beach, but I was disappointed when I saw that construction works are still going on at the beach,’’ he said.

Ibe said that he would, however, relocate to the

Silverbird Cinema after spending some time at the beach.

NAN, however, reports that the Silverbird Galleria was also full of fun seekers, who came for some relaxation during the Boxing Day. Some children, who visited the National Theatre, Iganmu, expressed joy as to how they celebrated the day, but they bemoaned the absence of Rosellas Amusement Parks, organisers of leisure activities, at the premises.

Miss Mojisola Adeyefa,

said: “I had fun all through but I still miss Rosellas because of the games we played when they were here.”

Rosellas Amusement Parks was, however, operating at the National Stadium, Surulere, where a lot of events were lined up for children to celebrate the Boxing Day. Mr. Samson Ajadi, the manager of Rosellas at the National Theatre, told NAN that the amusement company had to relocate from the National Theatre due to proposed construction

merry with their families.

“That is why we have come to share the day with them, to pray, to encourage and to give them the gifts that we believe will be useful for their welfare.

“Life is such that we must constantly find ways of becoming better, a stage in life that they are in, is a stage that they will have to put behind them in order to be useful to themselves and the society in future,” he said.

Martins enjoined them to ask for respect them-

selves as images of God, noting that as they respect themselves, others would accord them respect also.

The cleric also said that there was need for adoption of measures that would facilitate prompt dispensation of justice and protect fundamental rights of the people.

The archbishop then urged the Federal Government to accelerate the nation’s prison reforms to enhance inmates’ welfare, stressing that there was need for inmates to be ad-

equately catered for.

“For those who are awaiting trial, their trials need to be speeded up; they will not be left in prison unduly, some of them, we understand have even spent many more years than they would have received, if they were dully tried and convicted.

“That is one of the important areas, and the other important area is to take care of those who have been convicted, knowing full well that they are there for refor-

mation.

“Give them the opportunity to learn; give them opportunity to become professionals for those who are not, so that when they come out, they will be useful to the society and they will be re-integrated into normal life.

“Nigerians need to know that people who have committed crimes and have paid their dues by serving terms in prison need to be given a chance to settle back into society.

Don’t be carried away by merry-making, Archbishop warns

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he Metropolitan Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev. Alfred Adewale Martins, yesterday charged Christians not to be carried away by merrymaking during the yuletide.

He also urged Christians to rather remember those in distress at this time and give a helping hand.

Archbishop Martins said this at the Kirikiri Maximum Security Prison in Lagos while sharing the message of love, peace

and joy of the season with inmates of the prison.

He advised them to put their trust in God and be law-abiding while serving their various prison terms.

The bishop said the inmates should be determined to live a new life saying; “Their attitude to life should be positive.

“If we are all recognising the coming of the Lord and are celebrating his birth, we should not forget those who do not have the opportunity of making

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South West

Friday, December 27, 2013

Sanitation: Lagos lifts restriction order on movement L

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Ikuforiji hails police for prompt rescue of kidnapped cleric

MURITALA AYINLA

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he Lagos State Government has lifted the order restricting vehicular and human movement during this month environmental sanitation exercise expected to come up tomorrow.

The state government took the decision in order to allow free movements of persons who may be traveling during the festive season and also to facilitate preparation for the New Year celebrations.

The Commissioner for the Environment, Mr. Tunji Bello, stated this at an interactive session with journalists in Ikeja, Lagos.

Bello said: “Cleanliness is next to Godliness.

We cannot but encourage cleanliness in all aspects of human endeavor. We, therefore, urge all and sundry to ensure that the New Year is celebrated in the cleanliest environment possible.”

He urged Lagos residents to still observe the monthly exercise as well as clean their homes and immediate environment irrespective of the lifting of the restriction order.

While wishing all Lagos residents a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year in advance, the commissioner advised them to cultivate and imbibe clean habit and hygienic way of life.

He also urged them to bag their refuse properly to allow for easy collection and disposal to designated dumpsites by LAWMA and PSP Operators.

Bello said: “LAWMA is fully mobilised and will deploy men and equipment to ensure quick evacuation of waste generated during the festive period.

“We also remind Lagos residents that as we approach the New Year, we should consolidate on the gains of a clean city, which we have all worked hard to attain. We, therefore, advise that we should desist from dumping waste into canals and drainages as the consequences of massive flooding being experienced across developed and developing nation is enough warning to discourage us from dumping into drains and canals.”

Stressing that the state government remained focused in its commitment to a clean, hygienic and flood-free environ-

ment, the commissioner urged the residents to desist from indiscriminate dumping of refuse into drains and unapproved sites especially now that global warming had broken territorial boundaries.

He said: “We advise that Lagos residents should celebrate in moderation and be conscious about our physical environment for as we lay our bed, so shall we lie on it.

“We should, therefore, be reminded that a clean, safe and healthy environment promotes long life as well as reduces unnecessary spending on health matters.”

The commissioner urged all and sundry to join the state in its crusade to attain a cleaner, healthier and sustainable

agos State House of Assembly Speaker Adeyemi Ikuforiji has commended the Nigerian Police for their prompt rescue of a kidnapped prominent cleric.

Ikuforiji made the commendation yesterday in Lagos in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Rotimi Adebayo.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the former Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Dr Peter Akinola, was kidnapped on Tuesday, December 24, 2013.

“The news of the kidnap of the erstwhile Primate was received with shock and sadness when it came.

“For a man of God of the status of Akinola to have been so kidnapped in broad daylight on the eve of Christmas was very sad indeed.

“It was even more worrisome that the kidnap itself was said to have been carried out by heavily

armed youths,” Ikuforiji said in the statement.

He said it was therefore a great relief when the news of the cleric’s successful rescue by men of the Ogun State Police Command came.

Ikuforiji urged Nigerians to thank God who made it possible for the successful rescue of the former primate during Yuletide.

The Speaker said it was imperative therefore that the government must properly equip the police.

He also said the time had now come to also approve the take-off of state police as earlier advocated in some quarters.

Ikuforiji urged governments at all levels to create jobs for the teeming youths in 2014 so as to reduce social vices in the country.

He, however, rejoiced with all Nigerians for being alive to celebrate another Yuletide season.

Akinola was kidnapped along the Abeokuta axis of the Ibadan-Lagos Expressway.

Aregbesola not religious fanatic –Wife ADEOLU ADEYEMO OSOGBO

W Wife of Ogun State Governor, Mrs. Olufunso Amosun (right), presenting items to members of Mission to Rebuild Ogun State (MITROS) during her N20 million Empowerment programme for the MITROS men and women across the 20 local government areas of the state in Abeokuta, yesterday

Ekiti 2014: Bamidele calls for issue-based campaigns ABIODUN NEJO ADO EKITI

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he House of Representatives member and Labour Party (LP) governorship aspirant in Ekiti State, Hon. Opeyemi Bamidele, has urged political parties warming up for next year’s governorship election in the state to embrace issue-based campaign and desist from habits capable of bringing the state to disrepute.

Among the political parties that have been indicating interest in contesting the 2014 governorship are

the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), Accord Party (AP) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

Bamidele advised those he described as his political detractors to refrain from harassing him, saying no amount of threats, intimidations and attacks would make him abandon his resolve to rescue the state from the doldrums through the 2014 governorship election.

The governorship aspirant, who spoke yesterday in Ado-Ekiti while round-

ing off his tour of the 16 local government areas of the state, described the LP as “a coalition that will bring about revolution against anti-democratic forces and pioneers of bad governance in Ekiti State in 2014.”

The lawmaker said LP, which he recently defected to from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to achieve his governorship ambition, had further enhanced his popularity among Ekiti people.

According to him, he had strong political structures and goodwill to dislodge the incumbent, Gov-

ernor Kayode Fayemi, in the forthcoming election to pave way for “a peopleoriented LP government.

Bamidele said that the tentacles of LP had spread across the length and breadth of the state as he advised those referring to the party as underdog to have a rethink.

The lawmaker, who donated 200 wheel chairs to the physicallychallenged across the 16 local government areas, pledged that certain percentage of employment would be ceded to the group for them to actualise their potentials, if elected next year.

ife of the Osun State Governor, Alhaja Sherifat Aregbesola, yesterday described those referring to her husband, Alhaji Rauf Aregbesola, as a religious fanatic as his political detractors who are all out to destroy him politically.

Addressing journalists in her office in Osogbo, the state capital, Mrs. Aregbesola described her husband as a tolerant person who allows everybody to practice his or her religion without disturbance.

She said: “I am surprised that people are now giving my husband the names he does not bear. He is a very tolerant person who believes in God regardless of the religion through which people call on Him. Today, two of his sisters marry to Christians and they are doing well as Christians.

“We have people living with us till today who are Christians. These people go to church from our house and they also organize Christian prayers at home here where my husband

also participate actively.”

She warned those calling his husband bad names because of religion to desist from it, saying Governor Aregbesola loves and cherish all religions equally.

Mrs. Aregbesola said: “Those behind the insinuation are enemies of the present administration in Osun, but I want you to know that my husband believes in peace and treat all people equally regardless of their different religious belief.

“Governor Aregbesola, though a committed Muslim, believes in God and allow all his people, including family members to practice the religion that sweets them. He is a simple and nice person with a large heart. He also believes in God and gives everyone that comes his way the opportunity to develop.

“He was the first government official to build a church in Lagos when he was serving as the Lagos State Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, and his belief in other religions gave him the opportunity to serve well in all the positions he held.”

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Friday, December 27, 2013

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Chimamanda, renowned author, lauds Obi’s developmental strides CHARLES OKEKE AWKA

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Abia State Governor, Theodore Orji (middle); wife of late Head of State, Lady Victoria Aguiyi-Ironsi and others, at the commissioning of the Urban Shopping Mall in Umuahia, recently.

Operation zero-tolerance reduces auto crashes –FRSC CHIDI UGWU ABUJA

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he Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) yesterday said it has achieved a reduction in auto crashes and fatalities between December 19 and 23, 2013; compared to last year.

The FRSC Corps Marshal and Chief Executive, Osita Chidoka, who disclosed this yesterday, attributed the feat to the yuletide special patrol tagged; “Operation Zero Tolerance” which was flagged off on December 19, 2013 and was to end on January 12, 2014.

He noted that the exercise in line with the corps’ 2013 strategic goals of reducing road crashes by 20 per cent and fatalities by 30 per cent.

Speaking at Obosi, near Onitsha during the nationwide exercise, Chidoka said the corps’ renewed efforts has so far yielded positive results as the road crash figures for this year has witnessed a slight reduction when compared to 2012 special patrol fall-out, within the same period of 19-23 De-

cember.

According to the Corps Marshal; “A study of traffic flow along various routes of the highways indicate seamless traffic flow, which can be largely attributed to the massive deployment of four heavy duty tow trucks, 37 patrol trucks, 12 ambulances and 102 patrol motor bikes recently provided by the World Bank to enhance our patrol and rescue services during this period”.

Continuing, Chidoka added that the corps’ renewed approach to road safety management during the yuletide was in line with “a presidential directive for the FRSC as lead agency on road safety management, to ensure that commuters do not suffer unduly during this year’s yuletide season.”

He further commended other relevant agencies such as the police, Air Force, Army, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) for complementing the FRSC efforts during the nationwide exercise.

Giving an insight to the corps’ projection for 2014, the corps marshal recalled

that 2013 has witnessed the introduction of the new number plate, driver’s licence, building a database on fleet operators and total transition from analogue to application of digital process in traffic management, but that 2014 will provide the FRSC with a definite projection for enlightenment, traffic engineering and enforcement.

The corps marshal also said that the World Bank initiative has provided the template for Nigeria on the need to perceive road safety components as vital integration during road rehabilitation, to ensure safer road.

Speaking later on behalf of the corps marshal before the FRSC aerial surveillance patrol, the Assistant Corps Marshal, Special Marshal and Partnership, Victor Nwokolo, said the last five days has witnessed a reasonable reduction in road crashes across the country, when compared to the 2012 special patrol fallout.

According to him; “The last five days - December 19 to 23, 2013, has witnessed a

reduction in road crashes when compared to 2012 Operation Zero Tolerance exercise during the same period, as the FRSC has recorded 107 deaths and 1, 398 injured persons in 214 road crashes with 668 victims rescued alive without injuries while 2012 records indicate 156 deaths and 1, 882 injured persons in 236 road crashes with 1, 056 persons rescued alive without injuries.”

Nwokolo also said that speed limit violation remained the highest causative factor for road crashes during this period which has also witnessed the arrest of 4, 051 traffic offenders for violating 4,256 traffic-related offences.

On mobile courts, the assistant corps marshal also disclosed that 569 offenders were arraigned while 404 and 85 others were convicted and discharged respectively at various courts, across the country, adding that the corps will not rest on its oars to ensure further reduction in road crashes during the yuletide, in line with the FRSC 2013 strategic goals.

Niger Assembly passes N98.5bn 2014 appropriation bill PRISCILLA DENNIS MINNA

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he Niger State House of Assembly has passed the 2014 appropriation bill of N98.5 billion into law.

The passage was following the submission and subsequent adoption of

the report of the House Committee on Finance and Appropriation, two weeks after it was presented to the House by the state governor, Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu.

Presenting the report, Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Usman Magaji, said that all government

ministries, departments and agencies have defended their allocations in the budget, hence the committee deemed it worthy and recommend that the estimate be passed into law.

Announcing the passage, the Speaker, Hon. Adamu Usman, said the amount is made up of N47, 290, 280, 591

as recurrent expenditure while the capital expenditure stand at N51, 562, 062, 945.

Usman then commended the various house committees for working tirelessly in ensuring that the bill was passed on schedule, while adjourning the House’s sitting to January 14, 2014.

enowned writer, Mrs. Chimamada Adichie Esege, have lauded Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, over his developmental strides in the state.

She said Obi had remained a source of pride and inspiration to contemporary leaders, as he has done a lot for the state in the last eight years.

Esege commended Obi during the thanksgiving mass at St. Paul’s Catholic Church, Abba, yesterday, to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of her parent’s - Prof. James Adichie and Mrs. Grace Adichie’s marriage.

During the ceremony, the parish priest, Rev. Fr. Dr. Mike Alozie, described Obi as God sent. He said the governor has uplifted the state to a position of pride.

Earlier in his sermon, Rev. Fr. Dr. Hycinth Ichoku, said successful marriages should be celebrated to encourage younger couples to remain united with faith in God in tackling marital challenges.

Father Ichoku lamented that many marriages are

now in serious crises, because people have completely forgotten the essence of marriage and substituted God’s will by their own wills.

In his remarks, Obi, accompanied by his wife, Margaret and two children, Amaka and Eloka, said one of the greatest achievements of his government was the rebuilding of human infrastructure in the state.

Obi added that equipping people with the right conception and perception of life would engender better attitudinal change for a better society.

He expressed the need for positive role models for the younger ones to emulate, adding that he was satisfied with the dividends being harnessed from the return of schools to the church.

In another development, Obi called on Nigerians to learn to make sacrifices for the greatness of the country.

The governor spoke during the thanksgiving mass in honour of Chief Vincent Obianodo (The Young Shall Grow), who was shot in Lagos sometime ago by gunmen, at St. John Catholic Church, Neni.

Owerri prison inmates plead for prerogative of mercy CHRIS NJOKU OWERRI

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nmates at Owerri prisons in Imo State have pleaded to the State Government to exercise prerogative of mercy on them, as the convicts in the state had not received such mercy from the government for the past four years.

They regretted that none of the convicted inmates has been granted pardon for past four years even when the prison environment had remained unhygienic to the survival of the convicts.

Speaking at the reception organised for the annual pastoral visit of the Catholic Archbishop of Owerri, Most Reverend Anthony Obinna, the spoke person of the inmates, Fidelis Onu used the occasion to draw the attention of the government to the uncondusive nature of the prisons and the need for quick dispensation of justice in state.

“We are making a pas-

sionate appeal to the government to grant the convicted inmates pardon where and when necessary,” he stated.

More than 14 of the inmates received the sacrament of confirmation.

Archbishop Obinna who spoke of the benefits of the sacrament, said “like the Apostles who were confirmed in the faith, they can now be witnesses to our Lord Jesus Christ.

Some of them were in secret societies before, but they have now renounced their secret cults and they are now new creatures and the white they are wearing is a symbol that their souls have become transformed. When they come out into the world they can then proclaim the word of Christ.”

The Archbishop in a sermon advised Christians to stay away from sins and embrace the spirit of oneness, noting that some people were physically free but remained in spiritual bondage due to evil acts.

Friday, December 27, 2013

Ekiti 2014: Zoning, credible candidate key to PDP’s victory

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13

Politics

LP, party to beat come 2015 in Ogun, says Prince Adewale

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Stop intimidating Jonathan -S’South leaders caution Obasanjo OBIORA IFOH ABUJA

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ormer President Olusegun Obasanjo was yesterday cautioned by South-South leaders, chiefs, elders and stakeholders to stop harassing, intimidating, stampeding or blackmailing President Goodluck Jonathan.

Obasanjo had recently accused President Jonathan of sundry issues including training of assassins to eliminate political opponents.

But rising from its meeting in Abuja, the SouthSouth leaders, chiefs, elders and stakeholders told Obasanjo that Nigerians cannot breathe through his nose, adding that they over-

whelmingly supported him when he was the President and that they were not the ones that aborted his third term bid.

Speaking though their spokesperson and chief coordinator in Abuja, Chief Bello Premier, the group condemned the letter Obasanjo wrote to Jonathan, describing it as doom and false alarm.

Chief Premier said: “General Obasanjo is only shouting wolf when there is none at sight. The letter is full of premeditated ideas geared towards undermining the integrity of the South-South people and intended to keep them perpetually as minority in the political scheme of Nigeria as nation.”

The group added that

the South-South will resist vehemently any attempt to make them second class citizens in their own country, adding: “There is no way where one man (Obasanjo) would want the entire country Nigeria to breathe through his nose.”

Saying that because Obasanjo’s bid to foist Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido and the Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi on Nigeria as president and vice president respectively has failed and for that he reason, he wants to destabilise Jonathan’s administration, the South-South leaders said: “General Obasanjo shot himself in the leg when early in the year he anointed and pronounced Alhaji Lamido of Jigawa

and Amaechi of Rivers states as next president and vice president respectively come 2015.

“If he, Obasanjo, had his constitutional right to stand for an election to vote and be voted for, same goes for Dr. Jonathan, who is a bonafide Nigerian from the South-South. The right of offer of refusal to contest or not to contest in 2015 solely rest with Jonathan alone.

“He must not be intimidated, harassed, stampeded or blackmailed to surrender power against the collective will of the good people of the South-South and Nigeria who in 2011 gave him (Jonathan) their mandate.”

The group added that the bold developmental strides

L-R: Former Majority Leader, Rivers House of Assembly, Jerry Nmebe; a member of the House, Mrs. Felicia Tane; member, House of Representatives, Barry Mpigi; Organising Secretary, APC, Mike Nwielaghi; Rivers Commissioner for Social Welfare and Rehabiliation, Joe Poroma and a state executive member of APC, Mrs. Caroline Nagbo, at a meeting of APC leaders in Tai, Rivers State, recently.

Vacant Reps seat: Stakeholders adopt ex-presidential aide HAKEEM GBADAMOSI AKURE

F

ollowing the death of the lawmaker representing the Ilaje/Ese-Odo Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Raphael Nomiye, stakeholders in the Labour Party, LP, have adopted onetime Special Assistant to the President on Youth Matters, Kolade Akinjo, to fill the post.

The adoption of Akinjo for the post was contained in a letter signed by the chairman of the party and

45 leaders of the party from Mahin Ward 4, saying that it was the turn of the area to produce the next lawmaker for the constituency.

According to the stakeholders, who said since Ese-Odo state constituency and Ilaje state constituency 1 produced the last two occupiers of the seat in the lower chamber of the National Assembly; it was the turn of Ilaje state constituency 2 to produce the next lawmaker for the area.

The stakeholders stated that out of the three zones in Ilaje state constituency 2,

only the zone that comprises wards three and four had not produced a member of the House of Representatives.

They said: “Based on the conviction that it should be our turn, the people therefore unanimously adopted Kolade Akinjo as the aspirant from the ward. We, therefore, resolved on Akinjo, who was once a Senior Special Assistant to former President Olusegun Obasanjo for a period of eight years.”

The people however explained that they decided to settle for Akinjo because of his sterling qualities and

acceptability across party divide saying: “Since the next election is critical to our party, the candidate that should be presented must be sufficiently sellable and be able to deliver through his influence and personality clout hence we have by consensus adopted and so recommend him for the support of all and sundry to enhance and promote the prospect of our party at the forthcoming bye election.”

The seat became vacant following the death of Raphael Nomiye of the LP last month.

witnessed in the Jonathan have never happened before in the history of Nigeria despite the enormous challenges of both human and natural hiccups, which is of course global and its attended consequences.

It added: “Despite the devastating phenomenon in the areas of security -

terrorism, kidnapping and militancy, natural disasters like flooding, oil spillage among others, the Jonathan administration has made inroad in the power, telecommunication, agricultural, sport, education, health, defence, highways, aviation, waterways and other sectors.”

Osun 2014: Omisore lied –Akinlabi, Oke ADEOLU ADEYEMO OSOGBO

A

s preparation for the 2014 governorship election in Osun State gathers momentum, two governorship aspirants under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Olasunkanmi Akinlabi and Hon. Wole Oke, yesterday frowned at the claims of Senator Iyiola Omisore that eight aspirants on the platform of the party have stepped down for him, describing it as “delusion of grandeur.”

Omisore had spoken through his media manager, Prince Diran Odeyemi that eight governorship aspirants in the party has stepped down for him to pave for his candidacy to contest the position.

The duo, who spoke differently in press releases made available to newsmen in Osogbo, described the statement as absolute lie and deliberate mischief to deceive the public.

Hon. Oke through his media aide, Barrister Yemi Giwa, said that in the first instance, there are only four aspirants eyeing the governorship seat of Osun State within the PDP in the state and they are: Hon. Oke, former Chairman, House Committee on Defence, Senator Akinlabi, Senator Omisore, and the erstwhile Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Alhaji Fatai Akinbade.

He said: “Till today, no other person within the PDP in the state apart from

the four aforementioned has signified his or her intention to run for the state number one seat. One cannot but wonder then where Omisore has gotten eight imaginary aspirants that have stepped down for him; it is delusion of grandeur and nothing more.

“Throughout the eleven paragraph story, credited to Senator Omisore’s aide, none of the eight fake aspirants was named.

“It is always unhelpful to feed the public with false information because the wisdom in Yoruba proverb which says ‘a person who plants 20 yam seeedlings but claims 40, will harvest 20 lies after he might have exhausted the real tubers’, is unassailable.

“As a matter of fact, the PDP secretariat in Osogbo had last two weeks called on all aspirants to obtain their forms of intent on or before December 30.

“Till date, it is only Senator Akinlabi and Hon. Oke that have collected the said form; could it have meant that Omisore was talking in parable as he might be contemplating stepping down for other aspirants?

On his part, Senator Olasunkanmi through his media aide, Ayo Olokun, charged newsmen to always cross check their facts before going to press, saying the contestants for the position under the platform of the party are only four and wondered why eight aspirants could have stepped down for Omisore out of the four contestants.

14

Politics

Friday, December 27, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Ekiti 2014: Zoning, credible candidate key to PDP’s victory ABIODUN NEJO recaps the belief among major stakeholders in Ekiti State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in zoning of the governorship candidate and fielding credible candidate as the panacea to the party’s victory in the 2014 governorship election.

T

he belief in many quarters in Ekiti State is that the thorny issues of zoning and the manner of the choice and the credibility of the candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the 2014 governorship election in the state are major deciders of the fate of the party in the poll.

This is against the backdrop of the agitation from the people of the South Senatorial District of the state that the area, which has not produced the governor of the state since its creation in 1996, be allowed to produce the next governor.

Their argument is that the remaining two senatorial districts – the North and the Central – have produced two governors each, while the South, which has the largest number of local governments, has not produced a single one.

It should not be forgotten in a hurry, the crises that mooting the idea of consensus approach by the state PDP leadership to select the candidate of the party for the election from among the about 30 governorship aspirants of the party caused.

While some of the candidates said the adoption of the consensus option was okay, others kicked against it, saying that they preferred the party’s candidate to emerge in a free and fair primary election. It took the intervention of the leadership of the party at the national level to douse the tension created by this development.

But while the PDP members and other stakeholders are waiting with bated breath to see how the party handles the matter so as to move forward to contest and win the election, one of the party chieftains and governorship aspirant, Ambassador Dare Bejide, allayed fears as he assured of a stronger and wellpositioned Ekiti PDP after the process.

Bejide, who explained that the reason “everybody wants to fly the PDP’s flag is because it is waiting to conquer. He said: “The issue of how the candidate will emerge is for the party to decide and that would be done at an appropriate time.”

Bejide, who was the former Nigerian High Commissioner to Canada, said that both the consensus and primary options for the emergence of the party’s flagbearer for the 2014 election have their positive and negative effects, adding that what mattered most in either of the modes was transparency, which is bound to produce a credible candidate.

Bejide, who is also former Secretary to the State Government, SSG, said: “If you have many governorship aspirants and one emerges through a process that is not too clear, it might be difficult to

Bejide

placate others. But, if consensus is done transparently, it would be very easy for others to work with the eventual candidate that emerges. And for primary, if it is transparent too, it would be easy to persuade the losers to join the train.”

On the zoning issue, he said: “My own take is that the governorship of the state should go to the South Senatorial District because it has not had the opportunity to produce the governor of the state. Fairness is fairness. It should be the turn of the South. Unfortunately, there has not been an official pronouncement on that.

“Again, there is an understanding that it should go to the South. There are some party leaders who are sympathetic to our cause. What they are saying is that they want us to present one of us.

And that is what we are going to do.

“But let me tell you, this time around, we need a home boy to govern Ekiti State. The person that would understand the plight of the people,” he said, saying: “Having lived with the people of Ekiti for the greater part of my life and having worked and shared their aspirations since 1986, I have had the unique privilege of knowing the factors impeding the development of Ekiti State in their bare forms.”

While saying that he was offering himself to serve as next governor of the state on the above and other reasons, he said: “In seeking to serve the state, I am very conscious of the enormous responsibilities of the office” as a politician and an administrator who has been involved times without number in government and party administration.

THE PURPOSEFUL LEADERSHIP THAT OUR GREAT PARTY PROVIDED WHILE IN POWER HAVE BEEN

ERODED.

NO WONDER OUR STATE, WHICH WAS CREATED 17 YEARS AGO, IS STILL

STRUGGLING TO FIND ITS FEET “I believe the modest exposures and experience I have gained from the state and national assignments placed me in a vantage position to offer qualitative leadership for the development of our state at this critical time,” he said.

As Bejide continues with his tour of the 16 local government areas of the state to tighten loose ends to ensure his emergence as the party’s candidate, political watchers, analysts and supporters agree that the former envoy towers high above other aspirants of the party in terms of experience in government and party politics; consistence in PDP and contributions to its growth; and unblemished records.

The governorship hopeful lamented that it was disheartening that the lofty ideas and programmes that drove the agitation for the creation of the state were far from being realised or attained,

adding that the gains of “the purposeful leadership that our great party provided while in power have been eroded. No wonder our state, which was created 17 years ago, is still struggling to find its feet.”

Bejide, who said the present administration in the state was deliberately impoverishing Ekiti people and thus affecting the state economy through patronage of foreign contractors, said: “The Local Content Policy is one policy we intend to pursue as soon as we grab power.

“We have discovered that in Ekiti today, most the contractors handling projects come from outside the state. They come here to do projects and in most cases they come with their staff. That situation is unacceptable to us. It will be a deliberate policy of our government that the junior staff should be 100 per cent sourced from the state. And for those that required special skills, 50 per cent would be sourced from the state.

Unless the materials any contractor wants to use is not available in Ekiti, we would not allow anybody to bring materials that are available in Ekiti from outside. That would discourage capital flight.

“We are going to create an agency that will work on employment. This agency will verify their credentials and the skills required. I have discovered that part of the problems confronting our youths is that they don’t have the required skills. Even, the artisans lacked the required skills. To redress this, we will create a department that would train and retrain the existing artisans in each of the technical schools in Ekiti”.

The former envoy promised that his administration would reenact the large scale construction which was the hallmark of the immediate past administration of Chief Segun Oni, saying: “When we (PDP) were in government, we did over 400 kilometres of roads, I don’t know how many the present government has been able to do, but all I know is that what the present government has been doing is to commission our projects.”

He assured that he would industrialise the state through the resuscitation of all the moribund industries like Ire Burnt Brick, Road Material Company and Ikun Dairy Farm to provide jobs for unemployed youths, if elected governor.

He said that he would reverse the temporary employment being offered youth in the state by the present administration to permanent jobs for smooth career progression, as well as enhanced welfare packages for civil servants.

Bejide appealed to PDP members across the state to close ranks and remain indivisibly united, promising to unite all factions in the party and treating them as one regardless of their leaning.

As the clock keeps ticking towards the 2014 governorship election, how the PDP handles these thorny issues of credibility of its candidate and the zoning brouhaha will go a long way to determine whether it will make any meaningful impact in the election or not.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Politics

Friday, December 27, 2013

Prince Segun Adewale is a chieftain of Labour Party, LP, in Ogun State. He is also aspiring to represent Ogun West Senatorial District in the upper chamber of the National Assembly in 2015. In this interview with AYO ESAN, he speaks on the growth of the Labour Party in the state as well as its chance in the 2015 general elections. He also speaks on the programme he has for the people of the district if elected. Excerpts: How will you assess the political situation now in Ogun State?

Ogun State is a very peculiar state. One, because it is a state where you have people with intellect, people who are good educationists and people who are very enlightened.

Those are the kind of people you find in Ogun State. So if you have a state like that, and you also look at its proximity to Lagos State, then you also see that the people who have ruled the nation like, former President Olusegun Obasanjo is from that place, you will know that whatever that happens in Ogun State, whichever way you look at it affects the political landscape in Nigeria.

Presently the situation in Ogun State is that, we have a former President who is with the ruling party, which is the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Then we have the state being controlled by the opposition party, the All Progressives Congress, APC. Because a lot of the populace in Ogun State have experienced the PDP leadership for eight years and they have also experience the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN/APC leadership and they have understood that these political parties don’t have populist policies. They have policies that are geared towards benefitting a few in the state. That is why there is a great yearning by the people of Ogun State for a more welfarist and populist party. And that is why in the South-West, other than Ondo State where the party has taken root, Labour Party is beginning to play a vital role in the politics of Ogun State. Today, the Labour Party has become the third force in Ogun State and that exactly is what is going on in Ogun State as we speak today.

The Labour Party is very new in Ogun State; do you think it can make much impact in the 2015 elections?

I can tell you that before PDP came on as a ruling party in the state, there was nothing except the representation of the president who hails from Ogun State.

So what that tells us is that, irrespective of the number of years, Labour Party will make great impact in Ogun come 2015. Labour Party has been in existence in Ondo State in the last six years now and they have seen what they have done. You don’t need to run campaign for two to three years before people know what you want to do.

People in Ogun State know what they want, and if they don’t get it in party A, they know how quickly to shop for the party that will represent their interest.

So, it is not about how long, but it is about how well

LP, party to beat come 2015 in Ogun, says Prince Adewale to the fact that, with the kind of government in power, people are looking for an opportunity for a government that will deliver to the people.

Adewale

THE LP IS SAYING BECAUSE OF EQUITY, BECAUSE OF FAIRNESS, BECAUSE OF FAIR PLAY THAT FOR ONCE

IBADAN

T

he Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory, FCT), Ms. Olajumoke Akinjide, has reiterated her allegiance to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, saying she and her family will continue to be loyal party members and supporters of President Goodluck Jonathan.

She said this in a four-paragraph statement she personally signed and made available to journalists yesterday in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

It will be recalled that a national daily had recently alleged that the minister was set to dump the PDP for the All Progressives Congress, APC, a party which her husband, Hon. Pate-

OGUN STATE

SHOULD RESPECT THE VIEWS OF A RACE, THE

OGUN WEST IN

PRODUCING THE GOVERNOR FOR

2015. AND BECAUSE OF THAT, YOU FOUND OUT THAT THE LP IN OGUN WEST IS ROBUST AND READY TO GO

and that is the in-thing in Ogun State now. That was why I said before hand that a lot of people have experienced what the other two parties can deliver and they have not seen a populist, welfarist kind of party like the Labour Party. A lot of people know what they want, and it is the people ultimately that would decide the kind of government that they want. So it is not really how long the party has been in the state but how well. And Yoruba will say the way the night will be, you will know it in the morning. So what is happening in Ogun today is due

I’m not leaving PDP, Akinjide insists KEMI OLAITAN

15

gi, had joined.

Akinjide said as a daughter of a founding member of the PDP and the arrow head of the party in Oyo State, she will continue to work for the success of not only the party but the administration of President Jonathan.

While enjoining Nigerians to continue to support the President, she charged them not to be swayed by the noise and chatter of critics, denying that she ever contemplated leaving the PDP. The statement read: “In view of speculations rife in the press, I wish to state categorically that I will never, ever, leave the PDP! The Akinjide family dynasty is loyal to the PDP and loyal to President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.

“I am, and remain, proudly PDP!

My father, Chief Richard Aknjide, SAN, is a founding member of the PDP and a member of the PDP Board of Trustees, BoT. “I am the arrow head of the PDP in Oyo State as the minister in an opposition state. I will continue to work hard to ensure the success of Mr. President, the Transformation Agenda of the Federal Government, and the victory of the PDP at the polls in the 2015 elections.

“I call on all well meaning and patriotic Nigerians to continue to support President Jonathan and ignore the “noise” and “chatter” being generated by those who, frankly, should know better, but who, understandably, are more at leisure than the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.”

Is that why the Yewa/Awori people have now embraced Labour Party?

You know I have been talking entirely on the basis of the state, which is made up of the 20 local government areas and the three senatorial districts. But coming back home, I have been telling people that the dynamics of government and politics in every state differs. What happens in Akwa Ibom State as we speak today, may not necessarily mean or reflect what is happening in Ogun State or Lagos State. Today, the dynamics of politics in Ogun State is far different from what is happening in other states because there is a peculiar agitation in the state. And that is what happened in Anambra State where you found out that the All progressives Grand Alliance, APGA again swept the poll. This is because there have been an agitation by Anambra North to produce the governor because the North had never produced the governor in Anambra before. And it was only through APGA that Mr Peter Obi decided to present a candidate from the North.

And that is why it was easy, the APGA whipped up sentiments concerning the candidate from Anambra North.

And that was why every vote that counted came hugely from that part of the state. Also there is an agitation in Ogun State that, in 37 years of existence of the state, a section of that state which is Ogun West, which composed of the Yewa/Awori has not produced the governor.

And I keep drawing an analogy from the Bible and I said to the people that look even the Israelites, the maximum they stayed in bondage in Egypt, was forty years.

And I said probably going into 2015, it is time for us to say let my people go. This is because 37 years we have been there, and the race has not had a shot at governorship. Not because we have dearth of knowledge or dearth of people who can represent us, no it is not, but because consistently, the political chess in Ogun State has been manipulated by few, from the East and from the Central.

But today, genuinely, the LP is saying because of equity, because of fairness, because of fair play that for once Ogun State should respect the views of a race, the Ogun West in producing the governor for 2015. And because of that, you found out that the LP in Ogun West is robust and ready to go. We saw the experience in 2011, so we are working very seriously that it doesn’t repeat itself. The other parts of Ogun State are also waiting for us to present a candidate that they will support.

The current government is a government that has actually been able to siphon more money into its pocket by constructing huge roads and bridges at the detriment of the development of the people of the state. And I have said infrastructural development without empowerment and development is nothing. I have the confidence that the governance of Ogun State will change in 2015.

You are aspiring to represent Ogun West in the Senate come 2015, if you get the opportunity through election what should the people of the district expect from you?

As the second largest community of people in Ogun State, we deserve to be more prosperous than where we currently find ourselves. We deserve a better life than the life the present and past governments had offered us.

While the present administration at the state level has failed to see development through the eyes of the people by neglecting people’s welfare for road beauty and that road re –branding, we are yet to get in Ogun West. Those representing us at the hallowed chambers of the National Assembly have failed outrightly to deliver good governance to our people. This is why I have come to serve to deliver good governance to our people, that every son and daughter of Ogun West would be proud of. While our opponents are busy beautifying the roads for their selfish business interests, we are coming to beautify lives and empower minds not roads.

16

Editorial

Friday, December 27, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

All the Facts, All the Sides A PUBLICATION OF GLOBAL MEDIA MIRROR LTD BARRISTER JIMOH IBRAHIM, OFR PUBLISHER

FIDELIS LEMCHI OWOAMANAM

ACTING MD/CEO

SEYI FASUGBA

DAILY EDITOR

GBEMI OLUJOBI

SATURDAY EDITOR

DOZIE OKEBALAMA

COORDINATOR, EDITORIAL BOARD

CALLISTUS OKE

EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR

ISE-OLUWA IGE

ABUJA BUREAU CHIEF

KAYODE BALOGUN JNR

SM, STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT

FRANK OBOH

HEAD, GRAPHICS

T

he passage of the 2014 National Appropriation Bill (Budget) to law has been delayed, according to official information, because of the inability of the National Assembly to agree on a common benchmark for crude oil. The conference committee set up for this purpose finally settled for $77.5 per barrel. This prepared the way for the presentation of the budget that was delayed for months, though it was obvious that the delay was no longer funny, especially to the Presidency.

But there was a drama on Thursday December 19, 2013, when the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala and members of her team, presented the budget to the two chambers of the National Assembly, NASS (the Senate and House of Representatives).

Following complaints by the minister that she was sick, but had to honour the budget presentation invitation by the lawmakers out of respect, they insisted on giving her 50 questions to answer in writing on ‘the state of the economy’. When the minister insisted on answering the questions there and then, notwithstanding her state of health, the National Assembly Finance Committee insisted she must answer the questions in writing. How relevant the questions would be in passing the budget is not to public knowledge. It can only be hoped that the 50 questions and the accompanying written answers would not further delay the

Delayed 2014 budget passage of the budget.

However, Okonjo-Iweala, on the fateful day, presented a N4.6 trillion budget proposal to the National Assembly. The disagreement over crude oil benchmark obviously had to do with the longstanding dispute over the Excess Crude Oil Account; alleged oil sector faruds, missing crude oil funds; Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SUREP) disputes, et cetera. The minister tagged the 2014 Appropriation Bill as a ‘Budget of Job Creation and Inclusive Growth’. The aggregate expenditure, excluding SURE-P fund, is about N4.6 trillion. The capital budget is N1.1 trillion, representing about 27 percent of the entire vote; while the balance representing 72 percent is for recurrent expenditure.

The estimated expected revenue is about N3.73 trillion.

Nigerians were not immediately told the source of the about N1.1 trillion needed to raise the estimated expected revenue of N3.73 trillion to N4.6 trillion. Nor was the status of the SURE-P fund mentioned revealed. But the revelation that 27 percent of the budget goes to capital vote, while 72 percent is set aside for recurrent expenditure casts doubt on the Finance Minister’s claim that the 2014 budget is dedicated to ‘job creation and inclusive growth’. From Okonjo-Iweala’s budget presentation, agriculture and solid mineral sectors would be the focal points.

Besides, the delay in the presentation and approval of the budget can

IF THE FG TRULY WANTS TO MAKE A

POSITIVE DIFFERENCE, IT HAS TO START IMPLEMENTING THE RECOMMENDATIONS

LAGOS PLAN OF ACTION

OF THE

be very catastrophic when it comes to embarking on people-oriented projects. And as things stand in Nigeria, majority of the citizens may not feel the impact of the 2014 budget at the end of the day. The reasons for this assertion are numerous.

Firstly, the budget is premised on a framework of macro-economic policy.

Two main branches of macroeconomic policy are: fiscal and monetary. Other subsidiary instruments that assist in the implementation of fiscal and monetary policies include exchange rate policy, debt management policy, incomes policy, commercial or trade policy, money supply and interest rates. These in turn follow any of the doctrines that enshrine open market operations, rediscount policy, minimum reserve requirements, liquidity rates and sectoral credit guidelines, according to experts. What is very obvious, therefore, is that the 2014 budget is following the Breton Woods institutions agenda. This monetarism of Breton Woods that is promoted by

the World Bank (WB), International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Trade Organization (WTO) can only under-develop or impoverish Nigeria the more if not blended with local realities. In the end, advanced countries and their multinational corporations would be the prime beneficiaries of such macro-economic policies.

The Lagos Plan of Action (1980) was adapted by the defunct Organization of African Unity (OAU); and had two main principles, namely: self reliance (national and collective) and self sustaining development. The plan aims at changing the economic pattern from supplying primary products to the manufacturing. Africans, nay Nigerians, are to rely on their own primary products or raw materials, finance, technology and management. The Accelerated Development initiative of 1981; World Development Report (1984); and Africa’s Priority Programme for Economic Recovery, APPER (198690) were all aimed at subverting the classical Lagos Plan of Action. It is, therefore, puzzling that OkonjoIweala was stressing agriculture and solid minerals, even when the Federal Government is clearly not so inclined. We may as well add crude oil that we all know has been the main source of revenue. This explains why the refineries will never work; and have to be sold or privatized.

But if the FG truly wants to make a positive difference, it has to start implementing the recommendations of Lagos Plan of Action.

ON THIS DAY December 27, 2007 Former Pakistani Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto, was assassinated in a shooting incident. Bhutto was killed while leaving a campaign rally for the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) at Liaquat National Bagh in the run-up to the January 2008 parliamentary elections.

After entering her bullet-proof vehicle, Bhutto stood up through its sunroof to wave to the crowds. At this point, a gunman fired shots at her.

Letters tothe theEditor Editor Letters to

December 27, 2007 Riots erupted in Mombasa, Kenya, after Mwai Kibaki was declared the winner of the presidential election, triggering a political, economic, and humanitarian crisis. Supporters of Kibaki’s opponent, Raila Odinga of the Orange Democratic Movement, alleged electoral manipulation. Perpetrated by both parties in the election, the fraud was widely confirmed by international observers.

December 27, 2008 Operation Cast Lead: Israel launched a three-week operation on Gaza. The Gaza War was a three-week armed conflict in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Palestinian militants during the winter of 2008–2009. It began on December 27, 2008 as an Israel Defense Forces operation called Operation Cast Lead. Hamas referred to the conflict as the Battle of al-Furqan, while others also referred to it as the Gaza Massacre.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Views

Friday, December 27, 2013

17

Canadian Supreme Court stance on prostitution THINKING WITH PRINCEWILL

ALOZIE

O

n December 20, 2013, the Canadian Supreme Court unanimously voted to strike down anti-prostitution laws in the country. Ordinarily in Canada, it is not a crime to sell sex for money. There are, however, anti-prostitution laws that make it illegal to keep brothels, solicit clients in public, or live off the proceeds of prostitution.

The Canadian Supreme Court unanimously voted to strike down these anti-prostitution laws, which they perceive as being “grossly disproportionate”.

The Supreme Court has, however, given the Canadian Parliament one year to draft another law to replace the one described as “grossly disproportionate”. Some religious organizations and social organizations are extremely unhappy about this ruling that removes impediments to the practice of prostitution. The Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies, as well as the Coalition for the Abolition of Prostitution, are currently leading the opposition against this judgment.

There is prostitution in most of the technologically advanced countries of the world.

Italy, Germany, France, Spain, the United States of America have prostitutes. Africa and the third world countries, not only have prostitutes, they are recruiting places for brothels in Europe. The East European countries that were part of the defunct Soviet Union have witnessed their young and destitute girls rush into prostitution. The point being made here is that the phenomenon of prostitution is not witnessed only in Canada. It is global. Sweden has laws that criminalize prostitution. France is in the process of having a law that criminalizes prostitution.

Criminalizing prostitution is in line with the hypocrisy that is prevalent in the larger society. Prostitution is a reflection of and reaction to the prevailing social order in which everything has a monetary tag.

The insurance companies can tell you how much they think your life is worth monetarily. The property relations and mode of production and reproduction of goods and services within this free-market, profitoriented capitalist social order make very few people stupendously wealthy, while the majority (including women) are pauperized.

It is this capitalist social order that does not care about the environment; that will insist on drilling oil from the arctic region irrespective of environmental cost; prepare weapons of mass destruction in a bid to have monopoly of lethal weapons; engage in expansionist and colonial wars under the guise of establishing human rights globally; or under the guise of fighting terrorism globally, that produces criminals and prosti-

THE OPPRESSIVE ECONOMIC SOCIAL ORDER FOR THE MAJORITY NOW MAKES US HAVE OFFICIAL AND UNOFFICIAL PROSTITUTES tutes. It appears correct that we should first address the source of crimes and prostitution, before addressing the consequences.

We may also raise the question, if it is appropriate to refer to prostitution as a crime. In the so-called civilized societies, marriages are supposed to manage social and sexual relations adequately. What we discover is that officially people are married in a monogamous or polygamous setting. In reality, promiscuity and unofficial prostitution reigns; one man, fifty wives; and one woman, fifty husbands. Secrecy had been the hallmark of these relationships. Sometimes, wife-swapping is done in the so-called advanced countries.

From the standpoint of the Universal Human Rights doctrine, a person should determine what to do with his/her body. We do not criminalize a person for using his legs to play football or for indulging in sexual life. If we wish to frown at our society that has become increasingly listless, violent and promiscuous, then we need to have a fresh look at how to control the advertising agencies that bombard our social consciousness with such pervasive ideas through film and musi-

cal industry, the electronic and print media.

The oppressive economic social order for the majority now makes us have official and unofficial prostitutes. More importantly, the Supreme Court ruling is tacitly reminding us to be mindful of the interests of the other half of humanity in all we do.

If we are to punish people, the term “prostitute” should be applied to both male and female in society. An Italian statesman was punished for relating with an under-aged prostitute. In Nigeria, a state governor, who eventually became a Senator, was proud to marry an under-age girl. His group tried to smuggle the idea of child-marriage into the Nigerian Constitution. The female in some countries are not even allowed to grow up to a point when they can decide to be single, married or engage their body in any desirable way.

We need to make wars punishable. Similarly, we need to make environmental degradation punishable. Prostitution is not the main problem facing humankind. If you belong to the ruling class or to the middle class, where such a class still exists, you can condemn the sex worker from the point of an abstract, religious or social morality. If you are female, poverty stricken and about to be consumed by such pernicious poverty, prostitution may become an option; it becomes a survival strategy for quite a large proportion of the sex workers.

All hands should be on deck, however, to ensure that we do not have majority of humankind live on the periphery. A just and equitable social order is what we need now.

Tukur-Jonathan romance: A cat and rat affair LUQMAN M. SOLIU

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xcept one is hypocritical, the recent political drama that is tantamount tocivilian anarchy threatening the polity calls for sober reflection. Nigeria, I pray, will not witness unwholesome revolution, which the current political class is hell-bent on engineering. The patriots that fought for the emergence of this current democracy have gone under cover for fear of being eliminated.

Our mass media are replete with stories of political persecutions. For people like Yinka Odumakin, Tunde Bakare, Wole Soyinka, including some others that were covetous of political offices, the illness of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua paved the way for their protests pressing for his replacement. Fortunately, on February 9, 2010 their prayer was answered as the National Assembly, using the ‘Doctrine of Necessity’, elevated Vice President Goodluck Jonathan to the position of Acting President. However, his failure to conciliate some of our power mongers with appointments turned them into overnight opposition of the government. Senator Bala Muhammad of Bauchi State that led the senators’ adoption of the ‘Doctrine of Necessity’ was adequately rewarded with a ministerial appointment.

Recall that the charges against Nuhu Ribadu, erstwhile EFCC chairman, paved the way for his subsequent return to the country with Mallam Nasir El-Rufai. The Federal Government, however,

THE WORST MANIFESTATION OF IGNORANCE AMONG THE NEW LEADERSHIP OF THE PARTY IS DISMISSING THE EXIT OF SOME DISCONTENTED PARTY MEMBERS AS A NONISSUE failed to meet their expectations. Today, they are in the opposition.

This is the first government in the political history of Nigeria to create a situation where majority of Nigerian intelligentsia has been turned into opposition, thus the enemies of the government. I hold the crops of uncultured aides surrounding President Jonathan responsible for this sordid state.

We now have a situation where Nigerians have been successfully polarized into two opposing camps of pro and anti Jonathan.

Dr Haliru Muhammad, the erstwhile PDP national chairman was used to kill the party’s zoning formula against the patriotic call of Mallam Adamu Ciroma group for the retention of the same zoning arrangement.

Dr Haliru thought playing this deadly game would ensure his political survival. Nay, he was ungraciously booted out of office in less than a year after he resumed office as Defence Minister. He must havie outlived his usefulness. Ironically, the man that signed the Presidential Election returning form

was the first minister to be removed.

The duplicity of this government was underlined by the fact that not long after the 2011 presidential election the party resuscitated the zoning formula to bring back the senate president and his colleagues. The attempt by the House of Representatives to right the wrong was regarded as anti-party activity. In reality, who is anti-party monger among them? Is it the one promoting intraparty enmity or the one insisting on adopting a principle that will promote justice, fairness and equity?

Similarly, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo that mobilized the forces for the enthronement of the current national leadership of the country is on the receiving end. When he foresaw the divisive tsunami Bamanga Tukur engendered in the party, he honourably resigned as BOT chairman; President Jonathan, the National Leader of the PDP, never considered this development a great threat to his survival. The worst manifestation of ignorance among the new leadership of the party is dismissing the exit of some discontented party members as a non-issue. But one is keen to ask if the exit of some angry members is a non-issue why are these leaders celebrating the defection of members of opposition parties to PDP? In 2011, while the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) swept the South West in all other elections but the presidential one, those who engineered the feat for the president have now been made his enemies. Instead of making friends, the new national leadership of the PDP has been busy fanning the embers of hatred, which in the long-run is counterproductive.

However, the fact is that Tukur has succeeded in dislodging those people considered to be threat to him, paving the way for the opposition to successfully fish in its troubled water. As Nigerians watch the drama of the planned impeachment move against aggrieved governors that left the PDP, we need to remind the leadership of the party that when former Zamfara State governor Mahmud Shinkaffi and Governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State left ANPP for PDP heaven did not fall. Therefore, any attempt to create tension in the land because of the mass defection from the PDP will end an exercise in futility.

As Tukur dislodged his opponents from PDP and the President hijacked the party structure, while ‘Mr. Fix It’ could not fix anything to assuage the ill feeling of the aggrieved governors but supervised enforcement of contempt of court order on Prince Olagunjoye Oyinlola who was re-instated by the Supreme Court, Nigerians await the next move of the Attorney-General of the Federation.

When Tukur and President Jonathan have eventually done in their enemies, I hope they would not become each other’s foe.

Soliu, solumsec@yahoo.co.uk, wrote from Abeokuta, Ogun State 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.

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Mail Mirror

Friday, December 27, 2013

A Let PDP also feel the pains

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es, 37 honourable members of the House of Representatives have deserted the PDP, the party that brought them to glory. I do not know why the party hierarchs are now bellyaching and using foul means, including mounting pressure on INEC, to declare their seats vacant.

Carpet crossing has become a regular feature of Nigerian politics. Some erstwhile ANPP northern governors – e.g Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State – crossed to the PDP and the party celebrated the political infamy. So, why would heaven fall now that desertion has hit the biggest party in Africa? Bamanga Tukur et al should take this development in good faith.

Abbass Ambali, Abuja

Fraud in electricity supply

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he new owners of the former Power Holding Company of Nigeria, especially the distribution companies (DISCO), should stop this act of deceit and exploitation of electricity consumers nationwide. They always keep the consumer in darkness for most part of each month, leaving the people to resort to generators, but when it remains for days to bring their highly padded bills, they erratically and epileptically make power available. No sooner they distribute their bills than disconnection teams fan out to coerce people into paying the bills!

This is not the type of privatization Nigerians expect. I appeal to the authorities to make pre-paid meters available to all consumers as promised so that they pay for only what they consume.

Ekene Adigwe, Oba, Anambra State

Letters to the Editor

s our politicians bicker about the 2015 general elections and unnecessarily heat up the polity in the processd, let me draw their attention to the likely consequences of their inconsiderate conduct. The recent United States of America’s report on Nigeria serves as my reference point.

The new report entitled “Nigerian Unity in the Balance”, is authored by two former American service-men, Gerald McLaughlin, a graduate of the U.S. Army War College, and Clarence J. Bouchat, an adjunct professor at the same War College, but released by the Strategic Studies Institute of the War College.

The report observed that divisive forces were becoming stronger than uniting forces in Nigeria, warning that unless this was reversed, Nigeria’s existence could be jeopardized. According to the report, “Parochial interests created by religious, cultural, ethnic, economic, regional, and political secessionist tendencies are endemic in Nigeria. Under such stresses, Nigerian unity may fail.

Going further, the report warned that “should Nigerian leaders mismanage the political economy and reinforce centrifugal forces in Nigeria, the threat to create autonomous regions or independent countries would likely occur along its previously identified fault lines”.

Continuing, the report stated that “having already experienced one brutal civil war, Nigeria is at risk for a recurrence of conflict or dissolution, especially since some of the underpinning motivations of the war remain unresolved”.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

On US warning on Nigeria On the many fault lines speeding up disintegrative tendencies in the country, the report made a parallelism between current tendency in Nigeria and those elsewhere, concluding that “indeed, East Timor, Eritrea, Croatia, and Somali – all indicate that the weakest point of failing states is along colonial borders.

Of more interest for Nigerian unity is that this may also occur between regions separately administered by a common colonial power, as occurred between

Malaysia and Singapore, and North and South Sudan, where differences proved irreconcilable after the departure of British administration. At least, some of the resulting regions and states of a possible Nigerian devolution may divide along such internal lines”.

It is instructive to say that the doomsday scenario did not go down well with the Nigerian Ambassador to the United States of America, Professor Ade Adefuye, as he demanded a retraction and an apol-

Children warming themselves as harmattan intensifies at Gwagwalada in Abuja.

Let them leave W.F Kumuyi alone

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am pained to say that Pastor William F. Kumuyi, General Overseer of the Deeper Life Bible Church, has been the main issue in the context of Pentecostalism in Nigeria for more than 35years. The great spiritual question that begs for answer is whether one supports the entire biblical doctrines that the man of God stands for or against him.

Many people oppose the Bible because the Bible opposes them.

As to whether to celebrate Christmas or not, the man of God was addressing the church not the world, he was talking to the saints not sinners. Until one becomes born again he cannot agree with divine truth: the natural man cannot receive the things of God, for they are foolishness to him. There was no record as to the day that Jesus Christ was born. Around 600A.D, a king turned the day they worship Mars (an idol in Rome) to Christmas day. We do

ogy. This is no solution to our internal crises that are exacerbating by the day. The fate of our country is in our hands and unless we all realized that only sacrifices are needed to keep the country together. If the old USSR can go unpatched and the countries in the Balkans dissolved into several smaller countries due to irreconcilable differences, Nigeria faces the prospect of a break up. Let our politicians decide what they want to do with our country.

Comrade Sylvester Aigbologa, Ebute Metta, Lagos

not have issue with this trend, but a New Testament Church must mirror its tenets to what was recorded in the book of the Acts of the Apostles. Beside, the lesson why Jesus was born must be inculcated to the church so as to cultivate divine nature in a bid to glorify God. Problems abound today because the world mixes up the reason for this season. It goes beyond dinning and wining, but to let his coming change and transform, so as to move people from riotous living to the way of righteousness. The peace conference is needless if Jesus the prince of peace is hallowed and allowed. Just like strong institution cannot stand on weak constitution, a church that fails to stand on the whole counsels of the scripture will soon become a disco hall. We have many Christians today, but few are Christ like. Jesus is the truth that came to set the heart of men free from

the shackles of sin, Satan and the world. The church is the best place to hear the undiluted truth, because righteousness exalt the nation, sin is a reproach to any people. Let us stop entertaining our youth, but to nurture them with sound doctrines so that we can have many Jesus Christ not Judas Iscariot, Paul not Pilate, Esther not Jezebel.

The world systems have crept into the church, hence the reason for compromise and unequal yoke. The church must remain as the oracle of God … That you may know how we ought to behave in the house of God which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. For those who opened their mouth to castigate the man of God should remember that their lives has no part two, that is why the Bible has no second edition. A life lives in sin will eventually sink to hell fire.

Send your letters or or mails mailsto toPMB PMB10001, 10001,Ikoyi, Ikoyi,ororour ourEmail: Email:mirrorlagos@yahoo.com mirrorlagos@yahoo.com and info@nationalmirroronline.netor or 08056180209, 07033375481 and info@nationalmirroronline.net 08054103275, 07033375481 (SMS (SMS only).Editor The Editor reserves thetoright edit and letters reject letters or photographs.

Psuedonyms may be but used, butbe must be clearly marked as such. only). The reserves the right edit to and reject or photographs.

Psuedonyms may be used, must clearly marked as such.

People that take delight in celebrating Christmas will be careless to prepare for heaven.

The world is not our home, we are just passing through. We are not as many which corrupt the word of God, but as of sincerity as of god, in the sight of God. “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable (1 Corinthians 15:19).

We are not high born until we are born from on high. It is not all about celebration, the question is have you been liberated from sin? It is not enough to believe in Jesus, we must behave like him let us emulate Christ’s humility, sacrificial giving to bail us from the jail of greed, selfishness and demon of corruption that battle our nation.

If immorality is not punished there can be no incentive for morality. We seek peace because peace is the climate of freedom.

Nothing can be done against the truth but for the truth. And we shall know the truth and the truth shall make us free.

Ezekiel Oluwole Kolawole, 74, Customs Road, Ikotun, Lagos (08030821503)

Your

FRIDAY

Flavour

December 27, 2013

CAN slams artistes over erotic Xmas cards NGOZI EMEDOLIBE

Arty News

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Critics

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Maheeda

was livid about the development described the artistes involved in the fad as ‘coming from hell’. According to him, “Christmas is all about Christ, hope and giving. These misfits exposing body parts on Christmas cards and sending to bloggers are from hell. By exposing your sick bodies, you want to tell us you are better than God and that you are the reason for the season?

The devil takes you! If no one, especially Christians, speak out against this hypocrisy and sacrilege, then I damn well will! How dare such people defile Xmas’ purpose? If such demons feel they have liberties to do whatever

they wish, let them try sending Sallah messages in the same vein and see who roars! Liberalism in Christianity doesn’t mean consenting to sacrilege.

And those who support these infractions of faith will be judged by God. I believe in tolerance but not the temerity of telling me with pictures and symbols that my belief in God is misplaced by your bum and boob shots”.

The cards designed by the four artistes took nudity to a ‘special’ level indeed.

Controversial singer, Maheeda who released several shots of her semi nude pictures is by far generating more buzz over the demeanor. In one of the shots,

she was bare save from the usage of her underarm to shield her breasts. In another where she covered her breasts; she sat on a loud speaker dressed in Christmas attires spreading her legs invitingly and widely.

For Beverly Osu, hers had her clad in Christmas outfit as well, in a crouching position that had her hips held high. Adaora Ukoh however had hers showing a portrait of herself wearing a racy and lacy bra which pushed up her massive pair of breasts, while Juliet Ibrahim in hers wore lacy pants that showed part of her thighs with words of thanks for her fans and the media.

P. 34-35

he Christian Association of Nigeria has waded into the ongoing erotic Christmas cards saga in the entertainment industry by descending heavily on the female artistes who seized the occasion of Christmas to design erotic Christmas greeting cards for their fans. According to the body, the attitude is condemnable and not in line with the spirit of Christmas, because it is capable of leading men into adultery.

In a telephone interview with Friday Flavour an official of the organisation in Abuja, Cletus Alu, called it ‘a sad development’ and urged the ministers in churches to condemn the attitude in its entirety.

HE said: “The Bible says we should respect our body. Our body should not be joined to the body of a prostitute.

Such attitudes are prone to lead people into adultery which God hates. The Christian church forbids any dressing that tends towards this and using it to attract people is nothing but sin.

I am very sad that they are bringing it into the church and an occasion like Christmas. In some churches like the Catholic, some priests would not give anyone Holy Communion on account of bad dressing let alone this. The various church ministers have a role in stopping this development. It is sad and should be condemned by all.”

The erotic Christmas cards which came to the fore a few days ago, had four entertainment artistes, Maheeda, a gospel singer, Adaora Ukoh, an actress, Beverly Osu, a model and Juliet Ibrahim, an actress posing semi-nude in Christmas attires on their various Christmas cards meant for their fans. This trend has already pitched some fans and stakeholders against them, with some even saying that it was against the ethics of Christmas for them to do so.

Movie director Charles Novia who

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12 PAGES OF ARTS, REVIEWS, LIFESTYLE AND BUZZ TO START YOUR WEEKEND

Escape

VOL. 2 No. 783

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WEEKEND STARTERS

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ad King of Ijudiya, a Christmas play with a difference, will continue showing at the Muson Centre tomorrow and Sunday at 3p.m. and 6p.m. It is an adaptation of a Christmas story featuring a rich blend of folklore, traditional dance and music; transporting the audience to a typical African village setting.

King Ero ba ni’se, the great king of Ijudiya, discovers a rival within his territory and goes to an outrageous extent to prove that he is the one ordained by the gods to rule.

Even more annoying to the king is the discovery that the new entrant on the scene is a mere child.

Asa

eighbours Keeper a story of love, betrayal, family ties and social responsibility plus a mix of songs

by Asa, JR, Bebe Winans, Omawumi, Joe, Brian McKnight, Tyler Perry and ‘Busuyi Oris, among others. The play will have three shows at the Muson

Kakadu returns to Lagos

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akadu the Musical, which was staged earlier in the year and made a return yesterday, will show again today at the Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos at 6 p.m.

The musical celebrates Kakadu, the famous night-club in Yaba, which had a brief and unforgettable life in pre-civil war Lagos, and has become one of the greatest legends among all the multitude of nightspots in

Centre at noon, 3p.m. and 6p.m. on Sunday.

With a dazzling array of talented actors and musicians, those who attend will be thrilled with the creative combinations of drama and music of different genres, spiced up with humour to inspire. the famed city by the lagoon. Kakadu, written by a Nigerian lawyer, Sir Uche Nwokedi of the playhouse initiative serves as a reminder to our leaders and warning to our youth on how best to build an African nation.

Closer makes entry in Nigeria

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eeta Universal Arts Foundation and Get Reel Productions collaborate to stage for the first time in Lagos, the Tony Award winning play, Closer written by Patrick Marber. It will be staged at the Ball Room, Intercontinental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos today and tomorrow.

A bold and witty play with a central theme on the truth, it focuses on politics of four people trading partners and how they navigate their relationships in the

modern world which sets up an interesting drama full of emotional highs and lows. It will be directed by Najite Dede.

The characters are artfully brought to life by the brilliant cast consisting of Kalu Ikeagwu, Bikiya GrahamDouglas, Eku Edewor and Ochuko Oke.

Ikeagwu

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Neighbour’s Keeper comes to town

Inside FCT

A Christmas play with a difference

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Artman In The House

Friday, December 27, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Icons of 2013: The deaths and TERH AGBEDEH

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he news of the death of the iconic Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe on March 21 in Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America at 82 reverberated in all corners of Nigeria and the world.

He was buried in his home town of Ogidi May 23 but long before that day Professor Achebe had garlands thrown at his feet from around the globe lending credence to his stellar achievement in not just the literati but in his life as well. There is no doubt that the world will forever remember him with fond memories.

Hundreds reminiscent of the crowds in the books he penned came out to give him a befitting farewell including the Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan, who read short passages from Achebe’s work. Even those who had shouted the most over some passages in Achebe’s last book, There was a Country, came out to bid him farewell is what could best be described as a state funeral.

Honour continued to come the way of Achebe the rest of the year as many literary gatherings were dedicated to him all over the world. Among such events was HEBN Publishers Plc’s Achebe’s Literary Day’ in August 6 in Ibadan, Oyo State. The 15th edition of the Lagos Art and Book Festival, LABAF that held in November took place to honour the man of letters, so did ‘A Toast to an Extraordinary Life - Chinua Achebe’ by Moet & Chandon at the Freedom Park in July.

Another icon who passed on in 2013 was the octogenarian highlife musician Fatai Rolling Dollar. Since his passing on June 12, the legendary musician, born Fatai Olayiwola Olagunju, kept getting one deserved tribute after another including in the form of newspaper articles and concerts in his memory. The ‘easy motion tourist’, whose life could best have been likened to that of a phoenix was called many names like: legend, Icon, bridge between the past and the future of popular music in Nigeria. His hit album, ‘Won kere si number’, by which a lot of the world knows him, was produced by Duro lkujenyo in 2005 for Jazzhole Records. It was Ikunjenyo who introduced Rolling Dollar to the Jazzhole label thanks to an earlier meeting with the legend organised by then editor of the Nigerian Guardian on Sunday, Jahman Anikulapo, his colleague and co-founder of the Committee for Relevant Art, CORA, Toyin Akinosho and entertainment guru, Benson Idonije in 1999.

While he lived Rolling Dollar was a delightful subject for the media home and abroad and in a 2011 interview granted National Mirror newspaper – widely shared online – he had boasted that he still had 20 more albums to release. He did not just make this boast, he was to back it up with a lot of hard work in that direction. But had he settled down to studio work rather than travel the whole world doing concerts he would have released much more than 20 albums.

Married to Zainab Olagunju many years younger than he was, Rolling Dollar had no difficulty playing the role of father, husband and friend at his house presented to him by the then Governor Bola Tinubu’s administration in Lagos State in the Agege area of the state.

Born in 1927 in Isale Eko Abegede (a Lagos area), Rolling Dollar hails from Ede in Osun State. By 1952, he had already started playing agidigbo, mambo and palm wine music. Before embarking on his sailor career Rolling Dollar had a group called Queen Mary Orchestra.

He could go away for up to three months but whenever he came back they would play music together. But it was when he moved from Lagos to Idi Oro in December of 1952 that he started music properly. He made the move after working with the Nigerian Railway Corporation, NRC for 15 years. Apart from music, Rolling Dollar was a sign writer, painter and tailor.

Another death that sent shock waves in the country was that of veteran actor, Justus Esiri, the man nicknamed the Village Headmaster, who died on February

JP Clark

Lewis

Are

Esiri

19 due to complications from diabetes. He was buried at his residence in Abraka, Delta State on Friday, April 12.

Born in 1942, Esiri had his primary and secondary school education in Abraka and Warri, respectively, before proceeding to the Maximillan University and Weners Institute of Engineering in Germany, between 1964 and 1968.

Having worked for some time as a newscaster with the Voice of Nigeria, German Service, he veered into the movies, had a stint with the Schiller Theatre in Berlin before returning to Nigeria in 1976.

The late actor played a key role in the production of Dr. Ola Balogun’s movie, Dinner with the Devil, as well as during the Second World Black and African Festival of Art and Culture in Lagos in 1977, FESTAC 77.

He is survived by Mrs. Omiete Esiri, widow; children, Mrs. Ophilia Edewor, Mrs. Ejiro Efijemueh, Mr. Justus Esiri Jnr, Dr. Sidney Esiri (Dr. Sid), Mr. Andrew Esiri, Miss Tobor Esiri and grandchildren.

But it was not only the deaths of icons that got the

attention of Nigerians, landmark birthdays also made headlines. One of such was novelist, playwright, and biographer, Professor Kole Omotoso turning 70 on April 21. The event which took place in Lagos and Akure, Ondo State capital, offered an opportunity to draw attention to and appreciate Omotoso’s many-sided commitment to the literary arts as well as celebrate those with whom his path has crossed. The celebration, which featured a Special Reading, Kole Omotoso In Person at Jazzhole, on Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, in Lagos on April 17, was followed by the Kole Omotoso Exhibition, ‘Akure to Jo’burg’ in Akure from April 19 to 21. There was also a reception, ‘An Evening for Uncle Very Very’s Nephew’ at the Cultural Centre, Akure on April 19. A Special Birthday Lecture titled: ‘Radicals, Literature and Nigeria: Just Before 1914’, was delivered by Professor G.G. Darah of the Delta State University, DELSU, Abraka, which was followed by Kole Omotoso’s South African play, Yes and ‘Know’ to the Freedom Chatter, directed by

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Friday, December 27, 2013

the birthdays

Omotoso

Emanuel

Achebe

Rolling Dollar

Felix Okolo and produced by Hornbill House.

In the ancient city of Ibadan only on December 15, industrialist and chairman of Kakanfo Group of Companies, Dr. Lekan Are, celebrated 80 at the 25-year-old Kakanfo Inn and conference centre.

Oyo State governor, Abiola Ajimobi and his wife Florence; former governors, Rasheed Ladoja and Omololu Olunloyo, among many prominent others were at the celebration.

The event featured drama, music and dances, while friends, family members and associates pay tributes to the businessman and publisher. Are, who was in the best of spirits, moved about with the agility and energy that belied his age.

Meanwhile, the voyage continued for Emeritus Professor JP Clark-Bekederemo turned 80 on December 12.

That week, notable Nigerians trouped out to celebrate the literary giant who has contributed enormously to the development of Nigeria and the world at 80.

One of Africa’s leading authors and no doubt the most lyrical of the Nigerian poets, he is also a journalist, playwright, and scholar-critic, who has conducted research into traditional Ijaw myths and legends in addition to writing essays on African poetry.

Recently honoured in the Fifth Living Icon Project at Didi Museum, Lagos, friends, relatives, colleagues, literary giants, and his admirers, gathered at the University of Lagos, UNILAG Akoka, to celebrate his life, times and works.

In attendance were: Emeritus Prof. Ayo Banjo, Prof.

Ralham A. Bello, Vice Chancellor of UNILAG; Prof.

Alor, Prof. Hope Eghagha, Delta State Commissioner for Higher Education, who represented Gov. Emmanuel Uduaghan; Emeritus Prof. Tekena Tamuno, Prof.

Remi Raji, ANA chairman; Prof. Gabriel Okara, Elechi Amadi, Prof. Duro Oni, Prof. Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, Prof Ebun Clark, Ambassador Clark, Mr Sam Amuka, Prince Yemisi Shyllon and a host of others.

In November during LABAF at the Festival Art-

Artman In The House

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house Party JP Clark was celebrated alongside the trio of Mrs. Francesca Emanuel, Dejumo Lewis and Chief Rasheed Gbadamosi, who turned 70 at different times during the year.

Chief Gbadamosi, who turned 70 on December 7, was to, like JP Clark, later hold a celebration, while Lewis and Emanuel celebrated earlier in the year.

The Musical Society of Nigeria, Muson Centre threw a party for the renowned art collector, who, for the love of music, became one of the foundation members and the Muson’s Chairman for five years on December 6.

The next day in Chief Gbadamosi’s house in Ikorodu area of Lagos, where the Yusuf Grillo Pavilion is located, the day broke with Muslim prayers in thanksgiving. The merrymaking continued thereafter with family members and well-wishers showing up to wish him well.

Among the many reasons Chief Gbadamosi has continued to be celebrated at 70 is the fact that he has touched many lives in Nigeria –in business and the arts.

Of particular note is the Yusuf Grillo Pavilion, which has become a Mecca of sort for artists and art lovers.

At the opening of the Pavilion Gbadamosi had said that once he encountered Yusuf Grillo’s painting titled: ‘Awo Opa procession’, “there was a rushing of emotions which has since surpassed my life-view as an art lover”.

But, he also said that several visits to exhibitions in the burgeoning visual art market preceded by his chairing of the J.A. Akande’s 1984 solo exhibition prompted his emergence as a serious art collector. “There has been no pause since then and no serious distraction into another variety of the world of arts”, he explained.

Steeped in culture and tradition many thanks to his upbringing in Lagos and his mother who enrolled him into the Eyo Agere group on his return home from academic pursuits overseas, he has since become the Chairman of that group. However, Gbadamosi’s interest in art was eventually aroused through the embrace of literature.

“In effect, the poetry of the labour of aloneness whereby a blank canvass is transformed into a painting of exquisite beauty, a chunk of tree becomes a carver’s delight, the muse instructs and a play is crafted, a novel awakens from months of lonely agony and providence guides the creating artist to produce a masterpiece thus winning the adoration of his peers. A musical composition endures beyond the lifetime of the composer thus earning him eternal existence”, he stated.

Chief Rasheed Gbadamosi was born December 7, 1943. He holds an A ‘Level diploma from the City of Westminster College, London; obtained a degree in Economics and a diploma in Advanced Studies (Economic Development) from the University of Manchester, United Kingdom and a Master’s in Economics from the University of New Hampshire, United States of America, U.S.A. He has served as member as well as chairman of different boards and committees at different times including Chairman, Nigerian Industrial Development Bank; Chairman, Governing Council of the Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research between 2001 and 2004.

Also, Chairman, Special Committee on Petroleum Products Supply and Distribution; Chairman, Petroleum Product Pricing Regulatory Agency, PPPRA and Chairman, Board of Trustees, BoT, Musical Society of Nigeria, MUSON. Others are: member, Constitution Drafting Committee (1976 to1977); member, Board of Directors, National Electric Power Authority, NEPA; member, Study Group on Industrial Policies (1984), among many others.

A patron of the art, Gbadamosi is also the chairman of Ragolis Water Limited, AIICO Pension Managers, Lucky Fibres Nigeria Plc and several others.

Mrs. Emanuel is Vice Chairman of Macmillan Nigeria Limited and Chairman of the committee that organises Macmillan events including The Macmillan Literary Night, which has been an annual event since 2009.

Lewis is veteran actor, producer and director, who turned 70 on July 28. To celebrate the film and television icon the management of Freedom Park, Lagos, in conjunction with Hi-Life All Stars Club members, on Sunday, August 10 held a gathering in his honour at the old prison now theme park.

Lewis also worked with the Nigerian Television Authority, NTA for 30 years and was star of the Nigerian television soap, The Village Headmaster.

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Critics

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Friday, December 27, 2013

Theatre

Theatre in 2013: The joyous sound and the fury As 2013 comes to an end, it is imperative to take a journey through the laudable theatre performances and festivals that made remarkable landmarks in the country with national and international appeal, and great prominence within the span of the year.

OLAYIWOLA AWAKAN

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o denying the fact that Nigeria is seriously penetrating the hearts of the world with her outstanding theatrical performances and performers who are operating on the high frequency of creativity. That was evident in the series of theatre events in dance; drama and music events staged in 2013, and attracted other countries in Africa and the western world at large.

The first quarter of the year made its way through with a few theatre productions and festivals with great impact on the socio cultural stance of the nation. In February 2013, the maiden edition of the Lagos Theatre Festival by the British Council was declared open with glamour at the Eko Hotel and Suites. It was a good way to open up the year for high level creativity in theatre as some ‘giants’ in the stage business had their plays staged at four unconventional spaces within the hotel; the Plantanque area, the Underground Car Park, Casa Chanti Restaurant and the Presidential Suites. It was created purposely for the revival of the theatre scene in Nigeria.

The 14th Tale, one- man autobiographical story by Inua Ellams, The Waiting Room

by Wole Oguntokun and Grip Am by Ola Rotimi were featured in the festival.

In March, Renegade Theatre organised the production of Oshodi Tapa as written and directed by the great person of theatre, Wole Oguntokun.

Away from Lagos within the same quarter, the 2013 edition of the annual Jos Festival of Theatre was organised by the Jos Repertory Theatre Troupe. The festival, which has engraved a space in the calendar of theatre in Nigeria, had a lot of aesthetic display of great plays staged to the admiration of the mammoth audience who thronged the weeklong festival regardless of the insecurity issues within the environment. After the Pre-festival play of Banana Talks, the selected performances within the festival were, Wale Ogunyemi’s Queen Amina of Zazzau, August Wilson’s Jitney, Vaclav Havel’s Audience, Tennessee William’s Cat on Hot Tin Roof and Femi Osofisan’s Midnight Hotel.

During the second quarter of the year, other theatrical activities with great importance followed. The command performance of Same Page Reloaded by the actor, playwright, producer and director, Michael Asuelime stormed the Muson Centre in June 2013. BP Vision Ltd as the organiser of the project had lovers of stage plays en masse who filled the venue. Also within the quarter, The Theatre on the Mainland, TOM Series was introduced to feed the mainland audience with standard theatre performances every last Sunday of

the month within the year.

Crown Troupe of Africa’s 17th anniversary at the Freedom Park along Broad Street in Lagos Island was another event that had a lot of theatrical aesthetics. Established on June 1, 1996, the group’s repertoire includes local and international theatre performances. The theatre company had as a result of her international exposure friends from across the globe that came to celebrate with them, and performances of great standard served.

The theatre calendar of the year dramatically catapulted itself to the last quarter of the year with more stage crafts in drama and dance involving the international scene. Unveiling the loads of performances and festivals that characterised the third quarter was the National Troupe of Nigeria’s fourth edition of the annual Children Creative Station in August at the National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos, with the command performance of the play River Between by Mike Anyanwu. It was created to equip Nigerian children for the creative world.

Expectedly, Ijodee’s TRUFESTA International Dance Festival in October took over the scene. The one-week festival with the theme; “Discovering Young Creative Talents” had countries like South Africa, India, Uruguay, Morocco, Togo, Cameroon and Nigeria on stage to celebrate the seventh edition of the acclaimed festival. It was not confined to Lagos alone as workshops also held in Ife, Osun State. The National Council for

L-R: Mrs. Bolanle Austen-Peters, Alhaji Teju Kareem of Z-mirage and Edem Duke

Arts and Culture, NCAC Artistes Village, National Theatre Annex, Freedom Park, Lagos Island and Oduduwa Hall, OAU, Ife, Osun State were crowded with contemporary dancers and lovers of the genre of dance who were entertained, informed and educated through dance by internationally recognised dancers.

Perhaps one of the most inspiring stage productions of 2013 was Saro: The Musical conceived and produced by Mrs. Bolanle Austen-Peters, who runs Terra Kulture. So remarkable were the nine shows staged in the last weekend of October that Professor Wole Soyinka is quoted to have described it as ‘heavy weight’ after attending one of the shows.

Those to watch the musical included: the Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Donald Duke and former Lagos State Governor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, among many others.

Festival shifted from dance to drama as the National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners’, NANTAP hosted the 2013 edition of the festival of plays, FESTINA 2013; in November at the National Arts Theatre, Lagos. NANTAP honoured some practitioners and artists who have contributed to art development in the country at the event. The festival opened with the presentation of Ladugba, a stage performance written

by Wole Oguntokun and continued

with Adulawo, written and directed by Joshua Alabi; The Marriage of Princess Faderera, written by Onileagbon Amos Olufemi and directed by Segun Bashir Julius; Yoruba Romance, written and directed by Tyronne Terrence. Also there was The Duet, written by Toki Damola Mabogunje and directed by Williams Ekpo, till the grand finale, when Sir Uche Nwokedi (SAN) was decorated as the FESTINA Ambassador, 2013.

Kakadu-The Musical, written by Uche Nwokedi and directed by Kanayo Omoh was staged by the Playhouse Initiative, to round it up.

Renegade Theatre presented An African Macbeth at the Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos, in November as adapted and directed by Wole Oguntokun. In December, AFRIGANSA; Theatre across Boarders, another dance, music, poetry and art exhibition festival organised

by Ntoroso Odido Dance Company took over the stage with participation from other countries to climax the year’s theatre festivals. Aside the above, many other stage performances within communities in the country by budding theatre troupes took place in 2013.

Theatre in 2013, gained momentum as new theatre festivals, companies and artistes sprouted with great fervour. It was also observed that more corporate organisations supported the theatre sector.

Music

Best of entertainment in 2013 A retrospective look at the songs, concerts, and ideas that buzzed and got the fans glued to their stars.

A DEBIMPE OLATUJA

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ntertainment, over the years, has always been one of the biggest attractions in Nigeria. In 2013, it was highly concentrated on by corporate investors and individuals, while a lot of hard work was put in music, film, reality TV shows, awards, musical concerts, shows, and lots more. 2013 was a huge success in all these areas of entertainment just like previous years.

Nigerian celebrities gave their best in all ramifications of entertainment from the beginning of 2013 with popular names rocking on every medium such as Radio, TV and social media. Let’s examine the top Nigerian

celebrities and artistic work which were really hot throughout the year.

Starting from the 34-year-old Queen of Nollywood Omotola JaladeEkeinde who has topped film charts and become not just the best locally, but acknowledged across the globe.

Since 2011, Omotola has attended the Grammys Award ceremony in the US and she was awarded The Black Entertainment Film Fashion Television and Arts, BEFFTA, Icon Award. Omotola is the first Nigerian to ever own a reality television show, “Omotola: The Real Me” which debuted on DSTV this year. She was featured in TIME’s 100 most influential people in the world in 2013 and crowned her year of accolades with a chieftaincy title given by Ondo State, her home state.

Iyanya

In no particular order, 2013 was the year of Wizkid, Iyanya, D’Banj, Ice Prince. Olamide, Davido, Kcee, Tiwa

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Critics

Friday, December 27, 2013

Movie

Movies that shaped Nollywood in 2013

23

Theatre

The ending year has been a good one for the industry, marking the real beginning of Nollywood’s quest to go global.

NGOZI EMEDOLIBE

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he big names in film production in Nigeria still dominated the scene, owing specifically to their strategic thinking, which availed the watching public works that were enthralling. Kunle Afolayan, set the ball rolling early in the year with his documentary, Ise dale Yoruba, which took him round the south west region interviewing traditional rulers and filming exotic spots. The essence of the work was to highlight the rich culture of the Yoruba and it did get a lot of commendations.

Following in the same footsteps of promoting African culture was Obi Emelonye, who released his new movie, Onye Ozi, The Messenger. Emelonye after making a mark with films like Mirror Boy and Last Flight to Abuja, decided to shoot ‘Onye Ozi’ to revitalise the dwindling interest in making movies in Igbo language amongst his kinsmen. The film, which has white and black cast was shot in England and has already sparked off the passion to make Igbo language movies in producers like Teco Benson, Dickson Iroegbu, Amayo Philips, Harris Chuma and Gab Onyi amongst others.

Onye Ozi, which has had only the theatrical release also served

Cast of Half of a Yellow Sun

as the platform to rekindle the acting career of Comedian Okey Bakassi, who did the lead role.

Another producer whose work remained relevant is Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen. After the commercial success of his last film, Adesuwa, Imasuen went back to location for ‘Invasion 1897’, which is the story of the invasion of the Benin Kingdom which happened 200 years ago.

The film location in Benin was an assemblage of about 1500 film professionals from three continents- Africa, Asia and Europe. The story marks the climax in the inordinate exploitation of Africa by the West. This sinister quest began with slavery and later devolved to the famed scramble for Africa where the entire continent was divided among European World powers.

The year also heralded a renewed vigour for comedy.

From the Enugu angle of the

Olamide

Savage, Banky W and P-Square. Their exploits in the music scene ranged from releases of hit singles and videos

Obi Emelonye and Gbenga Adeyinka

industry, Amayo Uzor Philips kept churning out comics that utilised the acting prowess of actors like Nkem Owoh, John Okafor, Funke Akindele, Charles Inojie and Charles Awurum.

The interesting thing is how he broke the work into a serial that stretched into several parts.

This was what gave rise to films like Sherikoko and Osuofia’s Wedding.

Events that marked the civil war also presented an entertaining spectacle for those who have followed the blossoming career of Chimamanda Adichie.

Her views of the controversial

to fat cheque endorsements, awards, performances, public appearances and positive media acceptance. Their names couldn’t be found wanting on the lips of Nigerians throughout the year.

Wizkid’s singles such has, Caro, The Matter and Jaiye Jaiye are still rocking clubs, parties, shows and concerts.

Wizkid was nominated and awarded severally in 2013, including the prestigious Video of the Year Award at Channel O Music Video Award 2013.

Ice Prince also brought glory to the country in 2013 by snagging the coveted MTV Europe Awards trophy for Best African Act. So far this year, Nigerians witnessed several musical concerts in many big cities. Some of these concerts were record breakers and exceptional like the Colourful World of More, Love Like a Movie, Rhythm Unplugged, Star Quest Music Tour, Lagos Jazz Series and Sister With Soul which brought to Nigeria legendary American

Nigeria-Biafra war captured in, Half of a Yellow Sun adapted into a big budget film, featuring Hollywood stars, Chinwetel Ejiofor, who played Odenigbo and Thandie Newton, who played the role of Olanna.

The film which was shot in Calabar, and also featured Onyeka Onwenu and Zack Orji but raised a little issue when the role assigned to Genevieve Nnaji was expunged from the film.

At the Toronto International Film Festival where the film was screened to the public, it sure got the applause it deserved, and has been seen by the film

R’n’B queen and soul diva, Mary J. Blige. These concerts pulled huge numbers of people with mind blowing performances.

One cannot omit the fact that there were some musical albums released in 2013 that top the charts. From the beginning of the year we had albums such as Brymo – Merchant, Dealers and Slaves; Omawumi – The Lasso of Truth; Jesse Jagz – Thy Nation Come Vol 1; Waje – Word Aren’t Just Enough.

But Olamide’s album Baddest Guy Ever Liveth, released towards the end of the year, still earned the biggest acceptance with first its ‘Gun Man Pose’ pictorial swag that went viral among Nigerians. The highly anticipated album has produced monster hits like “Durosoke” and “Turn Up”. The indigenous rap artiste also counted success at the 2013 Nigeria Entertainment Awards, NEA, which held on Sunday, September 1.

Olamide turned out to be the biggest winner of the night, walking away

world as a gateway to the quest of Nollywood to gain global acceptability.

Ifeanyi Onyeabor, also started work on another film that has a unique theme. It is centered on the Almajiri syndrome in the northern part of Nigeria. The work is also being seen as one that would open the doors for Nigerians in other industries especially Bollywood. Currently in post production the film has stars from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa.

Television also had an exciting year in Nigeria. Aside the consolidation of ‘Tinsel’ which has surpassed the 1000-episode mark in the year, the country welcomed another drama series, ‘Shuga’, directed

by Biyi Bandele, who also directed Half of a Yellow Sun. In 2013, Internet accessibility and appetite for African movies abroad also soared, making Iroko TV, run by Jason Njoku a bigger deal as he offered West African films to world audiences. But a telecommunications company took the step further by offering an application that avails Nigerian films on-the-go for a fee. The idea is already making the producers glad and grateful.

with three awards.

The entertainment scene in 2013 can’t be completely reviewed without giving kudos to the success of many reality TV shows that entertained and reformed many individuals in Nigeria.

These include MTN Project Fame, Big Brother Africa, Maltina Dance All, Glo Naija Sings, Glo X Factor and Glo Lafta Fest featuring the best of American and African comedians on a 10-city tour, among others. These shows which millions of Nigerians follow have produced some of the country’s top entertainment stars.

Nigerian comedians have also made 2013 a remarkable year. They hosted, organised and graced shows, concerts, events, parties. Names like Basket Mouth, Gbenga Adeyinka, I Go Dye, Bovi, Seyi Law, Julius Agwu, AY, Tee A and other are commanding six-digit appearance fees and hosting their sellout shows. A well-planned public event is not complete without the presence of any of these comedians.

24

Arty News

Friday, December 27, 2013

Second Lagos Theatre Festival to hold in February

Femi Kuti steals show at Encomium White Gig

TERH AGBEDEH

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fro-beat king, Femi Kuti was pleasantly surprised at Encomium White Gig, on Sunday, December 22 when he was honoured for his 4th Grammy awards nomination on his 2013 masterpiece, No Place for my Dream.

The 51-year-old musician, who was accompanied by his sister, Yeni Kuti and friend, Mallam Abdul Okwechime, didn’t have a clue about what was planned at the event. Days leading to the event -where his citation was read by Executive Director, Tell Magazine, Ademola Oyinlola, Former diplomat, polyglot and master of ceremonies, Femi Segun and popular actor and broadcaster, Yemi Sodimu – he was not informed about the Encomium White Gig event.

According to sources, the pressure for him to adorn a white ensemble was intense as he ignored all pleas, choosing instead the most colourful attire in his wardrobe. He later acknowledged that if he had been told, he would have complied with the dress code.

Full of gratitude for the recognition, Femi Kuti was emotional as he responded to the citation and honour.

An interview session, anchored by sister, Yeni Kuti took all by surprise as she quizzed her brother and Afro-beat king, Femi Kuti. With three questions about Femi Kuti’s 4th Grammy awards nomination, Yeni Kuti was turned into a journalist that evening of fun and pleasure.

It was a colourful moment at the 6-hour extravaganza, which has emerged as the biggest, grandest and classiest white party known to mankind.

Celebrating Encomium’s 16th anniversary, the Christmas party was attended by stars of movies and music, television and comedy, as well as entrepreneurs, professionals and politicos.

T Ofonagoro (left) with NOPA officials

Ofonagoro solicits support for NOPA NGOZI EMEDOLIBE

F

ormer Minister of Information and Chief Host of the 2013 Nollywood Outstanding Personality Award, NOPA, Walter Ofonagoro, has called on corporate Nigeria to lend support to the annual awards event.

He was speaking at the sixth Nollywod Outstanding Personality Award, which held at the Etal Hall and Hotels, Oregun Lagos. According to Ofonagoro, this has become necessary following the enviable foundation the award is creating in the encouragement of manpower in the movie industry.

“Having worked in this sector for many years, I have understood what it takes to jumpstart a revolution in the industry, just like I did when I was working in NTA, where I encouraged a lot of productions that spawned the popular television programme, ‘Tales By the Moonlight’. Then, a lot of our programmes were being shipped in

from abroad, but I looked at them and said we needed to create our own thing. This has rubbed off positively on the industry as you can see. That is why I am also calling on the corporate Nigeria to come out and support NOPA, because this is an assessment of the industry by the professionals trained to have ‘oversight’ on the industry, I mean the journalists. This event should be encouraged so that honour would continue to come the way of people who deserve it in the movie industry”.

At the award event which attracted many big wigs of the industry, personalities like Theodore Orji, Governor of Abia State, Ramalan Yero, Governor of Kaduna State, Richard Mofe Damijo, Commissioner of Culture and Tourism, Delta State and Patience Ozokwor, honoured for their contributions to the growth of the industry.

NOPA is jointly organized by Stanword Media and the Association of Movie Journalists.

Edaoto storms Addis Ababa TERH AGBEDEH

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Femi (l) and Yeni Kuti

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

daoto and the Afrogenius band is in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital for the Christmas Bazaar and Festival gig. The sevenpiece band led by Edaoto Agbeniyi is among the performers drawn from around the world to take part in the popular festival, which holds annually at this time of the year.

Edaoto, who spoke to our reporter from Addis Ababa on Tuesday, said all members of the band are having a great time.

“We have performed two shows already in Addis and thousands of people are here to cheer us on. It’s wonderful performing here,” Edaoto, who has performed in Ethiopia before now, said.

Video clips of the bands performances are already making waves on Youtube depicting Edaoto as wows the crowd dancing and singing and goes on to take off his shirt and dance some more.

Edaoto and the Afrogenius Band plays the genre of music called Afrobeat. Established a decade ago, the band has traversed the length and breadth of West Africa nations performing to awed crowds. The band has also been at several engagements

in the country including at the Nigeria Television Authority’s 2009 World Music Day celebration, opening ceremony of the Under 17 FIFA World Cup Nigeria 2010, French Cultural Centre Showcase 2003, Goethe-Institut/ FrenchCultural Centre’s 2011 World Music Day celebration; Ife Poetry Festivals, Lagos Jazz Festivals, and WordSlam Festivals.

Edaoto, whose debut album, Critically Speaking was released earlier this year was guest at the just-concluded Harare International Festival of the Art, HIFA2012, Zimbabwe; Yoruba Youth Congress, 2012, Detroit, MI, U.S.A., Bayimba International Festival of the Art, Kampala, Uganda 2012 and Felabration Festival 2013, among many others.

Every second Saturday of the month in Lagos, Edaoto and the Afrogenius band holds the Life Seriesan evening of Afrobeat performances.

Edaoto and the Afrogenuis band

he second edition of the Lagos Theatre Festival organised by the British Council will take place in February next year. Ojoma Ochai, Assistant Director of the British Council, said this edition will push the boundaries of theatre production and take audiences on a journey into unexpected and unusual performance spaces.

“Drawing from the theme of this edition of the festival ‘Inspired by the city’; all the plays to be performed will be based on original stories about Lagos, crowd-sourced from across the country,” she explained.

The Lagos Theatre Festival, a unique platform that takes the stage away from conventional spaces and showcases it in ‘live’ locations.

To build on the success of the maiden edition, the British Council has teamed up with the best of Nigerian and UK theatre companies, playwrights and producers to create a bigger, better and longer festival for February 2014.

The writers already commissioned to turn the original stories on Lagos into theatre delights include the award winning writer and filmmaker Jude Idada, playwriting genius Lekan Balogun and theatre scholar Soji Cole.

Also onboard to bring the stories to life are theatre directors: Wole Oguntokun (Renegade Theatre), Ifeoma Fafunwa (Imagine Nigeria) and Toyin Oshinaike (Oxygen concepts).

Widely acclaimed UK Documentary-Theatre Company Look Left Look Right is also billed to create work in collaboration with a Nigerian director for performance at the festival.

The Lagos Theatre Festival will take place at the Freedom Park in February 2014 and is being managed for the British Council by a team of theatre producers which includes Kenneth Uphopho, Daniel Effiong, Brenda Uphopho, Ifeanyi Dibia and Bukky Sanu.

The maiden edition of the festival which held at Eko Hotel & Suites for three days in February this year, brought together thousands of curious people who witnessed for the first time, plays performed inside an underground car park, a garden, a restaurant and even a bedroom!

The much talked about and heavily tweeted event showcased amazing work from three local theatre companies as well as work by British-Nigerian playwright, poet and actor Inua Ellams, who performed his award winning play ‘The 14th Tale’.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Friday, December 27, 2013 Yaum al-Jumu’ah, Safar 24, 1435AH

25

Call to Worship

On the authority of Anas bin Malik, the servant of the Messenger of All, the prophet said: “None of you [truly] believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself.”

RELATED BY BUKHARI AND MUSLIM

Apathetic Muslims in a corrupt polity A s 2015 draws closer, politicians are bracing up for the challenges ahead. The entire polity is already agog with series of activities.

Though the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has not lifted ban on politicking. this does not stop politicians from planning, scheming and strategising.

We have seen the registration of the PDM as a party. Formation of a mega party, APC has appeared on the scene.

Nigerians have witnessed a crack in the ruling party, PDP. This has led to the emergence of the G7 and the so called new PDP which ultimately led to their decampment to APC, an opposition party.

The political phenomenon that led to the ‘elections’ of two Chairmen of the Governors Forum is another case in point among many other events and issues still counting.

Year 2015 will definitely go down the political history of Nigeria as one of the busiest year of political activism ever. Elections ranging from local government, States House of Assembly, Governorship, House of Assembly, Senate and Presidential will be held.

It is no surprise therefore, that politicians are beginning to award phantom contracts and buying two vehicles for as much as two hundred and fifty five million Naira! According to some political observers, all these are part of the overall efforts to save money towards elections and other related activities.

Not only will the INEC work itself to tiredness come 2015, it must ensure it works to perfection to justify huge investments the nation is putting into the exercises.

But as politicians prepare, are the citizens better equipped? Are they aware of their rights? Do they know their needs?

Are they conscious of their wants? Are they politically motivated enough to participate and make right choices? Do they have enough political education that will ensure Nigeria and Nigerians get it

Fashola tasks Muslims on peaceful coexistence 26

right in the next dispensation?

Duties and rights of the electorates are not limited to registering to vote. It goes beyond voting on Election Day for the candidates of one’s choice or voting against the ones that are disliked.

The bane of Nigeria’s politics is lack of enough political education or awareness that will galvanise the people to effective political participation and pursuance of good governance. Nigerian Muslims are more affected in this regard.

Let me start with political participation. The major cause of low political participation among Muslims in the polity is attributable to low level of education. Be it in the South or in the North, it is obvious that Muslims are relatively less educated than other groups and by extension, less enlightened.

ZSF administers more Zakat Fund in Ogun State

L-R: HRH, Oba (Dr.) AbdulMojeed Toye Alatise, Gbegande of Ososa, Alhaji AbdulQudus Abass and Imam Abdullahi Shuaib, ED/CEO, ZSF

THEY SIMPLY ABANDON THE POLITICAL SCENE FOR THE SO CALLED

‘CULTISTS’ Education is a major prerequisite to rights consciousness. Hence, Muslims’ lack of education naturally puts them at disadvantage. This is why varying Muslim organisations need to embark on massive political sensitisation and conscientisation to fill the vacuum created by the literacy gap before 2015.

This is essential to avoid the consequence of apathy in the system.

Political apathy naturally breeds political recklessness among the leaders since the citizenry will be less aware of their rights.

L-R: Operations Manager, Zakat and Sadaqat Foundation (ZSF) Mallam Ma’aruf Ahmad; Chairman, Management Board, Vanguards Academy, Dr. Zafaran Adeniyi, presenting a cheque of N50,000 to Mr. Lateef Shittu for medical support while Zakat and Sadaqat Foundation (ZSF) Coordinator, Ijebu-Ode, Mallam Lateef Lawal, admires the gesture.

YINKA SALAAM Voice of Nigeria, Lagos

TO BE CONTINUED NEXTWEEK

People’s will through God 27

Hon. AbdurRafiu Baruwa, Vice Chairman, Ijebu-Ode Local Government presenting a set of Computer System to representatives of Muslim Model Schools, ITunes Metala, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State

No Merry Christmas in the Holy lands 31

26

Call to Worship

Yaum al-Jumu’ah, Safar 24, 1435AH

Friday, December 27, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

ZSF distributes another N3.335m AISHA TITILAYO

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o fewer than 50 people benefitted from N3, 335,000 distributed by the Zakat and Sadaqat Foundation (ZSF), in Ogun State recently saying that in a country estimated at 163 million population, a staggering 112.519 million of the populace are living under very poor conditions.

Making this revelation recently was the Executive

Director of ZSF, Imam Abdullahi Shuaib during the 4th Zakat Distribution Ceremony (ZDC) at the Multi-Purpose Hall, IjebuOde Central Mosque, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State.

Referring to the statistics released by the National Bureau of Statistics, Imam Shuaib described the situation as ugly.

“This statistics has shown that majority of Nigerians are living under harsh economic conditions engineered

by endemic poverty and corruption which is in the increase. Who will bell the cat in this circumstance?

We are aware that government alone cannot meet all the needs of its citizenry. This is what informed the intervention of ZSF to complement the services government is providing to its people.”

ZSF, Shuaib said, pays more attention to the poor and needy at the grassroot level. “These are Nigerians that produce the wealth of the nation

but are disconnected from having a fair share of the resources. Therefore, Zakat, which is the third pillar of Islam readily provides the tool to fill the gap created by the economic inequality and deprivation meted to the poor by asking the eligible Muslims to pay 2.5 per cent of a minimum amount of N731, 000 and above of their net wealth called Nisab as Zakat to empower their poor brothers and sisters so that they can attain economic freedom

and become self-reliant,” he said.

Imam Shuaib reiterated that the foundation focus more attention on building capacity for the poor and supporting their economic empowerment drive.

At the ceremony, some of the beneficiaries went home with motor-cycles, barbing clippers with generators, deep freezers, embroidery machines, grinding machines and computer sets among others.

“It is our hope and prayer that with these equipment and financial tokens to supplement their business enterprises, the beneficiaries will be able to fend for themselves and also contribute meaningfully to the economic growth of the nation in the nearest future. It is our collective responsibility to develop our people and improve our nation by adding values to the life of Nigerians so that we can have a peaceful society that will be conducive for investors to stay and do business. When this is achieved, many of the unemployed youths will be engaged constructively.”

He urged the

beneficiaries to make good use of the Zakat fund so that their living conditions can be improved and ultimately be self-reliant.”

ZSF was in Abeokuta some weeks ago where a similar event was held with the Speaker of Ogun State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Suraj Adekunbi in attendance among others.

The Zakat distribution is an annual event and a forum where transparency and accountability is rendered vis-à-vis Zakat collected, provide a credible channel of Zakat distribution and to give hope to the poor and needy people.

Imam Shuaib also made it known that “Baytuz Zakat” [Zakat House] Project which was started about four years ago, will be officially opened and commissioned by His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, in Lagos on Saturday, 11th January, 2014, insha Allah and appreciated all donors and contributors, specifically the Zakat payers and charity [Sadaqat] donors.

Fashola tasks Muslims on peaceful coexistence Alhaji AbdulQudus Abass from Nigerian Gas Company ( a subsidiary of NNPC) and Chairman of the ceremony congratulating Mr. Adekoya Qadri as a beneficiary of ZSF Deep Freezer for economic empowerment support while Imam Abdullahi Shuaib, ED, ZSF and Mallam Ma’aruf Ahmad, Operations Manager, ZSF admires the gesture.

Over 500 indigenes receive free Ahmadiyyah medical care JOEL AJAYI ABUJA

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s part of its efforts to complement the health care programme of the Federal Government, the Ahamadiyya Muslim Jama’at of Nigeria, FCT Chapter has handed over a wellequipped Islamic clinic and maternity center to the Karishi community in Nassarawa State and conducted free medical test to no fewer than 500 indigenes of the community.

Speaking, the President of the FCT Chapter, Alhaji Abass Owolabi, said that the organization in collaboration with Humanity First Canada, Humanity First Nigeria, noticed that there is total absence of health centers in some

communities, where there were health centers, they only existed in theory as most of them are illequipped to handle even minor health issues.

“It had become a necessity for the communities to have a clinic in order to have access to healthcare, we decided to build clinics in some communities especially to assist those patients who could not afford the bills of their medical treatments.

“And we are not limiting this gesture to health alone, as part of our mandate and as we were thought in the Holy Quran that we need to give back to the community. In line with this, every three months we used to reach out to people in different

ways, we have given scholarship to those who could not afford school fees, provision of bore-holes to communities, amongst other.

“Islam is a religion of peace which do not believe in favouritism or nepotism, the clinic is for both Muslims and others.”

The clinic have features of a standard clinic comprises of laboratory, theater room, labour room, pharmacy room, peadiatric ward, two male wards, two female ward and other facilities In his own remarks, the head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at Hospital, Kano, Dr. Mudassar Ahmed, noted that the exercise so far revealed that high blood pressure, ulcer,

diabetics, joint pains are the common problems among the people of the community.

According to him, the diagnosis create a kind of awareness and giving them information that would assist them in telling them what to do, what not to, what to eat, what not to eat and how to take care of themselves.

While thanking the donors, the Emir of Karishi, Alhaji Muhammadu Bako II, who was represented

by Markama of Karishi, Abdullahi Kazeem, noted that “it is an unforgettable experience, and I am happy that a religious organization has taken such a bold step. This, I hope, will encourage others”.

YINKA ADEPARUSI

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agos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola has pleaded with Muslim faithful to continue with act of peaceful coexistence in their day-to-day dealings with people of different faiths in the state and in Nigeria as a whole.

The governor made the remark during the 10th year anniversary celebration of Iganmu Coker Aguda Branch of the Nasrul-Lahi-LFatih Society (NASFAT).

Fashola who was represented by his Senior Special Adviser on Islamic Affairs, Alhaji Hakeem Kosoko, stated that for the country to remain stable and attain greater heights of development, there is need for all, irrespective of religion, to understand and respect one another.

Chairman of the occasion, Alhaji Lateef Disu also echoed the same view while suing for unity and urging Muslims from all spheres of life to work together in propagating Islam and nurturing their wards with morals and tenets of Islam.

Meanwhile, as part of commendation activities of the society, awards were presented to distinguished personalities for their leadership skills and unwavering support for religious activities in the state. The awardees include: Governor Babatunde Fashola; Chief of Staff to the Governor, Alhaji Mikhail Babalola; Alhaji Abd’Fatai KekereEkun; Chairman of Coker Aguda Local Council Development Area, Hon. Omobolanle Obe; Alhaji Mustapha Kekere-Ekun and others.

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Call to Worship

Friday, December 27, 2013 Yaum al-Jumu’ah, Safar 24, 1435AH

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People’s will through God

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an has got to the end of the road.

All his human ideologies have failed and even given birth to more problems. He has become a vagabond in his own land.

Peace has since eluded him. Almost every man is playing survival pranks.

There is nothing he cannot sacrifice for material gain. The political class and office holders paddle the ship of the nation and send the unborn to early grave. Securing post or power is a ‘do and die’ affair. All roads lead to grabbing of power or position. They sign in for corruption and sign out with looting. Only the one who has been in power can understand why it is not easy to quit. The kind of

unimaginable enjoyments and entitlements which go with the canny corrupting portfolios are enough to make people pour human blood for libations. The setting is so inhuman that animals have never suffered what common man goes through today in terms of hardships, wants and hunger.

Politics is the bottomline of our quagmire today. It has shrewdly penetrated every aspect of our lives. It has become the de facto of all policies.

It has configured the brain of men to think below and above what they are. The poor has lived with poverty and thus seen it as a virtue.

Any extension of hands of fellowship makes him

faint. He does not think of any basic necessity again than to just get something even if it is a crumb on the dustbin for his daily bread. He has been psychologically affected that when he dreams of being rich, he will report to the nearest police station for committing an illegality.

On the other hand, the rich through politics apparently assume godship and act as they so will and desire. Their dream is not blurring; all resources are theirs and that of their lineage.

They turn every societal element to dance to their tunes. These politicians are less than five percent of the populace, yet they appropriate over eighty

Polygamy in Islam

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he holy Quran is a document that contains words of Almighty Allah. In view of this, its teachings should spread around the world for the good of humanity.

However, one of its clear teachings says that men may be polygamous.

The glorious Quran, chapter 4, verse 3 says “Marry of the women, who seem good to you, two or three or four; and if ye fear that ye cannot do justice (to so many) then one (only) or (the captives) that your right hands possess.”

This verse clearly allows a man to have up to four wives (Allah conveniently granted Prophet Mohammed (SAW) an exception.

Islam has emphasized that taking advantage of the permission of polygamy is conditional on the observance of several factors and circumstances. If the man lacks those material and moral conditions, or he is not competent enough to satisfy all of them, then he will not be eligible to take more than one wife.

Also, marriage and polygamy in Islam is a matter of mutual consent. No one can force a woman to marry a married man.

Islam simply permits polygamy; it neither forces nor requires it. Besides, a woman may stipulate

that her husband must not marry any other woman as a second wife in her prenuptial contract.

Equally, Islam has emphasized that the basic objective of healthy marital life comes from mutual love and benevolence between the husband and the wife which normally can be found in the form of regular marriage - monogamy. Preservation of that cordiality, stability, and purity in the family life can be seen clearly in the Quranic doctrines as well as in the tradition of the Prophet Mohammed (SAW) Furthermore, the holy Quran says: “And among His Signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves, that ye may dwell in tranquility with them, and He has put love and mercy between your (hearts): verily in that are Signs for those who reflect.” This can be found in chapter 30, verse 21.

As a realistic religion that legislates real solu-

tions for humanity, Islam avoided any utopian doctrine. In many of its laws, Islam keeps in mind the flexibility of the law and the realistic factors and circumstances.

However, Islam considers the overall values and gaining. If the advantages of a law overcome its disadvantages, then that law would be legislated and vice versa. This concept is driven from Quran: “They ask thee concerning wine and gambling. Say: “In them is great harm (sin) and some benefits for people; but the harm (sin) is greater than the benefits; Quran chapter 2, verse 219.

In conclusion, even though we see the clear permissibility of polygamy in Islam, its actual practice is quite rare in many Muslim societies.

Most Muslim men feel they cannot afford the expense of maintaining more than one family.

Even those who are financially capable of looking after additional families are often reluctant due to the psychological burdens of handling more than one wife.

Sheikh Abdul Gannyy Umar Arikunkewu is the Founder/National Chief Missioner of Jublatu Rohfatu Llahi Islamic Society of Nigeria (JUBAT)

percent of the resources to themselves and still go ahead to misappropriate the remaining that is meant for the people.

The fraudulent enjoyment of insignificant minority at the expense of suffering majority portends a looming anarchy. This is because people’s endurance has its limitation. Should the leaders push the masses to that stage, posterity will never forget them.

It is now that they must put all things in proper shape. They should see the country beyond personal estate. It is beyond all of us. The human and material resources are within their control. Why

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hen disrespect is relating to the elderly is put to test for the mere fact that the younger ones are more learned, envy the evil thoughts takes its place, love, affection and friendliness are all lost, when a man of little or average knowledge becomes a leader, inadequacy takes a perfect control and correct precision in doing things is not found again, so we know that when the law of structure is not obeyed, our building will always collapse. All these are all that lead to decay in our life and the effects of such is absolute inefficiency and lack of results in all we do. All these too do not just occur except for some reasons. Let’s listen to the Qur’an. Suratul Rum (Chapter 30 Vs 41”) “Corruption doth appear on land and sea because of the evil men hath done that He may make them taste a part of which they have done, In order that they may return.”

The same chapter Vs 43 “so set thy purpose resolutely for the right religion before the inevitable day cometh from Allah. On that day, mankind will be sundered before (Allah), The prophet of Islam (S.A.W.) said “Allah will not allow a change in whatever befell a race until they are poised to change their living habits by themselves.”

The causes of these ills are categorized into three thus:A. Family

can’t they have a rethink and chart a new course of action?

All this harlotry political chauvinism and maneuvering will not last, it will only take time. People’s will is the strongest force, should it be invoked, it will consume all evil doers.

Our togetherness is our strength. So, let no myopic leader dream of tearing the nation apart. History will never forgive whoever aids such inhuman venture. God is on the side of the people because they are the oppressed; He is angry with the leaders

because they are the oppressors. Let the people take their fate in their hands. Let them have strong will that cannot be silenced by any mortal.

Let them begin to query and hold their leaders across strata accountable.

Let them reject, in totality, all attempts to undermine their will. The will of the people through the genuine belief in the power of God is a lasting weapon.

AL-FATHIU QUAREEB MESSAGE

SHEIKH

ADANGBA e-mail: ustazadangbe@yahoo.com

Moral decadence, nature, scope and solutions catastrophes B. Social imbalances C. Economic woes Family catastrophes: Divorce takes the lead here. He created a soul (child) from two other souls (husband and wife) because He wanted both of them to bring the child up but when divorce set in and single parenthood takes over, inadequate child bearing is the result which is a laxity in proper upbringing .The prophet (SAW) said ‘’the most annoying Halal in the sight of Allah is divorce’’.

Allah frowns at the couple that divorce, that’s why, He ordered that settlement between couples is very important.

Social imbalances: Our society today is devoured of spiritual guidance. People are no more God conscious, they dress, eat, wine, dine and socialize without decorum, and partying, nudity and all have you in the name westernization which has taken control of our existence. We lost our culture and good tradition thus, leading us into destruction and slavery.

Many of us will see this in our neighborhood and in

the nooks and cronies of our society.

Economic woes: This has become the excuse of many who are character negative.

Let me give an example of an occurrence in my own life. A day I was visited by armed robbers in my house after they have carted away what they loved and hid them somewhere.

They came back looking for more; there they met me observing Tahajjud (Nafilah).The guy involved felt bad and said, look oga, I want to be in bed like you and observe nafilah the same way, but the economic situation of the country warranted my actions.

I am terribly sorry sir. I mistakenly entered your house. Although, by Allah’s mercy, we recovered the stolen items where they kept them because we later pursued them. Do kindly hear what that guy (thief) was saying? What do we now have to say of penrobbers and their likes that have taken over the control of our economy? How do we get over the menace? It’s a big task to come by but we just have to do it to save the generations unborn.

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Friday, December 27, 2013

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Call to Worship

Yaum al-Jumu’ah, Safar 24, 1435AH

Book Reviews Title: The Memorization of the Holy Quran, Merits and Methods Author: Al- Hafiz Yunus Omotayo, Tutor Hafiz ul Quran Class, Al- Azhar International College, Lokoja, Kogi State.

Publisher: Al-Azhar International College, Lokoja, Kogi state, Nigeria.

Date of Publication- Ramadan, 1434, (August 2013).

Printer: Olatunde Productions. Pages – 97.

Classification: An Educational /Religious book. ISBN: 978-978-934-192-4 Reviewer – Qasim Akinreti, Head Foreign Desk, Voice of Nigeria, PhD Student Media Studies, Babcock University, Ilishan Remo, Ogun state.

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he publication done by Huffaz and Missionary, Al –Hafiz Yunus Omotayo, who graduated from Jamia Ahmadiyya, Ilaro, is a clear testimony to the greatness of the school and the sagacity of the lecturers who imparted unassailable Islamic knowledge to the students.

It also exemplifies the uniqueness of this great Islamic organization established to spread the message of Islam to all corners of the world. I pray to Almighty Allah to continue to guide rightly, the tutors at the missionary training college and the Hafiz –ul Quran class in Ilaro and Ijede.

Secondly, am proud to take up this task as a parent of one of the Hafiz-ul – Quran students at Mahmood Ahmadiyya College Ijede. Am more than ever before, well informed on the need for this tier of education and reassured that our investments on these children are really worthwhile after reading through the insightful publication for this generation and those coming behind.

The review of this book will be based on four pillars; the essence of the publication, its contents, the quality of publication and suggestions for further publication.

The essence of the book The title of the book- Memorization of the Holy Quran (Merits and Methods) is very apt .It’s timing and publication are quite appropriate at period the flame of committing the entire Quran to the heart is now growing among the Muslim Ummah in Nigeria In the author’s estimation, over 200,000 Muslims across the world have memorized the Holy Qur’an.

Right from the first page of the book, the reader is inundated by the author on the importance of memorizing the Holy Quran as a basic Suna – a recommended and rewarding deed. And someone who memorizes the Holy Quran is called Hafiz. This individual is then upholding Quranic attributes; he is regarded as a spiritual leader, a special hope of Allah, Chief of people of paradise and a fountain of knowledge in all ramifications.

The content The foreword written on this book by eminent Islamic scholar, Dr Saeed Timehin, and an Islamic Jurist, Justice Sulaiman Olorunfemi, lift the importance of memorization of the holy Quran to high pedestal of scholarship and celestial acceptance. Dr Saeed Timehin, submitted unequivocally, and arguably described the book as the first, written in English Language by a scholar from the south western geo-political zone of Nigeria, containing several information that are absent in the works of his predecessors,

Arabs and non –Arabs alike.

In his own analysis , Justice Sulaiman Olorunfemi, Former Grand Kadi, Kogi state Shariat Court of Appeal, the memorization of the Holy Qur’an is one of the greatest assignments a Muslim can render in the service of Allah, hence this book is an excellence service to humanity in that respect.

Appropriately, the book is divided into six chapters covering the holy Qur’an and its preservation, human memory and Tahfiz-ul-Qur’an, the wings of Tahfiz-ul-Quran, the essential pillars of Tahfiz-ul-Qur’an, the art of Tahfiz-ul-Qur’an, summary and conclusion. Three pages of references complete the pack.

Chapter 1 dealt extensively on the need for the recitation of the Qur’an, based on historical, religious, social and political perspectives with detailed references to the hadith and verses of the Qur’an.

Since memorization has a lot to do with Human memory, Chapter 2 was an expository of glories of human species.

Literary, contextual and cognitive definitions of memory were clearly stated as the acquisition, storage and retrieval.

Perhaps, for the memorization of the Holy Qur’an to achieve its utmost best, the book suggests its tactics. These covers in clear terms, “regular practice sessions over a long period of routine and repetitive study.

To nurture the memory, good diet, healthy habits such as sleeping and exercising were recommended. The high point of the chapter is the detail analysis of manual of practical Tahfiz -ul-Qur’an, which encompasses five factors. They are the pillars, the wings, the methods, the prayer and revision. Page 47 captured the graphical representations appropriately.

Chapter 3 breaks the requirements needed for keeping memorization of the Qur’an alive. These are sincerity of intention and motive, establishing a determination by Huffaz, maintaining the interest, strengthened the memorization, ensuring diligence and abstaining from sinful thoughts in terms of speech as well as in actions. Interestingly, Prophetic prayers for Tahfiz-ul-Qur’an from the hadith by Tirmidhi, Hakim and others, close the chapter as noted on pages 58 -59.

Chapter 4 and chapter 5 poignantly, situate the essence of the publication.

It marks it out as a valuable resource for Tahfiz-ul-Qur’an textbook. The five pillars of memorization of the glorious Qur’an were exhaustively discussed with the insignia of a tablet,(WALA),

Friday, December 27, 2013

noted for reading and teaching the holy Qur’an by traditional Islamic scholars .The pillars are practical knowledge of the principles of recitation with emphasis of TAJWEED,necessity of memorization in a established Tahfiz-ul-Qur’an class or under a proficient Hafiz. Others are choosing the most suitable period and condusive place, sticking to a particular type of the copy of Qur’an and setting the strategy for memorization, including the practicality of methods of memorization. These pillars were explained in details and quite distinct from other similar publications of its kind.

(See Page 60 – 88).

The graphical illustration, charts, time –table of memorization, analysis of the schedule of years for convenient memorization at best, bring into the fore the practical experience of the author.

It shows he really understand the nuances of the art of memorization of the Qur’an. Indeed it is a credible guide to successful and sustainable memorization exercise. Page 75 captures it all.

Chapter 6 is a recap of the merits and methods as well as admonitions to Huffaz, parents and the Muslim Ummah.

The Author stressed the need to establish a standard Tahfiz-ul Qur’an classes, organizing Quranic competitions and orientation exercises on the benefits of Hafizul –Qur’an.

The style of writing is simple, direct, straight to point and analytical. There are logical presentations of issues related to the memorization of the Holy Qur’an. The strength of the book lies in

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the use of language registers that are noted with Islamic religious calling and books of the same genre.

Notable quotes of scholars in the field of Quranic memorization and the Author high sense of description, and exposition lend credence to the originality of the work. The Quality of the book is amazing. The aesthetics of the cover page and pictures of the Hafiz-ul Qur’an class are really inviting for a reader. The glossy colour and font size bear testimony to the thoroughness of the book, arousing the interest and eagerness of anyone who has the book to read thorough with relish. The work was well edited for any editorial errors as generally noted in major works.

Suggestion for future publications For subsequent revised edition of the book, it will be advisable if the content can be reduced to manageable subheadings. It is too clumsy in the main. The references will have to follow the global best practices using the American Publication Association style called APA. The referencing must follow alphabetical order, while the online references must include date and time of accessing the web resources. Easy references should take the following format namely Books, Journals, Interviews, and Internet resources. Be that as it may, I recommend the book as a must read for all irrespective of religious persuasion. It is indeed Al-Hafiz Yunus Omotayo’s contribution to knowledge.

Rethinking Muslim Women and The Veil Challenging Historical & Modern Sterotypes Paperback 28 Pages Author: Katherine Bullock Publisher: The International Institute of Islamic Thought IIT Books-In-Brief Series

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his book offers a powerful critique of the Western notion that the hijab, the veil, is a symbol of Muslim women’s oppression. The author examines the views of feminist scholars who offer a variety of interpretations of the Islamic guidelines regarding hijab and discusses the view that women only wear hijab Bullock analyses 19th and early 20th century Western images of Muslim women (in paintings, drawings, postcards, and words), interviews Muslim women in present-day Toronto on the practice of veiling, explores the reasons that Muslim women veil, as recorded in the work of contemporary academics, anthropologists, feminists, and mass-market journalists, and analyzes and refutes Fatima Mernissi’s claims vis a vis the veil (finally!). Her work in this last area is valuable not just for being a refutation of Mernissi’s claims against the veil, but as an expose of Mernissi’s faulty methodology, lapses in logic, and her agenda against Abu Hurayrah, Sayiduna Umar, and Imam al Ghazali. Bullock also explores the troubling issue of Muslims (and others) resorting to Orientalist authored texts (whether historical or present-day) in order to “grasp” issues surrounding Muslim women, Islam, state, and law.

In the final section, An Alternative Theory of the Veil, Bullock explores

and refutes stereotypes of Muslim men and women that are held and promoted by both Orientalists and feminists (for example, that the veil means men do not have to take responsibility for their sexuality, but that women shoulder the burden for both). She also addresses, several times in the book, the apparently revolutionary idea that Muslim women who veil do so out of love for their Creator, and a desires to obey His Word (e.g. the Qur’an).

Katherine Bullock IS AN ALUMNA OF THE UNIVERSITY OF Toronto, where she earned her doctorate in Political Science in 1999. It was during this period that she embraced Islam. Her Ph D. Dissetation was on ‘Politics of the Veil’.

Dr Bullock Originally from Australia now lives in California. It is a must read for all!

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Call to Worship

Friday, December 27, 2013 Yaum al-Jumu’ah, Safar 24, 1435AH

Creaky homes, messy marriages

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ride in a typical overcrowded bus in Lagos is a good starting point for anybody that desires to feel the mood of the nation. The Lagos Molue pulsates with different emotions: from the drudgery of work to the pain of disappointment, the failure of infrastructure to the neglect of the citizenry; the frustration and anger of an awful business day to the annoyance against corruption in official circles.

Also the fear of nagging spouses and the treachery of unfaithful partners are fully expressed inside the public transport that some states of the federation are gradually doing away with. Apart from the pedestrian political discourses and uninformed economic analyses that dominate the air inside the bus, matrimonial wounds are opened, thereby leading to the realization of marital frustrations that couples barely cope with, the matrimonial heat under many roofs, and the passionate hate many spouses nurture against their own house mates.

As I reflect just before dawn, I realise that matters of the heart can be located in certain errors that many men make, especially before marriage, but which they lack the courage to address as years roll by in matrimony. In that circumstance, the peace of mind is lost, the breach of

trust comes to the open and the products of the union are held hostage in a loveless home. The purpose of marriage and family – peace and stability of the society – is therefore lost.

The home is therefore shun of true love, common purpose and shared happiness. The hearts once thought to be one and same in love therefore begin the search for new bliss, in most instances, elsewhere, and not in the home that they swore to build together. The house creaks; the marriage lapses into a mess or is in a shambles with abuses and assault over even a thing as trivial as where to press the toothpaste tube. Divorce is in the air.

In the worst extreme, depression, leading to suicide or murder, is obvious in the home that was once built on love. Such an unfortunate development, no doubt, could not have risen if intentions were pure and the correct choices made.

In essence, marriage ought to be built on sincerity and compatibility, two conditions for love and companionship. These are just two of the many prescriptions for the sustainability of marriage and most importantly for the attainment of the vision of the marital partners. For it is in a happy and peaceful home that the couple, the husband and the wife, can pursue their dream and raise the family, oh the children, to be responsible members of the society. Most homes lack this.

Building on Yakan’s premise of a successful or happy matrimony, I isolated some five or six fundamental errors men, NOT WOMEN, commit that rob the larger society of the deserved peace.

Therefore, the first of the errors most men commit is what I call error of intention. When the colour or the shape of the woman, the size of her purse, the eminence of her pedigree and the height of her education are what most men look out for in the woman they want to marry, such men already fall short on the benchmark of sincerity of intention. Most women soon find out why some men are after them. Not their hearts or their inner beauty.

This error leads to the second fatal error: the error of selection. Lost in lust, caged by desire and fired by opportunism, some men, high in the clouds of selfishness, like falcons, are deaf to the falconer’s whistle. They plunge headlong into an affair destined not to work, because in the first instance, it was wrongly anchored. But it is always never too late to retrace steps. For men in lust people see the smoke of future trouble and warn of dangers in the affair, advising them against their choice.

The incorrigibility of some men leads them to the altar with the wrong mates as spouses. But we have heard tales of ‘no show’ on the day the Lord is supposed to make or run-away husband or wife leaving the gather-

No Merry Christmas in the Holy lands DISU K AMOR

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any people around the world have commenced the celebration of Christmas by wishing their family members, friends and colleagues “Merry Christmas”. In the holy land where one still finds today communities of faith that stretch back thousands of years to the very beginnings of the church, there will be Christmas, but sadly it will not be merry. For this diminishing community of Palestinian Christians who bear witness to two millennial of continuous Christian presence in the land called “holy” by much of the rest of the world, life will be hard and tough as usual under the Israeli occupation.

There is no difference of opinion that what exists in the occupied territories is akin to apartheid and if only a few days back, the entire world celebrated the life and times of Dr Nelson Mandela, who worked hard to break the shackles of the tyranny of apartheid on his people, the same people across the world should not stand by as the entire Palestinian people are subjected to

worse conditions (worse by the accounts of some of the prominent leaders of the South African antiApartheid movement).

The World Conference against Racism (WCAR), an international event organized by UNESCO, in the edition held in Durban from 31 August until 8 September 2001 (titled “World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance”), declared the Israeli state policy of Zionism, and treatment of the Palestinians as racism. On October 4, 2006, a galaxy of 135 former presidents, prime ministers, foreign and defense ministers, congressional leaders and heads of international organizations issued a joint call for urgent international action to end Palestinian misery. In their statement they declared that the conflict must immediately be settled in order to assure “security and full recognition to the state of Israel within internationally recognized borders, an end to the occupation for the Palestinian people in a viable independent, sovereign state, and the return of lost land.”

Times like these re-

mind us of the commonalities of our religious heritages, both of which hold the life of Jesus Christ (AS) to be an example for humanity. The Qur’an states “Behold! The angels said: ‘O Mary! God gives you glad tidings of a word from Him. His name will be Jesus Christ, the son of Mary, held in honour in this world and in the Hereafter and in the company of those nearest to God.’” This Christmas will once again be a sad reminder to the world and especially the Palestinian Christians that the holy land, our common religious and spiritual epicenter, remains in the grip of strife and tyranny.

Roughly half of Bethlehem’s residents are Christian. Many people do not know that Bethlehem, the biblical birthplace of Jesus Christ is a Palestinian city with a mixed Christian-Muslim community, lying in the occupied West Bank territory.

U.N. reports indicate that Bethlehem has become isolated due to the policies of occupation forces. The report states that the spiritual, cultural and economic links between Bethlehem and Jerusalem, located just a

few kilometres away, are nearly severed due to the construction of Israeli settlements around the city.

Other reports and survey also indicate that 78% of Christians blame the ongoing exodus of Christians from Bethlehem on the Israeli occupation and travel restrictions on the area Israel has erected physical barriers, restricted travel on roads to Israelis, and has intensified its policy of restricting the movement of Palestinian civilians. Despite international regulations requiring Israel to ensure access to Christian and Muslim holy places that are under its control, for over 10 years, Christians in Palestine have been prevented from freely entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem for worship, and during Christmas, many in Bethlehem are prevented from travelling to Jerusalem.

For generations, pilgrims wanting souvenirs have bought olivewood in Bethlehem shops selling olivewood in manger scenes. However, many of these olivewood stable shielding the baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph are now gone. In their places, looming over the angelic fami-

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AL-FAJR with

Abdulwaarith

SOLANKE korewareeth@yahoo.com ing of friends and well-wishers stupefied and the family members in shame and disappointment. This could be averted.

If at all such wrong couples with troubled or absent minds patch things to bring the world together in a lavish ceremony, they may never be able to build the home on love, but on suspicion and distrust. It is either they run the home like a boxing ring or a political turf. Can happy and responsible children be raised in such a home?

Also, men make the error of assumption. When it comes to matters of the heart, some men lose their heads. Some go for women that are beyond their control and emotion. Yet, they assume that such women would change or that ‘things would change’. Unfortunately, the leopard never changes its spots. Before marriage, some women have made up their minds on who they want to be, what company they want to belong, and how they want to be perceived in the society.

Men, or marriage, can’t change them.

ly, are Israeli watchtowers and towering sections of an adjoining wall. Bethlehem is now like a small prison, everywhere you look, there are walls. For the Palestinian Christians of Bethlehem, travelling the 10 kilometres distance to Jerusalem’s Old City is impossible without special permission.

As Bethlehem groans under Israeli occupation, Israel continues to plan how to expropriate more Palestinian lands, claiming that the land is needed for “security.” (If it was for security, they simply should use their own land!). Yet the very taking of that land is the cause of much of the resistance from Palestinians, who are Christian and Muslim, who have had enough and continue to fight back in the only way they know how. These policies not only curtail the freedom to worship, they have also had devastating economic consequences for Bethlehem and the rest of the occupied territories. Bethlehem’s economic life has become largely stagnant due to the city’s isolation, and is riddled with boarded-up shops and abandoned development projects. Its people are routinely attacked and humiliated at illegal checkpoints.

While these abominations are ongoing, many people throughout the world are already taking a pause from their daily routines to immerse themselves in the spoils of good fortune, buying presents and expensive gifts and new flat screen TVs, an XBox video games for kids, and new cars and vacations for spouses, and commercialized crap in a feast of greed that contradicts the very foundation of their beliefs.

The Western, corporatedominated media (most of which justifies Israel’s violence in a manner that de-contextualizes Palestinian militancy) will start to report that Israel will ease restrictions on travel to Bethlehem over Christmas as it does every year, and that it will be giving candy to pilgrims who are stopped at checkpoints. It must be noted that such gestures are little comfort to Palestinians who live in the area all year long, and who remain under siege by occupation forces. Many of the visiting pilgrims will be fanatical American evangelical Christians who, being Zionists, believe that supporting Israel is a biblical imperative, and they flock to the holy land in record numbers to offer their supports to their Israel.

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Call to Worship

Yaum al-Jumu’ah, Safar 24, 1435AH

Friday, December 27, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Every Friday with

Khalifatul

Ahmadiyya L-R: Speaker Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Sabit Adeyemi Kuforiji; Amir, Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at Nigeria, Dr. Mashhud Adenrele Fashola; Genereal Secretary, Alhaji Abbas Iromini, during a courtesy visit to the Speaker in Lagos on Wednesday.

L-R: Personal Assistant on Youth Matters to the Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr. Ahmed Shomoye; Coordinator, Ahmadiyya Muslim Female School of Quranic Memorization, Ilaro, Ustadh Aliyy Akeugberu; National Protocol Officer, Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat Nigeria, Mr. Salih Akeugberu; State Missionary, Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at, Lagos, Missionary Qasim Oyekola; Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Sabit Adeyemi Ikuforiji; Amir, Alh. Dr. Mashhud Adenrele Fashola; General Secretary, Alhaji Abbas Iromini; National Publication/Media Secretary, Alhaji Qasim Akinreti; Member of Elders’ Forum, Alh. Abdus-Semiu AbdulAzeez and Personal Assistant to the Speaker, Alh. Kehinde Fagbolade; during the visit.

L-R: Chairman, Council of Elders, Nasrul-Lahi-L-Fatih Society (NASFAT), Iganmu Coker Aguda Branch, Alhaji Mustapha Kekere-Ekun; Chairman of the occasion/Chief Executive Officer, BOK Developments Ltd, Alhaji Lateef Disu; Managing Director, Lenox Heights Nigeria Ltd, Alhaji Deji Olukoya and Managing Director, Lagos State Microfinance, Alhaji Musiliu Bakare, at the 10th Anniversary Celebration of the branch in Lagos at the weekend.

PHOTOS: YINKA ADEPARUSI

L-R: Members of the Council of Elders, NASFAT, Iganmu Coker Aguda Branch, Alhaja Nimota Akinwande, Alhaja Airat Bankole and Alhaja Rukayat Akanni.

L-R: Members of the Women’s Wing, Alhaja Sherifat Adamson, Alhaja Latifat Bamigbade and Alhaja Sherifat Omitunde.

L-R: Branch Missioner, Alhaji Muyideen Agboade; representative of the Chief Imam of Offa, AlImam Samsudeen Salimon and member, mission board, NASFAT, Iganmu Coker Aguda Branch, Shehu Tijani Shittu.

Time is running out

M

ost likely you will be very surprised or even shocked to hear that our love for mankind is a direct result of the teachings of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him).

The question may arise in your minds, that why then are there Muslim terrorist groups that are killing innocent people, or why are there Muslim governments, who in order to protect their seats of power, are ordering the mass killings of members of their public?

Let it be absolutely clear that in reality, such evil acts are completely contrary to the real teachings of Islam.

The Holy Quran does not give permission, under any circumstances, for extremism or terrorism.

In this age, according to our beliefs, God Almighty sent the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at, Hadrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian (peace be upon him) as the Promised Messiah and the Imam Mahdi, in complete submission to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). The Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) was sent to propagate the real and true teachings of Islam and the Holy Quran. He was sent to establish a bond between man and God Almighty.

He was sent to identify and recognize the rights owed by man to one another. He was sent to end all forms of religious warfare. He was sent to establish the respect, dignity and honour of every Founder and every Prophet of any religion.

He was sent to draw attention towards attaining the highest standards of moral values and to establish peace, love, compassion and brotherhood throughout the world.

If you go to any part of the world, you will find these very qualities embedded in all true Ahmadi Muslims.

For us neither terrorists nor extremists are examples, nor are the cruel Muslim dictators examples to us, nor are Western powers examples to us.

The example that we follow is that of the Founder of Islam, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and our guiding instructions are the Holy Quran.

Thus, from this Peace Symposium, I send a message to the entire world, that the message and teachings of Islam are of love, compassion, kindness and peace.

Sadly, we find that a small minority of Muslims present a completely distorted image of Islam and act upon their misguided beliefs.

I say to all of you, that you should not believe this to be the real Islam and thus use such misguided acts as a licence to hurt the sentiments of the peaceful majority of Muslims or make them a target of cruelty.

The Holy Quran is the holiest and most sacred Book for all Muslims and so to use abusive and foul language or to burn it will certainly grievously injure the feelings of Muslims.

We have seen that when this happens it often leads to a completely wrong and inappropriate reaction by extremist Muslims.

Just very recently we heard of two incidents in Afghanistan, where some American soldiers disrespected the Holy Quran, and killed innocent women and children in their homes. Similarly, a merciless person shot dead some French soldiers in the South of France without any reason, and then some days later he entered a school and killed three innocent Jewish children and one of their teachers.

We find that this behaviour is completely wrong and can never lead to peace. We also see such cruelties regularly come to pass in Pakistan and elsewhere and so all of these acts are giving the opponents of Islam fuel to vent their hatred and a pretext upon which to pursue their goals on a large scale. Such barbaric acts carried out

on a smaller scale are not conducted due to personal enmities or grudges, but are in fact the result of the unjust policies adopted by certain governments, both at a domestic and at an international level.

Thus, for peace in the world to be established it is essential that proper standards of justice are developed at every level, and in every country of the world. The Holy Quran has deemed the killing of one innocent person without reason akin to killing all of mankind.

So once again, as a Muslim, I shall make it absolutely clear that Islam does not permit cruelty or oppression in any way, shape or form. This is an injunction that is absolute and without exception.

The Quran further states that even if any country or people hold enmity towards you, that must not stop you from acting in a fully just and fair manner when dealing with them. It should not be that any enmities or rivalries lead you to taking revenge or acting disproportionately. Another vital injunction given to us by the Holy Quran is that the wealth and resources of others should not be looked upon with envy or greed.

I have mentioned just a few points, but these are such that are crucially important because they lay the foundation for peace and justice in society and the wider world. I pray that the world pays attention to these key issues, so that we can be saved from the destruction of the world that we are being led towards by the unjust and untruthful people.

I would like to take this opportunity to apologize that I have taken up quite some time, but the truth is that the subject of establishing peace in the world is of truly vast importance.

Time is running out, and before it is too late we must all pay great heed and attention to the needs of the time.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

33

Friday December 27, 2013

Mirror Drive

Cars that shaped auto industry in 2013 OLUSEGUN KOIKI

T

he auto industry, especially in Nigeria started on a slow pedestal, but the sector gradually picked up before the end of first quarter of 2013, when auto clients started showing off the latest machines.

Of course, the year 2013 saw the unveiling of several cars; from the midsize sedan to Sports Utility Vehicles, SUVs, buyers were never short of supplies as manufacturers built on the existing models. Some of the new brands that shook the auto world in 2013 include: Audi A6 3.0T / S6 / A7 3.0T / S7. For the S6 and S7, Audi took the “A” models’ rich mix of virtues to further levels, thanks in no small part to a 420hp, twin-turbo 4.0-litre V-8. In a recent comparison test, the S6 put the hurt on the vastly more powerful BMW M5 and MercedesBenz E63 AMG. On the road, the S6 is inexhaustible cannon, more cohesive and less fiddly than cars costing an additional N3.2m.

2013 Honda Fit With the Fit, Honda hands drivers a bargain-priced tool that is neither pretty nor powerful.

In place of all that is something rarer: density of thought. There is more intelligence packed into the Fit than in many cars nearly twice its size. It’s the defining small car — mechanically precise, pared of excess fat, respectful of fuel, and graced with fluid handling. It’s also hugely practical and affordable. Like a genie lamp, it’s small on the outside and remarkably cavernous inside. An electric version priced itself out of contention, and the fuel model is by no means perfect — the 117hp engine needs more oats. But the Fit’s every component hums the song of high-quality machinery and that seduced us again.

2013 Mazda MX-5 Miata At this point, the Miata deserves some veneration for enduring as the only inexpensive roadster still on the market. The Miata is among the top cars of 2013 because it shows how engineering rightness transcends performance figures. The 167-hp four is merely adequate and the handling limits are unimpressive by sports-car standards. What keeps the Miata triumphant is not raw performance, but a balanced chassis that communicates every nuance to the driver through perfectly calibrated controls. And at a $24,515 starting price, the Miata keeps all that fun affordable.

2013 Honda Accord

2013 BMW 3 Series Sedan

The he new Accord has ditched its control-arm ontrol-arm front suspension for struts; a CVT has displaced its four-cylinder’s our-cylinder’s step-gear automatic; ic; and fuel direct injection on is new this year, but only on the four — nine years rs a f ter

Au d i first offered d the brand to the world. What 2013 Honda Accord has is inner beauty; Luxury-car big inside and yet smaller outside than before, this ninth-regeneration version fully delivers on Honda’s “man-maximum, machine-minimum” philosophy. The Accord’s greatness has always derived from its ability to disappear under its driver, but this new car verges on the ethereal.

BMW 3-Series Sedan Auto stakeholders described the BMW 3-Series Sedan as the same old song, but dances differently. This being a transition year for the model, the F30 sedan stands alone as the winner, without support from the rest of the lineup. The BMW 3 series sedan has two turbocharged engines, which offer improved fuel economy while the inline-six in the 335i maintains nearly undetectable NVH levels.

The body and interior may have grown slightly, but that imposes little or no weight penalty. Front seats are comfortable and supportive, and the back seat is adult friendly.

There’s virtually no performance

2013 Porsche Boxster

gap between the six-speed manual and the eight-speed automatic.

With five equipment lines to choose from (base, Modern, Luxury, Sport, and M Sport), the 3’s appeal has expanded to reach a larger audience without breaking its grip on the sports-sedan segment.

Ford Focus/ Ford ST Never confuse cheapness with value. A cheap car endlessly reminds you of its inferiority. But value is doubly rewarding; it means paying the least amount possible for something of superior grade. And value perfectly describes the Ford Focus and Focus ST. A Focus might cost slightly more than other cars in its compact class, but for a few extra money, it’s profoundly better.

From the basic 160-hp Focus to the new 252-hp hot hatch, the entire lineup transcends the compact caste. It’s as if Ford built the Focus’s structure to compete with Mercedes-Benz, the steering with Porsche, and the suspension with Lotus. Ford might not have hit every mark—the automatic is still a

dullard, for instance, but the reach upward lifts the Focus away from its competition. Even the electric version boasts the same blend of refinement and handling.

Porsche Boxster Auto stakeholders expectations the new Porsche Boxster couldn’t have been higher.

Porsche Boxster has consistently been among the top 10 cars in the last 10 years and the year 2013 is not different as the manufacturer built on the current model, which makes it the toast of auto lovers.

The new car is roomier, thanks to a longer wheelbase, but lighter than the car it replaces. A slinky new body makes the Boxster look less like the 911’s little brother and more like an exotic. It will generate 1.0 g on the skidpad. It can stop from 70 mph in a shorter distance than the McLaren 12C. According to the test drivers, the Boxster S accelerates as quickly as a standard 911. But the Boxster is not really about ¬generating big performance figures.

Driving it is a holistic sports-car experience, an exercise in interactivity. The standard 265-hp 2.7-litre flat-six sounds as thrill-

ing as t h e 315-hp 3.4-liter in the S model.

The steering is genius. Utterly unperturbed by ¬broken or wavy pavement, this car remains steadfastly on the line you’ve chosen.

A redesigned Cayman (the Box Boxster’s hardtop brother) is not yet available, so it doesn’t share the award this time.

Ford Shelby GT500 As much as we love the new Camaro ZL1, the 2013 Ford Shelby ST500 bests its Chevy competitor in the contest for the most powerful production V-8 car on the planet. And the fact that the next Shelby Mustang also beats the Camaro ZL1 on both horsepower and torque (650 hp and 600 lb-ft versus 580 hp and 556 lb-ft in the Camaro) yet weighs 200 pounds less just adds insult to injury.

However, auto shoppers paid for all that power. The 200-mph top-speed Mustang cost more than the Camaro when you add in the goodies you got, such as an optional Performance Package with electronic adjustable dampers and a Torsen limitedslip, along with a track package that combines an engine oil cooler, rear diff cooler, and transmission cooler. That raised the sticker north of $70,000, while the ZL1 sits at a more reasonable $54,995.

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Escape

Friday, December 27, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

The best travel-related events of 2013 PELU AWOFESO

F

or me, the outgoing year started on a memorable note. And that’s because I attended the ICT-based and mediarelated Social Media Week Lagos (SMWL), a global event hosted for the first time in Africa (with Lagos as host) and held simultaneously in 20+ cities worldwide. The event “explores the social, economic and cultural impact of social media” in various sectors of the local economy—education, entertainment, fashion, religion, banking, politics and so much more. With 110 scheduled events in three venues (hubs they are called) and over five days (Feb. 18-22), I certainly felt giddy at the end of it all; but, truth be told, I couldn’t have asked for a better beginning to the year. I can already hear the buzz for the second edition (slated for Feb. 17-21, 2014).

Don’t miss it if you can.

By far the most outstanding travel event in Nigeria for me in 2013 was the World Sango Festival, perhaps because anything—and everything—that gives extra push to indigenous religion gets my undivided attention. It was the first edition and it held in Oyo town in August. Also to its credit was the fact that it was one of the very few cultural events in the year marketed beyond Nigeria’s shores and it attracted a good number of foreign tourists, especially the African-American community in the United States; and, like the Osun-Osogbo Festival, which held in Osun State around the same time, it was a festival organized around a deity of Nigerian origin. The fanfare, as I followed the updates on social media, was nothing short of superb.

“The African cultural heritage has remained untapped in the last 1700 years and some Governments in Africa are just rising up to realise that culture forms the basis of tourism, which in turn accounts for the strength of some economies in the world,” a statement by the organisers says. So if you’re into African traditional religion, you may want to mark your calendars for 2014 (August 21-30).

Five months earlier, in April, the 9th edition of the much coveted African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) held in its traditional home of Yenagoa, which because of its recent bid for many entertainmentrelated shows has now been dubbed “the new entertainment capital of Nigeria”.

As has been the trend in recent years, the world’s attention was focused on Yenagoa for a couple of days and the Who-Is-Who in African films were present. Let me just say it was a proud moment for Nollywood and Afriwood. Though the awards proper started rather late, stretching into the small hours of the next day, the show still held its own, razzmatazz and all. Needless to say that I look forward to returning to the Glory of All Lands, come 2014. And for the second year running, the Bayelsa Book and Arts Fair held on the sidelines.

Staying in the south-south, Rivers State hosted a similarly crowd-pulling event—the Port Harcourt Book Festival (formerly the Garden City Literary Festival). Now in its 6th year, the weeklong PHBF is the brain-

child of Koko Kalango and is organized under the NGO Rainbow Book Club (RBC) and in in partnership with the state government.

And it is thanks to the RBC that Nigeria will be the focus of global attention next year, with Port Harcourt having been declared the UNESCO World Book Capital for 2014, Nigeria’s centenary year. So, already, Nigeria is in preparation mode to welcome the world— for both occasions at least.

But one can’t talk about literary festivals that pack a punch without reference to the longstanding Lagos Book and Arts Festival (LABAF), arguably the biggest book-based event in Nigeria, content-wise. Organised by the committee for Relevant Art (CORA) and now in its 15th year (holds for three days in October), this year’s edition was an improvement on those of previous years, in terms of daily attendance and programme schedule (The festival also stepped up its social media presence this year and that helped attendance a great deal). Freedom Park, which has been the venue for three years running, literally crawled with culture vultures, young and old. And just as LABAF wrapped up, Abeokuta was host to the 1st Ake Arts and book Festival (AABF); judging by its character and the tribe of award-winning writers—from Nigeria, Africa and beyond— who trooped to the “rock city” for four days on the average, AABF is surely the event to look forward to in the New Year.

October saw me travelling to Onitsha in the south-east to witness the astonishing Ofala Festival. Held over two days, Ofala Festival is every travel journalist dream—it was colourful, it had a huge dose of the local culture and customs on display, and it was so uplifting to see the “descendants of Eze Chima” proudly celebrating their heritage.

Cliched as it might sound, the Ofala Festival must rank as one of Nigeria’s best kept cultural secrets. It deserves to be seen by lots more foreign tourists. (For 2014, the festival dates are October 11 & 12).

No travel review will be complete without acknowledging one of Nigeria’s biggest crowd pulling events—the year-end churchbased conventions, musical concerts and carols. Between October and December Nigeria becomes literally a pilgrimage destination for Christians from around the world seeking spiritual rejuvenation and renewal.

The programmes are so huge that one denomination recently recorded participation from 40 countries!

Earlier in March, the Covenant Christian Centre (CCC) organized the 1st West African Faith Believers Convention (WAFBEC), which drew participation of preachers from the sub-region as well as from North America. What this means in effect is that if we are indeed serious about promoting Nigeria as a worthwhile tourist destination for international visitors, we can easily tap into one of our God-given unique selling points--the charismatic Churches. Without doubt, they are travel magnets.

Awofeso (@PeluAwofeso) is a winner of the CNN/ Multichoice African Journalist Awards (Tourism category) and author of Tour of Duty: Journeys around Nigeria and Sketches of Everyday Life, on sale at kaymu. com.ng.

SMWL13 participants on a tour of Lagos

Obi of Onitsha Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe at Ofala Festival 2013

RBC Founder Koko Kalango with former Education Minister, Oby Ezekwesili at the Port Harcourt Book Festival

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Escape

Friday, December 27, 2013

35

World sango festival (PHOTO COURTESY SMWL)

A chief (Ndi-Ichie) doing the traditional dance Alaafin of Oyo and host of the World Sango Festival Oba Lamidi Adeyemi (PHOTO COURTESY WORLD SANGO FESTIVAL)

AMAA founder Peace Anyiam-Osigwe (m) with guests at a nominees gathering in Malawi

A dance drama by young Nigerians at LABAF

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Inside FCT

Friday, December 27, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Different shades of FCT in 2013 MARCUS FATUNMOLE

A

s residents of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, bid the year 2013 farewell, like other Nigerians elsewhere, many of the socio-political activities that occurred within the year like others before them, have literally gained unfettered passage into the nation’s archive .

Inside FCT, the leading observer and reporter of trends in the FCT, has successively captured major events that touched on socio-economic lives of the citizenry. Here, the summary of events in the city in 2013 is captured for delight of our esteemed readers.

All through the year, one of the outstanding events that shaped the city was politics. All major political hostilities and comradeships around the country had landmark conditioning from the nation’s capital. Inside FCT keenly watched political upheaval, alignments and realignments within the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party’s headquarters and reported on the ever-busy Wadata House. The usual panorama of the PDP House was captured thus: “Africa’s acclaimed largest political group, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, may have been enmeshed by various intransigent, intra-party crises, but the hordes of political jobbers, hired praise-singers, street urchins and beggars that daily visited Wadata House, the Abuja-based headquarters of PDP have not reduced.

When Inside FCT visited the office which is located at Zone 5, our reporter discovered that there was virtually no sign of a party in shreds. Apart from the fact that the office is still adorned with different shades of flags, it also plays host to various interest groups and political juggernauts within the party. Of particular interest, however, is the ever presence of praise singers and beggars who have made the front of the building their permanent abode.

Other political parties such as the newly-registered All Progressive Congress, APC, All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, had their major activities, especially those that affected socio-economic lives of the cities’ residents covered by Inside FCT. Abuja was a home to many demonstrations from different groups namely the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, health workers, aggrieved ethnic nationalities and a host of others in 2013; they were given adequate coverage by the juicy Inside FCT. In 2013, the FCTA continued its demolition exercise with many homes and shops in Kubwa, Kugbo area, Bwari, Kuje and other parts of the FCT falling under the wheels of the bulldozers.

These did not go without rendering thousands of the cities’ residents homeless like the previous years. However, Inside FCT commended the FCTA’s commitment to promoting huge infrastructural upgrade, largely within the city’s mu-

nicipal. Though, it is clear that most programmes of government do not directly touch on the lives of the common man, whose population traverse the capital.

For instance, a lot was reported by Inside FCT on demolition of homes of the less-privileged; incessant and usual unwarranted assault on, and extortion of helpless residents, mainly artisans; absence of significant infrastructure in the satellite communities, sheer show of opulence by those opportuned to be on the corridors of power; land grab by government which leaves original dwellers crying for justice which may not be forthcoming among others.

Most residents chose to eat from food vendors who often opt for umbrella kiosks as a result of persistent harassment and forfeiture of belonging to officials of the Abuja Environmental Protection Board, AEPB. It was adequately captured by Inside FCT in one of its reports thus: “In fact, the picture around the open spaces portrayed the proverbial Anieke Nti oba’s allegory in Chinua Achebe’s ‘Things Fall Apart’ which says that “since hunters have learnt to shoot without missing, the bird has also learnt to fly without perching’. It is now a game of outwitting each other in the survival battle between the two parties, (AEPB officials and the vendors).

“For now, it is obvious that food vendors believe that erecting new kiosks may no longer be desirable for their business having suffered huge losses in the past and now decided that the mobile umbrellas would serve their interest better.

“With frequent presence of demolition squads moving within the nooks and crannies of the Federal Capital Territory on daily basis in collaboration with the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) Task Force sustaining the eviction, it has created new feeding problems for the middleclass in the city. Many could neither live nor sustain themselves on food from big-time eateries.”

Luckily, and perhaps for endless prayers of Nigerians with high commitment of the Federal Government to ensure security of lives and property of everyone in the country, Abuja has been enjoying terror-free year since January 1 this year. Initial fears among residents have waned as security consciousness among them grows by the day while the security operatives who are always all over the city in their large numbers are indeed “on top of the situation.”

Everyone seeks happiness, daily. Residents in the city have various ways by which they eke out their living; some lawful, some unlawful. One of the illicit ways by which some earn their living was reported by Inside FCT recently.

Part of the story states: “Nothing comes easy in Nigeria, not in the least, at the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. As society moves along the path of technology, so also those who live and feed on the be-

nevolence of the people, devise new methods of exploring it to their own advantage.

The above cryptic analogy succinctly captures the new wave of begging in Abuja. The art of staying at the bus stations to beg for money has now been outdated as beggars in the city have now relocated to Automated Teller Matching (ATM) boots

where they lay ambush for prospective customers who come to withdraw.

While their tactics differ from one person to another, the most notoriously creative one among them usually presents and old ATM card to anyone who comes to withdraw money while pretending not being able to draw cash due to one reason or another.

Land rights agitations TOLA AKINMUTIMI

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or residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the out-going year could be described as robust in view of the political activities within the territory as agitations by civil society organisations, (CSOs), native aborigines and other groups for political rights and socio-economic dividends of democracy assumed more rigorous pastime.

Understandably, the clamour for good governance and social justice was not only reflective of the political mood of the nation as the 2015 elections draw closer but also symptomatic of the fact that the FCT is gradually taking on the garb of political activism similar to that donned

by Lagos in the colonial and post-colonial years as the political capital of Nigeria.

One of the major political events with far-reaching socio-cultural implications that took place in the FCT was the local government election. The election which was conducted on Saturday, March 16, was marred by low turnout and apathy of residents, many of whom were not interested in the outcome of the elections.

Rather than using the day for the purpose it was meant, residents of the city turned it into unofficial holiday, remained at home without really participating at the polls. The result was that the streets were completely deserted that day, while the voters were nowhere to be found at the various voting centres.

According to the monitoring con-

ducted by Inside FCT during the polls, most of the polling centres had more of INEC, Nigeria Civil Defence Corps, Federal Road Safety Corp, Police, NYSC and Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIOs) outnumbering voters.

The Nigeria Bar Association Election Working Group (NBA EWG) on the FCT council polls in its postelection report confirmed general lack of interest and voter apathy at the polls.

The report stated: “The voter’s turnout was generally poor. Rachel Eye Clinic by Gimbiya Street polling unit had 2419 registered voters but only 29 voters were accredited and voted. Some of the voters attributed this to the late arrival of INEC officials and the materials. In Garki II, NNPC Main Gate polling unit had 658 registered persons on the voter’s list. As at 3pm no voter had turned up for accreditation even though the INEC officials, voting materials and security agents were present. In most of the polling units observed, voters conducted themselves properly and in an orderly manner but the turnout was relatively poor especially in Abuja Municipal area council”, the group added.

Despite the observed lapses, the election was not only peaceful but led to the election of new chairmen and councillors in the affected local governments. They have not only settled down to work but are putting in some efforts to transform the rural communities in their domains.

Another issue that dominated the FCT political landscape in the year under review, particularly in the past five months

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Inside FCT

Friday, December 27, 2013

Unfortunately, luck ran out of one of the deceitful beggars at the Kubwa branch of First Bank on a Wednesday evening. As usual, the well-dressed young woman had approached a customer telling him he should help her with a transport fare as she could not withdraw money through the ATM. Truly luck ran

out of her as she was captured and dealt with accordingly.

Twenty three years after the nation’s capital was relocated from Lagos to Abuja, most satellite communities in the FCT are begging for government’s assistance namely water supply, electricity, good roads, and educational institutions

among others. The influx of people into Abuja daily is incredible. This impacts greatly on available infrastructure negatively. Minister of the FCT, Bala Mohammed said within the year that no less than 1000 new people come into the city daily. Primary mission of most of these people is live within the city that is believed to parade some of the infrastructures and security institutions including personnel available in developed climes.

Inside FCT reported the agony being faced by Kwaita community in Kwali Area Council recently. Residents of the community expressed dismay over the non-challant attitude of the construction company handling a 27 kilometre road in the community. The contract reportedly awarded to one ABDEC company since 2005 by former Kwali chairman, late Samuel Gwamna, had been abandoned.

A resident in the area, James Sambo explained that the former chairman assured them that the road would be repaired and in the process their houses were demolished and no compensation was made till date.

He added: “Another road from Kwaita to Kujekwa, a village under Kuje Area Council of about three hours drive is also in a bad state.

“Poor electricity supply and lack of safe drinking water is another source of worry to the community”.

With the growing population of residents in the city, each slum returns soon after it is demolished, while new communities emerge in vast undeveloped land in the city.

One of the challenges of Abuja residents is transportation. In most cases, it is shameful for foreigners, including other Nigeri-

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ans who had not witnessed the ugly rush to board vehicles at bus-stops in the FCT. Earlier this year, Inside FCT variously reported the incidents preceding and following the ban of painted commercial buses, popularly called ‘araba’ in the city.

Government introduced the high-capacity buses, which till date have not been able to reduce transportation burden of the population by a quarter.

In addition, the rate of accidents in the city was not left out of Inside FCT’s reportage. Most Abuja roads are wide, some six-lane while major highways have 10-lanes. Accidents occur daily and lives are often lost. These accidents are mainly caused by human errors arising from wrong overtaking, over-speeding, lack of basic driving training and use of vehicles that are not road-worthy.

This report would be imcomplete without mentioning the rate of epileptic power supply in most part of the city. Most communities in the city do not see power supply for days. Residents in both government and private estates continue to lament absence power supply in their areas which include Kubwa, Lugbe, Gwarinpa, Lokogoma, Games Village to name a few.

With the just concluded privatisation of the nation’s power sector, it is expected that a new lease of life will berth on electricity supply across the country, including Abuja.

Crime is no more a big worry for the FCT’s security outfits as the fight against terrorism has also brought an increased fight against other crimes. Apart from the satellite communities which are over 300 in the FCT, the heart of the city are always under the close watch of personnel of the nation’s security institutions.

dominate FCT’s political landscape was agitation by community leaders over their communities’ rights on land and the Federal Capital Territory Administration’s land swap deal with a view to protecting the rights of the communities over what they termed their aboriginal lands.

The land swap saga did not raise serious dusts as many community leaders felt it was a political gimmick to dispossess them of their land but necessitated the composition of a Ministerial Committee on the Implementation of FCT Land-swap Programme and Resettlement Matters to look into the complaints of the aborigines and find a way of amicably resolving them.

However, the Committee suffered a major crisis when the Original Inhabitants’ Development Association (OIDA), the umbrella body of the FCT indigenous people, withdrew from it, citing the non-acceptance of its recommendation of 30 per cent of land for the host communities as a key reason for its decision.

A statement by the Secretary of the Association said the decision to withdraw from the Committee was contained in a letter signed by its president, Pastor Danladi Jeji, and submitted to the Chairman of the Landswap Committee and Permanent Secretary, Federal Capital Territory Authority (FCTA), John Chukwu.

Similarly, the year also witnessed renewed drive by CSOs to ensure transparency in governance as a strategic option of ensuring that ordinary residents enjoy the dividends of democracy.

Many of the CSOs, particularly the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Cen-

tre (CISLAC), Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL), ActionAid Nigeria (AAN) United Action for Democracy (UAD), Citizens Wealth Platform and Social Development Integrated Centre (Social Action), among others took on the leadership on topical political and fiscal issues with a view to promoting transparency and accountability in budget implementation in the country.

Indeed, these organisations were visible all through the year through their peaceful demonstrations, rallies and other advocacy strategies to demand for people’s rights and improved socio-economic conditions of the vulnerable and poor people in the FCT but more importantly, nationwide.

But for their daring but politically risky adventures characterised by protests and other civil actions against corruption, the country would have been sinking further the abyss of corruption as elected leaders continue to pursue their self-serving interests to the detriment of the governed.

In one of their many protests during the year, The civil society activists who had gathered as early as 8am within the precincts of the Labour House in Abuja mobilised the masses against the President for not doing enough to demonstrate his commitment to the antigraft war, particularly through his recent Presidential pardon to those they claimed, had pending criminal charges against them.

With scores carrying placards with inscriptions like ‘No to corruption’, ‘No

to Deregulation’, ‘No to Rape’, amongst others, the protesters also lamented the growing level of poverty in the country even as a few continue to appropriate what belonged to majority of Nigerians to themselves with impunity.

Speaking on the reasons why the coalition of CSOs, comprising over 10 organisations, decided to hold the peaceful protest, the National Coordinator, United Action for Democracy, Jaye Gaskia, said the rally with the theme ‘Say No to Corruption in Nigeria’ was organised to protest the increasing level of corruption at all levels of governance and the seeming lack-lustre disposition of the leadership in tackling it. The Executive Director, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, Mallam Ibrahim Musa, said mobilising Nigerians for the rally was the group’s intention to tell the government in a peaceful and legal way that they were no longer ready to accept government’s stance which supports corruption with impunity.

Musa, who described the pervasive socio-economic injustice in the country as intolerable, said the civil society will continue to “take our demand for a transparent and socio-economically fair and just society to the highest levels of government with a view to expressing the feelings of millions of Nigerians against corruption and all forms of injustice in governance”.

The Executive Chairman of Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL), Debo Adeniran, blamed political leaders for the nation’s under-development through what he called their increasing poor disposition to the war against corruption

FCT Minister Senator Bala Mohammed

at all levels of governance, adding that this has continued to inflict more pains on ordinary people as the years roll by.

To the Coordinator of Citizens Wealth Platform, Barrister Eze Onyekpere, the rally was another way of demonstrating to government that Nigerians are no longer comfortable with the massive despoliation of the commonwealth, adding that civil society organisations are prepared to take their agitation against graft and growing level of poverty to the doorsteps of the leaders. With these social and politically sensitive activities reflecting residents’ mood in the FCT, the year could well be described as active even as the issues that formed the basis residents against agitations against the perceived violation of their constitutionally guaranteed rights continue to occupy the front burner in public and legislative discourses as the year is gradually running its full course.

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Cocktail

Friday, December 27, 2013

Teen returns $1,600 found during restaurant shift

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Texas teen who discovered an envelope containing $1,600 while working at a restaurant said she had no hesitation about turning the money over to her manager.

Kayla Blackmon, a San Antonio high school senior, said she was working Friday at Freddy’s restaurant in San Antonio when she discovered an envelope full of cash apparently dropped by a customer, KENS-TV, San Antonio, reported Wednesday.

Blackmon said she immediately turned the money over to her store manager. She said keeping the cash never occurred to her.

“My parents always taught me that if it doesn’t belong to you, don’t touch it, don’t steal it,” Blackmon said. “Don’t lie about anything, always be honest.”

The customer returned about a half a hour later and said he was on vacation with his family and had dropped all of the cash for their Christmas trip.

The man gave Blackmon a $100 reward for her honesty.

“I got to meet him and he told me it was a real blessing to have the money back,” said Blackmon. “I wanted a hug, but I had custard all over me.”

Crowds relive Washington’s 1776 river crossing

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eorge Washington has made his annual Christmas Day ride across the Delaware River.

Washington’s daring Christmas 1776 crossing of the river turned the tide of the Revolutionary War. The 61st re-enact-

ment of it was staged on Wednesday.

Hundreds of people gather each year to hear Washington’s stand-in deliver stirring words to the troops and watch three boats make the crossing from Pennsylvania to New Jersey.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Oddities

Holiday display mannequin prompts 911 call

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Georgia couple said a Christmas display joke involving a mannequin dangling from their home resulted in a visit from police, firefighters and paramedics.

Bubba Murphy of Berkeley Lake said a woman mistook his holiday display, which features a mannequin surrounded

by Christmas lights dangling from his home with a fallen ladder on the ground below, for an actual person in distress and called 911, WSB-TV, Atlanta, reported Wednesday.

“I opened the door, there were fire trucks, ambulance, fire marshal, police car and six fire men,” Murphy said.

“Oh my gosh, she apologized to myself, my wife, the firemen, and the fire marshal,” Murphy said of the 911 caller.

His wife, Dawn Murphy, said the couple knew people were sometimes fooled

by the display, but they “never really thought we would get anybody to the point of dialling 911.”

The Murphys said they took the display down for a short time, but replaced it due to its popularity

among neighbours.

“Hope we didn’t offend anybody,” Bubba Murphy said.

Friendly mood: A dog licking the mouth of an antelope Photo: Odd Stuff Magazine

Friday, December 27, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

39

Business & Finance The Nigerian stock market as it is today is moving towards efficiency.

The privatisation of refineries’ is part of the ongoing oil sector’s reforms

– Managing Director, Financial Derivatives Company Limited, Mr. Bismark Rewane

– DIRECTOR GENERAL, BUREAU OF PUBLIC ENTERPRISES, BPE, MR. BENJAMIN DIKKI

New capitalisation requirement raises dust amongst capital market operators JOHNSON OKANLAWON

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he just-released new minimum capital requirements for capital market operators are raising dust as the stakeholders seek dialogue with Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, to address the perceived lapses in the new regulations.

The two prominent trade groups at the market-the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers, CIS, and Association of Stockbroking Houses of Nigeria, ASHON, pointed out some things to be considered before introducing new capital base.

The CIS President, Mr. Ariyo Olushekun, noted that the capital market community has put the new capital structure to test on risk management and investor protection, among other key parameters, and has failed the acid test.

He said, “The new capital structure is faulty, it has apparent deficiency as it relates to investor protection and risk management.

“The SEC has not consulted adequately. The focus of minimum capital structure should be how

to address risks which stakeholders are exposed to. That is why we say there is apparent deficiency in the structure.”

The Chairman of ASHON, Mr. Emeka Madubuike, explained that brokers are not against any recapitalisation programme, but that certain things need to be taken into consideration before its introduction.

He added, “We have gone

back to the SEC and pointed out the grey areas. All of us will sit together and iron out the differences. The outcome will be in the best interest of the market.”

According to him, risk-based regulatory framework was not well advanced in the new capital structure, investor protection and confidence are not adequately advanced too.

The brokers, however, believe

that the issues would be resolved when both the regulators and operators meet.

It will be recalled that SEC last week rolled out new set of minimum capital requirements for all the operators as part of amendment to Schedule I of the Rules and Regulation and in Pursuant to Section 313(6) of the Investments and Securities Act, ISA, 2007.

WITH AGENCY REPORT

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apan, a major consumer of liquefied natural gas has taken commercial supply from Nigeria at Senboku terminal, according to ship-tracking data.

The LNG Pioneer, with a capacity of about 138,000 cubic meters, docked at the Osaka Gas Co.owned Senboku terminal in central Japan.

According to Bloomberg, “The

ADVERT HOTLINES: For advert bookings and information, please contact the following:

LAGOS: 01-8446073, 08037272933 08094331171, 08023133084, ABUJA: 08033020395, 08036321014 08029002500

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

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

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

IRS Christmas shoppers making their purchase at Tomato and Pepper Market, Bridge-Head, Onitsha yesterday.

Nigeria delivers LNG to Japan at Senboku terminal UDEME AKPAN

FLIGHT SCHEDULE

vessel loaded the gas at Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited Bonny Island plant and departed November 28.

It stated that the Senboku facility has a capacity of about 15.6 million metric tons a year and receives long-term shipments from Indonesia, Malaysia, Qatar, Australia, Oman, Brunei and Russia.

The agency said that Asian LNG buyers typically import spot cargoes from December to March in order to meet peak heating and power demand.

The NLNG stated, “We currently have six trains in operation. With the completion of the sixth train, the Nigeria LNG Plant

has an overall capacity of some 22 million tonnes per annum of LNG and 4 million tonnes per annum of LPG. It requires about 3.5 bcf/d feed gas intake at full production.

It stated that plans for building Train seven that will lift the total production capacity to over 30 MTPA LNG, are currently at an advanced stage.

The NLNG stated, “The Nigeria LNG project is considered one of the most important economic projects being carried out in Nigeria. The project is a vital part of the Federal Government’s diversification programme and has already generated significant revenues and foreign exchange for the nation.

The firm stated that with six trains currently operational, the entire complex is capable of producing 22 Metric Tonnes Per Annum, MTPA of LNG and 5 Metric Tonnes Per Annum, MTPA, of NGLs (LPG and Condensates) from 3.5 Billion (Standard) Cubic Feet Per Day (bcf/d) natural gas intake.

It maintained that plans for building Train seven that will lift the total production capacity to 30 mtpa of LNG are currently progressing with some preliminary early site preparation work initiated. Further work will await a Final Investment Decision by the shareholders.

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 KanoLagos 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

NEITI Audit reports: APMT’s Onne Researchers FG inaugurates Terminal successfully reconstituted interhosts 4,500 grow seed yams ministerial team TEU vessels in the air 40

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Business News

Friday, December 27, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

NEITI Audit reports: FG inaugurates reconstituted inter-ministerial team CHIDI UGWU ABUJA

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he issues of under payments, remediation and unreconciled differences will soon be a thing of the past as the Federal Government has inaugurated the expanded Inter Ministerial Task Team, IMTT, on implementation of Reports of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, NEITI. At the inauguration performed by the Secretary to the Federal Government of Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim on behalf of the President, the reconstituted Inter Ministerial Task Team, IMTT, was charged with the primary mandate of developing an efficient framework for ensuring that those corrective measures in the Audit reports were adequately addressed. The Task Team com-

prises high-ranking officials from NEITI, Representatives of Agencies responsible for Custody, Management, Monitoring or Regulation of Revenues from Extractive Industries.

Senator Anyim Pius Anyim stated “The administration of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR, fully supports and endorses the carrying out of regular NEITI Audits as well as the prompt implementation of the remedial issues arising there from.

Government considers them as vital tools in the committed task of accelerating the much-needed reforms in the Extractive Industries Sector of the economy.

This is indicative of Government’s firm belief that transparency in the sector would definitely impact positively on other sectors, thereby limiting wastage, significantly reducing corrup-

tion, as well as increasing overall revenue”.

Anyim also affirmed that “Mr. President directed that the NEITI Process be integrated into the Administration’s Economic Agenda. Accordingly, Mr. President approved the reconstitution and strengthening of the InterMinisterial Task Team to enable it effectively discharges those obligations”.

He further drew attention to its expanded membership, as well as the elevation of the membership such that high ranking officials with requisite authority to effect and influence corrective decisions on observed lapses are now involved.

According to Anyim, the Reconstituted Task Team’s responsibilities include working closely with NEITI and ensure prompt recovery of all outstanding rev-

enues due to the Federation from NEITI Audit Findings; examining the findings and recommendations in NEITI Audit Reports and give advice to affected relevant Agencies on appropriate steps to address the issues; Others are to identify any bottlenecks to the realisation of (one) above and make any necessary recommendations to Government through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation; to undertake any other measures desirable to endure that recommendations by NEITI add value to ongoing reforms in the industry; and to advise the Federal Executive Council on any issue in NEITI Audit Report Findings that needs the Council’s intervention.

The SSG also urged the members of the reconstituted Task Team to remain resolute and carry out this important national assignment with determination, while exhibiting the highest level of commitment and profession-

alism capable of creating the desired impact of EITI Implementation in the country.

He stressed that Government on its part would support the IMTT in every way towards ensuring that there is a transparent extractive sector in which revenues are fully accounted for and utilised for the benefit of all citizens of the country.

Ledum Mitee, Chairman, Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, NEITI who doubles as the Chairman, Inter Ministerial Task Team, IMTT, who spoke on behalf of the reconstituted IMTT members said: “We are humbled by this great national assignment that we have been charged with and assured that the members drawn from very expansive experience around the extractive industry will be able to live up to the task with the purpose of trying to breathe life into the recommendations that come out of the NEITI Audits Reports”.

2014: ZTE envisions robust telecoms infrastructure in Nigeria KUNLE A ZEEZ

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L-R: Mrs. Elizabeth Amkpa, General Manager, GOtv presenting GOtv Decoder to Mrs. Tina Todo of Wakaabout Newspaper during the launch of GOtv in Calabar, recently.

AfDB approves $25m infrastructure development in Africa UDO ONYEKA

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frican Development Bank, AfDB, has approved an equity participation of up to $25 million in the Pan African Infrastructure Development Fund 2, PAIDF 2. PAIDF2 is a Private Equity Fund that will invest in projects across the power, transport, water and sanitation, Information and Communication Technologies, ICT and healthcare infrastructure sectors throughout the continent. According to statement by AfDB, the Fund’s investments will contribute to the development of Africa’s infrastructure backbone, foster economic growth and contribute to the creation of direct and indirect employment.

“In 2007, the Bank approved an investment of $ 50m in the Pan-African Development Fund, PAIDF 1, a Private Equity Fund investing in infrastructure proj-

ects across the continent.

“Harith General Partners of South Africa was established as the fund manager of PAIDF 1, which is now almost fully committed in nine transactions.

To date, investments made by PAIDF 1 have increased access to electricity, upgraded transport infrastructure, improved access to ICT services and supported over 3,000 direct jobs across North, East, West and Southern Africa.

“Through its participation in PAIDF 2, AfDB will leverage on the quality of the investment platform, the experience of the team and the strength of the project sourcing networks developed by Harith over the past six years”, AfDB said.

According to AfDB the deficit of adequate infrastructure is a major obstacle to doing business in Africa, adding that “development of new infrastructure projects will support economic growth through enhanced com-

petitiveness, increased foreign direct investments and improved trading opportunities.”

It also said through these channels, investments in infrastructure projects would contribute to poverty reduction in addition to improving the living conditions of the targeted populations.

s 2013 winds up, Chinese Information and Communication Technology equipment manufacturers, ZTE Corporation has said it would consolidate on its superior performance in the areas of telecoms infrastructure, security equipment while expanding some other solutions in various business sectors in Nigeria in 2014.

Managing Director, ZTE Nigeria Limited, Ms. Brielle Gao, disclosed during the end-of-the-year dinner held in Lagos recently.

Gao expressed ZTE’s commitment towards strengthening partnership with Nigeria’s telecoms operators towards ensuring that they conquer the perennial issue quality of service quagmire for data and voice services and to meet their growing telecoms consumer profile.

According her, “Through the year 2013, we strengthen our re-

lationship with the local operators. We are currently involved in facility upgrade with some major operators in Nigeria. We hope that in the coming year we will be continue to offer more efficient, up to date infrastructure that will not only boost mobile phone services but particularly catalyse access to broadband services.”

Gao said, as a leading global maker of telecommunications equipment and network solutions and mobile devices, ZTE had maintained effective presence in Nigeria for close to 10 years with stable, long-term partnerships with the Federal Government and major private telecommunications operators.

She said with offices in Abuja, Lagos and several other cities, ZTE operations in Nigeria span through building telecom infrastructure for private operators, specialise telecom facilities and operations for government and institution to providing telecoms solutions in specified areas.

Biotechnology can help tackle food insecurity, say expert MESHACK IDEHEN

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he Acting Director General of the National Biotechnology Development Agency, NABDA, Professor Lucy Ogbadu, said Nigeria and other African nations could tackle the challenge of food insecurity with biotechnology.

Ogbadu, who is a professor of microbiology, said in a statement made available to journalists, that the relevance of biotechnology in agriculture and safety of biotechnology products among other issues cannot be overemphasised.

She said biotechnology is an old and new science, because it has been in practice from time immemorial, saying the technology of selecting varieties of crops and breeds of livestock that show better appearance and traits out of a lot while ensuring their propagation has been in practice for long.

Ogbadu noted the practice of agriculture itself is biotechnology, saying man is continuously trying to improve the yield of crops, livestock traits for better exploitation by humanity.

According to her, biotechnology have played numerous roles in the area of encouraging farmers

to take up improved varieties of crops and in the area of accepting the technology in general, adding NABDA been involved in serious advocacy programmes nationwide, and have also been involved in developing bio-fertilisers that are more acceptable to the generality of humanity than those ones that are difficult to come by.

The NABDA acting DG explained the agency has also been involved in efforts aimed at of that farmer and practitioners in agriculture are exposed to technologies that can help them improve their yields, which can give them varieties that are more desirable.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Business News

Friday, December 27, 2013

Fake Insurance: NIA plans introduction of marine module in 2014 MESHACK IDEHEN

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he Nigerian Insurers Association, NIA, said it intends to introduce the marine insurance module on the Nigerian Insurance Industry Database, NIID, before the end of first quarter of 2014.

According to the NIA, the move is part of efforts to eliminate the use of fake marine documents in the country.

The Director General of NIA, Mr. Sunday Thomas, told journalists recently, that the NIID, which is an initiative of the NIA is an information technology-based system meant to facilitate easy collation and dissemination of statistical and other information relating to insurance, while at the same time, help to check activities of fake documents.

He said that while only the status of motor insurance policy can be verified on the website at present, the NIA has been working on

other modules to make is easier for the insuring public to verify the genuineness of all insurance contracts arranged in the country.

The NIID project, according to the NIA director general, is scheduled to be delivered in modules, with the NIA having also successfully concluded the deployment of the first module, which is the motor vehicle insurance module.

“The NIA plans to make marine insurance the second module on the NIID in view of the fact that after motor insurance, the next class of insurance business where fake documents are rampant is marine insurance business.

“To facilitate the process, the association has already employed a programmer scheduled to resume in January 2014. On assumption of duty, he will be saddled with the responsibility of ensuring that the marine insurance module is ready before the end of March 2014.

While working towards the

A man hawking his chickens at the Abubakar Gumi Central Market in Kaduna.

deployment of other modules of the NIID, the association has been appealing to all operators in the industry to take maximum advantage of the NIID in their delivery of quality service which will drive the needed volume” the DG said.

He explained that with the deployment of motor vehicle insurance module, it will become impossible for motor vehicle owners to drive their vehicles on Nigerian roads without valid insurance documents and it is envisaged this will go a long way to reduce the leakages in the system and put an end to the activities of traders in fake insurance documents.

He noted also that with the mobile device, which is a product of the NIID, it is now easy for law enforcement agencies and relevant authorised persons to identify genuine insurance documents, adding the association hopes the effort of NIA will assist in checking the activities of fake insurance operators in the country.

PHOTO: NAN

NiRA sets up domain names working group KUNLE A ZEEZ

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he Nigerian Internet Registration Association, NiRA, has inaugurated a working group saddled with the responsibility of reviewing the policies and pricing of .ng premium domain names and second level domain names.

NiRA is the manager of Nigeria’s Country Code Top Level Domain, CCTLD, names, .ng, which is the country’s identifier on the web, different from .com, .net, .za, and others that belong to other countries around the world.

The working group was set up at the in Lagos at the Registrars forum cum end-of-the year gettogether to review .ng domain

names activities for the year and to discuss the roadmap for the year ahead.

The working committee chaired by Mr. Gbolade Odusami with immediate past Chief Operating Officer of NiRA, Mr. Ope Odusan as member, is expected to be independent, as the board has clearly stated that there shall not be any interference in their activities.

Speaking during the forum, President of NiRA, Mrs. Mary Uduma, said that, “the Ministry of Communications Technology shall be waiting to receive their recommendation by February; we can only support them with some logistic requirement but they will definitely be free to carry out their duties.”

Part of the terms of reference of the working group include: to brainstorm on how best to ensure the domestication of local content in all registered domain names, among others.

Meanwhile, NiRA has also disclosed that it will give out 100, 000 free .ng domain names to interested Nigerians in 2014, as part of its plan to celebrate the nation’s 100 years anniversary next year.

Uduma said that the initiative was borne out of desire to promote the use of the .ng domain name by Nigerians.

While assessing the adoption of .ng domain name in the country so far, the NiRA President said, “In 2009 we had less than 2,000 domain names but now we have about 50, 000.”

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Google unveils 2013 Nigeria’s top searched trends KUNLE A ZEEZ

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lobal search engine Google has released its latest findings on its ‘Google 2013 Zeitgeist’ showing the most searched persons, events and actors/actress in 2013.

According to Google the popular Nigerian music start, WizKid; the Academic Staff Union of University, ASUU and Mercy Johnson are the most searched persons, events and actors/actress, in the year respectively.

In a statement, Google says “With year 2013 coming to an end and the world getting set to usher in a new year, it will be nice to recount all the big moments, historical occurrences from global games to elections and everything interesting in between 2013.”

Google’s Zeitgeist analyses tril-

lions of queries that people typed into Google Search to showcase what the world searched every year.

Caro crooner, Wizkid tops the list for trending Nigerian musicians for 2013, closely followed by Olamide, MI, Davido and Flavour in that order.

This is expected as these musicians had a tremendous year releasing different club bangers and hit tracks to the delight of their fans. Other Nigerian musicians who completed the top 10 list include the PSquare brothers, Timaya, Tiwa Savage and Dbanj.

On top trending events in Nigeria, the ASUU Strike Update is first on the top 10 list. Others are JAMB 2013, Goldie Harvey’s death, Confederations Cup, Anambra Election, Paul Walker’s death, State of Emergency, Ramadam 2013, Olusegun Agagu’s death and Royal baby.

Arik introduces mobile booking app

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rik Airlines said it has introduced a mobile and tablet booking app that can provide the airline with booking service.

A statement released in Lagos yesterday by the airline’s Spokesman, Mr. Ola Adebanji, said the app would present consumers with an `easy-to-use interface’.

It added that it was introduced in a bid to enhance customer experience. The statement explained that customers would enter their preferred dates and number of passengers, then select the flight or flights from their desired schedule.

“Payment is similarly simple, because the app is unique to Arik; there are no fees levied by thirdparty booking services, leaving customers with the best possible rates.

“The app also includes a ‘Re-

member Me’ feature, allowing customers to easily pick a card from a list of their registered cards without needing to enter full details of their bank card each time they make a purchase.’’

The statement quotes Dr. Michael Arumemi-Ikhide, the airline’s Global Chief Executive Officer, GCEO, as noting that the airline has continued the ongoing revamping of its technology.

Arumemi-Ikhide said the airline had done that by becoming the first sub-Saharan airline to introduce a mobile and tablet booking app.

“The popularity of mobile commerce has increased massively in Africa and we are delighted to be the first Sub-Saharan African airline to offer customers a dedicated booking app to enhance our service.”

Group urges Nigeria to identify, prioritise areas of development

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xecutive Secretary, West Africa Society for Communication and Administration, WASCA, Mr Simeon Charles has urged Nigeria to identify and prioritise areas of development, to catch up with global trend.

Charles gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN in Abuja.

According to him, the problem with Nigeria is like that of a passenger that sees any moving train and jumps into it because he does not have a sense of direction.

“We find it difficult to actualise a particular stage of development before we move on to another one because if you look into the ICT now, reports show

that we are lagging behind.

“Any technology we see, we just jump into it without coming to terms with the intricacies of that system that makes it produce optimally; so we are having problems following global or international development.

This is ``because we don’t actualise a particular stage of development when we see that the world has moved to another stage we abandon where we are and move into it.

“What we should do is to go back to the drawing board and choose our prioritises; that means that we must identify, prioritise and isolate an area of development get done with it and then move on to the next stage, ‘’ he said.

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Maritime

Friday, December 27, 2013

Anxiety heightens over non passage of Ports and Harbours Bill The failure of the House of Representatives to pass the Ports and Harbours Bill, which reached the Second Reading stage five years ago has continued to be a source of concern to maritime stakeholders. This is especially so given the myriad challenges confronting the industry occasioned by the absence of a legal backing to Nigeria’s Port Reform Programme more than eight years after its completion. FRANCIS EZEM reports.

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he non-passage of the Ports and Harbour Bill, which among other things seeks to create a commercial regulator and also give a legal backing to the port reform programme has no doubt constituted the greatest challenge to realisation of the aims and objectives of the exercise.

The government in proposing the reform, which brought private terminal operators nine years ago had argued that the exercise would reduce the everlong ship waiting time, which was then in excess of 15 days, enhance efficiency and by so doing reduce the cost of doing business at the nation’s seaports tagged gateway to her economy.

Additionally, the programe was expected to attract private sector investment for the development of the ports, make Nigeria’s seaports efficient and competitive and therefore checkmate the thriving cargo diversion to neibouring African seaports.

These aims and objectives as outlined by the government were informed by the prevalent problems and challenges faced by port users then.

For instance, then it took between 3045 days to clear a consignment out of the ports while vessel turn around time was 15 days and above, which gave rise to imposition of arbitrary freight charges on Nigeria-bound consignment.

This was partly due to the inadequacies of the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, which was saddled with the responsibility of handling cargo being a civil service agency with attendant bureaucracy and delays.

Thus in deciding to reform the ports through a landlord model fashioned after the Port of Antwerp, Belgium, the government argued that the programme would enhance efficiency, reduce cost of operation and bring about efficiency especially with the coming of world-class terminal operators who took over cargo handling from NPA, among several other factors. This among several other factors was government’s panacea to the worsening cargo diversion with the attendant loss of revenue. It was also government’s joker towards the achievement of a hub seaport for the West and Central African sub-region.

Many stakeholders saw reasons with the government on the need reform the ports to make them compete with their peers among comity of maritime nations. But most of them were also desirous that the government should do the background properly so as to ensure sustainability of the exercise. Some of such issues was the need to create a legal and regulatory framework on which the post-reform port industry would thrive

Ugwuanyi

DG BPE, Benjamin Dikki

on, given that private sector investors were expected to takeover cargo handling functions from NPA. Most of the stakeholders opposed to the programme then were actually not comfortable with the seeming haste with which the government intended to go on with the exercise, which they believed might portend danger in the future.

Many of them had canvassed a situation whereby the institutional and legal framework would first be put in place as is the case in other climes before the main exercise, which fell on deaf ears.

For instance, the Bureau of Public Enterprise, BPE, which supervised the exercise ignored recommendations by the World Bank Consultant; Haskonings, hired by the Federal Government to work with the BPE to ensure a smooth exercise.

The consultant had proposed that Nigeria should adopt a staggered programme over a period of five to 10 years, under which it canvassed a pilot scheme, which will be monitored for a while.

It was in what appeared a belated change of mind that Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s government forwarded an

executive Ports and Harbours Bill to the National Assembly to give a legal backing to the programme and also create a commercial regulator, which will oversee the activities of these private terminal operators. Unfortunately, that bill is still pending at the lower legislative chamber.

But while commenting on the delay in the passage of the Bill, Chairman of House Committee on Marine Transport, Chief Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, had disclosed that everything about the passage of the Bill went on fine until it got to the public hearing stage when the stakeholders adopted a position that would conflict with other fiscal laws of the country.

According to him, if such a position was taken, NPA would have to depend on annual appropriation, which would starve it of funds, which would not be good enough for the system considering the kind functions performed by the authority.

The chairman however assured that the House would want to reconcile the new legislation with other existing laws in order not to cause any conflict after the passage of the Bill. Despite these assurances, the bill is yet to be passed.

IS THE PASSAGE OF THE BILL LEGALISING CHILD MARRIAGE MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE PASSAGE

OF PORT AND HARBOURS BILL OR IS THE PASSAGE

PASSAGE OF ANTI-GAY MARRIAGE ACT MORE USEFUL TO NIGERIA’S ECONOMY THAN THE PASSAGE OF A

BILL TO THE RUNNING OF THE SEAPORTS, GATEWAY TO THE NATION’S ECONOMY?

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Rather, the expected passage of the bill took a new dimension when Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Transport, Mr. Nebolisa Emodi, recently disclosed that the ministry was working on a new Ports and Harbour Bill. ”The Federal Executive Council will soon submit a bill to the National Assembly, which seeks to repel the Nigerian Ports Authority Act of 1999 and enact the Nigerian Ports and Harbours Act”, he aid..

The proposed new bill, it was gathered envisages the provision of ownership, management, operation; development and control of ports and harbours and make the Ports and Harbour Authority the technical regulator while promoting private participation.

Expectedly, the new development has not gone down with Ugwuanyi, who believes much work has already been done on the original bill. It was gathered that the Presidency has intervened in the rift between the ministry and the lower house over the bill with a view to harmonising the two positions. What this implies is that while this happen, the passage of the bill will wait. This also implies that the myriads of problems faced by the stakeholder on account of the non passage of the bill will continue.

One of such is the arbitrary imposition of charges on hapless port services users with the attendant high cost of clearing cargo, which fuels cargo diversion.

It was probably faced with the reality that the bill might not be passed anytime soon that the Presidency recently appointed that the Nigerian Shippers Council as interim commercial regulator pending the passage of the bill.

Executive Secretary of the council, Mr. Hassan Bello, while speaking recently harped on the need for the harmoniation of certain maritime laws, which he insisted are obsolete and need to be changed to be in tune with modern realities. He also outlined the functions and responsibilities of a commercial regulator, which among several others include the moderation of fees and charges to check arbitrariness.

Stakeholder and publisher of special Maritime tabloid, the shipping World, Mr. Asu Beks, while commending the appointment of the NSC, argued that there was need for the creation of a regulator with full constitutional powers. He also questioned the rationale behind the delay in the passage of the bill. “Is the passage of the bill legalising child marriage more important than the passage of Port and Harbours Bill or is the passage passage of anti-gay marriage act more useful to Nigeria’s economy than the passage of a bill to the running of the seaports, gateway to the nation’s economy?”, he wondered.

This argument brings to the fore the urgent need to pass the bill.

More there is the general belief among stakeholders that the port reform programme in its concept and objectives was not bad but that the approach and seeming haste to carry out the exercise was wrong. Government should therefore begin to right all the wrongs starting with the passage of relevant legislations to enhance the achievement of the policy objectives. A stitch in time, they say saves nine.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Maritime

Friday, December 27, 2013

43

APMT’s Onne Terminal hosts 4,500 TEU vessels STORIES: FRANCIS EZEM

S

trong indications emerged that shippers in Onne, Port Harcourt and other neighbouring business communities may be in for a reduction in the cost of shipping as the West Africa Container Terminal (WACT) Onne in River State, owned by APM Terminals begins to receive larger container vessels of 45,000 Twenty Equava-

lent Units (TEUs).

APM Terminals, a member of the Maersk Copenhagen Group had pennultimate week handled one of Maersk Line’s weekly Far East-West Africa (FEW2) service, which is comprised of 22 West Africa-Maximum (Waf-Max) sized vessels that are equipped with on-board cranes and draft 12.5 meters (41 feet), are 37.4 meters (123 feet) wide, 249 meters (817 feet) long.

The large container carriers

represent the largest vessels that can currently be accommodated at West Africa’s major container ports.

The port is located along the Bonny River near Port Harcourt in Rivers State and serves major markets in East Nigeria and the Nigerian oil and gas industry.

APM Terminals’ AfricaMiddle East Regional Head, Mr. Peder Sondergaard, who made the disclosure, said the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) was

Maersk large container carrier

Group canvasses Federal Government’s intervention in maritime industry

T

he Maritime Advocacy and Action Group (MAAG) has made a strong case for an immediate intervention by the Federal Government in the maritime industry just like its aviation counterpart as part of measures to ensure its sustainable growth and development.

The Federal Government had about five years ago made an intervention in the aviation industry in the midst of the crisis rocking the industry occasioned by increasing cases of air mishaps, which claimed several lives including those of prominent Nigerians.

Apart from creating a ministry of aviation in order to give adequate attention to its policies and programmes, the government had also released an intervention fund worth about N500billion to enable the domestic airline operators to acquire new air planes to stem the carnage in the nation’s air space then.

National coordinator of the group, Alhaji Al-Hassan Dantata, who made the call, observed that such intervention had become necessary following the failure of the Coastal and Inland Shipping (Cabotage) Act to address some of the challenges faced by the indigenous shipping firms, especially

in terms of funding and cargo allocation nearly 10 years after.

The Cabotage Act 2003, which is protectionist in nature provides that vessels to be used in the coastal and inland trade within the country must be built in Nigeria, owned and crewed by Nigerian to engender the growth of the indigenous operators.

The Act, which also created the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF), which is two percent deductions form every contract awarded under the scheme, says that the proceeds of the funds would be disbursed to indigenous shipping firms to enable them acquire vessels to compete favourably with their foreign counterparts, who have dominated the business.

The MAAG noted that nearly 10 years after, these policies are yet to yield the desired goals, a development that makes government intervention necessary and expedient.

“Towards this end, MAAG is calling on the government to intervene in the maritime industry as it did in the aviation sector, since the cabotage law seems not to be meeting the aspiration of stakeholders”, the coordinator said.

MAAG is primarily a private

sector advocacy group, is made up members of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO) and Importers Association, among several others.

The coordinator noted that the roles, aims and objectives of the group, which he described as a new intervention in the maritime and logistics supply chain, has been misunderstood by stakeholders especially in freight forwarding industry.

According to him, with the motto “Nigeria First”, the group, which is non-political, non-religious and non-tribal, aims at furthering the cause of the Transformation Agenda of the current administration in the country.

“MAAG strongly believes that, the key players in the maritime supply chain have one common interest, which is “cargo interest” the need to protect cargo becomes a collective responsibility to all the key players, hence, the need for a unified platform to discuss policy and operational issues for the general benefit of the nation”, he said.

instrumental in making this a success by widening the channel and removing some wrecks in the Bonny Channel.

According to him, the port call was a trial stop for Maersk Line’s weekly Far East-West Africa (FEW2) service.

It was also gathered that the weekly service links the ports of Busan, Korea; Shanghai, Ningbo, and Guangzhou, China and Tanjung Pelepas, Malaysia; with Walvis Bay, Namibia; Apapa, Onne, Nigeria; and Luanda, Angola.

“We are very pleased with the arrival of the first 4,500 TEU vessel size to the West Africa Container Terminal at Onne. We are investing USD 30 million in the terminal to serve our customers more efficiently and safely, while installing the essential port infrastructure necessary for Nigeria’s economic future” Sondergaard said.

He also hinted that the investment reflects the company’s overall West Africa port modernisation plan designed to serve the market’s demographic growth and expanding middle class. According to a UN report released this year, Nigeria’s population is expected to grow to 440 million by 2050.

WACT, which is owned and operated by APM Terminals, has a current capacity of 212,000 TEUs, and will handle some 210,000 TEUs in 2013. Volumes at Onne have tripled in the past five years. The facility is located within the Onne Oil & Gas Free Zone which was established in 1996.

In Nigeria, APM Terminals also owns and operates the country’s largest container terminal, at the Lagos Ports Complex, Apapa, investing over $200 million in upgrades since it commenced operations in 2006.

The company’s terminal at the LPC, Apapa had handled a total of 618,000 TEUs in 2012, which represents West Africa’s busiest container terminal.

The company is currently developing a new deep-water megaport at the Badagry Free Trade Zone, 55 km (34 miles) west of Apapa, which would be the largest port in Africa and serve Nigeria’s growing economy.

In West Africa, the APM Terminals Global Terminal Network has facilities in Monrovia, Liberia; Abidjan, Ivory Coast; Tema, Ghana; Cotonou, Benin; Douala, Cameroon; PointeNoire, Republic of Congo and Luanda, Angola.

EU to lead international counter-piracy efforts off Somalia in 2014

T

he European Union will assume the chairmanship of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) for a year from the 1st of January 2014, it was announced Monday.

An EU statement announcing the development said the Contact Group will be chaired on behalf of the European bloc

by Maciej Popowski, Deputy Secretary General of the European External Action Service (EEAS).

The chairmanship of the Contact Group is a joint endeavor of the EEAS and the European Commission and will continue the work carried out in 2013 under the chairmanship of the United States.

Noting that the number of hostages has gone down from more than 700 in 2011 to around 50 today, the European Union reiterated its strong commitment to bringing “this number down to zero: zero ships and zero seafarers in the hands of Somali pirates.”

“Pirate attacks over the past year have dropped by 95%, but the fight against piracy is not yet won. It is vital that the international community continues to work together to stamp out piracy and consolidate the

gains we have already made,” EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton was quoted as saying in the statement.

The European bloc said it is looking forward to working with all stakeholders in the region and with the international community to bring the fight against Somali piracy to an end.

The intent reflects the strategic framework and broader objectives set out during the Conference on a New Deal for Somalia in Brussels on 16 September 2013.

“The eradication of piracy will only be achieved on Somali soil and by the Somali people but the international community needs to keep focus and maintain momentum. As chair of the CGPCS the EU will not lose sight of the humanitarian cost of piracy. Hijacked crews and seafarers that have been taken hostage have suffered the most,” the statement added.

The Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) was established on 14 January 2009 pursuant to UN Security Council Resolution 1851 (2008) to facilitate the coordination of actions among more than 60 states and organizations to fight piracy off the coast of Somalia.

44

Agri Business

Friday, December 27, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Researchers successfully grow seed yams in the air UDO ONYEKA

R

esearchers at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, IITA, have successfully grown seed yams in the air using aeroponics technology, raising hopes and more options for the propagation of virus- and disease-free planting materials.

In a statement by IITA, Proj-

ect Manager for the Yam Improvement for Incomes and Food Security in West Africa, YIIFSWA, project at IITA, Dr. Norbert Maroya, a preliminary trial with a team of scientists reveals success in propagated yam by directly planting vine cuttings in Aeroponics System, AS, boxes to produce mini-tubers in the air.

“Aeroponics System is the process of growing plants in an air or mist environment with-

out the use of soil or an aggregate medium. The technology is widely used by commercial potato seed producers in eastern Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and southern Africa countries such as Mozambique, Malawi.”

It said successfully growing yam on aeroponics is a novelty for rapidly multiplying the much-needed clean seed yam tubers in large quantities.

“With this approach we are

Tubers of yam

FG distributes 10,500 bags of fertiliser to dry season farmers in Sokoto State –Official

T

he Federal Government on Wednesday distributed 10,500 bags of assorted fertiliser to 3,500 irrigation farmers in Kware local government area of Sokoto State.

The News Agency of Nigeria NAN reports that the ceremony, which took place at Kware town, the headquarters of the local government Area, was presided over by Dr Jubril Enesi, the state Director, Federal Ministry of Agriculture.

Enesi, who was represented

by Mr Abubakar Mohammed, said that the gesture was extend-

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina

ed to the beneficiaries under the Growth Enhancement Support scheme of the Federal Government.

He said that each of the beneficiaries was given two bags of NPK fertiliser, one bag of Urea, a 25kg bag of rice seeds and two 2-litre cans of agrolyser nutrients.

“The three bags of fertiliser and the agrolyser were subdised by 50 per cent by the Federal Government, while the rice seeds are free,” he added.

Enesi said that the gesture was aimed at encouraging more Nigerians to engage in all-year round farming activities.

“This is to further guarantee the food security of the country, as the need for food is next to nothing,” he said.

The Chairman of the local government, Alhaji Abubakar Zamau, and the District Head of Kware, Alhaji Aliyu Abubakar, commended the Federal Government for the gesture.

They warned the beneficiaries against selling the commodities, so as not to cause any setback to the government’s laudable policy.

optimistic that farmers will begin to have clean seed yams for better harvest,” Dr. Maroya said.

Preliminary results showed that vine rooting in Aeroponics System had at least 95 per cent success rate compared to vine rooting in carbonised rice husk with a maximum rate of 70 per cent. Rooting time was much shorter in aeroponics.

According to the statement, Aeroponics is coming at an opportune time for African farmers when traditionally, seed yam production is expensive and inefficient, adding that farmers save about 25 to 30 per cent of their harvest for planting the same area in the following season, meaning less money in their pockets.

It said these saved seeds are often infested with pathogens that significantly reduce farmers’ yield year after year.

However with an established Aeroponics System for seed yam propagation at the premises of an interested private investor, seed company or humanitarian nongovernmental organisation; yam producers can have access to clean seed yams.

“The soilless yam propaga-

tion system will increase the productivity of seed and ware yam and effectively reduce diseases and pests incidence and severity, no soilborne or vectortransmitted pests and diseases during the vegetative phase”.

IITA Director for Western Africa, Dr. Robert Asiedu, described the results as “impressive.”

“Yam is an important crop in Africa and addressing the seeds’ constraint will go a long way in improving the livelihoods of farmers who depend on the crop for their livelihood,” he added.

In conducting the aeroponics trial, the institute said a special structure was built in an existing screen house with Dixon shelf frames using perforated styrofoam box, as support for plant vines, while the developing roots of the plants in the air were enclosed in conditions of total darkness to simulate the situation of soil to the roots.

“For the plant and tuber to develop, an automated power house system was established for atomizing periodically nutrient enriched water solution in the form of mist to feed the plants,” it said.

ASSAPIN advocates market for local farm products

N

ational Programme Coordinator, Association of Small Scale Agro-Producers in Nigeria, ASSAPIN, Mr. Charles Yerima, has urged the Federal Government to provide market for local farm products in the country.

Yerima gave the advice in Abuja in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria, NAN. The Coordinator said the country had potentials to feed the nation if well harnessed saying that government should stop food importation and concentrate more on local producers.

“Farmers are very innovative in this country; they are already adding value to what they produce by processing them in to finished goods for consumption.

“Cassava is being processed in to garri already, likewise tomatoes and palm oil; we want government to make sure we sell these produce and make profits or they should buy them from the farmers because it cost a lot to produce and transport from the farm.

“Let government stop importation of food, we should not have any business importing food, we have all it takes to feed the na-

tion’’, he said.

Yerima, however, commended the efforts of government in transforming the sector through the Growth Enhancement Support, GES scheme and Nigerian Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System of Agricultural Lending, NIRSAL. He said the Agricultural Transformation Agenda would not yield its desired fruit if individuals, NGOs, and other key players do not play their roles.

Yerima urged politicians in the country to give equal attention to food production as they gave to

campaign and election.

He recommended collaboration between government and civil society in ensuring that farmers have access to cheap loans and farm inputs especially for young graduate farmers.

NAN reports that ASSAPIN is a NGO working towards recognition and empowering small-scale farmers for a just and equitable access to public goods and services in agriculture.

ASSAPIN was incorporated as an NGO registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, 10 years ago.

L-R: Member, Senate Committee on Science and Technology, Ibrahim Gobir; Chairman, Ajayi Borofice; Director-General, Federal Institute of Industrial Research, FIIRO, Oshodi, Lagos, Dr. Gloria Elemo and another member of the committee, Dr. Chris Ngige, during a visit of the committee to FIIRO in Lagos recently.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Capital Market

Friday, December 27, 2013

45

Emerging stocks extend losses to a month decline

E

m e r g i n g - m a rk e t stocks retreated for a second day amid concern political instability in Turkey and Thailand will escalate.

The Borsa Istanbul National 100 Index posted the biggest decline among global equity gauges.

The MSCI Emerging Markets Index fell 0.2 per cent to 992.90 points, while Turkish shares dropped 2.3 per cent, while the lira tumbled to a record low as Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s cabinet overhaul failed to soothe investors amid a deepening corruption scandal.

The Thai baht slid for an eighth day as the nation’s Election Commission urged the government to delay a February poll after protesters tried to storm a Bangkok arena where can-

didates were registering.

Stocks in developing nations extended this month’s decline to 2.5 per cent after Turkey’s Prime Minister Erdogan tapped loyalists to rebuild his cabinet and fight a deepening corruption scandal that claimed its first victims from his inner circle.

Thai’s caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra yesterday proposed forming a council to study political reforms as demonstrations continued into a second month.

“There’s been a bit of a heat up of the geopolitical issues, whether it’s Turkey or Thailand,” Timothy Ghriskey, who oversees $1.5bn as the chief investment officer at Solaris Group LLC, said by phone from New York.

“This all causes concern for global stability and growth.”

The iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Index exchange-traded fund fell 0.6 per cent to $40.78. The Chicago Board Options Exchange Emerging Markets ETF Volatility Index, a measure of options prices on the fund and expectations of price swings, rallied 4.1 per cent to 20.77.

Brazil’s Ibovespa was little changed, while the real advanced to a one-week high after the government removed a tax on companies selling shares in international markets.

The nation is unwinding capital controls that had sought to limit dollar inflows as the real climbed to a 12-year high in July 2011.

The government cut a tax on foreign investment in fixed income in June and two months earlier eliminated levies on loans for the

purchase, production and leasing of capital goods.

Turkey’s lira weakened to a record against the dollar on concerns that the widening scandal was creating instability in Erdogan’s government. The Borsa Istanbul 100 Index dropped to the lowest level on a closing basis since August 2012.

Russian shares extended this year’s gains as OAO MegaFon and VTB Group climbed. The ruble strengthened, paring its 2013 decline and heading for the zone where the central bank stops daily interventions.

The currency rose 0.2 per cent to 38.0836 against Bank Rossii’s target basket of dollars and euros, reducing its 2013 drop to 9.3 per cent.

US stocks advance as Yen weakens, Turkish stocks drop

U

nited States benchmark stock indexes extended all-time highs as a drop in jobless claims fueled optimism in the economy.

The yen reached a fiveyear low versus the dollar and Japan’s Topix closed at the highest since 2008 on speculation the central bank will press ahead with stimulus.

The Standard and Poor’s 500 Index rose 0.2 per cent to 1,837.57 points, while Treasuries fell for a third day, sending 10-year yields up 1.7 basis points to 2.99 per cent.

The yen slid 0.4 per cent to 104.70 per dollar after touching 104.84, the weakest level since October 2008, and the Topix rose 1.7 per

cent. The Borsa Istanbul 100 Index dropped 2.1 per cent while Turkey’s lira fell to a record low after a cabinet overhaul. Silver and coffee led commodities higher.

US initial jobless claims fell more than forecast last week, underscoring confidence in the labour market as the Federal Reserve begins slowing its bond purchases amid improving economic data. The S&P 500 is up 29 per cent in 2013, poised for its best yearly gain since 1997.

“The stock market is energized by the stronger macro trends that we’re seeing,” Jim Russell, who helps oversee $112bn as a senior equity strategist for US Bank Wealth Manage-

ment, said. “The fundamentals are filling in for a market that has been primarily Fed-driven.”

Silver, coffee, zinc and gold rose at least 0.9 per cent for the biggest gains among the 24 commodities tracked by the S&P GSCI Index, while cocoa, nickel, wheat and hogs led losses that left the index little changed.

Platinum futures jumped 2.4 per cent to $1,362.85 an ounce in New York, the highest in more than a week, on speculation a global economic recovery will boost demand for the metal used in catalytic converters, leaving a supply shortage. The London Metal Exchange is closed for holiday.

The S&P 500 Index closed at a record high on December 24 as data on US durable goods and new homes sales beat analyst estimates.

Tesla Incorporation gained 2.3 per cent on a report that the electric car maker will focus on opening more showrooms in China next year. T-Mobile US Incorporation advanced 1.4 per cent amid a report that SoftBank Corporation is likely to raise the funding needed for its planned purchase of the wireless network provider.

Treasury 10-year yields rose one basis point to 2.99 per cent. Jobless claims declined by 42,000 to 338,000 in the week ended December 21, a Labour Department report showed.

Brazil real rises as stock tax break

S

ave Brazil’s real advanced to a one-week high after the government removed a tax on companies selling shares in international markets.

The real appreciated 0.3 per cent to 2.3495 per United States dollar, paring its quarterly decline to 5.6 per cent, still the worst performance among 16 major currencies after the Japanese yen.

Swap rates on contracts maturing in January 2016 were unchanged at 11.74 per cent after falling as much as four basis points.

Brazil is unwinding capital controls that had sought

to limit dollar inflows as the real climbed to a 12-year high in July 2011.

The government cut a tax on foreign investment in fixed income in June and two months earlier eliminated levies on loans for the purchase, production and leasing of capital goods.

“This is an adjustment measure,” Jose Carlos Amado, a currency trader at Renascenca Dtvm in Sao Paulo, said in a telephone interview. “The government should do all it can to boost the inflow of capital.”

The 1.5 per cent tax on the conversion of local shares into depositary re-

ceipts dates from November 2009 and was an attempt to balance out a levy on foreign investments in local stocks that has been removed, interim Deputy Finance Minister Dyogo Oliveira told reporters in Brasilia on December 24.

Brazil’s shorter-term swap rates dropped earlier today as a report that showed inflation slowed more than forecast added to speculation that policy makers will limit further increases in benchmark borrowing costs.

Consumer prices in Brazil’s seven biggest cities climbed 0.66 per cent in

Source: NSE

Source: FMDA

Market indicators All-Share Index 39,858.23 points Market capitalisation 12.80 trillion

Stock Updates GAINERS COMPANY

OPENING

CLOSING

CHANGE

NEM

0.63

0.69

0.06

% CHANGE 9.52

TRANSCORP

4.15

4.48

0.33

7.95

OANDO

17.64

19.00

1.36

7.71

AFRIPRUD

2.65

2.83

0.18

6.79

SKYEBANK

4.00

4.25

0.25

6.25

FCMB

3.30

3.48

0.18

5.45

COSTAIN

1.04

1.09

0.05

4.81

CCNN

9.98

10.45

0.47

4.71

UTC

0.66

0.69

0.03

4.55

GLAXOSMITH

65.62

68.50

2.88

4.39

CHANGE

% CHANGE

LOSERS COMPANY

OPENING

CLOSING

CHAMPION

17.79

16.91

-0.88

-4.95

INTBREW

29.00

27.71

-1.29

-4.45

LIVESTOCK

4.40

4.21

-0.19

-4.32

MAYBAKER

2.09

2.00

-0.09

-4.31

ETERNA

4.21

4.08

-0.13

-3.09

UNITYBNK

0.51

0.50

-0.01

-1.96

NB

165.00

161.85

-3.15

-1.91

DANGSUGAR

11.50

11.30

-0.20

-1.74

FBNH

16.47

16.25

-0.22

-1.34

WAPCO

112.30

111.15

-1.15

-1.02

Primary Market Auction the month ended December 22 after rising 0.75 per cent in the prior period, the Getulio Vargas Foundation reported. The median forecast of economists surveyed by Bloomberg was 0.73 per cent.

“This result increases the chance that 2013 inflation is slower than last year’s,” Luciano Rostagno, the chief strategist at Banco Mizuho do Brasil in Sao Paulo, said.

Central bank President Alexandre Tombini said October 11 that inflation will end 2013 below last year’s 5.84 percent.

TENOR

AMOUNT (N’mn)

RATE (%)

DATE

91-Day

22,057.31

11.50

07-Nov-13

182-Day

30,000.00

11.59

07-Nov-13

182-Day

47,786.39

13.05

07-Nov-13

Open Market Operations TENOR

AMOUNT (N’mn)

RATE (%)

DATE

178-Day

86,709.13

12.35

07-Nov-13

175-Day

95,368.69

12.35

07-Nov-13

-

-

-

-

Wholesale Dutch Auction System AMOUNT OFFERED

MARKET DEMAND

AMOUNT SOLD

DATE

$350m

N/A

$343m

04-Nov-13

$400m

N/A

$399m

30-Oct-13

46

2013: Capital Market Review

Friday, December 27, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Reforms, governance drive 42% stock market gain JOHNSON OKANLAWON

T

he Nigerian capital market is close to becoming efficient, as the benchmark index continued to rise following the reforms and initiatives by the regulators and operators in the market in recent years.

So far, the All Share Index has gained 41.95 per cent to close at 39,858.23 points as at December 24, 2013 from the opening figure of 28,078.81 points on january 3rd, this year.

Also, market capitalisation was up N3.881trn to close at N12.755trn, from N8.874 at which it opened the year on January 3, 2013 when Nigerian Stock Exchange resumed trading activities.

Among various initiatives that drove the market was the introduction of market making, which is aimed to deepen the market and make it the gateway to Africa capital markets.

Apart from restructuring various sectors, the Exchange also reviewed its listing requirements to encourage new listings and introduced new products.

Summary of the draft listing rules emphasised, among other things, the importance of Annual General Meetings and provided guidelines for notice, date, and venue of meetings as well as right of attendance.

For instance, a section of the rules titled, ‘Responsibility of the directors/ trustees in relation to general meetings,’ sets out the responsibilities of the directors of an issuer or the trustees of a bond.

According to the NSE, the section indicates persons who must attend general meetings, reports to be presented at AGMs and the required time to hold an AGM. It also states the manner of dealing with securities holders’ enquiries at the meetings.

With regards to ‘notice of meeting’, the NSE explained that, the draft rule made it mandatory for each issuer to submit to the Exchange for review, a draft copy of the notice of meeting, circulars and annual reports, including press releases that will be issued to holders of listed securities.

On efforts to make the capital market cost effective, the Chief Executive Officer of the NSE, Mr. Oscar Onyema said when the elimination of transaction taxes and stamp duty announced by the government come into effect, transaction costs would be reduced significantly.

He said that, the NSE’s new trading platform, X-GEN, which was introduced in September, was also meant to contribute in making the market cost-effective.

Oscar stressed that the delivery of the new age technology serves as a testimony that the NSE has succeeded in achieving one of its key goals of providing 21st century technologies to support the growth of the Nigerian capital market.

“The Nigerian Stock Exchange has always been focused on investing in technology but with X-GEN, our trading platform is now among the most advanced in the world and that further extends our leadership position in Africa”, he said.

Also, the new trading platform is based on a number of leading technologies, including NASDAQ, OMX’s, XSTream

Oscar Onyema

Aruma Oteh

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

matching engine, and the NSE’s flexible and robust X-GEN Market Database developed from scratch by NSE and its technical partners.

The Exchange launched new multiproduct trading platform, X-Gen, the on Tuesday, July 30, 2013 and organized an X-Gen Expo with the theme “New Trading Possibilities …powered by innovation”. The Expo provided a platform for market stakeholders and solutions providers to further discuss the functionalities and usage of X-Gen, as well as the investments required to fully exploit the benefits of the new trading environment.

The Executive Director, Market Operations and Technology, NSE, Mr. Ade Bajomo, said that the new trading platform would revolutionize the nation’s capital market and urged stakeholders to take advantage of the trading platform.

“X-Gen symbolizes NSE’s untiring commitment to delivering a first rate technology platform that will enable our dealing members build and grow their businesses, and the investing community

experience a more efficient market when they buy or sell securities”, he said.

According to him, the new trading platform would enhance market liquidity, investment diversification and encourage the introduction of new products.

Assessing the impact of market making in the market, the Chief Executive Officer of Partnership Investment Company Plc, Mr. Victor Ogiemwonyi, said it had been a success story of some sought.

“The fact that over 50 stocks have backstops have helped in stabilising prices. Traders and investors will buy stocks if they know they will have a market for it anytime they want to exit. This is what has enhanced the liquidity in the market,” he said.

He noted that even though some brokers would say that they have not found the market makers helpful, the awakening of investors to the potential of market and stopping the slide of prices is a major achievement.

An Executive Director of Dunn Loren Merrified Securities Limited, Mr. Idowu Ogedengbe, said the programme has enhanced the depth of the market as it allow a wider margin between the bid and offer prices.

“Stocks that have market makers assigned to them have had a price bandwidth movement of 10 per cent, instead of the current five per cent, which provides higher prospects for speculative trading and hence market depth,” he said.

To the Chief Executive Officer of Financial Derivatives Limited, Mr. Bismark Rewane the market as it is today is

moving towards efficiency, saying that a market is first and foremost efficient before it becomes sophisticated.

In the course of the year, the market witnessed the inauguration of two overthe-counter markets – the NASD OTC and FMDQ OTC – among other initiatives.

According to Rewane, all of them were aimed at increasing liquidity in the market and promoting efficiency.

“Now, all of these features of over-thecounter markets and others are in place to ensure that there is a higher turnover and better mobilisation of savings,” he said.

He explained that some of the notable developments that have helped the market to evolve include the fact that it is better regulated and participants are more willing to provide needed data and information.

The first thing to note, he said, was that the market is well-regulated; the Securities and Exchange Commission is doing a good job, “so we have had very limited reports of abuse. Also, participants are now compliant in terms of releasing data and information,” he said.

Rewane, however, said the market was still price inefficient. “In essence, the pricing mechanism of the market is still inefficient, not because the market is inefficient; it is just because the structure of the market is evolving towards perfection,” he noted.

He explained that as things stand, the price mechanism was not giving true value as some stocks were overvalued while some others were undervalued.

Rewane also observed that compared to its African peers in terms of market capitalisation, the Nigerian capital market is very high, but compared to global peers, it is miniscule. He added that the Nigerian capital market is very illiquid.

He was, however, confident that overtime, “we would get to the point where we would be able to see market efficiency.

“In 2014, we are likely to see a movement towards equilibrium; that is, some of the stocks will trend downwards.

Some of them, which are under-valued, will go slightly higher,” he added.

T HE N IGERIAN S TOCK E XCHANGE

HAS

ALWAYS BEEN FOCUSED ON INVESTING IN TECHNOLOGY BUT WITH

X-GEN,

OUR

TRADING PLATFORM IS NOW AMONG THE MOST ADVANCED IN THE WORLD AND THAT FURTHER EXTENDS OUR LEADERSHIP POSITION IN

AFRICA

Friday, December 27, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

47

Community Mirror Many vulnerable and impressive young people now aspire to join this growing but extremely dangerous and certainly illegal and immoral business.

MINISTER OF PETROLEUM, MRS. DEZIANI ALISON MADUEKE

Five injured in Christmas day clash KEMI OLAITAN IBADAN

F

ive people have been reportedly injured during a fight between some hoodlums and

commercial motorcycle operators at Apata, Ibadan South West Local Government Area of Oyo State.

Community Mirror learnt that the unprovoked attack occurred at the Okada operators’ garage

along Bembo area of Apata.

An eyewitness said the attackers numbering about seven alighted from a vehicle and started assaulting passersby, Okada operators and other members of the

public.

Some people attributed the attack to the influence of alcohol, even as others said the attackers were probably returning from a party.

“The hoodlums came

down from a bus and started assaulting people along the road without justification. I think they were coming from a party and were drunk. God knows how many bottles they may have consumed which led to their misbehavior. Some people were injured in the attack, and we are pleading that the police come to our rescue,” a trader who simply identify himself as Olalekan said.

However when contacted the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Olabisi Ilobanafor, said it was a minor misunderstanding involving a Federal Road Safety Commission,FRSC,

officer who wanted to park his vehicle but hit a motor cycle belonging to an Okada operator.

She said: “As am speaking the matter is before the Apata police division where the DPO is mediating between the parties involved.

“What happened is that the road safety officer who was not on duty accidentally hit a motorcycle while parking his car. There was heated argument and the operators wanted to attack the man but immediately the officer called in a patrol team.

And the matter is now under control”.

Residents commended for peace in Plateau

T Tourists post for photograph with members of the Lafiaji Brazilian Fanty carnival on Charismas day in Lagos.

PHOTO:ADEMOLA AKINLABI

Taskforce demolishes shanties in Maroko MURITALA AYINLA

T

he Lagos State Task on Environment and Special Offence Unit has demolished hundreds of shanties along Maroko coastline.

The shanties were alleged to have been accommodating illegal aliens and criminals who have

been raping and robbing residents of the area.

Several illegal structures that had earlier been marked for demolition by the state Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development were also pulled down by the bulldozers.

Confirming the development, the taskforce

chairman, CSP Bayo Sulaimon said the shanties were demolished, based on security reports, saying there had been several complaints by residents on the menace constituted by occupants of the illegal shanties.

“It is true we demolished illegal shanties on the Maroko coastline. We have received several com-

plaints from residents in the area, saying they been now live in constant fear.

The shanties and other abandoned buildings have taken over by miscreants in the area.

“The illegal occupants are from Benin Republic, Ghana, Chad, Burkina Faso and other countries”,he said.

Motorists groan over fuel increase in Kano FRANCIS SUBERU

WITH AGENCY REPORT

M

otorists in Kano have called on the state government to compel marketers to sell petrol to customers.

Investigations reveal that the marketers closed their filling stations following

threats by refinery workers to embark on strike to protest the Federal Government’s plans to sell the four refineries in the country.

Some of the motorists said the call was necessary to force the marketers to reopen the filling stations and sell the commodity to the public.

According to them, some of the fuel marketers have increased the pump price from N103 to N105 per litre as against the official price of N97.

One of the motorists, Malam Adamu Abdullahi, accused some of the marketers of arbitrary increase in the pump price which has

led to increase in transport fares in Kano and environs.

He said the action has affected socio-economic activities in the state capital.

Another motorist, Malam Musa Sada, urged the government to intervene and check the excesses of shylock marketers before the situation deteriorates.

he Plateau Police Command and the Special Task Force, STF, have attributed the hitch-free Christmas celebration in the state to the resolve of the residents to live in peace.

Community Mirror reports that the celebration was very peaceful, unlike in the past when bombings and gunshots truncated it.

The situation was particularly worst in 2011 when several bombs exploded and killed many people at a relaxation spot in Gada-Biyu, Jos North Local Government.

Police spokesman, Dominic Esin, said the situation was a testimony that the series of peace meetings between security agencies and other stakeholders are bearing

fruit.

“That we had peaceful festivity is one of the fruits of our efforts and this gladdens all of us,’’ he said.

The police spokesperson stated that security was tightened during the period especially in worship and recreational centres as well as identified flash points,even as he urged the people to sustain the existing peace for the good of the state.

The STF media officer, Capt. Salisu Mustapha, said that security agencies had done their work well and commended the residents for their support.

“We did our part, but I believe that the success could not have been achieved if the people had not resolved to live peacefully,’’ he said.

Prophetic praise holds in Lagos

T

he Life Mentors will hold the grand finale of its annual Prophetic Praise on Monday, December 30th, 2013.

The Prophetic Praise is billed to hold at the Sheba Centre, Bank Anthony Way, Kingsway Bus Stop, Ikeja, Lagos.

The event which is aimed at ensuring that people end the year with

thanksgiving and praise of God will last for 12 hours, commencing from 9a.m to 9p.m.

According to coordinator of Life Mentors, ‘Detoun Adeojo, the programme which started in May 2013 takes place every Monday in obedience to a prophetic revelation directing the giving of high praise to God.

Transition

48

Friday, December 27, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Mrs. Victoria Aremu (1958 - 2013)

M

M

arketing communications guru and Managing Director, Eminent Communications, Sesan Ogunro Snr., was shot dead on December 22, 2013 at Alausa Central Business District, Lagos. He was aged 61 years old.

The Ekiti State-born Ogunro was one of the pioneers of advertising practice in Nigeria.

Ogunro alongside Biodun Shobanjo and others changed the business of marketing communications when they all resigned from Grant Advertising to float Insight Communications Limited in January 1980.

He later left to establish Eminent Advertising in 1982 and has been able to

rs. Victoria Oyenike Aremu was born on October 9, 1958 at Bekwa, Ghana, to Pa and Mama Ishola Oke of Ile Adojo, Ogbomoso, Oyo State.

She attended the Middle School at Sefwi Bekwa Local Authority, where she graduated in 1975. She proceeded to the Tokorade Polytechnic between 1975 and 1979 and from there to the Institute of Management Studies at the University of Kumasi where she obtained Diploma in Accounting, all in Ghana.

After becoming a born again Christian, Mrs. Aremu was a vibrant youth, and also in the Lydia Circle and her activities and devotion earned her the special recognition award from the Women Missionary Union, WMU of the Nigerian Baptist Convention, NBC, as the second best Lydia annual report in 1982.

She also obtained a certificate in Music Principles for Churches and Schools at the Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary, Ogbomoso in 1983. She loves singing the praises of her God and Creator any day.

She married Revd. Dr. Nathaniel. A. Aremu on October 13, 1990 and the holy matrimony was blessed with two children.

A lover of Mission and Evangelism,

Mrs Aremu was among the pioneering members that established the Shallom Baptist Church mission stations along Ibadan-Eruwa axis and until her death; she was the co-coordinator of one of the centres. Also a member of the Evangelistic Caller of the Shallom Baptist Church, Orogun, Ibadan, she was also involved in Discipleship Training and Silent Prayer Ministry.

Although she was trained as an accountant, she ventured into many business skills such as catering and farming.

Her love for farming made her to venture into fish farming and until her transition to glory, she was a vibrant member of the Oyo State chapter of the Catfish Farmers Association of Nigeria, CAFAN, Ibadan, a body she served as its Treasurer until her call home to meet her Creator.

Mrs. Aremu loves and encourages everyone, both Christians and non-Christians equally. She was tender-hearted and mother to all, touching many lives in terms of empowering people in various skills she knows both within the church and community.

Mrs Aremu will be buried today after a funeral service at the Shallom Baptist Church, Orogun, Ibadan.

build the company to a reputable height.

Ogunro was a fellow of the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria, APCON. He was one-time Chairman of APCON’s Advertising Standards Panel, ASP and Chairman of APCON’s Membership & Privileges Committee.

The deceased was also the Chairman of Professional Practice Committee of Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria, AAAN. He was said to be one of the brains behind the famous Moshood Kashimawo Abiola’s presidential campaign jingle, “MKO is our man ooo”.

Until his death, Ogunro was the Chairman of the Board of the Broadcasting Service of Ekiti State.

According to a press statement issued by the Ekiti State Government on Ogunro’s murder, the deceased murder had broken the hearts of the people of the state whom he served diligently in his lifetime.

The statement said that Ogunro was a thoroughbred Ekiti son, a professional who identified with his people wherever he found himself.

Ogunro was survived by many children including talented music video director, Sesan Ogunro Jnr., Timayo Ogunro and Beat 99.9FM On-Air-Personality, Fade Ogunro.

Pastor Samuel Arijesudade

T

he National Publicity Secretary of the Christ Apostolic Church (Supreme Council), Pastor Samuel Oluwabusuyi Arijesudade died at the age of 70 years.

A release issued and signed by Pastor J.O Oguntile ,General Secretary of the church, said Arijesudade died last Wednesday ,December 11,2013.

He was appointed the Publicity Secretary of the mission in 2001 by the authority of CAC, a position which he held until his death.

He was survived by his wife, Mrs. Aderonke Arijesudade, children and grand children.

According to the statement, burial arrangement will soon be announced by the CAC authority and the family.

Sesan Ogunro

Community Mirror

Mrs. Falana decries rate of vulnerable children ABIODUN NEJO ADO EKITI

A

member of the National Commission for Human Rights, Mrs. Funmi Falana,has said that the presence of more than 17.3 million Orphan Vulnerable Children, OVC, in the country is an indication that enough has not been done in the fight against poverty.

She, however, appealed to government at all levels to rise to the occasion through stepping up the fight against poverty and ensuring that such got to the grassroots.

Mrs. Falana, who also heads the Women Empowerment and Legal Aid, spoke when she celebrated Christmas with inmates of Erelu Adebayo Motherless Babies Home at Iyin Ekiti where she them with gifts.

She praised Governor Kayode Fayemi for infrastructure development at the orphanage, saying that last year; the number of children was more than this. But this reduction shows that they are mobile. They are going to higher and better places to enjoy family settings and forget their sorrows.

Mrs. Falana had earlier

in the day empowered widows at Ilawe Ekiti, even as she said the increasing level of sufferings among widows and the geometric increase in the level of child abandonment indicated that the country is facing serious economic challenges.

While charging wellmeaning Nigerians to cooperate with governments to bring poverty to a halt, she said: “I decided to celebrate with these children annually because they too are important.They are as important as children in Aso Rock or Ekiti Government House.

I am trying to convey

a message to them that their future is bright and that they are future leaders. I want to inspire them that the circumstances of their birth should not be a depression to them or make them look less important”, she said.

She said commitment to fighting poverty among the people would reduce the level of vulnerable children and women in the country, saying: “Many were abandoned because of poverty. Many were orphaned because of preventable diseases that killed their parents may be due to ignorance or poverty”.

Late Justice Saidu Kawu buried

T

he body of late retired Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Sa’idu Kawu, was buried yesterday in Ilorin according to Islamic injunctions.

Kawu has passed on at the age of 85 on Wednesday evening in Ilorin.

He was buried at his residence, Ikokoro compound off Niger Road, Ilorin.

The Chief Imam of Ilorin, Alhaji Mohammed Basiru, who led the funeral prayer, prayed Allah to grant him eternal rest and the family the fortitude to bear the loss.

Gov. Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara, Sen. Bukola Saraki, the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, the former President of the Court of Appeal, Justice

Ayo Salami, and members from the bar and bench, were among thousands of dignitaries who witnessed the burial.

The eldest son of the deceased, Justice Suleiman Kawu described his father as an incorruptible, firm, thorough and meticulous judge who was God-fearing during his life time.

The late jurist was appointed the Chief Judge of Kwara in 1975 and later became a Supreme Court Judge in 1984.

In his lifetime after retiring from the Supreme Court of Nigeria in 1993, the Ilorin-born judge headed the National Constitutional Conference Commission, NCCC, and other high-profile commissions.

Friday, December 27, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

49

World News I am not guilty, and you are a dishonest judge.

–Radical Islamist cleric Abu Qatada told Jordan Judge, Ahmad Qatarneh

South Sudan crisis: Kenyan, Ethiopian leaders in Juba for talks PAUL ARHEWE,

WITH AGENCY REPORTS

T

he leaders of two of South Sudan’s neighbours, Kenya and Ethiopia, have held “constructive” talks there in a bid to halt fighting, officials said.

Thousands of people are feared dead in violence that began 11 days ago and has raised fears of a civil war.

Ethiopia’s foreign minister said the meeting with President Salva Kiir was “candid” and had centred on halting the violence and starting political talks.

Kiir is involved in a power struggle with ex-deputy Riek Machar.

The fighting has exposed ethnic divisions in the world’s youngest state as the president is an ethnic Dinka, while Mr Machar represents the Nuer tribe.

UN officials believe thousands have been killed since violence erupted on 15 December, when clashes broke out at a meeting of the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM).

President Kiir accused the former vice-president, who had been sacked in July, of plotting a coup.

Mr Machar denies trying to seize power.

The fighting has since spread to half of South Sudan’s 10 states and is now focused on the capital of oil-producing Unity state, Bentiu, and Malakal, the main town in Upper Nile state.

Tens of thousands of people

The three leaders met behind closed doors in Juba.

have fled to UN compounds across the oil-rich country. The UN Security Council has decided to boost the existing UN force (Unmiss) of around 7,000 peacekeepers and police to about 14,000.

Ethiopian PM Hailemariam Desalegn, (L), South Sudanese President Salva Kiir (C), and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta (R) The three leaders met behind closed doors in Juba South Sudanese forces in Bor on Wednesday a day after recapturing the town South Sudanese forces in Bor A man carries boxes of daily produce in Bor - 25 Dec UN officials said the area around Bor was becoming safer In a Christmas Day message,

PHOTO: AP

UN Secretary General Ban Kimoon said “South Sudan is not alone”.

Kiir, wearing his trademark cowboy hat, went into the closeddoor meeting on Thursday morning with Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, currently head of the East African Community.

Ethiopian Foreign Minister Tedros Adhanom said later they had discussed a cessation of hostilities, an immediate start to political talks, supporters of Machar who were in detention and the humanitarian crisis.

The two leaders and other East African countries would “do their best to resolve this problem ami-

cably”, he said.

The European Union is sending an envoy, Alex Rondos, to Juba to push for a negotiated solution.

China said its special envoy to Africa would also travel to Juba “soon”.

Both the South Sudanese leader and Machar have said they are willing to discuss an end to the crisis.

But the former vice-president has said his detained political allies must first be freed, while Mr Kiir says there should be no preconditions.

Machar told Paris-based Sudan Tribune on Thursday he had appointed a delegation to start talks in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.

CAR unrest kills six Chadian peacekeepers, 12 civilians

occurred on Wednesday, were unclear, a spokesman for the African Union (AU) force of which they were a part told a news agency.

“Yesterday the city was in total chaos and this chaos lasted until the end of the night. Today we are trying to understand what happened,” said Eloi Yao. The Chadian contingent of the AU peacekeeping force has been accused of siding with a mostly Muslim former rebel group in the strife-torn majority Christian country.

Top Muslim and Catholic clerics in the Central African Republic pleaded for the United Nations to “immediately dispatch” extra peacekeepers to help stop the violence, which French and African forces are struggling to contain.

F

rench troops were out in force in the Central African Republic’s capital yesterday after clashes that killed at least a dozen civilians, according to an

official, and six Chadian peacekeepers.

Chaos gripped Bangui after heavy arms fire on Wednesday, which sent thousands of panick-

French soldiers patrol in the Yagato district of Bangui, Central African Republic, yesterday.

ing residents fleeing for shelter at the airport, where French and African peacekeepers are based.

At least 12 people died in the latest wave of violence, an official at Bangui’s main hospital told a news agency.

“The Red Cross brought at least a dozen” bodies to the hospital morgue, the official said on condition of anonymity, adding that 46 people had been brought in with knife or gunshot wounds.

Earlier the medical aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders, MSF), had counted 36 injured at the hospital since Wednesday evening.

The circumstances of the Chadian deaths in Bangui, which

WORLD BULLETIN

Storms leave 50,000 homes in Britain without power

Some 50,000 homes in Britain were without power on Christmas Day following recent storms, while hundreds of people were evacuated due to flooding.

Meanwhile London Gatwick Airport was struggling with power outages in parts of its North Terminal, causing delays to departing flights.

High winds and heavy rain battered parts of Europe on Monday and Tuesday, with some areas still reeling from the aftermath.

The Energy Networks Association said around 50,000 homes remained without electricity. They are largely in the east and southeast of England.

“It’s likely that some people will still be off on Boxing Day (Thursday),” said spokesman Tim Field.

Power company UK Power Networks offered to pay for Christmas dinners in local pubs or restaurants for people whose supplies remain cut off.

Around 90 people were evacuated from 3:00am (0300 GMT) from their homes by the River Stour near Bournemouth on the south coast due to floods, emergency services said.

China condemns Japan PM’s shrine visit

China and South Korea have condemned Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for visiting a shrine that honours war dead including convicted war criminals.

Seoul said it was furious with the “deplorable” act, and Beijing labelled the visit “absolutely unacceptable” and summoned Japan’s ambassador.

Japan’s neighbours see the Yasukuni shrine as a symbol of the militarism of Japan during and before World War Two. US officials said the visit would “exacerbate tensions” in the region.

China, Japan and South Korea are embroiled in a number of disputes over territory in the East China Sea.

Rebel attack kills 40 in eastern Congo At least 40 civilians have been killed in a rebel attack on a village in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, local officials and civil society groups said.

Thomas D’Acquin, head of civil society in Congo’s North Kivu province, said the attack by the ADF-NALU rebel group on Wednesday had destroyed many homes in Kamango, a village near the Ugandan border.

“The outcome of yesterday’s attack is that there are 40 dead civilians,” D’Acquin.

The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) emerged in the 1990s in opposition to the Ugandan government, allying itself with the National Army for the Liberation of Uganda (NALU).

50

News

Friday, December 27, 2013

Passengers stranded as Kenyan Airways, Lufthansa Airlines cancel flights OLUSEGUN KOIKI

P

assengers of Kenyan Airways (KQ) and Lufthansa Airways were unable to travel to their destinations on Wednesday as the two airlines abruptly cancelled their flights.

The passengers were taken aback when they got to the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos and discovered that they could not embark on their scheduled journey.

National Mirror gathered that the passengers were not informed of the

abrupt cancellations.

Kenyan Airways flies into Nigeria twice daily from its base in Nairobi, Kenya.

KQ 534 flies into Lagos in the morning while its second flight (KQ 544) flies out of the airport in the evening.

As at the time of filing this report, it was not clear why the airline cancelled its flights.

Besides, passengers of the giant German airlines, Lufthansa, were disappointed with the cancellation of the flight without notice.

One of the passengers,

who simply identified herself as Adenike, decried that she was not notified by the airline before the cancellation and was yet to know why the airline cancelled its flight.

Adenike said that when purchasing the ticket, she gave out her mobile number to the ticketing officers, but was disappointed that she was never contacted through any means.

However, most of the passengers of the two airline,s who reside within Lagos State, were seen returning to their homes while some stayed around to ascertain what the airlines would do

for them.

However, the two airlines resumed flight operations from the MMIA yesterday, but it was not clear why their Wednesday flights were cancelled.

As at the time of filing this report, the two Kenyan Airlines flights had departed the airport while Lufthansa Airlines had already arrived the airport, but was yet to depart.

National Mirror observed that some of the Wednesday passengers of the airlines were put on Wednesday flight while others were rescheduled for another date.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

NDLEA arrests clearing agents, trader over N352m drug OLUSGEUN KOIKI

O

peratives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) attached to the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos yesterday apprehended three customs licensed clearing and forwarding agents and a motorcycle spare parts dealer over their attempts to export methamphetamine to Malaysia.

The agency said the suspects were currently being interrogated by its officers over their role in connection with the shipments of the illicit drugs.

NDLEA said that the drugs were meant for shipment on Ethiopian Airways flight at MMIA, adding that the drug weighed 70.4kg and an estimated street value of N352 million.

A statement signed by the spokesman for the agency, Mr. Mitchell Ofoyeju, gave the names of the suspects as Adewuyi Segun, 45; Atebata Godwin, 27; and Akpaida Kareem Ajayi, 33; while the motorcycle parts dealer was iden-

tifies as Ukpabi Paul. He is 36 years old.

Ofoyeju stated that the methamphetamine consignments included 32.7kg brought by Adewuyi Segun, 20kg brought by Ukpabi Paul and Akpaida Kareem Ajayi as well as 17.7kg brought by Atebata Godwi, adding that all the suspects were cooperating with investigators.

Ukpabi Paul, who hails from Imo State, sells motorcycle parts at Nnewi. He appealed for mercy, claiming that he is a first time offender.

He was quoted as saying: “I am married with three children. My role was to give the drug to a clearing agent by name Akpaida Kareem Ajayi. Please, be merciful on me, it is my first time.”

Akpaida Kareem Ajayi, in his statement, blamed his involvement on greed and desire to make quick money.

He said: “I have myself to blame because they paid me N500, 000 to send the shipment. I agreed to participate in the illegal deal because of the half a million naira that I was offered.”

Imoke makes case for Calabar Carnival promotion

G Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi lll (left) and the Obasayero of Oyo Empire /Bauchi State Governor, Mallam Isa Yuguda, during an audience with the monarch in Lagos, recently.

Maku advises politicians to stop making unguarded comments

M

inister of Information Labaran Maku yesterday advised political leaders to refrain from making unguarded comments capable of destabilising the polity.

The minister, who gave the advice at a Christmas carnival at his village, Wakama, near Akwanga, Nasarawa State, advised politicians to pursue peace and development of the country.

He said that comments credited to some notable Nigerians about the 2015 elections were unnecessary and against the interest of the masses.

Maku, who decried the negative campaigns against the present ad-

ministration, said that the collective interest of Nigerians should override ambition of any individual.

The minister said: “I want to seize this opportunity again to remind politicians to mind their language because the actions of their followers are always dependent on what they say in public; our leaders should mind the way we carry out these campaigns; we should mind the way we relate with ourselves.

“We should not make comments that will incite the people because nobody’s personal ambition is worth the division of this country, I believe in the unity of this country and Nigeria

will remain united and strong.”

Maku urged the people of the North to embrace peace and exercise patience with the present administration as more projects were being planned for the development of the region.

He said that the North would not recover from the setback brought about by the insurgency unless its leaders embraced peace and took the path of progress.

According to the minister, the time has come ``for we in the North to embrace peace and support this government that has done so much for the region.

“We must be our broth-

ers’ keepers, we must not allow what is going on to continue because while others are moving on, we are held back by the violence in the region.

“We cannot make peace return to our region if we don’t work together.”

Maku said Nigeria was in dire need of peace and could not afford to allow negative politics and selfish interest to retard its progress.

The minister urged the North to emulate the example of his community in Wakama, saying that there was mutual respect among members of the community irrespective of their affiliations.

overnor Liyel Imoke of Cross River State says the Carnival Calabar is a unique brand that should be jealously protected and promoted.

Imoke said this at the event’s Command Performance Night on Wednesday in Calabar as part of activities for the carnival.

He said the beauty of Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage was expressed in the Carnival Calabar.

“The beauty of Nigeria is wholly expressed in the Calabar Festival and the unique brand should be jealously protected and promoted by all,’’ the governor said.

He called on governments at all levels and the private sector to ensure all hands were on deck to ensure that the carnival was protected.

Imoke said this would serve as a way to continue attracting both local and international support for the country.

The governor said: “Carnival Calabar can be identified internationally and exported around the world.

“It has become a brand

that everyone has identified with because it is about the people. So, with or without government behind it, it has become an international brand.

“After Nollywood, Carnival Calabar is the highest brand in Africa and it is unique because, unlike others, it is designed, programmed and costumed through passion and creativity.”

Also speaking, Ms Karen Sauza, the sponsor of the Brazilian Samba team to the carnival, said that another Brazilian band would be participating at the adult carnival.

She said the band would showcase some popular Brazilian songs.

Sauza said the continuous participation of Brazilian bands at the carnival affords both Nigeria and Brazil the opportunity for cultural exchanges.

She commended Gov. Imoke for promoting the carnival.

The command performance featured plays from the state’s Arts and Culture Department and the James Ben Henshaw’s play entitled: “This is our Chance.”

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

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Friday, December 27, 2013

51

Awoniyi assures Kogi people of more development WALE IBRAHIM LOKOJA

K

ogi State Deputy Governor, Yomi Awoniyi, has assured that 2014 holds so much hope for infrastructure development in the state, if only they would collectively work with the administration.

The deputy governor said this while answering questions from journalists at the First Baptist Church, Ileteju Mopa in Mopamuro Local Government Area of the state.

He lauded the administration of Governor Idris Wada for completing all inherited projects, adding

that plans are underway to commence new ones in the coming year.

Awoniyi described the 2014 budget of reality currently before the state House of Assembly as one that has the propensity to turn around the fortunes of the state, calling for its speedy passage by the Assembly.

He appealed to people of Mopamuro council area to key-in into the transformation agenda of the present administration, praising them for their positive contribution in the past year.

He added that the present administration is focused and committed to meeting the targets it has set for itself.

CAN, JNI urged to unite Nigerians JAMES ABRAHAM JOS

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he Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) have been called upon to take advantage of their popularity as the two leading religious organisations in the country and unite the citizenry.

In a communiqué issued at the end of Plateau Roundtable Discussion organised

by Carefronting Nigeria in Jos with the topic, Religious Freedom: Christian & Muslim Perspectives, the group said; “The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) have the reconciliatory privilege to unite Christians and Muslims.

“They should utilise that privilege to edify Nigeria and desist from rushing to defend their members even when such members are indefensible.”

The communiqué, which was signed by Peter Maji while noting that religion is God’s gift to man which instills humaneness in him and makes him able to appreciate life and the greatness of God, however, expressed regrets over misapplication of religion by its managers.

He also chided adherents of both religion and others giving religious colouration to every issue that has nothing to do with religion, to desist from doing so as it has become a serious problem facing the country today.

Group lifts FCT community with health centre JOEL AJAYI ABUJA

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s part of efforts to complement Federal Government’s health care programme, the Ahamadiyya Muslim Jama’at of Nigeria, FCT chapter, has commissioned and handed over a well equipped health centre to the Karshi community, a settlement sharing a boundary with FCT and Nassarawa State.

Karshi, a community that have most social amenities like light, housing, among others, lacks good roads and a clinic, which led the group to come up with the idea of donating a clinic to the community.

The clinic has all the features of a standard clinic

compared to any in the country. It comprises of a laboratory, a theatre room, labour room, pharmacy, two male wards, two female wards and other facilities.

In addition, the group also conducted free medical tests and distributed drugs freely to no fewer than 500 indigenes of the community.

Speaking during the commissioning of the clinic, the President of Ahamadiyya Muslim Jama’at of Nigeria, FCT chapter, Alhaji Abass Owolabi, said that the organization, in collaboration with Humanity First Canada, Humanity First Nigeria, noticed that there was absence of health centers in some of our communities in the Federal Capital Territory and other neighboring states.

Emir of Bauchi, Alhaji Rilwanu Adamu with children of ECWA Church that paid him Christmas homage in Bauchi, yesterday.

PHOTO: NAN

How I averted inter tribal war in Kwara –Emir WOLE ADEDEJI ILORIN

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mir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, yesterday said it took his intervention to avert what could have become a bloody inter-tribal war similar to a civil war in Kwara State few months ago.

Speaking at the delegates’ conference of Ilorin Emirates Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU) in Fufu, Ilorin South Local Government, Alhaji Gambari said the deadly clash during the last Eidel-Kabir festival between the Fulani and Yoruba in Asa Local Government promised to become a full

blown war.

The Emir said a fundamentalist and tribal group known as the ‘Maiyaki Allah’ from the northern part of the country was already advancing towards Alapa, the trouble-spot in Asa area to fight on the side of the Fulani, when he promptly moved to douse the tension.

According to him, what caused trouble was the discovery of the corpse of a Fulani man and another Yoruba man in Alapa, leading to killings and wanton destructions but the monarch claimed that there were more casualties on the Fulani side.

Alhaji Gambari said he had to send signals to the

north that Ilorin Emirate was an extension of the Sokoto caliphate, warning that an attack on any part of his Emirate would simply amount to an attack on the sultanate as well.

The Ilorin monarch posited that for centuries, the settlers in Ilorin had been the Fulani and the Yoruba who have their different roots in the northern and the south western parts of the country, saying that any avenge on behalf either side would lead to war.

“Alapa and Afon in Asa local Government are very close to the South West while the Fulani have their kiths and kin in the north which would be hard to douse if war breaks out.

A war therefore in Kwara State is like a war in Nigeria”, the Emir warned.

The monarch, who is of Fulani extraction, however, disclosed that he gathered the displaced Fulani in a place, gave them foods and clothes and asked for government assistance, but when the help from government was not enough, he personally gave out over N1million to the Fulani.

Alhaji Gambari pleaded that it was no longer possible to separate both Fulani and Yoruba of Ilorin, who he said had for long cohabitated in the ancient town engaging in intermarriages and sharing one culture.

Soldier kills 22-year-old in Katsina JAMES DANJUMA KATSINA

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soldier attached to a stop-and-search security patrol team has shot and killed a 22-year-old man, one Umar Ali, in Katsina State.

Ali, a student of Hassan Usman Katsina Polytechnic, was shot yesterday when the driver of the vehicle in which he was travelling in was trying to overtake a slow-moving truck in front of him.

The incident, according to an eyewitness, occurred along the Katsina-Dutsinma road in Batagarawa council area as the victim and other passengers were on their way to Minna, Ni-

ger State.

The eyewitness, who is a Nigeria Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) official, said the incident occurred when a commercial driver, one Malam Rabi’u Ras, who was on his way to Niger State, ran into the stopand-search team.

The official, who did not want his name mentioned, said an articulated vehicle was in front of the commercial vehicle in which the victim was travelling in, and that the slow movement of the larger vehicle made the commercial driver change gear and was trying to overtake the truck.

He said the commer-

cial vehicle owner did not see the stop-and-search security personnel that were ahead of him, and that the soldiers suddenly appeared without prior warning for the vehicle overtaking the other one to take heed.

The NARTO official added that the driver’s action led one of the military personnel to cock his rifle and fired at the vehicle only for the bullet to hit the deceased.

“The incident happened when the vehicle was overtaking the other one; that was when one of the army personnel shot at the commercial car and the bullet hit the victim and he died.”

Confirming the inci-

dent, JTF spokesman, I. O. Iweha said the passenger was shot when the driver refused to stop at a mobile check point along the Katsina- Dutsinma road.

Iweha added that the military personnel were on major roads across the state to ensure that movement of criminals was restricted during the Christmas and New Year festivities.

He said both the commercial vehicle driver and the vehicle were now under the custody of the Nigerian Army and that investigation on the matter had commenced.

He, however, added that the issue would be handed over to the appropriate authority as soon as possible.

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Friday, December 27, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Arafat died of natural causes –Russian report

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alestinian leader Yasser Arafat died of natural causes, not radiation poisoning, Russian forensic scientists have said.

Their investigation was one of three carried out on CHANGE OF NAME

his remains in 2012. Arafat died in Paris in 2004, aged 75.

Last month, Swiss scientists said they had detected high levels of radioactive polonium but could not say if it had caused his death.

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BATURE: Formerly known and addressed as Miss Bature Rita Priscilla, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Adeagbo Rita Priscilla. All former documents remain valid. University College Hospital, Ibadan and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

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AKINSOLA: Formerly known and addressed as Miss Akinsola Dolapo, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Akinpelumi Dolapo Rita. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

PUBLIC NOTICE

SAMCHEL FOUNDATION AND RESOURCE CENTRE Notice is hereby given to the general public that the above named Foundation has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja for registration under Part ‘ C ‘ of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 1990

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Obasanmi Vincent Olufemi 2. Mrs. Obasanmi Racheal Ige 3. Obasanmi Gideon Olufemi

A French inquiry is also said to have found he was not a victim of poisoning.

Yasser Arafat fell ill after eating a meal in his compound in Ramallah and weeks later was admitted to hospital in France, where

Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the RegistrarGeneral, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420 Tigris Crescent, Off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

SIGNED: TRUSTEES

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. P.O Ajumobi 2. John Adeyemi 3. L.D Orofin 4. Adesomoju Akin

THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES:

1. To promote unity and oneness among members.

2. To establish orphan centres,N.G.Os, schools for effective training of relevant individuals.

3. To protect all properties that belong to ASO. Any objection thereto should be addressed to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, Maitama District, P.M.B. 198 Garki, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

SIGNED: L. D OROFIN

THE COMPANY AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, 1990 MEMBERS’ VOLUNTARY WINDDING UP NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF LIQUIDATOR OF SUMMIT CAPITAL AND ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED (FORMERLY SUMMIT FINANCE COMPANY LIMITED) (RC 79658)

(Pursuant to Section 419 (1) of the Company And Allied Matters Act, 1990)

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CHANGE OF NAME

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CHANGE OF NAME

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Formerly known and addressed as Atoyebi Lydia Remilekun, now wish to be known and addressed as Atoyebi-Adebiyi Lydia Remilekun. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

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CHANGE OF NAME

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CHANGE OF NAME

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CHANGE OF NAME

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ABDULLAHI: Formerly known as Maryam Ometere Abdullahi, now wish to be known and addressed as Maryanne Uloma Irole. All former documents and certificates remain valid. General public please take note.

ADEDIGBA: Formerly known as Miss Adedigba Modupe Fatimo now wish to be addressed and called as Mrs Adekunle Modupe Fatimo.

All former documents remain valid, general public should please take note

ADENIJI: Formerly known and addressed as Miss Adeniji Ololade Elizabeth, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Sobowale Ololade Elizabeth. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

AKINLOLU: Formerly known and addressed as Miss Akinlolu Bamidele Mary, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Olude Bamidele Mary. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

PUBLIC NOTICE

COMMUNITY SUPPORT ON HEALTH AND EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE

Notice is hereby given to the general public that the above named Initiative has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja for registration under Part ‘ C ‘ of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 1990

When in 2012 an investigation by al-Jazeera TV in conjunction with Swiss analysts in Lausanne found abnormal levels of polonium-210 on his personal effects, Suha Arafat called for her late husband’s body to be exhumed.

France then launched a formal murder inquiry.

The Vaudois University Hospital Centre (CHUV) in Lausanne reported its findings last month, on the ninth anniversary of his death, saying its results “offer moderate backing for the theory of poisoning”.

But a leaked report of Russia’s initial tests on the same day said high radioactive penetration was “unsubstantiated”. Weeks later, a source said the French report had ruled out the poisoning theory, and pointed towards a natural death.

Announcing its conclusions yesterday, the head of Russia’s Federal MedicalBiological Agency (FMBA), Vladimir Uiba, said “Yasser Arafat died not from the effects of radiation but of natural causes”.

The agency had com-

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(Pursuant to Section 419 (1) of the Company And Allied Matters Act, 1990)

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to Section 457 (b) of the Companies And Allied Matters Act 1990, that the affairs of SUMMIT CAPITAL AND ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED (formerly SUMMIT FINANCE COMPANY LIMITED) be and are hereby wound up voluntarily pursuant to special resolution of the Company passed at the Extraordinary General Meeting of the Company held held on 10th December, 2013..

Dated this 10th December, 2013.

Skil Associates Company Secretaries

pleted its work, he said, and there was general agreement with its findings. “Even the Swiss withdrew their statements and agreed with us, and the French confirmed our conclusions,” Mr Uiba was quoted as saying by Interfax.

However, Francois Bochud, the head of the Lausanne institute that carried out the parallel Swiss inquiry, told a news agency the Russian findings had no scientific foundation.

“The Russians are putting things forward without giving the slightest numerical value, without the slightest scientific argument. So for me it’s empty - a political statement.”

Palestinian ambassador to Moscow Faed Mustafa said investigations into the former Palestinian Authority president’s death would go on.

“We respect their position and we highly value their work, but there is a decision to continue work,” he said according to Russia’s Ria Novosti.

Ukrainians protest over attack on reporter

rotesters demanded Ukraine’s interior minister resign yes1. Mr. Isyaku Lawan terday after an opposition 2. Mr. Okonji Jonah journalist known for docu3. Mrs. Tope Analogbei 4. Ms Olubunmi Ajewole menting the extravagance 5. Mr. Dele Sonubi Olubunmi of the country’s political elite was chased down in THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: her car and savagely beatFor community support on health and education en in a midnight attack.

Clutching pictures of Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the RegistrarGeneral, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420 Tigris Crescent, Off Tetyana Chornovil’s badly Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication. bruised face, hundreds marched on the Interior SIGNED: TRUSTEES Ministry in the capital, Kiev.

The attack on THE COMPANY AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, 1990 the 34-year-old restored passion MEMBERS’ VOLUNTARY WINDDING UP OF to protests which have been losing SUMMIT CAPITAL AND ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED steam more than (FORMERLY SUMMIT FINANCE COMPANY LIMITED) a month after the government (RC 79658) spurned a pact on closer ties with the European

THE TRUSTEES ARE:

I, Donald Chukwuma Oguejiofo Agu of Summit House, 4th floor, 6 Ajele Street, Lagos hereby give notice that I have been appointed Liquidator of SUMMIT CAPITAL AND ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED (formerly SUMMIT FINANCE COMPANY LIMITED) by virtue of an ordinary resolution of the Company passed at the Extraordinary General Meeting of the Company held on 10th December, 2013.

Dated this 10th December, 2013.

Donald Chukwuma Oguejiofo Agu (Liquidator)

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AWOSANYA: Formerly known and addressed as Miss Awosanya Yemisi Bolatito, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Opejinmi Yemisi Bolatito. All former documents remain valid.

General public should please take note.

PUBLIC NOTICE ASO DESCENDANTS’ FOUNDATION

The general public is hereby notified that the above named Foundation has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission,Abuja for registration under part C of the companies Allied Matter Act 1990.

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ALAYANDE: Formerly known and addressed as Miss Alayande Morounkeji Olufunke, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Adebola Morounkeji Olufunke.

All former documents remain valid.

Ogun State SUBEB and general public should please take note.

THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES:

To provide care and support for the less privileged.

CHANGE OF NAME

DOMINIC: Formerly known and addressed as Obi Dominic Chinedu, now wish to be known and addressed as Obilor Chinedu John. All former documents remain valid. CAC and general public take note.

he died.

He was diagnosed with a serious blood disorder and died of a stroke on 8 November 2004. But no post mortem examination was carried out as his widow Suha did not ask for one.

Union, turning instead to former Soviet master Moscow.

Pro-EU demonstrators have been occupying central Kiev but their numbers have been falling since Russia offered Ukraine a $15 billion bailout this month.

Interior Minister Vitaly Zakharchenko had already become a target of opposition anger following a violent crackdown on protesters by police late last month that helped swell the demonstrations.

The attack on Chornovil, shortly after midnight on Wednesday, came hours after she posted pictures online of what she said was Zakharchenko’s home, part of a campaign to expose the opulence of the political elite under President Viktor Yanukovich.

PUBLIC NOTICE

BEULAHLAND PRAYER MINISTRY IJO BEULAH Notice is hereby given to the general public that the above named Ministry has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja for registration under Part ‘ C ‘ of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 1990

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1.

2.

3.

4.

Pastor Micheal Olukayode Adegoke Adebisi Johnson Ayodeji Awosika Peter Abiodun Mrs. Olufunke Adegoke

THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES:

For community support on health and education Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the RegistrarGeneral, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420 Tigris Crescent, Off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

SIGNED: TRUSTEES

Friday, December 27, 2013

Nadal, Serena steal biggest shows

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National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Oliseh, Tshabalala to anchor Glo-CAF Awards

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Obasi (left) in action for Nigeria

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ward, Obasi, has told MTNFootball.com he believes the African champions could finally put an end to the dominance of the highly-rated Argentines in Brazil next year.

“As a matter of fact, Argentina are built around Lionel Messi and he’s already getting tired.

I do have the feeling that we can really end their dominance over us next year at the World Cup,” Obasi told MTNFootball. com.

“I am not underrating them, neither do I

encourage my country to underrate them, but Super Eagles have the depth to really match them this time.

“Argentina are our long-time rivals at all national team levels and they have been having an edge over us, but I won’t give it to them this time.

This is our time to put an end to that.”

Obasi has won 18 caps and scored four goals for Nigeria, but he has been overlooked since the 2010 World Cup mainly on account of injuries.

He restated his resolve to fight to make the final squad to Brazil 2014.

“It is always great to be back from injury and do better, I am back to do well for Schalke 04, I want to return to the national team and I know what it takes to get national team call up,” Obasi said.

“I will try my best to work my way back to the Eagles with full dedication and impressive performance every week. I will return after (the Bundesliga) break to fight for a shirt.”

uper Eagles’ former captain, Sunday Oliseh, and South Africa’s Carol Tshabalala have been engaged by organisers of the 2013 Glo-CAF Awards to anchor the prestigious event scheduled for January 9 in Lagos.

Oliseh is a Nigerian ex-international, while Tshabalala is an awardwinning South African sport television presenter, MC, radio presenter and boxing ring announcer.

A prolific defensive midfielder in his wwdays, Oliseh played for big clubs such as AFC Ajax of Holland, Borussia Dortmund (Germany) and Juventus FC of Italy.

Currently a football pundit, Oliseh, played 63 international matches, scoring four goals for Nigeria. He played at the World Cups of 1994 and 1998. He was also a member of the Nigerian Olym-

ABUJA

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igeria’s Falconets are intensifying training ahead of their final round U-20 Women World Cup qualifier against their South African opponents next month.

Falconets who got to the semi-final stage of last U-20 Women World Cup, will on January 11 host the South Africans in Abuja

in the first leg match before jetting out a fortnight later for the return leg.

While Nigeria got to the final qualifying stage with an 8-0 aggregate win over Tunisia, the South African ladies mauled Tanzania 9-1 to gain their passage.

Falconets’ Head Coach, Peter Dedevbo, who spoke to National Mirror in a telephone interview on Tuesday, said his team would give in their all to

secure a ticket to the tournament scheduled to hold in Canada next August.

“We have nothing to worry about. With my knowledge about South Africa women teams, I know what they can do. All I need from the players is total concentration,” he said.

“We came from Tunisia and continued our camping programme. And we will surely move on to conquer at last. If we can deal with Tunisia especially at the re-

turn leg game which many thought would not be easy, I don’t see anything stopping us from picking our World Cup ticket by next month.”

Four remaining teams in the qualification series in Africa are battling to get two slots reserved for the continent.

The successful two countries will eventually join 14 other nations at the 7th edition of U-20 Women World Cup.

pic gold medal winning football team of 1996.

He is mostly remembered for scoring the winning goal in the group stage match against Spain in the 1998 World Cup, as Nigeria prevailed 3–2.

Carol Tshabalala currently anchores various programmes on football, boxing and rugby for Supersport and is a regular feature on their channels.

Oliseh and Tshabalala will no doubt add to the glitz and glamour of the 2013 Glo CAF Awards Gala night on 9th of January, 2014 at the Eko Hotel Convention Centre, Lagos.

Oliseh

Allardyce confirms West Ham’s Gyan interest

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am Allardyce says West Ham have made enquiries about signing ex-Sun-

Canada 2014: Falconets battle ready for final qualifier JOEL AJAYI

Sport

I wouldn’t say I have a chance above Galatasaray than I would prepare my team for the battle –CHELSEA MANAGER, JOSE MOURINHO

W/Cup: Tired Messi can’t beat Nigeria – Obasi

igeria will halt a poor World Cup run against Argentina in next year’s World Cup in Brazil because the Argentine team revolves around a “tired” Lionel Messi, Chinedu Obasi, has predicted.

The Super Eagles have lost to the South Americans on all three occasions they have clashed at the World Cup. And both teams will again battle it out in the first round of the tournament in Brazil next year.

But Schalke 04 for-

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Gyan

derland striker, Asamoah Gyan, in January.

Allardyce’s side are short of attacking options due to Andy Carrol’s long term injury-forced absence.

“We’ll be linked with anybody that’s a centre forward that might be coming back into the country,” he said.

“If there’s a player of any sort of quality we try and find out what the situation might be - but it is nothing more than that.”

Representatives of the Ghana forward are understood to have indicated West Ham are keen on taking the Ghana international to Upton Park on loan until the end of the season.

Gyan, 28, joined Sunderland in 2010 for £13m, but moved to United Arab Emirates outfit, Al-Ain in 2012.

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Friday, December 27, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Nadal, Serena steal biggest shows

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n a year which saw Andy Murray end Britain’s 77-year wait for a male singles champion at Wimbledon, it was Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams who re-established themselves at the sport’s summit.

While Williams’ rise back to the top of the world rankings was somewhat predictable-the American having won the last two grand slams of 2012-Nadal surprised many observers by returning from a serious knee injury to win the

Biggest stars Serena (l) and Nadal

Davis Cup marathon W

hile John Isner and Nicolas Ma Mahut’s act of insanity at Wimbledon 2010 may never be beaten for the ‘longest match ever’ prize, the Czech Republic’s Tomas Berdych and Lukas Rosol came closer

French Open, US Open and five Masters 1000 events.

Nadal’s achievements did not mean Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray were put completely in the shade as the duo shared the two remaining major titles between them.

But the same could not be said for Roger Federer, who endured his worst season in a decade, dropping out of the world’s top five amid a string of shock exits at the grand slams.

For the second time, the Spaniard came back from seemingly chronic injury problems to produce one of the most dominant seasons in history. A tame exit at the 2010 Australian Open left many fearing for his career as an elite player, and the same was being said when a seven-month lay-off spilled over into the start of this year. Despite being out for so long he did not have much rust to shake off on his return, making the final of every tournament he played-bar onefrom his season debut in February until the start of October. At the end of the US Open his record for the year was an incredible 60-3.

Nadal’s dominance of the clay season was not anything new but his unstoppable form on hard courts, which saw him win 26 straight matches, three Masters 1000 events and a grand slam on the surface, was less expected. If he can maintain the same form in 2014, Roger Federer’s record of 17 grand slam titles will soon come under threat. than anyone else during their Davis Cup doubles marathon with Switzerland’s Marco Chiudinelli and Stanislas Wawrinka. In what was a crucial first round rubber, the two teams battled it out for seven hours and two minutes before Berdych and Rosol prevailed 6-4 5-7 6-4 6-7 24-22. It was the second-longest match in history and longest ever held over one day.

Murray

Memorable moments…

Murray makes history M

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fter Britain’s 76-year wait for a male grand slam singles champion ended in 2012, the nation had a renewed sense of belief over Andy Murre ray’s Wimbledon hopes this year. ra Early exits for Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer only heightened the sense of exFe pectation, with Murray heavily favoured to pe reach the final after those shocks. Looming re on the other side of Centre Court on Sunda day July 7 was then world number one Nova vak Djokovic, but Murray produced a perfo formance of the utmost confidence to see th the Serbian off in three historic sets.

Bartoli’s fairytale

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t is a testament to Marion Bartoli’s story that she was able to capture the imagination of the British public almost as much as Murray did.

The French veteran took advantage of a wide open draw to set-up a final clash with the popular Sabine Lisicki. A match billed as unique clash between two grasscourt specialists ended in a one-sided victory for Bartoli, who retired shortly afterwards having achieved her dream.

Robson the battler

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he British number one looked to have made a real breakthrough at this year’s Australian Open when she dumped out former Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova in the second round. Then still a few days shy of her 19th birthday, Robson came back from a set down to level things up before eventually coming out on top 11-9 in an epic, back-and-forth final set.

The win showed the youngster did have the capability to close things out against the big names.

Quotes of the year

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would have probably gotten in a fight with Novak Djokovic in the locker room before the match. I might have had a chance there”–Andre Agassi “Tennis today badly lacks characters. I respect Roger, Rafael, Novak and Murray but, for me, all four of them are boring players. Their interviews are boring”–Ernests Gulbis “This decision puts an end to my dreams of being a top player, of reaching the ATP Finals and fighting against the best in the world”–Viktor Troicki “I have been challenged by someone on Twitter to take on Serena Williams. I’d be up for it, why not?”–Andy Murray “I made my dream a reality and it will stay forever with me, but now my body just can’t cope with everything”–Marion Bartoli “

Bartoli

Demolition job

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ever was Serena Williams’ superiority better displayed than in her French Open semi-final against Sara Errani.

The tiny Italian, a nifty clay-court specialist who reached the Roland Garros final the previous year, suffered the type of defeat that is very rarely seen in the latter stages of a major event.

Williams won 52 points to her opponents’ 16 and dropped just one game as she utterly steamrollered the fifth seed in 46 minutes of brutally one-sided tennis.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sport

Friday, December 27, 2013

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Wrestling: Ondo hails athletes’ performances in 2013

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he Ondo State Wrestling Association says its athletes performed creditably in all competitions they participated in the outgoing year.

Coach of the association, Mr. Purity Akuh, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Akure on Wednesday.

Akuh said the association participated in three competitions in which the athletes won medals at all the championships with enviable positions.

He listed the competitions as E.K. Clark Wrestling Championship, the National Youth Games and Governor Seriake Dickson Wrestling Championship.

“The year 2013 has been a glorious year for wrestling association in Ondo State as we did well in all the competitions we attended.

“I will rate our performances as 80 per cent because aside having enviable positions in all the tourneys we attended, our athletes always came home with individual awards. ‘’Our youths also did well in Abuja,” he said.

According to Akuh, the state emerged overall third best with three gold, two silver and two bronze medals at E.K. Clark Championship.

He added that the athletes finished fourth on the medals table with two gold, three silver and four bronze medals.

Adekoroye Odunayo won the Best Female Wrestler award at the Dickson Championship.

Akuh also thanked president of the Nigeria Wrestling Federation, Daniel Igali, for creating an enabling environment in the competitions.

EPL BOXING DAY RESULTS 2-3

Man United

Aston Villa

0-1

Crystal

Cardiff

0-3

Southampton

Chelsea

1-0

Swansea

Everton

0-1

Sunderland

Newcastle

5-1

Stoke City

Norwich

1-2

Fulham

Tottenham

1-1

West Brom

West Ham

1-3

Arsenal

West Ham United’s French-born Senegalese midfielder Mohamed Diame (C) vying with Arsenal’s Welsh midfielder Aaron Ramsey (L) and Arsenal’s French forward Olivier Giroud during the English Premier League football match between West Ham United and Arsenal at the Boleyn Ground, Upton Park.yesterday PHOTO: AFP

Gunners back on top

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Hull City

heo Walcott struck twice and Lukas Podolski a third as Arsenal came from behind to win at troubled West Ham and move back top of the English Premier League.

BBC Sport reported that Arsenal dominated the first half but fell behind as Carlton Cole tapped home after Wojciech Szczesny spilled a shot.

The Hammers wasted chances to double the lead and Walcott equalised with an effort that Adrian should have saved.

Substitute Podolski crossed for Wal-

cott to nod Arsenal ahead before Olivier Giroud teed up Podolski to lash in.

Elsewhere, James Chester’s own goal completed Manchester United’s comeback from two goals down to win at Hull.

Chester gave the hosts the lead with a volley, before David Meyler’s shot deflected in after 12 minutes.

But United’s Chris Smalling headed in, before Wayne Rooney thumped United level from more than 20 yards, his 150th Premier League goal for the club.

Ex-Old Trafford man, Chester, head-

ed into his own net in the second half, before United’s Antonio Valencia was sent off.

In coming from behind, it is the fifth consecutive win for David Moyes’ team the first time that has happened since he took charge.

Hull had conceded just three goals in their previous eight matches at KC Stadium but folded under pressure from United. Steve Bruce has now gone 19 league games without a win as manager against his old club.

Football: Gombe registers 38 clubs for new season

G

ombe State Football Association has registered 38 amateur football clubs to serve as feeder teams for Gombe United FC. Chairman of the state’s Sports Commission, Malam Farouk Yarma, announced this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gombe.

He said the clubs, which cut across the 11 local government areas of the state, would be used to pick players for the Globacom league side.

The chairman also announced that government paid N200 million as the

outstanding sign-on fees for Gombe United players and other allowances for 2010/2011 and 2011/2012 seasons.

He said the current administration settled the debt to boost the players’ morale, adding that the fees and allowances encouraged the performance of the players in the last season’s Globacom league.

“As you can see, in the just concluded Globacom Professional League, we emerged the 7th position with 55 points against 9th position in the 2011/2012 season.

“We count this as an achievement and it was because of the motivation by the

state government.”

Yarma said Gombe United Coach, Maurice Cooreman, had groomed four players now in amateur teams in the state, adding that they performed well during the league.

He said one of the players named Sani Mohammed was invited to play for the national team.

He also said the commission organised an inter primary and secondary school sports in Gombe North Senatorial District, tagged “catch them young“, to identify talent at the grassroots.

“We were able to identify 12 athletes

that performed credibly in track and field events. Those that we identified were in open camp training, and they will represent the state in any competition,” he explained.

He said the commission signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Department of Physical and Health Education of the Bayero University Kano (BUK) for staff capacity building.

Yarma said Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo had approved the conversion of the Abubakar Umar Stadium to Games Village, to serve as training ground for athletes and other field events.

WORLD RECORD

Fastest time to bend nails Vol. 03 No. 748

Friday, December 27, 2013

A

As curtain on 2013 is drawn

s the death knell is tolling for the year, 2013, the Federal Government says its capacity to earn foreign exchange is facing serious threat as a result of unmitigated oil theft in the Niger Delta region, an indication that FG’s multi-million amnesty and rehabilitation programmes for Niger Delta militants, and additional multibillion oil pipeline protection contracts for militants’ leaders; as well as the massive presence of conventional official security operatives in the axis, are merely yielding increased oil theft instead of curbing the snag.

Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke, was quoted as saying on a Cable News Network (CNN) programme last weekend that the quantum of crude oil being stolen (between 100,000 and 300,000 barrels per day), was equivalent to daily losses of between $11 million (N1.85 billion) and $33 million (N5.44 billion), figures that are higher

FRIDAY WITH Dozie Okebalama

dozieokeama@yahoo.co.uk 08164966858 (SMS only) than what some oil producing countries can turn out on daily basis.

The cumulative implications are obvious for a nation that depends on oil for its economic survival. They include running a central government that cannot meet its financial obligations to both the bloated political class and bureaucracy that gulp over 72 percent of annual budgets. It also means the promises in next year’s ‘Budget of Job Creation and Inclusive Growth’, which has a capital vote of just N1.1 trillion, representing about 27 percent of the entire budget, are unrealisable. Reports also had it that a major power outage was imminent nationwide as the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), cried out Tuesday, on the collapse of its transmission tower Number 69 on the Afam-Alaoji 132kv Double Circuit Transmission Line. A TCN statement said the incident occurred on December 19, during the restringing of some sections of the transmission line destroyed by vandals. If the FG is surviving on oil money, and oil thieves are competing with it for revenue from oil; on the one hand; and guaranteeing power supply, which is one of the pet projects of the President Goodluck Jonathan administration is still being sabotaged by vandals; on the other, it means the FG has a pretty long way to go in sanitizing the nation.

The country started the year 2012 on a very bad note with FG’s outrageous increase in the pump price of fuel, followed by a round of endless fuel subsidy fraud probes, bribe scandals and all. The same last year, floods devastated many states nationwide. Experts

I

IT WILL BE A HUGE RELIEF IF THERE IS A NOTICEABLE CHANGE IN GOVERNANCE COME

2014

said the country’s economic growth in 2012 was weakened to less than seven percent due to a slow-down in non-oil sector activities, especially agriculture, wholesale as well as retail trade. This year (2013); a lot has been said by the relevant authorities concerning improvement on last year’s performance in agriculture and other sectors. Indeed, latest reports had it that Nigeria’s wholesale and retail trade sub-sectors of the economy grew by 9.08 percent in the third quarter of 2013.

But those who should know better insist that official data updates in the country are scarcely reliable. One recent report, for example, indicated that the Annual Report of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), which ought to be published by the second quarter of the year (June to be precise) was yet to be published as at October 31, 2013; and that only the 2010 Annual Abstract of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) was available by the end of October this year. The said report linked the country’s current economic travails to “things we should do which we did not do, either due to the dearth of leadership, traceable to intellectual weak-

ness or our penchant for financial profligacy”.

Perhaps more importantly, the report said an additional contributory factor to the nation’s problem is impunity, “situations where culprits should be punished but the authorities refused to act”, and that “since 1999, successive administrations have been wasteful and also failed to demonstrate purposive leadership”.

We agree that the Jonathan administration has been grappling with daunting challenges from its inception in 2011 to date, especially the Boko Haram security challenge; confrontation by the hawks in the National Assembly and his challengers in the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF); profligacy by even trusted members of his cabinet, like Princess Stella Odua and others; scathing criticisms by his political godfather, ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, et al bent on snatching his seat in 2007; the prolonged Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) industrial action that lasted from July 1 to late this month; and countless other stressful situations that task his leadership prowess.

But most regrettable has been his attitude to tackling those challenges. The general impression has been that he has a very soft spot for impunity and corruption.

Indeed, Nigeria is in dire straits. The National Population Commission (NPC) in an October 10, 2013 statement revealed that the country’s unemployment rate rose from 21.1 percent in 2010 to 23.9 percent in 2011. The NPC said figures from the NBS showed that Nigeria’s economic growth had not translated to job creation. The same report said the NBS estimates that Nigeria’s population grew by 3.2 per cent in 2011 from 159.3 million people in 2010 to 164.4 million people in 2011, reflecting rapid population growth. But it is public knowledge that there are spittle official plans to grow the economy, create jobs to reduce criminality and insurgence, improve education, healthcare and public infrastructure, punish corruption and frauds in high places, including the executive, judiciary and legislature. These seem the root sources of the unpopularity of the Jonathan-led administration; and it will be a huge relief if there is a noticeable change in governance come 2014.

Sport Extra

w sraeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has become the latest high profile international figure to announce he will not attend the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, although Swiss and Czech leaders will attend.

Although Israel’s relations with Russia have improved in

N150

The record for the fastest time to bend 10 nails is 21.13 sec, achieved by Chad Netherland (USA) at The Millennium Hotel and Convention Centre in St Louis, Missouri, USA, on 14 July 2006.

Sochi 2014: Netanyahu joins boycott list recent times, with Netanyahu meeting Russian President, Vladimir Putin, for discussions in Moscow last month, he has reportedly declined a formal invitation to attend the Games which begin next February.

According to the Hebrew Ma’ariv, sources in the Prime Minister’s office to which the invitation was sent, a trip to the Games was never considered.

There are no suggestions whether Netanyahu’s absence

is anything to do with the supposedly anti-gay rights laws introduced earlier this year which have provoked so much international condemnation, nor if other members of the Israeli Government will attend.

Musa Netanyahu

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