Monday, july 22, 2013

Finance Ministry probes illegal spending by MDAs

...stalls closure of revenue agencies’ accounts EXCLUSIVE TOLA AKINMUTIMI ABUJA Okonjo-Iweala

Vol. 3 N0. 669

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tartling revelations of illegal spending by Ministries, Department and Agencies, MDAs, of tax deductions from contract payments and other

deals may have stalled government’s planned closure of the bank accounts of revenue collection agencies.

Investigations by NaCONTINUED ON PAGE 2>>

THE

BUSINESS SECTION

Nigeria to impound vessels involved in oil theft FG, Indian firm to build off-grid solar power system P.A5

Free ree insi inside ide

Monday, July 22, 2013

Why Jonathan, govs met Obasanjo

Kwankwaso, Nyako, Wammako, Lamido mull over new party

N150

EXCLUSIVE AYODELEO OJO

DEPUTY EDITOR (POLITICS)

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resh facts have emerged on why President Goodluck Jonathan and four northern governors visited former President Olusegun Obasanjo in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, on CONTINUED ON PAGE 2>>

5 DIE, 5 INJURED AS ANOTHER BUILDING COLLAPSES IN LAGOS

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Tambuwal

Reps to pass 2013 budget amendment this week P.7 CJN queries judges for low performance P.4

LEFT: An excavator clearing the rubble of the collapsed building at 34, Ishaga Road, Surulere, Lagos, yesterday. RIGHT: Relatives of the trapped victims grieving at the scene.

PHOTOS: OLUFEMI AJASA

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News

Monday, July 22, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Finance Ministry probes illegal spending by MDAs CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

tional Mirror confirmed that the Federal Ministry of Finance could not carry out its earlier threat to close some agencies’ bank accounts following discoveries that some MDAs were found to have dipped their hands into fund accruing from deductions from contract payments.

The law requires that the money should be paid to the accounts of the revenue collection agencies for onward remittance to the Consolidated Revenue Fund, CRF. The key collection agencies are the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, and the Nigeria Customs Service apart from scores of others that have come under the scrutiny of the finance ministry.

A source familiar with the situation confirmed that the finding that some MDAs were using some of the deductions, including Withholding Tax deductions, to run their entities has angered the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who has directed an investigation into such deductions in the MDAs with a view to determining the total amount due for remittance by the revenue collection agencies to the fund.

when they receive monthly allocations, some of the chieftains of the MDAs plead for more time on the pretext that what they collected monthly was hardly enough to meet their financial obligations.

Some were said to hold on to such WHT or other deductions for up to three months, making it practically impossible for revenue generating agencies to remit such payments as and when due.

It will be recalled that the Federal Government had about six weeks ago threatened to sanction some revenue agencies generat-

ing independent funds to the CRF for failure to remit their collections after several attempts to make them comply had failed.

In order to compel the affected agencies to comply with the existing rules on such remittances, government had set a deadline of Monday, June 17 for their sanctions which may affect their collaborator banks after which they may be prosecuted.

Okonjo-Iweala, had in a statement she signed personally, said such a flagrant disregard of existing revenue collection laws and rules was a conspiracy

against national interest which would no longer be condoned.

Specifically, she disclosed that about N58bn which should have been remitted to the CRF are still trapped in the revenue agencies’ accounts in some banks even as several attempts by the government to secure the remittance into the Federal Government coffers were rebuffed by the agencies.

Okonjo-Iweala said: “It has come to the attention of the Federal Ministry of Finance that some Federal Government’s agencies that generate independent reve-

nue, in collusion with some banks, have refused to remit monies to the Consolidated Revenue Fund, CRF, of the Federal Government which they are obliged by law to do.

“We have identified about N58bn of such monies which rightfully belongs in the CRF. “This unwholesome practice has persisted despite the efforts of the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, OAGF, to encourage the agencies and the affected banks to do the right thing.

“Rather than comply, the agencies and banks, CONTINUED ON PAGE 5>

“What has been discovered is that some MDAs even failed to pay what was deducted from payment to contractors like the WHT to the accounts of the revenue agencies.

“Rather, some of them claimed they were constrained to use such deductions to meet urgent financial obligations.

“This is contrary to financial rules of the public service but I don’t know what could happen to the affected agencies. This abuse of due process has constrained the ministry (finance) from going on with the planned closure of revenue agencies’ bank accounts as earlier planned. This is not to say there is any fraud, it is a form of misappropriation,” the source confirmed.

An official in one of the revenue agencies, who did not want his name mentioned, told National Mirror that none of her agency’s bank accounts was closed as at the weekend, adding that “there is no way we can collect revenue without remitting to the banks under the current regime when every payment is being monitored at different stages of our collection processes electronically.”

It was also gathered that rather than pay the spent monies to the revenue collection agencies’ accounts

Newly sworn in Belgian monarch, King Philippe (Right) and his wife, Queen Mathilde, wave to the crowd as they leave a church service in Brussels yesterday.

Jonathan’s re-election particularly from the North and the threat by the yet-tobe- registered All Progressives Congress, APC. The governors, according to National Mirror’s investigation, visited Obasanjo to inform him about their discomfort in the PDP and their plans ahead of the 2015 elections.

Though President Jonathan said that he was in Abeokuta to condole with his spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati, over the death of his mother, Maria Taiwo, who was buried on Friday, the President was actually in the town to appease Obasanjo for his political survival.

“It is true that we saw (former) President Obasanjo in his house because we came to Abeokuta to commiserate with Abati who buried his mother yesterday (Friday).

“Knowing that Abati’s house is at the backyard of Obasanjo’s, it will not be

good if we come and we did not visit him. Even the man (Obasanjo) himself will not be happy if we don’t visit him. I am like a son to Obasanjo,” Jonathan had told reporters at Abati’s residence.

A source said the President had earlier sent a highpowered delegation, led by his Chief of Staff, Chief Mike Oghiadomhe, to the burial and that there was no need for his personal presence.

“The visit was purely political, not social as claimed by the President,” a source said.

It was learnt that during the closed-door meeting, President Jonathan told Obasanjo about his plan to seek re-election in 2015 and the need for his blessing.

The President was also said to have used the visit to make amends about his frosty relationship with the former ruler.

“The President sought an understanding with

Why Jonathan, governors met Obasanjo CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Saturday.

Governors Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Aliyu Wammako (Sokoto) and Sule Lamido (Jigawa) met Obasanjo shortly after President Jonathan had left Obasanjo’s Hilltop Mansion. The governors, however, avoided the President.

Obasanjo left for China shortly after the meeting.

Impeccable sources told National Mirror that the President moved out of his comfort zone to personally market his re-election bid in the face of growing opposition ahead of the 2015 presidential poll and to mend fences with the former president.

A highly placed personality privy to the meeting said that the parley, which came at the instance of President Jonathan, was also as a result of the deepseated divisions in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP; opposition against

Obasanjo, particularly about the need to support his government and the party.

“In the course of the meeting, President Jonathan requested of the former President that he should be more involved in the affairs of the PDP at the national level.

“Jonathan lamented about the crisis rocking the party, which he was not happy about. He told the former president that his involvement in the PDP affairs will reduce the growing tension in the party,” the source said.

Obasanjo was said to have been frank with Jonathan about his position on the issues raised.

The source said that Obasanjo told President Jonathan that he had not been fair to him, especially by alienating his political associates from his government and the party.

“The former president told his visitor that delib-

erately, his government has done so much to humiliate him and his associates. He also complained about the sincerity of the President’s advisers in the discharge of their duties and in creating a gulf between him and the President,” the source added.

Obasanjo was said to have told President Jonathan that he would consider his requests at the end of this month after the conclusion of the Zimbabwean election holding next week.

Obasanjo is leading a team of 60 African Union monitors to Zimbabwe for the July 31 election.

The latest meeting was a follow up to the one held between Obasanjo and the Chairman, PDP Governors’ Forum, Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio, last week.

Akpabio, a close ally of Jonathan, met with the former president in Abuja to shore up support for President Jonathan.

Earlier, the PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, and the party’s BoT Chairman, Chief Tony Anenih, had paid visits to Obasanjo.

It was learnt that Governors Kwankwaso, Nyako, Wammako and Lamido told Obasanjo about their frustration in the PDP and their game plan.

National Mirror reliably learnt that the governors, who are political associates of Obasanjo, were planning to float a new party early next year.

“The governors told Obasanjo that they are no longer comfortable in the PDP. They said as a mark of honour they have come to inform Obasanjo about their plan to move out of the PDP. They didn’t want the former ruler to hear about the plan outside without due consultation,” a source said.

Obasanjo was said to have told the governors to CONTINUED ON PAGE 5>

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Monday, July 22, 2013

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Photo News

Monday, July 22, 2013

L-R: District Governor, Rotary International District 9110; Rotn. Gbemiga Olowu; Past President, Rotary Club of Ikeja; Rotn. Niyi Osidele; President, Rotn. Goke Olayinka; his wife, Nike; children, Dara and Feranmi and Sergeant at Arms, Rotn. Tunji Ola, at the investiture of Olayinka as the 47th President of the club, in Lagos, yesterday.

PHOTO: YINKA ADEPARUSI

L-R: President, Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria, Tee Mac Iseli; Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism and Intergovernmental Relations, Mr. Disun Holloway; wife of the Consular General, South African High Commission to Nigeria, Mrs. Mokgadi Monaisa; her husband, Ambassador Mokgethi Monaisa and Country Manager, South African Airways, Ms. Thobekile Duma, during the cutting of cake in celebration of Mandela at 95 in Lagos, at the weekend.

PHOTO: OLUFEMI AJASA

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

L-R: Chief Executive Officer, Spronks Creations Ltd, Mrs. Ronke Sobodu; Marketing Manager Africa, Wines of South Africa, Mr. Matome Mbatha; Counsellor for Economic and Political Affairs, South African Consulate, Lagos, Ms. Thandi Mgxwati and Chairman, Nigerian Economic Summit Group, Mr. Foluso Phillips, at the Wines of South Africa Grand Tasting ceremony in Lagos at the weekend.

PHOTO: YINKA ADEPARUSI

L-R: Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio; his wife, Mrs. Ekaette Unoma and Executive Secretary, Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission, Mr. John Kennedy Okpara, at the monthly Government House prayer meeting in Uyo on Saturday.

National News

Judgement delivery: CJN queries 85% CDMA network capacity unutilised …As planned merger stalls judges over low performance KUNLE AZEEZ

WALE IGBINTADE

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hief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Mariam Aloma Mukhtar, may have queried judges who failed to deliver at least three or four judgements in the 2013 judicial calendar year.

Justice Mukhtar had earlier vowed to sack any indolent judicial officer, who could not deliver at least three or four judgements in one judicial calendar year.

Already, the Federal and State High Courts have commenced their annual vacations.

A reliable source told National Mirror that several judges across the country have been invited to Abuja by the CJN to give reasons why they could not meet up with the directive.

According to the source, the judges were invited, following a recent performance evaluation carried

out by the CJN. Specifically, it was gathered that the CJN at a recent meeting with Chief Judges stressed the need for judicial officers to be masters of their courts and not give room for undue delays.

The judges were also directed to report to the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee, LPPC, lawyers who were in the habits of seeking unnecessary adjournments as ploys to delay cases in court.

“Any judge that failed to deliver the required number of judgement and meet up with the performance assessment carried out the CJN would be penalised.

They are supposed to be masters of their courts and not give room for unnecessary delays,” the source said.

The CJN had on May 19, while receiving Nigeria’s Judicial Performance Evaluation 2008 – 2011, compiled by the Nigerian

Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, NIALS, expressed shock that some judges could not even deliver up to two judgements in a quarter.

Justice Mukhtar had said there was no need keeping in the system, a judge that could not deliver three to four judgements in a year.

She said: “The National Judicial Council will henceforth use its performance evaluation reports to weed out incompetent and indolent judges from the bench. This is because it is highly absurd to observe that some judges cannot even deliver up to two judgments in a quarter.

“We are now thinking of looking at the performance evaluation of the judges for the purpose of discipline.

If a judge cannot deliver three to four judgments in a year, there is no use keeping him on the bench. He or she will be shown the way out.”

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he dwindling fortune of operators in the Code Division Multiple Access, CDMA, segment of the Nigerian telecoms industry continues to deepen as they lose subscribers each day, leaving a sizeable portion of their installed network capacity unutilised.

National Mirror reliably gathered yesterday that though the CDMA operators comprising Visafone, Starcomms, Multi-Links and the comatose Zoom Mobile have ability to take up to 18.4 million telephone users on their networks, only 2.6 phone lines are currently active.

This, however, means that the operators only use 14 per cent of their existing capacity as 86 per cent of their installed capacity is not utilised.

The operators, it was gathered, started losing their customers in 2009, when their combined subscriber base reached 7 million, the highest CDMA subscription

so far in the history of Nigeria’s telecoms industry.

Since then, the operators have been witnessing subscriber losses month-onmonth. As at the end of April 2013, aggregate subscriber base had collapsed abysmally to 2.6 million telephone lines.

The development, it was learnt, has also discouraged the operators from further investing in their network capacity.

For instance, from December, 2012, the Global System for Mobile Communications, GSM, operators increased their installed capacity from 182 million to 207.6 million at the end of April, 2013, according to latest statistics by the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC. However, within the same period, the CDMA networks’ installed capacity stood at a flat figure of 18.4 million lines.

Installed capacity is the total number of telephone lines which a telecoms network can accommodate at a

particular period of time.

Usually, operators are expected to expand their installed capacity as more subscribers join their networks to avoid cases of congestion, among others.

But for CDMA operators in Nigeria, investing to expand their network is not encouraging, since only 14 per cent of their current installed capacity is being utilised, rendering a large number of space on their network redundant.

Meanwhile, the muchanticipated merger among three operators, Starcomms, Muti-Links and First Wireless may have been stalled by lack of fund.

Though, the Minister of Communication Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, stated at a recent forum in Lagos that the Federal Government facilitated the merger of the three CDMA operators, sources privy to the deal told National Mirror that the planned merger may have hit the rocks.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

News

Monday, July 22, 2013

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5 die, 5 injured as another building collapses in Lagos MURITALA AYINLA

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two-storey building located at 29, Ishaga Road, Surulere, Lagos, which was under construction, yesterday collapsed killing five persons and left five others critically injured.

An eyewitness said some of the victims had sought refuge in the building following an early morning downpour.

The body of a 13-yearold girl was among those recovered from the rubble, while the remaining four persons were labourers who, National Mirror gath-

ered, also served as guards at the ill-fated building.

A bread hawker was among those trapped in the building, which reportedly caved in at about 10a.m.

The five injured persons were admitted at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, Idi Araba.

Residents blamed the collapse on the use of substandard building materials, saying the contractor was using three bags of cement for a tipper load of sand.

A resident of the area, Tajudeen Bello, said: “I had warned the contractor several times. How can they be using three bags of cement for one tipper load of sand?

That is the measurement used in the building and that was why I complained to the contractor handling the building.”

Another eyewitness, Mr. Kabiru Adams, who was

also involved in the rescue operation, said: “I was inside my apartment when I heard a loud bang. I ran out to see what was happening, but the entire area was enveloped by the dust from the building.

“After that I dashed to the scene quickly. And we were able to recover two and rescue three alive but they sustained fatal injuries. And we quickly took them to LUTH for proper attention.

When they got there, the officials in the hospital didn't accept the injured victims.

"Several people would have been saved if the response was prompt. We CONTINUED ON PAGE 52>

Finance Ministry probes illegal spending by MDAs CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

through their lawyers, have engaged in all manner of legal subterfuges to ensure that monies which are due to the Federal Government are not remitted.”

She, therefore, declared that effective Monday, June 17, 2013, the OAGF, in exercise of its powers under the extant laws and rules, will close the accounts of agencies involved in this practice in all banks.

The minister noted that the process of systematic closure of the agencies’ accounts in the banks would continue until all monies that should have been remitted into the CRF were retrieved.

It will also be recalled that the Director-General of the Budget Office, Dr. Bright Okogu, had in a document entitled, ‘FGN 2013 budget: Fiscal consolidation with inclusive growth,’ made available to the public in April identified non-remittance of collections by the revenue agencies as one of the challenges threatening the implementation of the 2013 budget.

Okogu had said: “Revenue challenges facing the budget are independent revenue non-full remittance by revenue generating agencies; taxes collection efficiency issues (Federal Inland Revenue Service, Nigerian Custom Service); pipeline vandalism and oil theft.

“When I say challenges, they are not peculiar to this year’s budget. It is the type of challenges we face and which we are fighting to rectify, and one of them is the revenue side.

“The independent revenue, which is the non-full remittance, which we sometimes experience with some of the agencies, we are working hard and the National Assembly has also contributed in this respect to make it clear that all monies that are due to government belongs to the government.”

The report of an investigation conducted by the House of Representatives Committee on Finance indicated that about 60 agencies considered as major revenue collectors for government spent collected revenues on their operations or simply failed to remit the monies to the CRF. For instance, the report of the committee headed

by Hon. Abdulmumini Jibrin, showed that out of the N3.06trn collected by the agencies in 2009, only N46.8bn or 1.53 per cent was remitted to the government.

Similarly, out of the revenue profile of N3.07trn in 2010, only N54.1bn or 1.76 per cent was remitted compared with N3.17trn collections in 2011 out of which N73.8bn or 2.33 per cent was remitted.

The report also indicated that out of the N189bn expected to have been remitted as at October 2012, only N80bn was remitted, leaving a whopping outstanding balance of N109bn in the agencies’ coffers.

The Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007 provides that all revenue collection agencies are statutorily mandated to remit their collected revenues to the government based on an operating surplus framework.

L-R: Minister of State for Agriculture, Alhaji Bukar Tijjani; Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Ibn Garbai; Chairman, Distribution Committee, Alhaji Gaji Galtimari and a beneficiary at the distribution of Federal Government's relief materials to victims of Boko Haram crisis in Maiduguri yesterday.

PHOTO: NAN

Why Jonathan, governors met Obasanjo

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allow peace to reign, promising to mediate in the crisis.

“We have come to greet the most accomplished Nigerian ever and would remain so for a very long time and to consult him on very important matters,” Nyako had told reporters after the meeting.

It was gathered that the plan of the governors was to allow the crisis in the PDP to fester on towards the elections in 2015.

“There is no doubt that President Jonathan will get the PDP ticket for the 2015 presidential election, but the North is keen about power returning to them.

For the South-South, President Jonathan’s re-election is a necessity while power coming back to the North is a survival battle.

“We are not contesting the PDP ticket with Jonathan because we know the party will hand over the ticket to him. But the game plan is to weaken the PDP and reduce the party to nothing before the 2015 elections.

“Our governors won’t join the APC but will float a new party that will form an alliance with the people of the South-West. Don’t forget that the North has the numerical voting strength to decide who wins the Presidency,” a source privy to the arrangement told National

Mirror.

Kwankwaso is the arrowhead of the group.

Speaking with National Mirror on the governors’ visit to the former president, the PDP National ViceChairman (North-West), Ambassador Ibrahim Kazaure, who was present at the meeting, said he only accompanied the governors to the meeting.

He, however, told our reporter that he could not speak on what transpired during the meeting.

“My brother, that is the duty of the governors to speak on the meeting and I’m not a governor. I followed the governors to the meeting and I cannot speak on their behalf. It is not a party affair, but governors’ affair. I can only talk on party affairs. So, if I say anything I’m not being fair to them because I’m not a governor,” Kazaure told National Mirror yesterday.

The PDP national vicechairman also feigned ignorance of the plot by the governors to float a new party, saying: “I don’t know; I cannot go into their public life. I know nothing about what you are talking about. I’m hearing it for the first time from you that some of the governors are planning to form a new party. If I know I will dissuade them from doing that.”

The Director of Press and Public Relations, Kano

State Government House, Baba Dantiye, also denied the rumour that Kwankwaso and other governors were planning to float a new party.

“I can tell you categorically that that is not true,” Dantiye told National Mirror yesterday.

On the governors’ visit to former President Obasanjo, he said it was about consultation. “Obasanjo is a leader and statesman in the country. This is a man who has governed Nigeria both as military and civilian.

He was also the PDP BoT chairman. So, you should expect regular consultation with him,” Dantiye told National Mirror yesterday.

An aide of Obasanjo also confirmed to National Mirror that the meetings of President Jonathan with the former President and that of the governors were on the crisis in the PDP. “The meeting President Jonathan had with Chief Obasanjo is part of the serious effort to revive the cohesion of the PDP which is not there,” he said.

It will be recalled that the relationship between Jonathan and Obasanjo had been frosty shortly after the 2011 presidential election.

Obasanjo is said to be averse to Jonathan’s reelection. The situation degenerated when Obasanjo resigned on April 3, 2012 as

the BoT chairman.

Obasanjo’s associates have been having it rough with the Jonathan government. Also, his associates in the PDP had been sacked from office.

The PDP national secretary, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola; the national treasurer, Bode Mustapha and the South-West zonal executive led by Mr. Segun Oni had been sacked.

In another development, President Jonathan is intensifying efforts at his re-election by holding strategic meetings with stakeholders on his ambition.

It was learnt that the President met with key groups at the weekend in Lagos.

A source privy to one of the meetings told National Mirror that the President considered his electoral fortune in the South-West against the backdrop of the crisis in the South-West PDP and the dominance of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN. National Mirror learnt that the Presidency was already funding the Labour Party, LP, in the South-West through a serving governor and two former governors from the geo-political zone.

The understanding is that through the LP and PDP machineries, President Jonathan will be able to secure the mandatory 25 per cent of votes cast in the six South-West states.

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News

Don’t gag the press, NGE warns govt LEONARD OKACHIE

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he Nigerian Guild of Editors, NGE, has condemned attempts by some people to gag the press by reviving provisions of the Nigerian Press Council, which a competent court had voided.

In a communiqué issued at the end of its Standing Committee Meeting in Lagos, NGE also noted with concern the recent re-arraignment of two journalists with Leadership newspapers, saying that the considerations that made the Federal Government to withdraw the case on May 4, in the first instance, should subsist.

The communiqué jointly signed by its President, Femi Adesina, and General Secretary, Isaac Ighure, reads in part: “The Guild is worried that the media is operating under difficult conditions because most of their inputs are imported and therefore are subject to the vagaries of foreign exchange.

“The Guild therefore urges the Federal Government to waive import duties on all media inputs, especially newsprints and broadcast equipment.

“The Guild notes with dismay the recent conduct of some political leaders, which has the tendency to derail the country’s hard-earned democracy.

“The Guild urges political leaders to conduct themselves in a manner that will engender the highest democratic ideals.”

The NGE also expressed displeasure that the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, and the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, went on strike again over nonimplementation of agreements by the Federal Government.

It, therefore, urged all parties involved to return to the negotiation table to resolve all outstanding issues in the interest of the students, the country’s future leaders.

Monday, July 22, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Analysts differ as MPC meets today on inflation rate JOHNSON OKANLAWON

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s the Monetary Policy Committee, MPC, of the Central Bank of Nigeria meets today, analysts have differed on the likelihood of easing the monetary policy, though inflation rate has been on the decline.

The declining inflation had increased calls by the operators in the real sector for ease in Monetary Policy Rate, MPR, which has been kept at a record high of 12 per cent for the ninth consecutive time.

Specifically, analysts at FSDH Securities Limited forecast an increase in inflation rate above 8.4 per cent in July.

The firm said: “Our model indicates that the price movement in the consumer

goods in June will increase the Consumer Price Index, CPI, to 146.7 points, representing a month-on-month increase of 0.62 per cent.

“The increase in the CPI in June will produce an inflation rate (year-on-year) of 8.4 per cent, representing 60 basis points decrease from May 2013 inflation rate.”

An analysis of the prices of a basket of consumer goods that FSDH Research monitored across the country in June shows that prices of major components of the basket increased over May levels.

According to the firm, the impact of the planting season for most vegetables led to increase in the average prices of tomatoes and onions by 26.9 per cent and 17.1 per cent respectively between May and June.

It noted that the plant-

ing season, coupled with drawdown from inventory impacted the average prices of most tubers like sweet potato, yam and Irish potato which increased by 22.9 per cent, 7.14 per cent and 3.70 per cent respectively during the period.

“There was an increase in the average price of beans by 5.56 per cent during the period. Meanwhile, the price of rice remained stable between the two months. The observed increase in the prices of food items in June resulted in 0.65 per cent increase in our Food and Non-Alcoholic Index.

“We also noticed increases in the prices of recreation and culture, clothing and foot wears, health, transportation and restaurants and hotels between May and June,” the firm

An accident at Iyana-Itire on Apapa - Oshodi Expressway in Lagos, yesterday.

PHOTO: YINKA ADEPARUSI

Passenger slips at Lagos Airport, dies in hospital

…as Lufthansa airline makes air return, delays passengers 24hours Air, Mr. Adebanji Ola, how-

OLUSEGUN KOIKI

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ne of the male passengers of Arik Air on transit from London to Owerri enroute Lagos yesterday morning slipped and fell at the General Aviation Terminal, GAT, of the Murtala Mohammed Airport, MMA, and was later confirmed dead in the hospital.

The incident occurred around 6am at the terminal.

As at the time of filing this report, the name and other particulars of the deceased could not be ascertained.

National Mirror gathered that immediately the incident occurred, the passenger, who was accompanied by his wife and brother was rushed to the Aviation Clinic

towards the international wing of the airport, where he was confirmed dead by medical authorities.

An eyewitness at the terminal confided in our correspondent that the passenger slumped in front of the departure hall and started bleeding from his nose and ears before he was rushed to the clinic.

The General Manager, Corporate Communications, FAAN, Mr. Yakubu. Dati confirmed the incident.

He however stated that both the wife and the brother of the deceased later proceeded to Owerri after the incident.

However, Arik Airline has debunked the claim that the deceased was one of its passengers.

The spokesman of Arik

ever confirmed the incident, but said it never occurred onboard its plane.

He said: “It is true that the passenger in question arrived Nigeria with us and he was billed to travel to Owerri, but the incident never occurred onboard our plane.

The incident occurred at the GAT terminal where the passenger slipped, slumped and later died.”

Meanwhile, German Airline, Lufthansa, on Saturday made a return to the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, MMIA, Lagos after being airborne for an hour.

National Mirror gathered that the pilot of the aircraft had discovered a technical fault in one of the engines about an hour after departing Lagos for its hub in Frankfurt, Germany.

said.

However, Regional Head of Economics, Africa at Standard Chartered, Ms Razia Khan, noted that despite the deceleration in headline inflation to only 8.4 per cent year-on-year in June, the CBN might not cut the rates.

With increased volatility at the Foreign Exchange, FX, market, she said: “We think FX stability will be a key consideration, especially as interbank rates continue to trade outside of the +/- 3 per cent band around N155.

“While the CBN comfortably accommodated investor outflows during the volatile May/June period, with only a marginal impact on FX reserves, they will nonetheless want to replenish reserves now. So we think rates are on hold, despite our expectation that inflation is likely to remain in single digits through to the year end.”

Considerations on exchange rate and oil income had formed the basis for the decision to hold rate at the last MPC by majority of the voters.

There was a majority vote of seven members to three to maintain the current policy stance at the May 21, 2013 meeting.

Oil output has been on the decline this year, reducing income from the oil sector.

NAMA, Air Force partner on airports’ safety OLUSEGUN KOIKI

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he Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, NAMA, said it was collaborating with the Nigerian Air Force, NAF, to improve safety of the country’s airspace.

Its General Manager, Public Affairs, Mr. Supo Atobatele, said in a statement that “the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Alex Badeh, who hosted the management of NAMA led by its Managing Director, Mr. Nnamdi Udoh, in Abuja at the weekend, promised that NAF would continue to collaborate with the agency on issues bordering on security, surveillance and personnel training.”

Atobatele said Badeh, who applauded the coverage and operation of the new radar in the country, said the system had improved the surveillance of the airspace tremendously.

Badeh reportedly lauded the initiative of the agency on its proposed deployment of Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast, ADS-B ‘multilateration’ to capture low flying aircraft like helicopters in the Niger Delta area.

Earlier in his speech, Udoh acknowledged the current partnership between the two organisations, pointing out that such effort had enhanced the smooth running of the country’s airspace under the joint civil/military joint users’ collaboration.

West Africa, Europe to boycott Nigeria’s stolen crude TORDUE SALEM ABUJA

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awmakers from the West African Region of the Africa Conference of Parliamentarians, ACP, Group and their European counterparts have resolved to boycott the purchase of illegal crude oil from Nigeria.

The parliamentarians took the decision at a regional meeting in Abuja at the weekend.

Members of inter-continental union emphasised the need to ensure that the revenues generated from the extractive industry were distributed transparently and equitably through the national budget to contribute to sustainable development and poverty reduction.

This is contained in a communiqué read by the President of ACP-EU, Mitchel Rivasi, and the CoPresident, Joyce Laboso, at after a three-day meeting held in Abuja.

The members expressed worry over the high rate of oil theft, wastage and illegal bunkering leading to substantial revenue losses and environmental pollution.

Members called on the Federal Government to put in place appropriate mechanisms and measures to fight against this organised crime.

They also expressed worry that West Africa had great potential in the energy sector, but unfortunately, it was also recognised that up to 70 per cent of its population did not have access to energy required to meet their basic daily needs.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

News

Monday, July 22, 2013

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N300m Nollywood Fund website opens today TOLA AKINMUTIMI ABUJA

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he website through which potential beneficiaries of the N300 million capacity-building fund for the Nigerian film industry could access the largess will be activated at 12 noon today.

The website is www.projectactnollywood.com.ng.

The development, which is coming after several months of expectations by hundreds of the potential beneficiaries, signals the commencement of the fund as corporate and individual practitioners in various aspects of movie craft and production can apply for various specified grants to boost their skills and capacity.

The capacity-building fund, which was announced recently, is the first part of the N3 billion promised by President Goodluck Jonathan.

The Presidential Intervention Fund, called Project ACT Nollywood, is managed by Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister

for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and the Minister of Tourism, Chief Edem Duke.

The capacity-building fund is the first of a series of initiatives planned under Project ACT Nollywood. It is made up of two components.

The first is a training fund of N150 million dedicated to training and skills acquisition for actors and actress.

The second component is the N150 million for existing Nigerian-owned private institutes that offer training courses, programmes and technical certification in the movie industry.

It is to be used for upgrading of existing facilities, procure equipment and develop internal capacity to offer a set of courses/training programmess which address key skills gap.

To benefit from the fund, interested institutes must show evidence of registration with relevant authorities before January 1, 2013 and be competent to train according to global best practices.

Chevron to train five Nigerians abroad

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hevron Nigeria Limited (CNL), operator of the NNPC/Chevron Joint Venture, is sponsoring qualified young Nigerians to a training course on Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) overseas as part of its efforts to assist the country acquire necessary manpower in the deep water sector of the nation’s oil and gas industry.

A remotely operated vehicle, also known as an underwater robot, is commonly used in deepwater operations for offshore hydrocarbon extraction.

Five Nigerians nominated by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), under the Nigerian Content Human Capacity Development Initiative (NCHCDI), are to benefit from the seven to 13 week ROV training initiative.

Two of them - Obaro Onotaniyohwo Pereke and Tunbi Oluwakayode - recently left Nigeria for Scotland to commence the training.

At their send forth ceremony, Mr. Mike Tierney, CNL Escravos-Gas-to-Liquid (EGTL) Integration and Completions Manager, noted that the sponsorship of the Nigerians for the ROV training was in line with Chevron’s human and

business capacity development strategy.

He said: “ROV operations are required for deepwater operations and are highly specialized and critical to the development of the oil and gas sector. It is our desire that Nigerians acquire the competence to increase their successful participation in the oil and gas business.”

Similarly, Raymond Wilcox, CNL’s Nigerian Content Development General Manager, said: “The intention of the programme is to enhance the competence of Nigerians in line with CNL’s commitment to the Federal Government’s Nigerian Content Development Drogramme.”

The NCDMB representative at the send forth ceremony, Mr. Paul Zuhumben, congratulated the trainees for the opportunity and implored them to develop the right attitude, as well apply their knowledge of diversity effectively while in Scotland.

He commended Chevron for taking the decision to “invest in these young Nigerians” and encouraged the duo to perform well so that Chevron would be encouraged to sponsor more young Nigerians to the programme.

L-R: Executive Vice-Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission, Dr Eugene Juwah and Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola, during a visit to the governor in Lagos, recently.

Reps to pass 2013 budget amendment this week TORDUE SALEM ABUJA

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he House of Representatives will pass the proposed amendments to the 2013 Appropriation Act this week, National Mirror learnt yesterday.

The House spokesman, Hon. Zakari Muhammed, said: “We will certainly treat the budget before we go on recess this week.”

The House last week Tuesday passed the proposed amendments to the budget to its Committees on Finance and Appropriations.

The National Assembly on December 20, 2012 passed the sum of N4.987 trillion as the national budget for the 2013 fiscal year. President Goodluck Jonathan had pro-

posed N4.924 trillion, but the legislators increased it by N63 billion without any explanation.

Dissatisfied with the decision of the National Assembly to re-allocate certain subheads in the budget made to various sectors of the economy and projects, the President brought an amendment bill to the National Assembly to have the Parliament return some of the allocations to their original subheads.

But the House did not deliberate on the bill until May 24, 2013 when the lawmakers described the proposal as unconstitutional.

The President, however, insisted that without amendment, it would be difficult to implement the budget.

Although the House did not reject the bill, it was obvious that the lawmakers were not willing to consider the amendment because they claimed that the Constitution provided for supplementary budget and not an amendment.

But the Presidency persisted with the pressure and explanation to the House Joint Committees on Finance and Appropriations on Tuesday last week by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on the need for the amendment.

The explanation, however, swayed the lawmakers as they decided last week Wednesday to jettison their stand on the budget and pass

it.

Okonjo-Iweala had, in a television programme, told Nigerians that the Federal Government might not be able to pay workers’ salaries beginning from September if the amendment to 2013 budget was not passed as soon as possible by the lawmakers.

Speaking when she appeared before the House Committee, the minister said the 2013 budget had so far been implemented to the tune of 67 per cent.

According to her, N600 billion had been released to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) for capital projects.

Of the amount, the minister said N585.7 billion had been cash-backed.

Price of cooking gas skyrockets as shortage persists UDEME AKPAN

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he prices of cooking gas have risen by over 24 per cent as a result of shortage of the product in Lagos and its environs.

A market survey conducted at the weekend showed that many marketers did not have the product to sale.

Consequently, the prices of the 12.5 kg, which used to be N2, 800, now cost N3, 800 at the outlets of major marketers, including Total Nigeria Plc. The 10 kg, 25 kg and 50 kg cost as high as N2, 000, N5, 600 and N11, 200 respectively.

The prices were also high at retail shops. For instance, the 10 kg, 12.5 kg and 25 kg were sold for N3, 000, N4, 000 and N12, 000 respectively.

The situation became worse last month when the Nigerian Liquefied Natural

Gas Limited (NLNG), which supplies the product to plant owners for bottling and distribution, has issues with Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, (NIMASA).

Investigations showed that the NLNG has started supplying the product.

NLNG source, who confirmed the development at the weekend, said: “We have since started to supply the product.

We do not have control about what happens at different levels of the market.”

A source at Apapa said although NLNG has started to ship cooking gas to Lagos, the product had not yet been discharged as a result of logistics challenge.

He said: “The vessel, MT Providence which left Bonny plant arrived here last Monday after the resolution of NLNG/NIMASA dispute.

Unfortunately, it could not

discharge immediately at the North Oil Jetty (NOJ) because of lack of space.

“We are hoping that the vessel will to discharge next week so that consumers will be able to make use of the product.”

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), owner of the jetty, said the problem would be looked into in order to ensure that the vessel discharge the product.

NNPC Acting General Manager in charge of Public Affairs, Ms. Tumini Green, could not be reached for comment as she did not take her calls or respond to text messages.

Available data, however, indicated that the NLNG supplies about 150,000 metric tonnes of LPG annually for domestic consumption. Additional supplies, it was learnt, also come from local refineries.

The National President, Liquefied Petroleum Gas Retailers Association of Nigeria, Mr. Michael Umudu, said in a telephone interview that supplies had not yet improved.

He said: “As at today, the supply situation has not improved. We are hopeful that the high prices will be reduced as soon as adequate supply is made to the market.”

The General Secretary of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Mr. Mike Osetuyi, said: “The shortage and high prices were fuelled

by NLNG/NIMASA problem.

Now that the issue has been resolved, there is hope that adequate cooking gas would be supplied to the market.

“We are very optimistic that the high prices of the product will fall in the next few weeks because the development seems to be a function of demand and supply.”

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South West

KEMI OLAITAN AND ADEOLU ADEYEMO

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he Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at the weekend reiterated its determination to rescue the nation’s education sector from the enslavement of the political class.

The National Convener, ASUU Committee on Human Rights, Dr. Sola Olorunyomi, spoke while participating on a radio programmme in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

He said the Federal Government and the political class had conspired to underdevelop Nigeria by refusing to fund education.

It will be recalled that ASUU has been on strike for the past three weeks over the non-implementation of the 2009 agreement it signed

Monday, July 22, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

ASUU vows to end slavery in education sector •Osun varsity branch begins indefinite strike

with the Federal Government aimed at revitalising the ailing university education.

Olorunyomi said the union would continue with the strike until the agreements are fully implemented, saying the enslavement of education must be stopped.

Speaking on the possible threat of “No work No pay,” he said ASUU had resolved not to be caged by such intimidation, insisting that only the full implementation of the agreement would facilitate the resumption of the lecturers to the classrooms.

Olorunyomi, however, said members of the academic union only withdrew

the teaching component of their calling, noting that they are fully involved in research and community services.

He said: “After about 300 years of slave trade, the Federal Government attempts to make this era a second or third slavery will not be allowed. Our students have asked us not to come back without achieving results from our strike.

“The Federal Government is not committed to paying bursaries again for students. The necessary equipment are not in our laboratories; there is no light, no functional internet facilities, we cannot even attract foreign scholars into our universities due to the lam-

entable conditions we work.

My salary cannot even take me home. We can’t be fooled again. We must fight for the revitalization of this education industry.”

Olorunyomi, who is a senior lecturer at the Institute of African Studies and member, University of Ibadan Strike Information sub-committee, said the Federal Government’s body language showed insincerity.

He said ASUU was shocked when the government representatives, who met with the union, feigned ignorance of the strike and any agreement until they were showed their signatures in the document.

Olorunyomi said: “We are

resolute this time. We are prepared to go hungry. You can’t believe that the people we met first feign ignorance of the agreement not until our team brought out the memorandum of agreement and some of them saw their signatures. It was a drama of sort but you can only have that in Nigeria. We are doing more than we are earning.

Cutting edge researches are dwindling because we have no funding. We have people who have developed alternative to power in University of Ibadan, but they do not have support to go beyond that level. University of Ibadan developed sweet corn, pando yam and several others. The political elite are hypocrites and are more interested in rent economy.”

Meanwhile, the Osun State University branch of ASUU has declared an indefinite strike, vowing not to resume work until the state government meets its demands.

The union, in a statement signed in Osogbo by its chairman, Dr. Abiona Oluseye and the secretary, Mr. Wende Olaosebikan, said the strike would be “total, indefi-

nite and comprehensive.”

The union said: “Osun State Government introduced a neck-breaking tax over the basic and allowances components of our salaries and apart from this, no single member of academic staff in UNIOSUN has enjoyed his or her 56 working days statutory leave to which we are entitled since inception of the university.

“The Osun State University has no operational condition of service, as such, appointment, promotion, emoluments of our members are arbitrarily determined with impunity.”

The union also rejected the merger of the university with the ministry of education, noting that to ensure optimum performance and smooth academic calendar, the institution must not be merged with any ministry.

“Due to this merger, salaries of staff are being paid

by Abeere, the seat of governance and the quarterly allocation of the young university has been replaced by monthly subvention thereby paving the way for undue delay of release of funds,” it said.”

Osun PDP resists govt’s attempt to demolish secretariat •Govt’s action inhuman –Omisore

ADEOLU ADEYEMO OSOGBO

L-R: Chief Aderemi Ibrahim, Mr. Moshood Salvador and Akeweje of Alausa, Chief Anselm Njoku, at the annual Moshood Salvador Ramadan lecture in Lagos, yesterday.

PHOTO: NAN

Cleric calls for sharing of Adedibu’s estate KEMI OLAITAN IBADAN

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n Ilorin-based Islamic scholar, Sheikh Buhari Musa, yesterday said the late strongman of Ibadan politics, Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu, who died five years ago, is yet to enjoy eternal rest.

Musa spoke at the Lamidi Adedibu Annual Ramadhan Lecture sponsored by his widow, Bose and some family members, stating that the late politician was on his knees accounting for all he acquired on earth.

The scholar, in a lecture entitled: “Takullah,” which literally means “fear God,” said Islam and teaching of Prophet Muhammed (SAW) forbid that the Will left by a Muslim should be allowed

to rot away for years without sharing his properties among the potential beneficiaries immediately after the deceased had been interred.

Musa, who was bereaved a few hours before the lecture held at the Molete residence of the late Adedibu, did not allow the grief of losing his beloved family member to affect the delivery of the lecture as he said: “I swear to Allah that nobody prod me to speak about Baba Adedibu’s Will. The committee only asked me to deliver a lecture on Takullah.

“But the truth must be told. Walahi, Baba is on his knees accounting for all he acquired while alive. He is not yet enjoying his rest.

“Islam forbids the practice of leaving deceased’s

Will for long. I call on the elders in the family to heed the words of Allah and Quranic injunction by sharing his Will. Give whatever is due to the beneficiaries.

“Five years after, he is still on his knees. The houses, plots and acres of landed properties, monies in the banks and other property should be shared now.

Anybody who does not care about receiving his or her own should collect them and then dash it out to those who need them.”

Musa, however, said some of the landed property belonging to NITEL, which the late Adedibu was believed to have acquired, had been taken over by the Oyo State Government, stressing that such would be the fate of many others because the es-

tate sharing was allowed to drag unnecessarily.

Speaking on Takullah, he said all of us, including clerics, politicians and everybody would one day all stand before our creator and account for our deed, advising all to fear God and obey His commandments so as to receive His blessings here on earth and in the hereafter.

Those present at the lecture were the eldest son of the deceased, Prof. Abass Aderemi Adedibu; a former deputy governor, Alhaji Hazeem Gbolarumi; state Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Akeem Yinka Taiwo; the Eekerin Olubadan, High Chief Eddy Oyewole; Alhaji Akeem Ige, Alhaji Y.K. Abass, Hon. Waheed Gbede, Sheikh Oriyomi Akilapa and others.

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n attempt by the Osun State Government to demolish a part of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) secretariat along the GbonganIbadan Road in Osogbo, the state capital, was violently resisted at the weekend by members of the party.

The resistance forced the demolition team to suspend the exercise.

Speaking at a press conference at the weekend in Osogbo, the state PDP Chairman, Alhaji Ganiyu Olaoluwa, described the move as callous, claiming that the party was not served with any letter that such an exercise would be carried out.

Olaoluwa, however, called on the InspectorGeneral of Police (IGP), Director-General of the State Security Service (SSS) and other stakeholders to call the state government to order.

He accused the state government of demolishing many houses under

the guise of beautification thereby untold hardship on the people.

Former Deputy Governor Iyiola Omisore described the state government’s action as inhuman, saying: “The present administration in Osun State is deliberately being wicked because of flowers it wanted to plant to beautify the state capital.”

He urged the government to stop inflicting pains and hardship on the people under the guise of constructing township roads.

But the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) through its Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy, Mr. Kunle Oyatomi, said: “PDP knows nothing, hence its criticisms of the government’s effort aimed at developing the state.

“Osogbo does not look like a state capital and the present administration is trying to do everything to ensure that the city becomes a befitting state capital, which everybody will be proud of.”

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

9

Monday, July 22, 2013

THE NEWSPAPER PROPRIETORS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (NPAN) #8, Maryland Crescent, Maryland Estate, Maryland, Ikeja, Lagos PHONE: 01-8508065 e-mail: npan.nigeria@yahoo.com

COMMUNIQUE The Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria at its meeting held yesterday July 16, 2013, in Abuja, among other important national issues, examined the state of press freedom in Nigeria.

The Association notes, with concern, that there is a clandestine move to revive the moribund Press Council, which is usually an official tool to gag the press. During past military dictatorships, unsuccessful attempts were made to use the Council against press freedom.

Since we have a democratically elected government in place over the last 14 years and counting, we do not expect our elected leaders to follow the tried and failed tactics of past dictatorships in Nigeria.

Recent moves by some undemocratic elements in the Federal government, indicate that there are still persons in the government who will rather not have a free and fair press but prefer to take steps to abridge the freedom of the press and the right of the people to have unfettered access to information.

The NPAN particularly views with concern, the surreptitious move by these officials to bring back, through the back door, the Nigerian Press Council, which a court of competent jurisdiction had declared unconstitutional three years ago.

Specifically, the Association wishes to recall that on Thursday, February 25, 2010, the Federal High Court, Lagos, Presided over by Justice A. M Liman had in Suit N0 FHC/L/CS/1324/99, filed by the NPAN against the President, the Attorney General of the Federation, the Minister of Information and the National Assembly, ruled that the Press Council was unconstitutional.

We call on the Federal Government to respect the reasoned judgment on The Press Council, and help deepen our democracy by encouraging the full and complete implementation of The Freedom of Information Act signed into law by President Goodluck Jonathan himself in a signal to the nation and the world that he would run an open government anchored on a free press.

In the light of that, we also appeal to the Federal Government to stop forthwith the ongoing trial of the journalists of LEADERSHIP Group Limited, who were recently re-arraigned, after the same government had withdrawn the case against them and the company during the celebration of Free Freedom Day. Their continuing trial is inconsistent with the spirit of our collective democratic journey and unhelpful in the circumstances.

The government should realize that the press has an important constitutional role to play in our system of democracy, which includes holding it accountable at all times.

Signed

NDUKA OBAIGBENA PRESIDENT

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South West

Monday, July 22, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Four suspected cultists arrested in Osun ADEOLU ADEYEMO OSOGBO

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olice are now interrogating four suspected cultists trying to initiate three students of the Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, into a cult group.

The suspects were arrested by the institution’s security operatives in Iree and Obaagun in their attempt to initiate the innocent students.

The Director of Media Relations of the institution, Mr. Tope Abiola, who disclosed this in a statement, gave the suspects’ names as Ajayi Olayemi Lawrence, Olorede Hamed, Olabiyi Afis and Hamed Akindele.

Abiola said the suspects had earlier been interrogated by the Students Disciplinary Committee, SDC, of the polytechnic on Friday before they were handed over to the police.

He said: “Three of the suspects, Ajayi Olayemi Lawrance, Olorede Hamed and Olabiyi Afis, are discovered not to be students of the polytechnic, as they do

not have any record in the database of the polytechnic.

“However, Hamed Akindele, a year two National Diploma student of Business Administration of the institution, was promptly expelled by the management on the account of his involvement in the confraternity.

“Lawrence confessed that he was a confirmed member of the confraternity some years ago, when he was a student, before he dropped out of the institution.

“He claimed that he is now an apprentice with an Osogbo-based aluminium firm, but was in Iree community for an undisclosed mission.

“Akindele, who also confessed to be a member of an illegal confraternity and claimed to be a student in Civil Engineering Department of the institution, was found to be a non-student of the polytechnic, as his records could not be found in the database of the institution. Akindele, however, confessed that he joined the confraternity in Lagos about two years ago.”

Let’s rise against child marriage –Fayemi’s wife

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kiti State governor’s wife, Mrs. Bisi Fayemi, has called on men and women of good conscience, civil society organisations, feminists and social justice crusaders to stand up against the move by the Senate to legalise child marriage.

Fayemi, according to a statement issued by her Special Assistant on Media, Akin Oyedele, described the move as self-serving and at variance with all international conventions and protocols on the rights of the child, which Nigeria had ratified.

The governor’s wife, who called for sustained protest against the move by the Senate to expunge Section 29, Sub-section B from the constitution, urged the senators to channel their energy towards strengthening laws that promote the wellbeing of the child.

She said: “I’m not only disappointed in the decision by the Senate. As a mother, I’m ashamed, I’m unhappy and I’m pained that our senators, who also have female children, will vote for child marriage.

“This is time in the country’s history when men and women of good conscience,

civil society organisations, feminists and social justice crusaders should stand up to be counted among those vehemently protesting against the decision.

“Instead of this self-serving amendment to Section 29 B of the constitution, our lawmakers should devote more time to legislate on laws that protect the child against violence, exploitation and labour, harmful traditional practices, abuse and denial of education.”

For instance, Fayemi said Article 1 of the United Nations Convention of Rights of the Child, which Nigeria ratified, defined a child as every human being (male or female) below the age of 18 years.

Acording to her, some states in the country, including Ekiti, have also domesticated the convention, The UN convention, she said, clarified that anybody below the age of 18 might be deemed not to be a child “unless the law of his or her country deems him or her to be an adult at an earlier age, which is rare”.

Section 277 of the Federal Child Rights Act of 2003 thus defines a child as anyone who is below the age of 18 years, the governor’s wife added.

L-R: Former Military Governor, old Western Region/President, Yoruba Council of Elders, Gen. Adeyinka Adebayo (rtd); Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola and his deputy, Mrs. Titi Laoye-Tomori, during Adedayo's visit to the governor in Osogbo, at the week-

Customs impounds N100m contraband in Ogun

FEMI O YEWESO ABEOKUTA

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he Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, at the weekend intercepted contraband goods concealed in four vehicles with Duty Payable Value, DPV, worth N100 million on the Lagos - Sagamu Expressway in Ogun State.

The contraband, which included 15,000 cartons of frozen chicken and several bags of rice, were intercepted by a mobile patrol team from Ogun State Command of the NCS, which acted on a tip-off.

Some of the contra-

band goods were concealed in a truck belonging to Dangote Cement with registration number Jigawa: KZR 130 XA. Other vehicles are one 911 Mercedes truck with registration number Ebonyi: XA 732ZLL, a Hiaise passenger bus with registration number: Lagos XT 644 APP and a Mercedes Faka bus with registration number: Lagos MUS 904 XB. Taking journalists round the seizure in Abeokuta, the Comptroller, the state command of NCS, Ade Dosumu, disclosed that the Customs also arrested four suspects in connection

with the contraband said to be on their way to Onitsha market in Anambra State.

The suspects are Pascal Vincent who is the driver of the truck; Boniface Okoye who is the driver of the 911 Mercedes truck and other two who claimed to be “ordinary” drivers that helped the real smugglers to convey the contrabands to Onitsha and Aba respectively upon payment of N550,000 fare.

Vincent and Okoye, who claimed they were contracted from the Ido motor park on Lagos Island, confessed to the

crime, adding that the products were loaded at Abule-Oshun area of the Badagry Expressway in Lagos with the intention to deceive security operatives to believe that they were conveying cement products.

Speaking on the seizure, Dosumu said the contraband were not only injurious to people’s health, but also inimical to the country’s economy.

He said: “If this gets to the market, even though in its bad state, it will undermine our level of local production of poultry products in the country.”

Ajimobi’s performance attracting defectors to ACN –Rep KEMI OLAITAN IBADAN

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he spate of defection of opposition parties’ members to the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, in Oyo State has been ascribed to the feat recorded within two years by Governor Abiola Ajimobi.

A member of the House of Representatives representing Ibadan North Federal Constituency, on the platform of ACN, Hon. Abiodun Dada Awoleye, said this at the weekend in Ibadan during the defection of over 3,000 members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Accord Party, AP, and All Nigeria Peo-

ples Party, ANPP, into the ACN in Ibadan North Local Government.

Awoleye said the continuous defection into ACN was as a result of the positive changes that the state had been witnessing since the inception of Ajimobi’s administration in the areas of education, infrastructural development, urban renewal, health, agriculture, transportation, women and youths empowerment and human development.

He added that the dynamic representation by the party’s political office holders was also part of the reasons for the mass defection into the party.

Awoleye urged the new

entrants to remain in the party so as to move the state forward.

He said: “More defectors are on their way to join the party. This is because we are still counting our achievements. The more we are counting our feats the more the people come in. The secret is because of what the governor and other representatives of the state including myself are doing.

“I urge people of the state to continue in their unalloyed support for the present government.

“As we can see today, the ongoing defection into our party, ACN, is because of the new things that the state has witnessed since

we came on board. The new members should remain in the party so as to join hands in moving the state forward. I urge the entire people of the state to continue in their prayers and unalloyed support for the state government under Senator Ajimobi.”

The defectors include Hon. Peter Oladitan, a former PDP caretaker committee member; Hon. Laide Durodola, former leader of the legislative arm of the council 2003-2007, 20072011 under PDP and Hon. Saheed Ademola, a former councillor representing Ward 8 who is also a former deputy speaker of the council’s legislative arm in PDP administration.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

South East

Monday, July 22 2013

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Kerosene explosion kills one, injures two in Ebonyi ALIUNA GODWIN EBONYI

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xplosion from adulterated kerosene yesterday killed a 13-year-old girl, Chidera Nwoba, in Mbukobe in Ebonyi Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.

Two others, Chibueze Ugorji, 8, from Isukwatu in Abia State and Uche Kalueze, 6, from Akaeze in Ivo Local Government Area, suffered severe burns in separate incidents in Ebonyi State.

They are now receiving treatment at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, FETHA. The explosion, which claimed Nwoba’s life, according to sources, occurred about 6.45am as she was trying to light a stove to prepare breakfast for her siblings.

The stove reportedly burst into flames and burnt her to death before neighbours could put out the fire.

A witness said he heard a loud explosion and rushed out only to see that the whole house was on fire.

He said: “Before we could put out the fire, the girl had already given up the ghost but she was rushed to the hospital where the doctors confirmed her dead.”

When our correspondent visited the two survivors, Ugorji and Kalueze, at FETHA, they were lying critically ill.

Speaking on the incident, the mother of one of the victims, Mrs. Ada Kalueze, said some members of her family were in the living room when there was power failure.

According to her, she sent her son to go and light the lantern but it burst into flames.

She said: “As I heard the sound of the explosion of the lantern, I rushed into the room and saw flames in my room with my three children in the room. I entered the room despite the fire to rescue my children but the fire burnt Uche more because he was directly involved. My hands and legs were also burnt.

“The fire destroyed property in the room but did not spread to other rooms. I was the one who

Parents must fight child abuse, says group ALIUNA GODWIN EBONYI

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Non-Governmental Organisation, NGO, Good Living Initiative, GLI, has called on parents to fight against child abuse.

The GLI President, Mrs. Sussie Metu, who made the call at the weekend in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, implored parents to also assist child assault victims by reporting such incidents to the relevant authorities.

Metu spoke shortly after a sensitisation advocacy programme at the Community Secondary School, Ekah in Ezza North Local Government with the theme: “Awareness Raising on Early Marriage, Trafficking in Persons and HIV/ AIDS Prevention,” for students of the school.

According to her, it is shameful and regrettable that in every 60 seconds in Nigeria a child especially, a girl is abused sexually or in other dehumanising form.

She said: “I therefore urge youths, especially those that have been abused

sexually and in other forms, to report such incidents to their parents, guardians or relevant security agencies.”

Metu said the greatest threat to the fight against child abuse and related offences was the reluctance of victims to report such incidents.

This, according to her, gives the culprits the temerity to perpetuate their evil deeds.

She said: “When such cases are reported, the culprits would be prosecuted to serve as deterrent to others and the public will subsequently be aware with accompanying outcry condemning the acts.”

The GLI president, however, called on relevant authorities to intensify efforts in checking the trend as it posed a serious social problem to the society.

In her remark, the Director of Child Development in the state Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Marcelina Ibina, called on children to resist attempts by their parents to lure them into early marriage due to its health and social implications.

bought the kerosene from one woman who sells kerosene along the street.

“I met these people in the hospital with the same kerosene explosion case;

they said they bought kerosene from the same woman. I believe the kerosene was adulterated, but now the woman is claiming that she bought it from a filling

station.”

When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Sylvester Igbo, said the incident was yet to be reported at the

command headquarters.

He, however, reiterated the readiness of the police in-collaboration with fire service to get to the roots of the incident.

Former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo (left) and Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, during the memorial thanksgiving mass in honour of Soludo’s mother-in-law at St Theresa’s Catholic Church in Isuofia, yesterday.

APC’ll create platform for Igbo presidency –Okorocha CHRIS NJOKU OWERRI

G

overnor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State has said that agitation for a president of Igbo extraction would soon be realised.

Okorocha said there were indications that the project would be achieved on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC. This was as the governor promised to meet with Senator Chris Ngige and Annie Okonkwo on the need for APC to pick a candidate between them for Anambra State governorship election slated for November.

Okorocha, who spoke at the weekend at the inauguration of the APC SouthEast Ward Mobilisers and Supporters’ Club at Ahiajoku Convention Centre, Owerri, the state capital, said the Igbo presidency

would be possible on the platform of the yet-to-be registered party.

He said: “Let me state categorically that Igbo presidency which appeared impossible in PDP would be actualised on the platform of APC.” According to him, Igbo are well accommodated and recognised in APC compared to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, which has relegated the zone to the background.

Okorocha expressed happiness that the Igbo were responding positively to the call to join APC. He said: “I am highly elated that our people are responding to this clarion call that has to do with our collective destiny and aspiration. It is a clear fact that Igbo have been relegated to sixth position in the political equation of our nation not minding the fact that we formed one

of the tripods upon which the nation stands.”

According to him, a situation where no Igboman becomes the President, VicePresident, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives or Chairman of the ruling party gives credence to the fact that the people have been relegated to the background by the PDP. He said: “But let me assure you today that our tears would be wiped away in APC as we have no doubt started well and will definitely finish on a very good note in this new party.

“Therefore, I make bold to say that APC is truly an Igbo party and should be embraced by the entire Igbo.”

The governor added that APC had gone beyond being a political party and had become a rallying point for the Igbo, thereby rekindling

hope for the much-needed Igbo unity and possible actualisation of the common agenda of the people.

Okorocha added that with successful inauguration of the ward Mobilisers and Supporters’ Club of APC, the party was now prepared to demonstrate its winning strategy in the governorship election in Anambra State.

He disclosed his plan to hold a crucial talk with Ngige and Okonkwo, APC’s frontline aspirants in a bid to ensure smooth and peaceful emergence of the party’s governorship candidate ahead of the polls.

Earlier, the Coordinator of the APC South-East Ward Mobilisers and Supporters’ Club, Hon. Chula Nwauwa, explained that the mobilisers were people carefully chosen with the capacity to entrench the party at the grassroots.

Anambra guber: APGA has a brighter chance –Umeh OBIORA IFOH ABUJA

T

he National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Chief Victor Umeh, is optimistic that despite the leadership crisis rocking the party, it had a good chance to win the Anambra State governorship election slated for November 16.

The Enugu Division of the Appeal Court last

week upturned the Enugu High Court ruling which removed Umeh as the national chairman of APGA. The chairman said at the weekend that the skirmishes witnessed in APGA, though had a toll on the party, it had remained united, saying that only a very few persons had been causing confusion in the party.

Umeh spoke when he received the leadership of the Intra-Party Advisory Council, IPAC, at the par-

ty’s national headquarters in Abuja.

He said: “The judgement of the Court of Appeal, Enugu Division, dealt decisively with the raging confusion in the leadership of APGA by coming out hard on the judgement delivered by the Chief Judge of Enugu State.

“What that means is that all the contents of the judgement of the Enugu High Court have been nullified. As the judgement fell, all things resting on that

judgement have also been set aside.

“There is no more leadership crisis in APGA; even the purported convention by those that said they were acting in obedience with the decision of the Enugu High Court judgement.”

Umeh said the position of law on the issues relating to the operations of APGA was meant to strengthen the internal democracy and the dispute handling mechanism of the party.

12

South South

Monday, July 22, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Navy arrests 23 suspected oil thieves in Bayelsa EMMA GBEMUDU YENAGOA

T

he Central Naval Command in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, has arrested 23 suspected oil thieves in two vessels laden with 250,000 litres of illegally refined fuel.

Fourteen of the suspects were arrested on board MT

NEITI makes case for oil producing communities CHIDI UGWU ABUJA

T

he Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) has called on the National Assembly to ensure uniformity in addressing the problems confronting communities hosting mineral resources, including oil.

NEITI Chairman, Ledum Mitee, made the call at the Senate while presenting NEITI’s position on the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) and on the proposed host communities fund provided for in the draft legislation.

He said: “NEITI believes that the preferred option is for the communities to be directly impacted by the funds through a process which pertains in the minerals sector in Nigeria, whereby the communities enter into an agreement with licensee or lease-holder, as the case may be, and agree as to terms and conditions regarding the fund”.

“NEITI’s position remains that the petroleum host communities fund should function according to the same or similar mode that is provided for under the existing Minerals and Mining Act.” The position, which is contained in a statement by NEITI Director of Communications, Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, also called for clarity in the mode of administration of the fund to ensure direct impact to the benefiting communities.

Mitee was said to have drew the attention of the Senate to a provision in Section 2 of the PIB which stated thus: “The entire property and control of all petroleum in, under or upon any lands within Nigeria, its territorial waters, or which forms part of its Continental shelf and Exclusive Economic Zone, is vested in the Government of the Federation”.

Rica along the Nun River, while nine others were nabbed on board a marine vessel MT Favour off Akassa River in Brass Local Government Area of the state.

The Flag Officer of the Naval Command, Rear Admiral Sidi Usman, spoke at the weekend in Yenagoa, while handing over the suspects to the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Tonye Ebitibituwa, who was represented by Chris Nwogu.

The vessels have been impounded by the naval authorities as investigation continues.

Usman, represented by

the Command's Operation Officer, Commodore Emmanuel Enemor, said rather than purchasing original products at certified loading points, the vessels allegedly diverted to the creeks to buy illegally refined fuel.

Usman said both captains of the impounded vessels had confessed to the alleged crime.

He said: "Investigations by the Navy revealed that MT Rica was operated by Alcylios Limited located at 25 Warehouse Road, Apapa, Lagos. MT Favour, before its arrest operated, under the business name of Petrol

Marine Trading and Shipping Company located at 60 Emekuku Street, D Line, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

“The laboratory analysis of the product samples from the vessels indicated that the AGO found on board was of low quality, thereby confirming that it may have been illegally refined.

“At the time of the arrest, the captains of both vessels could not tender their ship's documents, ship's logs, Nigeria Port Authority bunkering permits and certificate of registration with the Joint Task Force, Operation Pulo Shield.”

The official said the Navy was determined to curb illegal activities such as crude oil theft, illegal refining of stolen crude oil, pipeline vandalism, sea robbery and piracy, kidnapping and hijacking of vessels.

He said: "Besides the territorial waters, exclusive zone and the high sea, other water boundaries that are of serious concern to us in the fight against criminality are Brass River, Nun River, St. Nicholas River, Santa Barbara River, Sambreiro River, Middleton River, Akassa creek and the Foropa community.”

People at the Glo Slide & Bounce Concert in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, at the weekend.

Flood: A’ Ibom Governor’s Lodge under threat TONY ANICHEBE UYO

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his year’s downpour with its attendant flood is threatening to pull down the new N2.5 billon Akwa Ibom State Governor’s Lodge known as Hilltop Mansion.

Flood recently pulled down the Uyo prison fence, which is a few meters away from the Government

R

esidents of Port Harcourt and its environs who attended the Glo Slide & Bounce Concert held at the Aztech Arcum Event Centre at the weekend have commended Globacom for fulfilling its promise of providing unlimited fun at the show.

Speaking shortly after the event, the residents thanked Glo for bringing all the advertised top artistes to entertain them live, describing the Slide & Bounce Concert as a dream comes true.

“I thoroughly enjoyed the performance of all the artistes. Peter and Paul of PSquare were simply electrifying to say the least.

House.

Over the years, the old Uyo township stadium had been sunk by ravine as residents turned the place to refuse dump.

The state Commissioner for Environment, Prince Enobong Uwah, who raised the alarm in a statement made available to National Mirror in Uyo, the state capital, announced the prohibition of all human activities,

including extraction of sand and laterite from the ravine and adjourning areas.

The commissioner said: “The move to bar quarrying operations in the ravine comes on the heels of devastating gully erosion which spread so quickly that it is threatening the Government House at Willington Bassey Way and surrounding residential buildings around Ewet Offot commu-

nity in Uyo. “The Ministry of Environments is concerned with the threat of the widening gully erosion and possible disastrous effects on lives, property and public infrastructure, thus the desire to arrest the situation.”

Uwah, however, warned that those who flout the order barring human activities in the ravine would be arrested for prosecution.

PH residents hail Glo’s Slide & Bounce concert Omawumi and Chee, who grew up in Port Harcourt and sued for peace, Burna Boy, Flavour, Waje, Bez, MI and Lagbaja all gave their best. One cannot really ask for more,” said 30-year-old Peter Orodu, an actor who travelled from Yenagoa to attend the concert.

Precious Ahiakwo, a broadcaster, said: “Glo is adorable. It has the interest of the masses at heart. Basket Mouth and Okey Bakassi ensured that there was no dull moment during the show.

Port Harcourt city has not witnessed such an assemblage of A-list singers for

a very long time. The company should keep this up.”

Stella Onota, a 400 level Dentistry Student of University of Port Harcourt, who got a pure gold necklace gift from MI after being singled out for affection and who performed "One Naira" with the Africa Rapper Number One, said: “The Slide & Bounce concert is amazing. Singing with MI was out of this world. I think with the necklace gift and all the unforgettable fun, I have finally been rewarded for all my years of loyalty to Glo.” In the Glo Bounce With Artistes Singing Competi-

tion on You Tube for the week, Enukorah Nma, a fresh Theatre and Cinema graduate of University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and Inan Bassey Ekat, a final year Economics student of University of Abuja, won a Samsung Galaxy Grand Dual SIM phone each for their entries.

Speaking on behalf of the artistes, jazz exponent Emmanuel Bez Idakula, who had Port Harcourt residents screaming for the rendition of his mega hit, “Stupid song,” described the Slide & Bounce Concert as “very exciting and eye opening.”

He said: “Before the

18-year-old Anna Banner emerges MBGN

B

ayelsa State indigene 18-year-old Miss Anna Banner last Saturday beat 31 other contestants to emerge the overall winner of this year’s edition of the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria (MBGN).

The event, organised by the Silver Bird Group and sponsored by the Bayelsa State Government, was held amid tight security at the Government House Banquet Hall in Yenagoa.

The light complexion pageant was immediately appointed a Special Assistant on Culture and Tourism by Governor Seriake Dickson for making the state proud in the competition.

Banner, who was crowned by the 2012 MBGN, Miss Isabella Ayuk will represent the country at the Miss World beauty pageant scheduled to hold later in the year in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Entertainment analysts claimed that Banner's feat was attributed to the crowd from her home base, while others said her beauty and composure won the heart of the judges.

Earlier, Nollywood diva, Omotola Ekeinde, who was one of the judges, was presented by an award by Governor Dickson for her hard work.

Dickson, in a brief remark, looked closely at Omotola beaming with smiles and said: "Having seen you closely, I can see why they call you Omo sexy."

Shortly after the award, Omotola expressed appreciation to the Silver bird Group for the award, but regretted the bleak future of the Nigerian child. tour, people described my music as exotic, but I am pleasantly surprised travelling to places that I have not visited before and discovering that Nigerians appreciate my music.”

Idakula said all the cities visited on the tour, he enjoyed Ibadan the most because of the energy and electricity of the crowd and the sheer resolve of the audience to enjoy themselves.

He urged residents of Calabar, Uyo, Lagos and Abuja billed to host the concert in subsequent weeks to troop out en masse to enjoy the show packaged by Glo to appreciate its customers for their patronage in the last 10 years.

Monday, July 22, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

13

Politics

APGA crisis: Not yet Uhuru despite Umeh’s victory

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Buhari, Tinubu’s attitude poses challenge to APC –PDP OBIORA IFOH ABUJA

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he Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has stated that undemocratic attitudes of the leader of the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and the national leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu could prove a disaster for the emergence of the All Progressive Congress, APC. The party, therefore called on the two leaders to stop parading themselves as saints and democrats,

saying Nigerians already know their dictatorial antecedents.

The ruling party took stock of activities of the two men and submitted that they are bitter because they know that “they will lose the 2015 general elections despite the so-called merger of their parties which is built on deceit, corruption and falsehood and as such want to invent excuses” ahead of time.

PDP Acting National Publicity Secretary, Tony Okeke in a statement issued yesterday in Abuja said “Bu-

hari and Tinubu who are well-known despots lacked the moral justification to pontificate on democracy especially when all their actions are dictatorial.

The PDP said the CPC in castigating Buhari’s former aide, Yinka Odumakin for exposing the atrocities of the CPC leader and those of ACN officials in a recent statement shows the CPC as a party characterized by falsehood.

“Buhari has refused to

change his dictatorial tendencies. He has continued to impose himself as leader of any political party where he finds himself and use his despotic powers to handpick candidates for elections. In 2003, he forced John Nwodo Jr. and other presidential candidates in the then APP to step down for him leading to the famous ‘I weep for Nigeria’ statement by Nwodo. In 2003, Buhari imposed himself and failed.

In 2007 and 2011 he imposed

himself and failed. If he imposes himself and his lackey Tinubu or Tinubu’s wife as running mate in 2015, he will also fail,” the party said.

The statement also described Tinubu as a man lacking in democratic credentials and as such should learn to advice himself before pouring lame vituperations on the PDP, especially with regard to issues of internal democracy.

“Tinubu has been going around making statements

to portray himself as a hero of democracy from which imaginary pedestal he continues to vilify and accuse the PDP of working against Nigeria’s democracy.

“It is to say the least, rather pathetic that the opposition leader has failed to realise that Nigerians have since become fully aware of his double facedness as he has continued to exhibit crass dictatorship in the leadership of the ACN and states controlled by the ACN.”

Na’Abba decries lack of internal democracy in parties AUGUSTINE MADU-WEST KANO

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ormer Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Ghali Umar Na’Abba has identified the absence of internal democracy in the country’s political parties as the major threat to the nation’s nascent democracy.

He noted that the development has adversely affected the nation’s political system thus denying youths their rights to fully participate in politics.

Na’Abba spoke at a one-day seminar, with the theme: ‘Democracy and the Public Service in Nigeria, - a Case for Organisational Culture’, organised by Northern Youths Assembly (NYA) held at Aminu Kano Centre for Democratic Research and Training, Mumbayya House, Kano.

“This evil is being perpetrated virtually by all political parties in the country,” he said.

To him, all political parties are guilty of this crime, saying that there is nothing more evil been perpetrated by those who are still in democracy than in indulging in total elimination of internal democracy.

“Today in Nigeria, what this has done is to kill the future of the youths, particularly governors of this country, who have sealed the future of the youths, as they cannot make any progress through their God-given endowment. This is so because they have been suppressed in PDP and other political parties because they cannot use their endowment by allowing them to be elected in any free and fair election by political parties.”

L-R: Minority Leader, Anambra State House of Assembly, Hon. Tony Mounago; Senator Chris Ngige and Chief Ben Oranusi, during Ngige’s visit to Anaocha, Njikola and Donukofa Federal Constituency at the weekend.

FELIX NWANERI

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he Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission, LASIEC, has disclosed that there are 6.2 million registered voters in the state.

The commission gave the statistics at the weekend during a stakeholders’ forum it organised on the delineation of

Lagos has 6.2m voters –LASIEC wards and creation of additional polling units in the state.

LASIEC also disclosed that there are 376 existing wards recognised by it and 8,465 polling units in the state, adding that the number of existing wards and polling units which have been in use for about a decade needed to be increased

Consensus: PDP chieftain alleges threat to life ABIODUN NEJO ADO EKITI

A

Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, chieftain in Ekiti State, Comrade Ebenezer Olaleye, has alleged threat to his life over his support for the consensus option agreed on by the party for the selection of its governorship candidate.

Olaleye, a former

House of Assembly aspirant, who said a prominent member of the party was behind the threat to his life, said his alarm became necessary due to the level of desperation being exhibited by some aspirants in the party, especially those opposed to the consensus option.

He alleged that a particular governorship aspirant in the party was not pleased

with the steps being taken to ensure victory for the party in the 2014 election, and was therefore threatening to deal with some perceived enemies.

The PDP chieftain told journalists in Ado Ekiti yesterday that “I do not want to wait until what happened to Dr. Ayodeji Daramola on August 14, 2006 and Taiye Fasuba on September 11, 2004 happen

to me, hence my decision to alert the public and security agents.”

Olaleye, who said that his travail began following an advert he placed last week on the need for PDP to move forward with a view to winning the 2014 election, called on the security agencies to rise to their responsibilities of ensuring security of lives and property.

to accommodate the geometric increase in population in the state.

The chairman of the commission, Justice Abdul-Fatai Adeyinka (rtd), explained that the delineation of wards and creation of additional polling units will help in producing more representatives in government for the electorate at the grassroots level and remove the pains voters usually experienced while casting their votes at polling booths distant from where they reside.

Speaking at a forum in Surulere Local Government Area, the chairman of the council, Tajudeen Ajide commended the commission for its efforts on the exercise. He, however, sought to know how the additional financial cost involved in maintaining the councillors

to be produced from the exercise would be met.

In his contribution, the chairman of Itire-Ikate Local Council Development Area, Hon. Hakeem Bamgbala, appealed to the commission to embark on public enlightenment on the exercise to educate the electorate on the impending changes in the political process at the local government level of the state.

Also speaking, a former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Arole Fancy assured the commission of stakeholders’ support, noting that the commission deserved support because it successfully conducted elections into councils in the state since 2003 when other states are still using caretaker committees to run the affairs of their councils.

14

Politics

Monday, July 22, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

APGA crisis: Not yet Uhuru despite Umeh’s victory I t was a tortuous journey to victory for Victor Umeh, the embattled National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, when the Court of Appeal, sitting in Enugu reinstated him to his position last Monday.

In a lead judgement delivered by Justice Tom Yakubu and to which the two other justices in the appeal panel; Paul Galinje (chairman) and Modupe Kwasami concurred, the appellate court granted all the four reliefs sought by Umeh as well as resolved all the issues set out for determination in his favour.

Justice Yakubu dismissed all the objections raised by an expelled member of the party in Enugu State, Jude Okuli, against the appeal, saying the lower court had no jurisdiction ab initio to entertain the case brought before it, since, according to him, the plaintiff (Okuli), having been expelled by his state chapter from the party, has no locus standi to institute the action.

He added that even if Okuli was not expelled from the party, he was neither a contestant for the position of national chairman nor a member of the National Working Committee, NWC, whose interest may be affected if Umeh remained in office.

“The court must concern itself to the issues submitted to it by parties, the judgement of the lower court smacks of a sympathiser weeping more than the bereaved and the court is not supposed to be a Father Christmas or a charitable organisation.

“I am of the considered opinion that the respondent (Okuli) has no locus standi to institute the action and the trial court shouldn’t have wasted time trying the matter because it assumed jurisdiction which it did not possess. There are several authorities that the courts should not interfere with the internal affairs of the political parties except on issue of wrongful substitution as contained in Section 87 (9) of the Electoral Act 1999 as amended,” Justice Yakubu said.

Concurring with the lead judgement, Justice Galinje reiterated that if a court was not competent to hear a matter, it was a waste of time to hear and determine the matter.

“A court should not award that which was not claimed in pleadings by parties.

A court is not a charitable organisation.

This order was made without jurisdiction. The order is a nullity,” he said, adding that the third judge in the panel, Kwasami, who was unavoidably absent, also agreed with the lead judgement.

Chief Judge of Enugu State, Innocent Umezulike, it would be recalled, had in his ruling on a case against the APGA chairman, filed by Okuli, ordered the removal of Umeh on the ground that his tenure expired in 2010.

The judge went further to declare the November 10, 2011 national convention of the party held in Awka, where Umeh and other NWC members were re-elected as unconstitutional and urged the party to conduct a fresh convention for the election of its national officers.

Expectedly, Umeh proceeded to the appellate court to challenge the decision of the lower court, which in the course of proceedings, granted a stay of execution of Umezulike’s judgement, paving

FELIX NWANERI reports that the battle for the national chairmanship of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, may be far from over despite the recent Court of Appeal judgement on the matter, as a faction in the feud is yet to be weary of litigations that have taken toll on the party’s fortune.

Umeh

Okwu

THE PARTY UNDER MY LEADERSHIP IS THE

APGA; 18 MEMBERS OF UMEH’S NWC ARE WITH ME. UMEH IS A KING WITHOUT KINGDOM, HE

AUTHENTIC

IS A GENERAL WITHOUT ARMY, HE CAN PARADE HIMSELF FURTHER BUT IT WILL SOON END Obi

the way for him to continue as APGA national chairman pending the resolution of the substantive appeal.

The Governor Peter Obi’s faction of the party, in what seemed a pre-emptive measure, had few hours before the ruling, conducted its national convention where it elected Maxi Okwu, as the national chairman of APGA. The convention was said to have hurriedly packaged for a Sunday midnight (April 8) to beat the Appeal Court’s judgement for the next day.

Reacting to last Monday’s judgement, Umeh commended the judiciary for standing for the truth, adding that his confidence in it has been reinforced.

He recalled the role played by the judiciary in APGA’s formation and what the party went through to protect the mandate given to Governor Obi by the people of Anambra State, regretting that it was unfortunate that the governor “has forgotten the processes we went through to establish him as governor.”

He added: “It was the Nigerian judiciary that pronounced its final authority and established him (Obi) as governor. All the things the powers that be did against Governor Obi from 2003 to 2006 and 2007, continuously, were the things he decided to do against me.

“The courts stopped those who were

out to destroy him. He forgot that this same court will also protect me. The same judiciary that protected Governor Obi has also protected me and protected APGA. We thank them because justice is something that is delivered with courage.”

The APGA national chairman further recalled that Obi was impeached at 4a.m. in 2006 “and at 1a.m., he (Ob) held a convention at Awka against me.” He also noted that Obi’s case was pending at the Court of Appeal in 2007 when the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, conducted election in Anambra and declared Andy Uba winner.

“Remember, the Supreme Court said for the fact that that appeal was pending, INEC ought not to have conducted the election. My appeal was pending and Governor Obi conducted an illegal convention. So, I am sorry for them,” he said.

Indication that Umeh will triumph in the protracted APGA leadership crisis had emerged in May when INEC affirmed his chairmanship of the party.

In a letter signed by the then Secretary to the commission, Abdulahi Kaugama, addressed to Umeh, the electoral body stated: “The Commission notes the ruling of the Court of Appeal which stayed execution of the order of the Enugu High Court that restrained Chief Sir Victor Umeh from parading himself as National

Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA.” “Consequently, the Commission will continue to relate with Chief Sir Victor Umeh as the National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA. Please accept the assurances of the Commission’s highest regards,” the letter added: Analysts and stakeholders who spoke on the latest court judgement, were of the view that it is high time the various warring factions in the party close ranks and work towards emerging tops in the state’s governorship election scheduled for November.

The chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Environment and a gubernatorial aspirant in the forthcoming governorship poll in the state, Mrs. Uche Ekwunife, who described the judgement as victory for democracy, urged both Obi and Umeh to reconcile their differences in the interest of the party.

The Abia State chapter chairman of the party, Prince Nnanna Ukaegbu, who shared the same view, called on members of the party to join hands with the Umehled NWC to ensure victory for APGA in the Anambra governorship poll.

“We are happy that the judiciary has returned to the path of reason. This is not the time for us to stand and dance on the streets because we have in our hands an election in Anambra State on November 16. So, I am calling on the aggrieved members of the party to join hands with us and defend our title for the spirit of our great leader, Odimegwu Ojukwu, is now awaken and is leading the battle.” he said.

The Conference of Nigeria of Nigeria Political Parties, CNPP, on its part through its Secretary General, Willy Ezeugwu urged all contending groups in APGA to unite behind Umeh, so that multi-party democracy could thrive in Nigeria.

But the supplications are likely not to be heeded by the Obi and Okwu-led faction of the party, which has rejected the appellate court’s judgement and is likely to head to the Supreme Court. Okwu insists that “his leadership remains focused until the contradictions in the judgement are resolved.”

His words: “You may be aware that there is another judgement of this Court of Appeal. The judgement of an Awka High Court on our convention was upheld by this same Enugu division of Court of Appeal. As it is, there is now conflicting judgements of the Court of Appeal. It is unfortunate that the party has to go through other turmoil, but I know that it will end very soon.

“The party under my leadership is the authentic APGA; 18 members of Umeh’s NWC are with me. Umeh is a king without kingdom, he is a general without army, he can parade himself further but it will soon end.”

While the quest for who controls APGA at the national level has not only taken a toll on the fortunes of the party, but almost spelt its doom, the forthcoming governorship election in Anambra State will determine if the factions will sheathe their swords to pursue a common goal – producing Governor Obi’s successor.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

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Monday, July 22, 2013

15

The North, US apocalypse and 2015 ALL THE 36 STATES AND THE CENTRE MEET

HeartBeat

EVERY MONTH IN ABUJA

CALLISTUS

WITH THEIR SHARP

OKE

Callistusoke@nationalmirroronline.net 08054103275 (SMS ONLY)

R

ecent scary developments in the country forcefully thrust on our consciousness a waiting-to-be-fulfilled prophecy the United States of America had made concerning Nigeria. The long and short of the apocalyptic prophecy is that Nigeria might not exist beyond 2015!

This conclusion, the Americans affirmed, was predicated on certain tested and verifiable premises. The prophecy hangs, waiting for fulfillment or refutation.

That prophecy concerning Nigeria in 2015 is a product of a long process of the juxtaposition of several variables and the result of simulated scenarios. The final prediction is the worst case scenario! It could be avoided if…

If we agree that science (social sciences inclusive) and technology rule the world, Nigerians approach to 2015 should therefore, be one of unabated anxiety. When man was close to nature, he relied on the message from God his maker. The prophets were then the intermediary. From Genesis to Revelation, the Holy Book is filled with prophecies showing how God has intervened, is intervening and will continue to

I

n the Muslim world, Ramadan is always awaited with great expectations and resolutions. I was opportune to observe Ramadan in the sultanate of Brunei Darussalaam and Malaysia a few years back while pursuing graduate studies at its university. It was an unforgettable experience. Our tarawih prayers were longer and most exciting with long recitations of Quran on each rakaat. Each night was a banquet at the university masjid and each member of the jamaah had a gift pack of delicacies to take home. The sultan himself imported dates to be distributed to citizens of the small oil rich nation.

I remember returning to Nigeria during the December break of 2007 with left over boxes of dates as gift to family members. I still relish the open houses of Bandar Seri Begawan. For three consecutive days after Ramadan, the Sultan and family hosted his citizens, pampering them with food, drinks and gifts.

Each family with means threw open its doors to guests and lavishly entertain them. This could go on more for than three weeks after Ramadan.

The nearest of to such memorable moments was while I was the National Concord correspondent in Yola, Adamawa State in the early 90s. I remember a certain Alhaji Yussuf, then a commissioner for justice, taking care of our daily iftaar after maghrib prayers in his house. He even made provision to sustain the practice while he went on Umrah. Sokoto offered similar friendliness

KNIVES TO SHARE THE OIL-MONEY-BAKEDNATIONAL-CAKE

intervene in the affairs of His people in all the continents.

Our era is one of the deployment of science and technology to make postulations and predictions that have oracular power.

We are two years away from the US prophecy, and for those with canny power of clairvoyance, the last Tuesday ultimatum to the rest of the country by six northern groups, Arewa Consultative Forum, Northern Elders’ Forum, Arewa Reawakening Forum, Arewa Research and Development Project, Northern Union and the Code Group, on behalf of the North, after a strategic political meeting in Kaduna, that the region will settle for nothing less than the presidency in 2015, is enough to keep our jaws dropped.

It is a battle cry that will provoke reactions.

Is there an unseen hand at work to ensure the fulfillment an apocalypse foretold?

Underlining the region’s obsession with what I call Project 2015, Professor Ango Abdullahi , the self appointed spokesman of the region had said “the north is deter-

mined and is insistent that the leadership of the country will rotate to it in 2015”, and dismissing any likelihood of Jonathan posing any real threat , he added for effect, “the South South is a tiny enclave of a few people, perhaps not bigger than Kaduna state”.

There are certain observations to be made to put this development in context.

First, there is nothing like a monolithic North any longer. A reconfigured Nigeria has six geopolitical zones, three apiece for the North and South. Second, the ever overbearing Hausa-Fulani oligarchy, pretentiously and arrogantly assuming a messianic role in the North, takes the allegiance of the region’s other numerous sub nationalities for granted. It is a wrong calculation. Third, the nation’s power calculus cannot be based on a unilineal factor: population. Therefore, the argument that the North “can keep power as long as it wants” by factor of demographic weight determinism, is unsustainable.

However, the coded message in Professor Ango Abdullahi’s unguarded statement is we have the capacity to undermine any government that does not have our blessing! Here, Boko Haram is the subtle blackmail. The Hausa-Fulani power oligarchs have always humbled the rest of the country with the hollow and vaunting expletive that they “conceded power to the South in 1999”. How wrong they are.

The North has once again manifested its aversion to a minority-led Federal Government. They are still riled by the

fact that a common South South, which in the words of Prof Abdullahi, “ is a tiny enclave of a few people, perhaps not bigger than Kaduna state”, lords it over the North, a region bigger than the old Western and Eastern regions combined together.

This position is more of hypothetical longing than a reflection of our current geopolitical reality. Nigeria is no more a tripodal polity of North, West and East.

There are now 36 enclaves spread across six geopolitical regions, and South South, which is now so scornfully derided, has six of the 36 enclaves.

The era of preponderance of population as strong factor in political negotiation is far past. Other variables have crept in. Can the North have their population and we South Southerners allowed fiscal control of our God given endowment (oil) in a more balanced federation that is operating true federalism? The South South that is so scorned oils the politico-economic machine of the country.

No oil, no Nigeria. Quid pro quo. All the 36 states and the centre meet every month in Abuja with their sharp knives to share the oil-money-baked-national-cake.

More importantly, the ugliness of the Nigerian project now is that the different ethnic nationalities have developed the capacity for insurgency and terrorism.

They all have militia groups that could be nurtured into fighting machines.

So, if 2015 will be, it is one regrettable end game.

Muslims beyond Ramadan while there for my NYSC in 1989. Someone would always provide kose, akamu, dates, water and all kinds of fruits to break the fast. There was a touching experience I had in Yola: A Christian woman would send chilled water to the mosque for devotees to break their fast!

My childhood experiences of Ramadan were in Oke-Foko area of Ibadan, Oyo State capital. From around 5pm, we would all have gathered at Mosalasi Adesope for the taosiri. Even if we were too young to make sense of the daily quranic exegesis, the assurance that gifts of fruits and food would flow kept us till iftaar. One feature of this season that I romanticize about is the sense of family devotion and responsibility. Late home coming fathers and philandering husbands arrive early for iftaar and aasamu as responsible breadwinners.

Mothers who hardly cooked at home became permanent citizens in the kitchens as virtuous wives. Children who could not be kept at home were subdued by the fasting. The entire society was gripped by the season of ocean of blessings. The roads got deserted early. The masjids became busy.

For some businesses, Ramadan is its season. Jobless women and gossips become fruit hawkers. Take this case in Ikotun last year. I had just finished observing my asr prayer and was returning from the masjid when in my front was a moin moin hawker carrying the spicy bean delicacy in a transparent basket. The popular edible that goes well with akamu (corn pap) sells well

THE MOST REWARDING AND MINDBOGGLING

SADAQAH OR CHARITY IS GIVEN IN RAMADAN

in Ramadan as a first course item for iftaar menu. Guess what? The woman is a paraga (local concoctions) hawker outside Ramadan season!

The most rewarding and mindboggling sadaqah or charity is given in Ramadan. Once-a-day-prayer Muslims are turned monks at night doing tahajjud, the nightly vigil. Those whose Quran had gathered dust since the past eleven months become regular reciters and could even finish a whole Quran twice before the end of the season. It is a season Tasbaah (the rosary) and jalabia and hijaab (long robes won by Muslims) sellers make good sales. Muslim singers release new hit albums. Rave making preachers return to the mimbaar or the studios for more hits.

Every group, society or university Muslim alumni association stages its own annual Ramadan public lecture.

Now, coming into vogue is the Ramadan hampers to be distributed to family members, business associates and colleagues and well-wishers and mentors.

It is always a big business. Some Muslim business concerns use Ramadan to launch their new lines of businesses.

I marvel at the home decorations imported from Malaysia that Arabel is

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now marketing. They are very beautiful collections to adorn the homes and the roads and the shops and the masjids.

Although Ramadhan is just a month, but there is one night which is most sought after in the last 10 days: the lailatul qadr or the night of power. It is estimated to be more valuable than a thousand months. If you a lucky to attain the grace of this night, count yourself blessed.

If these are the rewarding activities that characterize the month of blessing, forgiveness and liberation, I wonder why many Muslims still cannot sustain the spirit of Ramadan in their entire lives. After all, Allah made fasting incumbent on every adult Muslim. So my admonition: Let us be Muslims beyond Ramadan!

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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Editorial

Monday, July 22, 2013

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W

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Nigeria’s HIV/AIDS status

ith 3.4 million citizens currently living with HIV/AIDS, Nigeria has been rated the second largest country, after South Africa, where the pandemic holds sway.

This was the major highlight of a recent public hearing on a bill seeking an end to discrimination against HIV victims by the Senate Committee on Health. DirectorGeneral of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Professor John Idoko, made the revelation.

Only last month, a United Nations’ report had also painted the gloomy picture that with 60,000 Nigerian children infected with HIV last year, Nigeria was harbouring the highest number of children with the virus in the world. Titled ‘2013 Progress Report on The Global Plan: Towards the elimination of new HIV infections among children by 2015 and keeping their mothers alive’, the report said: “In several countries, the pace of decline in the number of children newly infected has been slow and the numbers have actually risen in Angola.

Nigeria has the largest number of children acquiring HIV infection - nearly 60,000 in 2012, a number that has remained largely unchanged since 2009… Nearly all indicators assessed show stagna-

THE FIGHT AGAINST HIV/AIDS IN THE COUNTRY, MOST PROBABLY, HAS BECOME ONE OF THOSE WARS BEING FOUGHT ON THE PAGES OF NEWSPAPERS tion and suggest that Nigeria is facing significant hurdles”.

President Goodluck Jonathan, at the opening of a meeting of the Global Power Women Network Africa in Abuja recently, identified poverty as a major problem to be addressed as part of efforts to control HIV/AIDS. “For us in Africa, to fight AIDS, we must also fight poverty. African leaders must ensure that we create wealth for the citizens”, the president said. Indeed, reports indicate that an estimated 3.6 percent of the Nigerian population are living with HIV and AIDS. Though HIV prevalence is said to be much lower in Nigeria than in other African countries, it was calculated, based on the large size of Nigeria’s population, that by the end of 2009, there were roughly 3.3 million people living with HIV. Approximately 220,000 people were said to have died from AIDS in Nigeria in 2009. The drop in life

July 22, 2011 Norway witnessed twin terror attacks. The first, a car bomb which targeted government buildings in central Oslo, killed eight people and injured at least 209 others. In the second attack at a summer youth camp on the island of Utoya, a gunman dressed in a home-made police uniform with false identification gained access to the island and subsequently opened fire at the participants, killing 69 of them and injuring at least 110, 55 of them seriously.

expectancy to 52 years (overall) in 2010 was also partly attributed to the HIV/AIDS scourge, With the first two cases of HIV/ AIDS established in 1985 and made public in 1986, the Federal Government established the National AIDS Advisory Committee (NAAC) in 1987, followed by the National Expert Advisory Committee on AIDS (NEACA).

The scourge attracted more attention by way of prevention, treatment and care during former President Olusegun Obasanjo administration. It was during the period that a Presidential Committee on AIDS, NACA and a three-year HIV/AIDS Emergency Action Plan (HEAP) came on board. The country likewise hosted the Organisation of African Unity’s first African Summit on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Other Related Infectious Diseases in 2001.

Reports say, unfortunately, that despite all government efforts to put the pandemic under control, it was estimated in 2006 that just 10 percent of HIV-infected women and men were receiving antiretroviral therapy, while only 7 percent of pregnant women were receiving treatment to reduce the risk of mother-to-child transmission of HIV. NACA, in 2010, launched a comprehensive

ON THIS DAY July 22, 2003

Members of 101st Airborne of the United States, aided by Special Forces, attacked a compound in Iraq, killing Saddam Hussein’s sons, Uday and Qusay, along with Mustapha Hussein, Qusay’s 14-year- old son, and a bodyguard. Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti (April 28, 1937 – 30 December 2006) was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from July 16, 1979 until April 9, 2003.

National Strategic Framework on HIV/AIDS control to cover 2010 to 2015, which required an estimated N756 billion (around US$ 5 billion) to implement.

From the depressing reports currently being received on the prevalence of the infection in the country, however, it seems obvious that the problem has not been receiving the kind of official attention it truly deserves.

The fight against HIV/AIDS in the country, most probably, has become one of those wars being fought on the pages of newspapers, the radio and television.

It is not about pontificating about poverty and the creation of wealth, like President Jonathan said, the government at all levels should be seen to be making tangible contributions to the control of HIV/AIDS and ensuring that anti-retroviral drugs/therapy are made available to patients in need and treatment given to women already infected to reduce the risk of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, at affordable cost. We do not think that emphasis should be on fighting stigmatization or preaching public acceptance for those already afflicted. The greater task is to enlighten citizens not yet affected on the causes of the infection and how best to avert the calamity.

July 22, 1976 Japan completed its last reparation to the Philippines for war crimes committed during the imperial Japan’s conquest of the country in the Second World War. World War II (WWII or WW2), also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world’s nations, including all of the great powers who eventually formed two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis.

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Analysts have called for fiscal discipline and effective management of the Sovereign wealth Fund (SWF) by the Federal Government in order to avoid the looming economic danger as predicted in the recent World Bank’s Nigeria Economic Report

By Udo Onyeka

T

here have been several calls in the past by experts for the Federal Government to always take a prudent fiscal stance with regards to the management of the Nigerian economy.

However, those cautionary notes seem not to have been taken seriously, as there are indications that the much touted growth in the economy which has repeatedly failed to cascade down to many Nigerians who still come below $1 per day may continue for some time to come.

Even before the World Bank faulted the Federal Government’s management of oil revenues in its May Nigeria Economic Report (NER), analysts at Financial Derivatives Company (FDC) Limited, one of Nigeria’s leading financial consulting firms, had revealed weaknesses in the institutional framework for macroeconomic management in the country.

Indeed, analysts have in the recent years continued to highlight the concern that the Nigerian economic statistics reveals a stark contrast between economic growth and minimal welfare improvements for much of the population.

Nigeria’s annual growth rates that average over seven per cent in official data during the last decade place the nation among the fastest growing economies in the world. This growth official data says is concentrated particularly in trade and agriculture, which would suggest substantial welfare benefits for many Nigerians.

According to the World Bank Report, Nigeria’s short term macroeconomic outlook looks generally strong, with the likelihood of higher growth, lower

inflation, and reserve accumulation. “This will present the government with an opportunity to make progress in key reforms and public investments associated with the Transformation Agenda for job creation, diversification, and more effective governance, economic growth has not automatically translated into better economic and social welfare for Nigerians.

The NER however notes that the much vaunted poverty reduction and job creation have not kept pace with population growth, implying social distress for an increasing number of Nigerians.

The Bank said Nigeria will need to build up its fiscal reserve to protect the country from oil price volatility and also increase internally generated revenue to compensate for what will likely be declining oil revenues relative to the size of the economy.

“Given that Nigerian GDP is growing much faster than oil output, and is experiencing significant inflation at a stable exchange rate, the size of Government oil revenues relative to GDP should decline even in the event that oil prices increase.

This was already the case in 2012, as Government oil revenues fell from an estimated 23.6 per cent to 19.7 per cent of GDP. This decline may increase budgetary pressures and justifies a prudent fiscal stance”, the report said.

However, more than two months after the release of the World Bank report, there is yet to be an official explanation by the Government to underpin the various assumptions made in the report. The government has also not come up with any policy measure to address this concern, instead, “ it is currently battling the National Assembly for an appropriation to the 2013 budget”, an analyst

Okonjo-Iweala

commented.

President, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, LCCI, Goodie Ibru expressed concern on the extreme dependence of government finances and external trade balances on proceeds from the oil, adding that this exposes the nation to risks and fluctuations of oil price and production. “The unfolding global oil market scenario and the shortfalls in domestic oil output pose a major threat to the 2013 budget. At an output level of 1.85 million against the budgeted 2.54 million barrels, Nigeria currently records an estimated shortfall of N10.7 billion ($69 million) daily due to oil theft, bunkering, illegal refineries and rising spate of insecurity.

“The domestic and international issues facing the oil and gas sector pose both risks and opportunities for the Nigerian economy. The greatest risk is the potential shock to fiscal sustainability if the global oil price slumps at a time when Nigeria’s oil output is declining.

“The permanent hedge against the impending oil market glut is a substantial diversification of the economy from oil to nonoil activities. In the short term however, enacting a competitive, inward looking Petroleum Sector Act – the PIB is germane.

“While we note that the passage and implementation of the PIB will not entirely eliminate the

Ibru

problem, it would expand investment in the sector. Curbing corruption and other forms of fiscal leakages would further stabilize the economy,” Ibru said.

According to a financial analyst, Ikenna Okwudili, the gains from the accumulation of Excess Crude Account, ECA, in the past few years are fragile and may not be sustained if the fall in oil price continues.

He said that several pressure points have developed in the Nigerian economy over the last couple of months and all exposing the country’s vulnerability to a sharp and sustained decline in oil revenues, adding that because of a shortfall in oil revenues in the federation account, the Federal Government has authorized withdrawals from the Excess Crude Account and Sovereign Wealth Fund, SWF, for distribution

among the tiers of government.

The balance has decreased by more than $4bn this year, to $5.3bn at end-May, although some payouts have been driven by political expediency.

The analysts expressed concern over inability of the government to rise to the challenge of decreasing oil price by expanding its revenue based from non oil sectors.

Former President Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) Mazi Okechukwu Unegbu, said a situation where oil accounts for 95 per cent of exports and 75 per cent of consolidated budgetary revenues in Nigeria, is not particularly good for the economy.

According to him, the country needs to find a formula that will enable the wealth of the nation to cascade to the generality of the populace through rapid creation of jobs, which he

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‘

Orji

the much vaunted poverty reduction and job creation have not kept pace with population growth, implying social distress for an increasing number of Nigerians

He said that in taking decision on the MPR, the committee was of the view that government spending will constitute a major risk to the inflation and exchange rate outlook, thus advising prudence in monetary policy action at this time.

“The CBN should not change rates for the sake of changing rates, we respond to situations.

The government will spend more money, we will keep monetary policy very tight, if the spending gets excessive, we will respond appropriately. The risk, if there is any from the fiscal side, is that we may actually have to tighten policy further if

‘

said would begin with fixing the energy sector.

Many analysts have said that the first step to stabilising the economy is for the Federal Government to begin to reduce its expenses are hardly on infrastructure.

For instance, Central Bank of Nigeria CBN, Governor, Lamido Sanusi had stated at a forum in Lagos that Federal Government’s high spending was one of the major reasons why interest rate could not be lowered at this time.

Sanusi who spoke at first National Risk Management Conference said that the CBN’s Monetary Policy Committee MPC did not see any reason to soften the benchmark rate for banks to lend to customers, adding “that it is not that if we reduce the Monetary Policy Rate MPR credit and lending to especially real sector would go up.”

According to the Sanusi, the Federal Government spent over N2 trillion in four months. Government spending will continue to grow especially now that it is spending huge amount of money in fighting terrorism and insecurity. The emergency rule declared in the three states will result in additional spending by government; the apex bank might have to tighten the MPR if there are serious risks on the fiscal side.

Sanusi

this warrants. I don’t think that at this point in time, a reduction in rates is not imminent”, he said.

Regional Head of Research, Africa for Standard Chartered Bank, Razia Khan, had said in her comment about the MPC’s keeping its policy rate on hold at 12 per cent that despite the CBN’s estimate of a healthy level of FX reserves, with import cover thought to be sufficient for 13 months but that given recent budget augmentation using ECA proceeds, there was need for caution as there are many reasons pointing to a slowdown in other sectors.

Meanwhile, the investment arm of the Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) – the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) – has approved an investment allocation of $850 million for the three investment windows of the SWF. Managing Director/CEO of NSIA, Uche Orji, said the Future Generations Fund and the Nigeria Infrastructure Fund will each get $325 million or 32.5 per cent while the Stabilisation Fund will receive $200 million or 20 per cent The remaining 15 per cent of $150 million, he said “will be kept as unallocated for now, and used to top up each of the ring-fenced funds, as opportunities arise.”

Orji said the plan “aims to balance the infrastructure need of the current generation and the need for savings for the future generation of Nigerians.”

On Infrastructure Fund, Orji said: “a very detailed and thorough review of possible investment areas and projects is ongoing. The investments being considered with the infrastructure fund are housing, agriculture, power, water resources, transportation, sports, aviation and health care.”

The objective of the NSIA he explained is to build returns above inflation, and the reporting currency will be the dollar.

He said the Nigeria infrastruc-

ture fund has geographical restrictions which is not applicable to the other two funds.

These funds Orji said “will be managed in-house and the idea is to earn commercial returns a sub set of the fund should be devoted to social infrastructure.”

The SWF, Finance Minister, Dr Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala has repeadly said was part of the economic strategies put in place to engineer Nigeria’s economic growth.

This is even more so as the NER had projected a continuous decline in the share of oil revenues in the GDP, driven by a slow expected expansion in oil output in the short term, together with GDP growth, and expected real appreciation of the naira.

“Thus, maintaining sizable distributions of oil revenues to budget and building up a fiscal reserve to protect the country from oil price volatility will likely become even more of a challe nge.

“To make growth more inclusive, the authorities initiated a comprehensive programme in 2012, prioritising macroeconomic stability and reforms to boost competitiveness and productivity, especially in labour-intensive sectors.

“Initial outcomes have been generally favourable although progress in some areas has been slower than originally envisaged,” an analyst said. BC

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Business Courage

Monday, July 22, 2013

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First City Monument Bank (FCMB) Plc recently donated to the Pan-Atlantic University (PAU), a Students Centre at the school’s ultra-modern campus at Ibeju-Lekki in Lagos. From right to left: Group Head, Marketing and Communications FCMB, Ikechukwu Kalu; the Vice Chancellor of Pan-Atlantic University (PAU), Professor Juan Elegido; Divisional Head, Human Resources and Change Management, FCMB, Felicia Obozuwa and the Dean School of Media and Communication of PAU, Professor Emevwo A. Biakolo, at the presentation.

Customers owe PHCN N9bn

T

he Chief Executive Officer, Eko Electricity Distribution Company, Oladele Amoda, has said that customers under its network were owing over N9 billion.

Amoda told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that a large chunk of the amount was owed by government agencies.

He said that the huge debt could be traced to overbilling, estimated bills and complaints from customers which had lingered for long.

The PHCN boss said that the debt had adversely affected the operations of the company.

“No business company can deliver with such a high debt profile because the company needs to improve its services to the customers. This amount is for already consumed energy and we need the payment so that we can improve our services. That is why we have been sensitising the public on the importance of bill settlement,’’ he said.

The CEO urged the customers to pay their bills promptly, adding that vandalism had nearly crippled the company’s operations.

Amoda also appealed to indebted customers to clear their bills, saying that a large number of the customers were indebted.

He said that with the ongoing Credit Advance Payment Metering Implementation (CAPMI), issues associated with overbilling and estimated bills would be addressed. ``About 50 per cent of our customers are yet to be metered, but we hope that soonest, issues of not having prepaid meters will come to pass.

The PHCN boss said that the public needed to be enlightened to change their attitude toward public property.

He said the company had concluded arrangements with a meter-producing firm to make available meters that would be allotted to willing customers within the zone.

Amoda, however, urged customers to be vigilant with PHCN installations in their neighbourhoods, adding that any vandalised sub-station would not have immediate replacements.

Microfinance banks asked to improve manpower capacity

T

Amoda

he National Association of Microfinance Banks (NAMB), Lagos State Chapter, has urged its members to boost the capacity of their manpower.

The Chairman of the association, Valentine Whensu, said in Lagos that the state chapter of the association had conducted series of capacity building workshop for its members.

He said that the initiative had improved microfinance operators’ service delivery to customers, adding that the association usually organises

training for its members in every quarter of the year.

“In Lagos, every quarter, we organise a highly-subsidised capacity building for our people as against going out to be trained at exorbitant costs. We do it at so low but we ensure that those who are certified are doing that. We have seen a serious improvement in terms of deliverables from all microfinance banks since we started the capacity building and manpower development in Lagos state. That we promise to also replicate at the zonal and the national level,’’ he said.

Whensu also said that the microfinance banks were sourcing funds from international donors to enable them provide better services to the people.

FG to maximise fruit juice concentrate processing potential – Report

T

he Federal Government has mapped out strategies to maximise the country’s fruit juice concentrate processing, according to a report made available to the News Agency

of Nigeria(NAN) on Friday in Abuja.

The report is prepared by the Agribusiness and Investment team at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

It said that the country’s competitive landscape showed significant room for additional domestic concentrate producers.

Fruits like pineapple, the report stated, fell under such great opportunities. ‘’Since pineapple is the second and most popular concentrate used by the Nigerian drink manufacturers and Nigeria is the eight largest global producer of pineapple, there is a large opportunity in processing its concentrate. Several different varieties of pineapple are grown in Nigeria; the sweet cayenne variety is common and well-suited to concentrate production. ‘’Investors have a promising opportunity to process fruit juice concentrate for sale to domestic fruit drink manufacturers. There is a large number of fruit juice and drink manufacturers in Nigeria, providing a ready market for domestic concentrate. These manufacturers have both financial and logistical incentives to procure locally,’’ it said.

The report noted that over 95 percent of fruit concentrates used in locally-made juices were imported while the country had the natural endowments for fruit production and a comparative advantage relative to other African nations.

It also stated that the country’s fruit demand was growing at over 10 percent per annum due to an increased awareness of the health benefits of fruit juice, among other drives.

According to the report, there have been challenges in securing sufficient raw materials because of low yields and post-harvest losses. ‘’But the Federal Government is working to ensure sufficient raw materials for processors by implementing initiatives to improve yields, support access to inputs and facilitate effective post-harvest handling.

The report disclosed that the Federal Government and donors were building the

capacity of research institutes, upgrading facilities and training staff to develop better varieties and produce mass seedlings and fruit suckers. ‘’They are training farmers on improved cultivation and harvest practices as well as provide appropriate storage containers to farmers to reduce losses during transportation.

Additional incentives are also in place to encourage domestic processing of fruit concentrate.

Overall, there are government initiatives at each step of the value chain to make processing a lucrative investment,’’ it stated.

In addition, the report said : “the Federal Government’s development of Staple Crop Processing Zones will ensure end to end support for businesses from a one - stop - shop for business registration.

“Government is committed to single- digit interest rates for processors and has also implemented other financial incentives such as tax holidays and capital allowances,’’ it said.

Internet access in rural areas can promote local entrepreneurship – Expert

A

Small and Medium Solutions & Partner Director, Microsoft, Adefolu Majekodunmi on Friday said quality Internet access in rural communities would promote local technology entrepreneurship and innovation among youths.

Majekodunmi said that young people living in rural communities would be able to find solutions to meet their local and global needs. “High speed connectivity, low cost of living and serenity in the rural areas may also attract well-established high-tech companies to set up shops in the communities. Quality Internet service will also create job opportunities and pockets of innovation across the country,” he said.

Majekodunmi said providing rural dwellers with Internet connectivity would enable them gain access to vital information needed for their day-to-day work.

“Again, farmers can look for information on the best variety of crops to plant, the most appropriate pesticide to combat plant diseases or the latest market figures of their commodities,” he said.

Majekodunmi said the need of Internet access in the rural communities could not be overemphasised as it was capable of reducing rural-urban migration and decongesting cities.

“Internet access in rural communities will attract

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News investment, which will in turn attract indigenes back home.’’

He said the Internet could have positive impact on the culture of rural Nigerians as more Nigerian content would be developed and placed on the Internet.

Majekodunmi urged the relevant authorities to take proactive measures to introduce Internet to rural communities, to promote rural development, create employment, reduce rural-urban drift and improve Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

“First, sensitisation should take place by telling the community about the Internet and what it can do for them.

“It is also important to train people on the risks of the Internet, such as security and privacy, because they are unaware of them at the moment,” he said

Nigeria’ll no longer release foreign vessels involved in oil theft – Ashiru

F

oreign Affairs Minister, Olugbenga Ashiru says the ministry will no longer entertain appeals from foreign missions to release the crew or ships, involved in illegal activities on Nigeria’s territorial waters.

Ashiru issued the warning on Friday in Abuja at a briefing with members of the diplomatic corps in Nigeria.

He also cautioned the diplomats against making comments on political issues that “amounted to undue interference in Nigeria’s internal affairs’’.

The minister also briefed the diplomats on developments in Nigeria, the Gulf of Guinea, human rights issues, consular matters and recent international meetings hosted in Abuja.

On the Gulf of Guinea, Ashiru appealed to the international community to cooperate with Nigeria in the fight against piracy and oil theft.

“The Nigerian Navy and NIMASA have been directed to take firm measures against any ship caught in unwholesome activities, including oil theft on

Ashiru

Nigeria’s territorial waters.

“In the past, ambassadors have come to me or my permanent secretary to plead for the release of either their ships or the crew members caught in illegal activities.

mended Jonathan for commitment to the Nigeria Police Force, saying that the force named the newly constructed estate after the president in recognition of his efforts to reposition the force.

The IGP called for construction of more barracks for the police to enable accommodation of more officers and men for improved performance.

Enterprise Bank avails loans to University students

I

Jonathan

We’ll secure $300m loan for housing – Jonathan

P

resident Goodluck Jonathan has said that Nigeria would secure a World Bank loan of $300 million (about N46 billion) for the Federal Mortgage Bank to address housing problems of the country.

Jonathan said this while inaugurating 200 units of three-bedroom flats on the Goodluck Jonathan Housing Estate, Idimu in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State.

The president said that housing had become a big challenge to the nation, resulting in the collaboration of the Federal Government with the private sector to tackle.

Jonathan commended the Nigerian Police Force for the project and hoped that the provision of the housing units would improve the welfare police officers.

Jonathan noted that the housing was a product of a partnership between the Federal Government and the private sector. ``I encourage other agencies and governments to partner with the private sector in housing provision,’’ he said.

Jonathan expressed dissatisfaction at the condition of barracks across Nigeria, especially police barracks.

“The condition of barracks is not the best. We are looking into all the barracks. It is only good accommodation that can ensure better performance by the officers and men, ’’ Jonathan said.

The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Abubakar, said that each flat would cost interested officers N8 million.

He said that similar projects were ongoing in Abuja, Kano and Kaduna and com-

n its continual quest to delight her customers that are operating in the different strata of society, Enterprise Bank Limited has launched another product that is called “The University Staff Cluster Loan.”

The latest product is designed to avail staff of Nigerian universities (both academic and non academic staff) personal loans, which will enable them to bridge financial gaps at discounted interest rates.

The bank said in a statement that subscribers to the loan will also stand a chance of accessing funds of between a minimum of N250, 000 and a maximum of N5, 000,000.00, with a repayment period of up to three years. Aside from that, the product will also allow lecturers, especially, professors to access the loan even at the age 65 years.

One of the unique selling points of the product, according to the statement is that the subscriber can take the loan immediately ahead of transferring his preferred salary account to Enterprise Bank.

In addition, beneficiaries of this unique financial support from Enterprise Bank will also enjoy credit life insurance on their facility, which will protect their families from liabilities in the event of death. With this loan, university personnel can also receive an enhancement under our Enterprise Top-Up Loan facility, which is available after 12 months of consecutive regular servicing of the loan.

The coming of the product is a further justification of the promise by the management of the financial institution to continually seek new ways of improving the lives of the general public.

FG, Indian firm to build off-grid solar power system

T

he Federal Government and Bharat Heavy Electricals of India, at the weekend in Abuja signed an agreement to build an off-grid solar power system in Bida, Niger State.

Igali

According to a statement issued by Timothy Oyedeji, Deputy Director of Press, Ministry of Power, Dr Godknows Igali, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, signed the agreement for Nigeria.

“Igali assured that Nigeria has suitable environment for genuine investors and that the solar power system would provide additional electricity to the national grid. ``He also called for more collaboration between the Federal Government and the Indian Government on other sectors of their economies,’’ the statement said.

According to the statement, Dr Sutanu Behuria, the Secretary of Government of India, Department of Heavy Industry, signed on behalf of the Indian Government.

“Behuria expressed the interest of his country to provide funds for the development of the power sector in Nigeria. He noted that the company had a lot of experience from its operations in 12 African countries which would help it to execute the project without any challenges. Behuria gave the assurance that the company would assist Nigeria to realise its vision for uninterrupted power supply.’’

Guaranty Trust Bank to buy 70% of Kenya’s Fina Bank

By Johnson Okanlawon

G

uaranty Trust Bank Plc has agreed to pay about $100m for 70 per cent of Kenya’s Fina Bank Limited.

A statement yesterday said the bank and the shareholders of Fina Bank Limited, Kenya, have reached an in-principle agreement for the acquisition

by GTBank of a 70 per cent shareholding in Fina Bank.

According to the statement, the deal is subject to customary regulatory approvals in Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda and Uganda.

It explained that through a combination of a capital injection in Fina Bank and an acquisition of shares from the current shareholders, the total consideration to be paid by

GTBank is estimated at around $100m and is subject to closing adjustments and exchange rate movements.

The statement added, “Furthermore, GTBank and the remaining shareholders of Fina Bank will enter into a shareholders’ agreement to ensure a smooth transition of the governance and operations of the bank, with the possibility of acquiring further shares in due course.

“The remaining shareholders of Fina Bank include its founder and current Chairman, Mr. Dhanu Chandaria.

The parties will enter into this agreement in the spirit of a close partnership, as they share common objectives, and see significant benefits and synergies for both institutions and their respective stakeholders resulting from the transaction.”

Headquartered in Kenya, Fina Bank operates in Kenya as well as in Rwanda through its 92 per cent owned subsidiary Fina Bank Rwanda Ltd and in Uganda through its fully owned subsidiary Fina Bank (Uganda) Limited.

Based on its unaudited consolidated financials as of March 31, 2013, Fina Bank had total assets of $338m, gross customer loans of $184m and customer deposits of $285m. The Group currently operates through 38 branches and employs 550 people across the three countries.

The statement stressed that customers and employees of Fina Bank and its subsidiaries will benefit from the extensive and successful expertise of GTBank, especially in business and corporate banking, enhancing the range of products and services on offer as well as the skills and know-how of the employees.

It added that GTBank will enter East Africa through a multi-country and scalable platform, thus expanding its international presence in SubSaharan Africa.

“This transaction is being pursued consistently with GTBank’s disciplined and profitable track-record in its external growth strategy, with the ultimate objective of creating value for its shareholders via synergies and sharing of best-in class expertise,” the statement said.

Stakeholders list reasons why ship owners don’t list in stock market

T

he Chairman, Indigenous Ship owners Association of Nigeria (ISAN), Isaac Jolapamo has said indigenous shipping companies could not go to the

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Monday, July 22, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

News

Jolapamo

stock market because they were not doing well.

Jolapamo who spoke in Lagos, said that as long as shipping business was not taken seriously in the country, getting listed would continue to be a dream.

“Shipping companies in Nigeria can’t go to the Stock Exchange because they are not doing well. All the Nigerianowned shipping companies are virtually dead. There is no foreseeable future for the industry, as the foreign ships are thriving in our domain. Most of the companies are privately-owned and lack the confidence in future to want to get listed on the exchange,’’ Jolapamo said.

The ship owner said that it was not even a common practice in continents such as Europe, America and Asia for shipping companies to be listed on the stock exchange, stressing that this was so because most of the shipping companies were family-owned businesses.

The ISAN Chairman recalled that members of the association, in 2008 jointly floated a shipping line which they wanted the Federal Government to encourage by making it a National carrier.

He said that government did not, however, respond to the association’s request.

Capt. Adewale Ishola, a former President of the Nigerian Association of Master Mariners (NAMM), said it would be a welcome idea if more shipping companies could be listed on the NSE. Ishola said that so far, there was only one shipping company listed on the exchange -- Japaul Oil and Maritime Services Ltd. ``It will be a welcome idea, if more shipping companies can come on board and raise funds through the Stock Exchange to buy ships. The Stock Exchange has come to the shipping companies severally to tutor us on the advantages and ways of getting listed on the exchange, but there are some factors making it difficult for the companies to attempt getting listed,’’ Ishola said.

He said that indigenous shipping companies were hindered by the lack of business, especially lack of long-term contracts to execute.

Olu Akinsoji, the former Sole Administrator of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN), Oron, Akwa Ibom, said that the shipping companies were not ripe enough for listing on the stock exchange. ``The capital layout for companies listed on the exchange is too large for Nigerian shipping companies. Nigerians do not have ships in international waters. What they have are bunkering ships,’’ he said.

Akinsoji said that most shipping companies did not like public partnerships.

“Furthermore, most people are self-centered and do not want to share ownership,’’ the marine engineer said.

Akinsoji, a former Government Inspector of Ships, said that government needed to give ship owners incentives and assure them of policies that would make them thrive.

The mariner said that government should also translate its political achievements to socio-economic activities. ``As long as the Nigerian shipping industry is dominated by foreigners, the government’s Cabotage policy would not work,’’ he said.

Capt. Adejimi Adu, the President of NAMM, said that Nigerian ship owners lacked the human and financial resources for listing on the exchange.

Adu said that the companies had also not been able to meet up with the regulations and benchmarks required by the Stock Exchange.

Inland Container Depots (ICDs) would accelerate cargo clearance.

“There have been improved business activities in Apapa Area 1 Command as 200 containers are being scanned daily. This follows the transfer of scanning of containers from Cotecna Destination Inspection Ltd to Global Scansystems Ltd,’’ Edike said.

He said that the command had to re-route some containers for physical examination, saying that he was optimistic that the tempo of cargo clearance would increase.

According to him, the maritime industry is the second revenue earner of the economy, adding that all hands must be on deck to boost the nation’s economy.

Edike attributed some of the successes achieved in terms of revenue generated by the command to educative reportage by the press.

He said that such education had encouraged most customs agents to pay their charges.

The controller urged newsmen not to fail to call officers of the service to order, whenever they erred, saying that this must be done in a responsible way.

He recalled that since he assumed duty as the controller of the command, he had called stakeholders meetings to discuss how to improve cargo clearance at the port.

Edike said that though he had a monthly target of N37 billion, this would not deter him from transferring some of these containers to the ICDs.

NCS Apapa Command moves 1,308 FG urged to initiate containers to inland policies to assist depots indigenous metering he Customs Area Controller Tof Apapa Area 1 Command, firms

Charles Edike said that 1,380 containers were transferred out of Apapa port in June and July, to accelerate clearance of cargoes.

“About 1,380 containers were transferred out of the Apapa Command, in order to accelerate cargo examination and evacuation by customs agents,” Edike said.

The controller said that transferring containers from Apapa to Lilypond and other

Edike

A

meter manufacturing company, Momas Systems Nig. Ltd, has urged the Federal Government to initiate a policy that would enhance the performance of indigenous meter manufacturing firms.

Kola Balogun, Chief Executive Officer of the company, who made the call in said that government should provide the enabling operating environment, finance options and patronage that would cushion the growth of local manufacturers.

According to him, the power sector is faced with challenges of inconsistent policies which have been major concerns to indigenous operators.

“The parties involved need to come together to close ranks and move the power sector forward.

“If well supported, indigenous meter companies like Momas Systems Nig. Ltd, and other metering firms in the country will help in contribut-

ing in no small measure to manufacturing technology,’’ he said, Balogun said that if the local manufacturers were wellfunded and supported, it would go a long way to stem unemployment.

He, however, expressed concern about the huge operating costs created by the poor state of infrastructure in the country and the low patronage of the company by those who preferred to patronise foreign meter manufacturers.

Balogun said that the new Credit Advance Payment for Metering Implementation (CAPMI) scheme was a short intervention programme meant to increase the supply of meters.

“The programme is for willing customers who are on the estimated billing system. We have the mandate of 45 days to install the meter for the customer from the day the customer makes his or her payment in the bank,’’ he said.

Balogun said the company had the capacity to produce 50,000 meters per month.

“We are ready to partner with other distribution companies in the country, to ensure that the country is effectively metered,’’ he added

Fashola

We’re creating enterprise, opportunities through Farmers Food Mart – Fashola

L

agos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola (SAN) has said that the state government through the Farmers Food Mart located in the State Secretariat, is creating the enterprise and opportunities inherent in farming.

Governor Fashola who was received by the Commissioner for Agriculture and Cooperatives, Prince Gbolahan Lawal and Permanent Secretary, Dr Yakub Bashorun spoke with newsmen after inspecting the food items on display said as a government, the administration is leading by showing the way that if the people follow the track there are enormous

opportunities.

According to the Governor, the establishment of the Farmers Food Mart is also part of the initiative to encourage people, farmers and those who are unemployed about the values of farming and the economic benefits from it.

“You will see now rural fishermen and women and farmers bringing their items here and selling it and putting their money in their pocket or putting it in the nearest bank. To them business is favourable”, he added.

The Governor explained that the government decided to create a Farmers Mart at Alausa given the sizeable population of the working class at Alausa, comprising of mothers, fathers and young people who can buy fresh food, fish, beef and other farm produced on offer like Garri, Rice straight from the farm.

“There are some value added, there are some Agro processing already going on as a result of what has been created. There is a ready market here, bring it and it will be bought and you will sell and that has happened since we opened this Mart”.

“We have opened two more Marts and I think we are opening three more in other parts of Lagos, creating bulk sales outlet so that farmers produce gets to the market with minimum damage and loss as a result of storage needs”.

The ultimate objective, the Governor explained is to foster enterprise and opportunities.

“You have seen here also the frozen van that helps to keep all of the produce here, so we are trying to get to poor people, we are trying to get to middle working class people and we are also encouraging the young people to take to farming, trying to create enterprise and opportunities”.

FCMB donates Students Centre to PanAtlantic University

F

irst City Monument Bank (FCMB) Plc is to donate a Students Centre to the PanAtlantic University at its ultramodern campus located at Ibeju-Lekki in Lagos.

FCMB’s Group Head of Marketing and Communications, Ikechukwu Kalu, said the donation was part of bank’s contributions toward the provision of facilities that would ensure effective teaching and learning, capacity building and growth of the nation’s education sector.

Kalu stressed that the bank was proud to identify with the university in its mission to develop competent and committed individuals through the provision of qualitative education and entrepreneurial skills.

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Monday, July 22, 2013

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News “Working together, we can go a long way in supporting capacity development, through quality education. It is always our desire to support worthy causes that would benefit the education sector, the youth and national development’’, said Kalu.

He commended the founders and management of the institution for upholding its values since its inception.

Also speaking, the Divisional Head, Human Resources and Change Management of the Bank, Felicia Obozuwa, said that part of the mission of FCMB is to drive value adding initiatives, promote moral values and champion professionalism. She pointed out that, “It is in this regard that we seek to identify with Pan Atlantic University, our academic equivalent with an unparalleled value to Africa and the rest of the world. This gesture is not just a donation to a cause, but a symbol of a relationship we will strive to uphold in accordance with our objectives for societal development and quality education for a better Nigeria”.

Receiving the donation, the Vice Chancellor of Pan-Atlantic University, Professor Juan Elegido, commended FCMB for the gesture and its various interventions in the education sector, stating that the support from the bank would go a long way to boost the quality of teaching and learning in the schoo.

Earlier, the Group Managing Director of FCMB, Ladi Balogun, represented by Kalu had visited the school’s Vice Chancellor to felicitate with its management on the milestone achievements as well as contributions the school has made in providing quality education in Nigeria.

This donation comes a fortnight after the bank sponsored the 2013 edition of the Enactus challenge, which saw Kaduna Polytechnic emerge as winners to represent the country at the Enactus World Cup scheduled for September in Mexico.

FCMB has been recognized over the years to be one of Nigeria’s leading drivers of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in several areas, including the bank’s commitment to Poverty Alleviation, Economic Empowerment and Environmental Sustainability.

& Cargo Handling Services Limited, the concessionaire in charge of terminal C of the Tin Can Island Port has raised the alarm over the non supply of public power to the terminal.

The company is a member of the SIFAX Group, a fully indigenous conglomerate, which is into aviation services, oil and gas as well as shipping.

Under the port concession agreement, which stripped the Nigerian Ports Authority of its cargo handling functions and gave same to private terminal operators, NPA is to provide common user facilities such as supply of light and water at the port as well as maintaining common user access roads, which it has not done.

Managing director of the company, John Jenkings, who addressed the media on the activities of the company, disclosed that it has grown the terminal in terms of building capacity, infrastructure, acquisition of the necessary plants and equipment that enhance operational efficiency, which has among other benefits reduced waiting time of ships and cargo.

He however regretted that more than seven years after taking over the terminal, it is yet to be connected to the public power supply, which make the company to rely solely on generating sets to run the terminal with the attendant high cost associated with acquiring and maintain the sets as well as buying diesel.

“Jenkings, who declined to say precisely how much the company spends annually on providing alternative power to the terminal, he said: “We have a total of six heavy duty generating sets, which are made to run 24-hours of the day all through the seven years we have been at the terminal and you know the cost implication of this given the high cost of diesel in Nigeria”.

He said though efforts are being made by the NPA to connect the terminal to the public power supply, Federal Government should urgently come to its aid to reduce unnecessary and avoidable cost arising from running generating sets.

Ports & Cargo Terminal groans under huge electricity cost, others Stories by Francis Ezem

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ore than seven years after the completion of the port concession programme, Ports

The RORO Ports in Lagos

The managing Director also listed the problem of blockade of the terminal’s access roads by the Nigeria Customs Service, which uses seized cargo to block the roads, which obstruct movement in and out of the terminal.

“Another serious challenge to our operations is the obstruction of our own portion f the common user access road by Customs. Containers, trucks, vehicles and other cargoes seized by the service from other terminals are always kept on the access leading into the terminal and as a result, our portion of the common user access roads has been reduced to a single lane.

It was gathered that as a result of the reduction of the road to a single lane, the bottlenecks created by this spills into the terminal, thus giving the impression that the terminal is heavily congested.

He argued that a permanent solution to this challenge had become necessary because it drastically reduces efficiency and therefore gives the company a bad image, which does not always go down well with it.

He also called on NPA to prevail on the contractor handling the repair of the quay apron and the quay well, which he noted are important to the company’s operations.

He said: “The contractor that the NPA awarded the contract to has not in our opinion given the assignment any serious attention. The contract is facing undue delay and the job being done is far from being satisfactory”.

While commending the Federal Government for making the giant stride of bringing private investors to invest in the port industry, he noted that the exercise has greatly enhanced the efficiency of the ports, thus making them competitive.

The company had last year invested a whopping sum of N2.4bn on the acquisition 10 units of Rubber Tyred Gantry Cranes, which it said was part of measures to enhance efficiency and therefore add value to its customers.

The managing director had

disclosed that the acquisition of the equipment was in line with the company’s vision of achieving excellence in all areas of its operations, which he said laid credence to the success story of the privatisation programme of the Federal Government.

“We also want to tell the entire shipping community; the importers, exporters and liners that they will now witness a more robust, faster and effective service delivery to all our customers”, he had assured.

Ogun Customs achieves one-hour cargo delivery

T

he Nigeria Customs Service Ogun State Command has streamlined its import clearing processes at the Idi-Iroko border post, which has enabled it to reduce the cargo delivery time to one hour as against the former one week, thus facilitating trade through the border.

The command is in charge of the Idi -Iroko Border, known for vehicle imports, Nigeria’s second busiest border after Seme, both of which link the Republic of Benin.

The Customs Area Controller of the Command, Ade Dosunmu, who made the disclosure, said the command achieved the feat through the effective utilisation of the Automated System for Customs Data (ASYCUDA++) and the scanning machines installed at the border for the examination of goods.

According to him, Idi- Iroko border is the only one in the Nigeria where importers are allowed to correct self-assessment and have their documents processed immediately for onward clearing of their consignments within one hour.

“Once an agent or importer does his self assessment correctly at the border with a view to paying the right import duty on the cargo, there would be no basis for any delay on the part of the command in ensuring that the goods are released promptly”, he said.

“The encouragement received by officers and men of the command since i assumed office as the controller served as an impetus for them to be more committed and effective justifying the motivations in terms of increased salaries and improvement in their welfare by the service, Abdullahi Dikko”, he went on.

The Comptroller also said the fact that he has embraced the seven- point agenda of the management has made it possible for him to ensure that the command’s operations were carried out faster so as to encourage more importers to

Dikko

use the border post and thus increase the revenue accruable to the Federal Government from import duty.

According to him, in as much as the officers are up-todate in training and are more committed to their work while a new strategy to enhance clearing of goods has been put in place, there is no way goods cannot be cleared within one hour at the command.

He disclosed that the officers have been warned against undue delay in attending to documents even as bottlenecks that hinder prompt cargo delivery have been eliminated, nothing would cause any delay, adding that the command is already working towards completing the clearing process in less than one hour.

Dosunmu however lauded the Comptroller General for the improvement the command has recorded in its operations, especially in terms of infrastructure, adding that it was due to the provision of adequate logistics by the headquarters that made such feat possible.

It was gathered that once the goods have been valued, scanned and it is confirmed that the declaration is correct with no discrepancies detected and the accurate import duty has been paid on them, they are then released to the owners immediately.

A major importer, Azeez Owodunni, who confirmed this development, also disclosed that vehicles can now be cleared through the border post in one hour once the declarations for the payment of import duty is properly done and no concealment is found in the cargo.

Also another clearing agent who operates at the border post also disclosed that unlike before when it took days to clear goods through the Ogun Command border post, the clearing process can now be commenced and completed within one hour depending on the sincerity of the agent or importer in making genuine declaration and paying the right import duty on the affected goods. BC

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Monday, July 22, 2013

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Global News

Salva Kiir, South Sudan President

South Sudan cuts oil output to 100,000 bpd

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outh Sudan at the weekend slashed its oil output to 100,000 barrels a day as it moves toward a full shutdown, its foreign ministry said, after Sudan decided to block its exports in a row over rebels operating across their shared border.

Sudan, the sole conduit for South Sudan’s oil exports, said a month ago it would close two cross-border oil pipelines within two months and insisted oil production be shut by Aug. 7 unless South Sudan gave up support for the rebels.

South Sudan’s government in Juba denies providing such support.

Oil and foreign grants are the main source for South Sudan’s budget. Diplomats worry that turning off oil wells will undermine stability in the African country, which seceded from Sudan in 2011.

They point to recent looting of aid agencies by soldiers as a sign that Juba is struggling to pay salaries.

The shutdown is also grave news for Sudan, which has been struggling with turmoil since losing most oil reserves with South Sudan’s secession.

Oil fees from Juba are essential to bring down soaring inflation, which stokes dissent.

The dispute threatens to disrupt oil sales of China National Petroleum Corp, Malaysia’s Petronas and Indian firm ONGC Videsh which operate the fields in the South.

The neighbouring countries, which fought one of Africa’s longest civil wars ended in 2005, came close to war in April 2012 when tensions over pipeline fees and disputed territory escalated.

Landlocked South Sudan, which depends on a Sudanese Red Sea port to export its crude, said on Thursday it had started shutting output to 160,000 bpd, down from 200,000 bpd.

“It should go down to 100,000 over the weekend, and then next week it will continue to go down from there,” Mawien Makol Arik, a foreign ministry spokesman in Juba, said on Friday.

Sudan has not commented

on Juba’s decision to reduce its oil flows. Reuters has been unable to reach the oil and foreign ministry in Khartoum since Thursday.

South Sudan had only resumed oil production in April, after turning off wells pumping around 300,000 bpd in January 2012 when both sides failed to agree on pipeline fees.

Sudan has allowed the sale of oil that had already reached its territory before notifying Juba of the pipeline closure.

Sudan and South Sudan had agreed several times since last year to resume oil flows and put an end to hostilities plaguing them since their messy divorce. But mutual mistrust runs deep.

Khartoum accuses Juba of supporting the “Sudanese Revolutionary Front” (SRF), a rebel alliance, which complains of neglect at the hands of the wealthy Khartoum elites. The SRF in April staged an attack on central Sudan, embarrassing the army on whose support President Omar Hassan al-Bashir depends.

South Sudan in turn accuses Sudan of backing rebels in its eastern Jonglei state, where fighting is making it impossible to realise government plans to search for oil with the help of France’s Total and U.S. Exxon Mobil.

China liberalises bank lending rates in reform push

C

hina’s central bank announced long-awaited interest rate reforms at the weekend, removing controls on the rates banks may charge clients for loans, in a step towards more market-driven pricing of credit.

The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) said in a statement on its website that it was removing its floor on lending rates for commercial banks, meaning that banks will now be able to cut rates as much as they see fit to attract borrowers.

The central bank said it hoped the move will lower financial costs for companies.

However, it did not scrap an existing ceiling on deposit

rates, currently set at 110 per cent of benchmark rates, which many economists see as the most important step Beijing will eventually need to take in liberalizing its interest rate regime.

“This is a big breakthrough in financial reforms. Previously people had thought the central bank would only gradually lower the floor on lending rates. Now they scrapped the floor once and for all,” said Wang Jun, senior economist at China Centre for International Economic Exchanges (CCIEE).

The move, which goes into effect on Saturday, will likely lower borrowing costs for businesses and individuals, ending what many observers said had been artificially high borrowing costs that benefited big state lenders at the expense of private enterprise.

“The reform this time does not expand the floating range on deposit rates. The main consideration is that deposit rate reforms will be more profound and need higher conditions,” the central bank said in a statement.

China’s big lenders, which include Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd (601398.SS) (1398.HK), China Construction Bank Corp (601939.SS) (0939.HK), Bank of China Ltd (601988.

SS) (3988.HK) and Agricultural Bank of China Ltd (601288.

SS) (1288.HK), have generally resisted the long-awaited reform as it will likely hit their margins.

But analysts say that the change is necessary for credit to be allocated more effectively in the economy.

The fact that Premier Li Keqiang took the step after just four months in office sends a signal that he and his administration are serious about making reforms aimed at rebalancing the world’s second-largest economy.

“In principle, the change could lower borrowing costs, in particular by allowing banks to offer better rates to more credit-worthy borrowers. In practice, the immediate difference will be small,” Mark Williams, chief Asia economist at Capital Economics in London, said in a client note.

“Nonetheless, this is a significant development for China’s financial sector in the direction of having interest rates determined by market forces rather than government fiat.”

Moody’s upgrades US credit outlook

R Keqiang

atings agency Moody’s has upgraded its outlook for the US credit rating, citing a declining budget deficit.

The agency lifted its outlook

to stable from negative, as it affirmed the country’s AAA rating.

It said the US economy was growing at a “faster rate compared with several AAA” peers and has demonstrated a “degree of resilience” to major reductions in the growth of government spending.

It added it expected the deficit to shrink further in the next few years.

According to the Congressional Budget Office, the budget deficit for the 2013 financial year is likely to decline to 4% of gross domestic product (GDP), down from seven per cent in 2012.

Moody’s said the decline was greater than the fall it had anticipated when it cut the outlook on US rating to negative from stable in 2011.

The agency added that growth forecasts for the US economy for the next few years were “close to the long-term average for the decades before the financial crisis”.

“These forecasts of accelerating growth are supported by a lower magnitude of fiscal tightening, continued strengthening of consumption and investment, and somewhat better international economic conditions,” the agency said in its statement.

Last month, another ratings agency - Standard and Poor’s (S&P) - also raised its credit outlook for the US economy from negative to stable.

S&P had also cited a resilient economy, monetary credibility, and the US dollar’s status as the world’s key reserve currency as being the key strengths of the US economy.

In August 2011, S&P downgraded its US rating one notch from AAA to AA+, but Moody’s kept its rating for the US at AAA.

Vodafone revenue hit by weakness in Europe

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odafone has reported a fall in underlying service revenues as growing competition and the economic downturn in Europe hit trading.

The mobile phone operator said underlying revenues for the three months to 30 June fell by 3.5 per cent.

Revenues in Germany - its largest European market - fell 5.1 per cent, and they dropped 4.5 per cent in the UK. The weakness in Europe offset better news from emerging markets, with revenues in India up 13.8 per cent.

Vodafone said that conditions in Europe “remain challenging due to ongoing economic and regulatory pres-

Vittorio Colao, Vodafone Germany CEO

sures and increased competitive intensity within some markets”.

Service revenues in southern Europe fell by 14.4 per cent, with a 17.6 per cent decline in Italy and a 10.6 per cent drop in Spain.

Despite the falls, the 3.5 per cent drop in overall revenues was in line with expectations, and Vodafone confirmed its outlook for the full financial year.

“Although regulation, competitive pressures and weak economies, particularly in Southern Europe, continue to restrict revenue growth, we continue to lay strong foundations for the longer term,” said chief executive Vittorio Colao.

Last month, Vodafone has agreed to buy German cable operator Kabel Deutschland for 7.7bn euros (£6.6bn; $10bn).

The deal has been seen as a change in strategy for Vodafone as it marks its first foray into consumer broadband and television.

It will mean Vodafone has around 32.4 million mobile, five million broadband and 7.6 million direct TV customers in Germany.

General Electric profit, revenue drop

G

eneral Electric Co (GE.N) posted a decline in quarterly profit and revenue at the weekend on weakness in its finance unit, but its order book rose, sending shares up 2.4 per cent in early trading.

Overall profit beat expectations by a penny as the conglomerate cut costs and kept orders mostly steady for its turbines and other industrial machinery.

GE said its order book, an indicator of how much work it has received from customers, was up four per cent globally and 20 per cent in the United States, a jump that surprised investors.

“This is as close as GE comes to a positive surprise as possible,” said Tim Ghriskey of Solaris Asset Management, which owns GE shares.

GE Capital’s revenue fell 3 percent from the same period last year, and its earnings dropped 9 percent. BC

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Monday, July 22, 2013

Business Courage

He heads a multinational business and management consulting firm and has tremendous experience in finance, general management and organisation development. His career path spans the automotive industry, pharmaceuticals manufacturing, distribution and management consulting. He is Foluso Adetokunbo Phillips, Chairman/Chief Executive, Phillips Consulting Ltd

By Salami Semiu

F

oluso Adetokunbo Phillips is a man that is endowed with special skills. A multitalented management and consulting expert, he has in the past 21 years created tremendous value for both local and foreign business organizations. He has particularly being very useful in fostering a mutually beneficial investment relationship between Nigeria and South Africa. And he has being doing this majorly through his consulting firm, Phillips Consulting Limited (PCL).

A 1974 graduate of Industrial Economy from the University of Wales, Cardiff, United Kingdom, Phillips has had wide range of experience in finance, business administration, general management and organisation development. His work record spans automotive and pharmaceutical manufacturing and distribution; and management consulting.

He spent six years with the then Coopers & Lybrand in the UK (now PWC) as a management consultant, focusing on varied assignments across the African continent. He has also worked as a financial controller, management accountant, and general manager at various stages in his career in the UK and Nigeria.

Immediately after he finished his first degree in 1974, the young Phillips joined the services of the British Gas Corporation (BGC) in the UK as a graduate trainee accountant and two years after, he qualified as a Cost and Management Accountant.

However, little did Phillips know that the training he got at the British Gas Corporation would be the one that would eventually lead him into business opportunities through

Phillips

A9 25

that would not only give him global acclaim, but also create employment for people across continents.

So, a year after he qualified as a Cost and Management Accountant, he moved from BGC to Lucas Electrical Company, also in the United Kingdom, where he worked until 1979 when he returned to Nigeria to join the Pfizer Group, an American organisation with an offshoot in Nigeria.

Clearly, Phillips enjoyed his stay at Pfizer, the reason which probably accounted for the seven straight years he spent with the company before he relocated back to the United Kingdom again for another career spell.

Back in the U.K, Phillips decided to make a career switch from the practice of accounting to learning the trade of management consultancy and Coopers & Lybrand International (now PriceWaterhouseCoopers), another UK based company provided him with the required platform. That was in 1985, eleven years after he graduated as an Industrial Economist.

His move to Coopers & Lybrand International was strategic to his choiced career path as an entrepreneur, which he later became some seven years after.

During his tenure at Coopers & Lybrand International where Phillips cuts his teeth in management consultancy, he undertook and managed financial management, costing, computer systems and organisation development assignment in the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland, parts of Europe and West African countries. And after learning the secrets of management consulting trade in the company for five years, it was again time for him to call it quit with Coopers & Lybrand International andmade the final journey back to Nigeria in 1990 when he took up an appointment with SCOA Group as General Manager in charge of Finance.

He, however, had a short stint with SCOA as he had to resign his appointment two years later to pursue his entrepreneurial dream.

So, in 1992, after close to 18 years of rendering meritorious service to mostly United Continued on pg A10

Business Courage

Phillips (middle), flanked by Phillip Oduoza, GMD UBA (left) and Frank Nweke Jnr, Chief Executive NESG

Kingdom-based organisations, he took the bold step to set up Phillips Consulting Limited, his first major voyage into the realm of entrepreneurship.

Today, Phillips Consulting Limited, a little known management consulting firm in 1992, has evolved into a consulting firm of repute with tentacles widely spread across nations, particularly in Nigeria, South Africa and the United Kingdom.

The firm offers an array of business and management consulting services to government and corporate organisations, seeking superiority in all it does.

“We focus on creating and managing changes in organisations by helping them formulate and implement customer focused strategies, align their management systems to support service delivery, and develop the competence and capabilities of their people to deliver on their promises”, a source in the Consulting Firm noted.

Phillips Consulting Limited draws its competitive strength from collaborations with global partnership firms in Europe, North America and Africa. “Our delivery skills reflect our highly competitive recruitment of bright, vibrant and experienced consultants, whose competence we continuously enhance through intensive training in the use of our proprietary management tools and techniques,” our source added.

Perhaps, what stands out Phillips Consulting Limited among its peers in the industry is its penchant for quality. “No error is pardoned at Phillips Consulting. If a single spelling

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Monday, July 22, 2013

We believe in Africa and its future and dedicate ourselves to achieving the African dream by actively seeking out alliances, partnerships and friendships throughout the continent. We are proud Africans

or typographical error is spotted at any point in any document that is being prepared to go out from the company, not minding the volume and what cost has gone into the project, the whole job would be destroyed while the error is corrected and the documents prepared again. It is a matter of total quality”, a source within the firm revealed.

The firm’s clients, according to Foluso Philips benefit from its consultants’ varied skills through the firms crossfunctional approach to assignment execution and empowers clients with the knowledge and skills to continuously improve.

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A10 26

“We believe in Africa and its future and dedicate ourselves to achieving the African dream by actively seeking out alliances, partnerships and friendships throughout the continent. We are a proud African consulting firm,” he said Apart from rendering consulting services to clients, another major area of strength the company has developed over the years is training, as it runs training services for corporate and public organisations and as well for individuals.

Phillips Consulting Limited cuts across six major areas which include among others Business Advisory, Human

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Capital Management, Information Technology, IT Strategy and Governance. Under Business Advisory, the firm’s Governance and Finance team seeks to provide domestic and foreign businesses with excellent corporate services in order to ensure that business objectives are met in an efficient, effective and coherent manner.

“We provide services focusing on the key elements of every organisation, from ensuring a clear strategic focus to assist clients in developing credible business plans, feasibility reports and raising project finance and ultimately developing strategies for organizational success”, the firm explained, adding that its understanding of the African environment positions it to deliver unprecedented value in the market place. The firm claims it is committed to channeling much-needed Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into the African economy; noting that it has a long history of working alongside foreign investors.

Apart from business advisory, the human capital management group of the firm boasts to be one of Nigeria’s leading Human Capital Strategy and Advisory providers. With over 17 years of experience, the group says it has provided vanguard; client customized advisory services driven by global best practice to both local and cross border public and private sector institutions. The team offers a cosmopolitan herb of experience, with consultants possessing a range of diverse skills and work experience

from the international borders of Africa to Europe, Asia and the United States of America.

Shedding light on the module operandi of the Human Capital Management (HCM) Group, a source noted, “We understand that a company is successful only if its people are successful. Its focus must be on attracting quality people with needed skills, aligning their activities with company goals, creating an environment that encourages high performance and providing ample reward for their contributions.

While market, product/service and most resources are easily quantified, people resources are far less so. Yet, in most organisations, the human resource is the single most costly resource. To gain power, an organisation’s challenge is to know its people and to be responsive to their wants and needs”. HCM moves beyond cost control in its service to clients to strategic value hence, ensuring high performance.

“We use human resource management as a strategic tool to transform enterprises. Getting the most qualified people for the job and ensuring an easy transition into the structural fabric of your organisation we ensure that we streamline your internal processes and allow you to concentrate on generating profit in your core business” he said.

The Information Technology group at Phillips Consulting focuses on Information Security Assurance Services, Strategic Information Systems Planning and Implementation Support and e-business planning and development. It consists of skilled professionals who have developed deep competencies in information systems, information security, information risk management, information technology process optimisation, business information technology (Internet, Databases, etc) planning and implementation and project management.

The firm is driven by the belief that Information Technology will continue to play an increasing role in an organisation’s ability to enhance and effectively support its’ core processes. This ability of organisations to derive value from their investments in IT depends on how strong their information culture is.

Hence, PCL provides a comprehensive range of IT related services aimed at assisting organisations to effectively develop and manage their IT capabilities for competitive advantage. “Specifically, we aim to achieve enhanced organisational performance through measurable improvements in key performance indicators by painstakingly guiding our cli-

ents through the judicious application of IT solutions and architecture.

Over the years, PCL has built capacity for training as much as it has in consulting.

There are eight distinct areas where the company has developed core competence in training, they include: Management Training, Leadership and Management Development, Customer Service, Sales and Marketing, Finance, Human Capital Development, Strategy and Recruitment. PCL revealed that its collection of management training programmes are geared towards providing individuals with a host of tools and techniques that will betterprepare them for the continuous and diverse challenges that come with the responsibilities of this role. “Our management courses focus on managing self, managing others, management as a set of tools and management as a skill”, the firm disclosed.

PCL’s recruitment and selection is related directly to the Nigerian environment in this collection of three programmes that show participants how to attract, select and recruit different types of job seekers at varying levels. It explained that the techniques needed to recruit effectively in Nigeria’s unique environment are blended with standard tried and tested approaches that are effective and applicable to all types of recruiters.

However, beyond consulting and training, Foluso Phillips, himself is an investor, a director in a couple of business organisations and he is at the forefront of linking Nigeria with other countries in Africa for investment purposes. He is a strong business ambassador for Nigeria in South Africa and has been responsible for encouraging and consummating many business relationships between Nigeria and the rainbow country.

He is the Chairman of the board of the Nigeria Economic Summit Group, Director of the Nigeria-South Africa Chamber of Commerce, a Director of Special Olympics Nigeria, a member of the Advisory Board of Africa.com, Chairman of Interbrand West Africa and a member of the Nigerian Leadership Initiative and of the advisory board of The African Leadership Academy in Johannesburg. He is very active in Nigeria’s corporate scene and sits on the board of several companies, charities and NGOs in Nigeria.

He has a very special interest and keen commitment to the African Renaissance and is extremely active in supporting Pan African initiatives in different areas of endeavour. He is an active speaker who has

Business Courage A11 27

Monday, July 22, 2013

Phillips

been involved in many international seminars and conferences across Africa and the USA. Foluso Phillips is the Publisher of the Business Times magazine, published out of Accra Ghana.

An embodiment of knowledge and expertise in corporate finance, organisation restructuring, enterprise development and devising market strategies for companies expanding out of their country, the bow-ties consulting icon is probably one man which no one in the corporate Nigeria can push aside.

Also, as the current Chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), Foluso Phillips is playing a leading role in the economic renaissance of Africa. For instance, he recently led a team of leading Nigerian investors to Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda to identify investment opportunities available in the country. “Our job here is to try and see what it is exactly that we can take back home in terms of encouraging the people that we know to invest internationally”, he told the media during the visit.

An ardent canvasser of business relationship among African countries, Foluso Phillips called for better trade collaborations among economies in the continent at Rwanda, saying that “It is important for us to continue with the panAfrican attitude and trade with each other. There is no doubt about it, the size of Nigeria in terms of population and the

‘

Beyond consulting and training, Foluso Phillips is an investor and a director in a couple of business organizations who is at the forefront of linking Nigeria with other countries in Africa for investment purposes

revenues we generate, and we have the financial muscle to do it. We are going to encourage West Africans to invest in the continent. We are a small team of potential investors but we are able to motivate very many others to invest in Rwanda. So far, we have on my team someone very interested in the aviation business since aviation is going to be a fundamental part of Rwanda’s development,” he said.

“We have a financial service company that is interested in trying to see how we can raise funds for people who want to invest in Rwanda, and do all

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the necessary businesses and inquiries. We also have people interested in media business,” Foluso added.

He however noted that as Rwanda eyes benefits from Nigerian investments, Rwanda business community have multiple opportunities of investing in Nigeria also.

An indigene of Igbore, Abeokuta in Ogun State, Foluso is one of the children of late Engr.

Foluseke Adewunmi Phillips, the first Nigerian to rise from Draftsman Grade 1 in 1942 to become the Chief Mechanical Engineer in 1960.

In 1953, at the age of 38

and as a senior Assistant work Manager, he was recommended for, and awarded MBE, the badge for which was presented to him by the Queen of England during her visit to Nigeria in 1960.

Foluseke received the Chris Abebe Award from the Nigerian Institute of Management (1978) and from the members of the International Agencies of FIDIC Liaison committee in recognition of his services to his fellow Consulting Engineers (1982.)

In 1965, he became the General Manager of the Nigerian Railway Corporation but had to relinquish the post to a military man after the military took over the governance of the country.

A principled man, he immediately asked for voluntary retirement but was not allowed to leave as he was recalled and appointed General Manager in December 1966.

The late Engr. Phillips, perhaps, laid the foundation of consulting for his son, Foluso as he retired into engineering consulting after his retirement from The Nigerian Railway Corporation in 1970.

His firm, FAO Phillips and Associates which he jointly managed with his first son, Lanre, had many projects to its credit. Foluseke Phillips died at the age of 92 in 2008.

Although Foluso Phillips may have surpassed the records set by his father at his present age, he is, without mincing words, looking forward to greater achievements in the years ahead. BC

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Business Courage

Monday, July 22, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

ThebuddingEntrepreneurs She is the daughter of one of Nigeria’s living football living legends but this restless, jet setting individual wants to standout on the entrepreneurial side. And she is actually anxious to make it big without holding on to her parents’ apron strings.

She is Toluwalope Omotoke, daughter of “Mathematical” Segun Odegbami

By Adejuwon Osunnuyi

B

orn about 35 years ago, Toluwalope Omotoke Odegbami, daughter of Segun Odegbami, one of Nigeria’s football living legends craves and lives an entrepreneurial life from a very young age.

At the tender of age 13, Omotoke, as she is fondly called by friends started cooking for her family and everyone loves her cooking, including her father.

Determined to be successful and be celebrated just like her footballer father, cooking, which Omotoke, had considered as a mere hobby has today turned out to become her meal ticket.

Though she later read Food Technology in school, she revealed that it was never her intention to be a caterer. “Not at all. I never dreamt of becoming a caterer. I just had the privilege of knowing it,” she had told Business Courage in an interview.

Omotoke said her guardedly nursed ambition was either to work in NAFDAC or any other food processing company after her graduation, but the flair she had had for cooking and baking took her straight back to the food preparation industry.

To her, cooking as well as baking has been a lot of fun, though she admits making money from it too. According to her, having realised the potentials in her early enough, the entrepreneurial spirit in her made her to officially kick start her cooking and baking career at the age of 15, which incidentally makes it about 20 years that she has been in the food industry.

In the family, whenever she cooks, even her dad, Odegbami, including visitors commend her for a job well done. “People love my food. They used to tell me any time they eat my food, “wow...Toke, obe yi ma dun o”,( wow, Toke, this meal is too delicious). Hence I developed interest in it and I told myself that I can do it. So when I started working with Sweet Sensation,

Mr. Biggs and many other eateries, I knew they were just giving me the opportunity of everything I needed to do about food.”

Toke believes that the art of cooking resides within her family lineage. “Cooking has been in the family’s blood. It’s in the gene. In the Odegbami family, my father’s elder sister, Dupe Odegbami is a caterer; I lived with her then in Ilupeju and learnt a lot from her. My aunt, who also lives in Jos cooks so well too. My mum too does the same thing. Even up till now, in the Odegbami’s generation, I can say it’s full of caterers ….it’s a thing in the gene that I love doing. I love cooking,” she said.

Omotoke finished her secondary education at saint Theresa College Ibadan in 1996 and later relocated to Kano where she had stayed with one of her Uncles, Jimi Komolafe. It was while in Kano that she did her preliminary at the state College of Education studying Home Economics/Mathematics.

In 1997, she proceeded to Bayero University in Kano to read Food Technology Science.

After her National Youth Service scheme, she worked with Kesse Jabari, a fashion designer but left Jabari a year after to begin her journey into the baking and catering world fully.

She joined Tastee Fried chicken, a fast food enterprise, where she worked for about two years. She also had a brief stopover at Sweet sensation.

Armed with determination and the never-say-stop entrepreneurship guts, in 2006, while in her final year in the university, Omotoke made a bold step that launched her into the world of entrepreneurship b y establishing Mypot.

With the little savings, she had been able to gather, she started baking cakes, preparing small chops and other pastries for sell.

She however got her first major catering job which launched her into limelight when she secured a N2 million catering contract with the Securities and Exchange Commission, (SEC).

Odegbami

Two years after, she discovered she had to diversify into other areas by adding African dishes to her menu list. This time, she established Asabi olo-

wosibi. With Asabi olowosibi, she cooks and supply any typical Nigerian dishes.

“Asabi Olowo sibi basically came about in 2008 while My

Pot was started in 2006. It was when people started talking about the typical native food that I prepared that I decided to carve out a name for myself.

That’s where the name, Asabi Ololwo sibi came from but it’s still under Mypot. Mypot basically in Yoruba language is ikoko obe, which is, cooking pot.

It’s all about cooking,” she said.

She recollected that ever since she did the job for SEC, a friend of her which she met while handling the SEC contract even had to contract her on a home basis to teach her how to prepare Edi-ikankong, a calabar local delicacy. So she started visiting her friend’s houses every weekend to help her in the cooking of other local delicacies such as efo riro and so on. Anytime she cooked for the friend who was one of the senior staff at SEC then, they will keep the soup in freezer and that was where the idea of doing home service started. Her friend introduced her to some of her colleagues who were equally busy at work.

One area where Toke seems to be making a difference is the home service which she renders by cooking dishes for busy executives. “If you want to cook efo, gbanga soup or whatever, I charge the person per pot. People always have a very tight schedule moving out from their houses as possible to go to their offices and also come back home late...what time do they have to cook? But since I have the time to cook, I cook for

Management Principles

Switching from survival mode to growth

S

urvival mode is a state of being familiar to most start-ups that have weathered the recession and to entrepreneurs who kept their companies afloat by postponing spending, hiring and long-term goal-making to focus on staying alive another day.

John Gillespie, founder and president of financial consulting firm Beyond the Bottom Line , says that while survival mode is a necessary evil during tough financial times, businesses that maintain a reactionary mindset for too long risk missing out on new revenue streams and losing market share. But shifting into growth mode too soon can jeopardize everything the company worked to save.

He offers tips on when, how and why entrepreneurs should position themselves for the future by shifting from survival mode to growth mode.

Know where you stand Survival mode means cutting costs, laying off employees, tightening profit margins and saving cash, in stark contrast to growth mode, during which a company reinvests profits, expands operations and brainstorms growth strategies with long-term payoffs.

The first and most important step in determining whether or not it’s time to shift out of survival mode is knowing where your company falls on the survival-growth continuum. And this can be ascertained by following these checklists: * Is the company at cash-flow break-even? *Can you tackle your growth initiatives with existing staff? * Does your company have existing cash or credit lines that can be used for growth?

Focus on human resources When considering whether your company can tackle new projects with its existing staff, it’s important to consider not only your employees’ capabilities, but their collective mindset. Shifting into growth mode means shedding reactionary thinking and adopting a proactive attitude, which employees may not be up for after a long slump.

Simply conducting one-on-one meetings with employees can help determine whether they’re ready to embrace the cultural changes that come with growth initiatives.

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Business Courage A13 29

Monday, July 22, 2013

ThebuddingEntrepreneurs them, they put the dishes in their freezers and I get paid. I have been doing these for some years now,” she gleefully told Business Courage.

Bank executives, lawyers, telecommunications executives among many others are the customers who patronize her for the home service. Most times, a pot of soup last for about a week, and whenever it finishes, they call on her to come and cook another one.

Family influence Though Toke is good at her job and may really not have much trouble getting business, she nonetheless admitted that the good name of her father has been opening more doors for her. “I will say that my father, Segun Odegbami has been so wonderful to me as a father. His name opens doors for me definitely. I can’t dispute that. But because I am good at what I do, people call me here and there for jobs.”

An example she gave was how he was able to help her make one or two contacts during Eko games to get a careering supply job. According to her, though by the time she got there to see the people concerned, she was asked why she didn’t come on time and her reply was that; “I don’t want to lobby. I believe that my qualification and all the jobs I had handled in the past would qualify me.” That was how she got the job. But she noted that if she hadn’t done the job well, they wouldn’t have called her for some other jobs after the Eko games.

According to her Toke, she had done several other jobs for

contract and give it out to someone else to carry it out.

She admits that there is a lot of money in the cooking as well as event planning business because she believes there is no week that there won’t be a social gathering that would require the service of a caterer or an event planner. Her belief is that, when you are diligent and take the job serious, you will always be called for jobs.

Odegbami

various state governments which have fetched her several millions of naira.

While the name “Odegbami” has continued to open gates of favours and contracts for Toke, the only child of Odegbami’s half-caste second wife, one thing she would like to continue to do is maintaining the integrity of the name. “I like to maintain that name. I won’t want to tarnish it. My father had worked so hard to have built that name in a good way and that’s why despite the fact that I am married; I am still using the name, Odegbami.

Apart from going into the kitchen world, though she believes that event planning which involves doing the aso-ebi, decorating the venue and at times, contracting the musicians that would perform at the event, is another arm of the business that also fetches good money, many times, she gets the

Know why you’re surviving The recession is reason enough for any startup to end up in survival mode. But it’s important to determine whether the economic downturn is the sole source of trouble, and to address other possible issues, such as erratic management or uncontrolled growth, before turning to new projects.

Entrepreneurs should engage their board members to help assess their company’s strengths and weaknesses, as their educated opinions can provide important reality checks and this becomes especially helpful when it comes to honestly assessing a company’s leadership.

Management might be overly optimistic about its own ability to change the economic conditions of a company.

Plan for transition Gillespie compares this phase of transition to “transferring the patient from surgery to a gurney,” or to pausing at a traffic light when it’s yellow, with the red light being survival mode and the green light being growth mode.

Preparations could include connecting with staff members to make sure they’re planning to stay with your company, talking to key customers about their anticipated needs in the coming months, conducting market research, or lining up new lines of credit.

Mitigate risk Whether it’s expanding internationally or pitching to new customers, moving out of survival mode and into growth mode can be risky. You have to ask yourself if you’re ready to ride that roller coaster of pursuing a new venture, and understand that there may be stumbles you hit in the road.

Entrepreneurs should devise backup plans to address possible risks and pursue strategies that allow their companies to remain nimble.

For example, Gillespie suggests hiring consultants rather than full-time employees to fulfill staff needs to facilitate quicker growth and to reduce risk. “When you want to grow quickly, you want to be able to pull people in from the marketplace without taking on a lot more fixed costs,” he says.

While new ventures can be risky, Gasper says, so can staying in survival mode indefinitely. “If you’re always focused on preserving the assets you have, and are afraid to commit to future plans, you’re going to miss opportunities,” Gasper says. “If you’re in firefighting mode, and every day you’re stepping back and saying, ‘Phew, I’m glad we solved that crisis,’ you’re never going to grow.” BC

Funding She plans to start her own eatery as soon as possible. She told Business Courage that she already has already acquired a piece of land with which she hoped “to build a complex comprising catering school, eatery, a mini bar, where there is going to be everything about entertainment and food.”

“Right now, am still learning some other ingredients of the business,” which specifically she called, accountability. Before now, she didn’t take calculation serious, but where she is heading now as head of operations, the proprietor, Otunba Wale Oduwale of Chiken Lovers has been able to teach her that aspect of line of business.

“I can say I know am very good in food, but not in calculation.

Hence, Otunba Wale Oduwale has taught me for instance, how many portion of rice I will get from 1kg, and know the specific things and amount I need to involve in a particular project. He has been able to make me balance up what I really wanted to know.

Everyday new ideas come, so you can’t stop learning every day.

Today, you can see this type of cake, by tomorrow, you will see different shape coming out. So in the cake world, I still go around learning how to bake cake every day. No knowledge is lost.”

When it comes to accountability, logistics, Toke says she knows little about them but when it comes to cooking the food, “I can use N10, 000 to cook a pot of eforiro, and you will eat your fingers, your palm as a result of its being delicious. But when it comes to costing, you will now discover that the money you used in buying iru and other ingredients is more than the soup you have cooked, so it becomes a loss.”

Challenges Toke admits facing some challenges too as a typical Nigerian business person.“There had been lot of challenges as well as disappointments. For instance, there were times people would make order for food, while she was able to get half payment, getting the other balance had always been like a camel passing through the eye of a needle. Practically impossible.

But based on such experiences, if a customer doesn’t pay fully, Toke told this magazine that she would never take on the job. People, she said, had really cheated her in the past, probably based on her inexperience in doing business. BC

Personal Finance Why successful entrepreneurs are early risers

W

hen running a business, it may seem like there are never enough hours in the day.

Tapping into the power of mornings, a time of day when there are less demands, might be the key to increasing your productivity.

Here are a few benefits to getting out of bed earlier. *You are less likely to get distracted in the morning.

An entrepreneur’s day fills up fast. If you wait until the afternoon or evening to do something meaningful for yourself such as exercising or reading, you’re likely to push it off the to-do list altogether. *You have more willpower early in the day.

Even if you aren’t a morning person, you may have more willpower in the early hours than later in the day. During the course of the day as you’re dealing with difficult people, making decisions and battling traffic, you use up your willpower, leaving you feeling depleted toward the end of the day. *Gives you the opportunity to set a positive tone for the day If you’ve ever slept in past your alarm clock or forgotten your kids’ lunches on the counter, you know that starting off the day with a failure can bring down your mood and affect your productivity at work.

Waking up earlier allows you to start the day with a victory and set the tone for a happier and more productive day.

If the thought of waking up at sunrise makes you cringe, here are four steps to transform even a habitual night owl into a morning person.

1.

Keep a time journal One of the reasons people say they don’t like mornings is that they stay up too late, therefore, keeping a time journal for a week to show where you may be using your time inefficiently could do the magic.

2.

Imagine your perfect morning.

Imagine what you would do if you had an extra hour in the day. Would you exercise? Read the newspaper rather than simply skimming the headlines?

Getting up earlier isn’t about punishing yourself; you will not get out of bed if you don’t have a good reason to do it.

3.

Plan your morning Once you have decided what you want to do with your extra time, plan how to execute it, and set as much up as possible the night before. For example, if you want to exercise in the morning, lay out your clothes the night before, or gather the ingredients for your breakfast.

4.

Build the habit slowly You will likely hit the snooze button and sleep in if you try to switch your habits drastically. So, instead of setting your alarm for 5 a.m. when you normally get up at 7: 30 a.m. set the alarm for 10 minutes earlier each day. To make sure you don’t lose sleep, go to bed 10 minutes earlier each night. If you have trouble hitting the sack on time, set a bedtime BC alarm. BC

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Business Courage

Monday, July 22, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

In a country of well over 160 million people, broadband penetration of less than six per cent is not only low, it is considered as a major embarrassment, particularly with the astronomic way in which telecommunication has grown in Nigeria in recent years. Stakeholders believe there is still hope for Nigeria becoming Africa’s leading broadband powerhouse but given the glaring challenges, there are genuine skepticism that the dream may indeed, be a tall one

By Adejuwon Osunnuyi

B

roadband technology, which simply means data transmission speed of high rate over the internet, has no doubt become the enabler in supporting the economies across the world. To a large extent, while it is no longer disputable that data transmission defines the speed at which businesses are conducted in most advanced countries of the world and there are sufficient compelling statistics to show the correlation between broadband and economic growth.

According to the World Bank, in low and middleincome countries, every 10 percentage point increase in broadband penetration accelerates economic growth by 1.38 percentage points — a rate that is higher than broadband’s impact in higher-income countries and more than for other telecommunications services.

For instance, a new report, conducted jointly by Ericsson, Arthur D. Little and Chalmers University of Technology in 33 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries, quantifies the isolated impact of broadband speed, showing that doubling the broadband speed for an economy increases Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 0.3 per cent. While a 0.3 per cent GDP growth in the OECD region is equivalent to $126 billion, this, according to the research corresponds to more than oneseventh of the average annual OECD growth rate in the last decade.

With the tremendous advantages, there seems to be a sore point for Nigeria. This is because despite its enormous bandwidth capacity sitting on the country’s coastline, majority of the Nigerian populace are

still being starved of broadband Internet.

While Nigeria has conquered voice telephony with more than 116 million active lines compared to some 400,000 some ten years ago, yet data transmission is considered as a major factor which defines for them the speed which businesses are conducted in the new world order.

Nigeria is said to be have less than six per cent of broadband penetration, a situation which industry experts have said is a far cry to what is obtainable in developed world. Despite this, however, industry stakeholders are of the belief that all hope is not lost as Nigeria still has the potential of becoming Africa’s leading broadband powerhouse and bouy the nations’ GDP. This optimisin is coming on heels of the fact that Nigeria currently have four active undersea cable systems ((MainOne Cable, Glo-1, MTN’s WACS and NITEL’s SAT-3) whereby the existing submarine cables carry an installed capacity of over 19.2 terabytes, about 340 gigabyte combined, a significant increase in the capacity available to drive bandwidth dependent services.

With only about six per cent broadband penetration in Nigeria, the opportunities are vast for creative and entrepreneurial Nigerians looking to showcase their skills and explore business opportunities online.

According to experts, any country seeking growth, job and wealth creation must address how it can increase its access to broadband and if governments can improve broadband penetration in the continent most Africans would have increased access to the internet.

In some major countries, broadband is considered a right of every citizen. In Finland for example, the government has

legislated for every home to get broadband, 100 megabit per second in speed. The situation is similar in Japan which is reported to have the fastest speed of broadband in the world as well as cheapest cost of getting internet at home.

The country has more than eight million people on fibre-optical line broadband at home – that means 30 times the speed of DSL line, the popular form of broadband technology in Europe.

To achieve broadband penetration in Nigeria, experts submitted that there is the need for the government to encourage and enforce the principle of open access and infrastructure sharing to already build transmission networks in order to facilitate an integrated national backbone.

For Fola Adeola, Chairman of Main One Cable, wireless broadband services alone can directly contribute an additional N190 billion ($1.24 billion) to Nigeria’s GDP by 2015 with indirect contribution as much as N410 billion ($2.7 billion) dur-

Opeke

ing the same time period.

Adeola said that just as “electricity was a century ago, broadband is a foundation for economic growth, job creation, global competitiveness and a better way of life. It is enabling entire new industries and unlocking vast new possibilities for existing ones. It is changing how we educate our children, deliver health care, manage energy, ensure public safety, engage government, and access, organise and disseminate knowledge.”

On the economic impact of broadband, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Vice-Chairman, Eugene Juwah said at a recent seminar that based on the World Bank position “doubling the broadband speed for the economy increases its GDP by 0.3 percentage points. The above percentage points may appear small but if you apply them to the Nigerian GDP at N40 trillion, you obtain an increase of more than half a trillion naira in the first instance and N120 billion in the second.”

Juwah noted that it is not only Nigeria, or the developing world that aspires to enjoy the broadband revolution as pointed out in the June 28, 2010, a memo to the Heads of the Executive Departments and Agencies in his administration titled: “Unleashing the Wireless Broadband Revolution” by the US President Barack Obama.

Juwah said that one paragraph in that memo that has captured the thoughts of many who are dedicated to pursuing the broadband revolution reads: “Expanded wireless broadband access will trigger the creation of innovative new businesses, provide cost-effective connections in rural areas, increase

productivity, improve public safety, and allow for the development of mobile telemedicine, telework, distance learning, and other new applications that will transform Americans’ lives.

The statement above represents the veritable offerings available in any country that has pervasive broadband availability”.

Following the International Telecommunications Union (ITU)’s call for national broadband policy in Nigeria, the Minister of Communication, Omobola Johnson, said that the goal of the Nigerian government is to achieve one national network capable of delivering broadband speeds not less than 50 per cent of the average speeds available worldwide at the consumer end within the next five years.

Comparing Nigeria’s rate of broadband penetration with those of other African countries, Johnson said that though “Nigerians don’t have it better” she pointed out that that it has been a major priority for the government especially her ministry in bringing out the infrastructure.

While admitting that taking broadband to the rural areas could be a little challenging, she assured that there are plans by the government to facilitate that process to put the technology on the ground as soon as possible.

Johnson said that a number of infrastructure providers are building connectivity across West Africa and Nigeria stands at a vantage position given the series of bilateral arrangements with neighboring countries especially the landlocked countries. “We’ve got tremendous capacities for internet connectivity, i.e undersea cable about 10 terabit of data and we can

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Business Courage A15 31

Monday, July 22, 2013

take that capacity up to the landlocked countries and also to the countries on the coast as well. So that is what we are looking at right now. We are working with number of countries already. And even one of our local undersea cable companies, Main one, is actually landing a cable in Liberia, Ghana, and other places.

So those are the kind of arrangement we are having because connectivity in Nigeria would be enhanced if we actually connect with the rest of Africa and the rest of the world.”

But how long will it take to be able to deliver broadband access to the about 72 per cent of the population who don’t have access currently? Johnson said that Johnson by 2017, the nation would be getting about 30 per cent broadband connectivity.

“We have about six per cent broadband communication now. We have a target to multiply by five times by 2017 so that we can have about broadband 30 per cent broadband connectivity.”

However, Funke Opeke, chief executive officer, MainOne Cable believes that achieving broadband penetration might not be possible with the number of challenges being posed to it on daily basis. For instance, Opeke, said that only about five per cent of the bandwidth capacity available on MainOne cable is currently being utilised, leaving the rest redundant.

Juwah Opeke who spoke at a recent interactive session blamed the poor utilisation Besides, those who have ofof the cable on the absence of fer services at unfair and prodistribution and last mile in- hibitive prices. “Looking at the frastructure required to move cost and competition policy unavailable bandwidth capacity der the Communications Act, across the length and breadth there is absolutely no need for of Nigeria. If Nigeria is to enjoy that pricing mechanism. We the benefits of broadband, she need to have more infrastrucsaid, regulatory and legislative ture sharing. “If people who interventions were required to build the infrastructure are address these challenges. running it over public rightNigeria’s telecommunica- of-way, and have received tax tions market, according to her concessions to build those netrequires a well-rounded infra- works, I see no reason for such structure sharing framework pricing mechanism. If private to encourage new entrants and sector has built the infrastrucstimulate investments in broad- ture, then they certainly should band in order to harness its make it available to other oppotentials for wealth creation erators and networks on a fair and economic development. and non-discriminatory basis.

“We strongly believe that it’s The Federal Government has something government can set done nothing about this so far”, up in less than 60 days. It does she lamented. not require years of study”, she But just like Opeke, Juwah stated. also noted that “While the reguThe cost of moving internet latory environment in the countraffic from Lagos to Abuja, try has remained stable and ataccording to her is four times tractive to the global investment higher than the cost of moving community, there still a number the same level of traffic from La- of challenges, one of which he gos to London. This, she went says is the issue of right of way. on is because operators with State government, he said, huge fibre infrastructure have could move away from the curnot embraced infrastructure rent practice of imposing one off sharing. charge for right of way, based

on distance to a new regime of periodic revenue streams from their right of way assets as he noted that one way to realise these stream is to contribute the assets as participation in the project.

Alternatively, Juwah advised that state government may choose to barter their right of way assets for a specialised service from infrastructure operator. For example, access to right of way can be traded for a security surveillance network provided from the infrastructure.

But most Nigerians seem not to be too comfortable with the government’s broadband plan as they yearn to have a feel of it as soon as possible.

To Ayomide Amos, a banker, government should expedite their words with action rather than the usually talk on broadband at every event.

“We need action rather than talk all the time. Let Nigerians have access to cheap and high speed internet and stop telling us how broadband operate.”

Another respondent, Olabisi Alonge of the University of Ilorin, in his own reaction noted, “I’m of the view that the government should show us the road map to achieve this. I hate it when government plays politics around something as serious as broadband. Anyway, we shall get there.”

But Raymond Uwuba, a teacher, sees broadband as a way to improve the nation’s GDP. According to him, the minister of Information technology deserves commendation and not condemnation considering what she has been able to achieve so far. “Minds of this kind are what Nigeria need in her forefront of development.

Of course, the effect of ICT industry or sector broadband inclusive in Nigeria has been so tremendous. It is one of the sectors and channel that touches every individual individually.

For me, I can say my life has never remained the same again, considering the exposure, improvement in reading habit and how the internet has encouraged reading through available materials at my finger tips.”

Alowolodu Taiwo Julius however submitted that the bane of most government policy initiatives is lack of priority and vision. “We preferred to trade out future for pecuniary gains.

Have you ever asked yourself why internet service in Nigeria is three times cheaper that of South Africa despite the fact that the total subscriber base is a fraction of Nigeria’s?” BC

Technotalk

with Esther Ozue (ozueesther@nationalmirroronline.net) 08059234648 (sms only)

Threats and prevention measures in cloud computing for small businesses

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loud computing refers to the delivery of computer processing infrastructure, operating systems, software and data storage over Internet-based public or private computer networks. The aim is to relieve users of some of the burdens associated with maintaining computers and data storage, while enabling the associated costs to be reduced.

Cloud computing shifts the delivery and maintenance of software, databases and storage to the internet, transforming them into Pay-As-You-Go services accessed through a web browser. Though it has many benefits, cloud computing also comes with many risks for small business, including potential computer security and criminal, regulatory and civil liability issues.

Compared with large organisations, small businesses operate in a distinct and highly resource-constrained operating and technical environment. Their proprietors are often time poor, with minimal bargaining power and have limited financial, technical, legal and personnel resources. It is therefore unsurprising that cloud computing and its promise of smoothing cash flows and dramatically reducing ICT overheads is attractive to small business.

Although cloud computing is still developing in popularity and coverage, its use raises a number of crime and security concerns, particularly for small business users.

Some of the security risks which cloud service providers are often faced with include: Authentication issues Unauthorised access to cloud computing systems may occur when a username and password combination has been obtained without authorisation. This can occur using a variety of technical and non-technical methods. Social engineering may be targeted towards the cloud service provider by, for example, claiming that urgent access is required but that the password is not working and needs to be reset. Passwords may also be guessed, be left lying around in offices, obtained using keylogging malware, cracked using brute force, or overcome when there are weak password recovery mechanisms.

Inadequate authentication checks may not necessarily be attributed to malicious activity, although they may result in data being accessed for nefarious purposes.

Denial of service attacks Denial of service (DoS) attacks against cloud service providers may leave tenants without access to their accounts.

This can occur by sending a flood of traffic to overwhelm websites to make them inaccessible to legitimate users. When a DoS attack is conducted using a botnet (a network of compromised machines), this is referred to as a distributed denial of service attack, or DDoS. DoS attacks aimed at individual accounts, rather than at all cloud tenants, may also be accomplished by changing the tenant’s password or maliciously continuing to enter the incorrect password so that the account becomes locked.

Criminal tendencies Cloud computing accounts can be created or existing accounts compromised for criminal purposes. New cloud computing accounts may be created with stolen credentials and credit card details, thereby reducing the cost to the offender(s), as well as anonymising the offender and creating further difficulties in tracking down the source of the attack, particularly when jurisdictions are crossed.

Accounts created or compromised in such a way can be controlled as part of a botnet. In the following example, an existing cloud computing account was compromised and used to run a botnet command and control server: Attacks on physical security: Cloud service providers’ data centres may also be physically attacked, resulting in hardware theft, unauthorised access to servers or loss of access to data.

However, the various abuses to which cloud computing can be subjected to as explained above, notwithstanding, the concept still remains the beacon of home for modern computing. BC

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Business Courage

is working to address these challenges through its on-going implementation of the National Broadband Policy, reformation of the postal sector amongst others.

Johnson

eCommerce a catalyst for economic growth, says FG Stories by Kunle Azeez

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he Federal Government has said that the electronic commerce ecosystem in Nigeria is a catalyst for economic growth in Nigeria.

The Minister of Communication Technology, Omobola Johnson disclosed this at the 1st Annual eCommerce conference hosted by a leading online retailer, Jumia.com in Lagos recently.

According to the minister, the sector has the capacity to significantly extend the reach of wholesale and retail trade in the country leading to accelerated economic growth and job creation.

In a presentation titled ‘eCommerce and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Nigeria: Engine for Job Creation and Economic Growth,’ Johnson said, “eCommerce represents many sectors and players coming together for economic gain: suppliers of goods partner with online retailers such as Jumia to offer their products to consumers that can use banks and other channels for electronic payments to purchase items.”

She said, “These goods are then delivered by logistics and delivery companies often using communications technology to schedule delivery.

Therefore, in one transaction the participation of entities in the wholesale and retail trade sector, financial services sector, transport sector, postal sector and telecommunications sector is seen.”

Johnson also identified some of the barriers inhibiting growth of the eCommerce sector in her presentation.

These, she said, include inadequate broadband access, high cost of internet and mobile communications services, low awareness amongst the public of the relevance of eCommerce to their lives, low consumer confidence in using electronic payment channels, and low availability of skilled personnel, amongst others.

“The Federal Government

Inlaks improves ATM operation in Nigeria with TopDesk solution

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leading information technology infrastructure company for financial services sector and other enterprises in West Africa, Inlaks Computer, has stepped up its support services for its customer banks with the introduction TopDesk solution to cater to their Automated teller Machines operational efficiency.

TopDesk, a cloud-based self-service platform was announced by Inlaks on the sideline of its quarterly customer interaction forum held in Lagos at the weekend.

According to the company, the solution offers maximum operational efficiency for banks to raise queries and log in their complaints and requests online and get top level management attention. The solution, the company said, allows Inlaks top management to get the complaints as they are logged in for immediate action by necessary officials to keep banks’ ATM operations more efficient.

Speaking on the solution, Managing Director, Inlaks Computers, Femi Adeoti, said, “The TopDesk Self-service application cloud-based. What this means is that the customer does not necessarily need to be in the office and start making calls to address an issue.

Before now, the service desktop is just sitting in their offices and until they use it before they can get across so us for any issue.”

Adeoti, however, assured that, “With the TopDesk selfservice solution, banks are able to send any request they want from any of their branches and everybody concerned at Inlaks that need to be aware of the issue raised by the customer will see it, including the managing director, wherever we may be.

“The idea basically is to further simply support services for our customers as any issue raised can be resolved in realtime. It also allows for account-

Adeoti

Monday, July 22, 2013

ability on our part as we are able to see the time it takes an engineer to attend to our customer, which will reflect in the appraisal form of that staff.

“We have added this additional task to ensure that we serve our customer better.

We want to ensure that banks using our brand of ATMs have maximum up-time service delivery that we have promised them. We believe that once we ensure that the customers are happy, they would keep coming back.”

Stressing that excellent customer service delivery is what differentiates Inlaks from competitors, Adeoti said, “Last year December, we had just only two banks as customers but today, six month after, our customer base has increased to 10 and our plan is to further increase it to 15 by the end of December, this year. And with our consistency in unique customer service delivery, we hope more banks will like to come on board.”

He also disclosed that as part of effort in customer service delivery drive, Inlaks recently signed an agreement with CashLink Global “to do third party AT maintenance service for banks. “Though we deploy Hyosung ATM brands but we would be taking up maintenance of other ATM brands owned by customers on a managed services level,” he said.

Representatives of banks present at the interaction forum, where Inlaks treated its customers to delicacy, commended the company for its ‘exceptional customer supports’ especially with the introduction of the TopDesk solution, while urging increased efforts to deploy permanent engineers to assist each of Inlaks’ customers.

NATCOMS condemns NAMA’s threat on telecoms firms

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he National Association of Telecoms Subscribers, NATCOMS, has condemned what it described as the latest threat on telecoms operators from the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), which the subscribers’ body said was capable of frustrating the current poor quality of service in the country.

In a statement entitled: ‘NAMA, the Latest ‘Terror’ Threatening Quality of Service’, and signed by NATCOMS’s President, Deolu Ogunbanjo, the telecoms subscribers said the action was tantamount to a threat to telecoms industry.

According to Ogunbanjo, the telecommunications industry was set to witness another ‘attack’ in the hands of NAMA Business Courage learnt

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

that NAMA had given a fourweek ultimatum to owners of telecommunications masts at several locations across Nigeria to dismantle them or face sanctions.

NAMA, citing the inherent danger posed by such structures to air navigation in Nigeria, has gone ahead to engage the services of a company named Seas Electrical and Computer Services Limited to effect the dismantling of affected masts at the expiration of the ultimatum.

Furthermore, NAMA has mandated the company to not only identify and report, but also to reduce the height or dismantle the masts as applicable citing NAMA Act Section 7(1) c and d of its Establishment Act No.48 of 1999.

But Ogunbanjo said hitherto, telecoms operators in Nigeria, in erecting masts around our airports, are given approvals by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

According to him, “If the NAMA now suddenly wakes up to discharge their responsibility of enhancing air safety in

Ogunbanjo

Nigeria, it should do so with decorum, due diligence, due process and wide consultation.”

He insisted that NAMA, as a Federal Government agency should consult with the NCAA and the Telecoms Operators in order to harmonize their various interests and positions rather than the current ‘terror’ approach being undertaken.

“Currently the Telecoms industry is suffering and witnessing several mast closures, vandalisation by insurgents, declaration of state of emergency in some states and threats of closures by some Federal and State Government Agencies leading to very serious threats to good quality service.

GOtv extends services to Onitsha, Asaba

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ay-television, GOtv, has extended its network to new two cities of Onitsha, Anambra State, regarded as the commercial nerve-centre of the SouthEast Nigeria, and in Asaba, Delta State.

The new cities were in addition to GOtv activation in

Ibadan, Port-Harcourt, Lagos, Enugu, Benin-City, Aba, Owerri, Kano and Kaduna following successful launches in these cities recently.

Launched by Details Nigeria, in association with MultiChoice Nigeria, GOtv utilizes the DVB-T2 technology standard, which allows for no less than 22 channels per frequency and is different from other first generation standard DVB-T1, which only allow for up to 13 channels per frequency.

There is a dramatic improvement on the dividend of terrestrial frequencies available when DVB-T2 is deployed.

General Manager, GOtv, Elizabeth Amkpa, said, “What we offer our subscribers is real value for money when you think of the quality content and programming, which are delivered in great picture and sound quality and at a give-away price.”

According to her, customers were not likely to find these elsewhere at a affordable rate of N1,500 per month subscription for GOtv Plus bouquet, which has 37 worldclass local and international channels and N1,000 for GOtv bouquet with 27 channels.

Amkpa added that GOtv guarantees a one-off migration to the digital age. “Nigeria is expected to join the rest of the world in 2015 to migrate from analogue broadcasting to digital. This migration will require every home to have a set-top box in order to continue to enjoy watching television. “ What GOtv does is to help fast-track the migration process and also provide Nigerians an opportunity to experience the digital terrestrial television (DTT) revolution in the comfort of their homes,” she said.

GOtv’s exciting local and international channels include news, children’s programming, documentaries, series and movies which are carefully selected to cater for a variety of different tastes and family viewing needs at a very affordable price.

Some of these channels are Africa Magic, AfricaMagic Movies, AfricaMagic World, AfricaMagic Yoruba, AfricaMagic Hausa, E! Entertainment, Discovery World, eTV Africa, Vox Africa, Select Sports, Select Sports II, Al Jazeera and CNN, Channel O, MTV Base and Disney Junior.

Others include Nickelodeon, Kidsco, Islam Channel, One Gospel, Sound City, M-Net Movies Zone and Black Belt TV, thus providing families with different entertainment options made in Africa for Africans.

BC

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Business Courage A17 33

Monday, July 22, 2013

CBN to review mobile banking framework

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he Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has said there may be need to review the mobile banking framework in order to accommodate the telecommunication operators.

This is in response to analysts question over non inclusion of telecommunication companies in the mobile banking operational plan by the CBN. Kola Adeyemo, assistant director, payment system policy and oversight division - banking and payment system department, CBN, who said this at a Mobile Money Roundtable in Lagos, also said there was need for these telcos to register subsidiary companies, which would be regulated by the CBN. “There may be need to review the framework to do that, without that it cannot be done. We don’t want monop-

oly like what happened in Kenya,” he said.

Participants unanimously agreed that the telcos should be involved in mobile banking in order to drive financial inclusion. There is need for collaboration between the stakeholders, including mobile money operators and the regulators for mobile money to function effectively in the country.

Segun Olukoya, co-founder/vice president and head of financial services and payment, NEXTZON, he said the success of mobile money was determined by how operators understand the needs of the customer and be able to tailor their products to meet those needs.

According to him, what is best for the entire industry to develop and scale fast-

er is shared-agency operators that can service all mobile money operators.

“Mobile money operators are therefore yet to face the traditional issues funding e-cash, liquidity management, interconnectivity, commission levels, high staff turnover, fraud management, among others,” he said.

Leke Adekoya, head, payment strategy and mobile, Stanbic IBTC Bank, stated in his presentation challenges on mobile payment to include fear of mobile payment usage by people, lack of business use cases, lack of consumer use cases, among others.

To him, what will drive convergence in the future include accessing products from any channel, authentication anywhere, payment anywhere, big data and consumer experience among others. BC

Sanusi, CBN Governor

Indian agrochemical firms seek business opportunity in Nigerian market

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etermined to find a new market for the distribution of its agrochemical and allied products, 18 Indian based agrochemical and allied companies recently stormed Nigeria to broker business deals with interested Nigerian investors as well as importers.

The Indian companies offered opportunities for Nigerian companies that are willing to go into joint venture business, distribution and marketing of made-inIndia agrochemical products in Nigeria.

This is to expand the already growing market demand for Indian agrochemical and allied products in Nigerian.

Pradip Dave, president, Pesticides Manufacturers and Formulators Association of India (PMFAI), said at the

Indian agrochemical exhibition held in Lagos, that the current market for Plant Protection Chemicals (PPC) in African is worth $2.5 billion (2 percent of the world market).

He added that it is expected that African PPC market will grow to $4 billion in the next few year.

This, according to him, is due to Dave the priority African governments place on the development of agriculture with

modern facilities so as to boost agricultural exports from Africa to other parts of the world. The PPC products include 30 per cent herbicides; 40 per cent insecticides; 15 per cent fungicides; eight per cent growth regulators and seed treatment chemicals as well as seven per cent rodenticides, and others.

“There is a good market for agrochemicals in Nigeria and the meeting with Nigerian importers provides us the Indian manufacturer’s opportunity to expand our businesses by

way of multilateral trade, joint venture, sub-contracting, contract manufacturing and distribution,” he explained.

While Suhas Gangarm Bharadi, acting executive director of Indian Basic Chemicals, Pharmaceutical and Cosmetics Export Promotion Council (CHEMEXCIL) said that the Nigerian market currently consumes about N1.45 billion ($90 million) worth of made-in-India agrochemical and allied products.

He hinged the purpose of the exhibition on Indian government intention to strengthen the bilateral trade relationship with Nigeria, expand existing business with Nigeria and create a positive brand image for Indian agrochemical and allied products. BC

valued at N911, 125 were traded during the week in 10 deals in contrast to 4,100 units valued at N443, 665 transacted the previous week in 18 deals.

ASeM depreciated by 0.45 per cent, 0.50 per cent respectively.

The Stock Market last week

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turnover of 1.886 billion shares worth of N15. 536 billion in 28,619 deals were traded last week by investors on the floor of The Exchange in contrast to a total of 1.674 billion shares valued at N18.266 billion that exchanged hands the previous week in 25,367 deals. The Financial Services sector (measured by volume) came top and accounted for 763.653 million shares valued at N7.276 billion traded in 14,740 deals; thus contributing 40.50 per cent, 46.83 per cent, 51.50 per cent to the total equity turnover volume, value and number of deals respectively.

The Conglomerates Sector followed with a turnover volume of 704.825 million shares worth N1.137 billion in 1,122 deals and contributed 37.38 per cent, 7.32 per cent and 3.92 per cent to the total equity turnover volume, value and TOP 10 PRICE GAINERS: Company IPWA PLC IHS PLC FORTE OIL PLC. MRS OIL NIGERIA PLC. P Z CUSSONS NIGERIA PLC. U T C NIG. PLC. CHAMPION BREW. PLC. JULIUS BERGER NIG. PLC. 7-UP BOTTLING COMP. PLC. ABC TRANSPORT PLC

Open 0.82 2.59 20.34 19.00 39.36 0.65 7.07 70.02 55.00 1.10

Close 1.29 3.79 29.76 25.28 48.50 0.79 8.54 83.75 65.00 1.29

number of deals respectively. The Services sector came third with a turnover volume of 169.556 million shares worth N335.382 million in 943 deals.

Trading in the top three equities namely Transnational Corporation of Nigeria Plc, ABC Transport Plc and FBN Holdings Plc (measured by volume) accounted for 900.568 million shares worth N2.693 billion in 3,714 deals contributing 47.76 per cent, 17.33 per cent and 12.98 per cent to the total equity turnover volume, value and deals respectively.

Also traded during the week were 30 units of NewGold Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) valued at N60, 220 executed in two deals compared with a total of 20 units valued at N38, 920 transacted the previous week in one deal.

In addition, 8,200 units of FGN bonds

Gain (N) 0.47 1.20 9.42 6.28 9.14 0.14 1.47 13.73 10.00 0.19

% Change 57.32 46.33 46.31 33.05 23.22 21.54 20.79 19.61 18.18 17.27

INDEX MOVEMENT The NSE All-Share Index appreciated by 2.5 per cent to close on Friday at 38,328.29 while the market capitalization of the listed equities on the main board also advanced by 2.53 per cent to close at N12.138 trillion. Also, the NSE 30 Index appreciated by 3.06 per cent to close at 1,812.57.

Four of the NSE indices appreciated during the week: NSE Consumer Goods, NSE Banking, NSE Insurance, NSE Oil/ Gas and NSE-Lotus II rose by 4.72 per cent, 1.27 per cent, 0.28 per cent, 9.37 per cent and 3.30 per cent respectively, while NSE Industrial Goods and NSE-

TOP 10 PRICE LOSERS: Company Open BERGER PAINTS PLC 10.94 PAINTS AND COATINGS 1.89 PORTLAND PAINTS & PRODUCTS 6.58 TRANS-NATIONWIDE EXPRESS PLC. 2.26 JOS INT. BREWERIES PLC 1.10 ACADEMY PRESS PLC. 2.00 ARBICO PLC. 6.22 NIGERIA-GERMAN CHEMICALS PLC. 8.17 B.O.C. GASES PLC. 7.50 PHARMA-DEKO PLC. 2.07

Close 9.26 1.66 5.78 1.99 0.99 1.80 5.60 7.36 6.77 1.87

Loss (N) % Change -1.68 -15.36 -0.23 -12.17 -0.80 -12.16 -0.27 -11.95 -0.11 -10.00 -0.20 -10.00 -0.62 -9.97 -0.81 -9.91 -0.73 -9.73 -0.20 -9.66

SUMMARY OF PRICE CHANGES Fifty equities appreciated in prices during the week higher than 37 equities of the preceding week. Thirty-nine equities depreciated in prices lower than 47 equities of the preceding week, while 105 equities remained constant lower than 110 equities of the preceding week. BC

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Business Courage

Monday, July 22, 2013

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Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid

A bit by bit detailed comparison of 2013 Toyota Prius and Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid

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olkswagen and convention have never really gotten along. Ever since the people’s car unleashed the original Beetle upon the world, the manufacturer has continued marching to the beat of its own drum. Case in point, over the past decade hybrids have become all the rage, but Volkswagen has resisted this trend and continued to combat these half-breed batteries-included fuel misers with an excellent range of TDI diesel models. In fact, nearly every model in Volkswagen’s line-up features a diesel powered version.

However, like the only person left on shore during a late night skinny dip, Volkswagen has finally succumbed to peer pressure and jumped into the hybrid waters Full Monty. But characteristics of Volkswagen, it won’t just do things the normal way. No, if a hybrid must be built, then why not build one with a turbocharger and a 7-speed dual clutch automatic transmission?

So, now that Volkswagen has thrown its hat into the compact hybrid ring, the better test for the new comer is really to put it up against the car that started it all, the Toyota Prius.

New comer vs. the king All-new for 2013, the Jetta Hybrid adds yet another engine to the German automaker’s line-up, bringing the total number of Jetta flavours up to five.

The 1.4-litre turbocharged fourcylinder engines produces 150 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque. It is part of a hybrid system that includes an electric motor and clutch connected to the gasoline engine. The electric motor produces 27 hp and 114 lb-ft of torque. Total output reaches 170 hp while total torque remains 184 lb-ft due to transmission limitations.

That transmission is a first

for a hybrid being a sevenspeed, DSG dual-clutch automatic gearbox. It employs a dryclutch design, instead of the usual wet-clutch set-up seen in other Volkswagen vehicles.

With solid power on tap the car is said to reach 60 mph from a standstill in less than nine seconds, which is fairly quick for a hybrid. The combination of the hybrid power plant and DSG transmission means there is a momentary hesitation after initial throttle tip-in, which can be a little disconcerting when starting on steep inclines as the car tends to roll back.

The Prius sticks to what has made it a success all these years. That means the tried and true Toyota Atkinson cycle hybrid system continues to power the Prius. The 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine makes 98 hp and 105 lb-ft of torque and is paired to an electric motor that creates 80 hp and 153 lb-ft of torque.

Total output from the two systems is 134 hp which may be much lower than the Jetta, but the Prius does have a weight advantage tipping the scales at 3,042 lbs. vs. 3,302 lbs. This allows the Prius with a continuously variable transmission (CVT) to achieve the 0-60 mph run in 9.8 seconds, which is only a second behind the Jetta Hybrid. However, in regular day-to-day driving, throttle response is far less than the turbocharged Jetta Hybrid.

New technology vs. Tried and true On the road, the Prius’s CVT does droan a bit, but low rpm vibration is much better than the Jetta Hybrid. Both cars offer a smooth ride, but the Jetta Hybrid shudders a bit when pulling away from a stop, much like Volkswagens TDI models.

Although much smoother, the Prius requires quite uite a bit of

Unveiled! The new 2014 Mercedes S63 AMG

I

t’s lighter, more powerful and ridiculously luxuri-ous. Mercedes officially unveiled its 2014 S63 AMG 4Matic last Wednesday ahead of its inperson debut during the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.

There won’t be any mistaking the 2014 S63 AMG when it reaches showrooms, even with its handsome new sheet metal. And while the brand’s biggest and newest performance sedan wears the same handsome styling as its relatively mundane siblings, the engineers behind Mercedes’ AMG arm have been hard at work proving the considerable prowess they hold in building athletic luxury products.

“Following the successful launch of the A45 AMG and the CLA45 AMG, the new S63 AMG 4MATIC highlights our expertise in the automotive high-end segment,” AMG CEO Ola Kallenius said.

Starting skin deep, a series of changes improve the car over its predecessor. Body panels are crafted from aluminum, the brakes are lighter and buyers can choose optional carbon ceramic units. Carbon fiber is molded to cradle the spare tire and even the front end is made of aluminum. Mercedes even saves weight by using a lithium ion battery and in total cuts 220 lbs from the car. There’s more.

A newly massaged version of the brand’s 5.5-litre biturbo V8 rests under the hood and makes 577 hp and 664 lb-ft of torque.

That power is sent through AMG’s multi-clutch seven-speed

throttle input to roll away from a stop with any speed, which can have a negative effect on fuel economy. If more power is called for, the Prius does have a Power button and the Jetta a Sport mode. Both improve responsiveness with a minor hit in fuel economy.

Like any good hybrid, both vehicles can also be used in electric only modes, called Emode in the Jetta and EV mode in the Prius. Here the Jetta trumps the Prius as it can travel up to 44 mph in E-mode compared to the Prius being limited to 25 mph. Both vehicles can engage battery only modes at highway speeds, but the Jetta allows the driver to be more aggressive with throttle inputs and will sustain speeds longer before reengaging the gasoline engine.

Efficiency status In the real world world, the two

brands fared quite differently.

With less power and lighter weight, it is no wonder that the Prius has a more efficient fuel economy rating at 51 mpg city and 48 mpg highway compared to the Jetta Hybrid’s ratings of 42 mpg city and 48 mpg highway Being Volkswagen’s first hybrid vehicle, some bugs still needs to be worked. First on that list is the regenerative braking. The Jetta’s brakes are very grabby like most hybrids, but are also very random. They feel different every time you touch the brake pedal and sometimes, it feels like the brakes aren’t there at all.

With no linear progression, what pressure was applied last time may not stop as quickly next time, or vice versa. With over 15 years of experience, the Prius brakes are some of the smoothest regenerative units on the market and are very pre-

transmission to the brand’s 4Matic all-wheel drive transm system for the first time in an S63. Collectively, syste that launches the car from 0-60 mph in 3.9 tha seconds with 33 per cent of the engine’s torque sec sent to the front and 67 per cent to the rear. sen Top speed is electronically limited to 186 mph.

Mercedes says the car is also more efficient M year’s model, although official fuel consumpthan last ye tion figures haven’t been released.

An updated air suspension that can adapt more readily also promises a more comfortable ride while maintaining performance. Mercedes gave the new S63 AMG higher camber, a larger anti-roll bar and a stiffer subframe carrier on the rear axle, all of which are unique to the car.

As an AMG model, the cabin gets specific changes as well.

Those include a sport steering wheel and seats. Those buckets have been newly designed and Mercedes says they will offer improved support over the previous car. Finally, the cabin gets other touches like an embossed AMG logo on the leather arm rest above the center console.

Ford faces class action lawsuit over MyFord Touch Infotainment System

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new class action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of purchasers of Ford vehicles

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Business Courage A19 35

Monday, July 22, 2013

Behind d Wheels This page is open to sponsorship

Toyota Prius

Posh vs. Spartan Vehicle

2013 Toyota Prius

Engine

1.8L Inline-4 + Electric

Combined Horsepower

134

Fuel Economy

51 MPG city /

Advantage -

2013 Volk Jetta Hybrid 1.4 L Turbocharged Inline-4 + Electric

48 MPG hwy Observed Fuel Economy Weight

62 MPG 3,042 lbs.

Jetta

170 42 MPG city /

Prius

48 MPG hwy

Prius

48 MPG

Prius

3,302 lbs.

Front Legroom

42.5 in.

Prius

41.2 in.

Rear Legroom

36.0 in.

Jetta

38.1 in.

Cargo Capacity

21.6 cu-ft

Prius

11.3 cu-ft

Starting Price

$24,200

Prius

$24,995

dictable.

Between a car and a hybrid Nearly everything else about these cars favours the Jetta.

The hybrid drives like a dulled down Jetta, which isn’t a bad thing. It does not steer, handle or turn as well as a regular Jetta, thanks to the extra hybrid weight and low rolling resistance tires, but still does drive like a regular car unlike most

other hybrids, Prius included.

The Jetta is a rare hybrid that doesn’t constantly remind the driver that they are driving a hybrid; until they get on the brakes.

On the outside, a fully-loaded hybrid looks like nearly every other Jetta too. Compared to the space age looking Prius, the Jetta is downright boring.

Those who want the world to know they are driving a hybrid

equipped with the MyFord Touch infotainment system, alleging that vehicles equipped with the systems are plagued with serious defects. News of the filing comes on the same day Ford has admitted its hybrid Fusion and C-Max models do not live up to their bold fuel economy claims.

The gripes surrounding the MyFord Touch system have been well documented since its arrival in 2010, with many owners taking to the Internet complaining that the system often fails to perform the features advertised.

The suit was brought by the Centre for Defensive Driving, a nonprofit educator in Torrance, California. The Centre for Defensive Driving claims that it had leased a 2013 Ford F-150 Lariat and suffered from numerous issues including a system lockup and total system failure, periodic non-responsiveness to devices such as MP3 players, and periodic non-responsiveness to voice commands. According to the suit, the F-150′s MyFord Touch unit had failed or locked up no fewer than 27 times between February 22, 2013 and July 1, 2013. The law firm Grant & Eisenhofer is co-counsel to the plaintiffs.

“The MyFord Touch problems in Ford vehicles are legion and now well-documented,” said Adam Levitt, a Grant & Eisenhofer director and head of the firm’s Consumer Practice group.

“Had consumers known about the numerous and widespread issues with the system in Ford’s cars, they would not have purchased or leased these vehicles. We intend to see that they are properly compensated for defective systems, and will call on Ford take affirmative steps to see that customers’ expectations are met.” BC

will have to make do with the blue-highlighted VW emblems and four exterior hybrid badges as it does not scream ‘hybrid’ like the Prius does.

Other exterior changes made to the Jetta Hybrid help lower its drag coefficient down from 0.30 to 0.28 like a custom trunk lid spoiler, new front air dam, extended side skirts and a diffuser at the rear.

These changes still aren’t enough to rival the Prius as it was designed to be a hybrid from the start and sports a drag coefficient of just 0.25.

The interior of the fully loaded Jetta Hybrid is fairly premium and very similar to a Jetta TDI interior, complete with the Fender audio system. Like most hybrids, it has trick gauges and menu screens to show how the hybrid mechanical bits are working; three gauges/screens in total. Where the RPM gauge should be is a power usage meter that goes from below 0, for charging, to 10, which is full turbo boost. All controls are well laid out and easy to use – though that power meter isn’t the easiest to understand.

The Prius’ interior is much lower grade, though the displays and screens are easy to read and interpret – which benefits the attentive driver, helping them to get the most out of each gallon. The Jetta’s generous rear-seat compartment offers more legroom than the Prius at 38.1 inches compared to 36.0 inches. But since the Prius is a hatchback and the Jetta a conventional sedan, the Prius dominates in cargo carrying ability with 21.6 cu-ft of space compared to the Jetta’s batterylimited 11.3 cu-ft.

The verdict When it all comes down to it, the Jetta is a really good compact car; much better in many respects than the Prius. But the Volkswagen is only a decent hybrid whereas the Prius is a terrific one. And in this class of vehicle, that is what matters most. If driver engagement and efficiency is desired, buy a Volkswagen, but not this one. Instead, buy the Jetta TDI, which still offers plenty of fuel economy and delivers more fun.

If all out efficiency with a side of comfort and practicality are on the top of the shopping list, the Prius still can’t be beat. BC

Autocare Keeping your car transmission in good condition 1. Check the fluid level he fluid in an automatic transmission operates the clutches, provides cooling and lubrication, and even drives the vehicle. So, few things are more important than proper fluid operating level for keeping the transmission working. Most automatic transmissions have a dipstick for checking the fluid level. If you’re not sure where yours is or how to check the transmission fluid level, refer to your owner’s manual.

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2. Check transmission problems promptly Most transmission problems start out small. They get worse over time. Very often, you can eliminate major repairs simply by taking care of the problem early on. Whether it’s a warning light on the dash, a few drops of fluid on the garage floor, or a change in the way the transmission operates, your best bet is to take your car in to your technician. In many cases you’ll be able to avoid a major repair simply by catching it while it’s still a minor one.

3. Regular service Transmission fluids have a number of unique properties that can wear out over time. And when they wear out, you can bet the transmission itself won’t be far behind. One of the best ways to keep your transmission in good working order is to have it serviced annually. A complete fluid and filter change every year can add years to your transmission’s life, and in the end, save you money.

4. Add a friction modifier to the fluid New fluid can really help your transmission last longer. But there are a number of additives on the market that have demonstrated the ability to increase transmission life and reliability significantly, even beyond the extra miles you could expect from regular service.

5. Install an auxiliary cooler The main reason for transmission failure is heat. Transmission temperatures can quickly exceed 300? F: At that temperature, seals begin to harden, clutches begin to burn, and the fluid itself breaks down. To help eliminate excess heat from the automatic transmission fluid, have an auxiliary cooler installed. This is particularly important on vehicles that tow trailers, carry heavy loads or travel over rough or mountainous terrain.

6. Install a cooler line filter All automatic transmissions have some type of filter inside them.

But these filters vary in effectiveness. Meanwhile, loose dirt and metal particles can quickly erode thrust washer and bushing surfaces, clog up passages, and reduce transmission life. One of the best ways to eliminate these contaminants is to add an in-line filter to the transmission cooler lines. These filters are inexpensive and highly effective in removing damaging particles from the transmission fluid.

7. Service the cooling system You may not realise it, but your car’s cooling system does more than keep the engine running cool: It also cools the transmission fluid, through a heat exchanger built into the radiator tank. So a faulty cooling system cannot only damage your engine; it can reduce transmission life as well. In fact, transmission damage may occur long before the engine overheats. To avoid both engine and transmission problems, keep your car’s cooling system clean and in tip-top condition.

8. Tune the engine The engines and transmissions in today’s cars are linked far more closely than in the past. A problem with engine performance can put much more strain on the transmission than one that’s running properly. That’s another reason why it’s important to keep your car’s engine in good running order. A good running engine reduces the stress on your transmission, so the transmission can last longer without requiring major repairs.

9. Help the transmission shift Virtually all transmission wear takes place during the shifts; almost none occurs between the shifts. So, one way to reduce transmission wear is to reduce the load during the shift. Pay attention to the speed when your transmission shifts normally.

Then, just before the normal shift speed, learn to back off the gas just a bit. Easing off the gas will force the shift, while reducing the load on the clutches. BC

A20 36

Business Courage

Investors trade 406m shares worth N2.9bn

I

nvestors on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) on Friday bought 406.157 million shares worth N2.9 billion, traded in 5,430 deals.

This was in contrast to the 248.91 million shares valued at N3.1 billion, which were traded in 5,562 deals last Thursday.

The All-Share Index grew by 34.29 basis points to close at 38,368.83, as against the 38,334.54 recorded on Thursday.

Similarly, the market capitalisation, which opened at N12.140 trillion grew by N11 billion or 0.09 per cent, to close at N12.151 trillion.

PZ Cusson topped the gainers

chart with N4.20, to close at N48.50 per share.

Forte Oil trailed with N2.70 to close at N29.76, while Con Oil gained N2.30 to close at N25.30 per share.

MRS appreciated by N2.29 to close at N25.28, while Cadbury gained N1 to close at N53.05 per share.

On the other hand, Nigerian Breweries led the losers’ chart by N2.90, to close at N176.50 per share.

Nigerian German Chemicals depreciated by 81k to close at N7.36, while Bocgas shed 73k to close at N6.77 per share. Portpaint lost 62k each to close at N5.78, while ETI dropped 25k to close at N14.75 per share. BC

Sterling Bank sees profit doubling on fresh capital

S

terling Bank Plc, said it’s planning to more than double profit in two years as it invests additional capital in lending and expanding branch network.

“We expect net income to rise from N6.9 billion ($42.8 million)in 2012 to N15.1 billion in 2014 as proceeds from current capital raising are invested,’’ Chief Financial Officer Abubakar Suleiman said at the weekend in an interview with reporters in Lagos. Earnings per share is expected to rise from 44 kobo in 2012 to 70 kobo in 2014, he said.

Sterling Bank seeks to raise $80 million in a rights offer that ends on July 31. The lender plans to raise $120 million from a private placement after the rights offer, Suleiman said.

The bank, with a networth of over 50 billion naira and operating in more than 160 branches across Nigeria according to its website, ``has no plans currently for foreign operations,’’ according to Suleiman.’’ ``We’ll expand locally by opening 15 additional branches this year and increase customer deposits by 200 billion naira,’’ he said. The lender plans to grow loans by ``over 30 percent’’ this year and about that in 2014,’’ he said.

Sterling Bank is joining other Nigerian lenders to seek opportunities in growth economic sectors after the industry bounced back to profitability following a 2008 to 2009 debt crisis that put the banking industry on the verge of collapse. The government set up Asset Management Corp. of Nigeria to buy bad debt from banks and stabilize the financial system.

The lender acquired Equitorial Trust Bank Plc in 2011, one of the eight banks bailed out by the Central Bank of Nigeria.

The Lagos-based bank has done a lot of lending to the oil and gas as well as telecommunication sectors, Suleiman said. “Going forward, we will do more lending to power and agriculture projects,’’ he said.

Nigeria, Africa’s top oil producer, is selling majority stakes in power plants and letting private investors

Adeola, Sterling Bank Plc Boss

acquire holdings of as much as 60 percent in six transmission and 11 power-distribution companies spun out of the former state-owned utility. Banks have also increased lending to the oil industry as smaller producers expanded drilling. Companies including London-based Heritage Oil Plc and Lagos-based Neconde Energy Ltd. bought stakes in fields owned by Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Eni SpA and Total SA. Sterling Bank will be able to maintain the quality of its risk assets even as loans grow, ``as it targets top quality blue-chip companies,’’ Suleiman said. ``The bank is expecting ratio of non- perfuming loans to total credit to drop below 3 percent this year from a ratio of slightly above 3 percent in 2012,’’ he said.

The lender is also managing cost to ensure that planned expansion in retail banking and technology does not hamper the realization of projected income, as it targets cost to income ratio of 70 per cent this year from 83 per cent in 2012, according to Suleiman. Return on equity is forecast at 20 percent this year from 14 per cent in 2012, he said.

Sterling Bank’s net income for the half year through June rose to 5.5 billion naira from 3.11 billion naira, a year earlier, the lender said yesterday in a filing to the Nigerian Stock Exchange. Net interest income, or money earned from loans, climbed 27 percent to N15.1 billion. BC

Monday, July 22, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Still on naira redenomination

L

ast week, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mallam Lamido Sanusi, restated his case for the redenomination or is it redesigning of the naira, especially the introduction of N5000 note, during an appearance before the House of Representatives Committee on Banking and Currency.

He said that redesigning the naira note would help curb the “alarming” rate of counterfeiting of the national currency just as he revealed that 8.4 per cent of every N1million in circulation is fake.

For him, the public outcry that trailed an attempt last year to introduce the N5000 notes and redesign the naira generally into a basket of 12 coins and notes was uncalled for, insisting that the country must revisit the redesigning of the notes every eight to 10 years in order to stay ahead of counterfeiters.

What gave rise to the CBN governor’s postulations include questions about how bank ATMs came to be dispensing fake naira notes which had been brought to the attention of the lawmakers.

According to Sanusi, “One of the reasons we wanted to have a restructuring of the redesign of the currency a few months ago was because many of our notes had been in existence for upward of eight or even 10 years, but the best practice is that within a period of five to eight years you redesign the currency after which counterfeiters tend to catch up with.

“Even at that, Nigerian notes, in terms of what we see as counterfeit and processing, the percentage is very low. We had about 3.9 per cent in 2007, 6 per cent in 2008, 8.4 per cent in 2009, 7.4 in 2010, 5.4 in 2011 and 8.4 per cent in 2012 of the notes processed were counterfeit.”

It is trite that currency faking can do a lot of damage to a country’s economy.

Indeed large scale counterfeiting of the US dollar was one of the weapons employed by some Eastern bloc nations especially, the defunct East Germany, to fight the US during the Cold War era but it is a fact of life that virtually all nations must live with.

The way to go has always been the introduction of strong security features, which the same CBN swore it had when the current set of notes were introduced. I have seen a few fake notes and none can boast of such security features and are rather easy to detect. Any bank that is unable to fish out fake notes and feeds such into its ATMs due to carelessness or failure to invest in the right technology should be penalised.

It is difficult to understand why the CBN governor appears fixated on re-denominating the naira, when Nigerians do not appear psychologically ready for it. The

strong opposition to the redenomination especially the coinage of N5, N10, N20 and N50 was based on past experience where such decisions had resulted in the sharp reduction in the nominal value of such coins. For whatever reasons, we Nigerians are yet to be cured of our aversion for coins so why force the issue?

Again, I wonder how the introduction of the N5000 note even with advanced security features will curb counterfeiting.

Commonsense dictates that the opposite will be the case.

The case for higher denomination also clearly goes against the grain of the cashless policy drive, which aims at restricting high volume cash transactions and encourages the use of electronic channels to consummate transactions.

Why make it possible to carry N1m in a jacket pocket instead of cards? Maybe the CBN needs to elaborate on this.

I think what Sanusi should focus on is the value of the naira, which is what matters the most at this time. Of course, one will admit that the CBN has done a good job at ensuring the stability of the national currency in the past two years or so largely due to current fiscal policies and strong oil prices that has encourages foreign reserves accumulation, but real risks of the emergence of conditions that could undermine the currency remain.

This should be his key concern, not some costly adventure in currency redenomination with a likely scandalous outcome just like the polymer note fiasco.

What’s going on at Ecobank?

News filtered in last week that members of the board of Ecobank are at loggerheads over huge debts owed by companies linked to the chairman, Mr. Kolapo Lawson. Indeed, documents leaked to Financial Times of London quoted the Central Bank of Nigeria as describing Lawson as unfit to hold office due to his alleged failure to redeem promises to pay the N1.2bn debt owned the Asset Management Company of Nigeria, which took over non-performing loan of the banks. Lawson’s family company is also said to owe the bank another N1.6bn. Lawson insists that his loan is performing and secured with high-value real estate assets, but AMCON has on the other hand denied reaching an agreement on the N1.2bn loan. While it is no crime to take a loan, a situation where huge debts are linked to a bank’s chairman, which has warranted this much furore looks untidy. In other climes, the normal thing would have been for Lawson to step down to avoid a possible dent on the bank’s image even if he was not guilty of any wrong doing. BC

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Business Courage

Monday, July 22, 2013

A21 37

FG to fast-track establishment of venture capital firms

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he Federal Government said it will fast-track the establishment of vibrant and efficient venture and equity capital organisations that will help provide cheap funds for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises across the country.

The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Olusegun Aganga, said this during the Launch of the National Enterprise Development Programme (NEDEP) and inauguration of the Ogun State Council on MSMEs in Abeokuta.

The programme, which was organised by the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), in partnership with the Ogun State government, is in line with the provisions of the Nigerian Industrial Revolution Plan.

Aganga said, “We want to build a new sector called Venture Capital and private equity sector to support small and growing businesses in Nigeria.

“Very soon, you will see some changes in our laws and regulations that will promote the devel-

Aganga

opment of venture capital organisations that will provide equity, debt capital and business support services to those sectors.”

The minister noted that the inauguration of SME Councils at the state levels would enable both the federal and state governments to identify the peculiar challenges facing MSMEs in each state and then fashion out workable strategies to holistically address them.

He said, “We are currently changing the structure of MSMEs development in the country. One

of our new initiatives is the development of the National Enterprise Development Programme.

NEDEP is being spearheaded by the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment and its three parastatals – the Bank of Industry, SMEDAN and the Industrial Training Fund.

“This is the first time ever that these three parastatals under my ministry are coming together to develop and implement a programme that will revolutionise the growth of the MSME sector in Nigeria.”

He added, “In terms of the new structure of MSMEs in Nigeria, I want to see a situation where we can have SME Councils in every state of the federation. We launched the first one in Kano (in the North), two weeks ago, while Ogun State is the first one we are launching in the South West.

“The state SME Councils will have representatives of the federal and state governments, trade associations and members of the Organised Private Sector as members.” BC

India’s chemical exports to Nigeria grows by 5.6%

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xports of chemical items from India to Nigeria have increased to about 5.6 per cent from 2012 to 2013.

Also, the total items covered under the purview of ChemExcil (Export Promotion Council, set up by Indian government) to Nigeria in the period stood at $90 .3 million as against $85.5 million of the corresponding period of 2012, said Executive Director, ChemExcil, Suhas Bhardi.

Bhardi gave these figures during the Indian Chemical and Cosmetics Exhibition, organised

by ChemExcil in collaboration with Pesticides Manufacturers and Formulators Association of India (PMFAI) and the Indian High Commission, Lagos.

According to him, the basic sector which consists mainly

of petrochemicals accounts for over 70 percent of the total chemical market in Nigeria.” I am happy to note that the upstream petrochemical sector is well established as Nigeria is the highest oil-producer in Africa.

“The purpose of this Exhibition is to strengthen/expand existing business, promote India’s chemical exports and to create a positive brand image of Indian products. This would also result into many more joint ventures and technology transfer,” he said.

On the other hand, President of PMFAI, Pradip Dave, said that the African region offers most potential for improvement in productivity of crops and therefore African governments have given priority for

development of Agriculture in the region.

Dave noted that there is good market for agrochemicals in Nigeria, stressing, “It is estimated that the private sector agrochemical companies supply about 70 per cent of the total CPP demand of approximately $120 million.”

He said, “Most of the African countries are now concentrating on development of irrigation projects and with modern irrigation system by optimising and conserving water resources and also introducing drought resistance varieties. The drought resistance and high yielding varieties will definitely boost the agricultural production in the African region which will also help in boosting agricultural exports from Africa. BC

Citigroup, Vetiva to manage sale of Enterprise Bank

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he Federal Government has commenced the sale of the AMCON-owned banks, with the appointment of Citigroup and Vetiva Capital to manage the sale of one of the banks — Enterprise Bank Limited.

Mustapha Chike-Obi, Chief Executive Officer, AMCON, said Citigroup and Vetiva will manage the 100 per cent sale of the bank, while the sale of the other two — Mainstreet Bank Limited and Keystone Bank will hold in the next couple of weeks.

Market Indicators for Week Ended 19-07-13 All-Share Index 38,328.29 points Market Capitalisation N12,138,265,218,353.95 Stock Updates GAINERS COMPANY

OPENING PRICE

CHANGE

23.00

25.30

FO

27.06

29.76

9.98

MRS

22.99

25.28

9.96

10.00

HIS

3.45

3.79

9.86

EVANSMED

4.10

4.49

9.51

LOSERS COMPANY

OPENING PRICE

CLOSING PRICE

CHANGE

CORNERST

0.60

0.54

-10.00

TRANSEXPR

2.21

1.99

-9.95

NIG-GERMAN

8.17

7.36

-9.91

PAINTCOM

1.84

1.66

-9.78

BOCGAS

7.50

6.77

-9.73

Inter-Bank Rates TENOR

RATE%(PREV) 12-Jul-2013

RATE%(CURR) 19-Jul-2013

CALL

10.2500 – 13.2500

10.1500 – 10.2500

OBB

9.6000 – 12.4000

10.1000 – 11.6000

Primary Market Auction TENOR

He said the appointment is a reflection of the fact that AMCON is on track with its timeline to complete the sale of all three banks by the third quarter of next year.

Afribank, Spring Bank and Bank PHB, where nationalised in 2011 when they failed to find new investors before a recapitalisation deadline.

AMCON then recapitalised the three banks and changed their names to Mainstreet, Enterprise Bank and Keystone Bank, respectively. BC

CLOSING PRICE

CONOIL

AMOUNT (N’mn)

RATE (%)

DATE

91-Days

20159.21

11.50

10-July-13

182-Days

50403.15

12.75

10-July-13

91-Days

31838.51

11.62

26-Jun-13

Open Market Operation TENOR

AMOUNT (N’mn)

RATE (%)

DATE

182-Days

70,000

13.15

18-July-13

210-Days

70,000

13.18

18-July-13

80-Days

30,000

12.50

15-July-13

Wholesale Dutch Auction System AMOUNT OFFERED

Chike-Obi

AMOUNT SOLD

DATE

$400m

MARKET DEMAND $400m

$400m

17-July-13

$300m

$300m

$300m

15-July-13

A22 38

Business Courage

Monday, July 22, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Nigerian Breweries Plc: Profit impaired by huge investment in company products

By Johnson Okanlawon

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he slowdown in growth of brewed product market in 2012 affected the Nigerian Breweries profit, even as the competition in the sector remained stiff. For instance, the coast is not yet clear in the stout market for Legend Extra Stout, the premium stout despite winning the Gold Quality Award at the 51st Monde where Guinness Extra Stout trailed the brand. This has affected the sales growth of the Nigerian Breweries in the year under review.

The company announced a net profit of N38.04billion for the financial year ended December 31, 2012, a marginal increase of 1.01 per cent when compared to N38.43billion recorded in the same period of 2011. The company’s revenue rose by 21.9 per cent to N252.7billion, from N207.3billion recorded in 2011, while cost of sales increased by 87 per cent to N127.2billion, from N98.2billion in the 2011 financial year.

The excellent revenue performance was also supported by the continuous high investment in their rich portfolio of brands as well as their route to market. For instance, the company invested the sum of N36billion in 2012 on various capacity expansion projects to prepare for the expected growth in the industry and to further support the strong growth of its brands.

Background Nigerian Breweries Plc, the pioneer and largest brewing company in Nigeria, was incorporated in 1946. In June 1949, the company recorded a landmark when the fi rst bottle of STAR lager beer was rolled off its Lagos Brewery bottling lines. In 1957, the company commissioned its second brewery in Aba, Abia State and was followed by the Kaduna Brewery plant which was commissioned in 1963. The Ibadan plant came on stream in 1982.

In 1993, the company acquired its fi fth brewery in Enugu and in October 2003, a sixth brewery, sited at Ameke, in Enugu State was commissioned and christened Ama Brewery. Ama Brewery is today, acclaimed to be the biggest and most modern brewery in Nigeria. Operations in the Old Enugu Brewery were however discontinued in 2004, while the company acquired a malting Plant in Aba in 2008.

In October 2011, Nigerian Breweries acquired majority equity interests in Sona Systems

to 22.81 per cent in 2012.

Both gross profit margin and PBT margin in 2012 decreased over the 2011 figures. Gross profit margin dipped to 49.65 per cent, from 52.00 per cent while profi t before tax margin declined by 4.71 basis points to 22.01 per cent in 2012.

The company’s total cost as a percentage of gross earnings stood at 84.94 per cent grew from 81.97 per cent recorded in the corresponding period of 2011. PAT margin currently stands at 15.06 per cent, down from 18.03 per cent in the corresponding period of 2011. The overall results indicate that the previous year’s performance was better than the current year.

Vervelde

Associates Business Management Limited, (Sona Systems) and Life Breweries Limited from Heineken N.V. This followed Heineken’s acquisition of controlling interests in fi ve breweries in Nigeria from Sona Group in January 2011. Sona Systems’ two breweries in Ota and Kaduna, and Life Breweries in Onitsha have now become part of Nigerian Breweries Plc, together with the three brands: Goldberg Lager, Malta Gold and Life Continental lager. Thus, from the humble beginning in 1946, Nigerian Breweries now has eight operational breweries from which its high quality products are produced and distributed to all parts of Nigeria, in addition to the ultra modern malting plant in Aba and Kaduna.

Performance The audited financial year ended December 31, 2012 shows that its top line indices improved steadily for the third consecutive year. Gross earnings grew from N186 billion in 2010 to N252.7 billion in 2012.

The turnover or revenue for the review period increased by 19.7 per cent, compared with N211.1 billion in the corresponding period of 2011. The increase in revenue could be traced to the company’s investment in production capacity and acquisition of Sona Systems and Life Breweries.

However, the brewing giant appears not to be cost effective in recent time, resulting in de-

clined profitability as profit before tax decreased by 1.37 per cent between 2011 and 2012 to N55.62 billion from N56.4 billion. Profit after tax was N38.04 billion, down from N38.05 billion in 2011, representing a decrease of 0.02 per cent. Consequently, the board has recommended (for the Company), the payment of a total dividend of N22.7 billion, which is N3.00 per ordinary share of fifty kobo each for the 2012 financial year. The N3.00 per share is the same amount paid in the 2011 financial year.

Profitability Ratios/Earnings Return on equity which reveals how much profit a company earned in comparison to the total amount of shareholders’ equity found on the balance sheet dropped from 26.27 per cent in the preceding year

Liquidity Ratios One area that the management of Nigeria Breweries need to improve on is its assets quality. This is because both current and quick ratios fall short of the common rule of thumb.

The current ratio which expresses the relative relationship between current assets and current liabilities closed at 0.65:1 in 2012 compared with 0.64:1 in 2011. A rule of thumb suggests that a 2:1 ratio is ordinarily satisfactory.

Similarly, quick ratio (acid -test ratio) which measures the debtpaying ability of a company also shows that the company would not be able to meet its financial obligation as when due. Quick ratios stood at 0.37:1, down from 0.39:1 figure recorded in 2011 and 1.5:1 minimum value for a company with strong assets base. This suggests that the brewing company could not meet its financial obligation as when due.

Asset Quality A cursory look at the balance sheet position in 2012 compared with the position as

at 2011 shows that the company’s fi xed assets recorded an increase, due largely to investment in production capacity and acquisition of Sona Systems and Life Breweries.

Fixed assets increased by 15.6 per cent to N142.4 billion from N123.2 billion in 2011. Cash and bank balances decreased from N21.88 in fi nancial year, 2011, to record N9.51 billion 2012. Obviously, the drop in the cash and bank balances should be as a result of project fi nance. Current assets dropped by 1.65 per cent to N56.87 billion from N57.8 billion in 2011 while shareholders’ funds closed at N166.8 billion from N144.83 billion in 2011.

Stocks increased by 11 per cent to N24.65 billion from N22.11 billion in the previous period while trade debtors increased by 64 per cent to N22.7 billion from N13.83 billion, as trade creditors increased by 8.02 per cent to N61.69 billion in 2012 from N57.11 billion in comparable period in 2011.

Future It is obvious that demand for brewery products will remain strong in spite of the economic situation in the country. However, high production cost, as a result of rising energy, power and packaging costs is putting pressure on profit margin in the industry. There is also the need for the management to find ways to recover its weak liquidity.

Meanwhile, the expansion project embarked upon by the management in its various brewing sites is expected to generate more revenue in the future. The Managing Director of the company, Mr. Nicolaas Vervelde pointed out that the company is well positioned to take advantage of any growth in the market to sustain its leadership position as well as maintain the healthy yield on investment for its investors.

The company’s chairman, Mr. Kolawole Jamodu said, “The major players in the market have invested in the expansion of production capacity thereby preparing them for the anticipated upswing in the market.

“The board is more than confident that the investments in our brands, production facilities, human capacity and others, have put us in the position to excel as always, competition notwithstanding. We aim to jealously guide our leadership position as well as maintain the yield on our investment.” BC

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Business Courage A23 39

Monday, July 22, 2013

STOCKWATCH Stock Exchange weekly equities summary as at Friday, July 19, 2013 SECURITY

PRICE (=N=)

AGRICULTURE/AGRO-ALLIED Crop Production FTN COCOA PROCESSORS PLC NT OKOMU OIL PALM PLC. 47.00 PRESCO PLC 40.00 Fishing/Hunting/Trapping ELLAH LAKES PLC. NT Livestock/Animal Specialties LIVESTOCK FEEDS PLC. 4.92 CONGLOMERATES Diversified Industries A.G. LEVENTIS NIGERIA PLC. 1.45 CHELLARAMS PLC. NT JOHN HOLT PLC. 1.42 S C O A NIG. PLC. 5.32 U A C N PLC. 63.00 CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE Building Construction ARBICO PLC. NT CAPPA & D’ALBERTO PLC. NT Building Structure/Completion/Other COSTAIN (W A) PLC. 1.45 G CAPPA PLC NT Non--Building/Heavy Construction JULIUS BERGER NIG. PLC. 83.75 ROADS NIG PLC. NT Real Estate Development PINNACLE POINT GROUP PLC NT UACN PROPERTY DEV 15.99 Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) SKYE SHELTER FUND PLC NT UNION HOMES REAL ESTATE INV 50.00 CONSUMER GOODS Automobiles/Auto Parts DN TYRE & RUBBER PLC 0.50 Beverages--Brewers/Distillers CHAMPION BREW. PLC. NT GOLDEN GUINEA BREW. PLC. NT GUINNESS NIG PLC 260.00 INTERNATIONAL BREWERIES PLC. 24.69 JOS INT. BREWERIES PLC. 0.99 NIGERIAN BREW. PLC. 176.50 PREMIER BREWERIES PLC NT Beverages--Non-Alcoholic 7-UP BOTTLING COMP. PLC. 65.00 Food Products BIG TREAT PLC NT DANGOTE FLOUR MILLS PLC 9.50 DANGOTE SUGAR REFINERY PLC 12.22 FLOUR MILLS NIG. PLC. 90.00 HONEYWELL FLOUR MILL PLC 3.36 MULTI-TREX INTEGRATED FOODS PLC NT N NIG. FLOUR MILLS PLC. NT NATIONAL SALT CO. NIG. PLC 12.99 P S MANDRIDES & CO PLC. NT U T C NIG. PLC. 0.79 UNION DICON SALT PLC. NT Food Products--Diversified CADBURY NIGERIA PLC. 53.05 NESTLE NIGERIA PLC. 1 000.00 Household Durables BETA GLASS CO PLC. NT NIGERIAN ENAMELWARE PLC. NT VITAFOAM NIG PLC. 4.41 VONO PRODUCTS PLC. NT Personal/Household Products P Z CUSSONS NIGERIA PLC. 48.50 UNILEVER NIGERIA PLC. 62.00 Textiles/Apparel UNITED NIG. TEXTILES PLC. NT FINANCIAL SERVICES Banking ACCESS BANK PLC. 11.19 DIAMOND BANK PLC 6.90 ECOBANK TRANSNATIONAL INC. 14.75 FIDELITY BANK PLC 3.10 FIRST CITY MONUMENT BANK PLC. 4.75 GUARANTY TRUST BANK PLC. 26.42 SKYE BANK PLC 4.81 STERLING BANK PLC. 2.73 U B A PLC 8.34 UNION BANK NIG.PLC. 12.35 UNITY BANK PLC 0.60 WEMA BANK PLC. 1.16 ZENITH BANK PLC 21.60 Insurance Carriers, Brokers & Services AFRICAN ALLIANCE INS. COY. PLC 0.50 AIICO INSURANCE PLC. 0.90 CONFIDENCE INSURANCE PLC NT CONSOLIDATED HALLMARK INS. PLC 0.50 CONTINENTAL REINSURANCE PLC 1.26 CORNERSTONE INS. COY. PLC. 0.54 CUSTODIAN AND ALLIED INS. PLC 1.58 EQUITY ASSURANCE PLC. NT GOLDLINK INSURANCE PLC NT GREAT NIGERIAN INSURANCE PLC 0.50 GUINEA INSURANCE PLC. NT INTERCONTINENTAL WAPIC INS. PLC 0.90 INTERNATIONAL ENERGY INS. PLC 0.50 INVESTMENT AND ALLIED ARN. NT LASACO ASSURANCE PLC. NT LAW UNION AND ROCK INS. PLC. 0.50 LINKAGE ASSURANCE PLC 0.50 MANSARD INSURANCE PLC 2.14 MUTUAL BENEFITS ASSURANCE PLC. NT N.E.M INSURANCE CO (NIG) PLC. 0.72 NIGER INSURANCE CO. PLC. NT OASIS INSURANCE PLC NT PRESTIGE ASSURANCE CO. PLC. 0.53 REGENCY ALLIANCE INS. COY PLC NT SOVEREIGN TRUST INSURANCE PLC 0.50 STACO INSURANCE PLC NT STANDARD ALLIANCE INS. PLC. 0.50 UNIC INSURANCE PLC. 0.50 UNITY KAPITAL ASSURANCE PLC NT UNIVERSAL INS. COMPANY PLC 0.50 Micro Finance Banks FORTIS MICROFINANCE BANK PLC 6.60 NPF MICROFINANCE BANK PLC 0.96 Mortgage Carriers, Brokers &Services ABBEY BUILDING SOCIETY PLC 1.53 ASO SAVINGS AND LOANS PLC 0.50 RESORT SAVINGS & LOANS PLC 0.50 UNION HOMES SAVINGS&LOANS PLC NT Other Financial Institutions CRUSADER ( NIG) PLC. NT DEAP CAPITAL MGT & TRUST PLC 1.34 FBN HOLDINGS PLC 18.65 NIG SEW. MACH. MAN. CO. PLC. NT NIGERIA ENERYGY SECTOR FUND NT ROYAL EXCHANGE PLC. 0.62 STANBIC IBTC HOLDINGS PLC 15.45 HEALTHCARE Healthcare Providers EKOCORP PLC. 4.32 Medical Equipment UNION DIAGNOSTIC &CLINICAL PLC 0.50 Medical Supplies MORISON INDUSTRIES PLC. 2.23 Pharmaceuticals EVANS MEDICAL PLC. 4.49 FIDSON HEALTHCARE PLC 2.05 GLAXO SMITHKLINE CONSUMER PLC 55.00 MAY & BAKER NIGERIA PLC. 2.70

NOTE NT=Not Traded on 19-07-13

QUANTITY

52 WK HIGH

52 WK LOW

SHARES OUTSTANDING

EPS

MOV. (%)

Previous

NT 441 825 131 574

0.64 51.04 16.15

0.50 14.53 6.40

2 200 000 000 476 955 000 1 000 000 000

0.10 6.73 2.75

N/A 2.51 2.56

0.50 45.85 39.00

NT

4.26

4.26

60 000 000

0.00

N/A

NT

115 210

5.94

0.48

1 199 549 736

0.11

-0.61

4.95

11 216 NT 83 677 3 433 292 949

2.54 7.60 8.82 8.28 60.15

0.74 5.81 5.32 5.52 28.70

2 191 895 983 963 900 300 389 151 408 821 666 666 1 600 720 323

0.08 0.24 0.00 0.35 6.89

0.00 N/A N/A N/A N/A

1.45 NT 1.42 5.32 58.50

NT NT

26.00 95.49

14.09 95.49

148 500 000 196 876 000

0.00 4.50

N/A N/A

NT NT

535 100 NT

7.97 14.46

2.46 14.46

920 573 765 125 000 000

0.00 0.00

N/A N/A

1.43 NT

447 525 NT

62.26 10.00

21.55 3.01

1 200 000 000 20 000 000

4.93 4.73

19.61 N/A

70.02 NT

NT 219 367

7.28 20.15

7.28 8.82

1 375 000 000

0.00 1.66

N/A 6.60

NT 15.00

NT 135

100.00 50.00

97.00 50.00

20 000 000 250 019 781

11.75 0.75

N/A N/A

NT 50.00

145 506

0.50

0.50

4 772 528 415

0.00

N/A

0.50

NT NT 58 994 38 035 55 000 1 692 577 NT

4.63 0.68 277.00 27.00 3.20 178.00 0.97

2.23 0.68 186.00 5.23 1.61 72.50 0.93

900 000 000 272 160 000 1 474 925 519 2 112 914 681 562 000 000 7 562 562 340 126 000 000

0.00 0.03 9.46 0.25 0.00 5.08 0.00

N/A N/A 3.54 N/A N/A 6.97 N/A

NT NT 251.11 25.50 NT 165.00 NT

333 869

54.45

38.31

640 590 362

2.69

N/A

55.00

NT 325 333 384 311 121 528 1 405 402 NT NT 694 534 NT 534 500 NT

0.50 19.90 16.20 95.00 6.60 2.70 43.96 6.70 5.66 0.88 4.22

0.50 4.15 3.64 52.50 1.91 1.00 20.41 3.86 5.66 0.50 4.22

2 000 000 000 5 000 000 000 12 000 000 000 1 879 210 666 7 930 197 658 3 722 493 620 178 200 000

0.00 0.00 0.91 3.79 0.51 0.00 2.50 1.07 0.08 1.13 0.00

N/A 0.00 -0.97 5.84 2.44 N/A N/A -1.59 N/A 21.54 N/A

NT 9.50 12.34 85.03 3.28 NT NT 13.20 NT 0.65 NT

40 000 000 1 233 375 004 360 000 000

326 347 35 107

55.49 1075.17

9.15 367.83

3 129 188 160 792 656 250

1.35 25.43

0.86 0.00

52.60 999.99

NT NT 234 537 NT

15.58 42.66 6.75 3.67

10.03 34.39 3.01 2.66

63 360 000 819 000 000 300 000 001

3.90 1.61 0.54 0.00

N/A N/A -1.78 N/A

NT NT 4.49 1.54

984 949 145 991

53.00 68.00

22.07 22.56

3 176 381 636 3 783 296 250

0.70 1.44

23.22 6.90

39.36 58.00

NT

0.97

0.57

843 284 027

0.00

N/A

NT

11 766 712 912 006 3 019 292 4 028 167 865 336 15 621 259 4 585 813 5 204 081 14 049 547 1 317 738 18 653 691 1 265 765 20 831 585

11.70 9.27 17.05 3.20 8.30 29.05 10.17 2.91 8.70 13.09 1.92 1.75 22.75

4.76 2.01 9.97 1.14 3.04 11.64 2.73 0.97 1.64 1.96 0.50 0.50 11.70

17 888 251 479 14 475 243 105 9 873 614 567 28 974 797 023 16 271 192 202 29 146 482 209 13 219 334 676 12 563 091 545 32 334 693 693 13 509 726 273 33 675 576 085 12 821 249 880 31 396 493 790

1.42 0.90 2.81 0.43 0.60 2.10 0.71 0.54 0.67 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.09

-0.97 1.62 -2.96 2.31 0.00 0.57 0.63 3.80 0.48 2.49 0.00 -0.85 3.90

11.30 6.79 15.20 3.03 4.75 26.27 4.78 2.63 8.30 12.05 0.64 1.17 20.79

400 000 10 802 701 NT 1 000 000 42 000 103 001 1 608 408 NT NT 10 000 NT 721 163 127 000 NT NT 123 965 123 965 105 900 NT 804 692 NT NT 1 103 367 NT 85 000 NT 60 000 708 026 NT 3 627

0.50 1.01 0.64 0.50 1.20 0.50 3.51 0.50 0.69 0.50 0.50 0.97 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.61 0.50 2.30 0.50 0.86 1.11 0.50 2.35 0.50 0.52 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50

0.50 0.50 0.61 0.50 0.61 0.50 1.31 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.95 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50

20 585 000 000 7 809 391 256 211 626 000 6 000 000 000 10 372 624 157 8 820 010 363 5 100 846 808 8 847 298 420 4 549 947 000 3 827 485 380 720 000 000 5 061 804 000 6 420 427 449 28 000 000 000 7 323 313 227 3 437 330 500 4 083 713 569 10 000 000 000 7 998 705 336 5 332 830 881 5 649 693 923 5 003 506 791 2 508 315 436 6 668 750 000 5 203 757 266 6 141 087 609 8 493 173 450 2 581 733 505 13 000 000 000 16 000 000 000

0.00 0.05 0.00 0.05 0.14 0.02 0.28 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.02 0.00 0.00 0.03 0.16 0.01 0.37 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.04 0.09 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.02 0.00

N/A 0.00 N/A N/A 0.00 0.00 0.00 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.00 N/A N/A N/A 0.00 6.47 N/A -5.26 N/A N/A -10.17 N/A 0.00 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

NT 0.92 NT 0.50 1.28 0.57 1.60 NT NT 0.50 NT 0.91 0.50 NT NT 0.50 0.50 2.01 NT 0.76 NT NT 0.59 NT 0.50 NT 0.50 0.50 NT 0.50

15 000 16 000

6.00 1.15

0.00 1.00

300 100 10 000 000 1

1.51 0.50 0.50 0.99

1.33 0.50 0.50 0.50

4 200 000 000 8 679 148 676 13 175 732 404 7 812 500 000

0.03 0.02 0.00 0.00

N/A N/A N/A N/A

1.53 0.50 0.50 NT

NT 70 000 11 911 385 NT NT 236 686 820 629

0.61 2.02 19.60 0.15 552.20 0.66 16.00

0.50 2.02 8.50 0.15 555.20 0.50 6.40

3 778 005 975 1 333 333 333 32 632 084 358 5 880 000 2 500 000 3 608 657 661 18 750 000 000

0.00 0.00 3.03 0.00 12.65 0.00 0.87

N/A N/A 4.78 N/A N/A N/A 0.98

NT 1.34 17.80 NT NT 0.55 15.30

400

5.31

5.05

498 600 908

0.12

N/A

4.32

3 500

0.50

0.50

3 553 138 528

0.00

N/A

0.50

6 780

10.54

7.39

152 178 750

0.06

N/A

2.23

931 704 1 475 059 2 228 349 430 538

3.30 3.20 68.00 5.61

0.50 0.76 19.30 1.62

486 473 856 1 500 000 000 956 701 192 980 000 000

0.00 0.44 2.62 0.20

16.62 1.49 1.35 0.75

3.85 2.02 54.27 2.68

N/A=Not Avialable

0.01 0.07

6.60 0.96

SECURITY

PRICE (=N=)

QUANTITY

NEIMETH INT PHARM PLC 1.38 101 896 NIGERIA-GERMAN CHEMICALS PLC. 7.36 412 477 PHARMA-DEKO PLC. 1.87 16 993 ICT Computer Based Systems COURTEVILLE BUSINESS SLN PLC 0.64 304 731 Computers and Peripherals OMATEK VENTURES PLC 0.50 11 127 Electronic Communications Services MTECH COMMUNICATIONS PLC NT NT IT Services NCR (NIGERIA) PLC. 18.70 608 TRIPPLE GEE AND COMPANY PLC. 2.29 10 000 Processing Systems CHAMS PLC 0.50 11 127 E-TRANZACT INTERNATIONAL PLC 3.47 10 Telecommunications Carriers STARCOMMS PLC NT NT Telecommunications Services IHS NIGERIA PLC PREF SHARES NT NT IHS PLC 3.79 2 948 970 MTI PLC NT NT INDUSTRIAL GOODS Building Materials AFRICAN PAINTS (NIGERIA) PLC. NT NT ASHAKA CEM PLC 26.65 281 795 BERGER PAINTS PLC 9.26 9 401 CAP PLC 45.15 185 026 CEMENT CO. OF NORTH.NIG. PLC 9.90 502 826 DANGOTE CEMENT PLC 190.00 232 677 DN MEYER PLC. 1.48 10 000 FIRST ALUMINIUM NIGERIA PLC NT NT IPWA PLC 1.29 192 063 LAFARGE WAPCO PLC. 99.75 153 500 PAINTS & COATINGS MANFACT.PLC NT NT PORTLAND PAINTS & PRDT NIG. PLC 5.78 3 238 000 PREMIER PAINTS PLC. NT NT Electronic and Electrical Products AUSTIN LAZ & COMPANY PLC 2.00 200 000 CUTIX PLC. 1.98 407 300 NIGERIAN WIRE AND CABLE PLC. NT NT NIGERIAN WIRE IND. PLC NT NT Packaging/Containers ABPLAST PRODUCTS PLC. NT NT AVON CROWNCAPS & CONTAINERS 1.90 1 711 BETA GLASS CO PLC. 11.00 13 236 GREIF NIGERIA PLC NT NT NIG. BAGS MANFACT. COY PLC NT NT POLY PRODUCTS (NIG) PLC. NT NT W A GLASS IND. PLC. NT NT Tools and Machinery NIGERIAN ROPES PLC NT NT STOKVIS NIG PLC. NT NT NATURAL RESOURCES Chemicals B.O.C. GASES PLC. 6.77 67 934 Metals ALUMACO PLC NT NT ALUMINIUM EXTRUSION IND. PLC. NT NT Non-Metallic Mineral Mining MULTIVERSE PLC NT NT Paper/Forest Products HALLMARK PAPER PRODUCTS PLC. NT NT THOMAS WYATT NIG. PLC. NT NT OIL AND GAS Energy Equipment and Services JAPAUL OIL & MARITIME SER. PLC 0.51 4 338 187 Integrated Oil and Gas Services OANDO PLC 13.50 12 936 604 Petroleum &Petroleum Products Distributors AFROIL PLC NT NT BECO PETROLEUM PRODUCT PLC 0.50 10 000 CONOIL PLC 25.30 31 750 ETERNA PLC. 3.20 347 923 FORTE OIL PLC. 29.76 333 760 MOBIL OIL NIG PLC. 117.81 8 154 MRS OIL NIGERIA PLC. 25.28 286 545 TOTAL NIGERIA PLC. 159.99 38 137 SERVICES Advertising AFROMEDIA PLC NT NT Apparel Retailers LENNARDS (NIG) PLC. NT NT Automobile/Auto Part Retailers R T BRISCOE PLC. 1.52 3 221 230 Courier/Freight/Delivery RED STAR EXPRESS PLC 4.75 114 500 TRANS-NATIONWIDE EXPRESS PLC. NT NT Employment Solutions C & I LEASING PLC. 0.50 100 000 Hospitality TANTALIZERS PLC NT NT Hotels/Lodging CAPITAL HOTEL PLC NT NT IKEJA HOTEL PLC 0.94 3 729 425 TOURIST COMPANY OF NIGERIA PLC. NT NT TRANSNATIONAL CORP. OF NIG.PLC 1.43 25 796 045 Media/Entertainment DAAR COMMUNICATIONS PLC 0.50 10 000 Printing/Publishing ACADEMY PRESS PLC. 2.00 132 900 LEARN AFRICA PLC 1.80 1 569 480 STUDIO PRESS (NIG) PLC. NT NT UNIVERSITY PRESS PLC. 4.80 143 590 Road Transportation ABC TRANSPORT PLCPLC 1.29 110 191 025 Specialty INTERLINKED TECHNOLOGIES PLC NT NT SECURE ELECTRONIC TECH.PLC NT NT Transport-Related Services AIRLINE SERVICES AND LOGISTICS PLC 4.46 5 100 NIG. AVIATION HANDLING COY PLC 7.25 13 314 487 ASeM CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE Property Management SMART PRODUCTS NIGERIA PLC NT NT CONSUMER GOODS Food Products MCNICHOLS PLC 0.97 11 000 Personal/Household Products ROKANA INDUSTRIES PLC. 0.60 500 HEALTHCARE Pharmaceuticals AFRIK PHARMACEUTICALS PLC. NT NT INDUSTRIAL GOODS Electronic and Electrical Products NT NT ADSWITCH PLC. 1.63 500 NATURAL RESOURCES Metals W.A. ALUM. PRODUCTS PLC. NT NT OIL AND GAS Petroleum & Petroleum Products Distributors ANINO INTERNATIONAL PLC. NT NT CAPITAL OIL PLC 0.50 20 000 RAK UNITY PET. COMP. PLC. NT NT UNION VENTURES & PET. PLC NT NT SERVICES Apparel Retailers UDEOFSON GARMENT FACT. NIG PLC NT NT Food/Drug Retailers and Wholesalers NT NT JULI PLC. 2.14 100 ETF’s Sector ETF NEWGOLD EXCHANGE TRADED FUND 2 638.00 100

52 WK HIGH

52 WK LOW

SHARES OUTSTANDING

EPS

1.96 12.91 4.28

0.76 8.59 3.50

1 925 717 268 153 786 012 100 000 000

0.09 0.00 0.00

6.15 N/A N/A

1.30 NT NT

0.80

0.50

2 960 000 000

0.10

0.00

0.67

0.50

0.50

2 941 789 472

0.00

N/A

0.50

0.91

0.91

4 966 666 668

0.00

N/A

NT

18.70 3.59

13.12 2.41

108 000 000 492 825 600

0.00 0.01

N/A N/A

18.70 2.29

0.50 4.97

0.50 4.04

4 620 600 000 4 200 000 000

0.00 0.04

N/A N/A

0.50 3.47

1.47

0.50

6 878 478 096

0.00

N/A

NT

2.25 3.50 0.50

0.00 2.46 0.50

4 400 000 000 4 893 594 400

0.00 0.00 0.00

N/A N/A N/A

NT 1.82 NT

3.32 30.00 12.57 43.98 15.49 132.51 3.51 0.75 0.99 56.50 3.36 5.28 13.40

2.86 9.10 7.27 14.50 4.20 95.00 0.93 0.50 0.91 37.00 0.52 2.27 10.93

260 000 000 2 239 453 125 217 367 585 560 000 000 1 241 548 285 15 494 019 668 242 908 200 2 109 928 275 513 696 000 3 001 600 004 792 914 256 400 000 000 75 000 000

0.00 2.14 1.09 2.28 1.47 8.33 0.00 0.00 0.00 4.10 0.26 0.23 0.00

N/A -1.30 -18.63 -6.91 -3.70 0.53 N/A N/A N/A -0.23 N/A N/A N/A

NT 27.00 11.38 48.50 10.28 189.00 NT NT 0.82 99.98 NT 6.58 NT

2.00 2.50 0.73 2.58

2.00 1.33 0.50 2.58

510 396 608 2 220 000 000 15 000 000

0.03 0.11 0.00 0.00

N/A 0.00 N/A N/A

2.00 1.98 NT NT

3.98 6.91 12.71 15.03 3.60 1.86 0.63

3.98 2.19 9.53 13.28 1.60 1.05 0.63

N/A N/A

42 640 000 6 215 000 000 240 000 000 199 066 550

0.00 0.05 0.05 0.90 0.24 0.22 0.00

N/A #VALUE! N/A N/A

NT 1.90 11.00 NT NT NT NT

8.69 0.14

8.26 0.14

265 409 280 2 918 000

0.00 0.00

N/A N/A

NT NT

9.20

5.70

393 120 000

0.76

-9.73

7.50

7.75 12.39

7.75 10.55

75 600 000 100 000 000

0.00 0.43

N/A N/A

NT NT

0.50

0.50

4 058 989 226

0.00

N/A

NT

3.22 1.38

3.22 1.38

50 000 000 220 000 000

0.04 0.00

N/A N/A

NT NT

25 000 000 683 974 528

MOV. (%)

Previous

1.02

0.54

6 262 701 716

0.13

-3.77

0.53

24.80

10.94

2 262 711 568

1.73

9.76

12.30

20.71 0.70 41.89 5.59 28.69 163.50 72.00 240.00

20.71 0.50 19.61 2.12 9.12 111.51 32.29 125.00

125 487 475 3 716 976 579 693 952 117 1 249 162 828 1 080 280 628 300 496 051 253 988 672 339 521 837

0.00 0.00 0.47 0.61 0.00 6.11 3.62 14.63

N/A N/A 10.00 -4.48 46.31 0.00 N/A 0.00

NT 0.50 23.00 3.35 20.34 117.81 19.00 159.99

0.72

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NT

3.48

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0.19

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0.21

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3.67 6.40

2.11 3.28

589 496 310 198 819 763

0.58 0.25

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1.64

0.85

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0.08

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0.50

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3 211 627 907

0.01

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NT

8.00 2.59 4.76 1.95

3.00 1.16 4.31 0.50

1 548 780 000 2 078 796 396 1 772 884 297 25 813 998 283

0.18 0.92 0.00 0.22

N/A 1.08 N/A -4.67

NT 0.93 NT 1.50

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3.68 8.00 2.92 6.82

1.64 1.94 2.78 3.09

403 200 000 771 450 000 425 641 111

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5.15 1.88

4.90 0.80

236 699 511 5 631 539 736

0.00 0.03

N/A N/A

NT NT

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1.54 5.15

634 000 000 1 230 468 750

0.38 0.81

N/A 3.72

4.60 6.99

1.43

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45 000 000

0.12

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NT

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201 885 335

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24 898 850

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NT

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6 650 000

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N/A

NT

0.21 0.50 0.31 0.63

0.21 0.50 0.31 0.63

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3.05

2.76

194 700 000

0.00

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NT NT 2.14

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2 638.00

40

Monday, July 22, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

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National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

41

Law & Justice nationalmirrorlaw@yahoo.com

“Let us do our best and our best is to facilitate the speedy hearing of cases.”

RETIRED JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT, JUSTICE NIKI TOBI

High-profile murder cases: Recurring acquittal of suspects ONCE THERE IS DOUBT IN THE CASE OF THE

PROSECUTION, AS IN THE INSTANT CASE,

Violators of electoral laws should be punished, says Odinkalu

IT MUST BE RESOLVED IN FAVOUR OF THE

ACCUSED, AND THIS DOUBT IS ACCORDINGLY RESOLVED IN FAVOUR OF THE APPELLANTS

42

Al-Mustapha

Kudirat: How S’ Court freed Mohammed Abacha 11 years ago 45

Appeal court sacks three monarchs in last three weeks 44

Abiola

On July 12, 2013, the Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal freed Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, the former Chief Security Officer to the late exHead of State, Gen Sani Abacha, and a protocol officer to the family of late M.K.O Abiola, Lateef Sofolahan, both of whom had been in custody for the past 14 years for the murder Kudirat Abiola. KAYODE KETEFE, the Assistant Head, Judiciary desk, highlights some notable cases that ended in the same way of “charged, tried and set free.”

W

ith the decision of the Court of Appeal on July 12, 2013 to discharge and acquitted both Major Hamza Al- Mustapha, and Lateef Sofolahan, discerning Nigerians would observe that the spate of prosecutions of alleged offenders who eventually won judicial victory of acquittal has increased by one. The notable cases of alleged killers or their cohorts which have hitherto suffered the same fate with Al-Mustapha’s case included the case of the attempted murder of The Guardian publisher, late Alex Ibru and murder of Alfred Rewane, Harry Marshall and Chief Bola Ige. The highlights of each of these cases together with the circumstances and reasons for acquitting the alleged offenders are enumerated below.

In the Kudirat Abiola murder case, the Court of Appeal, in a unanimous decision delivered by Justice Rita Pemu, held thus, “Once there is doubt in the case of the prosecution, as in the instant case, it must be resolved in favour of the accused, and this doubt is accordingly resolved in favour of the appellants. I hereby order that the appellants be discharged and acquitted, while the conviction and sentence of the lower court is hereby discharged.

“For someone who has been incarcerated since 1998 on a baseless indictment, it is so unfortunate,”

Bamaiyi’s trial for attempted murder of Alex Ibru After about nine years of trial, the former Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-General Ishaya Bamaiyi (rtd), was eventually set free by Justice Olubunmi Oyewole of an Ikeja High Court on April 3, 2008 when he was discharged and acquitted of the alleged attempted murder of The Guardian publisher, Mr Alex Ibru.

Justice Oyewole held that Bamaiyi was not guilty of the charge on the grounds that the prosecution failed to prove its case against Bamaiyi beyond reasonable doubt.

Four other accused persons were initially charged along with Bamaiyi but he had his trial separated from others along the way.

The four other with whom he was initially jointly tried are former Chief Security Officer (CSO) to the late Gen. Sani Abacha, Maj. Hamza al-Mustapha; former Lagos State Police Commissioner, Mr James Danbaba; former Zamfara State Administrator, Lt. Col. Jibrin Bala Yakubu; and the head of the Aso Rock unit of Anti-Riot Police (MOPOL), Mr Rabo Lawal.

The prosecution, which called seven witnesses was led at different times by Mrs. Bola OkikiolaIghile, (a former the Lagos State Director Public Prosecutions (DPP) and Mrs. Olabisi Ogungbesan, (who took over towards the end, while the defence

was led by Mr. Osahon Idemudia.

In his judgement acquitting Bamaiyi, Justice Oyewole said, “The issue here is not whether the alleged offences were committed, as the gruesome attempt on the life of Mr. Ibru with the attendant grievous permanent injuries he was left with is certainly not in dispute.

“What the prosecution has a duty to prove beyond reasonable doubt by credible evidence is that the accused is criminally liable in this regard as charged,”

Trial of Igbinovia and others for the murder of Alfred Rewane Elder statesman, Pa Alfred Rewane, a National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) chieftain in the 1990s, was killed by unknown assassins in on October 6, 1995, in Rewane’s 100, Oduduwa Crescent, G.R.A Ikeja residence, at the age of 78. The suspected killers, Lucky Igbinovia and Effiong Elemi-Edu, Sylvester Iyasele, Saturday Egbeide, Ola Obanuso, Akeem Ali, and Sunday Obanobi were arraigned in that same 1995 at the Lagos High Court.

For some inexplicable reasons, five of the seven accused died in prison custody in the course of the protracted trial while the remaining two stood trial to the end.

After 16 years of detention while facing trial, a Lagos High Court presided over by Justice Justice Olusola Williams, delivered judgement on January 17, 2011 which acquitted and discharged the remaining two suspects.

Justice Williams held “I wonder what the overwhelming evidence the prosecution referred to. The only things that linked the accused persons to the alleged crime are the statements, which they have denied. It is quite plain that there was nothing to support the case of the prosecution.

“It appears to me that, all what the police did was to visit the scene of the crime and arrested workers of the late Pa Rewane. The charges against the defendants failed, they are hereby discharged and acquitted.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 44

42

Law & Justice

Monday, July 22, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Prof. Chidi Anselm Odinkalu is the Chairman of the Governing Council, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

In this interview with KAYODE KETEFE, the Assistant Head, Judiciary Desk, he speaks on human rights and the rule of law, knotty issues in the 1999 Constitution and the challenges facing Nigerian democracy among others. Excerpts.

How will you assess Nigerian democratic rule since 1999?

Human rights in Nigeria is work in progress. The achievement of elective government is itself a lot of progress. That does not mean the elective governance is as secured as it should be. But the fact that we have managed to keep it going for this long is a progress. Nigeria has signed several international instruments, which we could not have signed or even considered under the military rule.

One of these is Convention against Torture. Another one is the Convention for the Protection All Persons against Enforced Disappearance. There is also the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights for the Establishment of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights. There is also the Protocol on African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights for the Establishment of Women’s Rights in Africa, etc.

The assent of Nigeria to all these are positive things. But there are also negative things.

For instance, many people would think we have not optimised our potential in the area of human rights and in the area of elective governance. But that is why it is work in progress. Election continues to be dogged with allegations violence. The quality of representative governance is not always as good as it should be. Violence against women continues to be a problem and those who perpetrate it continue to get away with it. People kill their wives with impunity; even in a recent newspaper report you will see the story of the man who killed his wife in Ilesa.

You don’t hear of anybody getting convicted or sentenced for all these kind of things.

At present, we have the case of an Oba who is being tried for rape. In some parts in the East, if you commit rape or defile a young woman all you have to do is to pay a goat, a piece of land or a cow in expiation of the crime!

That, to me, trivialises the issue. So there are still serious challenges and of course, we have got the problem of serious challenges in the North East of Nigeria. We do have problems but I also think it is possible for people to acknowledge that we have made some progress.

There is always this skepticism hovering on National Human Rights Commission’s works and its operations with the people feelings that its being an agency of government would hamper it from full actualisation of its objectives.

The fact is that historically, our people have had their suspicions of governments; most Nigerians would probably tell you that the government has not usually serve

Odinkalu

I WOULD NOT WANT A SITUATION IN WHICH A GOVERNOR IS HOUNDED BY THE FEDERAL MIGHT OR IF THERE IS A POLITICAL DISAGREEMENT; A GOVERNOR IS UNFAIRLY HOUNDED BECAUSE IMMUNITY HAS

BEEN REMOVED.

WE NEED TO STRIKE A BALANCE

BETWEEN THESE TWO EXTREMES the people well. This goes back to the origin of governance in Nigeria from the colonial times. This is because the colonial government was not set up to serve the Nigerians.

When the indigenous leaders took over, they were in the same mode with the colonial government as they appeared also not to serve the people well. Then we have the military rule. So the reason why people are suspicious is obvious. It is because of our history.

Give an insight into how the Natural Human Rights Commission was established?

The National Human Rights Commission, don’t forget, was established by military Decree in 1995. So it fits into that narrative, but the reality is different. The NHRC is a voluntary obligation assumed by Nigeria under Article 26 of the African Charter of Human and Peoples’ Rights.

Article 26 of ACHPR is very explicit; it provides that countries could assume voluntary obligation to established institution for improved protection of human rights. The African Chatter was adopted in 1981 and made into Nigerian domestic law in 1983. That was

ten years before the UN Conference in Vienna in 1993 which recommended the establishment of a national institution for protection of human rights. But the establishment of such an institution was already part of our domestic law at that time.

The establishment of NHRC was an effort by Nigeria to comply with its obligations under the African Charter. The 2010 amendment of the 1995 Decree was done to enhance the independence and impartiality of the commission and it is a credit to the current administration; it was an improvement on its obligation under Article 26 of the African Charter.

But it is one thing to grant people independence; it is another thing for the people themselves to want independence. Independence is not easy thing to have because it comes with responsibilities; it comes with obligations, it requires knowledge, standards, values and ethical foundations. But people who are already used to dependency might feel that the government is always rights or conversely they might feel that the opposition is always right; that is whatever opposition says

has to be true; they might take sides based on the partisan basis rather than rational judgement.

People in that mode of mind would always find problem with independence but those who believe in it would make judgement in very considerate and considered manner and in ways that are constructive. Once you do that you would see that not everybody would agree with you. But at the end of the day, you would stand by what you have done because that is your considered decision, based on the law; based on the fact and based on the vigorous process of decision making. Once people understand that, I do think NHRC would make progress but it is also not a one day thing.

Since your assumption of office as the Chairman, Governing Council of the National Human Rights Commission, what progress would you say the Commission has made?

The NHRC is not a contract -awarding ministries or department or agent. So in terms of contracts or how many buildings we have built, we would say we have not done anything like that. Anybody looking for the commission to do things like that would probably be disappointed. But asking the question, “Has the NHRC made progress?”, I would say, “Oh yes, we have.” The NHRC is a contribution to build the intangible foundations for elective legitimate government.

You don’t build that foundation in a day you keep working over a generation or more.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Law & Justice

Monday, July 22, 2013

43

our own judges are precluded from enforcing them does not make sense.

We should foster the idea that it is possible to trust the National Human Rights Commission. I think the commission has made a good impression by getting involved in things we have not been involved in before. We strive to build a commission that is honest and credible. We have managed to get a slight increase in the budget of the commission, although the increment is not much. Hopefully as the commission gains more credibility we are expecting more people to take a stake in contributing to the progress of the commission.

We have now for the first time adopted the rules of procedures to govern the work of the commission. Attention will also be devoted to training up the staff of the commission to enhance their efficiency and productivity.

The commission has been recently been elected to chair the Network of National Human Rights Institutions in West Africa (NNHRI) So, in a nutshell, I can say that the quest for attainment of our objective is a process and not an event. My hope is that with time, we will have a commission that is so virile that it can legitimately be charged with higher expectations and it would deliver.

How would you assess the human rights record of President Goodluck Jonathan?

I am not good at giving scorecard! I would be lying to you if I told you I would give you one. But that it because I quite firmly believe that human rights is not the business of the President. The president is there to provide a framework of leadership. Human rights are best guaranteed by institutions and institutions outlast presidents and prime ministers, potentates and pretenders; institutions are there for the life of a country. So when you want to look at how human rights are working in a country or whether or not human rights are well protected in a country, I would rather say we should look at the institutions such as the police, the forces, National Human Rights Commission, the civil service and see how they are working.

Political leaders face peculiar pressure, it is not fair on them to begin to rate them in terms of their so-called human rights performances. We need to figure out whether or not the institutions are working in the way and manner they are supposed to work.

What do you have to say concerning the happenings in Rivers State vis-a- vis what it portends for democracy?

To comment reasonably, one should be in possession of full facts; the facts of the situation in Rivers State are facts evolving and I do not claim full knowledge of all the facts.

There is a video of the some of the incidents and going by that, I would say the behaviour of some of the security agents is worse than a letdown. The behaviour of some of the legislators too, is worse than a letdown.

There is a lot of blame in that situation to go down a lot of people. Whichever way we look at it the situation in Rivers State is a test for some of the institutions of governance and leadership. It is my hope that such institutions will prove themselves capable of the trust Nigerians have reposed in them. If they are unable to do so, their failure could transfer itself to the system of elective governance.

There are some people who believe that the kind of carnage that happened in Baga com-

IN ALL OF THE STATES WHERE ELECTIONS WERE OVERTURNED, SOMEBODY DID SOMETHING FUNDAMENTALLY WRONG, WHERE IS THAT PERSON? munity could have been prevented if properly managed, do you subscribe to this view?

The Commission is currently involved in trying to unravel what happened and I don’t want to pre-empt their findings. That is why I may not want to comment on this now.

What is your view on the recent debate by the lawmakers on the replacement of the current four-year renewable tenure of governors and president with a single six-year term? Do you think this is desirable?

There are arguments on both sides. Some people think a prolonged single term of six years would allow the office holder to get a fair grasp of the leadership and produce responsible governance. There are also people on the other hand who feel that that a fouryear renewable once would be a reward for good performance and that if you do not give that incentive then you create a disincentive to laudable performances. To me, I don’t see either side as wrong, what is important is a question of what is underlying value of the political system.

Because we have not evolved any underlying value to police the exercise of power, we think allocating number on how long a person stays in office is enough to cure the defects of an absence of value.

The value system that underpins the exercise of the responsibilities of power in Nigeria is more important rather than a number of years that people use. The pertinent questions are: what do you do with power? How do we ensure that you do the right thing with power? These are the real issues rather than creating the impression that acquiring power is the most important thing.

Another suggestion made by the House of Representatives is that the immunity clause should be removed from the constitution, do you support this view?

It is not an easy question. Our usual problem as a country is impunity. In many ways, immunity drives impunity. Everybody enjoys impunity! Whether you are a common criminal, a terrorist bomber or corrupt politician. You would commit an offence or breach of law and you would not pay a price!

That is why people are worried about immunity clause.

My personal view is that we have to find a way to attenuate the strict rule of immunity.

Because you have been elected you cannot be subject to any legal process except the process of election petition. This in my view is troubling. The election petition exception itself is indicating that immunity is not allencompassing.

So the question, for instance, is why would a governor commit rape for instance and have immunity, I have problem with that. So I don’t think that exceptions that we can create to whittle down this immunity are bad.

But I would not want a situation in which a governor is hounded by the federal might; that is if there is a political disagreement and a governor is unfairly hounded because immunity has been removed. We need to strike a balance between these two extremes. That

is the challenge and I feel that we can do better than we are doing at the moment.

What is your view on non- justiciability of the Chapter Two of the Constitution which makes provisions on socio-economic rights?

Prof. Ben Nwabueze SAN, is the person who wrote the Chapter Two into our Constitution and he was of the dominant view that the provisions of the Chapter were not justiciable. But recently in his autobiography, he wonders whether it was not a mistake that they were made non-justiciable. He wrestled with how they could have been made enforceable under the situation.

Personally, I don’t want to use the expression “justiciable” for that would mean I would confine myself to the concept of justiciability, I would rather prefer the expression “implement ability.” This is because judicialisation is only one part of implementation.

Furthermore, I would say the point of non-justiciability of the Chapter Two under the Constitution is itself doubtful. This is doubtful based on the language of the constitution itself. This may be too technical to explain here, but the point is that the point of view that the provisions of the chapter are not justiciable is not well-founded given the language of the constitution. But somehow we have created a legend that has stuck.

The second thing is the point of nonjusticiability is outdated. This is because a lot of these rights are already enshrined in the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which are enforceable. They can be enforced under the framework of the Economic Community of West African States, so the ECOWAS Court of Justice can actually implement some of those rights, pronounce and enforce them. I feel that the situation where Regional Court like ECOWAS Court and the African Court can make pronouncements and enforce these rights while

Will you say that the elections are valid in Nigeria and that the people really choose their leaders against the background of numerous allegations of election rigging?

If we don’t choose our leaders then, we would be having the problem of legitimacy.

This is a country in which there are so many legends. To me, all these allegations should be subject to proofe. If it is true that we have an election in which the results show much more votes that there are in the box, and people have evidence of that and they don’t come forward, then something is wrong with the people. If they come forward with the evidence and it is established that court does not do anything without it then something is wrong with the court.

Quite often we make up stories and we are not rigorous enough to prove them. I do think we have to do a better job in investigation to amass evidence to support what we allege. My view of this matter is that in the 21st century, the more you are able to put your findings in the electronic form, the more you would be able to aid the process of accountability and help the system.

Do you share the view that going by the results of elections that have been invalidated by the courts, some of these allegations have been proved?

Yes, elections have been overturned, but who have been held accountable when all these elections were overturned? Is this not part of the problem? There was a governorship election in Ekiti State, it was overturned; Osun State, overturned; Edo State overturned; Ondo State overturned; Bayelsa State overturned. Now in all of those states where elections were overturned, somebody did something fundamentally wrong, where is that person?

Our courts would go on and find that elections were not done in accordance with the Electoral Act and overturn them, then what happens to the question of responsibility?

That is the problem we are facing.

Our courts have the responsibilitys to be the moral conscience of the nation. People should not be allowed to do these kinds of things and go scot-free.

44

Law & Justice

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Monday, July 22, 2013

‘There’s no substantial evidence linking the accused persons’ bles Sule Ibrahim and Idowu James, were said to be at large.

However, in 2007, about seven years after the trial, an Abuja High Court discharged and acquitted all the accused on the grounds that there was no enough evidence to nail them.

Prosecution of the suspected killers of Harry Marshal

Rewane

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 41

Trial of suspects for the murder of Chief Bola Ige On 23 December 2001, Chief Bola Ige SAN, then the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, was shot dead by unknown assailants at his home in the south-western city of Ibadan at the age of 70. Three days after the murder, Oyo State Commissioner of Police, said they had apprehended the killer but he later called a press conference to say that the arrested culprit is mentally imbalanced. The man was never shown to the public. A number of people were later arrested.

There was a new dimension to the case when a Lagos-based lawyer, Mr. Festus Keyamo, announced that a client of his, one, Mr. Olugbenga Adebayo, aka, Fryo, had confessed to killing Bola Ige. Fryo’s confession also implicated a well-known Osun State politician, Iyiola Omisore. Few days later, Fryo came out to recant the story, while accusing Keyamo of prevailing on him to make the initial sensational narratives. Omisore and other 12 persons were arrested for the crime and were tried.

Ige

THERE IS A GREAT NEED FOR THE COURT TO TREAD CAUTIOUSLY WITH CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE BROUGHT BY THE PROSECUTION

BECAUSE AS THE SAYING GOES, IT IS BETTER FOR A GUILTY PERSON TO GO UNPUNISHED THAN FOR THE INNOCENT TO BE WRONGLY PUNISHED Apart from Omisore, the other accused persons were Adesina Adewale and Adekunle Alao, Alani Omisore, Olugbenga Adebayo (aka Fryo), Adesiyan Oyewale, Lambe Oyasope, Ezekiel Daramola, Sergeant Oye Oniyanda, Adebayo Adegoke, Kasim Lawal, Nelson Kumoye, Oluwole Ogunjimi. The other two Police-Consta-

Appeal court sacks three monarchs in three weeks KENNY ODUNUKAN

I

n the last three weeks, the Court of Appeal has nullified the appointments of three top traditional rulers in Cross River, Kwara and Oyo states.

The monarchs, whose appointments were quashed by the various divisions of the appellate court are; the Obong of Calabar, Edidem Ekpo Okon Abasi-Otu(V), the Oloffa of Offa, Oba Mufutau Gbadamosi Esuwoye and the Eleruwa of Eruwa,Oba Samuel Adegbola.

The effect of the different judgements of the appeal court is the traditional rulers should cease to parade themselves as royal fathers in their domains.

The Obong of Calabar was sacked by the appellate court on July 4, the Oloffa of Offa was removed on July 8, while the Eleruwa of Eruwa lost his bid to retain the throne as the monarch on July 15, 2013.

Justice Mohammed Garba of the appellate court in the lead judgement delivered in Calabar affirmed the earlier verdict of the lower court, which ruled that due process was not followed during Abasi-Out’s appointment.

The court held that the selection process was rendered null and void. Two other Justices of the Court of Appeal, Uzo Ndukwe-Anyawu and Onyekachi Otisi also concurred with the verdict.

Justice Garba further held that the Etubom conclave of the Palace of the Obong of Calabar “is hereby ordered to conduct another process of selecting a new

Obong of Calabar in which all qualified candidates will be given the opportunity to participate.

The appellate court said that a former Minister of Finance, Chief Anthony Ani, who is also a contender to the throne, is not traditionally qualified and eligible to vote and be voted for as the Obong of Calabar.

Elsewhere, the Court of Appeal in Ilorin Division, Kwara State ordered the removal from office of the Olofa of Offa, Oba Esuwoye, and ordered prompt installation of Abdulrauf Adegboyega Keji as the new Oloffa.

Besides, the appeal court granted all the reliefs sought by the appellant and nullified Esuwoye’s appointment and installation.

In addition, Esuwoye was barred from parading himself as the Oloffa of Offa, just as the court ordered the state Attorney -General and the governor to install the appellant from Olugbense Ruling House as new Olofa of Offa.

In a similar manner, the Court of Appeal, Ibadan division dismissed the prayers brought before it by the Eleruwa of Eruwa, Oba Adegbola.

The monarch, who was dethroned by an Oyo State High Court on January 26, 2011, had approached the appellate court for an order to quash the verdict.

In the judgement delivered in 2011, Justice Ladipo Abimbola affirmed that the processes that brought the monarch to the throne were irregular, and declared them null and void; and of no effect. The high court ordered Adegbola to vacate the throne.

The National Coordinator, South-South geopolitical zone of the All Nigerian Peoples Party Presidential Campaign, Mr. Marshal was brutally murdered at his No, 28 Karaye Close, Garki II, Abuja residence on March 5, 2003, just a month before the 2003 presidential election. Marshall said to have been killed in the presence of both his daughter and his niece, called Loliya Harry.

In his report to the police, the securityman guarding the house, Mr. Polini Aniya, revealed that at 3 am on the said day, about five assailants forced their way into the Marshal residence and snuffed life out of the old ANPP chieftain.

Those who were arrested and prosecuted for the killing were Ofuoku, Musa Babatunde, Friday Amaize and Stephen Imodu.

On December 23, 2010, all of the accused were set free

by Justice Ishaq Bello of an Abuja High Court on the grounds that the prosecution failed woefully to prove the guilt of the accused persons.

Justice Bello said, “There is a great need for the court to tread cautiously with circumstantial evidence brought by the prosecution because as the saying goes, it is better for a guilty person to go unpunished than for the innocent to be wrongly punished.

“The confessional statements of the accused have failed the acid test and are not enough to convict them.

“Incidentally, the police who are the accusers are at the same time are witnesses and prosecutors.

“There is no doubt the death of Harry Marshal was caused by someone but I cannot make definite statements that the four people standing trial killed him as there is no substantial evidence before me linking the accused persons to the crime.”

LEGAL TIPS WHAT AMOUNTS TO NUISANCE IN LAW (2) Private Nuisance Private nuisance is a continuous, unlawful and indirect interference with the use or enjoyment of land, or of some right over or in connection with it.

• It is designed to protect the individual owner or occupier of land from substantial interference with his enjoyment of his property.

• To succeed in an action in private nuisance, the claimant must therefore have an interest in land. The claimant must also prove that the defendant’s conduct was unreasonable, thereby making it unlawful.

• It is trite law that since private nuisance is essentially an interference with the use and enjoyment of land, only a person who has an interest in land affected is entitled to bring an action.

•The remedies available to one who complains of nuisance are (a) an action for damages, (b) an injunction and (c) abatement, which is the remedy of self-help, for example, removing over-hanging tree branches, which are a nuisance.

•Among the defences a defendant can invoke in nuisance is contributory negligence where the nuisance complained of is based on negligent conduct.

• Statutory authority will also be a defence to private nuisance if it can be shown that the activities complained of by the claimant were authorised (expressly or impliedly) by a statute.

Written by Francis Famoroti, Head, Judiciary. We welcome feedback and reactions from readers via our e-mail: nationamirrorlaw@yahoo.com

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Law & Justice

Monday, July 22, 2013

45

Kudirat: How S’ Court freed Mohammed Abacha 11 years ago Some years ago, Mohammed Abacha, son of the late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, was arrested and detained along with three others, including Major. Hamza Al-Mustapha, his father’s Chief Security Officer (CSO) for the 1996 murder of Alhaja Kudirat Abiola.

Shortly after their arraignment, Abacha fought a series of legal battles to regain his freedom.

FRANCIS FAMOROTI, Head, Judiciary gives an insight into the case.

FAMOUS CASES

T

he trial of the Hamza Al-Mustapha, Mohammed Abacha and two others for the June 1996 murder of Kudirat Abiola was one of the celebrated cases conducted by the law courts in the country in the last 14 years. Besides the duo, others charged before an Ikeja High Court were, former head of Mopol in Aso Rock, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Mohammed Rabo Lawal and late Kudirat’s aide, Lateef Shofolahan.

Mohammed Abacha was then 32 years old and he was specifically accused of helping two of his fathers’ aides to resettle outside the country after the murder.

The four men were initially arraigned before an Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court in December 1999 and ordered to be remanded in custody pending their arraignment before the High Court. When the State eventually preferred its criminal charge against them, they were arraigned on four-count charge of conspiracy and murder of Mrs. Abiola on June 4, 1996 along the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway, Lagos toll gate, opposite Cargo Vision, Ikeja in Lagos.

The charge No ID/43c/99 reads: At the Criminal Division of the High Court of Lagos State holden at Ikeja on the ……………day of ……..1999, the court is informed by the Attorney General on behalf of the State that: Hamza Al-Mustapha (m) Mohammed Rabo Lawal (m) Mohammed Sani Abacha (m) Alhaji Lateef Shofolahan (m) Are charged with the following offences: Statement of Offence -1st Count Conspiracy to commit murder contrary to Section 324 of the Criminal Code Cap 32 Laws of Lagos State 1994.

Particulars of Offence Hamza Al- Mustapha, Mohammed Rabo Lawal, Mohammed Sani Abacha, Lateef Shofolahan between 1995 and June 1996, at Ikeja Judicial Division conspired to murder Kudirat Abiola.

Statement of Offence -2nd Count Murder contrary to Section 319 (1) of the Criminal Code, Cap 32, Laws of Lagos State 1994.

Particulars of Offence Hamza Al-Mustapha, Rabo Lawal, Mohammed Sani Abacha and Lateef Shofolahan on or about the 4th day

Justice Belgore

SUSPICION HOWEVER WELL -PLACED DOES NOT AMOUNT TO PRIMA FACIE; MORE FACTS THAT ARE NOW IN THE PRINTED RECORD WILL BE NEEDED

TO NAIL THE APPELLANT TO HIS BEING REQUIRED TO EXPLAIN of June, 1996 along Lagos/Ibadan Expressway opposite Cargo Vision, Ikeja in the Ikeja Judicial Division murdered one Kudirat Abiola.

Statement of Offence -3rd Count Accessory after the fact of murder contrary to Section 322 of the Criminal Code, Cap 32, Laws of Lagos State, 1994.

Particulars of Offence Mohammed Sani Abacha sometime in 1999 knowing Mohammed Abdul (a.k.a Katako) to have murdered Kudirat Abiola in the Ikeja Judicial Division gave various sums of money with intent to facilitate their escape from arrest and prosecution.

Statement of Offence Accessory after the fact to murder contrary to Section 322 of the Criminal Code, Cap 32 Laws of Lagos State 1994.

Particulars of Offence Mohammed Sani Abacha sometime in 1999 knowing Aminu Mohammed to have murdered Kudirat Abiola in the Ikeja Judicial Division gave him various sums of money with intent to facilitate their escape from arrest and prosecution.

The men appeared before the then trial judge, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun then of the Ikeja High Court and immediately the charges were read, they pleaded not guilty. The trial attracted a large retinue of journalists who were frisked by security agents during every sitting of the proceedings.

Abacha

The prosecutor was the former Attorney- General of Lagos State, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), who led the then Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Mr. Fola Arthur-Worrey, while the defence team included the former President of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Joseph Daudu (SAN), a former Minister of Solid Minerals, Alhaji Ali Kaloma, Messrs .Bala Ibn Na’Allah and Yakubu Mik’yau.

But in a swift reaction, the defence by a motion on notice prayed the court to quash all the four counts and statements of offences in the information referred to as charge No ID/43c/99 purportedly filed before the court against Abacha.

The defence hinged the application on the premise that the proof of evidence did not disclose a prima facie against Mohammed Abacha requiring him to stand trial before the high court on any of the four counts. The trial court however turned down Abacha’s application and held that he had a case to answer in connection with the charges against him.

Abacha, through his lawyers lodged a notice of appeal at the Court of Appeal, Lagos and the appellate court affirmed the decision of the lower court that there were sufficient facts and inferences in the proof of evidence upon which he could be linked to the offences preferred against him.

As far as the Appeal Court was concerned, Abacha’s statement to the Police that he assisted two of his father’s employees among many others to resettle themselves and the release of his car and driver on different occasions to one of the self-confessed killers of Kudirat Abiola had linked him to the offences charged. In the pronouncement of the appellate court, this was ‘’a part of a plan to cover the tract of those who had murdered Kudirat Abiola.’’

Dissatisfied with the ruling of the Appeal Court, Abacha filed a further notice of appeal at the Supreme Court,

stating that the Court of Appeal erred in its ruling. Besides, the defence team succeeded in securing an order staying further proceedings in the matter at the lower court.

At the Supreme Court, arguments and counter- arguments were canvassed by J.B Daudu and Osinbajo on the appeal before the apex court.

In its judgement on Thursday, July 11, 2002, the Supreme Court unanimously found merit in Abacha’s appeal and quashed the information preferred against him.

The Supreme Court panel comprised Justice Salihu Moddibo Alfa Belgore, who read the lead judgement, Justices Idris Kutigi, Sylvester Onu, Aloysius Katsina-Alu and Akintola Ejiwunmi.

According to the Supreme Court, “the court below as well as the trial court erred in finding prima facie for the Appellant to answer. At best, what is in the proof of evidence amounts to serious suspicion that the Appellant knows more than he adverts. Suspicion however well -placed does not amount to prima facie; more facts that are now in the printed record will be needed to nail the Appellant to his being required to explain. The prosecution must be wary of being accused of persecution rather than prosecution.’’

Justice Belgore said that counts three and four of the charge mentioned Mohammed Abdul (a.k.a Katako) and Mohammed Aminu respectively as having committed the murder to which Abacha became necessary after the fact.

He declared: ‘’The practice was either to charge the accessory along with the main offender or charge them separately. But before the accessory after an offence can be tried, if charged alone, there must be proof that indeed a murder was indeed committed by the person the Appellant is said to be accessory after the fact. ‘’Nobody can be an accessory to offence not proved. Every charge on an indictment must be clear so that the person to be tried will understand the complaint against him.’’

The apex court said there no need to speculate what was not on the fact of the indictment adding the appellate court erred to speculate what the prosecution meant or wanted by the charges of accessory after the fact.

The Supreme Court accordingly found merit in the appeal and allowed it. The apex court quashed the charges against Abacha and set him free.

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Monday, July 22, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Community Mirror Nigeria has many uncountable problems and none of them is early marriage. As a matter of fact, early marriage is the solution to about half of our problems.

EX-GOVERNOR OF ZAMFARA STATE, AHMED SANI YERIMA

Man rapes 74-year-old woman OJO OYEWAMIDE AKURE

P

olice in Ondo State have arrested a young man, Rasaki Salami, for allegedly raping a 74 year–old grandmother to a state of coma.

The incident occurred at Igbotako in Okitipupa Local Government Area of the state.

The victim, Madam Tinu Olaranti, sustained severe injuries as she has already been

taken to hospital for medical attention.

The suspect, who has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, was arrested by Anti – crime detectives attached to the Igbotako Divisional Police Headquarters as he attempted to escape.

It was gathered that the suspect allegedly sneaked into the bedroom of the victim while she was asleep.

Police First Information Report, FIR, said Salami forcefully undressed the old woman after entering her room and had carnal knowledge of her.

One of the victim’s grandsons who was said to have witnessed the act and could not raise alarm because the suspect threatened to kill him, reportedly ran outside and hid to escape attack.

Sources said the suspect raped the old woman, resulting

in her bleeding profusely.

The Ondo State Police Public Relation Officer, PPRO, Wole Ogodo, confirmed the incident, saying the suspect was apprehended at a hideout in the town and taken to the Igbotako Police station where he was interrogated.

He said the grandson of the victim came to the police station to identify the suspect, even as he disclosed that Rasaki would be charged to court as soon as investigations are completed .

Anambra approves projects for Awka,Onitsha CHARLES OKEKE AWKA

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he Anambra State Government has approved contracts worth N5.5 billion for development projects in Awka,Onitsha and other major cities.

The Commissioner for Culture, Information and Tourism, Chief Joe Martin Uzodike announced this at Government House, Awka.

Uzodike said, the contracts included the construction of Ekwulobia-Ezinifite road in Aguata, which is 6.3 kilometres and awarded for N765.5 million with completion period of 30 weeks, Isuofia-Umuona-Nanka road with a spur to Aguata which is 5.2 kilometres and awarded for N587.4 million and Abube Square Nando to Afor Igbariam road which is 4.4 kilometres for N636.5 million and completion period of 28 weeks.

He also said the government approved the contract for the reconstruction of Bida Road and Okwei Street in Onitsha at the contract sum of N1 billion, while Ndiowu Road with spurs to Orumba North Local Government Area totaling 4.82 kilometers was awarded for N630 million.

Company donates water project in Akwa Ibom TONY ANICHEBE UYO Education officials surveying the flooded building at St. Patrick Primary School, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State recently.

PHOTO: NAN

Lunatics, homeless evicted in Benin SEBASTINE EBHUOMHAN BENIN

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orried by the growing number of homeless and lunatics in Edo State, a taskforce has been constituted by the government to rid them from the streets of Benin and other parts of the state.

Community Mirror gathered that more than 40 lunatics and destitute have so far been arrested in what is described as ongoing attempt to check the menace posed by them.

Investigations revealed that the activities of lunatics and destitute have seriously affected the beautification policy of the state government.

Speaking on behalf of the Commissioner for Women Affairs Mrs. Blessing Maigida, the Director of Rehabilitation Service, Mr.

Charles Osaro Amadasun, said many of the evictees were taken to various herbal homes for immediate treatment and possible rehabilitation. He added that the exercise was undertaken in collaboration with some traditional herbalists.

Amadasun, added that the measure was aimed at ensuring

that those already evacuated were treated and rehabilitated with a view to making them acquire skills and become useful members of the society.

He pointed out that positive steps were being taken to facilitate the process of beautification and urban renewal agenda of Governor Adams Aliyu Oshiomole. The

official added that the exercise would be sustained to rid Benin and other parts of the state of lunatics and destitute.

It was learnt that those evicted from major streets were taken to Oredo, Ikpoba-Okha, Esan North East and Etsako Central local government councils for proper care.

Plateau donates vans to land area offices JAMES ABRAHAM JOS

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he Plateau State Government has pledged to allocate a Hilux vehicle to each of its five Local Government Land Area Offices for effective land control and usage.

The Commissioner for Lands and Survey, Mr Yilji Gomwalk, said this in an interview in Jos. He said that the ministry’s

area offices in Shendam, Mangu, Langtang North, Pankshin and Barkin Ladi local governments would have one van each.

Gomwalk said the government was determined to open up development in all towns in the 17 local governments of the state.

“The area offices will need the vehicles toward actualising our drive in creating layouts that will help to discourage indis-

criminate erection of buildings.

We believe the vehicles will assist the officers to rise to the challenge of ensuring that erection of structures, no matter what kind, is properly done”, he said.

Gomwalk said that the vehicles being used for enumeration of landed properties within the Jos Greater Master Plan would be released to them at the end of the exercise.

A

s part of its commitment to communities in Akwa Ibom State, ALSCON, has commissioned a water project in the Ikot Akpan Enin community, to address the social and economic well-being of the people and environment.

The commissioning of the project follows the launch of the company’s 2013 annual scholarship programme for undergraduates in the area.

The project was in fulfillment of the Memorandum of Understanding, MoU signed with the Akwa Ibom State Government and people of Ikot Abasi in 2007, to provide support in education, healthcare, water supply and electricity as well as sports.

This is the 14th water project undertaken by ALSCON and implemented within the framework of the company’s social investment programme for the region, to reduce water-borne diseases in the local communities and thus improve the social and economic well-being of the people.

Monday, July 22, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

47

World News

New Belgian king sworn in

48

“From now on, any asylum seeker who arrives in Australia by boat will have no chance of being settled in Australia as a refugee” AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER, KEVIN RUDD

Kidnapped Malian election workers freed PAUL ARHEWE

WITH AGENCY REPORT

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unmen have freed four election workers and a deputy mayor a day after they were kidnapped in Mali’s remote northern town of Tessalit, a local official said yesterday.

The kidnapping, a week before election day, highlighted insecurity hanging over the vote that is intended to draw a line under a coup and Islamist uprising, although some fear it could lead to further instability due to poor preparations.

“The five hostages were picked up this morning by French soldiers outside the town. We do not know what led to them being freed,” Cheick Fanta Mady Bouare, the prefect of Tessalit, told Reuters.

France sent troops to Mali early this year in an offensive against al Qaeda-linked fighters that had last year seized the desert north alongside separatist Tuareg rebels.

The Islamists have been largely scattered and the Tuaregs have signed a deal to allow the vote to take place and then

Vendors selling drinks and hard boiled eggs next to a campaign poster for presidential candidate Soumaila Cisse at his campaign rally in Bamako, Mali on Saturday.

PHOTO: AP

negotiate with an elected government.

The kidnapping follows accusations from Mali’s government that the MNLA rebels had violated the ceasefire deal this week after four people died in clashes between pro-separatist Tuareg youths and black Africans in Kidal, another northern town.

Despite pockets of violence

and fears hundreds of thousands of voters will not get the cards they need to vote on time, Mali is under intense foreign pressure to hold the vote on July 28.

Dramane Dembele, candidate for ADEMA, one of Mali’s mostestablished parties, is expected to visit Kidal on Sunday.

On Saturday, Soumaila Cisse, another frontrunner in the

Mugabe criticises South Africa’s top envoy

S

outh African President Jacob Zuma’s special advisor on Zimbabwe, Lindiwe Zulu, is proving a thorn in the flesh for President Mugabe due to her recent contentious pronouncements on Zimbabwe.

President Mugabe has in recent weeks developed a deep resentment for Lindiwe Zulu to the point of urging President Jacob Zuma to ‘stop this woman,’ a request sources said was once again conveyed to Jacob Zuma on Saturday.

While it was not clear what Jacob Zuma’s response was to Mugabe, Lindiwe Zulu on Friday commenting ahead of the SADC Troika meeting, said that there are still “challenges” in the run up to Zimbabwe’s vote.

Barely 2 weeks after Mugabe chided Ms Zulu calling her that ‘stupid idiotic street woman’ the president’s resentment for Zuma’s advisor has reached a

point that Mugabe wants to hear no more of Zulu’s voice.

Addressing Zanu PF supporters Friday in Gwanda , Mugabe said: “President Jacob Zuma stop this woman of yours from speaking on Zimbabwe. We were given one facilitator with one mouth and that is Jacob Zuma. Zuma can speak and no other voice should speak.”

Late Saturday the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) said Zimbabwe’s election would be a tough call to organise given the time limits. The “summit noted the problems that arose during the special vote on 14-15 July 2013,” SADC’s communique read but added that the bloc was pleased that all political parties were committed to a peaceful environment during the elections.

“Summit encouraged the government, all political parties and leaders to continue with these commendable efforts which will

race, said the kidnappings were regrettable but incidents like these would not undermine the credibility of the vote.

“Events in remote parts of the country should not disturb normal progress,” he told Reuters. “People are trying to prevent the elections from taking place but we should resist this provocation.”

Egypt’s bus crash kills 15 soldiers

F

Mugabe

help realise credible elections,” the communiqué stated.

It commended the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) for “taking these up as challenges to be overcome on the 31st of July, and called upon all political parties to co-operate as fully as possible with ZEC in order to ensure that it is able to meet these challenges.”

Addressing reporters late Saturday after the SADC Troika meeting, Tanzania president Jakaya Kikwete said the regional body wished Zimbabwe had heeded to an earlier recommendation to delay elections up to mid August.

ifteen Egyptian soldiers have died and 40 have been injured after their bus collided with a lorry.

The accident happened on the el-Alamein motorway linking Cairo with the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria.

They were reportedly travelling home to join their families for holidays during the holy month of Ramadan.

Some 12,000 people die on Egypt’s roads each year, says the World Health Organization. Poor road conditions and lax traffic law enforcement are blamed.

In October, 21 members of the country’s security forces died in a vehicle accident in the Sinai peninsula, close to the Israeli border.

Last November, the transport minister resigned after 50 children aged four to six died when their school bus was hit by a train near Manfalut, 350km (230 miles) south of Cairo.

WORLD BULLETIN Dozens of child migrants in Italy homeless Dozens of African child migrants are sleeping on the bare earth outside the reception centre on Italy’s Lampedusa following an upsurge in the number of boats reaching the tiny island, agency Save the Children said on Saturday.

Lampedusa is wrestling with a big backlog in unaccompanied minors because Italian authorities stopped considering North Africa as being in a state of emergency some months ago, meaning no national agency is now charged with housing them.

More than 800 migrants are now staying on the island, Italy’s southernmost point, bringing a reception center built to accommodate just 250 to the point of collapse, the agency said.

“In the last 10 days many new immigrants have arrived and there is a serious problem because unaccompanied minors are not being transferred. The new arrivals are added to those already housed in the center, which should only be a transit point,” the agency’s Raffaela Milano told Reuters.

“We’re talking about children who arrive in Italy alone after journeys that are often lengthy and dramatic, who need immediate protection and support and must not fall victim to institutional inertia,” she added.

US charges militant leader for Algerian gas plant siege US prosecutors have charged militant Islamist leader Mokhtar Belmokhtar over a deadly siege at an Algerian gas plant in January.

He faces charges including hostage-taking, kidnapping and conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction.

Belmokhtar remains at large and the US is offering a $5m (£3.2m) reward for information leading to his arrest.

Three US citizens were among at least 37 hostages killed when Algerian troops stormed the Tigantourine plant.

Days earlier, gunmen had seized local and foreign workers at the complex.

“Belmokhtar brought terror and blood to these innocent people and now we intend to bring Belmokhtar to justice,” said Preet Bharara, US attorney for the Southern District of New York, in a statement.

The charges unveiled on Friday said Belmokhtar had appeared in an online video the day after the siege ended, claiming he had carried out the attack on behalf of al-Qaeda.

George Venizelos, head of the FBI’s New York office, said the charges “describe a fanatical jihadist leading an extremist vanguard of an extremist ideology’’.

48

World News

WORLD BULLETIN

Japan’s PM Abe wins key upper house poll Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has won a majority in the upper house, exit polls suggest, yesterday.

His Liberal Democratic Party and its junior partner New Komeito were set to get at least 71 of the 121 seats being contested, broadcaster NHK projected.

This would give him control of both houses of parliament for the first time in six years.

The deadlock in parliament has been seen as a key factor in Japan’s recent “revolving door” of prime ministers.

Official results are not expected until today.

But the exit poll suggested Mr Abe’s coalition would control 130 seats in the 242-seat upper house. Half the seats were being contested in Sunday’s election.

The result is being seen as a vote of confidence in Mr Abe, says the BBC’s Rupert WingfieldHayes in Tokyo.

He has the power - the question is whether he has the will, too, says our correspondent.

Media reports said voter turnout was lower than in the last upper house election, in 2010.

Reacting to the exit polls, LDP Vice-President Masahiko Komura told NHK: “People wanted politics that can make decisions and an administration with a stable grounding, which led to today’s result.”

Israelis, Palestinians skeptical about peace talks Israeli and Palestinian officials voiced skepticism yesterday that they can move toward a peace deal, as the sides inched toward what may be the first round of significant negotiations in five years.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced late last week that an agreement has been reached that establishes the basis for resuming peace talks. He cautioned that such an agreement still needs to be formalized, suggesting that gaps remain.

In his first on-camera comment Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to lower expectations by saying the talks will be tough and any agreement would have to be ratified by Israelis in a national referendum.

Netanyahu pledged to insist on Israel’s security needs above all — saying his main guiding principles will be to maintain a Jewish majority in Israel and avoid a future Palestinian state in the West Bank becoming an Iranianbacked “terror state.”

Bombs on outskirts of Baghdad kill six

Two bombs killed six people on the outskirts of Baghdad early yesterday, as the death toll from a coordinated wave of late-night car bombings and other attacks the day before jumped past 70, according to authorities.

The explosions are the latest in a relentless surge in bloodshed that has rocked Iraq since the start of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. They follow months of increased violence across the country that is raising fears of a return to the widespread sectarian killing that pushed the country to the brink of civil war after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.

Saturday night’s blasts went off after the iftar meal that breaks the daily fast in the month of Ramadan. Streets during the holy month are often filled with people out shopping and relaxing in cafes in the evenings, suggesting the attackers aimed to hit as many civilians as possible.

Monday, July 22, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

New Belgian king sworn in

C

rown Prince Philippe has been sworn in as the new Belgian king after the emotional abdication of his father Albert II. The Oxford- and Stanford-educated, trained air force pilot took the oath as the country’s seventh king in a ceremony in parliament.

To warm applause, King Philippe, 53, promised to uphold the constitution.

Belgium has a constitutional monarchy in which the king plays a largely ceremonial role.

One of the duties the monarch does have is trying to resolve constitutional crises.

In his final address before signing a legislative act to step down, 79-year-old King Albert said his country must remain a “source of inspiration” to Europe.

He stressed his wish that Belgium - split between the Dutch-speaking north and the French south - remained united.

His resignation on the grounds of ill-health came after nearly 20 years on the throne and was timed to coincide with Belgium’s national day.

In a colourful ceremo-

ny topped off by trumpet fanfare and cannon-fire, Philippe took his oath in the country’s three official languages - Dutch, French and German.

Along with the national football team, the monarchy is often regarded as one of the few institutions that actually holds Belgium together.

Even so, opinion polls suggest French-speaking Wallonia is now a good deal more royalist than Dutch-speaking Flanders, and the new king will have to convince some citizens of his credentials.

His big challenge will come next year when national elections are due to be held, and separatist parties in Flanders are expected to do well.

After the last election it took more than 500 days to form a national government, because of the deep divisions between Flanders and Wallonia.

As king, Philippe (or Felip in Dutch) has an important constitutional role to play, and he will need to prove that he has the political skills to mediate between very different visions of his country’s future.

This was a reminder of

L-R: Belgium’s Prince Philippe and his father, King Albert II listening to comments prior to the King signing the Act of Abdication during a ceremony at the Palace of the Nation in Brussels, yesterday.

PHOTO: AP

the delicate political task that awaits him - trying to mediate across the divide between French-speaking Wallonia and Dutchspeaking Flanders, where support for independence has been rising fast, says BBC Europe correspondent Chris Morris.

Flag-waving supporters gathered in the midday sun waiting for their new king and his wife, Mathilde, to greet them from the balcony of the nearby royal palace.

“The new king is a bit of history,” said Xavier De Graef, draped in the

red, yellow and black of the Belgian tricolour.

“That doesn’t happen very often so we wanted to be here,” Mr De Graef, from French-speaking Liege, told Reuters news agency. But not everyone was celebrating.

The far-right separatist Vlaams Belang party boycotted the swearing-in ceremony.

Meanwhile, Jan Jambon, parliamentary head of the N-VA party that wants Dutch-speaking Flanders to break away from Belgium and favours a republic, said the occa-

Martin’s parents lead protest in U.S.

T

rayvon Martin’s parents have been joined by celebrities, civil rights activists and other protesters as they led rallies in New York and Florida to show their anger at the acquittal of the neighbourhood watch volunteer who shot and killed their unarmed teenage son.

Sybrina Fulton led a protest of more than 1,000 people in New York, along with veteran civil rights activist Reverend Al Sharpton, where she told the crowd that the picture painted of her son, Trayvon, during the trial depicted a man she did not recognise.

“He was a child,” she said during her speech to the hundreds-strong crowd.

“We have moved on from the verdict. Of course we’re hurting of course we’re shocked and disappointed, but that just means we have to roll up our sleeves and continue to fight.”

Singers Jay Z and Beyonce also came out to the New York rally.

In Miami, a crowd of hundreds singing the protest song “We Shall Overcome” joined Trayvon’s father, Tracy Martin, to demand that George Zimmerman, acquitted of second-degree murder and man-

Trayvon’s mother Sybrina Fulton and his brother Jahvaris Fulton attended one of the protests in Manhattan.

PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

slaughter exactly a week ago, face civil charges.

Al Jazeera’s reporter from New York said that the Martins and other organisers had continually called for the protests to remain peaceful.

“There is still a lot of emotion one week after the sentence was handed down. The purpose of these rallies is to pressure the Department of Justice in to bringing civil charges against George Zimmerman,” our correspondent said.

Zimmerman has always maintained he shot Trayvon in self defence.

If a white male teen was involved in the same kind of scenario ... both the outcome and the aftermath might have been different.

Critics contend Zimmerman, who is white and Hispanic, wrongly suspected Martin, 17, of being a criminal because he was black.

Zimmerman called police to report Martin, then left his car with a loaded handgun concealed in his waistband.

sion “leaves me cold”.

In the abdication ceremony at the royal palace in Brussels, the former monarch told his son: “You have all the emotional and intellectual qualities to serve our country well.”

He thanked an audience of some 250 dignitaries and political leaders “for all that you have achieved during my reign”.

Ex-king Albert also thanked his wife, Paola, for the support she had given him during his reign, and was in turn thanked by Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo for his service to his country.

Three killed in Russian helicopter crash

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wo British men in their 60s have died in a helicopter crash while on a fishing trip in northern Russia.

They had just been dropped off when the aircraft tried to take off again but tipped onto its side and killed them.

The incident happened in the far northern Kola peninsular - an area which attracts wealthy tourists drawn to its salmon-rich waters.

A Foreign Office spokesman said it was in touch with local authorities and was ready to provide assistance.

A Russian interpreter with the two fishermen was also killed but the pilot of the French-built Eurocopter EC-120 survived.

The Rynda River where the crash happened is in the Murmansk region.

“We are aware of reports of the deaths of two British nationals in Russia,” a Foreign Office spokesman said.

“We are in touch with the local authorities and stand ready to provide consular assistance.”

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Ramadan Special

Monday, July 22, 2013

49

Ramadan 13th, 1434 AH

Piety will ensure accountability –Scholar AISHA TITILAYO

P. A. to the Executive Director, Zakat and Sadaqat Foundation, Alh. Mutiu Shittu, presenting bags of rice for Iftar Saaim (feeding of fasting Muslims) to the representatives of Muslim Youth Welfare Foundation.

It has been said that piety and fear of God will bring about accountability in leaders at various levels of human endeavour.

Making this know yesterday was the Deputy Amir of the Companion, Lagos District and the Executive Director, Taurus Oil and Gas Ltd; Alhaji Nojeem Jimoh, at the maiden edition of Ramadan lecture of the Alimosho Group of the Companion in Lagos.

L-R: Member, House of Reps, Hon. Lasun Yusuf; Chairman, Itire-Ikate LCDA, Hon. Hakeem Bamgbola; his Mosan-Okunola counterpart Alhaji AbdulRasheed Mafe and Agege Local Government Chairman, Alhaji Jubreel AbdulKareem during the Ramadan Lecture and Final Qur’an Competition organised by AbdulRasheed Mafe Qur’anic Foundation at Ipaja-Lagos yesterday.

He noted that high level of good can only be attained through religious piety. “This is because we all have the tendency to do evils: Zina, theft, murder, etc but it is the influence of Islam that helps us to refrain from doing these evils because if we are truly pious, we will have the sense of accountability and be conscious of the fact that we will account for all our deeds in the presence of Allah. This cautions all of us from doing what is bad.” He explained.

“This is where the issue of attributing Boko Haram to Islam comes in, because a true Muslim will not terminate a life because of its grave consequence and he knows the implication of killing another person.

Boko Haram is political and not religious i.e. it has political god-fathers and most of them are in PDP.” He added.

I

L-R: National Missioner, Ansar-uddeen Society of Nigeria, Sheikh AbdurRahman Ahmad; Executive Director, Zakaat and Sadaqat Foundation, Abdullahi Shuaib; National Legal Adviser, ACN, Dr. Muiz Banire and President, Fatima Charity Foundation (FCF), Hajia Bintu Fatima Tinubu, during FCF’s annual Ramadan lecture in Festac, Lagos recently.

L-R: Olori Folasade Adams; a guest; Nupe ACN Chairman, Lagos Chapter, Alhaji Muhammed Sharo Patako; Alhaji Kabir Ahmed of Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency and Vice-Chairman, Agege LG, Alhaji Sulaimon Odueso at the 2nd Oba Lateef Adam Ramadan lecture organized by Hon. Adejare in honour of late Bashiru Diekola Abanikanda.

EZEKIEL TITUS BAUCHI

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he member representing Dass, TafawaBalewa, Bogoro at the lower house of National assembly, Hon.Yakubu Dogara has release the sum of over N7million to cushion the suffering of Muslim community in the constituency throughout the Ramadan period.

His Special Assistant, Dauda Dada made the presentation of the items at the weekend in Bauchi saying the gesture is to promote religious harmony and ensure peace among people in the entire state.

Items donated includes bags of rice, sugar millet etc, for distribution in the constituency with particular attention to mosques, Imams and Emirs in the area.

Adejare gives scholarship, organises Ramadan lecture SEKINAH LAWAL

The second lecturer, National Missioner, AONU Mu’in Society of Nigeria, Sheikh AbdulGaniyy Ashiru Oriyomi; Deputy National Amir of the Companion, Alhaji Wale Sonaike; the Lecturer, Alhaji Nojeemdeen Jimoh and the Coordinator, the Companion, Alimosho Usrah Group, Alhaji Kamorudeen Ogunfowora and another member, Alhaji Sulaiman Olayemi at the maiden edition of Ramadan lecture of the Alimosho Usrah Group of the Companion at the Igando-Ikotun LCDA Multipurpose Hall, Ikotun-Lagos.

Dogara earmarks N7m for Ramadan

n the spirit of Ramadan, Hon. Samuel Babatunde Adejare, representing Agege federal constituency at the federal House of Representative, has given two scholarship to indigent students of Arabic Studies to Cairo-Egypt as well as donated twelve 3.5 KVA genera-

tor to some selected mosques throughout the constituency.

Making the presentation of the items at the weekend in Lagos, he said that the gesture is to promote religious harmony and ensure peace among people in his constituency.

Among the items distributed includes 120 GCE forms, food items among others. He urged people to use the fast-

ing period to pray for peace in the country.

Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, the Chief Imam of Dowomu Central Mosque, Sheik Sulaiman Alaga commended Dr. Adejare for demonstrating high sense of responsibilities, describing him as a politician worthy of emulation and enjoined other politicians to do more.

L-R: Hon. Samuel Babatunde Adejare, representing Agege federal constituency; Alaege of Orile Agege, Oba Agbedeyi and the representative of Olu Agege, Oba Oyedeji Kamila Isiba of Agege Kingdom; Olorogun of Agege Kingdom at the 2nd Oba Lateef Adam Ramadan lecture organized by Hon. Adejare in honour of late Bashiru Diekola Abanikanda.

L-R: Chairman, AbdulAzeez Foundation, Alhaji Abdul Lateef AbdulAzeez; chairman of the occasion and Registrar of LASU, Barr. Lateef Animashaun; Sheikh Ahmed Ramadan from Egypt and Aseyin of Iseyin at the 21st annual Ramadan lecture organized by AbdulAzeez Islamic Foundation in Lagos yesterday.

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North

Monday, July 22, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Three suspected terrorists killed, 50 arrested in Borno INUSA NDAHI AND WOLE ADEDEJI

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uck ran out of three suspected Boko Haram members at the weekend in Borno State as they were lynched by an angry mob.

This was as about 50 other suspected terrorists were arrested in the state.

The three suspects came all the way from Bama Local Government and invaded the El-Amin Daggash mosque in the Government Reserved Area, GRA, in Maiduguri, during Tafsir (Ramadan preaching), attempting to kill the preacher, Modu Mustapha.

One of the suspects was killed on the spot, while the remaining two, who were initially arrested, were also lynched later.

It was gathered that the terrorists came in a Golf saloon car and one tricycle armed with AK47 rifles and a pistol.

A source said the incident happened about 4pm, when the Tafsir programme was going on.

The source added that somebody first sighted one of the terrorists with

a pistol sitting comfortably among the congregation and raised the alarm.

He added that immediately the suspect was apprehended, the people around pounced on him and beat him to death.

The other two suspects, who were also inside the mosque, were arrested while attempting to escape and were killed a few metres away from the mosque.

However, the Joint Task Force, JTF, Operation Restore Order in Borno State capital, said there was no attempted attack on any worship centre in the state.

The JTF noted that it was an error of judgement by a policeman on duty that pursued someone who allegedly stole a Keke NAPEP and a bag of rice and drove off towards the said mosque.

Its spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa, said in a statement that: “The JTF wishes to clear the air on what happened at the vicinity of El-Amin Daggash mosque in GRA, Maiduguri on Saturday 20th July, 2013.

“The incident was not a terrorist attack as insinuated, rather, it was an error of judgement by

Niger, others partner on oil exploration –Committee PRISCILLA DENNIS MINNA

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iger State government said it was networking with other states with inland hydrocarbon basins in the North to ensure quick exploration of oil.

The Chairman of the state Standing Committee on the Exploration and Exploitation of Hydrocarbon (Oil and Gas) on the Bida basin, General Mohammad Inuwa Wushishi and a member, the Estu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, disclosed this in Minna at the weekend.

Wushishi said the committee was working in synergy with other inland basins in the region to fully realise its objective.

He explained that the decision to liaise with other states with deposits of the hydrocarbon was taken after the meeting of the committee.

Also, the Commissioner for Mineral Develop-

ment, Mr. Jibreel Abubakar and the Secretary of the committee, Alhaji Yabagi Sani, said the states the committee decided to partner with were Sokoto, Borno, Bauchi and Benue.

“In Niger State, preliminary findings have shown that there is 30 per cent oil and 70 per cent gas deposit in the basin from the source rock,” Abubakar said.

He added: “And the source rocks have being analysed after two shallow wells have been drilled in Agaie and Kudu in Niger State, but the committee still needs to go further to undertake aero magnetic geological mapping to be able to trap the deposits and geo-physical data.”

The commissioner also said that the geo-chemistry analysed, the Toxic Content, TOC, using sulphur analyser, showed a high deposit of hydrocarbon on the basin of above 0.5 per cent.

a policeman on duty that pursued someone who allegedly stole a tricycle and a bag of rice and drove off.

“The policeman was in mufti, wore Nigeria Police Force, NPF, reflective jacket, pursued the alleged thief and fired two gunshots.”

Musa said the incident

happened very close to the said mosque when Ramadan preaching was on, adding that the firing by the policeman attracted the attention of worshippers, including youths popularly known as ‘Civilian JTF,’ that were within and around the mosque.

He said: “As a result,

there was pandemonium that led to the death of one minor while three others sustained injuries.”

The spokesman noted that the vigilantes beat the policeman, burnt the Toyota Carina saloon car, which the policeman was driving and the tricycle, before the JTF patrol team rescued

the policeman, calmed the youths and restored normalcy to the area.

In another development, over 50 suspected terrorists were over the weekend arrested in Maduganari ward area of Maiduguri with the assistance of ‘Civilian JTF’ and men of the JTF.

Kogi State Governor Idris Wada (middle) commissioning classrooms and a hostel at Mother of Mercy Ophanage home, Lokoja, yesterday.

Child marriage: Don’t breed religious war, youths warn Senate A ZA MSUE KADUNA

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rewa Youths Forum, AYF, yesterday called on senators not to breed religious war over the child marriage debate.

In an online statement, the AYF National President, Gambo Ibrahim Gujungu, said the approach by the Senate over the matter showed that lawmakers were grossly insensitive, poorly equipped

with the rudiments of legislative functions and critical challenges facing Nigerians.

According to Gujungu, Nigerians need religious freedom to practice their faiths without harassment.

He said: “The Senate must be told in plain terms since it has lost focus, that their (the lawmakers’) core functions as parliamentarians is not to debate, moderate or decide religions for Nigerians, or to divide Nigeri-

ans on Christian/Muslim basis or North and South fractions, and also not to breed religious war from their politicisation of the constitution amendment exercise; but to make laws for peace, order and governance, stability and indivisibility of the Nigerian federation as contained in Part II, Section Four (1, 2, 3) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“What Nigerians expect are basically principled

oversight functions - to address insecurity tearing the country apart, the increasing unemployment rate, collapse of health, education, agriculture sectors and dilapidated infrastructure.

“Another expectation is to address monumental corruption and fraud perpetrated with impunity by elected public office holders and career government officials that hold Nigeria captive from any meaningful development.”

Accolades as Gombe PDP chair is buried DANJUMA WILLIAMS GOMBE

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he late Gombe State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Jack Gainako Gumpy, was buried yesterday amid concerns by party members over possible successor to fill the vacuum created by his demise.

The state Governor, Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, the Minister of Transport, Senator Abdullahi Idris Umar, were among PDP stalwarts who expressed apprehension

over the challenge of finding a suitable successor to Gumpy, who died recently after a protracted illness.

According to most of the speakers, including Mr. Vincent Aondoaka who represented the National Chairman of the party, Bamanga Tukur, the PDP in the state will miss Gumpy who exhibited rare capability of holding the party together in an amiable cohesion.

In their various tributes to the late PDP chairman during the burial ceremony in Nyuwar Village,

Balanga Local Government Area, Dankwambo said the challenge would be how to mould leaders in the image of the detribalised, urban and cosmopolitan Gumpy.

The governor said PDP was mourning Gumpy and the same time celebrating the life of the late PDP chairman for making everyone proud with his virtues of courage and humility.

He said with Gumpy’s demise, the shine and humour, usually the joy of politicians, had been taken away from politics

in the state.

In his own tribute, Umar said it was a day that honour must be accorded to whom it was due as the people mourned a distinguished and highly respected leader.

The minister described the deceased as an embodiment of political knowledge, advocate of peace, unity and progress and a man who had no violence in his dictionary.

He said that getting a person of Gumpy’s qualities as a successor would be a Herculean task.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

North

Monday, July 22, 2013

NRC begins haulage of containers from Lagos to North August

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n a bid to decongest the roads of container-laden trailers, the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) says it will commence haulage of containers from Lagos to Kaduna and Kano states next month.

Similarly, the corporation said its third weekly passenger train service from Lagos to Kano would begin on Thursday.

NRC’s Head of Public Relations Department, Mr. David Ndakotsu, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Lagos that arrangements had been concluded to trans-

port containers from APM Terminals at Apapa Port to container depots in Kaduna and Kano.

“As from August, we will start the haulage of containers from APM Terminals in Apapa Port to the container depots of Inland Container Nigeria Ltd. in Kaduna and Kano States.

“The initiative is in furtherance of the corporation’s public-private partnership,’’ Ndakotsu said.

He said an agreement had been signed with a company for the weekly haulage of its bran and wheat flour from Lagos to

Kaduna.

“About 436 tonnes of the products are expected to be freighted weekly from Apapa to Kaduna.

“The service will commence before the end of July,’’ the NRC spokesman added.

On the third weekly Lagos-Kano passenger train service, Ndakotsu said the train would depart Lagos at 11.00 a.m. every Thursday with arrival time of 5.00 p.m. in Kano the following day.

He said with the additional service, the number of passengers to be moved on the route would in-

crease from 3,500 to 5,500.

“It is anticipated that the third weekly train service will help to decongest existing services and avail passengers more comfortable and pleasant trips,’’ Ndakotsu told NAN. NAN reports that the first weekly Lagos-Kano passenger train service, which was inaugurated on Dec. 21, 2012, departs Lagos at noon every Friday.

The second weekly train service, which departs Lagos at 9.00 a.m. on Tuesdays, terminates at Ilorin, Kwara, with a connecting train from Offa to Kano.

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‘Religious leaders encourage misrule in Nigeria’ WOLE ADEDEJI ILORIN

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cleric has blamed misrule in Nigeria on lack of courage by religious leaders to tell politicians the truth.

The General Overseer of Elevation Christian Centre in Ilorin, Pastor Tope Ajetunmobi, made this assertion at the weekend while dedicating his church’s auditorium.

Pastor Ajetunmobi said it was painful that a cross section of church leaders in Nigeria had cultivated too much intimacy with political leaders at the expense of their callings.

He also flayed Islamic clerics for not using their closeness to the political leaders to prevail on them to do the right thing.

The development, Ajetunmobi, noted had adversely affected Nigeria’s state of affairs.

The General Overseer, therefore, called on pastors to, without fear or favour, say the truth at all times to the nation’s leaders and others in the position of authorities.

According to him, ministers of God should be the mouthpiece of God.

He said they must not fail to say the mind of God concerning the government of this country.

Ajetunmobi urged all clerics across the country not to be involved in the habit of calling white black or black white.

He asked them to always remember that they are accountable to God. Ajetunmobi stressed the need to preach the word of God in religious worship centres as a platform of leading the people to God. He said: “Souls are not won for God by mere increase in the number of worship centres, but by the word of God truly preached to the people.”

The General Overseer stressed that worship centres should be used to bring people closer to God and not to be used to promote something else.

He, however, urged Christians to praise God in every circumstance, saying this opens gate for divine favours and miracles.

The church dedication was also to mark the seventh anniversary of the Elevation Christian Centre.

Kogi-based group calls for convocation of national conference WALE IBRAHIM LOKOJA

A Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima (4th right) with a delegation from the Federal Ministries of Health and Agriculture after a courtesy visit to the governor in Maiduguri at the weekend.

Borno to set up primary healthcare agency

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he Borno State Government said yesterday in Maiduguri that it planned to establish its Primary Health Care Development Agency in a bid to fasttrack the implementation of its health care programmes.

Governor Kashim Shettima stated this shortly after he was presented with an award as the 2012 North-East Best Performing Governor in Polio Eradication.

Shettima said the objective was to prepare ground for the provision of comprehensive healthcare services to the peo-

ple, especially those at the grassroots.

He said the state House of Assembly had already passed the bill for the setting up of the agency.

“I want to state, without fear of contradiction, that Borno is committed to improving health care delivery to its people especially in the area of improving maternal health “The State House of Assembly has just passed the bill for the establishment of the state Primary Health Care Development Agency,'' Shettima said.

He added that the state government had put in place machinery for the

take-off of the agency.

“We are putting in place structures for the take-off of the agency in a very short while,’’ the governor said.

He said the target was mainly to eradicate maternal mortality in the state by 2015.

Shettima, however, thanked the Federal Ministry of Health for the award and praised the state Commissioner for Health, Dr Salma Kolo, for her hard work and dedication to duty.

“I think the credit should go to the Commissioner for Health, Dr Salma Kolo, for her hard-

work and dedication to duty,’’ she said.

Presenting the award, the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Mohammed Pate, said it was in recognition of the governor's efforts in the campaign against polio in the state.

“We wish to commend your successes in polio eradication in the last two years. This commendation is more essential when you consider the security challenges facing the state,'' Pate said.

He urged other state governors to emulate Shettima by striving hard to eradicate polio from Nigeria.

group State-based group, Yagba People’s Forum, has reiterated the call for convocation of a National Conference to correct what it described as the imbalances inherent in the nation’s federal system.

Speaking at the weekend during a town hall meeting of all Yagba people, the group’s interim president, Chief Moody Olorunmonu, described the current federal system as grossly imperfect.

Olorunmonu said: “There is imperative need for a National Conference to look at fresh basis for the federation with a view to correcting the pitfalls.”

Decrying lack of execution of major projects by both the federal and the Kogi State governments in Yagba land in the last 21 years, Olorunmonu urged all Yagba indigenes

to wake from their lumber and initiate efforts that would contribute to the development of the land.

He also decried the poor state of roads in Yagba land, calling on relevant authorities to fix JeggeOga Ogbom-Oke Ere-Egbe Road, Mopa-Ilai-Ife Olukotun Road, Effo-Amuro Takete Ide Road, EgbeIsanlu-Okoloke Road, Ponyan-Irele Road and AluIgbo-Ero Road.

Olorunmonu, however, called on an Abuja-based businessman, Chief Jide Omokore, to fund the university he initiated sometimes ago to create opportunity for youths seeking university education.

He said: “On issue of politics, it should be pointed out that the group has no bias against or preference for any political party or any individual politician. What the group is interested in is the benefit that will accrue to Yagba land from any politician or from any political party.”

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News

Monday, July 22, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

5 die, 5 injured in another Lagos building collapse CONTINUE FROM PAGE 5

spent over two hours before help could come. And there is a woman in her late 20s who sells bread in front of the building. I think she is also trapped in the rubble.

The General Manager, Lagos State Building and Control Agency, LASBCA, Mrs. Abimbola Animashaun, said that the building had earlier been sealed over usage of substandard materials for the construction, stressing that the owner broke the seal to continue the construction.

“We thank God that if it wasn’t the rain, the number of causalities would have been more than what we are experiencing at the moment.

“Youths in the area have turned this uncompleted building to a relaxation spot. But because of the rain, none of them could

troop to the place for recreation,” another residentssaid.

The Commissioner for Special Duties, Dr. Wale Ahmed, said the five injured persons had been taken to the hospital, adding that two of them had been discharged.

The officials of LASBCA, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, and operatives of the Rapid Respond Squad, RRS, were on hand to rescue other victims.

Meanwhile, the ‘cold war’ between the LASEMA and the National Emergency Management Agency,

NEMA, was re-enacted at the scene as the NEMA spokesman, Ibrahim Farinloye, claimed that he was sent away from the scene on the orders of the RRS Commander, Hakeem Odumosu.

But Ahmed debunked the claim, saying that the LASEMA officials were the first responders in any emergency within its territory.

He said there was no rivalry between NEMA and the state agency, stressing that the state had been

working in synergy with NEMA. “But to put the record straight, NEMA is secondary responder. In any state where you have the state emergency management agency, the state’s agency is the primary responder.”

Animashaun, however, blamed the collapse on disregard for government’s order, saying they (owner and labourers) had violated the government’s directive barring construction on

weekends.

In another development, fire yesterday gutted a 12-storey building housing different firms on A.J. Marinho Street on Victoria Island, leaving properties worth millions of naira destroyed and some people injured.

Eyewitness accounts said the fire might have occurred as a result of the power surge as several other parts of the building had been engulfed by fire before

the fire agency discovered the source of the fire.

Confirming the incident, the Director of Lagos State Fire Service, Mr. RasakFadipe, said the agency put out the fire after deploying trucks from two fire stations in the state.

Monday, July 22, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

55

-ARSENAL STRIKER, LUKAS PODOLSKI

UAE 2013: Garba hails new Eaglets

NFF didn’t invite us to open Dankaro House – Family

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ewly signed Besiktas of Turkey striker, Michael Eneramo, has undergone a heart surgery and may be out of action for up to five weeks.

The former Esperance of Tunisia captain was discovered to have a heart beat rhythm disorder, but was later cleared to be hired by the club after a third round of examinations.

According to Fanatik, Football Federation of Turkey (FFT) will make the final decision about the future of the big Nigerian striker later. The Federation’s medical board report is expected later this week.

Besiktas reached an agree-

Sport

I think we can compete favourably for the EPL title with the new resolve we are demonstrating

I’m dying to meet Man Mandela–Emenike

oach of the National U-17 team, Golden Eaglets, Manu Garba, on Saturday in Lagos expressed his delight at the quality of players discovered at the recent trials held in Abuja.

In a statement signed by the team’s Media Officer, Morakinyo Abodunrin, Garba expressed his excitement, particularly over the performance of Chelsea’s Nigerian youngster, Habib Makanjuola, who distinguished himself during the screening.

The trial was part of the screening process to select new players to beef up the team that will represent the country at the FIFA U-17 World Cup scheduled for the United Arab Emirate (UAE) in October.

“I think the boy (Makanjuola) has some qualities and he is very comfortable with the ball. But that is not to say he’s going to walk straight into the team because we have also noticed some few areas that he would need to work upon,” Garba said.

Makanjuola, a former national U-13 player, had reportedly won several personal awards in domestic and international competitions before his breakthrough at Chelsea.

The statement said that Makanjuola, 14, expressed his joy to have received a call-up to the U-17 team and pledged his future to the country.

“I’m a Nigerian boy through and through and the only country I want to play for is Nigeria. I’m delighted to be here to show what I can do but I can see that there are also many good players here,” he said.

The statement noted that players on the short-list, include those at the African U-17 Championship held in Morocco, who would converge on Calabar to prepare for the 2013 UAE FIFA U-17 World Cup in October.

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AFOLABI GAMBARI

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Super Eagles’ midfielder, Ogenyi Onazi (17) being tackled by an Ivorian player in the quarter-final match of the 2013 AFCON in South Africa. Onazi is ready for the Mandela Challenge match on August 14.

CHAN: Eagles change training regime …Depart for Abidjan Thursday

EVEREST ONYEWUCHI

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rom today, Coach Stephen Keshi will change the training schedule of the Super Eagles to evening time to coincide with next Saturday’s time of the African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifier between Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire in Abidjan.

National Mirror was told that the players were given a free day yesterday after a hectic training session on Saturday morning that lasted for over two hours, with the technical crew saying the train-

ing was necessary to keep the players in top shape.

The team will take on the Pastor Chinedu Ezekwesili and Oby Ezekwesili inspired, ‘The Everlasting Arms Parish’ (TEAP) FC in a test game tomorrow evening at the Goal Project site in Abuja.

The last time both sides met last year, the Super Eagles laboured to a slim 1-0 win, in a game that was described as one of the best test matches for the team by Coach Stephen Keshi.

Team Coordinator, Emmanuel Atta, said he expects another testy tie after last week’s 1-0 win over FC Abuja in another test game.

“We expect a tight game but we are talking of the national team and we expect nothing other than victory,” Atta said.

Meanwhile, the team is expected to jet out on Thursday through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, according to Team Secretary, Dayo Achor.

Eneramo awaits FFT nod at Besiktas

amily members of Sunday Dankaro, the late former Chairman of the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) have expressed dismay that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) did not invite them to attend the opening ceremony of the Football House named after their patriarch in Abuja last week.

Dankaro, whose tenure recorded the first Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) success for Nigeria in 1980, passed away on June 12, 1993 and successive football administrations did not immortalise him until the current Aminu Maigari board considered the renowned administrator worthy of having the structure situated in the Abuja National Stadium named in his honour.

“We heard of the dedication in the news like other Nigerians and I must say we were quite surprised that no one reached us before the event,” the late Dankaro’s son, Bashar, told National Mirror in Lagos yesterday.

“The family considered the house naming significant such that we should have been invited to witness President Goodluck Jonathan commission the building,” the businessman added.

“Nonetheless, we also considered it a big honour to the family that 33 years after our father superintended the first AFCON win for the country, he finally got his recognition.

“But it will still not be too late for the NFF to officially recognise us, children of the man they have honoured.”

Eneramo

…Onazi ready for Mandela Challenge

ment with Eneramo for a twoyear deal after his contract at another Turkish club, Sivasspor, ended this summer. But Eneramo had earlier failed two routine medical tests, thus putting the deal on hold, before the third test cleared him.

“I have passed all the medicals as I knew I would and have signed the contract paper with Besiktas. I am happy and am ready to prove my worth,” Eneramo said before undergoing

surgery.

Though the monetary details have yet to be revealed the right footed striker born in Kaduna with 65 goals under his belt, is valued at slightly under £4million pounds by Germany’s Transfermarkt.com.

Besiktas are currently in Austria for pre-season training ahead of the forthcoming campaign.

Meanwhile, Super Eagles’ midfielder, Ogenyi Onazi, has said that he is excited to return to

action after he was sidelined by a knee injury for about five weeks.

He was on for an hour in a pre-season friendly for Lazio in a 4-1 win over a Brazilian team on Saturday.

“So, it turns out I got my first action on the field of play today since after my knee complaint.

Lasted 60 minutes and it went very well,” a delighted Onazi tweeted.

The Jos-born star injured his knee while playing for Nige-

ria in a 2014 World Cup qualifier against Namibia in Windhoek on June 12 and so missed the FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil.

He has since been recalled

by Coach Stephen Keshi for next month’s high-profile friendly against South Africa in Durban.

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Sport

Monday, July 22, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Deaflympics: 56 athletes in Team Nigeria JOEL AJAYI ABUJA

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Gascoigne

Gascoigne gets assault charge

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ormer England star, Paul Gascoigne, has been charged with two counts of common assault following an incident at Stevenage railway station earlier this month.

British Transport Police confirmed that the 46-year old was also charged with being drunk and disorderly after answering bail.

He was released to reappear at North East Herts Magistrates Court on August 5.

The ex-Newcastle, Tottenham and Everton star is alleged to have grabbed a security guard by the throat before attacking ex-wife Sheryl Gascoigne when she tried to step in. He left rehab in the United States earlier this year as he continues his battle with alcohol addiction.

The troubled star has said he wanted to ‘get back to reality’ after his latest health scare.

“I didn’t ask to be an alcoholic, but I must admit I worked on it. I went to any lengths to get my drink, I’ll go even further to stay sober,” he had said in March.

YEMI OLUS

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op seed in the men’s +87kg category at the just-concluded 2013 Taekwondo World Championship, Anthony Obame, emerged the winner of the class while compatriot Chika Chukwumerije was denied a quarter finals passage by Ivorian, Zoukou Firmin.

Firmin, who was seeded eighth, defeated Chukwumerije by Sudden Death Point (1:0, 4:4) on Day 5 of

ifty-six players will represent Nigeria at the 22nd edition of the Summer Deaflympic Games billed from July 24 to August 4 in Sofia, Bulgaria.

President of the Nigeria Deaf Sports Federation (NDSF), Alhaji Usman Nahuche, told National Mirror at the weekend that the federation would participate in three events.

Nahuche, who named the events to include football, athletics and table tennis, assured that the contingent would return with not less than 10 medals.

“The contingent has undergone intensive training under the tutelage of Coach Olawaye Akinreme for complete one month, I can assure Nigerians without fear that the boys and girls in their respective events will win medals,” Nahuche said.

Director-General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Hon. Gbenga Alegbeleye, lauded the NDSF president for his confidence and promised to support the team morally and financially in order to make the country proud in Bulgaria.

“I also want you to surpass the record you set at the last edition of this tournament, so

Gerrard

Ndanusa

that you can also be celebrated,” the NSC official charged them.

He implored the contingent to be good ambassadors of the country by obeying the rules of the games as well as the laws of the land throughout the two weeks event.

Amputee Eagles seek Nations Cup help …Keshi assists deaf team

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he Nigeria Amputee Football Federation (NAFF) yesterday appealed for support from both government and corporate bodies as they prepare for the 2013 Amputee Football Cup of Nations in Kenya.

The biennial championship, which will feature eight countries-hosts Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Niger, Angola and Ghana, the defending champion-will hold in Nairobi from November 22 to November 30.

Amputee Eagles’ assistant coach, Gbenga Dosunmu, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the country had not been doing well in the tournament due to poor management and lack of support.

“We are now appealing to the Ministry of Sports, individuals and corporate bodies to look towards amputee football, so as to encourage the athletes and coaches,” Dosunmu said.

“This year’s Africa Cup of Nations for amputees is approaching and we are yet to know our fate, whether we are going or not, as there is no camping arrangements for the athletes, as yet.”

Similarly, Super Eagles’ coach, Stephen Kes-

Keshi

hi, on Saturday extended a hand of fellowship to the National Deaf and Dumb team which is currently preparing for a tourney abroad with the donation of a set of boots and shin guards to the team.

Keshi made the donation after the Eagles’ training session at the FIFA Goal Project site, where the other team has also been training daily.

Keshi said the donation was to encourage the team to excel at the forthcoming tournament as he has been very impressed with the way and manner the team has been going about their preparations for their tournament.

Clean health excites Gerrard

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iverpool captain, Steven Gerrard, is happy with his fitness after making his first appearance of pre-season in Saturday’s win over Indonesia All Stars.

Gerrard reported no ill-effects from his first action since undergoing shoulder surgery earlier this year and the midfielder is keen to get more action under his belt ahead of the new Premier League campaign.

“My shoulder felt fantastic, so it was nice to get the first 45 minutes under my belt and hopefully I’ll get slightly more time in Australia.

“It’s been feeling fine now for a few weeks in training, there have been absolutely no problems.

“The surgeon gave me the go-ahead to play and the manager was sensible in giving me 45 minutes. I’m really happy with how I feel.

Meanwhile, Liverpool defender Jose Enrique believes they have a squad capable of challenging for honours next season.

Rodgers has added four new faces in the shape of Simon Mignolet, Kolo Toure, Luis Alberto, and Iago Aspas to his squad this summer and he is still looking to bring in a couple more high-profile signings before the start of the new season.

“We already have a great team and we have more some new players and of course with more additions we can fight for everything,” Enrique said yesterday.

Chukwumerije misses Mexico medal the championship which ended in Puebla in Mexico yesterday.

However, Gabon’s Obame ousted Firmin in the quarters and eventually faced Iran’s Mardani Sajjad in the final which he won 10:2. Chukwumerije’s London 2012 victor, Despaigne Robelis (2) of Cuba and Trajkovic were bronze medalists.

Other Africans who competed in the class are Abdoulrazaq Alfaga of Niger and Ayman Moham-

med of Egypt who was seeded seventh.

All-Africa Games 2011 gold medalist, Uche Chukwumerije, also failed to make it to the quarters after succumbing to a defeat against N’diaye M’bar of France (7:4) in the -87kg class. The third member of the Nigerian team, Sulaiman Usman, failed to progress beyond the first round of the tournament in the -58kg category.

The tournament is the 21st edition of the World Taekwondo Championships organized by the World Taekwondo Federation.

South Korea topped the medals table with six gold, two silver and a bronze medal, Cuba placed second with two gold and three bronze medals while Mexico followed closely in third position with a gold, two silver and one bronze medal.

Chukwumerije

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sport S port

Monday, July uly 22, 2013

I’m dying to meet Mandela–Emenike AFOLABI GAMBARI

WITH AGENCY REPORT

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eturnee Super Eagles’ striker, Emmanuel Emenike, yesterday revealed his wish to meet hospitalised former South African President Nelson Mandela as Nigeria prepares to face Bafana Bafana in the Mandela Challenge at Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban on August 14.

The Nigeria striker who was top scorer at the 2013 Nations Cup in South Africa, who is in the 20-man list released by Eagles Coach, Stephen Keshi, last week for the Durban game, had failed to meet the anti-apartheid icon during the 2013 AFCON although he described the sage as his hero.

“I thought Nelson Mandela was going to witness the AFCON medal and trophy presentation, so that I will

meet him one-on-one and get a handshake from him, but it was not to be,” Emenike said yesterday, according to MTNFootball.com.

“Mandela is a leader you will always remember for his goodwill and he’s a man of the people and the most loving former president by his people and Africa as a whole.

“Besides, I love South Africans as they helped me a lot in terms of my football development to get a breakthrough to Europe and that has really propelled me.”

…scores in Spartak’s win

Ameobi scores for Toon

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ewcastle striker, Shola Ameobi, has responded to his recent Nigerian recall with a goal for the Toon in a pre-season friendly.

The injury-prone player, however, scored Newcastle’s consolation goal in a 3-1 loss to Portuguese side Rio Ave in the 76th minute.

The experienced Ameobi, who is not guaranteed of regular football action at Newcastle and may be sent out on loan in the new English Premier League season, has been invited by Coach Stephen Keshi for the Mandela Challenge against South Africa on August 14 in Durban.

He missed out on the Eagles AFCON triumph in February after a clause in his Newcastle contract stopped him from the tournament.

But he has since cancelled that clause meaning he is now totally committed to the Nigeria cause.

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uper Eagles’ striker, Emmanuel Emenike, was on the scorer’s sheet in the Russian Premier Liga when he netted in Spartak Moscow’s 2-0 win over Ural SR yesterday.

Emenike, who just returned from a long injury layoff, scored Spartak Moscow’s second goal on the stroke of full time after Aiden McGeady had given Spartak a 52nd minute lead.

The former Fenerbahce forward came on as a 63rd minute replacement for Yuri Movsisyan. Emenike’s first competitive game

Fulham ownerr votes Osaze

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‘We needed COSAFA as hosts’

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ambia Coach, Herve Renard, says winning the 2013 COSAFA Cup was an obligation as host country.

Renard, however, declined to equate the Chipolopolo win at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola on Saturday over Zimbabwe to his team’s 2012 Africa Cup of Nations triumph in Gabon.

“It won’t benefit me. The only issue was to win the COSAFA Cup,” he said.

“Honestly to it is impossible to compare the Africa Cup with Cosafa Cup as there is a big gap between the two,” the Frenchman added.

Zambia beat outgoing champion Zimbabwe 2-0 to go level on four COSAFA Cup wins, thanks to two stunning free kicks from Alex Ngonga and Kabaso Chanda in the 4th and 90th minutes respectively.

Renard insisted that Zambia could have done better against Zimbabwe especially after some poor finishing by his strikers Bornwell Mwape and Festus Mbewe.

“In football, the most important is the result at the end,” he further said, stressing, “We know we can do better than what we did on Saturday, but mostly importantly at the end of the day we lifted the trophy.”

since his knee injury was as a second half substitute against Krylya Sovetov last Tuesday.

The 25-year-old player endured a lengthy spell on the sidelines owing to a knee problem he suffered at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations i n South Africa.

Fulham owner, Khan

ulham owner, Shad Khan, yesterday approved a move for West Brom’s controversial forward, Osaze Odemwingie.

Reports said Odemwingie, 32, would cost around £1.5m while another player and centreback and Liam Ridgewell would go for about £500,000.

Odemwingie caused outrage among Baggies fans in January when he drove to Loftus Road in an attempt to force through a move to QPR. Just weeks before that Ridgewell, 28, was pictured wiping his backside with a wad of £20 notes at his £1.5m home in Birmingham, infuriating supporters.

Meanwhile, West Brom has slapped a £2

million (about N493 million) ion) transfer tag on Odemwingie.

The forward has endured a difficult last seven months since unsuccessfully trying to force a transfer to Queens Park Rangers in January.

The out-of-favour Super Eagles player has spent more time playing golf in recent weeks. who Odemwingie, joined oined the Baggies in 2010, seems to have finally reached the end of the road at the Hawthorns.

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WORLD RECORD

Most powerful ion engine used in space Vol. 03 No. 669

Monday, July 22, 2013

NASA’s Deep Space 1 spacecraft, launched on 24 October 1998, was propelled to its target, Comet Borrelly, by a revolutionary type of engine.

N150

Another section of speaking truth to power

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new vista of President Goodluck Jonathan was presented at that Conference on Governance held at Magdalene College, Cambridge University, Cambridge, England. We had wanted the conference recorded for posterity, but the President overruled us all, insisting he would prefer history to be the judge. Anyway, by the time matters were drawing to a close at the conference, the Nigerian leader was a different man.

Not only did he charm the audience with his humility, he turned the tables by throwing the gauntlet: “I have not come all the way from Abuja, Nigeria to merely wine and dine. I want action. I want you all to demonstrate that you truly BELIEVE in Nigeria.”

At this declaration, the Diocesan Bishop

Guest Bashorun JK Columnist Randle of Lagos and Dean Emeritus, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), His Grace, Most Revd Ephraim Adebola Ademowo intervened thus: “Nigeria needs God’s intervention now more than ever. Pray more for Nigeria. It needs your prayers because things are not going on too well. There is unemployment.

We have insecurity and so on. I pray God will intervene and we will eat out of the goodness of God and our country. I urge you all to put your trust in the Lord and surrender all to God. If God says yes, no man can say no.”

President Jonathan remained unruffled and statesmanlike even when the National President of the Nigerian Christian Welfare Initiative (CWI), Archbishop Magnus Adeyemi Atilade, called on men and women of integrity to join political parties of their choice in 2015 to save Nigeria from impending disintegration.

“Honest and respected citizens must rise and salvage Nigeria from leadership ineptitude, bribery and corruption, mass youth unemployment and insecurity, which are overwhelming the country. Most of the current politicians are self-serving people who are only interested in what they could make out of Nigeria and not what to do for the country to make it a great nation and stamp out poverty and want.

“Nigeria’s wealth is enough for the entire population of Nigerians to enjoy a good quality of life and commensurate standard of living through legitimate and honest endeavours. Nigerians appear to have drawn the conclusion that politics is a dirty game.

THOSE WHO WANT TO JOIN POLITICS IN ANTICIPATION

OF 2015 MUST BE PREPARED TO UPHOLD THE VIRTUES OF HONESTY AS WELL AS RESPONSIBILITY However, if good people continue to hold this view, bad people will continue to govern the country and impose their will on the entire nation. Any government from whichever party that would emerge in 2015 must be a good one that would restore the innate creativity of Nigerians, ensure security, deepen the inner stability of citizens and tackle headlong the problem of youth employment.

“Those who want to join politics in anticipation of 2015 must be prepared to uphold the virtues of honesty as well as responsibility and exhibit our core social values because only honesty could exalt a nation.”

Ironically, the resounding applause was directed at Mr. President who urged the cleric to pray even more fervently for Nigeria if he really BELIEVES in our nation.

Thankfully, Professor Awodipe, taking the floor, postulated that the real culprits were religious leaders because they have failed to tell the truth to the leaders and office holders – on account of the little gifts and donations which the politicians give them. According to him, religious leaders should see themselves as the conscience and

ears of the nation without ever relenting on the mission imposed on them by God – to tell politicians the truth.

Fortunately, His Royal Highness, the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero was around. Not only was he celebrating his 83rd birthday, he was also marking the 50th anniversary of his ascension to the throne of his ancestors. Even more poignant was the fact that he had been receiving medical treatment at Wellington Hospital in London following an assassination attempt on January 19, 2013. To the delight of the audience, the highly respected Emir declared: “Nothing frightens me. In fact I don’t know what shock is. What do people mean by shock? What I believe is that whatever happens to me on this earth is destined to happen to me by Almighty Allah. So there is no point in showing any fear, as what happens to any person is already pre-destined to happen to him. Therefore, whenever such things happen, whether good or bad, what is required from that person is to thank Allah.

“I praise Allah for my long reign. I have nothing more to say than to thank Allah for sparing my life to witness these years as the longest serving Emir of Kano. It is through the help of Allah that I was able to have a good and understanding relationship with all the governors that governed the state during my reign. Alhamdulillah, all praises are due to Allah. So it is through Allah’s assistance that we succeeded all these years.”

The Emir was accompanied by Prince Ahmed Ado Bayero, Mallam Abdulgadir Mustafa and Mallam Munir Sanusi.

The President of Nigeria sprung to his feet to shower encomiums and fulsome accolades on the Emir. He extolled his virtues, adding that his wise, competent and diligent leadership, had prevented extremists and terrorists from establishing firm roots in the ancient city, adding that the nation owed him a huge debt of gratitude for his efforts.

To be continued Bashorun Randle (OFR, FCA), jkrandleintuk@gmail.com, is chairman & CEO, JK Randle Professional Services, Lagos

Sport Extra

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imbabwe-born British boxer, Derek Chisora, has said that he will stake a bout with WBC Heavyweight champion, Vitali Klitschko.

Chisora scored a sixth round knockout victory over Malik Scott at Wemb-

Boxing: Klitschko, my next target –Chisora ley Arena at the weekend, but the win did not come without its controversy that has become so accustomed with him.

“I want to go back to Germany and fight Vitali

again,” he insisted, adding, “There will no resting at all, until I achieve my aim and I really believe it is quite achievable.”

The 29-year-old was on the front foot from the start

and Scott was left nursing swelling under his right eye at the end of round one.

But the previously unbeaten American fought back in the fight, which was by no means a classic, as the

two fighter’s styles did not complement each other on the slightest.

The fight could have been going either way, but Chisora suddenly knocked down NFF President, Aminu Maigari Scott in the sixth round.

Chisora

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