Monday, october 21, 2013

BPE releases N342.8bn for PHCN workers’ severance payment

New PDP flouts court order, meets this week

…clears 40,093 workers for entitlements TOLA AKINMUTIMI ABUJA

T

he Bureau of Public Enterprises, BPE, yesterday said

Nebo

Vol. 3 N0. 704

N342.8bn had been released to the Office of the Accountant- General of the Federation, OAGF, for the payment of severance entitlements of the disengaged Power

Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN. This is consequent upon the privatisation of the company’s power distribution CONTINUED ON PAGE 2>>

Baraje

Five more govs set to join Baraje faction P.6

Monday, October 21, 2013

Stella Oduah's armoured cars:

EFCC, ICPC wade in

N150 OUR CORRESPONDENTS

I

ndications emerged at the weekend that the nation’s anti-graft agencies may soon launch a probe into the purchase of two BMW 760 armoured cars worth $1.6m (N255m) for the Aviation Minister, Ms. Stella Oduah, by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA. The cost of the controCONTINUED ON PAGE 2>>

N'Assembly's South East caucuses keep sealed lips Why Jonathan won't sack minister now SERAP wants armoured cars sold Bi-Courtney sues FAAN for contempt T IN U O

First batch of Muslim pilgrims on arrival from Saudi Arabia at the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos, yesterday.

THE

BUSINESS SECTION

Nigeria records N648.16bn trade deficit with China Explosions: LG summons tank farm owners P.4,23

Free ree insi inside ide

Christians on pilgrimage preparing to depart at the airport in Abuja at the weekend.

P.9

PHOTO: NAN

Another crisis imminent in Taraba

...associates stop ailing Suntai from medical trip Seize international passport P.5 Plot to impeach Suntai, acting gov thickens

Boko Haram kills 20, injures 10 in Borno

P.6

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News

Monday, October 21, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Stella Oduah's armoured cars: EFCC, ICPC wade in CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

versial cars, according to reports from certain independent investigation, ought not to have exceeded N78.5m.

A highly placed source in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, told National Mirror that operatives of the agency “will soon carry out an investigation into what has become a scandal in the vital aviation sector” and bring to book those involved in the purchase of the vehicles.

The anti-graft agency, which said that there was no formal petition directed to it, however, disclosed that nothing in its Act stopped it from wading into such matter.

An impeccable source at the commission told National Mirror that since the scandal broke open last week, the anti-corruption agency had commenced move to invite those either directly or remotely connected to the purchase for interrogation.

The source, who did not want his name mentioned, told National Mirror that there would be no sacred cow.

“This is a serious matter.

We are not taking it lightly.

But we will investigate it thoroughly. I can only assure that if there is any fraud uncovered, everybody connected shall be prosecuted. Just wait and see,” he said.

The agency spoke just as the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, also vowed to probe the allegation if it could get an official petition.

An official of the commission, who spoke with

our correspondent, said that while the EFCC could move into the matter without petition addressed to it, ICPC could not.

He said that the Act which established the commission forbids it from doing such, stressing that the commission on its own checks the records of agencies and ministries regularly to check corruption.

This is even as indications emerged yesterday that pressures were piling on President Goodluck Jonathan to sack Oduah over the purchase of the two controversial cars. But this is unlikely as National Mirror gathered that the presidency would not rush into taking any action until it has thorough investigated the matter.

The car purchase scandal, which was blown open last week, had generated reactions from civil society groups and union leaders in the aviation industry who have been calling on the President to relieve the minister of her position, accusing her of corruption, incompetence and negligence of duties.

They argued that the minister must not continue to oversee the aviation sector, which has been bedevilled by plane crashes, killing many.

The Special Adviser to the President on Political Affairs, Ahmed Gulak, said that the matter would be thoroughly investigated by relevant agencies before a decision would be taking on the minister.

A group, known as The Patriots, had written to the Presidency, accusing Oduah of collecting N158m month-

ly from the accounts of aviation agencies, including the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, NAMA, NCAA, FAAN and other agencies under her.

The group alleged that the deductions had successfully crippled the operations of the agencies concerned to the extent that paying staff entitlements have recently become a herculean task.

Oduah was also alleged to have a stake in Price Waters Coopers, PWC, which audited various aspects of four agencies at N250m each.

However, the Secretary General of the National Union of Air Transport Employees, NUATE, Comrade Abdulkareem Motajo, said that what is happening in the sector now is not novel to the unions.

According to him, NUATE had severally in the past written petitions to the Presidency, National Assembly and other agencies without any action taken by the

government.

He insisted that Oduah should not be removed, but should be probed by anti-corruption agencies in the country, alleging that the industry has been ran aground by the minister.

In a related development, National Mirror learnt yesterday that the Senate and House of Representatives may dissolve their Aviation Committees soon.

The decision to replace the Committees' Chairmen may not be unconnected with the decision of the South-East Caucus of the National Assembly to warn its membership from acting or making any statements that would give vent to the call on Aviation Minister to resign from her office.

The two committees are chaired by lawmakers from the South-East. Senator Hope Uzodinma (PDP-Imo) is the chairman of the Senate committee, while the House of Representatives is

chaired by Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha (Abia-PDP).

Some members of the civil society groups and stakeholders have demanded for the resignation of the minister, who is from Anambra State on account of her poor handling of the aviation sector, her grumpy reaction to the October 3, 2013 plane crash in Lagos, which claimed 15 lives who were accompanying the corpse of late Dr. Olusegun Agagu, an ex-Governor of Ondo State to his hometown.

But the South East caucuses of both the Upper and Lower chambers, it was learnt from a reliable source at the weekend, have kept mum in spite of the outcry for the removal of the minister.

The minister on her part has insisted, through her spokesman, Mr. Joe Obi, that the purchase of the cars can be justified in the face of threat to her life because of the “gains recorded in the

aviation sector.”

On the allegations that the South-East members of the National Assembly had decided to keep sealed lips, National Mirror called the Chairman of the House Committee severally, and each time she picked the call, she would drop it the moment the issue of a possible probe of the Aviation Ministry on sundry allegations arose.

After the reporter persisted with calls, using different lines, she responded at a point and asked the reporter to call again in an hour which was about 2p.m., the reporter did that several times but as at press time, the calls were never answered.

Also, when efforts to reach the spokesman of the House, Hon. Zakari Mohammed (PDP-Kwara), to react to the issue failed, our correspondent decided to call his Deputy, Hon. Victor Afam CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

L-R: Senate President David Mark; Executive Secretary, Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission, Mr. John-Kennedy Opara; Captain Paulo Pinheiro; Co-Pilot, Andre Maduro and cabin crew member, Ana Canteiro, during the inspection of the aircraft for the lifting of Christian pilgrims in Abuja on Saturday.

PHOTO: NAN

BPE releases N342.8bn for PHCN workers’ severance payment CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

and generation successor companies.

A statement by BPE Head, Public Communications, Mr. Chigbo Anichebe, yesterday stated that the Director- General, Mr. Benjamin Dikki, said the figures represented payment to 40,093 workers, representing 84 per cent of the entire workforce of the former state monopoly.

Dikki gave the updated payment figures while addressing transitional chairmen of the PHCN successor companies.

He said that the payments

transferred to the BPE Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation in six batches cut across workers at the PHCN headquarters, the Generation Companies (GENCOs), the Distribution Companies (DISCOs) and the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN. Dikki, who was represented by the Project Manager, Electric Power Department of the Bureau, Mr. Amaechi Aloke, explained that out of the six batches, the OAGF had confirmed the payment of three, totalling 26,899 persons, adding that “the payment covers

the severance benefits and RSA components.”

He added that the OAGF had assured that by next week, another two batches (four and five), totalling 11,716 workers would be paid their entitlements.

On union dues, the agency’s boss said that the OAGF had confirmed the remittance of N3bn to the two PHCN unions –the Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies, SSAEAC, and the National Union of Electricity Employees, NUEE, deducted from the PHCN workers benefits.

It will be recalled that the

Federal Government had demonstrated great commitment in resolving labour issues in the power sector reform and privatisation.

In addition to committing the entire proceeds realised from the sale of power assets to the payment of the workers’ terminal benefits, government had at the initial stage of the transaction, released N57bn to take care of the workers’ pension.

This was coming after the government had increased the workers’ salary by 50 per cent and regularised some of the casual workers.

Curiously, this is not the

first time the Federal Government will be giving assurance that the disengaged workers entitlements will be paid within one week in the past month.

For instance, Vice-President Namadi Sambo in his address at the Special Forum on Financing the Power Sector Reforms for Economic Development in Abuja recently said the handover of the DISCOs and GENCOs and payment of the severance packages to PHCN workers would be completed within one week.

Dikki explained that the funds required for the exer-

cise had been remitted to the OAGF, who also had remitted the money to the commercial banks for the payment of entitlements and union.

He recalled that the Federal Government had earmarked the entire $2.6bn proceeds expected from the sale of PHCN successor companies for the settlement of the benefits of staff.

The BPE boss regretted that the delay in concluding payments to some staff was as a result of differences in names, multiple RSA accounts, wrong account numbers, etc submitted by some staff.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Monday, October 21, 2013

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Photo News

Monday, October 21, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun (3rd right); Chairman, Judicial Commission of Inquiry on Ado-Odo township crisis, Hon. Justice Oluwatosin Osinuga (3rd left) and other members of the panel during the submission of the commission’s report at the Governor’s Office in Abeokuta, at the weekend.

L-R: Edo State Head of Service, Princess Ekiuwa Inneh; Governor Adams Oshiomhole; Rev. Fr. Andrew Obinyan and Chairman, Edo State Board of Internal Revenue, Chief Oseni Elamah, at the 15th priestly ordination anniversary of Rev Fr. Obinyan in Benin, yesterday.

L-R: South African comedian, David Kau, United States actor and comedian, Deray Davies and Nigerian Julius ‘the Genius’ Agwu, after their performance at the Glo Laffta Fest in Lagos, at the weekend.

L-R: Vice Chancellor, University of Ilorin, Prof. AbdulGaniyu Ambali; former United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Amb. Walter Carrington and his wife, Dr. Iretse, shortly after Carrington’s arrival for the University of Ilorin Convocation Lecture at the Ilorin International Airport, yesterday.

National News

Nigeria records N648.16bn trade deficit with China TOLA AKINMUTIMI ABUJA

N

igeria may have become the largest dumping market globally for Chinese products, recording a whopping N648.16bn trade deficit with China in the first half of the current year.

Curiously, China is not on the list of the top 10 trading partners of Nigeria in terms of the value of exports to those countries but ranked first among the 10 exporting countries to Nigeria.

Many economic analysts have described the development as unhealthy for Chino-Nigeria bi-lateral trade relations.

According to the latest Nigeria’s Foreign Trade Statistics Report for the Q2 this year published by the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, recently, China’s total imports from Nigeria for the Q1 2013 stood at a N25,362.8m down from the N49,956.8m of the preceding quarter.

The total value of the country’s imported products from Nigeria stood at N75,318.60mn for the half year ended June 20, 2013.

For Nigeria, the value of imports from China has continued to rise in successive quarters of the year, totalling N335,773.80m in Q1, 2013. In the succeeding three month period from April to June, the volume of trade rose by over N50m, peaking at N387,707.80m.

Nigeria’s total value of imports from China for the 180 days of January to June stood at N723,481.60m.

A comparative analysis of the trade value on yearon-year basis showed that in the corresponding period of 2012, Nigeria’s exports’ value to China in Q1, 2012 was N61,855.3m compared with N116,500.10m of the three month period ended June, 2012.

For Nigeria, the propensity to consume Chinese products was reflected as imports’ value from January to March 2012 stood at N265,256.9m while the

value rose further in the succeeding quarter to N286,232.4m.

A further appraisal of the merchandise trade based on Nigeria’s exports to the global market showed that Brazil became the largest consumer of the country’s exported goods with an import value of N442,958. 25m in Q2, 2013, followed by the United States of America and India’s N441,239.77m and N359,427.15m imports from Nigeria respectively.

France, Italy and United Kingdom came 4th, 5th and 6th respectively based on their imports values from Nigeria.

On Nigeria’s imports based on country of origin, China occupied the number one exporting country to Nigeria while United States, India and Netherlands followed with the value of their exports to Nigeria for the three month period ended June, 2013 standing at N154,660.08m, N104,172.31m and N100,213.78 m respectively.

According to the NBS, importation of refined petroleum products (motor spirit) accounted for the largest cost of Nigeria’s imports totalling N218,458.02m for the 90 days of April to June this year while seasoning consumer goods, including seasoning powder in retail packs grossed N70,022.28m.

Others in their order of imports value are, plates, sheets, film, foil and of other printed flexible pack, N39,176.15m; Spelt, common wheat and meslin, N37,559. 21m. Other nuts, fresh or dried, N30,178.39m; frozen fish, N21,567.45m; and imported motorcycles and cycles, imported CKD valued at N20,975.81m amongst others.

On the products exports value, as expected petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals, crude accounted for the biggest chunk of foreign exchange earnings, totalling N2,709.43b while specified natural rub-

ber in primary forms/in plates, and so on raked in N188,149.82m into government coffers between April and June this year.

Other products that accrued revenues to the country in order of value are, Tanned or crust hides and skins N45,160.03m; Cashew nuts, in shell, fresh or dried, N31,950.63m; Sesame seeds N28,068.11m; Other quality raw cocoa beans N27,072.41m and Leather further prepared after tanning ranked 7th in the value of trade with N16,577.83m earned from its export.

Meanwhile, the NBS reported that the total value of Nigeria’s external merchandise trade rose marginally to about N5.34trn in Q2, 2013, up from about N5.098trin recorded in the preceding quarter. The trade figures represented 4.8 per cent increase.

The Bureau attributed the positive change to improved value of exports from about N3.452trn in Q1, 2013 to N3.742trn in

the quarter under review, representing a balance of trade surplus of N290.8 billion or 8.4 per cent just as value of imports also decreased from about N1.646trn in January to March this year to about N1.598trn in the three month period ended June, 2013.

According to the Director General of the NBS, Dr. Yemi Kale, the increase in exports and decrease in imports resulted in a favourable trade balance of about N2.145trn in the second quarter, an increase of N339.3bn or 18.8 per cent from levels recorded in the Q1 of 2013.

A further analysis of the merchandise trade indicated that on year-on -year basis, the value of the nation’s total merchandise trade decreased by N1.743trn or 24.6 per cent, while the trade balance also declined by 49.7 per cent as imports increased by 13.5 per cent while exports decreased by 34.1 per cent.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

News

Monday, October 21, 2013

5

Another crisis imminent in Taraba OBIORA IFOH ABUJA

A

nother crisis is imminent in Taraba State as plan to fly Taraba State Governor Danbaba Suntai again overseas for further medical treatment is suffering a serious setback. His travelling passport has been reportedly seized by two of his top associates.

Our correspondent also gathered that the aides had

also refused to release the travelling document.

The decision not to release the passport, it was learnt, was as a result of a plan to impeach the ailing governor and the Acting Governor Garba Umar to pave the way for the Speaker of the State Assembly to preside over the conduct of the 2015 election.

Reports indicated that the wife of the governor had consented to further medical treatment for her

husband but the associates, said to be a top lawyer and a retired Army General, were said to have seized the passport despite repeated request of the family.

The development is said to have created a split between the family of the governor and his associates who are quoted as telling the family that further treatment abroad would undermine the larger political agenda being pursued by the governor's group.

The non-availability of the passport has also stalled the out-of-court settlement entered into in a case against the state Assembly by the ailing governor.

The same forces, which confiscated the passport are also said to have ordered that the family should not negotiate power transfer with the acting governor.

It was gathered that the said associates, angered by the warm relationship between the governor’s fam-

Catholic Knights of Saint Mulumba, Gwagwalada Sub-Council with the Auxiliary Bishop of Abuja Diocese, Bishop Anselm Umoren (middle), during the inauguration of Fathers' House at the St. Luke's Catholic Chaplaincy, University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada, Abuja, yesterday.

PHOTO: NAN

ily and the acting governor, were now plotting an impeachment bid against Suntai and Umar.

Insider sources revealed that the plan is to enthrone the Speaker as an interim governor allegedly to ensure plan to install a governor from the southern zone of the state in 2015.

Efforts to get the aides of the governor for comments proved abortive.

The immediate past Commissioner for Information, Emmanuel Bello, said he was outside the country.

Meanwhile, the Taraba Transition Assembly has berated Senator Emmanuel Bwacha for declaring his gubernatorial ambition at a time there are challenges on how to secure further treatment for Suntai, his close friend.

In a statement at the weekend by its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Samuel Gindi, the group said: “The action of the senator confirmed our consistent affirmation that those who smuggled the governor into the country before he could complete his medical treat-

ment did so for their own selfish political agenda.

“By declaring his ambition vindicates our repeated statements that Bwacha and others are using Suntai as a tool in their ambition to rule the state in 2015.

“The senator was not contented in mentioning his ambition but he also mentioned four others including a serving federal permanent secretary as interested in the governorship.

“If truly Bwacha loved Suntai, his preoccupation should be how to get the governor to receive further medical help. Rather he has succeeded in exposing himself and members of the cabal whose only goal is 2015 and not the treatment and full recuperation of Governor Suntai," the statement said.

“Now that Bwacha has exposed himself, we call on the family of the governor to assert itself and secure necessary treatment for the governor. Those who love Suntai must step in now as the cabal has clearly unmasked and advertised its selfish agenda."

Stella Oduah's armoured cars: EFCC, ICPC wade in

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

Ogene (APGA-Anambra), who said he was not aware of the issue.

“I have not been following newspaper reports on the matter, so I don’t know what you are talking about,” he said.

Ogene, a vocal member of the House, rather directed our correspondent to call Mr. Mohammed or “wait for the House to resume”.

A member of the House, however, told National Mirror that the National Assembly will intervene on the matter.

He said: “There is no way we can push the matter under the carpet. If the two aviation committees are clearly biased because the minister is their sister, we would use an ad hoc committee to do the job.

“If the push gets to shove and the minister refuses to resign on account of wrongdoing, then we might consider sanitising our own House first by removing the Igbo Committee Chairmen, because it is clear tribalism is rearing its head here.”

The Chairman of the South-East Caucus in the House, Hon. Ogbuefi

Ozomgbachi (PDP-Enugu), could also not be reached at press time to respond to the issues.

All efforts to get the chairman of the Senate Committee on Aviation, Senate Hope Uzodinma comment on the controversy failed as the lawmaker refused to pick several calls made to his telephone line. The lawmaker also refused to respond to questions posed to him through text message But, the Senate said yesterday that it will not comment on the controversy.

Senate spokesman, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe in a telephone interview with National Mirror last night explained that the Senate will refrain from commenting on the matter because the issue is not yet before the red chamber.

“Senate cannot comment on a matter that is not before it. We are still on break and when we resume and if the matter is brought before us, then we can look into the matter," Abaribe said in reply to a request for the position of the Senate on the matter.

A member of the House of Representatives and

Chairman, Committee on Treaties and Agreements, Hon. Dayo Bush-Alebiosu said that the House will take a position on the ongoing crisis.

Bush-Alebiosu also disagreed with Oduah that the October 3, 2013 crash was an act of God. Speaking with National Mirror in an exclusive interview in Lagos yesterday, Bush-Alebiosu said that it would be wrong for him or the House members to judge the minister on the information gathered on the pages of the newspapers, but assured that the House would investigate the matter and take a position.

He assured that the House would do a thorough job on the issue and would ensure that justice was done.

He said: “There is a Committee on Aviation in the House whose function is to deal with that and there is another committee, which deals with anti-corruption, and another one on narcotics and financial. Those are the three committees that I think will be saddled with such responsibility.

Because of the peculiarity of my committee, which is

treaties, there is hardly any agency or ministry that is not involved in one treaty or the other. That is why we have a hand on the entire ministry.

“But as a member of the House, I am allowed to comment on this, however, it will be unfair of me and premature of me to comment when we have not gotten the report of an investigation.

I don’t know what her reasons are, but I believe when she’s invited, she would be able to state her reasons.

We won’t just put our judgement on whatever we read on the pages of newspapers.”

On the Associated Aviation plane tragedy, BushAlebiosu, insisted that there was nothing like an act of God in the crash.

Rather, he insisted that there were some lapses in the system, which gave room for the ill-fated crash, adding that an act of God would have been a huge storm, flooding and natural disasters.

Bush-Alebiosu said: “Yes, I’m aware that the minister said the crash was an act of God. There is no crash that is an act of God as far as I’m

concerned. An act of God is a huge storm and flooding.

When you see an act of God, you will know what it is, but a plane that takes off and comes down, signifies that something was wrong somewhere.

“You don’t tell the people that it was an act of God. I respectively say this and I do not intend to confront the minister with this; you don’t call that accident an act of God because I’ve gotten so many responses from many Nigerians, but when we are able to identify what the cause is, then, it puts the minds of the people at rest as to the cause of a particular crash. Having said this, I believe the accident is still under investigation and for me, it is too early to start saying it was an act of God.” Meanwhile, a civil society group, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, yesterday called on President Jonathan to sell the controversial cars.

“Selling the cars as proceeds of corruption and using the funds to pay compensation to families of victims of persistent air accidents would also have the great

additional benefit of reining in endemic corruption in the sector as perpetrators would know that they would not be allowed to profit from their crime,” SERAP said in a statement by its executive director Adetokunbo Mumuni.

The organisation also asked the president “to publicly assure Nigerians that the whistleblower that leaked the information of the two BMW armoured cars bought for Oduah will be fully protected from any harassment, intimidation or persecution by the authorities.”

The organisation said it would offer “free legal services to ensure full protection and safety of the whistleblower in line with international standards. We appeal to the whistleblower to get in touch with our organization, and assure whoever this may be our full support and confidentiality.

The whistleblower should be celebrated and not persecuted.”

Reports by: Ise-Oluwa Ige, George Oji, Rotimi Fadeyi, Olusegun Koiki and Tordue Salem

6

News

Monday, October 21 , 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Boko Haram kills 20, injures 10 in Borno INUSA NDAHI MAIDUGURI

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unmen wearing military uniform yesterday killed 20 people and wounded 10 others in Borno State.

The attack took place near the town of Logumani village in Dikwa Local Government Area, about 30 kilometres from the border with Cameroun around 5a.m.

Dikwa is about 65 kilometres away from Maidu-

•Police probe attack on Zamfara acting gov guri where series of terrorist attacks and killings had occurred in recent times.

This is as police have commenced investigation into Saturday’s attack on the acting Governor of Zamfara State, Alhaji Sanusi Rikiji.

The motorcycle-riding gunmen suspected to be members of Boko Haram, armed with Kalashnikovs, blocked the highway, shot

and hacked to death 19 motorists and burnt three trucks.

The leader of a vigilance group, Musa Abur, said his members had recovered 19 bodies from the scene of the attack.

He said: “Five of the victims, who included two truck drivers and their assistants, were shot dead while the rest were slaughtered.”

Abur added that the gunmen had attacked the border town of Gamboru Ngala near Logumani late Friday but were repelled by soldiers and local vigilantes.

A passenger who survived the attack gave a similar account.

“We were asked to get out of our vehicles and lie face down by nine men dressed as soldiers who blocked the

L-R: Governors Sulivan Chime (Enugu), Theodore Orji (Abia), Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta), Liyel Imoke (Cross River), Peter Obi (Anambra); Ebonyi State Deputy Governor, Mr. Dave Umahi and his Bayelsa State counterpart, Mr. Gboridiogha John Jonah, during the South-South, South-East Governors’ Forum in Enugu, yesterday.

New PDP flouts court order, meets this week OBIORA IFOH ABUJA

T

he Kawu Baraje-led new Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, said a meeting of the G7 group of governors, stakeholders and leadership would meet this week to formalise the modalities of integrating five new governors from the mainstream party who would join forces with the initial seven in their efforts to break the ranks of the party.

Meanwhile, National Mirror has identified the five governors planning to defect to the faction.

While three of the governors, according to sources, are from the North, other two are from the South.

This is as Baraje lampooned the PDP National Chairman, Bamanga Tukur, for addressing governors duly elected by Nigerians as criminals.

He vowed that with such uncouth language, the fac-

• Five govs set to join Baraje faction

tion was ever determined to move on with its determination to remove Tukur.

A Federal High Court in Abuja presided over by Justice Elvis Chukwu had, on Friday, declared the National Working Committee, NWC, headed by Tukur as the authentic leadership of the PDP and barred the Baraje-led PDP from parading itself as new PDP while also ordering that they should not hold any meeting or meet anywhere under the aegis of the new PDP, an order the Baraje camp has stoutly flouted.

The faction’s spokesperson, Eze Chukwuemeka, said in a statement that Baraje, who just returned from Holy Pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, had convened an emergency meeting of the G7, stakeholders and NWC of the new PDP to exhaustively discuss the new developments.

He said: “Apart from de-

ciding on the Federal High Court ruling and the challenges facing us as a group, the G7/stakeholders/NWC meeting slated for this week is expected to deliberate on how the new five governors of PDP that have indicated interest to join the Baraje leadership will be received in the fold.

“Meanwhile, we feel nothing, but pity for Alhaji Tukur and his NWC, who are already gloating over their ‘victory’ over us and even had the temerity to describe us and our governors as criminals, warning that the heavens would fall if we should meet under any platform.

“By being so uncouth in addressing governors duly elected by Nigerians, Tukur and his disciples have once more, vindicated our struggle to flush out these unholy undemocratic elements from our party.

“We are confident that

this is one mission, which we shall successfully accomplish by the grace of God not minding the use of state security agencies to harass and intimidate our people.

“Let us reiterate that contrary to insinuations in some quarters reflected in a section of the media of division and disunity among our governors and National Assembly members because of our current travails, the fact remains that instead of division, our current travails have strengthened us the more and acted as a unifying factor that have shown us that it is a matter of time that the undemocratic elements that have seized our party will be dislodged.”

Commenting on the court order, Chukwuemeka said: “As a group that has a lot of respect for the judiciary, we have accepted the ruling in good faith and wish to abide by it.”

road around 5a.m.

“They shot dead five people and went about slaughtering 14 others before someone called them on the phone that soldiers were heading their way.

“They abandoned the re st of us and sped into the bush on their motorcycles,” the survivor, who gave his name as Buba, said.

It was gathered that soldiers went after the insurgents into the forest around Ngamboru Ngala but there was no report on whether the soldiers are successful in the operation.

Bukar Alhaji Gana, a local in Logomani told our correspondent that about a week before the attack there was rumour that some members of Boko Haram were seen in the area and headed towards Marte area which harboured a terrorist camp in the past before it was destroyed by the Joint Task Force, JTF. He said: “We were told that some of the Boko Haram members came around and warned some people, but left almost immediately towards Marte off shore of Lake Chad Basin.

“The people who said

they have seen them warned that people should stop coming to the area where trucks usually came to park and rest before continuing their journey towards Ngomboru Ngala and Tchad.”

The military authorities in the region could not be immediately reached to comment on the attack.

Meanwhile, police said they had started investigation into the attack on Rikiji’s motorcade.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, DSP Lawal Abdullahi, made the disclosure yesterday while speaking with journalists in Birnin-Magaji.

Abdullahi, who described the attack as “unfortunate”, said the police would not fold their arms and allow such unbecoming behaviour by youths.

He said troops of mobile and regular police had been deployed to maintain peace in the area.

The police image maker assured that anyone found involved in the attack would face “the full wrath of the law’’.

Youths in their hundreds on Saturday attacked Rikiji’s motorcade in Birnin-Magajiin, headquarters of Birnin-Magaji Local Government Area.

FG planning to ‘kill’ public varsities –ASUU ABIODUN NEJO ADO EKITI

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cademic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, at the weekend accused the Federal Government of planning to “kill public universities”.

The Ilorin Zone of ASUU said in a statement in Ado-Ekiti at the weekend that President Goodluck Jonathan’s visit to a private university when public universities’ students had been at home for an upward of four months was a pointer in that direction.

ASUU Zonal Coordinator, Dr. Adeleke Ayan, said in the statement that the President ought to “first undo the locks of his own universities before he goes about congratulating businessmen who have estab-

lished money-spinning institutions”.

He said: “ASUU will not succumb to any blackmail, but remain focused and insist that the 2009 agreement be implemented.”

The President had, at the weekend, during a visit to Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, renewed appeal to the striking university teachers to consider the future of the students and call off their strike, assuring that he would meet their demands.

But despite this, the lecturers said they would pursue their cause to a logical conclusion, adding that even the no-workno-pay rule applied by the Federal Government against ASUU members for failure to suspend the nationwide strike would not make them return to the classroom.

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Monday, October 21, 2013

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Monday, October 21, 2013

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We’ve not stopped fuel importation –NNPC UDEME AKPAN

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he Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has refuted allegations that it has stopped the importation of petroleum products as was reported in some national and international media.

Acting Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division of NNPC, Ms. Tumini E. Green, made this known in a press statement.

She said NNPC Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) supply in the system is in line with its approved quo-

ta for the national demand with a view to ensuring seamless supply as we approach the peak period in the last quarter of the year.

The NNPC as supplier of the last resort has responsibility for maintaining a robust strategic reserve with additional reasonable buffer in line with the nation’s energy supply policy.

Green maintained that the corporation’s PMS stock holding is in tandem with the approved PPPRA allocation to NNPC, while emphasising that the stock level covers marine, inland and strategic stock.

The NNPC spokesperson stated that as at October 17,

2013, the marine stock offshore stands at 19 cargoes translating to 25.6 days’ sufficiency, which is part of the national strategic reserve.

Incidentally, the aggregate strategic reserve and buffer has been misrepresented in some media as marine stock lying offshore.

Meanwhile, with a view to ensuring stable PMS supply during the end of the year festive period, Green said NNPC has taken proactive measures to schedule its delivery lay cans in

order to guarantee steady fuel supply to the nation.

Prior to this period, there were fears that the nation may soon experience acute shortage of petrol following the inability of the Federal Government to place order for the fourth quarter importation and non-settlement of about N200 billion outstanding subsidy payments to petroleum marketers.

This was based on the non-placement of order, barely three weeks into the quarter, expected to be characterised by increased

demand following the coming of Christmas and the new year, would impact negatively on the nation that is still depending on surpluses of the third quarter to meet demand.

The Executive Secretary, Major Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN), Mr. Timothy Olawore, who confirmed the situation in a telephone interview said: “The indebtedness level is huge and has greatly reduced the capacities of our members to import petrol.

A few companies still manage to import.”

But the spokesman for Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC), Mr. Nasir Imodagbe, in a telephone interview with our correspondent, assured that there would be no shortage of the product.

Imodagbe said; “We do not envisage shortage because there are presently commercial stocks of petrol in various locations in the nation. “As a subsidiary of the NNPC that is directly involved in downstream activities, we would do our best to ensure that fuel is available.”

SON: Importers under fire over substandard products EMMANUEL OGBONNAYA

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mporters of electric bulbs in the country came under fire from the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) at the weekend as the body engaged the importers at the Alaba International Market in a bid to stamp out substandard bulbs from our markets.

The effort was part of activities to mark this year’s world standard day.

The agency, led by its Director-General, Dr. Joseph Odumodu, frowned at the proliferation of substandard electric bulbs in the market that is typically characterised by short lifespans due to non-adherence to standards in their production processes by the foreign manufacturers.

Odumodu also reiterated the agency’s unwavering stance on the commencement of enforcement to remove all unregistered products nationwide as part of efforts at ensuring traceability and the boosting consumer confidence in every product offered for sale.

According to Odumodu; “It is possible to buy bulbs that can last up to one year with the consumer happy and the seller equally making profit. It is possible for us to celebrate a new Nigeria that is substandard free within one year if we all join hands together.”

He added that Alaba International Market must align its character to its name by reflecting international standards in goods on

sale at the market as quality was a global identity.

He said as we celebrate this year’s theme; “International standards to ensure positive change,” we have to rededicate ourselves to bringing that positive change to ourselves as individuals and as businesses, stressing that even one per cent presence of substandard products in the market can endanger lives.

“Unfortunately, the effects of substandard products are mostly felt by its victims, we can still change the negative perception being suffered by Nigeria by doing the right kind of business as it is the only way to do sustainable business,” he said.

Making a lecture presentation to the importers and dealers on the dangers posed by substandard electric bulbs and the new direction to toe, SON’s Head of Electric Laboratory, Engr.

Richard Adewumi, noted that there is need to manage Nigeria’s less than sufficient power generation efficiently as 30 per cent of electric consumption was through domestic and industrial lighting.

He defined a substandard electric bulb as any lamp that does not meet the minimum required standard in terms of safety, performance, marking and design.

He also disclosed that available records with SON shows that all the 105 watts electric bulbs in the country today are actually less than 40 watts.

L-R: Nigerian Consul-General in New York, Amb. Habib Habu; member of staff of the Nigerian Mission to the United Nations Mr. Emmanuel Okafor; Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Amb. Usman Saki; Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Prof. Joy Ogwu and Defence Adviser, Brig.-Gen. Lincoln Ogunewe, at the inauguration of the defence section of the mission in New York, yesterday.

PHOTO: NAN

New automobile industry policy’ll boost economy –PDP OBIORA IFOH ABUJA

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he leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has applauded President Goodluck Jonathan for what it described as the milestones achieved in the critical sectors of the economy, particularly the new Automobile Industry Policy.

It said the policy is capable of further boasting the nation’s economy.

The party, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, noted that the President has vigorously pursued his economic reforms and expressed happiness that they have started yielding results.

“We are indeed highly impressed that the reforms initiated by the President have started yielding very high dividends, resulting in a massive leap in the nation’s economy that has

also been acknowledged by the world community.”

The party said the latest is the Fitch Ratings which affirmed “Nigeria’s long-term foreign and local currency IDRs as well as senior unsecured bond and short-term foreign currency IDR ratings respectively at “BBs.” The party noted that; “It is heart-warming that at a time other economies of the world are having a downward trend, Nigeria’s economy on the other hand is experiencing stability and growth.”

It listed some of the factors that led to the positive rating to include massive developments in the power, agriculture and road sectors as well as reforms in finance, commerce and industry.

Particularly, the PDP commended the President for “initiating the New Automobile Industrial Policy Development which is fo-

cused on promoting investments in affordable madein-Nigeria vehicles” even as it ‘noted that the conclusion of arrangements to kick-off passenger service on the Eastern railway route before the end of December.’

“We are happy that the New Automobile Industry Policy is already yielding results. Direct Foreign Investments (DFIs) are already flowing in from leading vehicle manufacturers, including Nissan and Stallion Group which have entered into an agreement with the Federal Government to establish auto plants in the country.

“This policy which also promotes the manufacturing of spare parts of vehicles used in the country will not only generate massive employment for our people, but will guarantee technology transfer, reduction in cost of vehicles, increase in ancillary invest-

ment opportunities and a boost in medium and small scale enterprises.”

This, the party said, no doubt will contribute in transforming the country into a manufacturing hub in Africa.

“In the power sector, President Jonathan has shown resilience in ensuring the achievement of production targets. We note that acceleration of works that led to the commissioning of the Geregu Power Project in Kogi State on October 4, 2013 as well as the Omotosho 2 Power Station in Ondo State, which was commissioned last Saturday.”

The party also notes the acceleration of works in the other power plants including; Calabar 630MW; Egbema 378MW; Ihorvbor 504MW; Gbarain 252MW; Sapele 504MW; Omoku 252MW; Alaoji 1076MW and Olorunsogo 750MW.

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South West

Monday, October 21, 2013

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Immigration, ministry on war path over recruitment, others OLUSEGUN KOIKII

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here is disquiet in the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, over ongoing recruitment, promotion and posting allegedly carried out by the supervising Interior Ministry.

The ministry has been accused of not carrying along the leadership of the service in exercises.

This, sources close to the service said, did not go down well with the Comptroller General of Immigration, Mr. David Parradang, who felt he was not being carried along in activities directly affecting the service.

But the Minister of Inte-

rior, Mr. Abba Moro, denied interfering in the activities of the service, saying that everybody was being carried along in the daily operations in the Immigration.

Moro, who spoke through his Special Assistant, Media, Mr. George Udo, insisted that the ministry did not handle recruitment, posting and promotion for the service, saying that a board was responsible for the exercises.

However, a source close to the service told our correspondent over the weekend that all was not well in the service as some of the workers too were aggrieved by the advertised recruitment

exercise.

For instance, the source said the recruitment exercise announced by the ministry was strange to the service including Parradang who felt as the comptroller general, he was supposed to be involved.

Besides, the source alleged that since the minister came onboard, he had refused to inaugurate the Board of Directors in the service, adding that those due for promotion too were not promoted.

The source accused the minister of interfering in the posting of workers for the service, alleging that those promoted were those

who were close to the minister.

He said: “It is unfortunate that things have been personalised in the service.

For you to be promoted now, you must know somebody that is close to the minister. This before now used to be on merit, but since the minister came on board, the system has since changed.

“Also, the recent announcement of recruitment exercise for the service did not have the input of the leadership of the service. We only read it on the pages of newspapers just like other people in the country.

“Besides, the minister wants to interfere in everything that goes on the service including posting of personnel. For instance, both internal and external postings must pass through him. The Comptroller General cannot do anything in the system and this is someone that is supposed to be a professional in the system.

“There is a huge quarrel in the system for those who will be posted. The minister wants some particular set of people in strategic postings, which did not go down well with the leadership of the service.”

But Udo said that none of the allegations was true.

The minister’s aide said a board set up in line with the Act establishing NIS was responsible for the recent exercise.

Speaking on phone with our correspondent, Udo said the board was necessary in order to ensure transparency, equity and justice, stressing that those accusing the ministry were economical with the truth.

He said: “There is nothing like that. There is a board that supervises recruitment, promotion and posting. There is a board that handles that. The ministry does not handle recruitment, posting or even promotions.

Spring Bank shareholders sue firms for N295.4bn K AYODE K ETEFE

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ome aggrieved shareholders of the defunct Spring Bank (Now Enterprise Bank), have brought a N295.4 billion suit before a Federal High Court in Lagos against Citigroup Global Markets Limited and Vetiva Capital Management Limited.

The shareholders are suing the firms for their alleged involvement in fresh moves by the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria, AMCON, to dispose of the shares of Enterprise Bank.

Former Spring Bank changed into Enterprise Bank sequel to a takeover deal orchestrated by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, and AMCON. The aggrieved shareholders, led by Mr. Boniface Okezie, are seeking an order for a declaration that the action of

Citigroup and Vetiva Capital in allegedly collaborating to transfer, dispose and create a third party interest over the assets of Spring Bank constitutes an interference with pending matters at the Court of Appeal in Lagos on takeover deal.

The applicants, through their lawyer, Mr. Chucks Nwachuku, are seeking N295.4 billion, which is the value of assets of Spring Bank that are distributable to them as shareholders of the bank upon the admission of the defendants of the worth of the bank.

The shareholders are also asking for an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from further interfering with the assets and undertakings of Spring Bank in any guise, particularly acting as purported financial advisers to AMCON in its bid to dispose of the shares of Spring Bank.

L-R: Justice Bode Rhodes-Vivour, Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola and Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, during a state dinner in honour of the justices on their elevation to the Supreme Court in Lagos, at the weekend.

PHOTO: ADEMOLA AKINLABI

Contempt: Bi-Courtney asks court to jail FAAN MD, others

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i-Courtney Aviation Services Limited, BASL, has asked the Federal High Court Lagos to commit three top officials of the Federal Airports Authority, FAAN, to jail for contempt of court.

BASL is the operator of the domestic terminal of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, MMA2, Ikeja, Lagos.

Bi-Courtney’s application followed the refusal of the officials, including the Managing Director of FAAN, Mr. George Uriesi, to comply with the orders of Justice Jona Adah, in suit number: FHC/IKJ/ CS/70/2012, restraining them from further interfering with work on a fourstar hotel and conference centre, which the plaintiff

First batch of pilgrims returns from Saudi Arabia

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he first batch of 805 pilgrims who performed this year’s Hajj in Saudi Arabia arrived the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, and the Ilorin Airport, aboard Med-View Airline yesterday.

A statement issued by Mr. Oyibotha Obuke on behalf of the airline said a Med-View Boeing B747 aircraft with 507 pilgrims

from Osun State touched down at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja at 9a.m.

It added that 298 pilgrims from Ondo State also arrived at the Ilorin Airport aboard the airline’s B767 aircraft at 5.30a.m.

The statement said the airline was pleased with the safe arrival of the pilgrims after a successful pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.

It noted that the management of the airline would complete the transporting of the pilgrims allocated to it by the National Hajj Commission, NAHCON, in record time.

The statement added that flights to arrive today would bring back pilgrims from Ogun and Oyo states.

It quoted a member of the Osun State House of Assembly, Mr. M. B. O.

Ibrahim, one of the pilgrims, as commending Med-View for its hitch-free Hajj operations.

Ibrahim was also said to have called on the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, to improve on facilities at the Hajj Camp, Murtala Muhammed Airport, to make it more conducive for pilgrims transiting through the terminal.

is developing at the airport.

According to court documents, others against whom Bi-Courtney wants the order of contempt made include FAAN; the authority’s Chief Security Officer, Col. C.L. Onalo, and its General Manager, Public Affairs, Mr. Yakubu Dati.

Bi-Courtney, according to court documents (Form 49) dated June 26, claimed that the affected individuals wilfully violated the order of the court, which restrained them and their representatives from “commencing, continuing and/or completing any actions or permitting the commencement, continuance and/or completion of any actions in respect of taking over possession of and/or interfering with the applicant’s possession of the four-star hotel and

conference centre situate at the Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal 2, Ikeja, pending the hearing and determination of the applicant’s application for interlocutory injunction…”

Also, in an affidavit in support of its application, deposed to by one Aina Precious Ogunsuyi, of the law firm of Babalakin & Co, Bi-Courtney claimed, among others, that: “On 6th June 2013, in blatant disregard for the said ex parte order of court, the 1st and 3rd respondents and their agents removed and destroyed adverts placed at the four-star hotel and conference centre at MMA2, despite the fact that on that same day, the respondents were approached with a copy of the said order by Mr. Christopher Penninck, the Chief Executive Officer of Bi-Courtney.

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South West

Monday, October 21, 2013

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Jonathan, Fayemi, CD mourn Omojola ROTIMI FADEYI AND TEMITOPE OGUNBANKE

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resident Goodluck Jonathan, at the weekend, commiserated with the government and people of Ondo State on the death of the highly respected pro-democracy activist and renowned economist, Dr. Baba Oluwide Omojola.

In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, President Jonathan expressed sincere condolences to Omojola’s immediate and extended family, friends, associates and the professional colleagues of the late nationalist, patriot and indefatigable advocate of good governance, who dedicated his life to the pursuit of so-

cial justice and a better life for others.

Jonathan noted that Omojola remained faithful to the cause of justice, equity and progress for all Nigerians till the end of his life.

The President urged all who mourn Omojola to ensure that his life-long labours were not in vain by emulating the exemplary dedication and patriotism he showed in journeying to Akure to make a submission on the coming national conference at the very advanced age of 75.

Jonathan said he believed Omojola’s inheritors, friends and associates in the long struggle for a better Nigeria can truly honour his memory by joining hands with other patriots to ensure the success of the planned national dialogue to which he was

so evidently committed.

The President prayed that God would receive the soul of the departed nationalist, whose contributions to national discourse would be greatly missed and grant him a peaceful rest from his earthly labours.

Meanwhile, Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has described the death of Baba Omojola, as a big loss to democracy in Nigeria.

Dr. Fayemi in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Olayinka Oyebode, described Omojola as one of the champions of democracy being enjoyed in the country today.

He noted that Omojola stood out to be counted among patriotic Nigerians who worked tirelessly to chase the military usurpers out of the corridors of power.

Describing Omojola as a dogged fighter whose commitment to revolutionary change in the country is unparalleled, Fayemi said the deceased pursued the cause he believed in, stressing that the Omojola encouraged younger elements in the struggle to enthrone democracy.

The governor said Omojola gave inspiration to him (Fayemi) and other activists in the heat of the battle to revalidate the result of the June12, 1993 election.

He said; “Baba played a prominent role in the struggle to revalidate the result of the June 12, 1993 election won by Chief MKO Abiola.

Also, the Campaign for Campaign (CD) yesterday said that the good name and deeds of the late human rights activist will remain indelible forever.

CD in a statement by its President, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, said generations down the line will continue to draw inspiration from Baba Omojola’s rich life dedicated to the emancipation of the down trodden.

The statement reads in part: “The Campaign for Democracy (CD) mourns the passing away of a veteran activist, committed crusader and a dedicated humanist, Comrade Baba Omojola.

“His transition to immortality took place in Akure, Ondo State, hours after he made a presentation on behalf of PRONACO to the Presidential Advisory Committee on National Conference.

“In Baba we have lost about the last of the generation of uncompromising crusaders of unbroken decades. He has

joined the league of the departed caucus of unbending change agents of which the prominent are; Alao Aka-Bashorun, Gani Fawehinmi, Beko Ransome-Kuti and Chima Ubani, from whom we draw eternal inspiration.

“Baba has played his part very well and has left indelible marks. We shall bury the mortal part of him but his good name and deeds remain indelible forever.

“Generations down the line will continue to draw inspiration from his rich life dedicated to the emancipation of the down trodden. Our prayer is that God will protect the family he has left behind.

“We shall keep his memory alive by rededicating ourselves to the cause he lived and died for.”

Ekiti legacy: Ikogosi resort finally comes alive

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he first phase of redeveloped Ikogosi Warm Springs Resort was commissioned at the weekend for use by tourists almost 10 years after it was abandoned.

The commissioning programme, which also featured the public presentation of Governor Kayode Fayemi’s latest book; “Regaining the Legacy” and the decoration of Ekiti Cultural Ambassadors, was witnessed by a mammoth crowd of tourists and citizens of the state.

Commissioning the project, Governor Kayode Fayemi said the redevelopment was done because his government “cannot allow this God-given endowment to Ekiti to be a waste.”

Fayemi who restated the commitment of his administration to the development of all the tourism corridors in the state to make it a foremost destination of choice for investors and tourists from within and outside Nigeria, said the second phase of the redevelopment would involve the introduction of a games reserve in the state.

He said the reserve would occupy about 10, 000 hectares of land, a three-

star hotel, a golf course and apartment buildings, among others.

Another highlight of the event was the presentation of the governor’s third book since assuming office: “Regaining the Legacy,” which delves into the governor’s personal account of his intention for Ekiti people, his perceptions about government and his experience.

Fayemi said one of the objectives of publishing the book was to broaden the audience “beyond the catchment of those who were physically present at the various fora where the papers were delivered.”

Baring his mind on the various discussions he has had on moving Nigeria forward, the governor urged Nigerians to join hands to overcome the myriad of challenges of having a society that doesn’t care for anything but to create one that puts the prosperity of the citizenry on the front burner.

He revealed his dream of a time when future generations would bless “our memories long after we are no more, because with the help of God, we did well to guide our society along the path of peace and sustainable development.”

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME SMITH: Formerly known and addressed as Miss Flora Adekemi Smith, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Flora Adekemi Akinsunmi. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

ALABI: Formerly Miss Alabi Omowumi Oluwatoyin, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Mary Oluwatoyin Akanji. All former documents remain valid. Bowen University Teaching Hospital Ogbomoso and general public take note.

L-R: Deputy Speaker, Ekiti State House of Assembly, Hon. Adetunji Orisalade; Deputy Governor, Prof. Modupe Adelabu; wife of the state governor, Erelu Bisi Fayemi and Governor Kayode Fayemi, during the thanksgiving service in commemoration of the 3rd year anniversary of the Fayemi administration in Ado-Ekiti, yesterday.

Speak local languages to wards, Lagos tells parents MURITALA AYINLA

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he Lagos State government has advised parents and guardians to always speak their local languages to their children and wards at home in order to promote our mother-tongues and enable the children speak the languages effortlessly.

The state government also announced plans to harmonise the school calendar, the curriculum and the timetable for the Basic Education Certificate Examination (JSS111) of public and private schools in the state, saying it has set up a standing committee to

implement the plan.

State Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye, who disclosed this at an interactive session with proprietors and other stakeholders of private schools in the state, explained that the need to align the school calendar, the curriculum and the timetable became necessary in order to standardise the process.

Oladunjoye said government has been magnanimous enough by paying the WAEC fees of all SSS III students in public schools, but cannot do the same for students in private schools since such schools are profit-oriented and more so, it

is the choice of the parents who can afford to take their children to such schools.

She said the committee shall be made up of representatives of major stakeholders in the education sector in the state, comprising of representatives of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPSS), Catholic, Ansar-U-Deen, Redeemed, League of Muslim Schools (LEAMPS), Association of International Schools in Nigeria (AISEN), Association of Private Schools Owners (APSO), Methodist, Baptist, Association of Formidable Educational Developments (AFED) as well as the Nigerian Union of Teachers and

officials of the state Ministry of Education and the Office of Special Adviser on Education.

The commissioner added that the committee, which would soon be inaugurated, will also proffers solutions to some of the challenges facing private schools operators in the state.

She said the interactive session was informed by the need to bring together key participants in the education sector to deliberate on the policy thrust of government, bearing in mind that government alone cannot take the sector to greater heights without the support and cooperation of the stakeholders.

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South East

Monday, October 21, 2013

Enugu LG poll: Opposition alleges disqualification by ENSIEC DENNIS AGBO ENUGU

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ajor opposition political parties earlier cleared by the Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission (ENSIEC) to participate in the November 2 local government election in the state have been disqualified by the commission.

The All progressives Congress (APC) in particular, raised the alarm yesterday that it received a letter of disqualification of all its candidates by the ENSIEC. The party accused Governor Sullivan Chime as being involved in the obnoxious practice through the proxy of ENSIEC Chairman, Dr. Bonny Eneh.

APC Chairman of the Enugu State election committee, Dr. Ben Nwoye, who displayed the documents that both cleared and later disqualified the candidates, said the party will today

file an injunction in court to stop the election.

In the documents, Nwoye said whereas the party received a letter of clearance on October 11, it also received a contrary letter on October 19 that was backdated to October 14. The party received the disqualification letter on Saturday October 19, while registration for substitution of candidates closed on October 16.

When contacted, Enugu State Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Okechukwu Nkolagu, said up till yesterday, he has not received any contrary letter of disqualification of his party’s candidates even when Governor Chime in three campaign rallies maintained that only PDP is going into the election.

Nwoye also alleged that the ENSIEC boss called one of its female candidates for re-screening on a public

holiday, contrary to laid down rules.

Nwoye said: “Chime is sitting on stifled democracy. We ask Chime to rethink his thought-action.

PDP has failed the state and there is no sign of democracy dividend anywhere.

“We call on INEC Chairman, Attahiru Jega and all the security agencies to rise up and ask ENSIEC to rescind the decision.

“Again at Isi-Uzo, they use the same instrument to stifle APGA. Why are they sending kidnappers to Isiuzo, Nkanu West and Enugu East Local Government Areas?

Meanwhile, the chairmanship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Isi-Uzo Local Government Area, Mr. Godson Ogenyi, has decried the level of poverty and unemployment in the council area, pledging that his party will tackle the two problems if voted into of-

fice in the November 2, 2013 local government elections.

The APGA candidate therefore urged the people of the area to vote out the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from power and install an APGA government in order to have a fresh breath in the administration of the local government.

Ogenyi lamented the standard of education in the council area, saying that it has gone down at an alarming rate, just as he said that basic amenities such as safe-water, good roads basic healthcare are non-existent in the area.

He urged the electorate to resist money politics, stressing that for the past 14 years, the PDP has not done anything for our people, than to come during the elections and throw money around, after which they will not hear anything from them again.

L-R: Former Anambra State Governor, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife; Igwe Justice Eze Ozobu; Prof. Anya O. Anya and President-General, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Garry Igariwey, during the meeting of Imeobi Ohanaeze Ndigbo on their stand about the National Conference in Enugu, yesterday.

Man, 28, jailed for robbing mistress ALIUNA GODWIN EBONYI

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magistrate court sitting in Abakaliki, the capital of Ebonyi State, has jailed a 28-year-old man, Mr. Irem Friday, for seven years for robbing her mistress.

The court, presided over

by Chief Magistrate N. Onuoha, ruled that the convict actually committed the crime.

It was alleged that Friday, a security guard to

Mrs. Chinyere Onyezebe, on June 27, with the aid of a ladder, broke the ceiling to gain access into the woman’s room.

On entering the room, the accused allegedly broke her box and ransacked the entire room carting away gold, jewelries and other valuables valued at over N500, 000 and N150, 000 cash.

The charge sheet made available to journalists revealed that “Irem on June 27, 2013 at Onwe Road,

Abakaliki did broke into one Mrs. Chinyere Onyezebe’s room thereby committed an offence punishable by law under Section 411 of Criminal Code Cap 33 Law of Ebonyi State.

The court has in the three-count charge said; “That you Irem Friday, on the same day steal the sum of N150,000 and valuables worth over N500, 000 thereby committing an offence punishable under the law of Ebonyi State.

“That you Irem Friday,

did willfully and unlawful damage one trunk box valued at about N15, 000 property of Mrs. Chinyere Onyezebe and thereby committed an offence punishable under the law of Ebonyi State.

In his judgement, the magistrate ruled that the accused is hereby sentenced to three years imprisonment for the first count, three years for the second count and one year for the third count which is to run concurrently with hard labour. for the rally.

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United Nations to review Nigeria’s human rights record • As FG insists on death penalty, others SEBASTINE EBHUOMHAN

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he Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the 17th Human Rights Council is set to begin today at the United Nations Office in Geneva, Switzerland, where the working group would deliberate exhaustively on Nigeria and some other countries between October 21 and 30, 2013.

Although, the actual session on Nigeria holds on Tuesday, October 22, other countries listed along Nigeria for the 17th session include China, Mexico, Senegal, Jordan, Malaysia, Central African Republic and Chad.

Others are Congo and Belize while Afghanistan, Chile, Vietnam, Uruguay, Yemen, Vanuatu, Eritrea and Cambodia, have been listed for the 18th session.

Ahead of the exercise, the Federal Government has declared that it is using death penalty as a deterrent to protect human life.

“Death penalty is a valid part of the Nigerian law,” the FG stated in its report to UN. Also, Nigeria does not accept the recommendation on same-sex marriage as it is against its national values. The government said it does not accept the UN recommendation on same-sex marriage, because it was against its culture as “a recent polling suggests that 92 per cent of Nigerians support the Anti-Same-Sex Marriage Bill passed by the Senate.”

The UPR is a unique process which involves a thorough review of the human rights records of all the 192 United Nations member states once in every four years. The aim is to improve the human rights situation in all countries and, importantly, address violations wherever they occur.

It will be recalled that Nigeria was elected into the United Nations Security Council, the highest authoritative organ of the global body, as a nonexecutive member, which empowers the country to be an observer but not a voter during the council’s meetings.

While two-third of the General Assembly would

still have to ratify the election before Nigeria can assume its seat in the council, it is not known whether any report of a poor record of human rights observation in the country would adversely affect Nigeria’s two-year council membership.

About 30 journalists from different countries of the world have been invited by Gmedia Centre, a Geneva-based initiative, whose overall interest is to empower media in order to further human rights and democracy goals, to undergo a special training tagged: Media Empowerment on Human Rights under the sponsorship of the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Switzerland Government as part of the human rights review.

As National Mirror gathered, the review of Nigeria would be based on three documents: a national report prepared by the Nigerian Government that is under review; a compilation of United Nations Information on Nigeria under review, prepared by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Ms. Navi Pillay and a summary of information submitted by civil society organisations and other stakeholders in receipt of the OHCHR. In the national report that would be reviewed tomorrow, the Federal Government explained how it constituted the national committee on Universal Periodic Review (UPR) under the chairmanship of the Solicitor-General of the Federation, adopted a participatory approach that prepared and submitted the report after extensive consultations with all stakeholders between July 2012 and June 2013.

The Federal Government particularly said that it has “largely fulfilled its commitments to the Human Rights Council through its active participation in the work and activities of the council, support for the National Human Rights Commission, commitment to human rights instruments and support for all strategies at regional and international levels to promote and protect human rights.”

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South South

Monday, October 21, 2013

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Cross River, group sign MoU to empower 10,000 youths

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he Cross River State Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Youth Empowerment and Social Support Organisation to empower 10,000 youths in the state.

The Head, Department of International Donor Support in the state, Mr. Roy Ndoma-Egba, disclosed this yesterday in an

interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Calabar.

Ndoma-Egba, who is also the Special Adviser to Governor Liyel Imoke on Foreign Aides, said the gesture was to take the unemployed youths out of the street.

He said that the department was collaborating with relevant government agencies to have a single

registration system to capture the data of all potential job-seekers in the state.

Ndoma-Egba said: “We will have a central data system where we can categorise each applicant on the basis of qualification, need and catchments.

“Some will be placed under the Conditional Cash Transfer scheme of the State Government and

others will be provided with paid employment.

“We are trying to ensure that every unemployed Cross Riverian fits into the programme. We are targeting about 10,000 youths.’’

The special adviser said that the programme would involve all unemployed youths in rural and urban areas.

He assured that the

selection process for the beneficiaries would be transparent and that the distribution would also be equitable.

Ndoma-Egba said that the state was working hard to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) targets in 2015.

He said that 16 out of the 18 local government Areas in the state had been provided with potable water through the popular Sector Wide Approach programme.

“We can confidently say that before the end of this year all the 18 Local Government Councils will be linked with the portable water supply project.

“This will reduce water borne diseases across the state to the barest minimum,” Ndoma-Egba added.

According to him, some of the challenges facing the achievement of the MDGs in the state are a lack of prompt payment of counterpart funds as well as staff capacity and skills.

The special adviser, however, said that the government had been trying to address the problems.

“The truth of the matter is that Cross River will achieve some of the MDGs if not all. We will achieve the targets in education, water, health and gender,” he said.

S’South, S’East governors parley for economic integration DENIS AGBO ENUGU

L-R: Hon. Doris Fisher; Chairman, Rivers State Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Felix Obuah; Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Prince Chibudom Nwuche; former PDP Deputy National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus and Minister of Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, at the recent Grassroots Development Initiative (GDI) sensitisation rally in Tai Eleme, Rivers State.

Akwa Ibom to investigate Uyo flooding

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he Akwa Ibom State Government is set to investigate the cause of the recent flooding in some parts of Uyo, the state capital, to prevent a recurrence.

On Monday last week, some parts of Uyo mainly Ukana Offot, Atiku Abubakar, IBB Streets and Ekom Iman Junction, among others were rendered impassable after heavy rains.

Governor Godswill Akpabio, who announced the plan to investigate the incident during the Government House monthly

prayer meeting held at St. John’s Chaplaincy in Uyo, assured the flood victims of its administration’s readiness to prevent a recurrence.

Akpabio said: “I want to investigate and know the root cause of the flood because we have invested much constructing underground drainage system in the state”.

The governor described the incident as strange, even as he noted that last year, when the entire Niger Delta was flooded, Akwa Ibom State was exempted.

He said he would join President Goodluck Jonathan to Israel on Christian pilgrimage tomorrow, pointing out the journey would afford him and other Christian governors an opportunity to pray for the progress of the nation.

Attributing the transformation of Akwa Ibom State to a robust partnership with God, Akpabio said: “When you are in partnership with God, what you have is transformation. We are partnership with an uncommon God and what we have is uncommon transforma-

tion.”

Earlier in his homily, Hon. Justice Godwin Abraham, who preached on “Sacrifice of unity,” said: “It takes sacrifice to be united. Jesus Christ sacrificed his life to unite the world with God. Man is naturally disunited in nature and disunity is a consequence of evil”.

The prayer meeting attended by Akpabio’s wife, Unoma Ekaette, featured song rendition by the Hilltop Choir, prayer for the nation, the state, the President, the governor and other leaders.

Contractors ordered to stop work at Bayelsa’s NYSC camp EMMA GBEMUDU YENAGOA

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he Bayelsa State Government has directed defaulting contractors to stop work at the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) permanent orientation camp at Kaiama in Kolokuma/ Opokuma Local Government Area.

The Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Mr. Lawrence Ewhrujad-

kpo, gave the directive at the weekend while inspecting ongoing projects in Yenagoa and other parts of the state.

Ewhrujadkpo said one of the defaulting contractors, Osiri Technical, which was responsible for a two-storey hostel block, was asked to stop work due to poor execution of the project, while the other, ACI Concept Limited, was also asked to stop work until its Managing Director report to site to personally

supervise the execution of his part of the project.

Barely 17 years after Bayelsa was created, the state government embarked on the construction of the NYSC permanent orientation camp.

Investigation, however, revealed that the state government was sad over the failure of ACI Concept Managing Director to supervise the project.

It will be recalled that an

ongoing three-storey lecture and seminar halls collapsed on October 4 at the Niger Delta University in Amassoma owing to poor quality of building materials used by the contractor, GEMHIL Nigeria Limited.

At least 50 persons working at the site escaped death when the building collapsed, as one of them was lying critically ill in an undisclosed hospital in Yenagoa.

S

o u t h - S o u t h and South-East governors yesterday resolved at a meeting in Enugu State to work together for the economic development and unity of the two geo-political zones.

The governors said they would remain committed to President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, promising to intensify the pursuit of common interests that would strengthen the economy of the regions.

A d d r e s s i n g journalists on behalf of his colleagues, Cross River State Governor Liyel Imoke, said: “We deliberated extensively on the same issues that we have discussed previously, which we had made privy to you at our last meeting.

“We will continue to focus on economic cooperation, unity and of course the pursuit of our common interest, while remaining committed to the administration of the President.”

It will be recalled that at the last meeting held on September 29 at the same venue, the governors resolved to continue to strengthen economic ties

among the states of the two zones and continue to pursue the development of the zones as well as to prosecute the various infrastructure projects in the regions.

While calling for continued dialogue to resolve national issues and the management of the security challenges in the country to guarantee the continued corporate existence of Nigeria, the governors commended security agencies and the Federal Government for their efforts in managing the challenges as well as for the massive reduction in crude oil theft.

The governors also called on the leadership of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and other stakeholders in education sector to be sensitive to the plight of students by calling off the strike.

Present at yesterday’s meeting were Governors Imoke, Sullivan Chime (Enugu), Theordore Orji (Abia) and Peter Obi (Anambra) Governors of Ebonyi and Bayelsa states were represented by their deputies while Akwa Ibom, Edo, Imo and Rivers states were not represented at the meeting.

Monday, October 21, 2013

PDP in the wilderness

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13

Politics

I think the hawks around President Jonathan are confused... I don’t think they are set out with honest mind and purpose to really help Nigeria by wanting another conference –FORMER NIGERIA’S AMBASSADOR TO SWITZERLAND, YAHAYA KWANDE

Rivers crisis: APC condemns plot to force Amaechi to resign FELIX NWANERI

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he All Progressives Congress, APC, has condemned the reported plot to abduct, blackmail and force the Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi to resign from office, describing it as the last desperate act of those who are bent on getting rid of the governor at all costs.

In a statement issued in Lagos yesterday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said that the plot, which was ex-

posed by the Rivers Peoples Forum, should be taken very seriously, against the background of a similar occurrence in the past and the outcry by Amaechi that his life is in danger.

The party said: “Anyone who thinks this alarm by the Rivers Peoples Forum is outlandish should remember what happened to then Anambra State governor, Chris Ngige, who was abducted and rough handled in 2003 in what is undoubtedly the most egregious violation of democratic institutions in our country’s history.

“The instigators and

perpetrators of the crisis in Rivers are keenly aware that they are running out of options. Their impeachment plan has been foiled by the takeover of the legislative functions of the Rivers State House of Assembly’s functions by the National Assembly, while their plan to declare a state of emergency in the state has also failed, against the lack of support for such act by the National Assembly.

“This is the reason for this last desperate act by an increasingly-desperate Presidency, which may not

exclude a final solution.

We are therefore, for the umpteenth time, calling on civil society and human rights organisations, opinion leaders and indeed all lovers of democracy and believers in constitutional rule to intervene to stop the runaway culture of impunity in Rivers State.”

APC said it is instructive that a day after the Rivers Peoples Forum exposed the plot, the chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Rivers, Felix Obuah, set out to prepare the grounds for the devil-

ish plot when he called a press conference where he accused Amaechi of ‘’insulting and dragging the names of President Goodluck Jonathan and the First Lady, Dame (Dr) Patience Jonathan in the mud.”

The party warned that the madness in Rivers State, which is being carried out under the watch of the Presidency and has made the state’s Police Commissioner the de facto governor with a clear instruction to neutralise the elected governor, should not be seen as an isolated incident, but as

a part of a grand plot and a test run for 2015.

“As we have said before, the crisis in Rivers is being deliberately orchestrated to test the waters ahead of the 2015 elections, with the belief that if the perpetrators get away with the massive impunity in the state, it can then be extended to other states before 2015 to ensure that the polls will be everything but free, fair and transparent, and also to satisfy the yearnings of a President who is obsessed with winning re-election,” APC said.

Confab: Don’t take Tinubu serious, says group OLAJIDE OMOJOLOMOJU

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igerians have been told not to take the former governor of Lagos State and national leader of the All Pogressives Congress, APC, Ahmed Bola Tinubu seriously over his recent statements on the proposed national confab initiated by President Goodluck Jonathan.

The National Vanguard for Democracy and Development, NVDD, in a statement signed by its Public Secretary, Emeka Obinagwu, in Enugu, said that the former governor has reduced opposition leadership, which is supposed to be a revered source of plausible alternative ideas on governance to “theatrical performances and showbiz.”

Tinubu had in recent statements dismissed the

confab as a diversionary tactics by the president, saying there was no sincerity in its conception and that Nigerians should not expect anything from the process.

Obinagwu said: “We have taken pain to read and digest sentence by sentence, words by words, the submissions made by Tinubu, but this time, he got it wrong and we should say so.

“While he agrees on one hand that Nigerians need to talk, he is against the messenger. He is also of the opinion that since past efforts failed, this also will fail. That is extreme pessimism; we believe there is hope for Nigeria.

“That Nigerians needs to talk is not a Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, versus APC matter and should not be politicised at all. This is not a political dialogue, it is national dialogue.”

L-R: Deputy Chief Commissioner, Election Commission of India, Mr. Akshay Rout; Deputy Chief Electoral Advisor of the UNDP, Ms. Kate Sullivan; Independent National Electoral Commission, Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega and Coordinator of International Affairs, Instituto Federal Electoral of Mexico, Mr. Manuel Carrilo, at the 6th GEO Conference in Incheon, South Korea.

INEC to commence online training for ad hoc staff EMMANUEL ONANI ABUJA

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he Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, has said that the com-

APGA sympathizes with Onitsha traders over inferno

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he National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Chief Victor Umeh, has sympathised with traders at the Polythene Dealers Market, Onitsha, Anambra State over the fire incident that gutted the market.

The enormity of the losses after the fire incident made three businessmen at the market to attempt jumping into the raging in-

ferno, in a suicide bid save for their fellow traders who prevented the victims of the fire incident.

While assuring the traders that the APGA government in Anambra State will continue to work hard to ensure the security of lives and property in the state, Umeh called on the traders to be more vigilant, so as to ensure that enemies of progress in the state were not used to set their mar-

kets on fire.

In a message to the affected traders through his media aide, Mr. Stan Okeke, the APGA National Chairman recalled that this being an election season, it will not be impossible for desperate and frustrated opponents of APGA, to resort to mischief making, including setting markets ablaze, to create a false feeling of insecurity in the state.

mission will soon introduce an “online training and certification programme” for those that will be recruited as ad hoc staff in forthcoming elections.

According to Jega, the planned programme, which will be undertaken

by The Electoral Institute, TEI, is part of the electoral body’s determined efforts to “professionalise” electoral duties, with a view to enhancing the credibility of elections in the country.

The idea, according to a statement by Jega’s Chief Press Secretary, Kayode Idowu, is to give an edge to the trainees, whenever an opportunity arose for the recruitment of ad hoc staff in future elections.

Jega, the statement

added, spoke at one of the plenary sessions of the 6th GEO (Global Electoral Organisation) Conference in Incheon, South Korea.

He said: “Inadequacy or lack of professional cadre of electoral officials, is one of the major challenges confronting an Election Management Body, EMB, in a transition to democracy.

“Faced with this particular challenge, an EMB may do one, some or all of the following: Recruitment to regenerate staff, training and retraining, specialised skills provisioning, restructuring and reorganization.”

Jega further observed that there were enormous challenges of capacity building and “professionalisation” of staff, adding

that it aims to address the challenges.

“We are also drawing lessons from other EMBs and especially countries with existing Institutes such as India, Mexico and South Africa. Additionally, we are establishing or strengthening partnerships with local academic institutions, as well as international organisations, to leverage existing resources for capacity building and professional development of INEC’s staff,” the electoral boss said.

Jega said the centre was not only for INEC staff, but also State Independent Electoral Commissions, SIECs, and other election management bodies in West Africa.

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Politics

At a time key political parties were embarking on vigorous campaign ahead of the November 16 governorship election in Anambra State, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has become a shadow of itself.

CHARLES OKEKE reports.

Monday, October 21, 2013

PDP in the wilderness

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ess than a month to the November 16 governorship election in Anambra State, the fortunes of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, continues to dwindle. As it is, the ruling party at the centre remains in the wilderness as the all-important election to elect the successor of Governor Peter Obi approaches.

Already, while key political parties in the contest, like the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA; All Progressives Congress, APC; Peoples Progressive Alliance, PPA and Labour Party have been positioning their candidates effectively for the contest, events in PDP show that it is apparently not ready for the election.

The current happenings in the PDP are reminiscent of the events of the past 10 years marked by consistent war of attrition and self destruction being waged by the leaders of factional groups fighting for supremacy especially in the state.

So far, as it happened in the last election held in February 2010, the PDP is now finding it difficult fielding a candidate in the Anambra governorship election due to the lingering legal battle involving the major factional leaders and their surrogates.

And since the candidates list was released by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, the crisis trailing the selection of the PDP candidate has persisted to the extent that keen watchers of Anambra politics have been asking the vital question: whether the PDP is actually ready to fight for electoral victory in view of the unwillingness of the three party ticket contenders to sheath their swords, embrace peace and support whoever had been chosen to represent the party in the election?

The three contenders for the PDP ticket are Senator Andy Uba, Comrade Tony Nwoye and Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu.

The prevailing animosity among them dates back to 2010 when the duo of Uba and Ukachukwu sought for the PDP ticket and lost and consequently, they parted ways as Uba later contested for the governorship on the platform of LP and lost. On his own, Ukachukwu defected to Hope Democratic Party, HDP, and contested for the governorship post which he lost to the incumbent governor.

Uba and Ukachukwu have since returned to the PDP where they are fighting dirty for its ticket. All sort of strategies, including the legal option have been deployed by the antagonists with the result that each of them has now filed a suit against the other.

Before the PDP primary election was held in the early part of August, news was rife that they had agreed to bury their differences and support whoever emerged victorious at the end of the exercise for overall interest of the PDP members, who are eager to return to power in Anambra.

However, by the time the primaries were held on Saturday August 24, things went awry as the crisis reared its head again to the amazement of party members and admirers.

On a day the contestants were expected to show unity of purpose and act jointly in the interest of PDP, they opted for the

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Uba

Nwoye

Ukachukwu

overkill and went on the offensive and conducted parallel primaries in Awka, the state capital.

The Ejike Oguebego-led State Executive Committee, loyal to Chief Chris Uba held its own primaries at the Emmaus House and selected Andy Uba as its governorship candidate while the Prince Ken Emeakayi-led State Executive Committee acting with the support of the National Working Committee, NWC, conducted its own primaries at the Alex Ekwueme Square where it selected Nwoye as its candidate.

The outcomes of these primaries have opened new chapters in the crisis bedevilling Anambra PDP to the extent that while the other competing candidates and their parties in the contest have since started electioneering, visiting various communities and reaching out to key groups and individuals, the PDP is in comatose as the combatants have been busy moving from one court to another shopping for favourable judgement to outwit one another.

Litigation galore As the primaries were concluded, the PDP leadership announced that Nwoye has been selected as the party’s governorship candidate. Uba did not waste time as he took his complaint to the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State which made an order that INEC should accept him as the legitimate candidate of PDP. The court, presided over by Justice Hyeladzira Nganjiwa has since vacated the order and transferred the case to Awka, Anambr for de novo hearing.

The case filed by Oguebego’s faction is yet to be determined when Ukachukwu went to the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt and secured an order of mandatory injunction compelling the 4th defendant,

INEC, to recognise him and publish his name (Ukachukwu) as the authentic candidate of the PDP for the Anambra State governorship election scheduled to take place on November 16.

The judge declared Ukachukwu the candidate of the PDP in the election on the ground that he was apparently the only qualified aspirant during the primary election held at the Ekwueme Square.

Nwoye had since begun moves to get the court order made in favour of Ukachukwu quashed. Nwoye had through his counsel gone to the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt seeking for an order to compel INEC to recognise him as the flag bearer of the PDP in the November governorship election. He has also appealed against the court order which mandated INEC to accept Ukachukwu as PDP candidate. As it were, these cases were still pending when Nwoye came to Awka recently and was received by thousands of anxious PDP members at the end of which he introduced his running mate, Dr. Amanchukwu Ezike.

The Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu Campaign Organisation has regrouped, preparatory to kick-start electioneering. Already, his supporters were expected to give him a rousing reception in Awka last Saturday, when Ukachukwu expectedly made a triumphant entry into the state capital few weeks after he secured the court order that gave him the PDP ticket. However, this development comes at a time the camp of Nwoye is unrelenting as they move to push Ukachukwu aside as the election approaches.

The Director General of Tony Nwoye Campaign Organisation, Sir Okey Ezenwa,

said: “We appreciate the steadfastness of our supporters for their overwhelming support and we urge them to remain calm, this is not the end of the road, the legal team are still handling the matter; INEC was merely obeying the court order and we say there is no problem. The party and our candidate went on appeal, which is still pending in court and it will be handled expeditiously, there are plethora of cases and we believe that with time all these things will come to an end.”

The optimism of Ezenwa that the problem would soon be resolved has palled into insignificance as the court battles linger with no end in sight even as APC, APGA, PPA, Labour Party notched up their electioneering just few days to the election.

And as the candidates of APC, APGA, PPA and LP have since embarked on aggressive campaigns, putting up strong visibility in towns and villages and unfolding programmes and manifestos, the PDP is nowhere to be found. Those fighting for the party’s ticket are unrelenting as they wage war of attrition among themselves and against the party they are fighting to represent.

It will be recalled that the Court of Appeal sitting in Port Harcourt and which heard the appeal filed by Nwoye challenging the order directing INEC to accept Ukachukwu as candidate of PDP, had after concluding hearing last Tuesday reserved judgement on a date that will be communicated to the parties in the case. The court had earlier dismissed for lack of merit the separate applications for joinder brought by the duo of Oguebego and Uba. However, just as the Court of Appeal was winding up proceedings and making arrangement to give a date to deliver judgement in the appeal filed by Nwoye, the leading counsel for Ukachukwu, Prince Orji Nwafor Orizu, has gone to the Supreme Court seeking for an order to disqualify the panel that heard the appeal at the lower court from continuing any further proceedings in the case or delivering judgement for some sundry reasons.

The problem of PDP is made worse by the fact that the dispute over its ticket is now at the apex court, even at a time the Court of Appeal has not delivered judgement on the appeal filed by Nwoye.

It was therefore not surprising that INEC had on Wednesday refused to release to the PDP its own copy of the current voters’ register during the distribution of same to the 26 political parties that have enrolled candidates for the governorship election.

The State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Prof. Chukwuemeka Onukaogu had on that occasion said that PDP’s copy would not be released due to the pending litigation over the party’s ticket.

The refusal of INEC to release the voters’ register attracted the critical response of Emeakayi, who accused INEC of working against the interest of PDP. And, as Emeakayi attacked Onukaogu for refusing to hand over the voters’ register to him, hell was let lose as Oguebego, his main rival joined in the fray and both of them engaged in a shouting match until the ceremony ended.

And as the belligerent attitude of the PDP contending candidates linger, with the attendant stalemate persisting, will the PDP be able to bounce back to reckoning and puts its house in order and gets a valid popular candidate.

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Monday, October 21, 2013

15

Jonathan’s dramatic denouement MR. PRESIDENT’S REDEFINED

HeartBeat

EXPECTATION HAS

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GENUINENESS OF THE

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ast Tuesday, President Goodluck Jonathan caused a big national stir when he revealed that the outcome of the proposed national dialogue would be sent to the National Assembly for ratification. Hear him: ”…And this national dialogue is even critical and is coming at the right time because the National Assembly is thinking about how they will amend the constitution. So, the results of the discussion, of course, will be passed to the National Assembly”!

The Wednesday newspapers feasted on the story, which qualifies as a bombshell.

And of course, the nation’s progressives did not hide their anger. Any discerning Nigerian would predict the undisguised anger. And for obvious reasons.

First, the statement was preemptive. Mr. President had set up a Presidential Advisory Committee on National Dialogue, which in his own words, would facilitate a most acceptable process that will bring our aspirations to fruition. The Senator Femi Okurounmu-led Committee was inaugurated on Monday October 7, and just when it was raring to go into business, President Jonathan showed his

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PROPOSED NATIONAL CONVERSATION hand. The question? Now that oga at the top has disclosed the nature of the national conversation he has in mind, will the Okurounmu Committee adopt it as a plausible template, treating it as the preferred option of Mr. President?

In that case the Committee will still go on consulting, collate the viewpoints of others, and later write a final report for the boss who gave them the assignment.

Anything contrary would mean a sheer waste of the Committee’s time.

Second, a crisis of trust has erupted on the nation’s firmament by the president’s move. The late American educator, author, businessman, and keynote speaker, Stephen Richards Covey is right when he posited that “the costs of low trust are very real, they are quantifiable, and they are staggering”. Looking at the volume of negative effusions that has greeted Mr. President’s denouement, his credibility rating has plummeted.

Let me remind him of what he had said during the October 7 inauguration

of the Okurounmu Committee: Let me emphasise that this is a national project, a sincere and fundamental undertaking, aimed at realistically examining and genuinely resolving, longstanding impediments to our cohesion and harmonious development as a truly united nation.

Mr. President’s redefined expectation has detracted from the seriousness and genuineness of the proposed national conversation. There is no way the National Assembly could be the clearing house of the outcome of any sincere and fundamental undertaking. President Jonathan knows nothing meaningful would come out of our highly fractious and nepotistic Parliament. The NASS will be a war theatre where the North and South will slug it out. We experienced it in 1977 at the proceedings of the Constituent Assembly put together to look into the provisions of the Draft Constitution prepared by the 49 wise men led by the late Chief Rotimi Williams.

And lastly, the President’s new intent is self contradictory to his earlier exhortation. He had said at the inauguration of the Committee that: Nations rise to the challenges that each epoch presents. It is imperative, therefore, that in our march to nationhood, we have to be dynamic in our approach and response to the problems, even as we seek solutions to them. We cannot proffer yesterday’s solutions to today’s problems.

The reason Nigeria is where it is today in the comity of nations is the fear of our political leaders looking at one another eyeball to eye ball and speaking truth to

When is a nation?

hree weeks ago, Nigeria marked 53 years of her political independence. We need to do a critical evaluation of our progress so as to remind ourselves that the Nigerian Project is yet to mature. Nothing underlines this better than the divergent opinions on the proposed national conversation by President Goodluck Jonathan. Even the very idea of a nation dialogue shows that all is not well with our country; but then the confab could chart the better way forward.

A nation remains a nation when, in the opinion of the people, it is able to meet their existential needs. A nation will only be able to maintain its respect and position in the comity of other nations when it can guarantee prosperity and stability that give room for growth and development. Furthermore, a nation can only be considered developed when it possesses all the indices, the instruments and frameworks that suggest decent and quality standard of living of the citizenry.

Where do we stand in Nigeria today?

Where do we want to be in the future? Can we sustain or improve our present status?

What are our strengths and opportunities?

What are the weaknesses and challenges of Nigeria of the future? The Millennium Development Goals, a framework of eight goals (signed in 2000) that all the 192 UN member states agreed to achieve by Year 2015 should serve as our frame of reference, even if we are yet to score excellently. These goals serve as a benchmark for development policy for all countries, especially those of the Third World

and other societies in transition who are still grappling with life threatening ailments, privations and are also substantially de-linked from global economic opportunities.

Despite our limitless potential and opportunities, our tragedy in Nigeria is that we are still constrained by political immaturity and corruption. Our diversity of peoples, culture, ethnicity and religion which should have been converted to opportunities for development, celebration and international recognition, is now mostly used as weapon of destabilization. Democracy, which is succeeding as a working system of government in many other countries is unfortunately still crude and exploitative in Nigeria. Not just the structure or system of government is weakened in Nigeria by this national malaise, the public service, economy and the value system are also suffering this compromise. So the insecurity and erosion of public morality that are pervasive in Nigeria calls for concern because commitment to national ideals and integrity are of secondary consideration to the average citizen who views the nation with desperation.

In this national misfortune, we often come up with different elaborate and ambitious plans and agenda, which in most instances never went beyond the short-term implementation stage before we introduce a fresh one to rubbish whatever progress we have made before. So, we are often derided, even by less endowed nation, as a country of abandoned projects and unattained vision and goals.

If our currents efforts at reform and restructuring must lead us to an Eldorado, we

DESPITE OUR LIMITLESS POTENTIALS AND

OPPORTUNITIES, OUR

TRAGEDY IN NIGERIA IS THAT WE ARE STILL CONSTRAINED BY POLITICAL IMMATURITY AND CORRUPTION must get to terms with some realities, the first of which is a guarantee of visionary leadership in our leadership recruitment process and the production of committed professional and dynamic successor-generation in our public sector. Secondly, there is the need for national re-orientation and awareness that the seemingly free national wealth of oil cannot last forever, so the need for us to unlock ourselves from the oil dependence syndrome. Thirdly, we must guard against the cultural disorientation and conflict that globalization, modernization and technology are inflicting on our mentality.

Finally, we must intensify efforts at crafting and sustaining a national philosophy built on integrity, justice and public welfare.

The thrust in all this is that Nigeria of the future must have transparency, accountability, responsibility and integrity in leadership as our national core values.

There is also the need to inject dynamism and competition in our public domain now festering with crass political and economic

themselves. If we must be dynamic in our approach to reinventing the country we must play less of politics, but confront the brutal fact.

America had our type of challenges and contradictions within the polity as a young nation; but the resoluteness of the political leaders to surmount the seemingly intractable challenges led to the historic Philadelphia Convention which began on May 25, 1787 and ended on September 17, 1787 to reexamine the Articles of Confederation following independence from Great Britain. They desired a better working country and put everything into it, including, patriotism, trust and sincerity. The delegates elected George Washington as the Convention’s presiding officer. The result of the effort was the creation of the first and only United States Constitution, which has been amended from time to time to address new challenges.

God give Nigeria statesmen and not demagogues and ethnic jingoists. Many of the delegates to the Philadelphia Convention became future presidents of the USA. What legacy does President Jonathan want to leave for Nigerians? May be he wants to be chronicled as one of the hehas-tried-leaders, who believing that government is a continuum, would make a feeble mark and pass on the political baton.This is what I think the President’s game plan is. In this he has the backing of Senator David Mark and Honourable Aminu Waziri Tambuwal led National Assembly.

Mirror of the moment ABDUL-WAREES A SOLANKE korewarith@yahoo.com, 08090585723 (SMS only)

opportunism. There is also a demand for more public deliberation and stakeholders’ involvement and participation in our public policy processes. Certainly, every nation desirous of development has a responsibility to preserve the values which gives it vitality and essence of existence. But it must also be able to re-invent those cultural elements and practices that are capable of holding it down from global relevance and competitiveness.

There is an imperative for Nigeria today to examine the various dimensions of her national cultural practices that are dysfunctional to the attainment of the lofty vision of nationhood as the nation looks beyond 53 and marches into centenary of its existence next year. Despite her internal crises, the beauty is that so many stakeholders in the Nigerian project are working assiduously to sustain the spirit of the Nigerian nation. In these efforts are hopes of our being a true nation.

Send your views by mail or sms to PMB 10001, Ikoyi, or our Email: mail@ nationalmirroronline.net mirrorlagos@ yahoo.com or 08164966858 (SMS only). The Editor reserves the right to edit and reject views or photographs.

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

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On 7% GDP growth projection

resident Goodluck Jonathan spoke quite recently on the projection of his administration’s economic policy to achieve between six and seven percent growth in the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) this year. While declaring open a three-day Annual Management Conference of the Nigeria Institute of Management (NIM), in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, the President, who spoke through the Head of the Service of the Federation, Alhaji Burkar Aji, said the Youth Enterprise with Innovation in Nigeria (YouWin) programme put in place by his government had created over 100,000 jobs, among other issues he raised.

We recall that early in the year, at the 4th yearly Investors’ Conference of the Renaissance Capital in Lagos, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi OkonjoIweala raised the hope of Nigerians when she said that with an average of seven per cent growth rate of the GDP consistently for the past 10 years, the nation’s economy was on the path to ‘more development’.

The minister said that the existing growth was in contrast with an average of 2.4 per cent recorded over the

THE DIVERSIFICATION OF THE ECONOMY, SUPPORTED WITH AGGRESSIVE INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT, WILL MAKE GREATER SENSE previous 10 years. The Federal Government, Okonjo-Iweala claimed, had been able to reduce its recurrent expenditure in the 2013 fiscal plan to 68 per cent, against the 71 percent it was in 2012, et cetera.

In October last year, the international Monetary Fund (IMF), while the World Bank/ IMF Annual Meeting was ongoing in Tokyo, Japan, released a document, ‘World Economic Outlook’, which said “in Nigeria, non-oil GDP growth will moderate with the softer external environment and tighter macroeconomic policies. But a slight rebound in oil output will keep overall GDP growth at seven per cent.”

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and other agencies of the FG had equally expressed exactly the same view. All that is being suggested in conventional economic parlance is that with seven percent GDP

growth, the country is making progress. In other words, Nigeria is developing.

But Nigerians need not be economic experts to be able to ascertain if the country is truly making progress, development wise. Indeed, a seven percent GDP growth for a country that has been literally over-taken by poverty can scarcely be heart-warming or exciting. We are assuming that economists world-wide have agreed on what they mean by ‘GDP’. There is also no doubt that some schools of thought have settled for certain meanings of it in the field of economics. If, however, the problems of externalities; and of unintended economic consequences are brought into the calculations, it would be quickly realized that the assumed sacred science of economics, despite all the mathematical posturing, is akin to history, poetry or philosophy.

How to attain any type of economic growth in a country where over 70 percent of the populations are earning less than $1 a day, to us, is a riddle.

Hungry, illiterate, healthchallenged populations do not produce much wealth. In taking this position, we are not unaware that the unemployment/underemployment rate in Nigeria is grossly underdocumented; and that those

who have any kind of paid employment, including public servants, are sometimes owed salaries for months. The situation is not made easier by the fact that the country is not embarking on any sincere policy that will make food security possible. When agriculture is discussed, the focus is usually on export of agricultural raw materials; and on fertilizer importation and racketeering on such imports.

The seven percent GDP growth projection seems achievable in real terms if the nation’s economy can be diversified soonest, and the country freed from puzzling dependence on crude oil sales. This is even more important when it is realised that neither the government nor those being rewarded with crude oil blocs are in control of what goes on in the oil sector. The diversification of the economy, supported with aggressive infrastructural development, will make greater sense when figures about growth are being bandied around. Whereas such figures do not necessarily reveal the whole truth about the Nigerian economy, they have the capacity to massage the ego of the government and deceive the populace.

ON THIS DAY October 21, 1956 Kenyan rebel leader, Dedan Kimathi, was captured by the British Army, signalling the ultimate defeat of the ‘Mau Mau Uprising’. The Mau Mau Uprising (also known as the Mau Mau Revolt, Mau Mau Rebellion, Kenya Emergency and ‘Manjeneti (Gikuyu)) was a military conflict that took place in Kenya between 1952 and 1960. It involved Kikuyudominated anti-colonial groups summarily called Mau Mau and elements of the British Army.

October 21, 1994 In Seoul, South Korea, 32 people were killed and 17 others injured when the Seongsu Bridge collapsed. The Seongsu Bridge is a bridge over the Han River in Seoul.

The bridge links the Seongdong and Gangnam districts.

The cantilever bridge was completed in 1979 and its total length is 1160 m. It became infamous when it collapsed.

This structural failure was caused by improper welding of the steel trusses of the suspension structure.

October 21, 2003 Images of the dwarf planet Eris were taken and subsequently used in documenting its discovery by the team of Michael E. Brown, Chad Trujillo, and David L. Rabinowitz. A dwarf planet is a planetary-mass object that is neither a planet nor a satellite. More explicitly, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) defines a dwarf planet as a celestial body in direct orbit of the Sun that is massive enough for its shape to be controlled by gravitation.

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Minister of Aviation and one of the trusted and close allies of President Goodluck Jonathan, Stella Oduah, is embroiled in an alleged corruption scandal involving over N225 million spent for the purchase of two BMW armoured vehicles

By Semiu Salami

T

hese are clearly not the best of times for Stella Oduah, Nigeria’s aviation minister and one of the kitchen cabinet members of President Goodluck Jonathan.

Just smarting from the criticisms that trailed her ministry’s handling of the fallout of the various air crashes in which several Nigerians have lost their lives; Oduah is presently embroiled in allegations bothering on corruption and profligacy. She is being alleged to have forced Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, (NCAA), one of the parastatals under her ministry to purchase two BMW armoured vehicles worth over the N225 million for her personal use.

An online news medium, SaharaReporters, had reported on Tuesday last week that the armoured vehicles were delivered to the minister in August.

The medium reported that documents in its possession showed that the transaction for the purchase of the two BMW cars started in June, but the request for the delivery and payment for them was fast-tracked between August 13 and 15, 2013. The transaction involved the NCAA,

First Bank of Nigeria, and Coscharis Motors Limited and according to the report, the two black BMW 760 Li HSS vehicles with chassis numbers WBAHP41050DW68032 and WBAHP41010DW68044, were reportedly delivered to the NCAA on August 13, 2013. They were received by two store managers, F. Onoabhagbe and Y. A. Amzat, who is also the agency’s head of transport.”

When the lid was first blown off the alleged purchases, the ministry and officials of the NCAA attempted to discountenance the report but were forced to recant later when it dawned on them that all the facts relating to the transaction had been leaked to the press.

In what a source admitted to be a volte face, Special Assistant to the Minister on media, Joe Obi, later admitted that the cars in question were purchased for her principal but stressed that the security vehicles were procured for the “use of the office of the honorable minister in response to the clear and imminent threat to her personal security and life following the bold steps she took to reposition the sector.”’

According to Obi, when Oduah came on board as the minister, she inherited a lot of baggage in terms of the concession and lease agreements in the sector, which were clearly not in the interest of the government and people of Nigeria. And so, she took bold steps and some of these agreements were reviewed while some were terminated, and these moves disturbed some entrenched interests in the sector, and within this period, she began to receive some imminent threats to her life; therefore, the need for the vehicles.

Obi however added that the vehicles were not “personal vehicles and were not procured in the name of the honorable minister; they are utility vehicles and are for the office of the minister, and if she leaves the office, she will not be taking the vehicles along with her.”

Interestingly, coming on the heels of what is being perceived as official profligacy is the report that most of the agencies under Oduah’s ministry have virtually been living from hands to mouth and in most cases, unable to buy critical equipment and send its staff for important train-

Oduah

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Jonathan

Melaye

ing.

The NCAA particularly has been under fire lately over a series of mishaps and near crashes involving planes being operated by domestic airlines that were certified fit for flight operations by its personnels. There have also been rumors that the NCAA does not have enough funds to upgrade its equipment, send its employees for critical train-

ing and hire enough qualified hands, while questions are also being raised by industry watchers on the ability of the cash-strapped agency to procure such expensive vehicles.

Though the NCAA’s Director-General, Captain Fola Akinkuotu, had consistently denied the claims of being cash-strapped, highly reliable industry sources told Business Courage at the weekend that some of the agency’s personnel currently training in Manchester, United Kingdom, embarked on the training with their own funds. Besides, Akinkuotu himself is said to have been spending his personal funds for most of the travels.

Interestingly, aviation sources say the claim that the agencies under the ministry are indeed broke may be true after all.

A source close to the Ministry of Aviation told our correspondent that the controversial armoured vehicles may have been bought on credit.

According to the source who preferred anonymity, First Bank of Nigeria Plc stood as a guarantor for the agency with Coscharis Motors Limited.

Apart from the two armoured vehicles, NCAA and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, about four months ago purchased about 800 different brands of vehicles, including Hilux Pick-

Up for their top personnel and even the minister.

It was gathered that FAAN, in the first phase, procured over 250 vehicles for managers ranging from assistant general managers, deputy general managers, general managers and directors. 2013 Toyota Corolla cars were purchased for assistant general managers, deputy general managers and general managers while Land Cruiser Prado were purchased for directors in the agency.

In the second phase, same brands of vehicles in their hundreds were also purchased

by FAAN for its personnel, just as NCAA also procured same brands of vehicles for its staff

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on credit, believed to have been financed by First Bank.

Interestingly, the controversial bulletproof vehicles scandal has now turned the heat on Oduah, whose supervisory role in the ministry and the spate of air mishaps have continued to attract stringent criticisms.

Leader of the Anti-Corruption Network, ACN, Dino Melaye, said his organisation had conducted investigation into the matter and found out that there was no threat to the minister’s life as claimed by his media aide.

Melaye also said the vehicles could have been purchased for far less the amount they were purportedly procured. “There are two questions to ask – was the N225 million appropriated by the National Assembly? Does the purchase of the vehicles not negate the monetisation policy, which says that only the President, Vice president, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, their deputies and a few other public officials should have official cars? If she does not fall into this category, why did they purchase the vehicles for her?

“They claim there was a threat to her life. There was no threat to Stella Oduah’s life. Even if there was a threat, we have done our investigation and we discovered that those vehicles cost less than N100 million.

“You are spending N225 million at a time you claim there is no money for ASUU, at a time you cannot pay statutory allocations to states.

Jonathan administration is the most corrupt administration in Nigeria,” he said.

Ezenwa Nwagwu, Convener of Say No Campaign, Nigeria, SNCN, asked the antigraft agencies to wade into the scandal immediately, insisting that the NCAA officer(s), who authorised the release of the money, should be penalized.

“We have lost about 200 citizens to sheer incompetence and add salt to injury, we are being told that a cashstrapped agency under her had to cough out that amount of money to provide armoured vehicles. In saner climes, she would have resigned. But here we are treated to half truths and excuses.

“What is important now is that an independent inquiry should be set up to look into the happenings in the aviation sector. We cannot be deceived by the so-called reforms. When you renovate 11 airports at the same time, the implication is that it is a hon-

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Business Courage

Monday, October 21, 2013

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Cover ey-pot, after the petroleum sector.

“We must as a matter of urgency beam our searchlight on happenings in the sector.

It is not enough to go round media houses. What Nigerian want now is an independent inquiry into the activities in the sector.

Nwagwu lamented that the Jonathan’s administration kept treating corruption with kid gloves, especially by allegedly shielding Oduah and the Petroleum Resources Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke.

“These are two ministers that can never do wrong in this government,” he said.

Auwal Musa Rasfanjani, Executive Director, Centre for Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, CISLAC, expressed worry over the flagrant abuse of public office, corruption, impunity and constant disregard of public procurement law by some ministers and other public officers under the supervision of President Jonathan.

“We are particularly concerned over the Minister of Aviation who runs the Ministry of Aviation like a personal and private entity.

“Many Nigerians express worries for the various allegations of corrupt practices and outright looting in the name of renovating our airports and the recent scandal of purchasing bullet proof cars without due process and also the allegation of refusal of landing permit to some international airlines who applied but were denied the permit because they did not give bribe to her.

“It is also on record that the National Assembly had conducted a public hearing which found her guilty but yet no sanction was taken against her due to her connection to the President.

“If buying the bullet proof cars is for her own security, then we don’t understand why she doesn’t pay more attention to the safety of millions of Nigerian passengers travelling within the country every year,” he said.

Rasfanjani demanded outright probe of the minister, saying this becomes necessary “in order to bring sanity, transparency, accountability, professionalism, and safety to our aviation industry which is now being characterized by corruption and impunity under the auspices of the Minister of Aviation.”

This, he said, will serve as a deterrent to other ministers and public officers who abuse the trust of their office.

The Airline Operators of Nigeria, AON, through its Assistant General Secretary, Mu-

Akinkuotu

hammed Tukur, described the purchase of the bulletproof cars as unfortunate, saying it showed the high level of corruption in Nigeria.

“This shows how bad things have gone in this country; that the minister has admitted to receiving the cars from the NCAA reveals that they do not care for the people of this country.

“We can see that all these people and parastatals use their offices to siphon funds for anything they want. We think there is no other option but for her (Oduah) to resign her appointment as the aviation minister.

“Also, we call on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to thoroughly investigate the issue, because, some of us had foresight of these things, and we know that there are more coming up soon.”

The Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, ATSSSAN, said the ‘necessary government agencies’ should not hesitate to prosecute anyone found to have played a role in the purchase of the bulletproof cars.

“We have government agencies that can look into such issues as this such as the EFCC. So, these agencies should look into the matter, and if they find out that it is indeed true, they should take the appropriate action,” according to its national President, Ben Okewu.

Debo Adeniran, Executive Chairman, Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, CACOL, noted that Oduah, in order to satisfy her ostentatious life-

style, had by accepting the cars compromised the safety of Nigerians.

“When the minister asked NCAA to buy her bulletproof cars worth $1.6m because of alleged threats to her life, where did she expect them to get the money?

“She expected them to compromise standard of course. It is now clear that the frequent air accidents are products of corruption and incompetence in our aviation sector.”

It would be recalled that several of the air crashes that have occurred in recent times have been partly attributed to human error, occasioned by incompetence and lack of adequate technical know-how on the part of the aviation officials.

In June 2012, a Dana Air crashed in Lagos killing 163 people while the Associated Airlines crash of October 3, 2013, also in Lagos, claimed 15 lives.

A day after the Associated Airlines’ crash, a Kabo Airlines’ Boeing 747-400 plane carrying 512 pilgrims made an emergency landing at the

One of the BMW 760 armoured cars

Sokoto airport with deflated tires and damaged the airport’s Instrument Landing System.

An IRS Airlines Fokker 100 plane carrying 99 passengers also made an emergency landing at the Kaduna airport last Sunday, after developing hydraulic problems mid-air.

Four days after the tragic crash involving Associated Airlines’ Embraer 120 plane, Oduah had described air accidents as God’s will that were inevitable.” She said notwithstanding this reality, the Federal Government would continue to ensure that there were no accidents.

Interestingly, earlier before the bulletproof car scandal blew open, a body that calls itself the Patriots in a petition signed by one Rose Ibekaku had called for the immediate sack of the minister after accusing her of corruption, incompetence and negligence of duties.

Ibekaku in the letter to the Presidency accused Oduah of collecting N158 monthly from the accounts of aviation agencies like the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, NAMA, NCAA, FAAN and other agencies under her.

Ibekaku, in the petition ,alleged that the deductions had successfully crippled the operations of the agencies concerned to the extent that paying staff entitlements has recently become a herculean task. Oduah was also alleged to have a stake in Price Waters Coopers, PWC, which audited various aspects of four agencies at N250m each.

However, the Secretary General of the National Union of Air Transport Employees, NUATE, Comrade Abdulkareem Motajo, said that what is happening in the sector now is not novel to the unions.

According to him, NUATE had severally in the past written petitions to the Presidency, National Assembly and other agencies without any action taken by the government.

He insisted that Oduah should not be removed, but should be probed by the se-

curity agencies in the country, alleging that the industry has been ran aground by the minister. “What is happening is part of what we have been saying in recent time. What is going on today is unprecedented. A lot of things are happening.

“Somebody was talking about the diversion of N19.5bn intervention fund and somehow today, the security agencies are looking into that and the money has been traced to somewhere.

“My union has written a petition to the Senate President, Deputy Senate President, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Aviation over some of the ills happening in the sector till date and not even an acknowledgement was given and if this thing continues like this, you can be rest assured that the sector is not safe and the industry is going to be looted continuously like this.

“As we speak, none of the six parastatals has been able to send its staff for training and others. They owe months of such allowances and leave allowances have not been paid to staff. They are just going from hand to mouth to pay salaries. The minister is taking over N150m per month from each of the Chief Executive Officers and on what grounds we don’t understand,” he said.

Adeniran however believes that “the chicken has now come home to roost. It is no longer surprising that the Minister could ascribe her incompetence to God. “When she asked the NCAA to get her bulletproof cars worth $1.6m (N255m) because of threats to her life, where did she expect them to get the money? She expected them to compromise standard of course! “It is now clear that the frequent air accidents are products of corruption and incompetence in our aviation sector.

“This is the NCAA that does not have enough funds to upgrade its equipment, send its employees for critical training and hire enough qualified hands.

“The truth remains that if NCAA is doing a proper job and not collecting bribes to satisfy the ostentatious lifestyle of Stella Oduah, they would have been able to avert some of these accidents. With proper safety regulations in place, the frequency of air crashes can be drastically reduced,” he said.

For now, no one is sure how the current dust will settle. Will it consume Oduah or will she come out unscathed?

Time will tell. BC

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Business Courage

Monday, October 21, 2013

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News Crop scientist harps on policy consistency

D

r Jabbi Kilgori, a crop scientist in Sokoto, has advocated for policies that are consistent with Nigeria’s quest for food security.

“We need policies that are consistent with our needs and aspirations on food security and the earlier, the better for us,” he said.

Kilgori, is a senior visiting Lecturer at the Crop Science Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto and also the incumbent Environment Commissioner in Sokoto State.

Kilgori who spoke against the backdrop of the World Food Day, said that such policies should seek to boost local food production, rather than depending on imports.

“Similarly, the rural farmers, who are in the majority, should be empowered to produce more food for their subsistence, sale and exports.

“Small-scale, medium-scale and large-scale entrepreneurs should also be further empowered to invest more in agriculture.

“They should be empowered with equipment, facilities, financial services like loans and insurance covers and sound policies to protect local production,” he said.

According to him, such policies should be religiously implemented to curb the menace of obnoxious activities like smuggling.

“Such policies should also seek to stop massive importation and smuggling of food items, like rice, wheat, tomatoes, fish and dairy products, among others.

“Nigeria, should invest more in processing and value addition, as there is always a ready and guaranteed market, locally and for export.

“We also need to enhance self-sufficiency and produce enough to get surplus for exports,” Kilgori, added.

He said that Nigeria has all the resources required for the massive production of food for her citizens.

These resources, he stated, include fertile land, water and human resources as well as active and vibrant farmers.

Kilgori urged that, credit facilities should be properly targeted at genuine farmers who “are ready to invest and have the potentials to effectively utilise the facilities.

“Such gestures should be

devoid of politics, as food does not know politics and you can’t play with it.”

The crop scientist-cumpolitician also stressed the need for government to invest heavily in agriculture to attract more local and foreign investors into the venture.

“Agriculture is the mainstay of Nigeria’s economy and we don’t need to import, Nigeria is capable of being self sufficient,” Kilgori added.

child labour and productivity measurement and standards.

He said that the Transformation Agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan centered on job creation, workers’ welfare and social security.

“Nigeria has taken giant strides at tackling the issues of unemployment and we have recorded tremendous successes which we are willing to share with other participating countries,” Wogu said.

Researcher decries low contribution of insurance to Nigeria’ GDP

O

Garcia

Envoy commends FG’s policies on reducing unemployment

T

he Mexican Ambassador to Nigeria, Antonio Garcia, has commended the Federal Government for its policies, designed to reduce unemployment in the country.

Garcia gave the commendation in Abuja when he visited the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Emeka Wogu, in his office.

He said that his country would like Nigeria to participate in the forthcoming International Congress on Public Policies for Employment and Social Protection,” slated for November in Mexico City.

“We are sure that we can learn together by sharing experiences in order to face our respective challenges.

“All participants will learn from Nigeria, as your participation at the International Congress will be a valuable contribution to the conclusions of the event and a gesture very much appreciated.”

The ambassador said that his country’s willingness to work with the ministry would strengthen bilateral relationships between the two countries.

Wogu, in his response, said that the congress would afford Nigeria the opportunity to showcase its policies and programmes as it related to job creation, skills development,

binna Chilekezi, Principal Researcher, Independent Insurance Researchers (IIR), says insurance industry’s contribution to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is too low.

Chilekezie, who spoke in Lagos on Friday, said the industry had the capacity and potential to increase the contribution.

The researcher advised that to increase the contribution, the operators needed to come up with more insurance products that would be appealing to Nigerians.

“They should also make more people to buy insurance products, improve their service delivery to the insured and finally, ensure prompt payment of claims,” Chilekezie said.

He said that by doing all these, the operators’ revenue generation for the industry would be improved.

According to the researcher, revenue generation was key to improving the insurance industry’s contribution to the nation’s GDP. He said that the operators should do everything legally possible that would make the industry increase its revenue.

Chilekezie said that the more people bought insurance products the more the operators would have more money to increase the industry’s contribution to GDP. He said that the operators should also take micro - insurance serious as it provided a veritable platform for the industry to reach all the nooks and crannies of the nation.

Apapa port

Berger Motor Dealers, have appealed to ports operators to embrace the 48-hour clearance of cargoes to curtail smuggling.

Rawmond Ezenwaka, Chairman of the association, told reporters in Lagos that quick clearance of vehicles would check smuggling of vehicles through neighbouring countries.

Ezenwaka said that delayed clearance of cargoes had returned with vehicles taking up to a week to be cleared. ``It takes at least one week to clear imported vehicles from the port. But in neigbouring countries, it takes about 24 hours to bring out a vehicle,’’ the chairman said.

Ezenwaka said that the delay could force most dealers to bring in vehicles through the bush. ``At least about 80 per cent of our members have stopped patronising Cotonou. Many are now bringing in vehicles through the Lagos ports. This is to show that we are complying with directives of government.

“Only few people still smuggle in vehicles. But I am worried that we pay rigorous duties in Nigeria but our vehicles are delayed before they are cleared,’’ he said.

He added that because of the high duties, dealers make little profit when the vehicles

Motor dealers appeal for quick clearance of cargoes at ports

S

ome importers of vehicles, under the aegis of United

Farmers working on a cotton farm

are sold.

NASC expresses satisfaction with level of cultivation

T

he National Agricultural Seeds Council (NASC) has commended West African Cotton Company over the cultivation of 3,000 hectares of cotton farm in Gombe.

The council’s North East Regional Head, Zamba SamDawughng, said in Gombe that the farm recorded impressive performance in the current farming season ``They have both foundation seed farms and the certified seed farm and the performance of the farms have been excellent. ``The rainfall has been adequate and the growers seem to have mastered the production processes for cotton seeds. ``There are few cases of off-types - that is the varieties are not true to type - it is a common thing in most crops.

We have asked the farmers to remove those ones that are not true to type,’’ Sam-Dawughng said.

He said the council was committed to maintenance of international standard, and therefore, monitored cultivation on the farms regularly. ``What we do is if we instruct you to remove certain

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Monday, October 21, 2013

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News plants, we come back after two weeks or more to confirm if you have complied. You know if you fail to do it, definitely your farm will fail because we want to maintain purity,” he said.

Sam-Dawughng also said that a new seed farm, the Kojoli Farms in Jada Local Government Area of Adamawa, had cultivated about 300 hectares of rice.

According to him, Kojoli farm has embarked on cultivation of breeder’s seed which is also impressive. ``I was satisfied with the performance of the company, especially their breeders’ seed farm. I am sure they will do well and we will have adequate foundation seeds from that company.”

Sam-Dawughng advised farmers to always go to reputable companies to buy seeds for cultivation.

He advised farmers not to purchase their seeds from public markets, saying: ``if you go to the market to buy seeds, you will be cheated.’’

Lufthansa seeks viable Nigerian partner – CEO

L

ufthansa Airline says it is seeking a viable Nigerian partner as it aims to increase air coverage of Nigeria.

Christoph Franz, the Chief Executive Officer of the German based airline whose airline has partnership agreement with Egypt, South African and Ethiopian airlines acknowledged that the airline flies to Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt, but regretted that the airline does not have a local partner in Nigeria.

“There is need for a viable airline in Nigeria for Lufthansa to partner with,” Franz said at an interactive session with some select journalists from different parts of the world at Lufthansa Aviation academy recently in Frankfurt, Germany.

He however said the airline

Franz

is open to discussions so long as the local airlines meet some specifications, adding that the airline holds the Nigerian market in high esteem.

The company has also introduced the New German wings, regarded as the ‘European answer’ started in 2013 in order to position point to point traffic on a strong and competitive footing with the philosophy “Give customers as much choice as possible to allow them to design their own experience.”

It also offers an innovative product that meets individual customer preferences on price and comfort.

Expressing appreciation for customers’ loyalty, Franz said recently that despite the highly regulated industry, the airline will maintain the highest level of reliability, safety and high quality customer service for which it is known worldwide.

The Lufthansa Group, comprising other thriving airlines has been of immense advantage for its customers.

Consequently, apart from heavy investments in first class seats, full fledge business class; the premium economy is being introduced to meet growing demand of customers with a projection of 1.5 million passengers per year, noting that currently, it is 70 per cent first class and 30 percent Business/Premium class.

Baro River Port to be ready in 2014, says minister

T

he Minister of Transport, Idris Umar has said that the Baro River Port in Niger would be completed and inaugurated in the first quarter of 2014.

Umar made the statement at the inauguration of the boards of National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and the Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (NITT).

The NITT board, chaired

by Olusola Akanmode, has 11 members, while NIWA has 18 members with Bashir Dalhatu as Chairman.

According to him, the construction of river ports at Onitsha (Anambra), Oguta (Imo), Baro and Jamata (Kogi) are at various stages of completion.

He said the Federal Government had completed the dredging of the Lower River Niger from Warri in Delta to Baro, a distance of 572km, to facilitate all year navigation through the

Umar

channel.

The minister said that the channel ran through major towns, such as Warri, Onitsha, Agenebode in Edo, Idah, Jamata and Baro.

Umar said with the dredging of the river, goods would be transported over long distances at relatively low rate along the channels.

He said that arrangements had reached advanced stage for the concession of the port, which was opened in 2012.

The minister said President Goodluck Jonathan had constituted a presidential committee to work out a robust strategy on a national dredging programme.

Umar said the programme would involve NIVA, Nigerian Army Corp of Engineers and the private sector.

The minister advised the members of the new boards to be guided by the laws establishing their parastatal agencies in the course of their tenure. ``You are equally expected to work in close collaboration with the Ministry of Transport and the management of your agencies to achieve their objectives,’’ he said.

Responding on behalf of members of the boards, Dalhatu expressed appreciation to the president for the confidence reposed in them and promised that they would not disappoint in their assignment.

He, however, called for the cooperation of stakeholders in the maritime sector to make their assignment successful.

Govt urged to establish more tourism institutes

T

he Chief Executive Officer of Gbadeshire Travels and Tours, Olugbenga Adebayo, has said that the nation lacked the requisite number of tourism institutes for the industry to grow.

Adebayo said in Lagos that the development of the sector would depend on the quality of training standards exhibited by the institutes.

“The existing number of tourism institutes is not only insufficient, but they are only located in major cities of the country,’’ he said.

Adebayo advised the Federal Government to adequately fund the tourism industry.

He said that inadequate tertiary institutions offering hotel and hospitality courses had been the bane of the sector.

“Only Yaba College of Technology and a few others were offering courses in hospitality management. The onus is on us to establish hotel and hospitality courses in each university in the country, `` Adebayo said.

Jamodu

Group cautions DISCOs not to tow PHCN’s importation approach Stories by Emmanuel Ogbonnaya

T

he electrical and electronics sector of the Manufacturing Association of Nigeria (MAN) has cautioned the new power distribution companies (DISCOS) to avoid towing the approach of PHCN in importing components that can be locally manufactured in the country.

The sector called for concerted efforts by government and all stakeholders to enable them locally manufacture components and parts needed for the stabilisation and irreversible transformation of the power sector, in support of the NIPPs, DISCOs, the Transmission Company of Nigeria and the IPPs. The call was made by the group’s chairman, Engr. Reginald Ike Odiah, at a presentation on the sectoral’s group’s experience at the 46th AGM of MAN Ikeja branch.

He said that there must be plans to encourage local manufacturing of basic and supportive components like meters, cables, fittings, transformers, control gears, feeder pillars, and switches among others, stressing that these are components and parts that are needed on a continuous basis by the sector to ensure stability and growth.

“The NIPP contractors should patronise local manufacturers for products that can be sourced locally; the same applies to the IPP and the Transmission Company of Nigeria. The DISCOs should not like their predecessors (PHCN) import electrical products and components that we have or could develop capacity to produce locally,” he said.

He said that the electricalelectronics sectoral group has always raised the alarm that the sector is at the verge of collapse owing to a number of factors which he enumerated to include the granting of waivers and duty-free import licenses to individuals for the importation of products which members have capacity to meet local demand, or develop production capacity where necessary.

The electricity power reform act of 2005 currently embarked upon by the present administration, presents a great opportunity for our sectoral group to effectively retool in support of the massive development in this sector as a result of the reform agenda.

He explained that to achieve this however, there must be adequate assurance and guarantee of the market by government.

“Though waiver has been reportedly suspended since 2012 via presidential orders as a result of misuse, however, if properly applied and managed by government it could help build the economy and create employment, reduce the influx of substandard goods and encourage local production,” he said.

According to him, in the past the process of waiver granting has always been shrouded in secrecy; conceived and executed by a few, thereby creating a feel of economic sabotage and eroding our fundamental rights as citizens to know and make inputs on issues and touch on our lives and businesses.”

He said that now that the issuance of waivers has become sector based it will help to ensure that all concerned within the sector benefit thereby elimi-

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Business Courage

Monday, October 21, 2013

A7 23

News nating individual benefits as has been the case in the past.

In his remarks, the President of MAN, Kola Jamodu charged manufacturers to be alive to their responsibilities and remain prominent in their different sectors in order to maximize government’s policy on incentives and waivers which is now sector specific and no longer accommodates individual companies or manufacturers.

Odumodu

Advance Nigeria’s industrialization, SON urges spare parts dealers

T

he Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) has charged dealers of auto spare parts in the country to take bolder steps by venturing into manufacturing so as to advance the level of industrialization in the country.

The SON director general, Dr. Joseph Odumodu, who stated this assured the auto dealers that the government will not in any way, lay mines or hurdles in the path of those upholding the principles of quality standards in their businesses.

Odumodu, who addressed the traders under the aegis of Auto Spare Parts and Machinery Dealers Association (ASPAMDA) in Lagos, during an awareness and sensitization tour of the market, said that “Instead of just concentrating on importation of these spare parts, you can also aspire to set up factories here in the country.

Doing this, Odumodu said, will help to provide jobs for the teeming unemployed youths, stressing that “with determination and strong-will, we can find sustainable solutions to the challenges of industrialization in the country as we join hands together to move Nigeria forward.”.

He noted that over 95 per cent of the spare parts sold in Nigeria were imported which also implied that for every container load of these goods coming into the country, our traders were also paying to sustain the employment of those producing them in other countries while

we are faced with serious unemployment back home.

According to him, having many brands in the market is commendable as far as the products can be duly traced to its source or origin, however, if our traders have their own brands it would go a long way to ensure their commitments in applying the right quality standards to such products.

He called on the dealers to embrace the new e-registration exercise even as he officially opened the SON help desk at the market to provide assistance to the dealers with the electronic registration of their products without leaving their business environment.

“I want to help promote ASPAMDA but that can only be done when the right standards are in place here, Nigerian standards are equivalent to international standards and we already have laboratories that can be used in testing most products,” he said.

The president of ASPAMDA, Dr. Anthony Ughagwu, praised the efforts of SON in curtailing the prevalence of production, marketing and circulation of substandard and fake goods in Nigeria.

“Our association has been making a lot of efforts also to help check the influx of substandard and fake auto spare parts and allied products into our plaza, and in this regard we have on several occasions petitioned the honourable minister for trade and industries on the unacceptable business involvement and substandard products into our plaza by the Chinese businessmen.”

Dangote seeks stakeholders’ cooperation for $9bn refinery project

A

fter successfully mobilizing funds for his $9 billion investment in refining and petrochemical sub sector of the petroleum industry, President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote has declared that only an enabling environment provided by all stakeholders in the industry remains a panacea for any meaningful investment in the local oil and gas industry for the growth and development of the nation’s economy.

This is even as the organised labour declared its support for the project and hailed his business doggedness for pioneering the efforts at establishment of local refinery that will guarantee sufficient local consumption and export.

Speaking as the Chairman at the third Quadrennial Delegate Conference of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) in Port-Harcourt at the weekend,

Dangote

Dangote warned that the dream to refine and produce petroleum products for exports will not come to fruition unless the Federal Government musters the political will to drive to its logical conclusion the ongoing reforms in the oil and gas industry.

The Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), according to him, is a bold step that was initiated to correct perceived flaws in the industry as it is intended to address structural, policy and managerial issues in the Nigerian oil and gas sector.

Dangote who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Engr.

Joseph Makoju, said the bill which has been designed to enhance the value of the sector for the Nigerian people, also seeks to plug identified loopholes in policies and management agreements and by so doing improve transparency and efficiency of the sector.

“When the PIB is fully signed into law, it is expected to address observed weaknesses and abuses by operators and stakeholders, eliminate corruption and restructure the industry in order to make it more responsive to social and economic needs of both Nigerians and the investors in the sector.

“It is now generally accepted that successful passage and signing of the PIB into law is vital to the growth and development of the Nigerian petroleum industry. Amongst other things, it will help address gas flaring, which is a perennial and highly contentious issue in the industry, and by improving the empowerment and buy-in of host communities, it will ultimately curtail youth restiveness in the Niger Delta region.”

Addressing the gathering on “Reforms in the Oil and Gas Industry: Catalyst for National Growth and Development, What Prospect for the Attainment of Decent Work Agenda?”, Dangote said the labour unions play crucial roles in the economy.

“You are the voice of the workers in the oil and gas sector, which is the mainstay of the nation’s economy. This therefore places enormous responsibility on you to enhance the stability of the economy and create a peaceful and enabling environment that will attract investors like the Dangote Group to

invest in growing the nation’s economy. You have performed excellently well in this regard and you deserve special commendation.

“It may be of interest to this particular assembly to learn that the Refinery and Petrochemical Complex as well as the Fertilizer Plants, shall be served by an Off-site Truck Parking Stop, built entirely to international standards with the linkage of all its amenities and communication to the Complex.

A communication and electronic monitoring system will be established on each land access route to the Complexes to ensure there will be no chaotic traffic congestion near the Complexes.

The project will result in the largest Refinery/Petrochemical/ Fertilizer complex in Africa.

Explosions: LG. summons tank farm owners

By Francis Ezem

W

orried by the increasing cases of fire explosions and attendant risk to lives and property, the Apapa Local Government Area of Lagos has summoned all operators of tank farms within the area with a view to finding ways of averting future occurrences.

The Lagos State Government had two weeks ago sealed up a local storage facility within residential area in Olodi Apapa, which exploded mid night in which two buildings were razed thus rendering many homeless, though no life was said to have been lost.

Council Manager of the Apapa Local Government Area, Oladele Williams, who spoke in an interview, disclosed that the management of the Local Council was no longer comfortable with the incessant cases of fire explosions in the area due to the operations of these tank farms.

According to him, the government is equally no longer happy with the traffic situation in that part of Lagos, which has brought about untold hardship to the inhabitants of the area and other people who have one thing or the other to do in Apapa.

He disclosed that the government recently was left with no alternative than to summon the owners of the tank farms to a stakeholders’ meeting, where the issues on ground were laid on the table and discussed extensively.

“We had to summon the owners of these tank farms to a series of stakeholders’ meeting, a jaw-jaw kind of thing with a view to drawing a road map on the possible ways out of the problems and their responses so far have been encouraging and we hope to address the issues in

the interest of everybody at the end of these sessions”, Williams had said.

It was also gathered that the series of meetings have been ongoing, as all the burning issues are expected to be tabled and thrashed.

The council manager however hinted that at the current level of the discussions, all the issues are expected to have been fully discussed by the end of the year to pave way for the implementation of the agreements to be reached in the new year, with a view to address all the issues.

On the question of whether the council would support repeated calls for the relocation of these facilities, he said: “The Council is not looking at that for now; we believe that their operations can be monitored and controlled and as long as we can do that effectively, their relocation will not be necessary for now”.

The council boss however called on truck drivers around the area to consider other road users to check the perennial road traffic that has over the years crippled business activities in the area including port operations.

The Olodi-Apapa explosion, which occurred around midnight at 12 and 14 of Edmor street, by Wilmer Crescent in this ever- thickly populated area was said to have re-awakened the consciousness of the Lagos State Government as to the danger posed by these tank farms, especially those located within residential areas.

Meanwhile, a petroleum product receiving storage facility belonging to MRS Oil Services Limited, one of the petroleum product marketing companies in the country located at its Jetty in Apapa area of Lagos last year went up in flames, injuring no fewer than four and in which property worth millions of naira were destroyed.

Group executive director of MRS, Hajia Amina Maina, who lamented the loss, had said the disaster would disrupt the business of the company, given the magnitude of its impact on the facility and the losses incurred.

According to her, in addition to the destruction of its 25,000 tonne-capacity barges and parts of the company’s premises, several imported products awaiting collection by their importers were also destroyed by the inferno, which also spilled over to Five Star Logistics’ car park, a neighbouring vehicle terminal, which is located 500 metres away.

She however assured that the company would resume normal operation as soon as possible, as it has already commenced a clean-up operation on all aspect of the company’s premises affected by the inferno. BC

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Business Courage

Monday, October 21, 2013

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Global News

Hu Jintao, Chinese President

China’s economic growth speeds up

C

hina’s economic growth picked up pace in the Julyto-September period, the first rise in three quarters.

The world’s second-biggest economy grew 7.8 per cent from a year earlier, up from 7.5 per cent expansion in the previous quarter.

The official figures also showed growth in industrial output, retail sales and fixed asset investment.

After years of blistering growth, China has seen its pace of expansion slow recently and there have been fears that growth may slow further.

China has set a growth target of 7.5 per cent for the year. Analysts said the latest numbers indicated that it was likely that Beijing would meet this.

“This is an indication that China’s economic growth is holding up in a range which is within the comfort zone of both the Chinese policymakers as well as global watchers,” said Song Seng Wun, a senior economist with CIMB Research.

Over the past few decades China has relied heavily on its exports and manufacturing sectors as well as governmentled infrastructure spending to help boost growth.

However, a slowdown in key markets such as the US and Europe has hurt demand for its exports.

As a result, it has been trying to spur domestic demand to offset the decline in foreign sales and also to rebalance its growth.

Earlier this year, it unveiled fresh measures to help boost the economy.

From 1 August, China has suspend value-added tax (VAT) and turnover tax for small businesses with monthly sales of less than 20,000 yua yuan ($3,257; £2,125). aid the move The cabinet said would benefit more re than six million small companies and boost employment and income for millions of people.

Policymakers said

they would also implement measures to simplify customs clearance procedures, cut operational fees and facilitate the exports of small and mediumsized private enterprises.

The cabinet also announced plans to completely open China’s railway construction market to private investors to develop the sector further.

It said it would set up a railway development fund, with the initial money coming from the government.

Analysts said the moves were starting to have an impact on the growth numbers.

There are concerns that China’s property market, a key driver of growth, may be overheating “There is certainly a buildup of momentum among the small manufacturers, which is an indication that China’s policies targeted at them are working,” said Tony Nash, vice-president at IHS. Factory output rose 10.2 per cent in September, from a year earlier. Meanwhile, retail sales rose 13.3 per cent and fixed asset investment jumped 20.2 per cent during the month from levels a year ago.

Toyota to recall 885,000 vehicles

models, after fears that an initial recall last year did not fix the problem.

Toyota’s latest announcement puts the number of recalls over the past two years at nearly 20 million. That is far more than the number it called back in 2009 and 2010 widely seen as the worst years for its reputation.

In September, it recalled 615,000 Sienna minivans in the US to fix a lever problem that could cause vehicles to shift out of park mode “without the driver depressing the brake pedal”.

Toyota said at the time that it was aware of 24 “minor accidents” due to the issue.

In recent weeks more than 2.2 million vehicles have been recalled.

Analysts said the recalls could have an impact on its reputation with the customers.

“Repeated recalls definitely dent the image of any carmaker,” Vivek Vaidya, an auto analyst with consulting firm Frost & Sullivan told the BBC. “If you have one big recall, it is still manageable. But if (a company) calls back different vehicle models at different times for unrelated issues, customers tend to have a re-think about your quality assurance.

T

oyota is recalling 885,000 vehicles to fix a problem that could cause a water leak from the air conditioning unit.

It said water could leak into the airbag control module, causing a short circuit and triggering a warning light.

In some cases, airbags “could become disabled or could inadvertently deploy” and in limited cases the power steering function could be disabled, it added.

The models affected by the recall are the Camry, Camry Hybrid, Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, and Venza made in 2012-13.

Some 847,000 cars will be recalled in North America, while the rest will be in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

A spokeswoman for Toyota said that it had received reports of two minor injuries due to the issue, but there had been no reports of any vehicles crashing.

Last month, the company called back more than 780,000 vehicles in the US to address a suspension defect in its RAV4 and Lexus HS 250h

Page

Google shares record highs after latest results

G

oogle has reported a profit of $2.97bn (£1.84bn) during the July -September period, beating expectations.

The company missed forecasts during the last quarter.

However, a closely watched measure, cost per click - how much advertisers pay to place an advert - declined by eight per cent from the same period last las stt y s year.

Shares in the company jumped to an all time high in after hours trading, rising six per cent to $941.25.

Google boss Larry Page said in a statement that: “Google had another strong quarter with...great product progress”.

Overall, paid clicks increased by 28 per cent from the same time last year, and were up eight per cent from the previous quarter.

This is taken as a good sign by analysts, as advertising makes up the dominant share of Google’s profits.

The company’s troubled Motorola unit continued to be a drag on the figures, however. It lost Google $248m, despite the launch of the flagship Moto X phone in August.

In a call to discuss earnings with investors, Page highlighted just how dominant mobile has become among consumers.

He said that 40 per cent of users reached YouTube through their mobile phones compared to just six per cent two years earlier.

Analysts were closely watching how Google is faring in this mobile transition, particularly as it relates to advertising.

Google charges less for mobile than for its traditional web browser ads, which is why even though ad sales increased throughout the quarter, the cost per click figure declined.

Research firm eMarketer estimates that the mobile ad market worldwide will grow 89% to $16.65bn this year; up from $8.8bn in 2012.

Google’s market share in the ad market is 6.9 per cent.

This has recently slipped slightly as rival Facebook has made inroads. Facebook now has 14.9 per cent of the market, a jump from nine per cent last year.

In a personal move, Page said that he would no longer be participating in every earnings call. While he said this move was intended to better prioritise his time, many observers noted that his voice remained strained after surgery to repair an injured vocal chord.

Schlumberger profit rises on strong drilling worldwide

S

chlumberger Ltd, the world’s largest oilfield services c company, ompany, reported

Venza

Camry

Avalon

Kibsgaard

a better-than-expected 20 per cent rise in quarterly profit as offshore drilling increased in North America and demand from the Middle East and Asia rose.

The company, which topped analysts’ profit estimates for the eighth consecutive quarter, said a seasonal rebound in Canadian drilling also contributed to a record quarterly revenue.

“Performance in North America was particularly strong,” Chief Executive Paal Kibsgaard said.

Though he said prices for onshore services in North America remained weak in the third quarter, Schlumberger has been shielded from subdued demand thanks to its exposure to an offshore drilling boom in the United States, Canada and beyond.

Schlumberger generates nearly 70 per cent of its revenue from operations outside North America. The company said international drilling activity in the quarter was led by the Middle East and Asia, including its key markets of Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

Baker Hughes Inc , the world’s third-largest oilfield services company, also reported a better-than-expected quarterly profit, driven by strong drilling activity in the Middle East and Asia Pacific.

Schlumberger’s net income rose to $1.71 billion, or $1.29 per share, in the third quarter, from $1.42 billion, or $1.07 per share, a year earlier.

Revenue rose nearly 11 percent to $11.61 billion.

Analysts on average had expected earnings of $1.24 per share on revenue of $11.58 billion, according to Thomson Reuters.

Schlumberger’s shares closed at $91.43 on Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange.

Shares of Schlumberger and rival Halliburton C Co (HAL.N) have bo both risen pe about 17 percent pa three in the past month while months, B Baker H Hughes’ shares have gained six per cent. BC

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Business Courage

Monday, October 21, 2013

He does not belong to the league of well known industrialists, business moguls and billionaires, but he is richly endowed with some of the best principles of entrepreneurship.

He has combined both scholarly and practical disposition to entrepreneurial development to attain a higher ranking in Nigeria’s industrial landscape. He is indeed, the master entrepreneur, he is Dr. Ausbeth Nnamdi Ajagu, Chairman, Betcy Group of Companies

By Adejuwon Osunnuyi

I

n the Nigerian entrepreneurship terrain, especially in the billionaire club in which many of big and known entrepreneurs in the country belong, Dr. Ausbeth Nnamdi Ajagu’s name might not easily ring a bell. But to a large extent, this renowned political economist and industrialist’ credentials remain quite intimidating. Ajagu is an academic, business colossus and political economist, who has contributed immensely to advance the cause of economy in Nigeria.

As a matter of fact, his humble background where discipline and moderation remain the watchword might have prompted his being described by his close associates as a ‘silent billionaire.’

“I‘m from a humble background, my parents never joked with discipline. I remember then in Secondary school, I disobeyed my senior and was flogged and given punishment of washing the toilet for two weeks; I ran home thinking my parents would support me, they pursued me back to school and at the end, I washed the toilet for three weeks instead of two.. That is why now I can wash toilets and do anything at home without looking back, as a matter of fact, I teach my house girls how to clean up and all that when they are newly employed, with my wife, I was also taught how to cook and do all the house chores.”

Though a political economist and industrialist of great accomplishments, Dr. Ajagu is more reputed for his transformational leadership qualities in corporate governance in Nigeria. Like all patriotic Nigerians, his political sagacity is not defined by a Machiavellian approach to politics. Rather, it is the way and manner he touches lives that stands him out.

His meteoric rise in his profession is, therefore, not a surprise, because according to him, “diligence comes with a divine promise that we will stand before kings.” In the private sector of the Nigerian economy, Ajagu led an intellectual revolution in entrepreneurship and has built a legacy in what has become a reference point in professionalism and political discourse.

The last child in a family of eight, Ajagu was born on October 26, 1965 at Asaba, though he hails from Nimo in Njikoka in Anambra State. He attended Oneh Primary School, Asaba, Delta State from Continued on pg A10

Ajagu

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Business Courage

1971 to 1976 while he later attended Osadedenis High School from 1976 to 1981; Federal School of Arts and Science, Sokoto, 1981 to 1983.

In pursuant of further education, the young Ajagu attended then Bendel State University (now Ambrose Ali University) Ekpoma, 1984 to 1987 and later the Lagos State University, Ojo, Lagos from 1995 to 1996 and 1996 to 1997 where he obtained Masters Degree in Legal Studies, specialising in Administrative Law. He won the Overall Best Graduating student (Masters Degree) at the Lagos State University in 1997 and later proceeded for a Ph.D in Business Administration in Californian Coast University, United States.

Trained in Political Science, Legal Studies and Business Administration, Ajagu started his working career with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) where he worked as an administration officer from 1988 to 1989. He also had a stint with Hiuna Nigeria Limited before becoming the business manager of Fafinc Nigeria Limited from 1991 to 1992. His journey into the entrepreneurship world began with the establishment of Betcy Group of Companies where he is the group executive chairman.

Betcy Group of Companies has interest in oil and gas, construction, engineering, manufacturing (Assemblers of farm Power Tractors), properties, real estate and the hospitality industry. He owns the Oak Hotels, Lagos and Oxford Hotels, Abuja. He is equally the Executive Chairman, Oak Hotels, Lagos, Oxford Hotels, Abuja and Goldfish Insurance Brokers Limited.

The Betcy group comprises Betcy Investment, Betcy Properties and Betcy Industries as well as Betcy Media. While Betcy Investment is an arm which deals in Civil / Structural, Electrical, Mechanical and Water Engineering Consortium; On & Off Shore Technical Services, its noted for its being a major engineering consortium that has successfully executed Civil/ Structural, Electrical, Mechanical and Water Engineering Projects/Services as well as providing oil field equipment and spares to the Nigerian oil sector, public and private sectors.

Betcy Industries Limited is well noted in the area of assembling and supply of mechanized farming tractors. Betcy Industries Ltd has over the years been the choice of most farmers with its range of power farm tractors Betcy range of tractors backed by the latest Asian technology was manufactured to ease the difficulties experienced by farmers in agricultural production as well as make room for massive production of agricultural produce at “a most efficient cost”. Betcy range of Power Tractors as attested by most of its customers is rugged, durable and highly affordable. They can be tailored to meet various needs which include: Clearing /Crushing, Tilling /Ploughing, Cultivation, Harvesting, Bush clearing, Weeding, Irrigation and Electricity generation.

Monday, October 21, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

‘

We need to help reduce the unemployment rate in the country, because, being a manufacturer for over 10 years and being a strong member of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, MAN, I was also the Chairman of the Industry Committee of the Institute of Directors (IOD) of Nigeria, I know that there is a lacuna, a void that needs to be filled. People go into business without first studying the business and sooner or later they close shop and they become depressed

‘

A10 26

Betcy Power Tractors which have been certified by the National Centre for Agricultural Mechanization (NCAM) Ilorin as the most improved technology over all former power tractors ever imported into Nigeria is operator-driven. According to NCAM reports, “the break system is very efficient and the comfort of the operator is guaranteed.”

The company also provides after sales services as the power tractors are backed with guarantee, full after sales service, and total technical support.

For Ajagu, his Betcy Media is another arm which has remained one of the cash cows for the group. Betcy Media as a subsidiary company of Betcy Group of Companies engages in media related activities both print and electronic. Under its print media activities, Betcy Media engages in professional book publishing and undertakes editorial work on manuscripts.

Producing books of diverse interests and subject matters, from conceptualization to writing, and production, its core interests in book publishing include, Children’s Books (Fiction, Reality, Spiritual, Education, etc.), Motivational Books (Self -help, Inspirational, Vocational), Biographies (Writing & Publishing), Biographies ( Writing, Publishing and Consulting), Novelettes, Plays, Playlets, Poetry & Prose, and so on.

Other areas of its core competences include Public Speaking (Motivational talks, specialized papers’ presentation, women and youth based talks, professional speeches for groups - private and corporate) as well as organising and packaging seminars, corporate and private events.

An industrialist, entrepreneur, author, public policy analyst, Ajagu is also a revered motivational/conference speaker, who has to his credit over 300 published articles and library works which include the bestselling books titled “The Entrepreneur”, “Roadmap to True Greatness”, “Building A Virile Nation… The Private Sector Perspective” and “The Secrets of Winners”.

As a prolific writer, his thoughts have covered all imaginable problems that any coun-

try in the process of building is likely to face. Given his wealth of experience, in one of his highselling books, Building a Virile Nation: The Private Sector Perspective, he attempts a systematic approach to harnessing the resources of a nation and galvanizing such to propel the country to a respectable status among the comity of nations.

The best-selling book charts a course for sustainable economic development of nations as well as for propelling individuals to success in any endeavour. This collection is a major guide for governments and policy makers at all levels as well as budding and practicing business executives. It is expected that the readers shall be challenged, inspired, and empowered by some of the issues raised.

Dr. Ajagu is a National Council Member and past alternate Chairman, SMI Committee of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Chairman of Amuwo-Odofin Industrial Group as well as 2-Star Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary International.

Between 2000-2002, he was the Chairman, Anambra State Oil Palm Development Agency Board; Member, Presidential Technical Committee on Road Maintenance (2002-2003) and was until recently, a board member of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) and National Inland Waterways. He is also a Director Standard Alliance Capital Ltd. Dr. Ajagu, is also the Chairman, Board of Trustees of Youth & Gender Network, a renowned and famous NGO;s a member of the National Technical Working Groups of the Vision 20:2020, The Presidential Job Creation Committee, as well as a member of Nigerian Economic Summit Group. He is also a board member of the National Centre for Agricultural Mechanization (NCAM).

A fellow of the Institute of Directors’ (IoD) Nigeria, Institute of Corporate Administration of Nigeria; Institute of Cost Management, Nigeria and the Chartered Institute of Finance Consultants he also served as Chairman of Institute of Directors Industry Committee (2003 – 2007); and fellow; Academy

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for Entrepreneurial Studies, Nigeria (AES).

He was awarded the prestigious national honour of a Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR) in December, 2007 by late President Umaru Musa Yar’dua.

Ajagu belongs to the perfectionist school. His belief that things should be done in the right way has seen him not compromising mediocrity as he believes “if you plan well you save ninety percent of failure.”

Though a trained lawyer, Ajagu never practiced as one.

He however admitted his admiration for the legal profession.

“I had always admired lawyers.

Besides, there was the need for me to advance my knowledge.

That was why I decided to study law. If I have my way, I would know everything in this world.

But that is not possible. When you are knowledgeable in many areas, you talk authoritatively and give incisive analysis of whatever topic you want to discuss.

“While political science broadened my knowledge of what goes on in government, how governments are formed, how they are run, the dynamics, power interplay, all the gimmicks and challenges, the politiking, electioneering, and all that; legal studies helped me a lot. Before I studied law, I was not able to do my legal agreements. There were some pronouncements that were alien to me. But with my knowledge of law, I have to read in between the lines when you bring any legal thing for me to sign and I will be able to defend myself logically. It added a lot to my impetus as a man and as a business man,” he said.

For Ajagu, there are two areas of Nigeria’s national life that seem to be his major concern.

These are the state of manufacturing and educational sector.

While he feels that the manufacturing sector is yet to take its pride of place as the engine of growth, the educational sector, he believes, has come to a stage whereby the Federal Government needs to declare a state of emergency in order to return it to the enviable height it once enjoyed in the past.

“The manufacturing sector is supposed to be the engine of growth as it were than any other sector, especially in developed world, but in Nigeria, I don’t know if it is the right thing or so because with due respect to the economy and Nigerians, the economy has been largely made up of imported goods.

“Short of saying that Nigeria is a dumping ground. For any country that desires growth, desires industrialisation and production in terms of reducing poverty, that country must take manufacturing seriously by promulgating laws that will encourage local manufacturing and also support the patronage of locally made products. Unfortunately in Nigeria that is not the case,” he lamented.

On the educational sector, he observed that the level of education is on a downward trajectory, which is neither healthy for the country nor the manu-

Business Courage

Monday, October 21, 2013

facturing sector. “These days, you can hardly see a graduate who can write. In every ten graduates, only two can write.

The graduates we are churning out now with due respect are not employable. We are not interested in paper qualification but what you have up there.

“And to a large extent, you don’t even blame the students.

A situation where somebody is supposed to graduate within four years but because of ASUU and trade union strike he graduates after seven years he has lost track. He has become disillusioned and discouraged so at that time, he is not thinking of how to benefit in terms of information given to him by the lecturer but how he was going to graduate and leave the school” As a multi-talented entrepreneur, his horizon appears limitless. For instance, he initiated the establishment of the Academy for Entrepreneurial Studies, Nigeria (AES), collaboration between the organised private sector and public sector in line with the government Public/Private Partnership initiative.

AES is involved in leadership, entrepreneur studies and training. Principally, the inspiration for the academy, according to him, came as a result of the fact that entrepreneurship education in Nigeria was becoming too expensive for the ordinary man. Thus, it was founded to deliver quality business education at very affordable costs, given the present high costs in some business schools.

According to Ajagu, the AES project was borne out of the conviction that quality business education is of an absolute necessity for any nation that deserves to expand its fortunes and be developed. “I saw the potential and invited others to join hands to make it a reality.

AES is a means of adding value to God’s creation. It is a means to help put smiles on the faces of human beings.

“We need to help reduce the unemployment rate in the country, because, being a manufacturer for over 10 years and being a strong member of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, MAN, I was also the Chairman of the Industry Committee of the Institute of Directors (IOD) of Nigeria, I know that there is a lacuna, a void that needs to be filled. People go into business without first studying the business and sooner or later they close shop and they become depressed. Some commit suicide, some resort to all kinds of obnoxious and criminal activities.

But, if they can be schooled, then they will be better off in the enterprise,” he said.

Ajagu’s belief is that though not everybody can or has the brain to go through the rudiments of a university or polytechnic education, he reasoned that “even those people who went through the four walls of a university or polytechnic do not necessarily have the prerequisite practical experience because, the skills one gathers in school is completely different from what obtains out there, “ “Most of the textbooks in entrepreneurship, before I came

Ajagu

up with mine, were tailored on English or American societies and did not take cognisance of the peculiarities of the Nigerian situation. Coming from a background where things work, some of their postulations would not work in Nigeria. So when we study these principles and ideas, they do not work here.

Thus, I felt there was need to localise the principles of leadership and entrepreneurship and that was what gave birth to the Academy for Entrepreneurial Studies. I went further to write a book, which, as we speak, is the only book on entrepreneurship endorsed and marketed in Nigeria by the IOD.” No doubt, the AES project has been a huge success. Since its coming, it has been able to deliver the same quality of education in leadership and entrepreneurship to the generality of Nigerians at very affordable rates. So far, AES has trained over 9,000 people from the private and public sectors.

“Suffice it to say that it is one of the leading institutes for leadership and entrepreneurship training in Nigeria, under the initiative. We impact positively through quality training, mentorship, et cetera but more importantly, we make sure that we entrench the spirit of enterprise, excellence, hard work in them.

We also ensure that best practices are adhered to, all targeted at positively changing their mindset. We believe so much in leadership by example, so we inculcate this, too, in them.

Aside from that, we also use the institutional network to grow the right calibre of Nigerians we need for now and in the future,” he stressed.

As at present, the AES has three categories of membership, namely Associateship, which is meant for non-graduates and undergraduates in universities and other tertiary institutions and people who have been into entrepreneurship, but without formal qualifications. The Full membership category is made up of graduates and people al-

ready practising entrepreneurship in Nigeria while the third category is the Fellowship Category, which is comprised of people who have distinguished themselves in their chosen professions.

However, with the AES gaining more credibility and acceptance, the need to have more members in its fold prompted the establishment of AES Excellence Club principally to fasttrack national growth as well as be a think tank for the Nigerian project.

“We found out that, after a few years of our existence, there were people who felt, as it were, they are above these categories.

These are the ministers, the governors, and chief executives of banks, insurance companies and the likes. So, we came up with an idea that since we are ready and able to still train these people at their level by inculcating the same best practices, there was a need to institute an intellectual club. That was how we gave birth to the AES Excellence Club, principally to fast-track national growth as well as be a think tank for the Nigerian project.

“It is Nigeria’s intellectual club and it is not for all-comers.

The entry criteria are stringent.

Prospective members must have good and unquestionable character, they must be excelling in their chosen profession, and, above all, they must be patriotic and passionate about the Nigerian project,” he stressed.

Indeed, Ajagu’s AES has been able to record tremendous progress. The likes of President and the Vice are members as well as are some state governors and ministers and chief executives of organisations, opinion leaders, vision shapers, et cetera are notable members.

Goldfish Insurance Brokers Limited, one of Nigeria’s leading independent insurance brokers is another brainchild of Dr. Ausbeth Ajagu. Founded in 2002, Goldfish Insurance Brokers Limited has been rewriting the standards for service

A11 27

and quality in the complex risk management industry. Through the Ajagu’s uncommon way of doing things, Goldfish aspiresto be a client’s broker of choice by consistently exceeding expectations.

“We are not just another insurance company. With years of experience in the business and an established client base throughout the country, we pride ourselves on our professional approach as well as our independence and are committed to remaining so.”

As a leading insurance broker, it is noted for its being fast, flexible, open and responsive to all customers’ insurance needs.

It uses all of its resources, people, experience, wit and courage to deliver outstanding results for all its clients, regardless of their size, their insurance requirements or location.

Goldfish Insurance Brokers has been repackaged by some dynamic and successful Nigerians with the corporate objective of not only creating a standard service network but also restoring the confidence in the brokerage industry.

Led by Ajagu, the board of directors is made up of highly reputable and dedicated entrepreneurs who have distinguished themselves in different fields of human endeavor.

Ajagu has maintained that Nigerians should imbibe the culture of perseverance, courage, and respect for the dignity of men and women if we do not wish to confine ourselves to the level of mediocrity. Through scholarly work, newspaper articles, public lectures and other kinds of interventions, Ajagu has contributed regularly to the national policy dialogue in the finest tradition of the public intellectual, seeking not to appear clever for the moment, but to illuminate, advise, admonish and throw up alternatives.

A man with progressive political conviction, he canvasses his views on policy, economy and democracy. He argues consistently that leadership at all levels should be fair, just and reasonable and not parochial and greedy. He maintains that leadership should be responsive to the yearnings and aspirations of the Nigerian masses and create the enabling business environment that will promote and sustain democracy.

In one of his well-known interventions in academic discourse, titled: “Roadmap to True Greatness”, he argued that greatness and success come only by the observance of sacrosanct and time-tested values and ideals that cannot be compromised.

From Ajagu’s leadership testimony, Nigerians can infer that the success of the nation and indeed of an organisation, depends on its leadership and good governance practices.

Good leadership is required for effective performance of any organisation, therefore, good corporate governance is equated with good leadership and that an organisation’s approach to issues of governance reflects the true nature of its ethics and integrity. BC

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Business Courage

Monday, October 21, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

ThebuddingEntrepreneurs

With many companies closing up, workers retrenched almost on a daily basis and the rate of unemployment on the rise; Ogunmuyiwa Adewale Adisa, a graduate of Industrial Chemistry chose not to join the labour market in the same way most of his friends did- rather, he opted to create job for himself and many others

By Biodun Alade

D

isturbed by the increasing spate of unemployment and retrenchment in the labour market, especially among graduates occasioned by the harsh working environment that has forced most companies to either shut down or relocate to neighbouring countries, Ogunmuyiwa Adewale thought of how to address the challenge and better his own lot in the process.

Unlike most of his peers, his approach to earning a living was distinctly different from those of his peers. Rather than seek for the jobs that were not readily available or live in the fear of being sacked or retrenched because the company can no longer continue in business; he decided to be an employer of labour, thus becoming an entrepreneur.

“What motivated me was the desire to employ people, contribute to the economy and reduce the unemployment level in the country,” disclosed Ogunmuyiwa Adewale in an interview with Business Courage.

The graduate of Industrial Chemistry from the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), added that so many things convinced him not to seek paid job. “As an industrial chemist, I discovered that we have a lot of challenges in this country especially infrastructural deficiencies which has more or less led to the shutting down of industries. “So I asked myself what

do I have, what can I do with it and how do I put it to best use? I discovered my talent as a creative person and that is what has empowered me as an entrepreneur,” he added.

He then concluded that rather than seek for job, he will seek out his talent and abilities- what he finds joy in doing and that is well received and appreciated by his environment. To him, it is an asset that has been deposited in every individual and the finetuning of the talent is imperative to self-empowerment.

Ogunmuyiwa did not wait to graduate before putting his creativity to work. As an undergraduate, he was always sought out to design proposals and most graphic works in the school, earning little money from it to support himself.

During his mandatory one year of National service, he took a step further by serving as an industrial chemist consultant for cottage industries within his domain and today, he is the Chief Executive Officer of Starworld Concepts, dealing in multimedia production, including publishing, web design, animation for movies and montage.

The company also offers business support services, advertising and promotional materials inclusive with the aim of helping companies to reach their target customers and clients. “It gives me joy that apart from empowering myself and employing a good number of people that might have been otherwise jobless, I am helping a lot of companies to stay in business while we have also been able to rescue others

Adisa

from going down through our business support services,” he said in an interview.

He acknowledged that there were challenges but he never permitted fear to ruin his dream, stressing that rather than give in to the challenge, he always look out for the solutions to the challenges.

Like most startups, his initial challenges were finance and training. The challenges were enormous and there are still challenges as at today,

but he said that he has come to realise that challenges are part of every business and your ability to overcome will position your company rightly. “At inception, there was the challenge of finance and training. On the issue of finance, I was able to tackle it because I have read volumes of books on how to start a business, how to start business with other peoples’ money, raising money for business, starting small among others; so I will

say I have loaded myself with enough materials and I just went back to my study room to map out the solution to the challenge.

“I decided to divide my needed capital to ten small parts, identified people that can help me out with it and I approached them. The money was small that most people helped while some did not. I am grateful to those that responded then while others that did not respond then marvel at the success I have recorded so far.

“In every business, there is always financial challenge and you must solve it. On the aspect of training; I did not have a background in commerce or financial related issues, so, I bought professional books on management, accounting, and marketing and study them. I then practicalise them by applying them to the business and today, we have clients in Nigeria, UK and other parts of the world,” he said.

Ogunmuyiwa stressed that it is the duty of every entrepreneur to make his or her business to work by working hard and smart. “It is not enough to work hard, you need to work smart as well because things will not work except you make them to work, that is why I marveled when people think that luck determine the success of a business. You must not keep working hard at a direction that is not yielding the desired result, there might be the need to re-strategize and that is what I called working smart,” he noted.

He recalled that when he started, some of his friends

Management Principles

How to develop a Risk Management Plan

D

eveloping an effective Risk Management Plan is an important part of any project, but unfortunately, is often viewed as something that can be dealt with later. Issues often do come up though and without a well developed plan, even small issues can become emergencies.

There are different types of Risk Management and different uses that include calculating credit-worthiness, determining how long the warranty on a product should last and calculating insurance rates. In this document, we will look at Risk Management from the standpoint of planning for adverse events.

Understand how Risk Management works.

Risk is the effect (positive or negative) of an event or series of events that take place in one or several locations. It is computed from the probability of the event becoming an issue and the impact it would have (See Risk = Probability X Impact). Various factors should be identified in order to analyze risk, including: Event: What could happen?

Probability: How likely is it to happen?

Impact: How bad will it be if it happens?

Mitigation: How can you reduce the Probability (and by how much)?

Contingency: How can you reduce the Impact (and by how much)?

Reduction = Mitigation X Contingency Exposure = Risk – Reduction After you identify the above, the result will be what’s called Exposure. This is the amount of risk you simply can’t avoid. Exposure may also be referred to as Threat, Liability or Severity, but they pretty much mean the same thing. It will be used to help determine if the planned activity should

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Business Courage

Monday, October 21, 2013

A13 29

ThebuddingEntrepreneurs

Adisa

and confidants disagreed with him, advising him to seek the white collar job but he refused to be discouraged in pursuing his dream because it brings him joy, thus highlighting the importance of happiness in doing business.

He stressed that an entrepreneur should be driven by the desire to add value and impact the sector he finds himself.

“A good number of people are working today, earning good salary but not happy and fulfilled because they are not realizing the potential in them; they end up working for money. I believe I need money to work for me, I am happy doing business interactions with people rather than wait for 30 days for a salary with a load of outstanding bill before the salary is paid,” he submitted.

He identified poor infrastructure, including poor road network and epileptic power supply as some of the banes of doing business in Nigeria, stressing that if the challenges are tackled, there will be economic revival in the

country.

Ogunmuyiwa advised the government to encourage entrepreneurship in the country, especially among the teeming youth by redesigning the tertiary institution curriculum to include the study of entrepreneurship as a core course and the setting up of an agency to monitor and groom young entrepreneurs.

“The curriculum in the tertiary institutions should be redesigned to accommodate entrepreneurship as a core course with the execution of a particular business project that will involve all the students. This will be a good training for the students and prepare them ahead. The government can make it easier by having policies and programmes that encourage entrepreneurship, possibly create agencies to disburse soft loans, link them with mentors, monitor them and see them grow.

“This will go a long way in encouraging young graduates to go into the labour market as employer and not as employees.

take place.

This is often a simple cost vs. benefits formula. You might use these elements to determine if the risk of implementing the change is higher or lower than the risk of not implementing the change.

Assumed Risk If you decide to proceed (sometimes there is no choice) then your Exposure becomes what is known as Assumed Risk. In some environments, Assumed Risk is reduced to a naira value which is then used to calculate the profitability of the end product.

Define your project Let’s pretend you are responsible for a computer system that provides important (but not life-critical) information to some large population. The main computer on which this system resides is old and needs to be replaced. Your task is to develop a Risk Management Plan for the migration. This will be a simplified model where Risk and Impact are listed as High, Medium or Low (that is very common especially in Project Management).

Get input from others Brainstorm on risks. Get several people together that are familiar with the project and ask for input on what could happen, how to help prevent it, and what to do if it does happen. Take a lot of notes! You will use the output of this very important session several times during the following steps. Try to keep an open mind about ideas. “Out of the box” thinking is good, but do keep control of the session. It needs to stay focused and on target.

Identify the consequences of each risk From your brainstorming session, you gathered information about what would happen if risks materialised. Associate each risk with the consequences arrived at during that session. Be as specific as possible with each one. BC To be continued

It will drive the economy; reduce unemployment and social vices among others. I must confess that as at present, most entrepreneurs are doing it out of doggedness and restiveness because the working environment is not conducive,” he said.

He also admonished the youth to learn the art of making money rather than continue in the act of spending money, pointing out that most Nigerians are always willing to spend money without thinking of making money. He opined that a survey will reveal the amount of money spent daily by most young people with very few of them making money or adding to their income or asset.

“It is a very bad habit among our youths because how can you keep spending money without earning. You cannot make headway by spending without adding to your asset base because it is the asset that makes you and not the liabilities and expenditure acquired; every young person should start building their asset base because it will be useful for them now and in the future,” he said.

Ogunmuyiwa also noted that most Nigerian youths are too reluctant to discover their talent or put it to use but always in search of what they do not have, all in the name of been like a particular person. He noted that every entrepreneur must look inward to develop his/her talent, polish the talent by making it attractive and marketable; strengthen the knowledge about a chosen field and develop the art of customer relationship and marketing among others.

“Look inward-what do you have, don’t look at what you don’t have. What you need first is the idea not the money. Don’t be quick to write proposal of millions. Make your idea people oriented, marketable and attractive and people will drop money for the idea. Update your knowledge about the trend on the economy; learn how to improve your customer relationship, marketing, and presentation of idea by buying books and studying them.

“Training is important, either formal or personal training, do everything possible to acquire it. You must be ready to spend money to develop yourself; so whatever the talent is, better it by the acquisition of the needed knowledge.

“Do you know how to sing, fine-tune your voice, do you make people laugh, do you like to talk, motivate people; think about what people appreciate in you and you can make money from it by researching and executing it. Remember that as an entrepreneur; you will pay yourself, so you must be motivated and not afraid in doing business. Challenges will always come and you must be ready to face it,” Ogunmuyiwa said. BC

Personal Finance

Five main drivers of corporate success

“I

t is not the strongest of the species that survive, not the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change” – Charles Darwin Whatever got you where you are today will not be sufficient to keep you there. A rapidly changing environment is the regular background against which organizations must develop.

Change is continuous and will become more rapid as we move forward over time. Senior management must be capable of reacting to those changes and be prepared to take advantage of them and yet stay within the overall framework and agreed strategy.

The role of strategy is fundamental if the people within an organization are to be enabled to make the level of contribution of which they are capable. Strategy, based on a good grasp of the core competencies of a business, is an essential precursor to achieving optimal shareholder value.

The world’s leading organisations continuously seek to improve their performance. There may be unlimited potential for achieving accelerated improvement but if this potential is not being realised, good change agents must line up and mobilise all the forces (or drivers) for improvement.

There are five main drivers for improvement in organizations: Strategy Lean operations Balanced culture Customer responsiveness Leadership Strategy sets direction and gives focus to improvement. It must however be deployed throughout the organisation to be effective.

Processes need to be mapped and analysed in a methodical way; projects must be managed; problem symptoms traced to root causes; data must be collected before decisions are taken; trends in customer preferences detached and fed back; improvement activity of any kind reported on and coordinated; improvement action measured. Just about everything should be done to a discipline.

A balanced culture means effective, creative management of people. Customers are served by people; processes are managed by people.

Only people can deliver quality improvement.

For them to work well they must be empowered, given direction, measured, reviewed and success recognised.

Customer responsiveness keeps the organisation focused on customer needs, reactions and changing requirements.

Finally, leadership ensures that everyone is enthused and supported to work on the strategy, improve processes, served customers and active team players. BC

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Business Courage

Monday, October 21, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

The hope of achieving the much touted National database draws nearer as all government agencies requiring identity verification and authentication services are to link up with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) infrastructure latest by December 31

By Adejuwon Osunnuyi

A

t last, Nigeria appears to be moving nearer to achieving the much touted integrated data system, otherwise known as National Identity database.

In a move seen as putting an end to the clamour for agencies of the Federal Government acquiring their own separate database, President Goodluck Jonathan last week directed all the 14 government agencies requiring identity verification and authentication services or involved in data capture activities to link up with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) infrastructure latest by December 31, 2014.

Flagging off the enrolment for the issuance of National Identification Number, NIN, otherwise known as new National ID card by the NIMC, President Jonathan charged the NIMC to ensure that by that date, persons eligible for registration as provided for in Section 16 of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Act No. 23, of 2007 are enrolled into the national identity data.

Launching the NIN scheme, which has the slogan “Enrol Once and Be Identified for Life,” Jonathan said the way forward is harmonisation of database of different agencies of government. The president’s position may have puts an end to efforts by the Nigeria Police and other agencies to start a fresh database for all vehicles in Nigeria and their owners.

The president directed the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr. Ngozi OkonjoIweala, to ensure that the objective of the project, which is aimed at streamlining biometricallylinked databases and optimising scarce resources, are accomplished on record time.

Bemoaning the cost of operating multiple discordant databases and infrastructure in the country, which he described as unsustainable, the president said that government cannot afford the continued proliferation of data capture activities. “The proliferation does not grant any advantage in efficiency; neither does it make good economic sense. The growing identity verification needs, therefore, calls for harmonisation and integration of identity databases and the devel-

opment of a universal service infrastructure,” he said.

To Jonathan, Nigeria must join the global trend towards Identity Management and Centralised National Identity Database. Emphasising the imperative of the scheme, Jonathan noted that “if the work of law enforcement officers must be enhanced; if consumer credit is to be accessible; if we are to reduce the cost of managing the naira cash component currently estimated at N192 billion per annum; if we are to reduce the amount of currency in circulation currently put at N1.93 trillion; if we are to achieve a multiple pronged approach to the fight against corruption; and if we are to introduce social security or welfare payments, then we must, first and foremost, establish and verify appropriately, the identities of individuals”.

The President noted that private sector participation would mean extended optimisation of resources typically devoted to addressing issues of proof of identity across the nation, adding that it would also mean seamless integration and use of a common facility for identity verification and authentication, in both the public and private sectors.

The President stated that while government remains committed to the accelerated development of the National Identity Management System (NIMS), the private sector must also rise to its role.

Towards this, he said that corporate operators must seize the unique opportunities provided by the concession agreement, to make investments in the scheme.

“Private sector participation would mean extended optimisation of resources typically devoted to addressing issues of Proof of Identity across the nation. It would also mean seamless integration and use of a common facility for identity verification and authentication, in both the public and private sectors.”

Expressing regret that valuable time and resources expended in the past at delivering an effective identity platform have been met with limited success, Jonathan stated that “as we recalibrate our efforts, we must avoid the pitfalls of the past and stay focused on achieving results.”

The President also explained that the country cannot be an exception to the global trend towards identity management and

Jonathan

Onyemenam

centralised national identity database, stressing that there is a growing quest for specific databases and identity verification by several government institutions and private sector organisations.

Jonathan said that aside from being unwieldy, the cost of operating multiple discordant databases and infrastructure was unsustainable and that government cannot afford the continued proliferation of data capture activities as such does not grant any advantage in efficiency and neither does it make good economic sense.

The president said that it was in realization of this that he set up a committee chaired by the vice-president to fashion the modalities required to institute a central demographic database. “The committee has recommended that the NIMC and the National Population Commission (NPC), despite their separate obligations, work more closely, to complement each other and help deliver urgently a comprehensive centralised national database.

According to him, an ascendable and flexible system that provides for expansion and upgrading in line with technological advances is a necessary infrastructure that we must be equipped with, to meet our contemporary goals in building the nation.

He said the management of NIMC must now drive the important project with all the seriousness it deserves, stressing that the nation must move deftly to discount time lost so far as failure is not an option.

It would be recalled that for many years, many stakeholders

including IT professionals have always advocated that government should create an integrated national database which will feature information about all its citizenry. According to them, the benefits of this simple idea are quite enormous.

A unique database from where different public and private organisations can assess and pull information, with needed data to tackle issues bordering on security such as criminality and terrorism is essentially important.

Instead of doing this, government has either completely ignored the calls or pay lip service to it by creating crash programmes of same.

For example, billions of the country’s resources has been wasted on printing of national identity cards, registration of voters especially during elections, conducting population census and many other resource-wasting programmes.

It is befuddling to note that all the various agencies of government such as the defunct Directorate of National Civic Registration (DNCR), Independent Electoral Commission (INEC), National Population Commission (NPC) saddled with these responsibilities create different databases in the course of achieving their goals. This would have been unnecessary if only a national database exists.

Same data, such as name, date of birth, place of birth, local government area, state of origin, occupation, etc are repeatedly being sourced from individual citizens during the course of his/her lifetime. Examples include enrolment in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions, opening of

bank account, application for employment and other registrations.

The National Identity Database project was conceived in 2006, in the wake of the failure of the National Identity Card project, and its subsequent rejection as a means of identification by commercial banks.

Given the overwhelming importance of Identity Management system in any nation, the Department for National Civic Registration (DNCR) transmuted into the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) in 2007, under the Obasanjo administration; and was saddled with the responsibility of creating the National Database for the country and also issuing the General Multi Purpose Card through a Public Private Partnership Initiative.

Director General of NIMC, Dr Chris Onyemenam said the ID card is not the focus, it is the data base. The private sector will issue the card after the data base is established. They will provide card acceptance devices with which verification can be done.

In other countries, such projects are sponsored by the government but because it is capital intensive, countries like UK, USA, created an arrangement to enable agencies cross check what everybody wants to know.

“They go through various data base to confirm the identity of a person. They have electronic data bases that are running on the same principle. But in Nigeria, we don’t have that. The one we have is the finger print identity and it is focus only on issuing card, not identity management. We are having a data base which will include everybody and all parastat-

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Business Courage

Monday, October 21, 2013

Technotalk

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with Esther Ozue (ozueesther@nationalmirroronline.net) 08059234648 (sms only)

Disruptive technologies and practices as good managers’ albatross

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Okonjo-Iweala

als that deal with people. What they just need to do is to connect with us and get what they want.

“The data base itself is government’s responsibility because of its sensitive nature. But what we want to do is to try as much as possible to reduce the cost for government for this reform, which is why we are bringing in the private sector. In terms of collection of data and populate the data centre, the private sector is responsible for that.”

National Identification Number (NIN) is a non-intelligent set of numbers assigned to an individual upon successful enrollment. Enrollment consists of the recording of an individual’s demographic data and capture of the ten (10) fingerprints, head-toshoulder facial picture and digital signature, which are all used to cross-check existing data in the National Identity Database to confirm that there is no previous entry of the same data. Once this (de-duplication) process is completed, the data is then stored with a unique NIN that was assigned to it.

According to NIMC, once a NIN is issued to a person, it cannot be used by any other person, even if the previous person is dead. The NIN helps tie all records about a person in the database.

The benefits include the issuance and use of the National Identification Number (NIN) and the National Identity (smart) Card, protection from identity theft and fraud by providing a simple, reliable, sustainable and universally acceptable means of confirming your identity at all times, providing an easy and convenient means of proving one’s identity

anywhere in Nigeria and beyond and helping reform our political process by facilitating the electoral process.

Others include making it harder for criminals to use false, multiple or ghost identities through the enhanced performance of the Law Enforcement Agencies protecting people from crime, especially Advance Fee Fraud and terrorism; ensuring no ghost worker exists in governments’ payrolls; managing our national currency; and deepening of the Consumer Credit System, which will in turn create employment opportunities and raise the standard of living of Nigerians.

The self-service is for those that have access to the internet and literate enough to fill them online. You will be able to preenrol online by accessing the Enrolment Form via the NIMC’s website or any of the Registration Centres.

After filling the form properly, you will print out the Summary Sheet with a 20 Barcode and Registration ID number. This Summary Sheet will be presented to the Enrolment Officer at the Registration Centre in your location, who will verify and confirm the enrolment data on the system, thereafter, your photograph, fingerprints and signature will be captured as this cannot be done online.

For verification of the claims of your information, you will be required to present primary source documents to the Enrolment Officer before you are fully enrolled under the NIMS. Such documents include; birth certificate, evidence of address of residence, educational qualification, etc.

In the case of assisted-service, you will pick up an Enrolment form from any of the Registration Centres or the Mobile Registration Centre, either fill the form yourself or request for assistance from an Executive Assistant or a Support Officer. The form will then be submitted to an Enrolment Officer who will input the data into the system. You will verify and confirm the enrolment data on the system; and thereafter your photograph, fingerprints and signature will be captured.

At the end of the registration, your enrolment will be acknowledged and a slip generated and given to you, indicating the completion of the enrolment process at that point in time. This will then enable you to have a tracking ID so that you can monitor the process through a service call centre till you get your NIN and, subsequently, your ID Card.

While it would take a matter of seconds, minutes, hours or a week to get one’s National Identification Number, it would take about a month for the owner to get his/her Identity Card. The Identity Card would be useful in everyday life. Areas of particular interest where it would be used are application for and issuance of International passport, opening of individual and or personal bank accounts as earlier mentioned, purchase of insurance policies, subject to the provisions of the Land Use Act, the purchase, transfer and registration of land by any individual or any transaction connected therewith and such transactions pertaining to individuals as may be prescribed and regulated by the Pensions Reforms Act, 2004. BC

isruptive technologies and practices can cause good managers to fail. Good managers fail when the rate of change disrupts their ability to cope using existing management practices.

Companies stumble for many reasons like bureaucracy, arrogance, poor planning, short-term investment horizons, inadequate skills and resources. Keeping close to customers is critical for business success as long-term growth and profits depend upon a very different managerial formula.

Taking the entire company as a team will help you to understand how limited one’s actions are to influence the forces that propel the company’s growth. Thinking about a business system, we must have a solid understanding of adaptation and innovation which is focusing on the dynamic rather than the static.

As the market structure is changing, there is need to respond to new knowledge through innovation. And as you quickly analyse the opportunity presented by the innovation, perception must also be taking into consideration.

Market leaders that carefully pay attention to what customers need and then invest heavily in new technologies still lose their market leadership suddenly. This can happen when disruptive technologies enter the stage.

Most technologies improve the performance of existing products along the dimensions of performance in relation to the criteria which existing customers have always used and provide the customer with better, cheaper, faster versions of the same product through innovation . These technologies are called sustaining technologies while disruptive technologies allow some businesses to prosper while causing others to die. It creates an entirely new value proposition.

Disruptive technologies practices are only relevant when the environment changes such that traditional practices no longer produce the necessary level of success.

To maintain their share prices and create internal opportunities for employees to extend the scope of their responsibilities, successful companies need to continue to grow disruptive technology in other for good managers not to fail.

By every traditional measure of a good manager that is, one who listen to customers, pursue higher margin business, invest prudently in manufacturing capacity, and generate huge financial return, you need to keep the track because competitor’s attack from below that is from lower cost, fewer feature products which were not seen as threats by good managers until it was too late.

Organization’s capabilities reside in two places. The first is in its processes, the methods by which people have learned to transform inputs of labour, energy, materials, information, cash, and technology into outputs of higher value. The second is in the organisation’s values, which are the criteria that managers and employees in the organisation use when making prioritisation decisions.

Adaptive software development, in my opinion, will replace more traditional sustaining practices. Management practices in high technology firms are different from those in more traditional industries because high technology firms respond to the marketplace with what works which is fast, and respond quickly to customer needs.

Also, good managers often fail because the very management practices that have allowed them to become industry leaders also make it extremely difficult for them to develop the disruptive technologies that ultimately steal away their markets.

Well-managed companies are excellent at developing the sustaining technologies that improve the performance of their products in the ways that matter to their customers.

This is because their management practices are biased toward listening to customers, investing aggressively in technologies that give those customers what they say they want, seeking higher margins, and targeting larger markets rather than smaller ones. BC

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Business Courage

Monday, October 21, 2013

these tablets,” said a senior official at NITDA, said.

The Minister of Communications Technology, Omobola Johnson, who recently commended the effort of the Osun State Government on the Opon-Imo initiative, however, expressed her disappointment at the use of foreign companies and the outright purchase of finished goods for the laudable project.

Opon-Imo

Stakeholders want govt to catalyse local OEMs’ growth Stories by Kunle Azeez

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he Nigerian Computer Society, NCS and other key stakeholders in the country’s Information and Communication Technology industry have called on government at all levels to serve as catalyst for the development of indigenous Original Equipment Manufacturers, OEMs, in the country.

The stakeholders, who spoke at this year’s conference of the NCS in Osogbo, argued that, in both advanced economies such as the United States and all of western Europe; and in new strong markets such as China and India, government serves as a catalyst in engineering the growth of local ICT Original Equipment Manufacturers OEMs. According to the stakeholders, who spoke on the sideline of the Opon-Imo initiative by the Osun State Government, government’s role in growing local OEMs should be expressed through heavy patronage, right policy thrust and the creation of an enabling environment to allow the locally produced products to compete globally in a way that will ultimately strengthen the local economy.

The Osun State government recently launched the Opon-Imo initiative to bring computers to the classroom with a view to transforming the educational landscape in the state through Information and Communication Technology tools.

Under the initiative, about 50,000 tablets imported from Chinawere distributed to students in the initial phase of the scheme as part of the deliverables from the Chinese technical partners.

Another 150, 000 are expected to be manufactured locally from the Ghanaian RLG Communications that has berthed in Osun to do business.

While many industry stakeholders have commended the state’s scheme, they,

however, affirmed that the government has shot down the policy on driving local content foisted round the desire to promote Made-in-Nigeria devices.

They stakeholders also believe that, the Opon-Imo scheme was costing the state government so much in terms of foreign exchange that could have been recycled locally to beef up the local computer manufacturers, saying that by so doing, the state would enhance the capacity of the local companies to provide more jobs for Nigerians.

According to analysts, government was ill-advised on the Opon-Imo scheme, stressing that the foreign companies in no way stand close to any of the local PC makers such as Omatek Computers Ventures Plc and Zinox Computers, among others.

NCS spokesman, Jide Awe, who canvassed the need to get local ICT companies engaged in implementing government’s ICT projects and warned on the danger of undue patronage of foreign companies at the expense of growing local capacity and content.

“We should strive at reducing our huge importation of IT consumables that are locally manufactured,” he said.

A Lagos-based IT analyst, Durojaiye Onibudo, also said though the Opon-Imo initiative was commendable, the government failed to follow through with the goal for local content.

“How can Osun State fail to form partner with Nigerian local manufacturers of computers and application providers?

Why China and why this RLG when the country boasts of bigger and stronger players? Why didn’t they open the entire process to competitive and transparent bid? This government has done a lot to allow itself to be enmeshed in controversy over shoddy deals,” he said.

The Nigerian Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA, has also urged government at all levels to key into the made-in-Nigeria campaign.

“The Osun project should be praised by every reasonable Nigerian but it needs to be refocused to get local companies involved. Nigerian companies can and are already producing

Paga partners Bus. com.ng to boost N26.8bn transactions

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mobile payments company in the country, Paga is partneering with Nigeria’s leading online bus ticket pre-booking engine, Bus.Com.Ng, to provide alternative ticket payment channels, in a move that will lift its record to over N26.8 billion so far processed this year alone.

Paga currently has almost a million users, over 3,500 agent outlets in 150 towns and cities across 25 states and in 2013 alone, has processed over 2.4 million transactions worth over N26.8 billion.

Bus.com.ng, a subsidiary of SPARK, owned by Jason Njoku and Bastian Gotter of Iroko TV partners, which provides customers with a convenient platform to compare and book bus tickets for up to 60 top operators in the country.

This partnership will allow bus.com.ng customers to utilise Paga’s secure and easy to use payment options to pay for bookings online at www.bus. com.ng, via SMS and through the vast Paga agent network.

Commenting on the partnership, the Chief Executive Offcier, Bus.com.ng Amy Muoneke, said through the deal, his company as bringing bus travel into the 21st century and eliminating the traditional stress associated with buying tickets by offering customers the convenience of planning their trips well ahead of time.

“With our online and call back booking services, customers no longer need to get to the bus park hours in advance to buy tickets and run the risk of not getting on a bus. Creating the ultimate stress-free ticketing experience for the customer is what makes this partnership with Paga so vital.

“Now customers are not limited to cash, or having a

Muoneke

debit card to use our services and even more importantly by tapping into Paga’s vast agent network, there are now more convenient payment points than ever to pay for your trip,” he said.

Paga is an indigenous mobile payments company that allows users to send/receive money, buy airtime and pay bills and merchants like Bus.com.ng; and many more through their payment platform which is accessible online at www.mypaga.com or through their agent network.

Since receiving its full Central Bank of Nigeria operational license in August 2011, the company now has over 700 merchants.

According to the Head, Merchant Services at Paga, Nwaji Jibunoh, “Bus.com.ng is one of the many innovative online merchants currently changing the e-commerce landscape in Nigeria and we are excited to have this opportunity to partner with them.”

He said, “Additional bonus Paga brings to this already stress-free service is the convenience of alternative payment options for customers who do not have access to debit cards or who aren’t comfortable using their cards to make purchases online. By selecting Paga as a payment option, registered Paga customers can pay for their tickets online without having to use a debit card or reveal any card details.

Infinix Mobility targets higher market share in Nigeria

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nfinix Mobility, a joint venture co-invested by MobiWire (ex-Sagem Wireless), a lean and agile ODM creating mobile device, and Earning Way, manufacturer of smart devices only, has expressed its commitment to offering durable and affordable smart[phone devices for Nigerian consumers.

The company, which made the promise during a grand finale of its ‘Dream Big’ promo where six winners have emerged as winners, also said it was set to boost its current 10 per cent market share in smartphone sales in the country.

The company, which made its debut in the Nigerian market in February, this year, said the promo, aimed at making Infix Mobility’s customers’ dream come true by rewarding their loyalty, was also directed at creating more visibility for the company and its smartphone brands.

The Infinix x570 Alpha smartphone, which is its flagship mobile device, around which the promo was built, is specifically targeted at the stylish African consumers, who desire trendy features and attractive physical look for their

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phones.

The phone is a quad core device with 12MP camera.

Driven by the fastest Quad core 1.2 Ghz processor to guarantee the best performance. It uses Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean OS with over 800,000 free applications. It also has 16GB built-in and a corning gorilla glass 2 Protection (anti-scratch).

Meanwhile winners of the promo, who emerged at a baffle draw held at the Slot retail outlet at the Ikeja Computer Village at the weekend, include Peter Awotimayin, who won the grand prize of N500, 000; as well as Nick Okpara, Femi Enitan, John Gbrika, Abimbola Olubunmi and Nkechi Nwosu, five of whom won N100, 000 each.

During the one-month consumer promotion, designed to reward the loyal consumers, consumers who purchased the smartphone during the period were given a raffle slip where they were expected to state their wishes.

Over 10,000 people participated in the promo while the consumers with the best 20 wishes were invited to the grand finale where the six winners emerged.

Some of the wishes include holiday trip to Dubai; trip to London to watch Chelsea play; Infinix Mobility brand ambassador; a trip to visit a law library abroad; a trip to watch Arsenal in London; a dinner with a favourite celebrity; tuition for post graduate studies; a trip to France and trip to Old Trafford stadium, Manchester to watch Manchester United play.

Expressing his delight at the event, grand winner, Awotimayin, said, “I am so excited to be the grand prize winner of this consumer promo. I was surprised when I got the invitation to this ceremony. I didn’t believe I could win but here I am. I thank Infinix Mobility for this wonderful consumercentric disposition.”

According to him, “Beyond this reward, I have been enjoying the smart phone since I bought it. I particularly love the smart feature where I just need to swap my hand in order to take pictures. I don’t need to touch the phone to take pictures. Once again, I am grateful. My wish is to watch Manchester United play live in UK. With this prize, my wish would soon be coming to pass.”

Speaking on the promo, Network Operations Manager, Infinix Mobility, Adebayo Adebanjo, said, “Our vision at Inifinix Mobility is to be one of the dominant players in Nigeria’s mobile phone market. We are less than one year old in the market but we are already pulling our weight. We have introduced series of products that are not only functional but also possess trendy features.” BC

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Business Courage

Monday, October 21, 2013

A17 33

PenCom seeks power to prosecute defaulting employers

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he National Pension Commission is seeking legal power from the National Assembly to institute criminal proceedings against employers with at least five employees, who either refuse to register under the Contributory Pension Scheme or remit the monthly contributions of their workers into their Retirement Savings Account.

According to a report, the regulatory agency said it requires additional powers to institute criminal proceedings against employers for persistent refusal to remit pension contributions and effectively enforce the CPS. PenCom said, “Section 11(7) should be amended to empower the commission to institute criminal proceedings, with fait of Attorney General of the Federation, against employers who persistently fail to deduct and/or remit pension contributions within the stipulated time.”

In the report, PenCom said it issued caution letters to 487 organisations for failure to comply with the provisions of the PRA, 2004.

Monetary penalties, it added, were imposed on some organisations, while it had been following up to ensure that the organisations comply with the PRA

Anohu-Amazu

2004.

PenCom said it made some recoveries of outstanding pension contributions and interest penalty from employers under the scheme.

According to the commission, after engagement and subsequent execution of the service level agreement with recovery agents, it has so far received progress reports from some agents on their recoveries.

The recovery agents were engaged to go after defaulting employers, and make them to remit workers monthly contributions that they had held unto with interest.

The latest statistics on compliance and enforcement activities, the commission showed that the regulatory agency had received 218 applications for the issuance of compliance certificate, out of which 175 were approved and issued.

Following the issuance of the certificates, a total of N3.1bn had been remitted by employers into 56,311 RSAs of their employees.

PenCom said employers whose requests were rejected were issued letters advising them on how to ensure full compliance.

While many employers have registered their workforce under the contributory pension scheme, not all of them are judiciously remitting the monthly deductions into workers’ Retirement Savings Account, PenCom said.

The Pension Reform Act 2004 mandates employers with at least five workers to register with the Contributory Pension Scheme.

Both the employer and employee must contribute 7.5 per cent each into the RSA of the employee with a Pension Fund Administrator monthly.

The Acting-Director General, PenCom, Chinelo Anohu-Amazu, said 5.61 million contributors had been

registered into the CPS since inception.

According to her, the commission had remained steadfast in the implementation of the CPS such that in few years of existence, some modest achievements had been realised.

Anohu-Amazu said the process of a major amendment to the PRA 2004 was at the final stages of consideration by the National Assembly.

The PenCom boss also said the commission embarked on the establishment of zonal offices in all the six geo-political zones of the country in a bid to decentralise its activities and bring it closer to contributors and retirees.

She said, “Due to our renewed focus on efficient service delivery, we seek to reduce the need for contributors and retirees to travel from various parts of the country to Abuja for the singular reason of accessing our services.”

Anohu-Amazu added that with the agency’s presence in the South-West zone, it expects all stakeholders to avail themselves of its services by visiting its office to make enquiries, lodge complaints, and seek enlightenment on the CPS. BC

at N249,371.96 were traded during the week in three deals in contrast to 5,390 units valued at N5.446 million transacted the previous week in five deals.

Index depreciated by 0.60 per cent, while the NSE-ASeM closed flat.

The Stock Market last week

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t was a brief trading last week following the two-day public holidays declared by the Federal Government to commemorate the Eid-el-Kabir celebrations.

A turnover of 895.210 million shares worth N11.659 billion in 14,989 deals were traded by investors on the floor of The Exchange in contrast to a total of 1.482 billion shares valued at N15.164 billion that exchanged hands the previous week in 21,606 deals.

The Financial Services Industry (measured by volume) led the activity chart with 702.814 million shares valued at N7.559 billion traded in 9,280 deals; thus contributing 78.51 and 64.83 percentages respectively to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively.

The Conglomerates Industry followed with a turnover of 82.502 million shares TOP 10 PRICE GAINERS: Company FORTE OIL PLC CONOIL PLC CADBURY NIGERIA PLC CUSTODIAN & ALLIED INS PLC ACADEMY PRESS PLC VITAFOAM NIG PLC INTERNATIONAL BREWERIES PLC TOTAL NIGERIA PLC P Z CUSSONS NIGERIA PLC AIICO INSURANCE PLC

Open 48.00 28.80 51.60 1.62 1.89 4.00 20.08 157.50 37.27 0.87

worth N307.986 million in 741 deals, while the Consumer Goods Industry came third with 48.371 million shares worth N2.289 billion in 2,382 deals.

Trading in the top three equities namely Zenith Bank Plc, Transnational Corporation of Nigeria Plc and Unity Bank Plc (measured by volume) accounted for 312.180 million shares worth N3.649 billion in 1,705 deals, contributing 34.87 and 31.30 percentages respectively to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively.

Similarly, a total of 365 units of NewGold Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) valued at N738,965 executed in 4 deals were traded during the week compared with a total of 85 units valued at N171, 665 transacted the previous week in two deals.

Also, 210 units of FGN bonds valued

Close Gain (N) 64.30 16.30 34.99 6.19 57.00 5.40 1.78 0.16 2.07 0.18 4.27 0.27 21.40 1.32 167.00 9.50 39.50 2.23 0.92 0.05

% Change 33.96 21.49 10.47 9.88 9.52 6.75 6.57 6.03 5.98 5.75

INDEX MOVEMENT The NSE All-Share Index appreciated by 0.95 per cent to close on Friday at 37,342.73 while the market capitalization of the equities on the main board also appreciated by 0.95 per cent to close at N11.897 trillion.

Similarly, the NSE 30 Index gained 1.23 per cent to close at 1,757.14.

Other NSE indices also appreciated during the week with the exception of one. NSE Consumer Goods, NSE Banking, NSE Insurance, NSE Oil/Gas and NSE Lotus II added 2.68, 1.57, 0.43, 10.52 and 1.21 percentages respectively.

However, the NSE Industrial Goods

TOP 10 PRICE LOSERS: Company Open IHS PLC 2.80 INTL ENERGY INSURANCE CO PLC 0.94 WAPIC INSURANCE PLC 0.96 IKEJA HOTEL PLC 0.75 PRESTIGE ASSURANCE CO. PLC 0.56 UNITY BANK PLC 0.58 UBA CAPITAL PLC 1.40 UNIVERSITY PRESS PLC 4.00 DN MEYER PLC 1.90 TRANS-NATIONWIDE EXPRESS PLC 1.32

Close 2.53 0.86 0.88 0.70 0.53 0.55 1.33 3.80 1.81 1.26

Loss (N) % Change 0.27 -9.64 -0.08 -8.51 -0.08 -8.33 -0.05 -6.67 -0.03 -5.36 -0.03 -5.17 -0.07 -5.00 -0.20 -5.00 -0.09 -4.74 -0.06 -4.55

SUMMARY OF PRICE CHANGES Forty three equities appreciated in prices during the week higher than 41 equities of the preceding week. Twenty nine equities depreciated in prices lower than 39 equities of the preceding week, while 125 equities remained unchanged higher than 117 equities of the preceding week. BC

A18 34

Business Courage

Monday, October 21, 2013

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Behind d Wheels This page is open to sponsorship

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he latest edition of Nissan’s popular Altima midsize sedan provides a quiet, refined interior, high-tech options and a relatively sporty driving experience that expands its scope in functionality from its last generation.

Other Altima enhancements for 2014 include revised seat cloth, enhanced noise isolation, and chrome exhaust tips on all models.

A new Sport Value Package with 16-inch aluminum-alloy wheels, remote engine start and trunk lid spoiler has been added, along with a new Technology Package that includes NissanConnectSM with Navigation, NissanConnectSM Apps smartphone integration and SiriusXM Travel Link.

What really makes the Altima stand out from its competitors, however, is its fuel economy - the volume-selling four-cylinder model is rated at 38 mpg on the highway, an impressive figure previously reserved for compact cars.

Nissan is known as something of a risk taker among major car companies, but the 2014 Nissan Altima is all about staying the course. Following a redesign last year that brought it more in line with the larger Maxima’s sense of style.

There is good reason to be conservative: the Altima is Nissan’s top-selling sedan, and one of the best choices available for a midsize family sedan.

The Altima is also known for its pleasant interior furnishings, which can be augmented for 2014 with NissanConnect Apps, a new smartphone integration system that brings services like Pandora into the mix.

As usual, every Altima offers high-quality cabin materials and an attractive, sporty dashboard. The only negative here -- and it’s pretty minor -- is the relative lack of rear headroom, which could be an issue if you ferry tall adults around on a regular basis.

Body Styles, Trim Levels, and Options The 2014 Nissan Altima sedan is available in seven trim levels: 2.5, 2.5 S, 3.5 S, 2.5 SV,

3.5 SV, 2.5 SL and 3.5 SL. The number denotes the selected engine (2.5-litre inline-4 or 3.5-litre V6).

The base 2.5 Altima sedan comes standard with 16-inch steel wheels, full power accessories, keyless ignition/entry, a height-adjustable driver seat, Bluetooth phone and audio connectivity, and a four-speaker sound system with a CD player.

Moving to the 2.5 S gets you automatic headlights, cruise control, a six-way power driver seat, more advanced functionality for the gauge-cluster LCD screen and a six-speaker sound system. The Sport Value package adds 16-inch alloy wheels, remote ignition and a trunk lid spoiler. The Display Audio package tacks on a 5.0-inch touchscreen display, a rearview camera, a USB port, satellite radio and smartphone app inte-

gration (NissanConnect Apps).

The V6-engined 3.5 S comes with all of those features (including the Display Audio package) plus 18-inch alloy wheels and steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters.

Upgrading to the SV trim nets 17-inch alloy wheels (2.5), dual-zone automatic climate control, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, the contents of the Display Audio package and remote ignition. The Convenience package (optional on 2.5 SV) adds a sunroof, foglamps, rear air-conditioning vents and an auto-dimming rearview mirror.

The top-shelf Altima SL adds xenon headlights (3.5), LED taillights, the sunroof (3.5), leather upholstery, an eight-way power driver seat (with power lumbar adjustment), heated front seats, a heated steering wheel and a

nine-speaker premium Bose sound system with an auxiliary audio jack. The Moonroof package adds a sunroof separately for the 2.5.

The Technology package for SV and SL models includes a 7-inch touchscreen, voice controls, a navigation system and electronic safety features such as blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alerts and a lanedeparture warning system.

Powertrains and Performance The Altima driving experience is where innovation pays off, fluid, powerful acceleration, refined handling, and a class leading 5.1 L/100 km (55 MPG) fuel economy.

One important ingredient in the Altima’s formula is its smartly tuned ride and handling, making it feel more fo-

cused and responsive than many rivals do, yet it doesn’t beat you up over bumps. That’s the sort of thing that stands out on a test-drive, and the same goes for the Altima’s continuously variable transmission (CVT), which is a factor in the car’s excellent fuel economy (31 mpg combined with the fourcylinder engine) and strong, seamless acceleration.

The 2014 Nissan Altima 2.5 sedan comes with a 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine that generates 182 horsepower and 180 pound-feet of torque, a CVT sends power to the front wheels. In performance testing, this engine took the Altima from zero to 60 mph in 7.8 seconds, making the Altima one of the quickest four-cylinder family sedans.

EPA-estimated fuel economy is 31 mpg combined (27

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Business Courage

Monday, October 21, 2013

A19 35

Behind d Wheels This page is open to sponsorship

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.

T mpg city/38 mpg highway), an outstanding rating for a midsize sedan.

Altima 3.5 models have a 3.5-litre V6 good for 270 hp and 251 lb-ft of torque. The CVT is again standard. In Edmunds testing, an Altima 3.5 accelerated from zero to 60 mph in 6.2 seconds, which again puts it near the head of the pack.

Fuel economy is strong for a V6 at 25 mpg combined (22 mpg city/31 mpg highway).

Safety In government crash testing, the Altima sedan received a perfect five stars for overall, frontal and side crash protection. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave the Altima its top “Good” rating in its moderate-overlap frontal-offset, side-impact and roof-strength crash tests. In the new smalloverlap front test, the Altima earned an “Acceptable” rating (second best).

All Altima models come standard with dual front, side and full-length side-curtain airbags in addition to traction and stability control systems.

Bundled with the aforementioned Technology Package is a trio of high-tech safety systems: blind sport warning, lane departure warning and moving object detection. As its name suggests the moving object detection system (a segment first) detects moving objects such as other vehicles when the Altima is backing up and warns the driver with visual cues.

The 2014 Nissan Altima comes standard with antilock brakes, stability and traction control, front side airbags and side curtain airbags. A rearview camera comes standard on everything, except the base and S trim levels. Blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alerts and a lane-departure warning system are also optional.

Premium exterior With recent midsize sedans such as the Hyundai Sonata and Ford Fusion bringing a heightened degree of style to the formerly staid midsize sedan segment, Nissan worked hard to make the exterior of the Altima stand out from the

competition. The car features what Nissan calls a premium look that mimics the organic, flowing design language seen on many recent Infiniti models.

Cabin The 2014 Altima’s cabin has a markedly upscale look and feel, with visibly high-quality materials and tight construction while noise levels are kept to a minimum thanks to new sound-deadening materials.

The gauge cluster is attractive, with a large, highly readable speedometer and tachometer on either side of the crisp-looking information screen.

Other available tech features include Hands-Free Text Messaging Assistant and a navigation system with SiriusXM Travel Link and real-time weather info, fuel prices, movie times and stock updates.

The newly available NissanConnect Apps system supports a handful of apps, such as Facebook and Pandora, with many more ownership-related apps projected to join the team at some point. If specified, the navigation system satisfies with its attractive graphics and straightforward user interface.

An ergonomic highlight is the specially engineered “zero gravity” front seats used in all Altimas with help from NASA research, the seats were designed to relieve common pressure points and improve comfort for the long haul.

It works, as the Altima’s front seats are more comfortable and supportive than the norm from the moment you plop down providing optimal support and reducing muscular and spinal loads.

While normal-sized adults will be comfortable in back as well, rear headroom is at a premium compared to other sedans in this class, and rear legroom is only average. Trunk space is similarly average at 15.4 cubic feet, although the opening is impressively wide.

Driving Impressions The Nissan Altima has a reputation for being one of the more rewarding family sedans to drive, and the 2014 Altima

carries the torch with enthusiasm. The 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine offers above-average performance for this class.

It revs willingly and generates more than enough acceleration for everyday driving.

The CVT helps to deliver excellent fuel mileage, although it’s sometimes almost too responsive to power demands, resulting in higher engine rpm and a bit more noise than we’d like.

As for the available 3.5-litre V6, it provides some of the quickest acceleration in this class. It’s a great choice if you really like to drive, and its fuel economy is still quite respectable.

Around turns, the Altima boasts quick, accurate steering and capable handling. Yet ride comfort remains very good, while wind and road noise are pleasantly subdued.

A standard, customizable “Advanced Drive-Assist” display consists of a four-inch color screen mounted in the instrument panel that displays a variety of data from the trip computer, audio system or navigation system.

The advanced, driver-focused technologies of the allnew Altima aren’t there for show – they have purpose.

Instrumentation designed to keep you informed while helping minimize distraction. Moving Object Detection that can help alert you to things you might miss. Even tires that can let you know when they need air, as well as when they’ve got enough. These aren’t tech toys – it’s innovation you can really use.

For a combination of agile responses and long-distance tranquility, the Altima is one of the best family sedans available. Of course, the Nissan Altima isn’t the only sedan that’s vying for your attention.

Other top models to consider include the stylish Ford Fusion, the rejuvenated Honda Accord, the well-rounded Kia Optima the sporty Mazda 6 and the Euro-influenced Volkswagen Passat. But even in this stellar group the 2014 Nissan Altima is easily a favorite. It’s a must-drive if you’re shopping in this segment BC

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

Monday, October 21, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

ARM named best fund manager on back of quality asset management

T

he Asset & Resource Management Company Ltd (“ARM”) has been named the Best Fund Manager, Nigeria 2013 by Capital Finance International.

ARM is a diversified, integrated, nonbank financial services provider with over nineteen years of asset management expertise. It started operations as a traditional asset management company specialising in the management of quoted equities and fixed income securities.

The 2013 CFI.co judging panel shared their opinion on the selection process, stating that “The opportunities for domestic and international investors as Nigeria moves from a frontier to an emerging market should not be underestimated, but one should also be aware of the risks.”

According to them, to take best advantage of the opportunities that Nigeria and the region as a whole represents requires a deep understanding of the balance between risk and returns.

“With the constantly improving qual-

ity of financial services in Nigeria, the CFI.co judging panel faced some difficult decisions in selecting a winning fund manager, but it was ARM’s ability to foster trust with all stakeholders through a focused approach to good governance, its highly effective use of an external advisory board plus excellent fundamental analysis at both the micro and macro levels that the judging panel recognised and applauded.”

It stated that ARM helps investors take full advantage of the opportunities in the region and, significantly, was able to protect investor capital during the turmoil of 2008.

“As one of Nigeria’s largest nonbanking asset management firms, the Company has effectively diversified its offerings while maintaining the highest standards of fund management.” The panel is delighted to declare ARM winner of the ‘2013 Best Fund Manger Award, Nigeria’.” – CFI.co awards judging panel 2013 said.

Over the years, the firm has taken advantage of opportunities in various

sectors of the Nigerian economy and has proven its ability to identify and develop new strategic businesses and integrate these to strengthen its asset management business model.

This ability has resulted in the evolution of the Firm into a diversified financial services institution with businesses divided into two distinct parts within which various products and bespoke asset management services are offered to its diverse clients, focusing on Traditional Asset Management and Specialised Funds. ARM provides unique wealth creation and enhancement opportunities for its clients.

Within the Traditional Asset Management space, ARM provides services ranging from mutual funds, pension plans, wealth management service and discretionary savings plans to trust services and stock broking execution as well as life assurance products and services. ARM manages the Discovery fund, Nigeria’s oldest mutual fund with over 25,000 investors. Its pension administration subsidiary, ARM Pension Manag-

ers (PFA) Ltd is one of the largest PFAs in Nigeria.

Within the scope of ARM’s Specialised Funds (nontraditional asset management), the firm offers its expertise through different investment platforms such as ARM Hospitality & Retail Fund, ARM Real Estate Fund (ARM Properties Plc.), ARM Private Equity Fund and ARM Infrastructure Fund.

Its Infrastructure Fund culminated the award of a 30-year concession for the rehabilitation, upgrade and maintenance of the Eti-Osa Lekki-Epe Expressway along the fastest growth axis in Lagos, Nigeria.

These funds enable ARM to explore investment opportunities in the nation’s growth sectors and to proffer solutions tailored to meet the unique investing needs of institutional and high net worth clients. ARM’s business lines have been strategically established to take full advantage of the many unfolding opportunities in Nigeria as well as those in other parts of the West African sub region. BC

Local wheat production to meet annual demand by 2017

N

igeria’s local wheat production will meet its total annual demand of 3.7 million metric tonnes if its 600,000 hectares of land suitable for wheat production is cultivated by 2017, according to researchers.

The projection is being fuelled by the recent release, by researchers, of two improved varieties of wheat named Norman Borlaug and Reyne 28, specifically for Nigeria.

These varieties, according to Oluwasina Olabanji, the executive director, Lake Chad Research Institute (LCRI), can produce five to six tonnes per hectare.

The improved varieties were developed by LCRI in collaboration with International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) in Mexico and the International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) in Tunisia.

Prior to this, the wheat varieties available in Nigeria produced only about 1.2 tonnes per hectare, with only 10 per cent of the 600,000 hectares of land suitable for wheat production being cultivated, resulting in local wheat production of just 60,000 metric tonnes annually.

“We have proposed, for 2013 to 2014, to cultivate 150,000 hectares of land in the wheat-growing areas. These are 10 states in the northern parts of the country,” said Olabanji, who is also the team leader in the current administration’s wheat Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA).

“Our demand for wheat is 3.7 million metric tonnes, and by 2015, we should be able to achieve 50 percent of this national demand.”

From his judgement, it would entail putting 300,000 hectares of land in the north under wheat cultivation, producing about six tonnes per hectare, which will translate to 1.8 million metric tonnes per annum.

According to him, there are plans afoot to increase wheat production by 150,000 hectares every year from 2013

Olabanji

to 2014 planting season. If this is done, by 2017 Nigeria would be able to cultivate the available 600,000 hectares of land in the north with varieties that can produce 6 tonnes per hectare.

By then, the northern part of the country would be producing 3.6 million metric tonnes annually, while the 0.1 million metric tonnes shortfall would be supplied by wheat production from other parts of the country, he said.

“We have rain-fed wheat in Nigeria.

This rain-fed wheat is cultivated in Nigerian highlands. These Nigerian highlands are in Mambilla Plateau in Taraba State, Jos in Plateau State, and Obudu in Cross River State. We have about 80,000 hectares of land in these areas that are suitable for rain-fed wheat production,” Olabanji said.

Currently, Nigeria spends N635 billion on wheat importation annually, with the United States of America as its main supplier. Some industry watchers have cautioned against using outright ban on importation of wheat in order to encourage local production, as was done in 1987 when the government launched the Accelerated Wheat Production Programme (AWPP).

The AWPP was launched to stimulate local production and encourage backward integration, but the ban was lifted

in 1993 due to high prices of bread and other products made with wheat because local production, even though it increased significantly, could not meet demand.

Therefore, industry watchers urge the government to first do everything possible to encourage local wheat production and increase the domestic supply, which will eventually lead to reduction in importation.

Aliyu Gital, programme manager, Bauchi State Agricultural Development Programme (BASDP), in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), however, raised some pertinent issues affecting local production. He said over the years, Nigerian millers had failed to patronise locally produced wheat because of the exorbitant price, preferring instead to buy the imported commodity

at a cheaper price.

“The price of the Nigerian wheat was high because the machineries we employ on the farm were costly; the cost of production was high,” he said, adding that heavy dependence on manual labour and other crude methods of farming makes it difficult for Nigerian farmers to compete with high-tech American farmers in terms of wheat prices.

But there is a ray of hope as the farming landscape in Nigeria is changing with a determination to get the private sector to drive government agricultural transformation agenda.

According to Olabanji, some private companies are getting involved in the wheat transformation agenda along all the value chains to help in meeting the target even as they earn profit while doing so. BC

Evans Medical assures stakeholders of brighter future

E

vans Medical plc assured its stakeholders, particularly the shareholders of brighter future in the next financial year.

Saifudeen Edu, chairman, chairman, Evans Medical plc said all strategic initiative of the company already planned will be thoroughly executed and managed with a view to leveraging on last year’s performance for enduring repletion into the future.

Evans Medical plc is one of the leading companies in the pharmaceutical industry in Nigeria with factory located in Agbara, Ogun State, and corporate office in Lagos.

The company, which is quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) has over the year diversified into varied product lines with strong brand antecedents.

Edu, who expressed optimism over the company’s future, told shareholders at the 59th annual general meeting in

August that “every resource at the disposal of the company will be directed at flexible but careful selection, execution and monitoring of strategies for ensuring the maximization of our shareholders’ wealth.”

In the company’s financial year ended December 31, 2012, Evan Medical plc recorded a turnover growth to N4.864billion an increase of 6.4 percent over N4.572billion recorded in the 2011 financial year.

Its operating profit stood at N701million, an increase of 10 percent over N638million in the preceding year. Profit after tax increased to N327.8million from N123.5million in 2011.

“This remarkable performance once again confirms your board’s unshakable belief that the future of this great company is considerably bright despite the current challenges before us,” Edu stated in his statement to shareholders. BC

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Business Courage

Monday, October 21, 2013

A21 37

NSE market index appreciates by 0.23 per cent

T

ransactions on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) closed on a positive note on Friday with the market indices recording an increase of 0.23 per cent.

The All-Share Index appreciated by 85.38 basis points or 0.23 per cent to close at 37,342.73. This is against the 37,257.35 recorded on Thursday.

The market capitalisation also grew by N27 billion to close at N11.897 trillion from N11.870 trillion recorded on Thursday.

Nestle led the gainers’ chart with N40 to close at N1,040 per share, followed by Forte Oil with N5.97 to close at N64.30 per share, while the Con Oil grew

by N3.24 to close at N34.99 per share.

The share price of Total Plc appreciated by N3 to close at N167, while Cadbury’s share price also moved up by N2 to close at N57 per share.

On the other hand, Guinness led the price losers’ chart with N3.99 to close at N246.01

per share.

Dangote Cement dipped by N3.80 to close at N186.20 per share, while Mobil lost N1 to close at N118 per share.

Okomu Oil depreciated by 82k to close N44.13 per share, while GT Bank fell by 23k to close at N25.30 per share.

Investors traded on 52.52 million shares of Unity Bank

worth N29.15 million, while 29.73 million shares of UBA valued at N232.03 million exchanged hands.

In all, investors exchanged 364.73 million shares worth N4.8 billion in 5,850 deals on Friday, against N284.09 million shares valued at N3.8 billion traded in 4,950 deals on Thursday. BC

Renaissance Credit marks one year anniversary

By Johnson Okanlawon

A

s part of the activities leading up to its one year anniversary, Renaissance Credit, an international consumer finance company has opened a new branch in Lagos.

The micro-credit bank, which commenced operations in Nigeria on October 17, 2012 having received a license from the Central Bank of Nigeria, has within a year of operations offered unsecured cash loans to entrepreneurs in the country.

A statement from the company on Friday said it offers loans between N50,000 and N500,000 in 24 hours and requires minimal documentation from customers to apply for loans.

According to the statement, the company has partnered with telecommunication companies to offer point of sale

Akintemi

loans to purchase household electronics, appliances and mobile phones.

It added that the company also offers a range of savings products which include fixed deposits and the easy target savings plan, which come with attractive interest rates.

The statement quoted the company’s Vice President,

Sales, Mr. Oluwole Emeya, as saying that the new shop is in line with the company’s expansion strategy.

The Chief Executive Officer of the company, Segun Akintemi said, “I will like to express my profound gratitude to our customers for their support in the past one year as well as your feedback on ways in which we can better serve you. In the months to come, you will be experiencing greater efficiency across all aspects of our business.”

Continuing, he added, “As we continue to improve our operational efficiency, residents of Lagos State can look forward to experiencing enhanced living standards as they subscribe to our range of simple money solutions in years to come.” BC

Market Indicators for Week Ended 18-10-13 All-Share Index 37,342.73 points Market Capitalization N11,897,259,511,790.91 Stock Updates GAINERS COMPANY

OPENING PRICE

FORTE OIL

58.33

64.30

10.23

CONOIL

31.75

34.99

10.20

A

lstom, an international company that deals in rail transportation, power and grid has reaffirmed its resolve to be an active and concrete strategic partner for infrastructure development in Nigeria.

Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Alstom, Patrick Kron, disclosed this during his recent visit to President Goodluck Jonathan at the Aso rock Villa. The Alstom chief equally met top Nigerian business leaders and members of the international business community in Lagos.

Also during his visit, Kron signed a technical cooperation agreement with Taleveras Group of Companies Limited.

The agreement is for supplies and services for the rehabilitation and capacity expansion of the Afam power station.

This cooperation is in line with the Federal Government’s initiatives to drastically improve power supply in the shortest possible time in the country.

According to the company, “This visit affirms the Alstom Group’s objective to be an active and concrete strategic partner for infrastructure development

in Nigeria and will reinforce the Group’s presence in the country”.

Kron confirmed Alstom’s intention to support the development of local manpower for the progressive growth of the power sector through a plan to establish a professional power training centre in the country.

Alstom is currently participating in the government training programme for Niger Delta Youths and has proposed to train some 100 Niger Delta youths on its sites in France in electrical grid and rail transport business activities. BC

CHANGE

SKYEBANK

4.40

4.62

5.00

UBCAP

1.27

1.33

4.72

22.00

23.00

4.55

ASHAKACEM

LOSERS COMPANY

OPENING PRICE

CLOSING PRICE

CHANGE

HIS

2.66

2.53

-4.89

ETERNA

2.78

2.65

-4.68

INTENEGINS

0.90

0.86

-4.44

UNITYBNK

0.57

0.55

-3.51

IKEJAHOTEL

0.72

0.70

-2.78

Inter-Bank Rates TENOR

Alstom partners Nigeria in infrastructural development

CLOSING PRICE

RATE%(PREV) 09-Oct-2013

RATE%(CURR) 17-Oct-2013

CALL

15.5000 - 15.5000%

10.5000 - 10.5000%

OBB

10.4500 - 16.5000%

10.2500 - 12.0000%

Primary Market Auction TENOR

AMOUNT (N’mn)

RATE (%)

DATE

91-Days

20159.21

10.8

09-Oct-13

182-Days

43490.87

11.64

09-Oct-13

364-Days

68184.89

11.74

09-Oct-13

Open Market Operation TENOR

AMOUNT (N’mn)

182-Days

100000

91-Days 182-Days

RATE (%) 12.75

DATE 05-Sept-13

22970.71

10.9

05-Sept-13

40000

12.34

05-Sept-13

Wholesale Dutch Auction System AMOUNT OFFERED

MARKET DEMAND

AMOUNT SOLD

DATE

$300m

$276,381,269.08m

$276,381,269.08m

14-Oct-13

$300m

$297,266,205.29

$297,266,205.29

09-Oct-13

A22 38

Business Courage

Monday, October 21, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

DN Meyer: Profit falls on administrative, interest expenses

By Johnson Okanlawon

A

udited report and accounts of the manufacturer and distributor of paints for the year ended December 31, 2012 showed a marginal top line growth despite the management efforts to reduce distribution expenses and cost of sales. However, the administrative expenses shrank the company’s revenue as it doubled in 2012 financial year.

Analysis of the accounts indicated 9.1 per cent rise in sale and a larger increase of 12 per cent in cost of sales undermined the top-line profit margin. The company fell on internal cost management, holding down total operating expenses to 4.4 per cent growth and reducing interest expenses by 5.8 per cent. It ended with a net loss of N27 million and 4.3 decline in net assets, a significant improvement on net loss of N54 million in the previous year.

With negative net earnings in the financial year, the company declared no dividend to shareholders even with a whopping 261 per cent increase in the company’s share price a month after the market-making commenced on the Nigerian Stock Exchange in September 18, 2012. The company’s share price which stood at 74 kobo in the beginning of year 2012 rose to N2.67 a month after the market making and stood at N1.81 per share as at last Friday.

However, some stockbrokers said the price movement on DN Meyer shares should be watched carefully so as not to create an artificial pricing.

According to them, recent performance of the company had not shown any major improvement that should warrant such a price movement within one month. DN Meyer, which has not paid dividend for some years now, posted a loss of N93.74 million for the 2011 financial year. The loss was, however, lower than the N232 million posted in 2010.

The Chairman, Nigeria Professional Shareholders Association, Augustine Anono, had in December 2012 warned that the rate at which the stocks covered by market makers were going up was not good for the market.

“If we don’t take time, we might go back to what happened in 2008 because there

Omotoso

are some stocks that are not doing well and yet they are being traded on the floor. Yet, we know that the fundamentals of the capital market are centred on demand and supply.

“There are some stocks that don’t have the fundamentals to declare dividend for the next two years and with a weak balance sheet, yet they are traded on the floor.

The market makers should beware because if what happened in 2008 repeats itself, the market will collapse,” he warned.

Another shareholder, Robert Igwe agreed that though the market makers are there to create activity on the stocks under their control, he said that some of the stocks have existing problem that will impede their growth if the market is allowed to run naturally, “For instance, DN Meyer Plc got its factory burnt two years ago, and the insurance companies have not paid their claims. The company is still planning to put infrastructure in place in order to start production, yet the share price is still rising,” he said.

He noted that the share price of DN Meyer has grown from 50k as at the time the market makers took over the stock, to over N3.40 per share, arguing that such stock do not have the prospect of generating dividend for investors. “So, if you buy that stock, how do you think the stock will generate dividend? Let the system favour those on long term investment because the rate at

which the stocks are going up is not good. If we don’t take care, the system might crash again,” he said.

The Chairman of the company, Remi Omotoso, told shareholders last July that worried by the negative impact of bank charges on its operations, the paint manufacturing firm, had resorted to financing its operations through internally generated revenue. He added that the company also to access the Bank of Industry/Central Bank of Nigeria CBN) intervention fund.

“All the company’s operations were financed from internally generated revenue.

The financial charges currently being paid were based on past exposure to various banks,” he said. He disclosed that a window of escape was being explored through the BOI/CBN intervention fund.

“This will not only reduce our heavy financing charges but will also naturally improve our cash flow thereby making fund available for business expansion and consequently profitability,” Omotoso said.

Structure DN Meyer Plc is the manufacturer and marketer of high quality Paints and it was incorporated on the May 20, 1960 and converted to a Public Company in 1979. It is an offshoot of former Hagemeyer Nigeria Limited, the manufacturer of Sigma Paints and Cosmetics.

In 1994, Hagemeyer was

bought over by Dunlop Nigeria, which led to the change of both the corporate and brand names to DN Meyer Plc and Meyer Paints respectively. However, in July 2003, Dunlop Nigeria Plc divested its controlling shares from DN Meyer to ACIMS Limited and DN Meyer ceased to be a subsidiary of Dunlop Nigeria.

About this same period, DN Meyer acquired the flooring adhesives business of Dunlop thereby extending the scope of its industrial operation from the production and marketing of only paints to the production and marketing of floor tiles and adhesives. The production of floor tiles is presently suspended pending retooling of the factory.

In February, 2010, a new set of core investors led by Citiprops Limited purchased 30 per cent equity stake of ACIMS Limited in the company. DN Meyer is owned by some 8,000 shareholders.

Bosworth Limited held 10.95 per cent while Mr Osa Osunde held 9.26 per cent.

The company noted that with the right growth strategy and adequate capitalization, DN Meyer should deliver a turnover of N25 billion and profit before tax of 15 per cent to her shareholders in 2016.

of sales outpaced sales with increase of 11.8 per cent to N922 million in 2012 as against N825 million recorded in 2011. Consequently, gross profit increased slightly by 5.1 per cent from N538 million to N566 million.

Total operating expenses stood at N543 million, 4.4 per cent above N521 million recorded in previous year.

Non-core business incomes boosted the midline with an increase of 159 per cent from N25 million to N64 million.

This, and 5.8 reduction in interest expenses from N123 million to N116 million, moderated the negative bottomline, reducing pre-tax loss from N80 million to N29 million. After tax gains, net loss reduced from N54 million to N27 million.

The underlying fundamentals of the company remained negative, though considerably better than the previous year.

While gross profit margin dropped from 39.5 per cent to 38 per cent, pre-tax profit margin improved from 5.9 per cent to 1.9 per cent. Return on total assets stood at 1.1 per cent in 2012 as against 2.9 per cent in 2011‘ while return on equity was better at 4.1 per cent compared with 8.0 per cent.

Business strategy As part of the company’s efforts to remain responsive to the needs of the consumer, a new product, “Wall Screed” was introduced into the market in 2012. According to the chairman, the product has been well received by the market and the demand for it is growing and promising.

Also, the company re-introduced “Beauty Nigeria Paints, which is an offering to satisfy the low end of the market. It however explored the synergy of DNM Construction Limited, a subsidiary of DN Meyer, with the paints lines.

Liquidity The liquidity position of the company worsened considerably in 2012 with negative working capital and lower coverage for possible immediate liabilities. Current ratio, which broadly indicates ability of the company to meet emerging financing needs by relating current assets to relative liabilities, dropped from below-standard position of 0.81 times in 2011 to 0.77 times in 2012. Current assets stood at N613.4 million in 2012, from N695.7 million in 2011, while current liabilities rose to N9.97 million, from N8.55 million as at December 2011.

The company’s equity dropped from N679 million in 2011 to N652 million in the review period. Total non- current assets fell to N1.96 billion in 2012, from N2.032 billion in 2011, while total noncurrent liabilities declined to N1.128 billion in 2012, from N1.190 billion in 2011. Long term borrowing reduced to N673.3 million. BC

Performance DN Meyer witnessed improvements in its actual and underlying profitability. Although it remains in the negative, the quantum and degree of loss-making reduced considerably during the period.

These, expectedly, reduced the built-in losses for shareholders. Group turnover rose by 9.1 per cent from N1.36 billion to N1.49 billion. Cost

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Business Courage

Monday, October 21, 2013

A23 39

STOCKWATCH Stock Exchange weekly equities summary as at Friday, Oct 18, 2013 SECURITY

PRICE (=N=)

AGRICULTURE/AGRO-ALLIED Crop Production FTN COCOA PROCESSORS PLC 0.50 OKOMU OIL PALM PLC. 44.13 PRESCO PLC 35.00 Fishing/Hunting/Trapping ELLAH LAKES PLC. NT Livestock/Animal Specialties LIVESTOCK FEEDS PLC. 3.90 CONGLOMERATES Diversified Industries A.G. LEVENTIS NIGERIA PLC. 1.65 CHELLARAMS PLC. NT JOHN HOLT PLC. 1.30 TRANSNATIONAL CORP. OF NIG.PLC 1.64 U A C N PLC. 65.00 CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE Building Construction ARBICO PLC. NT CAPPA & D’ALBERTO PLC. 95.49 Building Structure/Completion/Other COSTAIN (W A) PLC. 1.09 G CAPPA PLC 14.46 Non--Building/Heavy Construction JULIUS BERGER NIG. PLC. 77.00 ROADS NIG PLC. 8.46 Real Estate Development PINNACLE POINT GROUP PLC NT UACN PROPERTY DEV 16.69 Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) SKYE SHELTER FUND PLC NT UNION HOMES REAL ESTATE INV NT UPDC REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST NT CONSUMER GOODS Automobiles/Auto Parts DN TYRE & RUBBER PLC NT Beverages--Brewers/Distillers CHAMPION BREW. PLC. NT GOLDEN GUINEA BREW. PLC. NT GUINNESS NIG PLC 246.01 INTERNATIONAL BREWERIES PLC. 21.40 JOS INT. BREWERIES PLC. 3.78 NIGERIAN BREW. PLC. 171.88 PREMIER BREWERIES PLC NT Beverages--Non-Alcoholic 7-UP BOTTLING COMP. PLC. 68.00 Food Products BIG TREAT PLC NT DANGOTE FLOUR MILLS PLC 9.50 DANGOTE SUGAR REFINERY PLC 11.80 FLOUR MILLS NIG. PLC. 83.22 HONEYWELL FLOUR MILL PLC 3.00 MULTI-TREX INTEGRATED FOODS PLC 0.51 N NIG. FLOUR MILLS PLC. NT NATIONAL SALT CO. NIG. PLC 12.34 P S MANDRIDES & CO PLC. NT U T C NIG. PLC. 0.70 UNION DICON SALT PLC. NT Food Products--Diversified CADBURY NIGERIA PLC. 57.00 NESTLE NIGERIA PLC. 1,040.01 Household Durables BETA GLASS CO PLC. NT NIGERIAN ENAMELWARE PLC. NT VITAFOAM NIG PLC. 4.27 VONO PRODUCTS PLC. NT Personal/Household Products P Z CUSSONS NIGERIA PLC. 39.50 UNILEVER NIGERIA PLC. 61.04 Textiles/Apparel UNITED NIG. TEXTILES PLC. NT FINANCIAL SERVICES Banking ACCESS BANK PLC. 10.40 DIAMOND BANK PLC 6.42 ECOBANK TRANSNATIONAL INC. 13.95 FIDELITY BANK PLC 2.81 FIRST CITY MONUMENT BANK PLC. NT GUARANTY TRUST BANK PLC. 25.30 SKYE BANK PLC 4.62 STERLING BANK PLC. 2.42 U B A PLC 7.85 UNION BANK NIG.PLC. 10.50 UNITY BANK PLC 0.55 WEMA BANK PLC. 1.28 ZENITH BANK PLC 22.04 Insurance Carriers, Brokers & Services AFRICAN ALLIANCE INS. COY. PLC NT AIICO INSURANCE PLC. 0.92 CONFIDENCE INSURANCE PLC NT CONSOLIDATED HALLMARK INS. PLC 0.50 CONTINENTAL REINSURANCE PLC 1.10 CORNERSTONE INS. COY. PLC. NT CUSTODIAN AND ALLIED INS. PLC 1.78 EQUITY ASSURANCE PLC. NT GOLDLINK INSURANCE PLC NT GREAT NIGERIAN INSURANCE PLC NT GUINEA INSURANCE PLC. NT INTERCONTINENTAL WAPIC INS. PLC NT INTERNATIONAL ENERGY INS. PLC 0.86 INVESTMENT AND ALLIED ARN. NT LASACO ASSURANCE PLC. 0.50 LAW UNION AND ROCK INS. PLC. 0.50 LINKAGE ASSURANCE PLC NT MANSARD INSURANCE PLC 2.10 MUTUAL BENEFITS ASSURANCE PLC. NT N.E.M INSURANCE CO (NIG) PLC. 0.66 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. NT UNIC INSURANCE PLC. NT UNITY KAPITAL ASSURANCE PLC 0.50 UNIVERSAL INS. COMPANY PLC NT WAPIC INSURANCE PLC 0.88 Micro Finance Banks FORTIS MICROFINANCE BANK PLC NT NPF MICROFINANCE BANK PLC NT Mortgage Carriers, Brokers &Services ABBEY BUILDING SOCIETY PLC NT ASO SAVINGS AND LOANS PLC NT RESORT SAVINGS & LOANS PLC 0.50 UNION HOMES SAVINGS&LOANS PLC NT Other Financial Institutions AFRICA PRUDENTIAL REGISTRARS 1.8 CRUSADER ( NIG) PLC. NT DEAP CAPITAL MGT & TRUST PLC NT FBN HOLDINGS PLC 16.40 FCMB GROUP PLC 3.79 NIG SEW. MACH. MAN. CO. PLC. NT NIGERIA ENERYGY SECTOR FUND 552.2 ROYAL EXCHANGE PLC. 0.50 STANBIC IBTC HOLDINGS PLC 19.52 UBA CAPITAL PLC 1.33 HEALTHCARE Healthcare Providers EKOCORP PLC. NT UNION DIAGNOSTIC &CLINICAL PLC NT Medical Supplies MORISON INDUSTRIES PLC. NT Pharmaceuticals EVANS MEDICAL PLC. NT FIDSON HEALTHCARE PLC 2.15

NOTE NT=Not Traded on 18-10-13

QUANTITY

52 WK HIGH

52 WK LOW

SHARES OUTSTANDING

EPS

MOV. (%)

Previous

10,000 284,800 878,936

0.64 107.81 41.14

0.50 20.92 8.24

2,200,000,000 476,955,000 1,000,000,000

0.10 2.29 7.55

N/A -3.01 1.77

0.50 45.50 34.39

NT

4.26

4.26

60,000,000

0.00

N/A

NT

860,822

7.18

0.68

1,199,549,736

0.07

0.00

3.90

10,000 1,000 1,100 22,748,247 1,325,488

2.08 6.43 5.89 1.96 71.10

0.71 4.36 1.07 0.50 28.00

2,191,895,983 963,900,300 389,151,408 821,666,666 1,600,720,323

0.11 0.16 1.09 0.09 4.38

0.00 N/A N/A N/A N/A

1.65 NT 1.30 1.71 63.50

20 250

26.00 95.49

5.05 95.49

148,500,000 196,876,000

0.33 4.50

N/A N/A

5.05 95.49

107,100 300

2.66 14.46

0.72 14.46

920,573,765 125,000,000

0.00 0.00

N/A N/A

1.10 NT

10,244 133

83.75 10.60

19.86 6.61

1,200,000,000 20,000,000

6.74 1.69

0.00 N/A

77.00 NT

NT 141,873

7.28 18.00

7.28 8.82

1,375,000,000

0.00 2.20

N/A 4.25

NT 16.01

1,000 NT 1,820

100.00 50.00 10.50

100.00 50.00 0.00

20,000,000 250,019,781

5.82 0.19

N/A N/A

NT NT NT

43,595

0.50

0.50

4,772,528,415

0.00

N/A

NT

50,000 10,082 487,713 254,726 15,390 956,772 3,000

19.48 0.68 297.41 28.67 9.09 179.40 0.97

3.13 0.68 209.10 5.34 0.81 91.10 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 0.00 8.66 0.63 0.00 5.03 0.00

N/A N/A 0.00 N/A N/A 1.40 N/A

NT 0.68 246.00 20.08 3.78 169.50 NT

6,290

75.90

38.12

640,590,362

4.46

N/A

68.00

NT 924,921 2,930,899 1,843,368 1,054,980 356,000 NT 823,900 NT 3,410 NT

0.50 10.68 12.85 109.24 3.74 1.21 29.70 14.00 5.94 0.93 4.22

0.50 3.85 3.26 50.00 1.83 0.50 17.51 3.65 5.35 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 40,000,000 1,233,375,004 360,000,000

0.00 0.00 0.81 3.38 0.34 0.00 0.00 1.05 0.08 1.13 0.00

N/A 3.04 5.45 2.74 4.17 N/A N/A -0.48 N/A 0.00 N/A

NT 9.22 11.19 81.00 2.88 0.50 NT 12.40 NT 0.70 NT

1,754,971 80,057

64.53 1088.00

8.33 400.00

3,129,188,160 792,656,250

1.57 28.34

10.47 4.00

51.60 1,000.01

NT NT 382,282 10,200

15.58 36.19 5.54 2.88

10.03 32.27 2.91 0.57

63,360,000 819,000,000 300,000,001

3.90 13.92 0.71 0.00

N/A N/A 6.75 N/A

NT NT 4.00 1.93

457,737 162,452

56.00 76.00

21.02 27.60

3,176,381,636 3,783,296,250

1.34 1.42

5.98 0.00

37.27 61.04

NT

0.97

0.57

843,284,027

0.00

N/A

NT

7,184,861 5,057,790 3,103,215 5,703,126 NT 9,750,038 2,376,343 1,320,387 29,730,352 798,733 52,520,861 2,204,831 110,483,694

12.39 7.66 16.01 3.47 8.30 29.99 7.05 3.05 9.60 15.30 1.16 1.88 22.80

4.70 1.92 9.90 1.13 3.04 13.02 2.65 0.80 1.64 2.34 0.50 0.50 11.96

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

1.61 1.71 3.67 0.68 0.60 3.08 0.97 0.63 1.70 0.44 0.18 0.00 3.30

-0.95 1.10 2.20 1.81 #VALUE! 0.20 5.00 1.68 4.11 1.94 0.00 4.92 2.46

10.50 6.35 13.65 2.76 NT 25.25 4.40 2.38 7.54 10.30 0.58 1.22 21.51

1,000 7,412,794 NT 59,300 898,276 71,500 2,547,270 200 NT 150 150 NT 102,000 NT 100 100 380 363,732 100,100 1,275,919 206,000 100 539,593 200 1,294,000 200 4,000 7,464 9,000,000 52,000 1,616,172

0.50 1.42 0.64 0.52 1.45 0.72 2.44 0.50 0.69 0.60 0.50 2.50 2.50 0.50 0.50 0.61 0.50 2.87 0.63 1.01 1.11 0.50 1.24 0.53 0.59 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 1.55

0.50 0.50 0.61 0.50 0.58 0.50 1.08 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 1.06 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50

4,100 5,500

6.60 1.22

0.00 0.72

100 50,000 800 1,000

1.65 0.50 0.50 0.99

1.37 0.50 0.50 0.50

2,155,850 NT NT 28,545,915 4,212,618 NT 100 22,491 376,316 10,599,417

2.1 0.61 2.02 21.50 5.70 0.15 552.20 1.33 20.72 1.70

0 0.50 2.02 8.57 2.90 0.15 555.20 0.50 10.64 0.00

286 100

5.05 0.50

4.32 0.50

498,600,908 3,553,138,528

0.13 0.00

N/A N/A

4.32 NT

NT

10.54

7.39

152,178,750

0.00

N/A

NT

199,200 150,750

4.80 2.50

0.50 0.61

486,473,856 1,500,000,000

0.58 0.24

#VALUE! 2.38

3.40 2.10

N/A=Not Avialable

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 0.19 0.00 0.05 0.15 0.02 0.24 0.01 0.00 0.03 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.02 0.00 0.00 0.02 0.25 0.00 0.37 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.04 0.09 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.02 0.00 0.07

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 2.44 N/A -2.94 N/A N/A -5.36 N/A 0.00 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

1.18 0.19 4,200,000,000 8,679,148,676 13,175,732,404 7,812,500,000

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

0.03 0.02 0.30 0.00 0.63 0.00 0.15 2.45 1.23 0.00 12.68 0.13 1.53 0.29

NT 0.87 NT NT 1.12 0.50 1.62 0.50 NT 0.50 0.50 NT 0.94 NT NT 0.50 NT 2.05 0.50 0.68 0.50 0.50 0.56 NT 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 NT 0.50 0.96 NT 0.85

N/A N/A N/A N/A

N/A N/A -0.61 N/A N/A N/A 1.14

NT NT NT NT 1.86 NT NT 16.50 3.82 NT NT NT 19.30 1.40

SECURITY

PRICE (=N=)

GLAXO SMITHKLINE CONSUMER PLC 65.00 MAY & BAKER NIGERIA PLC. 2.17 NEIMETH INT PHARM PLC 1.16 NIGERIA-GERMAN CHEMICALS PLC. NT PHARMA-DEKO PLC. NT ICT Computer Based Systems COURTEVILLE BUSINESS SLN PLC 0.66 Computers and Peripherals OMATEK VENTURES PLC NT Electronic Communications Services MTECH COMMUNICATIONS PLC NT IT Services NCR (NIGERIA) PLC. 16.83 TRIPPLE GEE AND COMPANY PLC. 2.07 Processing Systems CHAMS PLC NT E-TRANZACT INTERNATIONAL PLC NT Telecommunications Carriers STARCOMMS PLC 0.50 Telecommunications Services IHS NIGERIA PLC PREF SHARES NT IHS PLC 2.53 MTI PLC NT INDUSTRIAL GOODS Building Materials AFRICAN PAINTS (NIGERIA) PLC. NT ASHAKA CEM PLC 23.00 BERGER PAINTS PLC 7.95 CAP PLC 38.85 CEMENT CO. OF NORTH.NIG. PLC 9.50 DANGOTE CEMENT PLC 186.20 DN MEYER PLC. 1.81 FIRST ALUMINIUM NIGERIA PLC NT IPWA PLC 0.89 LAFARGE WAPCO PLC. 99.00 PAINTS & COATINGS MANFACT.PLC 2.20 PORTLAND PAINTS & PRDT NIG. PLC 5.10 PREMIER PAINTS PLC. NT Electronic and Electrical Products AUSTIN LAZ & COMPANY PLC NT CUTIX PLC. 1.90 NIGERIAN WIRE AND CABLE PLC. 0.50 NIGERIAN WIRE IND. PLC NT Packaging/Containers ABPLAST PRODUCTS PLC. NT AVON CROWNCAPS & CONTAINERS NT BETA GLASS CO PLC. 12.50 GREIF NIGERIA PLC NT NIG. BAGS MANFACT. COY PLC NT POLY PRODUCTS (NIG) PLC. NT W A GLASS IND. PLC. NT Tools and Machinery NIGERIAN ROPES PLC NT STOKVIS NIG PLC. NT NATURAL RESOURCES Chemicals B.O.C. GASES PLC. 6.35 Metals ALUMACO PLC NT ALUMINIUM EXTRUSION IND. PLC. NT MINING SERVICES MULTIVERSE PLC 0.50 Paper/Forest Products HALLMARK PAPER PRODUCTS PLC. NT THOMAS WYATT NIG. PLC. 0.87 OIL AND GAS Energy Equipment and Services JAPAUL OIL & MARITIME SER. PLC 0.50 Integrated Oil and Gas Services OANDO PLC 10.70 Petroleum &Petroleum Products Distributors AFROIL PLC NT BECO PETROLEUM PRODUCT PLC NT CONOIL PLC 34.99 ETERNA PLC. 2.65 FORTE OIL PLC. 64.30 MOBIL OIL NIG PLC. 118.00 MRS OIL NIGERIA PLC. 36.14 TOTAL NIGERIA PLC. 167.00 SERVICES Advertising AFROMEDIA PLC NT Apparel Retailers LENNARDS (NIG) PLC. NT Automobile/Auto Part Retailers R T BRISCOE PLC. 1.32 Courier/Freight/Delivery RED STAR EXPRESS PLC 4.68 TRANS-NATIONWIDE EXPRESS PLC. 1.26 Employment Solutions C & I LEASING PLC. NT Hospitality TANTALIZERS PLC NT Hotels/Lodging CAPITAL HOTEL PLC NT IKEJA HOTEL PLC 0.70 TOURIST COMPANY OF NIGERIA PLC. NT TRANSNATIONAL CORP. OF NIG.PLC NT Media/Entertainment DAAR COMMUNICATIONS PLC NT Printing/Publishing ACADEMY PRESS PLC. 2.07 LEARN AFRICA PLC 1.65 STUDIO PRESS (NIG) PLC. NT UNIVERSITY PRESS PLC. 3.80 Road Transportation ABC TRANSPORT PLCPLC 0.77 Specialty INTERLINKED TECHNOLOGIES PLC NT SECURE ELECTRONIC TECH.PLC NT Transport-Related Services AIRLINE SERVICES AND LOGISTICS PLC 3.69 NIG. AVIATION HANDLING COY PLC 6.18 ASeM CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE Property Management SMART PRODUCTS NIGERIA PLC NT CONSUMER GOODS Food Products MCNICHOLS PLC NT Personal/Household Products ROKANA INDUSTRIES PLC. NT HEALTHCARE Pharmaceuticals AFRIK PHARMACEUTICALS PLC. NT INDUSTRIAL GOODS Electronic and Electrical Products NT ADSWITCH PLC. NT NATURAL RESOURCES Metals W.A. ALUM. PRODUCTS PLC. NT OIL AND GAS Petroleum & Petroleum Products Distributors ANINO INTERNATIONAL PLC. NT CAPITAL OIL PLC 0.50 RAK UNITY PET. COMP. PLC. NT UNION VENTURES & PET. PLC NT SERVICES Apparel Retailers UDEOFSON GARMENT FACT. NIG PLC NT Food/Drug Retailers and Wholesalers NT JULI PLC. NT ETF’s Sector ETF NEWGOLD EXCHANGE TRADED FUND 2,026.00

52 WK HIGH

52 WK LOW

SHARES OUTSTANDING

EPS

38,038 201,704 751 100 20,000

69.00 3.38 1.76 8.59 3.50

18.97 1.23 0.58 7.36 1.83

956,701,192 980,000,000 1,925,717,268 153,786,012 100,000,000

3.07 0.09 0.00 0.00 0.00

0.00 -1.81 1.75 N/A N/A

65.00 2.21 1.14 NT 1.85

550,700

0.96

0.50

2,960,000,000

0.11

0.00

0.65

1,000

0.50

0.50

2,941,789,472

0.00

N/A

NT

NT

0.91

0.91

4,966,666,668

0.00

N/A

NT

200 5,000

18.70 2.94

13.12 2.07

108,000,000 492,825,600

0.00 0.03

N/A N/A

16.83 NT

NT 1,850

0.50 4.97

0.50 4.04

4,620,600,000 4,200,000,000

0.04 0.04

N/A N/A

NT 3.13

4,000

1.47

0.50

6,878,478,096

0.00

N/A

NT

NT 893,000 NT

2.25 3.79 0.50

0.00 1.70 0.50

4,400,000,000 4,893,594,400

0.00 0.00 0.00

N/A N/A N/A

NT 2.80 NT

2,500 2,583,101 79,005 40,667 179,617 44,671 500 NT 25,000 239,178 15,000 213,193 NT

2.86 29.98 12.20 67.50 12.99 210.01 3.54 0.75 1.34 110.00 2.41 7.22 10.93

2.86 8.01 6.82 13.78 4.00 102.00 0.50 0.50 0.50 39.80 0.50 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

0.07 0.80 0.91 1.66 1.12 5.77 0.06 0.00 0.00 6.83 0.36 0.43 0.00

N/A 1.77 4.61 0.00 0.74 -1.48 N/A N/A N/A 0.00 N/A N/A N/A

NT 22.60 7.60 38.85 9.43 189.00 NT NT 0.89 99.00 2.20 5.10 NT

NT 5,840 840 NT

2.00 2.39 0.73 2.58

2.00 1.20 0.50 2.58

510,396,608 2,220,000,000 15,000,000

0.05 0.19 0.00 0.00

N/A -3.55 N/A N/A

NT 1.97 NT NT

NT 659 366 NT NT NT NT

3.98 5.94 13.18 15.03 3.60 1.86 0.63

3.98 1.71 9.04 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 0.00 3.23 0.90 0.24 0.22 0.00

N/A #VALUE! N/A N/A

NT NT NT NT NT 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

QUANTITY

25,000,000 683,974,528

MOV. (%)

Previous

7,478

9.35

5.68

393,120,000

0.76

0.00

6.35

NT NT

7.75 12.39

7.75 10.55

75,600,000 100,000,000

0.00 0.24

N/A N/A

NT NT

30,000

0.50

0.50

4,058,989,226

0.01

N/A

NT

NT 43,412

3.22 1.38

3.22 0.67

50,000,000 220,000,000

0.04 0.00

N/A N/A

NT NT

2,331,666

1.02

0.50

6,262,701,716

0.00

0.00

0.50

4,084,559

24.80

9.32

2,262,711,568

1.24

2.88

10.40

NT 29,000 770,418 488,037 415,400 224,169 8,098 26,531

20.71 0.70 33.67 4.87 43.95 146.00 59.00 190.01

20.71 0.50 16.96 1.32 7.73 106.00 16.20 118.75

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 2.69 0.61 1.43 9.93 1.04 12.91

N/A N/A 21.49 -3.99 33.96 -1.17 N/A 6.03

NT NT 28.80 2.76 48.00 119.40 36.14 157.50

4,035,497,307

0.00

N/A

0.50

0

N/A

NT

100

0.72

0.50

NT

3.48

3.48

374,483

2.45

1.00

980,294,400

0.00

1.54

1.30

709,600 65,000

5.10 3.45

2.19 0.73

589,496,310 198,819,763

0.52 0.00

4.23 N/A

4.49 NT

22,000

1.64

0.85

865,808,912

0.00

N/A

NT

2,000

0.75

0.50

3,211,627,907

0.00

N/A

0.50

NT 506,445 NT NT

8.00 1.72 4.53 1.95

3.00 0.64 4.08 0.50

1,548,780,000 2,078,796,396 1,772,884,297 25,813,998,283

0.23 0.00 0.00 0.22

N/A -6.67 N/A #VALUE!

NT 0.75 NT NT

5,000

0.51

0.50

8,000,000,000

0.43

N/A

NT

21,524 63,932 100 159,478

4.10 3.09 2.78 5.77

1.57 1.39 2.52 3.00

403,200,000 771,450,000 425,641,111

0.22 0.00 0.00 0.61

N/A N/A N/A -5.00

1.89 1.70 NT 4.00

401,000

1.29

0.50

1,507,000,000

0.21

N/A

0.80

NT NT

5.15 1.88

4.90 0.80

236,699,511 5,631,539,736

0.00 0.00

N/A N/A

NT NT

274,000 285,177

5.90 8.81

1.27 5.08

634,000,000 1,230,468,750

0.50 0.43

N/A -1.90

3.69 6.30

NT

1.43

1.04

45,000,000

0.12

N/A

NT

NT

1.02

1.02

201,885,335

0.00

N/A

NT

NT

0.60

0.60

30,000,000

0.00

N/A

NT

NT

0.50

0.50

24,898,850

0.00

N/A

NT

NT NT

1.88

1.63

125,005,250

0.00

N/A

NT NT

NT

0.50

0.50

6,650,000

0.00

N/A

NT

NT 5,100 NT NT

0.21 0.50 0.31 0.63

0.21 0.50 0.31 0.63

24,200,000 5,857,500,000 15,000,000 98,600,000

0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

N/A N/A N/A N/A

NT NT NT NT

NT NT NT

0.50

0.50

20,000,000

0.00

N/A

3.05

2.76

194,700,000

0.00

N/A

NT NT NT

260

2,706

2,003

1.15

2,003.00

40

Monday, October 21, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

63 ACCRA STREET, WUSE ZONE 5, ABUJA,

08067770999 & 08033203414 Email: niconpropertiesltd@gmail.com www.niconpropertieslimited.com.ng

LIST OF A AVAILABLE PROPERTIES

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Monday, October 21, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

41

Law & Justice nationalmirrorlaw@yahoo.com

“Section 182(1) (i) of the constitution is not to be used as an instrument by politicians to hinder the emergence of their opponents as governors.”

- JUSTICE GEORGE OGUNTADE,RETIRED JUSTICE OF SUPREME COURT.

Low funding of judiciary dangerous to justice - Abdulrasheed 42 IBA President, Michael J. Reynolds

NBA President, Okey Wali (SAN)

IBA 2013: Posers as 900 Nigerian lawyers return from Boston How Momoh dragged Senate to court over Press Freedom 45

Fashola canvasses hosting of IBA Conference in Nigeria 46

There were over 900 hundred Nigerian lawyers in attendance at this year’s Annual Conference of the International Bar Association which ended a few days ago in Boston, United States. The conference witnessed the tradition of Nigeria going with hundreds of lawyers to the IBA. The Assistant Head of the Judiciary Desk, KAYODE KETEFE, examines the question of relevance of this tradition.

F

or the past ten years, Nigerian lawyers under the umbrella of Nigerian Bar Association have established the controversial tradition of “invading” every annual general conference of the International Bar Association with contingents that dwarfed representation of most of other attending nations. Nigeria used to have the third highest number of representatives till the year 2009 when she moved up to the second position at the IBA Conference of that year which held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, coming after the United States.

That position is sustained till this year when over 900 lawyers were in attendance at the just concluded IBA 2013, in Boston United States. There was only one representative each from countries like Albania, Aruba and some other countries. At the said conference Angola had three representatives; many other countries had “moderate” representation but not Nigeria.

A participant, Mr. Adams Adedimeji, said he was surprised to realise that “while the names of

MANY OF THESE LAWYERS TURN THIS ANNUAL

TRAVEL TO OPPORTUNITY TO GO FOR SHOPPING INSTEAD OF CONCENTRATING ON THE LECTURES participants from some countries were listed in one, two or three pages, the names of participants from Nigeria were listed in a whopping 21-pages!” There were said to be 5, 500 delegates/ lawyers from 134 countries while Nigeria alone has more than 900 lawyers at the forum.

A participant Mr. Dele Olaitan, even estimated the population of Nigerian lawyers to be over one million. He said “The over 900 lawyers that you are talking about only related to the registered lawyers. There were many

other attendees from Nigeria whose name were not on the register. For example some government functionaries went with aides and assistants who were not registered as participants.

But this, of course, has cost implication for the nation” A number of question arises as a result of this massive presence of the Nigerian lawyers. Does the nation have anything to gain?

Do the lawyers themselves or the NBA as an association stand to benefit from this sustained tradition?

To start with, National Mirrors learnt that majority of those who have been dominating the participants’ list at the IBA over the years including this edition were lawyers from Government departments, ministries and parastatals whose (expenses were defrayed by the government) and lawyers in the corporate world who were sponsored by their companies in contra-distinction to lawyers in private practice who were selfsponsored.

One fallout from this, it was gathered, is that many of these

lawyers turn this annual travel to opportunity to go for shopping instead of concentrating on the lectures they went for. Many participants lacked commitment to the ideals of the IBA and continuous professional education it offers simply because they were not the one paying the fees, thus while the annual ritual constitutes a great drain on the government’s exchequer, the supposedly accruing benefits were not being reaped maximally by the participants.

The large turnout of Nigerians had not only failed to impress the organisers of the IBA themselves but it has ironically led to abolition of special fees concession for Nigerians. Specifically, National Mirror learnt that the organisers have removed Nigeria from list of the countries that are given concessions to pay subsidised rate.

Thus, Nigerian attendees at this year conference were made to pay the sum of $2,200 (Two thousand two hundred dollars), which other participants from more affluent countries like Europe and AmerCONTINUED ON PAGE 44

42

Law & Justice

Monday, October 21, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Low funding of Judiciary dangerous to justice – Abdulrasheed Mr. Murtala Abdulrasheed, (aka Murray), a former National Publicity Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association, human rights activist and a current member of the Osun State Judicial Service Commission is regarded as one of the strong pillars in the politics of the NBA at the national level. He spoke recently with the Assistant Head of Judiciary Desk, KAYODE KETEFE, on a number of issues affecting Nigeria, administration of justice and the NBA. Excerpts Nigeria has just celebrated her 53rd independence anniversary, going by what we have encountered over the years, will you say we have realised our missions and objectives as a nation?

From what we read in history as the dreams and visions of our founding fathers, I believe that this is not the Nigeria of their dreams. Going by their dreams, Nigeria at 53 should have ranked among the world best 20 countries in terms of economic development, infrastructural development, sophistication of the legal system and other aspects of human endeavors. I do believe that by now we should be among the top 20 countries in the world.

I also know from what we have heard from them that they desired that by now we should have a country that practiced true federalism; a country where the rule of law reigns supreme; a country where citizens are able to develop their potentials to its fullness, a country where nobody will go to bed without a dinner, but unfortunately we missed it along the line and the country we have now is a country that is still crawling at 53.

President Goodluck Jonathan has recently acceded to request of Nigerians by endorsing the call for the National Conference. What does this portend for our nation?

I do not see the sincerity in the desire of government to convoke the national dialogue as it has been termed. I see it as a way of shifting our attention from the reality on ground which is the political turmoil that is happening in the People’s Democratic Parties (PDP) and other parties, and the insecurities in our country. I think it is being used as a forerunner to the 2015 elections with a view to gain popularity, knowing full well that certain segments of the society have been very consistent in the call for sovereign national conference.

You see that the president is very careful in not using the word conference, what the president termed it is national dialogue.

How far can we go with it? Don’t you think the conference is going to be another talk show where money will be spent and at the end of the day nothing will be realised.

We have been having national conference all over the years. Obasanjo did one, headed by Justice Nikki Tobi; Babangida did like one or two. Abacha did but at the end of the day, the real national questions have not been answered and what are these national questions? One is true federalism,

I DO NOT THINK THAT THE PRESENT ADMINISTRATION HAVE THE WHEREWITHAL TO GIVE US A CONSTITUTION THAT WILL BE FULLY

PEOPLE-ORIENTED CONSTITUTION what type of country do you want to have ,must a state depend or a region depend on the federal government before its pay salaries? Must labour be part of the exclusive legislation list? Must a state that wants to appoint a chief judge go to Abuja before such an appointment can be ratified or approved. We have to addressed the question of financial autonomy for states. So also is the question of shari’ah in the North. Fiscal federalism has been the clamour of the Niger-delta: these are the national questions. Can this national dialogue address these questions? And if it does, does the recent administration have the political will to entrench the outcome of such dialogue into our constitution. I do not think in my mind that the present administration have the where withal to give us a constitution

Abdulrasheed

Abdulrasheed

that will be fully people-oriented constitution.

The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Aloma Mukhtar, recently lamented openly at a public forum that the allocation to Judiciary is getting lower by the day. How does this low allocation impact on the dispensation of justice?

I will tell you straight forward that it will impact negatively on the country. It will affect the dispensation of justice as it will take justice away from the people; It will make justice more expensive. Apart from that, even the little the Judiciary is getting ,what have we been able to do with it? I don’t know whether you have visited the Supreme Court recently. As a practitioner, I know that justices of the Supreme

Court who are in their late sixties are still writing with long hands. I also know that justices of the Court of Appeal also write in long hands not to talk of the Federal High Court and the lower court of records and by the time you go to the court of magistracy and the Customary courts which in actual facts represent the 80% of the population, you will see the way things are.

Now talking about low funding, if there is no funding we will not be able to build the capacity of judges the way it should be done. Some magistrates are really not well-trained! Some judges in our superior courts cannot use computers .They may have laptops but they cannot even type, neither can they operate computer and Ipads. Some don’t even know there anything like about Ipads.

When we are talking of low funding, it affects the entire gamut of the whole justice system because if the court room environment is not conducive for a judge, there is no way the judge will appreciate the cases of litigants before him. If he does not appreciate, evidence has proved that it affects some of these issues in his judgment and therefore, there will be miscarriage of justice. Secondly, justice will be delayed, if the court is conducive, cases would not progress at they are supposed to be, there will be many adjournments, leading to prolongation of cases most justices cannot work under harsh environment.

Furthermore, lawyers too will not be able to do their work very well. I know of cases where lawyers have to give money for the registries to buy papers. When you go to the magistracy. Magistrates are treated like messengers.

I am a member of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) of my state and also a legal practitioner. I know that in almost all the states, magistrates are not trained.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Law & Justice

Monday, October 21, 2013

SOME MAGISTRATES ARE REALLY NOT WELL-TRAINED!

SOME JUDGES IN OUR SUPERIOR COURTS CANNOT USE

.THEY MAY HAVE LAPTOPS, COMPUTERS

BUT THEY CANNOT EVEN TYPE NEITHER CAN THEY OPERATE COMPUTERS AND

IPADS

Some are fetched directly from the law school, some of them just have four or five years experience in practice and they would be appointed not by the virtues of they know but by virtues of whom they know. These new recruit would just sit in with a magistrate who was their senior for may be two weeks and the next thing is that they will give them a court room to administer justice. So at the end of the day, the quality of judgment that you get from those courts are better imagined that experienced.

Is there a crisis in the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) There are a lot insinuations especially when the last annual general conference was approaching, that the issues might even rendered the conference unsuccessful?

I will tell you straight forward that there is no crisis in the NBA. The way the NBA is structured is such that all its sections and forums are semi-independent of the national leadership of the NBA. Each section and forum has the liberty to draw its own programme, source for its own resource persons et al while all these would be put together in the main put in the main program me of the NBA. For example, during the conference planning, the Section on Legal Practice might be say this are the resource persons we are bringing, the NBA Planning Committee would look at its programme and allocate space for them for their one-day show. The leadership of the NBA play supervisory role over all these sections and forums.

The NBA national leadership is only interested in the opening ceremony (which we started in Lagos 2009), the Annual General Conference, the closing ceremony, and the issuance of communiqué. Every other items of the programme is organised by the respective section and forums.

There is also insinuation that the NBA election is highly monetised. Does that mean that people who don’t have money cant contest in the election?

I can tell you confidently that to run for the presidency of NBA is a very expensive venture. I am telling you this with all sense of responsibilities. I am telling this because I have been an active participant at the highest level.

In terms of the logistics involved, I will tell you straight away that it is easier to contest for a gubernatorial election in Nigeria than to contest for NBA presidency.

Let us take Oyo state for example, in Oyo state NBA has three branches. so if you are contesting for the presidency of the NBA, you cannot afford to get to Ibadan and leave Ogbomosho and Oyo because the branches in Oyo and Ogbomosho will cry foul! That is how we have branches in all the states of the federation. In Delta State, we have seven branches, so as a candidate you must get to Asaba, Warri, Sapele and others before you can say you have covered Delta.

If you get to Kaduna State, you can’t just get to Kaduna and make U-turn, you must get to Kafansha and Zaria. If you go to Osun states, Osun has 4 branches; you must get to Ilesha, Oshogbo, Ikirun and Iwo. So, there is no way you will not spent money. If you are contesting for the post of the President of Nigeria, you would get get to the state secretariat for rallies but at the NBA, it is not a tea party. You must visit every branch and then lawyers in their critical mind will put you into task on issues. There were times I had been in the campaign train that at 3am, we were still on the road.

So in terms of well-articulated programmes, in terms of selling your programmes, it is not a tea party at the NBA. How about the insinuation that money is often given to delegates before elections to sway their allegiance?

Well, I am not aware of that because lawyers are very proud people. They would want to take money to vote. Where you spend the bulk of the money is in respect of the logistics and organisations for your supporters. For example expenses are incurred on hotel accommodation Professor Chidi Odinkalu recently made a suggestion that the idea of gathering people together at the NBA election is outdated; that in this era, you can have people to vote electronically or to send their votes, will you support such innovation?

Yes, I have had the opportunity of taking him in the past on some of these issues and I have told him as a pragmatic bar man that even now that we have the delegate system where the leaders of the Bar gather to elect the president, we know how costly our election is. Now if we have to say it is one man, one vote, what do you think it will be? Forget about voting, voting is just one out of the issues Prof Odinkalu has talked on how effective electronic voting could be. He has been so exposed to how to run things in the west but he has not been able to demonstrate how it could be done here! I challenged him the past to put up a proposal to demonstrate to National Electoral Committee (NEC) of the NBA how these things would work. But he is yet to do so. If we

are having logistic challenges now of organising election of about 2,000 delegates, I don’t how we are going to do it if it we are to cope with 70,000 lawyers. In the last 6 elections,anybody that has up to six hundred votes will win NBA elections and I am telling you ,I have been involved and I know what am talking about. If you have to involve all lawyers including those who have just graduated from the Law School, there will be enormous challenges but if someone can give us the blueprints on how it can be done effectively without hiccups, I think we can consider it.

Should retired justices be allowed to engage in private practices?

I don’t think so. Look, you cannot eat your cake and still have it. Why some of us have gone into practice, they have chosen to go to the bench. At 65, you are expected to retire and when you retire, you do so with your full benefits but we in private practices, we struggle from day to day looking for briefs to survive.By the time the justices retire ,they must have gather enormous judicial goodwill that will give them undue advantage over us who are in practice. So, when they retire and still want to consult, that will confer unfair advantage. Anybody that has chosen the bench should take advantage of that fully and leave lawyers to our various practices.

Are you aware that some of the retired justices are doing it?

Yes some justice is doing it but the NBA should do something about it and expose them because I believe that it is unethical for a judge to do such thing.

In the past, some people have suggested that religious institutions like churches and mosques should be made to pay taxes on the income they are generating.

What is your take on this?

No, they should be left alone, But I think if the religious houses should be more involved in humanitarian services,.

I attended missionary schools and I know that as at that time we have missionary hospitals in those days. In fact they were involved in many sector of the economy and that made life worthy for the citizenry. But these days the reverse is the case.

Abdulrasheed

43

You will see nowadays some universities belonging to the churches where members who are supposed to be the owners of the university pay through their noses or who are even unable to pay the fees for their children and wards to attend. In Nigeria today,the most expensive universities are some of these private universities owned by some of these religious bodies. so I think they owe the society some certain percentage of return.

But this should not be in form of taxes. It may be in form of building and running social amenities like hospital or stores where people can buy genuine subsidised drugs.

How will you rate the incumbent NBA Chairman?

I have always been telling people that every NBA president has something to bring for its members. Agbaakoba came with rebranding of the NBA because he was coming from the civil society background. He exposed the NBA to the international world, he sent lawyers to training abroad, rebranded the NBA secretariat and brought in real professional administrators.

Rotimi Akeredolu spoke on corruption, bad governance and state of human right violations around the world. Akeredolu spoke out loudly against Halliburton, extra judicial killing and so on.

Joseph Bodunrin Daudu SAN gave NBA presidency intellectual flavor by travelling abroad delivering paper around the world. He presented quality papers.In one year; he delivered 53 well researched papers .nobody writes his speeches for him.

He established the criminal justice conferences to addressed issues of criminal justices in Nigeria. The main achievements of the incumbent, Okey Wali SAN, are in terms of ethical standard. He decided to create a better standard for the Bar. He ensures that no erring lawyers go unpunished. Nine lawyers have been debarred within the little administration of Okey Wali.

So it has been well with our presidents, but all of them cannot act with the same character and belief system but there is no doubt that they have all done well.

44

Law & Justice

Monday, October 21, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

How relevant are Nigerian lawyers in IBA scheme of events?

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 41 ica played. The reasons given by the organisers being that going by the large number of Nigerian participants who attended the conferences year in-year-year out, the nation could not be said to be poor!

The question of relevance of Nigerian huge representatives in IBA conferences without anything to show for it has been bothering the stakeholders for some time. For example, the former President of Nigerian Bar Association, Mr. Joseph Bodunrin Daudu, SAN, spoke elaborately with annoyance on this issue shortly after the IBA 2009 in Dubai. He said, “One thing is certain; the heavy population of Nigerian lawyers has no impact on the stature that the Nigerian delegation ought to enjoy. Nigerian speakers or resource persons are few and far between, not proportionate to the population that we contribute to the IBA. It is indeed a matter of great disenchantment to every Nigerian that Africa and Nigeria are treated with the greatest disdain by the IBA. We have raised this conscious neglect over and over with the IBA and their standard answer is to say that Nigerians don’t participate in committee meetings and that committees are the basis of participation in the IBA. In other words, the Nigerian population is surplus to IBA requirements so long as they do not participate in committee activities.”

The former NBA boss had also recommended the way out of this unenviable circumstance. He said “The only option to this recurring contempt shown by the IBA to the Nigerian delegation is to stay away from IBA functions for some time.

Indeed, we are a laughing stock and ridiculed by other participants because our delegation do not even appreciate the snide disrespectful remarks made about our huge number and its meaningless impact to the IBA. The remedy is for government parastatals and other sponsors to put a moratorium on sponsorship to IBA

Adekoya (SAN)

Daudu (SAN)

IN OTHER WORDS, THE NIGERIAN POPULATION IS SURPLUS TO

IBA REQUIREMENTS

SO LONG AS THEY DO NOT PARTICIPATE IN

COMMITTEE ACTIVITIES Okocha (SAN)

conferences until Nigerians can evolve a concise strategy and re-evaluate their participation and consequential impact which is now conspicuously missing in the international legal setting.”

Be that as it may, it would appear that there was a slight increment in the degree of participation of Nigerians in this year IBA, even though there is still a remarkable disproportion in the population/participation index.

The presentations from Nigeria in the just concluded edition were mainly lim-

ited to presentations in the African Forum and Women interest Forum. Those who presented papers included Governor Babatunde Fashola SAN of Lagos. Other presenters included three former NBA Presidents, OCJ Okocha(SAN), Chief WoleOlanipekun(SAN) and Mr. Joseph BodunrinDaudu(SAN). Mrs, Funke Adeokoya, Wali, former NBA General Secretary, Sir PhillpUmeh, Dele Adesina,(SAN), Ibrahim Eddy Mark,, MuyiwaAkinboro and the incumbent scribe, EmekaObegolu were also among those who enriched Nigerian contributions at the conference.

It is remarkable that Governor Fashola was also presented the Africa Regional Fo-

Controversies trail eviction of law book merchants KENNY ODUNUKAN

T

he leadership of Ikeja branch of Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) has denied involvement in the recent eviction of law book sellers at the Ikeja Magistrate Court premises.

It would be recalled that the booksellers had for years occupied buildings meant for inmates awaiting trial beside the Ikeja Magistrate court premises.

The traders have been selling law books and accessories to both lawyers and judges before they were allegedly dislocated by the Lagos State Ministry of environment.

Also, the traders over the years have been paying tenancy rates to the management of Lagos state judiciary and have had its protection.

However the state government recently evicted the book-sellers without making an alternative provision for them to market their products.

NBA IKeja branch chairman,Mr Monday Ubani in a telephone chat

with our correspondent said the eviction was carried out by the state government through the officials of Kick against Indispline (KAI).

Ubani said that the NBA is wadding into the matter by planning to build a modern multipurpose shops that would accommodate sales of law books and its accessories.

According to him,”The NBA Ikeja Branch is planning to build a multipurpose complex that will accommodate the book sellers and their products. They have been of immense benefits to our members and we cannot ignore them “.

He however denied the association involvement in the eviction of the book sellers adding that the legal resources marketed by the traders are beneficial to its members.

The acting registrar,who is also the Deputy Chief Registrar (Legal) Mrs.D.T Oladokun, told National Mirror that the premises previously occupied by the traders belong to the state government and that agencies saddled with environmental indiscipline evicted them out.

Olatokun also said that the Chief Registrar is out on official assignment and that she would be in the best position to the address the situation.

However, former Vice President of NBA, Mr. Olalekan Ojo condemned the state government for forcefully evicting the book traders.

He argued that the traders were formally tenants of the State High Court before KAI Officials dragged them out of the court premises like street hawkers.

He added that the state judiciary should have bailed out the traders from the state government before the eviction.

He said, “We all know that these book sellers offer essential service to all lawyers’ and judges. We all patronize them when we need our law materials and they have been there for long”.

A book seller, Mrs Yetunde Ajayi said that the lagos State government forcefully evicted them from the premises without making alternative provision for them.

rum Special Award in recognition of his immeasurable support of and enduring commitment to the Forum by the Chairman, Legal Practice Division of IBA, Mr. Michael Greene.

National Mirror also sought the views of some lawyers on this issue. A senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Olu Daramola, said “The reason why Nigerian lawyers are not making serious impact in IBA is because most of the delegates don’t participate in committees activities. They only go for the annual conference. The programme for the annual conference is fashioned by the committees. They select the key speakers and decide the topics for discussion. Each committee holds several meetings in a year.

Therefore, unless you participate actively in committees ‘ engagements you cannot be selected as a key speaker at the annual conference.”

Another lawyer who attended the Boston conference, Mr. Gbolahan Gbadamosi, also supported the view of Daramola above. He said “Nigerian lawyers may not have a kind of participation corresponding to her large contingent because of the way IBA operates. Don’t forget IBA is private initiative and the assignment of activities does not rest on the size of participation of any countries. Most of the representatives of Nigeria are government officials rather than from private chambers. There are a number of Nigerians who have roles to play though the number is still low. But it can improve” A Lagos-based lawyer and human rights activist, Mr. Yahaya Oladeji, said “I find the situation very disturbing. What exactly is the intelligence of sending over 900 lawyers to a conference where only one percent has role to play? A large number of these people did not go there to benefit from the lectures but only As most people know, majority of the lawyers that participated are government ministries, agencies and parastatals who are sponsored by the government.

LEGAL TIPS CHILD RIGHTS IN NIGERIA

• The Child Rights Act, 2003, an Act of the National Assembly, contains 287 sections with 11 schedules.

A number of basic rights of the child are guaranteed under the enactment, five of them are mentioned below.

• Section 5 of the Act guarantees the right to personal identity and record to every child when it provides that a child has the right to a name and registration birth.

Accordingly it is imperative that every parent registers the birth of every child with the National Population Commission and obtain a birth certificate for the registration.

• Section 10 states that a child should be subjected to any form of discrimination merely by reasons of the belonging to a particular community or ethnic group or his place of origin, sex, religion or political opinion.

• Section 11 emancipates a child from all forms of abuse when it provides that as it guarantees to every child respect for the dignity of his or her person and accordingly, no child shall be subjected to physical, mental, emotional injury, abuse, neglect or maltreatment.

•It is illegal to give out a child in marriage or to deceive or force a child into marriage. According to Section 21 of the Act, no person under the age of 18 is capable of contracting a valid marriage and any person who violates this prohibition is guilty of an offence.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Law & Justice

Monday, October 21, 2013

45

How Momoh dragged Senate to court over Press Freedom Prince Tony Momoh is a Lawyer, Journalist and one of the most vocal authorities on media issues in the country. He was an Information Minister between 1986 and 1990 during the regime of Gen. Ibrahim Babangida (rtd). When the Auchi-born media guru was the Editor of Daily Times of Newspaper he sued the Senate of the National Assembly over an alleged attempt to infringe on press freedom in the country. FRANCIS FAMOROTI, Head, Judiciary, gives an insight into his legal battle with the Upper legislative chamber in the law court.

IS TO BE FREE TO UPHOLD THE RESPONSIBILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY OF

GOVERNMENT TO THE PEOPLE, IT

THE

FOLLOWS THAT IT HAS

FAMOUS CASES

A DUTY TO LOOK FOR

A

s one of the leading lights of the media in the country, Momoh believes the dissemination of news and information and the right to educate the public and critical appraisal of the acts of those in governance are vested in the press. To him, in a free and orderly society, press freedom is basic to the fundamental of the country’s constitution. This perhaps explained why he explored the legal option of heading for the court when he was summoned to appear before the Senate over a publication in the Daily Times in 1981.

The case widely known as the Tony Momoh-v- Senate of the National Assembly was essentially a matter that bothers on the imperatives of press freedom and freedom of expression in the society.

While in office as the Editor of Daily Times, Momoh had published an article in the newspaper, which the Senate of the Second Republic led by its Senate President, Dr. Joseph Wayas, found offensive and contemptuous of the distinguished senators in the National Assembly. The Senate in session deliberated over the alleged act and consequently passed a resolution inviting Momoh to appear before the upper legislative house to come and disclose the source of his information.

In the media parlance, no right-thinking Journalist will condescend to the level of disclosing his source of information no matter whose ox is gored. This is because to do so will run contrary to the provisions of Code of Ethics for Journalists which enjoins that” a Journalist should observe the universally accepted principle of confidentiality and should not disclose the source of information obtained in confidence.”

Instead of appearing before the Senate, Momoh reasoned that his constitutional rights of freedom of expression and press freedom as a Journalist and Editor of a national newspaper were being violated under the provisions of Section 21 and 36 of the 1979Constitution.

He therefore filed an action at the Lagos High Court seeking among others, that his invitation to appear before the Senate was unlawful and unconstitutional.

This action received accolades and tremendous support from the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), the Commonwealth Press Union (CPU) and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) among others.

The matter came up before the then acting Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Candide Ademola Johnson. In his verdict, the Ag. CJ said “It is a matter of common knowledge that those who express their opinions, or impart ideas and information through the medium

IF THE MASS MEDIA

AND COLLECT ENOUGH DATA UPON WHICH TO BASE ITS OWN OPINION.

Former President, Alhaji Shehu Shagari

Tony Momoh

of a newspaper or by any other medium for the dissemination of information enjoy by customary law and convention a degree of confidentiality. How else is a disseminator of information to operate if those who supply him with such information are not assured of protection from identification and/or disclosure”.

The judge said the drafters of the 1979 Constitution who formulated the constitution of the country wanted to discourage any attempt “to deafen the public by pre-

venting or hindering the free flow of information, news and /or ideas from them.”

The Senate was aggrieved by this decision and the upper house appealed to the Court of Appeal against the verdict of the high court.

The Court of Appeal in its judgement however held that sections 21 and 36 of the 1979 constitution did not shield a Journalist from disclosing his source of information. Justice Phillip NnaemekaAgu (as he then was) in his lead judgment

said “ I see nothing in Section 21 and 36 to entitle a pressman or any other media man to any separate treatment.. Section 21 is only one of the fundamental objectives and directive principles of state policy which are not justiciable.

Section 36 does not carry with it, either expressly or by implication, the right not to disclose information of pressmen, nor does the section protect the disseminator from legal disabilities or liabilities such as are imposed by the law of libel.”

Justice Adenekan Ademola, JCA, in his concurring judgment seemed to be alarmed at the legal reasoning of Ademola-Johnson that those who disseminate information are entitled to enjoy “by customary law and convention” a degree of confidentiality. He said” nowhere throughout the judgment did the learned trial judge make clear what the customary law and convention were. There was no reference to any sources of customary law and convention either in books by acknowledged and accepted writers. There was no expert witness before him to found such conclusion on evidence. The leading judgment had shown through the case of Attorney General –v-Mulholland; A-G-v-Foster (1963) 2QBD 477 in England that journalists have no protection of confidentiality under the Common Law which is part of our received Law.” The then President of the Appeal Court, Justice Mamman Nasir said “If the mass media is to be free to uphold the responsibility and accountability of the Government to the people, it follows that it has a duty to look for and collect enough data upon which to base its own opinion. In carrying out this duty, it may, like a government department, be obliged to keep certain secret. I do not however think that this obligation is absolute.”

Momoh in a publication titled: “Nigerian Media Laws” however said it could be predicted that the media’s attitude would be influenced not only by their history of struggle, but by the universally accepted code of practice of journalists and by their understanding of the provisions of the constitution as they affect the monitoring of governance, and the eradication of corrupt practices and abuse of power in the country. He suggested that the courts should be ready to be part of the struggle to entrench lasting democracy in Nigeria.

46

Law & Justice

Relevance to Nigerian judiciary system

Fashola canvasses hosting of IBA Conference in Nigeria

L

agos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN) has canvassed for the hosting of the International Bar Association (IBA) Conference in Nigeria, pointing out that if the Association must be an international association of lawyers, it could only be seen as such when the conference is moved around the globe like in tournaments and championships.

Governor Fashola, said this while delivering a keynote address at the Africa Regional Forum of the International Bar Association Annual Conference in Boston, United States. He added that in spite of the numerical strength of Nigerian lawyers in the IBA and the fact of their frequent participation in the conference, their voice is not strong enough.

He declared, “If you look at global associations they are moving tournaments and championships across the world to make it truly representative of the Planet and I think that we must put our strong number into contention here in order to

make our voices heard.”

“I think year in year out, we have built what is at best a critical tour de force in terms of our membership, in terms of our participation and yet we have not had the privilege to host this conference and I think the time has come to do something very serious about that”, he said.

He expressed the need for the NBA to be “a little more strategic about its performance in the IBA adding, “Those of our members who are privileged to serve in the various committees of the IBA must take this message very strongly and I will be having a quiet word in the ears of the President about the options open to us and that in terms of facilities, in terms of all of the necessary prerequisites for hosting the Conference in Nigeria we are ready and able to do so”.

The Governor said Lagos is both ready to take the lead in hosting the very next IBA Conference and to support any other State in the country that bids to host adding, “The truth is that if it must be an International Association of Lawyers, it must be so in words and indeed”.

USA GBOLAHAN GBADAMOSI

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resident of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Okay Wali (SAN) led large delegation of Nigerian lawyers to this year (2013) International Bar Association (IBA) Conference which took place between Sunday, October 6 to Friday, October 11 in Boston, USA, a city described

by IBA President, Michael J. Reynolds, a Briton as ‘’ a beautiful city noted for its fantastic museums and art galleries. According to hi, Boston is a city known for absorbing much of American history’’, where new legal developments in various jurisdictions were discussed.

Nigeria’s contributions were further enriched by the robust participation of Wali, Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) of Lagos State. Three former NBA Presidents, OCJ Okocha, (SAN), Chief Wole Olanipekun(SAN) and Mr. Joseph Bodunrin Daudu(SAN); former NBA General Secretary, Sir Phillp Umeh, Dele Adesina,(SAN), Ibrahim Eddy Mark,, Muyiwa Akinboro and the incumbent scribe, Emeka Obegolu among others.

Opening Ceremony

Gov. Fashola

To confirm that the gathering of over 5, 500 delegates/lawyers from 134 countries was not only for intellectual sessions , the Welcome Party at the Museum of Fine Arts, Avenue of the Art, 465 Huntington Avenue, Boston, the delegates were treated with all known cuisines ranging from clam chowder, lobster roll and Boston cream pie.

The venue itself, was one of the oldest art museum noted for its ‘’ world renowned collections which run the gamut contemporary to ancient works. The museum itself is stunning architectural feat with gorgeous exterior spaces’’.

Before the relaxation evening, the conference was officially declared open in the main event hall- Veterans Memorial Auditorium, Hynes Convention Centre by Reynolds while the IBA Executive Director, Dr. Mark Ellis introduced the keynote speaker- the 64th US Secretary of State, Madeleine K. Albright.

Speaking on how to shape the rule of law, Albright who was on May 29, 2012 awarded the US Medal of Freedom by US President Barack Obama emphasized not only the importance of rule of law, but also the difference between just and unjust laws.

She noted that, the Human Rights Institute established by the IBA is now almost two decades old and that it has become a leading voice in connecting the promise of law to the reality of justice, concluding that, ‘’For that, I congratulate you and urge you to continue to expand your efforts.’’

Media Sessions ‘What happens in Vegas, stays on the internet’, is the title of one of the IBA ‘s Showcase sessions.

It was presented by the Legal Practice Division (LDP) and the Media Law Committee. Here we discussed the vexed issue of privacy in the internet age. The session anchored by Sir Harold Evans and Mark Stevens had Bob Barr, Emily Bell, John Kampfner of Google (London), Kelly Sager and Chair Media Law Committee, David Schulzas speak-

Judge faulted my dress code-Ogunfowora Oluwafunke

M

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

2013 IBA Confab

Foreign

WALE IGBINTADE

Monday, October 21, 2013

y first solo appearance was before Justice Josephine Oyefeso, at a Lagos High Court, Igbosere. She was then a family and probate Judge.

It was a Monday after my callto-bar week. My principal, Mr. Kunle Sofola, instructed me to appear in court to represent our client in a civil case. I took the case file and studied it thoroughly, and thereafter discussed details of the suit with him. He also gave me direction on what possible steps to

take in court which included the pending application before the court.

With so much mixed feelings of excitement and fear, I took the file home, did several rehearsals of what I was expected to do in Court. I also had a sleepless night planning my speech.

When I got to court, I urged a se-

nior female colleague to encourage me with a smile whenever I stood to address the court.

When my client’s matter was called. I stood up, announced my appearance and in a bid to further move my application; the judge announced that she could not see me. I became shaky and confused. With the senior colleague’s smiling face, I sought the leave of the court to step out of the court room, which the court granted.

While outside thinking of what could have gone wrong, I discov-

US President, Barack Obama

ers. Delegates heard how individual private rights have not been effectively established or enforced on a global level. In particular, the speed and developments of technology mean it is difficulty to draw hard and clear line.

For example, is it ethically right for a national newspaper to splash the picture of the first family relaxing on Akodo Beach in Lagos State? Panelists at the session debated where a line should or could be drawn. Many concluded that the private world is shrinking. A person’s location and visibility are as important factor in determining who and what should remain private, as what they choose to make public.

It however generally agreed that, law regarding privacy rights are ineffective and insufficient to keep up with the pace of technology; new regulations, rules or norms need to be established which consider how the internet has changed privacy, and construct a framework that

develops a zone of privacy for ordinary citizens and there must be a balance between the public’s right to information, and an individual’s right to privacy.

Yours sincerely seized the same forum in 2011 IBA Conference in Dubai, UAE to present the Nigeria’s Freedom of Information (FOI) Act to the global lawyers.

At another session staged by the Media Law Committee in conjunction with Communications Law Committee, the Space Law Committee and the Trade and Customs Law Committee, in the face of human rights violations, weapons developments or civil unrest came to fore for discussion in which Daudu participated actively.

Women Issues Access to justice by African women took the central stage during the session staged by the IBA’s Legal Aid and Access to Justice Committee and the Women Lawyers’ Interest Group.

This is one of the three sessions solely devoted to discuss women issues.

ered that one of my collarette wings slipped under my gown. I re-adjusted my gown and wing and went back to court.

The Judge ran through her cause list and finally my matter was recalled, when she noticed me.

I moved the application and same was granted.

It was, indeed, a memorable day for me, an experience which boost my pride and courage in the legal profession. Till date, even in my solo practice as a Principal Partner in Bisi Ogunfowora & Associates, I carry on the pride of legal profession.

Ogunfowora

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Monday, October 21, 2013

Law of rape in Nigeria THE ADVOCATE OLUGBEMI FATULA

08037213732 (sms only) E-mail: afribic@yahoo.com

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ape is one if not the most brutal and atrocious gender-based form of violence that can be committed against women.

Women are violated not just physically but also psychologically. Their freedom has become violated. Rape is used as a form of dominance over women in times of war, by husbands over their wives (in some cases) and generally.

In the then war torn Yugoslavia, rape camps were used as a form of ethnic cleansing and sexual terrorism.

Victims who have survived rape ordeals have been reluctant to speak about it for reasons such as the stigma attached to having been raped, the difficulties faced in obtaining a conviction, fear of being rejected by their husband, his family or her family, the amount of public attention given to the crime and also because of the difficulty of giving a positive or accurate identification of the perpetrator.

Where the victim and perpetrator previously had a sexual relationship, the victims chances of obtaining a conviction is diminished.

Soldiers and combatants, those in positions of authority and power such as the police, opportunistic common criminals and bandits have during war periods taken advantage of the situation, to use rape as a weapon of war against pregnant, elderly women and girls as young as eleven years old.

The law on the offence of rape in Southern Nigeria is as provided for under Section 357 of the Criminal Code which states that: “Any person who has unlawful carnal knowledge of a woman or girl, without her consent or with her consent, if the consent is obtained by force or by means of threats or intimidation of any kind, or by fear of harm, or by means of false and fraudulent representation as to the nature of the act, or in the case of a married woman, by personating her husband is guilty of an offence which is called rape.”

This same Code defines “unlawful carnal knowledge”

as “carnal connection which takes place otherwise than between husband and wife.”

In the Northern part of Nigeria the definition of rape as contained under Section 282(1) of the Penal Code provides that: “A man is said to commit rape who … has sexual intercourse with a woman in any of the following circumstances:- (a) against her will; (b) without her consent; (c) with her consent, when her consent has been obtained by putting her in fear of death or of hurt; (d) with her consent, when the man knows that he is not her husband and that her consent is given because she believes that he is the man to whom she is or believes herself to be lawfully married; (e) with or without her consent when she is under fourteen years of age or of unsound mind.”

A conviction of rape under the Criminal Code is punishable with imprisonment for life with or without caning whereas under the Penal Code it is punishable with imprisonment for life or for any less term and shall also be liable to a fine.

The law on rape in Nigeria is archaic and need to be amended to apply to current day situations as was done in England, where the government reviewed the law in this area with a view to making it appropriate for this century. The applicable law to the offence of rape in England is the Sexual Offences Act 2003. It is gender neutral and non-discriminatory so that both men and women are equally protected. A man can rape another man whereas the law in Nigeria makes no provision for this.

One can be raped through the vagina, anus or mouth.

Rape, assault and sexual assault of a child under thirteen is also an offence.

Under Section 1 of the Act:

(1) A person (A) commits an offence if –(a) he intentionally penetrates the vagina, anus or mouth of another person (B) with his penis; (b) B does not consent to the penetration, and (c) A does not reasonably believe that B consents. (2) Whether a belief is reasonable is to be determined having regard to all the circumstances including any steps A has taken to ascertain whether B consents. (3) Sections 75 and 76 apply to an offence under this section. (4) A person guilty of an offence under this section is liable, on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for life.

The Act also makes assault by penetration an offence, which is liable on conviction to imprisonment for life. Sexual assault is also an offence which on summary conviction, a person guilty of the offence would be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum or both.

If a person is convicted on indictment, the sentence is imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years.

The English Sexual Offences Act 2003 has finally put to death the principle in DPP v. Morgan (1976) AC 182 as the law for the first time defines consent. A person is defined as consenting if he or she agrees by choice, and has the freedom and capacity to make that choice. Thus a defendant’s belief that consent was given must be honest and reasonable. The Act has also introduced a presumption that in certain situations such as where one is threatened with immediate violence or is unconscious, the victim did not consent.

On the other hand, in Nigeria an accused will not be convicted if he proves that he honestly believed that the victim consented.

There is no age limit as to who is capable of raping one under the English Act. One may thus conclude that if a defendant is capable of penetrating the vagina, anus or mouth of another person with his penis, that person is capable of committing the offence of rape if found guilty.

Law & Justice EVENT

L-R : Mr.Niyi Akintola, SAN and the Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, SAN at the just concluded International Bar Association (IBA) Conference held in Boston, United States of America.

Former First Vice President, NBA, Mr. Ikeazor Akaraiwe, Mrs. Funke Adekoya, SAN and the Managing Director, Law Pavilion, Mr. Ope Olugasa

Funke Aboyade, SAN, Mr. Femi Falana SAN, Mrs. Funmi Falana and Chief of Staff of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commissions EFCC, Mr. Kayode Oladele

A CONVICTION OF RAPE UNDER THE CRIMINAL CODE IS PUNISHABLE WITH IMPRISONMENT FOR LIFE WITH OR WITHOUT CANING

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Mr. Ricky Tafa, SAN and Chief Emeka Ngige, SAN

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North

Monday, October 21, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Four vigilance men held over killing of two herdsmen PRISCILLA DENNIS MINNA

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our persons have been arrested in connection with the killing of two Fulani herdsmen in Lapai Local Government Area of Niger State.

The Fulani herdsmen

were allegedly killed at the weekend following a disagreement between them and a photographer.

It was gathered that the misunderstanding aroused when one of the herdsmen was presented with a copy of a photograph he took with

the photographer, but he was said to have expressed dissatisfaction over the quality of the picture.

According to eye witnesses, the Fulani herdsman demanded that the photographer should repeat the shot, which the photographer refused.

Angered by the photographer’s action, the Fulani herdsman and his two friends seized the photographer’s bag and headed towards their settlement after Lapai town through a foot path.

The photographer immediately rushed to re-

port the incident to vigilante men who pursued the herdsmen through the foot path in the bush and caught up with them.

It was leant that the vigilance group shot the herdsmen when they resisted attempts to retrieve the bag from them.

The police confirmed

the incident, adding that a body was found at the scene of the incident the day it occurred, while the second victim died on the way to the hospital.

The police said four persons had been arrested in connection with the incident.

Mark asks victims of communal clash to shun reprisal

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L-R: Olupo of Ajase-po, Oba Sikiru Atanda Sanni and the Etsu Patigi, Alhaji Ibrahim Chatta Umar, commiserating with Kwara State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed over the death of some supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ilorin, at the weekend.

FG reconstitutes task team on NEITI reports CHIDI UGWU ABUJA

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he Federal Government has reconstituted an Inter Ministerial Task Team (IMTT) to implement the reports of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI).

NEITI’s Director of Communications, Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, and the Secretary to the Federal Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, announced this at the weekend in Abuja during a dinner in honour of the International Chair of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), Clare Short.

Anyim said President Goodluck Jonathan’s decision to reconstitute the committee was as result of the government’s decision to fully reintegrate the NEITI mandates into the country’s economic policy agenda.

He said: “In the wisdom of Mr. President, it is necessary to strengthen the Inter Ministerial Task Team with high ranking officers from all key agencies covered by NEITI process who have requisite authority to take decisions on NEITI

Audit Reports findings and recommendations and ensure that these recommendations are implemented”.

The members of the reconstituted Inter Ministerial Task Team on NEITI reports were listed as follows: Director, Petroleum Resources, Group Executive Director (Exploration and Production) Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), the Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, the Chairman, Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Accountant General of the Federation. Others include; Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service, the Auditor General of the Federation, the Chief Economic Adviser to the President, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Finance, the Managing Director, Pipeline and Products Marketing Company, and the Managing Director, Niger Delta Development Commission, the Executive Secretary, Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency, the Chairman,

Nigeria Miners Association, the Director General, Mining Cadastre Office and the Chairman, Oil Producers Trade Section of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce are also members of the Task Team.

President Jonathan is expected to inaugurate the reconstituted Inter Ministerial Task Team in due course.

The International Chair of EITI, Clare Short who was on a one –day working visit to Abuja described Nigeria’s implementation of Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) in the Country’s oil and gas and mining sectors as exemplary.

She expressed delight on the support and commitment of President Jonathan to carry out reforms in the sector to conform with EITI Principles.

The EITI Chair said she was in Nigeria to exchange views with governments, the civil society and companies on the need for collaboration with NEITI to ensure that revenues from the extractive industries support national development and reduce poverty in the country.

The Chairman of NEITI National Stakeholder Working Group, (NSWG), Ledum Mitee, explained that NEITI’s sustained intervention in the sector was to enthrone transparency and accountability with a view to ensuring that Nigerians derive maximum benefits from the natural resources in their country.

The Executive Secretary of NEITI, Zainab Ahmed informed the gathering that NEITI had already developed a comprehensive remediation plan with specific details of what needs to be done by each of the relevant government entities. She expressed the hope that the reconstituted Inter Ministerial Task Team will effectively make use of the plan and cause these remedial issues to be implemented. She highlighted some of the remedial issues to include recovery of funds in the hands of companies as a result of under payments and under assessment of taxes, royalties and rents among others.

She welcomed the emerging partnership between NEITI, Government, Companies, the Civil Society and Legislature in the discharge of NEITI mandate.

enate President David Mark has appealed to victims of a recent communal clash in Benue State to refrain from engaging in reprisal attacks as government was making efforts to address the matter.

The appeal was contained in a statement issued yesterday in Abuja by Mark’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Paul Mumeh.

The statement quoted Mark as making the appeal when he addressed the people of Ogwule-Ankpa in Agatu Local Government Area of the state during his visit to the crisis-ravaged communities.

Mark, who expressed concern over the crisis which claimed 17 lives and left 50 houses burnt, said: “I can feel your pains and agonies. It is a disturbing situation. However, vengeance or reprisal attack is not the answer.

“It is the primary responsibility of government to protect the citizenry.

“Government would reinforce security in this environment so that you can return to your homes and go about your legitimate businesses.’’

The Senate President called for cooperation between Benue, Kogi and Nasarawa state governments to ensure adequate security in boundary communities in order to check incursion by mercenaries.

Residents of the affected communities had pleaded with the state and federal governments to provide the victims with relief materials, as well as provide adequate security to enable them return to their homes.

Mark, according to the statement, was accompanied by the member representing Apa/Agatu Federal Constituency, Mr Adamu Entonu.

Jang hails Nigeria’s election into UN Security Council JAMES ABRAHAM JOS

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overnor Jonah Jang of Plateau State has described Nigeria’s election into the United Nations Security Council as recognition of the government’s effort on the war on terrorism.

Jang, in a statement signed at the weekend by his Director of Press and Public Affairs, James Mannok, congratulated President Goodluck Jonathan on the election, adding that the feat should spur the Federal Government and the security agencies to sustain the security and peace building effort as Nigeria would come under greater focus.

The governor also called on the international community to support

Nigeria as the collective global war on terrorism continues.

Jang said the experience of being on the UN Security Council would impact on Nigeria as the country strives to make the best use of the opportunity.

Jang

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Monday, October 21, 2013

Cholera outbreak: Eight killed, 61 hospitalised in Plateau T here is an outbreak of cholera in Namu village in Qua’pan Local Government Area of Plateau State.

Medical authorities, which confirmed the outbreak, said at least eight people had been killed.

Namu, a village at Plateau and Nasarawa states border, hosts displaced people in the violent crisis which broke out in Obi Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.

“Yes, there has been an outbreak of cholera in Namu village, eight people have been killed while 61 others have been hospitalised,” the Plateau State Epidemiologist, Dr. Raymond Yuryit, said in Namu yesterday.

Yuryit spoke when he received the Executive Secretary of the State Emergency

Management Agency, SEMA, Alhaji Alhassan Barde, who had gone to the village to assess the situation.

He said those hospitalised had been diagnosed with the disease and had been admitted into various health centres.

The epidemiologist attributed the outbreak to overcrowding, dirty environment and the consumption of unhygienic food and water.

He described cholera as a “deadly disease” that could kill “within the shortest possible time because it dehydrates the victim, leading to severe gastro-intestinal impact”.

Yuryit explained that the Namu victims suffered chronic diarrhoea and vomiting, adding that many had been hit by the disease

before government intervened.

The specialist said the epidemic was not altogether a surprise as the area had lots of internally displaced persons from Nasarawa State, a development that had put much pressure on the environment and potable water.

He said: “But we are happy that the situation is already under control.”

The epidemiologist explained that he had advised health workers in private and government health centres on ways to avert a recurrence of the ailment and also on how to quickly manage the situation if it arose.

He thanked the governments of Plateau and Nasarawa states for their quick response to the report, lauding the SEMAs

for their massive support.

The epidemiologist called on government at all levels to ensure that the monthly sanitation exercise was taken seriously, especially in rural areas, to ensure good hygiene for rural dwellers.

Juryit also appealed to government to provide potable water to rural dwellers, pointing out that dirty water was the main cause of the epidemic.

He called on people in the area to promptly report any case of diarrhoea or vomiting to the nearest health centre, saying that quick action could minimise casualty rates.

In his remarks, Barde said the quick intervention by the agency was part of its statutory mandate, promising to continue to offer quick assistance to areas in need.

Post-election violence victims get compensation today JAMES DANJUMA KATSINA

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hose affected by the 2011 post-presidential election violence in Katsina State will today receive compensation earlier released to the state by the Federal Government.

This is contained in a statement signed by the Director Security, Governor’s Office, who is also the deputy secretary of the committee in charge of the disbursement.

The committee is chaired by the Deputy Governor, Garba Faskari.

A total of N5.7 billion had been released as compensation by the Federal Government in April to affected states with Katsina getting the largest share

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PHOTO: NAN

Immigration, NSCDC may clash over land OMEIZA AJAYI ABUJA

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risis is brewing between the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, over a strip of land lying between the two agencies.

The NIS has its national headquarters on Bill Clinton Drive on Nnamdi Azikiwe Expressway while the NSCDC has its national academy in the

same area.

The NIS and the NSCDC are supervised by the Federal Ministry of Interior, headed by Mr. Abba Moro, as minister.

The 50-year-old NIS is laying claim to the land especially as it contends that the area which the NSCDC now occupies as its academy was its own even before the Corps was given an official recognition by the administration of then President Olusegun Obasanjo.

A ministry official told our correspondent that NIS had earlier abandoned the area where the NSCDC is currently occupying as a result of the almost uninhabitable nature of the area.

“The then Comptroller General of Immigration did not know that something good could come out of the area before he released the place.

“When the NIS released that place it was uninhabitable but we did not know

the magic NSCDC did to turn that place to an attractive area.

“But I don’t think there is need for unnecessary rivalry because both agencies belong to the same ministry and the same government and are working for the good of the nation,” the source said.

He, however, blamed the ministry for its lackadaisical attitude towards the issue which he said had led to crisis between the two organisations.

of N1.9 billion.

The violence, which left more than half a dozen of people dead, affected 12 local government areas in the state.

This is even as there are complaints in some quarters over the inadequacy of the compensation money.

A committee assigned to assess the extent of damage following the violence, had discovered that property worth more than N8 billion were damaged.

According to the statement, the payment would be carried out at the Presidential Lodge within the Government House premises.

It, however, said that only victims served with notifications were expected to appear for payment.

Jonathan’s convoy rescues accident victims

he advance team of President Goodluck J o n a t h a n ’ s entourage, returning from Ado-Ekiti in Ekiti State yesterday rendered emergency rescue services to accident victims on the Lokoja - Abuja highway.

The accident, which occurred at Okpu village, a few kilometres after Lokoja, involved two cars, carrying 11 people.

A Nissan Almera car with registration number AH 47 KAA going to Lokoja and a Honda Accord car (Baby Boy) with registration number BG 945B WR enroute Abuja, were involved

Representative of the Managing Director, Nigerian-Turkish International Colleges, Abuja, Alhaji Ahmed Mohammed (left) presenting a souvenir to the representative of the Emir of Bauchi, Alhaji Musa Mabudi, during a visit to the emirate, yesterday.

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in the accident.

The two vehicles had a head-on collision with serious impact, causing varying degrees of injury to the occupants of the vehicles.

The accident, according to the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, occurred a few minutes before the presidential motorcade came to the scene.

The security team in the convoy swung into action by rescuing trapped victims in the two cars.

The front door of the passenger seat of the Nissan car was axed before a middle-aged woman, who was trapped inside, could be rescued.

Two Katsina health institutions set for accreditation JAMES DANJUMA KATSINA

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rrangements have been concluded for the accreditation of two health institutions in Katsina State, the School of Nursing, Katsina, and School of Midwifery, in Malumfashi Local Government Area.

Commissioner for Health, Manir Talba, who disclosed this to journalists, said the institutions would undergo accreditation by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, NMCN. Talba said to ensure accreditation for the

schools, the administration of Governor Ibrahim Shehu Shema recruited 49 teaching staff for both schools in line with the recommendation of a set up committee set up by the government.

He said the government also recruited additional 50 staff to work at the training school in Katsina and two other locations.

The commissioner said N148 million was also approved for various projects in the two schools, including the purchase of additional books, training materials, and hospital equipment.

Monday, October 21, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

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Community Mirror I am assuring you that power will be reasonably stabilised, if not totally, by the middle of 2014.

PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN

Fashola commissions health centre at Onigbongbo MURITALA AYINLA

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esidents of Onigbongbo Local Council Development Area, LCDA, will now have 24-hour access to public health facility as the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, has formally inaugurated the Oregun Primary Health Care Centre.

The governor urged the public to always be patient with care givers who work under a lot of pressure, even as he implored health officials to be courteous and efficient.

Fashola, who spoke at the formal handover cer-

emony, noted that those working at the health centre should know that their job is to serve the people, as he urged them to do it with courtesy.

“We all know that every government has the responsibility to protect lives and property but it is not only by arming the police and creating employment that you secure lives. It is also by paying attention to small things that can become big problems, by addressing preventive healthcare and when they take ill, they can get healthcare access very close to where they live”, he said.

He said: “We promised to provide at least one

24-hour service primary healthcare centre in every local government and local council development area. This is the sixth, and we are encouraged by the results we see”.

Reiterating the importance of primary healthcare, Fashola declared, “Wherever we have been, from Iga-Idunganran to Itire, to Mosan-Okunola, to Eredo in Epe, to Badagry, the impact in the community goes beyond the flagship centre because all others are now challenged to meet the standard”.

He expressed joy that the initiative has brought significant reduction in infant and maternal mortal-

ity adding, “It is gratifying to see that the number of children dying at birth or during pregnancy is reducing and we are proud of the progress we have made”.

The governor told the host community, “Let me explain that all of the things you go for at the General Hospitals are now here, HIV screening, Diabetes, Hypertension, Malaria treatment, Tuberculosis, immunisation of children, antenatal care, normal and uncomplicated pregnancies can be done here”.

“No need to travel to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH again. You have

six doctors dedicated to the centre, so we are not just providing service, we put our integrity on it”, he said.

Thanking the Onigbongbo Local Council Chairman, Hon. Francis Babatunde Oke and all others who contributed in the realisation of the centre, Fashola advised the people to call any government official, should they be dissatisfied with the services at the centre.

He said he was at the occasion to redeem a pledge made during the 2011 elections. “During the election, I said we will support the local governments to build primary health centres. I promised that we will deliver 57 primary health care centres to offer 24 hrs service in each of the LGs and LCDAs”.

He explained that there are several centres in all the local governments and local council areas with some

of them not having the full complement of staff because they could not afford it.

While urging residents to avail themselves of the opportunity, he assured that all their needs will be met,adding that PHC is equipped to enable render all the medical services required by the residents.

On her part, the Special Adviser on Public Health, Dr. Yewande Adeshina, assured that government is committed to improving the lives of residents through the provision of modern health care facilities, saying the rate of maternal mortality is gradually going down in the state.

“The council chairman, Hon Francis Oke should be commended for providing ambulances to each of the primary health centres in the LCDA”, he said.

Kogi provides boreholes to residents WALE IBRAHIM LOKOJA

T Builders constructing pavilions for the 4th Nigeria International Small and Medium Scale Industries Trade Fair, in Abuja last week.

PHOTO: NAN

Katsina to get seven mobile courts JAMES DANJUMA KATSINA

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he Katsina State Government is to set up seven mobile courts to deal with defaulters for failing to comply with the month-end sanitation exercise.

Executive Director of the State Environmental and Protection Agency, SEPA, Yunusa Charanchi who stated this, said

the mobile courts will be situated at Kankia, Katsina, Daura, Malumfashi, Funtua, Mani and Ingawa council areas.

Charanchi said they will take off by end of the year, and the government found it necessary to set up the mobile courts due to people’s refusal to participate in the exercise.

He however said the measure is aimed at ensuring compliance and not to

victimise anyone.

“People have to accept that it is a responsibility on them, religiously and socially to clean their environment, to protect themselves from disease and other environmental hazards.”

Charanchi, said apart from setting the mobile courts, government is also working with community leaders to ensure that the sanitation exercise is suc-

cessful every month.

He said the agency recently paid advocacy visit to the Emirs of Katsina and Daura, and solicited for their support in directing village and district heads to participate in the sanitation exercise.

He, therefore, called on council areas to be alive to their responsibility in complementing the agency’s effort in the evacuation of refuse.

he Kogi State Government has spent N55 million to provide motorised boreholes and transformers in seven communities in four local government areas of the state.

The Commissioner for Rural Development, Alhaji Umar Mohammed who disclosed this in Lokoja, stated that communities that benefitted include Odu Ochele, Odu Ofomu and Odu Ogboyaga in Dekina local government.

Others are Imela cassava processing centre at Yagba East Local Government, Ogah community in Yagba West Local Government and Takete-Ide in Mopa-Muro Local Government.

He explained that each of the motorised boreholes are fitted with

20,000-litre capacity steel overhead tank and 30KVA power generating set.

Mohammed, further pointed out that the water facilities were also reticulated at strategic points of the communities for easy access by residents.

He noted that under the electrification project, four new 500 KVA transformers had been installed at Beach and Lokongoma communities, Army Signal area and post office in Lokoja.

According to him, the ministry has also completed the electrification of the Government Special Science Secondary School, Mopa, saying the school was also provided with a 500KVA generator.

He stated that the facilities were provided to make life more meaningful in rural areas and in line with the transformation agenda of the government.

Monday, October 21, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

51

World News

“Iranian negotiators should be fully aware of this, if parliament feels another powerful party has a double-standard and unjustifiable attitudes, it will approve necessary measures” –IRANIAN PARLIAMENT SPEAKER, ALI LARIJANI

Indian association wants Prince Charles’ intervention in UK’s £3000 visa bond I ndian industry body, Assocham, has said it wants the controversial £3,000 visa bond scheme for Indians visiting the UK to be abandoned and that the government should raise the issue with Prince Charles during his visit to India next month.

Emphasising that the visa bond policy for Indians must be discarded, the chamber said India must demand treatment at par with China and also make it clear to the UK that the move would be challenged in the WTO as it impairs fair international trade.

“We want the controversial visa bond policy, by which visitors to the UK from six Commonwealth countries including India will be required to furnish a bond for 3,000 pounds for a sixmonth visa, to be abandoned,” Assocham said.

Earlier this week, UK Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne unveiled a liberal visa

Syria’s conflict: 30 killed in Hama truck bombing

A

t least 30 people have been killed by a suicide truck bombing on the edge of the central Syrian city of Hama.

State news agency Sana said Syrian rebels had driven a truck laden with over a tonne of explosives into a government checkpoint on a busy road.

The explosion appears to have set ablaze a nearby petrol tanker, increasing the damage and casualties.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front carried out the attack.

“A man detonated a truck laden with explosives at a checkpoint near an agricultural vehicles company on the road linking Hama to Salamiya,” the Observatory said.

It said the attack had targeted government soldiers, but that most of the dead were civilians.

Pictures on Syria TV showed firemen battling to contain fires as black smoke rose from charred trucks and cars.

Charles

policy for the Chinese visiting Britain in a bid to woo Chinese investment.

Pointing out that there was no merit in the argument that visa bond policy would be implemented on pilot for so-called ‘high-risk visitors,’ Assocham said: “It is bound to be misused, and create confusion”.

“In fact, India should make it clear to British authorities that the move would even be challenged in the World Trade Organisation as it impairs fair

international trade,” it added.

Osborne announced relaxed visa rules for visitors from China during his ongoing trade mission to the country.

“As an economy, we are as important as China, both in terms of trade and investment as also exchange of tourists. Students from India and China not only fund their education abroad but also pump in hard currency into the British universities which are starved of funds,” Assocham said.

Under the plan, Chinese na-

tionals visiting the European Union will not need to submit separate UK visa applications if they book with selected travel agents.

“As its economic clout increases, India must seek a treatment from the UK which is no less different and inferior to the one meted out to China,” the chamber said.

At present, Chinese visitors can apply for a single visa to visit much of Europe but a separate visa is required to travel to the UK. A mobile visa scheme has been made operational for the Chinese tourists.

“Several Indian companies, notably the Tatas have invested billions of dollars in Britain creating and saving jobs in that country,” the chamber pointed out.

Prince Charles and his wife Camilla Parker-Bowles will make a nine-day visit to India next month on their way to Sri Lanka for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

This will be the royal couple’s third official visit to India together. The trip, from November 6 to 14, will take them to Dehradun, New Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and Kochi.

UK’s Royal Navy arrests suspected Somali pirates

A

counter-piracy task force commanded by a Royal Navy officer has caught a group of Somalis believed responsible for two attacks in the Indian Ocean.

Pirates had exchanged gunfire with a super tanker on Friday 11 October before attacking a Spanish fishing vessel three days later.

Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) traced the pirates’ skiffs from Britain’s Royal Fleet Auxiliary Fort Victoria.

Nine men were caught and forces later destroyed two boats and equipment.

Commodore Jeremy Blunden, Royal Navy, Commander of CTF151, said: “This is an excellent result.

“My multinational counter piracy forces swiftly located and dealt with this Somali pirate group, sending a clear message that piracy no longer pays.”

Combined Task Force (CTF) 151, as the group is known, embarked on board RFA Fort Victo-

ria with support from Australian guided-missile frigate HMAS Melbourne and South Korean destroyer ROKS Wang Geon.

The European Union flagship Dutch HNLMS Johan de Witt flagship of the EU naval force in the area - and maritime patrol aircraft from Luxembourg were also part of the mission.

After tracing the pirates an HMAS Melbourne Seahawk guided the warship to their precise location, 500 nautical miles

off the Somali coast, before a boarding team made the final approach to search the skiffs.

Commander Brian Schlegel, Royal Australian Navy, commanded HMAS Melbourne during the operation.

He said: “It is clear that there are still pirates out there determined to generate income from taking merchant ships hostage.

“Mariners have been served a timely reminder of the perils of transiting the Somali coastline.”

HMAS Melbourne’s boarding team approaching a group of suspected pirates after tracing them 500 nautical miles from the Somali coast.

WORLD BULLETIN Egyptian security forces fire teargas at Islamist protesters Egyptian security forces fired bird shot and teargas to prevent supporters of deposed Islamist President Mohamed Morsi from marching yesterday to the site of a protest camp that was destroyed two months ago, a Reuters witness said.

The crowd of about 100 people were students from Al-Azhar University, the historic seat of Sunni Muslim learning.

They threw rocks at riot police stationed outside the gates of the university, and police threw the stones back.

The university is in the same Cairo suburb as the Rabaa alAdawiya mosque, scene of one of two pro-Morsi protest camps crushed by security forces on August 14. Hundreds of protesters were killed.

“Rabaa Square is completely off-limits,” a security source said. “Protesters are not allowed to move inside it.” A separate security source said 11 students had been arrested.

Authorities have cracked down hard on Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood. The group was outlawed by a court order after the army overthrew Morsi and installed an interim government in July following massive street protests a year after his election.

Angola denies Congo’s incursion Angola has denied that its soldiers had crossed into the neighbouring Republic of Congo, as reported by Congolese officials earlier.

“There has been no incursion

by Angolan troops into Congo...

by Angola in this region,” Mario Augusto, the spokesman for the foreign ministry, told a news agency.

“We do not have military forces in neither the Congo nor in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC),” Augusto said.

Earlier in the week Congolese officials said that Angolan troops had crossed into the country on Sunday, capturing 55 soldiers in the Kimongo region the following day who were taken back to Angola.

The soldiers were eventually released on Friday.

“Our troops... have just been freed,” Jacques Mouanda, a senior official from the Niari district where the incident happened, told a news agency on Friday.

“We used diplomatic channels to secure their release.

There were tough negotiations,” he said.

The Kimongo area has long been claimed by rebels in the neighbouring Angolan exclave of Cabinda and sources in the region said Angolan troops had crossed the international border in pursuit of the insurgents.

Cabinda borders on Congo to the north and is separated from the rest of Angola to the south by a sliver of territory belonging to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

52

Moniday, October 21 , 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

OGBEIYE: Formerly known as Ogbeiye Osagie, now wish to be known as Ehidiamhen Godsent Osagie. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

OGBEIYE: Formerly known and addressed as Mrs. Ogbeiye Maria, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ehidiamhen Maria. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME ORJI: Formerly known and addressed as Johnson Orji, now wish to be known and addressed as Kelvin Nonso Johnson Orji.

All former documents remain valid.

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AJIRO: Formerly known and addressed as Miss Ajiro Damilola Omolayo now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Ajiboye Damilola Omolayo. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

OSHO: Formerly known and addressed as Miss Osho Oluwatoyin Omolade, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Osaloni Oluwatoyin Omolade.

All former documents remain valid.

Nigeria Immigration Services and general public to take note

EGUNBIYI: Formerly known and addressed as Miss Egunbiyi Oredolapo Olayanju, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Faniyi Oredolapo Olayanju. All former documents remain valid. Hospitals Management Board Ado Ekiti (HMB) and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME ADUNOLA: Formerly known as Miss Adunola Omolayo, now wish to be known as Mrs AbdulRasheed Omolayo. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

FAMOROTI: Formerly known and addressed as Miss Famoroti Bolatito Bolanle Tinuke, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Olowolayemo Bolatito Bolanle. All former documents remain valid.. Ministry of Agric, Governmental Agencies and general public take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

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OKECHUKWU: Formerly known and addressed as Miss Ifeyinwa Prsica Okechukwu, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Ifeyinwa Prsica Nwokocha. All former documents remain valid. General public to take note

CHANGE OF NAME

This is to confirm that Adetunji Elizabeth Oluwanifemi is the same person as Adetunji Elizabeth Femi, that henceforth wish to be known and addressed as Adetunji Elizabeth Oluwanifemi. All former documents remain valid, Osun State Polytechnic, lree and general public should please take note.

LOSS OF DOCUMENT

ADEBOYEJO: Formerly Miss Adeboyejo Victoria Orowole now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Adeleye Victoria Orowole, All former documents remain valid and general public should please take note.

LOSS OF DOCUMENT

This is to inform the general public that original Certificate of Occupancy (statutory certificate) No. 003279 in File No. GAL/3957 with respect to Plot D/65 within Ind. L/out Enugu regd. as No 54/54/ 1380 in the Lands Registry Enugu property of Mr. Igwe Ndubuis Sylvanus of No. 13 Peter Okoye Street Uwani Enugu is missing. If found contact Mr. Igwe Ndubuis Sylvanus.

This is to inform the general public of loss of land document belonging to Mrs Cecilia Nwobodo of 59 Kaduna Street New Layout Enugu Registered as 20/20/1379. If found contact Ministry of Lands Enugu.

CHANGE OF NAME NNAJI: Formerly known as Miss Onyinyechi Blessing Nnaji now known as Mrs Onyinyechi Blessing Gideon. All former document remain valid,general public take note

CHANGE OF NAME BALOGUN: Formerly known as Balogun Toyosi now wish to be known as Soyinka Toyosi Daniel. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME OBOHO: Formerly known as Miss Afiong Effiong Oboho now wish to be known as Mrs Love Affiong Enyinnaya Ochuru. All former document remain valid.

General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

OJO: Formerly Miss Ojo Bukola Mojirade now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Ola Bukola Mojirade.

All former documents remain valid, Osun State College of Education ilesa, Osun State Universal Basic Education Board Osogbo (SUBEB) and general public should please take note

CHANGE OF NAME

We formerly known as Ugwuanyi Godwin Echiomu, Ugwuanyi Eucharia Ngozi or Ugwuanyi Favour Adaeze Ngozi, Ugwuanyi Uchechukwu Davideiald, Ugwuanyi Chukwuebuka Donald, Ugwuanyi Chukwuemelie Joshua, Sussan Chinasa Adigwe Nee Ugwuanyi. Now wish to be known as Chukwuanyi Godwin Echioma, Chukwuanyi Favour Adaeze Ngozi, Chukwuanyi Uchechukwu David Gerald, Chukwuanyi Chukwuebuka Donald, Chukwuanyi Chukwuemelie Joshua, Sussan Chinasa Adigwe Nee Chukwuanyi. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

PUBLIC NOTICE

KINGDOM HEIR PHILANTHROPIC FOUNDATION This is to inform the general public that above named Foundation has applied

to the Corporate Affairs Commission under Part C of the Companies and Allied Matters Act No 1 of 1990.

1.

2.

3.

4.

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE

ARTISANS, TRADERS AND ALLIED TECHNICIANS ASSOCIATION, EKITI STATE

The general public is hereby informed that the above named Club has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja for registration under Part “C” of Companies and Allied Matters Act, 2004

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES:

–Chairman –Secretary –Provost –Treasurer –Member.

1. To support the unity, progress and peaceful co-existence of members 2. To promote the interest of our people both home and abroad 3. To inculcate in ourselves the spirit of patriotism and philanthropist 4. General welfare of members 5. To foster unity and co-operation among members.

Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar- General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent Off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja. P.M.B 198, Garki Abuja within twenty-eight (28) days of this publication.

SIGNED: EZEOKOLI CHIKA HILARY –CHAIRMAN

To support the less priviledged in the society To relief poverty and advance good health in the Community To advance education and good moral values To promote religion

SIGNED: ADENUGA HENRY

NANKA BROTHERS CLUB OF NIGERIA

THE TRUSTEES ARE:

Igbalajobi Diran Igbalajobi Mary Ajayi Deji Igbalajobi Femi Adenuga Henry

Any objection should be forwarded to the Registrar – General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama District, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

SIGNED: TRUSTEES

1. Ezeokoli Chika Hilary 2. Ezeobi Chukwuma David 3. Nwafor Chukwudi Kelvin 4. Okafor Ikechukwu Kingsley 5. Okoli Ogochukwu Raphael

OYEKALE: Formerly Mr Oyekale Oyesola Thomas, now wish to be known and addressed as Mr Ojo Oyesola Thomas. All former documents remain valid. Skye Bank Plc and general public should please take note.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES:

Any objection to the application should be forward to the Registrar- General, Corperate Affairs Commission, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this application.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

OKOYEODOGWU: Formerly known and addressed as Miss Chioma Faith Okoyedogwu, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Chioma Faith Ikele. All former documents remain valid. UNN, NYSC and general public take note.

ADUKWULU: Formerly known and addressed as Adukwulu Virginia Ndidiamaka Sylvia, now wish to be known and addressed as Adukwulu Virginia Amarachi. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

SOBOLA: Formerly known and addressed as Miss Sobola Yemisi Elizabeth now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Legunsen Yemisi Elizabeth. All former documents remain valid. General public take note

ANOSIKE: Formerly known and addressed as Miss Nnenna Ifeyinwa Anosike now to be known and addressed as Mrs Nnenna Ifeyinwa Ugwu. All former documents remain valid. ESUT and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME OGUNNOWO: Formerly Miss Ogunnowo Oluwafadekemi Busola, now Mrs Odulaja Oluwafadekemi Busola, All former documents remain valid.

ICAN, NIMC and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME ONI: formerly known as Miss Oni Moyosoreoluwa Mary now wish to be known as Mrs Oyetunji Moyosoreoluwa Mary.

All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

1. To preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world.

2. To deliver the oppressed and heal the sick for the preaching of the gospel.

3. To win lost souls for Christ through the preaching of goodnews and undiluted words of God. 4. To develop believers and create in them, a winning mindset which will guarantee fulfilment of destiny.

5. To help believers love for Christ in daily basis.

6. To make Christians have faith and depend on God always.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES:

CORRECTION OF NAME I, Idowu Oluwatoyin Aina which West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) mistakenly written as Idowu Oluwatosin Aina in place of Idowu Oluwatoyin Aina also mistakenly written year as July 11,1989 in place of July 11, 1985 College of Education Ikere Ekiti and general public take note

CHANGE OF NAME

THE TRUSTEES ARE:

For the progress, unity and development of individuals and general welfare of all ibedeni sons and daughters.

CORRECTION OF NAME

This is to confirm that that my name is Okoh Ifikirayin and not Oko Patricia Darling Ifikirayin. That, I now wish to be known and addressed as Okoh Ifikirayin.

All former documents remain valid. First Bank Nigeria Plc and the general public should please take note.

The general public is hereby notified that the above named Ministry has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja for registration under part “C” of the Company and Allied Matter Act of 1990.

CHANGE OF NAME ANAMEGE: Formerly Miss Anamege Immaculate O. now Mrs Anyanwu Immaculate O. All former documents remain valid. NYSC and General public should take note

1. Lt. Johnson Ekpeti –President.

2. Mr Mark Omo Osugba.

3 Mr Nwaguzu Osuluku Emmanuel –Secretary.

4. Mr Ekpah chukwudeni jude.

5. Comr Bernard onyah.

6. Comr. Frankly Ebinum-Oliseh.

7. Comr. EKpah Onyemaechi John 8. Chief Enebuse Chukwuemeka Casidy.

9. Mr Okechukwu Mark Chukwuma-Ossai.

10. Chief Umuara Odili Anthony.

CHANGE OF NAME AMOS: Formerly known and addressed as Miss Amos Folasade Adenike Sarah, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Oyewole Folasade Adenike Sarah.

All former document remains valid. Ekiti West Local Governmet,Ekiti State Local Govrnment Service Commission and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME OYELEKE: Formerly Miss Oyeleke Oluremi Julianah, Now Wish To Be Known And Addressed As Mrs Babatunde Oluremi Julianah. All former documents remain valid.

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CHANGE OF NAME

THE TRUSTEES ARE:

CHANGE OF NAME

CORRECTION OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

Notice is hereby to the general public that the above named union applying to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under part C of the Companies and Allied matters Act, 1990.

CHANGE OF NAME

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OLUWAFEMI: Formerly Miss Oluwafemi Oluwatobiloba Awobajo, now Miss Oluwakemi Oluwatobiloba Awobajo. All former documents remain valid. Ogun State College of Health Technology, Ilese Ijebu Ogun State and general public take note

WAEC/NECO mistakenly use my name as Saratu Mudi Juji instead of Saratu Daniel Juji. WAEC, NECO & general public take note.

PUBLIC NOTICE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT UNION IBEDENI

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CHANGE OF NAME

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IDOWU: Formerly known and addressed as Miss Idowu Bunmi Christiana now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Oyatoki Bunmi Christiana. All former documents remain valid. University College Hospital Ibadan and General public take note.

OGUNTOYE: Formerly Miss Oguntoye Ruth Oluwatoyin now Mrs Olufemi Ruth Oluwatoyin. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

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ISAAC: Formerly Miss Isaac oluwatoyin Bolanle now Mrs Ayeni Oluwatoyin Omobolanle.

All former documents remain valid. NYSC and general public take notice.

NWAFOR: Formerly Miss Nwafor Nkechi Stella now Mrs Anakwe Nkechi Stella .

All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

OMOTOSO: Formerly known as Omotoso Omolabake Mabel now wishes to be known as Miss Tolubanwo, Omotoso Omolabake Mabel. All former documents remain valid. Michael Okpara University of Agric, JAMB, WAEC, NECO & general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

NWAEZE: Formerly known as Miss Akudo Nwaeze now wish to be known as Mrs Akudo Chidi. All former document remains valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

Notice is hereby given to the general public that the above named Association has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja for registration under Part ‘ C ‘ of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 1990

THE TRUSTEES ARE:

1.

3.

5.

7.

9.

Mr. Julius Adu Mr. Olayiwola Ebenezer Mr. Osho Ajayi Mr. Familusi Ayomide Deacon Dele Ojo

2.

4.

6.

8.

10.

Apostle Olubunmi Fajemibola Madam Modupe Lamidi Mr. Ogunleye Olusegun Mrs. Mary Ayodele Mr. Makanjuola Adebolu

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To protect the right and interest of members.

Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420 Tigris Crescent, Off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

SIGNED: TRUSTEES

PUBLIC NOTICE NEW LIFE WORLD CHAPEL

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Pastor E.O Elege 2. Barr. Kudehinbu A. Adegoke 3. Mrs. Oloruntoba Alade 4. Mrs. Olayemi Folashade

– President – Vice President – Secretary – Treasurer

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES:

Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the registrarGeneral corporate Affairs commission,plot 420 Tigria Crescent off Aguyi lronsi street,Maitama Abuja within 28days of this publication.

SIGNED: PASTOR O.E.

ELEGE, PRESIDENT

PUBLIC NOTICE

IN THE MATTER OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT 2004 AND IN THE MATTER OF OVALWAVE TELECOM LIMITED, IN VOLUNTARILY LIQUIDATION MEMBERS WINDING UP (RC NUMBER 642044)

NOTICE OF FINAL MEETING PURSUANT TO SECTION 468, COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT CAP 20 LAWS OF THE FEDERATION OF NIGERIA

Notice is hereby given that in pursuance of section 468 of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, a general meeting of the members of the above named company will be held at Plot 9, Block 3, 7th Street, Osborn Phase 1, Ikoyi Lagos on the 25th day of November 2013 at One O’clock PM in the afternoon for the purpose of having an account laid before the meeting showing the manner in which the winding up has been conducted and the property of the company disposed of and of hearing explanation that may be given by the liquidator.

Dated the 21st day of October 2013 SIGNED: AKINWUMI AKINTOLA LIQUIDATOR

Note: A member entitled to attend and vote is entitled to appoint a proxy to attend and vote instead of him, and that proxy need not also be a member of the company

Monday, October 21, 2013

Glo League: Pillars lose, but retain title

54

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

53

Sport

My players have the freedom to go anywhere, and it’s a responsibility they understand. Think Barcelona, think Spain, think entertaining, think passion and possibility.

-GOLDEN EAGLETS’ COACH, MANU GARBA

‘We won’t underrate Sweden’

N

Iheanacho acknowledging cheers for scoring four goals against Mexico

UAE 2013: American Dragon inspires me – Iheanacho

G

olden Eaglets’ top scorer, Kelechi Iheanacho, raced to the corner flag, the entire Nigerian team chasing after him. He raised and pumped his arms, extending his fingers to the heavens.

His knees followed along in rhythm. He was conducting the crowd, a massive throng of fellow Nigerians, and they mimicked his movements. A whole stand at the Khalifa Bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain was doing this strange dance, in raptures over Nigeria’s first goal of the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup. Was it a traditional

N

dance from Iheanacho’s native Imo state, in the south of Nigeria? “No, no, no,” the player laughs, fidgeting on the marble floor of the stadium’s main entrance.

“This is the celebration move of my favourite professional wrestler,” Iheanacho told FIFA.com.

Daniel Bryan is this Nigerian boy’s favourite wrestler, a bearded American from the outskirts of Seattle who occasionally goes by the moniker, the ‘American Dragon’.

“I watch him on TV and I love the way he whips up the crowd this way, so I decided to copy it. The fans seemed to like it, too,” he

added with a broad grin.

Iheanacho, who scored four goals in the Eaglets’ 6-1 demolition of defending champions, Mexico, on Saturday, added “I was totally over the top with joy when that first goal went in.”

It showed too, and he kept up the same WrestleMania-inspired dance party after every goal, and then again at the end of the game when the players grabbed green-and-white flags from the stands and partied like they’d just won the whole tournament.

The theme song of Iheanacho’s favourite wrestler is Europe’s The Final

Countdown, which is suitable considering that the Nigerians are now favourites to play in the ultimate match in Abu Dhabi on November 8.

And Iheanacho, with his electrifying style in a withdrawn striker’s role, is now all alone at the top of the scorer’s chart.

“I’ve scored four goals in a game many times, but only in the streets with my friends,” he insisted with a beaming smile, the confidence of youth and a huge successful day spilling from his pores. “But never in an international match, never for my country. The feeling is amazing.”

Glo congratulates rampaging Eaglets

ational Telecoms Operator and major sponsor of Nigerian National Teams, Globacom, has congratulated the Golden Eaglets on their opening Group F match victory against Mexico on Saturday at the ongoing FIFA U-17 World

Cup in the United Arab Emirates.

Nigeria routed Mexico 6-1 with the Eaglets’ centre forward, Kelechi Iheanacho, netting four goals while midfielder Christian Nwakali and striker Isaac Success scored a goal each.

Globabom in a press

statement on Sunday commended the team for the outstanding performance against the Mexicans and urged them not to rest on their oars.

“It did not come to us as a surprise that the Golden Eaglets started brilliantly because we were convinced

that the team’s preparation was wholesome,” Globacom stated.

“Therefore, we heartily commend the players for living up to expectation and enjoin them to concentrate fully as the competition is still a long way off.’ the statement added.

igeria Coach, Manu Garba, has said pointedly that the Golden Eaglets would not underrate their next Group F opponent, Sweden, in their second game at the ongoing 2013 FIFA Under-17 World Cup after beating defending champions, Mexico 6-1 on Saturday.

Eaglets will return to Khalifa Bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain tomorrow to face debutante Sweden and Manu said at the postmatch media conference that the National U-17 team would approach the game against the Europeans in a professional way.

“There is no way and there won’t be any easy game at this tournament and we are not going to underrate Sweden because we beat Mexico 6-1,” he said.

“We are going to approach the match against Sweden with the same manner as we did against Mexico because our objective is to win the fourth title for Nigeria.”

Manu went on to say the convincing win against the Mexicans was

not unexpected given the pedigree of the team overtime.

“The victory against Mexico is not going to have a negative impact on my players because they know what they have to do,” he maintained.

“This is not the first time we beat a team with such a high margin. We had beaten teams by 11-0 score line back home, so it is nothing new to us to score so many goals against the Mexicans. We are looking forward to the next game against Sweden knowing well that all the teams at this championship are here based on merit,” he added.

Today’s Matches Croatia

v

Panama

Uzbekistan

v

Morocco

Tunisia

v

Russia

v

Venezuela

Japan

Results Uruguay

1-1 Cote d’Ivoire

Italy

1-0 New Zealand

Slovakia

2-2 Honduras

UAE

1-6 Brazil CCL Final

Orlando Pirates v

Al-Ahly

Forget Mexico win, warn Chukwu, others

S

ome soccer stakeholders yesterday warned the Golden Eaglets not to dwell on the 6-1 walloping of Mexico in the ongoing U-17 World Cup match.

They, however, urged the Eaglets to get back to work ahead of other Group F matches at the tournament being hosted by the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

A former Super Eagles’ coach, Christian Chukwu, said he was impressed by the 6-1 display, noting that it was a good way to begin the campaign.

“They have started well. I hope they can keep it up. The momentum is high and so, only the best is expected from the

team. I know they will perform well,” Chukwu told NAN. Ex-Super Eagles’ defender, Bright Omokaro, described the performance of the Eaglets as “brilliant” saying, “The team was brilliant; I must commend the captain for stepping up his game. For the coach, he knows what we expect from him and he has started well.”

A former Super Falcons coach, Nnenna Etim, stressed the need for the team not to dwell on the victory.

“I’m happy at the victory, but they should not dwell on it, there is still need to put a 100 per cent effort in the upcoming games.”

54

Sport

Monday, October 21, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Governor’s Cup: 7 Nigerians get wildcards as Futures 2 serves off YEMI OLUS

C

hristian Paul, Nonso Madueke and Emmanuel Idoko will be praying for a lucky ride as the Futures 2 of the Governor’s Cup Lagos Tennis championship takes off today, having benefitted from the wildcards made available by the Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF).

It would be recalled that no Nigerian player went beyond the second round of Futures 1 which ended on Saturday at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Onikan. They will be joined in the main draws by their female compatriots who include Sarah Adegoke, Ronke Akingbade, US-based Idia Amen and Blessing Anuna.

World number 1 junior player tournament No. 6 seed, Borna Coric, defeated Ante Pavic in straight set of 6-4, 6-3 to win the men’s final. The Croatian, who is coming to Lagos for the first time, won the 2013 US Open Junior Championship.

He said, “Winning the junior tournament of this year’s US Open gave me the confidence that I could win the Governor’s Cup. I worked hard it paid off. I’m so glad that I came to Lagos as a player on number 525 in the world ranking, but winning this leg has improved my ranking to 400.

That’s a great leap. I’m looking forward to the second leg with high expectations of winning it.”

Top seed Tadeja Majeric of Slovenia beat 8th seed Dalila Jakupovic of Slovakia in 7-5, 7-5 to win the women’s category.

Ante Pavic of Croatia and South African Ruan Roelofse beat Coric and Dino Marcan of Croatia 7-6,6-2 to take the men’s doubles trophy while British ladies, Naomi Broady and Emily Webley-Smith defeated Cristina Dinu of Romania and Fatma Al Nabhani of Omar 3-6, 6-4, 10-7.

Meanwhile the Local Organising Committee (LOC) in conjunction with some sponsors of the tournament, have decided to reward fans that come to match venue from Sunday the 20th to Friday 26th of October to watch exciting matches.

To be a winner, a spectator must have come to the venue at least three match days. 30 people are expected to win N50, 000 worth of Lifemate Furniture products each. Many Gionee E3 smart phones with market value of N35,000 each and Gionee E6 smartphones of N65,000 market value each are to be won with several Etisalat phones and recharge cards of different denominations.

Idoko

Kano Pillars’ players celebrating with the Glo League trophy

Glo League: Pillars lose, but retain title ...Champions grab N10m K ...3SC, ABS, Kwara Utd, Wikki relegated ano Pillars have retained the Nigeria Globacom Premier League title despite losing 2-0 to Lobi Stars on the final day of the season, yesterday.

Pillars finished top of the table on 63 points, while Enyimba of Aba shot to second place after they defeated Sharks 1-0 at home to record 62 points.

This is Pillars’ third league championship and they, along with Enyimba, will represent Nigeria in next year’s CAF Champions League.

They earned a prize money of N10million (about $63,000).

Barnabas Imenger junior scored the

Results Gombe Utd

1-0

Bayelsa

Rangers

1-0

El-Kanemi

Kwara Utd

1-1

Akwa Utd

Warri Wolves

1-0

ABS.

first goal of the match in the 28th minute from the penalty spot after Umar Zango brought down Douglas Archi inside the 18yard box. Imenger then scored his brace against the champions.

Pillars go into the record books as the first team from the Northern part of the country to win Nigerina league twice and back to back.

Mighty Jets in 1972, BCC Lions in 1994 and Lobi Stars in 1999 are the other teams from the Northern part of the country to win the league.

At the other end of the table, Wikki Tourists, Kwara United and ABS FC join Shooting Stars to the lower league.

Taekwondo: Nigerian causes upset at CCSF International Open YEMI OLUS

N

igeria’s Abdul Abdulrahman yesterday defeated African Champion, Mali’s Ismael Coulibaly in the quarterfinal of the men’s -80kg at the second Chika Chukwumerije Sports Foundation (CCSF) International Taekwondo Open holding in Abuja.

The Nigerian led his Malian counterpart from the first round of their bout which thrilled the fans at the Ladi Kwali Hall of Sheraton Hotel, venue of the championship.

To end the dream of the Malian, Abdulrahman won the three round encounter at 9-6 to berth in the last four of the championship.

An elated Abdulrahman said he was happy winning the bout but was ready to crush

every opponent he faces on his way to final.

He said, “I am not scared of any opponent even though I knew he was the African champion but I just did my best and came out victorious. I gave him respect because it is not easy to become African champion but titles don’t win fights. I look forward to battle anyone enroute the final.”

Zamfara’s Ahmed picked gold in the men’s -58kg after beating Nigerian Immigration’s Ilya Usman while Chiamaka Onumonu beat Esther Uzoukwu in the women’s -67kg.

NSCDC’s Chinazum Nwosu beat Imo’s Chinyere Nwazie in the -57kg.

An elated Ahmed said that he was happy claiming the title at his second attempt in the competition.

“Last year I lost out in the

Chukwumerije

quarterfinal but this time around I was determined, especially having beaten Borno’s Usman in the first round. It

was a well deserved win for me because I trained hard. My toughest match was against Usman who is one of the best fighters in the weight category.

I am happy and I give thanks to God”, Ahmed said.

A disappointed Usman, who had to settle for silver said he was happy in defeat as his dream ended in the round of 16 at the CCSF maiden edition in 2012.

More than 300 athletes took part in the N2.8m prize money tournament with West African countries like Mali, Gabon, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo among others participating. The two-day championship was attended by 24 states across Nigeria as well as the Nigerian Police, Army and Navy. Eight events were competed for in the male and female categories.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sport

Monday, October 21, 2013

55

Uchebo Chima

Uchebo, Akpala open accounts Chima, Dauda also on target

IKENWA NNABUOGOR

N

igerian striker Michael Uchebo was on song for his struggling side Cercle Brugge as they managed to bag a point in their 1-1 home draw against third-placed ZulteWaregem in the Belgian league on Saturday. Uchebo’s goal, his first this season was the game’s opener in the 44th minute after he finished off a delightful pass from team mate. But the home side was silenced in the 71st minute when the visitors evened scores and put paid to hopes of the hosts’ rare victory. Uchebo was on from start to finish in the thrilling encounter that did not change their 11th place on the log. Uchebo was playing his

ninth game of the season. He’s yet to get on the referees’ books.

In Turkey, on loan striker Joseph Akpala chose to open his season’s account for Karabukspor in their 2-1 loss at defending champions Galatasaray on Saturday. The former Belgian Jupiler League goaleador drew his visiting side level in the 52nd minute after the hosts had relied on Wesley Sneijder’s goal to take the lead. Akpala, who was on from start, his second since his summer loan switch from German side Werder Bremen, got replaced in the 81st minute.

In Norway, little known Nigerian striker Daniel Chima Chukwu netted the lone and winning goal for FK Molde as they beat

Euro Leagues Results England Aston Villa

0-2

Tottenham

Newcastle United

2–2

Liverpool

Arsenal

4–1

Norwich City

Chelsea

4–1

Cardiff City

Everton

2–1

Hull City

Man Utd

1–1

Southampton

Stoke City

0–0

West Bromwich

Swansea City

4–0

Sunderland

West Ham United

1–3

Man City

Germany Hoffenheim

1–2

Bayer Leverkusen

B.Dortmund

1–0

Hannover 96

Bayern München

4–1

Mainz 05

Werder Bremen

0–0

Freiburg

Braunschweig

2–3

Schalke 04

Frankfurt

1–1

Nürnberg

Hertha BSC

1–0

B.Monchengladbach

Hamburger SV

3–3

Stuttgart

Spain Real Madrid

2–0

Málaga

Valencia

1–2

Real Sociedad

Osasuna

0–0

Barcelona

Espanyol

1–0

Atlético Madrid

Granada

0–2

Getafe

Almería

0–1

Rayo Vallecano

bottom-placed Hønefoss 1-0 to compound their relegation woes.

Chukwu fired in the only goal in 54th minute to hand the hitherto struggling defending champions the precious three points that catapulted them to sixth place on the log as the Norwegian League hits the home stretch. The Kanoborn striker who was hitting his ninth goal of the season in the thrilling encounter, was pulled out in the 61st minute. He was 25th appearance for his side and has so been cautioned three times. His compatriot Emmanuel Ekpo was made to start from the bench, replacing Brazilian teenager Agnaldo Pinto de Moraes Júnior in the 67th minute. Ekpo, spending his second season, has so far made 22 appearances for Molde but yet to register his name on the scoresheet with just two games remaining. He has been yellow-carded just once so far.

In Serbia, young Nigerian striker Abiola Dauda hit a brace for multiple champions Red Star Belgrade as they demolished Novi Pazar on Saturday. The Lagos-born striker netted his first goal in the 19th minute to put his side two goals up and fired in his second of the cold afternoon just before the break. He was on from start to finish. His brace upped his account to five and placed him second on the scorers’ chart.

He has played seven games so far.

Back in Belgium, it wasn’t goal scoring afternoon for youngster Imoh Ezekiel who misfired in table-topping Standard Liege’s surprise 2-2 home draw against Sporting Charleroi. Ezekiel has now gone two games without registering hius name on the score sheet. He was however on from start to finish in the game that saw the league leaders drop points for the second time this season. They had earlier lost their first game in their 1-0 loss

Dauda

at Zulte Waregem before the FIFA free weekend. The former 36 Lion striker has played all the 11 league games in Belgium this season. He has also been so far cautioned twice.

In England, Sone Aluko was as usual, on from the start but was on the losing side as Hull City were beaten 2-1 at Everton on Saturday. He was replaced in the 89th minute. Aluko has played in all eight games for the newly-promoted side but has been on target only once. His disciplinary record remains blemish-free so far.

Still in England, forgotten Super Eagles striker Victor Anichebe was back in the starting line up but still in search of his first goal, as his side West Brom drew goalless at Stoke City on Saturday. He was replaced in the 75th minute. He was making his fourth appearance for the Baggies.

Estranged Super Eagles striker Osaze Odemwingie was also handed another starter’s shirt at newly-promoted Cardiff City, who started well by taking a shock lead but scandalously fell 4-1 at log leaders Arsenal on Saturday. ‘Osaz’ was however pulled out in the 67th minute and will wait for another fixture to add to his one-goal account for the Bluebirds. He was making his fourth league outing for the Premier-

ship newcomers this season.

Also in England, Super Eagles winger Victor Moses was impressive for Liverpool but failed to hit the target in their 2-2 draw at Newcastle United on Saturday.

Moses, was as usual, on from start to finish. The former Crystal Palace star has now played five games for his on loan club so far this season and has a goal to show it for.

In Russia, Super Eagles winger Ahmed Musa continued a winless streak that rocked defending champions CSKA for the sixth consecutive time, as they were beaten 2-0 at Zenit St.Petersburg on Saturday. Musa, who has for the sixth consecutive league game failed to find the back of the net, was on for 90 minutes..

He’s still on five goals from 13 games so far this season.

In the Netherlands, Super Eagles striker Uche Nwofor finally made his debut for his new club Heerenven but only saw the last 10 minutes as they were beaten 3-2 at home by Vitesse. The former VVV Venlo star, who arrived on loan this summer, could not rescue his side from defeat in the game that also saw Nigerian-born Hungary defender Kenneth Otigba hit the target for the losing side. Nwofor had earlier earned two bench selections.

WORLD RECORD

Highest consumption of cigarettes (country) Vol. 03 No. 704

I

N150

Monday, October 21, 2013

The world’s largest consumer of cigarettes, in terms of volume purchased, is China with 1.69 trillion cigarettes sold in 2002. With a global consumption in 2000 of 5.5 trillion this means that approximately one in every three cigarettes smoked today is smoked in China.

Police Reform: The bottom line

f you have not met Joseph Imafidon, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) and Joseph Agbagba, a Police sergeant, both under Ogun State Command, you are still likely to be among those who believe the Force is irredeemably rotten, far from being reformed and deserving of a throwback to the Stone Age or outright extinction! Like Biblical Samuel who refused to be a bad guy while his peers were, this duo caused a stir when it came to a challenge that has often compromised the Force and led to the loss of public confidence in the institution.

A young man went to the Iju Police Station in Ota, Ogun State, to report a case of alleged stealing involving his younger sister.

She had mounted a commercial bike on her return from school during the ASUU strike.

Guest Columnist

Banji Ojewale

But upon disembarking at home the girl negligently dropped a wallet on the bike and entered her compound. The Okada rider saw the purse but did not draw the lady’s attention to it and took off with the package containing substantial cash.

He put off work for the rest of the day and went on a drinking binge with the “spoils” from the wallet. Back home, the girl discovered the loss of the money which was part of her school fees she had brought back home following the shutdown of her school.

He intimated her brother who began a frantic search for the bike rider whose description was given by his sister.

In his drunken state one hour or two later, the Okada man denied seeing the billfold or its contents that included a school I.D card.

The unconvinced siblings took the matter to Iju Police Station against the advice of friends in the neighborhood. They said the Police would be of no help, with most of them recounting hurtful experiences.

They were disappointed. The two policemen they met, Imafidon who was DPO and Agbagba his deputy, a sergeant swung into action after taking the mandatory statement. They visited the home of the bike man and learnt he had traveled. They traced him to a joint at Ipokia, near Idiroko, several kilometers away, all at their personal expenses. Eventually they confiscated the suspect’s bike after he confessed to the theft. He struck a deal to be given some time to return the money. He did, dropping the cash with Imafidon who called the elder brother of the student on phone to come for the money. The policemen requested no financial induce-

THERE IS IMMEASURABLE POTENTIAL FOR CHANGE IN SOCIETY WHEN A PERSON OR SMALL GROUP OPTS TO DEPART FROM THE BEATEN SORDID PATH ment from him to discharge their duties.

The case, after neighbors heard how it was resolved without the staple stigma of corruption, dereliction and compromise, boosted the image of the force in Iju area.

Those in the community came away with the lesson that somehow dead bones have a chance to live again!

This account must not be denied its enduring moral because it is one in a million cases in a society where the policeman is the fall guy in integrity contests. We err and weaken both the war on corruption and the struggle for uprightness and decent conduct in the community if we do not celebrate the likes of DSP Imafidon and Sergeant Agbagba.

There is immeasurable potential for change in society when a person or small group opts to depart from the beaten sordid path. Such was the case of the homeless man in Boston, USA, who turned in thousands of dollars in cash and travelers cheques. His wreck of a state notwithstanding, he decided

not to pocket the money he found when no one was watching. Not even America’s ubiquitous CCTV captured him in the act.

One report says when the media published the story of homeless Glen James’ honesty it led to a “small moral revolution”.

An observer said: “The fact that he’s in the situation he is, being homeless, it blew my mind that he would do this (turn in the money). It’s caught on like wild fire ever since… it’s brought… a lot of hope… it’s a statement to everyone in America.”

A kindred spirit promptly raised $91,855 in donations to upgrade James’ condition.

Later he aimed for a $250,000 fundraising goal for the man! The US Police have also honored the vagrant with a citation. Now I can also personally testify to the highly professional conduct of the Police in Ogun under Mr Ikemefuna Okoye, the Commissioner of Police. He and Muyiwa (Ire ooo) Adejobi, the PPRO have promptly acted to restore law and order and peace in Onibuku, Ota, when calls are made to them in times of distress or threat to law and order.

So what should constitute the touchstones of reform in the Police in Nigeria?

The first is a hard and uncompromising drive to work out a corps of officers and men and women who must be completely submissive to the people who maintain them.

If the policeman is my friend as the slogan goes, I must not be afraid to approach him in my moment of need. He must not set forth selfish conditions for his cooperation.

In a word, the ball is in the court of the police to make me see them as my friend. But then the state must create the cauldron in which these conditions can be brewed and sustained. The state must offer these men and women and officers and their families all they require to meet those conditions: proper training and retraining and kitting to fight crime, humane remuneration and accommodation, beneficent service and post service terms of engagement.

Ojewale is with WriteConsult, Ota, Ogun State.

Sport Extra

UAE 2013: Mark praises Golden Eaglets

S

enate President, David Mark, is all praises for the Golden Eaglets of Nigeria for their superlative performance against their Mexican counterparts in their opening game at

the ongoing 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup in the United Arab Emirate.

An excited Senator Mark noted that with the outstanding performance of the Eaglets and the impressive performance of the Su-

per Eagles so far, Nigeria is gradually stamping her authority in the international soccer arena.

He charged the Eaglets and their coaches to remain focused, maintain team spirit and sustain determination

to win the championship.

The Senate President assured them that all Nigerians are behind them in prayers, saying that government recognises the importance of the championship and will do its own part in

terms of adequate welfare for them.

He added that sports generally are now potential tools for international politics and ingredients for achieving national unity NFF President, Aminu Maigari and cohesion in Nigeria.

Mark

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