Binder1234 thursday, may 8, 2014

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Thursday, May 8, 2014 Vol. 1 No. 79

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Nigeria’s most authoritative newspaper in politics and business

WEF delegates begin search for investments lTight security slows down activities in Abuja Ayodele Aminu, Lateef Ibrahim and Simeon Ogoegbulem with agency report

I

nvestors in Nigeria are so far unfazed by the wave of killings and kidnappings by Boko Haram that

have rocked Nigeria and sparked international outrage.

Delegates for the World

Economic Forum (WEF), which opened in Abuja yesterday, are still focused on tapping the continent’s oil reserves in the south and a growing middle class.

The event took off amidst tight security that has slowed down human C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 2

Ex-British PM, Gordon Brown, Dangote, Ovia launch $10m safe school initiative }3

France, China, UK join US to search for Chibok girls

lPolice offer N50m for information on abductees l Ekwueme, Clark, Gbonigi call for war against Boko Haram lParents: FG not serious about bringing back our daughters Emmanuel Onani and Temitope Ogunbanke with agency report

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igeria yesterday got more international support in the efforts to find the rest of the over 200 students kidnapped by Boko Haram from Government Girls’ Secondary School,

Chibok, Borno State about three weeks ago.

France, Britain and China expressed their willingness to deploy military and other resources to help Nigeria find the abductees.

Before their offers, which were made yesterday, the United States had already expressed its will-

ingness to deploy security personnel and assets to assist Nigeria.

The police also offered a N50 million reward to anybody that could give information that would lead to the rescue of the schoolgirls.

It was also learnt that security agencies have combed about 250 locations, without success, since the pupils were abducted, with the hope of finding them.

Despite the flurry of activities to rescue the

schoolgirls, their parents have, however, accused the Federal Government of not being serious in finding them by its seeming lethargic approach to resolve the hostage situation.

However, the Southern

Nigeria Peoples Assembly (SNPA), jointly co-chaired by former Vice-President Alex Ekwueme; former Federal Commissioner for Information, Chief Edwin Clark and retired Bishop of Akure Diocese, C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 2

...CAN alleges conspiracy

lAsks Shettima to produce schoolgirls Onwuka Nzeshi ABUJA

T

he northern wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) yesterday alleged foul play in the abduction of over 200 schoolgirls from Chibok, Borno State, citing, among others, the noninvolvement of all daughters of the school principal and all the teachers in the

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abduction.

It also accused the Borno State Government of conspiracy in the incident.

“Where were the daughters of the principal, vice principal and chief security officer (of the school) when the abduction took place?” the Christian body queried.

The umbrella organisation of Christians in the 19 states in the North alleged that given the trend of events since the incident occurred, there must have been a conspiracy between the school authorities and the state government.

C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 5

L-R: President, Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote; Rwandan President Paul Kigame and President Goodluck Jonathan, at the opening of the Grow Africa Section of the World Economic Forum in Abuja…yesterday.

PHOTO: TIMOTHY IKUOMENISAN

Nyako: Troops’ deployment will worsen Boko Haram killings

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WEF delegates begin search for investments CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

and vehicular traffic in the Federal Capital Territory, which in the last two weeks has witnessed two terrorist attacks that have claimed about 100 lives.

Apart from global economic leaders, WEF is also a forum for political leaders to woo investors to their countries.

President Goodluck Jonathan is leading a group of 11 other African heads of state and government to attend the WEF, which Nigeria is hosting for the first time.

The over 1,000 delegates to the WEF on Africa are drawn from key sectors of the economy ranging from agriculture, banking and finance to infrastructure and telecommunications as well as transport, power, oil and gas.

President, Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote and Chairman, Heirs Holdings, Mr. Tony Elumelu, are leading a sizable number of Nigerian private sector operators to the event.

Nigeria and South African business delegations top the list of delegates from Africa attending the conference.

“It (terrorism) is grabbing the attention of everybody globally, but it doesn’t give investors in

Africa a surprise,” Teresa Coelho, a money manager at BPI Gestao de Activos SA, an owner of Nigerian stocks, told Bloomberg by phone from Lisbon. “It doesn’t change the investment case.”

Executives from Heineken NV (HEIA) to UBS AG (UBSN) are arriving in Nigeria as Africa’s biggest oil producer faces one of the worst rounds of violence in the capital in recent history.

Those incidents and others carried out by the Islamist militant group, Boko Haram, have been mainly confined to the North and as long as that remains the case, money

will keep flowing into the country, said Kevin Daly, who helps oversee about $12 billion in emergingmarket and Nigerian debt for Aberdeen Asset Management. (ADN) “If this were to spread to other parts of Abuja and to Lagos, which is obviously getting closer to the oil infrastructure, that’s where you start to have some potential impact on investor sentiment,” Daly said in a phone interview from London.

“Recent bomb attacks in Abuja will strengthen existing concerns among investors about the state of security in Nigeria ahead of elections, even if they

do not undermine the longterm investment case for Nigeria,” Alan Cameron, an economist at FCMB Group Plc in London, said in e-mailed response to questions.

The event took off amidst tight security in Abuja where the Federal Government had last week declared a three-day closure of government offices.

Though there was free vehicular movement, access was however restricted in some areas of the city.

Mostly affected by the restriction are the Central Business District (CBD), and some parts of Maitama and Asokoro.

However, there were semblance of activities around Wuse and Garki areas of the city as people and vehicular movement were more pronounced than in the central area of the city.

All the major access routes to the heart of the CBD, where the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, venue of the event is located, were cordoned off by a combined team of security operatives.

At strategic intersections in the district, sternlooking but polite security operatives were seen diverting traffic to other routes.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

Vice-President, CGCOC Group Company Limited, Li Xuhui (left) and Katsina State Governor, Ibrahim Shema, signing a contract for the construction of 10MW power project in Abuja…yesterday.

PHOTO: TIMOTHY IKUOMENISAN

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France, China, UK join US to search for Chibok girls

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Rev. Bolanle Gbonigi, rising from a meeting yesterday, called on the Federal Government to declare a full-scale war against Boko Haram to end the five-yearold reign of terror it has unleashed on Nigeria.

At different fora yesterday, France, UK and China offered to make available to the Federal Government the expertise of their nations to tackle the problem.

France, which has some 4,000 troops stationed between Mali and Central African Republic, said it was ready to send security agents to Nigeria to help recover the schoolgirls “The president has instructed … to put the (intelligence) services at the disposal of Nigeria and neighbouring countries,” Reuters quoted French Foreign Minister, Laurent Fabius, as telling lawmakers in Paris.

“This morning (yesterday) he asked us to contact the Nigerian president to tell him that a specialised

unit with all the means we have in the region was at the disposal of Nigeria to help find and recover these young girls.”

Boko Haram kidnapped more than 200 schoolgirls last month and has threatened to sell them into slavery.

“In the face of such ignominy, France must react. This crime cannot be left unpunished,” Fabius added.

Also, UK and China, based on requests from Jonathan, promised to assist in locating the whereabouts of the abducted students.

Presidential spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati, in a statement yesterday said the president requested and received a commitment from Britain to deploy its intelligence gathering resources to assist Nigeria’s security agencies in the task of rescuing the pupils.

The President received the commitment of the UK government through a telephone request.

Jonathan, who spoke with the British Prime Minister, Mr. David Cameron, on phone met yesterday at the presidential villa with Premier Li Keqiang of China who is on official visit to Nigeria where he asked and received a promise of the deployment of British satellite imaging capabilities and other advanced tracking technology in support of the ongoing efforts to liberate the schoolgirls.

The president thanked Cameron, the British Government and people for their concern over the fate of the abducted girls and their willingness to provide concrete assistance to save them from their terrorist abductors.

He told Cameron that Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs would liaise with London to work out practical details of the promised support and collaboration against terrorism.

Chinese Premier, Mr. Li Keqiang, also offered his country’s assistance

during a meeting with the president at the State House, Abuja.

Jonathan at a joint press conference that followed the conclusion of bilateral discussion between the two countries, said China had promised to assist Nigeria deal with the insurgency in the country.

“We agreed to deepen cooperation in the field of defence and security and strengthen cooperation in counter-terrorism, anti-piracy and combating organised crimes.

“The premier promised that China will assist Nigeria in our fight against terror, especially our commitment and efforts to rescue the girls that were taken away from a secondary school in Chibok, Borno State,” the president stated.

According to him, China will also help Nigeria in upgrading its infrastructure such as power and transportation.

Keqiang told reporters that the two countries CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

OVERLAND AIRWAYS LAGOS-ILORIN (MON-FRI) 07:15 LAGOS-IBADAN (MON-FRI) 7:00 IBADAN-ABUJA (MON-FRI) 08:00 IBADAN-LAGOS (MON-FRI) 16:30 ILORIN –ABUJA (MON-FRI) 08:30 ILORIN –LAGOS (MON-FRI) 17:00 ABUJA-ASABA (MON-FRI) 10:00 ASABA-ABUJA (MON-FRI) 14:15 ASABA-LAGOS (MON-FRI) 11:30 LAGOS-ASABA (MON-FRI) 13:00 ABUJA-ILORIN 16:00 ABUJA-IBADAN 15:00 ARIK AIR LAGOS-ABUJA (MON-FRI) 07:00; 08:00; 09:00; 11:00 13:00; 15:00; 17:00; 19:00 (SAT) 07:00; 09:00; 11:00; 13:00; 15:00; 17:00; 19:00 (SUN) 11:00; 13:00; 15:00; 17:00; 19:00 ABUJA-LAGOS (MON-FRI) 07:00; 09:00; 11:00; 13:00; 15:00; 17:00; 19:00; 20:00 (SAT) 07:00; 09:00; 11:00; 13:00; 15:00; 17:00; 19:00 (SUN) 09:00; 13:00; 15:00; 17:00; 19:00 LAGOS-PORT-HARCOURT (MON-FRI) 07:00; 09:30; 11:00; 13:30; 15:00; 17:30 (SAT) 07:00; 11:00; 15:00 (SUN) 09:30; 11:00; 13:30; 15:00; 17:30 PORT-HARCOURT-LAGOS (MON-FRI) 07:30; 09:00; 11:30; 13:00; 15:30; 17:00 (SAT) 07:30; 11:30; 09:00; 13:00; 17:00 (SUN) 11:30; 13:00; 15:30; 17:00 ABUJA-PORT-HARCOURT (MON-FRI) 06:45; 10:10; 13:30; 16:50 (SAT/SUN) 06:45; 10:10; 13:30 PORT-HARCOURT-ABUJA (MON-FRI) 08:30; 11:50; 15:10; 18:30 (SAT/SUN) 08:30; 11:50; 15:10

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Abdulwahab Isa, Temitope Ogunbanke and Keneth Tyohemba

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coalition of Nigerian business leaders working with the United Nations Special Envoy on Education and former British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, yesterday voted $10 million towards making schools in Nigeria, especially in the crisis-ridden North- East, safe for learning.

The initiative, tagged “Safe Schools Initiative”, was launched yesterday on the first day of the World Economic Forum (WEF) taking place in Abuja.

The coalition of the Nigerian business leaders is led by President, Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote; Chairman, Visafone, Jim Ovia and Chairman & Editor-in-Chief, ThisDay Media Group, Mr. Nduka Obaigbena.

The initiative is in response to the growing incidence of attacks on the right to education, including the abduction of over 200 girls on April 14 at Government Girls’ Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State.

“There is a desperate need to assure Nigerians that the school children are safe to go to school. As a result, the Nigerian business community has earmarked $10 million with a pilot of 500 schools. The initiative wants parents and teachers to come up with what safety measures they need, but government too should be involved,” the former Brit-

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Gordon Brown, Dangote, Ovia launch $10m safe school initiative

L-R: Former Head of State, Chief Ernest Shonekan; former Minister of Defence, General T.Y. Danjuma (rtd.); renowned industrialists, Chief Olu Akinkugbe; and Chief Chris Ogunbanjo; Vice Chancellor, University of Cape Town, Dr. Max Price; and former Secretary General, CommonWealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, at a fund raiser organised by the university in Lagos… yesterday

ish PM said.

Brown said most of the 500 schools would be from the North, adding that parents and teachers were free to ask for the kind of support they need like provision of guards.

The former British Prime Minister said that education for girls was too vital for the overall development of the nation, adding that no effort would be spared in locating the abducted girls.

He also disclosed that two teams from the United Kingdom and the United States of America are due in Nigeria in a few days to enrol in the team raised to find the Chibok girls ab-

The total population of Lebanon (representing 0.06% of the world’s population) in 2010.

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ducted by Boko Harram.

Brown said: “The thoughts and prayers of the whole world are with Nigeria’s abducted girls and their parents as they face their fourth week in captivity.

“Three weeks ago, I asked for international support to rescue them.

Thanks to John Kerry, the US Secretary of State, and William Hague, the UK Foreign Secretary, with whom I have talked in the last 24 hours. The US and UK governments have agreed to send specialist teams to support efforts in Borno State to locate the kidnapped girls.

“And today, the business

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community in Nigeria, supported by the Global Business Coalition for Education, has come together with the creation of a new fund to create safe schools and to prevent terrorists from forcing children out of school.

“We cannot stand by and see schools shut down, girls cut off from their education and parents in fear of their daughters’ lives. The education system that has the potential to transform Nigeria cannot be undermined.

The Safe School Initiative will put Nigeria on track to help more and more girls and boys go to school and learn.

“Starting with a

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500-school pilot programme in northern states, the Safe Schools Initiative will focus on school and community interventions, with special measures for the most atrisk and vulnerable children. The initiative will build community security groups to promote safe zones for education, consisting of teachers, parents, police, community leaders and young people themselves.

“This initiative is part of our work to give every girl and boy in Nigeria the opportunity to go to school. In the year 2014, every boy and girl should be at school and no one should be prevented from accessing education.”

The Head of Gender Parity and Skills Initiatives, World Economic Forum, Saadia Zahidi, noted that, “One of Africa’s greatest assets is its young people who will drive its future development. The

Safe Schools Initiative can help Africa unlock their potential and in this light, could be seen as a crucial intervention.”

Speaking, ThisDay newspaper publisher, Mr. Nduka Obaigbena, said the Nigerian business community was stunned by the abduction which he described as a reflection of the threat to education in Nigeria.

The greater danger, he warned, “is in the fear of going to school, we could lose a generation of students who are afraid of going to school.”

Business leaders in Nigeria, he said “have met and want to step in. They may not be frontal but they are supportive by putting in place a response with an initial 500 schools. We cannot be defeated by terrorists in any manner or form and we need to assure school children that they are safe.”

WEF delegates begin search for investments CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

The airports road, which often recorded heavy vehicular movement and sometimes gridlock, was free of traffic, except for the occasional movement of delegates arriving for the forum.

Security agents were seen at strategic locations within the FCT, while entry points such as Bwari, Zuba, Gwagwalada and Nyanya/Mararaba axis had heavy security presence.

Similarly, the road leading to the Federal Secretariat through the Eagle Square, International Conference Centre, Sheraton, Benue Plaza and THISDAY Dome were all closed to commuters and motorists.

Analysts said the high

presence of security operatives was a clear indication that government meant its words that it would ensure a hitch-free event.

Motorists who had no access to all the designated hotels for the event were refused entry.

As part of measures to ensure minimal traffic build-up around the designated hotels, shuttle buses were provided by government to move participants and delegates to different designated venues.

Also in order not to let anything to chance, all the vehicles at the designated hotels were all evacuated leaving only duty vehicles at the car parks of the hotels.

Members of staff of all the hotels where events re-

lated to the WEF are holding were also specially accredited for them to have access to their places of work while those not selected for the event were asked to stay home.

However, banks in Abuja defied the directive given by the Federal Government for all public offices, schools and other business concerns with over 50 employees to shut down during the event.

All the banks were opened just as traders opened their shops.

However customers were scanty as most people stayed indoors in compliance with the government’s directive.

When New Telegraph visited Wuse market yesterday, the market was

shorn of its crowd as only a few shop owners were seen at their shops, but no customers were seen patronising them.

A shop owner, Kingsley Njoku, said the traders were aware of the threeday holiday, but markets do not observe public holidays.

Njoku regretted the effects the holiday has had on businesses in Abuja.

Meanwhile, the WEF has released a new report on regional infrastructure development in Africa, suggesting ways to boosting inter-regional trade The report released in collaboration with The Boston Consulting Group and titled “Managing Transnational Infrastructure Programmes in Af-

rica – Challenges and Best Practices,” focused on best strategies to the delivery of transnational infrastructure programmes on schedule, at cost and at a high quality.

According to the report, such programmes can make a huge contribution to social and economic welfare by boosting intraregional trade, connecting landlocked countries to world markets, and improving access to and security of electricity supply by linking large power plants with neighbouring countries.

“Infrastructure is essential for integrating regions, realising socio-economic potential and fast-tracking development in Africa,” Chief Executive Officer of

the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency, Mr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, said.

“Africa’s growth will accelerate through success in building intra-African trade. Coordinating actions across multiple governments inevitably makes the process more complex, costly and bureaucratic. But the payoff from regional integration – building more efficient and reliable infrastructure for energy, logistics management, and movement of labour across borders – is high and will have a strong multiplier effect on growth, entrepreneurship and employment,” Chief Executive Officer of GE Africa, Mr. Jay Ireland, stated.

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Mbeki: Africa loses $50bn yearly to illegal financial outflow

T

he former South African President, Mr. Thabo Mbeki yesterday said the African continent lost about $50 billion

through illegal financial outflow of funds from the continent.

Mbeki said this at a High Level meeting on

“Tackling Illicit Financial Flows and Inequality in Africa,” on the sideline of the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Africa in Abuja.

According to him, the main channel through which money is being syphoned out of Africa, is through the commercial

Managing Director/CEO, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Mr. Nicolaas Vervelde with widow of former Nigerian Breweries Deputy Chairman, Chief Moses Ajibade Makinde, Faustina, during a condolence visit to the Makinde family in Lagos…yesterday

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The number of fixed-telephone subscriptions of Egypt in 2010.

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companies operating in the continent.

“Annually, the continent is thought to lose about $50 billion. This is about the same amount the continent receives in terms of annual foreign direct investments.

“While it is often assumed that these outflows are linked to practises such as bribery, corruption or money laundering, studies have shown that it is not criminal activities but tax evasion that is responsible.

“Commercial tax evasion most commonly takes the form of trade wrong pricing, which means a company manipulates the exports and imports to artificially depress profits and dodge tax,” he said.

Mbeki said that tax havens, trade pricing and miss-invoicing were other strategies through which the continent loses money.

“I have visited many African countries to see how this is being handled.

Some of them already have institutions in place to tackle this.

“However, they are not doing a great job. There is

no cooperation but only disconnect.

“So, it is necessary for legislation to be put in place to deal with these illicit financial outflows, while the global community is also important to solving this.

“This is why we have interacted with the U.S., the IMF and other organisations to see what they can do and what they are already doing to solve this problem,” he said.

Mbeki expressed hope that when all these foreign institutions worked together, along with governments of different states and civil societies on the continent, “it is possible to recover and stop these illegal outflows.”

Also speaking, Miss Winnie Byanyima, the Executive Director, Oxfam International, a non-profit organisation, decried the level of poverty recorded on the continent, in spite of all its economic development.

“How can it be that only a few are rich despite the economic development in the continent,” she said.

France, China, UK join US to search for Chibok girls CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

needed to strengthen their relationship and work together to fight terrorism.

He described Nigeria as a major country in Africa, saying China wants to take its partnership with the country to a higher level.

In a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting, Jonathan and Keqiang agreed to deepen cooperation in the areas of defence and security.

They promised to strengthen cooperation in counter-terrorism, anti-piracy and combating organised crimes.

“Both sides agreed that as members of the UN Security Council, they would continue to strengthen coordination and cooperation in the council.

“They expressed their resolve to strengthen coordination and cooperation in African peace and security affairs.

“The Nigerian side expressed appreciation for China’s efforts to actively participate in the meditation of hot spot issues in Africa,” the communiqué stated.

Their offer came as the US clarified its assistance to Nigeria.

According to a Pentagon spokesman, Col. Steve Warren, the US is sending

fewer than 10 military troops to Nigeria as part of Washington’s efforts to help find the kidnapped schoolgirls.

A report by the Associated Press quoted him as saying officials have no plans now to launch any military operations in Nigeria.

He said the troops would arrive in Nigeria in a few days as part of the larger U.S. assistance team to include State Department and Justice Department personnel.

The military members will help with communications, logistics and intelligence planning.

Warren said the U.S. is talking with Nigeria about information and intelligence sharing, but nothing has been decided.

There are already about 70 military personnel in Nigeria, including 50 regularly assigned to the embassy, and 20 Marines have been in the country for training.

The police, in a statement by the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Frank Mba, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), said anybody with useful tips that would lead to the liberation of the pupils, who were abducted in a dawn raid on their school on April 15, should contact

the law enforcement agency on the following dedicated phone lines: 09-2914649, 08081777309, 08055547536, 08032125050, 08034617591 and 08035969731.

While urging the public to join hands with security agencies in the ongoing rescue operations in particular and the war against terror in general, the police assured prospective informants that whatever information they passed on to the law enforcement agency would be treated with utmost confidentiality.

“The Nigeria Police hereby announce a cash reward of N50 million to anyone who volunteers credible information that will lead to the location and rescue of the female students abducted from Government Girls’ Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State.

“While calling on the general public to be part of the solution to the present security challenge, the police high command also reassures all citizens that any information given would be treated anonymously and with utmost confidentiality,” the statement said.

Notwithstanding the offer, parents of some of the abducted pupils yesterday accused the Federal Gov-

ernment of not being serious in bringing back the pupils.

Speaking on a CNN programme, monitored by New Telegraph, a man and a woman who were identified as parents of some of the over 200 schoolgirls still in captivity, criticised the Federal Government for not putting necessary measures in place to rescue them.

They also appealed to the Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, who had threatened on Monday to sell the abductees to release their daughters.

“Life is not safe in Chibok now. Since April 14 to date, we don’t sleep at home. Around 5-6p.m. people disappear to the bush because there is no security. We sleep in the bush with all our little ones.

Right now in Chibok, it looks like we have no hope.

“With what I am hearing on the radio, the Federal Government or the rulers are playing with us parents. They are looking at us as if we are fools. Had it been there are military men who went to the bush to rescue our daughters, we would have proceeded.

While can’t they bring military men and ask for one of the parents; we would go and show them the place where our daugh-

ters are,” a man, identified as a father to some of the victims, said.

When asked to react to the threats by Shekau in a recent video to sell the schoolgirls, another parent, a woman, said: “When I heard the story yesterday about Shekau’s threat, most of the parents, we mothers, started crying because we have nobody to help us.

Our daughters have been abducted and captured as slaves and since that day we cannot even eat. We are pleading, let them release these girls.”

Meanwhile, southern leaders, under the aegis of SNPA, yesterday advocated a full-scale war against the insurgents.

Membership of SNPA comprises leaders of thought from the three geopolitical zones in the southern part of the country, South-East, SouthWest and South-South.

Rising from their meeting, the group said the unity of the country was important and therefore, any threat to the nation’s security, such as that of Boko Haram, must be dealt with frontally.

Gbonigi, who spoke after the two-hour meeting, said SNPA was not happy with the security situation in Nigeria and called on Jonathan to rise to the

occasion.

He said: “We urge the president to take additional measures, including the full deployment of our military arsenal to defeat the terrorists.

“The corporate existence of the nation and collective will of the people to live peacefully together is being challenged and every patriotic Nigerian, irrespective of their tribe, religion and political affiliation, should rally round President Jonathan as he leads the fight to take back our country from agents of darkness and self-seeking bigots.

“We cannot fold our arms and watch our dear country slide into anarchy.

The painful memories and scars of the unfortunate civil war are still very much with us.”

Besides, Gbonigi called on security agencies to deploy all resources at their disposal to end the reign of terror in the country.

Ekwueme, represented

by Dr. Dozie Ikedife, said the country would be playing with fire if it allowed the situation to deteriorate further.

Clark also reiterated his call for full-scale military action in the troubled states of Adamawa, Yobe and Borno wracked by terrorism.

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Nyako: Troops’ deployment will worsen Boko Haram killings Iro Dan Fulani

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s the nation awaits the arrival of soldiers and equipment from the United States (U.S.) to help rescue the schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram in Chibok, Borno State, Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State has warned that direct military intervention may worsen killings in the North-East.

On Tuesday, President Goodluck Jonathan got assurances from his U.S. counterpart, Barack Obama, of America’s offer to send soldiers trained in counter-insurgency who

will join their Nigerian counterparts for the special operation.

But Nyako, a retired Chief of Naval Staff, in an interview with reporters in Yola, the Adamawa State capital, said given the fact that the abduction is an internal security situation, “it is not encouraged to send in military in an internal security situation. Some countries even prohibit it.”

The governor, who has been critical of security agents’ alleged engagement in extra-judicial killings in the North, said during the General Ibrahim Babangida regime

between 1985 and 1993, there was a breakdown of law and order in some parts of the country but he and some colleagues in the Armed Forces Ruling Council (AFRC) persuaded Babangida not to send soldiers to the troubled areas.

To him, instead of sending soldiers, the Federal Government should find an alternative solution.

He said: “If you send in the military, the situation will deteriorate because we have different rules of engagement, we have a different code of conduct, we have a different mentality; we tend to come up more aggressively. So, there

were cases, even in my experience (the Babangida years), when we refused to permit the military to get involved because from the experience of day one, if we go in, we (military) will aggravate the situation.

“If they (soldiers) have to go in, we need to emphasise to them the need to restrict, observe and be guided by the military code of conduct. Today, we have a situation where people are dying daily, so we have to find a solution.

What do you want us to do? This humiliating situation is substantially in the North.

“The security situation

is seriously deteriorating by the day. There is mass death, killings and the record is there. A number of people are being taken and killed from custody of state apparatus to graveyards for burial while others in cells are not being fed, not looked after and it’s a known fact in this state.

“These organised kidnappers must have the backing for them to move about freely with abducted children just as those who convey ammunition and explosives from ports to the safe houses of socalled Boko Haram in the

INEC set for continuous voters’ registration

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L-R: Former Vice-Chancellor, National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Prof. Sidi Osho; Dean, School of Science and Technology, Prof.

Mba Okonkwo; Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Vincent Ado Tenebe; and Deputy Registrar, Training, Ms Tayo Olowola, during the inauguration of the school’s laboratories in Lagos…..yesterday.

PHOTO: TONY EGUAYE

North.”

The governor’s position is, however, at variance with that of Senate President David Mark, who had advocated a full-scale war against the insurgents.

Mark, a former advocate of dialogue with Boko Haram, in his speech to the Senate on resumption after the Easter recess, had criticised the abduction of the schoolchildren, saying since the insurgents have refused to embrace dialogue, the Federal Government should bring its military might down on the sect.

he Independent National Electoral commission (INEC) yesterday said 3,319 ad-hoc staff would be recruited for the distribution of Permanent Voters Cards and the Continuous Voters Registration in Kebbi State.

Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Kebbi State, Alhaji Minkaila Abdullahi, told newsmen in Birnin-Kebbi that distribution of the cards would be conducted in 2,398 polling units of the state between May 25 and May 28.

According to him, the continuous voters’ registration will hold in 225 centres between May 28 and June 1.

“The registered voters who fail to collect their permanent cards or those seeking fresh registration within the period at the polling stations will be referred to INEC local government office for collection.

“Any attempt to do double registration will be detected and violators prosecuted. The commission has secured relevant materials for the exercise while the Direct Data Capturing machines have been reconfigured,” he said.

Minkaila said that the commission had held several meetings with stakeholders in the electoral process on the exercise.

CAN asks Shettima to produce schoolgirls CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

According to it, the Borno State Government knows the whereabouts of the missing schoolgirls and should produce them immediately.

In a statement by its Secretary General, Prof.

Daniel Babayi, the organisation said it had kept silent since the abduction of the girls because it wanted to conduct its own investigation and be armed with facts before making any statement.

Babayi said there were some fundamental questions which required answers on the circumstances surrounding the abduction.

The organisation warned the Borno State Governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, to stop playing politics with the lives of the children and save them, their parents and the entire nation the current trauma.

The abduction of these

girls, the body said, appeared to be a re-enactment of what “the Christian communities in Northern Nigeria have been suffering for centuries in the hands of the emirs and imams regarding forcible conversion and abduction of Christian girls.

“The governor should provide immediate explanation because we know that some people want to sacrifice these children on the altar of politics.

There is a limit to which Christians would tolerate all these abnormalities.

We suspect a conspiracy among all of these characters, including the governor, commissioner for education, principal and CSO since none of the daughters of the teachers and Principal were abducted; there is more to it.

“We demand an explanation from the governor, commissioner for education, principal and chief

security officer (CSO) of the school on what they did and what they did not do that led to the ferrying away of these innocent children who went to sit for an examination for the betterment of their tomorrow.

“How come that the parents of these children have not been able to come out and say anything? Are they saying that these children are orphans and do not have parents?

We demand an explanation because from our investigation, parents of these children are facing intimidation and threats from the government of Borno State. That is why they could not come out to speak; but they are nursing their pains in silence.

“We also reject a situation where they will turn our daughters to be sex slaves of these criminals called Boko Haram members. We have it on good authority that some of

these children are being raped 15 times a day. Some of these children are being compelled to be wives of these criminals. If you want to marry somebody’s daughter, you must seek the consent of her parents and not to ferry under-aged children and perpetrate a lot of havoc on them,” it said.

The group described the abduction as an infringement on the fundamental human rights of these children which must not be allowed to continue.

It also urged the Federal Government and the international community to do everything possible to free the children from their captors.

The Northern CAN raised the following posers: *Since the abduction of these girls over two weeks ago, has Borno State Governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, constituted any panel of investigation with

a view to making its report public? *How did the 234 female students disappear from the school into the thin air? * Why did the Borno State Commissioner for Education, principal, vice principal and chief security officer – all Muslims – ignore the valid advice of WAEC on the security implication of writing exams in the school and the need to have a centre where the children’s lives will be secured? *How did Boko Haram carry over 200 students and their food stolen by these criminals from the school? Was it carried with trailer? *Why is it that since this issue came up, no single photograph of the abducted children was made public by the school authorities? After all, they were preparing for exams and may have submitted their photographs. *Where were the daugh-

ters of the principal, vice principal and chief security officer when the abduction took place?

“We hope that this is not a political gimmick to carry out a political conspiracy against these daughters of Nigerians, future mothers of Nigeria and citizens who want to be leaders of tomorrow.

We have done our investigations, we are begging the international community, we are begging the Federal Government of Nigeria and the press to ask these legitimate questions from the governor, Commissioner for Education, principal and CSO of the school because Chibok is a predominantly Christian area.

“What we are after is the safety and future of these children, whether they are Christians or Muslims or our enemies doesn’t matter. They are Nigerians, first and foremost,” CAN stated.

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ekiti 2014

NEWS

Arise seeks adequate security for PDP leaders Adesina Wahab Ado-Ekiti

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former member of the National Assembly, Senator Ayo Arise, who represented Ekiti North from 2007 to 2011, has called on the Inspector General of Police and Director of the State Security Service (SSS) to beef up security around Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders in Ekiti State, alleging that there are plans by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to eliminate them.

Senator Arise, who made this call in a statement yesterday in AdoEkiti, said; "The APC

government in Ekiti state should be held responsible for any attempt on the lives of PDP leaders in the state."

He said it was obvious that the APC was jittery and getting more and more desperate by the day to force itself on Ekiti people, adding that, "Ekiti people are tired of Governor Kayode Fayemi and his government, and they will speak with their votes on June 21."

Arise added; "Because of their frustration and desperation, they have been going about recruiting hit men and thugs with which they want to attack top PDP leaders in the state."

Monarchs to meet Fayemi, Fayose, Bamidele others Adesina Wahab Ado-Ekiti

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s part of efforts to ensure peaceful campaign and election in Ekiti State, the Council of Obas and Traditional Rulers will meet with the 18 candidates contesting the election today.

The Chairman of the Council, the Onitaji of Itaji-Ekiti, Oba Adamo Babalola, who gave the indication in Ado-Ekiti yesterday, said the meeting became imperative following the spate of violence during campaigns.

Those expected at the peace parley include Governor Kayode Fayemi of the All Progressives Congress (APC), former Governor Ayo Fayose of the

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Opeyemi Bamidele of Labour Party (LP), Mr Kole Ajayi of Accord and 14 others.

Oba Babalola said issues bordering on how to ensure a peaceful poll and harmonious coexistence among political actors would be discussed.

Earlier at a press conference on Monday, Oba Babalola had warned political parties and their members to shun violence as they prepare for the governorship election in the state.

Regretting the orgy of violence that greeted political campaigns and rallies across the state, the council said such development was dangerous for the state.

Group urges INEC to use card reader for Ekiti, Osun elections Wale Elegbede

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he Coalition of Democrats for Electoral Reforms (CODER) has described the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to use Card Reader for the forthcoming Ekiti and Osun states elections as an invitation to impersonation, confusion and possible violence.

Addressing newsmen yesterday in Lagos, Convener of CODER, Chief Ayo Opadokun, said the sudden turnaround of INEC on the usage of Card Readers for the two elections was clearly ominous.

He averred that the

Ado-Ekiti

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he wife of the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Eyesorun Bosede Adejugbe and a non-governmental organisation, Human Needs Initiative (HNI), yesterday held a rally in Ado-Ekiti to preach against violence in the June 21 governorship election in Ekiti State.

The Chief Executive Officer of the NGO, Mrs Ebun Famubode, led other women, including market women, on a rally across major centres in the town, advising them to preach against political violence.

According to her, women and children would be the worst hit should any calamity befall the state during the governorship election.

Addressing a group

of women at the Erekesan Market in the heart of Ado-Ekiti, Yeyesorun Adejugbe said that the 1983 post-election crisis that hit the then Old Ondo State was enough to teach the people of the state a lot of lessons.

Mrs Adejugbe appealed to women, particularly mothers, to keep eyes against being used as instruments of destabilization.

“We need peace in Ekiti and to have peace, all of us, particularly the politicians must exercise caution. There shouldn’t be any reason for us to see the coming election as a do-or-die affair.

“We are all Ekitis, though our parties may be different. But the fact still remains that we are all working towards the advancement of the progress of the state

usage of Permanent Voters' Card (PVC) alone will mean that detection of multiple voting and impersonation may be practically impossible.

"The Card Reader will either validate or invalidate your claim of being a genuine voter. This certainly is supposed to be a significant step forward towards achieving credible elections."

Opadokun urged INEC to use the Card Readers as trial runs during the elections, noting that waiting for the 2015 general elections for its usage might be another medicine after death.

"The non-usage of the Card Reader in Ekiti and

Osun States would mean that there will be ample opportunity for the usage of fake voter cards for multiple voting and impersonation in several polling units.

"As a result of our platform’s commitment to ensuring that every vote must count, we are calling on well-meaning Nigerians to mount credible campaigns and pressures on INEC to ensure that the already purchased Card Readers are deployed and test run in Ekiti and Osun states respectively."

"CODER has it on good authority that one or two particular candidates and their party’s topmost leadership have recently

embarked upon cloning of Voters Identification Numbers (VIN) for the purposes of helping them to be able to do multiple voting and impersonate genuine registered voters," the group said.

Bemoaning absence of punitive measures against electoral offenders in previous elections in the country, Opadokun called for immediate adoption of Justice Mohammed Uwais panel recommendations on electoral reform, adding that its unsavoury for the country to be preaching credible election outside its shores without first replicating such within its system.

Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi (left), accessing a group of students with their computer laptops, during the commissioning of the state's Digital Transformation Programme, in Ado-Ekiti…yesterday

NGO holds anti-violence rally ahead Ekiti polls Adesina Wahab

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, May 8, 2014

and if this is paramount to us, we must shun violence and other acts that could plunge the state into crisis,” she pleaded.

Mrs Famubode, who expressed regret at the level of desperation being “I will advise that we all come out and vote during this election. We should not only cast our votes, we should wait and see that our votes count. We should all say ‘no’ to rigging or all forms of fraud in this election.

“Some people have the habit of staying at home on the day of election.

Abstinence may not be profitable because somebody without the interest of the masses at heart may emerge if people decide not to vote. So it is essential to vote,” she counselled.

PROMISE

LP candidate woo Ekiti teachers ahead of the June 12 gubernatorial

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he Labour Party (LP) candidate in Ekiti gubernatorial election slated for next month, Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, has pledged to stop the policy of compulsory assessment tests for teachers in the Ekiti State Civil Service.

Bamidele made the promise during a meeting yesterday in Ado Ekiti, with the teachers under the umbrella of Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT).

Bamidele told the teachers that rather than subjecting them to a compulsory aptitude tests, he would build their professional capacity through training and re-training.

He also pledged to expose them to current global trends and developments in the teaching

I won't force Ekiti teachers to write tests - Bamidele profession.

According to him, "My role as a governor will not be to forcefully examine you. My role will be to encourage you and expose you to contemporary global developments in your profession by training and re-training you" "As teachers, we shall give you confidence and professional esteem. We shall appreciate you as builders of the society because no nation exits without teachers. This confidence has been eroded over the years. We shall revisit the non-payment of the 27.5% increment of pecuniary allowances for teachers being owed by the current administration."

Ekiti teachers are currently in dispute with Governor Kayode Fayemi-led government over a compulsory test regime already introduced by a couple of All Progressives Congress (APC) states,

including Edo and Ekiti States, tagged: Teachers Development Assessment (TDA).

Bamidele also promised to prioritise teachers' welfare and make education the first agenda of his government.

On how to address educational decay in the state, Bamidele said he would carry out reforms In his remark, the state NUT Chairman, Comrade Kayode Akosile, who appreciated Bamidele's gestures to Ekiti teachers in the past also described his visit to the "Teachers' House" in Iyin Road as homecoming.

He listed such gestures to include a brand new operation van (Toyota Hiace Bus), a donation which Akosile said had assisted the union in its activities, adding: "Sir you have written your name in the hearts of Ekiti teachers.

We cannot find enough words to appreciate you."

NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, May 8, 2014

MASSOB: Tension in Onitsha market over leadership Uwakwe Abugu Awka

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risis appears to be brewing at the Bridgehead Market in Onitsha, Anambra State as the alleged involvement of members of Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra ( MASSOB) in the succession crisis of the market.

Already, a section of the traders, who want election conducted to end the regime of a caretaker committee has sent a Save –OurSoul (SOS) message to Governor Willy Obiano, alleging intimidation of their members by suspected hired members of MASSOB doing the bidding of certain elements among the traders.

The present crisis and alleged involvement of the pro-Biafra group followed renewed agitation by the traders for the conduct of election in the market to replace a caretaker committee, whose tenure had since expired.

However, reacting to the allegation of its alleged complicity in recent acts of intimidation by alleged members of the group, MASSOB regional administrator for Ogbaru province, Mrs Virginia Ubazuonu, said she was not aware of any form of involvement of MASSOB members in the Onitsha BridgeHead Market politics. Yet, one of the traders in the market, Bernard Nwizu, warned that if not checked, the situation may lead to a breach of the peace and a violation of the on-going security initiatives of the State government.

Northern elders may drag FG to ICC Ibrahim Abdul YOLA

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he Northern Elders Forum (NEF) and Dalung Foundation have disclosed their resolve to drag the President Goodluck Jonathan and the Federal Government to the International Criminal Court of Justice (ICC) in The Hague for extrajudicial killings and other forms of human rights abuses.

The groups, in collaboration with other human rights groups said that Jonathan and other security chiefs are to be charged for extrajudicial killings by soldiers in the three north eastern states slammed by the emergency rule.

The group also alleged strangulation of civilians in army barracks, in an underground detention centre.

Solomon Dalung, a lawyer, who spoke for the groups in Yola, had on Wednesday said that both the NEF and Dalung Foundation have received reports of extra-judicial killings by soldiers in parts of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states respectively.

He recalled that the NEF had set up the two committees-legal and security experts to investigate the details of the gruesome use of force against unarmed civilians in the affected states and forward appropriate recommendations.

He said;“In our investigation, we received reports of the two committees on Security and Legal Matters, regarding extrajudicial killings by soldiers and the act of strangulating civilians in Military Barracks, using an underground detention centre, while depositing the corpse in hospitals.

“We, therefore resolved to harmonise the reports of the committees, preparatory to filing a case of extrajudicial killings by the Nigerian Army.

“The reports and subsequent findings as well as documented evidence by the affected communities will be harmonised for further action.”

The groups, therefore, called on the affected communities and families to provide details and information with pictures to the North Eastern Zonal office in Yola.

Mikano, Schneider sign MOU on power management Oluwatosin Omoniyi

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IKANO, a generator company, yesterday signed a formal Memorandum of Understanding with Schneider Electric, Germany, an energy generating and managing company for a more effective and efficient management of power requirement. The two organisations said the agreement is to enable a stronger and broader diversification in energy

and automation management.

The agreement was signed by Marcel Hochet, the country President, Schneider Electric and Mofid Karamah, the Chief Executive Officer, Mikano on behalf of their companies respectively and witnessed by other staff of the companies and a large audience in Lagos . Hochet said the partnership will enhance productivity and make it easier to work together.

He added that the part-

LAFIA

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ne year after the brutal murder of over 65 security operatives in Alakyo village of Lafia, Nasarawa State, widows of the slain security operatives are yet to access the N100 million promised them by the northern state

nership is extended to local distributors, wholesalers, and non-specialized professional distributors and large international groups to serve end customers even more effectively.

For Mikano, Karamah said the partnership would provide powerful strategically-related values and amplify their sales and technical network. “It is to provide our valued customers satisfactory solutions for their power requirements

with quality products at competitive pricing and committed to maintaining customer satisfaction by consistently meeting and exceeding their expectations,” he said.

He explained that his company, Mikano is divided into four sections- power generation, steel fabrication, power solution and heavy construction equipment. He promised to continue to see customers as top priority in the focus of the company’s business and services.

Anambra State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano (left), receiving the Report of a 7-Man Committee on the recent fire outbreak at the OseOkwudo Market, Onitsha from the Committee Chairman, Igwe Rowland Odegbo, at the Government House, Awka...yesterday.

1.10%

The percentage of individuals using the internet in Ethiopia in 2011.

Source: Itu.int

647,500

The total area (in sq. km) of Afghanistan.

Source:Worldfactsandfigures.com

88.9

The number of newspaper journalists per 1m inhabitants of Switzerland in 2005 Source: Blatantworld.com

Confab: Don’t return without resource control –Ijaw youths Chris Ejim

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ngry Ijaw youths from the coastal communities of the Niger Delta region yesterday expressed dissatisfaction with the resolution by the National Conference Committee on Devolution of Power over the demand for Resource Control. The youths warned Niger Delta delegates not to come home if the demands by the region are not met.

The umbrella body of the Ijaw Youths, the

Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) argued that the position presented by the co-chairman of the committee, Obong Victor Attah was unacceptable and raises more questions than answers. Also, the Peoples Development Initiative(IPDI) led by Comrade Ozobo Austin and the National Association Of Izon-Ebe Law Students led by Comrade Ebi Wayas, argued that the delegates should not bother coming home to the Niger Delta if they fail to push for a clear position on resource

Ombatse: Govs fail police widows Muhammad Ahmad

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governors.

Mrs Afiniki Daniel, one of the widows, told New Telegraph amidst tears, that they are yet to hear from the northern governors after spirited appeals.

Daniel also explained that the promise made by the state government to offer them employment is also not forthcoming.

“We are still expect-

ing the promise made to us one year ago by Northern Governors through their Chairman Babangida Aliyu, Governor of Niger State.

“Apart from the Northern Governors, the state government had also promised to help the qualified ones among us to be given employment in order to alleviate our sufferings”.

control. The IYC, in a statement issued by its Publicity Secretary, Eric Omare, stated that the resolution arrived at by the committee and its rec-

ommendation raises more questions than answers and does not address the age-long demand of the Niger Delta people for the control of their resources.

Cholera kills 10 in Jos Buhari Bello JOS

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lateau State Epidemiologist, Dr Raymond Juryit, yesterday confirmed that 10 people died and 205 affected by an outbreak of cholera in Jos North Local Government Area of the state.

Juryit, who announced this at the flag-off of public health enlightenment and sanitation in Jos North and South LGAs, said,”From the surveillance carried out by our officers across the state, I have received the report cases of diarrhoea and vomiting in Rikkos area, Nassarawa Gwong and Anguwan Rogo/Anguwan Rimi areas of Jos North.

“After the confirmation of the outbreak, we discharged our medical expert to the affected areas

to build synergy with other medical facilities in those areas to control the spread of the disease. We also engaged the services of the Ministries of Environment and Information for enlightenment about basic hygiene practices” He appealled for the cooperation of religious and community leaders in the campaign on environmental sanitation, adding, “Cholera is preventable and we must join hands together to stop the transmission”.

Earlier in his remark, Plateau State Commissioner of Environment, Sylvanus Donteo, said that his ministry will commence enforcement of environmental sanitation in the state and their personnel would go into houses and observe sanitary conditions, and anyone found wanting would face the full wrath of the law.

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NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Vacant stool: Bali's kinsmen celebrate his ouster Buhari Bello

Jos

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azum community in Langtang North Local Government area of Plateau State yesterday lauded the recent judgement of the Court of Appeal sitting in Jos, which voided the selection of General Domkat Bali (Rtd.) as Ponzhi Tarok, describing

A cross-section of Niger Delta Civil Society organisation on a protest over the abducted Chibok school girls, in Port Harcourt...yesterday

OAU set to increase fees by 60% Mojeed Alabi

ndications have emerged that the authorities of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, are planning to increase fees payable by students of the institution by almost 60 per cent.

Investigations by New Telegraph revealed that the issue was debated at the last Senate meeting of the university last Monday,

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May 5. The meeting was also said to have agreed on the possibility of jerking up fees paid by new intakes from about N40, 000 to as high as N90, 000.

According to a source, who did not want to be named, the Senate had endorsed the proposal for the increase and has agreed to forward same to the Governing Council for endorsement with a view to commencing implemen-

tation within the next few weeks, when fresh students will be resuming.

It will be recalled that the university had increased the acceptance fees for the new students to N20, 000 in 2011 while students in science-related courses pay N17, 500 totaling N37, 500.

The protest embarked upon by students of the institution then left the university closed for more than two months.

Benue PDP governorship aspirants get code of conduct Cephas Iorhemen

Makurdi

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he Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue State has rolled out a code of conduct guideline for governorship aspirants contesting under its platform in the 2015 elections.

The leadership of the party led by its Chairman, Dr. Emmanuel Agbo, who disclosed this to newsmen after a marathon meeting with governorship aspirants contesting under its

platform, said it became imperative that the party set out guidelines to checkmate activities of the aspirants.

Seated at the meeting were the state Deputy Governor, Chief Steven Lawani and 18 other aspirants, who are in the race to succeed Governor Gabriel Suswam.

Agbo said the aspirants needed to know that PDP would not condone any form of campaign that would result in violence, abuse of other candidates,

character assassination, among others.

The PDP chieftain, who said no member of the party’s elders committee would be allowed to take appointment on the campaign organisation of any aspirant, noted that based on the guidelines, those on senatorial caucus cannot be appointed to campaign for senatorial aspirants and those for local government caucus cannot serve on campaign team of assembly members.

Insecurity: ‘I blame the Federal Government and PDP’ Yusuf Shuaib

Lokoja

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xecutive Director, Centre for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution (CHRCR), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) based in Lokoja, Idris Miliki Abdul, has described the insecurity situation in the country, especially the recent bomb blast in Nyanya as a tragedy and failure of government.

Miliki, who was speaking in a chat with New Telegraph in his Lokoja office said that; “The failure of leadership, the failure of the government in power and the ruling party is the major cause of insecurity in the country.”

According to him, if the country must be at peace, the security agencies must wake up to fulfill their mandate of safeguarding the nation, just as he also

called for urgent improvement in their intelligence gathering apparatus rather than waiting for incidences before acting.

“The recent bomb blast in Nyanya is an unfortunate development; “If you have a sickness that had been diagnosed are doctors and health workers could not ascertain it, not to talk of giving you the correct medication, it means there is a problem.”

APC challenges Wada on LG workers’ salaries Muhammad Bashir

Lokoja

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he Kogi State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has challenged Governor Idris Wada to, as a matter of urgency; intervene in the non-payment of local government workers’ salaries across the state.

Local government workers in the state have

for several months been denied their salaries.

State Chairman of the APC, Alhaji Haddy Ametuo, during an inaugural meeting of newly elected state executives of the party, said despite increasing federal allocation to the state, many workers had not been paid.

He advised that the abysmal deduction from

the local government joint allocation to SUBEB should be reviewed and equally investigated.

“I find it very difficult to understand what these deductions from the local government joint allocation are used for. I agree there is an edict guiding such deductions, but to what benefit has it ever been to the concern teachers,” he queried.

the judgement as an important step towards a peaceful resolution of the impasse surrounding the stool.

The community in a statement signed by the President of Gazum Development Association, Mr. Clement Chirman and made available to newsmen in Jos said; “What happened in 2010 under the guise of selection of Gen-

eral Domkat Bali (Rtd.) as Ponzhi Tarok was nothing but desecration of the customs and traditions of the Tarok people, which will not stand the test of time.”

The statement further said that a matter as important as a chieftaincy stool of the Tarok people must be handled with care as it involves the history and tradition of the people.

Dana Air supports education through excursion activities Shola Adefuwa

ana Airline has extended the focus of its corporate social responsibility to the area of child education as the airline, in partnership with Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL), took pupils on

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an educational excursion of airport facilities that included having a firsthand experience of how an airplane works.

The weeklong expedition programme saw the airline opening its aircraft doors to over 500 pupils drawn from various schools across Lagos State.

While welcoming the pupils to the aircraft provided by Dana Air for the expedition purpose, Chief Pilot of the airline, Captain Segun Omale, expressed happiness that Dana Air is once again leading in the drive to impact on the lives of children.

Nigerian media tasked on threats to press freedom Oluwatosin Omoniyi

agos State Commissioner for Information, Lateef Ibirogba, yesterday challenged the Nigerian media to be courageous and to confront current grave threats to press freedom in both the country and around the world.

Ibirogba made the call while declaring open the World Press Freedom Day at the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) in Lagos.

He urged the media to

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look beyond the election year, 2015.

He said: “In many countries, journalists and other media workers face systematic obstacles to reporting the truth, ranging from censorship, arrest and imprisonment to intimidation, attacks and even assassination.

“These outrageous abuses show that press freedom and the human rights it underpins are extremely fragile and must be actively defended.

According to him, the World Press Freedom Day is very vital for human

dignity, social progress and development.

Although, May 3 is the actual date set aside to celebrate World Press Freedom Day, the United Nations Organisations in Nigeria marked it on May 6.

In a joint statement, Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban KiMoon and Director-General of UNESCO, Ms. Irina Bokova, said the world press day signifies the importance of independent, free and pluralistic media to protecting and promoting these rights.

Sambo, others to flag off Omisore campaign in Osun Adeolu Adeyemo

OSOGBO

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ndications emerged yesterday that the VicePresident, Namadi Sambo and other notable politicians from Abuja, the seat of government, would lead the governorship campaign train of the party in Osun State.

National Secretary of the party, Prof. Wale Oladipo, disclosed this yesterday

in Osogbo, the Osun State capital.

He said in an interview with newsmen that the campaign would be a classical and dignified one that would be free of war songs.

He added that the party personified discipline, maintaining that the discipline would not be compromised in any way.

He also said that the party would play the “games according to the rules,”

in the forthcoming Ekiti and Osun governorship elections.

“We are ready for this election, our candidates have programmes and the party has a manifesto; that is why we are not beating drums of war, but I want you to know that it was a bad development for any political figure to issue or say inciting statements ahead of elections.”

Insurgency: Pro-Jonathan group alleges sabotage Chukwu David

Abuja

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he leader of a proGoodluck Jonathan organisation, Gender Coalition Initiative (GCI), Mr. Martins Chibuzo Opara, has decried the inability of the security agencies to tackle the

deteriorating insurgency in the country, alleging that internal sabotage in the security system was the limiting factor.

Opara, who stated this in Abuja, while speaking with journalists on the recent bombing of motor parks at Nyanya in the nation’s

political capital by the Boko Haram insurgents, called on President Jonathan to look closely inward and ascertain the kind of personnel recruited, insinuating that the agencies had been infiltrated by moles of the Boko Haram.

All set for Saint Adekahunsi Day

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he annual Saint Adekahunsi Day holds today in the country.

It is an event to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the ‘joining

the church above’ of the founder of Oke-Igbala Olu Society and Chairman, Spiritual Workers Union (Alaga Ojise Olorun), South-Western Nigeria, Saint Benjamin

Akinadewo Adekahunsi.

The cleric died on May 8, 1979. All parishes of Motailatu Church Cherubim and Seraphim Worldwide will hold special service for the event.

news

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, May 8, 2014

CABOTAGE Former NIMASA boss thinks oil giants, NNPC, are going against the law Joseph Onyekwere

he Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC) yesterday prayed a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos to strike out a suit accusing them of violating the Cabotage Act.

T

9

NNPC, PPMC want suit against them struck out A former DirectorGeneral, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Mr. Temisan Omatseye, through a firm he has interest in, Polmaz Limited, filed the suit seeking an order directing NNPC and PPMC to cancel all contracts with foreign flagged vessels operating in Nigeria’s coastal waters without licence.

The matter is before Justice Ibrahim Buba.

But the defendants’ counsel, Mr. Sebastine Hon (SAN), urged the court to dismiss the suit for lack of jurisdiction.

He said the plaintiff lacks the locus standi to institute the action, because he was not privy to the contract which NNPC and PPMC entered with the vessels’ owners.

Hon said the suit is also criminal in nature as the plaintiff was accusing the agencies of allowing the vessels to operate without licence.

The lawyer said a criminal allegation cannot be raised through an Originating Summons. “Let them come properly,” he said.

Counsel for the fourth to the seventh defendants,

Mr. Babajide Koku (SAN), said the court can only make findings on the case if it first determines whether an offence has been committed.

He argued: “All the infractions they have complained about are criminal offences which they must prove beyond reasonable doubt. They’re in effect asking the court to invoke the criminal jurisdiction of this court in determining the Originating Summons.

“We’re not questioning the criminal jurisdiction of this court if properly constituted, but it cannot be invoked in a criminal proceedings commenced

by Originating Summons.”

Counsel for the ninth

defendant, Funmilayo Akindojutimi, adopted Koku and Hon’s arguments, saying: “I adopted the arguments of the first to eight defendants and urge the court to discountenance the suit.”

The plaintiff is also urging the court to direct the defendants, except NIMASA, to pay fines stipulated in the Cabotage Act for their alleged violation of the law.

Joined in the suit as third to ninth defendants are NIMASA and the vessels’ operators, namely Olimpex Nigeria Limited, Unibros Shipping Corporation, Africulti Limited, Marika Investments Limited, Nidas Marine Limited and Prometheus Maritime Limited.

SURE-P dismisses sack claims in Kwara Biodun Oyeleye

Ilorin

hairman of the Subsidy CEmpowerment Re-investment and Programme

L-R: Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo; Managing Director, Azura Power Holdings Limited, Dr. David Ladipo and Deputy Managing Director, First City Monument Bank (FCMB) Limited, Mr. Segun Odusanya, at the Azura transaction closure summit held in Abuja..yesterday

Omisore cautions Aregbesola against use of uncouth language

Ebonyi APC denies suspension of members

P

Ewa Nnanna

eoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Osun State, Iyiola Omisore, yesterday warned incumbent governor, Rauf Aregbesola, of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to desist from using abusive languages in his campaigns on radio and television.

He said this was important in the interest of the state.

Omisore, who cautioned the governor in Ile-Ife while receiving a delegation from the United States Consulate, made up of the Political Economy Chief, Rolf Olsen, Katrina N. Drayton and Rushy Rothenbrescher, said the governor was using his tongues to invite violence and acrimony in the state, which he stated would not help the advancement of the state.

The PDP governorship candidate said his party was a disciplined one, assuring that the electoral process would be followed

to the letter by its members.

“Our target is to have one man, one vote. There must be fairness, equity and acceptability. All the stakeholders must access the umpire as fair. The issue of violence always arises as a result of the umpire’s attempt to impose ideas on the electorate.

“Aregbesola seems desperate as he said that people would have to match on blood before PDP could win the forthcoming election.

“This is one of the messages of violence. There are so many abusive languages in his campaigns on the state radio and television.

They refused our adverts and water down our message on state-owned media.”

The PDP candidate appealed to Governor Aregbesola to, with immediate effect, stop his unholy and conspiratorial move to cause acrimony and violence in the August 9 governorship election in the state.

Abakaliki

bonyi State chapter of ECongress the All Progressives (APC) has

disassociated itself from the alleged suspension of 13 chieftains of the party by a factional group, describing it as illegal.

A faction of the party, led by Elder Sam Igwe, had announced the suspension of the newly elected Chairman of the party, Hon. Ben Nwobasi, Senator Julius Ucha and 11 others for allegedly being ‘bad eggs’ of the party.

The party, in a statement signed by the newly elected state Publicity Secretary, Hon. Ngaji Nwodor, said it was regrettable that “some political jobbers driven by avarice are pretending to be members of the APC just to destabilise the party.”

Nwodor said the purported suspension as reported in some media was concocted after excessive

consumption of alcohol by the factional group.

According to him; “These elements have no other mandate than to discredit APC and diminish the integrity and reputation of our stakeholders who have worked assiduously to build the party in the state.”

He said: “We unequivocally and explicitly disassociate the APC in Ebonyi State from their illegal gathering at the Salt Lake Hotel on May 2, 2014, more so that their purported suspension of the stakeholders and chieftains of our great party as reported was concocted after excessive consumption of alcohol in the drinking bar of the Salt Lake Hotel, Abakaliki.”

The statement further disclosed that Igwe, who issued the statement of suspension was not even a delegate to the state congress nor did he purchase nomination form to contest for the office of the state chairman.

(SURE-P) in Kwara State, Mr. Moses Ibiyemi, denied yesterday insinuations that some non-Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members have been removed from the scheme.

Ibiyemi, who made the denial in a statement he personally signed and made available to newsmen in Ilorin, assured that the 3, 500 people recruited under the scheme from the 16 local government areas of the state are still fully engaged.

“None of the 3, 500 members of SURE-P in Kwara State has been dismissed on political or any other ground till date,” the statement said.

He said contrary to the negative impression being created that non-PDP members were being eased out of the scheme, SURE-P is a Federal Government project designed to benefit all Nigerians regardless of their ethnic, religious or political background.

Ibiyemi also added that President Goodluck Jonathan had never called for the termination of appointment of loyalists of other political parties who are currently beneficiaries of SURE-P programme in any part of the country.

The statement described the rumour as false, baseless and a calculated attempt to tarnish the good image of the Mr. President and the PDP. He advised the people of the state to disregard such rumour in its entirety.

2015: PDP ready to unseat APC in Sokoto Umar Danladi Ado

Sokoto

ormer Governor of FDalhatu Sokoto State, Alhaji Bafarawa, has

donated N11.5 million to the state’s chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

This was as the state Deputy Governor, Alhaji Mukhtari Shagari, said the party was ready to unseat the APC in the state come 2015.

He said: “PDP is for peace, unity, justice, fairness and national under-

standing,” Shagari added.

The deputy governor appealed to members of the party to remain united and live in peace with each other irrespective of political differences.

Bafarawa presented the money at the flag off of the party’s registration exercise in the 23 local government areas of the state.

The former governor explained that the gesture was aimed at ensuring the success of the party’s two-week registration exercise.

10 NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Kwara women protest for Chibok girls Biodun Oyeleye Ilorin

V

arious women groups came together yesterday in Ilorin, Kwara State to protest the continued failure of government to rescue the 234 girls from the den of Boko Haram insurgents.

The women, who first assembled at the NUJ House to offer interdenominational prayers, later marched to the Government House where they submitted a letter to Deputy Governor, Mr Peter Kishra, who promised to forward same to his boss for onward transmission to President Goodluck Jonathan.

Before the women began the protest, there was

1.72m

The number of fixed-telephone subscriptions of Iraq in 2010.

Source:Itu.int

confusion over an alleged order from "Abuja" stopping the protest but the women were adamant and insisted in the presence of the wife of the Deputy Governor, Mrs Kishra and the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ambrose Aisabo to go ahead with the protest.

Seeing the futility of stopping them, Aisabo promised to give the necessary security back-up to the women but limited the protest to only Government House so that it would not be hijacked.

Addressing the women, the Deputy Governor said: "I have personally appeared before you to receive you on this occasion, which is a demonstration of the concern

for what has happened to our country. I believe I am speaking to women, who have experience. Because you can imagine at our age definitely when we speak on matters like this, we are talking from experience.

"I lost my first daughter in 1980; so, I know what it takes to lose a child. Those parents who are here and who have that experience know that it is an experience you never forget. “I agree with you on behalf of His Excellency, who is also a parent that there is nobody who is a Nigerian, who will not feel it, with respect to what has happened to our daughters.

"And because today, we are in government, you can see how we feel

31.3

The number of active mobile-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants of CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) of 2011. Source:Itu.int

it more, because all the good and bad that happens is on us and that is why we want to appreciate you for your concern as parents who have come out to show the great sympathy all parents deserve because their daughters are directly affected.

In his own address, the Commissioner of Police said: "We already know what is happening in the country and we cannot say because we are in Kwara State, we are not affected. One way or the other, we are affected.

"Since you are insisting you want to go to the Government House and the Emir’s palace, we will allow you to go but security agencies will go along with you, because we

$US340bn The nominal GDP of Denmark (IMF) in 2009.

Source:Blatantworld.com

L-R: Vice President, Retail Business, Schneider Electric, Mr. Tonye Briggs; Country President, Marcel Hochet; Consul General of France, Francois Sastourne; Chairman/CEO, Mikano, Mofid Karamah and Managing Director, Christain Farine, after the formal signing of MOU between the two companies in Lagos…yesterday.

PHOTO: SULEIMAN HUSAINI

Electoral offences: Osunbor dares rights commission over trial Philip Nyam Abuja

F

ormer Governor of Edo State and Chairman, National Law Reform Commission, Prof.

Osariemen Osunbor, has challenged the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to make public the alleged electoral offences for which it has recommended his prosecution to the Attorney General of the Federation.

Osunbor, who spoke in Abuja yesterday, also accused the Commission of recklessness and acting out a script to tarnish his image.

According to the exgovernor, “On Monday 21

April 2014, I was shocked to read a story in a newspapers with the caption “Rights Commission asks AGF to prosecute Osunbor, Olafemi, Ayooka Others for electoral offences”.

“I wrote a letter dated 22 April 2014, addressed to Prof Bem Angwe, Executive Secretary to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to verify the authenticity of the newspaper reports.

“I gave the Commission one week within which to respond to my enquiry. A copy of the letter was acknowledged upon delivery. One week has now elapsed and I have not received any reply from the Commission."

I remain in APC - Obende

Cajetan Mmuta BENIN

D

etermined to put rumour mongers and propagandists at bay over the gale of resignations and threats of defections rocking the Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the senator representing Edo North Senatorial district, Dr. Domingo Obende, yesterday denied reports that he has left the ruling party.

Obende, in a statement to newsmen in Benin, strongly denied reports that he has resigned from the APC. The lawmaker stated that the reports of his resignation was designed by political foes to create a false impression among his teeming supporters

who are preparing for his re-election to represent them in the upper chamber of the National Assembly.

He said; “The APC ably led by our Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole as the leader of the party has given and still giving the right direction coupled with his administration’s developmental strides across the state”.

“I want to assure my supporters that I remain a member of the APC that has taken development in our state to a very high level. I am seeking re-election into the Senate on the platform of APC and I urge all my supporters to remain firm and committed to the party that made us realize the dream of giving the right representation to the people of Edo North."

don’t want your peaceful protest to be hijacked by hoodlums. We will allow you to go to those two places as this is not the time for anybody to be shouting up and down and fighting one another. It is a moment of sober reflection.

Coordinator of the protest, Hajia Bilkis Oladimeji, demanded more active response from the government towards rescuing the girls.

She said: " As a mother, I know the situation in which parents of these girls are: talk of the trauma, the mental torture and the sleepless nights.

"Mothers are bound to remember the pain of carrying the children for nine months in their wombs; the pain at labour

and delivery. Talk of how mothers will continually imaging the cries of their children shouting for help but without hope. Imagine what these children will be thinking, that they have been abandoned by their country, the family and their parents.

"Three weeks had passed; our government has not been able to do anything concrete in providing a positive sense of hope for the recovery of our own children. Many commentators had accused us of being insensitive to the feelings of these children and they might be right; until something positive is obtained from our efforts, we would be seen as not doing anything."

Kalu eulogises Awujale at 80

A

former Governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Kalu, has congratulated the Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland, Oba (Dr.) Sikiru Adetona, Ogbagba 11, as he clocks 80 on May 10.

Kalu, in a goodwill message signed by his Special Adviser, Prince Oyekunle Oyewumi, described Awujale as a rare monarch, who has remained steadfast in fighting for the progress of Ijebuland.

He said: “Your Majesty, I join millions of your well wishers in celebrating your 80th birthday anniversary.

"Your reign has witnessed peace and intimi-

dating development in Ijebuland.

"It is my prayer that God Almighty will continue to give you wisdom in running the affairs of Ijebu kingdom."

The former governor called on Ijebu sons and daughters to continue to support their peace loving monarch with prayers.

Kalu felicitated with the Royal family, the Awujale-in-Council and the good people of Ogun State on the historic celebration.

He wished Oba Adetona many more years of good health as he continues to serve his people in Ijebuland, Ogun State and Nigeria in general.

...He’s an epitome of goodness, kindness - Adenuga he Chairman of Globa- and those of his subjects TGCON, com, Dr Mike Adenuga, to reposition Ijebuland has described the and Ijebu, who are conAwujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona (CFR) as an exemplary monarch and epitome of goodness, whose kindness knows no boundary.

Adenuga stated this in a congratulatory message to mark the 80th birthday anniversary of Oba Adetona, describing him as an inspirational leader whose virtues, philosophies and achievements should be emulated.

He noted that the Paramount Ruler had transformed his environment positively in the last 54 years of his reign as Awujale of Ijebuland.

His words: “In the last 54 years of Alayeluwa’s reign, Ijebuland has transmuted into international reckoning due to Oba Adetona’s untiring efforts to develop our land. It is on record that the monarch leveraged on his personal contacts

sidered as legendary masters in leadership, commerce and industry.”

He commended the monarch for his compassionate and transformational rule that has magnified the Ijebu essence into a global brand, emulated all over the world and forged a strong bond of love and unity amongst the over 50 federating Ijebu towns and kingdoms.

“Oba Adetona is the pride of Ijebuland and has defined the neversay-die entrepreneurial spirit unique to the race.

As a nationalist and detribalized patriot, he has built bridges of friendship across various ethnic divides. It is remarkable that Alayeluwa has re-invented the Ojude Oba Festival into a global event enthusiastically supported by devotees of all religions thus promoting religious harmony.”

NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Lagos plans more CCTV cameras, forensic laboratory SECURITY

Lagos plans 1000 more Closed Circut cameras to make the jobs of security men easy Muritala Ayinla

A

s part of efforts to boost security surveillance in the state, the Lagos State Government yesterday said that plans were underway to establish a worked-radio/surveillance camera network in the state.

The state also said that it would install addi-

tional 1,000 Close Circuit Cameras in addition to the 1,000 CCTV cameras already installed and activated by the state government in conjunction with the Federal Government, under the National Public Security Communication System, (NPSCS).

The state Commissioner for Science and Technology, Mr Adebiyi Mabadeje, who made the disclosure, said the worked-radio/surveillance camera network project was a Public-Private initiative of the state government.

The 1,000 CCTV cameras already installed in some strategic parts of the state, he noted, are

165,397

The total population of Sao Tome & Principe (representing 0.002% of the world’s population) in 2010.

Source:Blatantworld.com

not enough to capture and record all the happenings in the state with over 21 million residents in the state.

He said: “The state is prepared to deploy additional 1,000 Close Circuit Television in the state in addition to the functional 1,000 already installed all over the state in conjunction with the Federal Government, under the National Public Security Communication System, (NPSCS).

He, however, added that the presence of the cameras was not an assurance that crimes would not be perpetrated in the state, saying it would rather make

4%

The percentage of global arms supply of United Kingdom between 2005 and 2009.

Source:Blatantworld.com

the jobs of the security easier in detecting and apprehending criminals.

Mabadeje also disclosed that the Forensic Laboratory embarked upon by the state government would soon be completed to complement the law enforcement, criminal investigations and judiciary system in the state.

“The project when completed will assist the judiciary in the prosecution of the criminal cases by authenticating the evidence of the prosecutors to get conviction. This will also help reduce to the barest minimum, cases of unresolved crimes,” Mabadeje added.

59.64%

The percentage of individuals using the internet in Croatia in 2012.

Source:Itu.int

Aka Ikenga, Kalu mourn Oputa Sony Neme

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ka Ikenga, a Pan Igbo group of professionals has described the late jurist, Justice Chukwudifu Oputa’s death as a big loss to Nigeria. That came as a former Governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, expressed shock at the death of the eminent jurist.

In a tribute titled, “When Cometh Another Oputa” signed by its President, Chief Goddy Uwazurike and Secretary-General, U.P.E. Nnaji, Aka Ikenga stated that , “The death of Honourable Justice Chukwudifu Oputa marks the end of the era of the great thinkers, the great motivators and erudite

statesmen.”

The group stated that the late Oputa was an enigma.

It described Oputa as “Very brilliant, very witty, very jovial, very thorough, very religious, yet a very popular figure.”

Kalu, while expressing shock on man’s limited time on earth, described the death of Oputa as one of "death errors and betrayals."

Kalu described him as a rare rock that believes in forgiveness, but humanity will never get used to death. Especially, when someone as darling as Oputa is gone; adding that the erudite scholar’s would now be remembered half in death, because, “Part of the connection is gone.

Most NASS probes are mere charades, says CNPP Johnchuks Onuanyim Abuja

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L-R: Vice President, Sky Power Services, Africa, Mr. Benoit Fortin; Delta State governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan; Minister of Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga and the visiting Canadian Minister of International Development Mr. Christian Paradis, after the signing of the foreign Investment Protection agreement (FIPA) between Delta State and Canada at the Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment, Abuja…yesterday. PHOTO: TIMOTHY IKUOMENISAN.

11

he Conference of Nigerian Political Parties, (CNPP) yesterday told the National Assembly to stop the fruitless probe of government agencies for corruption.

The Secretary General of CNPP and the traditional ruler of Opi Kingdom in Nsukka, Enugu State, Eze Willy Ezugwu, said this in reaction to the legal battle between House of Representatives and the Minister of Petroleum, Mrs. Diezani Allison - Madueke He stated that no probe of the National Assembly of government agency had yielded any results, rather, the probes had only boosted corruption.

He queried, “What was the outcome of Oil Subsidy probe; what was the outcome of Rural Electrification probe; what was the outcome of the Security and Exchange Commission probe; and what were the outcomes of other probes carried out by National Assembly members?”

While alleging that the essence of the probe by the House of Representatives members of Deiezani was to collect their share, he stated however that it was wrong for the minister to go to court to shield herself.

According to him, the minister should refuse to appear before the National Assembly, but she owes Nigerians the duty to explain the allegation of misappropriation of funds.

It’s council autonomy

I've used state funds judiciously, says Amosun or nothing - ALGON Kunle Olayeni Abeokuta

G

overnor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State yesterday attributed the infrastructural projects executed by his administration throughout the state to the judicious use of tax payers' money.

He also said the commissioning of life-changing projects to commemorate the government's three years will showcase prudent financial management of resources.

Speaking when he inspected the SangoAkute-Ojodu road under construction, the governor stated that he swore, on assumption of office, to be prudent with the tax payers' money and ex-

ecute projects that would improve the lives of the people.

According to him, despite the dwindling federal allocation, the state government had been basing its plans on its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) to execute projects contrary to reports from some quarters that it had been borrowing from banks.

Amosun said, "We have the master plan which will take some time to mature, but we have sense to achieve it. I swore to an oath to do the best for the good people of Ogun State and make judicious use of resources.

"Some people have been erroneously thinking that we are borrow-

ing. This is not true. We have only been using our brain. We have been planning based on our Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). If I wait till when we will have the money to execute our projects, then, I will be visionless."

He revealed that activities lined up for his administration's third anniversary are geared towards delivering milestone achievements in housing, security, agriculture and education.

"I feel fulfilled and thankful to God and our people for their support which has helped us thus far. Things that seem impossible are now becoming possible in Ogun State," the governor added.

Amosun revealed that some road projects, which are already completed in Ijebu-Ode, Sagamu and Abeokuta would be completed for the third year celebration, just as work on the Ayetoro, IlisanAgo/Iwoye as well as the 110km Ilara-Oja/OdanTombolo-Egua road projects are progressing significantly.

Expressing satisfaction on the pace of work on the Sango-Akute-Ojodu road and the emerging bridges, the governor said that the road is now relatively motorable compared to the recent past.

He explained that the road was extended from 32km to 40km in order to link it with the LagosIbadan expressway.

Dan Atori MINNA

T

he Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) has reiterated its stand of “ Local Government autonomy or nothing”.

“The Federal Government must give to the LGA what rightly belongs to it if there must be development."

National Deputy President, ALGON, Mohammed Kantigi, said yesterday after he was screened by the Niger State House of Assembly as one of the commissioner nominees that 'ALGON stands on autonomy'.

Kantigi, who is also the Chairman of Edati

Council of Niger State said although, government is a process that must continue, that there must be a set goal for tenureship which must be respected.

"I will articulate myself of what is expected of me. I will not allow people that brought us into power to cry. I know the Chief Servant has the people at heart and will always bring in the best hands to work with him.

There are specific assignments he gives to people.

"We want to see if we can improve on what has been on ground. I know the LGA system and I have been playing a role as a financial secretary in ALGON in the state.

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0802 393 8212

thursday, may 8, 2014

Air Force demolishes houses, renders 10,000 homeless

Buldozer demolishing houses

SELECTIVE PUNISHMENT Air Force demolishes houses of the poor in Makurdi, sparing the rich Cephas Iorhemen Makurdi

M

en of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Base in Makurdi, Benue State, yesterday led a bulldozer to demolish Akpen village.

The demolition rendered at least 10,000 people homeless.

However, hundreds of youths of the village,

a suburb of Makurdi at Kilometre 6 on Makurdi - Gboko Road protested the demolition.

The protesters, which included women and children, blocked the highway for hours and burnt tyres thereby causing gridlock.

When our correspon-

dent visited the scene of the protest, it was observed that hundreds of armed NAF officials were drafted to the area to disperse the crowd, while motorists plying the road adorned their vehicles with green leaves in solidarity with the protesters.

It was also observed that most houses demolished belonged to the poor while those of the rich were spared, though they too were illegally built.

Women and children, who were busy removing their property including food items and kitchen utensils to avoid been destroyed, wept profusely while the bulldozer continued its work.

Meanwhile, sternlooking armed soldiers kept surveillance in the area.

The demolition came months after the affected buildings were marked

by NAF over claims that the villagers had encroached on the land.

Two of the angry landlords, Ephraim Gunji and Terfa Tyoban, alleged that the residents had filed a suit in court on the matter until recently when NAF “deceived” them to withdraw it to pave way for an out-of-court settlement.

But addressing journalists earlier at the Tactical Air Command, the Command’s Public Relations Officer (CPRO), Group Captain Ayodele Famuyiwa, disclosed that NAF owned about 4,835

hectares of land which was duly approved by the Federal Government.

He said that unscrupulous persons had encroached on the land over the years.

According to Famuyiwa, NAF has decided to pull down the emerging new structures in order to maintain statuesqueante because it can no longer tolerate the irresponsible act of a few selfish individuals who have continued to exhibit outright disregard for the law.

The CPRO noted that the two communities of Ugondo and Akpen which initially instituted court actions against NAF and the state government later resolved to withdraw the case to enable them settle out of court.

He said: “The legal process gave rise to a court injunction restricting further developments on the land.

While the injunction may not be said to hold any longer, given that the cases had been withdrawn from the court, it is sad to note that fresh developments have since begun to come up on the land.”

Mother, daughter, two others abduct 19-year-old girl Cajetan Mmuta Benin

F

our persons, including a mother, her daughter and two men, have been arraigned by the police in Edo State for the alleged impersonation and abduction of a 19-year-old girl.

The suspects, Magdalene Ohenhen, 47, her 23-year-old daughter, Grace, were arraigned before the Oredo Magistrates’ Court yesterday along with one Faruk Usman, 25 and Shehu Abubakar, 23, for impersonation.

The mother and daughter are charged with conspiracy to commit felony and unlawful abduction while the two men face two-count charge of impersonating members of the Armed Forces and assaulting a police officer.

The prosecutor, ASP Sylvester Omor, told the court that the mother and daughter con-

lCourt remands four for stabbing man to death spired to commit the felony on March 22, at Noghahase Stret, off First East Circular Road, Benin City and abducted one Miss Precious Ogiefa from her house without the consent of her parents.

He stated that the accused took advantage of the girl’s health condition to carry out the act contrary to the provisions of sections 516 and 361 of the Criminal Code, which prescribe seven years imprisonment for violators.

The suspects pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to them.

The presiding Chief Magistrate, Mr Mike Osayi, admitted the accused to bail in the sum of N300,000 each with one surety each in like sum.

He also ordered that each of the sureties must own a property, reside within the court’s

jurisdiction and be gainfully employed in a reputable organisation and adjourned the case till May 15, for hearing.

On their part, Usman and Abubakar, had on April 14, presented themselves as Army officers before members of the public in Oredo town and in the process fought with Ahonle Igein, a police officer, who later arrested them.

The prosecutor said the offence contravened sections 109 and 351 of the Criminal Code which prescribe imprisonment for one year.

But Osayi granted the accused bail in the sum of N50,000 with a surety in like sum who must be a house owner residing within the court’s jurisdiction and gainfully employed in a reputable organisation.

The case was adjourned to May 15 for further hearing.

Meanwhile, four youths residing at Zabayo Street, Benin, the state capital, have been arrested for alleged conspiracy to stab their friend to death.

The offence was committed on March 10 when the suspects dealt several stabs with broken bottle on their unsuspecting victim.

The accused, Emmanuel Esiekpe, 22, Osazee Alfred, 18 years, Precious Anthony, 17 and Rotimi Igiebo, 21, are standing trial for contravening sections 516 and 320(1) of the Criminal Code by unlawfully killing Edobor by using a broken bottle to stab him on his head.

They, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against them by police prosecutor, ASP Sylvester Omor.

Osayi ordered the suspects to be remanded in prison till May 26.

Six kill

He ordered that the case file should be duplicated and a copy sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions for necessary advice.

The court was also told how Pius Iyare and Oweh Lorrinson allegedly robbed one Mr Amos Omoregbe with a gun and machete on April 11, at Gapiona Street in the GRA, Benin and said the two men be remanded in prison custody until May 26.

The prosecutor said that during the robbery, the accused went away with Omorogbe’s Toyota Camry car valued at N1 million and two Blackberry Touch phones valued at N70,000, and a Samsung handset valued at N18,000.

He said they contravened sections 6 (b), and two (c) of the Robbery and Firearm (Special provision) Act Cap R11 laws of the federation with their action although the duo pleaded not guilty.

Asaba

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PDP’ll rule Nigeria for long –Ashiru / PAGE 15 | DARAMOLA: No conspiracy can stop Fayemi’s re-election / PAGE 16

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Nigeria not implementing Beijing Convention –Nwaogu

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THURSday, MAY 8, 2014

Nigerians have accepted PDP as a failure –Saraki

What is the preparedness of the All Progressive Congress (APC) for a national government?

The simple question every Nigerian should ask himself is if you are happy with the way Nigeria is today; happy about the level government is fighting insecurity, happy about the level government is fighting corruption, and you are happy about the level government is fighting youth unemployment, then you stay with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). But if you mark those as not satisfactory, then you must look for an alternative. It is that alternative that we in the APC are providing. But I must also be honest to say that what Nigerians are saying today is that yes we have marked the PDP as unsatisfactory, but you guys in APC must prove to us that you will be better. Nigerians have accepted the PDP as a failure but they are asking that you in APC prove to us that you will be better. That is the message we are taking out throughout the country over the next few weeks.

Another message we are taking out is that for this democracy to truly be what it should be, we should not be afraid to vote out something we are not satisfied with. We should not be afraid to say that because of the fear of the future, we should not vote out what we say is not satisfactory. If it is not satisfactory, then vote it out. If somebody comes in and again becomes unsatisfactory then vote it out. Then anybody coming in knows that power belongs to the people. But if you accommodate a non-performing government because of the fear of the future, then we are doing injustice to democracy. The only issue today among Nigerian is to be sure that the APC will stand for change, not that I think that the PDP has a chance of scoring high again.

I think most Nigerians have left that. And that is what we are going to have in the next few months now that we have built our party. It is the view that the voters have no real say in the matter of governance that has made the impunity we are seeing possible. If people know that if I don’t perform; that in next election people will vote me out, then I will perform. When people drop the fear of the future, then it will be a challenge to the APC that when PDP failed to perform in 2015 the people voted them out.

Former Kwara State governor, Dr. Bukola Saraki believes the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has failed Nigerians and should be thrown out of government in the 2015 elections. In this interview, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology speaks on the future of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the staying power of Saraki political dynasty in Kwara State. BIODUN OYELEYE reports

Saraki

It’s been some months since you joined the APC. What is your impression now of the party given that we have some states with pockets of wrangling?

There can’t be perfection in all the states and don’t forget we are talking of something that is

new, something that has never been done before. Even to get this far, is a credit. I am sure when this journey started many months ago, I could remember even when I was still in PDP we were asking; can all these people come together under one

party? Because by the nature of Nigerian politics people always think of themselves first. That was even at the state of forming the party, but they crossed that hurdle; sacrifices were made to

CROSSFIRE The President has managed to raise the Nigerian economy to be the Number One in Africa, and in the world.

We have moved from Number 37 to Number 26... which means that by 2020 we are likely to be among the first 20 largest economies -Labaran Maku

The Federal Government has only succeeded in opening itself to ridicule. This is because if ever there was a clear play at oxymoron, this is it:... the largest economy with the worst infrastructure -Lai Mohammed

CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

POLITICAL NOTES

Between First Lady’s genuine concern and illegality manating reports indicate EMrs. that wife of the President, Patience Jonathan,

has practically taken over investigation on the abducted Chibok schoolgirls, which has caused the country so much pain, and embarrassment among the comity of nations.

Mrs. Jonathan recently presided over a meeting of stakeholders on the same issue. She had invited some individuals whom she believed would assist in unravelling the circumstances leading to the girls’ abduction, their whereabouts and rescue.

Among those invited were the Borno State Commissioner of Police, the state Commissioner for Education, chairman of the local government, the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Chibok, wife of the village head, the school principal and the school’s security man.

She also issued an ultimatum, that if the schoolgirls were not found within the shortest possible time, she would lead women on a protest match to Maiduguri to confront Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima.

Her efforts need to be commended as a Nigeria and troubled mother. But should illegality be condoned on the altar of concern, especially given that as the wife of the president, she could privately exert immense influence on her husband to officially implement whatever ideas she may have to contribute to national issues.

President Goodluck Jonathan had also set up a fact-finding committee on the matter. Is the First Lady’s committee not a duplication of that of the president? Or is there a parallel government?

What is the constitutional role of the president’s wife?

Does the president’s wife has authority to summon any elected or appointed government official to explain any issue to her? Where does she draw such power from, which law of the land empowers her to set up, or preside over any committee to unravel issues? And what is the source of funding for such activity, who approves, regulates or ensures accountability of the funds expended in such endeavours?

14 POLITICS | THURSDAY INTERVIEW Senator Nkechi Justina Nwaogu represents Abia Central Senatorial District at the Senate. She is the Chairman, Senate Committee on Oil and Gas and a former Chairman, Senate Committee on Banking and other Financial Institutions. In this interview with IKECHUKWU UCHEOMA, she speaks on her involvement in politics, anti-gay marriage law, women in politics and other issues. Excerpts: What is it like being a senator in the midst of men?

It is very interesting and challenging to be a female senator in the midst of men. I am quite happy that I am amongst the privileged few, in the Nigerian Senate of 109 members and 8th amongst the female senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. So, it is challenging and quite daunting, but at the end of the day, I believe that with God on my side, I have been equal to the challenges of being a female senator.

Are you satisfied with the number of women holding political offices in the country under the present democratic dispensation?

Obviously, I am not. You can see it that for the past 10 to 15 years, we are signatory to the Beijing Convention that affirmed a 35 per cent minimum provision for women in both appointive and elective positions. The current Federal Government under President Goodluck Jonathan has done well in appointing women in various high positions in Nigeria. But for elective, I think it has been abysmal in terms of performance at all levels (Federal, state and local). It has been a source of concern and very worrisome. The number has been almost like infinitesimal. In most state Houses of Assembly, there are no women at all, which should not be. In the Senate, we have eight senators out of 109 and for House of Representatives, we have 18 female lawmakers out of 360. So, it’s a far cry from even meeting 10 per cent let alone the 35 per cent.

As a former banker and past Chairman, Senate Committee on Banking, what is your reaction to the target condition that banks normally give to their female staff?

Actually, it is not only the female bankers that are given targets. Targets are given to female and male bankers. I think that the policy of assessing bankers by the volume of money their staff have amassed as deposit is responsible for dearth of skills in banking. When we were bankers, we were adjudged by the quality of client relationship that we maintained. Because, when a customer opens a savings or current account, you can expand that relationship by finding out what other financial products that a particular client would need and not necessarily sending our

There are ways we can increase the number of women’s participation in politics... We should inculcate more women in the party structure at the national level

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Nigeria not implementing Beijing Convention –Nwaogu young children; the girls and the boys out on the streets to go and look for deposit. I think it is a bad thing and I think that is why the banking sector itself have been doing very poorly in terms of maintaining quality staff.

Because of that, I think the last place most young graduates would want to work today are in the banks because they are not assessed by their intellectual prowess; they are assessed by how much money they have amassed in what they call their deposit target and it is worst for women because we are exposing these young ladies to the vagaries of immorality and their jobs are threatened if they don’t meet this deposit target. They are shown outside the bank and thrown out of the jobs and you know how hard it is to get a job in the country today. So, a lot of them might be forced to do some unethical things. Therefore, I think that policy should be looked into again. When I was Chairman, Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and other Financial Institutions, I frowned at it; I criticised the policy and I made it known to the apex bank that the heads of all these banks ought to develop products other than deposit. That is not a way to run a bank and bankers should not be assessed on the deposit that they have amassed.

You won’t believe it that somebody who has a short skirt, pretty face and being able to do whatever they like to do and get some deposits are given automatic promotions from one level to another. I think it is absurd, because when you go to other countries even as close as other African countries, you don’t see such banking practice as a measure of performance on our innocent and willing bankers who are willing to contribute more to the growth of banking industry and invariably to the economic development of our nation, not by deposit. I think it is sad that our banks are relying on deposits from the so-called marketers; the young girls they are exposing to abuse on the streets all in the name of going to achieve their targets.

What is your impression on the level of girl-child education in Nigeria?

I am not only an advocate, but a crusader for girl-child education, because they say, you train a man, you train one family; you train a woman, you train a nation. And if a girl-child is trained, look at the spiral and ancillary benefits; an educated girl gets married, gets a job, manages her home and job, bears children and is able to give her children quality mother care at all time and becomes a good support for the family because she is educated and at the s a m e time, there

Nwaogu

is a fall back and fall front from her maternal and marital homes plus her other ancestral relationships. So, there are innumerable extended relationships and benefits that can accrue from a girl-child that is educated. I am a crusader and I think that all other mothers should ensure that their girl children are trained at all times. At the same time, you train the boys because it takes two to tango. An economy or nation that can only boast of the boys is incomplete and inadequate. Such country is underutilising the available productive capacity of that nation.

You need the man and the woman. You need the boy and the girl. It takes two to tango. If a nation fails to harness the potential inherent in the girl-child, it is like somebody walking on the road deliberately deciding to work with one leg; I don’t know how effective that person can be.

Some western nations have threatened to withdraw humanitarian assistance and review bi-lateral relations with Nigeria since the signing of the anti-gay bill into law. What is your take on this?

Well, those who are against our stand on gay marriage, it’s unfortunate that they have to take such stand. I am sure the same God created all of us including those anti-gay people and I believe our God will touch their hearts. They should understand that we are a sovereign nation. We are not appendage to any government.

We decide and de-

termine laws that are acceptable to us and Nigerians have spoken on the issue. We have spoken that we reject and detest, abhor gay or same sex marriage.

It is against God’s law. If any nation has decided to violate the law of God, let it be unto that nation, but it must not in any way try to coerce others into such a sinful act. Nigerians and Nigerian government have spoken, the legislature has spoken and indeed, that is our stand. We are anti-same sex marriage.

We do not want it.

Do you support women venturing into politics?

Yes. For me, I am a housewife even as I am a politician and a practicing one. I am a housewife, a mother, grandmother; I am happily married.

I am encouraging women and urging the government at various levels to ensure deliberate policies and positive attracting political inducing environment; a level playing ground. But we can go a step further by ensuring that women are not frightened out of politics. For instance, government at all levels should make sure that there is proper security during elections in order to help reduce violence. Women are peace-loving people; we don’t involve ourselves in violence. What I am saying is that, there are ways we can increase the number of women’s participation in politics. They have started by giving maybe free forms in some political parties. That is just a tip of the iceberg and a token which we appreciate.

We should inculcate more women in the party structure at the national level; why can’t we have a woman as the national secretary of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ? Why can’t we have vice national chairman of the PDP as a woman and so on and so forth. It is not just having national woman leader. It’s not just enough.

Out of the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) members, you have only one woman. So, I am saying give women the chance.

POLITICS | THURSDAY INTERVIEW 15

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, May 8, 2014

PDP’ll rule Nigeria for long –Ashiru

What is the state of affairs of PDP in Kwara state presently?

Today, what is very sure is that there are two major political parties in Kwara state. Yesterday, there was this impression that the only existing party in Kwara state is the All Progressives Congress (APC), that there is no other party but as you can see, there is dynamism in the political situation of the state. There has been a lot of cross movement of party members from the ruling party to the PDP. There is also no doubt that many people too from the PDP refused to go along with them to the APC. So, what we have today, to be very honest, I will say is a very balanced situation tilted in favour of the PDP, the national party.

Very successfully, we had our congresses and all party structures are now in place. And when I say structures I mean real political structures. These are structures borne out of a robust political process from wards to state level as against the form of democracy you have in our rival party. And I am proud to say that today all the political structures in the real sense of democracy are fully in place in the PDP. I will definitely not say the same of the APC. We know their style; we know how they do things. We are sure that by the definition of their own democracy their structure cannot stand the test of time. I am happy to say that the PDP, which I belong to is practising real democracy and we have started working.

Lola Ashiru, an architect, was the Kwara South Senatorial candidate of the defunct Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN) in the 2011 elections, having been schemed out of the gubernatorial ticket of the now equally defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). Today, he is a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). In this interview with BIODUN OYELEYE, he classifies the All Progressives Congress (APC) as a mere ‘association of people’ and not a political party. To him, the PDP is the only party that will rule Nigeria for a very long time to come. Excerpts: most beautiful experiences in my political life. I heard so much about Baba Saraki before I joined ACPN, so many insinuations but believe me most sincerely, the little time we had in ACPN was one of the most beautiful time I had in politics. When you are talking of a political organisation where people relate well, where people are joined together in high spirit of camaraderie, it was there, I was able to see it. Saraki had learnt so much about politics, about people around him, about people’s intrigues and misdemeanour and I think all those lessons were reflected in the way the ACPN was ran. The party survived for just about six months but if you see the name today is still surviving than ACN of yesterday to tell us of the magic that was done. If the span of time left for election then was more than six months Baba Saraki would have recaptured Kwara at that time.

I didn’t win not because we were not well-prepared, not because we did not have support of our people. I know it was a strange phenomenon to just say you are leaving the ACN and going the opposite direction but we explained to our people and they appreciated it. They knew we didn’t leave ACN on our volition. We left ACN because it was patently undemocratic at that time. I was vying for governorship; I had everything working for me; we had the support of the people from Ilorin, we had all the structures in place in all the regions and they were ready to vote for us. Just suddenly the Lagos axis said we could not have the primaries the normal way. They started tinkering with the process and we had to say goodbye to them.

What’s your take on the ongoing National Conference and what do you think Nigerian people should expect as outcome?

Talking is good. The National Conference is a good and positive thing. Nigeria is a large country. There are diverse of opinions, there are multiple issues; multiple problems, so you constantly need solutions to myriads of problems we have. Also we need to know that constitution is a dynamic process too because the conditions that informed the constitution also changes too and this sort of conference is where changes emanate too. This conference is a necessity. I don’t see it dividing Nigeria; rather I see it binding us together. You can see from the processes so far.

Some people are advocating for a new state out of Kwara. How do you react to the call for creation of additional states in the country?

To me, I want to talk like a Nigerian who believes in the general well-being of the nation and that of all Nigerians.

I know that economy is very important in every nation. I know that the presidential system of government we have in place is very expensive and cumbersome. Unfortunately, what we have is a direct importation of American system of governance, but we don’t have the same quantum of economy. US is running about 50 or so states, and we are running 36 plus one states, with 774 local governments. To many, it looks extremely cumbersome.

If I have my way, I will want to shrink the system because the money we are spending in running these states is too much. So, to now say we should have another state in Nigeria is unthinkable. Yes, there are serious imbalance somewhere. So, when you look at the geopolitical zones, may be South East, for the sake of balancing, but definitely not in Kwara State. Here, we must learn to live together and bear with one another, appreciate one another, learn to suffer our difficulties together. For now, with the state of our economy, we in Kwara should learn to live together as one state.

Which area of national security do we need to focus more attention on?

Specifically, I will not call what we have in the three states of Borno, Yobe

Ashiru

and Adamawa as state of emergency. It’s an abridged state of emergency in existence. Since it’s not so, the effect of state of emergency can never be seen. What we have today is where the Federal Government is trying all its best to solve the problem, risking lives of military, police and everybody to tackle the issue and at the same time, there is good information that a lot of politicians and government organisations with link with democratic structures we are running, are surreptitiously paying protective fees to Boko Haram to survive and to be able to continue to cause havoc.

It’s like a negative consequence of an abridged state of emergency we have now. I have the feeling that we should take the bull by the horns, wrap up all the democratic system in these states, give it a timeframe of six months and let military do their work. It can’t be done half measure way. It has become a big problem. And we are working at cross purposes, spending a lot of money, wasting lives of our military men. Yes, I am a politician. What I know is that if this problem is not solved, we can’t have democracy in those areas. I’m talking of a short term solution that will give us a long run peace.

tutions. I know the Federal Government is wise. It always enlist the support of friends like France in areas they don’t have the capacity. It is doing its best possible so far. I don’t want us to overstress that, but there is collaboration already.

Boko Haram is not limited to Nigeria, you know. We will get over it.

Some people have called for foreign support to tackle the insurgency?

There is a limit to solution we can get from foreign or international insti-

You contested under ACPN for the senatorial seat in Kwara South but lost. What lessons have you learnt from that experience?

My sojourn in ACPN was one of my

The only party you can call a party; that has been tested, gone through a lot of squabbles, resolutions, that has passed baton from one generation to another is the PDP. And I can tell you, we don’t need to deceive ourselves, for a very, very long time, PDP is going to rule Nigeria

The man who took the ACN ticket from you, Mr. Dele Belgore, is now with you in the PDP; how do you relate?

You see, the heart must be very big.

A politician must not be a slave to history, the past. If necessary you lean from the past and we have learnt a lot from our relationship with Belgore from the past and you can see his picture in my house now. Yes, Belgore took an advantage, not even over me but he took a political advantage even over his brother.

But now we are together, on a new ship, with a new captain, new philosophy but the same destination. We are on talking terms, we are good friends. He has respect for me and I have for him too and for the sake of the people of Kwara we are working together.

So, where should we expect you in 2015?

I have said it severally that where I am in terms of political office in the next dispensation is not as important to me as where the people of Kwara are. People of Kwara need support of the Federal Government because we are not a great state in terms of the economy. In terms of resources, we are not up there; we are just in the middle. Even in agriculture, we are not the best. What we have essentially is human capital and the avenue for the people is exceedingly limited. So we have to push our people out and you can only do that one by integrating with the federal level. We know how much Bukola Saraki was able to help the people of Ilorin, to a large extent and the people of the north and to some extent the people of the south when he was with the FederCONTINUED ON PAGE 18

16 POLITICS | THURSDAY INTERVIEW

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Daramola: No conspiracy can stop Fayemi’s re-election Hon. Bimbo Daramola, a member of the House of Representatives is the Director General, John Kayode Fayemi Campaign Organisation. In this interview with TEMITOPE OGUNBANKE, he speaks on the conspiracy going on among the political class in Ekiti State ahead of the June 21 governorship election in the state. But to him, evil cannot triumph over good. Excerpts: Fayemi’s transformation As you are aware, the governorship election in Ekiti is scheduled to hold next month, precisely on June 21. Since coming to office, the John Kayode Fayemi administration along the lines of his Eight-Point Agenda, as presented to Ekiti people three and a half years ago, has recorded numerous achievements.

But in this season of electioneering politics, and amidst a plethora of dizzying promises and political mudslinging, it is easy to forget the kind of transformation that Ekiti has undergone under the Fayemi administration in the past three and a half years.

For one, the atmosphere of gangsterism, insecurity, immaturity and crudity at the highest echelon of the state have given way to a peaceful, decent and humane governance, while the high principles and sense of decorum for which Ekiti people are well known have come to the fore again.

The spectre of an Ekiti governor going under a wire barricade at the airport, with its attendance negative connotation and bad publicity for the state and her people, has receded to distant memory, thanks to a man who encapsulates the very best of Ekiti, Governor Fayemi and the quality of life initiatives, including social security for the elderly, have raised the standard of living in our dear state, coupled with unprecedented infrastructural development, uplift of educational standards through massive investment in education and good management of scarce resources for the benefit of the state. It is inconceivable, therefore, that the good people of Ekiti would want to backtrack from the huge and significance progress the state has recorded under Fayemi, or want a reversal of the good fortunes of the state.

Eternal vigilance: price of freedom Those who gave Ekiti a bad name by exhibiting traits that are the very anti-thesis of the concept of “ Ile Eye”, those who showed glaring disregard for traditional authorities and those who turned a well-respected state into a theatre of the absurd are back, asking the same people they traumatised in their time to vote them into office again. They claim they are now better human beings, forgetting that a Leopard does not change its spots.

Therefore, we feel compelled to remind the good people of Ekiti State, both within and outside, that eternal vigilance is the price of freedom, and that Ekiti people must not and will not return to Egypt.

The conspiracy While we are at it, we also believe that we must share with them and indeed all Nigerians the information at our disposal that some of those parading themselves as candidates are not who they are claiming to be.

A particular candidate, Mr. Opey-

emi Bamidele of the Labour Party, has been telling anyone who cared to listen that he will turn Ekiti into an Eldorado, without saying clearly that his intention is not to win next month’s election - because he knows that he can’t and he won’t win - but to prevent Fayemi from winning at all cost, because of nothing more than a bruised personal ego.

It is important to alert the people of Ekiti that because the sole reason Mr. Bamidele is in this race to stop Fayemi, he is ready to shut down his campaign anytime from now and team up with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Mr. Ayo Fayose. In other words, he has taken the devious route to achieve his devilish intentions, while taking the people of Ekiti for a ride by giving them the impression that he is genuinely interested in working for the progress of the state.

The plan is simple: As next month’s election draws nearer, Bamidele is criss-crossing the length and breadth of Ekiti, pledging uncommon zeal and an incurable determination to turn Ekiti to the Dubai in four years. But in reality, he is simply hedging his bet and waiting for the right time to name his price: Huge funds to make up for the expenses he has incurred during his make-believe campaign, extraction of assurance to ‘’take over’’ the mantle of the state from Fayose after four years and, in return, the dumping of his ambition, so he can team up with the PDP candidate.

Daramola

Why Ekiti must reject conspirators Can a state like Ekiti, with such a high concentration of well-educated, well-informed and well-groomed citizens, afford to be taken for a ride by a

guy whose sole purpose of launching a campaign for the state’s top office is to stop another candidate?

We urge the people of Ekiti to ponder this and other questions in the days ahead, and to prevent anyone, least of all a well-conceited political

harlot, from making himself a tool in the hands of those who are bent on taking Ekiti people back to Egypt.

We urge the people of Ekiti to reject those who have no interest in building on the progress that our dear state has achieved in the past three and half years. We urge the people of Ekiti to reject those who will not hesitate to team up with their kind for the sole purpose of denying Ekiti another four more years of peace, progress, prosperity and positive people-oriented programmes We urge the people of Ekiti to be very vigilant, as alignments of evil are about to be forged with the sole intention of robbing the people of the good governance they have enjoyed in the past three and a half years. We say no to a return to the dark days and our gory past, and forward ever for the good people of Ekiti.

Fayemi

Fayose

Bamidele

We are not surprised This is really not a surprise to us, considering that the Labour Party is nothing but a satellite party of the PDP. But anyone who believes this information is far-fetched should put his or her ears to the ground, and will find that exploratory meetings have already started between the twin candidates of deceit, who are bent on taking the people of Ekiti back to Egypt.

Bamidele is in this race to stop Fayemi. He is ready to shut down his campaign anytime from now and team up with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate

POLITICS | THURSDAY INTERVIEW 17

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, May 8, 2014

As the Deputy National Chairman (South) of APC, how would you assess the congress of the party so far?

I am not happy over what happened during the ward congress especially in Anambra State. The state congress committee chairman, Chief Ezennia Ogbuehi, sidelined some members of the committee assigned by the party to conduct the congress and conducted the congress without following due process and guidelines of the congress. Honestly, I was disappointed.

The party promised to operate on internal democracy and that equal opportunities would be given to all members of the party, but most of the aspirants were not allowed to participate in the congress. I believe it is something that should not to be allowed to happen in our party because Nigerians see APC as the only alternative party that can transform the country. Nigerians are really looking forward to APC as a party that is going to bring true change. But if we continue doing what other political parties are doing, it is not going to augur well for us. This is the time for us to demonstrate to Nigerians that APC is there for a change. So, we must to do everything possible to make sure that people understand the true meaning of APC and why APC is formed because that is the only way we can save this country.

What is your ideal of internal democracy and due process when it comes to the APC congress?

I was excited when the party came out openly on the pages of national dailies to state the process of congresses. The guidelines were very transparent and they showed that the party was ready to imbibe internal democracy. But what happened during the congress especially in Anambra State was undemocratic.

Someone who was appointed as the chairman of the congress committee messed up the whole process and despite the party guidelines and good intentions, the congress committee chairman acted contrary. But I thank God that there are still some people with integrity in the committee and that was why some members of the committee decided not to follow the chairman. No matter how he cajoled them to join him, they refused and that was what made one out of the five members of the committee to resign, saying that he cannot be among the charade that is going on. You cannot say because the system is bad, you should join them. What happened in the last election in Anambra is all about disunity and we must make sure that APC is united in all states to be able to confront the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2015, and the only way to do that is to build a solid foundation. Without building a solid foundation it might affect us.

What do you think went wrong with the defection of Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa and Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa and many others to the PDP? People have freedom of association.

I am not happy that these individuals who are founding members of APC left the party but if they had been patient till the time of the party’s congresses, may be they would have seen reasons to justify their exit from the party. But today I still think that APC should be given a chance, which is being done right now.

With what they are doing now in terms of internal democracy, everybody is accommodated and that is why I kicked against what was happening in Anambra State. It will be better for the party not to allow the problem in the state to degenerate because today the people in Anambra are not happy about what the chairman of the state congress is doing and it has come to a stage that the party must respond immediately.

Following the outcome of the last Anambra State governorship election, where APC came third, many people believed that APC is not yet accepted in the South-East. Is this the reality?

I don’t think so. You see, the truth is

Okonkwo

Boko Haram worse than civil war –Okonkwo

Senator Annie Okonkwo, an astute businessman, politician and member of the Senate between 2007 and 2011 is the National Deputy Chairman (South) of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Okonkwo in this interview with TEMITOPE OGUNBANKE, describes Boko Haram as the worst thing that has happened to Nigeria. He also speaks on the APC congress, Anambra State, 2015 general elections and National Conference. Excerpts: that a lot of people in the South-East, especially those parading themselves as APC leaders are not doing enough in terms of enlightening the people. The party must be able to change the way things are being done, especially in the South-East by those who are parading themselves as leaders of the party, so that people would be free to join the party.

How do you see the position of the APC not to participate in the ongoing National Conference even when governors elected on its platform nominated delegates to the confab?

The APC as a party decided that it is not going to be involved but that does not mean that the states are not going to send their representatives to the conference.

The party believes that the conference is a waste of time because the outcomes of previous conferences were not implemented. Now, a lot of issues are coming up. Some delegates are saying that the outcome be subjected straight to referendum and that it should not be sent to National Assembly. Some people also see it as Jonathan’s political strategy to win the minds of the people ahead of the 2015 general elections. Second, when you are talking about national conference or dialogue, what are you discussing? The key issues affecting the nation which should be unemployment, insecurity and the rest of them. And when you are talking of insecurity and unemployment, who are the affected people? The unemployed youths and people in the North that the mayhem is being targeted at. But in the ongoing National Conference, they went and gathered professionals both within and outside the country. Personally, I am not against the conference but my concern is for the outcome to be implemented.

So, are you saying that APC is right in boy-

cotting the conference?

As a political party and the major opposition party, it is better for APC to stay aside and watch but that does not mean that the governors would not send their representatives to the conference because they are not representing APC, they are representing the states. Whether convening the conference is a good thing or not, governors must nominate people to represent their states. It won’t be good if the opposition governors did not send their own delegates.

As an individual do you believe in the National Conference?

As a person, I believe that Nigerians should sit down and talk. There is no doubt about that. I support it but my concern is that after this talk, what do we do with it? I am also afraid that there might not be any useful thing that would come out of it.

What is your take on the state of the insecurity?

Everybody know that Boko Haram is the worst thing that has happened to this country and we must do something about

Nigerians came together to fight the civil war, so why can’t we come together and fight Boko Haram once and for all?... how can we boost our economy when some parts of the country are in disarray?

it. Sometimes, I get baffled that why can’t we as a nation go in and smoke them out once and for all. Whatever we can do to smoke all the Boko Haram members out, let us finish it and know that nobody talks about Boko Haram anymore. The truth of the matter is that sometimes, I wonder how people for so many years would continue to hold the nation into ransom.

When there was Biafran war, within 30 months, the war ended and everybody came together and we became one. Nigerians came together to fight the civil war, so why can’t we come together and fight Boko Haram once and for all? It is so embarrassing and it is not good for our nation. Today, we are talking about our Gross Domestic Product (GDP), how can we boost our economy when some parts of the country are in disarray? So, it is something that I think we must come together and fight the war once and for all.

Don’t you think your party need to work with the ruling party to solve the problem?

The insecurity situation in the country is what everybody must put hands together and solve. Whether you are APC or PDP, no party is happy with the way Boko Haram is terrorising the country.

You don’t know who is next. Boko Haram doesn’t spare people whether they are Muslims or Christians. So, we must unite to fight the insurgents.

Do you think APC can produce a formidable candidate that can challenge President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015?

The APC is working towards that. Nobody can predict what is going to happen in 2015 but I can assure Nigerians that APC’s convention will produce a presidential candidate that Nigerians would accept. APC will produce a candidate that has the people at heart, a candidate that can transform the country. APC will dislodge PDP in 2015.

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POLITICS | THURSDAY INTERVIEW

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Nigerians have accepted PDP as a failure –Saraki CO N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 1 3

be able to get there and after forming the party then there was the issue of those of us coming from the PDP. Can they really come and marry themselves with the APC? Again that has been done.

Then it was let us see how they will be able to conduct ward and local government congresses; we have done that now in majority of the states and if we have problem it can’t be in more than six states out of 36, making it over 80 per cent. It is something unique because it is something that has never been done in Nigeria before; many people did not give us the chance. And I think we will continue to prove wrong the doubting Thomases.

I think the question you should be asking is: Why have we been able to continue to reach these new areas instead of falling off along the way side as predicted.

And I think the answer to that is the commitment and the belief by a lot of us that this country needs change. And nobody wants to be the obstacle to prevent that change. So, even in a state, ward or local government, if it means not compromising my position that this party will not make progress, I will make that sacrifice.

And I think it is that doggedness, that commitment that has made us to get this far. And I am sure those other states will also get their acts together in the next few weeks.

What really is the strength of the Sarakis in the political system of Kwara, seeing that the PDP state congress also indicated the very strong influence of your sister, Gbemisola Saraki, in its outcome?

Let me tell you, the electorate are not fools. When you say you want to follow a party, or somebody, the people are asking to know who has the genuine interest of the people at heart. Which group of people, because a party is an association of people spread across the state and when you are talking about the interest of the people you must show it. It is not when you get to office that you show it.

No, you must show it in your mannerism, in your commitment; with the little that you have you must manifest it. You must not be an opportunity. You must be there all the time. You must open your doors all the time, for all manner of people. It is not easy. Sometimes it is not even about money. It is majorly the time.

Everybody will prefer to lock his door by 9p.m. and draw the curtain but to make your time available, is what I believe is the sacrifice. And what Kwara electorate are showing is that that is what they look at. You can trust that person that if he is in position of authority, he can manage the resources. You are there for them in all the seasons of their lives; not that when it is time for election you show up and now castigate other people.

The Sarakis are not the only family in the state that has the ability or capacity or the resources; there are people who even have more. But do people see them?

Saraki

Nigerians have accepted the PDP as a failure but they are asking that you in APC prove to us that you will be better. That is the message we are taking out throughout the country over the next few weeks Are they around? Do they make those scarifies? The electorate are not fools, no.

Even in your community, you associate with those you know are there for you in good and bad times. It is those that you see that you follow and those of you who live here know those that are around all the time. So you will not be surprised, that is the reality.

But those who are outside Kwara just sit down somewhere and say freedom.

Do you seek freedom from people who are there for you? No. It’s just wishful thinking that something that has been built for over 40 years and has continued, somebody will just come and wish it away just because they are dancing at Metropolitan Square? All that noise and razzmatazz is nothing.

What message is there in the outcome of your party’s state congress?

As I said at the congress venue that we are happy at the outcome; it is victory for the entire party members because when we started nobody gave us a chance of

working with the old Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), particularly because as it is well known for many years, we had always been at the opposite ends of the political divide. But we have been able to come together and conduct the ward and local government congresses harmoniously. It shows that we are a party that is united, focused, organised and you always know a party that is ready to form government by the way and manner they run their party. And the way we have run our party and be able to bring everybody along shows that this is a winning party.

I think that is the message to Kwarans.

Anybody looking at the congress and everything that happened knows that this is a winning party and everybody wants to associate with a winning party.

It is a message to those here and outside of the state. We have done it before and we said we will do it again by bringing everybody together; we assure everybody that we will have an inclusive party and give everybody a sense of belonging.

A number of people were very sceptical and jumped board early enough; not because they could not work with us but because they had the fear that once we come in we would just submerge the rest and make them not to have any relevance but now we have proved them wrong with the inclusive system we have. We are confident that we shall transform this to victory at the election.

A committee of the National Conference has come against the system of consensus, which you are now celebrating. How do you react to this?

Consensus is not something that is forced on anybody. Last week here we told our people that anybody who wanted to

PDP’ll rule Nigeria for long –Ashiru CO N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 1 5

al Government. This is the momentum I don’t think we should lose. Losing it will be of great consequence to the people of Kwara. And that is why we think that it has to be a Federal Government-linked party.

The APC can continue to claim to be a party but in terms of being a real political party, they are not a national party.

APC is not even a party. Until you are tested, until there is cross fertilisation of ideas, until a time, APC cannot be a party. Today, it is just an association trying to come together as a party that is the best way I can describe them. How do you link the philosophy of a Muhammadu Buhari and that of Bola Tinubu?

What do you say about the relationship between Rotimi Amaechi and Rabiu Kwakanso? These are entirely diverse people; they are just trying to build a party called APC. So, the only party you can call a party; that has been tested, gone through a lot of squabbles, resolutions, that has passed baton from one generation to another is the PDP. And I can tell you, we don’t need to deceive ourselves, for a very, very long time, PDP is going to rule Nigeria. I pray that as we go along the quantum of intellectualism in PDP should improve, that the quantum of their belief in this nation should continue to improve. But for a very long time, PDP will rule this country. And for us in Kwara, we shall continue to

be with them. Lagos, Ondo, Delta states can afford not to work with the federal, they can afford it because they have the resources but Kwara cannot do it, definitely.

Some people fear Nigeria will break up soon; what is your take on that?

Nigeria will never break up. Why I said so is that I am from Kwara State and live in Lagos, and I have business I must protect in Abuja, I have good friends of Eastern extraction and I have a lot of people I call my family in the North. Now, will I ever want to be separated away from these people? I am just a typical Nigerian with lots of million in my category. Everyone knows

contest should go and collect the form because even in consensus, when the talks break down, you go and conduct a congress. It is a process. Where you can achieve it good and where not, you allow the two people to go ahead into election. But you see, the primary focus is that at the end of the day, you still want to go to general election and sometimes if you fight a bitter primary, especially in our environment, picking out the pieces thereafter, especially for the two people to come together for the main election is always difficult because it is a win or nothing thing.

But in a consensus you tend to win maybe 50 per cent and you lose 50 per cent but you are still able to get something.

But yes there are some people that do consensus where one man will just sit in one room and write out the names and say that is the consensus. That is inimical to democracy, I agree. But the consensus we do here, no one sits down and write down the names. Instead, they sit down and have a stakeholders’ meeting; they discuss who and who will contests. They even sometimes do straw balloting or primaries before primaries and from there they can see where the majority opinion lies.

But sometimes where it splits, you say alright lets go to congress. We had two or three places here that had to do that and when we got to congress the people immediately saw the outcome and called for consensus. But I agree that the other style they are talking about is not consensus, they just call it consensus in order to give it a bad name where you just sit down and just write the name and because you control the party you just say okay go and announce it, and you say that is consensus. If you do that kind of consensus you would have seen the rowdiness today.

Any possibility of welcoming back those who left but are now unable to fix themselves in the other party as anticipated?

Well, they know the tradition of this house. Our doors are always opened. We don’t drive people away. Some of the issues have challenged us, which some people don’t appreciate. One of them is that we were being criticised that a certain set of people have been benefitting from the time I was governor and they are still benefiting and there are several other people in the communities who can’t see any progress for themselves.

And we tried to explain that we have to be more inclusive, that we have to allow new faces to come in, some don’t like that and because of that left. But I have advised them that where you are going, they too are saying that while they are fighting is the same issue so when you get there you will be an orphan because it is not your faces they want; they too are saying that they need new faces. But some of our people have problem understanding some of these things. the beauty of this country, our large economy advantage. These are things and more we should all protect. Our elites are more conscious of this than those other people.

Ashiru

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EDITORIAL

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Sanctity of Truth w w w.new telegraphonli ne.com

Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon and the truth – Buddha

THURSday, MAY 8, 2014

Curtailing the honourary degrees jamboree

ice Chancellor of the Ibrahim Babangida University (IBBU) Lapai, Professor Ibrahim Kolo recently disclosed in Minna, that the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (CVC) plans to curb the purchase of honourary degrees by undeserving politicians and businessmen. In his words: “the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigeria Universities (has noticed) that the manner in which some universities were beginning to award degrees to those who do not deserve them was becoming un-becoming.”

The award of honourary degrees has reached a ridiculous point, such that every public officer, major political figure, business personality, prominent socialite, or the wife of a president or governor now sees it as an inevitable acquisition. But honorary degrees, according to Britannica Online, are awarded “as recognition of distinction without regard to academic distinction.” As another source explains, it is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements such as matriculation, residence, study and the passing of examinations.

Normally, universities award honorary degrees to individuals who have made significant contributions to the society or distinguished themselves in a particular field. From the first recorded honorary degree, awarded by the University of Oxford, England, in the 1470s, universities have typically con-

ferred such honours on persons they deem worthy in accomplishments and character. They often derive benefits from association with such awardees such as rich patrons who endow chairs or sponsor research and projects in the institution.

Universities also seek to ensure that those they give the honourary degrees reflect the noble values of the institution. It is perhaps only in Nigeria that universities don’t give a hoot about the reputation of an honorary degree recipient. This is all more surprising since even the award of the first degree by academic endeavour is typically predicated on good character. But our universities have been conferring honourary doctorates with neither rhyme nor reason. Corrupt, incompetent public office holders, unscrupulous businessmen and political figures with no visible achievements or scruples are bestowed with the coveted degrees. Over the years, Nigerian institutions of higher learning have continuously awarded honourary degrees for purely mercantile reasons not only to illiterates, but those that have played ignoble roles in the society.

The sharp drop in funds allocated to Nigerian universities may have compelled some of the institutions to engage in indiscriminate award of honorary degrees as a way to raise funds. Thus, universities have been left to shop for funds by any means, legal and illegal, ethical and unethical, to meet their basic operating costs. That

practice has had the unintended consequence of devaluing the quality of honourary doctorate degrees awarded by the universities. When universities award honourary degrees arbitrarily to all classes of men and women, they convey the message that the degrees are available for award only to those who can pay for regardless of their character.

In a society that adores academic titles, in a society in which everyone wants to be festooned with university degrees of high value or of no value, in a society in which many people want to be addressed as “Dr XYZ”, universities have plunged headlong into the muddied ponds in order to satisfy the demands in a burgeoning market for honourary doctorate degrees.

Therefore, it is pertinent that the government as well as the various institutions of higher learning in the country must look for creative ways of funding education and also go into productive partnership with the organized private sector to provide counterpart funding for education. All the universities must resolve to end the degenerate practice of giving out honourary degrees to generate money.

Honourary degrees should henceforth be given sparingly and only to the deserving. The ivory tower should not pander to the inordinate craving for titles by debasing its cherished certificates. There are other ways to honour wives of presidents and governors who can wield influence on behalf of

the university. Chairs can be endowed or buildings named after donors on the campus, for instance. Universities need to create professionally managed and marketed endowment funds and can learn the dynamics from America’s best universities. The federal and state governments should adequately fund their universities and grant them autonomy.

It would be recalled that before now, the Association of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities has said universities have partially complied with the directive on the award of honourary degree to political office holders since the Keffi Declaration. A guideline on the Keffi Declaration was released at the 27th conference of the association held in Nasarawa State in 2012. The aim of the declaration was to reduce the indiscriminate award of honourary degrees and restore the age-long university culture and tradition of best practices. The declaration urged universities to make it a policy not to bestow honourary degrees on any person holding political office while still in service.

But this declaration has not been strictly adhere to, therefore, it not just a matter of making declaration but ensuring that the declarations made are binding and followed to the letter.

Therefore, henceforth, honourary degrees should not only be given with utmost discretion but the rules should also allow for such honours to be withdrawn if, thereafter, the recipient proves to be an unworthy character.

GABRIEL AKINADEWO Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief IKE ABONYI Deputy Managing Director/DEIC FELIX OGUEJIOFOR ABUGU Managing Editor, South SULEIMAN BISALLA Managing Editor, North YEMI AJAYI Editor, Daily LAURENCE ANI Editor, Saturday EMEKA MADUNAGU Editor, Sunday LEO CENDROWICZ Bureau Chief, Brussels MARSHALL COMINS Bureau Chief, Washington DC SAM AMSTERDAM Editorial Coordinator, Europe EMMAN SHEHU (PhD) Chairman, Editorial Board GEOFFREY EKENNA News Editor PADE OLAPOJU Production Editor TIMOTHY AKINLEYE Head, Graphics ROBINSON EZEH Head, Admin.

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Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, May 8, 2014

OPINIONLet not evil prevail John Cardinal Onaiyekan

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e are all familiar with the wise saying that evil thrives where and when good people do nothing and keep quiet. It is also a great lesson of history that you need only a few determined people to bring down a nation. Here the rule of majority does not apply. We do not know how many members Boko Haram has. But they are not that many – and they are causing so much havoc on the entire nation. The situation is serious.

I left home on Easter Sunday, when our nation was still reeling under the tragic news of the first Nyanya bomb blast and the abduction of as yet unknown number of girl students in Borno state.

Since my arrival here in Rome, we have heard of another Nyanya bomb blast, and the number of girls abducted is now being given at over two hundred. The controversy over the numbers is futile and uncalled for. One missing girl is one too many.

Everywhere I go, people are asking me what is happening in our country. There is no more room for explanations, let alone excuses. The view from outside our nation is very negative indeed. At a time like this, one would expect all Nigerians to stand together and face what should be clearly a common danger to us all. But unfortunately, such a common stand is anything but visible.

There are ominous signs that if the objective of Boko Haram is to tear Nigeria apart by pitting Christians against Muslims in a fratricidal war, that objective is gradually and systematically being realized. The wanton destruction of lives and property is bad enough. But perhaps worse than that is the gradual destruction and erosion of the hard earned good relations which Nigerian Christians and Muslims have managed to build up over the years. In my 2013 Christmas message, I warned that we should not take our fragile religious peace for granted. I pleaded that we should learn from the experience of other nations where such good relations have evaporated within a short time under poorly managed social and political crisis. The Central African Republic is a case in point.

In the midst of our serious security crisis, tribal and religious warlords are beating the drums of

At times like this, when serious hurt has been inflicted and great injustice perpetrated, it is natural to feel deeply aggrieved and even angry. But the effort still needs to be made to look at things as dispassionately as we can so that we can work towards a just and practical solution. For most Nigerians, I believe that it is highly desirable that we continue as one nation under God war and blowing the trumpets of conflict. I read in the internet that the Jama’atu Nasr Islam has issued a statement accusing the Federal Government of persecuting Muslims under the guise of fighting terrorism. If this is true, it would indeed be most unfortunate and ill-timed under our present circumstances. This is hardly the best way to encourage our security agents to carry out their tough and thankless task. At the other end of the spectrum, one Evangelist Matthew Owojaiye, who is described as the President/Founder of the Old Time Revival Hour, and immediate past chairman of a group called “Northern States Christian and Elders Forum (NOCSEF), an associate of CAN”, issued a passionate statement with a presumed list of 180 missing girls, 165 of which are Christians and the remaining 15 Muslims. It is commendable that a list has appeared with their religious affiliations, and this should be of help to the security agents in tracking the girls. But the document is hardly designed to promote mutual good relations between Christians and Muslims in Nigeria.

At times like this, when serious hurt has been inflicted and great injustice perpetrated, it is natural to feel deeply aggrieved and even angry. But

the effort still needs to be made to look at things as dispassionately as we can so that we can work towards a just and practical solution. For most Nigerians, I believe that it is highly desirable that we continue as “one nation under God”. But this will not happen unless we are all ready to sincerely identify our common goals and aspirations, despite our non-negligible differences and diversities. It will mean being ready to make more concessions and compromises for the common good of the nation, well beyond the status quo.

National unity is beautiful and precious, but it comes with a price which all must be ready to pay, in a fair and equitable manner.

If this seems difficult, the alternative of a break-up of the nation along whatever lines would seem to me far more costly, and almost unthinkable. If a war of partition breaks out, where will be battle lines be drawn? It would be wonderful if such partitioning could be by peaceful negotiation. But that would call for nothing less than a miracle, which no one has any right to impose on God. The option to pursue therefore ought to be clear and obvious.

The menace which Boko Haram represents is hanging on the whole nation. The solution must involve all stake-holders working together. Promoting or allowing polarization of group interests, whether political (PDP against the Opposition) or religious (CAN versus JNI) will not only weaken our common efforts, but even lead to the far greater danger of polarization of our security forces along opposing lines. The red light is clear to anyone who cares to look. It is not an exaggeration to say that the nation is in grave danger. It is not too late to pull back from the brink of chaos. All those who believe in the future of Nigeria can no longer afford the luxury of sitting back, watching and complaining. There is need to speak out and take meaningful action, each at his or her level. As for those who rule the nation, I hope they know that the eyes of the whole world are on them. They should also know that they will answer for all their actions and inactions before their consciences, before history and before God. May God bless Nigeria.

•Cardinal Onaiyekan is Archbishop of Abuja and Head of the Metropolitan See of Abuja Ecclesiastical Province

Focus on e-learning, as AUN holds 6th Commencement (2) Nelly Ating Continued from yesterday

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dding more thoughts on the interdisciplinary nature of the American liberal educational system, Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Idorenyin Akpan says it allows a student the opportunity to take general education courses, thereby having basic knowledge in all disciplines including philosophy, ethics and leadership, public speaking, biology, and chemistry, as this knowledge guides them in the society we live in today. He reiterated that the liberal style of education “This is a system which exposes students to everything as in a globalized world today one needs a complete, not a regimented education.

What comes out of such a system as AUN are graduates who can think on their feet, lead with fresh ideas, create employment, and also work as problem solvers”, he said.

But how will AUN graduates fare in the larger society, in the job market, in culture and politics. Can they hold their own? Yes, says Professor Linus Osuagwu, Dean of School of Business and Entrepreneurship, who argues that the inclusion of compulsory courses on entrepreneurship for

all students of the university gives them the intellectual and practical knowhow for business startup or leadership in paid employment.

The University also forges ahead to help its graduates prepare for the tough job market by organizing the now famous Annual Career Fairs.

Various bluechip local and international companies come to select the best of the best the school has to offer.

AUN’s Career officers assists in training the students on how to prepare for interviews, write resume, and work ethics, and general business attitude, which employers find useful, as the number of participating companies has continued to grow.

AUN’s strong ICT background is legendary, the institution being the first Nigerian university, public or private, to offer Software Engineering as an undergraduate program.

Every graduate of AUN has aboveaverage ICT skills. Upon admission, every student gets a laptop and takes compulsory ICT classes. Dr. Mathias Fonkam, Dean of the School of Information Technology & Computing said that software engineers are needed to groom a nascent software industry in Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa.

He said in the context of the current information technology revolution, the software industry presents the

most opportunities for economic development and job creation and this is why AUN breeds graduates to become entrepreneurs in their various fields of studies. He cited an example of AUN graduates who developed the OpenERP (enterprise resource planning) system, which is an Open Source replacement for the older Banner ERP system which the University has deployed with astounding results.

In addition, the graduates from Business and SITC collaborated to develop the POS (point of sales software) that the University is currently using in its cafeteria and by some local businesses in Yola-Jimeta.

Keynote speaker Ambassador Simon comes with rich credentials and his lecture will set the tone of discussion on the issues. He will be the sixth since the inaugural Commencement in 2009. John Simon, From his outstanding effort and passionate in yielding impact through sustainable projects, was called upon by the American President to serve in the White House as Special Assistant and as Senior Director for Relief, Stabilization and Development for the National Security Council.

Recently, Mr. Simon served as the United State Ambassador to the African Union, Executive Vice President of the Overseas Private Invest-

ment Corporation, OPIC. He is also the founder and Managing Partner of Total Impact Advisors, an investment consulting agency. Not the least, he also authored a book, More than Money, a report on impact investment as a developmental tool.

During his tenure at the National Security Council, John Simon supervised the implementation of groundbreaking development initiatives, including the Millennium Challenge Account, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative, and the President’s Malaria Initiative. He was actively involved in responding to international humanitarian disasters for the US government such as the 2005 South Asia Earthquake.

He had an astounding impact at OPIC, overseeing the agency’s involvement in the social impact investment marketplace, financing housing in Africa, involvement in growing small and medium businesses in Liberia and large-scale renewable power.

Ambassador Simon has sterling credentials in African development issues and this is why other institutions should emulate AUN. Concluded

• Nelly wrote in from Yola

LAW

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THURSDAY, MAY 8, 2014

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lthough his charm and judicial dexterity would live after him, Justice Chukwudifu Akunne Oputa , an author of the ‘Temple of Justice’ , ‘The Ten Commandments of the Judge’ and ‘in the Eyes of the Law’, among several others, who died on Sunday was regarded as the Lord Deninng of Nigeria and philosopher-king of the Supreme Court.

Oputa, the last of his father’s children was born into the family of Chief Oputa Uzukwu and Mrs. Nwametu Oputa. He attended the Sacred Heart School, Oguta; Christ the King College, Onisha for his Secondary education and thereafter proceeded to High College Yaba.

The late legal giant who admitted in one of his media chats that ‘we have to accept that certain things are gifts and not because of our brilliance’, discovered his gift at the Christ the King College where he was made to memorise a poem every day. This, however, earned him endearing names in a career which spanned two decades and six. He retired in 1989 as a justice of the Supreme Court.

The late Justice Oputa chaired the Commission set up by the Olusegun Obasanjo led government to investigate abuses that took place during the 15 years of military rule in Nigeria which ended when the former President Obasanjo’s administration was inaugurated on May 29, 1999.

Yesterday, the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), described him as a rare gem and one of the best legal minds the nation’s legal profession ever produced. In a release signed by its President, Okey Wali, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, NBA said: “"On behalf of the Nigerian Bar Association, I hereby give our condolences to the Judiciary and his family, while praying for the repose of his soul, and also pray that God will give the family, the Bench and the Bar, the fortitude to bear the loss”.

An aspirant and strong contender for the NBA presidency, Mr. Augustine Alegeh, a Senior Advocate said the loss of Honourable Justice Oputa was indeed sad.

Alegeh said, “The legal profession and the nation have lost an erudite jurist, one of the best in our recent history. His incisive and illuminating judgements will remain a strong testimony to his service to the legal profession. A true legal colossus has rested. We join in praying for the repose of his soul and pray to God to comfort and provide for all he left behind”.

Chief Adeniyi Akintola said Oputa’s death was a great loss to the nation.

He said: “The last of the philosopherkings of the Supreme Court has taken the final bow. The legal community in Nigeria would never forget the Socrates of the apex court. He had, like his comrade in law Kayode Eso, more than 50 quotable quotes to his credit”.

Justice Minister and Attorney-General, Mr. Mohammed Adoke, SAN, his predecessor, Chief Bayo Ojo, SAN, Mrs. Funke Adekoya, SAN, Mr. Femi Falana, SAN and an activist lawyer, Mr. Bamidele Aturu described Justice Oputa as a moral and social philosopher.

Adoke described the deceased as ‘one of Nigeria’s foremost legal icons who served the legal profession, the country and humanity with characteristic candour, courage and dedication’.

He called on the member of the Bench to emulate him even as he called on the President Goodluck Jonathan led government and his state to immortalize him.

Ojo described the deceased as "an iconoclast of humanity, the Socrates of

FOLUSO OGUNMODEDE JUDICIARY Editor

foluso.ogunmodede@newtelegraphonline.com bunfolchester@yahoo.com

Only pro-active judiciary can rescue Nigeria from electoral rot - Salami }p-24&25

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Lawyers mourn exit of Justice Oputa …Adoke, Alegeh, Adekoya pay tributes

Justice Chukwudifu Akunne Oputa, a top caliber jurist, scholar and philosopher died on Sunday after a brief illness. He was 96. Lawyers yesterday extolled the virtues of the late erudite jurist and ‘philosopherking’ of the Supreme Court. They spoke to FOLUSO OGUNMODEDE and TUNDE OYESINA

The late Justice Oputa

For the legal profession, Justice Oputa should be celebrated for his incorruptibility and consistent defence of human rights, rule of law and democracy our time and one of the finest in jurisprudence and commitment to justice."

According to him, Oputa's death had lowered the curtain on an era in the justice sector that subsequent generations would forever long for.

"He belonged to that ages and his memories are naturally bound to be immortal, Ojo said.

Chief Sebastine Hon, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria described the death of Justice Oputa’s death as a loss to the present generation.

"Our generation has lost a legal collosus! Our consolation, however, lies in the fact that he left indelible marks on the sands of our legal jurisprudence".

Falana said the greatest tribute that can be paid to Justice Oputa was for the Federal Government to release the Oputa Panel report and implement it.

“For the legal profession, Justice Oputa should be celebrated for his incorruptibility and consistent defence of human rights, rule of law and democracy”, Falana said.

Mr. Tayo Oyetibo, a Senior Advocate, who expressed shock over Oputa’s death, described him as ‘Socrates of the Supreme Court’.

Oyetibo said: “He did not only understand the law as a justice of the Supreme Court, he understood and applied the philosophy of law. His reasons for his judgements were often illuminating. He made law look like a mathematics”.

Aturu said: "His knowledge of the law is sound, deep and catholic. Not once has anyone, litigant or counsel, challenged Justice Oputa’s judgment on the ground of corruption. Of course, there were

many decisions he gave that one could disagree with. Even then, one cannot but recognize that he approached his work with unparalleled zeal and uncommon honesty. We have the onerous duty to do all in our power to ensure that traders or mercantilists of the worst hue are no longer appointed to the Bench to desecrate it.

"This duty is for all Nigerians and cannot be left to lawyers and judges alone.

May his vibrant and rigorous soul rest in peace".

Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN described Oputa's death as a monumental loss to the legal profession, the judiciary and the entire nation.

Ozekhome said: "He was a legal prodigy, an iconic phenomenon, the quintessential legal oracle and an unparalleled jurist of inestimable value.

“He put a shine on the Nigerian legal firmament like zillion stars, bestriding the Nigerian judicial space like the colossus that he was.

"His judgements were lucid and provocative, his thoughts fecund, his writing skillful, literary and Philosophical.

Oputa dared to be different, charting new courses of judicial activism in the mould of Lord Denning.

"Perhaps, his greatest contributions are in the realm of national rebirth and regeneration when he headed the famous Oputa Panel on human rights violations in Nigeria.

"He was bold, courageous, nationalist, patriotic and passionate about the Nigerian project in his handling of the assignment. Oputa came, saw and conquered”.

Festus Keyamo said that although Justice Oputa died at a very ripe old age, his death was still difficult to accept with equanimity, especially within the legal profession.

Keyamo said: “ Justice Oputa gave all his life and energy for the development of the law, the maintenance of the etiquette of the legal profession and the sanctity of the Bench.

"Both as a Judge of the High Court and as a Justice of other superior courts, his incisive judgments, robust and notable pronouncements and quintessential erudition in all his decisions on the Bench, have left an indelible mark in the legal profession.

"His calmness and remarkable wit on the Bench has since laid down a mark for other judicial officers to follow.

"Even as a retired Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Oputa did not tire out. His renowned chairmanship of the Oputa Panel that was set up by President Obasanjo to address past wrongs in the country still remains a watershed in the annals of this country.

"Today, we pay tribute to this judicial colossus; this uncommon jurist; this Justice of Justices; this Lord Denning of our time and this patriot par excellence".

22 LAW | NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Alleged murder: Oyo monarch urges Ajimobi to prevent miscarriage of justice Sola Adeyemo Ibadan

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OLLOWING an alleged attempt by some political heavyweights to truncate justice in a case of violence and blood-letting, leading to the murder of

a villager in the Surulere local government area of Ogbomoso in Oyo state, the traditional ruler of the Abogunde town, Oba Tajudeen Abimbola Aminu, has called on Governor Abiola Ajimobi to urgently intervene in the matter.

In a letter written to the governor, copied the Attorney General and Justice Commissioner, as well as the Commissioner of Police, dated April 25, 2014, Oba Aminu, through his counsel Biodun Abdul-Raheem, painted graphic pictures on how

seven accused persons on December 19, 2013 allegedly beat to death a Fulani man, Umaru Musa, and matcheted several other residents, including a friend of the deceased, Saidu Aliyu.

Umar, who was allegedly hit on his abdominal

L-R: Mr. Funminiyi Afuye (representing Gov. Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State), former Pro-Vice Chancellor, UI, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, Gov. Abiola Ajimobi and UI Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Isaac Adewole

NJI trains judges on ICT, FOI ACT Tunde Oyesina Abuja

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n a bid to step up the administration of justice in the country, Judicial Officers have embarked on the 2014 refresher course on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and the Freedom of Information Act. The course was put together by the National Judicial Institute ( NJI).

Speaking at the opening ceremony, the administrator of the Institute, Justice Umaru Eri , stated that the course was organized annually by the NJI in fulfillment of its statutory mandate, which according to him was, "designed to promote efficiency and improve the quality of justice delivery in our courts".

The theme of the course was, "Enhancing judicial performance through the use of Information and Communication Technology".

Furthermore, the NJI administrator said the course was aimed at equipping the judicial officers with the use and application of ICT in the performance of their duties.

"The judiciary cannot live in isolation. We are

part and parcel of the global village now governed and galvanized by ICT. The judiciary must, therefore, embrace it.

"Generally speaking, judicial officers are reputed to be knowledgeable in law, so there should be no harm in gaining knowledge in other areas including the use of ICT".

He, however stressed that the use of ICT in the judicially "has become more compelling with the launching of the Nigeria Judiciary Information Technology Policy Document. I think this is the time and we must not let the opportunity pass us by".

"Another area that will be engaging our attention in this refresher course is the Freedom of Information Act. The Act has been described as one of the most profound legislation enacted in Nigeria since independence.

"The FOI Act has radically altered in a most fundamental way, how the three organs of government relate with the ordinary citizens. It supersedes the Official Secrets Act of 1911 and the relevant provisions of both the criminal and penal codes, amongst other laws and relevant aspects of the extant Civil Service Rules.

"A presumption of openness where hitherto there was none. It has the added value of creating myriads of opportunities and possibilities for strengthening our current democratic dispensation by enhancing the citizens' participation in government through access to information".

"The Nigeria judiciary, so far appears to have been taken unawares by this Act or it was at least unprepared for it at the time it was enacted. We were so engrossed in the old system of doing things and felt least bothered by what was happening in the world around us.

"But what we have witnessed so far are conflicting decisions by the courts that have adjudicated on the cases involving the Act. "These conflicting decisions reveal the lack of proper understanding of the purport, intendment and extent of the provisions of the Act. This development is not appropriate, especially, as the judiciary remains the most viable and veritable platform, and indeed the only functional forum for the resolution of all FOI disputes".

"It is our belief that this training would enhance the capacity of the

judicial officers in effectively handling disputes arising from the FOI Act in a way that preserves the underlying objectives of the legislation and thereby develop a rich, robust and harmonized jurisprudence in this area".

In her address, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) , Justice Mariam Aloma Mukhtar , however charged Nigerian judges to key into the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for the quick dispensation of Justice.

The CJN stated that the judiciary must use ICT for the benefit of citizens noting that "the ICT revolution is sweeping across the world and computers have become a handy technological tool for solving many of the societal problems.

Justice Mukhtar who was represented by Justice John Fabiyi, a Justice of the Supreme noted that "our judicial officers have no choice than to key into this process of ICT otherwise they may find themselves quite unsuitable for the 21st Century Nigeria judiciary.

The rapid developments in ICT opened up new opportunities that were unthinkable only a few years ago.

region with stick blows, died at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso.

The deceased, according to doctor’s report allegedly died "due to massive intra-abdominal hemorrhage resulting into shock".

However, the police arrested the followings: Sunday Oladipo (55), Kunle Rasaq (64), Sulaiman Akanbi (47), Michael Oyeleye (50), Toyin Ajiboye (35), James Oyelami (65), and Sunday Oyeleye (42),accusing them of killing the deceased.

They were charged with conspiracy, murder, attempted murder and malicious damage before Magistrate E.A. Idowu of the Iyaganku Chief Magistrate Court 5, Ibadan.

Their plea on the 10-count charge marked MIS/214c/2014, having been denied on February 24, 2014, in agreement with the charge of the prosecutor, Adegbite Olalekan, the accused persons were ordered to be remanded in Agodi Prison.

In the letter of Biodun Abdul-Raheem on behalf of the monarch, written to Governor Abiola Ajimobi, entitled: "Unwholesome violence and blood-letting leading to the death of one Umaru Musa and gun-shot cum matchet cut injuries sustained by the people of Abogunde town in Surulere Local Government

Area of the State on 19th December, 2013, and frantic attempts to truncate justice by heavy-weight politicians- Call for urgent need to prevent perversion of justice and breach of the peace", the complainants who hailed the governor for the unprecedented peace being witnessed in the state since his assumption of office in 2011, and his unequalled disposition for protection of lives and properties, urged him to conduct a discreet investigation into the allegation, "with a view to do the needful in the circumstance".

The letter called the attention of the governor to the fact that "apart from the monumental physical and material damages inflicted on our clients and their properties, the rampaging hoodlums caused the death of Musa Umar, a Fulani by tribe. He came on a visit to his friend (Saidu Aliyu), whose children were receiving medical attention at the community clinic.

According to Oba Aminu, "some powerful politicians are making frantic moves to prevail on the relevant government organs to drop the charge of murder of late Umaru Musa from the charges against the hoodlums so as to pave way for their being granted bail in the first instance, and eventually insulating them from prosecution"

Court frees man accused of killing father FREEDOM 30-year-old man regains freedom, seven years after he was accused of killing own father

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egal Aid Council of Nigeria, with the statutory mandate of giving free legal aid services to the indigent citizens ,has secured the release of a 30 year -old man , who was alleged to have killed his late father.

According to the released inmate, Danzaria Laminga, it was his father’s second wife who did not have any child for his late father that poisoned his father’s food which eventually led to his death in 2009.

After his burial, his uncle picked him up and handed him over to the Police in Kuje, from Kuje

Police Station they moved him to force headquarters and subsequently to Utako Police Station where he was detained for four months without trial.

Towards the end of 2009, he was taken to Wuse High Court Zone 5 where the Judge ordered he should be remanded in prison until his matter was decided. It was at this junction that Legal Aid Council, during one of its prison’s visit to Kuje Interviewed him and took up his matter.

The council’s lawyer, Adesoji Lawal of Civil Litigation Department, followed up his matter and for the five years the matter lasted, he had more than 15 adjournments.

It was therefore a celebration galore when Justice M.M Dodo of Court 7, Jabi granted him freedom due to lack of diligent prosecution.

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, May 8, 2014

‘Governors cannot appoint, dismiss judge without recourse to NJC' SC. 281/2010 Hon. Justice Raliat Elelu-Habeeb (Chief Judge Kwara state ,Planitiff).v.

NJC, Hon. Attorney-General of the Federation, Hon. Attorney-General of Kwara state and House of Assembly Kwara state (Defendants). Before their Lordships; Justices Mahmmud Mohammed (JSC), Walter Samuel Nkanu Onnoghen (JSC),Christopher Mit chell Chukwuma-Eneh (JSC),Muhammad Saifullah MuntakaCoomassie(JSC), Olufunlola Oyelola Adekeye(JSC),Mary Ukaego PeterOdili (JSC) and Olukayode Ariwoola (JSC).

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Justice Aloma Mukhtar, CJN

CO N T I N U E D F R O M L A S T W E E K

aking into consideration of the foregoing authorities and many others too numerous to be listed, it is quite plain that in resolving the lone issue of jurisdiction in the case at hand, the court processes to be examined are the originating summons of the plaintiff/appellant containing the questions submitted for determination, the reliefs sought in the originating summons, the exclusion of any other processes especially those filed in defence of the action by the defendants/respondents. I have earlier in this judgment quoted in full the two questions submitted by the plaintiff/appellant for determination and the reliefs sought. I do not consider it necessary to also quote the various paragraphs of the affidavit in support of the suit as constituted by the originating summons because to me that facts that led the plaintiff/ appellant to seek redress at the trial court, are not at all in dispute and are not different from the facts of the case I have already narrated.

Although, all the three respondents in this appeal have strongly submitted variously that the plaintiff/appellant went to the trial court to challenge her alleged removal from office as the Chief Judge of Kwara State by the 2nd and 3rd respondents, the Governor and the House of Assembly of Kwara State respectively, there is nothing in the two questions submitted for determination, the relief sought and the affidavit in support of the originating summons that talks of the removal of the appellants from office, particularly the absence of any copy of the letter of removal office from the appropriate authority.

Removal of a public officer like the Chief judge of a State is always signified by a letter to that effect clearly signifying the effective date of removal in the same way the appointment of such a public officer is also always, signified by a letter of appointment clearly spelling out the effective date of such appointment.

It is therefore not correct as erroneously assumed by all the respondents that the alleged removal of the plaintiff/appellant can be inferred from the reliefs sought by the appellant at the court Therefore, quite contrary to the stand taken by the respondents, from the two questions submitted for determination and the reliefs sought by the plaintiff/appellant at the trial court, and quite clear that the, plaintiff/appellant did not go to that court to challenge her removal from office. Rather, the questions for determination and the three declaratory reliefs and two injunctive reliefs sought are all rooted or, the interpretation and operation of the provisions of Section 153(1) (i), 197 -271(2), 292 of the Constitution, paragraphs 20 and 21 of Part 1 of the 3rd Schedule to the same Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 against

the background of the 3rd respondent's letter dated May 4,2009, inviting the appellant to appear before it.

In other words, all the claims of the appellant in her originating summons are rooted or hinged on the constitutionality or lawfulness of the disciplinary proceedings commenced by the letter of the 3rd respondent dated 4 May 2009 against the appellant. The interpretation and the correct operation of the affected provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 was therefore the main subject of the suit of the plaintiff/ appellant and not her removal from office as asserted by the respondents, Next for determination is to examine the relevant provisions of section 251(1 )(q) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. 1999 to see if the Federal High Court has jurisdiction in the matter as found by the trial court. The section reads: 251 (1) "Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Constitution and in addition to such other Jurisdiction as may be conferred upon it by an Act of the National Assembly, the Federal High Court shall have and exercise Jurisdiction to the exclusion of any other court in civil causes and matters: (q) Subject to the provision of this Constitution, the operation and interpretation of this Constitution in so far as it affects the Federal Government or any of its agencies."

It is quite clear from the above provisions of section 251(1) of the Constitution that any action which involves the operation and interpretation its agencies, the Federal High Court has jurisdiction to entertain and determine the action. The fact that the provisions of the Constitution in section 153(1)(i). 271(1), 292(1)(a) (ii), together with paragraphs 20 and 21 of Part 1 of the Third Schedule to the same Constitution, the operation and interpretation of which affects the powers and duties of the National Judicial Council under the Constitution, coupled with the fact that there is no doubt whatsoever that the Nations; Judicial Council is an agency of the Federal Government, the court below in my view, was wrong to say that the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction in the matter. The power or jurisdiction of the Federal High court to entertain actions connected with the operations and interpretation of the Constitution in so far so it affects the Federal Government or any of its agencies, have been determined in many decisions of this court such as Ladoja v. I.N.E.C. (2007) All FWLR (Pt. 377) 934,(2007) 7 SC 99 at 160 and Obi v. I.N.E. C. and Ors. (2007) All FWLR (Pt. 378) 1116, (2007) 7 SC 268 at 305 just to mention a few. The observations of m« learned brother. Oguntade, JSC in this case which are quite illuminating are: "I wish to emphasize on indispensably

of the jurisdiction of the court to declaratory judgment in democratic governance.

The jurisdiction to interpret the provisions of me Constitution and all statutes generally enables the constituent organ of the states to function smoothly. It is particularly invaluable to citizens whose constitutional rights are threatened with invasions. It seems to me that all the anxieties arising from litigation on a simple case as this is over the interpretation of a simple provision of the Constitution, which provision is not in the least recondite and which has culminated in this appeal would have been removed by the interpretative jurisdiction conferred by section 251 (1)(q) and (r)."

In the present case therefore, which principally involves the procedure for initiating and conducting disciplinary proceedings against a Chief Judge of a State where the National Judicial Council which had been given a role in the appointment and exercise of disciplinary control over judicial officers of the appellant's rank under the Constitution, it is not correct as argued by the respondents that the entire, matter in the case was a State Government affair The very fact that the operation and interpretation of the provisions of the Constitution affecting the powers and functions of the federal Government agency is the main subject of this case, the 1st respondent, the Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation as the Chief Law Officer of the entire Federation appointed under section 1 of the same Constitution, who is therefore not only the guardian of the constitution but also the protector of the same, the appellant's action which sought to protect the violation of the provisions of the Constitution, is certainty not only regarded as an action against the National Judicial Council whose powers and functions were subject of the violation Put also against the Honourable Attorney -General of the Federation whose role in protecting the provisions of the Constitution from being violated, was in issue in the case. These features of this case are what brought the case within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court.

I am not unaware of the argument of the learned senior counsel to the 3rd respondent that by virtue of the provisions of section 272 of the Constitution, the High Court of Justice of kwara State also has jurisdiction to interpret those same provisions of the Constitution placed before the Federal High Court for interpretation. I entirely agree, However, what the learned senior counsel failed to realize however is the fact that the presence of the 2nd appellant, the National Judicial Council and the Honourable Attorney -General of the Federation as parties in the case, had pulled in a feature in the case which brought it out of the jurisdiction of the High Court taking into consideration the decision of this court in Madukolu v. Nkemdilim earlier quoted in this judgment.

For the foregoing reasons, this appeal has merit and ought to succeed. Accordingly, the appeal is allowed. The judgment of the court below declaring that the trial Federal High Court Ilorin lacked jurisdiction to entertain and determine the appellant's suit, is hereby set aside. The

Removal of a public officer like the Chief Judge of a State is always signified by a letter to that effect clearly signifying the effective date of removal

LAW | REPORT 23 judgment of the trial Federal High Court Ilorin declaring that it has jurisdiction to entertain and determine the matter brought before it by the plaintiff/appellant is hereby restored and affirmed.

Appeal of the 2nd appellant, The National Judicial Council The appeal by the 2nd appellant is also against the decision of the Court of Appeal delivered on 2 July 2010, in the appellant's brief of argument filed by its learned senior counsel on 17 January 2011. The following issue was framed from the 4 grounds of appeal filed by the appellant. The issue reads: "Whether the Court of Appeal was correct when it held that the Federal High Court Ilorin lacked the jurisdiction under section 251 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to entertain a dispute filed by the Chief Judge, of Kwara State challenging her purported removal as chief judge/judge by the Governor and House of Assembly of Kwara State and contending in the same action that in matters relating to misconduct any judge including the chief judge only the National Judicial Council can render such determination.”

The 1st respondent in this appeal, the Honourable, Attorney -General Of the Federation did not file a respondent's brief in this second appeal filed by the 2nd appellant, the National Judicial Council. Although a comprehensive brief was filed in opposing the 1st appellant s appeal which 1 have already determined.

The 2nd respondent, the Honourable Attorney-General of Kwara ^ State however filed a respondent's brief" on 14 March 201 i through his learned senior counsel who not only responded to the issue of jurisdiction raised in the appeal but also raised a preliminary objection to the competence of the appeal which i have earner resolved in misjudgement.

The issue as identified in the 2nd respondents brief is: " The learned senior counsel to the 3rd respondent, the Kwara State House of Assembly, also reacted to this 2nd appeal through a respondent's brief of argument also containing a notice of preliminary objection, the appeal itself filed on 22 March 2011, i have already resolved the preliminary objection against the respondent. The issue distilled in this brief arising from the 4 grounds of appeal filed by the appellant reads: "Whether having regard to the complaints of the 1st appellant and the reliefs sought by her in her originating summons, the Court of Appeal was not correct in holding that the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction to hear and determine her case.''

It is quite obvious that the issues as identified by the parties in the appellant's brief of argument, the 2nd and 3rd respondents' brief of argument respectively, are not different from the issues that were considered and determined in the 1st appeal between the same parties, namely – whether having regard to the questions for determination and the reliefs sought by the plaintiff/appellant in her originating summons, the Court of Appeal was right in its judgment that the Federal High Court Ilorin lacked jurisdiction to hear and determine the plaintiff/ appellant's case.

As the fact and issue for determination in the present 2nd appeal are not different from those determined in the 1st appeal, I hereby resolve the issue in the present appeal by holding that having regard in the fact that the plaintiff/appellant’s case substantially involves the operation and interpretation of the provisions of the Constitution in relation to the powers and duties of the appellant in this appeal which undoubtedly is an agency of the Federal Government created under the same Constitution, the Federal High Court definitely is vested with jurisdiction under Section 251 (1)(q) to hear and determine the action. This appeal is also hereby allowed. The judgment of the Court of Appeal is set aside and the judgment of the trial court on the question of jurisdiction is restored and affirmed.

24 JURIST Pre-election disputes ike many democracies of the world, our kind of democracy is party-based. This means that the political parties determine who, eventually, occupies which elective post.

The choice of the winning party would eventually be crowned as the choice of the people. As a result, therefore, party election or intra-party election must be taken seriously.

In the essence, if democracy must find its footing in the country as a whole, the political parties must be made to serve as fertile nursery where its roots are allowed to form and its leaves tendered to survival.

Unfortunately, however, the current regime of our electoral laws is one that seems not to allow for enduring democracy within the political parties. It is widely believed that political parties belong to the members, who are free to organize their affairs as they deem fir without let or hindrance from anybody, they are free to present any of their member for elective post no matter how the process for such was conducted.

One classical case which exemplifies the, seemingly, unquestionable states of political parties in respect of their candidates for elective posts is that of Senator Ehinlanwo .v. Chief Olusola Oke and Orders.

In that case, the apex court made what I call, with due respect, a general statement to the effect that no matter how a person got his name unto the list of his political party, once such a name is forwarded to INEC, nobody can challenge the nomination of such a candidate.

With respect, pronouncements such as this do more harm to our democracy than good. Do we take the court to be saying that even where the most notorious rogue is about to be elected as the president for the most populous black nation on earth, we should all keep mute and say nothing? I think, with the greatest respect, that cannot be the contemplation of the drafters of our laws. The court did not throw away the case on the flimsy excuse that, being an intra-party contest, it lacked jurisdiction, thereby leaving the obviously, wronged party to lick his wound and perhaps take his case to God, as we often say. The court assumed jurisdiction and in fact, pronounced on the rightful candidate of the party among the contending ones.

However, in a delightful Uturn, the court, in the case of Rotimi Amaechi, found nothing wrong in deciding the rightful candidate of the party as between the two contending parties. The court, principally, based its decision on the need for the judiciary to assist the end of the justice and make sure that a wronged party in a suit was given adequate remedy that served the justice of the case.

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Judiciary One may continue to wonder about the reasons for my insistence on a pro-active judiciary as a panacea to the rot in our electoral system in particular, and the society as a whole. The reason simply is that the political parties, under our kind of political arrangement, are too powerful to be left unattended to. A situation where the political parties are allowed to dictate to the

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Only pro-active judiciary can HE was the guest lecturer at this year’s Justice MMA Akanbi Foundation's Annual Lecture. Justice Isa Ayo Salami, the immediate past president of the Court of Appeal, x-rayed the nation’s judiciary, democracy, election disputes and concluded that the political parties must be made to serve as fertile nursery where its roots are allowed to form and its leaves tendered to survival if the country’s fledgling democracy must succeed. BIODUN OYELEYE reports

Salami, Ex-President, Court of Appeal

exclusion of other bodies, how issues of national importance are carried out is too dangerous for the well-being of the polity.

Our political parties are very powerful. It is true that by the provision of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, a citizen of the country could aspire to contest for any elective post, once he possesses the requisite qualifications but it is equally true that same Constitution makes such ambition unrealizable except through the instrumentality of a political party. A person cannot contest for a political position except that person joins a political party and then contest under the banner of such a party.

In essence, independent candidature is not allowed under our laws. The resultant consequence of this arrangement is that it is these political parties that eventually determine who occupies what position. They determine who the Governors and Deputy Governors in all the states of the Federation are.

They, politically, determine who the Ministers, Commissioners and other governmental functionaries would be.

It is therefore, upon the realization of the significant impact that these parties have on our national life, that it becomes imperative to get the best out of them.

A situation where the culture of impunity is allowed to continue within the political parties will adversely affect the country too.

Every facet of the economy will likely suffer. The courts must always be concerned about how our politicians get into elective posts when such issues are placed before them. They must ensure that political office seekers do so only by the legally set down means.

Tribunal It must be appreciated that the events that take place after the

The current regime of our electoral laws is one that seems not to allow for enduring democracy within the political parties conduct of the elections cannot be overlooked either. They are equally as important as, if not more important than pre-election matters. At least, they take place after one of the candidates must have been declared the winner of the election which makes them hotly contested. In our view, therefore, for the judiciary to be alive to its responsibilities of ensuring compliance with the rule of law, it must put machinery in place to fairly dispense justice that meets the demand of individual cases brought before it. In looking at the performance of the judiciary in this respect, I shall consider some important issues as they relate to our electoral law and their applications by the courts and how they further the cause of democracy or otherwise. We shall, ultimately, proffer remedial steps where necessary.

The 180 and 60 days trap By the provisions of Section 285 [6] and [7] of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, an Election Tribunal now has just 180 days from the date of filing the petition to deliver its judgement. On the other hand, an appeal on the matter shall be heard and disposed of within 60 days of delivery of judgment by the lower court.

Before going further, it must

be borne in mind that these two provisions are very rigid, and almost immutable. The Supreme Court has so held. Once the 180 or 60 days lapse, the election petition comes to an end whether judgment has been delivered or not. In fact, the period cannot be extended by any court, no matter the circumstances, PDP v. CPC. Again, it should be noted that the 180 days for the trial tribunal include the time for pre-trial activities such as inspection of electoral documents, application for such inspection before the tribunal and the electoral commission and services of subpoena on relevant government agencies.

These activities take several days to conclude and it is expected that everything goes simultaneously with neither waiting for the other. Experience has shown that the inspection of electoral materials used for the conduct of the election is one veritable tool in the hands of respondents to election petitions. Sometimes, INEC officials to defend the petition, make it most difficult for the petitioners to prove their cases.

Similarly, a situation where the Court of Appeal, which is the authority saddled with the responsibility for constituting election tribunal panels, constitution just a single election tribunal for a state that has more than one election petition cannot be in the interest of the petitioners, who must all prove their case within 180 –days limit. In practice, the 180-days are, usually, shared between the various parties in the petitions before the tribunal.

Thus, you have a situation where the 180 days are further, administratively, reduced just to cater for all the petitions pending before the tribunals. Above all, counsel are sometimes coerced into agreeing to the reduction of the statutorily fixed time-limit to prove their case by the court. I

cannot but point out that all these are indications that a petitioner may not be able, due to no fault of his, to prove his case before the elections tribunal, and therefore the whole country may not be able to have the benefit of the real winner of an election.

Proof of non-compliance and corrupt practices in election petition Generally, proof may be defined as the establishment or refutation of an alleged fact by evidence. There is a striking unanimity of scholastic views on this point, namely, that it is the persuasive effect of evidence in the mind of a fact-finder. It encompasses the duty and measure required of a person to convince a court or tribunal that a fact or proposition is true or false.

The rules of proof under the Nigerian law are regulated by the Evidence Act which provides for the burden of proof and the standard of proof. Whereas burden of proof refers to onus on a person who asserts or states the affirmative to show the existence or otherwise of a fact, standard of proof is that degree or level of proof required of the party on whom the burden lies in a specific case. Although election petitions are sui generis because they have their peculiar characteristics, they are still species of civil cases. Consequently, they are decided on the balance of probabilities; on the preponderance of evidence.

Consequently, the burden of proof on the pleadings in an election petition is on the party who alleges affirmatively that election took place. A petitioner who avers that no election had been held does not bear the initial burden of proof on the pleadings to prove the conduct of the election by pleading its result. It is rather the respondent who alleges that there was a free and fair election that is under the result of

JURIST 25

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, May 8, 2014

rescue Nigeria from electoral rot - Salami The 180 and 60 days’ stipulations in the Constitution are inadequate.

I submit that a period of between two and three months must first be given to the parties to sort out preliminary matters of documents inspections and interlocutory applications, where necessary. the election in proof of the assertion that election was free and fairly conducted and result was collated and declared. This is in consonance with the law long endorsed by the apex court.

In Imana v Robinson [1974] 6 SC 83, Aniagolu JSC delivering the unanimous judgment of the Supreme Court, approvingly adopted the exposition in Phipson on Evidence, [11th Edition], paragraph 92; page 40” “Burden of proof on the pleadings.” as the Nigerian Law on the subject: ‘The burden of proof, in this sense, rests upon the party, whether plaintiff or defendant, who substantially asserts the affirmative of the issue. ‘It is an ancient rule founded on consideration of good sense, and it should not be departed from without strong reasons’. It is fixed at the beginning of the trial by the state of the pleadings, and it is settled as a question of law, remaining unchanged throughout the trial exactly where the pleading place it, and never shifting in any circumstance whatever. If, when all the evidence, by whosoever, introduced, is in the party who has this burden, has not discharged it, the decision must be against him.

Indeed, this has been the consistent posture of the apex court on this question, see Elemo and Ors v. Omolade and Ors [1968] NMLR 359, 361 where the court explained that: “the onus probandi…rests before evidence is gone into upon the party asserting the affirmative of the issue and it rests after evidence is gone into upon the party against whom the tribunal at the time the question arises would give judgement if no further evidence were adduced; Atane v Amu [1974] 10 SC 237; Fashanu v Adekoaa [1974] 6 SC 83; Kate Enterprises Ltd v Daewoo Nig. Ltd [1985] 2 NWLR [pt 5] 116.

In Onyenge & Ors v Ebere 18 NSCQR [pt II] 789 att 802 Tobi JSC held that “… the burden of proof in a civil matter such as this is on the party who alleges the affirmative. And that party could be the plaintiff or the defendant, depending on the state of pleadings”.

In Vulcan Gases Ltd v. GESELLLSCHAFT FUR Ind. [2001] 9 NWLR [pt 719] 610 at 667, Uwaifo JSC had this to say: “It is not in law for the respondent to prove a negative assertion. The burden is on the appellant who has averred a positive assertion to prove it by evidence.”

We concede, however, that, generally, the burden of proving the grounds relied upon in an election petition is on the petitioner. It is the petitioner who bears the initial burden of proof of the grounds of the petition. It is the petitioner who will lose if no evidence is adduced to prove the grounds of the petition.

The way forward At the risk repetition, I wish to re-emphasize the fact that our judiciary must always be at the fore-front of the struggle for the enthronement of democratic tenets through its judgment and interpretation of our laws. A situation where the courts almost readily declare a suit nonjusticiable, once such suit is labeled an intra-party contest, amounts to bowing to the forces of rule of man and not the rule of law. The courts must be ready to dig deeper into the real issue in contest

AYO SALAMI AT A GLANCE • He was called to the Bar on June 28, 1968 • He was state counsel North Central Public Service Commission in 1971 • He was acting DPP 1976 • Acting Solicitor General and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, Ilorin, in 1978 • Became High Court Judge in 1978 • President, Court of Appeal 2009 2011 and explore the spirit of the law in order to discern the real contest between the parties and arbitrate accordingly.

With the promulgation of Section 87 of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended, our courts now have jurisdiction over party primaries and more so in cases where there are two contending candidates claiming rightful nomination of their political parties. Therefore, the courts must always be ready to assume jurisdiction over such matters as they are clearly justiciable. Times have indeed changed and the judiciary must recognize that.

The Court of Appeal, which is constitutionally saddled with the constitution of election tribunal panels, must always do so bearing in mind the number of election petitions that are or may be pending in each state of the Federation. Certainly, a state where more than one petition is filed against the return of a candidate, deserves more than one panel. This is even more so with Governorship elections that require more time, manpower, documents and indeed more professional tactics.

In addition to the above, I recommend that for senatorial elections, there should be at least one election tribunal for each

Salami, Ex-President, Court of Appeal

senatorial district. In fact, a senatorial district with more than one petition against a winner may have more than one election tribunal. All that matters is giving adequate facilities to the petitioners to ventilate and prove their petitions against the respondents in good time before the expiration of the 180 days stipulated by the Constitution. But the court is, I am aware, constrained by the number of judges available for the constitution of the tribunals.

With respect, we take the view that the 180 and 60 days’ stipulations in the Constitution are inadequate. I submit that a period of between 2 to 3 months must first be given to the parties to sort out preliminary matters of documents inspections and interlocutory applications, where necessary. I need to add that these 2 to 5 months will not form part of the 180 or 60 days. Experience has shown that in most tribunal, the first three months are usually devoted to these preliminary matters. Worse still, most respondents usu-

Section 285 [6] and [7] recently introduced into the Constitution fixing time within which to dispose of election matters by tribunals and courts does not evince fair hearing. It violates petitioners’ and appellants’ rights to fair hearing

ally ensure that precious time is wasted thereby gradually plotting the death of the petition itself as the remaining period may not just be enough for the proof of the petition as required by the law.

Some tribunals and courts neglect, fail or refuse to fix matters for hearing when they are mature to allow the cases to lapse through efflusion of time and be liable to striking out for no fault of the petitioners or appellants, who are not entitled to an enlargement of time. At times, an appeal is fixed for hearing and determination too close to the expiry date to allow for any meaningful hearing. There was an instance where the panel to hear the governorship appeal arrived overnight, took the appeal the following morning and delivered the judgment the next day.

The judgment thus delivered is unlikely to be properly digested and considered. It is merely to fulfill all righteousness considering the volumes of the record of appeal and the exhibits tendered.

In the circumstances, Section 285 [6] and [7] recently introduced into the Constitution fixing time within which to dispose of election matters by tribunals and courts does not evince fair hearing. It violates petitioners’ and appellants’ rights to fair hearing. There is an aphorism that justice delayed is justice denied. I make bold to say afortiori that justice hurried in an election matter equally tantamount to justice denied. The new Section 285 [6] and [7] introduced into the Constitution requires only two-third majority of all the members of each House.

A right to fair hearing is not only guaranteed but also entrenched in Chapter IV of the Constitution, Section 36 thereof is pertinent. It is my respectful opinion that the provisions of Section 285 [6] and [7] could only be accommodated in the Constitution as an amendment to Section 36 with four-fifth majority of all members of each House and also approval by resolution of the Houses of Assembly of not less than two-third of all the states. The sum total of what is being canvassed here is that a provision of the Constitution made by two – third majority of all members of both Houses under Section 9 [2] of the Constitution cannot override or repeal a provision of Chapter IV, Fundamental Rights which could only be amended by four-fifth majority under Section 9 [3] of the same Constitution.

Learned Senior Counsel Awodein, Falana and Akeredolu representing appellants in several election matters at the Supreme Court, had urged that court in their respective briefs to declare null and void the provisions of Section 285 [6] and [7] Constitution as amended for the observations set out above.

Dahiru Musdapher, CJN, presiding, did not allow them to canvas same saying that if it is improperly made, the National assembly is the proper forum to approach and not the Supreme Court.

In Common Law Countries where an enactment is ultra vires, it is the court that cuts it down. It is therefore, respectfully not the function of the litigants to approach the legislature for correction or otherwise. I do not think that this forms an extension of the doctrine of separation of powers.

It is also the opinion in the Supreme Court to the effect that since Section 285 is contained in the Constitution, it is immaterial that it wrongly erodes citizens’ Fundamental Rights. With respect, my simple reaction to this answer or solution is that provision of chapter II – Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policies are contained in the same Constitution; nevertheless Supreme Court has consistently refused to enforce them.

I hope the present Chief Justice of Nigeria, Aloma Mariam Mukhtar would afford litigants opportunity to vent their grievances and permit the court to settle this vexed issue one way or the other.

26 LAW | INTERVIEW

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Why confab cannot supersede NASS You have been an apostle of a National Conference before now. Are you satisfied with the way it is going now?

I have been an apostle of the National Conference and also in its vanguard. I started as a disciple of an apostle of a National Conference. What do I mean by that? The idea of a National Conference originated from the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) under the leadership of Alao Aka-Bashorun, the President of the NBA between 1987 and 1989. I was one of his boys. I belong to the core Alao AkaBashorun group together with the likes of Afro Yinka Fayokun, Femi Falana, Badru Olaogun, late Fola Akinrinsola and the late Adigun Ogunseitan. We were his think-tank; and during his campaign, one of the policies formulated was that the NBA would champion the convocation of a National Conference.

When I too became the President, I called for the convocation of a National Conference in my first speech at the Supreme Court. In papers I have delivered over the years, not less than seven, I have called for the convocation of a National Conference. Initially, we were using the word ‘Sovereign National Conference’.

But after sometime, we soft-pedaled, saying let there be a National Conference.

I delivered a public lecture recently: “Democracy Sustenance Initiative” on June 12, 2004 at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs. The title was: “Democracy in Nigeria: Imperative of a National Conference.

I did advocate that a National Conference should be convoked. There is also a paper I delivered on July 26, 2012 at the auditorium of the University of Lagos to mark the 50th Anniversary of the Faculty of Law. I advocated for the convocation of a National Conference.

There is also a paper I delivered – Law as an Instrument of Social Engineering.

I delivered it at the 6th Annual Memorial Lecture in honour of the late Justice Morenikeji Onalaja at the Olabisi Onabanjo University on October 21, 2010.

I advocated for the convocation of a National Conference. At the Bar dinner in 1999, I delivered a paper in Osogbo, entitled: “Nigeria: What Manner of Federation?” I called for a National Conference. Also, at the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies at the Akinola Aguda Memorial Lecture just recently, I delivered a lecture where I called for a National Conference. On and on, we have been at the vanguard for the convocation of a National Conference. Doing this and saying this, we were thinking and acting in the best interest of Nigeria.

When Mr. President announced that there would be a National Conference, a lot of Nigerians were skeptical and did not take the President serious. But I said we must dialogue, interface, crossfertilise ideas and must listen to others and hear ourselves out, but I defended Mr. President. But I never knew that the structure of the Conference would be as we now have it; I never envisaged that the template of the Conference would be as presented to us by Mr. President. I never contemplated that the nomination of members of the Conference would be done largely and majorly, 70 percent plus

by Mr. President. I was thinking that the convocation of a National Conference would afford Nigerians at all levels, particularly ethnic nationalities to send representatives. I was advocating for an assembly whereby it would not be the Executive that would nominate people who are going to speak for me. I am not saying the President or the presidency does not have the right to nominate some people, but I never fathomed a situation where Mr. President would nominate over 70 percent of the delegates. Not only that, I never anticipated a situation also, where a good number of individuals that would be nominated as delegates to the Conference would be those who have

HE is a former president of the Nigeria Bar Association(NBA) and immediate past pro-chancellor of the University of Ibadan. Chief Wole Olanipekun, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria in this interview with Joseph Onyekwere, believes that the ongoing national confab may not achieve the desirable result except certain ingredients germane to Nigeria’s unity are moved to the confab’s front burner.

Olanipekun, SAN

participated in previous Conferences, held positions of power in the past; are cycled and recycled. Those that have been there during the Richardson Constitution, the Macpherson Constitution, the 1960 Constitution, up till the Abubakar Constitution still constitute the hub of the delegates. While some of them are still very relevant and can contribute meaningfully to National discourse, with much respect, some of them cannot appreciate and comprehend what exactly should go on at the Conference and what the demands and the imperatives of the Conference are. I pray that they live long, but a good number of them should go and rest.

For example, no man in his right senses would write off a Prof. Ben Nwabueze or Chief Emeka Anyaoku if they are included as delegates or participants in this type of National discourse. They would bring value and respectability to the Conference itself. Again, I have read Mr. President’s address over and over. By and large, he is saying that they should advise him. I am a bit worried about what would be the outcome. I must say that this is not the type of Conference we were advocating for and I thought this was not the kind of thing Mr. President

I am a bit worried about what would be the outcome. I must say that this is not the type of Conference we were advocating for

had in mind when I was applauding him.

At that time, I was saying there should be a referendum. I do not know for sure where the Conference is heading for, or what would be its mission, more particularly so when members of the National Assembly are saying that they are not prepared to have anything to do with the Conference.

Let me give you an example: our neighbours, Chad convoked a National Conference on August 11, 1960 and later on, there was also another one on April 15, 1993. We can borrow a leaf from them; do not let us say that we are the giants of Africa. We are giants only in our own right. We must qualify our being the giants. We are not giants in isolation!

We are not giants for all purposes and situations. On that day, there was a Sovereign National Conference convoked by Chad in their capital city, N’djamena. It comprised political parties – their bodies in the state, associations in the country, traditional authorities, representatives of all rural wards, professional associations like lawyers, doctors, engineers, accountants, etc. They all participated.

As a result of that, they came out with a Constitution and the preamble of the constitution said: “let us assert the consent of the Conference that decided the Constitution…”

Did Chad have a National Assembly in place before constituting the Conference?

Chad didn’t have a National Assembly. But then if a National Conference is properly convoked, it supersedes the authority of the National Assembly. Who elected members of the National Assembly? In the Constitution of Nigeria, the preamble says: “We the people of Nige-

No man in his right senses would write off a Prof. Ben Nwabueze or Chief Emeka Anyaoku if they are included as delegates or participants in this type of National discourse ria, having decided to give ourselves a Constitution…” although we know that it is not true. The Constitution also says that sovereignty belongs to the people, from whom all organs of government derive their authority. They derive their authority from the people. So, whatever authority is exercised by the National Assembly is held in trust for the people of Nigeria. Chad for example, says in its Constitution: “Let us assert by the present Constitution our will to live together in the respect for the ethnic, religious and cultural varieties of a State of right and closed nation based on the public liberties and the fundamental rights of man; the dignity of the human person.”

But the underlining words are – we are asserting for ourselves a Constitution based on our will and resolve to live together.

They went further in the preamble: “let us proclaim solemnly our rights and duties to resist any individual or group of individuals; anybody of states, which would try to take power by force or who exercises it in violation of the present Constitution”.

What of America? Look at the thirteen States that came together on September 17, 1787. They had a Conference and it was a Conference of the states of Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhodes Island, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. When you look at the preamble to the Constitution of India, it says: “We the people of India, having solemnly resolved to constitute India”.

INTERVIEW | LAW

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, May 8, 2014

- Olanipekun

27

What exactly are the goals of the present arrangement?

They were constituting India into a sovereign socialist secular democratic republic. It was the people! It is unfortunate that in Nigeria, we fear people who are honest. Go to the Constitution of Ethiopia. Their preamble says: “we the nations, nationalities and people of Ethiopia strongly committed in the full exercise of our rights to self-determination”. In their Constitution, they also appreciated their ethnic varieties and diversities, that is, the Constitution of 1994, long after the fall of Haile Selassie.

Let us go to our nearest neighbours – Cameroon. Under president Ahidjo, a unitary system of government was in place, but when Paul Biya came, in 1996, they had a Constitution which made it a Republic.

There was a Conference and as a result of that, they created a National Assembly. The preamble of the Constitution of Cameroon provides: “United Republic of Cameroon shall with effect from entering into force of this law be known as Republic of Cameroon”.

In Canada, there was a Constitution Act in 1867 which has been amended over and over again and now they have the Constitution Act of 1982. You might not say that they convoked a Conference, but then, in Canada, you have the Anglophone and Francophone parts of Canada. They are living together because they deliberately chose to make a Constitution, not that a Constitution was forced on them. Let us come nearer home to South Africa. Look at their Constitution!

It was negotiated between the blacks and others between May 1994 and October 1996, leading to the country’s first democratically elected government. The preamble of the Constitution of South Africa might interest us.

It says: “We the people of South Africa recognize the injustices of the past…” The foundation, pillar and anchor of any nation is hinged on the making of a sound Constitution and this is the reason why blacks and the non-blacks in South Africa can live together.

So, if we have a truly honest National Conference, we will come out with a Constitution that recognizes the injustices of the past and present. Does this make any meaning to us? “…Honour those who suffer for justice and freedom in our land. Respect those who wanted to build and develop our country and believe that South Africa belongs to all who live in it; united in our diversity!” Not that people are imposing on you.

That Constitution was negotiated! If you go to Germany, they used to have what they called the amended by unification treaty of August 31, 1990 and the federal statutes of September 23, 1990 which is now gazetted. They said: “Conscious of our responsibility before

God and man, animated by the resolve to serve world peace as equal partners in a united Europe, the German people have adopted by virtue of their constituent power”. I don’t want to bore you by taking you through the labyrinth of all the Constitutions of the world.

Constitutions don’t fall from heaven; they are made. They are arrived at consciously, deliberately, honestly; there must be a goal, vision and mission. What exactly are the goals of the present arrangement? I wish them well and I am not writing them off. The President can still revive and strengthen it. It is an opportunity that should not be wasted and frittered. Honestly speaking.

Abacha tried it, but it failed because there was no honesty behind it. Obasanjo’s initiative fell and collapsed because it was rooted in deceit and his ambition to have a third term in office.

Although the call for a National Conference was rampant and becoming almost irresistible, the fact remains that Mr. President announced it as his project. It then means that he should not allow his project to fail.

Under our present situation where we have the National Assembly and the debate is ongoing, how do we make effective use of the outcome of these deliberations?

That is exactly what I am saying. I am a bit confused! The only way I know we can make use of the outcome is one: if the assembly itself had been properly constituted the way I suggested. Not that the president would have nominated sou motu by picking majority of the delegates. Two: if from the word go, we have appreciated that even God himself appreciated and still appreciates the sovereignty of the people; thus if the president had said, ‘after you have concluded your deliberations, we would subject the outcome to a referendum.’

There is nothing unconstitutional about it. In fact, the way they are going about it is unconstitutional. Unconstitutional in the sense that we are writing off the sovereignty of the people by what we intend to do. We are undermining it. We are rebelling against the sovereignty of the people.

But the argument is that the National Assembly represents the people. So, if sovereignty resides with the people and they have vested it on their representatives, that document has to be sent to the National Assembly.

That is possibly why the majority leader of the senate said what he said…

I don’t think so! My interpretation of what he said is that whatever is brought to them, they are not going to look at it.

That is the way I interpret it.

You read the presidential opening address. Does it have any clearcut agenda?

With respect to Mr. Presi-

Olanipekun, SAN

dent, the address does not actually have any clear-cut agenda.

As the President and leader of the nation, he undoubtedly knows our problems, ranging from insecurity to corruption, to wastefulness in government and governance, to the failure of this presidential system of government, to collapse in the Education system, unemployment leading to youth restiveness, lack of patriotism etc.

Nothing stopped the President from suggesting some guidelines on how to checkmate these staring and ominous problems.

Nothing also stopped him from asking the Conferees to suggest other systems of Government or alternatives to running a Presidential system of Government. Nothing also stopped the President from asking the delegates to correct this our unfederal federalism.

Murtala Mohammed gave some suggestions to the Constitutional Drafting Committee in 1976 at inauguration. We have copied the American Presidential system but have failed to copy the Americans the way

Mr. President can still do the proper thing to make this Conference not just a success but also meet the aspirations and yearnings of Nigerians

they practice theirs. Ours is so elaborate! We are experimenting and what we are undergoing now is almost like a second imperialism from within. The Presidential system of government at every level; be it local government, state and federal is so expensive, expansive, magisterial and uncalled for.

I think we must not miss this opportunity. What is wrong with Parliamentary system of government? It is far better, less corrupt-laden, less-expensive, more productive and resultyielding than the presidential system.

On the issue of representation, you mentioned those who have been in various Conferences in the past and are still there. What is the place of experience in this kind of gathering?

When you talk about experience, there is nothing magical about it. I am not saying they are not experienced and I used the word ‘they have been there’.

Remember also that I said some of them can still make meaningful contributions to national discourse while others appear not capable of so doing. You can see them for yourselves. Some are there to make up the numbers and collect their allowances. We can all see some of them who either outrightly sleep or doze off when they are expected to be discussing serious national issues that will shape the present and future of Nigeria and Nigerians. The youths are the ones we say the future belongs to and we are not picking their representatives. I traced the history of National Confer-

ences in Nigeria to the NBA. Let anybody fault me! It is Alao Aka-Bashorun, our President then who started it all. Then you are giving a slot to the NBA when you are discussing law!

Constitution is law! Is that fair, is it equitable? Even if it is equitable, is that sincere?

The argument is that delegates representing other interest groups are lawyers too…

Please don’t let us trivialize the essence of this interview by dwelling on the number given to the NBA. We have made our point. Individual lawyers might be there in their own right, but what of the NBA as an association; what of other associations such as the Nigerian Medical Association, the pressure groups, the labour and trade unions etc?

Why are you not in this Conference? We know Afe Babalola was nominated and he declined. Were you nominated at any time and you declined?

I was never nominated! I did not also ask or lobby for it and I won’t lobby for anything; I won’t – not at this level. So, the question of getting nomination and declining does not arise and I am not regretting!

Are you going to make your contributions from home because I heard they will call for memoranda?

I expect them to call for memoranda and address the call to specific Nigerians who can be of assistance to them.

In any event, this interview is also a contribution and if my views are later sought for in any area, I will readily respond.

28 LAW | FILE

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Obtaining probate in Nigeria: Argument Wali and NBA governance: A legacy foretold for its retention and modification Fred Latimore Oghenesivbe

T

he basis of this legal piece is to critically examine the procedure for the grant of probate in Nigeria and advance argument for its retention and modification. To do this will be to look at the mode of application and legal guidelines. It must be clearly stated from the outset that there can be no grant of probate in the absence of testamentary instrument. It is the law that the Will of the deceased (if one is made) and other authentic documents must be produced in court and filed at the probate registry.

The procedure for the grant of probate is governed by High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules of each state of the federation.

The rules are to be strictly followed and the court is to ensure that there are no inconsistencies before probate or letters of administration are granted to the executors or personal representative. The executor or executors named in the Will of the testator is or are given thirty days of grace within which to apply for probate or letters of administration. After the expiration of the period allowed by law the executor shall be deemed to have violated the provision of the law and accordingly charged for contempt of court. However, there are few things that the executor must do before applying for probate, which can be termed pre-probate duties of the executor.

The first major pre-probate duty is to bury the deceased.

The burial of the deceased is a primary assignment which the executor named in the testamentary instrument must perform by supervising and making funds available for the ceremony from the deceased estate. He is saddled with the responsibility of ensuring that the testator’s burial is performed according to his wish and in some cases, the testator would have specified the amount of money to be spent on his burial, where he should be buried and how the burial ceremonies should be conducted.

Even when a man dies intestate and under customary law, it is expedient that the burial ceremony must first be concluded, that is, the second and final burial ceremonies must be performed before the family can distribute the deceased estate.

And in the case of “Igiogbe” in Benin Kingdom, the eldest surviving son can inherit the “Igiogbe” (the house where the deceased lived and died) as of right after the final burial ceremony as was decided in the case of Lydia Lawal-Osula v.

Saka Lawal Osula.

It is also the duty of the executor to support the family of the deceased. The executor named in the deceased will has the testamentary powers to spend part of the deceased money to take care of the family, particularly the immediate family which includes; the spouse, young children, aged parents, et al, just as the deceased would have done if he were still living. The executor as the Personal Representative (PR) of the testator

Dr. Oghenesivbe

makes funds available for the deceased immediate family up keep, school fees and necessities of the children.

The above functions therefore may precede the process for applying for probate and this should be done within thirty days as provided by Law. The application for probate can be made by one of the executors named in the Will and must be done within thirty days after the death of the testator. Probate can be granted to a maximum of four persons so named as executors either jointly or separately. Where probate is granted to one or some of those named as executors in a will the grant would be as effective as if the grant had been made to all those named as executors.

Also qualified for grant of probate are creditors, next of kin and administrators of the deceased estate. Creditors such as banks and other financial institutions to which the deceased owe as a result of loan facility or mortgage can also apply for probate subject to rules of the court that govern such procedure. It follows that only those named in the testator’s Will have express rights to apply for probate and thus derives their powers and title from the testamentary instrument for the purpose of administration and distribution of the deceased’s estate. In some cases, the Will may not contain the names of executors. If the Will is declared valid by the court, the failure of appointment of executors does not automatically invalidate the will, rather administrators will be appointed by the court to administer the estate in accordance with the terms of the will.

Application for probate requires that the executor will have to put the following facts and documents together prior to applying to court or probate registry for the grant of probate. These are; a sworn affidavit of place of death of the testator, where he was domiciled and identify the deceased person, his profession,

When a man dies intestate and under customary law, it is expedient that the burial ceremony must first be concluded

marital status and names of his children and spouses. The applicant must state that the deceased was resident within the jurisdiction of the Court before his death, list the names of executors as contained in the Will, if any, and also attach a list of the deceased’s real and personal property. It is the duty of the executor to search for the property and all documents relating to banking transactions, deceased’s office and other places where vital information can be obtained concerning personal and real property of the testator.

Declaration of next-of-kin, schedule of testator’s debts and funeral expenses, particular of realty, affidavit of attesting witnesses, bank certificate, death certificate of the testator and obtain application forms from the probate registry. From the above it can be seen that the executor or executors are to first bury the deceased, take inventory of his properties and do all such things that are necessary for the purpose of approaching the court for the grant of probate. The court will certainly examine information supplied by the executor with a view to determine whether or not the executor meets the requirement for the grant of probate.

The next step is the reading of the deceased Will. The executor must as a matter of legal requirement apply to the court for the reading of the Will at the probate registry of the State High Court within the jurisdiction of the testator. The beneficiaries under the Will may assemble at the probate registry for the reading of the will after which he has to submit a written application to the Court to prove the Will and to obtain Probate. The executor is made to pay for and collect probate forms from the Court.

The executor is required to fill out the probate forms and take same to the various institutions holding assets of the deceased and this would include banks with deposits in the testator’s account and companies in which the testator had shares.

These institutions, as a matter of legal requirement, are to endorse the forms and the banks (if any) issue bank certificates.

It is trite that the executor submits all forms to the probate registry together with a list of all assets realized from the testator’s estate and the bank certificates obtained from the banks for assessment and valuation by the Probate Judge at the State High Court within the jurisdiction of the testator.

The court will at this point access and value both real and personal properties of the testator, utilizing the services of licensed estate valuers employed by the court. After evaluation, ten percent of the total value of the estate is required to be paid by bank draft as probate duty.

The Court after receiving the ten percent payment of the value of the testator’s estate, then proceeds to invite the executor and witnesses of the testator’s will to appear in Court for the purpose of proving and signing relevant will documents.

TO B E CO N T I N U E D

CO N TINUED F R O M L A S T WEEK

Emeka Nwadioke

H

owever, as the curtains gradually begin to fall on the Wali Presidency, analysts are divided on the final scorecard. While some have commended Wali for bringing some level of professionalism to NBA governance, others are not amused.

An editorial by one of Nigeria’s foremost newspapers on the first anniversary of the Wali Presidency was scarcely flattering. It said: “Unfortunately, the NBA that we have seen in recent years, especially under the current leadership is a caricature of what the association used to represent.

“The NBA which had hitherto played a critical role in the political development of our country has become a shadow of itself, either because its leadership is getting involved in partisan politics or because it has no clue as to how best to leverage its influence on the national stage. For example, on many occasions when the public expected the NBA to intervene on burning national issues, especially those dealing with law and/or its perversion, the body has either been disappointingly quiet or has taken sides with the authorities.”

Speaking more recently, Dean of Law, University of Lagos, Prof.

Imran Oluwole Smith (SAN) said: “The NBA is not helping matters either.

Expressing a personal opinion here, I do not see a strong NBA anymore; lawyers contest elective positions in the NBA these days for self-aggrandizement and parochial reasons. Before the glaring eyes of the NBA, some lawyers conduct themselves in the most reckless unprofessional manner without consequences.

Little pronouncements come out of the NBA national secretariat these days concerning executive ineptitude or bad governance; and public opinion matters less to the body.

I must, however, commend the NGOs for filling the lacuna and taking over the responsibilities of the NBA over the years. The NBA must look inward and return to its pristine and glorious days, and show more concerns for good governance, sustenance of the rule of law and sanity of the polity.” Pro-Wali members are bound to counter these verdicts.

One area that has remained intractable is the issue of “external influences” in NBA governance, especially in the election of key NBA functionaries.

Watchers of NBA politics are increasingly concerned that forces outside the Bar are taking more than a cursory interest in

I do not see a strong NBA anymore; lawyers contest elective positions in the NBA these days for selfaggrandizement and parochial reasons

Nwadioke

the leadership of the Bar, moreso given the pivotal role the NBA is expected to play in our national life. Accordingly, the clamour to insulate NBA’s electoral process from any semblance of shenanigans continues to resonate and gain more converts by the day.

At any rate, given the legal aphorism that he who comes to equity must come with clean hands, it stands to reason that a pressure group which seeks to be taken seriously as a campaigner for electoral reforms must not have skeletons in its own cupboard.

Simply put, NBA Elections must not only be free, fair and credible but must be seen to be so. This is where the issue of electoral reforms within the NBA becomes germane.

Instructively, the said editorial also harped on the all-important issue of electoral reforms within the NBA when it said: “Ensuring an efficient and accountable process for universal suffrage that enables all lawyers to vote through an insulated and objective biometric system (thereby minimising direct contact between the voters and the voted), for instance, would certainly position the NBA electoral process as a vanguard in the battle to improve elections in our country, to be emulated by all other professional bodies, and indeed, the nation itself. The NBA therefore needs to work towards enhancing its own internal processes, for it to retain the respect of Nigerians.”

This writer had in a joint memorandum to the NBA Constitution Review Committee made suggestions on how to insulate NBA Elections from needless controversies and the spectre of “external influences.”

It was suggested that because most of the controversies that trail NBA Elections are rooted in the independence of the Electoral Committee, the committee must not only be independent, but must be seen to be so.

Members of the committee should therefore be nominated by the NBATrustees and approved by the NBA NEC. Every effort must be made to shield the committee from the influence, authority, direction or control of the National Secretariat or National Officers.

The Electoral Committee must enjoy financial autonomy, and its funding shall constitute a first-line charge on the finances of the association. The committee must not later than 30 (thirty) days to the election publish the list of eligible voters on the NBA website and ensure that branches receive paper copies of the list within the same period.

TO BE CO NTINUED

BUSINESS THURSDAY, MAY 8, 2014

WHAT'S NEWS NNPC snubs Nigerian ship owners Ship owners under the aegis of Nigerian Ship owners’ Association (NISA) are not pleased with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) over the latter’s “shoddy” handling of crude oil lifting.

The International Telecommunications Union, (ITU), has said that by end 2014, about 44 per cent of the world’s households will have Internet access. The body also said that close to one-third (31 per cent) of households in developing countries will be connected to the Internet, compared with 78 per cent in developed countries.

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NIG calls for Internet bandwidth subsidy The Nigeria Internet Group (NIG) has advocated for a subsidised Internet access through the reduction cost of bandwidth in order to further boost connectivity in the country. The President of NIG, Mr. Bayo Banjo, made this call while speaking on the forthcoming 2014 Cyber Security Summit which is slated for July.

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BUSINESS CREW AYODELE AMINU, Deputy Editor (Business) SIMEON OGOEGBULEM, Dep. Business Editor BAYO AKOMOLAFE, Asst. Editor (Maritime) SUNDAY OJEME, Asst. Editor (Insurance) SIAKA MOMOH, Asst. Editor (Industry/Agric) JONAH IBOMA, ICT Editor DAYO ADEYEMI, Property Editor ADEOLA YUSUF, Energy Editor

JETTISONED Members of the National Assembly have abandoned the PIB for re-election bids

Adeola Yusuf

HOUSTON, TEXAS

Jonah Iboma

N

igeria will not be a beneficiary of the landmark agreement struck by major telecom operators for the implementation of interoperable mobile money services across Africa and the Middle East regions. This is because of the country’s current mobile money framework that allows the service to be led by banks instead of telecommunication operators, while mobile network operators are used as simple carriers.

The concept of interoperability in mobile money services

CHUKS ONUANYIN, Energy NNAMDI AMADI, Reporter

AYODELE AMINU, DEPUTY EDITOR, BUSINESS

ayodele.aminu@newtelegraphonline.com ayodeleaminu@yahoo.com

Loss to bill exceeds $125bn bids and the security situation in the country,” he said.

The imminent delay in passage now means that the loss to the bill will exceed $125 billion by 2016 when serious deliberations are likely to be re-opened on the bill.

Federal Government’s loss to

the non-passage of the PIB from February 2009 to February 2014 had already hit $125 billion.

The estimated $125 billion loss was occasioned by the inability of Nigeria, Africa’s biggest crude exporter, to attain her annual crude production capacity of about 3.6 million bar-

rels per day due to investment draught in her multi-billion dollars oil and gas industry since five years ago.

Experts have, after assessing the growth prospects of Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, raised the alarm over the declining investment in exploration and proCONTINUED ON PAGE 30

L-R: Head, Group Human Resources & Admin, Honeywell Group, Juliana Esezobor; Inductee, Samuel Odeyemi Smart, and Team Lead, Human Resources & Admin, Honeywell Group, Olufeyisayo Soewu, at the induction programme of the 9th Class of Honeywell Excellence Programme (HEP) in Lagos.

Nigeria to miss out on international mobile money deal allows more mobile financial services to be delivered to a broader range of people across both regions.

GSM Association (GSMA), the global umbrella body of mobile networks, had announced that nine mobile network operators, including Bharti Airtel, Etisalat Group, Millicom, MTN Group, Ooredoo Group, Orange, STC Group, Vodafone Group and Zain Group, had

committed to working together to accelerate the implementation of interoperable mobile money services across Africa and the Middle East regions.

However, given that the agreement is among telecommunication operators, it will have little or no impact in Nigeria because no telecommunication operator has a licence to operate mobile banking services.

The implication is that companies such as Pagatech, Firstmonie, mKudi and others cannot participate in the agreement, as they are no network operators.

Experts in the telecommunication industry said that the development calls for a possible review. According to Chief CONTINUED ON PAGE 30

Rates Dashboard

DELE ALAO, Brands/Marketing Editor ABDULWAHAB ISA, Finance Editor

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E

xcept a miracle happens, the controversial Petroleum industry Bill (PIB) will not be passed by the out-going National Assembly, New Telegraph authoritatively reports.

The legislators, with less than one year to the expiration of their tenure, are now neckdeep into their re-election bids culminating in more political activities.

Curtain has finally been drawn on the 14-year old bill, a source at the federal legislative chambers told this newspaper, even though it has gone through advanced stages at the National Assembly.

“The PIB has reached an advanced stage at the National Assembly, but the tempo on deliberation on the bill has been doused seriously. Except a miracle happens at this time, it will not see the light of the day until after the 2015 elections.

“The legislators are politicians and what pre-occupy their minds now is the re-election

WOLE SHADARE, Aviation Editor CHRIS UGWU, Capital Market Editor

www.newtelegraphonline.com/business

Hope deems on PIB passage as election takes centre stage

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Global home internet users to hit 44% –ITU

NEW TELEGRAPH

ADE OJO: PART TIME SALESMAN TURNED AUTOMOBILE GIANT CEO

INFLATION RATE March 2014...........................7.08% February 2014........................7.70% January 2014 ........................8.00%

LENDING RATE InterBank Rate . . . . . . . . . 10.50% Prime Lending Rate. . . . . 16.93% Maximum Lending Rate..25.83%

EXCHANGE RATE

(Parellel As at May 2)

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N169.50 Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N284 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N236

EXCHANGE RATE

(Official As at May 2)

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N155.73 Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N262.70 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N215.88 Source: CBN

30 BUSINESS | NEWS TRADE Foreign firms favoured in Nigeria's crude oil lifting contracts

Bayo Akomolafe

S

hip owners under the aegis of Nigerian Ship owners’ Association (NISA) are not pleased with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) over the latter’s “shoddy” handling of crude oil lifting.

They alleged that the corporation had sidelined them by engaging the services of foreign ship owners from India, Pakistan and Greece.

Also, they said that the foreign shipping lines were hiding under Nigerians to register their companies to enable them lift crude, stressing that the corporation was not following the Nigerian Content law.

NISA Chairman, Chief Isaac Jolapamo, said that no Nigerian registered shipping company had been engaged by the oil traders for the carriage of their oil in line with the local content Act.

NNPC snubs Nigerian ship owners Engages Indian, Pakistan liners He urged the Federal Government to make public, names of those granted the right to lift the nation’s crude oil, to demonstrate the transparency and openness claimed by the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke.

He alleged that those granted the rights were violating the condition set to engage their members on oil carriage.

Jolapamo noted that the government had granted the crude oil lifting rights to some Nigerian oil traders.

The chairman said that there was the need for the government to ensure that those granted the rights to lift crude oil work with the Nigerian ship owners to boost the nation’s shipping industry.

This, he said, would create employment for the youths.

He explained that the provisions of the Nigerian oil and gas industry content development Act 2010, particularly the schedule on ship-

Hope deems on PIB passage CONTINUED FROM PAGE 29

duction since 2009, when PIB became controversial. Immediate past President, Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE), George Osahon, said that Nigeria’s target of 40 billion barrels oil reserves would remain ‘a tall dream’ if the foot-dragging on the PIB passage continues. “That we are yet to have the bill has implications on exploration activities in the country and, like I said earlier, it is in the interest of all of us that the bill is passed,” he told newsmen in a recent interview.

At the Chatham House forum on the controversial PIB, experts from the private sector, operators in the oil and gas industry, management and financial consultants also warned that government’s business was facing a turbulence, which may wreck havoc on the economy of the country that depends largely on oil proceeds to service over 85 per cent of its budget. The upstream sector was responsible for the loss of the $125 billion from 2008 to date as it failed to attain her annual crude oil production quota even when resources and investment to achieve it are available.

Apart from the fact that the National Assembly is foot-dragging on the bill, watchers of the industry say that the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) may not want a balkanised Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) now because of the benefits it derives from the corporation.

The support of the corporation in terms of logistics, industry analysts say, is very crucial to the success of the current government in power.

International oil companies (IOCs) operating in Nigeria have said that the delay in the passage of the PIB has completely slowed

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, May 8, 2014

down their N17.2 trillion ($109 billion) proposed investments in the oil industry. The bill, subjected to stakeholders’ debates for about 12 years, is still being discussed at the National Assembly.

Oil majors, under the aegis of the Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS) of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, had said that the planned projects were no longer economical due to the fiscal terms of the bill. Members of the OPTS are Shell, Total, Chevron, ExxonMobil and Agip. “$109 billion in planned investments is not progressing as new projects are no longer economical,” Mark Ward, who is the OPTS chairman, had said.

Ward, who also doubles as the chairman/managing director, ExxonMobil Nigeria, said that the operators had planned to invest $33 billion in the next five years but warned that the fiscal terms of the PIB, if not reviewed, might jeopardise this.

Nigeria’s oil output has followed a volatile course in recent months, with a series of disruptions to vital pipelines and crude oil theft accounting for losses estimated at 100,000b/d in the first quarter of 2013 from its onshore operations alone.

Uncertainty over when the PIB will be passed and the form it will take will continue to push back investment decisions, and some projects could be cancelled until the financial terms have been clarified.

The proposed legislation aimed at overhauling the country’s oil and gas industry, which has been in the works for 15 years, is now in its fifth year of deliberations by lawmakers. Oil companies say higher taxes and an increase in royalties as proposed in the bill, will create one of the world’s harshest fiscal regimes and make exploration “uneconomical.”

ping, should be followed.

Jolapamo said: “We humbly ask the Minister of Pe-

troleum to review the list of successful oil traders and publish the names of Nigeri-

an shipping companies alongside the Nigerian oil traders.

“This is the least requirement if government wants to demonstrate transparency and openness.”

L-R: Fidelity Bank Division Head, Oil & Gas Upstream, Abolore Solebo, Group Managing Director NNPC, Mr. Andrew Yakubu and Chairman/MD Oilserv Ltd Engr. Emeka Okwuosa at the NNPC pavilion in the ongoing 2014 Offshore Technology Conference, Houston, USA. --today

REVENUE LOSS Out door advertising regulators lament loss of revenue

Dele Alao

D

espite criticisms in some quarters, there are indications that the Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA) has begun moves to facilitate the setting up of Outdoor Advertising Regulatory Association of Nigeria (OARAN).

To this end, New Telegraph gathered that a meeting involving other regulatory agencies in some states was held at an undisclosed location in Lagos last Friday.

In attendance besides representative of LASAA, according to sources, were repCONTINUED FROM PAGE 29

Executive Officer of eMaginations, ‘Sola Fanawopo, there is the need to have a second look at the current mobile model operational in the country to ensure that the service gains traction as in other African countries.

Aside Nigeria, only Ghana and Liberia operate a bank-led mobile money service in Africa, in other countries, telecommunication operators run the system.

Telecommunication operators have for long attempted to be at the fore front of the development of mobile money in Nigeria but the argument of the Central bank of Nigeria ( CBN) had always been that the service is a financial transaction and such should be controlled by it.

Fanawopo stated that though Ghana operates a model similar to Nigeria’s, the country’s re-

LASAA moves to form common body amidst outcry resentatives from Oyo, Ogun, Bauchi, Kwara, Edo and Cross River States.

The meeting, it was further learnt, was to discuss common issues affecting the industry, find a common ground for standardisation and capacity building among the regulatory agencies in the states.

A sub-committee, it was further gathered, has been raised to do the needful.

Meanwhile, the initiative

by LASAA has generated some controversies.

The latest move, according to some observers, was to finally nail the coffin for outof-home industry in Nigeria

while throwing several thousands of Nigerians into the labour market.

But, the chief executive of LASAA, George Noah said that the formation of the new body was exigent as “outdoor advertising regulatory bodies are faced with similar challenges, including the decline of out of home advertising spending due to competition from internet, radio and TV. “It is important to have a platform, which allows for ideas sharing, protection of industry interests and a general collaboration for sustainability in the emerging world,” he said.

Nigeria to miss out on international mobile money deal serve bank has increasingly allowed the telecommunications industry to drive the process.

Commenting on the development, Emmanuel Okoegwale, principal associate, Mobilemoney Africa, said that for the African continent as a whole, this is a positive development, which will be felt quickly with cross border remittances, products and services.

“GSMA, as we know, is largely focused on Mobile network operators, so, there might be a challenge with other players outside of this industry. However, the agreement will provide a basis for fresh and new initiatives at country level to drive interoperability. As good as it may

be, some operators may not fancy it since it will disrupt their own existence and positioning.

That is why continental mobile money poster child, MPESA cannot be found in the scheme list, at least for now. This will be replicated at different country level also. Dominant providers may opt-out where they have the advantage of a large market share.”

Okoegwale also said, “Where the mobile network operators operate, it will accelerate adoption, improve access and reach of agency network, merchant point acceptability for mobile money, reduce cost of cross border remittances especially within African Nations.

31

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Fact File

Cocoa at farmgate

Cocoa processing threatened Nigerian plants operate at about 40 per cent, which is much lower than the ideal capacity of 85 per cent.

Most West African processors enjoy high economy of scale, but Nigeria does not, and this lowers the global competitiveness of its cocoa processors.

SIAKA MOMOH reports

T

he bold step taken by some cocoa stakeholders to reverse the unpleasant business structure Nigeria was forced to swallow by the erstwhile colonial overlord is currently being threatened by hordes of challenges in the cocoa processing sub-sector.

The structure thrown on us by this overlord was the CentrePeriphery Structure which tied Nigeria (a peripheral state like other British colonies then) to the apron-string of the overload – the centre. Nigeria was made to produce primary produce – cocoa, for instance, for the centre’s processing plants.

There are 17 cocoa processing plants in Nigeria nine of which are moribund - killed by challenges in the sub-sector. Even the operational plants now face hordes of burdens.

What are these challenges? First, according to Olam source, is the traditional poor infrastructure – inconsistent power supply, and the resultant high cost of fuel used for private power generators. The small size of the Nigerian co-

coa processing plants does not make them enjoy the advantage of economies of scale which come with large volume production, according to the source. Other challenges listed include shortage of domain technical expertise, spare parts, high local interest rate, lack of currency hedging options and very high security costs.

The source also listed global challenges such as limited markets – inability to target US butter market due to pesticides residue issues, high logistics costs that makes the sector uncompetitive against Malaysian and Indonesian factories in Far East markets including differential duty in Europe.

Then there is the larger problem of inconsistent operation of the Export Expansion Guaranty Scheme (EEG) policy.

EEG is a Federal Government export incentive policy. All has

not been well with the scheme since it was established. Stakeholders complain of lack of coordination between authorities. They argue that Negotiable Duty Credit Certificate (NDCC) has shot up from seven per cent to 40 per cent, and that there is no liquidity for NDCC operators who are now faced with capital constraint and high interest costs. The ultimate, according to the Olam source, is low operating capacity with “Nigerian plants operating at about 40 per cent which is much lower than the ideal capacity of 85 per cent and above,” unlike most other West African processors who enjoy high economy of scale, Nigeria does not and this lowers the global competitiveness of Nigerian cocoa processors.

The contentious export incentive scheme has become an albatross for Nigerian cocoa

processors who want it revisited and put in proper shape once and for all. For the Cocoa Processor Association of Nigeria (COPAN), the EEG, as it is now, is not a favour; it is a scheme meant to facilitate business, create jobs and boost government revenue. COPAN raised this issue some months back at a gathering in Lagos.

It was a gathering that had in attendance, CEOs of Nigerian cocoa processing companies.

Akin Olusuyi, Managing Director, Cocoa Products (IleOluji) Limited argued: “The principal incentive for export, as you all know, is EEG. This grant has been a recurring decimal. We have always emphasised that we should revisit this EEG and make it to work as the people who created it wanted it to. Nigerian C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 3 2

How did a British polytechnic graduate become design genius behind £200b Apple?

GENIUS Apple’s design wizard, who endlessly seeks crucial knowledge that can help him make the thinnest computing devices in the world.

R

ob Waugh of Mail Online reports on the rise to near-mythical status of Jonathan Ive, the remarkable man from Chingford.

A few Westerners have ever seen the forging of a Japanese samurai sword. It’s considered

a sacred practice in Japan; one of the few traditional arts that has yet to be bettered by modern science. Japanese smiths work through the night (better to judge the heat of metal by eye) hammering, melting and forging by hand to produce the finest blades in the world.

The steel is folded and refolded thousands of times to create a hard outer layer and a softer inner core resulting in a singular blade: terrifyingly sharp but far less prone to breaking than any sword forged in the West.

Once the blade is complete, it is polished to a mirror finish, an elaborate procedure that itself can take weeks. The

long and laborious process pushes metal to its absolute limit – which is precisely why Jonathan Ive wanted to see it first hand.

Ive endlessly seeks crucial knowledge that can help him make the thinnest computing devices in the world, so it surprised no one at Apple that their obsessive design genius would take a 14-hour flight for a meeting with one of Japan’s leading makers of Katana.

Afterwards Ive, shavenheaded, heavily muscled, in his trademark T-shirt and jeans, watched intently as the man went about his nocturnal CONTINUED ON PAGE 34

Economic growth has been vital for reducing extreme poverty and improving the lives of many poor people. Yet, even if all countries grow at the same rates as over the past 20 years, and if the income distribution remains unchanged, world poverty will only fall by 10 percent by 2030, from 17.7 percent in 2010.

To end extreme poverty, the vast numbers of the poorest – those living on less than $1.25 a daywill have to decrease by 50 million people each year, until 2030.

Dangote Cement Plc has unfolded plans to commission additional nine million metric tonnes of cement by July, 2014 and this will increase the company’s production capacity by 45 per cent.

Odu’a Investment Company Limited has named Mr. Adewale Raji as its new Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer following the voluntary retirement of Mr. Adebayo Jimoh, who had been the conglomerate’s head for the past nine years.

United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) has estimated that the first phase of Nigeria’s Staple Crop Processing Zones (SCPZs), a project of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) located in six states of the federation will gulp $1,063.1 billion.

The six staple crop processing zones which will be established in Kogi, Kano, Rivers, Niger, Enugu and Anambra is estimated to cost $1,063.1 billion and the breakdown is as follows: Niger ($181.4 million); Kano ( $151.1 million); Anambra ($186.6 million); Rivers ($79.6 million); Kogi ($314.7 million); and Enugu ($149.7 million).

The global financial crisis has taught us many lessons. One is the realization that industry is a key component to making economies less vulnerable to rapid changes in economic conditions and more resilient to confronting related shocks - in all countries, including the traditionally industrialized ones.

Our world is more interdependent than ever in history. It is more important than ever that we work together, to eradicate poverty on our planet within the next generation.

By improving business infrastructure, countries enhance the general business climate. This, in turn, strengthens competitiveness and productivity, encourages investment as well as research and development (R&D) and innovation, and the use of information and communications technologies.

An effective business infrastructure requires multi-layered management, ensuring synergy between the various levels of government – national, regional and local – and partnerships between business, government, universities, and civil society. This enables the creation of broad links between knowledge generation and commercialization.

The advantages of industrial and technology parks are manifold; they attract foreign direct investment and innovative businesses, leading to both more jobs and a larger tax base.

32

BUSINESS | INDUSTRY

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Lagos Chamber honours outstanding businesses • Dangote Group beats big names in two awards Siaka Momoh

T

he Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) honoured some outstanding businesses on Thursday last week at its maiden Commerce and Industry Awards, which held at Muson Centre, Lagos.

Dangote Group emerged winner in the Grand Award category - Company of the Year, putting behind it blue chips like FirstBank, PZCussons and Nestle. Nominees in this category were FirstBank, Dangote, PZCussons, Konga. com, and Nestle.

Dangote also won the manufacturing-Conglomerates Award for Most Innovates and Impactful Conglomerates in Nigeria again beating big names like UAC and PZCussons, which were nominees in this category.

In the Media award category for Most Impactful Newspaper on Business and Commerce, BusinessDay came top, beating The Guardian and The Punch, while traditional electronic media award winner, Channels, beat CNBC AFRICA

CONTINUED from PAGE 31

know, government also know that the real sector, especially the sector that produces for export, that the EEG, as is being implemented, cannot fulfil the purpose for which it was created. The grant was introduced to bridge the gap in the profitability of the companies processing for export. The implementation of the grant must be geared towards encouraging these industries.”

Olusuyi argued that the incentive is being given to the wrong people – to exporters of cocoa beans. For him, no agricbased industry can survive if incentives are given to people who export the raw materials.

“We all know that the world economy is not really very supportive of origin processing of any agricultural commodities.

So it behoves the government of Nigeria to keep agric processing plants working by giving incentives that work, not incentives that create more problems.”

Cocoa beans and chocolate

and AIT to clinch the Award for Most Impactful Television Station on Business and Commerce.

There were many other winners in various categories.

They include, among others - Oil Producer Trade Section as Most Supportive Sector in LCCI; Jawa International Limited – Most Supportive Organisation in LCCI; Silver Bird TV – Most Supportive Tradefair Partner; U.A.C. of Nigeria Plc – Oldest Active Member Award, and Henry Stephens & Sons – Lifetime Member Award.

Speaking at the event, the President of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Alhaji Remi Bello, said that despite the challenging investment environment in the country, entrepreneurs are still growing, adding that the event was aimed at promoting core values and celebrating private and public businesses for positive impact on the society.

Said he: “The investment environment may be challenging, but it has brought the best out of entrepreneurs. We are today celebrating enterprises that

have excelled in the economy amidst multitude of challenges in the environment. We are also excited that many of them are indigenous enterprises.

“We recognise that there is no perfect time to make an impact in any system. While government is fixing the power sector, security challenges, infrastructure issues, national bottlenecks, corruption, the private sector must move on.

Our nominees have not only moved on but they have excelled.”

Alhaji Bello said that “the award is expected to promote healthy competition among corporate organisations as well as the public sector and to also promote core values that will ensure sustainable progress of the nation’s economy.”

In his goodwill message, Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, described commerce as the driving force of the economy. Fashola, who was represented by the Lagos State Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Mrs. Olusola Oworu, said that the state would continue to do its best

to provide a conducive and safe environment in which people can conduct business.

The Lagos Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI) is the first (since 1888) and the largest chamber of commerce in Nigeria with membership strength of over 1,700 institutions spread across all sectors/ sub-sectors of the economy. As part of its core mandate of trade promotion and business/policy advocacy, the Chamber recognises deserving corporate organisations and public institutions who contributed most meaningfully to the development of commerce and industry in different sectors of the Nigerian economy on annual basis.

The objective of the Annual Commerce and Industry Award, according to LCCI president, is to recognise, promote and celebrate private and

Dangote

Cocoa processing threatened Olusuyi insisted that by encouraging the export of cocoa beans, local industries are being killed. He recalled that a substantial percentage of market for cocoa products is in Europe. “Europe is deliberately discouraging processing of cocoa from Nigeria. It taxes cocoa products and doesn’t tax the beans because we have not signed the Export Processing Agreement (EPA). If that is the case, we expect that the Nigerian government should allow the EEG work.”

Economic Partnership Agreements Economic Partnership Agreements are a system to create a free trade area between the European Union (EU) and the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP).

They are a response to continuing criticism that the non-

reciprocal and discriminating preferential trade agreements offered by the EU are incompatible with World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules. The EPAs are a key element of the Cotonou Agreement, the latest agreement in the history of ACP-EU Development Cooperation and were supposed to take effect since 2008, but as at March 2012, the negotiations remained uncompleted.

Nigeria’s hard-line stance Nigeria has refused to sign EPA for good reasons. Nigeria’s hard-line stance has been a subject of robust debate over the years.

Chibuzo N. Nwoke, Head, Division of International Economic Relations Research and Studies Department, Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, argued that “the potential cost impacts of the EPA on the

public institutions operating in Nigeria for best business practices, growth through innovations, business sustainability and positive impact on the society.

He said the LCCI Commerce and Industry Award “prides itself as the most credible, competitive and inclusive award in the Nigerian private sector.” Over 1,200 entries across all the sectors were received, according to him.

Nigerian economy will be heaviest in the short-term. The efficiency effects of liberalisation may only begin in the medium to long-term. Theoretically, the only likely short-term benefits to Nigeria would be in terms of increase in its exports to the EU, assuming the EU further opens its markets to imports from Nigeria.

But this is not likely for two reasons: “First, under the MFN clause (Most Favoured Nation clause), 95 per cent of Nigeria’s exports to the EU already attract zero per cent duty and even with the recent downgrading of Nigeria’s status to GSP, only its exports of tuna will attract 20 per cent+ duty in the EU’s market. Second, Nigeria cannot, in the shortterm, resolve its very serious export supply response capacity constraints to be able to take full advantage of all possible new or existing market access opportunities from the EPA. The impact assessment study on the implication of the EPA for Nigeria suggests that it will experience significant erosion in tariff revenue if it implements the degree of import liberalisation that the EPA calls for. It was estimated that the loss would average $ 478.0 million in 2008, and, in the long-run, fall to an average of $341.0 million in 2020.”

And interestingly, only recently, Nigeria took a bold step on Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) by refusing to sign the $8.94 billion (6.5bn Euros) Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the

Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the European Union.

The 15-member ECOWAS concluded technical negotiations for the trade agreement with the EU on March 28, 2014, under which the West African countries would have full access to European markets. The agreement also gave Mauritania, a non-ECOWAS member state, full access to all markets within the EU. In it for ECOWAS is the opening up of 75 percent of its markets to Europe over a 20-year period. The EU provided $8.94 billion package over the next five years to help ECOWAS cushion the effects and costs of integrating into the global economy.

Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investments, Olusegun Aganga, does not see anything attractive in this and so will not commit the country to it. Said he: “The agreement appears harmless because over the first five years, there will be no major impact because they will open all their doors for us to export to Europe. However, the problem here is that, currently, we are not exporting much to Europe and so the benefit will not be significant.”

For Aganga, “with Nigeria’s current condition as an import-dependent economy, it would be counter-productive to completely open doors for imports without first of all developing the industrial sector to compete globally, especially in those sectors where the country had comparative and competitive advantage as provided in the Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan recently launched by President Goodluck Jonathan.

BUSINESS | INDUSTRY 33

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Ade Ojo: Part time sales-man turned automobile giant CEO The good news is that today, Ade Ojo is the Chairman of Toyota Nigeria Limited, owning 74 per cent of the company, whilst his Japanese partners own 26 per cent.

Siaka Momoh

A

de Ojo, CEO Toyota Nigeria Limited, graduated from University of Nigeria, Nsukka, in the early 1960s. He was part of that age when age 16 years was the starting point for secondary school education. The secondary school was popularly called grammar school then.

These days, you hear people of that age telling you with pride that they are products of grammar school and not secondary school.

Ade Ojo was an indigent student at the university but got CFAO scholarship in his third year. In his days at the university, companies of note came to campus to recruit fresh graduates. He deliberately refused to join the bandwagon of students who made themselves available for the recruitment exercise because he was determined to work for CFAO, his benefactor after graduation. He felt that would be a kind way of paying back the good this company had done him.

But he was wrong, because CFAO would not have any of that – for CFAO, the scholarship was one that had no strings attached - it was for free. The company told him it had no job for him, but after much persistence, he was given a six-month contract

job, which was extended to one year thereafter.

At CFAO, his direct boss outsmarted him. How? Ade Ojo sold 20 vehicles to ECN - Electricity Corporation of Nigeria (the PHCN of today) but his boss claimed the sale.

This was enough reason for principled and diligent Ade Ojo to quit his job at CFAO. And he did.

At CFAO, Ade Ojo had acquired the art of insurance selling. So, when he got a job at the Internal Revenue Department of the Federal Ministry of Finance, he found out he had a lot of time to himself.

At 10 a.m. he had concluded all he needed to do for a day.

He therefore had ample time to sell life insurance to a network of business people he had built up in the course of his work.

And he made good money doing this. That was an entrepreneur in the making.

This University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Business Administration graduate, was always on the move. He left the civil service for British Petroleum where he excelled as the number one salesperson for the South West. At BP, he was sent on relief duty to Benin where he was for three months.

There, he distinguished himself. He raised sales target achievable by 25 per cent. He did so well that the company wanted him to stay back in Benin, an offer he turned down.

Then something that would change his life for the better happened. The salesperson he stood in for in Benin was transferred to Lagos to assume duty as his direct boss.

Ade Ojo would not want any of that. He refused to cooperate with him. His thinking was that if his employers knew he (Ade Ojo) was a better material, why should one whom

he Second Global Trade Compliance Summit tarTgeted at addressing global

trade compliance is billed to hold at Sheraton Hotels and Towers, Lagos on May 21 and 22, 2014.

The summit organised by Multimix Academy and African Centre for Supply Chain, is meant to assist organisations pursue a coordinated broad range of governance, risk and compliance initiatives across the organisation that will bring down the cost of governance, risk and compliance process through control, definition, enforcement, and monitoring, Obiora Madu, CEO Multimix Academy told New Telegraph in Lagos.

Obiora Madu argued three major drivers are compelling companies to pay attention to their compliance programme

and that these include globalisation, complexity and growing risks.

He said that the good news is that managing the overall supply chain and enterprise trade compliance have a lot in common. “Both share six critical areas that will be x-rayed at the summit and these include collaboration, optimisation and reactivity, connectivity, execution and flexibility, speed visibility and measurement,” he said.

The summit, according to him, is meant for the Ministry of Trade and Investment and their agencies, officials of trade regulatory agencies, SON, NAFDAC, Customs, NDLEA, FPIS, Quarantine, Central Bank of Nigeria, import and import related stakeholders and bankers.

To come up at the summit are key note addresses which include ‘Promoting Trade Facilitation through compli-

Strokes

Siaka Momoh

siakamomoh@yahoo.com 08061396410

Charm of cooperative entrepreneurship

T

Ade Ojo

he was superior to in terms of performance be made his boss? Memos from his direct boss in question were sent back to him with “no comment” as his comment.

He dumped the job and approached R.T Briscoe, not for a job, but for something more challenging. He asked to sell cars for the company on commission basis. R.T. Briscoe saw this as something bizarre and couldn't believe he meant it.

The company obliged and in two weeks he had sold 40 cars, netting in earnings, for himself that was more than his annual salary in BP. He proved the astute salesperson in him.

And that was the beginning of his journey to riches. Remember he sold 20 vehicles in CFAO, his first place of work but was denied the credit and money.

A combination of principle, diligence and tenacity, and godliness, exemplified in this Ilara-Mokin chief of Ondo State, brought him to the enviable level he is today.

Global trade compliance summit holds in Lagos Siaka Momoh

Enterprise with

ance’, Building Compliance culture for Nigeria – the need for new legislation’, Establishing an ethical stance (Foods and Pharmaceuticals), and ‘The Role of Compliance in granting loan facilities to importers and exporters.’

Obiora noted that non-compliance is reigning because there is no incentive for compliance. “But this will not continue because of current new thinking. A legislation to put things right is coming. Sanction for non-compliance will help. The earlier people start learning and complying, the better. Government agencies know the benefit of complying and now want to be involved,” he said.

Obiora Madu argued Nigeria has credibility issue and that the percentage of this would drop once compliance issue is solved and government would earn more revenue.

he ant, a great animal, makes a good point of reference here. There are more than 5,000 species of ants found globally. The Bible portrays the tiny ant as a symbol for wisdom and hard work because of its ability to survive even the harshest conditions. The holy book mentions the ant twice, both times in the book of Proverbs. "Go to the ant, you lazybones; consider its ways, and be wise" (Proverbs 6:6) this can be extended to verse 15. And later the ant is praised for its wisdom in Proverbs 30: 24-35.

The principle of cooperative entrepreneurship is typified by the ant and its sociology. So if you are one of the unfortunate ones that have been thrown into the unemployment market, you need not go to sleep, you need not fold your arms.

For you, like it is for the ant, it should be a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the arms to rest.

Like the ants, if you cannot go solo, if you cannot do it alone, cooperative entrepreneurship is it. You can identify some people and team up with them.

Ants live together in large colonies organised under one powerful female ant, known as the queen. Ants usually nest in soil or wood, and a single ant colony may contain as many as 20 million individual ants.

Most of these ants are female; only a few male ants are produced to mate with the queen.

One of the most unusual things about ants is their ability to communicate. Signaling each other with distinctive hormones, ants work together to build and move their nests, care for the young, and find food. Ants sometimes battle other ant colonies, and they even capture other ants and enslave them. One specie of ant grows its own food in underground fungus gardens.

Note the emphasis above about how ants do it - ants work together to build and move their nests, care for the young, and find food; Ants sometimes battle other ant colonies, and they even capture other ants and enslave them. The ant is wise. For the ant, it is team work; life is a life of struggle, struggle for survival.

The ants mentioned in the Bible are said to gather their food in summer, suggesting that they are harvester ants.

One of several kinds of ant found in the Holy Land, harvester ants; gather seeds in early summer before the heat of the season. Sometimes, harvester ants devastate farmland and grazing areas by stripping them of vegetation. You can thus do cooperative farming.

Success stories of cooperative businesses abound.

One can recall a project

Bank of Industry (BoI) initiated some years back. It involved a team of American resource persons, and consultants. The project was executed in Gombe, Bauchi and Ondo states. Yours sincerely was a participant observer. They called it ‘Small Business Camp Seminar.’ The hall at the Living Spring Hotel, Oshogbo, was capacity full.

The training workshop had as resource persons Andrew Morisson, founder/CEO, Small Business Camp of New York, Abdul Quader Shaikh, Senior International Economist, US Department of Commerce and Raman Williamson, a USbased business coach.

Opening ceremony done with, the house broke into teams of an average of 10 SMEs each. Participants at the Oshogbo workshop bubbled with electrifying enthusiasm. It was a welcome idea to have had a workshop that had come to deal with the problematic Nigerian entrepreneur’s traditional passion for sole proprietorship – the going-it-alone-in-business syndrome. One only hopes it works out. It should if our SMEs must tap into the advantages that go with this fine team arrangement.

Andrew Morisson for instance told participants: “You are only as good as your team.

Why spend years learning things on your own when you can access the collective wisdom of others? Learn the dos and don’ts of attracting and retaining a high performance team.” In fact, this team building advantage is one of the five simple steps for business success which Morisson revealed to the Oshogbo boot camp participants. Others include taking inventory, listening for opportunity, developing a major milestone in 90 days.

Ufo Eric-Atuanya, managing partner RIMSON Associates, consultant to BoI, said the present managing director of Bank of Industry, having come from the private sector, “believes Government has to create the enabling environment for SMEs while at the same time work with the large scale businesses.”

Eric-Atuanya said the team idea was to give the participants the opportunity to effect change in their lives in the next three months.

The teams were made to adopt businesses they would want to run. Teams opted for businesses such as piggery and fishery, palm kernel processing, cassava flower processing, hotel management and tourism, fruit juice processing, wood processing, bread baking, etc. A team, Team 10, opted for a mixed grill – mining and school management. Wrong.

This meant lack of focus, the group was told promptly.

34 BUSINESS | INDUSTRY Chinyemike Torti

F

or quite some time, lumpwood charcoal has carved a niche as very big business world wide, on account of the fact that demand for the product has virtually exceeded supply because it is a vital raw material of several industries like the smelting, steel furnaces, catering, public water purification systems and chemical industries The swing producers in Nigeria use the traditional pit method of burning waste wood sourced from all kinds of places ranging from logging companies furniture makers, trimmers, building contractors and forests. In the pit method, you dig or excavate a pit in the earth whose length should be 6 metre and width 2.70 metre and a lighting point of 1.20 metre.

The beauty of this method is that you can convert your back yard (subject to environmental considerations) to a charcoal making factory. Capital investment is minimal, nothing more than a shovel; an axe and a box of matches is required. To acquire mastery in this production type, a visit to the charcoal belt which straddles Oyo-IseyinIgbeti, Eruwa, in the southwest and Kogi would suffice.

Other production methods are the brick kilns and the metal cylindrical transportable kiln you could move from one location to the other. Hardwoods like Iroko, shea tree, oak “emii” “idi” “ayin” “asapa” produce excellent grade charcoal much sought after by overseas buyers. Talking about the overseas buyers, one should quickly mention that they dictate the quality parameters and, to some extent, prices. If you are not ready to conform to quality standards, you are well advised to invest elsewhere as the market out

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Producing charcoal for export

Charcoal

there is fastidious, ruthless and competitive. However, if you can get your acts together as many serious Nigerian exporters are doing, you will laugh your way to the bank.

Charcoal for exports are usually shiny black, well carbonized, dried, cleaned and contain no unburnt pieces, stones or which have been sorted out; and graded in three categories namely industrial (20mm–60mm) barbecue (20mm-80mm) and restaurant (20mm-140mm) The essence of producing charcoal yourself is to drastically cut down on procurement costs.

The charcoal cartel or middlemen/processors at Oyo, Iseyin, Eruwa, Ago Are, Shaki, Ijio, Ijiko axis now sell a 32kg bag of charcoal for N600. If

you produce yourself your total cost for the same size of bag falls within the range of N300N400 per bag. The advantage of dealing with the processor/ middlemen is their capacity to deliver very large orders within a limited space of time. Having been in the business for a very long time, they produce in line with the international standards and classifications for exports, having acquired the hands-on experience for choosing the requisite trees and wood for burning.

Quite a lot of them are good business people; but a few of their members are so unscrupulous and operate on the fringe of criminality.

You have to keep a hawk’s eye when dealing with them.

The physico-chemical parameters of export grade char-

coal fall within these limits: Carbon content: (75-80) per cent Moisture content: (10 per cent maximum) Ash content: (3-4) per cent Volatile matter (15 per cent maximum) Nobody expects you to hop into the laboratory to verify each consignment bag-by-bag.

Advisedly, you could do only a random sample. In other climes where you have genuine pre-shipment inspectors, it is their job to ascertain the quality of all export shipments and thereby issue a clean report of findings. The way around this problem is to ensure the charcoal is well carbonised, and dried as stipulated above.

The fob & c&f prices of charcoal swing within a continuum depending on the buy-

er, charcoal type, bulk delivery or packaging; and mode of payment. Last season, a German importer of barbecue charcoal paid 170 Euro per ton fob Apapa on CAD terms.

Same season, a Polish buyer bought restaurant charcoal for 195 Euro C & F Hamburg.

This 2011/2012 season has opened up with offers hovering 170-175 euros/ton fob Apapa for barbecue bulk. Using this as a working figure a profitability analysis of charcoal looks thus: Profitability analysis estimates for the export of 1 x 40ft container of charcoal on fob Apapa basis as at november 2011 Cost Wood charcoal 23 tons in a container x 11,200 N400,000.00 Transportation (Trailer: Lagos-Oyo-Lagos) N130,000.00 Oyo State Internal revenue fee N 3500.00 Forwarding expense N60,000.00 TOTAL N 593,500.00 Revenue (selling price) 170euros/mt FOB Apapa 170euros x 23 tons = (3190 Euros)…………… N868,020.00 Less (costs) …... N593,500.00 Profit N274,520.00

Assumptions 1 x 40 foot container contain 23 tons of packaged charcoal Outside stuffing of container at Oyo Wood charcoal (720 bags x 32kg) per container Turnaround period: 21 days.

Exchange rate: 225 Euros = 1 Naira Chinyemike Torti contact email: exportgazette@gmail. com

British polytechnic graduate is design genius behind £200b Apple CONTINUED from PAGE 31

labour.

This month, Apple, the fabulously successful technology company – indeed, now the world’s biggest, having surpassed Microsoft – launched its latest piece of technology, the iPad 2. The machine was the result of this sort of research, and Ive’s preferred process of making the same product over and over again; in this case, carving metal and silicon until the product was one-third thinner and 0.2lb lighter than its predecessor.

Ive could be defined by his devotion to detail. When Apple boss, Steve Jobs, asked him in the late Nineties to create colourful, cheap cathode-raytube computers – what would become the first iMac – Ive spent hours in a sweet factory to get inspiration for the colours that would tell the world this wasn’t just a machine for work: it was for fun, too.

And so it has been for nearly 14 years – the time Ive has been Apple’s star designer, a fact little known and less

publicised in his native Britain due to the obsessive culture of secrecy at Apple. (His laboratory remains sealed off even from the rest of Apple’s leafy corporate ‘campus’ in San Francisco.) The impact of the 44-year-old, Essex-born, Staffordshire-raised graduate of Newcastle Polytechnic has been incalculable.

He is worth hundreds of millions of pounds to the company, which is itself currently valued at a staggering £200 billion. The last decade has belonged to him: his designs for the Californian company have revolutionised everything from music and television to mobile phones and hand-held computers.

By designing that first iMac in 1998 and its ever more sleek successors, then the iPod, iPhone and iPad, Ive has helped turn Apple Inc from an also-ran popular chiefly with designers into the second biggest company in the world, with a higher turnover than Google or Microsoft. He will receive £15 million in Apple shares alone next year.

It is hard to know what is the greater intrigue: recent conjecture that he is preparing to walk away from Apple to relocate to his beautiful Grade II-listed mansion in Somerset so his children can be educated in the UK (false – he is not, and the property is now standing empty); that he will step out of the shadows and assume Steve Jobs’ role when the great man stands down (highly doubtful); or what – or perhaps more accurately who – propelled him to leave for the US in the first place and deny Britain the talents of one of the most influential designers of the modern age.

'I often joke that my tombstone will say, “The Guy Who Hired Jonathan Ive,” says Robert Brunner, Apple’s former chief of industrial design.

"He was a consummate designer on all levels, especially around form, detail, materials and refinement and how that extends into manufacturing."

That man today leaves wife Heather and twin sons at their hilltop home in San Francisco and takes the short drive to Ap-

Jonathan Ive

ple in his Bentley Brooklands.

His demeanour is serene.

"He looks like a big skinhead thug but he’s the nicest, politest guy you ever met and very softly spoken," says Leander Kahney, editor of the Cult Of Mac website.

Once inside his lab, Ive and his hand-picked team of a dozen designers set to work (to music chosen by one of Ive’s celebrity friends, house DJ Jon Digweed) with some of

their most important pieces of technology: the very latest in rapid prototyping machines, which build 3D models of the company’s iconic products.

Ive is renowned for having an ‘alchemical’ sense for engineering, and the limits of what one can do with metal. As design expert, Stephen Bayley, puts it: "He thinks and thinks about what a product should be and then worries it into existence."

BUSINESS 35

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, May 8, 2014

The telecommunications industry has been a major source of global economic growth for sometime now. However, in some regions, while growth is beginning to slow down, Africa has proven to be different, as many telecom operators are making impressive financial gains. JONAH IBOMA examines the reasons for the development and how this could lead to further investment in the continent.

R

ecently, major telecommunication operators including MTN, Orange, Etisalat and BhartiAirtel announced their quarterly performance records in which they all recorded growth in terms of income.

One common element of the report is the fact that, while majority of these firms had fair financial performance in Europe and pats of the Middle East, Africa proved to be a very profitable business destination for them.

According to French telecoms firm, Orange, its Africa operations in Mali, Guinea and Ivory Coast, have led the way in boosting the group’s revenue results for the first quarter ending 31 March 2014.

According to details released by the firm, revenues in Africa and the Middle East rose steadily, with a 6 per cent revenue increase driven by the three African nations.

In its home market France, however, the telecom firm experienced revenue decline of 4.9 percent for reasons analysts said were due to the French market settling down following the entrance of more competitors there.

Elsewhere in Europe, Orange’s revenues also declined by 8.4percent, caused by what was said to be price reductions in Belgium and Slovakia.

In Africa and the Middle East, the mobile customer base of Orange grew by 11.4 per cent year-on-year with 91.3 million customers at the end of the first quarter. And Orange Money had 9.9 million customers at 31 March 2014.

In the same vein, MTN, in its quarterly report, said it recorded an overall 1.1per cent increase in customer numbers to 210.1million. Although, in South Africa, customer numbers declined by 824,768 to 24.9million due to MTN’s decision to disconnect the 973,064 subscribers who had not generated revenue for 90 days, growth in subscriber base elsewhere in the continent, especially Nigeria, ensured that the firm performed well.

MTN Group’s full year 2013 results, which covered the 22 countries where the company operates, showed growth that 8.1 percent to N2 trillion compared with N1.85 trillion in 2012.

Commenting on the development, Old Mutual Investment Group Fund Manager of African Equities, Cavan Osborne, said African mobile network operators continued to offer growth and dividend yield investment opportunities, despite a few challenges that have been experienced within the market.

Professional services firm, Deloitte said, also mobile subscriber growth in Africa remained the fastest in the world, positively affecting telecoms markets, as well as African economies at large.

Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman, Bharti Airtel

The reasons for this are actually recently explained by the International Telecommunications Union, which said that Africa still had a lot people still unconnected compared to other parts of the world. ITU said that while, some countries had reached mobile penetration rates of over 100 per cent, Africa’s rates was still at 69 per cent.

According to ITU, recent data showed that mobile telephony growth rates have reached their lowest-ever level (2.6 per cent globally), indicating that the market is approaching saturation levels. Africa and Asia and the Pacific, where penetration will reach 69 per cent and 89 per cent respectively by end of 2014, are the regions with the strongest mobile telephony growth (and the lowest penetration rates).

Despite the current performance by telecommunication firms, Sibonginkosi Nyanga an analyst at research firm, Imara SP Reid, expects an overall improvement in the second quarter, although he predicts weaker average revenue per user likely due to more aggressive promotions from competition.

However, this is expected to create revenue traction as the promotions will lift the average minutes of use.

"Although recent weakness in

Growth will come from voice calls, which is low on a per customer basis, as well as from data, which is extremely low

Sifiso Dabengwa, CEO, MTN Group

South Africa is a concern, Nigerian and other operating companies prospects should prove supportive to our recommendation," Nyanga said in a report.

Osborne said that while strong competition was creating a challenging operating environment for companies such as MTN in the South African market, "easing competition and growth opportunities in African mobile telecommunications is good news for investors".

He said that African mobile telecommunication companies such as MTN Group, Econet and Safaricom were offering a mix of growth and attractive dividend yields. This, he said, compared to developed world operators, will make operations in the continent more attractive for investors.

"Growth will come from voice calls, which is low on a per customer basis, as well as from data, which is extremely low," said Osborne.

Although in Africa MTN did very well, the firm could have grown even more but for the ban on the sale of SIM cards in Nigeria, which has since been lifted and which the firm says has resulted in massive subscriber addition to its network.

But one clear thin that has emerged for the expected growth is the immense opportunities in mobile data ahead. Companies such as Etisalat, MTN and Airtel are all investing heavily in network upgrade as well as getting new licences to offers services that they had not been offering.

This is why MTN invested a total of $1.5 billion (N208 billion) since 2012 to significantly enhance its network capacity and provide improved quality of service, as well as make its base stations more environmentally friendly.

TECHTalk

W it h

Africa mobile market as fresh investment opportunity

Jonah Iboma 08050498516

Telecommunications and regional Integration

O

ne the important dreams that African governments have been pursuing for many years is that of regional integration. It is clear to all who have been observing developments in the continent that Africa’snational borders have been artificial creation of colonial Europe designed to help actualize its goal of plundering the continent’s rich natural resources.

However, long after colonialism ended, Africa has not been the same again, with individual countries struggling for economic survival and the citizens unable to really achieve economic strength compared to other continent’s.

This has led to a situation whereby countries in the continent to set out an agenda of economic transformation of their nations.

In pursuit of the actualization of these dreams, various leaders have come together under a regional arrangement to seek ways of integration, as it has often been said that regionalism will lead the continent to greater economic achievement and hence better lives for the peoples in Africa. This is why regional economic blocks such as Economic Community of West African States, (ECOWAS) and the East African Community were formed. Various projects have been embarked upon by the countries that constitute these regional blocks towards achieving meaningful integration. However, sometimes, the projects fail to deliver on their promises. The single currency project that ECOWAS has been planning for some time now is one example.

It has therefore come as a healthy development that East African economic block has taken an important step towards achieving true regionalization and erasing the artificial borders in the continent by abolishing roaming charges for mobile phone users in the region.

The implication of the development is that a person in Kigali, Rwanda will be able to communicate to his/her friends or relatives in Nairobi, Kenya or Kampala, Uganda at the same cost as making domestic calls.

Although, the project is limited to the three countries mentioned above,Burundi which was initially not part of the Northern Corridor initiatives has requested to join. This leaves Tanzania as the only nation where free roaming will not be available as of now in east Africa This is indeed what can be described as true integration. If the roaming charges are scrapped, some observers see it as yet another great achievement after the introduction of common travel document within the region.

This is clearly a lesson for ECOWAS which has fruitlessly pursued regional integration for about 30 years now.

With the move by East African countries, there will now be easy movement for citizens of Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda and economic activities will receive a boost.

Although in West Africa there is the benefit of carrying a single phone line across all the countries in the sub-region, roaming charges make their uses limited. Unified telecommunications tariff could prove a huge step, forward in the quest toward a true economic development in Africa.

Europe itself has been working regional economic integration for decades and this informed the reason Union is currently considering how to eliminate roaming charges as well.

36

BUSINESS | ICT

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Global home internet users to hit 44% –ITU CONNECTIVITY Mobile Internet connections ahead of home users.

Jonah Iboma

T

he International Telecommunications Union, (ITU), has said that by end 2014, about 44 per cent of the world’s households will have Internet access. The body also said that close to one-third (31 per cent) of households in developing countries will be connected to the Internet,

compared with 78 per cent in developed countries.

The analysis of the figures released by ITU shows that household Internet access is approaching saturation levels in developed countries.

In Africa, only about one out of ten households will be connected to the Internet by the end of 2014, just as more than one out of two households in the CIS will be connected to the Internet.

However, household Internet access in Africa continues to grow at double-digit rates.

The figures are expected to shape the way economies of many countries are rated as ITU statistics are widely rec-

ognised as the world’s most reliable and impartial global data on the state of the global ICT industry. They are used extensively by leading intergovernmental agencies, financial institutions and private sector analysts worldwide.

Generally, in Africa, almost 20 per cent of the population will be online by end 2014, up from 10 per cent in 2010. Much of Africa’s internet access is being fueled by Nigeria which currently accounts for about 29 per cent of the continent’s connections, according to a recent report by Nigeria’s Ministry of Communications Technology.

In the Americas, close to

two out of three people will be using the Internet by end 2014, the second highest penetration rate after Europe. Europe’s Internet penetration will reach 75 per cent (or three out of four people) by end 2014, the highest worldwide. One-third of the population in Asia and the Pacific will be online by end 2014 and around 45 per cent of the world’s Internet users will be from the Asia-Pacific region.

Brahima Sanou, the Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau, said there was a need to pay attention to the way people use the internet.

“If we want to understand

the information society, we have to measure it. Without measurement we cannot track progress or identify gaps which require our attention,” she said.

As part of the report, ITU said fixed-telephone penetration has been declining for the past five years and that by end 2014, there will be about 100 million fewer fixed-telephone subscriptions than in 2009.

It said that Africa and Asia and the Pacific, where penetration will reach 69 per cent and 89 per cent, respectively by end 2014, are the regions with the strongest mobile-cellular growth (and the lowest penetration rates).

Megacare introduces Nigeria’s first online pharmacy igeria now has her first onNmart line pharmacy and health courtesy Megacare Lim-

ited, a Lagos-based pharmaceutical firm.

Group Managing Director, Megacare Limited, Olayinka Oredola, said that the portal had been designed to allow Nigerians have access to means of living healthier lives by creating opportunity to easily purchase health products.

“As part of our corporate social responsibility (CSR), we desire to redefine the healthcare service in Nigeria and to empower the sector to become fully compatible with her counterparts in the developed countries knowing how easy access to health-related information and products could save many lives.

Our focus is to create a healthier life. Our vision is to be in every home saving lives,” Oredola said.

She revealed that the online healthcare mart had over 15,000 products, including health, medical devices, body care, mother and child, health food, perfumery, toiletries, house hold, sport nutrition and fitness, eye care, oral and dental care and veterinary.

Oredola said that the website

is a one-stop online healthcare mart that gives prompt access to healthcare and lifestyle products, saying Nigerians could have access to relevant products and services without physical presence anytime, anywhere just at the touch of the computer button.

She explained that there is a flexibility and provision for different payment systems with options to pay online, in-store, on product delivery or pay into the bank. Our delivery timelines span from express delivery option to 48 hours delivery within Lagos and 3-5 working days outside Lagos. Our focus is to create a “healthier life.” Our vision is to be in every home saving lives, she said.

General Manager, Megacare Limited, Dr. Nkem Chimezie said, the firm has revolutionised the retail pharmacy practice in Nigeria, adding, “with our new innovation we can now be in all homes and offices, everywhere in Nigeria at the click of a button, and with our layout of professionals, we are strongly committed to customer delight and contentment, positioned to deliver superior value by way of products and services.”

L-R: Director, Business Segment, Etisalat Nigeria, Lucas Dada; Guest speaker, Rob Mollien; Deputy Director, Enterprise Development Centre (EDC), Pan-Atlantic University, Nneka Okekearu and Head, Business Segment, Etisalat Nigeria, Bidemi Ladipo, at the Etisalat Market Access Lite, in partnership with EDC, held in Lagos

Nokia launches $100m smart car fund

N

okia has launched a $100m fund which will invest in firms specialising in connected and smart vehicles.

Investment in connected and smart cars is seen as a key new growth area and Nokia has established its presence in the sector with its mapping service.

The move comes just days after Nokia completed the sale of its handset unit to Micro-

East Africa sees double digit decline in PC shipment hipments of personal comSfered puters to East Africa sufa huge year-on-year

decline of 31.6 per cent in the first quarter of 2014, according to a preliminary report released by International Data Corporation (IDC).

The report which covers Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Ethiopia, said total shipments of PCs in the region were about 141,831 units for the period under review.

"Huge volumes of low-cost mini notebooks were shipped to East Africa during the corresponding period of 2013, and these devices are no longer in production," said James Mutua, a research analyst at IDC East Africa.

"We expected the remaining

vendors to take advantage of this gap by developing products specifically targeted at this market, but this has so far not materialized. The disappearance of mini notebooks from the market combined with the impact of VAT, inventory issues, shifts in vendor strategies, and channel realignment initiatives to negatively impact the buoyancy of East Africa's PC shipments in first quarter of 2014."

PC shipments to Ethiopia and Uganda were affected by some vendors opting to change their strategies due to poor sales executions. Uganda also experienced a lack of stock, as some partners complained that their orders were being delayed in Dubai while

on transit to Uganda, either through the country's main Entebbe International Airport or sometimes via the Kenyan sea port of Mombasa.

In Tanzania, the market's vendors need to urgently realign their focus on consumer segment products in order to take advantage of the gap left by Samsung. This did not happen in time for first quarter of 2014, with most vendors simply shipping in enough stock to fulfill their normal run-rate business.

However, IDC said that it was optimistic about future PC growth in Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Uganda as the respective business environments are continually improving and expanding, while consumer spending is also on the rise.

soft. The Finnish firm has said that mapping services is one of the three key businesses that it plans to focus on.

Nokia said the fund, which will be managed by Nokia Growth Partners (NGP), will support the growth of the sector.

Firms have been looking to connect vehicles - not only to the internet, but also to each other.

The idea is that connected and "smart" vehicles would not only change the way drivers use their cars, but also make them safer by sensing nearby vehicles.

A key part of that connectivity is the ability of vehicles to access their location, and that of other objects around them.

There is a general belief that as an increasing number of vehicles become inter-connected, this could provide a growth opportunity for firms specialising in the sector.

"For the last few years there has been a surge in innovation that has brought technological advances leading to safer, cleaner, increasingly connected, intelligent and more affordable vehicles," Paul Asel, partner at NGP, said in a statement.

"Vehicles are becoming

a new platform for technology adoption very similar to phones or tablet."

Other firms have also been keen to tap into the sector, including Google, Apple and Intel.

Earlier this year, Google announced that it was teaming up with several car manufacturers - including Audi, Honda and Hyundai - to integrate its Android operating system into their dashboards.

That would allow the apps and music on Android smartphones and tablets to work better with onboard car systems.

Google has also added a traffic layer to Google Maps, sourced from other Android users, to inform users about traffic jams and other road issues.

Apple has also unveiled its CarPlay iPhone system which allows iPhones to plug into cars.

The firm said that would allow drivers to call up maps, make calls and request music with voice commands or a touch on a vehicle's dashboard screen.

Chipmaker Intel has also previously announced a $100m fund dedicated to investing in technology aimed at accelerating the development of internet-connected cars.

BUSINESS | ICT

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, May 8, 2014

NIG calls for Internet bandwidth subsidy PRICE SLASH Online connections can be improved if cost of service are reduced.

Jonah Iboma

T

he Nigeria Internet Group (NIG) has advocated for a subsidised Internet access through the reduction cost of bandwidth in order to further boost connectivity in the country.

The President of NIG, Mr. Bayo Banjo, made this call while speaking on the forthcoming 2014 Cyber Security Summit which is slated for July.

According to him, Internet holds the key to addressing the current high unemployment rate in Nigeria, adding that Nigeria’s government should urgently subsidise bandwidth cost for at least five years to spur internet access and adoption among Nigerians.

Banjo said that if govern-

ment subsidises bandwidth, more low income earners will come online and this will benefit the country more.

"Our problem now with the internet is cost, speed, reliability and availability of devices," he said, stressing that if “all is well as pointed by those in government, what is stopping the explosion of internet access?"

He lamented the current practice where mobile operators were paying lip service to internet connection, stating that many of them were using old technologies to provide access and high bandwidth costs.

Banjo said that in Nigeria, only small operators currently deploy access with new technologies which are usually per usage.

"If government is to bring down the cost of deploying the internet, probably the cost will come down coupled with the awareness. It's something government has to attend to.

Government should focus on influencing policy instead of going into this business them-

selves," he said.

It will be recalled that Banjo also recently called on the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to stop the licensing of spectrum to internet service providers (ISPs) in the country, arguing that the method disenfranchises smaller communities from enjoying the benefits of information communication technology (ICT).

According to him, many of those who currently have spectrum were preoccupied with deploying services in urban areas such as Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and other major cities in the country, a development, he said, hampered the ubiquity of access to the internet by a majority of the citizens.

Banjo suggested that in view of the huge population and land mass of the country, NCC should divide the country into about many zones for the purpose of spectrum allocation, lamenting that the current holders of the spectrum were “just sitting on them.”

eWorld Forum: Industry chiefs speak on broadband for devt nce again, the role of broadOment band for national developwill be the focus of

speakers at this year’s eWorld Forum which is designed to mark the 2014 World Telecommunications and Information Society (WTISD day) celebrations slated for May 16.

Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Dr. Eugene Juwah are scheduled to join over five industry trade chiefs to focus on how Nigeria can fast track national development using broadband service.

The event, which will be celebrated worldwide on May 16, is being coordinated by eWorld Magazine and Ajomedia Limited to discuss how broadband can be used to sustain national economic and social development.

The event comes at a time when ICT contributed to over eight per cent to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

ria in April. The device comes packed with a new upgraded camera and a heart rate scanner, among other features. The phone has received several impressive reviews, with DisplayMate, a gadget display calibration site, describing the device as having the “best smartphone display ever tested.’

Below are some important features that make the phone standout:

Windows XP: Microsoft issues emergency update for browser

M

icrosoft is helping the estimated hundreds of millions of customers still running Windows XP, which it stopped supporting earlier this month, by providing an emergency update to fix a critical bug in its Internet Explorer browser.

Microsoft rushed to create the fix after learning of the bug in the operating system over the weekend when cybersecurity firm FireEye warned that a sophisticated group of hackers had exploited the bug to launch attacks on U.S. companies in a campaign dubbed “Operation Clandestine Fox.” You can learn more about the update on Microsoft’s official blog here.

It was the first high-profile

threat to emerge after the software maker stopped providing support to the 13-year-old operating system April 8. Microsoft said in a statement Wednesday that the company would not provide the remedy to Windows XP owners because it had stopped supporting the product.

But on Thursday, as Microsoft started releasing the fix through the company’s automated Windows Update system, a company spokeswoman said the fix would be pushed out to customers still using XP. “We decided to fix it, fix it fast, and fix it for all our customers,” spokeswoman Adrienne Hall said in a statement.

The company was under pressure to move quickly as the

United States., UK, and German governments advised computer users on Monday to consider using alternatives to Microsoft’s Explorer browser until it released a fix.

Microsoft first warned that it was planning to end support for Windows XP in 2007, but security firms estimated that 15 to 25 percent of the world’s personal computers still run the version of the operating system that was released in October 2001.

Enabling automatic updates is a handy way to make sure you get the security fixes you need.

Here are instructions for how to do that on Internet Explorer for Windows 8.1 users. And here are instructions for pre-Windows 8 versions of Windows.

of $510 bn.

Other speakers expected at the event are Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, Vice Chairman of the National Broadband Council and Director-General of National Information and Technology Development Agecny (NITDA) Mr. Peter Jack. Juwah.

Speaking on the WTISD celebration,the Secretary-General of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), Dr. Hamadoun Toure, said that the “thrust to push the broadband agenda for sustainable development focuses on the dual goals of supporting the deployment of mobile broadband and the continued rollout of fixedline technologies along with a thrust on meeting the global challenges of our times, such as combating climate change.

Broadband-based ICT networks, he added are powerful cross-cutting enablers to achieve the three pillars of sustainable development – economic growth, social inclusion and environmental balance.

Phone review: Samsung Galaxy S5 latest flagship Swasamsung’s smartphone, the Galaxy S5, officially launched in Nige-

L-R: President, Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NIRA), Mrs. Mary Uduma; Financial Secretary, Mr. Sikiru Shehu and Treasurer, Mr. Adebiyi Oladipo, during the Association’s Annual General Meeting in Lagos.

PHOTO: GODWIN IREKHE

37

A battery that lasts for a whole week with a single charge The Galaxy S5 features an ultra-power saving mode that shuts down all of the device's key functions to allow you make the most of your last bit of battery power. When the charge on the device gets low and this mode is activated, the feature

automatically transforms the colour display on the device to black and white, reducing background processes and limiting access to many apps.

According to the manufacturers, the Galaxy S5 can run for up to 24 hours on a 10 percent battery charge when the ultra-power saving mode is activated.

Dust and water resistance One of the impressive features of Galaxy S5 is that the device boasts IP67 certification, meaning that it is completely dust proof and can be submerged in up to one metre of water for up to 30 minutes.

Control access when sharing the Galaxy S5 with children With most other smartphones, the choice is to constantly hide your device from children, but with the Galaxy S5, there’s a unique “Kids’ Mode” feature that limits children’s access to just the applications that you label as being child-friendly. So that means that applications that you do not want children to access are cut off from them.

A fingerprint scanner that authorises payment Samsung S5 comes with a fingerprint scanner offered through a partnership with PayPal, meaning users can actually use it to authorise payments on their devices.

Galaxy S5

Samsung Galaxy S5 versus the phone you are considering in its stead There are some special applications that are available to S5 users in West Africa such as food delivery service.

38

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, May 8, 2014

FEATURES

NEW TELEGRAPH

39

newtelegraphonline.com/entrepreneur

ABIODUN BELLO FEATURES EDITOR

abiodun.bello@newtelegraphonline.com

THURSDAY, MAY 8, 2014

Scores of people at the kick-off of Lagos carnival at the Tafawa Balewa Square

Lagos carnivals: Deadly affairs Street carnivals, which many people in other climes look up to as avenues to make fun, have become nightmares to Nigerians resident in Lagos, writes ELIJAH SAMUEL

I

n different parts of the globe, people have special days in which they congregate to celebrate.

This kind of celebration is always replete with splendid display of values that depict the totality of the way of life of such people.

Such festive periods always engender a feeling that makes the people to long for those days. This is one of the fundamental rights that man, irrespective of geographical location, has been recognised to appropriate.

However, the need for the good things of life has made migration and cohabitation of people from diverse socio-ethnic and religious acculturation a necessary experience.

Thus, the evolution of cosmopolitan societies has been made possible.

Lagos, which had transposed from a modest colony to one of the mega cities of the world, is one such.

The Centre of Excellence, which is known for numerous landmark feats,

in the socio-economic and political landscapes, in the recent years, has been inundated with a plethora of deadly violent clashes which always break out between rival cult-like groups at the end of carnivals which were meant to be an assembly for interaction and fraternity.

There are many carnivals in Lagos including Fanti Carnival among others. But most acrimonious are the street carnivals organised from one geographical area to the other in the metropolis.

These carnivals have been turned into fiestas of destruction of lives and property. Rivalry, bloodletting and death are now becoming the hallmark of carnivals in Lagos.

On December 26, 2011, the annual carnival which usually held at the Low Cost Housing Estate, Oke-Afa, Isolo, Lagos took place as usual and lasted till the early hours of the following day. The carnival which witnessed an unprecedented influx of persons from across the state was peaceful and pageantry. That was at the beginning.

It later crystalized into a chaotic scene as some street urchins allegedly from Mushin, a neighbouring community in the state, invaded the estate and attempted to disrupt the peaceful proceedings.

Reports had it that the celebrants were attacked by a cult-like group identified as Punche Boys.

At another carnival to celebrate Christmas in 2010 and New Year in

2011, Michael Afolabi, a graduate of The Polytechnic, Ibadan, who had travelled outside the country looking for greener pastures, came home to celebrate the Yuletide with the members of his family at Jakande Estate, Ilasan, in Lekki area of Lagos.

But Afolabi was never to go back to his base abroad. During that seemingly important visit to father’s land, his promising life was summarily brought to an untimely end in the opening hours of the first of January, 2011 by some rascals on his way home from the New Year service organised by a church.

Afolabi’s offence? He had the effrontery to demand an apology after one of the youth who organised the carnival poured alcohol on him. His demand led to a fight in which he was beaten to coma, doused with more alcohol and then stabbed on the neck.

Afolabi did not survive it. He died while being rushed to the hospital for treatment.

A week after, in Ikorodu, another street carnival consumed Olatunde Badmus.

Olasunkanmi, his elder, said they had both attended a carnival at Odugote Playing Ground in Idi-Orogbo, Ori-Okuta, Owutu, Ikorodu, when a fight broke out.

The bereaved recalled that he suddenly noticed that his brother was being chased by the boys involved in the fight. By the time he caught up with them, he found his brother lying in a pool of blood with a deep machete cut

inflicted on his neck. Olatunde died as he was being rushed to Ikorodu General Hospital.

Yet again, the serenity of Ilupeju was momentarily altered. Iseyin Street, an area known for being peaceful in Ilupeju community, turned a battleground when youths in the area held a carnival.

The residents of the street got terrified by gunshots fired by rampaging youths who hide under the guise of attending the party to unleash mayhem on the area.

The armed hoodlums suspected to be cult members had gained entrance into the street by breaking a wall about 2am.

Recently, tension gripped the residents of Mushin area of Lagos State.

In morning of Monday, April 21, about 60 robbers raided eight streets and destroyed about 30 vehicles.

The hoodlums, who reportedly belonged to two cult groups, Akala Boys and Toheeb’s gang, ravaged New Balogun, Euba, Ayonuga, Tiamiyu, Haruna, Ereko, Oyedele streets and Coker Lane.

Another bloody clash would have erupted in the Ayantuga/Macaulay and Fafolu axis of Olorunsogo neighbourhood in the ensnared Mushin area, save for the response of the policemen from the Olosan Police Station.

The spreading fire of mayhem was not to abate as soonest as the CONTINUED ON PAGE 40

40 40 FEATURES

Sanctity of Truth

From fun seeking to lawlessness

Thursday, May 8, 2014

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 39

residents would have wished. The residents of Idi-Araba, a suburb in Mushin, woke up early morning on Tuesday April 22 to see the utter destruction of property. It was unleashed on the community by some assailants.

The mayhem which was visited on the residents just as they were still savouring the joy which the Easter celebration ushered, consumed tens of private cars, commercial buses and tricycles popularly called Keke NAPEP. Affected streets included Bakare, Oriyomi, Ogundairo, Olanrewaju and Morgan, which spread across both sides of Itire Road.

The area is sandwiched between Morgan and Kayode Bus Stops on Itire Road, Idi-Araba, Mushin.

Many of the residents were stunned at the turn of this ruinous act. They wondered what they could have done to attract the kind of destruction unleashed on them.

As characteristic of these mayhems, by the time the miscreants left after the disruption, the residents would have been robbed, shot and vehicles vandalised. These are some of the unpleasant characteristics of street carnivals in many Lagos communities.

However, criminal motives have been linked to the organisation of most street carnivals.

A lecturer in the Philosophy Department of University of Lagos (UNILAG), Dr. Tony Okeregbe, gave an insight into the causative factors and measures to apply so that this emerging tragic trend, which street carnivals in Lagos are assuming, can be halted.

He said: “From every intent and purpose, you find out that young people who are within the age of 18 and 35 are at the peak of activity. So whenever you find a congregation of people in that category, and the energy derivable from such people is not channelled into a productive venture, definitely it will be channelled into something destructive.

“That informs the kind of activity you find among the youth who organise carnivals.

“From the standpoint of social relations, carnivals are not bad in themselves. They are one of the ways of expressing our sense of belonging, identity in a community through which the tedium of work throughout the year is broken. I will say they have what I will call game-centred benefit. But in our clime, people who have energy do not have where to channel these energies. Thus, there is high tendency for them to see these carnivals as avenue for them to dissipate their unspent energies.

“Another factor that you have to consider in the cause of this ugly trend is the peculiar nature of the knowledge of most organisers; that is technical-know-how about organising such event. They should take time to plan, taking all factors into consideration.

“There is now the transference of the cultic activities like the ones you find in the university; they have now found their way into the ordinary society. The kind of people you find in these cult groups are the artisans, mechanics, vulcanizers, bus conductors, apprentices and other social misfits. They have taken it to unimaginable level which any civilised mind can ever imagine.

“As good as the carnivals are in themselves, you find out that irrespective of the monetary gain, the organisers are rivals who are of dif-

Braide

A group’s display at a carnival

Kunnuji A carnival group

So many young people are not gainfully employed and they simply seek outlet for their grievances ferent cultic affiliations. Thus when it comes to slightest disagreement, they invoke that animosity that you find among cultic groups. And because they do not have the capacity to reason out things, they resort to violence.

“The basic thing that the government can do is to find gainful employment for these people: because the idle mind is the devil’s workshop.

If they can channel their energy to some more challenging, rewarding and noble ventures, all these violence will stop.”

Also a lecturer at the Department of Sociology, UNILAG, Dr Michael Kunnuji, spoke on why rival groups end up unleashing mayhem on innocent citizens.

According to him, it is a manifestation of the discontent of a large number of unemployed people.

He said: “So many young people are not gainfully employed and they simply seek outlet for their grievances.

Any potential condition for mayhem or unrest will be exploited by such people.

“In addition, people are increasingly losing faith in the ability of the state, and by the state, I mean the government which personifies the state, to protect lives and property. The people have, therefore, taken it upon themselves to protect themselves with arms and light weapons

One of the vandalised vehicles after the Mushin carnival

which are often used in such attacks.

“Perhaps, they unleash mayhem on those who had earlier attacked them as a form of reprisal. In your own words, ‘rival groups’ are often in the picture. This makes it difficult to preclude the possibility that such an attack is simply a round or phase in an ongoing battle. By implication, further reprisals should be anticipated.”

Kunnuji, however, noted that an outright ban on street carnivals is not the solution, since carnivals did not create the discontent and deeprooted animosity in the people.

According to him, neither did street carnivals contribute to the ineptitude demonstrated by governments at different levels in the federation.

“The ban, therefore, cannot be the solution to the problem. It can,

however, repress the manifestation of such aggression in the form it takes at present. The implication is that other outlets may be sought.

“For as long as the causes of the discontent are not addressed, aggrieved people who are not sufficiently dissuaded from violence will continue to seek outlet for their angst, especially when they are sure that the state cannot act in their interest, and/or cannot act to keep them in check if they choose the path of violence,” he said.

On what could be done to halt this ruinous novelty in Nigeria’s social life.

The Sociologist said intellectuals, research and development funding agencies, and Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) should be more committed to the re-orientation of young people on the dysfunctional nature of violence and the folly in taking part in violence.

HEALTH THURSday, May 8 , 2014

STOP CERVICAL CANCER DEATHS

NEW TELEGRAPH

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www.newtelegraphonline.com/health

appolonia adeyemi appolonia.adeyemi@newtelegraphonline.com appoloniaadeyemi@gmail.com

Hospital-acquired infections, a big challenge in healthcare W

hat informed the institution of the World Hygiene Day and what impact has it made on the lives of the people?

The World Hand Hygiene Day (WHHD) was established following the work of Professor Didier Pittet, a doctor that worked in Sweden. He demonstrated through his research that our hands as useful and beautiful as they are, often times harbour infections and the hands form a very common way of passing germs from the surroundings to ourselves and from one person to the other. This is not only relevant in health care settings and hospitals but also in our day to day lives. It has been demonstrated that hand hygiene is the simplest, cheapest and most effective way of preventing infection transmission. In fact the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) in the United States (U.S) stated that if we wash our hands, we would save at least a million lives each year.

The hand hygiene program goes beyond hand washing. It involves the use of alcohol-based hand rub to clean our hands. So, if we use this again that, it is an effective and useful way of cleaning or sanitising our hands.

So that gave birth to the launch of the World Health Organisation (WHO)-Patient Safety Campaign: ‘Clean Hands, Saves Lives’.

The Impact is enormous and that is why we are pushing that more and more people and organisations get involved. If you imagine the number of people that die from infections that are acquired in the hospitals and the number that die when there is an infectious outbreak, an effective hand hygiene programme is probably the most fundamental way of preventing infection from germs both within and outside the hospital.

What is the theme of this year’s celebration and why was it chosen?

This year, the theme for the WHHD is “Combating Antimicrobial Resistance through Hand Hygiene”. Now, this issue is very pertinent. Antimicrobial refers to various types of antibiotics. All over the world, in an aspect of health we call global health, the issue of antibiotic resistance has become a growing monster and time bomb.

Historically speaking, antibiotics, remains one of the greatest things that has happened to healthcare. With the discovery of antibiotics, we are now able to treat many infections. From pneumonia to tuberculosis (TB) to meningitis, these were death sentence-diseases until the emergence of antibiotics. However, over the years, there has been a growing pattern and practice of misuse and abuse of antibiotics occurring among the general population and even among health workers.

Research statistics has shown that sometimes up to 50 percent of antibiotics prescribed were not necessary. We also find that a lot of the organisms are now developing resistance to these antibiotics.

Dr. Michael Orji is a Consultant Orthopaedics and Trauma surgeon and Chair, Infection Control Unit, Lagoon Hospitals, Lagos. In this interview with EBERE AMEH, Orji who is also an International Ambassador for Infection Control for the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, discusses the origin and importance of hand hygiene and its positive impact on infection control. Excerpts:

Dr. Orji

It is a very dangerous and deadly trend.

The implication is that if this trend continues (and it is spreading at a worrisome speed), we may reach a situation where when a person is sick with an infection, there will not be any antibiotics to treat him or her, because the organisms have developed resistance to it. The result will be death. Gradually, we find that more and more antibiotics are losing their potency and efficacy. This is the result of abuse and misuse. If we don’t use antibiotics the right way, the result over time is development of resistance. If you notice even in this country, gradually ampicillin, ampiclox and tetracycline are gradually falling out of use because they have been so much abused, the resistance development level is high and widespread. That is why this year, the WHO is drawing attention of everybody to health time bomb waiting to explode. The slogan for this year is: “No Action Today, No Cure Tomorrow”.

What has hand hygiene got to do with antibi-

Going by the way the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) recommended that Infection Control be run, it is yet to find its bearing but we are making progress slowly

otic resistance?

Antibiotics misuse and abuse by patients and health workers lead to the development of resistant strains of bacteria. In the course of their routine work, everyday living activities, health workers and everyday people transfer these resistance organisms, which cause diseases in susceptible victims. These are difficult to treat and may even lead to death.

Hand hygiene is an effective instrument in preventing such transmission and spread of multi-drug-resistant organisms, especially when practised as a habit. It is a good habit.

Why is the emphasis always on washing hands? Are there no other practices people can do to live hygienically and avert infection?

The emphasis is always hand hygiene not just hand washing. Hand washing is an aspect of hand hygiene. Hand hygiene like I explained, are the various modalities to clean your hand usually using a hand sanitiser- which often is an alcoholbased formulation. The hand is important because most of what we do, we do with our hands. Just name it - you touch your phone, you eat with our hands, you clean your anal passages and flush the toilet... all these involve the hand touching one thing or the other.

Of course there are other ways and aspects of the hygiene program.

There is what is called respiratory etiquettes like you don’t blow your nose or sneeze into the open air. Some blow into their hands which is wrong. You sneeze into a disposable tissue or on your arm.

Of course the issue of clean environment and safe drinking water are also ways of preventing infection.

Has hand hygiene in Nigeria translated to lower cases of infection?

In Nigeria, the issue of hand hygiene is gaining attention. Actually Hand hygiene forms a core aspect of a department of healthcare that is called infection control. Going by the way the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) recommended that Infection Control be run, it is yet to find its bearing but we are making progress slowly. While a lot of people are not aware of these things we are talking about, others may be aware but not committed to take the necessary action to bring about the change that we need.In Lagoon Hospital, where I work, because we run an Infection Control Program, which by God’s Grace I direct, we have been able to maintain a very low infection rate. In fact, some of our figures are better than what they have in some European countries. Infection control requires that you actively monitor your infection rate and when this crosses a set target, you must track to know what went wrong and try and correct that. Unless you have such a programme in place, preventing or reducing hospital-acquired infections will remain a mirage.

Your organisation has always been at the forefront of the campaign for hygiene and infection control, what are your plans for this year’s celebration?

This year, the hospital is taking the campaign to a new level. We feel that, this is part of our contribution to help people live more and safer lives. We would also be launching our Antibiotic Stewardship Program. Again, this is one way we want to encourage, train and support our staff, patients and visitors on the proper use of antibiotics. We would be organising a CME (Continuing Medical Education) for the health workers including doctors, nurses, laboratory scientists, pharmacists and everybody who is interested.

The CME is aimed at educating doctors, nurses, pharmacists and all health workers. There is need to understand the scientific basis of the change we are promoting.

Any plan to take the campaign to places outside Lagos States?

One of the things we do is to help hospitals, to set up their own functional infection control programme. As an International Ambassador for Infection Control for the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, that is one of my passions. To promote the infection control programme and activities, aimed at improving the quality and safety of healthcare and the reduction of hospital acquired or healthcare associated infections.

42 HEALTH

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Sausage and egg breakfast helps dieters Oluwatosin Omoniyi

I

f you're trying to lose weight, then you have to forget toast, cereal, and pancakes. A new research suggests that starting the day with a high protein breakfast including eggs and low fat turkey sausage can leave you feeling fuller and less likely to chow down the urge to eat in-between meals.

The study, presented at the American Society for Nutrition's Experimental Biology conference in Chicago last week, compared common breakfasts with varying amounts of protein including a commercially prepared turkey sausage and egg bowl, cereal and milk, and pancakes with syrup. The results showed that choosing the higher protein meal provided better appetite and glucose control throughout the day, compared to lower

protein breakfasts, according to lead researcher Melinda Karalus, M.D. During the study conduction, Dr. Karalus asked volunteers to rate their level of hunger before eating one of six breakfast meals and then at 30 minute intervals for four hours.

All six breakfast meals were similar in calories, fat and fiber, but varied in protein levels. The test meals included three turkey sausage and egg based breakfast bowls containing 40, 23 and 9 grams of protein; a cereal and milk breakfast containing eight grams of protein; and a pancake and syrup breakfast with three grams of protein.

Study participants were also surveyed after having no breakfast at all. The results showed the higher protein breakfasts left participants feeling less hungry through-

out the morning, and made them more likely to consume fewer calories at lunch, than the lower protein cereal and pancake and syrup breakfasts, or having no breakfast at all.

A second study presented at the conference also found that high-protein breakfasts, containing 39 grams of protein, helped stabilised blood glucose levels after eating than lower-protein meals.

"There is great value in understanding protein's true power when optimal amounts are consumed," said Kristin Harris, M.D., head of nutrition research at Hillshire Brands, which sponsored the research.

"Protein is top of mind, but consumers should be more informed about how much protein they need at each meal occasion so they can maximise benefits, like hunger control."

Untreated caries destroys teeth

An unidentified health worker (left) providing dental care for a patient

Appolonia Adeyemi

ntreated dental caries causes progressive destruction of the crowns of the teeth and is often accompanied by severe pain and suffering. The repair and replacement of carious teeth is time consuming and costly, representing a major drain of resources for healthcare systems.

Dental caries is a highly prevalent chronic disease affecting a significant proportion of the world’s population, including around 60 percent to 90 percent of school-aged children.

Fluoride varnishes are one possible option for preventing caries in children. These were developed in the 1960s and have been extensively used in Europe, Scandinavia and Canada.

Their use in other countries seems to be increasing, including the United States, where they can be used off-label as caries preventive agents.

In general, dental caries levels vary considerably between and within different countries, but children in the lower socio-economic status (SES) groups have higher caries levels than those in the upper SES groups.

U

This latest version of the Cochrane Review is an update of an earlier review from 2002, which included nine trials. This update now includes 22 trials conducted in countries across the world, and involves 12,455 children who were between 1 and 15 years of age when they joined their trial. The trials had follow-up times of between 1 and 5 years (12 trials lasted 2 years), and were conducted in schools, nurseries and clinics. The fluoride varnish was usually applied by dental professionals and this was done between 2 and 5 times per year. The caries outcome used was the prevented fraction, which is the difference between the mean increment for the varnish and control groups, expressed as a percentage of the mean increment in the control group.

The review’s two main meta-analyses indicated significant reductions in caries in the deciduous and in the permanent dentition. However, there was considerable heterogeneity between the studies within each meta-analysis and the body of evidence for both of the meta-analyses was considered moderate quality.

with Dr. Ihuoma Uko-Ndukwe

ada.ndukwe@yahoo.com

Body piercing, tattoos and health complications DANGER The risks tattoo poses to health is overwhelming

T

attoos and body piercing are old practices used mostly for body beautification. They were used by those considered to be in the lower class including sailors, bikers, prostitutes but have now become widespread practices that enjoy larger societal acceptance. The practice which is common among people of most ages 18 to 50 years and adopted by both genders, is becoming ‘a cool thing’, though in the early 1980s and late 1990s , tattoos were used as a non verbal sign by gang members to differentiate gangs.

Studies have shown that people with tattoos and multiple ear and body piercing are more likely to be less well educated, non compliant with social laws, citizens in lower economic status, more likely to indulge in risky behaviours like sexual irresponsibility and drug abuse.

Tattoos have been used by most younger generation as a way of personal expression, peer group acceptance, religious views expression, communication and style, gang initiation and has also been used to hide intravenous (IV) drug use especially heroin and in covering up track lines on

the arms.

Females are more likely to get body piercing, while men are more likely to get two/or more tattoos. Piercing of various parts of body parts with jewelry is no longer limited to teenagers but is seen by growing number of adults as is seen in our actors/actress and musicians

COMPLICATIONS

Persons with long-term diseases like diabetics, skin infection, liver problems, on blood thinning medications are more likely to have severe side effects from both tattoos and body piercing. Most com-

plications from tattoos are infection related and they mostly come from using unsterilised needles and unclean equipment. The way most of the equipment are designed to make it easier to hold the coloring, makes it difficult for those tools to be adequately sterilised .

Some of the medical complications can be in form of blood diseases like HIV, HEPATITIS B&C WHICH DAMAG-

ES THE LIVER AND CAN LEAD TO LIVER CANCER IN SOME UNFORTUNATE CASES , BACTERIA INFECTION IN THE BLOOD and SKIN INFECTION THAT CAN BE RESISTANT TO A LOT OF ANTIBIOTICS. Complications from some tattoos that involve the skin have been known to initiate formation of tumors (MELONOMA which is a form of skin cancer and skin growth like keloids (scar that grow beyond normal skin boundaries).

Due to the heavy amount of colouring in the dye/pigments used which can be very difficult to remove, some people can develop allergic reaction. It may also be difficult for somebody with permanent tattoo to get an imaging like (MRI) done.

Removing a tattoo is a painful process, involving multiple laser treatments which further exposes one to possible scar-

Nipple piercing is similar to belly button but may interfere with breast feeding and could form abscess that might get into the blood stream

ring, radiation exposure and can be much more expensive than putting the tattoo on.

Just like tattoos, the common concerns applicable to all site of body piercing are risk of infection. When it is not done under clean or well prepped conditions, where the skin is not well cleaned and piercing guns not sterilised between uses, there will be possibility of tetanus, skin bacteria and blood infections like HIV,hepatitis B/C, allergic reactions for those with sensitive skin and allergies to the type of jewelry used especially those that contain some NICKEL, ‘high’ ear piercing. Those done in the ear cartilage is associated with more serious disfigurement and infections BODY SITES AND POTENTIAL COMPLICATIONS EAR PIERCING Persons with allergies to metal or dry itching skin are also at increased risk of aller-

gic reactions to the steel/metal used while those with piercing at the high end of the ear such as upper area are likely to have poor and long healing time as well as being exposed to serious infections due to poor blood supply to the cartilage.

Trauma to the ear is common and prolonged wearing of heavy jewelry may result in deformity of the ear lobe, the most common place for body piercing. Complications might be infection, keloid (thick skin growth) tear, allergic reaction, scarring and earing being buried in the ear.

HEALTH

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, May 8, 2014

PREVENTION Stop needless deaths through screening, early detection and treatment

‘Non usage of preventive services blamed for cervical cancer deaths’

Sola Adeyemo Ibadan

T

he high incidence of cervical cancer (CC) which medical experts say is "the second commonest cause of cancer related- deaths” among Nigerian women, has been blamed on ignorance about the cause of the disease, poor health seeking behaviour, lack of access to and use of effective preventive services as well as weak treatment facilities and poverty.

This was disclosed on Monday when the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Professor Isaac Folorunso Adewole who is a gynaecologist inaugurated the Isaac Folorunso Adewole Foundation (IFAF), for the prevention, management and eradication of cervical cancer in women. Prof. Adewole launched the IFAF to mark his 60th birthday.

Although, CC is preventable, about 70 percent of the 14,000 women who develop the condition every year in the country die from the disease.

To achieve the set objectives of establishing the IFAF, the Foundation in its mission statement therefore promised "to offer high quality, humane and selfless services in area of advocacy, development of accessible cervical cancer prevention programmes and capacity building for young”.

Other facilities that would be provided by IFAF include committed medical faculty/other allied professionals, networking and linkages as well as partnering with other interest groups to promote the health of women at national and international levels."

In his lecture, "Building a Cervical Cancer Prevention Programme in Zambia, Using a HIV AIDS Infrastructure and Spirit of Abundance", Professor Groesbeck P. Parham, a gynecologist, explained that "the cervix is part of a woman's reproductive system which connects the uterus (womb) to the vagina. During a menstrual period, blood flows from the uterus through the cervix into the vagina. The vagina leads to the outside of the body.

"During pregnancy, the cervix is Appolonia Adeyemi

he World Health Organisation (WHO) has called for a coordinated international response to stop the spread of wild poliovirus across the world.

This is contained in the Polio Communication +, an online publication to give update on polio issues.

The plan is the outcome of an emergency committee meeting convened by the Director-General of the WHO, Dr. Margaret Chan under the International Health Regulation which held recently.

According to members of the emergency committee and expert advisors to the committee, unilateral measures may prove less effective in stopping the international spread than a coordinated response.

The consequences of further international spread are particularly acute today given the large number of polio-free but conflict-torn and fragile countries which have severely compromised routine immunisation services and are at high risk of re-infection.

Such nations would experience extreme difficulty in mounting an effective response were wild poliovirus to be reintroduced. As much internation-

T

43

Cervical cancer occurs when abnormal cells develop and spread in the cervix, the lower part of the uterus PHOTO: healthtanan.blogspot

tightly closed to help keep the baby inside the uterus. During childbirth, the cervix opens to allow the baby to pass through the vagina.

"A common sexually transmissible virus called Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) causes cervical cancer, and most women acquire the infection within two years of onset of sexual activity".

However, it was noted that "the time lag between the Peak of HPV infection and the peak of cancer incidence is 20 to 40 years, offering a unique opportunity to prevent cervical cancer".

Unfortunately, "if no preventive effort is undertaken in many developing countries, population growth alone will lead to 63 percent increase in cancer deaths by 2025", the FAF predicted.

The mission of IFAF is to improve women health focusing on cervical cancer prevention and its management at the facility, community and national levels.

According to facts from IFAF, "there are 93,200 (25.2 percent) new cases of CC among women in sub-Sahara Africa, closely following breast cancer with

94,300 (25.5 percent) new cases. In 2012, it was estimated that 14, 089 women developed CC while 8,240 women died from the disease globally. Cervical cancer is the leading preventable cancer in women; youngest patient in Nigeria was a 17 year old; and the peak age incidence in Nigeria is 51.4 years.

"Cervical Cancer can be prevented by a combination of actions/methods, and the adoption of these methods in developed countries has led to near elimination of CC in the population", it submitted.

According to IFAF, the Foundation has made modest improvement in the health of Nigerian women but access has not been universal. Majority of women suffer untold hardships as well as myriads of health and social challenges, which either cause ill health or premature death. Nigeria’s reproductive health indices, which are poor, remain a significant indicator of the state of national development.

The need to improve on the health of our women that is often neglected, is the motivation for Isaac Folorunso

WHO seeks global response to check polio spread

A polio-stricken boy lies outside his hut

PHOTO: thehindu.com

al spread occurs across land borders, WHO should continue to facilitate a coordinated regional approach to accelerate interruption of virus transmission in each epidemiologic zone.

Polio, or poliomyelitis, is a highly contagious viral infection that can lead to paralysis, breathing problems, or even death. Children younger than five years old are more vulnerable to the disease.

Among countries that participated in the WHO conveyed meeting are Nigeria, Afghanistan, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Israel, Pakistan, Somalia and the Syrian Arab Republic.

The over-riding priority for all polio-infected countries must be to interrupt wild poliovirus transmission within their borders as rapidly as possible through the immediate and full application in all geographic areas of the polio eradication strategies, specifically: supplementary immunisation campaigns with oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV), surveillance for poliovirus, and routine immunisation.

States currently exporting wild poliovirus are Pakistan, Cameroon, and the Syrian Arab Republic. Although, Nigeria has not been de-listed from polio-endemic countries, the Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency

Adewole's passion to establish IFAF, a non profit philanthropic initiative.

Among eminent personalities who attended the lecture to inaugurate IFAF at the International Conference Centre of the University of Ibadan in Oyo State, were the Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi, Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola who was represented by his Commissioner for Health, Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, represented by Otunba Dr. Fatai Oluganbe, Health Minister, Prof.

Onyebuchi Chukwu, represented by the Chief Medical Director of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Prof. B.A Adetiloye, Emeritus Professor, Olu Akinkugbe, Professor Adeniyi Gbadegesin, vice chancellor of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso), the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade represented by Oba Dr. Olusanya Dosunmu, Professor Tekena Tamuno, Professor Ayo Banjo, Chief Adebayo Akande of the Ibadan private radio station, Splash FM, and Professor Oladipo Ladapo, among others.

Cervical Cancer Risk Factors • Recurrent sexually transmitted infections (STIs) • Tobacco use • Heredity/immune status • Being sexually active before age 18 years • Infection with cancer-causing human papilloma virus (HPV) • Taking oral contraceptives for a long time • Multiple sexual partners or a partner who has other sexual parners • Multi-parity (having many children) and early first childbearing • Herpes Simplex Type 11 • Folic acid deficiency • Diet low in fruits and vegetables

(NPHCDA), Dr. Ado Mohammed has pledged that by 2015, polio would be eradicated in the Nigeria. He stated this in Abuja during 27th Expert Review Committee meeting on Polio and Routine Immunisation in Nigeria, adding that Nigeria is surmounting the challenge of polio problems.

The current situation of polio globally stands in stark contrast to the near-cessation of international spread of wild poliovirus from January 2012 through the 2013 low transmission season for this disease (i.e. January to April). If unchecked, this situation could result in failure to eradicate globally one of the world’s most serious vaccine preventable diseases.

At end-2013, 60 percent of polio cases were the result of international spread of wild poliovirus, and there was increasing evidence that adult travellers contributed to this spread.

During the 2014 low transmission season there has already been international spread of wild poliovirus from three of the 10 States that are currently infected: in central Asia (from Pakistan to Afghanistan), in the Middle East (Syrian Arab Republic to Iraq) and in Central Africa (Cameroon to Equatorial Guinea).

44 HEALTH

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Nigeria’s healthcare coverage less than 7% – NMA boss

Nigeria’s universal health coverage is still less than seven Abuja percent.

In his valedictory speech at he outgoing president of the 54th Annual General ConNigeria Medical Associa- ference of the NMA in Abuja, tion (NMA), Dr Osahon he noted that last 100 years Enabulele has lambasted gov- has not seen much positive ernments in the country and change in the nation’s health described them as failures, sector, but rather, the ruling which are unable to provide and political elites only pay healthcare services for their lip service to the desire to encitizens. sure Nigeria meets its healthDr. Enabulele who stated care needs. this, also observed that after Universal health care hundred years down the line, sometimes referred to as Obinna Odoh

T

universal health coverage, universal coverage or universal care – usually referres to health care system which provides health care and financial protection to all its citizens. The goal of universal health coverage is to ensure that all people obtain the health services they need without suffering.

In his speech, Enabulele observed that the appropriation for health as a percentage of the budget of the Federal Government, most states and local

governments, is still far below the minimum benchmark of 15 percent of government budget despite the 2001 Abuja Declaration of African Heads of Governments.

“To worsen the scenario, budget performance in terms of actual amount of funds release has been sub-optimal. In the next hundred years, we might still be ridiculed with the poor health and social development health indices as a nation", submitted Enabulele.

He added that the associa-

tion will continue to insist on the passage of the National Health Bill and the establishment of the Office of the Surgeon-General of the Federation notwithstanding the various opposition mounted by other health unions.

The outgoing president of the NMA who was joined at the conference by the President of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), Dr. Jubril Abdullahi and a member of the NMA, Dr. Henry Ewunonu.

12,958 Lagosians benefit from community health insurance Bisola Tiamiyu

ith a total of 12,958 Lagosians currently benefitting from the community-based health insurance schemes, the Lagos State Government has announced that the programme would be scaled up to enable more citizens key into the it in more local government areas (LGAs) and local government development areas (LCDAs).

Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris disclosed this at the Annual Ministerial Press Briefing in Lagos.

The plan is part of strategies ensure healthcare financing for the populace with a view to remove the burden of out-ofpocket payment system from individuals.

Idris noted that the community-based health insurance scheme was instituted to provide social health protection coverage for the poor and informal sector. It is an initiative adapted by the Lagos State Government to improve the accessibility, availability, quality, equity and affordability of healthcare services particularly among people in the informal sector.

Presently, there are three community-based health insurance schemes in three LGA/ LCDA in Ikosi-Isheri, Ibeju-Lekki and Ajeromi.

According to the commission-

W

Patients accessing healthcare during the free medical check up, by Rotary Club and Coca-Cola in Lagos

Rotary, Coca-Cola take free treatment to Nigerians R

otary Club, through its action group, Rotarians for Family Health & AIDS Prevention (RFHA), with the support of CocaCola Africa Foundation, has flagged-off its annual community health outreach, Rotarian Family Health Day. This year, the programme provided healthcare checks, counselling and treatment for about 150,000 Nigerians in several communities of Lagos, Ogun, Kaduna, Abuja, Katsina, Plateau and Benue from April 24 to 26.

The Rotary Family Health Day, which is a communitybased initiative organised by The Rotarians for Fighting AIDS and other killer diseases, provided free health care services and tests on eye, blood sugar and blood pressure. The programme is sponsored by Coca-Cola Africa Foundation, as part of The Coca-Cola Company commitment to promote healthy and sustainable communities.

Speaking of the partnership

at the media launch which held in Lagos recently, Clem Ugorji, The Public Affairs and Communications Manager, Coca-Cola Nigeria, said “a healthy population is a foundation for the prosperity and sustainability of communities, stating that it is through partnerships of the triangle of government, business and civil society that the huge healthcare gap in Nigeria

and many other countries can be effectively resolved. At CocaCola, we believe in the power of partnership and we see great value in the collaboration between government, business and civil society to address the challenges facing our communities.

"We are committed to facilitating as well as bringing value to such partnerships,” he said.

er, "The Ikosi-Isheri Scheme, the pilot community-based health insurance scheme was launched on July 23, 2008. It is currently in its six year of operation with a premium of N1200 for a family of six. Statistics show a total enrollee population of 4,978.

The Ibeju-Lekki Scheme which commenced operation on February 1, 2011 at Awoyaya and Berekodo Primary healthcare centre (PHC) is in its third year of operation. Statistics reveal a total enrollee population of 6,667 to 4,684 at Awoyaya and 1,983 at Berekodo."

Furthermore, the commissioner said the Ajeromi scheme was launched on January 15, 2013 at Tolu PHC. It is currently in its 16th month of operation while statistics show a total enrollee population of 1313.

Idris posited that his administration will not capitalise on the achievement recorded so far but will instead continue to improve on the existing success so far recorded.

He noted that more focus will be given to the revitalisation of PHCs, continued professional development of health manpower to maintain quality of care, sustainability of public enlightenment on prevalent diseases and primary health care outreach services to underserved communities.

Mega care launches online mart

Ebere Ame

n its desire to give the best of products and services to their customers, Megacare, a mega pharmaceutical store based in Lagos, has launched an online healthcare mart.

With the establishment of the online mart, the first of its kind in the healthcare industry, Megacare is poised to take the healthcare industry to a new level.

The company markets over 15,000 products for services in

I

various aspects including medicines, medical devices, body care, mother and child, health food, perfumery, toiletries, household, veterinary, sport nutrition and fitness.

In a press conference in Lagos, the group Managing Director, Megacare limited, Mrs Olayinka Oredola said that the idea of an online portal is borne out of the company’s desire to re-define healthcare service in Nigeria and to empower the sector to become fully compatible with its counterparts in the de-

veloped countries.

“For these reasons and many more, we have decided to introduce the online portal (www. megacareonline.com) to give people quick access to health related products. It is a onestop online healthcare mart that gives prompt access to healthcare and lifestyle products. With this, Nigerians can have access to relevant products and services without a physical presence anytime, anywhere, just at the touch of a button," Oredola said.

Earlier in her speech, the

General Manager, Megacare Limited, Dr. Nkem Chimezie explained that with their new innovation and their layout of internationally certified and trained pharmacists and health care officers who work together as a team to achieve customer satisfaction, Megacare will soon become a household name.

She called on Nigerian to take advantage of their free delivery within Lagos and avail themselves of the wonderful products and services that Megacare offers.

METRO 45

of Truth

May 8, 2014

suspected lers in custody

wole

elta State said yesterday arrested six members which has killed some vigilance groups in the

ested are Eric Umukoro Ogheneovo aka Abala, etega, aka K-Leg, Akpoan Obele, Solomon Olo orede, a female. cts fled a few days ago r their leaders, Henry Kala and Obele were d.

17, the gang murdered Udu Vigilante Group Masajuah Migaga, alias he chairman of the Red y Vigilante Group, on

ailants trailed the Red o Otokut in suburban they shot him as close

ournalists at the com-

mand headquarters in Asaba, yesterday, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Celestina Kalu, said those arrested took part in the “conspiracy” that led to the death of the two vigilance group chiefs.

Other members of the gang still at large include David, Rege, Festus and Ojekom.

Kalu listed the items recovered from them to include two AK47 rifles, 90 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition and two locally made cut-to-size single barrel short guns.

The PPRO added that the suspects had made confessional statements, highlighting their degree of involvement and the roles each played.

She said: “They will be charged to court as soon as investigations are completed.”

According to her, investigation has revealed that the hoodlums kill brutally to instil fears in members of the public.

She, however, said the police would not rest until all the suspects were apprehended and brought to book.

000 women die from nancy complications – UN

yemi

00 women 13 due to s in preghildbirth, a new UnitUN) data. hows that presents a duction in ths world90. to a stated by the ons agenneva, SwitNew York States on estimated n died last complicanancy and

It is a reduction from the 523,000 deaths in 1990.

Similarly, another World Health Organisation (WHO) study, also published on Tuesday in The Lancet Global Health, presented new knowledge about why these women are dying.

“Global causes of maternal death: a WHO systematic analysis,” finds that more than one in four maternal deaths is caused by pre-existing medical conditions such as diabetes, HIV, malaria and obesity, whose health impacts can all be aggravated by pregnancy.

This is similar to the proportion of deaths

during pregnancy and childbirth from severe bleeding.

“Together, the two reports highlight the need to invest in proven solutions, such as quality care for all women during pregnancy and childbirth, and particular care for pregnant women with existing medical conditions,” said Dr. Flavia Bustreo, Assistant Director-General, Family, Women’s and Children’s Health, WHO. Trends in maternal mortality estimates 1990 to 2013 includes new data which were not captured in the last set of global estimates in 2012.

Ensure probe of Aisha Falode’s son’s death -Group

The late Falode

Temitope Ogunbanke

A

Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) has called on the Federal Government to compel the United Arab Emirate, (UAE) government to investigate the alleged murder of a Nigerian, Toba Falode, in Dubai.

Toba, the child of ace sports broadcaster, Aisha Falode, who was studying in Dubai, died in suspicious circumstances.

But the NGO, Women Arise, demanded full investigation and immediate intervention of the government and the Nigerian Embassy in the matter.

This is contained in a statement

sent to Nigeria’s Ambassador to UAE, Ambassador Ibrahim Auwalu.

The group said yesterday it noted fraud in the terse report of the Dubai police, adding that the report had many holes and raised many questions which warranted investigation.

The statement signed by President of Woman Arise, Dr Joe OkeiOdumakin, said that the investigation was compulsory as it would lay precedence for the way Nigerian citizens would be treated in the future.

Okei-Odumakin also assured Nigerians that Women Arise would follow the case through Nigerian Embassy in UAE to a logical end.

The statement reads in part:

“Women Arise has learned of the regrettable death of one of Nigeria’s promising sons, Mr Toba Falode, under mysterious circumstance abroad. The young Nigerian, 19, was until his untimely passing on, a student studying Audio Production in SAE, Dubai.

“Toba was said to have ‘fallen off from a great heights’ according to a terse report by the Dubai Police regarding the incident. The police statement on the incident suggests that the deceased was alone at the time of the incident. It concludes by stating there is no need for further investigation.

“This doubtful conclusion was anchored on a concoction that ‘all witnesses’ statements are the same.

However, content of the supposed ‘same statements’ was not represented in the Police report.

“Now, with disdain, we are befuddled with awareness that the Nigerian Embassy has showed off weakness in this matter. With displeasure, we found that the Nigerian Embassy is aware that some young Nigerians have died under similar circumstances, but took no step for proper investigation, and no warning issued or precautions are issued to other Nigerians who are trouping or may be intending to travel into the country for studies or other related activities.

“Women Arise demands full investigation through intervention by the Nigerian Government/Embassy.

The circumstance around the unfortunate death of Mr. Toba creates obvious mystery that calls for investigation and the Nigerian Embassy must live up to this. Women Arise shall follow this case through you to a logical end, with justice arrived at.”

Fishermen recover body of ex-Bayelsa CDC chairman Chris Ejim Yenagoa

F

ishermen have discovered the body of the former Chairman of Amatu 2 Community Development Committee (CDC), Paul Esebele, near Bilabiri community in Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

This came three days after Esebele shot by suspected sea pirates and declared missing.

Esebele, according to report, was

shot in the groin by the suspected pirates during the last Sunday abduction of three Dutch nationals and two Nigerians at Letugbene axis of the council area.

The 34-year-old Esebele, who headed the CDC between 2011 and 2012, was said to be in the back-up boat following the one conveying the Dutch nationals and the Nigerian journalists before the attack.

A witness said that bullets from the kidnappers’ guns hit Esebele in the groin. The boat conveying him

and others, however, capsized.

“While many of the occupants of the boat swam to safety, the former CDC chairman was nowhere to be found,” the witness said.

However, fishermen from the Bilabiri community discovered Esebele’s decomposing body floating in the river three days after the incident.

When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Alex Akhigbe, confirmed that Esebele’s body had been recovered.

testers demand relocation of Rivers LG headquarters

t

n Orashi region of Rivyesterday took a differnsion when youths, men rom the six geo-political ake up the Ogba/Egbeocal Government staged Port Harcourt. sters called on Governor otimi Amaechi to relodquarters of the council u for security reasons. sters, who arrived Govuse, Port Harcourt, from Omoku, Usomini, Egdoni, were led by Chief Esor. some youths in Omoku nued to threaten the curity of all persons in ce the headquarters of was located at Omoku

Amaechi

for the sake of convenience since its creation in 1991”.

The protesters carried placards with various inscriptions some of

which read: “ONELGA is for peace”, “Austin Ahiamadu is our chairman”, “ONELGA council has come to stay”, “We will follow Ahiamadu; We cannot be intimidated”, “Relocate ONELGA council headquarters.”

The crisis broke out in the area from power tussle within the youth body which has been tinted with the prevailing politics in the state.

It has led to the dissolution and counter-dissolution of the body. It has also led to the formation of parallel youth organisations and the Community Development Committees (CDCs).

The inauguration of a parallel youth organisation by the council chairman had angered a section of the youth who demonstrated with coffin to his office.

They told the chairman that he had no power to inaugurate youth organisation as it was no party af-

fair.

Ahiamadu, who is an All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwart, had on Monday while addressing Government House Correspondents in Port Harcourt, accused the Supervising Minister of Education, Chief Nyesom Wike and the state Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman, Chief Felix Obuah, of sponsoring youths and a rebellion to remove him from his elected position.

He also said that the letter Wike “imported” from the Presidency to authorise the suspended CDC and the youth body to take over the activities of the council was practically an aberration of the Local Government hand book signed by the Minister of Sports, Dr Tammy Danagogo, when he was commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs during the first tenure of Governor Chibuike Amaechi.

Ahiamadu explained that the in-

auguration and dissolution of youth bodies and CDCs were functions of the Local Government Councils as stipulated by bye-laws of the councils.

But according to the protesters, Omoku youths do not respect any council chairman who does not hail from Omoku.

They claimed that a faction of Omoku youths started a street protest on April 18, which “culminated into the blocking of the council secretariat gate”, thereby preventing council executives and staff from entering their offices.

“The youth also committed a taboo in our culture by placing a coffin posted with the photographs of our council chairman and Your Excellency at the gate of the secretariat at Omoku in addition to disruption of business activities at Omoku by the youths in an effort to sabotage the present administration,” Esor said.

46 BUSINESS | FINANCIAL MARKET NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, May 8, 2014

FMDQ Daily Quotations List

7-May-14

The FMDQ Daily Quotations List (DQL) comprises market and model prices/rates of foreign exchange ($/N) products, fixed income securities and instruments in the OTC market. The use of this report is subject to the FMDQ OTC PLC Terms of Use and Disclaimer Statement.

Bonds

Price

FGN Bonds Issuer

Rating/Agency

NA

NA

Description 9.20 29-JUN-2014 9.25 28-SEP-2014 4.00 23-APR-2015 13.05 16-AUG-2016 15.10 27-APR-2017 9.85 27-JUL-2017 9.35 31-AUG-2017 10.70 30-MAY-2018 16.00 29-JUN-2019 7.00 23-OCT-2019 16.39 27-JAN-2022 14.20 14-MAR-2024 15.00 28-NOV-2028 12.49 22-MAY-2029 8.50 20-NOV-2029 10.00 23-JUL-2030

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Outstanding Value (N'bn)

Maturity Date

TTM (Yrs)

Bid Yield (%)

Offer Yield (%)

Bid Price

Offer Price

29-Jun-07 28-Sep-07 23-Apr-10 16-Aug-13 27-Apr-12 27-Jul-07 31-Aug-07 30-May-08 29-Jun-12 23-Oct-09 27-Jan-12 14-Mar-14 28-Nov-08 22-May-09 20-Nov-09 23-Jul-10

9.20 9.25 4.00 13.05 15.10 9.85 9.35 10.70 16.00 7.00 16.39 14.20 15.00 12.49 8.50 10.00

45.00 100.00 535.00 435.27 452.80 20.00 100.00 300.00 351.30 233.90 600.00 75.00 75.00 150.00 200.00 591.57

29-Jun-14 28-Sep-14 23-Apr-15 16-Aug-16 27-Apr-17 27-Jul-17 31-Aug-17 30-May-18 29-Jun-19 23-Oct-19 27-Jan-22 14-Mar-24 28-Nov-28 22-May-29 20-Nov-29 23-Jul-30

0.15 0.39 0.96 2.28 2.97 3.22 3.32 4.06 5.15 5.46 7.73 9.85 14.56 15.04 15.54 16.21

10.50 11.02 12.32 12.82 12.81 12.76 12.76 12.79 12.90 12.83 12.95 12.96 12.97 12.98 12.99 13.05

9.49 10.62 11.72 12.74 12.75 12.64 12.64 12.69 12.82 12.74 12.90 12.91 12.93 12.93 12.93 13.00

99.76 99.29 92.66 100.40 105.50 92.46 90.97 93.52 111.35 77.58 116.40 106.75 113.09 96.78 70.33 79.60

99.91 99.44 93.16 100.55 105.65 92.76 91.27 93.82 111.65 77.88 116.70 107.05 113.39 97.08 70.63 79.90

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE Rating/Agency

4,264.84 Issuer

Agency Bonds AMCON FMBN

NA

***LCRM

Description

0.00 AMCON 31-OCT-2014 (SR.5 TR.1) 0.00 FMB 24-MAY-2015 17.25 FMB II 03-APR-2017 0.00/16.00 LCRM 09-DEC-2016 0.00/16.50 LCRM II 20-APR-2017 0.00/16.50 LCRM III 06-JUL-2017

#

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Issue Value (N'bn)

Maturity Date

Avg. Life/TTM (Yrs)

Risk Premium (%)

Valuation Yield (%)

Indicative Price

28-Dec-11 24-May-10 03-Apr-12 09-Dec-11 20-Apr-12 06-Jul-12

0.00 0.00 17.25 0.00/16.00 0.00/16.50 0.00/16.50

978.35 24.56 6.00 112.22 116.70 66.49

31-Oct-14 24-May-15 03-Apr-17 09-Dec-16 20-Apr-17 06-Jul-17

0.48 1.05 1.53 2.59 2.95 3.16

1.00 2.63 2.27 2.00 1.49 1.00

12.38 15.04 14.81 14.72 14.24 13.76

94.38 85.91 103.38 93.94 91.06 89.62

05-Aug-14 15-Oct-14 31-Aug-15 30-Sep-15 30-Jun-16 30-Jun-16 19-Apr-17 30-Jun-17 31-Dec-17 30-Sep-18 04-Oct-18 09-Dec-18 12-Dec-18 14-Feb-19 02-Oct-19 22-Nov-19 12-Dec-19 30-Sep-20 27-Nov-20 31-Dec-20 31-Dec-20 06-Jan-21

0.25 0.44 1.32 0.92 1.22 1.22 2.95 1.78 3.65 2.62 4.41 2.63 2.63 3.21 3.27 5.55 3.24 3.95 6.56 6.65 3.96 3.99

4.88 5.99 4.44 3.23 4.46 3.48 5.59 7.60 1.79 1.80 1.00 1.00 1.21 1.00 2.46 1.94 2.74 2.74 1.00 1.94 1.44 1.95

15.74 17.28 16.92 15.47 16.92 15.94 18.34 20.21 14.56 14.52 13.80 13.72 13.93 13.76 15.22 14.77 15.50 15.52 13.86 14.81 14.22 14.74

99.45 98.60 94.91 98.27 96.99 99.86 81.60 90.69 98.39 99.05 100.61 101.81 112.24 101.89 100.78 98.96 98.22 97.86 98.44 100.74 109.14 108.80

07-Oct-14 18-Dec-14 31-Dec-14 17-Aug-15 09-Dec-15 06-Jan-16 29-Sep-16 25-Oct-16 30-Sep-17 30-Nov-17 09-Apr-18 09-Sep-18 09-Sep-18 22-Sep-18 18-Oct-18 17-Feb-19 14-Nov-20

0.42 0.62 0.65 0.80 0.88 0.96 2.40 2.47 3.40 2.02 2.17 2.34 2.34 4.38 2.45 2.53 6.52

1.00 5.21 8.71 4.88 1.00 2.63 1.00 1.34 4.52 1.88 3.48 5.20 5.06 3.06 2.29 6.11 2.76

12.24 16.85 20.42 16.88 13.16 14.95 13.70 14.05 17.29 14.55 16.16 17.89 17.75 15.86 14.99 18.82 15.62

99.66 98.07 97.93 95.12 99.18 99.54 98.58 100.40 89.28 107.04 99.89 100.48 101.95 94.24 101.56 96.83 98.50

11-Feb-18

3.77

1.00

13.78

89.71

Bid Price

Offer Price

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

1,304.32

Sub-National Bonds A/Agusto A-/GCR A+/Agusto A/Agusto Nil A+/Agusto A+/Agusto; A+/GCR A-/Agusto A/Agusto A+/Agusto; A+/GCR A-/Agusto; A-/GCR A/Agusto; A-/GCR† A-/Agusto A/Agusto; A-/GCR A/Agusto; A-/GCR Aa-/Agusto; AA-/GCR A/Agusto; A-/GCR A/Agusto Aa-/Agusto; AA-/GCR A-/Agusto; BBB+/DataPro A/Agusto A-/GCR

KWARA NIGER KADUNA *EBONYI *BENUE *IMO LAGOS *BAYELSA EDO *DELTA NIGER *EKITI *NIGER *ONDO *GOMBE LAGOS *OSUN *OSUN LAGOS KOGI *EKITI *NASARAWA

14.00 KWARA 5-AUG-2014 14.00 NIGER 15-OCT-2014 12.50 KADUNA 31-AUG-2015 13.00 EBONYI 30-SEP-2015 14.00 BENUE 30-JUN-2016 15.50 IMO 30-JUN-2016 10.00 LAGOS 19-APR-2017 13.75 BAYELSA 30-JUN-2017 14.00 EDO 31-DEC-2017 14.00 DELTA 30-SEP-2018 14.00 NIGER II 4-OCT-2018 14.50 EKITI 09-DEC-2018 14.00 NIGER III 12-DEC-2018 15.50 ONDO 14-FEB-2019 15.50 GOMBE 02-OCT-2019 14.50 LAGOS 22-NOV-2019 14.75 OSUN 12-DEC-2019 14.75 OSUN II 30-SEP-2020 13.50 LAGOS IV 27-NOV-2020 15.00 KOGI 31-DEC-2020 14.50 EKITI II 31-DEC-2020 15.00 NASARAWA 06-JAN-2021

05-Aug-09 15-Oct-09 31-Aug-10 30-Sep-10 30-Jun-11 30-Jun-09 19-Apr-10 30-Jun-10 30-Dec-10 30-Sep-11 04-Oct-11 09-Dec-11 12-Dec-13 14-Feb-12 02-Oct-12 22-Nov-12 12-Dec-12 30-Sep-13 27-Nov-13 31-Dec-13 31-Dec-13 06-Jan-14

14.00 14.00 12.50 13.00 14.00 15.50 10.00 13.75 14.00 14.00 14.00 14.50 14.00 15.50 15.50 14.50 14.75 14.75 13.50 15.00 14.50 15.00

17.00 6.00 8.50 16.50 13.00 18.50 57.00 50.00 25.00 50.00 9.00 20.00 12.00 27.00 20.00 80.00 30.00 11.40 87.00 5.00 5.00 5.00

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

572.90

Corporate Bonds A+/Agusto; AA/GCR Aa/Agusto Nil Bbb-/Agusto A-/Agusto BB+/GCR A+/Agusto; A-/GCR A-/Agusto A/GCR BBB-/GCR BBB+/DataPro†; BB+/GCR A-/DataPro†; BB-/GCR AAA/DataPro†; A+/GCR A/Agusto; A/GCR Bbb+/Agusto; BBB+/GCR BBB-/DataPro†; BB+/GCR A+/Agusto; A-/GCR

LAFARGE WAPCO GTB µ NGC *UPDC *FLOURMILLS *CHELLARAMS NAHCO FSDH UBA *C & I LEASING *DANA# *TOWER# *TOWER# UBA *LA CASERA *CHELLARAMS# NAHCO

11.50 LAFARGE WAPCO 7-OCT 2014 13.50 GUARANTY TRUST 18-DEC-2014 17.00 NGC 31-DEC-2014 10.00 UPDC 17-AUG-2015 12.00 FLOURMILLS 9-DEC-2015 14.00 CHELLARAMS 06-JAN-2016 13.00 NAHCO 29-SEP-2016 14.25 FSDH 25-OCT-2016 13.00 UBA 30-SEP-2017 18.00 C&I LEASING 30-NOV-2017 MPR+7.00 DANA 9-APR-2018 MPR+7.00 TOWER 9-SEP-2018 MPR+5.25 TOWER 9-SEP-2018 14.00 UBA II 22-SEP-2018 15.75 LA CASERA 18-OCT-2018 MPR+5.00 CHELLARAMS II 17-FEB-2019 15.25 NAHCO II 14-NOV-2020

07-Oct-11 18-Dec-09 01-Apr-10 17-Aug-10 09-Dec-10 06-Jan-11 29-Sep-11 25-Oct-13 30-Sep-10 30-Nov-12 09-Apr-11 09-Sep-11 09-Sep-11 22-Sep-11 18-Oct-13 17-Feb-12 14-Nov-13

11.50 13.50 17.00 10.00 12.00 14.00 13.00 14.25 13.00 18.00 16.00 18.00 16.00 14.00 15.75 17.00 15.25

11.80 13.17 2.00 15.00 37.50 1.50 15.00 5.53 20.00 0.94 8.01 3.63 1.00 35.00 3.00 0.54 2.05

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

175.67

Supranational Bond AAA/S&P

10.20 IFC 11-FEB-2018

IFC

11-Feb-13

10.20

12.00

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE Rating/Agency

12.00 Issuer

Description

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Issue Value ($'mm)

Maturity Date

Bid Yield (%)

Offer Yield (%)

6.75 JAN 28, 2021

07-Oct-11

6.75

500.00

28-Jan-21

5.06

4.92

109.48

110.37

5.13 JUL 12, 2018

18-Dec-09

5.13

500.00

12-Jul-18

4.33

4.12

103.01

103.79

6.38 JUL 12, 2023

01-Apr-10

6.38

500.00

12-Jul-23

5.51

5.39

106.17

107.06

FGN Eurobonds

Prices & Yields

BB-/Fitch; B+/S&P BB-/Fitch; BB-/S&P

FGN

BB-/Fitch; BB-/S&P

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

1,500.00

Corporate Eurobonds B-/S&P; B/Fitch B+/S&P; B+/Fitch B+/S&P

AFREN PLC I

11.50 FEB 01, 2016

01-Feb-11

11.50

450.00

01-Feb-16

3.97

3.42

112.38

113.38

GTBANK PLC I

7.50 MAY 19, 2016

19-May-11

7.50

500.00

19-May-16

5.34

4.42

104.09

105.89

GTBANK PLC

6.00 NOV 08, 2018

08-Nov-13

6.00

400.00

08-Nov-18

6.23

6.00

99.12

99.98

7.25 JUL 25, 2017

25-Jul-12

7.25

350.00

25-Jul-17

7.16

6.61

100.25

101.81

ACCESS BANK PLC

6.88 MAY 09, 2018

09-May-13

6.88

300.00

02-May-18

8.22

7.71

95.50

97.17

AFREN PLC

10.25 APR 08, 2019

08-Apr-12

10.25

300.00

08-Apr-19

5.25

4.61

113.60

114.88

ZENITH BANK PLC FIRST BANK PLC

6.25 APR 22, 2019

22-Apr-14

6.25

500.00

22-Apr-19

6.30

6.15

99.80

100.44

B/S&P; B-/Fitch

8.25 AUG 07, 2020

07-Aug-13

8.25

300.00

07-Aug-20

7.21

6.77

103.71

105.37

B+/S&P; B+/Fitch

AFREN PLC

6.63 DEC 09, 2020

09-Dec-13

6.63

360.00

09-Dec-20

6.64

6.37

99.91

101.00

B/S&P; B/Fitch B/Fitch B+/Fitch; BB-/S&P

FIDELITY BANK PLC

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

3,460.00

**Treasury Bills DTM 8 15 22 29 43 50

FIXINGS Maturity 15-May-14 22-May-14 29-May-14 5-Jun-14 19-Jun-14 26-Jun-14

Bid Discount (%) 10.20 10.20 10.30 10.20 10.60 10.40

Offer Discount (%) 9.95 9.95 10.05 9.95 10.35 10.15

Bid Yield (%) 10.22 10.24 10.36 10.28 10.73 10.55

Money Market

NIBOR Tenor O/N 1M 3M 6M

Rate (%) 10.5917 12.4444 13.0338 14.0716

Foreign Exchange (Spot & Forwards)

Tenor

Rate (%)

OBB

10.25

Tenor

Bid ($/N)

Offer ($/N)

O/N

10.50

Spot 7D 14D 1M

161.76 161.80 162.05 162.68

161.86 162.07 162.43 163.44

Tenor

REPO

Rate (%)

***LCRM

0.00/16.00 LCRM 09-DEC-2016 0.00/16.50 LCRM II 20-APR-2017 0.00/16.50 LCRM III 06-JUL-2017

09-Dec-11 20-Apr-12 06-Jul-12

0.00/16.00 0.00/16.50 0.00/16.50

112.22 116.70 66.49

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

09-Dec-16 20-Apr-17 06-Jul-17

2.59 2.95 3.16

2.00 1.49 1.00

14.72 14.24 13.76

93.94 91.06 89.62

1,304.32

Sub-National Bonds A/Agusto A-/GCR A+/Agusto A/Agusto Nil Thursday, A+/AgustoMay 8, 2014 A+/Agusto; A+/GCR A-/Agusto A/Agusto A+/Agusto; A+/GCR A-/Agusto; A-/GCR A/Agusto; A-/GCR† A-/Agusto A/Agusto; A-/GCR A/Agusto; A-/GCR Aa-/Agusto; AA-/GCR A/Agusto; A-/GCR A/Agusto Aa-/Agusto; AA-/GCR A-/Agusto; BBB+/DataPro A/Agusto A-/GCR Sanctity of Truth

KWARA NIGER KADUNA *EBONYI *BENUE *IMO LAGOS *BAYELSA EDO *DELTA NIGER *EKITI *NIGER *ONDO *GOMBE LAGOS *OSUN *OSUN LAGOS KOGI *EKITI *NASARAWA

14.00 KWARA 5-AUG-2014 14.00 NIGER 15-OCT-2014 12.50 KADUNA 31-AUG-2015 13.00 EBONYI 30-SEP-2015 14.00 BENUE 30-JUN-2016 15.50 IMO 30-JUN-2016 10.00 LAGOS 19-APR-2017 13.75 BAYELSA 30-JUN-2017 14.00 EDO 31-DEC-2017 14.00 DELTA 30-SEP-2018 14.00 NIGER II 4-OCT-2018 14.50 EKITI 09-DEC-2018 14.00 NIGER III 12-DEC-2018 15.50 ONDO 14-FEB-2019 15.50 GOMBE 02-OCT-2019 14.50 LAGOS 22-NOV-2019 forum will give Nigeria a huge 14.75 OSUN 12-DEC-2019 publicity that will unlock enor14.75 OSUN II 30-SEP-2020 mous potential for the growth 13.50 LAGOS IV 27-NOV-2020 of 15.00 the KOGI economy .

31-DEC-2020 SheEKITI reiterated the financial 14.50 II 31-DEC-2020 institution’s com15.00 NASARAWAunwavering 06-JAN-2021

05-Aug-09 14.00 15-Oct-09 14.00 31-Aug-10 12.50 30-Sep-10 13.00 30-Jun-11 14.00 30-Jun-09 15.50 19-Apr-10 10.00 30-Jun-10 13.75 30-Dec-10 14.00 30-Sep-11 14.00 04-Oct-11 14.00 09-Dec-11 14.50 12-Dec-13 14.00 14-Feb-12 15.50 02-Oct-12 15.50 22-Nov-12 14.50 Further review of yester12-Dec-12 14.75 day’s30-Sep-13 trading showed14.75 that investors bought 27-Nov-13 321.9 million 13.50 shares worth31-Dec-13 N3.2 billion in 15.00 3,952 deals.

On31-Dec-13 the price movement 14.50 06-Jan-14 15.00 Plc led chart, Mobil Nigeria

Market heads northwards as World Economic Forum on Africa begins VALUE TOTAL OUTSTANDING Corporate Bonds

A+/Agusto; AA/GCR LAFARGE WAPCO Aa/Agusto GTB µ Nil NGC Bbb-/Agusto *UPDC nvestors’ wealth got a boost A-/Agusto *FLOURMILLS yesterday on the floor of the BB+/GCR *CHELLARAMS Nigerian Stock Exchange A+/Agusto; A-/GCR NAHCO (NSE) A-/Agustoas the bulls maintained FSDH their stronghold, leading A/GCR UBA to enBBB-/GCR hancement of the *Cprincipal & I LEASING # BBB+/DataPro†;the BB+/GCR indicators, NSE*DANA ASI and # A-/DataPro†; BB-/GCR *TOWER market capitalisation, which AAA/DataPro†; A+/GCR rose by 0.27 per cent.*TOWER# A/Agusto; A/GCR Market watchers UBA attributed Bbb+/Agusto; BBB+/GCR *LA CASERA the return of the bulls after BBB-/DataPro†; BB+/GCR *CHELLARAMS# weeks of bear run to the World A+/Agusto; A-/GCR NAHCO

Stories by Chris Ugwu

I

mitment to Nigeria’s socio-economic development.

Consequently, at the close 11.50 LAFARGE WAPCO 7-OCT 2014 of 13.50 transactions, market capiGUARANTY TRUST 18-DEC-2014 talisation increased by 0.27 per 17.00 NGC 31-DEC-2014 cent orUPDC N3517-AUG-2015 billion from N12.667 10.00 trillion traded9-DEC-2015 on Tuesday to 12.00 FLOURMILLS N12.702 trillion 06-JAN-2016 yesterday.

14.00 CHELLARAMS Meanwhile, gains from most 13.00 NAHCO 29-SEP-2016 14.25chip FSDH 25-OCT-2016 blue companies lifted the 13.00 UBAcapitalisation 30-SEP-2017 market

by N35 18.00 C&Ias LEASING 30-NOV-2017appetite billion investors' MPR+7.00 DANA 9-APR-2018 remained positive.

MPR+7.00 TOWER 9-SEP-2018 Also, the NSE All Share InMPR+5.25 TOWER 9-SEP-2018 dex (ASI) appreciated by 105.92 14.00 UBA II 22-SEP-2018 basis points to 38,585.99 basis 15.75 LA CASERA 18-OCT-2018 points from 38,480.07 points reMPR+5.00 CHELLARAMS II 17-FEB-2019 corded in the previous day.

15.25 NAHCO II 14-NOV-2020

Economic Forum on Africa TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE (WEFA), which began in Abuja, yesterday .

Supranational Bond Ahead of the economic fo10.20 IFC 11-FEB-2018 AAA/S&P IFC rum, analysts had the predicted TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE that in spite of insecurities that ccess Bank Plc has posted had threatened investment ina 20 per cent growth in preDescription Issuer flow inRating/Agency the country, the forum tax profit during the first would help to shore up inves- quarter ended March 31, 2014.

FGN Eurobonds tors’ confidence in the country.

According a the company’s 6.75 JAN made 28, 2021 availBB-/Fitch; B+/S&P Stanbic IBTC, a member of financial reports Standard able to newsmen, the bank BB-/Fitch; Bank Group, had said FGN 5.13 JUL 12, 2018 BB-/S&P that the forum will attract for- recorded a profit before tax BB-/Fitch; eign investment in the country. of N13.4 billion, increase 6.38 JULan 12, 2023 BB-/S&P Speaking at a press confer- by 20 per cent from N11.1 bilTOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUEChief ence recently in Lagos, lion in Q1 2013 Executive Officer, Stanbic IBTC Gross earnings amounted Corporate Eurobonds Holdings PLC, Mrs. Sola David- to N57 billion, 9 per cent up 11.50 FEB 01, 2016 B-/S&P; B/Fitch AFREN PLC I Borha, said the capital inflow from the corresponding peMAY 19, 2016 GTBANK PLC I that willB+/Fitch come into many sec- riod in 2013,7.50 while operating B+/S&P; 6.00 NOV 08,by 201819 per PLC tors of the NigerianGTBANK economy income increased 7.25 JUL 25, 2017 ACCESS BANK PLC cent to N42.0billion onB+/S&P the back of the forum would support6.88 MAY 09, 2018 B/Fitch FIDELITY BANK PLC ed by the 12 per beB/S&P; significant. cent increase 10.25 APR 08, 2019 B/Fitch AFREN PLCthe David-Borha noted that in non-interest income dur6.25 APR 22, 2019 B+/Fitch; BB-/S&P ZENITH BANK PLC ing the period.

gainers' table, appreciating by 7.39 per cent to close at N123.50 per share, Seplat Petroleum 07-Oct-11 11.50 Development Company Plc fol18-Dec-09 13.50 lowed01-Apr-10 with a gain of17.00 5 per cent to close at N696.12 10.00 per share, 17-Aug-10 while09-Dec-10 Custody Insurance add12.00 ed 4.92 per cent to close 06-Jan-11 14.00at N2.77 per share.

29-Sep-11 13.00 On25-Oct-13 the other hand, 14.25 Fidson Healthcare 30-Sep-10 Plc topped 13.00 losers' 30-Nov-12 18.00 chart, shedding 5.22 per cent 09-Apr-11 to close at N2.36 per16.00 share, Jos 09-Sep-11 Plc trailed 18.00 with a Breweries 09-Sep-11 loss of 4.74 per cent16.00 to close at 14.00 N3.4222-Sep-11 per share, while Costain 18-Oct-13 15.75 West Africa Plc lost 4.35 per cent 17-Feb-12 17.00 to close at N1.32 per share.

14-Nov-13 15.25

U

for complying 572.90

with the directive of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) regulation for 11.80 0.42 all banks to 07-Oct-14 divest from their 13.17 18-Dec-14 0.62 non-banking subsidiaries and 2.00 31-Dec-14 0.65 focus on their core areas of 15.00 17-Aug-15 0.80 expertise.

37.50 09-Dec-15 0.88 of bank,0.96ac1.50The Board 06-Jan-16 cording to 29-Sep-16 the notice, "has 15.00 2.40 resolved that25-Oct-16 the Bank should 5.53 2.47 divest its shares in its subsid20.00 30-Sep-17 3.40 0.94 2.02of iaries, with30-Nov-17 the exception 8.01 09-Apr-18 Custodian 2.17 Union Pension 3.63 09-Sep-18 the Board 2.34 Limited, which 1.00 09-Sep-18 be wound 2.34 resolved should 35.00 22-Sep-18 up and Union Bank UK 4.38 Plc, 3.00 18-Oct-18 which will be retained as2.45 the 0.54 17-Feb-19 2.53 only subsidiary of the Bank."

2.05 14-Nov-20 6.52

175.67

B/S&P; B-/Fitch

FIRST BANK PLC

8.25 AUG 07, 2020

B+/S&P; B+/Fitch

AFREN PLC

6.63 DEC 09, 2020

11-Feb-13

10.20

12.00

11-Feb-18

3.77

12.00

The company’s net interest progress towards sustainmargin rose to 6.2 per cent able and profitable growth Issue Date Coupon (%) ($'mm) Maturity Date Bid Yield (%) compared with 5.4 per cent. Issue Value to shareholders.

An improvement was Wigwe said: “Business also recorded in the cost to performance has improved 07-Oct-11 6.75 came 500.00 28-Jan-21 5.06as income ratio, which across all key segments, down to 64.6 per cent from the bank lays out its medi18-Dec-09 5.13 12-Jul-18 70.2 per cent as costs were 500.00 um-term plan.

Whilst 4.33 our maintained. corporate banking division 01-Apr-10 6.38 500.00 12-Jul-23 5.51 Commenting on the Bank’s remains a stronghold for the financial performance, Group 1,500.00 bank, significant potential is Managing Director, Access being shown by our Personal Bank, Herbert Wigwe, said he and Business banking divi01-Feb-11 3.97 was pleased with the11.50 progress 450.00 sions. Our 01-Feb-16 earnings uplift 19-May-11 7.50 500.00 19-May-16 5.34 that the bank is making in was driven by our loan book 08-Nov-13 on a strategy 6.00 08-Nov-18 delivering “we 400.00 growth mostly from the 6.23 sec7.25 to our 350.00 spent25-Jul-12 time explaining ond half of 25-Jul-17 2013, as cost7.16 lev09-May-13 6.88 300.00 02-May-18 8.22 stakeholders.” els normalise in the absence 10.25results 300.00 08-Apr-19experienced 5.25 He08-Apr-12 noted that the of one-off costs 22-Apr-14 6.25 22-Apr-19 6.30 clearly demonstrate strong 500.00 in the previous year.

07-Aug-13

8.25

300.00

07-Aug-20

7.21

09-Dec-13

6.63

360.00

09-Dec-20

6.64

FMDQ Daily Quotations List

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

47

Divestment: Union Bank appoints financial advisers

Access Bank’s Q1 pre-tax profit rises 20%

A

4.88 15.74 99.45 5.99 17.28 98.60 4.44 16.92 94.91 3.23 15.47 98.27 4.46 16.92 96.99 3.48 15.94 99.86 5.59 18.34 81.60 7.60 20.21 90.69 1.79 14.56 98.39 1.80 14.52 99.05 1.00 13.80 100.61 1.00 13.72 101.81 1.21 13.93 112.24 1.00 13.76 101.89 2.46 100.78 The Bank 15.22 has already held 1.94 14.77 98.96 discussions with the apex 2.74 15.50 98.22 bank and interested investors 2.74 15.52 97.86 had carried out in-depth 1.00 13.86 98.44 due diligence exercises and 1.94 14.81 100.74rigorous 1.44 bidding 14.22processes 109.14had 1.95 conducted 14.74 with a 108.80 been view to

BUSINESS | FINANCIAL MARKET NEWS

Stock market sustains bullish profile on WEF POSITIVE

17.00 05-Aug-14 0.25 6.00 15-Oct-14 0.44 8.50 31-Aug-15 1.32 16.50 30-Sep-15 0.92 13.00 30-Jun-16 1.22 18.50 30-Jun-16 1.22 57.00 19-Apr-17 2.95 50.00 30-Jun-17 1.78 25.00 31-Dec-17 3.65 50.00 30-Sep-18 2.62 9.00 04-Oct-18 4.41 20.00 09-Dec-18 2.63 12.00 12-Dec-18 2.63 27.00 14-Feb-19 3.21 20.00 02-Oct-19 nion Bank of Nigeria3.27 Plc 80.00 22-Nov-19 5.55 has notified the Nigerian 30.00 12-Dec-19 3.24 Stock Exchange (NSE) 11.40 30-Sep-20 3.95 that it has appointed finan87.00 27-Nov-20 6.56 cial for the purpose 5.00 advisers 31-Dec-20 6.65 of guidance 3.96 and 5.00 obtaining 31-Dec-20 5.00 3.99 direction on06-Jan-21 the best option

selecting the preferred investor for each subsidiary.

Preliminary steps are being1.00 taken to 12.24 wound up99.66 Union 5.21 16.85 98.07 Pension Custodian Limited 8.71 20.42 97.93 while preferred bidders 4.88 16.88 95.12 have for99.18 Union 1.00 been selected 13.16 Homes Savings and 99.54 Loans 2.63 14.95 Plc, Union Assurance Compa1.00 13.70 98.58 ny1.34 Limited and 14.05 Union Capital 100.40 Markets Limited and89.28 share 4.52 17.29 1.88 14.55 107.04 purchase agreements have 3.48 executed 16.16with a view 99.89 to been 5.20 17.89 applications 100.48 making formal 101.95 in 5.06 respect of 17.75 the transactions 3.06 15.86 94.24 to all regulatory bodies.

2.29 14.99 101.56 Union Bank according to 96.83 the6.11 notice, 18.82 will undertake 2.76 15.62 98.50 the same processes for divestment from Union Registrars Limited, UBN Property Limited rest of the 1.00and the13.78 89.71subsidiaries in due course.

Building on its loan portfolio growth of 55 per cent Offer Yield (%) Price Offer Price in 2013, theBidbank had said it expects to continue to grow Prices & Yields its loan book and forecast a 4.92 109.48 110.37 growth of about 30 per cent by the end of 2014.

4.12 103.01 103.79 Group Managing Director5.39and Chief Executive 106.17 107.06 of Union Bank, Mr. Emeka Emuwa, while commenting on the bank’s first quarter 2014 results, said the loans to 3.42 112.38 113.38 deposits ratio is improving 4.42 104.09 105.89 and now stands at 52 per cent.

99.12 99.98 opHe6.00 added that the lender's 6.61 100.25 101.81 erating expenditure remains 7.71 tight control 95.50 97.17 the under whilst 4.61 make 113.60 114.88 bank new investments 100.44 for6.15 growth. 99.80 6.77

103.71

105.37

6.37

99.91

101.00

3,460.00

7-May-14

The FMDQ Bills Daily Quotations List (DQL) comprises market and model prices/rates of foreign exchange ($/N) products, FIXINGS fixed income securities and instruments in the OTC market. The use of this report is subject **Treasury Money Market Foreign Exchange (Spot & Forwards) to the FMDQ OTC PLC Terms Maturity of Use and Disclaimer Statement. Offer Discount (%) DTM Bid Discount (%) Bid Yield (%) Tenor Rate (%)

8 15 FGN Bonds 22 29 43 Rating/Agency 50 57 64 71 78 85 92 99 106 113 NA 120 155 211 246 260 274 288 302 337 TOTAL OUTSTANDING 351

VALUE

15-May-14 22-May-14 29-May-14 5-Jun-14 19-Jun-14 Issuer 26-Jun-14 3-Jul-14 10-Jul-14 17-Jul-14 24-Jul-14 31-Jul-14 7-Aug-14 14-Aug-14 21-Aug-14 28-Aug-14 NA 4-Sep-14 9-Oct-14 4-Dec-14 8-Jan-15 22-Jan-15 5-Feb-15 19-Feb-15 5-Mar-15 9-Apr-15 23-Apr-15

10.20 10.20 10.30 10.20 10.60 Description 10.40 10.45 9.20 29-JUN-2014 10.55 9.25 28-SEP-2014 10.55 4.00 23-APR-2015 10.40 13.05 16-AUG-2016 10.40 15.10 27-APR-2017 10.10 9.85 27-JUL-2017 10.25 9.35 31-AUG-2017 10.30 10.70 30-MAY-2018 10.60 16.00 29-JUN-2019 10.70 7.00 23-OCT-2019 10.70 16.39 27-JAN-2022 10.40 14.20 14-MAR-2024 11.20 15.00 28-NOV-2028 11.15 12.49 22-MAY-2029 11.30 8.50 20-NOV-2029 11.05 11.40 10.00 23-JUL-2030 11.40 11.35

9.95 9.95 10.05 9.95 10.35 Issue Date 10.15 10.20 29-Jun-07 10.30 28-Sep-07 10.30 23-Apr-10 10.15 16-Aug-13 10.15 27-Apr-12 9.85 27-Jul-07 10.00 31-Aug-07 10.05 30-May-08 10.35 29-Jun-12 10.45 23-Oct-09 10.45 27-Jan-12 10.15 14-Mar-14 10.95 28-Nov-08 10.90 22-May-09 11.05 20-Nov-09 10.80 11.15 23-Jul-10 11.15 11.10

*from the Amortising Description Rating/Agency Issuer #bonds, the average is Risk Premium is a life combination of credit risk and liquidity risk premiums

10.22 10.24 10.36 10.28 10.73 Coupon (%) 10.55 10.62 9.20 10.75 9.25 10.77 4.00 10.64 13.05 10.66 15.10 10.36 9.85 10.54 9.35 10.62 10.70 10.96 16.00 11.09 7.00 11.21 16.39 11.07 14.20 12.11 15.00 12.11 12.49 12.35 8.50 12.11 12.59 10.00 12.74 12.74

NIBOR

Bonds

Issue Date

Tenor O/N 1M Outstanding 3M Value (N'bn) 6M

Rate (%) 10.5917 12.4444 13.0338 Maturity Date 14.0716

45.00 100.00 NITTY 535.00 435.27 Tenor 452.80 1M 20.00 2M 100.00 3M 300.00 6M 351.30 9M 233.90 12M 600.00 75.00 75.00 NIFEX 150.00 200.00 Current Price ($/N) BID($/N)591.57 OFFER ($/N)

4,264.84

Coupon (%)

29-Jun-14 28-Sep-14 23-Apr-15 16-Aug-16 Rate (%) 27-Apr-17 10.6460 27-Jul-17 10.7842 31-Aug-17 10.8754 30-May-18 11.1754 29-Jun-19 12.3142 23-Oct-19 12.8212 27-Jan-22 14-Mar-24 28-Nov-28 22-May-29 20-Nov-29 161.5750 23-Jul-30 161.6750

Issue Value (N'bn)

OBB

10.25

Spot O/N 10.50 7D Offer Yield 14D TTM (Yrs)REPO Bid Yield (%) (%) Tenor Rate (%) 1M Call 10.25 2M 0.15 10.50 9.49 1M 11.86 3M 0.39 11.02 10.62 3M 12.40 6M 0.96 12.32 11.72 6M 13.20 1Y 2.28 12.82 12.74 2.97 12.81 12.75 NOTE: 3.22 12.76 12.64 3.32 12.76 12.64 :Benchmarks 4.06 Bond 12.79 12.69 * :Amortising 5.15 Bond 12.90 12.82 µ :Convertible AMCON: 5.46 Asset Management12.83 Corporation of 12.74 Nigeria 7.73 Government of 12.95 12.90 FGN: Federal Nigeria 9.85 12.96 12.91 FMBN: Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria 14.56 12.97 12.93 IFC: International Finance Corporation 15.04 Contractors Receivables 12.98 12.93 LCRM: Local Management 12.99 12.93 NAHCO:15.54 Nigerian Aviation Handling Company 16.21 13.05 13.00 O/N: Overnight UPDC: UAC Property Development Company WAPCO:West Africa Portland Cement Company

AMCON FMBN

NA

***LCRM

0.00 AMCON 31-OCT-2014 (SR.5 TR.1) 0.00 FMB 24-MAY-2015 17.25 FMB II 03-APR-2017 0.00/16.00 LCRM 09-DEC-2016 0.00/16.50 LCRM II 20-APR-2017 0.00/16.50 LCRM III 06-JUL-2017

28-Dec-11 24-May-10 03-Apr-12 09-Dec-11 20-Apr-12 06-Jul-12

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE Sub-National Bonds A/Agusto A-/GCR A+/Agusto A/Agusto Nil A+/Agusto A+/Agusto; A+/GCR A-/Agusto A/Agusto A+/Agusto; A+/GCR A-/Agusto; A-/GCR A/Agusto; A-/GCR† A-/Agusto A/Agusto; A-/GCR A/Agusto; A-/GCR Aa-/Agusto; AA-/GCR A/Agusto; A-/GCR A/Agusto

Modified Duration Buckets KWARA NIGER KADUNA <3 *EBONYI 3<5 *BENUE >5 *IMO Market LAGOS *BAYELSA EDO *DELTA NIGER *EKITI *NIGER *ONDO *GOMBE LAGOS *OSUN *OSUN

0.00 0.00 17.25 0.00/16.00 0.00/16.50 FMDQ0.00/16.50 FGN BOND

978.35 24.56 6.00 112.22 116.70 INDEX 66.49

#

Bid ($/N)

Offer ($/N)

161.76 Price 161.86 161.80 162.07 162.05 162.43 Offer Price Bid Price 162.68 163.44 163.79 165.12 99.76 99.91 165.08 167.05 99.29 99.44 167.54 172.92 92.66 93.16 175.67 184.72 100.40 100.55 105.50 105.65 92.46 92.76 90.97 91.27 NA :Not Applicable 93.52 Rate Bond 93.82 # :Floating 111.35 coupon bonds 111.65 ***: Deferred 77.58 77.88 116.40 †: Bond rating expired 116.70 106.75 107.05 113.09 113.39 96.78 97.08 70.33 70.63 NGC: Nigeria-German Company UBA: United 79.60 Bank for Africa 79.90

Maturity Date

Avg. Life/TTM (Yrs)

Risk Premium (%)

Valuation Yield (%)

Indicative Price

31-Oct-14 24-May-15 03-Apr-17 09-Dec-16 20-Apr-17 06-Jul-17

0.48 1.05 1.53 2.59 2.95 3.16

1.00 2.63 2.27 2.00 1.49 1.00

12.38 15.04 14.81 14.72 14.24 13.76

94.38 85.91 103.38 93.94 91.06 89.62

Implied Yield 0.25 0.44 1.32 12.81 0.92 12.94 1.22 13.05 1.22 12.96 2.95 1.78 3.65 2.62 4.41 2.63 2.63 3.21 3.27 5.55 3.24 3.95

Implied Portfolio 4.88Price 5.99 4.44 111.7361 3.23 124.7685 4.46 87.5871 3.48 110.9594 5.59 7.60 1.79 1.80 1.00 1.00 1.21 1.00 2.46 1.94 2.74 2.74

**Exclusive of non-trading t.bills

Agency Bonds

Tenor

1,304.32 Porfolio Market Total Outstanding Value(Bn) Volume(Bn) 14.00 KWARA 5-AUG-2014 14.00 NIGER 15-OCT-2014 914.72 888.07 12.50 KADUNA 31-AUG-2015 13.00 EBONYI 30-SEP-2015 1,089.57 951.30 14.00 BENUE 30-JUN-2016 470.89 591.57 15.50 IMO 30-JUN-2016 2,475.18 2,430.94 10.00 LAGOS 19-APR-2017 13.75 BAYELSA 30-JUN-2017 14.00 EDO 31-DEC-2017 14.00 DELTA 30-SEP-2018 14.00 NIGER II 4-OCT-2018 14.50 EKITI 09-DEC-2018 14.00 NIGER III 12-DEC-2018 15.50 ONDO 14-FEB-2019 15.50 GOMBE 02-OCT-2019 14.50 LAGOS 22-NOV-2019 14.75 OSUN 12-DEC-2019 14.75 OSUN II 30-SEP-2020

Weighting by Outstanding 05-Aug-09Vol 15-Oct-09 31-Aug-10 36.53 30-Sep-1039.13 30-Jun-11 24.33 30-Jun-09 100.00 19-Apr-10 30-Jun-10 30-Dec-10 30-Sep-11 04-Oct-11 09-Dec-11 12-Dec-13 14-Feb-12 02-Oct-12 22-Nov-12 12-Dec-12 30-Sep-13

Weighting by Mkt Value 14.00

14.00 12.50 36.96 13.00 44.02 14.00 19.02 15.50 100.00 10.00 13.75 14.00 14.00 14.00 14.50 14.00 15.50 15.50 14.50 14.75 14.75

Bucket Weighting 17.00 6.00 8.50 0.37 16.50 0.39 13.00 0.24 18.50 1.00 57.00 50.00 25.00 50.00 9.00 20.00 12.00 27.00 20.00 80.00 30.00 11.40

% Exposure_ Mod_Duration 05-Aug-14 15-Oct-14 31-Aug-15 19.39 30-Sep-15 39.51 30-Jun-16 41.10 30-Jun-16 100.00 19-Apr-17 30-Jun-17 31-Dec-17 30-Sep-18 04-Oct-18 09-Dec-18 12-Dec-18 14-Feb-19 02-Oct-19 22-Nov-19 12-Dec-19 30-Sep-20

INDEX 15.74 17.28 16.92 1,061.27 15.47 1,056.49 16.92 1,060.31 15.94 1,052.86 18.34 20.21 14.56 14.52 13.80 13.72 13.93 13.76 15.22 14.77 15.50 15.52

YTD Return (%) 99.45

98.60 94.91 6.1265 98.27 5.6492 96.99 6.0313 99.86 5.2861 81.60 90.69 98.39 99.05 100.61 101.81 112.24 101.89 100.78 98.96 98.22 97.86

48 BUSINESS | MONEY LINE

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, May 8, 2014

World Bank, IFC, MIGA boost power with $1.7bn million and guarantees of up to US$659 million for the Azura Edo project.“Efficient, affordable and reliable access to electricity is essential for small and medium-sized enterprises in Nigeria to accelerate job creation,” said Makhtar Diop, Vice President, Africa Region, World Bank. “I am glad that we were able to support Nigeria’s extensive energy reform program and provide direct as-

POWER OUTAGE World Bank moves to ease crippling power outage Abdulwahab Isa ABUJA

T

he World Bank and its other agencies-International Finance Corporation (IFC) and MIGA Board of Executive Directors have approved a package of loans and guarantees totaling $1.7 billion in support a series of energy projects that would help boost independent power generation and ease crippling energy shortages in Nigeria.

Specifically, the loans were deployed to boost energy generation output in various power plants across the country.

These projects are critical to the World Bank Group Energy Business Plan for Nigeria, the global bank said in a statement issued by its country office in Abuja.

The World Bank partial risk guarantees approved include about US$245 million for the 459-megawatt (MW) Azura Edo power plant near Benin City, Edo State; and about US$150 million for the 533-MW Qua Iboe plant in Ibeno, Akwa Ibom State. Both plants are gas-fired.

According to statement, the Boards of IFC and MIGA approved loans and hedging instruments of up to US$135

sistance to increase generation capacity by mobilizing nearly US$ 1.7 billion of private sector financing through a range of instruments,” he added.

The IBRD guarantees include forward-looking mitigation and risk-sharing arrangements, designed to augment the country’s power sector reforms while building market confidence and setting industry benchmarks. IFC's invest-

Simeon Ogoegbulem ABUJA

T

he World Economic Forum (WEF) has released a new report on regional infrastructure development in Africa, suggesting ways to boosting inter regional trade.

The report released in collaboration with The Boston Consulting Group titled “Managing Transnational Infrastructure Programmes in Africa – Challenges and Best Practices”, focused on best strategies to the delivery of transnational infrastructure programmes on schedule, at cost and at a high quality.

According to the report, such programmes can make a huge contribution to social and economic welfare by boosting intra-regional trade, connecting landlocked countries to world markets, and improving access

to and security of electricity supply by linking large power plants with neighbouring countries.

The management of any complex infrastructure programme – a railway system, for instance, or an electricity production and distribution network – is difficult enough within an individual country.

The challenges, says the report, are tremendous with transnational programmes, and more so, still in Africa, owing to the continent’s wide variation in languages, cultures, financial capacities and maturity of public institutions.

“Infrastructure is essential for integrating regions, realizing socio-economic potential and fast-tracking development in Africa,” says Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, Chief Executive Officer of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) Planning and Coordinating

As at N14,737,618.7m N16,509,472.5m 8 0.0000 12 10.899 7.96 17.01 US$109.9 US$42,604,781,796.6

Description

TTM

4.00% 23-Apr-2015 13.05% 16-Aug-2016 15.10% 27-Apr-2017 16.00% 29-Jun-2019 16.39% 27-Jan-2022 10.00% 23-Jul-2030

1.21 2.53 3.22 5.39 7.98 16.47

Tenor (Days) Call 7 30 60 90 180 365

Rate (%) 11.9167 12.3333 12.6667 12.9167 13.2167 13.5000 13.7500

NIBOR

Dec, 2013 Dec, 2013 Dec, 2013 2/5/2014 1/20/2014 11/6/2013 Dec, 2013 Dec, 2013 1/20/2014 2/5/2014 Source:CBN

FGN Bonds Bid Price 90.20 99.25 104.10 109.35 114.15 76.60

Offer Yield 13.01 13.40 13.47 13.49 13.44 13.59

Price 90.35 99.40 104.40 109.65 114.45 76.90

Tenor (Months) 1 2 3 6 9 12

Rate (%) 12.1827 12.2737 12.3744 12.8521 12.8535 13.8443

Treasury Bills Maturity Date 08-May-14 07-Aug-14 22-Jan-15

Bid 12.10 12.10 12.05

FX

the World Bank Group, we can help catalyze significant private investment in an environment that best assures successful delivery of increased power supply.”

Nigeria is endowed with abundant energy resources, including the world’s eighth largest reserves of natural gas.

Yet 65 percent of its population – some 100 million people – has no access to electricity.

New WEF report focuses on inter regional trade

Economic Indicators M2* CPS* INF IBR MPR 91-day NTB DPR PLR Bonny Light Ext Res**

ment and MIGA's guarantee for the Azura Edo power plant will support a trail blazing project at the center of Nigeria's ambitious power sector program, while setting a replicable model for future power projects.

“Addressing energy needs in Nigeria requires investment from the public and private sectors,” said Jean Philippe Prosper, IFC Regional Vice President. “Working across

Bid Spot ($/N) 163.28 THE FIXINGS –NIBOR,NITTY and NIFEX of February 6,2014

NITTY

Yield 12.86 13.33 13.35 13.42 13.38 13.53

Money Market Offer 11.85 11.85 11.80 Offer 163.38

Open-Buy-Back (OBB) Overnight (O/N)

Rate (%) 11.33 11.63

NIFEX Spot ($/N)

Bid 163.4000

Offer 163.5000 Source: FMDQ

Agency. He adds that the release of this report is an important contribution to identify best practices that will ultimately help facilitate and coordinate the implementation of regional priority programmes.

Leading organizations, including NEPAD, set up the Priority Action Plan of the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) in 2012, which encompass 51 programmes with an investment need of $68 billion until 2020.

There are myriad challenges

when it comes to infrastructure projects in Africa, including financial, technical and regulatory alignments, as well as governance and human relations issues. Difficulties may also have a historical dimension too: a legacy of mistrust or even conflict can often jeopardize cooperation between participating nations, and many countries lack a tradition of conducive environmental measures, such as enforcement of anti-corruption laws and the availability of stringent regulations on publicprivate partnerships.

MTN sees naira devalued after 2015 election

M

TN Group Ltd, Africa’s largest phone operator, said Nigeria’s currency will probably be devalued after next year’s election.

The reduced value of the naira he said, will boost the MTN’s import costs in its biggest market.

Declining oil exports and prices means that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will face difficulties in keeping the naira stable against the dollar before the Feb. 14 vote, Andrew Bing, chief financial officer of MTN’s Nigerian unit, told Bloomberg in Lagos, the commercial capital.

The official peg may have to be lowered by three or four percent, he said.

Nigeria’s foreign-exchange reserves declined 13 per cent

this year to $38.1 billion by May 2 as the apex bank sold dollars to prop up the naira and as oil production missed estimates. Godwin Emefiele, who becomes the institution’s governor in June, told the Senate in March that a devaluation of the naira is “not an option” and would be “devastating” for the economy.

“No matter what Godwin wants it has to happen, otherwise this economy in a year will be down the tube,” said Bing, 49, who is leaving his position for a sabbatical at the end of this month. “I don’t think it will happen this year,” he said. A devaluation would be “politically unpalatable” and it may rather happen “after the election,” Bing said.

NDIC examiners poised to enhance performance

A

ll debtors of closed banks with non-performing loans of a maximum of N250 million have been barred from access to new facilities in deposit money banks.

The Managing Director and Chief Executive of the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), Alh. Umaru Ibrahim disclosed this at the recently concluded NDIC 2014 Bank Examiners’ Conference in Lagos. Alh. Ibrahim said following the Corporation’s request the CBN took the action in order to tackle the challenge of recovering debts owed to closed banks some of which have remained unrecovered since 1994.

He added that the names of debtors will be populated through the CBN’s Credit

Risk Management System (CRMS) and approved private sector credit bureaus.

Alh. Ibrahim said the theme of this year’s conference “Sustaining a Safe and Sound Financial System through Effective Banking Supervision” aligns with the Corporation’s mandate as a risk minimizing deposit insurer actively engaged in bank supervision, distress resolution and failed bank liquidation. He said the objective of the conference was to update the knowledge and skills of examiners and to provide opportunity for supervisors, operators and stakeholders to brainstorm on topical issues that continued to shape the nation’s financial industry.

Daily Summary as of 07/05/2014

BUSINESS | CAPITAL MARKET 49

Printed 07/05/2014 15:14:27.027 Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Daily Summary (Bonds)

Daily Summary as of 07/05/2014 Printed 07/05/2014 15:14:27.027

The Nigerian Stock Market Exchange as at May 7, 2014

No Debt Trading Activity

Daily Summary (Equities)

Daily Summary (Equities)

Activity Summary on Board EQTY AGRICULTURE Crop Production OKOMU OIL PALM PLC. PRESCO PLC Crop Production Totals Livestock/Animal Specialties LIVESTOCK FEEDS PLC. Livestock/Animal Specialties Totals

Symbol OKOMUOIL PRESCO

No. of Deals 33 9 42

Current Price 34.94 37.05

Quantity Traded 149,663 15,840 165,503

Value Traded 5,126,150.42 557,568.00 5,683,718.42

Symbol LIVESTOCK

No. of Deals 35 35

Current Price 3.23

Quantity Traded 904,978 904,978

Value Traded 2,841,337.53 2,841,337.53

1,070,481

8,525,055.95

AGRICULTURE Totals

77

Daily Summary as of 07/05/2014 Printed 07/05/2014 15:14:27.027 CONGLOMERATES

Diversified Industries A.G. LEVENTIS NIGERIA PLC. TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATION OF NIGERIA PLC U A C N PLC. Diversified Industries Totals

Symbol AGLEVENT TRANSCORP UACN

Daily Summary

No. of Deals 20 179 54 (Equities) 253

CONGLOMERATES Totals

Current Price 1.57 3.62 57.00

253

Activity Summary on Board EQTY CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE Building Structure/Completion/Other Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © COSTAIN (W A) PLC. Building Structure/Completion/Other Totals

Symbol COSTAIN

No. of Deals 9 9

Current Price 1.32

Quantity Traded 258,262 17,438,290 3,308,496 21,005,048

Value Traded 389,382.98 63,609,244.89 189,837,747.99 253,836,375.86

21,005,048

253,836,375.86

Current Price 68.50 8.46

Quantity Traded 232,330 2,800 235,130

Value Traded 15,744,519.42 24,823.00 15,769,342.42

Real Estate Development UACN PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT CO. LIMITED Real Estate Development Totals

Symbol UAC-PROP

No. of Deals 17 17

Current Price 23.00

Quantity Traded 118,740 118,740

Value Traded 2,713,360.80 2,713,360.80

699,209

18,938,550.70

CONSUMER GOODS Beverages--Brewers/Distillers CHAMPION BREW. PLC. Daily Summary as of 07/05/2014 GUINNESS NIG PLC Printed 07/05/2014 15:14:27.027BREWERIES PLC. INTERNATIONAL JOS INT. BREWERIES PLC. NIGERIAN BREW. PLC. Beverages--Brewers/Distillers Totals

No. of Deals 39 78 22 1 100 240

Current Price 13.79 180.00 25.00 3.42 150.00

Quantity Traded 699,152 403,729 171,665 50,000 2,000,769 3,325,315

Value Traded 9,564,201.66 72,373,002.84 4,259,130.33 171,000.00 299,429,388.31 385,796,723.14

Symbol 7UP

No. of Deals 19

Current Price 85.50

Quantity Traded 15,026

Value Traded 1,220,581.98

Beverages--Non-Alcoholic Beverages--Non-Alcoholic Totals

Symbol

No. of Deals 19

Current Price

Quantity Traded 15,026

Value Traded 1,220,581.98

Food Products DANGOTE FLOUR MILLS PLC DANGOTE SUGAR REFINERY PLC FLOUR MILLS NIG. PLC. HONEYWELL FLOUR MILL PLC NATIONAL SALT CO. NIG. PLC U T C NIG. PLC. Food Products Totals

Symbol DANGFLOUR DANGSUGAR FLOURMILL HONYFLOUR NASCON UTC

No. of Deals 36 53 37 30 47 4 207

Current Price 8.00 9.20 68.50 3.69 12.09 0.51

Quantity Traded 176,232 838,257 159,543 316,842 2,677,451 80,517 4,248,842

Value Traded 1,402,624.32 7,657,388.85 10,942,290.26 1,155,133.94 32,328,702.47 41,233.67 53,527,373.51

Food Products--Diversified CADBURY NIGERIA PLC. NESTLE NIGERIA PLC. Food Products--Diversified Totals

Symbol CADBURY NESTLE

No. of Deals 28 34 62

Current Price 71.32 1,080.00

Quantity Traded 51,780 23,637 75,417

Value Traded 3,619,017.72 25,281,882.24 28,900,899.96

Symbol VITAFOAM

No. of Deals 11 11

Current Price 4.30

Quantity Traded 72,000 72,000

Value Traded 295,080.00 295,080.00

Symbol No. of Deals PZ 32 UNILEVER 44 Daily Summary (Equities) 76

Current Price 36.00 48.45

Quantity Traded 118,065 329,302 447,367

Value Traded 4,247,806.26 15,986,539.69 20,234,345.95

8,183,967

489,975,004.54

No. of Deals 172 73 50 61 230 97 35 159 61 2 43 164 1,147

Current Price 9.00 6.24 13.00 1.85 26.49 3.54 2.18 6.75 10.00 0.50 0.99 22.90

Quantity Traded 31,414,487 8,988,582 10,701,549 3,267,515 18,195,232 14,555,500 1,793,367 7,679,324 529,007 43,100 5,136,508 2,943,155 105,247,326

Value Traded 284,052,257.35 55,882,108.88 138,978,955.24 6,165,606.16 482,073,293.34 50,975,547.76 3,933,089.25 51,954,222.96 5,283,538.31 21,550.00 4,998,507.41 67,062,268.50 1,151,380,945.16

No. of Deals 20

Current Price 0.78

Quantity Traded 290,403

Value Traded 227,482.71

Beverages--Non-Alcoholic 7-UP BOTTLING COMP. PLC.

Symbol CHAMPION GUINNESS INTBREW JOSBREW NB

Daily Summary (Equities)

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

Page

Published

by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © CONSUMER GOODS

Household Durables VITAFOAM NIG PLC. Household Durables Totals Daily Summary as of 07/05/2014 Printed 07/05/2014 15:14:27.027

Personal/Household Products P Z CUSSONS NIGERIA PLC. UNILEVER NIGERIA PLC. Personal/Household Products Totals

Activity Summary on Board EQTY CONSUMER GOODS CONSUMER GOODS Totals

615

Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange ©

FINANCIAL SERVICES Banking ACCESS BANK PLC. DIAMOND BANK PLC ECOBANK TRANSNATIONAL INCORPORATED FIDELITY BANK PLC GUARANTY TRUST BANK PLC. SKYE BANK PLC STERLING BANK PLC. UNITED BANK FOR AFRICA PLC UNION BANK NIG.PLC. UNITY BANK PLC WEMA BANK PLC. ZENITH INTERNATIONAL BANK PLC Banking Totals

Daily Summary as of 07/05/2014 Printed 07/05/2014 15:14:27.027 Insurance Carriers, Brokers and Services AIICO INSURANCE PLC.

Symbol ACCESS DIAMONDBNK ETI FIDELITYBK GUARANTY SKYEBANK STERLNBANK UBA UBN UNITYBNK WEMABANK ZENITHBANK Symbol AIICO

ICT Computer Based Systems COURTEVILLE BUSINESS SOLUTIONS PLC Computer Based Systems Totals

455,847.48 455,847.48

No. of Deals 29 2 31

Page

2

of

3

of

Daily Summary as of 07/05/2014 Micro-Finance Banks Printed 07/05/2014 15:14:27.027 NPF MICROFINANCE BANK PLC Micro-Finance Banks Totals

Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange ©

4

of

Other Financial Institutions AFRICA PRUDENTIAL REGISTRARS PLC CUSTODIAN AND ALLIED PLC FBN HOLDINGS PLC FCMB GROUP PLC. ROYAL EXCHANGE PLC. STANBIC IBTC HOLDINGS PLC UBA CAPITAL PLC Other Financial Institutions Totals

HEALTHCARE Healthcare Providers UNION DIAGNOSTIC & CLINICAL SERVICES PLC Healthcare Providers Totals Pharmaceuticals EVANS MEDICAL PLC. FIDSON HEALTHCARE PLC GLAXO SMITHKLINE CONSUMER NIG. PLC. Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange ©

Processing Systems CHAMS PLC Processing Systems Totals

Symbol CHAMS

No. of Deals 2 2

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 16,000 16,000

Value Traded 8,000.00 8,000.00

Telecommunications Services MASS TELECOMMUNICATION INNOVATIONS NIGERIA PLC Telecommunications Services Totals

Symbol MTI

No. of Deals 1

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 10,000

Value Traded 5,000.00

13

Quantity Traded 13,240,605

Value Traded 252,743,083.31

No. of Deals 84

Current Price 19.00

Page

7

of

Current Price 8.75

Quantity Traded 52,223

Value Traded 472,828.68

Symbol CAP CCNN DANGCEM DNMEYER FIRSTALUM IPWA WAPCO

No. of Deals 12 12 42 1 1 9 48 225

Current Price 39.00 9.05 224.64 1.06 0.50 0.56 111.99

Quantity Traded 749,510 75,395 968,175 9,500 20,000 139,598 235,145 15,490,151

Value Traded 29,235,307.35 691,031.18 216,557,671.12 10,260.00 10,000.00 78,174.88 26,323,913.37 526,122,269.89

Electronic and Electrical Products CUTIX PLC. Electronic and Electrical Products Totals

Symbol CUTIX

No. of Deals 11 11

Current Price 1.80

Quantity Traded 534,436 534,436

Value Traded 951,135.72 951,135.72

Packaging/Containers BETA GLASS CO PLC. Packaging/Containers Totals

Symbol BETAGLAS

No. of Deals 3 3

Current Price 18.90

Quantity Traded Page 223,064 223,064

NATURAL RESOURCES Chemicals B.O.C. GASES PLC. Chemicals Totals

BERGER Daily Summary (Equities)

239 Symbol BOCGAS

Daily Summary as of 07/05/2014 Printed 07/05/2014 15:14:27.027

No. of Deals 4 4

NATURAL RESOURCES Totals

Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange ©

13

Current Price 6.47

Value Traded of 13 4,189,588.83 4,189,588.83

8

16,247,651

531,262,994.44

Quantity Traded 18,100 18,100

Value Traded 111,315.00 111,315.00

18,100

111,315.00

4

Page

Daily Summary (Equities)

9

of

13

Activity Summary on Board EQTY OIL AND GAS Energy Equipment and Services JAPAUL OIL & MARITIME SERVICES PLC Energy Equipment and Services Totals

13

Symbol JAPAULOIL

No. of Deals 8 8

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 237,900 237,900

Value Traded 118,950.00 118,950.00

Integrated Oil and Gas Services OANDO PLC Integrated Oil and Gas Services Totals

Symbol OANDO

No. of Deals 138 138

Current Price 15.48

Quantity Traded 1,203,464 1,203,464

Value Traded 18,680,821.43 18,680,821.43

Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors BECO PETROLEUM PRODUCT PLC CONOIL PLC ETERNA PLC. FORTE OIL PLC. MOBIL OIL NIG PLC. MRS OIL NIGERIA PLC. TOTAL NIGERIA PLC. Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors Totals

Symbol BECOPETRO CONOIL ETERNA FO MOBIL MRS TOTAL

No. of Deals 1 20 6 166 22 2 22 239

Current Price 0.50 49.20 3.61 148.99 123.50 51.72 153.00

Quantity Traded 300 53,946 45,535 562,647 95,778 3,050 56,280 817,536

Value Traded 150.00 2,531,906.54 156,185.05 75,669,067.14 11,720,796.32 149,877.00 8,636,969.10 98,864,951.15

Symbol SEPLAT

No. of Deals 51 51

Current Price 696.12

Quantity Traded 268,150 268,150

Value Traded 186,237,753.94 186,237,753.94

2,527,050

303,902,476.52

Exploration and Production Daily Summary as of 07/05/2014 SEPLAT PETROLEUM DEVELOPMENT COMPANY LTD Printed 07/05/2014 15:14:27.027 Exploration and Production Totals OIL AND GAS Totals

436

Daily Summary (Equities) Activity Summary on Board EQTY

13

Current Price 0.83

Quantity Traded 56,250 56,250

Value Traded 46,750.00 46,750.00

of

Symbol ASOSAVINGS INFINITY

No. of Deals 1 2 3

Current Price 0.50 1.61

Quantity Traded 500 630 1,130

Value Traded 250.00 963.90 1,213.90

Symbol AFRIPRUD CUSTODYINS FBNH FCMB ROYALEX STANBIC UBCAP

No. of Deals 87 32 422 98 1 34 119 793

Current Price 2.93 2.77 13.00 3.54 0.62 22.57 2.14

Quantity Traded 2,365,887 5,013,492 14,924,781 17,968,125 250 2,610,067 4,606,110 47,488,712

Value Traded 6,999,453.71 13,887,057.84 193,472,169.39 63,703,508.04 147.50 58,725,985.32 9,752,857.57 346,541,179.37

268,493,106

1,605,601,561.93

Symbol UNIONDAC

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 200,000 200,000

Value Traded 100,000.00 100,000.00

Symbol EVANSMED FIDSON GLAXOSMITH

No. of Deals 4 22 11

Current Price 2.58 2.36 70.00

Quantity Traded 16,000 365,710 213,555

Value Traded 40,080.00 872,318.00 14,949,000.00 of

18,168.00

Daily Summary (Equities)

INDUSTRIAL GOODS Totals

No. of Deals 3 3

6

5,000.00

33,600

No. of Deals 16

Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange ©

Symbol NPFMCRFBK

Page

10,000

5

Symbol

INDUSTRIAL GOODS Building Materials CAP PLC CEMENT CO. OF NORTH.NIG. PLC DANGOTE CEMENT PLC DN MEYER PLC. FIRST ALUMINIUM NIGERIA PLC IPWA PLC LAFARGE WAPCO PLC. Building Materials Totals

Value Traded 97,078,819.50 226,722.00 10,000.00 55,000.00 1,371,723.83 50.00 50.00 106,551.54 165,236.50 1,870,079.14 5,017.50 41,590.00 21,924.00 2,750.00 100.00 1,926,664.00 506,500.00 4,015,212.78 107,631,473.50

2,120

Symbol ASHAKACEM

1

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

Quantity Traded 99,056,750 453,440 20,000 110,000 2,621,474 100 100 46,900 330,473 2,417,061 10,035 76,200 37,800 5,500 200 3,853,328 1,013,000 5,356,924 115,699,688

FINANCIAL SERVICES Totals

Value Traded 5,168.00 5,168.00

INDUSTRIAL GOODS Building Materials BERGER PAINTS PLC

Page

of

13

Symbol RTBRISCOE

No. of Deals 2 2

Current Price 1.19

Quantity Traded 72 72

Value Traded 84.96 84.96

Courier/Freight/Delivery RED STAR EXPRESS PLC TRANS-NATIONWIDE EXPRESS PLC. Courier/Freight/Delivery Totals

Symbol REDSTAREX TRANSEXPR

No. of Deals 4 2 6

Current Price 4.30 2.13

Quantity Traded 150,500 2,784 153,284

Value Traded 647,130.00 5,651.52 652,781.52

Employment Solutions C & I LEASING PLC. Employment Solutions Totals

Symbol CILEASING

No. of Deals 3 3

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 215,000 215,000

Value Traded 107,500.00 107,500.00

Hotels/Lodging IKEJA HOTEL PLC Hotels/Lodging Totals

Symbol IKEJAHOTEL

No. of Deals 7 7

Current Price 0.60

Quantity Traded 401,100 401,100

Value Traded 248,802.00 248,802.00

Media/Entertainment DAAR COMMUNICATIONS PLC Media/Entertainment Totals

Symbol DAARCOMM

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 20,000 20,000

Value Traded 10,000.00 10,000.00

Symbol LEARNAFRCA UPL

No. of Deals 15 7 22

Current Price 1.60 4.00

Quantity Traded 448,900 143,700 592,600

Value Traded 717,694.00 573,820.62 1,291,514.62

Daily Summary (Equities)

Page

Published

by TheSummary Nigerian Stock Exchange © Activity on Board EQTY

13

10

Automobile/Auto Part Retailers R T BRISCOE PLC. Automobile/Auto Part Retailers Totals

Daily Summary as of 07/05/2014 Printing/Publishing Printed 07/05/2014 15:14:27.027 LEARN AFRICA PLC UNIVERSITY PRESS PLC. Printing/Publishing Totals

Activity Summary on Board EQTY FINANCIAL SERVICES Mortgage Carriers, Brokers and Services ASO SAVINGS AND LOANS PLC INFINITY TRUST MORTGAGE BANK PLC Mortgage Carriers, Brokers and Services Totals

16,093,683.21

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

Current Price 1.02 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.53 0.50 0.50 2.20 0.50 0.77 0.50 0.55 0.56 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.77

5

879,518

46

Quantity Traded 7,600 7,600

Building Materials ASHAKA CEM PLC

No. of Deals 6 6 1 2 24 1 1 8 7 26 3 5 1 2 1 2 2 56 174

Page

Value Traded 88,400.00 23,172.20 20,713.01 15,993,683.21

Current Price 0.71

Daily Summary as of 07/05/2014 Published

by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © Printed 07/05/2014 15:14:27.027

Symbol CONTINSURE CORNERST GNI HMARKINS INTENEGINS LASACO LAWUNION MANSARD MBENEFIT NEM NIGERINS OASISINS PRESTIGE REGALINS STACO UNIC UNIVINSURE WAPIC

Daily Summary (Equities)

Quantity Traded 52,000 19,060 13,193 679,518

No. of Deals 2 2

Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © SERVICES

Page

Current Price 1.78 1.23 1.57

Symbol COURTVILLE

Daily Summary as of 07/05/2014 Printed 07/05/2014 15:14:27.027 INDUSTRIAL GOODS

Activity Summary on Board EQTY Insurance Carriers, Brokers and Services CONTINENTAL REINSURANCE PLC CORNERSTONE INSURANCE COMPANY PLC. GREAT NIGERIAN INSURANCE PLC CONSOLIDATED HALLMARK INSURANCE PLC INTERNATIONAL ENERGY INSURANCE COMPANY PLC LASACO ASSURANCE PLC. LAW UNION AND ROCK INS. PLC. MANSARD INSURANCE PLC MUTUAL BENEFITS ASSURANCE PLC. N.E.M INSURANCE CO (NIG) PLC. NIGER INSURANCE CO. PLC. OASIS INSURANCE PLC PRESTIGE ASSURANCE CO. PLC. REGENCY ALLIANCE INSURANCE COMPANY PLC STANDARD TRUST ASSURANCE PLC UNIC INSURANCE PLC. UNIVERSAL INSURANCE COMPANY PLC WAPIC INSURANCE PLC Insurance Carriers, Brokers and Services Totals

No. of Deals 3 3 2 45

ICT Totals

Daily Summary (Equities)

PublishedFINANCIAL

by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © SERVICES

Symbol MAYBAKER NEIMETH PHARMDEKO

HEALTHCARE Totals

Value Traded 1 of 13

Symbol JBERGER ROADS

57

HEALTHCARE Pharmaceuticals MAY & BAKER NIGERIA PLC. NEIMETH INTERNATIONAL PHARMACEUTICALS PLC PHARMA-DEKO PLC. Pharmaceuticals Totals

Quantity TradedPage 345,339 345,339

Infrastructure/Heavy Construction JULIUS BERGER NIG. PLC. ROADS NIG PLC. Infrastructure/Heavy Construction Totals

CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE Totals

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

SERVICES Road Transportation ASSOCIATED BUS COMPANY PLC Road Transportation Totals

11

of

Symbol ABCTRANS

No. of Deals 16 16

Current Price 0.80

Quantity Traded 327,416 327,416

Value Traded 262,234.80 262,234.80

Symbol AIRSERVICE NAHCO

No. of Deals 4 39 43

Current Price 2.14 4.90

Quantity Traded 71,000 1,044,963 1,115,963

Value Traded 155,261.93 5,063,405.39 5,218,667.32

100

2,825,435

7,791,585.22

EQTY Board Totals

3,952

321,983,165

3,236,056,771.37

Equity Activity Totals

3,952

321,983,165

3,236,056,771.37

Transport-Related Services AIRLINE SERVICES AND LOGISTICS PLC NIGERIAN AVIATION HANDLING COMPANY PLC Transport-Related Services Totals SERVICES Totals

13

Daily Summary (ETP) Exchange Traded Fund

Name VETIVA GRIFFIN 30 ETF Exchange Traded Fund Totals

Symbol VETGRIF30

Daily Summary as of 07/05/2014 ETF Board Totals Printed 07/05/2014 15:14:27.027

Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange ©

ETP Activity Totals

13

No. of Deals 7 7

Current Price 17.53

Quantity Traded 7,010 7,010

Value Traded 122,493.40 122,493.40

7

7,010

122,493.40

7

7,010

Page

Daily Summary (ETP)

12

of

122,493.40

13

50 WORLD | NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Court forces out Thai leader, but crisis continues

T

hailand’s Prime Minister was ordered by a court to step down yesterday in a ruling that handed a victory to anti-government protesters who have staged six months of street protests — but does little to resolve the country’s political crisis.

The Constitutional Court found Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra guilty of abusing her power by transferring a senior civil servant in 2011 to another position. It ruled that the transfer was carried out to benefit her politically powerful family and, therefore, violated the constitution — an accusation she has denied.

The ruling also forced out nine Cabinet members, but left nearly two dozen others in their posts, including Deputy Prime Minister Niwattumrong Boonsongpaisan, who was quickly appointed the new acting leader.

Looking relaxed, Yingluck appeared live on national television two hours after the verdict to thank her supporters, emphasizing that she was an elected leader and asserted her innocence.

“We held true to the principles of honesty in running the country, and never acted corruptly, as we were accused,” said Yingluck, 46, who swept to power nearly three years ago as the country’s first fe-

male prime minister.

The judgement is the latest development in Thailand’s long-running political crisis.

It was a victory for Yingluck’s opponents, mostly from the urban elite and those in the south, who have been engaged in vociferous and sometimes violent street protests in Bangkok, demanding she steps down to make way for an interim unelected leader.

However, the ruling leaves the country in political limbo and primed for more violence.

Since November, more than 20 people have been killed and hundreds injured in sporadic gunbattles, drive-by shootings and grenade attacks.

The court’s decision casts doubt on whether new elections planned for July will be delayed, which would anger Yingluck’s mostly rural supporters who have called for a major rally on Saturday in Bangkok.

“Today’s verdict is just a bump on the road of democracy, but we will still keep moving on,” said Jatuporn Prompan, leader of the pro-Yingluck Red Shirt protest movement. “Our stance has been clear ... if an illegal prime minister steps in, we will fight. If there’s a coup, we will fight.”

It also remains far from clear whether her opponents will be able to achieve their other key demands, including

South Africa holds first ‘Born Free’ election

E

lection officials work in a classroom that has been transformed into a voting station on the eve of the general election in Embo last Tuesday in Johannesburg, South Africa: South Africa held its first “Born Free” election yesterday although polls suggest the allure of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) as the conqueror of apartheid will prevail even among voters with no memory of whiteminority rule.

Opinion polls in South Africa’s Sunday Times over the last two months have put ANC support at around 65 percent, only a shade lower than the 65.9 percent it won in the 2009 election that brought President Jacob Zuma to power.

The resilience of ANC support has surprised analysts who, a year ago, were saying it could struggle at the polls as its glorious past recedes into history and voters focus instead on the sluggish economic growth and slew of scandals that have typified Zuma’s first term.

Africa’s most sophisticated economy has struggled to recover from a 2009 recession - its first since the 1994 demise of apartheid - and the ANC’s efforts to stimulate growth and tackle 25 percent unemployment have been hampered by powerful unions.

South Africa’s top anti-graft agency accused Zuma this year of “benefiting unduly” from a $23 million state-funded security upgrade to his private home at Nkandla in rural KwaZulu-

Natal province that included a swimming pool and chicken run.

His personal approval ratings have dipped since the findings by Public Protector Thuli Madonsela. But at a news conference this week to conclude the ANC election campaign, the 72-year-old brushed aside suggestions the imbroglio was damaging the party.

“I’m not worried about Nkandla,” Zuma said. “The people are not worried about it. I think the people who are worried about it is you guys, the media, and the opposition.”

Besides being easy fodder for the cartoonists who have revelled in the freedom of speech enshrined in the post-apartheid constitution, Nkandla has exposed the gulf between current and former ANC leaders, in particular Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first black president, who died in December.

It has also become the rallying cry for those who feel the dominance of the ANC as it enters its third decade in power has corrupted the 102-year-old former liberation movement’s soul.

“It is not necessarily the huge sum paid by the public that is the most corrupt aspect of Zuma’s palatial rural estate,” the Business Day newspaper said in an editorial this week.

“It is how voraciously this wretched business has sucked in so many others: ministers, bureaucrats, party officials and, as the election hots up, ordinary loyalists.”

creating a reform council overseen by a leader of their choice that will carry out various steps to rid the country of corruption and what they claim is money politics, including alleged vote-buying, conducted

by Yingluck’s family.

Yingluck and her Pheu Thai party remain very popular among the country’s poor

majority, particularly in the north and northeast. But she is despised by Bangkok’s middle and upper class as a puppet of her brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, a former prime minister and highly polarizing figure.

Thailand’s political upheaval began in 2006 when Thaksin was ousted in a military coup after protests accusing him of

corruption, abuse of power and disrespect for King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

Thaksin’s supporters say the Thai establishment opposes him because their position of privilege has been threatened by his electoral popularity, cemented by populist programmes that benefited the less well-off in the countryside.

Thai Prime Minister Yingluck shakes hands with her supporters in Bangkok

Chinese Premier, Li Keqiang makes first official trip to Africa

L

i Keqiang’s first official trip to sub-Saharan Africa as Chinese premier from 4-11 May 2014 is a reminder that China is a major player in Africa today.

The trade figures speak for themselves: in 2009, China overtook the United States as Africa’s biggest trading partner, and some 2,500 Chinese firms operate on the continent.

Bilateral trade between China and African countries reached $210 billion in 2013 and Angola was also for China the second largest source of imported oil after Saudi Arabia.

Angola aside, these figures hide though that Africa accounts for only 5 per cent ($198.4 billion) of China’s global trade ($3.867 trillion)

and $3 billion less than 4 per cent of foreign direct investment (FDI) globally in 2012 ($77.2 billion). Africa remains a low priority for Chinese policy makers currently, but not so for African governments who keenly seek Chinese trade and investment. China also finds that its actions in Africa have attracted a disproportionate level of international attention.

Premier Li is leading a highpowered 129-member delegation that visits Ethiopia (and the African Union headquarters), Nigeria, Angola and Kenya. This visit emphasizes that China continues to invest in Africa, is a long-term predictable partner and offers ‘win-win’ partnerships for Af-

rican governments without conditionality China’s expanding investments in Africa though carry political headaches for Beijing as they grow. Not all Chinese companies represent, or even respect China’s official policy toward Africa. There are an increasing number of disputes about Chinese companies, ranging from poor labour conditions and pay to lack of respect for social and environmental regulations.

In a statement released before his departure to Africa, Premier Li urged Chinese companies in Africa to abide by local laws and regulations and take responsibility to protect the interests of local communities and the environment.

UN officials meet with Ukraine government

A

senior U.N. diplomat has arrived in Kiev while Switzerland’s president is in Moscow to meet President Vladimir Putin, in a flurry of diplomatic activity seeking to de-escalate tensions in Ukraine.

Jeffrey Feltman, the U.N. under-secretary-general for political affairs, met with Ukraine’s acting president, Oleksandr Turchynov, early yesterday.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague also arrived in Ukraine to speak with the nation’s leaders.

Swiss president, Didier Burkhalter, chairman of the

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, was scheduled to meet with Putin for discussions on Ukraine and the status of OSCE observers on the ground. Eight international military observers travelling with the OSCE mission who were taken hostage by pro-Russian insurgents in the eastern city of Slovyansk were released on Saturday.

Russia and the West have expressed a desire for the OSCE to play a greater role in defusing the tensions in Ukraine.

The U.S. and European nations have increased diplomatic ef-

forts ahead of Ukraine’s May 25 presidential election, as a proRussian insurgency continues to rock the country’s eastern regions. Feltman was in Moscow on Tuesday and met Gennady Gatilov, a deputy foreign minister.

In Berlin, a Ukrainian presidential candidate said he was prepared to negotiate a decentralization of power, as pro-Russian insurgents demanded. But Petro Poroshenko, a billionaire chocolate magnate, added that some separatists in the eastern region understand only “the language of force.”

SPORT

AUTHORITATIVE VOICE IN GLOBAL SPORT

51

NEW TELEGRAPH

newtelegraphonline.com/sports

ADEKUNLE SALAMI, DepUTY Editor, SPORTS

kunle.salami@newtelegraphonline.com adekunles@yahoo.com

Did you know?

That from the year 1962 to 1996, the World Cup was won alternatively by the Europeans and South Americans

thursday, MAY 8, 2014

Mixed reactions trail keshi’s 30-man list

Everton, Newcastle, Swansea chase Moses

Onazi snubs offers from Liverpool, Tottenham

}p.52

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Brazil: Ideye,Ogu calm over W/Cup exclusion

lOsaze celebrates comeback Ifeanyi ibeh uper Eagles pair of Brown Ideye and John Ogu have reacted calmly to their exclusion from Nigeria’s provisional World Cup squad, released on Tuesday evening.

Both players were surprise omissions from Stephen Keshi’s 30-man squad, and did not hide their disappointment even as they wish the Super Eagles all

S

the best in Brazil.

“I’m sorry all my fans that things turned out this way, it makes me believe that I have to work very hard on the improvement of my game and improving on my role as a striker,” Ideye stated on the social media platform, Twitter, shortly after the squad announcement.

“So disappointed but life CONTINUED ON PAGE 54

Odeh returns for squash revival Chimaobi Uchendu

F

ormer Nigeria’s Squash number one player, Friday Odeh, has hinted on his proposed return to the country, to be part of squash revival as Beth Ross initiates a squash tournament from June 9 to bring back the glamour in the game.

According to Ebele Igbokwe-Bertrand, Tournament Director of the Abuja Squash Tournament, Odeh has agreed to come home from his base in the United States of America, to join in training Nigerian youths in a Squash racket clinic during.

She also said that all states of the federation had indicated interest in participating in the weeklong event to be staged at the courts of the National Stadium, Abuja and Nicon Hilton Hotels.

“Plans have been concluded for the revival of Squash in Nigeria, in con-

junction with the Nigeria Squash Federation, we are bringing all the states in Nigeria to Abuja to vie for honours and win great prizes.

“To encourage the youths to develop interest in this noble game, we have invited former Nigeria No.1 player and the current No.1 above 40 category player in USA, Friday Odey, to conduct a clinic for youths, while the tournament proper is ongoing.

“It is going to be a free clinic as we shall be responsible for their transportation, feeding and accommodation,” she said.

Ebele also called on squash players to register online to take part as fantastic prizes await every participant.

“We have earmarked fantastic prizes for everybody that participate, so everybody is a winner, but to be part of the event every intending participant must register online through their states,” she added.

Ideye Ogu

52 SPORT

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Countdown to Fifa World Cup 35

Days To Go

Mixed reactions trail keshi’s 30-man list Keshi needs our support -Iroha

I

think Keshi has done well producing a list like this. We have so many good players out there and we cannot expect him to include everyone.

So anyone who has been left out just has to take it in good fate. I am sure it was very tough for him to decide on who to include and who to leave out, and it will still be much tougher for him to decide on the final list for Brazil, so we should all throw our weight behind him and the team and pray for him to select the best 23 for Brazil.

Final 23 will shock Nigerians -Fuludu the list is predictable from day one. Bulk Aarectually of the players that prosecuted the Nations Cup there on that list apart from one or two players

missing. I was thinking he might be pressurised into taking IK Uche, but all in all the players on that list can produce necessary results, not a bad list at all, but I foresee a big shock when the final list comes out. Some names on the final list will surprise everyone Edema Fuludu, ex-Super Eagles player

Leave Keshi alone -Obaseki

here is nothing to debate about the Eagles T provisional list, because Coach Stephen Keshi has the final say on who represents Nigeria at the 2014 World Cup. He takes the glory and accepts failure recorded by the squad, so no one should envy him on the list he just released rather Nigerians should pray for him to succeed.

Not every player will make the list, I want to ask those that were omitted to take it in good faith and pray for better luck next time.

Nigeria is blessed with talented footballers that are currently doing well at their clubs, I praise Keshi for picking those that he considers best because it is not an easy task.

Chief Oyuiki Obaseki, Former League Chairman

No comment on Keshi’s list – Orumen

T

here is nothing my comment for or against can do to the list. And l’m not ready for baseless and malicious response to my fair comment anymore. Too many football experts these days.

all the name expected came out Ntheotwhen the list was released, but all same, the coach, Stephen Keshi,

has reason for selecting the players on that list. I am by his side on this one and I want everyone to do same.

We need to rally round him ahead of the World Cup, he knows the best for the team, he has been with the team and knows the players that will get him results in Brazil.

Richard Owubokiri, ex-Eagles striker

Ben Iroha, ex-Super Eagles defender

Nigerians must support Keshi -Ladipo

Eagles celebrating

Keshi on course -Owubokiri

T

he Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi, has given us his team list, all we need to do is to support him to succeed in Brazil. For me, where the huge task lies is on the final 23 man list that he will be taken to the World Cup. The squad he has presented to Nigerians’, I believe are the players he has confident on to deliver for him at the Mundial. All I want to plead to football loving Nigerians’ is while critising Keshi’s list it should be done constructively.

Rafiu Ladipo, Supporters Club President

Yobo, Osaze’s recall perfect -Fashanu

I

am happy and commend Stephen Keshi for that Super Eagles team list, the inclusion of Osaze Odewinge and Joseph Yobo is a perfect one, because in a competition of this magnitude you cannot throw away experience because it is very vital and with the mix up of the young legs it makes it perfect team .Keshi has taken a wise decision I’m impressed and hopefull that they would do the Nation proud.

John Fashanu, Football Ambassador

Osaze will support Emenike -Ekpo

t is not a bad list. We don’t have to criticize him Igive because he is the one in charge and we have to him the support. I am happy that a player like

Osaze, is back, he will surely support Emenike very well. You know that we complained about strikers at the Confederation Cup and it is like that problem will be solved now. The list is a mixture of experience and youth, which is good.

Friday Ekpo, ex-Eagles winger

Keshi selected the best players -Okoku

Thank God, he forgave Osaze -Elahor

is nothing surprising about Tsawhere Keshi’s 30 man list ,the names we expectedly are what most Nige-

rians have been waiting to see, most of the boys in the list are the players that won the Nations Cup .Thank God he finally forgive Osaze Odewinge and include him in his team list. With the list he reel out I can say boldly that they would get to the second round in the World Cup and make the country proud except the players don’t want to play. However we will cross our fingers until his release his finally list for the World Cup. Friday Elaho, ex-International

Keshi hiding truth on Ik Uche -Akpoborire

don’t like to criticise coaches but I don’t think we Iwith are planning to achieve our goals at the World Cup the list we have presented. This is definitely

not our best team. I don’t know what Yobo is doing on that list. I have not seen him play in the last one month or so, we all know he is not fit and how can you include injured players on your list to the World Cup hoping that they will be fit before the start of the competition, to me it does not make sense.

However, it is sad that he dropped Ike Uche eventually. I think Keshi is hiding something about Ike Uche. The excuse he gave that the boy is tactically indiscipline cannot hold water because if he were he would not have been successful in Europe.

If we are going to the World Cup because we want to satisfy some people’s ego then we will not achieve anything. This is definitely not our best squad.

Jonathan Akpoborire, ex-Eagles striker

Iran name World Cup squad Ajibade Olusesan

no doubt on my mind, that Keshi has picked the best to ulham midfielder, Ashkan IHehave represent Nigeria at the World Cup. F Dejagah, top the World differed naming the squad initially to make more consultations Cup provisional list reand I am happy he has finally released the list.

No one will share the glory or failure with him including the administrators, so I want to urge Nigerians to have faith in this list now and when he name his 23-man squad.

leased by Iran coach, Carlos Queiroz.

The majority of the players are based in Iran but

Godwin Dudu-Orumen, with 10 of them play abroad.

Paul Okoku, ex-Flying Eagles star Football Aficionado Daniel Davari of Eintracht Braunschweig and Sardar Azmoun of Rubin a great player in the future. His adapI think he will win the Bal- Kazan also made the list. tation at Barca was not the best as he According to reports all had some problems at the beginning. lon d’Or one day.” the players are expected “But he has the potential to beRESULTS Austria, the venue of their come one of the best players in the ormer Manchester United legend world. training camp this month.

NIGERIA PREMIER LEAGUE Cristiano Ronaldo thinks his BarIran will take on Belarus celona rival Neymar will win the and Montenegro in friendLobi Stars 1-1 Sunshine Fifa Ballon d’Or one day. lies in the camp, after more Crown 1-1 Pillars The Real Madrid star finally landthan two months without a ed the award again in January after competitive international.

Heartland 1-0 Giwa seeing off Lionel Messi and Franck Kaduna Utd 1-0 Dolphins Squad in full: Ribery for the coveted title.

Goalkeepers: Daniel Davari Ronaldo thinks the Brazilian has Bayelsa 4-3 Rangers (Eintracht Braunschweig), Alithe ability to be crownd the best in reza Haghighi (Sporting Covilha), the world despite having a difficult Nasarawa 1-0 El-Kanemi Rahman Ahmadi (Sepahan Esstart to life with the Catalans.

Akwa Utd 2-0 Warri Wolves fahan), Sosha Makani (Foolad “He has shown a lot of room for improvement in the future. I see NeyKhuzestan) Sharks 1-1 Enyimba mar as a great player. I think he has FC Taraba 1-0 Abia Warriors Defenders: Khosro Heydari (Esrecently shown that he can become Neymar

Ronaldo: Neymar will win Ballon d’Or F

teghlal Tehran), Hossein Mahini (Persepolis Tehran), Steven Beitashour (Vancouver Whitecaps), Pejman Montazeri (Umm Salal), Jalal Hosseini (Persepolis Tehran), Amir-Hossein Sadeghi (Esteghlal Tehran), MohammadReza Khanzadeh (Zob Ahan Esfahan), Ahmad Alenemeh (Naft Tehran), Hashem Beikzadeh (Esteghlal Tehran), Ehsan Hajsafi (Sepahan Esfahan), Mehrdad Pooladi (Persepolis Tehran) Midfielders: Javad Nekounam (Kuwait SC), Andranik Teymourian (Esteghlal Tehran), Reza Haghighi (Persepolis Tehran), Ghasem Hadadifar (Zob Ahan Esfahan), Bakhtiar Rahmani (Foolad Khuzestan), Ashkan Dejagah (Fulham FC), Masoud Shojaei (UD Las Palmas), Alireza Jahanbakhsh (NEC Nijmegen), MohammadReza Khalatbari (Persepolis Tehran) Forwards: Mehdi Sharifi (Sepahan Esfahan), Reza Ghoochannejhad (Charlton Athletic), Karim Ansarifard (Tractor Sazi Tabriz), Sardar Azmoun (Rubin Kazan)

SPORT 53

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Tanzania coach wary of Flying Eagles lAs CAF appoints Congolese Referees

Emmanuel Tobi

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anzania U-20 coach, John Simkoko has warned his players to expect a tough natch when they host the Flying Eagles of Nigeria in an African Youth Championship qualifier billed for the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam this weekend.

The Ngorongoro Heroes as the Tazanian side, are called, edged past neighbours Kenya on penalties after both legs of their first round qualifier failed to produce any goal.

Simkoko warned Tanzanians that nothing will come easy for the Heroes in their bid to send Nigeria crashing out of the continental qualifiers.

“It is going to be a great test for us, we all know that Nigeria has a strong team that boasts a lot of experience playing in the competition, but we’ve got to rise to the occasion,” said Simkoko.

Two years ago, the Flying Eagles eliminated Tanzania 4-1 on aggregate with the Nigerians winning the first leg in Tanzania 2-1.

Meanwhile, the Confederation of African Football has appointed Congolese referees to officiate the match Jean-Jacques Ndala Ngambo will handle the first leg of the final qualifying round with Oliver Safari Kabene and Nabina Blaise Sebutu as his assistants, while Mupemba Ignace Nkongolo will be fourth official.

Poiret Antoine Ralph Danny from Sychelles will be the match commissioner.

Battle for supremacy at Super 6 Academy tourney in the growth of our football, so it is time we started having young players, even in our league,” said Duduction continued at the Orumen. maiden edition of the Super 6 Academy Football Conference Tournament as teams continued their battle for supremacy on Wednesday.

The opening ceremony, itle sponsors of Glo Prewhich took place on Tuesmier League, Globacom, day at the playing pitch of has urged strikers in the the National Institute for league to increase their efSports, situated inside the fort at scoring goals, saying National Stadium, was wit- it will add excitement to nessed by the Lagos State the league.

Football Association chairNo Nigerian forward man, Seyi Akinwunmi, has netted up to 25 goals and a host of former Super in a season since the Eagles players such as Mu- league went profestiu Adepoju and Peter Rufai. sional in 1990 and after Declaring the competi- 10 games in the ongotion open, the CEO of Mul- ing season, the duo of tisport, Godwin Dudu-Oru- Warri Wolves’ Gbolamen, said the competition is han Salami and Akwa aimed at discovering young United’s Namso Edo led players that would serve the the scorers’ chart with country for many years. five goals each.

“The foundation of Ni‘It is not impossible gerian football lies in the for a striker to score underage teams and that as many as 30 goals in is why we are trying to a season in the modencouraging this competi- ern game of football. tion to fight the age cheat We therefore call on phenomenon which has our strikers to re-inalmost destroyed Nigerian vent themselves, score football. That is the reason more goals and keep the we are witnessing slow pace league alive,” GlobaMercy Jacob

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Emmanuel Tobi

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nglish Premier League trio of Everton, Newcastle United and Swansea City are intensifying effort at securing the services of Super Eagles and Chelsea winger, Victor Moses.

Moses who is on loan at Liverpool, has become surplus to requirements since the arrival of Jose Mourinho at Chelsea.

Despite having a positive start to life at Anfield, the former Crystal Palace player has found limited playing opportunities since the new year but the Reds are unlikely to make his loan move permanent and a return to the miserable life at Stamford Bridge is not sure.

Everton are certainly a possibility for Moses as Roberto Martinez knows him well from their time together at Wigan and was arguably the man that transformed the winger from a raw talent into a player of real ability at Premier League level.

Although the Toffees have Kevin Mirallas, Steven Pienaar and Aiden McGeady to operate in wide areas, but if Barcelona loan star Gerard Deulofeu heads back to Camp Nou, Moses could be a like-for-

Globacom worried about goal drought in Premier League

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com said in a statement in Lagos on Wednesday.

“We are aware of the several challenges Nigerian footballers, including the strikers have had to contend with. However, as professionals, they are duty-bound to make the difference. For a league rated as one of the best in Africa, it becomes expedient for the strikers to live up to expectation, said the statement.”

The telecommunications company enjoined clubs’ coaching crew to encourage their strikers to perfect the art of goal-scoring,” the statement further said.

Bayelsa will entertain Enugu Rangers in Sapele, Heartland hosts Giwa FC in Owerri while Crown FC will trade tackles with Pillars in Ibadan.

Marathon : East Africans motivate me –Odunlade Charles Ogundiya

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lthough Nigerians are known for short distant races, but for Odunlade Oluwatosin, the quest to see Nigeria winning medals in long distance race has lured him into marathon events.

According to him, he is not happy seeing athletes from East African counry like, Kenya, Ethiopia, dominating long distance races in Africa and the world at large.

“I have been seeing them (East Africans) on several occasions mounting the podium to receive medals in several events, and my country is nowhere to be found. I believe I can achieve something, that’s why I am into marathon.

“I love long distance race as a hobby, I like to run and also to ride bicycle. I came into racing in 2009 during the Glo half marathon race.

I have tried to register for the Obudu mountain race but not successful in the past,” he said.

Everton, Newcastle, Swansea chase Moses like replacement.

Also, Newcastle are in real need of a squad upheaval this summer after a poor second half of the season, with Moses a potentially affordable and clever signing.

Although the St James’ Park side is in need of creativity in central areas to fill the void of Yohan Cabaye’s departure, having a livewire like Moses in one of the wings would certainly make Alan Pardew’s charges a more-dangerous side.

With the jury out on some of the foreign imports such as Sylvain Marveaux and Gabriel Obertan, who have failed to impress, a player with proven Pre-

Moses

mier League experience like Moses would be a shrewd acquisition.

Similarly, Swansea will need to bring in a number of players this summer capable of improving the collective if they are to continue being a side with an offensive threat next season.

In the 4-2-3-1 formation most commonly adopted by the Welsh

side, Moses would fit right in one of the wings, with his movement off the ball and pace a key attribute in supporting a lone striker.

The World Cup bound Super Eagles striker needs a club where he will be playing regularly, and a move to Swansea could well be a winwin for both parties.

Rugby federation takes revival campaign to Kano Chimaobi Uchendu

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fter a successful return to the National Stadium, Surulere, last weekend, the Nigeria Rugby Federation is set to take the game to Kano.

According to Tunji Fasimoye, the Vice President and Technical Director of the NRFF, the need to get all regions in Nigeria to embrace the game informed the decision of the Federation, in taking the sport to the North.

He also said that it was important for rugby players to get regular competitions because it would be effort in futility if rugby players are denied opportunities to show their skills after their discovery.

Fasimoye said; “Nigerian rugby players around the country have been starved of regular competitions and it is the NRFF’s intention that the leagues will provide players with the chance to

play and put their hands up for selection to the national team ahead of the Confederation Of Africa Cup Group C tournament in Botswana in June.

“There are a lot of young boys and girls who would like to play the game and your reports on the matches and the leagues will help grow a fan base for clubs and the national teams.”

The regional league includes the South West League, Northern League and South South League. These leagues will run concurrently this year and the winner of each regional league will contest in the Super League for the title of the 2014 best team in the country. The Northern League is comprised of seven teams, while the South West and South South/ East League comprise eight and four teams respectfully.

Eight clubs contested the South West league over two rounds during a 24week season with all matches played at the National Stadium, Lagos.

NFF commiserates with Itemuagbor over loss of father

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resident of Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji Aminu Maigari, on Wednesday expressed sadness over the death of Chief Pius Itemuagbor, the father of NFF Marketing Consultant, Mr. Mike Itemuagbor.

Chief Itemuagbor, 94, was said to have breathed his last at Otuwo General Hospital, Irrua, near Auchi, Edo State on Monday.

“The NFF and the entire Nigeria football family mourn with a key stakeholder, tireless initiator and lover of excellence, Mr. Mike Itemuagbor over the death of his father, Chief Pius Itemuagbor. It is always a thing of grief and sorrow to lose any parent, no

matter how old they grew to become.

“Mike has described his father as ‘loving and caring’ and we very much appreciate how much he is missing the man already. We pray that God will grant Mike and the entire family Chief has left behind the fortitude to bear the big loss, and also grant the departed eternal rest,” Maigari prayed.

Mike Itemuagbor, the Chief Executive Officer of Pamodzi Sports Marketing, is a strong player in the field of sports marketing worldwide and is also a member of the Marketing Committee of the Confederation of African Football.

54 SPORT

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Brazil: Ideye, Ogu calm over W/Cup exclusion CONTINUED FROM PAGE 51

does not end here,” he continued. “Last thing I will do is to wish my friends BAD!” “We are more than teammates; we are like a family in and out of the pitch.

That is why we are moving forward. Wish you guys all the best.”

Ogu has expressed his disappointment at being left out, but vowed to come back stronger.

“Gutted I didn’t make the preliminary squad,” Ogu posted on his Twitter handle. “Nigeria is blessed with a lot of players; we all can’t make the list. Every player wants to be at the World Cup.” The Portugal-based midfielder also expressed his appreciation to Keshi, under whom he made his Nigeria debut in March 2013, and called on Nigerians to back the Super Eagles.

“I want to thank coach Keshi for the opportunities he gave me. I remain grateful for all. He made my dream come true as a player to serve my great nation which I’m always proud of.”

Ogu added: “Thanks everyone for your support.

Please let’s pray for the lads, let’s support the team as much as we can, because I believe in the managers and the squad selected.

“We are family. I’ll come back stronger. Also, thanks to the NFF for their wonderful support to the country’s football. God Bless the Super Eagles.”

Osaze Odemwingie, who

hasn’t played for the Super Eagles in almost two years, also took to Twitter, but unlike Ideye and Ogu, the Stoke City forward took to the social media platform to celebrate his inclusion in Keshi’s provisional World Cup squad.

“This is to thank all my naija fans for the support.

Even before the recall I dey feel the love. That means

more than the recall to me,” he tweeted on Wednesday morning via his handle.

But the forward showed he had lost none of his humour, as he joked about Channels TV’s description of his recall.

“Thanks for the congratulations. The return of the prodigal son Channels TV said? Anyhow una call am I am pleased to be back.”

Action between Nigeria and Italy

AWC Qualifiers: I don’t know anything about Rwanda -Okon Mercy Jacob

C

oach of Nigeria’s Super Falcons, Edwin Okon, is in the dark over Rwanda’s She-Amavubi, his team’s opponents in the qualifying rounds of the 2014 African Women Championship.

Former African champions, Nigeria, will be taking on the Rwandans later this month in a two-legged encounter to decide who progresses to the AWC, taking place in November in Namibia, and Okon, in an interview with New Telegraph, insists that he doesn’t know anything about the East Africans.

“To be honest, I don’t have any knowledge about our opponents, but I am confident that the Super Falcons will qualify ahead of them,” he said.

“The match is a two-legged encounter, and with the performance of the girls in camp I don’t envisage any upset.”

Meanwhile the team’s goalkeepers’ trainer, Bala Mohammed, has declared that there is no guarantee that Precious Dede, the team’s erstwhile captain and number one goalkeeper, will remain as the team’s first-choice keeper, insisting that any of the goal minders currently in camp can lay claim to the national team’s number one shirt.

“It is not going to be business as usual in the goalkeeping department as I want to turn things around to ensure we qualify for the AWC and reclaim our lost glory,” said Mohammed.

NFF wants Brazilian Embassy MTN Football Scholar securing to apprehend impersonators future of stars -Eguavoen

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he Nigeria Football Federation has called on the Embassy of Federal Republic of Brazil in Nigeria to arrest persons who come to the embassy with forged NFF letter-headed papers, introducing themselves as officials of the Federation or persons or groups known to it.

NFF General Secretary, Barrister Musa Amadu disclosed that the Federation is in possession of a number of such forged letters sent to the Embassy of Brazil by some scamsters with intent of securing entry visas into that country for the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals.

“We have been alerted to this scam and we are taking it seriously. Some officials in the Embassy of Brazil informed us about what is going on, and we are in possession of some letters written by these scamsters, with intention of getting entry visas into Brazil, ostensibly for the FIFA World Cup finals.

People go to the embassy with forged letter-headed papers of NFF introducing themselves either as NFF officials or as being known to the Federation.

“The Nigeria Football Federation has given the Embassy of Brazil the go-ahead to arrest those persons and hand them over to the appropriate authorities for prosecution,” Amadu said.

One such letter, dated 28th April, 2014 and signed by one Akeem Oyeyode (no official of NFF bears such name), was forwarded to “The Consular Department, Brazilian Consulate, Kofo Abayomi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.”

In the letter, eight officials of a socalled Oluyole Football Club of Nigeria were introduced to the embassy as going to watch “Nigeria Matches playing against Iran and Bosnia and Herzegovina on the 16th of June, 2014 in Brazil for the opening ceremony of the 2014 FIFA World Cup,” and urged the Consular to use “your good office for the issuance of the Brazilian Entry Visa to the team to enable them watch and support the Green Eagles of Nigeria playing against other countries in Brazil at the Mundial Cup.”

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ormer Super Eagles chief coach, Augustine Eguavoen, has stated that MTN Football Scholar is an initiative that secures the future of young and talented Nigerian football players.

The coach said this at the Abuja audition of the MTN Football Scholar which kicked off on Thursday, May 1, 2014, to impart knowledge and skill on the next generation of footballers.

“Talented youths can now play the game they love so much and still acquire the needed education, unlike our generation, when we had to choose between school and football. A few of us had the luxury of acquiring both education and also playing the game. I want to thank MTN for this initiative.” He said.

The Abuja audition, which was scheduled for three days, took place at the “Astro Turf ” of the Abuja National Stadium and saw a massive crowd of young, talented and

Onazi snubs offers from Liverpool, Tottenham

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uper Eagles and Lazio of Italy midfielder, Ogenyi Onazi, has insisted that he is enjoying his career at Italian side, Lazio and wants to remain in Italy for few more years.

The former Golden Eaglets playmaker has been a big revelation for Lazio and his form this season has alerted a host of clubs’ interests around Europe, with Liverpool and Tottenham leading the chase.

The Reds showed keen interest in signing the Nigeria international during the January transfer window but failed to agree a deal before the close of the winter window; and with Brendan Rodgers planning a summer spending spree, the 21-yearold is back on his radar and is re-

portedly ready to splash 10 million pounds on him.

“I am delighted to hear that a big team like Liverpool are making moves to get me, but it’s only on the pages of the newspapers, they are one of the European football giants.

It’s a great honour to hear that considering the fact that it’s the dream of every player to play for some of the best teams in Europe.

“It’s an evidence that what I am doing in Italy is watched and appreciated by people. But for now, I am enjoying myself here and having one of the best moments of my career. May be I will play for them some time some day in the nearest future, you never can tell,” Onazi said.

intelligent footballers who filled the stadium as Coach Eguavoen delivered an inspiring speech to motivate the youngsters.

“You should learn to be patient; it’s not enough to be talented. You should also show humility as a young player who is aspiring to be great in the game someday. MTN has provided this platform, you should make use of this golden opportunity” Eguavoen advised.

Sport Trending

TWITTER |@NTelegraphSport

Kanu Nwankwo Please I urge the abductors of our next generation mothers to release them. I don’t think they are the problem of our beloved country. @papilokanu Peter Odemwingie This is to thank all my naija fans for the support. Even b4 the recall I dey feel the love. That means more than the recall to me. @OdemwingieP Leon Balogun Whether the sun is shining or not, today was a bright day to me - I’m running again! Thank God. @LeonBalogun Brown Ideye I’m at the point that nothing surprise me anymore in football, so I just have to forget about this disappointment and move on. @OfficialIdeye John Ogu I want to thank coach Keshi for the opportunities he gave me. I remain grateful for all. He made my dream come true as a player to serve my great nation which I’m always proud of. @Ogujohnugo

Onazi

Usain St. Leo Bolt Breaking News..All you had to do was just ask me for one. No need to go stealing the ppl things..Come on now. lUsain Bolt takes to Twitter after burglars broke into his home and carted away a pair of running shoes, valued at $20,000, that he wore while setting a new world record back in 2009. @usainbolt

NEWS 55

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, May 8, 2014

WELCOME Former governors Kalu and Saraki welcome America's offer Biodun Oyeleye and Tope Ogunbanke

ore eminent Nigerians yesterday continued to commend the assistance offered by the United States to Nigeria in her efforts at arresting the Boko Haram insurgency in the country and rescuing the over 234 girls abducted by the sect in Borno State.

Businessman and former governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Kalu and

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Chibok girls: Saraki, Kalu, APGA commend US’ intervention the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology, Dr. Bukola Saraki, yesterday commended President Barack Obama for offering to assist the country locate and rescue the abducted girls.

The girls were abducted about three weeks ago by members of the Boko Haram sect from their school, Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State.

The United States offer

to help locate and free the girls was made on Tuesday to President Goodluck Jonathan through Secretary of State, John Kerry.

In a statement by his Special Adviser, Oyekunle Oyewumi, the former governor was quoted to have commended President Jonathan for accepting the offer to assist with the recovery of the girls.

Kalu in the statement said for the country to curb the insurgency, the government needed to partner

with world security agencies with vast knowledge in dealing with terrorism since it is a new phenomenon in the country.

Commending the move by the Obama administration yesterday, Senator Saraki asked the Federal Government to make use of the opportunity presented by the intervention to enable Nigeria win the war against terror.

As the struggle to reunite the young schoolgirls abducted from Chibok by

Boko Haram insurgents enters its third week like many Nigerians and our well-wishers around the world - I welcome the reports that the Federal Government has agreed to accept foreign assistance” in this regard.

Also yesterday, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has demanded for the unconditional release of the schoolgirls.

APGA in a statement made available to New Telegraph by Victor Eneh,

Senior Special Assistant, Media to APGA National Chairman, Chief Maxi Okwu, said the abduction of a generation of young girls by the insurgents is the height of man’s inhumanity to man.

“It is immoral, wicked, reprehensible, detestable and repugnant to good conscience. APGA condemns it in strong terms and urge security agents to expedite action towards the release of these innocent girls from their captors.

Troops recover arms in Benue, Plateau Emmanuel Onani

pecial troops battling armed gangs in the North Central zone, have recovered a large cache of arms and ammunition in Benue and Plateau states.

Guns and other dangerous weapons were also said to have been seized by troops in Kaduna.

The disclosure was contained in a statement signed by the Director of Defence Information (DDI), Maj.Gen. Chris Olukolalade.

The statement reads in part: "Troops operating in the North Central and North Western parts of the Federation have recovered caches of arms and ammunition in those areas. During a cordon and search operation at Anyibe in Logo Local Government Area of Benue State, troops seized a cache of arms run by a young member

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of an armed gang. Two Rifles, 3 locally fabricated pistols and 61 rounds of special ammunition were recovered during the operation. The arrested gang member is currently being interrogated.

"Also in Plateau State, the cordon and search operation in two chiefdoms of the state has yielded the recovery of five guns, three locally fabricated pistols and two revolvers from the hideouts of armed gangs at Hukke and Reweinko. Other items recovered during the operation include some IED making materials, 45 live cartridges, various calibres of ammunition, bows and arrows and other items such as cutlasses, axes and diggers.

"In Kaduna State, troops had encounter with armed gangs and bandits at Kwandaga, during which some casualties were recorded and lots of arms and ammunition recovered."

Lawyer alleges political use of EFCC to settle scores Leo Sobechi

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PortHarcourt-based lawyer, Enekwechi Raymond Onyimba, has alleged the collusion of some Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) officials in persecuting him.

Onyimba spoke to newsmen in Enugu yesterday against the backdrop of his alleged incarceration by the EFCC in Enugu. He said after suffering undue incarceration for eight days in EFCC cell, he was forced to pay three million disputed debts with Diamond Bank PLC. While blaming his political rivals for the EFCC action, despite a pending matter in the Federal High Court, Enugu Division in suit No: FHC/EN/CS/5/12, OJAZ Nigeria Limited Vs Diamond Bank Plc, Onyimba said his suit challenging the outcome of the recent local council poll in Enugu

prompted his detractors to move against him.

Giving a background to the case, the legal practitioner explained how sometime in 2006, he obtained a loan facility of N3.4 million from Diamond Bank Plc using his landed property as collateral, adding that though he defrayed the loan, on his attempt to retrieve the Certificate of Occupancy from the Bank, he was asked to pay N15 million charges, but he disagreed.

“Around 2008/9 I sold part of the plot but because I subdivided the plot and sold part I did not bother to give the C of O to the property."

Later, I sold the remaining portion and decided to retrieve the C of O from Daimond Bank Plc only for them to claim that I still have an outstanding N15 million to pay as charges on the N3.4 million loan.

L-R: Former Governor of Oyo State, Chief Rashidi Ladoja; fomer Governor of Enugu State, Chief Jim Nwobodo; former Senate President, Chief Adolphus Wabara and Senator Aniete Okon, during the committees' meeting at the National Judicial Institute, Abuja...Tuesday

12.57m

The total population of Delhi, India in 2010.

Source: Blatantworld.com

10,689

The number of fixed-telephone subscriptions of Chad in 2001.

Source: Itu.int

I promised affordable homes, not low cost housing – Fashola Dayo Ayeyemi

agos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, has said that he only promised affordable homes to Lagosians, not low cost houses. The governor, who was reacting to criticisms that the houses under the Lagos Home Ownership Scheme (LAGHOMs), were rather high, said he never promised to deliver low-cost housing units to the people during his electioneering campaigns.

Fashola disclosed this during the open draw held in Ikeja, Lagos yesterday to select the new lucky winners of the Lagos homes.

For May housing draw, a total number of 158 applicants applied for housing units

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under the scheme, out of which 102 were successfully pre-qualified, while 56 applicants were not pre-qualified based on documentation.

For the draw, 200 homes were made available, while 334 houses were carried over from the March and April editions, making a total of 534 homes.

Fifty seven new home owners emerged at the end of the exercise.

Fashola said there were a lot of criticisms from the opposition party about the price of the housing units, stressing that though the houses are not low cost but are affordable to the people because they can pay for them through a mortgage that cover a 10 year period.

PHOTO: TIMOTHY IKUOMENISAN

527m

The number of fixed (wired)-broadband subscriptions of the world in 2010.

Source: Itu.int

Gumi berates CAN, JNI leaders Ibraheem Musa

Kaduna

Kaduna based IsAAhmad lamic cleric, Sheikh Gumi, has

advised Muslim and Christians to reclaim their voices through the ballot boxes by electing representatives that speak for them and not self appointed councils.

Sheikh Gumi, who gave this advice in a post on his face book wall yesterday, accused the leaders of both Christian Association of Nigeria(CAN) and Jamatu Nasril Islam(JNI) of complicity with government.

According to him, the leaders of the two religious bodies do not criticise corrupt government officials that are responsible for the extrajudicial killings and the insurgency

that are going on in the country, because they dine with them.

Gumi pointed out that JNI was established by the late Premier of Northern Nigeria, Sir Ahmadu Bello, in order to promote Islamic education but 50 years after, ‘’it can’t boast of even a mushroom university.’’

Gumi advised good Muslims and Christians who want to“live in peace to join hands to save the situation. ”Religious sentiments only service a few, the common man where Christian or Muslim, will continue to suffer from deteriorating security situation, poor structural development, inadequate and dilapidated health service, failing educational standard and—Allah forbid— anarchy.’’

World Record

On Marble Nothing in this world is wrong, Unless, YOU consider it Wrong!

Sanctity of Truth

– Dhruv Gandhi

w w w. new tel eg rap ho nl i ne. co m

May 4, 2014, Floyd Mayweather, won a 12-round majority decision over Marcos Maidana to maintain his perfect record to 46-0 in a welterweight world title unification bout.

Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon and the truth – Buddha THURSday, MAY 8, 2014

N150

Is Jonathan responsible for this war?

T TALKING TOUGH GABRIEL AKINADEWO hose who believe that Nigeria is not in a state of war are probably living in another planet because the rate at which Nigerians are being killed, almost on a daily basis, is too ferocious and intense to be denied. Although officially, we are not in a state of war, the type of war being waged on Nigeria and Nigerians, spiritually and physically, has, so far, proved to be illogical.

And this leads to critical questions: What is going on in this country? Who are the people behind these killings? Is President Goodluck Jonathan responsible? Should he be more decisive on these ‘faceless’ killers by deploying security agents massively to deal with real and

gabyfola@hotmail.com - 08023010222 (sms only)

imaginary enemies in the North?

Will these killings stop if Jonathan announces today that he is not seeking re-election in 2015? What can the Federal Government do to enemies

or detractors who vowed that no matter the rhetoric, these killings will not stop until they achieve their goal? And which goal?

The last question is germane, giv-

Saint B.A. Adekahunsi: 35 years after ‘N

ever in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few’ was a wartime phrase by the 61st British Prime Minister, Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill, on August 20, 1940.

Churchill, the charismatic British leader during the Second World War who died on January 24, 1965 at 90, was referring to the resistance of Royal Air Force (RAF) pilots against the aggression of the German Luftwaffe.

The RAF pilots ensured that the forces of darkness never overcame the forces of light in the battle for Britain.

Although he referred to the heroic exploits of his fellow Britons, what Churchill did not realise, at that critical time, was that in the South-Western corner of a country that was to gain its independence from Britain 20 years later, there was a man who was doing more work to ensure that luciferic forces were defeated through the power of prayer.

I think the phrase apt for the man, later known as Saint Benjamin Akinadewo Adekahunsi, the founder of Oke-Igbala Olu Society, is ‘Never in the field of spiritual conflict was so much owed by a race to an individual’.

Today is the 35th anniversary of the death of Saint Adekahunsi and I am bold to write that aside the first Baba Aladura of the Eternal Sacred Order of the Cherubim of Seraphim, Saint Moses Orimolade Tunolase Ajagunmokadi (who died in 1933), no other prophet was, and is, as powerful as Saint Adekahunsi. And I doubt if there will ever be.

I am proud to write about this great man of God because he was, and is, my paternal grandfather. He was so great and committed to the work of God that the District Officer for Ondo Division between 1934 and 1936, A.F. Bridges, wrote about him: “I am convinced he is a prophet”.

My father and Saint Adekahunsi’s eldest surviving son, His Most Eminence, Archbishop I.M. Akinadewo (Omo Jesu), is a walking encyclopaedia on the spiritual exploits and missionary work of his father who was born

St. Adekahunsi

What Churchill did not realise, at that critical time, was that in the South-Western corner of a country that was to gain its independence from Britain 20 years later, there was a man who was doing more work to ensure that luciferic forces were defeated through the power of prayer on December 10, 1893 by the late Chief Akingbade Adekahunsi and Madam Adediibinu.

In some of the books written by my father in memory of Saint Adekahunsi, he was described as a Spiritual General

who fought many battles against evil doers and won.

His spiritual work transcends the shores of Nigeria. While in the United States (U.S.) last year, some elders I met gave me graphic details of how, for decades, he fought evil doers to a standstill and defeated them. There was a particularly soul-inspiring story of how God intervened directly in 1962 by saving him from the machinations and wicked acts of some so-called men of God. My father confirmed this story to me.

Any attempt to write on the miracles performed by this spiritual legend, in his life time, is equivalent to having one chapter in a 10,000-page book.

Thirty-five years after, his memory lingers on. The international headquarters of my father’s church – Motailatu Church Cherubim and Seraphim Worldwide – in Ondo is Saint Adekahunsi Cathedral. Restoration Parish of the church, Akute, Ogun State dedicated in February 2013, has an imposing office named after him (Saint B.A. Adekahunsi House). During the first anniversary of the parish in February this year, one of the tracks in the CD launched is in memory of this spiritual Commanderin-Chief. As if to commemorate the 35th anniversary, a student of one of the federal universities in South-West, who is a member of Restoration Parish, went into trance since last week, prophesying for seven days. As we say in C&S churches, she will descend from the mountain tomorrow.

Saint Adekahunsi, the Chairman of Spiritual Workers Union in South-Western Nigeria, entered the church above on May 8, 1979 and as we celebrate the anniversary today all over the world, Baba Oluso, I sign off this piece with your popular song: A i wo waya, Woli o de o (Make a joyful noise, the prophet has come).

Alajagun (fighter), omo (son of) Akingbade Otiko, Alagogo Ajilu gboun, gboun, gboun (the early morning bell ringer), the prophet that the familiar spirit dreads, continue to protect your descendants.

en a similar scenario in the Bible.

Acts 23: 12 reveals the conspiracy of 40 Jews who bound themselves under a great curse, to neither eat nor drink, till they had slain Paul the Apostle.

Is history repeating itself in Nigeria today? Are Jonathan’s enemies bound under a curse to get rid of their ‘common enemy’ or else...?

If that is the case, what is the way out? Should Jonathan ‘abdicate the throne’ for peace to reign or should he use his presidential powers to annihilate these satanic forces?

Is there any solution, now or later, to this insecurity facing the world’s most populous black nation?

Even while raising these posers, it is obvious that the future looks scary for Nigeria as the country is being pushed forcefully and dangerously to the edge of perilous precipice.

Blood-thirsty agents of nonsensical violence are on the rampage, leaving anguish after their departure.

Pitiably, these deadly attacks are done with impunity. It is as if security agents are on leave. Whether the numbers being bandied are true or not, it is highly incomprehensible that fundamentalists stormed a school and just abducted close to 200 girls. If you go to any market to buy 200 chickens, it will take a while not to talk of 200 girls, abducted against their will. How many fundamentalists were paid to do the job, how many buses were deployed to take them away and how many security agents were paid to look the other way?

As if that was not enough, the same Nyanya Park, Abuja was bombed twice in three weeks. Can Nigeria survive this pogrom?

These are indeed trying times.

OmoBaba

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