Binder1 tuesday 1, april 2014

Sanctity of Truth Facebook.com/newtelegraph

Tuesday, April 1, 2014 Vol. 1 No. 42

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Nigeria’s most authoritative newspaper in politics and business

Gunmen kill Okonjo-Iweala: Nigeria’s economy can’t grow without power soldiers, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has Iweala said the one cited addressing through power per cent.”

Ayodele Aminu The Federal Governpolicemen with agency report said that to reduce poverty as most critical by busi- sector privatisation. in the country, the econo- nessmen was the chronic Speaking in an inter- ment is projecting Gross in Yobe inance Minister and my must grow faster. lack of electricity across view with Reuters, she Domestic Product (GDP) •Military deploy troops to North-Central states Page } 4

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Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr.

Listing the factors holding back growth, Okonjo-

the nation, a handicap she said the government was

said: “We need a faster growth rate than seven

growth of 6.75 per cent C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 5

Return to PDP or resign, court tells 37 defected Reps

lStops House leadership change lAffected lawmakers head for Court of Appeal lCourt turned law on its head, say Gbajabiamila, Dogara Tunde Oyesina and Philip Nyam

A

Federal High Court in Abuja yesterday asked 37 former members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to relinquish their seats at the House of Representatives for defecting to the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC).

The court also restrained the legislators from effecting any leadership change in the Lower Chamber of the National Assembly.

The court delivered judgement in a matter brought by the PDP, asking that since the legislators are not ready to return to

Members of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) protesting over the Lagos State University (LASU) high tuition fees at the Freedom Park, Ojota, Lagos...yesterday

C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 2

CONCENSUS

Confab delegates adopt 70% voting procedure

After weeks of disagreement, peace returns to the National Conference as delegates agree on voting percentage

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PHOTO: Adeyanju Olowojoba

lKutigi seeks more funds for committees lPensioners threaten mass protest against FG Loius Achi, Onwuka Nzeshi and Muhammad Bashir

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D

elegates at the National Conference yesterday adopted 70 per cent majority as the

voting mode to be used in arriving at decisions, ending last week’s stalemate on the issue.

The new voting procedure is a middle course between two contentious extremes.

AT A GLANCE

This followed a motion

by Senator Iyorchia Ayu, representing Former SenC O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 2

NEWS

POLITICS

BUSINESS

Federal Government to retire 1,050 civil servants Page 7

SPORTS

Ex-Deputy Governors, Senator, SSG, commissioners, others scramble for Akpabio’s seat Page 13

Peter Amangbo is Zenith Bank CEO Page 49

NFF, Keshi at war again Page 51

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Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Confab delegates adopt 70% voting procedure CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

ators Forum, seconded by former Akwa Ibom Governor, Obong Victor Attah, representing Former Governors’ Forum.

The delegates adopted the resolution at the resumption of plenary in Abuja.

Proceedings at the conference were stalled last week as delegates failed to reach consensus on whether or not to adopt 66 per cent or 75 per cent majority as the voting mode on decisions taken at the conference.

The particular issue in contention was Order VI, Rule 3 of the Procedure Rule, which provides that any decision in the conference shall be decided by, at least, a three-quarter majority.

The Rule reads: ``Any questions proposed for decision in the conference shall be determined by consensus and when this is not achievable, by a three-quarter majority of the delegates present and voting.”

While some delegates wanted the conventional two-thirds majority to be

TODAY’S WEATHER FORECAST PORT HARCOURT

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adopted in arriving at decisions, others wanted the three-quarter majority to be retained.

This necessitated the setting up of the 50-man consensus group by the delegates, to confer with the principal officers, so as to break the deadlock.

Consequently, the conference adjourned plenary on Wednesday, March 27, till yesterday to enable the consensus group and the principal officers engage

in wider consultation on the matter.

At the resumed plenary yesterday, the Deputy Chairman, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, presented the report of the outcome of the consultative meeting to the house. ``The committee met on the 25th and 26th March, 2014. Deliberations during these meetings were cordial. Delegates worked in harmony to develop and put into effective use, the

spirit of consensus building with the national interest at heart.

“At the conclusion of deliberations, members reached a decision to amend Order VI Paragrapgh 4, XI paragraph 2 and XII paragraph 4 (e) as follows: “In the case of failure to reach consensus, the matter shall be decided by majority vote of 70 per cent of delegates present and voting.

“That is the recommendation which that committee is bringing to you, distinguished delegates,” he said.

After his presentation, Bolaji then called for discussions, but there was overwhelming call for a motion on the recommendation of the consensus group.

Following the unanimous decision of the delegates, Ayu moved for the C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 5

FLIGHT SCHEDULE FIRST NATION AIRWAYS LAGOS-ABUJA (MON-FRI) 06.50; 09:30; 11:45; 16:00 (SAT) 06:50; 11:45 (SUN) 11:45; 16:00 ABUJA-LAGOS (MON-FRI) 09:00; 11:30; 13:40;18:30 (SAT) 09:00; 13:40 (SUN) 13:40; 18:30 LAGOS-PORT-HARCOURT (MON-FRI) 14:45 (SAT) 16:15 (SUN) 14:45 PORT-HARCOURT-LAGOS (MON-FRI) 16:50 (SAT) 18:20 (SUN) 16:50 AEROCONTRACTORS LAGOS-ABUJA (MON-FRI) 06:50; 13:30; 16:30; 19:45 (SAT/SUN) 12:30; 16:45 ABUJA-LAGOS (MON-FRI) 07:30; 13:00; 19:00 (SAT) 12:30 (SUN) 15:30 MEDVIEW AIRLINES LAGOS-ABUJA (MON-FRI) 07:00; 08:50; 12:00; 15:30 (SAT) 10:00; 15:00 (SUN) 17:30; 18:30 ABUJA-LAGOS (MON-FRI) 09:00; 14:00, 15:00; 18:30

L-R: Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola; his deputy, Hon. (Mrs.) Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire; Commissioner for Housing, Mr. Bosun Jeje; one of the winners of the Shitta Scheme, Lagos Home Ownership Mortgage Scheme (Lagos HOMS), Mrs. Yetunde Oluwaseun; and her son, Master Joseph Camille, during the presentation of keys to the First Draw winners at the Lagos House, Ikeja...yesterday

Return to PDP or resign, court tells 37 defected Reps CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

the party, they should not be allowed to take part in the activities of the Assembly.

The presiding judge, Justice Adeniyi Ademola, held that the lawmakers no longer had any business, morally and legally in the Assembly since they are not ready to return to PDP. He said they should honourably resign from their seats as members of the House of Representatives, having moved to another political party while their tenure had yet to expire. ``Having perused the arguments of counsel and the constitutional provisions, it is clear and unambiguous that the defendants were sponsored by the PDP and won the election on its platform. ``It is also the court’s opinion that their tenure has not expired and there is no division in the PDP. ``The defendants are,

therefore, not competent to vote or contribute to any proceedings in the House of Representatives. ``An order of perpetual injunction is, hereby, ordered, restraining them from altering or attempting to change the leadership of the House of Representatives,’’ Ademola said.

The PDP had on January 7 instituted a suit seeking to restrain the House of Representatives from altering the composition of its leadership.

The party had commenced the action following the defection of 37 legislators, who won elections on its platform, to the opposition APC. PDP’s counsel, Mr Yunus Usman (SAN), had, while arguing the originating summons, faulted the cross-carpeting of the lawmakers, saying that the legislators did so during the dependency of a judgement.

He argued that by virtue of the October 2013 judgement of Justice Evoh Chukwu, which said there was no division in PDP, the matter had been laid to rest.

Usman further submitted that by virtue of the provision of Section 68 (1) (g) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, the lawmakers ought to have vacated their seats immediately.

Counsel to the defendants, Mr Mahmoud Magaji (SAN), had in his submission, argued that it was wrong for the PDP to have sought to restrain its former members from activities of the Assembly for defecting.

Other defence counsel, Mr Niyi Akintola (SAN), Mr Sebastian Hon (SAN), Mr James Ocholi (SAN), Mr Abiodun Owonikoko (SAN) and Jibril Okutepa (SAN), had prayed the court to dismiss the suit.

The defected lawmak-

ers, however, said they will challenge the judgement in the Court of Appeal.

The PDP had listed as 2nd to 10th defendants all the principal officers of the House comprising the Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal; Deputy Speaker, Emeka Ihedioha; Majority Leader, Mulikat AkandeAdeola; Deputy Majority Leader, Leo Ogor; Chief Whip, Isiaka Bawa; Deputy Chief Whip, Ahmed Mutkar; Minority Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila; Minority Whip, Samson Osagie and Deputy Minority Leader, Sumaila Kawu.

All the APC lawmakers that decamped from the PDP were also cited in the matter as the 12th to 53rd defendants.

Justice Ademola held that the Originating Summons is justiceable and hence, the court has jurisdiction to entertain the suit.

He held that where the

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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Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

How to unlock opportunities Theme:

Register for Ehingbeti 2014 in these quick steps

Powering the Lagos Economy:

Real Opportunities, Endless Possibilities.

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Date: April 8th -10th, 2014.

Venue: Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.

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Send cheque payable to ‘Lagos Economic Summit Group’ to Summit Secretariat.

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Refund policy: The Summit Secretariat should be notified of cancellations via letter, fax or e-mail on or before 31th March, 2014 for a 70% refund of total payment. No refund will be granted after this date or for no show.

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NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

You must reduce LASU school fee, students tell Fashola Governor: We can’t substitute fee reduction for standard  Students ask Jonathan to sack Wike

Muritala Ayinla

S

cores of students under the aegis of the National Association of

Nigerian Students (NANS) yesterday stormed the office of the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, in Alausa, Ikeja,

to demand immediate reduction in the Lagos State University’s tuition fees.

They decried loss of Nigerian students abroad,

calling on the government at all levels to address the problem.

While waiting for the securitymen to open the Gov-

Chairman of the National Conference, Justice Idris Kutigi (right), and his deputy, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi at yesterday’s session.

Photo: Timothy Ikuomenisan.

N2.87bn

The internally generated revenue of Taraba State in 2011.

Source: National bureau of Statistics

17.1m

The total number of internet users in Columbia in 2008.

Source: Blatantworld.com

45.7

The number of fixed telephone subscriptions per 100 inhabitants of developed countries in 2009.

Source: Itu.int

Gunmen kill soldiers, policemen in Yobe By our reporters

S

uspected Boko Haram gunmen, struck again yesterday killing three soldiers and four policemen at a checkpoint in Nganzarma village, Yobe State.

The latest attack came as more troops were yesterday deployed to the North Central states of Benue, Nasarawa and Plateau.

The gunmen, according to an eye-witness, Ustaz Bala, came in three Toyota Hilux vehicles, one Sharon Bus and motorcycles.

“We were terrified and shocked by the late night attacks and killings here in Nganzarma town. What have we done to these people?” he lamented.

Speaking to New Telegraph on phone, a soldier who survived the attack said, “I speak to you this morning (yesterday) from an unknown location … some of our men were

killed. No one has slept in this checkpoint as some of us fled to either Damaturu or the nearby village for safety.”

When contacted, the spokesman of the 3 Division Special Operations, Yobe State, Captain Eli Lazarus, declined comments.

Yobe State Police Commissioner, Ahmed Sunusi Rufai, also confirmed the incident but said he was yet to get the exact number of casualties from the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Nganzarma.

Meanwhile, determined to stop the incessant killings in some rural communities of Benue State and neighbouring states, allegedly by suspected Fulani herdsmen, the Nigerian Army yesterday said it has begun a major operation in three North-Central states of Benue, Nasarawa and Plateau states.

Also to join in the offensive are the Nigerian Air

Force, Police and other security agencies.

A statement by the Director of Defence Information (DDI), Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade, said the latest offensive was aimed at putting “an end to the activities of all armed men and criminal gangs who have been engaging in wanton killing and destruction of lives and property...”

According to him, “The Internal Security Operations is meant to capture and neutralise all the enclaves of criminal gangs… the Nigerian Air Force, Police and other security agencies are also participating in the operation.”

Olukolade, who is the Coordinator of the Joint Security Information, however, enjoined law-abiding citizens “to cooperate by providing timely and useful information to facilitate the operation as it affects their localities.”

In a related development, the Joint Military

Task Force in Kano has apprehended one of the financiers of the Boko Haram sect who operate shops around Kofar Ruwa Market. Millions of foreign currencies were found with him.

Already, the man, Muhammad Mustapha, has been taken into custody by the JTF, while further search of his homes and other places where he operates are ongoing.Mustapha, New Telegraph learnt, sells car spare parts.

The Federal Government has also earmarked over N7 billion for victims of the 2011 post-election violence in Kaduna State, Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero, disclosed yesterday.

Yero, who disclosed this while doling out N163 million to Muslim and Christian groups, further said that the amount had been captured in this year’s federal budget.

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

ernor’s Office gate, they barricaded roads, chanting war songs and calling for a policy to make education free as it was during Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s era in the defunct Western Region.

They called on management of institutions of higher learning to reinstate all banned unions in the University of Lagos, College of Education, Ikere, Ekiti and Tai Solarin College of Education (TASCE) and others and conversion of the Higher National Diploma (HND) certificate to Bachelor of Science degree (B.Tech) in Technology.

Led by Zone D Coordinator of NANS, Mr. Sunday Aseton, they said LASU remains the only state-owned university paying the highest school fees.

According to President of LASU Student Union Government, Yusu Nurudeen, the hike in the fee had created more problems for the students, adding that many indigent students had been forced to withdraw when they could not afford the fee.

The angry students called on President Goodluck Jonathan to implement 26 per cent budgetary allocation proposed by the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and remove, with immediate effect, the Supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike, before it is too late.

Responding, Governor Babatunde Fashola stressed that the decision to review the school fees was made as a result of the agitation by the students.

To cater for the indigent students who might not be able to pay the hike fees, Fashola said his administration also increased the budgetary allocation for scholarship from N700 million to N1.2 billion, assuring that he would do everything to give scholarship to students who allegedly dropped out as a result of hike in fees.

Fashola called for another meeting with the students on Thursday, saying he would show them all the facts and report of the visiting panel that recommended hike in the fee.

Return to PDP or resign, court tells 37 defected Reps CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

fundamental rights of any person is at the stake, the court has the power to intervene.

On the issue of abuse of court process which was raised by the defendants, the court held that the plaintiff in the instant case is a defendant in other cases and hence, the issue of abuse of court process does not arise.

The court further held that in view of the provision of Section 68(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution, the 12th to 53rd defendants cannot effect changes in the leadership of the House.

Gbajabiamila described the ruling as a strange judgement that “turned law on its head”.

He declared that the judgement was a product of error of court and the lawmakers would appeal

at a higher court.

According to the APC leader, “The judgement is strange and will be appealed. No person can be compelled by law to stay in an association against his or her wishes.”

Chairman of the House Committee on Services, Hon. Yakubu Dogara (APC, Bauchi) dismissed the ruling of the judge as “not a judgement and not an order of the court but his mere opinion that is not binding in law.”

“Besides, does he have the power to ask any lawmaker to resign?” he asked rhetorically. “He is advising us to resign, so what happens if we do not resign? If the court has powers to order us to resign, he should invoke the orders and not say in the opinion of the court. He knows he does not have the power to order for our resignation.”

NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

5

Okonjo-Iweala: Nigeria’s economy can’t grow without power CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

this year, slightly less than the 7.3 per cent forecast by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), up from 6.4 per cent in 2013.

“Even in the villages, you know, you have welders, plumbers, carpenters, and they tell us, look, part of our problem is uncertainty of power supply,” she said.

Solving this power deficit would give a huge boost to the economy.

“If Nigeria can grow at 6-7 per cent without power, no one can tell what can happen when two to three years from now .... we are

able to get power in the country,” she said.

The other major growth-limiting obstacles Okonjo-Iweala cited were difficulty accessing affordable long-term financing and governance and corruption issues, and she insisted the government was working hard to tackle graft.

These problems were not stopping foreign and domestic private investors from launching major investment projects in petrochemicals, agriculture and consumer goods, she said.

“Those are the three

areas where we see a lot of money coming in,” Okonjo-Iweala said.

Okonjo-Iweala estimated that new domestic direct investment in agriculture totalled around $1.5 billion.

She said she was encouraged too by a $1 billion private investment backed by the World Bank and other international lenders being made in a power plant project in Edo

State.

The minister conceded that Nigeria’s rapid growth, like that of the wider African continent, faced “vulnerabilities”.

One was that if this growth was not firmly anchored on sectors that could create the most jobs, the government and others in the rest of Africa would face a problem with young populations not being able to find work.

“We will have a youth problem on our hands, we already have it,” she said.

But African governments were addressing this.

“The Africa rising story is real,” she insisted.

In a spirited response to what she called a trend of “talking down on Nigeria”, the minister said Nigeria has a strong, buoyant economy receiving billions of dollars of foreign and domestic di-

rect investment in power, petrochemicals, agriculture and consumer goods.

She said she was not concerned about shortterm outflows of portfolio investment, which did not reflect the macro-economic fundamentals and longterm prospects of Nigeria.

“We must be careful not to start believing in the pessimism that is hung around our necks,” she said.

Gunmen kill soldiers, policemen in Yobe CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4

The governor said that Federal Government had completed its verification exercise ‘’and came up with over N7 billion as compensation to victims in Kaduna.’’ He promised to pursue the money “until it is paid.’’

In a related development, Fulani and Tiv/ Agatu farmers of Benue State yesterday agreed to a truce to end the hostilities among them.

The two sides have

been at war in the past three years trading blames over destruction of crops, contamination of community water points, denial of access to grazing grounds and rustling.

But in yesterday’s meeting where the truce was reached, the two sides pledged to work in harmony and constitute a task force to check the activities of criminal elements on both sides and implement details of the peace agreement.

L-R: Director, Transnational Corporation of Nigeria (Transcorp) Plc, Olorogun O’tega Emerhor; President/CEO, Obinna Ufudo; Chairman, Tony O. Elumelu; and Company Secretary, Chinedu Eze, during Transcorp’s 8th Annual General Meeting at the Lagos Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos...yesterday.

N18.9bn

The internally generated revenue of Edo State in 2012.

Source: National bureau of Statistics

589.6m

The total population of South-Eastern Asia region (representing 8.53% of the world’s population) in 2010.

Source: Blatantworld.com

N43.3bn

The IGR realized from PAYE (taxes) of Rivers State in 2010 Source: National bureau of Statistics

Confab delegates adopt 70% voting procedure CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

adoption of the motion and was seconded by Attah.

“I congratulate the committee for avoiding the impression of a winner and a loser in this matter. I think we are getting to the point where we are making progress,” Bolaji said.

Thereafter, he put the motion to voice vote with the delegates overwhelmingly chorusing “ayes”.

Consequently, the vicechairman ruled in favour of the motion to adopt 70 per cent majority as the voting mode for the conference.

The Adoption of Voting on Conference Procedure Rule was also adopted by the delegates.

It was agreed that the various committees should choose their chair-

men and secretaries.

The Draft Rule had proposed that the Chairman of the conference, in consultation with the Vice-chairman and Secretary, should choose the committees’ chairmen and secretaries.

Chairman of the Conference, Justice Idris Legbo Kutigi, also said he might request for more funds from the Federal Government to fund activities of committees.

In a reaction to the adoption of the voting procedure, former Governor of Rivers State, Dr. Peter Odili, told New Telegraph that the decision was popularly received by delegates.

He described it as a great step forward, considering where the conference was last week.

Also reacting to the de-

velopment, Pastor Tunde Bakare said the Chairman had through the intervention of the adhoc committee saved the conference from collapse.

He, however, urged the conference not to waste further time but to get down to business.

The conference also adopted the Work Plan for the conference. The plan contains a list of 20 committees each with a list of issues to be discussed.

Some delegates expressed reservations about the committees and their responsibilities and sought some amendments.

A number of delegates observed that there were some gaps in the list of the committees just as some committees needed to be expanded or merged with others dealing with

similar issues. There were criticisms on the work plan . Some delegates want it streamlined to exclude certain issues that have been exhaustively discussed in previous conferences.

A third document containing the various groups attending the conference was adopted.

It classified delegates into 33 groups based on their nominations.

Kutigi said that the purpose of the groupings was to enable the secretariat have contact persons within each group of delegates.

There were originally 97 groups attending the conference but this has been pruned down to ease communication with the groups.

There was also a return to the debate on whether

the Chairman should appoint the committee chairmen and deputies.

But there was a counter motion that the matter should be left at the earlier resolution that delegates should indicate the committees they intend to serve while the secretariat will harmonise the committees and appoint the chairmen and deputies.

The conference resolved to leave the appointment of chairmen and their deputies to the secretariat. It proceeded on break and deferred the debate of President Goodluck Jonathan’s speech to the second session.

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) has said it would mobilise its members across the nation for a massive protest against

the Federal Government for short-changing the union.

The Union alleged that six delegates slot for the ongoing National Conference allotted to it, was diverted to the association of retired Federal Permanent Secretaries.

The National Vice President of the union in charge of North -Central Zone, Chief Joseph Femi, at a press conference said: “The Federal Government allocated six slots to the union to be part of the delegates at the Confab, but unfortunately, a serving permanent secretary in the Office of Head of Service of the Federation cornered the slot and nominated members of the association of retired permanent secretaries to the conference.”

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NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Tinubu, an uncommon leader, says Kalu BIRTHDAY

Eulogies as Kalu extols Tinubu's leadership virtues on his birthday

F

ormer Governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Kalu, has described former Lagos State Governor and National Leader of the All Progres-

sives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as an uncommon leader.

He said Tinubu's capacity for the mobilisation of his people was legendary.

Kalu made these remarks in a statement by his Special Assistant, Prince Oyekunle Oyewumi, to commemorate the

birthday of Tinubu.

He said the former Lagos State governor has become a phenomenon in Nigerian politics as he has demonstrated since the return of the country to democratic rule.

He said: “Apart from ruling Lagos State for

eight years and laying the foundation for the development of the state, Tinubu’s capacity to mobilise his people for any worthy cause has shown him to be a leader in whom the people believe and who they can trust.

“Only few leaders in

Nigeria command such cult-like followership as Tinubu does.

“These are people who have no doubt about his passion for their welfare.

“Despite the fact that Tinubu has had cause to have the name of his party changed several times, the loyalty to him by his

followers has not waned over the years.

“Rather, it has only become further strengthened.

“As you clock another year, it is pertinent to wish you many more years in the service of the country and sound health in the years ahead.”

I remain Supervising Minister of Education – Wike Emeldah Ogene and Mojeed Alabi

S

upervising Minister of Education, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, yesterday said he has not resigned his appointment as a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The disclosure, which was made in a statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant (Media) to the Minister, Simeon Nwakaudu, was in apparent clarification of the rumour making the rounds that Wike has resigned his appointment as minister.

The s t at e m e n t noted that Wike had, on Saturday attended the 43rd convocation ceremony of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), where he represented President Goodluck Jonathan, adding that the minister of state was in his office yesterday, to attend to his official functions.

Meanwhile, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) yesterday demanded for the removal of the Supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike, while also expressing dissatisfaction with the situation in the polytechnics and colleges of education, where lecturers have been on strike for more than 10 months.

NANS, which mobilised students across the South-West part of the country under the banner of Zone D, made a peaceful protest to register their grievances, promising to mobilise all students across the nation and shut down all federal roads.

The students, who blocked the entrance of Governor Babatunde Fashola's office, made it known that polytechnic students are not given recognition in the labour market like their counterparts with bachelor’s degrees.

Osun: I’m prepared for PDP guber primary – Adeleke Temitope Ogunbanke

F

or mer Gover nor of Osun State and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant in the 2014 election, Senator Isiaka Adeleke, said he is fully prepared to make a repeat performance of his victory at the PDP primary election coming up on April 5 in the state.

Adeleke said this in a

statement made available to New Telegraph yesterday by his Media Adviser, Olumide Lawal.

Lawal said Adeleke as an ebullient and charismatic politician, is not leaving any stone unturned in his robust preparation for the contest, adding that; “Even though, he (Adeleke) came into the race recently, this does not mean he was ill-prepared.”

L-R: Deputy Speaker, Kwara State House of Assembly, Prof. Muhammed Gana Yisa; Speaker, Hon. Rasak Atunwa; Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed and state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Barrister Kamaldeen Ajibade, at the signing of the 2014 Appropriation Bill in Ilorin...yesterday

N172.4bn

The IGR realized from PAYE (taxes) of Lagos State in 2012.

Source: National bureau of Statistics

16.9m

The number of internet users in Malaysia in 2008.

Source: Blatantworld.com

N47.7bn

The IGR realized from PAYE (taxes) of Rivers State in 2011.

Source: National bureau of Statistics

Health Ministry alerts public on deadly Ebola fever

APC blasts Aliyu over unfulfilled promises

Appolonia Adeyemi

Dan Atori

T

he Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) has called on the general public to take measures to avert the outbreak or the spread of Ebola fever, a deadly haemorrhagic disease.

A statement from the Special Assistant on Media and Communications to the Minister of Health, Mr. Dan Nwomeh, said persons with high fever, headache, severe abdominal pain, diarrhea and bleeding and especially with a history of travelling to Guinea, Sierra Leone or Liberia, should report to health authorities.

Ebola is a deadly haemorrhagic fever which first appeared in 1976 in two

simultaneous outbreaks in Nzara, Sudan and in Yambuku, the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In February 2014, the Republic of Guinea reported an outbreak of Ebola, which had hitherto not occurred in the West African sub-region.

Between that period and March 26, 2014, 86 cases were reported out of which 62 deaths occurred with a mortality rate of 72 percent.

According to Nwomeh, the FMOH is working closely with West African Health Organisation (WAHO) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) and is ready to deploy experts to Guinea on request by the affected countries to strengthen its response capacity.

MINNA

A

member of the Niger State All Progressives Congress (APC) Interim Management Committee, Alhaji Umar Shuaibu, has lashed out at the projects embarked upon by the state governor, Babangida Aliyu, describing his comment over the weekend as cheap propaganda, gimmick that are tantamount to undermining the intelligence of the citizens.

Shuaibu said this in a statement signed and made available to our correspondent yesterday.

He said in the chronicle of governors in the state from inception, if there is any governor either appointed

or elected that has ever promised heaven and earth and always reneged in his vows to the citizens, it is Governor Aliyu.

He was reacting to Governor Aliyu’s commissioning of a General Hospital at Gulu last week, when the governor said that he has delivered all his campaign promises to the people of the state.

According to Shuaibu; “We wish to state that this statement is cheap propaganda, a gimmick and that it is tantamount to undermining the intelligence of the citizens of the state.

“Governor Aliyu promised to construct 10 km roads for each of the 25 local governments in the state, but in the seven years of his tenure, this has not been fulfilled."

NEWS

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

FG to retire 1,050 civil servants - Aji OVERSTAY Many who have overstayed in the Federal Govt service to lose jobs

W

ithin the next three weeks, 1,050 civil servants that are in the service illegally will be retired.

The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HOCSF), Alhaji Bukar Aji, disclosed this at the

ongoing 60th anniversary celebration of the Nigeria Public Service Commission in Abuja.

He said the screening done by Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) showed that the 1,050 civil servants were supposed to have retired from the service long ago. ``Through the IPPIS, we are able to screen those who are supposed to have retired long time ago and they will leave the service within the next two

to three weeks,’’ he said.

Aji said it would create opportunity for those in legitimate service to be promoted.

According to him, there had been synergy, cooperation and collaboration between the HOCSF and the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC).

The Chairman, FCSC, Mrs Joan Ayo, said the commission came into existence in April, 1954 with the functions of employing, promoting and disci-

plining of civil servants.

She said that since the commission was the gateway into the service and exit way, the commission should be guided by some rules. ``As the `entry into’ and ‘exit out’ the service, the FCSC is committed to the traditional core values of the civil service.’’

The Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator Ayim Pius Ayim, said government would ensure improved service.

7

You 've lost touch with realities, group tells Fayose ...No, I am very relevant, replies Fayose Adesina Wahab Ado-Ekiti

A

political pressure group, Ekiti Good Governance Group (EGGG), has said former Governor Ayo Fayose is no longer in touch with the political realities in the state.

In a statement by the group’s publicity secretary, Taiwo Ojo, in AdoEkiti at the weekend, it said the political realities in the state were not in favour of a person like the ex-governor.

The group said this while reacting to a statement credited to Fayose

that he brought Governor Kayode Fayemi to office and that he would also remove him from office.

According to EGGG, Fayose, who could not make himself a senator in 2011 would not have claimed that he made anyone a governor if he was in touch with the reality of defeat that stares him in the face in the June 21 election.

"During the 2009 rerun poll, Fayose saw himself being hunted and haunted by PDP. He was to be arrested and slammed in prison after denigrating PDP while in exile.

Ekiti PDP: Aggrieved aspirants fail to meet Jonathan Adesina Wahab Ado-Ekiti

T L- R: Acting Director General, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Benedict Adeyileka; Director of Finance, Nuhu Ozigi and Director, Aerodrome Standards Accounts, Joyce Daniel Nkemakolam, at the opening session of the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Category One re-assessment of Nigeria, at Aviation House, Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos...yesterday.

PHOTO: TONY EGUAYE.

91.8%

The female percentage of internet users of Sweden in 2012.

Source: Itu.int

11.2m

The number of internet users in Argentina in 2008.

Source: Blatantworld.com

EU/ECOWAS trade liberalisation pact won’t favour Nigeria, says Aganga

T

he Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga, has explained that the trade liberalisation agreement being pushed forward by the European Union under the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with ECOWAS would not favour the Nigerian economy.

Speaking during a working lunch in honour of the Director-General, United Nations Industrial Development Organsation, Mr. Li Yong, Aganga, whose ministry played a major role in the EPA negotiations, said certain

provisions of the agreement, which Nigeria was expected to sign at the ECOWAS Heads of States meeting in Yamoussoukro, Cote D’Ivoire, last week, were not in the overall best interest of Nigeria’s economy.

Under the EPA, the European Union will immediately offer the 15-member ECOWAS and non-member state, Mauritania, full access to its markets.

In return, ECOWAS will gradually open up 75 per cent of its markets, with its 300 million consumers, to Europe over a 20-year period.

N1.85bn

The internally generated revenue of Nasarawa State in 2010.

Source: National bureau of Statistics

Court dismisses Ubah's bid to stop arrest Joseph Jibueze

A

Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday rejected an application filed by the former Governorship candidate of Labour Party in Anambra State, Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah, seeking to restrain the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from arresting him over alleged forgery.

Ubah, the Managing Director of Capital Oil and Gas Limited, had filed the suit seeking to stop his arrest in connection with alleged fraud, forgery, altering of forged

documents, conspiracy to obtain money by false pretence and tax evasion.

The act was said to have been committed in a lease agreement between Ubah and a firm, DTV Limited.

Ubah, who equally joined the Inspector General of Police and the Attorney General of the Federation as respondents in the suit, had alleged that plans by EFCC to arrest him were part of desperate moves to stop his Anambra State governorship ambition.

In the election, Ubah lost to the incumbent Governor, Willie Obiano.

he hope of some Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirants in Ekiti State to meet President Goodluck Jonathan over the party's recent primaries did not materialise at the weekend.

Checks by New Telegraph in Ado-Ekiti yesterday showed that the aspirants and their supporters waited in vain to take their case to the President.

The aspirants had con-

verged on Abuja since last Friday with the intention that they would be called to the Presidential Villa after booking an appointment through the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President, Gen. Jones Arogbofa.

But the group could not meet the president as he went to Bauchi for the zonal rally of the PDP on Saturday.

The attempted jail break at the Department of State Security Service (SSS) in Abuja again took the attention of everybody.

Arise rallies support for PDP, Fayose Adesina Wahab Ado-Ekiti

F

ormer Chairman, Senate Committee on Privatisation, Senator Ayo Arise, has called on those aggrieved over the result of the recent primary election of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State to bury the hatchet and work for the victory of the party.

Speaking in a telephone interview on Monday, Arise noted that what should be paramount in the minds of PDP members and supporters

should be how it would win the June 21 election.

Arise, who was in the National Assembly from 2007 to 2011, noted that since former Governor Ayo Fayose emerged the party's candidate and his emergence was sanctioned by the leadership of the party, what was expected of party members was to work as a team to ensure victory for the party.

He added that reconciliation efforts were on to pacify aggrieved members and that he had been in touch with some aspirants.

8

ACROSS THE NATION

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Abuja

ONDO

Abuja

AKURE

2015: Abuja indigenes mobilise for Jonathan Indigenes of Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), have commenced intensive campaign for President Goodluck Jonathan’s second term bid even when the president continued to keep mum over his re-election bid.

As a prelude to the planned cultural carnival for President Jonathan's re-election bid, the Abuja Original Inhabitants Coalition Groups, an umbrella body of all

socio-cultural groups in Abuja, has kicked off the campaign by erecting billboards in all strategic locations in the territory.

Coordinating Chairman of the group, Bussa Danjuma, told our correspondent in an interview in Abuja yesterday that the erection of billboards in some strategic locations in the territory was to consolidate the position of the group to support President Jonathan's presidential bid in various ways.

LAGOS IKEJA

SSS shootout: CACOL condemns killing of 21 suspects The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) has condemned in its entirety, the killing of 21 Boko Haram suspects in the custody of the State Security Services (SSS).

CACOL in a statement by its Executive Chairman, Comrade Debo Ade-

niran, the coalition berated the SSS for the killing of the suspects and called for investigation into the incident.

“It baffles every rightthinking Nigerian why it was difficult for the men of the SSS to subdue only the one that disarmed their man. "

Bye-election: LP accused of plans to manipulate poll Ahead of Saturday’s bye-election in Ilaje/Eseodo federal constituency, the Ondo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP) yesterday disagreed over the involvement of the military in the election.

While the opposition PDP accused the ruling

LP of plans to use the military to manipulate the election, the ruling party denied the allegation, saying it was a ploy to discredit the outcome of the election even before it was held.

State Chairman of the PDP, Chief Ebenezer Alabi, who raised the allegation, said the PDP would mobilise its members to resist any plan to manipulate the election.

FCT ABUJA

Mahama’s election as ECOWAS boss, well deserved – Ekweremadu The Speaker of the Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS Parliament, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has congratulated the President of the Republic of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama, on his election as the

chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government.

Senator Ekweremadu, who expressed the firm belief that President Mahama’s election would open a fresh era of progress in the sub-region, said he was not surprised by the Ghanaian President’s victory, pointing out that he was the right man for the job.

OGUN

KWARA

ABEOKUTA

ILORIN

Osoba’s Ogun APC leader, says Deputy Gov

Ahmed signs N130bn 2014 budget

Ogun State Deputy Governor, Prince Segun Adesegun, has said that the state’s former governor, Chief Olusegun Osoba, remained the leader of All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

Adesegun, who spoke in Ijebu-Ode during a stakeholders’ sensitisation meeting of APC in Ogun East senatorial district, said there was no controversy about Osoba’s status in the party.

The event, held on Sunday evening, was aimed at sensitising party members about guidelines for APC wards, local government and state congresses, scheduled to commence on April 5.

In attendance at the meeting were notable party chieftains, including Senator Adegbenga Kaka, Hon. Abiodun Abudu-Balogun, Hon. Kehinde Odeneye and Alhaji Bimbo Awofeso.

Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, yesterday signed into law the 2014 Appropriation Bill of N130.2 billion with a pledge that it will provide new vistas for confronting developmental challenges in the state.

Ahmed, according to a Government House statement, said the 2014 budget with the theme; “Budget of Expansion for Inclusive Prosperity,” provides “a blueprint for building new projects to put more money in people’s pockets, get more youths to work, remodel additional hospitals and build more schools and roads.”

N47.7bn

The IGR realized from PAYE (taxes) of Rivers State in 2011.

Source: National bureau of Statistics

16.9m The number of internet users in Malaysia in 2008.

Source: Blatantworld.com

N172.4bn

The IGR realized from PAYE (taxes) of Lagos State in 2012.

Source: National bureau of Statistics

Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State (left) and Oba of Benin Erediauwa II, during the governor's visit to the royal father…yesterday.

EKITI ADO-EKITI

Fayemi describes GOK Ajayi as a legal legend Ekiti State Governor, Dr. KayodeFayemi, has described the demise of eminent lawyer, Chief G. O. K. Ajayi, as the end of a chapter that shaped the legal profession in Nigeria.

The governor, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Yinka Oyebode, in Ado-Ekiti yesterday, said Ajayi’s

place in the annals of the evolution of democracy in the country had been eternally secured.

Describing Ajayi as a fearless lawyer and people’s advocate, Fayemi said the deceased chose to stay on the side of the people by defending the mandate given to the late Chief M. K. O. Abiola in the court of law at the risk of his life.

LAGOS IKEJA

Housing scheme: Lagos hands over keys to 11 beneficiaries It was a blissful Monday for eleven lucky winners of Lagos Home Ownership Scheme (LAGHOMs) as keys to their new homes were handed over to them amid fanfare.

The eleven people, who have subscribed to various Lagos State gover nment estates specifically built for the scheme and who emerged through the raffle draw conducted last month, were handed over the keys after they have achieved closure to their mortgage.

Originally, 31 people emerged through the draw, but 11 of them were able to put up the 10 per cent mortgage down payment to receive keys to their new homes.

NASARAWA

FCT

ABUJA

MIGA Vice-President on a three-day visit to Nigeria The Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer of the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), Michel Wormser, arrived in Nigeria yesterday for a three-day official visit.

MIGA is the political risk insurance and credit enhancement arm of the World Bank group.

During his visit, Worm-

ser will meet with key government ministries, agencies and departments, especially those that have direct impact on economic growth, banks and other strategic enterprises.

Senior Communications Specialist at the World Bank, Obadaih Tohomdet, said the aim of Wormser’s visit is to identify areas where MIGA can help the country mobilise capital.

LAFIA

Detained Nasarawa lawmaker released on bail The member representing Keana Constituency in the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Hon. Francis Orogu and the Assembly’s Staff Officer, Danladi Gyabo, have been released on bail, two hours after they were remanded in prison.

Sham Shama, judge of the upper area court, who earlier remanded them in

prison and adjourned to April 2, for ruling on their bail application, however, granted them bail unconditionally two hours after they were remanded.

Counsel to the lawmaker and the staff officer, Barrister Ocha Ulegede, said that he secured their bail after he made a formal complain to the state Chief Judge, Justice Dikko Mohammed.

NEWS

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Insurgents target North Central to destabilise Jonathan - Govs ALARM

PDP governors raise the alarm over attempt to destabilise Jonathan's government

Anule Emmanuel

G

overnors from the North Central zone elected under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have raised the alarm that the current insecurity in states of the region were targeted at

28.3%

destabilising the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan.

The Governors who were at the presidential villa with major stakeholders from their states, led by former national chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Ahmadu Ali, to pay a solidarity visit to the President, explained that the crisis currently being experienced between Fulani Herdsmen and farmers was the handiwork of enemies who are using mercenaries from outside the country.

Governor Gabriel

The percentage of households with a computer in Africa in 2010.

Source: Itu.int

who spoke on behalf of the PDP North Central governors at the meeting said "We are worried because election is at hand.

Most of your strong areas where we will bring millions of votes for you are being decimated and people have moved en mass."

"The reason being that if the north central is disorganized, Mr. President you are disorganized because that is where you have your stability and so whatever it will take, Mr. President (should) address the security challenges that we have in the

3.7m

The number of recorded deaths every year as a result of exposure to fine particulate matter.

Source: Who.int

north central. " He said that the security situation in the north central has virtually affected all the states in the zone. "In Benue, Kogi State, Nasarawa and Plateau, you have a large chunk of refugees whom you have graciously sent relief materials to. It is not your intention to be sending relief materials but it is your intention to be providing infrastructure. We pray that God will keep giving you the wisdom, the knowledge to tackle these security problems."

88.1%

The male percentage of internet users in Korea Republic in 2012.

Source: Itu.int

Strike out Sanusi's suit, AGF urges court Joseph Jibueze

T

he Attorney-General of the Federation Mohammed Adoke (SAN) yesterday urged the Federal High Court in Lagos to strike out a suit by suspended Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi.

Adoke, through his lawyer Dr Fabian Ajogwu (SAN), said the action was employment-related and should be adjudicated by the National Industrial Court.

The court reserved ruling till April 3 in the fundamental rights suit filed

by Sanusi.

Sanusi had filed the

W

ALLEGATION President demonstrating lack of humanity in his approach to issues, Gov Nyako alleges Ibrahim Abdul Yola

A

damawa State Governor Murtala Nyako has accused President Goodluck Jonathan of once again demonstrating a lack of humility in his approach to issues, following the president’s indictment of North-East states governors for the security

Boko Haram: Stop blaming govs, Nyako chides Jonathan woes being experienced in the region.

Nyako was reacting to Jonathan’s comment at the North-East rally of the Peoples Democratic Party on Saturday, that the abdication of the responsibility of providing primary and secondary education by the governors in the zone was responsible for the Boko Haram insurgency.

Jonathan had said, “It is shameful for a governor

who has stayed in power in his state for up to six years or more, to come to me and talk about bad leadership when you have youths in your state, more than half of whom have not attended primary school and you are doing nothing about it.

“State governors should be ashamed of themselves when our children do not go to primary and secondary schools and they decide to carry arms.”

But Nyako, through his Director of Press and Public Affairs, Mr. Ahmad Sajo, in a telephone conversation, said it was unfortunate that the President had chosen once again, to blame everybody but himself, for things going wrong under his leadership.

According to him, blaming governors for his failure to do the right things, is not a mark of good leadership.

suit through his Counsel, Prof. Yemi Osibanjo (SAN), seeking an order restraining the Police and Officers of the State Security Service (SSS), from arresting, detaining or otherwise harassing him.

Joined as first to third respondents in the suit are: The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Inspector General of Police (IGP), and the SSS. Justice Ibrahim Buba fixed ruling after parties moved and adopted their applications.

Moving a preliminary objection to Sanusi's suit, Ajogwo urged the court to strike it out for want of jurisdiction.

Only APC can save Nigeria – Senator Okonkwo Temitope Ogunbanke

L-R: Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Olusegun Aganga; Director-General, United Nations Industrial Development Organisation, Mr. Li Yong; and President, Manufacturing Association of Nigeria, Chief Kola Jamodu; Country Representative, UNIDO, Dr. Patrick Kormawa; during a working lunch organised by the Ministry for the DG in Abuja.

9

orried by the state of the nation, Deputy National Chairman (South) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Annie Okonkwo, has urged Nigerians to vote for change in 2015 general elections by voting for the APC, which, according to him, is the only party that can save Nigeria.

Speaking during the APC stakeholders' meeting in Awka, Anambra State, Okonkwo noted that considering what Nigeria is currently facing today, especially the insecurity and unemployment problems, it is important for Nigerians to keep sentiments and personal interests

aside and save Nigeria.

"We cannot also fold our arms and be watching our youths suffering. Some youths died some weeks ago where they went to write Immigration test.

We cannot continue like this. We must unite and work together to promote our party because it is the only party that can salvage this country. It is the only party that has the people at heart," he said.

Commenting on his controversial suspension from APC over allegations of anti-party activities during last November 16 Anambra State governorship election, Okonkwo said he was happy with the outcome of the party’s investigation.

Nigerian Navy gets new warship from China, US Flora Onwudiwe

O

ver 50 naval personnel had left Nigeria for China to bring back an Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) built for the Nigerian Navy in China.

Addressing officers and men of the force in Lagos after his first biannual tour of ships and establishment, the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) Naval Training Command, Rear Admiral Goddy Anyank-

pele, said the training command played a major role that will enable the vessel return safely to Nigeria.

Anyankpele said the training of naval officers and men that will bring the vessel home, was done at the command, adding that NAVTRAC has commenced training for new set of personnel that will travel to the United States to take custody of the United States Coast Guard Ship, GALLATINE.

10 NEWS CLASH

Governor's intention to set term limit for legislators leads to disagreement

Leo Sobechi

M

ixed reactions continued to trail the alleged face-off between members of the National Assembly from Enugu State and Governor Sullivan Chime over the governor’s insistence on setting term-limit for the

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

PDP denies alleged NASS members’ walkout on Chime legislators.

The State Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) Mr. Vita Abba, denied reports that the NASS members walked out on Governor Chime during last Saturday’s stakeholders’ meeting at the Governor’s Lodge, the party’s temporary secretariat.

Abbah said he never

witnessed any walk out, pointing out that the “notion of disagreement may have been planted by the opposition to cause distraction among the stakeholders; there was nothing like that” But sources within the PDP confided in New Telegraph that what actually happened was that Governor Chime

failed to recognize the Senator representing Enugu North Senatorial district, Ayogu Eze, while observing the protocol list.

“When the governor entered the venue, he started recognizing stakeholders present, but somehow skipped Senator Eze. This caused a subdued stir; the issue

of the forthcoming visit of President Jonathan was broached, as well as how the state chapter would prosecute the primary elections and campaigns.

“When the governor finished his remarks, it was obvious that the business of the day had been dispensed with and the stakeholders

left. Whether there was anger or protest does not arise,” the source narrated.

Attempts to get Senator Eze to state his own side or comment on the development could not yield any useful results as he neither returned calls to his mobile phone nor addressed the question sent via sms to his handset.

MOSOP calls for northern understanding on national question Joe Ezuma

Port Harcourt

T L-R: Managing Director/CEO, Brent Mortgage Bank, Mr. Kola Abdul; Group President, Major-General Sansadeen Awosanya; Board Chairman, Mr. Muri Salami and Chairman of the occasion, Senator Jubril Martins Kuye, during the formal unveiling of the bank in Lagos…yesterday

7

The number of overseas dependencies in Africa.

Source: Blatantworld.com

40.2

The number of fixed-telephone subscriptions per 100 inhabitants in Europe in 2012.

Source: Itu.int

PHOTO:SULEIMAN HUSAINI

8

The number of disputed terrorities in Africa.

Source: Blatantworld.com

We acted on informant’s No face-off between report to raid Al-Mustapha’s Tinubu, Sheriff – Duhu home – Army Muhammad Kabir Kano

I

ndications emerged yesterday that the Nigeria Army’s raiding of Major Hamza Al-Mustapha’s junior brother’s country home, Hadi Al-Mustapha, on Saturday was carried out on an informant’s report bordering on security.

It was alleged that the army had information that some highly placed Boko Haram commandants that had fledSambisaForest,following Nigeria military's onslaughts on them, have relocated to highbrow areas of Kano, allegedly including Major Al-

Mustapha’s house in the city.

New Telegraph gathered reliablythattheJointMilitary Task Force (JTF) in Kano, wereactingonaninformant’s alarm that the house of Hadi Al-Mustapha was used as a store by armed shipment for the highly placed Boko Haram commandants.

However, a source close to the military said the information was a political agenda meant to criminalise Major Al-Mustapha, who has suffered long years of incarceration so as to further make him a sacred cow not only in Kano, but across the nation.

Ibrahim Abdul Yola

T

he relationship between for mer Governor of Borno State, Ali Modu Sheriff and that of the former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is at its best contrary to speculations that the relationship between the two has gone sour.

The North-East ViceChairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Umar Duhu, made this known yesterday in Yola, during an interactive session with newsmen.

Duhu was reacting to questions about a serious face-off between the two politicians, which degenerated to a near fisticuff during the NEC meeting of the party.

“I also read that in the social media, but I was an eyewitness to what happened.

“The development was a normal thing in party politics. There must be disagreements and at the end of the day, we have to reach a consensus.

“It was all about the procedure to be adopted for the forthcoming congresses and National Convention of the party,” he said.

he apex organization of the Ogoni people, the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), has called on the people of Northern Nigeria, including its delegates to the on-going National Conference, elders and governors to show understanding on some issues that are at the root of the national question.

MOSOP, in a statement issued in Port Harcourt, Rivers State by its leader, Mr. Legborsi Saro Pyagbara urged the Northern delegates to rescind their reported planned resistance to issues of state creation, resource ownership and control which are

supported by the South.

Reacting to the reports, Pyagbara said opposition to the issues of state creation and ownership and control of resources might be antithetical to justice and equity which the conference is aimed at addressing.

“The expressed northern sentiments, no doubt, betrayed sinister motives, which in our view, may not augur well for the conference and North/ South relationship."

It is alarming that at crucial times in this country such as this, the north has been behaving as if other parts of the country are mere vassals that have no real legitimacy and rights and must subject to their whims and caprices.

Sale of Onitsha market: Lands Commissioner reacts Dilionye Dilibe Onitsha

A

nambra State Commissioner for Lands, Survey and Town Planning, Chief Okoli Akirika, has reacted to his alleged involvement in the sale of plot No C/21, Otumoye Creek Niger Street, Onitsha, which presently harbours a group of traders known as Progress Market Traders' Association.

The denial came on the

heels of allegations from traders of the market over a purported purchase of their business premises by an Onitsha businessman, Chief Chike Agwuncha in connivance with the commissioner.

Reacting to the allegation, Chief Okoli Akirika told reporters that he never had any personal interest in the disputed land, so he couldn’t have fronted anybody to purchase government property.

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

In the morning of Nigeria’s 2nd Century, with an eye on 2015, a year seen as a defining milestone for the country, New Telegraph brings an intense, informed focus on 500 politicians (men and women) that will determine the nation’s course.

In “2015: 500 Politicians To Watch,” New Telegraph, Nigeria’s most authoritative newspaper in politics and business X-rays and presents the well-known and dark horses in the political arena from across the country – contenders whose trajectories will shape the 2015 general elections.

“2015: 500 Politicians To Watch”

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ABIODUN BELLO FEATURES Editor

abiodun. bello@newtelegraphonline.com

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

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Police nab nine suspected robbers, rapist NEMESIS Nine suspects are now in police net for robbery and rape

Kunle Olayeni Abeokuta

P

olice in Ogun State arrested nine suspected armed robbers at two locations at the weekend.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, who confirmed this in a statement issued in Abeokuta yesterday, said the bandits engaged policemen in a gun duel.

Adejobi, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, also disclosed that the command recovered a stolen vehicle and various weapons during the operations.

According to him, a team of Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the state command led by the officer-in-charge intercepted a gang of armed robbers on Saturday who were

Court jails three kidnappers for 42 years Dominic Adewole Asaba

A

n Asaba High Court yesterday sentenced three kidnappers to 42 years imprisonment with hard labour.

The convicts, Innocent Atunye, a politician, Emmanuel Adebayo, a student and Emmanuel Edokun, had been on trial since 2012 on a four-count charge.

They were found guilty for kidnapping one Otio Onoriode Paul, a student, on July 1, 2012, at Ogharaki and held him hostage for six days before he was released.

They collected a ransom of N2 million before men of the Department of State Security Service (DSS) swooped on them.

The court sentenced each of the convicts to 14 years imprisonment for conspiracy and kidnapping.

However, there was a mild drama as the mother to one of the convicts caused a stir when started wailing and rolling on the floor uncontrollably.

She had misconstrued the verdict as a death sentence. Her hysteria obstructed court proceedings temporarily before she was taken away by police officers. Another High Court in Asaba also sentenced a 25-year-old welder, Ebierim Onianwa, to 11 years imprisonment with hard labour for kidnapping.

planning to rob commuters on Sagamu Benin Expressway.

Adejobi disclosed that a gun battle ensued between the suspects and the SARS operatives, leading to the arrest of Kolawole Fasasi, Sunday Oduwole and Ebenezer Abel with bullet injuries while others escaped.

He said: “One pump action gun with four rounds of cartridges, one double barrel pistol, some charms and a KIA car with registration number KTU 793 BB which had been snatched by the syndicate earlier on Wasinmi - Papalanto Road at gunpoint were recovered.

“The owner of the car had identified them as those who snatched the car from her at gunpoint and the said car had since been released to her as directed by the Commissioner of Police, Ikemefuna Okoye.”

Adejobi added that policemen attached to Ilese Division arrested six suspected armed men “who robbed some commuters in the area on Sunday by 0400hrs”.

Okoye

He said: “The police immediately went on search-and-raid of about four suspected houses in Ilese-Ijebu after the report was made at the station and arrested Sanusi Wasiu, Adewale Abass, Ramon Salau, Olatunji Emiloju, Olawale Olugbenga and Dare Osunkanya.

“Eighteen live cartridges, one UTC knife, one dagger, one axe, one hammer and other offensive weapons suspected to have been used in their robbery operations were recovered from their houses.

“The victims of their operations have identified them accordingly. The matter will be taken to the department of criminal investigation, Eleweran, Abeokuta for further investigation.”

Adejobi added that a 19-year-old Biodun Ogunyobi of Mile 2 Area, Ayetoro Road, Abeokuta had been nabbed for allegedly raping a 17-year-old lady in his area.

He said: “The young lady, who was sent by her mother to purchase a jar of kerosene, was called by the suspect to assist him in carrying ‘something.’ She was eventually dragged in by Biodun who had unlawful carnal knowledge of the lady.

“The suspect has been arrested and necessary medical examinations had been carried out to confirm the allegation. The matter will be thoroughly handled in Eleweran and the suspect will definitely face the wrath of the law.”

Two escape death as truck crushes car Clement James Calabar

T

wo people escaped death when a trailer loaded with bags of cement crushed their car in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, yesterday morning.

However, none of the occupants of the car sustained injuries in the accident which occurred in front of Margaret Ekpo International Airport.

The trailer, with registration number Delta XA 890 GWK, was coming from the UNICEM cement factory at Mfamosing in Akamkpa Local Government Area of the state and going to Eket in Akwa Ibom State when the accident occurred.

According to the trailer’s driver, who gave his name simply as S. Nwankwo, he was coming from the Atim-

bo end on his way out of the state capital when the car, a Toyota Camry CE with registration number Edo BEN 444 AW, attempted to overtake him.

He said: “I was driving straight maintaining this lane now. The car overtook me from the right. But there was another car in front. If he had continued, he would have run into that car so he swerved to my side and I could do nothing but to hit it.”

The driver of the car, who gave his name as Inyang Edet, refused to speak on what happened. He said he could only speak “after contacting my Oga,” and walked away.

But Nwankwo said there were two people in the car.

“The driver and the Oga’s son,” he added.

A witness, Mathew Eteng, said Inyang was on speed, at-

tempting to overtake other vehicles when the accident occurred.

He said: “In an attempt to beat the trailer, he took the right lane but almost hit a car before he swerved to the left.”

Eteng blamed the car driver for the accident, saying a little patience would have saved the situation.

Even though the incident occurred a few meters away from the Airport Police Station, no policeman was seen at the scene when our correspondent arrived.

However, a traffic policeman at the station, who said he was not allowed to speak with the press, referred our correspondent to another traffic officer who also refused to comment on the incident.

The accident caused a gridlock on Airport Road, which forced motorists to drive on one lane.

The car

2015: Ogun PDP in dire straits as Amosun consolidates / PAGE 17

POLITICS

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Power shift: PDP, Chime and Nsukka zone

ayodele Ojo

Deputy Editor, politics

ayodele.ojo@newtelegraphonline.com

ayodeleojo@yahoo.com

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TUESday, April 1 , 2014

A’Ibom: Rat race for Akpabio’s job The February 28, 2015 governorship election in Akwa Ibom State promises to be keenly contested among several gladiators in the state including former deputy governors, ex-ministers, serving lawmakers and several others. TONY ANICHEBE examines those angling for Governor Godswill Akpabio’s seat.

Udom

T

he stage is gradually taking shape while the gladiators put finishing touches to their strategies in readiness for the battle for the next occupant of the Akwa Ibom State Hilltop mansion; the official residence of the state governor.

In 2007, Governor Godswill Akpabio defeated 57 other aspirants in a keenly contested Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primaries and eventually won the main election.

The state has witnessed tremendous development since Akpabio came on board. In the last six and half years, the governor has brought glamour, finesse and unparalleled style to governance prompting his being nicknamed ‘uncommon transformer and digital governor.’

Thus, as Akapabio’s administration begins its last lap, several aspirants in the PDP have indicated interest to take over his job.

Notwithstanding the clamour that power shift to the Eket Senatorial District of the state, since Uyo Senatorial District had a stint of eight years with Obong Victor Attah, 1999 – 2007 and Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District with Akpabio to end in 2015; aspirants in defiance of the zoning

Akpan

Ekere

arrangement are emerging from every senatorial district.

Those who have defiled the zoning arrangement believe the constitution supersedes the arrangement, while the pro-zoning politicians believe that the quest for justice, equity and fair play will work in their favour.

To show the seriousness of the contest, and to ease the political tension in the state over who succeeds Governor Akpabio in the February 28, 2015 governorship election, 20 commissioners and four special advisers in their collective wisdom recently presented a list of three people from

which the governor can make a choice of his successor.

In the list of preferred candidates of the cabinet members were, the new Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr. Udom Gabriel Emmanuel; the Commissioner for Rural Development, Mr. Effiong Abia and the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ekpenyong Netkim. Incidentally, the three aspirants are all from Eket Senatorial District favoured by Akpabio to produce his successor. But Mr. Bassey Albert Akpan, a trusted ally of the governor and Commissioner for

Finance declined to endorse the document. Akpan, who is from Uyo Senatorial District, is running for the governorship.

Akpabio’s cabinet led by Commissioner for Works, Mr. Don Etim, justified their action. He said it was to give the governor direction on who should succeed him.

According to him, “23 out of 24 members of the exco unanimously agreed that we should approach the governor to consider his successor from the state exco members. We in the exco believe we have a stake on what is happening in Akwa Ibom State. So, we assembled all commissioners and discussed extensively.

“We gave the governor three names. We sat down and delibCONTINUED ON PAGE 14

CROSSFIRE Jingoism is not the monopoly of anyone. We are here to make Nigeria work... My kingdom extends into part of Cameroon. In fact, there is a state there known as Adamawa. If anything happens here, I will go there and I will easily assimilate - Lamido Adamawa

Nobody should threaten the unity of Nigeria… it is unfortunate that such a statement is coming from the Emir and he’s not the only one with such mind.

Some of the delegates are saying if we do not agree with them on threequarters for a decision, they will walk out -Gani Adams

POLITICAL NOTES Politicising teachers’ competency test

I

n a bid to improve the standard of education, the Edo State Government recently set up a committee headed by Prof. Dennis Agbonlahor to organise a competency test for teachers in the state government’s employ. This became necessary when it was discovered that some of the teachers lacked the needed capacity to deliver the needed level of education to children of the state.

As the date for the test drew nearer, there were all forms of opposition to the exercise, as stakeholders from different parts expressed apprehension at the government’s move.

There were condemnations from the opposition political party in Edo State, even as a group filed a suit with the National Industrial Court to compel the state government to halt the plan.

Given the mass failure recorded by students in both WAEC and NECO exams in the last seven years, one is wont to commend the Edo State government for taking steps to address the situation, and also call on other states to take steps to address the failing standard of education in the country, especially in public schools.

Also, stakeholders in the state who were opposed to the test may have genuine fears.

But, all will agree that teachers play a major role in efforts to improve the standards of educational system in any society.

A teacher cannot impact on students what they do not possess.

So, in politicising the intentions of government, stakeholders should also suggest, and provide alternate plans, or superior argument on how to improve the educational system in the state, and the country.

Asides from teachers, who should be properly motivated, trained and retrained, government at all levels should also endeavour to improve infrastructural facilities in the education sectors, for meaningful academic pursuance.

14 POLITICS

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Senator, SSG, commissioners, others CO N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 1 3

erated on the three names and the three names are from the Eket Senatorial District. As a people, we thought it is only fair for us to tell the governor that as your disciples, why can’t you consider someone from within your council? We urged him to give us approval for three of our colleagues and he obliged us.”

Though the PDP primaries are still months ahead, several politicians have thrown their hats into what has been tagged rat race in readiness for the battle royale in Akwa Ibom State.

Bassey Albert Akpan He is the longest serving commissioner for finance since the creation of Akwa Ibom State and a former vice president at the First City Monument Bank (FCMB). Bassey is one of the closest aides of Governor Akpabio. He heads the state inter-ministerial direct labour projects, an interventionist agency through which government executes medium projects in urban and rural areas and equally empowers its citizens.

A philanthropist, Bassey had since assumption of office built bridges of friendship across the length and breadth of the state mostly among youths, women and even top politicians. He has shown exceptional commitment to his duty and weathered several storms and intrigues that would have swept him out of office.

The case against Albert is that he is from Uyo Senatorial District, the same with Attah. The Akpabio administration has already thrown its weight for the emergence of a candidate from Eket Senatorial District.

Udom Gabriel Emmanuel He is an astute banker who left Zenith Bank as executive director in 2013 to become the Secretary to the State Government (SSG). Few months into the political terrain, Udom seems determined to emerge the next governor of Akwa Ibom State.

Favoured by zoning and Governor Akpabio, Udom appears unstoppable. He has since started subtle campaign moves, with branded vehicles and youth groups working for him.

Using his present office, he had tried at several fora to market his values and ideas on how to take the state to the next level. He refers to himself as advocate of corporate governance, who is determined to change the face of politics. But the politicians in Akwa Ibom see Udom as an intruder who has no business with politics.

They are even more uncomfortable with his banking background because politics in the state is synonymous with “sharing”, a language which appears missing in the lexicon of the SSG. To the politicians, it will take God to come down and make him the governor.

Umana Okon Umana Umana is the immediate past SSG and former commissioner for finance in Akwa Ibom State .

Abia

Ekpotu

Umana

Umana, though from Uyo Senatorial District was in charge of Akpabio’s administration, wielding so much influence that people concluded he will be the next governor. Unfortunately, Umana’s six years stint as SSG ended abruptly in very controversial circumstance.

Out of power, Umana’s strive to remain relevant is always countered by Akpabio’s administration. Today, Umana’s political camp appears to have been overwhelmed by government machinery. Some of his core supporters today hobnob with Akpabio’s camp while those he brought into government positions have be thrown out of government.

Though from Uyo Senatorial District and working against the zoning formula,

Umana believes he will still be governor in 2015. Recently, when Akpabio’s town hall meeting train berthed at his Etinan federal constituency to feel the pulse of the stakeholders on issues of zoning and succession in 2015, Umana and his core supporters were completely excluded.

Before his travails, Umana had built a massive political structure cutting across the entire state, deploying enough resources to oil them regularly. He had insisted that there should be an open contest for the race in 2015 believing that no politician in the state can stand his perceived political arsenal in an open contest.

Today, with the shepherd caged, it appears his many sheep have gone astray.

Only the outcome of the PDP primaries

will prove otherwise.

TONY ANICHEBE writes that if Governor Godswill Akpabio fails to allow a level playing ground in the choice of his successor, he may end up like his predecessor, Obong Victor Attah who failed to install his son-in-law as Akwa Ibom State governor

I

n 2002, the then Governor Victor Attah began plans for his exit from office by positioning one of his finest commissioners, Chief Godswill Akpabio in a very strategic ministry, the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs. Attah knew power would shift to Annang axis or Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District in 2007 and he had Akpabio in mind.

At the ministry, Akpabio had the privilege of interacting with council chairmen and councillors and virtually the entire paramount rulers and local chiefs in the state. He performed very well and endeared himself to them and they in turn worked tirelessly to help him succeed Attah. Outside the cabinet position given to Akpabio, Attah ensured he led several ad hoc committee set up by his government.

But by 2006, when the heat of succession entered a crucial stage, Attah’s top confidants and close friends brought another script different from his initial plan. The new script had Dr. Udoma Bob Ekarika, Attah’s son in-law, who served

Helen Esuene A former first lady, former minister and today the senator representing Eket Senatorial District in the Senate is a contender for the governorship.

Married to the late Brig. Gen (Rtd) U.J. Esuene, former military governor of old South Eastern State, Helen is not new to political networking across the state and country.

Esuene was born to the family of Nung Umo Nka of Ifa Ikot Okpon Etoi in Uyo senatorial district but married to late U.J. Esuene from Eket Senatorial District which may give her some political edge from both senatorial districts.

Akpabio’s succession plan: in the cabinet for eight years as Commissioner for Health and Works, as Attah’s successor.

They convinced Attah to dump Akpabio for Ekarika and promised to help him clip the wings of the already very popular Akpabio. The first shocker was the immediate redeployment of Akpabio from the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs to Lands and Rural Devevelopment. The next was the instruction to the state media outfits to ensure total blackout of his activities especially political activities.

But two things worked in Akpabio’s favour. One was the distraction Attah’s presidential ambition caused the ex-governor from the political intrigues going on in his state. Attah was not even on ground during the gubernatorial primaries; he entrusted it in the hands of his close allies who promised to deliver Ekarika.

Second, Ekarika’s elder brother, Senator Itak Ekarika joined the same race and all efforts to get him to step down for his brother failed. He said he even preferred an outsider winning the race than Udoma his brother.

Several ballot papers with just Ekari-

Akpabio

ka written on them by delegates were not counted and over 500 ballot papers were cancelled.

Udoma narrowly lost to Akpabio in the primaries that required a run-off between them but it never happened.

Hence, Ekarika, despite Attah’s enormous resources and influence as a sitting governor, failed.

Attah did everything possible to stop Akpabio’s aspiration by bringing stakeholders to endorse another candidate in the person of Senator Emmanuel Ibok

POLITICS

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

scramble for Akpabio’s seat

Helen-Esuene

She has been responsive in terms of empowerment and other services to her constituency, an action that had further endeared her to the people.

However, Akpabio appeared uncomfortable with Esuene’s aspiration. At the recent Eket town hall meeting, which was boycotted by the senator, Akpabio jokingly urged women to forget the number one position in the state as his administration had already given them the 35 per cent they demanded. Esuene does not have the governor’s backing. Even, the state politics is not yet tinkering with an idea of a woman governor.

Effiong Abia Abia is an astute administrator, a law-

Bishop Akpan

yer and the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs. He had earlier served as senior special assistant to the Governor/Secretary, finance and general purpose committee and former secretary, state council of chiefs.

Abia was one of the few commissioners whose activities earned him a very good commendation from the governor. Young and energetic, Abia is from Oron Nation, the third biggest ethnic group in the state located within Eket Senatorial District.

Besides his outstanding personal qualities, Abia’s kinsmen believe that power should naturally come to them in 2015, since

History beckons Umana and his Finance Commissioner, Mr. Bassey Albert Akpan.

Umana and Akpabio served as commissioners under Attah. Umana was then in charge of Finance Ministry and was said to have rescued Akpabio’s ambition with huge financial war chest when Attah abandoned Akpabio.

Moments after taking oath of office as governor, Akpabio appointed Umana his SSG and became the engine room of the administration.

At a time, Umana was seen as heir apparent to the governorship seat. The governor at different fora gave indications that Umana will succeed him owing to his contributions to the uncomAttah

Essien which was rejected in Abuja.

And enmity between Attah and Akpabio grew like wildfire even before the 2007 elections.

Till date, several peace efforts to bring the two leaders together to work in the interest of the state had failed.

Today, with a little over one year left for Akpabio’s administration, history appears about to repeat itself. Akpabio’s government was formed around his trusted allies, former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Umana Okon

The Akwa Ibom people are eagerly awaiting the position of Governor Akpabio in who succeeds him. Would Akpabio allow a level playing ground in the choice of his successor or will he impose his SSG on the state?

Assam

they believe in tripod of ethnicity against the senatorial basis for power sharing.

But Abia knew that power in the state is not negotiated on the platform of ethnic sentiments, and has been networking with politicians across the three senatorial districts.

A special reception was recently held for him by the Methodist Church, Oron Diocese which was turned into a political rally to advance his ambition.

Obong Nsima Ekere A renowned surveyor and estate consultant, he is the immediate past deputy governor of Akwa Ibom State.

Ekere, who in 2007 emerged fourth in the PDP primaries Akpabio won, became

mon transformation initiated by his administration. But in a twist of fate, Akpabio began to champion power shift to Eket Senatorial District which did not go down well with Umana who is from Uyo District. Hatred and mutual suspicion grew between the once very close friends and confidants.

In June 2013, Akpabio and Umana parted ways which saw the governor locking out his once bosom friend out of office with security personnel.

Then enter Udom Gabriel Emmanuel, a banker as the new SSG. Udom as he is fondly called was first brought by Umana to Akpabio to serve as finance commissioner when the former SSG and the finance commissioner, Bassey Albert Akpan, path crossed over their ambition to take over from Akpabio as governor in 2015. But the finance commissioner survived the planned sack from cabinet owing to Akpabio’s wife’s intervention.

Udom whom the governor asked to wait in the wings owing to his impressive profile took over Umana’s job.

With little or no political experience Udom began to work in an office Umana made the centre of attraction in the state, being the clearing point for all political patronages. But unlike Umana, Udom is rigid and not easily accessible to politicians.

He brought his over two decades of corporate banking life to the job and became an instant pariah to politicians who saw him as a complete opposite of

15

deputy in the governor’s second term. He lasted only 18 months in the administration before his resignation.

The reason for Ekere’s resignation till date is still shrouded in secrecy even though Akpabio once said he resigned to concentrate on his vast business interests.

It will be recalled that before his resignation, his impeachment was already perfected by the state Assembly.

But today, Ekere is again hobnobbing with Akpabio and attends government functions. A very robust politician who has the resources to go far in the race, politicians’ grouse with Ekere before now is that he hardly gives freely as expected.

People who know Akpabio too well will vow that given the circumstances of his earlier separation from Ekere, it will be difficult to support him in his bid to take over the state in 2015.

Ekere is from Ikot Abasi in Eket Senatorial District and is already deep into the governorship race.

Okpolupm Etteh He is the Majority Leader of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly. Etteh, who is the longest serving member of the Assembly, is one of the allies of Governor Akpabio, but his ambition appears to have put their relationship temporarily in the cold.

The Assembly leader whose aspiration waxes stronger daily believes he will be the next governor of the state and talks authoritatively about it. In pursuit of the plumb job, Etteh already has a massive campaign office in Uyo. The lawmaker has said he is in the race to win despite his CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

his predecessor.

Akpabio’s gamble During Governor Akpabio’s 50th birthday last year, he told a mammoth crowd that graced the occasion that he would plan his exit from government From that point, he completely ditched Uyo Senatorial District and his close aides from the district, who are interested in his office, for Eket Senatorial District. But what baffles political observers was his choice of the new SSG, Emmanuel as his successor.

The SSG is new in politics and not even a card carrying member of any political party. By using government machinery and influence, Udom went to his ward in Onna Local Government Area of the state and allegedly got a name on the ward register erased and had his name on No 3 in the PDP ward register, an action which drew the ire of politicians and was brought under control when huge sums of money was said to have exchange hands.

Second, with increased lamentations by politicians even members of the state House of Assembly that the new SSG notwithstanding many meetings with them still ignores or treats them as strangers, Governor Akpabio quickly inaugurated a 31-man steering Committee from the 31 local government areas of the state and empowered them to work for Udom’s governorship ambition, a CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

16 POLITICS

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Power shift: PDP, Chime and Nsukka zone Chime’s reaffirmation At the meeting of the State Executive Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) recently, Governor Sullivan Chime had given a preamble to the move for the rotation of power to Nsukka zone.

The policy, he stated, would help in reinstilling confidence in PDP. His words: “We must work very hard to save this party; we must work very hard to save the policy and system already entrenched. We have been able to have very peaceful transition.

“Enugu State has held four local government elections and it is only few states that can achieve that. In each election, we kept on improving. During the last election, the unexpected happened because all our 17 local government chairmen were returned unopposed. My wish is that in the very near future if not next year, we should be able to produce a governor unopposed. It will happen. We are working towards it. We will not impose any candidate. Of course, the idea of imposition breeds violence, thuggery and all that.”

On how the governorship candidate of the party is likely to emerge, he stated: “We are hoping that later this year we will come together and endorse one of our own and give him the authority to run on our behalf for the office of governor and that person, whoever we chose when presented to the state should be accepted by our people. So, we must be careful about the choice of candidate and also the way and procedure we adopt in selecting the candidate.”

He warned those interested in the plum job to be ready to make sacrifices.

He pointed out that “sacrifices must be made. People should be ready to say I want to let this go in the interest of our party. We don’t become anything in Enugu PDP because we have money.”

Stopping ranking elected officers Also on the occasion, the governor tacitly alluded to the reason for moving to stop National Assembly members from the state, including Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, and other elected representatives who have served two or more terms. He said: “Over the years, we have been able to get some responsible people to step down for others to run. And the reason people agreed to back down and allow other people to go is the assurance that the positions will go round.

“It is the belief that as long as you are a member of PDP in Enugu State, somehow something will get to you. It might not be immediate, but someday it will be your turn. We will not allow positions to be in the hands of a few people forever.

People must have that hope that keeps us together. Today, you are singing for me, tomorrow I will join in singing for another person. That is the only way this thing can go round.

“We must accept after occupying the front seat, we should be ready to take the back seat. You cannot be Okocha playing football forever, even Okocha has retired.

When you play, you leave the seat for others to come in. Enugu State is the man-

Again, the shape of things to come on the political scene of Enugu State is becoming less hazy. Governor Sullivan Chime has reaffirmed an earlier stand that the governorship of the state would shift to the North Senatorial District of the state (Nsukka zone). UWAKWE ABUGU examines the reaffirmation which is now engendering renewed political upbeat in Nsukka.

Chime

Ekweremadu

power base of Nigeria; we have a lot of capable hands. Fighting ourselves, fighting from within will not help us. We must learn to be our brother’s keepers.”

Fear grips Enugu North The reaffirmation of power shift to the Enugu North zone fully backed by Governor Chime has diffused a new tension and apprehension that was building up among the people of the North Senatorial District following reports that the governor and the Ekweremadu have struck a new agreement to sheathe their swords in the spirit of live and let live come 2015.

The seeming apprehension had also spilled into the political environment of the other two senatorial zones of the state, depending on the inclinations of the gladiators involved. Ordinarily, that the governor and Ekweremadu, both from the West senatorial zone who have been at loggerheads politically in recent times, have agreed to lay down their political arms is expected to be a cheery development. However, when the reports of the parley made the rounds, it sent jitters down the political environment of the state, especially that of the northern people of the state. Their worry was understandable.

Before penultimate Saturday when Chime led the state PDP caucus and the State Executive Council (SEC) of the

Sacrifices must be made.

People should be ready to say I want to let this go in the interest of our party. We don’t become anything in Enugu PDP because we have money

party into making the reaffirmation of the stand on governorship of the state in 2015, confusion had actually set in among most political players in the state. The apprehension over the alleged truce meeting between Chime and Ekweremadu was hinged on whether Ekweremadu’s alleged governorship ambition which the governor is believed to have been opposed to was part of the agreement reached. The said reconciliation meeting was said to have taken place in Abuja with former Senate President Ken Nnamani and Senator Jim Nwobodo, as conveners.

Now, politicians from the North zone and the Udi/Ezeagu axis of the West zone were said to have been wary of the motive of the conveners of the meeting.

Sources among these politicians from the two zones stated that they would not be a party to any arrangement that would again cede the governorship position to the West where it has remained in the past seven years. Both Nwobodo and Nnamani are from the East senatorial zone of the state.

Again, before the scary reconciliation meeting took the centre stage, politicians in Enugu East zone where Chime’s predecessor, Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani comes from had continued to send signals to their Enugu North counterparts that if the West (in Ekweremadu) should be allowed to take it again, then, in the next eight years, the East would not give Nsukka zone any chance. In fact, what worsened the apprehension in the three zones when the news of the Abuja meeting filtered in was the fact that details of the parley were not made public. The only hint that filtered in was that they agreed to a ceasefire.

It was under this atmosphere of angst and confusion that the relief of the reaffirmation of power shift arrangement came from Chime, effectively dousing the already charged political environment. The political game is gradually shifting back again to the very dicey issue of who, from the North zone, would take over from the incumbent governor.

Power shift to Nsukka zone Although a good number of politicians from the North zone of the state as well as their counterparts from the East zone who have been favouring the shift of the governorship seat to the former have hinged their reasons on the natural course of event which should correspondingly take the position to Nsukka where it has not been since 1993.

Former National Chairman of the PDP, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, and some others have seen more intrinsic reasons for the desired move. Nwodo, who was the first elected governor of the old Enugu State, before Ebonyi State was carved out, explained that the design of power shift arrangement is to return the people of the state to the practice of justice, equity and fair play which will create a more favourable environment for the governance of the state.

He referred to the struggle by the leaders of the north, also known as the Wawa people, for the creation of a Wawa State which they eventually realised in the creation of the old Enugu State. According to Nwodo, “we were in a 30-year struggle for the creation of Wawa state, and our struggle was based on desire for liberation, having faced marginalisation for decades from the era of East Central state to old Anambra State. It was the reason, under my administration in the defunct Enugu State when we were in the same state with our brothers from present Ebonyi State, I introduced what we called Triangular Equilibrium in which we shared political and other positions equally among the people of old Abakaliki, Enugu and Nsukka zones of the state.”

He explained that the motive for the introduction of the governance doctrine of triangular equilibrium during his administration was to ensure justice, equity and fair play, a situation that would make the people of the three zones get fair share of gains of governance, and then, feel satisfied with the state of their dream.

“When we created triangular equilibrium, we implemented it to the letter to give all people a sense of belonging in our dream Wawa (old Enugu) State,” Nwodo stated but, however, lamented that “it is regrettable that most of the successive governments even after Ebonyi was created, leaving the present Enugu State, have implemented this doctrine in breach. And in creating senatorial zones for the state, in spite of the population of present Enugu North zone, we were lumped into one senatorial zone.”

The old Nsukka zone of the state is believed to be about nearly half the popuCONTINUED ON PAGE 17

POLITICS 17

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Ogun PDP in dire straits as Amosun consolidates KUNLE OLAYENI writes that the leadership crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the performance of Governor Ibikunle Amosun will shape the political control of the state in 2015

O

f all the six states in the SouthWest, Ogun State poses the most daunting challenge to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in its quest to regain lost grounds. In the last seven years, the party has been crisisridden and no end seems in sight even as the 2015 politicking intensifies.

Various reconciliatory efforts have failed to pull the party out of the doldrums. The reasons are not far-fetched; the state is home to several political heavyweights whose interests and influences had often been at cross-purposes.

For example, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, ex-Governor Gbenga Daniel, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole; two-time minister, Senator Jubril Martins-Kuye, and notable party financier, Prince Buruji Kashamu, all hail from the Gateway State and they have their different groups.

Although the Ogun PDP has a legally recognised state executive headed by Chief Adebayo Dayo, all is still not well with the party due to incessant factional brickbats. Kashamu, who is the chairman of Organisation and Mobilisation Committee of South-West PDP, controls the party in Ogun. Consequently, other chieftains who are obviously displeased with his “tight hold” on the party are plotting ways to upstage him.

The party’s misfortunes could be traced down memory lane. In 2003, the PDP rose to power with the victory of its gubernatorial candidate, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, over then incumbent Governor Olusegun Osoba of the Alliance for Democracy (AD). In the years that followed, the PDP bestrode the state’s political landscape like a colossus. But shortly after Daniel won re-election in 2007, the party started convulsing with

Amosun

Obasanjo

Bankole

Kashamu

hostilities. The intermittent squabbles soon transformed the party into an abyss of factionalisation.

The PDP in the state became polarised with Elder Joju Fadairo and Chief Dayo Soremi leading each of the factions as state chairmen. Daniel’s supporters backed Fadairo while Obasanjo and other forces worked behind the Soremi-led “parallel exco.”

In the build-up to the 2011 elections, the two camps held different primaries which produced Prince Gboyega Isiaka and General Adetunji Olurin (rtd) as their governorship candidates respectively. But the judgement of Justice Abdul Kafarati of an Abuja Federal High Court eventually altered the party structure and decided the state PDP governorship candidature in favour of Olurin. This forced Isiaka to defect to

the Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN) to pursue his ambition. Both Olurin and Isiaka eventually lost the governorship election to Governor Ibikunle Amosun.

Amidst the deepening crises, Kashamu appeared on the scene. He originally belonged to the Obasanjo group. But the party chieftain and the ex-president later parted ways due to the sharing of ministerial slots and federal board appointments allocated to the state. The disagreement further shredded Ogun PDP along three blocs, with Obasanjo, Daniel and Kashamu seen as arrowheads. There was a time the three camps produced Senator Dipo Odujinrin, Senator Tunde Osholake and Chief Adebayo Dayo as state chairmen respectively.

Initially, the Odujinrin group enjoyed the recognition of the PDP national leadership until the rift between Presi-

Power shift: PDP, Chime and Nsukka zone

CO N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 1 6

lation of present Enugu State.

According to Nwodo, the breach that has been noticed over the years is that plum positions within and beyond the state meant for the people of the state, have been offered to the people of the other two zones that used to be in one zone before the present state was created.

During his administration, there was the Abakaliki, Enugu (present Enugu East and Enugu West) and Nsukka zones in the state. With the emergence of the present Enugu State when Ebonyi was created however, the old Enugu zone was split into two, leaving Nsukka as one, yet most of the plum positions have been going

to the old Enugu zone most of the time.

Nwodo declared Chime’s declaration of the power shift arrangement as “patriotic act and a return to the cherished dream of the founding fathers of the Wawa struggle. It is a return that will be the beginning of harmonious existence of the people of the state, their clannish origins notwithstanding.”

Also speaking on the development, the spokesman for Adada State Movement and the Enugu State Committee for the Actualization of the creation of Adada State out of the present Enugu state, Chief James Ugwu, explained that what Chime is insisting on executing is natural.

An elder statesman, Chief Cletus Opa-

ta, also from the North senatorial zone, agreed that Governor Chime should strengthen the power shift move by also supporting a capable, humane and Godfearing candidate to emerge from their zone in order to fulfill the dream.

Opata, a Second Republic member of the old Anambra State House of Assembly under the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN) and current chairman of the Tactical Committee of the Adada State Movement, said in an interview with our correspondent that: “The planned power rotation to our zone is a very welcome development that is expected. However, we pray for a good leader with the fear of God and love of people to emerge,” he said.

dent Goodluck Jonathan and Obasanjo changed the game and dramatically turned the table in favour of Dayo-led state executive. Today, the Kashamubacked group is considered the mainstream of Ogun PDP, having concretised its hold on party structure with series of judicial victories, one of which led to the sacking of some national PDP officers.

Ahead of 2015, the forces in the party have not relented in advancing their interests. Daniel had defected to the Labour Party (LP) with his supporters. The former governor and Kashamu have, however, been battling fiercely to win Jonathan’s attention.

The Obasanjo group too is not leaving any stone unturned in the scheme of things. Recently, loyalists of the expresident reviewed the political situation in the state PDP and resolved to stay in the party pending the resolution of outstanding issues. But some other members of the group believed their interests would be better accommodated by defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC). Obasanjo himself has announced his withdrawal from PDP activities at state, zonal and national levels, though many pundits believe his stance was motivated by the circumstances of his face-off with the Presidency.

The disarray among the opposition has apparently given the ruling APC an edge. To many observers, Amosun stand better chances in 2015 if the divided opposition failed to mend their fences ahead of the general elections.

This calculation is also staring some PDP chieftains in the face. Hence, they have embarked on moves to unite the party and make it a formidable political machine once again.

New Telegraph gathered that this unity drive informed a recent meeting in Iperu, Remo North local government area of Ogun State by some PDP stakeholders.

The meeting was convened by a former House of Representatives member, Dave Salako. In attendance were Senator Lekan Mustapha, Chief Wale Ogunbanjo as well as two members of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Job Akintan and Abiodun Akovoyon, among others.

The party stakeholders said they were concerned about the declining fortunes of the PDP and wanted a “unifying” governorship candidate to reposition the party for success in 2015. They drummed up support for Dimeji Bankole, to contest the 2015 governorship.

Salako, who spoke on behalf of the concerned PDP stakeholders, said Bankole remains the most formidable personality to wrest power from the incumbent governor.

Investigation by New Telegraph further revealed that three camps cutting across Obasanjo, Daniel and MartinsKuye are making frantic moves to grab the party structure from Kashamu because they cannot subsume under his leadership of the party. To this end, they are considering legal battle and lobbying the PDP national leadership to reconstitute the party structure in the state.

18 POLITICS CO N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 1 5

romance with politics nearly cost him his life during Attah’s era when he became a victim of electoral violence that saw him survive a fatal attack.

Since then Etteh’s profile in politics grew astronomically and today he is one of the few that decides the fate of millions of Akwa Ibom people. With vast business interests in transportation, oil and gas and other sectors, Etteh is popular among youths, women and politicians. He was one of the politicians that championed the zoning of governorship to Eket Senatorial District in 2015.

His political adversaries say he is from a minority tribe while others even label him an Ijaw man in Akwa Ibom State.

Bishop Samuel Akpan Akpan is the international coordinator of Akwa Ibom People’s Forum (AKPF), a platform that claims to have brought Godswill Akpabio to power in 2007.

A former legislator and former political adviser to Akpabio, Akpan once held sway as the deputy chairman of Akwa Ibom State PDP before going into political oblivion.

Akpan descent into political wilderness started when Akpabio discovered that the then massive AKPF structure led by Akpan if not checked could overrun his government machinery. Akpabio used his cousin, Ibanga, to herald a parallel group called ADV (Akwa Ibom Democratic Voice) which weakened AKPF but today both structures are dead.

When Akpan decided to run for Senate in 2011, he was persuaded out of the race for Senator Esuene and was compensated with the chairman, Akwa Ibom Roads Maintenance Agency, an office he claimed only exists on paper more than two years after his appointment.

But Akpan who has thrown his hat into the governorship race vowed never to step down for anybody again. He plans to revive his comatose structure, AKPF in pursuit of his ambition.

Akpan’s greatest problem remains the enormous financial resources to undertake the project such as governorship race. Second, his aspiration is not in tune with Akpabio’s agenda because the Bishop of politics, as he is often referred to, is too assertive and independent minded to handover governorship to. He is from the

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Gladiators strategise for Akpabio’s seat Today, from his ambassadorial position in Russia, he has not spared Akpabio’s administration either with criticisms.

Assam alleged that Akpabio organised his posting to Russia to scheme him out of the governorship race, but boasted that neither the governor nor even the president of the country will determine the next governor of the state.

In the state, Assam has no elaborate political structure. A few of his friends who support his ambition said he hardly parts with money. He is well known to be frugal and may not be able to deploy the massive resources needed to execute the governorship project in Akwa Ibom State.

Ntekim

Etteh

near future.

Sabastine

Eket Senatorial District.

Obong Mike Sabastine Mike is the Commissioner I in the local government service commission; he had earlier served on the board of State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).

Mike has played active roles since the Attah era. A geologist by training and politician by vocation, Mike’s involvement in the Akpabio administration goes beyond the office he occupies. He has close affinity with the Akpabios by marriage.

Though he is yet to openly declare for the race, Mike’s entry into the race will depend on the nature and dimension the 2015 governorship race will assume in the

Patrick Ekpotu Engr. Ekpotu is a former Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State during the first term of Akpabio. He had earlier served as Commissioner for Information in the Victor Attah-led government. Popularly called the Man of Goodwill, Ekpotu was Attah’s choice when he failed to change Akpabio as the PDP candidate in 2007. To appease Attah, he was asked to nominate a deputy governor and he settled for Ekpotu.

Coming into Akpabio’s Government from the opposing camp, Ekpotu spent the four years in complete isolation. He was relegated to the background while Akpabio’s first term lasted and was dropped afterwards for his kinsman, Nsima Ekere, in the second term.

Even in the face of adversity then, he showed loyalty to the end. Today, Ekpotu appears set to try the governorship race, but financial resources and lack of any visible political structure may hamper his ambition.

Assam Assam He is Nigeria’s Ambassador to Russia.

He had earlier served as Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice under Akpabio. Assam is a top flight lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). A known critic, Assam kept the administration of Attah on its toes with several criticisms and petitions.

Akpabio’s succession plan: History beckons CO N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 1 5

mandate most of them admitted was a very tedious task.

Third, using some of his very trusted fellows in the local government level, the governor had tried to bring stakeholders in the various local government councils to endorse Udom and the power shift to Eket Senatorial District in 2015, while the former failed woefully the latter received some support in some areas.

Fourth, the ongoing town hall meeting appears to be the last master stroke by the governor to sell the Udom brand to the people of Akwa Ibom who appear uninterested to buy into the product at every Federal Constituency visited.

The governor, who moderates the meeting, carefully chose cronies to talk

at the meeting and they mostly endorse the power shift to Eket Senatorial District. Even in some instances, prominent indigenes specifically begged the governor to ensure the governorship is zoned to Ibibio in Eket Senatorial District.

Udom is also an Ibibio from Onna in Eket District. But at Ikot Abasi Local Government Council, a former deputy governor of the state, Mr. Nsima Ekere told the governor that for justice, fairness and equity the coming governorship position to the district should be rotated to only Ikot Abasi and Oron Federal Constituency as Eket Federal constituency where Udom hailed from had in the past produced two governors in the persons of late Brigadier General Hooakaha Esuene (Rtd) and late Chief Clemet Isong.

But Udom who was asked to give a

vote of thanks at the occasion quickly reminded the Ikot Abasi people that the area alone had produced three deputy governors in the past which is equivalent to one governor, informing them that with such political breakthrough by the Ikot Abasi Federal Constituency, Eket Federal Constituency deserves a better deal in 2015.

The Akwa Ibom people are eagerly awaiting the position of Governor Akpabio in who succeeds him. Would Akpabio allow a level playing ground in the choice of his successor or will he impose his SSG on the state? Would the Attah’s episode rear its head where Akpabio like his predecessor fails to install a successor? The days ahead will determine the shape of things to come in Akwa Ibom.

Ekpenyong Ntekim He is the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice. Ntekim was a former state chairman of the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) when Don Etiebet was the national chairman of the party.

Ntekim has very close political association with Etiebet. He is from Oron nation, one of the minority tribe in Akwa Ibom clamouring for power shift to their area.

Ntekim has enjoyed a very good working relationship with Akpabio.

Top government sources told New Telegraph that Akpabio has rather pencilled him down for senatorial slot for Eket Senatorial District.

In the political arena, Ntekim has not been very visible since he joined Akpabio’s cabinet and can only make any impact in the race if supported by the governor.

Larry Esin He is a former National Chairman of the Peoples Progressive Alliance (PPA), a position he took up after coming third in the PDP primaries of 2007 in the state.

After the party’s fortune crumbled, Larry ran back to PDP and is presently warming up again to take a shot at the governorship. He is from Oron Nation in Eket Senatorial District.

Samuel Udonsek He is a Port Harcourt-based medical practitioner from Eket. Since 2003, Udonsek has contested various primaries in ANPP and PDP but fortune is yet to smile his way. Again, he has started consulting in readiness for 2015 elections.

Effion Assam Ntekim Ntekim is a mechanical engineer who is interested in Akpabio’s job. A completely new face in the race, Ntekim is not known beyond his Eket Local Government Area for now.

Okon Iyanam Okon, one of the top players in the telecommunications industry from Oron Nation, joined the race early and appears determined to go the full length. Okon is also the younger brother to Victor Iyanam, former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Akwa Ibom. Unfortunately, Okon and his big brother belong to different political camps. While Okon is looking for the plum job, his big brother is working assiduously for the emergency of an aspirant from Uyo Senatorial District.

EDITORIAL

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

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Our MISSION To publish a newspaper of superior value, upholding the fundamental ethics of journalism: balanced reporting, fairness, accuracy and objectivity.

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

TUESday, APRIL 1, 2014

On INEC’s de-listing of political parties

T

he Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has indicated that deregistered political parties would not be allowed to field candidates for the 2015 general elections, unless they re-register. The National Commissioner in charge of South West, Professor Lai Olorode said there was no law that said that no legal provision precluded such political parties from reapplying to be registered provided they met the requirements. The commissioner reacted to claims that Fresh Democratic Party that INEC had disobeyed court order to recognise it as a political party. Olorode said the commission had the power to register, delist and deregister a political party.

However, it would be recalled that in July, 2013, Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court, Abuja ruled that INEC had no powers to de-register any political party without recourse to the 1999 constitution as amended.

The court nullified a directive the electoral commission issued on December 6, 2012, wherein it deregistered 28 political parties. It also declared section 78(7)(ii) of the Electoral Act as unconstitutional and therefore invalid, saying it was offensive to the provisions of section 40 and sections 221-229 of the 1999 constitution. Furthermore, it said that section 228 of the 1999 constitution vested the National

Assembly with powers to enact the Electoral Act. But it said despite this, the legislature had no power to direct INEC to deregister any political party that failed to win a seat in either the state or National Assembly elections.

The de-registration policy of INEC will not make multi- party system thrive in a highly pluralistic country like Nigeria. A political party need not win any election as it can canvass ideas and put pressure on the parties in government to perform better. Besides, a party can be formed just to win election in a ward or a local government, it is not compulsory for a political to have a national outlook. INEC must look at how electoral processes are being handled in various countries where democracy has been very entrenched for centuries.

Nigeria cannot be an exception to global practice and trend.

It is observed that democracy is easy to achieve and security is simple to maintain in a society which is not sharply divided. In Nigeria, tribalism has been enthroned and religious acrimony is a vogue. Every criticism, however constructive, is viewed through the dark prism of ethnicity and religion. A healthy multi-party system would ensure all shades of opinion and interests are represented, thus giving everyone a platform of expression. This is one of the vital pillars of democracy.

If we accept the simplistic descrip-

tion of democracy as a government of the people by the people for the people, then, there should be room for a multi-party arrangement. We should accept Thomas Hodgkin’s definition of political parties as, “all organisations which regard themselves as parties and which are so generally regarded.”

For INEC, the deregistration of the parties was nothing more than the exercise of its statutory power as provided in Section 78 of the Electoral Act 2010, as amended, which empowers the commission to “deregister political parties, for failure to win presidential or governorship election or a seat in the National Assembly or State House of Assembly”. Moreover, INEC also emphasised the logistic and administrative dilemmas it often faced in dealing with the existence of ‘too many’ political parties during elections. These explanations may tempt a conclusion that the furore over the action was unwarranted and may amount to an exercise in futility. But for the political parties that were deregistered, INEC does not have the power to do so. The fulcrum of their argument, which derives from a superior body of law, the 1999 Constitution, was that freedom of association is constitutionally guaranteed by Section 40. It follows, then, that the Electoral Act 2010 from where INEC derives its power to deregister political parties, conflicts with the 1999 Constitution that guarantees

freedom of association. Besides, a court of competent jurisdiction has already made a judicial pronouncement on the matter, INEC should obey the court ruling as a law-abiding corporate body.

Rather than de-register parties, government funding of political parties should be totally abolished.

Taking this bold step may turn out to be a blessing in disguise, as it is capable of returning the parties to their rightful owners, the people.

All that is required is to take certain institutional measures to neutralise and deal with the fears and risks of possible abuse by moneybags. In the absence of such measure, and given the increasing monetisation and godfatherism in Nigerian politics, moneybags can actually hijack and convert political parties to their personal fiefdom. Even under the current funding arrangement, such tendencies are already evidently manifesting.

A starting point could be specifying the lower and upper thresholds of the amounts individuals and groups can donate to a party in a given period. This is where the regulatory/supervisory role of INEC, especially over party finance, will once again be put to test. The earlier INEC explores this option, the better for the country’s political system. If INEC is not satisfied with the earlier court ruling, it should appeal the judgement and not hide behind impunity.

BOLAJI TUNJI Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief IKE ABONYI Deputy Managing Director/DEIC FELIX OGUEJIOFOR ABUGU Managing Editor, South SULEIMAN BISALA Managing Editor, North GABRIEL AKINADEWO 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 BIODUN DUROJAIYE News Editor PADE OLAPOJU Production Editor TIMOTHY AKINLEYE Head, Graphics ROBINSON EZEH Head, Admin.

20

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

OPINION

2015: Jonathan’s supporters, detractors and the rest of us

Chukwuka Ezendiaru

O

nly the politically naive can fail to see that President Goodluck Jonathan will contest the 2015 presidential election. Even if his now famous body language is the only signal we can read, the signs are evident that the man will stand for re-election. Naturally, his supporters see nothing wrong in that. And, expectedly, his detractors do. But what do the rest of us who are neither his supporters nor detractors think about the issue?

First of all, in a matter as sensitive as the presidency of our nation, it is admittedly near-impossible for anyone of voting age not to hold an opinion one way or the other. But holding an opinion is one thing; having the force of conviction to act on that opinion is another.

When the chips are down, how would the majority of voters vote?

Even with a crystal ball, it would be near impossible to predict precisely what the results of the 2015 presidential elections will be. And while all manner of variables will affect who the people eventually elect, the factor of incumbency presupposes that the election is Jonathan’s to win or lose.

It then follows that those of us who are neither Jonathan’s supporters nor detractors owe ourselves a duty to independently assess his performance in office in order to help us make up our minds as 2015 approaches.

In doing so, we may adopt a global standard for evaluating an incumbent’s performance in office, namely the economy.

When Jonathan assumed office as the president, the global economy was still in the grips of a major downturn. However, knowing too well the reliance of the Nigerian economy on oil and gas, Jonathan signed into law the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content

Development Bill 2010 (Local Content Bill), which was aimed at raising local content in the Oil and Gas sector.

Consequently, Shell Petroleum, a major foreign oil company operating in Nigeria, contracted a Nigerian company, S.C.C Limited, to manufacture high pressure line pipes at a cost of N7.8 billion ($49.9 million). Also, the local content law spurred Exxon Mobil to award an offshore platform contract to Niger Dock Nigeria, Plc. It is worth noting that without the Local Content Bill which Jonathan signed into law, these two lucrative contracts and others like them would have gone to foreign firms.

Moreover, with the realisation that oil and gas will not hold sway forever in the world economy, the Jonathan administration initiated the Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) with three sub funds; the Nigeria Infrastructure Fund; the Future Generations Fund and the Stabilization Fund as its pillars.

Furthermore, in a bid to spur young Nigerians to become entrepreneurs and employers of labour rather than waiting to be employed by others, Jonathan’s government awarded business start-up grants of between 1 to 10 million naira to 1,200 Nigerian youths on April 12, 2012. These young people, who are from all parts of the country, were the first batch of winners of the novel business idea competition under the Youth Enterprise with Innovation in Nigeria (YOUWIN) initiative which was launched by the administration on October 11, 2011.

Similarly, the Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi OkonjoIweala, was reported as showing in a presentation at an interactive session with the private sector that the Jonathan-led administration created 1.6 million jobs in the year 2013.

In the same vein, Jonathan himself said in his New Year message that, “as a result of our backward integration policies, Nigeria has moved from a country that

produced 2 million metric tonnes of cement in 2002, to a country that now has a capacity of 28.5 million metric tonnes. For the first time in our history, we have moved from being a net importer of cement to a net exporter.”

Closely connected to the economy, and the administration’s efforts to diversify from over-reliance on oil, agriculture has received a boost under the Jonathan administration. Minister of Agriculture, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, was named Africa Person of the Year 2013 by the well-regarded international magazine, Forbes. He defeated four other nominees from across Africa to win the prestigious prize.

Dr Adesina was nominated on account of the various achievements in Nigeria’s agriculture sector, including encouraging more than six million farmers across the country to practise agriculture as a business, and not as a development initiative without any incentive for growth.

Interestingly, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture, Mohammed Monguno—who happens to be a member of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC)—appraised Jonathan’s performance in agriculture in a televised broadcast and said, “I must say that the agriculture transformation agenda being pursued by your administration is unparalleled and unprecedented.” He went on to add, “We must learn to give credit where credit is due and I’m doing exactly that.”

Jonathan himself declared in his New Year message to Nigerians that, “We are witnessing a revolution in the agricultural sector and the results are evident. We have tackled corruption in the input distribution system as many farmers now obtain their fertilizers and seeds directly through an e-wallet system. In 2013, 4.2 million farmers received subsidized inputs via this programme.”

•Ezendiaru sent in this piece from Owerri, Imo State.

2015: Goodluck Jonathan vs. Muhammadu Buhari (1) Ayodeji Ajayi

B

ARRING any unforeseen development, President Goodluck Jonathan of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) of the main opposition party – the All Progressives Party (APC) may once more be engaged in the electoral battle that will determine who eventually emerges the indisputable winner of the presidential election slated for Saturday, February 14, 2015.

From all indications, the forthcoming presidential election will be the most crucial of all the presidential elections held in Nigeria since the return of democratic dispensation on May 29, 1999. Although the incumbent president, Dr Goodluck Jonathan is yet to declare publicly that he will seek re-election, his increasingly infectious body language in this regard, as well as pronouncements of some of his admirers are clear indications that when the time is appropriate, he will formally announce his future political ambition.

There is no doubt that whenever the

president declares to seek re-election, not many Nigerians, especially his political enemies will be surprised. This is particularly judging by the fact that even now that he has not made his declaration for 2015, many watchers of political events across the country believe very strongly that he is seriously preparing for the 2015 presidential race.

Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has said repeatedly that there was an agreement that Jonathan would spend only one term of four years which effectively ends in 2015.

Also, the Governor of Niger State, Dr Babangida Aliyu insists that Jonathan agreed to spend only one term. However, the president has refuted such claims. What remains is for Obasanjo, Aliyu and others to show verifiable proof that the president ever agreed not to serve beyond 2015.

However, whether or not the president wants to seek re-election in 2015, it is the generality of Nigerians, irrespective of political, religious or ethnic inclinations, that will eventually determine his fate. For instance, since the return of civil rule in 1999, the Peoples Democratic Party which arrogantly

claims it is the biggest political party in Africa, has been in control of affairs at the federal level, as well as in most of the states and local governments but in spite of this, the citizenry, most of whom are poverty-stricken amidst abundant natural resources, are yet to benefit from the dividends of democracy.

It is disheartening that after 15 years of democratic rule under the leadership of the PDP that wants to remain in power for 60 years, the citizenry have been groaning as a result of untold hardship, mismanagement of the nation’s vast resources, oil theft, insecurity, corruption, unemployment and bad governance, amongst others.

It is noteworthy that of all the past Nigerian leaders, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo remains the luckiest. Unlike others, he had the unique opportunity of directing the affairs of this battered country at the federal level - once under a military administration and twice under democratic dispensation.

Obasanjo will forever be remembered for successfully handing over power as a military leader to former President Shehu Shagari. However,

his dismal performance as president between 1999 – 2007 will remain indelible in the minds of Nigerians. Also, many Nigerians will not forgive him for foisting the late Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’Adua on the country as president in 2007 in spite of the fact that he was aware of Yar’Adua’s serious health challenges.

Of all the presidential elections conducted since 1999, the one held in 2007 remains the most controversial. Even Yar’Adua that was declared winner by the electoral body admitted that the election was flawed but promised that his relatively short-lived slow-wheeled administration would introduce electoral reforms to ensure future elections are free, fair and credible. Following Yar’Adua’s demise on May 5, 2010 and the emergence of his deputy, Dr Goodluck Jonathan as successor, many Nigerians felt their hopes had been dashed as a result of visionless leadership and bad governance. They therefore prayed fervently to use the 2011 election to effect a change for a new dawn.

Ajayi is a journalist and public affairs analyst.

08033068898 (sms only)

OPINION 21

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Poly students’ forgotten struggle Ladi Ayodeji Unlike the 5-month paralyzing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU which made the news headlines while it lasted, it is different strokes for the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP whose strike since October 4, 2013 has surprisingly gained little media attention.

ASUP President, Dr. Chibuzor Asumagha, like the polytechnics students he leads are in shock that their 5-month strike is being treated with levity by the Federal Government, and to add salt to injury, the media hasn’t given it a fraction of the coverage their ASUU counterpart got during their wrenching struggle with the government.

What looks like a conspiracy of silence is not deliberate. The ASUP leaders were just unlucky to launch their own strike in the thick of the university lecturers’ strike; and in the ivory tower pecking order, universities are more highly rated, which explains why they stole the attention of the public.

Polytechnic education, being a second tier tertiary institution, does not enjoy the same prestige of university education. Most parents aspire for their wards to get university education.

The polytechnic becomes an alternative only when university admission is imposible to achieve. Even the superior admission requirements set by JAMB for universities are higher than the standard set for polytechnics. In fact, the rivalry between both institutions is uncalled for because, all animals may be equal, but “some animals are more equal than others”.

Yet, to be sure, vocational and technical education, which the polytechnics offer, constitutes the bedrock of national development. We need as many technicians, masons, machinists, mechanics, electricians, painters, etc, as doctors, engineers, lawyers, scientists, and other specialists. In the real sense, no section of education is inferior because in human anatomy, the nose is not inferior to the heart. The heart needs oxygen supplied through the nose to function and keep humans

alive.

This underscores the need for greater cooperation and synergy between the universities, polytechnics, vocational institutions, including colleges of education and monotechnies, to produce the manpower required for Nigeria’s industrial revolution, as we aspire to become an emerging market.

We need a balanced mix of all branches of education to produce cutting-edge technology that could make us compete with the Asian Tigers.

Jonathan’s officials must understand this and accord ASUP the respect it deserves by attending to the grievances of the polytechnic community with the same seriousness ASUU was dealt with. Quality education is absolutely fundamental to the development of any nation. President Jonathan, the first Phd holder to occupy Aso Rock said recently that education, not Goodluck, as widely believed, got him to the Presidential Villa. Sadly, he has not walked his talk.

If he meant what he said, why did he allow ASUU to shut down our uni-

versities for five months before he acceded to their requests? Why hasn’t he answered the ASUP leaders, who are now languishing in the wilderness of neglect? If as he claimed, he wore no shoes to school, there are still millions of school children, who even study under trees in scorching sun; while their parents trek bare-footed to markets to sell their wares, just so that their kids could get education like Mr. Jonathan.

Rev. Chris Okotie, the Chairman and Presidential candidate of FRESH has often said that true greatness is making others great. The only way to produce great academics, scientists, researchers, and high level manpower is to restructure our national and state budgets to provide for the 25 percent recommended by UNESCO. If we do that, and spend this vote judiciously, there would be no need for strikes in our tertiary institutions and that would percolate down to every other sector.

• Ayodeji, CEO of BMG Promotions, a marketing communications outfit, wrote from Lagos

Practical and philosophical ramifications of time Uche Nwachukwu

T

he quest to comprehend the ramifications of time goes beyond mundane and banal connotations of that word in everyday life. To delve deeper to extricate the meaning of this concept of which much of human activities are predicated is like breaking the sound barrier for the brave few who attempt it, just as the greatest scientists explore the remote frontiers of outer space and even ocean depths which are even more remote and unknown than space yet very close. Time challenges us in whatever we do until we try to temporarily do away with its responsibilities by music, by parties or soccer matches, etc, Biologists say that our brains contain dopamine, norepinepherine and endomorphin, neurotransmitters that give us such feel ground impressions that the responsibilities of time are temporarily forgotten altogether. In all these however, there are latent practical as well as philosophical implications.

Modern physics tries to define a second based on the atomic oscillations of certain elements. This inadvertently reduces time to events paradigms but on scrutiny, we found that this is the same as African time where events create the time! It is as if events do not happen in time and space but only draw our attention to their occurrences.

Duration thus becomes a mere postulation that a certain event paradigm will be sustained and we call this event sustenance time for an event that transpired in a medium called space of which even mathematicians too have many types of theirs such as Hilbert space, Riemann space, etc. But a piece of paper wobbling in the air tells us all that even space too could be an illusion because the wobbling paper shows that we are covered in a medium called air or oxygen or ethers or phlogiston as ancient scientists called it and at a temperature of minus 195 degree centigrade this air becomes a big ocean.

Thus space too does not exist except in our imagination, while the cosmic rays and electromagnetic forces take up other space. Of course, it is speculated that electro-

magnetic functions between Sun and Earth can pull the two inner molten layers of the Earth and create heat and sunlight, like a stretched rubber band thus the further away the sun, the greater the light and heat function and vice versa. One might ask: if time is inexistent, why then does experience matter? To which the reply is: experience is a most important thing for the slow-learner but if for instance a young inexperienced surgeon can immediately and miraculously master the skills of a great consultant doctor of 30 years experience immediately then the young surgeon has collapsed time and now possesses 30 years experience at once! Thus, the solid barrier or wall between an ordinary young green-horn surgeon and a great consultant is time! And it is here that experience will come in but there is something of the inevitable about these experiences and it is that the laws of time are illogical! For instance, that it took one surgeon 30 years to perfect his skills does not mean it will take another one 30 years to do same! It could just be 10 years! That it took Europe 200 years to industrialize does not mean it will take Africa 200 years to do same; it could just be 20 years! Man makes great mistake when he comparatively takes the law of time linearly. Those who wrote position papers and thousands of great treaties in the 1980s about the future of the then Soviet Union were quite surprised when it suddenly ceased to exist a few years later. Their linear model collapsed. Another point is that existence is not same as duration. A rock has a million years of duration but no existence, thus existence is tied to dynamic events and consequences paradigms. Hundreds of events in space-time can also be compressed instantaneously by a new magical calculus of the information highway to give us all the information nexus we need at a point in time. Thus, a shopper can order his products instantly at jumia.com and we can read all the writings of the great Nigerian father of the Internet, Dr. Emeagwali at www. emeagwali.com to mention but few. Time also suddenly disappears when we try to seek its origin, for instance if you try and look at one second, you cannot grasp it before another one takes over continuously thus, making great theologians like St. Augustine to brilliantly suggest that

clock time does not really exist. Of course we know that seasonal time, days and nights, moon phases etc, are also actual time mechanisms by celestial events that guide us to plant, reap, start business etc. so that we can continually glorify the great Architect of all these, the LORD, our MAKER! Even great scientists are programmed to eventually reach stalemate and to embrace HIM as ultimate or see HIS great design in all things scientific, spiritual and temporal. Not all scientists however, have this spiritual intelligence, just as we have social intelligence, emotional intelligence, financial intelligence, cognitive and computational intelligence, etc.

Finally, time of itself as conceptualized takes up certain intrinsic qualities for instance when one is at hard labour it moves apparently slowly, when enjoying at a feast it moves fast, when sitting at a lonely silent desert it virtually stands still and when you forget about it, you are killing time really, thus recreations and games take our mind off responsibilities of time which are simply to start, act and complete an action cycle. Under these recreations emotions take over and the responsibilities cycle is not completed. Thus great civilizations like Rome etc. were destroyed by excessive games of the leisure class. Relative time is no doubt a measure of activity just as modern physics can try to define a second by specific atomic oscillations but when you seek the origin of time like second as already stated it is neither here nor there talk less of even the electronic milliseconds of mathematical abstraction soundly applied in engineering.

The soccer goal scored in one second can be cameraslowed to so many real seconds yet the welded space background does not warp so badly. Either time does not really exist in essence or our senses played a fast one, even if we hardly noticed. If this universe started with a bang then the boundaries of this still expanding volume will define the relative boundaries of “time” But this is an artificially referenced time space for convenience because the expanding volume is still travelling inside the old promodial timelessness.

• Uche Nwachulwu writes from Lagos

22

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

ARTS TUESDAY, APRIL 1, 2014

23 NEW TELEGRAPH

www.newtelegraphonline.com/arts

If art is to nourish the roots of our culture, society must set the artist free to follow his vision wherever it takes him." ― John F. Kennedy

CULTURE

Lagos Black Heritage Festival explores music

Tony Okuyeme

A

s the 2014 edition of the Lagos Black Heritage Festival (LBHF) holds from April 14th through 21st at the Freedom Park, Lagos, music will be the focus, with the organisers hoping to use the event to open the eyes (and ears!) of aspiring musicians to the vastly unexplored possibilities of the musical forms right in their own backyards, as an option to the largely imitative trend currently pursued by a new generation of musicians.

Announcing this in a press conference the Commissioner of Tourism and Culture, Lagos State, Mr. Disun Holloway said this year’s edition of LBHF takes a break from its current series –- The Black in the Mediterranean Blue, adding that while the Festival policy of a thematic selection for each edition is not abandoned, it moves from the geographic outlook to the disciplinary -- the discipline for this year being: Music, the organisers of the yearly cultural

Holloway (3rd right) addressing the press

feast announced last Saturday.

According to him, much is happening in the musical field, “but there is a domination of Eura-merican pop forms, which near completely stifles the exploration of indigenous musical resources both in direct performance for audiences, and in their application to other disciplines –- most notably in theatre and cinema/video. Regarding the latter, when one considers what passes for incidental or

LBHF plans to open the eyes (and ears!) of aspiring musicians to the vastly unexplored possibilities of the musical forms right in their own backyards ‘mood’ music in much of the output of the ever-expanding African film industry, it becomes a

Oguntokun’s The Tarzan Monologues returns T he Tarzan Monologues, a magnificent portrayal of the World through the eyes of men, returns to the theatre stage this weekend, April 5 and 6, at the Agip Recital Hall of the Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos.

The Five Maids of Fadaka for stage

T

hespian Family Theatre and Productions (TFT) will on Sunday April 20, present another one of its signature plays, The Five Maids of Fadaka, at the Agip Hall, MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos.

Written by Ayo Jaiyesimi and directed by Abiola Segun Williams, play that features a rich blend of drama, folklore,

Produced by the Muson Centre and Renegade Theatre, the performance features Sunkanmi Adebayo, Austin Onuoha, Rotimi Fakunle, Bimbo Olorunmola and Joshua Alabi.

The Tarzan Monologues

written and directed by Wole Oguntokun talks about money, women, sex, erectile dysfunction, sexual abuse, religion, pressure, sterility, virginity, job loss, relationships, age, marriage and infidelity.

A scene from The Five Maids of Fadaka

traditional dance, music and poetry that takes the audience to a typical African village setting. The story is centred on a King’s lavish marriage ceremony and the native preparations that usually go along with it. In selecting the bridal train, he invites young maidens from all the neighbouring villages in what seems like a beauty pageant. In this contest, the main

focus is not on outward beauty but the test of the inner constitution and character of the contestants.

Thespian Family Theatre & Productions (TFT) is a theatre and production organization which aims to inspire a positive change in society and create a deeper engagement around core values that define the spectrum of humanity.

classic case of a visual assault compounded by aural aggravation! A reverse track may yet be brought about by exposing film and video directors to possibilities from neglected musical modes within their own cultural environment. “Traditional drama was founded on what was generally dubbed ‘folk opera’, a form that is largely dying out.

Additionally therefore, in an attempt to resuscitate this unique performance genre, so highly developed in other societies see, for instance, the heights to which it has been taken in countries like China -- LBHF yields Front Stage this year to Music, its fortunes under technological enhancements and the proliferation of foreign music. Music, we know, plays a dominant role in social life.”

The Festival will use the event to also pay tribute also to pioneers –- such as Steve Rhodes –- whose struggling orchestra and choral ensemble won laurels in famous international competitions such as the Welsh Eisteddfod. It will provide a homecoming platform for contemporary composers whose works have been enjoyed for decades by foreign audiences but remain totally unknown in their own homeland.

“Summatively, LBHF plans to open the eyes (and ears!) of aspiring musicians to the vastly unexplored possibilities of the musical forms right in their own backyards, as an option to the largely imitative trend currently pursued by a new generation of musicians. Innovative African music, we propose, should not end with Afro-beat.”

Other components of the

festival include dramatic premieres, Vision of the Child Art Competition (VoTC), Water Regatta, Street Carnival, among others. Holloway said, “There will be at least two dramatic premieres, the ever-popular Do Your Own Thing, always a showcase of surprise talents and unpredictable presentations.

The Water Regatta constantly outdoes its previous outing, festooning the lagoon in a blaze of pennants and choreographed motions, while the Street Carnival continues to complement its Calabar sister Carnival, which rounds up each year.

“The Night Of The Poets celebrates the lyric voices of the living, then further down to the next generation which is represented in the Children’s Carnival, while their viewpoint of the world they inhabit finds expression in Vision Of The Child, a competitive exposition through brush and paint, poetry and prose, that seeks out, and gives pride of attention to the often unheard questions and aspirations of creative minors.

“Once again, the state and city of Lagos roll out their mat of variegated colours and textures to locals and visitors alike.”

On Vision of the Child Art Competition (VoTC), a component of LBHF that focuses on the individual vision and artistic inclination of children in Lagos State, the orghanisers stated that the 2014 edition’s theme is “The Rule of Law and the Law of Impunity”, adding that it was designed as an interactive test to stretch youthful creativity even more than in previous editions. Instead of the uni-disciplinary interpretation of the given theme, participants will now express their vision both in Painting and the Literary Arts.

A total of 400 students from 82 schools around Lagos participated in the two-day screening exercise of the VoTC, held March 20 and 21 at the Freedom Park.

On the plays to be staged during the festival, Mr. Jahman Anikulapo who represented Prof.

Wole Soyinka at the conference, said there will be premiere of Olodumare, performances of

by Footprints of David, among others.

24 ARTS

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Ogbonna showcases 6,700 wood works, bronze carvings

Ogbonna shows one of the works in his collection

Oye Ogunwale

G

ive me a place to stand, and I shall move the world,” so declared one-time French Army General, Napoleon Bonaparte. And with the same spirit, a young and energetic Nigerian, Chief Solomon Ogbonna is carving a niche for himself in arts collection.

A visit to his gallery recently revealed that Ogbonna has a to-

tal collection of 6,700 art works, on display for posterity in Ajah area of Lagos State. They include woodworks, engravings, and bronze carvings, among others.

All these facts became known when the Lagos Chapter of Ohanaeze Ndigbo led by its Chairman, Chief Fabian Onwughalu was hosted in his house at Ajah. Chief Onwughalu and his team could not hide their excitement when

Chief Ogbonna took them to have a look at the gallery. After an hour of touring the gallery, Chief Onwughalu said he was exceptionally moved by what he saw in the arts gallery. He said Ogbonna had made the Igbo nation proud, advising him to showcase his talents in arts particularly the Igbo culture to the outside world. The Eze Ndigbos of Mushin and Somolu, Eze John Nwosu and Leo Agha respectively could not hide their admiration for Ogbonna’s laudable feat. Ogbonna solicited the Ohanaeze’s support to build a museum to exhibit Nigerian arts and culture. How did Chief Ogbonna come into the business of arts collection, New Telegraph asked. Ogbonna stated thus: A man without a vision is not capable of achieving any meaningful enterprise. He that has focus will not allow anything to distract him until he realizes his set goals. The preservation of art, culture and tradition of the people is a vision flowing in the bloodline of the Aguene Okorie’s family.

“The family has a vision of a society where art, culture and tradition of the people will be preserved for posterity. My grandfather, Chief Okorie Oti (1832 - 1924) was a great traditionalist and he became an inspiration to his father, Chief Aguene Okorie (1901 - 2004) who passed the baton to me (Chief

Solomon). I was born on the 14th of October 1971 to a family that has a high regard for tradition and culture.” A chip of the old block will be a fitting description of Chief Solomon who at the age of nine had developed unprecedented interest in traditional art forms which include painting, sculpture, bronze, wood, etc.

At the age 0f 11, he was already a regular sight in the company of his father at high profile traditional ceremonies and in the gatherings of titled men, though without prejudice to his formal education. Chief Solomon at the age of 15, and with the influence of his father, was admitted to the spiritual group, “Ogbo-Ekwa,” which then stood as ancient police in Onicha Igbo Eze (a group that chastises evil doers in the community and brings them to justice).

Like his father to whom he has dedicated his book in African art and culture titled, “The White Man’s interest in African art”, he believes that art is a form of culture and an extension of the mind and reasoning of the spirits. He is resolute in his advocacy for custom and tradition of Africans, and he is convinced that nothing will strengthen a people as much as a proper appreciation and understanding of their own history as recorded by their own

people, in their own language.

In his quest to perpetuate and develop the ideals of his late father, Aguene Art Foundation, an indigenous non-governmental organization, was set up for the collection, preservation, development and advancement of art and culture. To further enhance the preservation of our trustees of the foundation, the Patron of Onicha Igbo-Eze town union, Lagos branch, a Doctor of public Administration, an Ambassador for Peace, also an awardee of Pan-African Partnership Award forn Peace, Art & Culture Development and other numerous awards in different fields of human endeavour, has embarked on the establishment of African Art Museum.

Ogbonna has documented all the arts in a book to be launched very soon. The book is titled: White Man’s interest in African Arts: Unknown Facts. It has over 820 images of exclusive artworks while 95 percent of them are of Nigerian origin with exotic engravings.

He told New Telegraph that he had participated in Art Exhibitions in Uk, Germany, Japan, Sweden, Norway, Finland, france, Belgium, South Korea, Hungary, Switzerland, Spain and others, to exhibit Nigerian and African culture and tradition for the world to see.

School commended for promoting cultural education Tony Okuyeme

F

or the efforts geared toward emphasizing the importance of culture in the school’s curriculum,the authorities of Calvary International College, Akure, Ondo State, has been commended by the South-West Zonal Head of the National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), Mr. Ohi Ojo. Noting that it was a good foundation the authorities of the school were laying for the students and that it would ensure they turned out to be well-cultured, good leaders in future, he added that it was now common for family members to go to the law courts or report cases to police, saying “it was as a result of loss of touch with our basic cultural institutions, which usually makes room for amicable settlement of cases without degenerating into full blown crises”.

Mr. Ojo, who stated this, Friday, 21st March, 2014, at the maiden edition of the school’s Culture Day held in its premises at Calvary Lane, Oda Road, Akure.

According to him, several traditional palaces hold sessions where civil cases

Stundents of Calvary International College in performance during the event

are heard and mostly resolved without rancor, unlike when such cases are taken to the police and law courts by family members.

Highlights of the event were cultural dance display of different ethnic groups within and outside the state, including traditional dances from Ekiti State, Hausa, Akure and Ikale communities in

Ondo state; as well as traditional local games, theatrical performances on Yoruba traditional marriage engagement (igbeyawo), moonlight tales, and a eulogy on the creator of heaven (Olodumare), presented commendably by Master Adeniyi Oluwajuwon.

Earlier in her address, the Proprietress of the School, Pastor (Mrs.) Grace

Ereola Orimoloye, announced that Calvary International College, Akure, Ondo State, was making history by organising the maiden edition of her Cultural Day, as part of, “the exercise to resuscitate our endangered culture and its valued heritage.”

She said parents had a role to play in bringing back our value system; while the school as a social institution can only build on existing values and correct those conducts that negate societal ethics, and enjoined religious leaders and government to join in the crusade as it was a collective effort.

The school proprietress lamented that presently, in the school curricula, none of the Nigerian indigenous languages was compulsory and wondered how children would appreciate their culture in that type of situation.

Also in attendance at the event were the Head, Orientation and Cultural Affairs, Mrs. Ruth Oyenekan, Personal Assistant to the Zonal Head, Mrs. Ogechi Nwokorie and Head, Corporate Affairs, Mr. Anakpoha Ogaga.

BUSINESS TUESDAY, APRIL 1, 2014

WHAT'S NEWS Nigeria import market to grow 8% Nigerian import market is expected to grow by around 8 per cent in 2014, whilst exports will grow a bit faster.

}p-26

Mass sack looms in power sector Another round of mass disengagement of staff in the power sector is looming following the completion of the statutory six month period of staff probation with the new owners by end of April, New Telegraph gathered at the weekend.

}p-27

Oil firms flare 42bn scuf of gas monthly International oil Companies (IOCs) operating in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry flared a cummulative of about 42 billion standard cubic feet every month. Some of these companies have flared gas for about 52 years in the country, investigations by new Telegraph at the weekend revealed.

}p-28

Town planners present blueprint for S'West states' In an effort to provide strategies for the integration of South-Western Nigeria, town planners in the region have come up with policy document geared towards developmental agenda among the six states that make up the region.

}p-34

BUSINESS CREW AYODELE AMINU, Deputy Editor (Business) SIMEON OGOEGBULEM, Dep. Business Editor BAYO AKOMOLAFE, Asst. Editor (Maritime)

JONAH IBOMA, ICT Editor DAYO ADEYEMI, Property Editor ADEOLA YUSUF, Energy Editor

CHUKS ONUANYIN, Energy NNAMDI AMADI, Reporter

ayodele.aminu@newtelegraphonline.com ayodeleaminu@yahoo.com

Stories by Adeola Yusuf

T

he on-going sale of assets

by Shell and Chevron in Nigeria has suffered a major setback as the Federal Government stripped the duo of their powers to solely screen and determine potential buyers for their assets.

Shell plans to rake in about $3billion from sale of stakes in OML 18 and the 18 kilometers Nembe Creek Pipeline while Chevron is also selling assets worth $1 billion.

A directive from the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) conveyed to these companies, said that the International oil companies operating in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry have now been stripped of their powers to screen and determine potential buyers for their assets

L –R: President/Chairman of the Council, Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria (CIPM), Mr. Victor Famuyibo; Vice President, Mr. Anthony Arabome and immediate past president, Mr. Abiola Popoola, during the 45th Annual General Meeting ( AGM) of the institute in Lagos .

in the country.

The powers to evaluate and establish technical competencies and financial capabilities of pre-qualified companies now rest with the government, the DPR told the oil companies.

"Companies divesting their assets are required to subject all the pre-qualified participants ... to prior evaluation and due dili-

gence by government through the DPR," the DPR said.

The transfer of such powers would ensure that the new companies taken over the assets are "acceptable to the Federal Government," it said.

The directive, which required the oil majors to seek the consent of Nigeria’s oil minister before embarking on

$51bn power fraud: UN, SERAP demand answer from FG CHALLENGE The United Nations (UN) has said that access to electricity is a significant problem in Nigeria.

Adeola Yusuf

T

he United Nations (UN) has demanded answers to the

alleged mismanagement of about $51 billion in the Nigeria’s power sector.

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) had in a petition to the UN alleged “mismanagement throughout the privatisation process, and around 3.5 billion USD that has been mismanaged annually over the last 10 years, and a total

of 16 billion USD released to improve electricity supply in the country that has not been properly accounted for.”

The global comity of nations however, published the Joint Letter of Concern sent to the government of President Goodluck Jonathan in which it also raised crucial concerns CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

any divestment programme, has put bids by Shell and Chevron to sell some of their Nigerian oil assets in jeopardy, sources told New Telegraph.

After selling four Niger Delta on-shore oil blocks between 2010 and 2012, Shell, late last year, set in motion plans to sell another set of its Nigerian assets, including the key Nembe Creek pipeline. It has also short-listed companies, including Seplat, Glencore, Sahara and Dangote Group.

Chevron, on the other hand, is selling its stakes in Oil Mining Leases 52, 53 and 55. The process is now a subject of litigation between Chevron and Nigerian companies - Seplat and BrittaniaU, both bidding for the assets.

A DPR spokesman, however, said that the government was not comfortable with previous divestment programmes, under which the oil minister was only required to approve the deals CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

Rates Dashboard

DELE ALAO, Brands/Marketing Editor ABDULWAHAB ISA, Finance Editor

AYODELE AMINU, DEPUTY EDITOR, BUSINESS

CAVEAT EMPTOR The Federal Government has stripped Shell and Chevron of their powers to solely screen and determine potential buyers for their assets.

WOLE SHADARE, Aviation Editor CHRIS UGWU, Capital Market Editor

www.newtelegraphonline.com/business

Shell, Chevron’s $4bn assets’ sale suffers major setback

SUNDAY OJEME, Asst. Editor (Insurance) SIAKA MOMOH, Asst. Editor (Industry)

NEW TELEGRAPH

‘IN BAUCHI, C OF O IS READY IN 3 WEEKS' }p-36

INFLATION RATE February 2014......................7.70% January 2014 .......................8.00% December 2013....................8.00%

LENDING RATE InterBank Rate . . . . . . . . . 10.50% Prime Lending Rate. . . . . 16.93% Maximum Lending Rate..25.83%

EXCHANGE RATE

(Parellel As at Mar. 28)

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N170 Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N282 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N238

EXCHANGE RATE

(Official As at Mar. 28)

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N155.74 Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N258.93 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N213.90 Source: CBN

26 BUSINESS | NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Nigeria import market to grow 8% POLICY Tariff reduces rice imports.

Bayo Akomoloafe

N

igerian import market is expected to grow by around 8 per cent in 2014, whilst exports will grow a bit faster.

Electronics, tiles, construction equipment, build materials, paper, stationery and printing materials’ importation are expected increase.

It was learnt that containerised market in Nigeria continues to be strongly dominated by imports and for the last six years, the import/export ratio had remained at around 92 per cent import versus 8 per cent export.

In its annual trade report, Maersk Nigeria Limited said that import of building materials is expected to continue to be buoyant this year.

The Managing Director of the shipping line and head of the company’s Central and West Africa, Mr. Jan Thorhauge, noted that electronics imports would see good growth due to the increasing middle class in Nigeria.

He explained that the country had been able to maintain its market leadership, ending the year with market shares of 36 per cent and 29 per cent for import and export respectively.

According to him, “the change in import policy on some goods has had adverse effects on the volume of rice and

Electronics, stationery top list frozen fish imported into Nigeria. Rice imports, for instance, experienced a complete stop due to the increase in tariff by 110 per cent, whilst government also imposed import quotas on fish to boost local production.”

Thorhauge added that for the past three years, tiles and ceramics which were mainly imported from China had seen significant growth owing to the increase in construction across the country.

He noted: “Pre-election spending is also expected to generate volume if we go by previous trends. To this effect, items such as paper, stationery, printing material as well as electronic display units would likely see a sharp increase in import volume.

“Logistics in the automobile industry will experience change in 2014, pending increased duties on fully built up units.

“The enactment of new import policies will see increased containerisation of vehicles in knocked down condition shipped to new assembly plants in the country.”

The managing director stressed that the country had witnessed a good trend of Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) multinational companies increasing their presence, and building capacity to cater for domestic demand.

Thorhauge said: “Agricultural commodities such as Cocoa, Charcoal, Sesame seed and Cotton continue to dominate Nigeria’s non-oil export in 2013.

“Export of finished goods,

mainly foodstuffs, grew by over 80 per cent which is an indicator that local manufacturing is increasing. Most non-oil agri-

cultural exports out of Nigeria were loaded to Europe, followed closely by exports to the Far East. Provisional data revealed

Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State (left), in a warm handshake with the Leader of the Nigerian and Chinese Business Council, Mr. Yuau Quan Jing (middle), when he led a business delegation to him in his office in Ibadan… at the weekend. With them is the Coordinator/Chief Executive Officer of the Council, Mr. Mathew Uwaekwe.

C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 2 5

over arbitrary hike in electricity tariff without corresponding increase in supply in Nigeria.

The letter with reference No NGA 5/2013 is dated 26 November 2013, and signed by two special rapporteurs, expressed concerns that “at the end of 2012, Nigeria with a population of about 160 million people only generated about 4,000 megawatts of electricity, which is 10 times less

$51bn power fraud: UN, SERAP demand answer from FG than some other countries in the region with less population.”

The rapporteurs Ms. Magdalena Sepúlveda Carmona, Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights and Ms. Raquel Rolnik Special Rapporteur on adequate housing, sent the letter following a petition lodged last year by a coalition of human

Shell, Chevron’s $4bn assets’ sale suffers major setback C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 2 5

after they were made.

"This approach presents the government with a fait accompli and puts pressure on the (oil) minister and DPR to accept the transactions without carrying out due diligence," the DPR official said.

The new directive may have equally caught up with plans by Oando to wrap up its bid to buy ConocoPhillips' Nigerian assets. Negotiations began for the sale late in 2012 and had looked set to be concluded in January this year.

Oando said last month it struck a deal with ConocoPhillips to extend the completion date of the deal to this month as

it awaits the Nigerian government’s approval.

Company sources confirmed that Oando was having difficulties in getting the oil minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, approve the deal.

"We don't know now if the new government directive has an impact on our own transaction," one company source said.

The Dangote Group, owned

by Africa’s richest man at the weekend joined the race for the assets, which shell offered for sale in Nigeria.

Dangote, it was gathered, had put in the highest bid for Shell’s stake on OML 18 in an auction the Anglo-Dutch giant organised last year in the Niger Delta.

that Nigeria’s export volumes remained small and volatile, depending on agricultural seasonality.”

On the field, which houses reserves of nearly 1.5 billion barrels of oil equivalent (BOE) of gas, Shell operates the Alakiri Creek plant, which processes 80 MMpc/d of gas, a figure that will shortly rise to 120 mmsf/d.

The plant belongs to the Shell East Nigeria Gas Cluster that counts other processing plants on Okoloma, Obigbo and Imo River.

Like Sahara Energy, which has just acquired OML 24 from Shell, Dangote already tried to buy stakes from the major in 2010, putting in a bid for Shell’s 45 per cent holding on OML 30, to no avail.

Currently, the Dangote Group of Companies, primar-

ily active in cement, had held only minority stakes in the upstream, all of which it acquired during the tenure of President Olusegun Obasanjo, whom Dangote strongly supported.

For instance, Dangote Energy Equity Resources (DEER), the conglomerate’s E&P subsidiary, owns 9 per cent of block 1 in the Joint Development Zone between Nigeria and Sao Tome, where Chevron is operator, and 10 per cent of block 3 in the same zone that Anadarko operates.

Dangote also owns 6 per cent of block 315, which was operated between 2005 and 2010 by Petrobras and hasn’t had an operator since the Brazilian firm pulled out.

rights activists, labour, journalists and lawyers led by SERAP. The petition alleged that the implementation of the Multi-Year Tariff Order II (MYTO II) by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) is “having detrimental impact on the human rights of those living in poverty in the country.”

Adetokunbo Mumuni, executive director Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), however, said at the weekend that to “date, the government has not responded to the eight crucial questions raised by the UN on the unfair and discriminatory electricity tariff.”

The Business Units, which have taken over from the PHCN, SERAP alleged, “participate in large-scale corruption such as graft from exorbitant consumer bills, rejection of payment to independent third parties such as banks to keep management of funds secret, unprecedented disconnection of consumers’ power lines, general bribery and fraud amongst staff, adding up to over NGN 1 billion extra charged to consumers annually.”

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Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Mass sack looms in power sector OVERHAUL New owners of power assets will complete the statutory six month period of probation by end of April.

Stories by Adeola Yusuf

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nother round of mass disengagement of staff in the power sector is looming following the completion of the statutory six month period of staff probation with the new owners by end of April, New Telegraph gathered at the weekend.

Already, thousands of employees in the power generation, transmission and distribution stratum of the power sector now live in fear of another round of mass sack.

The new owners took physical acquisition of power assets on Friday, November 1, 2013.

But the April 30 terminal date, which the six-month window given to these new power investors by the Federal Government is fast approaching.

The new investors retained some of the electricity workers after the November 1, 2013 takeover of power assets to understudy them for due transition.

“Some of them will be sacked after the six-month window,” one of the new owners, who craved anonymity, told New Telegraph.

He added that some who “have within the six months proved that they can cope with the private sector operation would still be retained.”

A management staff of one of the distribution companies told this newspaper that many of them have, for the umpteenth time, been frustrated by the new owners.

“We are aware of the sack and I can tell you that we are not afraid of it. Many of us have been subjected to some ridiculous working conditions by these guys, but we are coping and hoping that may be after April 30, if we are still here, these people will change their ways. For now, they have not shown that they believe in some of us,” he said.

The Board of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) had already vowed to overhaul the total operations of the firm.

Chairman, Board of TCN, Mr. Ibrahim Waziri, who declared

Staff of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) during a protest at the headquarters of the company in Abuja.

the plan to overhaul when he led board members on inspection to some of the ongoing projects in Lagos, however, debunked insinuations that the overhaul would lead to mass sack.

“Human capital renewal is important to the board. We have assured our staff on prompt and effective human capital development,’’ he said. The total overhaul of the company, Waziri said, is to improve electricity distribution operations in the country. The TCN board chairman said that the essence of the visit was for the board to see the facts on ground and find ways to improve the power transmission to the distribution companies to the end users. According to him, in no distance time, the board will ensure adequate solution and prompt protection of energy loses in the country.

Meanwhile, the Minister of State for Power, Mohammed Wakil, has said that cases of continued sabotage of critical power infrastructure in the country can be described as infrastructure terrorism.

Wakil, who said this at the briefing, said that when such organised sabotage of government installations without obvious economic motive is consistently carried out, it could be concluded that there are spirited attempts to sabotage government’s programme in the sector.

“We are battling terrorism of a different kind. A new form of terrorism targeting critical national infrastructures is wor-

risome.

“Attacking oil pipelines is normally linked with economic motivation. Now, gas pipelines are been targeted, gas cannot be stolen.

Some transmission lines are not spared. Attacks on gas pipelines and transmission lines are condemnable. It cannot be a coincidence that it is when the power sector is moving to climb above the 4,000MW level that the so called sabotage intensifies to draw us back. This is no longer sabotage, it is infrastructure terrorism and we are responding,” Wakil said.

“The recent dip in power supply has been mainly due to inadequate gas supply to thermal power plants arising from recurring acts of vandalism on gas pipelines. The ELPS-A (Escravos Lagos Pipeline System) pipeline was out for over seven months with a loss of 200 million standard cubic feet of gas and generation capacity of about 800MW. The Trans-Forcados is out now with a loss of 200 million standard cubic feet of gas and generation capacity of about 800MW; the Alakiri-Onne LBVS was blasted in March adversely impacting on gas supply to industries; there have been similar attacks on Trans Niger with a loss of 120 million standard cubic of gas and a loss of 500MW from the Afam VI IPP. This pipeline is vandalised for bunkering about twice every month,” Minister of Power, Professor Chinedu Nebo said.

Oil spills: NOSDRA reads riot act to erring firms ACCORD NOSDRA has secured a new deal with the Nigerian Army in its fight against oil spill.

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he National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, (NOSDRA) at the weekend secured the support of the Nigerian Military in its efforts to stop arbitrary oil spills by oil companies in Nigeria.

Chairman, Governing board of NOSDRA, Major Lancelot Anyanya (rtd), who led a delegation of NOSDRA officials on a courtesy call on Commandant Joint Task Force (JTF), code named Operation Pulo Shield in Yenogoa, Bayelsa state, Major General E . J Atewe, said that the new partnership would go a long way to ensure swift detection and control of oil spills.

According to a statement by NOSDRA spokesman, Henshaw ogubike, the agency advocated the amendment of relevant laws to alleviate the suffering of oil bearing communities.

In the same vein, Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa has advocated stringent environmental laws to protect the environment against crude oil pollution and other activities occasioned by oil exploration

in the Niger Delta.

Dickson made the call when members of NOSDRA paid him a courtesy call in Yenagoa.

The NOSDRA team was led by its Chairman, Major Lancelot Anyanya (rtd), Director General of the Agency, Dr Peter Idabor and top officials of the oil spill agency.

The governor said that an environmental summit would be organised soon to discuss ways of mitigating the effects of oil and gas exploration and exploitation in the region.

He expressed his administration’s commitment to collaborate with NOSDRA to facilitate the speedy passage of the amended act of the agency, which has undergone its first and second readings at the National Assembly.

Emphasising the need for oil companies operating in the Niger Delta to protect the environment, he decried the way and manner the environment was being abused.

Dickson, who referred to the practice as ‘reckless abandon,’ described Bayelsa as the most fragile and highly compromised area.

According to him, environmental pollution has devastated the ecosystem for several decades since the discovery of crude oil in 1956.

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Oil firms flare 42bn scuf of gas monthly DESTRUCTION Air pollution linked to seven million deaths globally .

Stories by Adeola Yusuf

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nternational oil Companies (IOCs) operating in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry flared a cummulative of about 42bn standard cubic feet every month. Some of these companies have flared gas for about 52 years in the country, investigations by new Telegraph at the weekend revealed.

For over 40 years, further checks revealed, the federal government only put penalty on gas flaring at N10 per 1000 standard cubic feet (scf), a move, which made oil firms perceive Nigeria as unserious to end the air pollution.

The Department of Petroleum resources (DPR), which is the industry’s regulator, only recently increased the penalty from N10 to $3.5 (N525) per 1000 standard cubic feet (scf).

The DPR, checks revealed, incompetent to effect the zero gas flaring in the industry, which began over 50 years ago.

DPR’s Director, George Osahon, who declared on a sideline of a forum in Lagos that 1.4 billion cubic feet of gas is flared into the Niger Delta air on daily basis, regretted that the punishment of $3.5 fine per 1000 cubic feet of gas flared remains a mere slap on the wrist.

The IOCs however, faulted the Federal government for the continued flaring of gas over the past 50 years, blaming the non-commitment of the 60 per cent counterpart funding of the project by the government, as reason for delay in ending the circle.

Flaring in Nigeria now 52 years old As if to confirm the allegation, the Federal Government has kept mute on the new deadline for zero gas flaring after IOCs were unable to, for the umpteenth time, meet the January 2013 deadline.

For example, Executive Vice Chairman and General Counsel for ExxonMobil, Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, in a keynote address at an oil and gas dispute resolution

workshop recently in Abuja, blamed government for the menace.

Osahon also said recently that government is losing N286 billion ($1.7885 billion) per year to gas flaring in the Nigeria.

Represented by Deputy Director Gas, DPR, Oliver Okparaojiako, Osahon said passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) would speed

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he said, adding that “the PIB is here to ensure proper hamonisation of the gas potentials.

IOCs however, faulted the Federal government over the continuous cases of gas flaring for the past 50 years, blaming the non-commitment of the 60 per cent counterpart funding of the project by the government as reason for delay in ending the circle of gas flaring in Nigeria.

Gas flaring

STALLED The PIB has slowed investment in oil industry.

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oyal Dutch Shell alleged at the weekend that four versions of the controversial Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) are in circulation in Nigeria.

Shell's chief financial officer, Simon Henry, who said this on a conference call, argued that the legislation had curbed in-

Four versions of PIB in circulation, Shell insists vestment, hindered production, while security is a daily challenge and oil theft "very material".

"There are at least three to four different versions of it and most of them have been unhelpful to supporting future investments in the country," Henry

Why we support six Nigerian varsites with N2bn –NLNG boss igeria LNG (NLNG) Limited has earmarked N2 billion ($12 million) for the development of engineering education in six Nigerian universities to support the country’s education sector and help build a better Nigeria, the company announced at the weekend.

NLNG will spend N340 million ($2 million) each on the construction of modern engineering laboratories, equipped with the cutting-edge equipment at the University Of Ibadan, University

up efforts to curb the environmental pollution.

The DPR helmsman put oil reserves in Nigeria as at the first quarter of 2013 at 36.2 billion barrels, adding that gas reserves all stands the country out.

“The Nigeria’s gas reserves endowment may be up to 600 trillion cubic feet (tcf). The country is often described as large gas haven with little oil,”

of Ilorin, University of Port-Harcourt, University of Maiduguri, Ahmadu Bello University and University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

Describing the landmark contribution by the company, Babs Omotowa, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NLNG said: “No Nigerian university is ranked amongst the 500 best universities in the world today; neither is our ranking amongst African universities impressive.

“All the predictions about

Nigeria’s ascent as a developed country will only come true if and when we also take firm steps to fix our educational system. Well-meaning stakeholders need to urgently join hands to turnaround the poor quality of education in the country for the future of Nigeria to be better. This is why Nigeria LNG is initiating the N2 billion NLNG University Support Programme to help bring engineering education up to speed with world class standards.

declared.

This allegation was however, debunked by a government official, who was pleaded anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the matter.

“Let him prove this weighty allegation by showing you the four versions”, he said.

The oil multi-national has earlier said in its report that it lost nearly $1 billion through theft and various disruptions to its Nigerian oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) operations in 2013, adding that rampant oil theft is costing the country even more.

Nigeria is important for Shell because the African country provides almost 10 per cent of the company's output and is seen as a source of future growth. In its annual report, also published last Thursday, Shell said that some risks of working in Nigeria had worsened.

The Nigerian PIB, a piece

of legislation several years in the making, has not passed but it could change the terms for foreign oil companies in the country.

"Therefore the industry at large has taken almost no significant investment decision in that six, seven-year period.

So the country's 4 millon barrel-a-day target has effectively become actual production of less than 2 (million bpd)."

Oil theft is often associated with criminals, who tap crude from pipelines for local refining. Stolen oil also leaves the country in tankers.

"The theft is very material," Henry said. "Figures have been quoted up to a billion dollars a month being stolen from the government, in effect, and that figure is probably accurate."

Shell's Nigerian oil and gas output averaged 265,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2013, down 100,000 bpd from 2012 and equal to about 8 per cent of total supply of 3.2 million bpd.

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2014 First Quarter Review... 2014 First Quarter Review... 2014 First Quarter Review...

ENERGY EDITOR, ADEOLA YUSUF looks at the first quarter of 2014 and reports that fuel scarcity, alleged $49 billion missing oil revenues and unfulfilled promises on proper metering of electricity customers are some of the issues that came to fore during the period.

Fuel scarcity, epileptic power supply outdo feats in energy

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efore Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke left the podium at the just concluded Nigeria Oil and Gas (NOG) conference in Abuja, she hinted of the planned removal of subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) also known as petrol. The subsidy on fuel, the minister said, is not sustainable.

As at the time Alison-Madueke, who believed that the sector fared well at the first quarter of 2014 was engaging a delegation of stakeholders at the conference, long queues due to acute shortage of petrol dotted filling stations across the country.

The country has been facing incessant scarcity of the products, the last of which was partly blamed on the rumoured plan to hike product’s price.

During this period, the nationwide scarcity of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) also known as petrol worsened as a litre of the product sold for N150 in some filling stations across the country. Investigations by New Telegraph revealed that due to the unavailability of the product in most filling stations, attendants in some of them connived with black marketers to sell the product at N150 per litre, instead of the official pump price of N97 per litre. The attendants sold the product to the black marketers in jerry cans.

Black marketers sold fuel at N150 per litre to motorists who could not endure the long queues at AP Filling Station, Agege, Lagos; MRS at U-Turn area of Abule Egba; and Iswat Filling Station in Ota, Ogun State. As motorists struggled to buy fuel at these stations, black marketers, stationed inside the premises of many of the stations, took advantage of the scarcity of the product by selling a four litre-keg of the product at N600.

“When are we going to be free in this country,” a motorist, Emmanuel Adedoja, who spent over two hours on queue for fuel at the mega station of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in Abule Taylor asked this newspaper last Sunday. Like Adedoja, Kasimu Akanji, a commercial bus driver, who claimed that he paid N100 to hoodlums before he was allowed access to AP Filling Station in Agege, Lagos, called on the government to assist the public by making fuel available. “If they want to increase the price, they should be sincere by telling us. The pains they subject us to are too much,” he said in Yoruba.

Nebo

NNPC intervention NNPC declared that it had pumped additional 956, 501,315 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, to the market as part of efforts to restore normalcy to the fuel situation in the country.

In a press statement issued to Journalists, the Acting Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division of the NNPC, Dr. Omar Farouk Ibrahim, said the Corporation currently has 24.4 days sufficiency of pms.

"The nation has 956,501,315 million litres of petrol, which is equivalent to 24.4 days sufficiency and this will continue to increase to over 30 days sufficiency before the end of march, " Dr. Ibrahim revealed.

He reassured Nigerians that the NNPC, as the nation’s supplier of last resort is working round the clock to wet the nation with petroleum products in order to mitigate the hardship encountered by motorists on fuel queues.

The NNPC spokesman called on Motorists to avoid panic buying, assuring that everything humanly possible is being done to restore sanity to the supply of petrol. He called on marketers and other players in the downstream sector of the petroleum industry to join hands with the NNPC to wet the market with the product.

Power The Minister of Power, Professor Chinedu Nebo knew that the power sec-

The first quarter witnessed stability in crude production and exportation but there was crude theft and scarcity of refined product

Alison-Madueke

tor had low time at the first quarter. The long list of shortcomings in the sector include incessant power epilepsy, inability to solve problem of crazy billing by new power assets’ owners and the unfulfilled promise to ensure proper metering of customers through the distribution of prepaid meters among others.

Nebo, who admitted that the power supply has yet to improve as expected, called on Nigerians to exercise patience with the new owners.

The constant destruction of key gas to power infrastructure, he said, contributes to about 22 per cent of overall drops in electricity supply experienced in Nigeria’s Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) especially recently.

Nebo noted that the act of sabotage against the country’s gas-to-power pipeline networks by unscrupulous individuals have taken a different turn with discoveries that dynamites have often been used to blow out the lines.

He gave an instance where the Western gas supply trunk line from Warri through Escravos was found to have been damaged at many points far more than it was initially imagined.

The minister noted that a number of the country’s gas-powered plants are currently underserved by 320 million standard cubic feet (mscuf/d) of gas per day from the ensuing challenge of gas pipeline sabotage, adding that about 1300 megawatts (MW) equivalent of generated power is being lost in the process.

“The recent dip in power supply has been mainly due to inadequate gas supply to thermal power plants arising from recurring acts of vandalism on gas pipelines. The ELPS-A (Escravos Lagos Pipeline System) pipeline was out for over seven months with a loss of 200 million standard cubic feet of gas and generation capacity of about 800MW. The Trans-Forcados is out now with a loss of 200 million standard cubic feet of gas and generation capacity of about

800MW; the Alakiri-Onne LBVS was blasted in March adversely impacting on gas supply to industries; there have been similar attacks on Trans Niger with a loss of 120 million standard cubic of gas and a loss of 500MW from the Afam VI IPP. This pipeline is vandalised for bunkering about twice every month,” Nebo said.

He stated that apart from the shortage in gas supply to the power plants, the country also had other factors that recently impacted negatively on electricity service delivery across the country.

Some of the issue he mentioned includes occasional loss of transmission lines and substations across the country as well as loss of generated electricity from the country’s hydro generating stations.

The minister thus said: “The hydropower plant units at Kainji are, for the first time since commissioning in the 1960s, being rehabilitated with funding from the World Bank. Some of the major components of the Shiroro hydro electric power plant are also being rehabilitated thus reducing the plant by about 300MW. “The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has also taken advantage of additional funding sourced from multilateral agencies to expedite urgently needed repair work.”

On the expected duty of the reconstituted task team, Nebo said: “The committee would be charged with the responsibility of identifying and ensuring that all the enablers and interventions required to deliver adequate power to the nation’s power plants are delivered on time.

“The committee would also align the projections of generation capacity with the required projects, investments and other conditions precedent required to deliver the necessary quality and quantity of gas.”

He also added that progressive measures put in place by stakeholders in the energy sector has indicated that additional 295mscf of gas would be available

by June 2014 and another 370mscf by the end of the year for use by thermal generation plants in the country.

Last line The first quarter witnessed stability in crude production and exportation but there was crude theft and scarcity of refined product. The government cannot feign ignorance to the fact that the recurrent insufficient gas supply has also been the hurdle for power supply. Hopes of stakeholders are high that the government and all concerned in the Nigeria’s energy sector have learnt lessons in the first quarters for improvement in the second quarter and beyond.

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BUSINESS | ENERGY

DIVERSIFICATION NIPCO explores other business ventures.

Stories by Adeola Yusuf

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IPCO Plc said at the weekend that it was poised to acquire marginal fields and deepwater acreages in the Up-stream sector through its subsidiary, NIPCO Upstream Limited.

Chairman of the company, Chief Dr. Bestman Anekwe, who said this at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the company in Abuja, expressed confidence that this would be realised in the next licensing round slated for the first quarter of this year by the Federal Government.

A lot of inroads, Anikwe told shareholders, have been made in this regards.

Stating that the company’s focus in the coming year is to build a formidable petroleum company, the Chairman said NIPCO is more determined to deliver greater value to both its customers and the shareholders.

The company also announced a turnover of N137.7 billion for the Year 2013, indicating an increase of N10.1billion over the previous year.

Anekwe said a total dividend N656.8 million would be paid to its shareholders at N3.50 kobo per share.

“Our 2013 turnover is N137.7 billion; Profit After Tax is N2.1 billion while Profit Before Tax is 2.82billion. Total dividend to be paid to our shareholders is N656.8 million, while the dividend is N3.50kobo, Earning per share N11.13kobo," he said.

NIPCO makes inroads into marginal fields, deepwater acreages The chairman said that NIPCO was poised to do more for its shareholders in 2014.

He said: “It is pursuant to this goal, that your company is poised to acquire marginal fields and deepwater acreages in the up-stream sector through our subsidiary, NIPCO Upstream Limited. A lot of inroads have been made in this regards and we are confident that this will be realised in the next licensing round slated by the Federal Government in the first quarter of this year.

“Our retail division is growing beyond leaps and bounds.

We are determined to grow our outlets to 200 by the end of this year.

“Our foray into the Compressed Natural Gas project is yielding desired results and is second to none in the West African sub region. We have expanded this from Benin City to Warri, and Asaba (Delta State), (Ondo State) and now Ibafo (Ogun State). Ibadan is next on line. The phenomenal movement is gathering momentum and we will not stop until every car in Nigeria runs on Natural gas.”

On the distribution network in the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) market, Anikwe said the NICO “has been tremendously enhanced. More cylinders and accessories have been provided to deepen LPG utilisation as domestic cooking gas.

“It is also pertinent to recall that we commenced our diversification into lubricants with

Tullow updates oil operations in Kenya

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ullow Oil Plc announced the results of a series of recent exploration and appraisal activities conducted by the four rigs currently operating in blocks 10BB and 13T onshore Kenya.

The Emong-1 exploration well in Block 13T was drilled to test a structure directly across the main basin bounding fault, which is juxtaposed against the material oil accumulation discovered by the Ngamia-1 well, approximately 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) to the southeast.

The well encountered poorly developed oil bearing reservoir sands at this location. The result suggests that the main basin bounding fault controls the distribution of reservoirs in this area and has no impact on

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

the potential of the Ngamia oil accumulation.

The Weatherford 804 rig drilled Emong-1 to a final depth of 4,573 feet (1,394 meters). The rig will now be moved to drill the Ekunyuk-1 wildcat in the east of the license as a further test of the rift flank play, where discoveries were recently made at Etuko and Ewoi.

The Sakson PR-5 rig is continuing drilling operations on the Twiga South-2 up-dip appraisal well, which is expected to be completed in mid-April.

This rig will then move to drill a down-dip appraisal of the Amosing discovery, which appears to have high quality reservoir and may be one of the largest discoveries in the basin to date.

the franchise for Lukoil. We have recently introduced Shell lubricants, which is one of the premium brands in the international market and is consistent with the brand policy of NIPCO. “Gradually as our market develops, we are planning to go into blending of quality lubricants in the country, which

will be of very high standards.

We hope to leverage on our growing retail outlets and our partnering stations across the length and breadth of the nation to grow a robust customer network base for both retail and industrial customers.

“It is our firm belief that all great companies were built

with the spirit of team-work and constructive partnership.

Without your help, support and loyalty over the years, NIPCO PLC would not have become the corporate icon it is today.”

He also informed the stakeholders that the company has been accorded the status of major marketer by the PPMC.

Chairman of National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) Governing board, Major Lancelot Anyanya (rtd); Commandant Joint Task Force (JTF), major General E . J Atewe and the Director Genral, NOSDRA, ir Peter Idabor during a courtesy call on the JTF commandant Operation Pulo Shield in Yenogoa, Bayelsa state recently

Taleveras faults NEITI on 152.3m litres crude swaps with NNPC BACKLASH Taleveras Group explains barter deal

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aleveras Group at the weekend refuted claims by the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) that it under delivered 152,308,878 litres of petroleum products in 2011.

NEITI in its audit report submitted to the National Assembly had accused four oil companies including Taleveras Group of under delivering 500,075,239.3 litres of petroleum products valued at $8 billion.

Subsequently, NEITI refuted an earlier report of $8 billion loss. NEITI’s Director of Communication, Dr. Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, while denying the $8 billion loss said: “The media report from that presentation attributed to NEITI that the nation losses $8 billion annually through crude oil swap. This is not only wrong but misleading.

What NEITI presented and explained at that hearing was that there is no cost efficiency in the transactions with the offshore processing organisations.”

Senior Trading and Supply Executive of Taleveras Petroleum, Leonard Kwentua, said in a statement at the weekend that his company’s supply of gasoline under the swap arrangement are ongoing activities and the accounts are reconciled quarterly to determine what was oversupplied or undersupplied.

Kwentua warned that international financial institutions are very sensitive to sensational media reports and “most recently these inaccurate reports do more harm than good in structuring finance for petroleum products supply into Nigeria.”

He said: “As an example, the NEITI report showing 2011 under delivery of about $52 million in their table does not reflect the actual sum, as inventory warehousing cost is not applied to this figure.

Balance on account of this ongoing term deal is fully secured at all times due to the fact that there is an underlying security, always in place, by way of an active bank-issued letter of credit, which in this instance stood at $200 million, in favour of PPMC during the period stated. As at December 2013, the balance on account showed that Taleveras had over supplied in its delivery obligations, subject to reconciliation with PPMC.” According to him, for the swap transaction, there is an underlying security in form of a standby letter of credit in favour of the Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC). He noted that if a supplier does not deliver the products, the PPMC is in a position to cash the defaulter’s Letter of credit and these letters of credit are issued in favour of PPMC by first class banks and must be bank confirmed prior to an off take of the crude, “so in essence, no letter of credit (L/C), no lifting of crude.”

BUSINESS | ENERGY

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

UK Court delivers judgment in $310m NNPC contracts VERDICT NNPC secures judgment in 10-year dispute Stories by Adeola Yusuf

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he United Kingdom Commercial Court in London has ruled in favour of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in a suit filed by IPCO Nigeria over a dispute that arose from a contract to build an oil terminal in Port Harcourt.

IPCO Nigeria is a subsidiary of the IPCO Group, a turnkey contractor and investor in energy infrastructure projects, A statement signed by the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division of the Corporation, Dr. Omar Farouk Ibrahim, explained that the case, which stretched for a decade initially arose from a dispute following IPCO’s claim that NNPC should bear the cost of variations (alterations to the scope of works in the original construction contract), which caused a 22-month delay to the works. ``Following arbitration proceedings in Nigeria, IPCO was awarded $150million in 2004, together with annual interest running at 14 per cent, a ruling which was challenged by NNPC in the Nigerian courts.

However, since then, IPCO repeatedly sought to enforce the award in England before the conclusion of the proceedings in Nigeria resulting in three reported judgments in the case: IPCO (Nigeria) Ltd v NNPC (2005) EWHC 726 (Comm); IPCO (Nigeria) Ltd v NNPC (2008) EWHC 797(Comm); NNPC v IPCO (Nigeria) Ltd (2008) EWCA Civ 1157,’’ the NNPC stated.

“It was established that during IPCO’s previous attempt to enforce the award, NNPC discovered evidence that IPCO had forged documents relating to the claim and the related arbitration in Nigeria, and as a result the parties agreed in 2009 to adjourn the enforcement proceedings and await the outcome of the challenge in Nigeria. However, in a strange twist IPCO again sought to enforce the award

in England in 2012.”

Delivering his judgement, Mr. Justice Field of the UK Commercial Court ruled that IPCO failed to establish any change of circumstances justifying a further application to enforce the award in whole or part in England, and that it is in Nigeria where the enforceability of the award must be

decided.

Justice Field also held that even if he had been persuaded that it were appropriate to consider enforcement afresh, he would still have refused to enforce any part of the award because NNPC has a good prima facie case that IPCO practiced a fraud on the arbitral tribunal that undermines the validity

of the whole award.

The long-running dispute has also highlighted important issues regarding the interpretation by the English Courts of the New York Convention 1958 and the Arbitration Act 1996 in the context of enforcement of an arbitration award when a challenge is pending against it in the home country where

31

the award was made (Nigeria in this particular case).

The current judgment forecloses the door on IPCO’s attempts to seek enforcement in England.

The NNPC expressed gratitude to its legal team led by the UK based law firm Stephenson Harwood LLP. "We are very pleased that the English courts have found in our favour - protecting the interests of the Nigerian government and its people in this matter by concluding that IPCO Nigeria has no right to levy the original award against us."

Nigerian national petroleum Corporation (NNPC) global headquarters in Abuja.

EXPLORATION Ratification of CAMAC agreement includes three discovered fields

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AMAC Energy Incorporation at the weekend announced that the Parliament of the Republic of Ghana has ratified the petroleum agreement between the latter, Camac Energy Ghana Limited, the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), Base Energy Ghana Limited, and GNPC Exploration and Production Company Limited (GNPC Explorco).

The ratification, according to a statement by CAMAC, covers the Expanded Shallow Water Tano Block offshore Ghana in the Gulf of Guinea's Tano Basin.

The ratification of the Petroleum Agreement followed approval by the Cabinet of the Government of Ghana, and a review by the Parliamentary Select Committee on Mines,

CAMAC Energy pact ratified

by Ghana parliament Energy and Petroleum.

Camac Energy Ghana Limited holds 60 per cent of the interest; GNPC Explorco holds 25 per cent, and Base Energy holds 15 per cent. The interest held by Camac Energy Ghana Limited will be owned 50 per cent by CAMAC Energy Inc. and 50 per cent by an affiliate of CAMAC International Limited.

The Expanded Shallow Water Tano Block consists of three discovered fields, and comprises 1,508 square kilometers (370,000 acres) in water depths ranging from 55 meters to 116 meters (180 feet to 380 feet). The Shallow Water Tano Block is located 15 km to 35 km (9 miles to 21 miles) offshore Ghana, and is bounded on the north by the Ghana Coastline, on the west by the Maritime Border with Cote D'Ivoire, on the south by

the Deepwater Tano Block, which hosts the Tweneboa, Enyenra, and Ntomme (TEN) Fields, and on the east by the West Cape Three Points Block that hosts the Jubilee Field and Teak-Akasa discoveries.

Existing discoveries in the Shallow Water Tano Block include the North Tano oil and gas field, the CTS-1X gas discovery, the NWT-1X oil discovery, and the South Tano fields.

"The ratification of the Expanded Shallow Water Tano agreement is a major step towards the realisation of the growth aspirations of CAMAC Energy," said Kase Lawal, CAMAC Energy Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

"We believe that it will also result in value creation for all stakeholders, and subject to economic evaluation, a fast track development plan of the

discovered resources will be pursued."

CAMAC Energy and its partners will evaluate 3D seismic data, and geological and well data from the discovered fields to determine, within nine months, the commerciality of the discoveries.

CAMAC Energy is an independent oil and gas exploration and production company focused on energy resources in Africa. Its asset portfolio consists of nine production and exploration licenses in four countries covering an area of 43,000 square kilometers (10 million acres), including existing production and other major projects offshore Nigeria, as well as exploration licenses with significant hydrocarbon potential onshore and offshore Kenya, offshore Gambia, and offshore Ghana.

32 BUSINESS | ENERGY HIGH PRICE Oil prices moved up above $101 as US growth rate rises.

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Nigeria’s supply disruption push oil price to $106.99 per barrel

Stories by Adeola Yusuf

O

il supply disruptions in Nigeria pushed Brent crude oil prices above $106 a barrel at the end of transactions at the global market.

Royal Dutch Shell declared force majeure on Nigeria's Forcados crude exports, due to a pipeline leak caused by oil theft.

The facility shut down led to shut in of about 150, 000 barrels per day.

This was also buoyed by renewed geopolitical risk over Russia and and Libya, while US crude was pressured lower by forecasts for a stock build.

Brent crude rose just 18 cents to settle at $106.99. US crude fell 41 cents to settle at $99.19 per barrel.

The closely watched and traded Brent-US crude oil price spread CL-LCO1=R widened by 59 cents to $7.80.

"The factors that are battling out are the threat of a supply disruption out of Ukraine, Libya and Nigeria, and the fact that we have weak fundamentals and will see a build tomorrow," said Gene McGillian, an analyst at Tradition Energy in Stamford, Connecticut.

Shell’s subsidiary in Nigeria, Shell Petroleum Development company (SPDC) said the force majeure was effective from last Tuesday “due to ongoing

Oil barrels

repairs on the 48-inch crude export line at Forcados Terminal in the Western Niger Delta”.

“Force majeure” is a legal term releasing a company from contractual obligations when faced with circumstances beyond its control.

Shell said the subsea pipeline was shut when a leak was discovered on March 4, leading to suspension of crude oil exports through the terminal, which can produce up to 400,000 barrels of crude per day.

Shell has blamed repeated oil thefts and sabotage of key pipelines as the major cause of spills and pollution in the oilproducing region.

Nigeria dominates Africa in Schneider Electric competition PARTICIPATION Over 12,000 students took part in Shneider Electric challenge.

S

chneider Electric, the global specialist in energy management, has unveiled the 100 teams that qualified for the semi-finals of the “Go Green in the City” global student challenge.

In the first year of Africa’s participation in the global competition, three teams emerged from Nigeria, while 10 teams emerged from the rest of Africa.

This year, over 12,000 stu-

dents from over 462 universities participated in the challenge.

In a statement, Schneider Electric said 100 teams from over 462 universities emerged from the competition group stages to participate in the semifinal phase of the competition.

“The competition for the top 100 was even fiercer this year as the total applications almost doubled compared to the 2013 edition. As in previous years, candidates will present a case study focusing on energy solutions for cities, with the support of a Schneider Electric mentor,” said Executive Vice President, Global Human Resources, Schneider Electric,

Crude oil theft or “bunkering” is a major problem in Nigeria, with estimates that the country loses some $6 billion (4.3 billion euros) in revenue every year because of the practice.

Nigeria is Africa’s largest oil producer, accounting for more than two million barrels per day.

Speculation that China will act to support its slowing economy and robust consumer confidence numbers in the US provided a floor for oil prices.

But the reopening of the Houston Ship Channel pressured US oil. The channel is a critical waterway for oil shipments that had been closed for four days, which forced at least Karen Ferguson.

She said the students working in teams of two, with at least one woman in the team, will devise viable solutions for energy management sectors critical to cities, such as: home, university, retail, water and hospital.

The 2014 edition of “Go Green in the City” opened the challenge to countries across the globe, increasing the accessibility of the programme to students, especially from Africa and Asia-Pacific.

She added: “This increase in participants supports the statement that future engineers and leaders are more and more aware that the increased demand for energy will have to be balanced with social progress and environmental protection.

Schneider Electric is delighted to interact with these young talents coming from all over the world, to find solutions to meet the energy challenges of our cities.”

one big refiner to decrease output and gave a boost to US oil prices.

US President Barack Obama said the international community would not recognise Russia's annexation of Crimea on Tuesday, just one day after major industrialised nations warned Moscow of tougher economic sanctions if it goes beyond the seizure of the Baltic region.

In Libya, production fell by roughly 80,000 barrels per day to about 150,000 bpd after a large oilfield was shut.

Weighing on US oil prices, domestic commercial crude supplies were expected to have risen by 6.3 million barrels ac-

cording to the industry group, the American Petroleum Institute.

That would make for the 10th straight weekly build, and more than double the 2.7 million barrel build analysts predicted in a Reuters poll. The US Energy Information Administration will release its report on Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. EDT (1430 GMT).

US crude stocks likely rose 2.7 million barrels on average last week, a Reuters poll forecast. Gasoline inventories are expected to have fallen 1.2 million barrels, and distillate inventories, including heating oil and diesel fuel, are also expected to have fallen 1.4 million barrels, the poll showed.

IPMAN, NUPENG bicker over fuel loading blockage

T

he National Financial Secretary, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Alhaji Danladi Garba Pasali declared at the weekend that a nationwide fuel scarcity is imminent following allegations of sabotage against executives of National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG).

Pasali, who said this made this, alleged that the President of NUPENG, Igwe Achese has ordered all fuel tank drivers within the umbrella of NUPENG not to lift fuel from all the depots nationwide.

He also alleged that, the NUPENG boss has shut the businesses of NIPCO, thereby sabotaging the Federal Government’s

efforts at making petroleum products available to the public.

Pasali therefore called on the Inspector-General of Police , the Director-General of the Directorate of State Security Services (DSS) and the Minister of Labour to call the NUPENG President, Mr. Igwe Achese to order to avert what may likely result to a national crisis.

Pasali, who alleged that, apart from the gratification of a hotel as a gift to a NUPENG official, who has shown open sympathy for a suspended member of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, who is falsely laying claims to the Presidency of the Association, he is also believed to have other considerations.

PROPERTY&ENVIRONMENT PAGE 33, Tuesday, APRIL 1, 2014

2014 First Quarter Review... 2014 First Quarter Review... 2014 First Quarter Review...

Grim scorecard for housing

Dayo Ayeyemi writes that three months into year 2014, there is virtually no activity in the housing sector, which has attracted condemnation from experts who are now calling on the new minister to swing into action.

I

n other climes, housing sector is one of the main drivers of the economy owing to its potential to create employment and other multiplier effects.

But in Nigeria, the industry has not been given serious attention by successive governments since independence, hence its low performance and little contribution to the Gross Domestic Products (GDP).

While housing sector in Nigeria contributes 2.20 per cent to the GDP, the contribution in the UAE is 9.10 per cent; Austria, 6.90 per cent, and South Africa, 2.50 per cent.

On many occasions, experts have blamed poor land policy and administration and a fledgling mortgage system, among others, for the low contribution.

However, coming to the end of first quarter of 2014, experts in the sector have been expressing worry for low activities in the industry.

Their fear was hinged on the fact that the nation has to accelerate mass housing production in order to bridge its huge housing deficit of about 17 million.

Taking a cursory look at major activities in the sector since the beginning of 2014, President of the Association of Town Planning Consultants of Nigeria (ATOPCON), Mr. Moses Ogunleye, while speaking with New Telegraph, said that nothing has happened since the budget has not been passed.

According to him, the Social

Housing Bill, a bill to make it mandatory for the provision of houses for the no-income group, is still before the National Assembly.

He also stated that nothing has been heard of the capitalised Primary Mortgage Banks (PMBs), but expressed the hope that with the launching of the Nigerian Mortgage Refinance Company (NMRC), things would get better before the end of the year.

Also, promoter of Amorit Housing Estate, Osogbo, Osun State, Mr. Kayode Oyewole, said it was too early to assess the sector since a new Minister of Land, Housing and Urban Development, Mrs. Akon Eyakenyi, has just resumed office.

He said it would be better to allow her settle down and see her line of thinking before one can really assess the sector, pointing out that many things begging for attention in the housing industry have not been attended to.

He said: “We just have a new minister in the sector, so we need to know her line of thinking. I know a lot of things are to be done. So for now give her some time.”

Oyewole explained that a new housing policy has been put in place, while injection of funds into the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria is on-going couple with mandatory policy of the Ministry of Land, Housing and Urban Development that certain number of houses must be delivered across the country within the year, urging the minister to settle down and

Aviation Village, Abuja

Minister

A bill to make it mandatory for the provision of houses for the noincome group is still before the National Assembly study these programmes before taking any step.

On the performance of the sector in the last three months, Chairman of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV), Lagos branch, Pastor Stephen Jagun, said there has not been any serious activity in the economy, pointing out that, for now, government remains the main driver of the economy.

According to him, there has not been any serious impact that has translated into housing production.

He noted that the cost of building materials was on the high side and that people were not willing to pay rent while practitioners have been struggling to recover unpaid rent.

On how to revamp the sec-

Afolayan, REDAN President

Jagun

tor, Jagun urged the new minister to be proactive and be positive towards putting in place site and services across the country for individuals to buy into and build houses.

He wants the minister to partner state governments so that land can be made available for schemes.

Besides, he wants the minister to go beyond rhetoric and see how the huge money accruing to pension fund, unclaimed dividends and dormant account balances could be harnessed to fund cheap and affordable housing schemes.

Perturbed by abysmal performance of the sector, housing experts have begun to set agenda for the new minister, Mrs. Akon Eyakenyi, urging her to see to the full implementation of the housing policy prepared by her predecessor to make mass houses available to Nigerians.

Although, in her first official speech, the new minister said she would ensure that the housing deficit in the country was tackled headlong, saying: “We will deploy all government resources that we have to bridge the housing gap.”

Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development in Lagos State, Mr. Toyin Ayinde, said the minister should not beat about the bush or introduce her personal agenda since the nation currently has a housing policy.

According to Ayinde, the minister should look into the policy and see to its implementation by providing an enabling environment for housing provision and ensure that people have easy access to funding from the banking industry to enhance homeownership.

He said: “Already, we have a housing policy and whoever is coming in as a minister is not being appointed to come and introduce his or her own agenda. What a minister should do is look into the policy and see to its implementation.

“In Nigeria, we have a gap of dwelling units of about 17 million, it is about providing an enabling environment for housing provision and for people to be able to access fund from the banking industry. She should also make it possible for infrastructure development that houses will anchor on.”

C

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property & ENVIRONMENT

COOPERATION The town planners' blueprint will help in developing key sectors of the economy

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Town planners present blueprint for S'West states' integration

Dayo Ayeyemi

I

n an effort to provide strategies for the integration of South-Western Nigeria, town planners in the region have come up with policy document geared towards developmental agenda among the six states that make up the region.

The document entitled: “South-West strategic regional plan - A case for integrated development agenda,” was presented to stakeholders, including community leaders, commissioners of physical planning in the region, captains of industry, permanent secretaries, obas and professionals in Lagos.

The document encompassed various issues affecting urban and regional planning in the zone, strategies for cooperation and for repositioning development in the region.

It examined various development policies and agenda on integration of the region, established a relationship among the existing policies and urban and regional planning; appropriate framework on how urban and regional planning process will strengthen the development agenda, and develop a strategic mechanism for integrating urban and regional planning in the region towards delivering on goals of development agenda.

One of the makeshift offices for Ogun State Homeownership charter

Town planners from Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti states were at the workshop.

The document was endorsed by chairman of South-West Forum and Chairmen, Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP) , Lagos State, Mr. Ayo Adediran; Chairmen of NITP from Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti states, Mr. Ranti Osoko, Olatunji, Niyi Olanipekun, Ademola Adesida and Gregory Ojo, respectively.

Director General, Development Agenda for Western Nigerian Commission (DAWNC), Mr. Dipo Famakinwa, said there was the need for regional integration of the zone, being a region with a common lan-

guage, boundary, culture, values and religion.

He stated that DAWNC framework include the strengthening of trade integration in the region, creation of an appropriate enabling

The South-West should be such that every state prepares regional plan, while every local government should establish a local planning authority

Homeowners’ Charter beneficiaries laud Amosun Dayo Ayeyemi

I

t was appreciation galore at the weekend from residents of Ogun State, when the governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, gave out Certificates of Occupancy (CofO) and other documents to the first set of beneficiaries under the Homeowner’s Charter initiative of his administration.

It is an initiative introduced by the state government last December to enable homeowners regularise their legal status at a discounted rate.

The beneficiaries, numbering ten, could not believe themselves that a document that took some over two years to obtain, no thanks to the associated bureaucracy and high cost, could be handed over to them within two months under the new scheme.

Responding on behalf of

the beneficiaries, Mr. Adeoye Akinola thanked the governor and his team for keeping to their promise.

He noted that the gesture has further strengthened their belief in government policies, calling other residents who are yet to take advantage of the scheme to do so before the expiration of the deadline.

The governor, while presenting the documents to the beneficiaries, expressed satisfaction with the interest so far shown by indigenes in the scheme and charged those who are yet to take advantage of the programme to do so.

He explained that the Homeowners’ Charter was part of his administration’s plan to improve the standard of living in the state through innovative policies, noting that the scheme was designed to ensure

that residents of the state can have titled documents on their properties at a discounted rate and in record time.

This, he said, informed the decision to extend the deadline from February 28 to March 31, 2014, to enable as many residents as possible take advantage of the scheme.

The governor congratulated the beneficiaries for their decision to embrace the scheme despite skepticism expressed by many when it was first announced.

“You are now real home owners, because with your CofO, you can enjoy several facilities from the banks and other institutions,” Amosun said, adding that with the scheme, “government can also plan effectively for infrastructural facilities once the actual number of houses is ascertained.”

environment for private sector development, building of infrastructure programmes in support of economic growth and regional integration, development of public sector institutions and good governance.

He explained that the framework advances strategies, initiatives, policies and programmes that would harness the abundant resources of the region and its people, unleash their collective enterprise and creative energies, with the final outcome of promoting their well-being and improving their lives.

During the presentation of the document, Chairman, NITP’s Committee on Strategic Regional Plan, Mr. Olubunmi

Adeyeye, said integration of the region would allow maximisation of resources with joint exploration of new and innovative solutions to structural, human and infrastructural development across the states.

Adeyeye was assisted by another expert, Mr. Lookman Oshodi, a town planner, during the presentation.

He stated that plans and policies that would be required for the purpose of integration of the region under the new institutional framework would include land accessibility and development policy, transport and mobility integration policy; agriculture integration policy; housing, resettlement and migration plan, employment and poverty reduction policy; tourism integration plan, industrial integration plan, trade and commerce integration policy.

Others include education integration policy, security plan, health policy, energy, power and environmental integration plan, extractive resources plan and governance integration policy.

For sustainable and effective integration procedures, he suggested that each state must first develop accessible and comprehensive policy on each sector outlined so that the convergence states’ policies on each sector could be amended, harmonised and conceptualised into regional integration policy on specific sector.

Adediji Partnership sets for ‘real estate’ golf tournament

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lazing the trail, the firm of the immediate past president of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV), Bode Adediji Partnership (BAP) has concluded plan to stage a real estate golf tournament to showcase the potentials of the industry.

Tagged: “1st BAP Real Estate Bi-ennial Golf Tournament,” the game is scheduled to hold between April 11 and 12, 2014, at the Smokin Hill Golf and Country Club, Ilara-Mokin, near Akure, Ondo State.

Bode Adediji is also the Group Executive Chairman, BAP, a firm of estate surveyors, valuers and property consultants in Lagos, Nigeria.

Justifying the need for the tournament, Adediji said:

“There are two major reasons why we are promoting the game of golf in real estate.

The first reason is that it falls within the aspect we call leisure and recreation, which is an aspect of our profession.”

According to him, all over the world, estate surveyors and valuers have been the core professionals who are saddled with the responsibilities of investment advice, development and management of land-based recreation facilities, including golf fields.

He further said that “almost without exception, the bulk of shakers and movers in the investment world that are sport minded, are usually found having interest in the game of golf and their interest in real estate is unparalleled.

property & ENVIRONMENT

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Stylish staircases enhance home beauty Although it is often basic and generic, your staircase can help define your style and showcase your décor, expert @staircraft. com provides some guidelines when shopping for staircase designs Never force a square peg into a round hole.

Get acquainted with the architectural theme of your home. If the home has a craftsman feel, then a classical style freestanding curved staircase may be introducing a foreign element to the overall design mix. Be aware of the concept of “Continuity of Design.”

Mixing the use of materials and wood species is accepted procedure (within reason).

Mixing design themes is often an architectural disaster unless supervised by an interior design professional. When straying from the KISS method (Keep It Simple Stupid) have a big hammer, a lot of money to remodel, and a ready supply of headache medication. The term “simple” does not imply boring, or a lack of originality.

Eclectic design can be a financially dangerous road for the novice. Get second opinions from those you know would be honest with you. If it’s never been done before, there may be a good reason. I never squash creative originality, but not everyone is a socially accepted artist.

Gather photos Gather photos from the web or any books and magasines.

There are some great architectural, furniture, homebuilding,

wood working magasines online. Anywhere you can find pictures. The local library is an often overlooked good source of information. Discover and identify the different architectural themes that you enjoy looking at. This is a great spring board to creative thinking and helps convey those thoughts to others.

Start with good, thorough planning Take your time and don’t be pushed into living with someone else’s idea of a good thing. It’s your house and your money and you are the one who lives with your decisions. Start with good, thorough planning and eliminate last minute surprises, delays and stress. Overnight shipping costs can kill a budget.

By taking the time now to educate yourself about your project, you will ultimately save yourself time and money later. If you are taking the time to read this, you already have the tools to succeed; patience, the ability to read and comprehend, and a computer with a web connection. Learn how to effectively streamline the design/estimating process.

See staircase safety information Material choices greatly af-

fect the everyday practicality and safe use of your staircase.

The most common and often regretted faux pas in my opinion is the choice of using full hardwood treads. Although they are beautiful to look at, the practical use is compromised by the very slippery walking surface. I always advise against this choice strictly from the hazards associated.

See staircase safety information Full treads are usually a more expensive finish than partial treads with carpet and pad combined. Grandma’s hip replacement is really expensive, and we can’t forget the cost of the attorney representing your klutzy neighbor’s insurance company! If you have kids and pets, full treads often show the wear of heavy traffic in just a few months. A household “shoes-off” (or “toenails off ”) policy just added to the inherent dangers of navigating the slippery slope. Think over your choices and imagine living with them from every perspective. Ask the opinion of someone who currently lives with a choice you are contemplating and see if they would do anything differently if given the option. Sometimes the risks are worth it.... ask grandma her opinions.

35

36 property & ENVIRONMENT

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

‘In Bauchi, C of O is ready in 3 weeks' We have improved on our level of service delivery.

It takes a maximum of three weeks as it is now; I believe when the Bauchi GIS is fully commissioned, there is no reason why I won’t give you your Certificate of Occupancy within one week.

Bauchi State Commissioner for Land and Housing, Alhaji Aminu Hammayo, oversees the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning. In this interview with SANI MUH’D SANI, he explained the state government’s commitment towards halting activities of illegal land speculators and other issues.

What do you think is responsible for arbitrary creation of layouts by land speculators in the state?

Nobody has the right to create a layout except the Ministry of Land and Housing. The responsibility of town planning is vested in us and that is why, even where you own customary land and you want to create a layout, you are expected to apply to the ministry.

Professionals are supposed to go to that land and do their work, draw up a layout before you can begin to dispose your layout to people. Anybody that creates a layout on his own is doing that illegally and I know that in collaboration with the state development board which has the responsibility for development control, we have had cause to take certain actions in some areas. I know that we have gone to a land after the Gubi Housing Estate where we discovered that a layout has been created - very tiny layouts without proper planning and, of course, that is going to create problems. Of course, we collaborated with the state development board where bulldozers were rolled out and all the signs and pegs they put there were cleared.

So anywhere you see a layout being created illegally, unless it is done with prior approval of the ministry upon which its professionals are expected to draw up the layout, the ministry will swing into action. Let me also say that the responsibility for development control is the responsibility of the state Development Board; there is to an extent to which we can act on such, but we work very closely with the agency, where such instances are noticed, we work with the authority and we take necessary action including, in some instances, picking up whatever is on this land.

On the issue of infrastructure, creation of infrastructure is a very expensive business. There are a lot of instances, we have done the Tambari Housing Estate, what we have still not been able to do is the part of the Bauchi State Investment where we have to provide the layouts and the infrastructure and the cost is very high. Before the second phase of the funds expected for the building of additional houses is released by the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, we must build these infrastructures. What we are trying to do in this particular instance is to try to see how we can use the resources that we have, the State Water Board, the State Development Board, Ministry for Rural Development and so on, at minimal cost.

How do we provide this infrastructure? Based on this experience, we have taken proactive measures, that in creating layouts, we’ll try to partner under a public-private partnership, an arrangement where the investor will come, the infrastructure would be provided and of course, because you are creating multiple plots, economy of scale would come in. By the time you spread the cost of the infrastructure on individual plots, it becomes quite easier for whoever is taking it. It also becomes easier because what is needed in the layout has already been provided so what would only remain is for people to come in there and begin to develop their houses. In the next few weeks, we should be able to implement such arrangements and based on our successes in that respect, we should be able to replicate it elsewhere.

What are you doing about green areas?

Green areas are basically the responsibility of the Ministry for Environment, it is very important.

Those green areas that are there, we are trying as much as possible to ensure that they are not tempered with and I believe the Ministry for Environment will roll out plan for the green areas.

Hammayo

What are you doing about the registration of land speculators?

We are working quite closely with them. We had cause to call them and had meetings with them including His Royal Highness, the Emir of Bauchi, through the district head; we are in close contact with them. The essence of our coming together with them is to try and help them legalise some of their activities. Most of the problems we have are associated with their activities and unless we bring them to be able to control what they do, the problems will escalate and resurface every time. We know them and we know their leadership; as time goes on, we are going to develop a clear framework for us to be able to work with them and stop all these trashes that happen everywhere.

You are also involved in naming of streets and numbering of houses recently?

Though it’s not our responsibility but we are also interested in that. Based on what we are drawing with the Bauchi Geographic Information System, it is necessary that we must have the street names and we should be able to determine where each house is located.

With the computerisation of the Bauchi Geographic Information system, I do not need to get out of my office to know where the house of Alhaji Ashiru is located because I am going to use satellite images on the system. I should be able to know from my office which and which street I have to go through before arriving at the exact location of the house. It is really very important and we are working closely with the state development board, it’s their responsibility to ensure that that is done. I am also aware that the state development board has commenced action on providing these streets numbering.

How long does it take to get a Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) in Bauchi State?

One thing that is normal with mortgages everywhere in this world is that people buy houses and it takes a lifetime to pay for these houses

Talking about the state government’s mass housing programme, how cheap are the houses going to be?

It depends on the cost of production. If you are constructing at N2 million, you cannot sell at N1 million. The problem of housing is a serious problem, not only in Bauchi State but in the whole of the country.

We have a housing deficit of over 17 million in the country and much is needed to cover the housing gap that we have. I know the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Land, Housing and Urban Development and in collaboration with all the states ministries of land and housing is promoting a kind of arrangement with the World Bank where a mortgage and financing is being granted. I am sure that very soon mortgage financiers are going to be supported by this funding so that mortgages are created. We believe this measure of trying to create functional mortgage institution and supporting those that are in the mortgage business should assist in providing houses and I believe the more houses you have, the more probably the cost of these houses would be less.

One thing that is normal with mortgages everywhere in this world is that people buy houses and it takes a lifetime to pay for these houses. Mortgages are given for 20, 25 to 30 years and the essence of mortgages is not to try and push you to stop your life, you need to take care of your family and do all those things that are vital in your life, so there is no way to take a house and be told to pay for it in one week. You cannot do it, but at least, it will continue to be based on the terms of the arrangements and so on. There are so many arrangements on how you acquire houses, but we in the Bauchi State Ministry for Land and Housing, you qualify for the title when you finish all payments.

What really happened at Gubi Housing Estate and why did government confiscate the land?

I am not aware that there is a land that has been confiscated. Gubi Housing Estate was acquired by government and compensation was paid. If compensation was paid, it was paid based on what the law says. If government has paid for compensation on a piece of land and government has not used it then somebody takes temporary possession of the land, it does not make the land his own.

Some of those that are complaining must have probably bought the land from speculators who don’t own that land, and this is why we are emphasising that if you are going into any transaction that involves land, it takes nothing away from you to walk into the ministry to conduct research on how genuine the land is. The law does not say that if you have done something ignorantly, it is your business. Ignorant of the law is no excuse, but we are saying that we are also compassionate. If they bought the land wrongly, we are asking them to come, we’ll try and provide them with an alternative so that we can minimise their lost and I don’t think there is anything wrong for a government to compensate somebody for doing something wrong.

BUSINESS 37

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Airlines groan under high JET A1 price GROANING Price keeps rising and airlines are in a fix on how to balance their books.

Wole Shadare

I

n January, the price of Jet A1, the dominant jet fuel used for most of the aircraft operating in Nigeria sold for N180 per litre in Abuja. By the first week of March, the price had risen to N250 and as at last week, the major oil marketers in the country informed airline operators that the price of the same product was climbing in excess of N250 per litre. Therefore, in just over two months, the cost of Jet A1 increased by over 100 per cent without any sign of abatement.

It is interesting to note that jet fuel gulps about 45 per cent of an airline’s revenue in a normal market where carriers can adjust ticket prices to balance their income. In Nigeria where ticket price is controlled by government as opposed to market forces, it is highly unlikely that the few surviving airlines will be able to cope with the arbitrary increase in fuel prices.

It is predicted that by the end of the first half of this year, the price of Jet A1 will reach or surpass N450 per litre in the Federal Capital Territory.

Therefore, air fare from Abuja to Lagos must be priced beyond N40,000 before any airline can comfortably operate to recover marginal profit. While air passengers may initially resist the increase, there is no other safer and faster option of travelling within this country.

These are difficult times for airlines and pose a very big danger to their existence. With the high cost of operations and multiple taxation regime, the carriers are in precarious situation.

Factors responsible for the constant increase in fuel prices could be hinged on the unrest in the Middle East and the fact that Nigeria does not refine aviation fuel. While we have little control over the crisis in the Arab world, it is interesting to note that in Libya, with all her crises, Jet A1 still sells for less that N65 per litre. It is equally cheaper in neighbouring Benin Republic (at about 130 per litre) than in the ‘giant of Africa’ and the sixth largest oil producer in the world.

The major oil marketers in Nigeria have formed a cartel, since the price of aviation fuel is uncontrolled by the government. Marketers make twice the profit on petrol without any binding regulation. Unfortunately, the burden is on the travelling public.

Aviation consultant, Group Capt.

John Obakpolor, told New Telegraph

An Aero Contractors' airplane

that it is really a shame and it would be practically difficult for Nigerian airlines to cope with the astronomical increase in the price of the commodity.

He urged airlines to take a queue from airlines like Delta, United and American Airlines who buy and refine their own products, which considerably brings down the cost.

Obakpolor lamented that Nigerian airlines would perpetually be on death throes if they refuse to cooperate among each other.

Also, aviation analyst, Mohammed Tukur, stated that since government is finding it difficult to establish new refineries and keep the existing ones functional, it would be irrational for him to advocate the establishment of modern refineries capable of producing Jet A1 for the country.

But, according to him, there are two options for government to lower the cost of acquiring this commodity.

“Government can decide to subsidise Jet A1 like it does for petrol. The second option is to initiate the production of Jet A1. In my opinion, it is easier to do the first and graduate into the second, which holds a more lasting solution.

If neither of the above is acceptable to the authorities, the easiest way to alleviate the financial burden of the airlines is to completely deregulate the market for each carrier to charge any fare of its choice.

“The amount of fuel burnt by an aircraft as it flies from one airport to another is dependent on several factors; the age, model and version of the aircraft, all play important roles. Every new version of aircraft produced by manufacturers is more fuel-efficient

than its predecessor due to improvements in aircraft systems technology and engine performance.

In the United States, all of the major airlines, excluding US Airways, have a sophisticated fuel hedging programme that no human being can really understand. To keep it simple, “hedging” is like insurance against sudden price increases. Most of the airlines pay upfront or commit cash to purchase fuel into the future at a more or less defined price. Most airlines currently have 3050 per cent of their next six months’ fuel hedged at an agreed rate per barrel of crude.

30-50 per cent of anticipated fuel usage may not sound like a lot. But the reality is that the airlines can end up losing billions of dollars if they hedge in the wrong direction. They can equally save billions if their hedges work out.

It is important to note that hedging is very expensive and ties up a lot of cash.

US Airways has not hedged over the last couple of years and has generally maintained a net fuel cost advantage over their competitors.

According to the latest statistics from the General Aviation Bureau, due to the fuel price surge, the cost of

The cost of buying economical fuel-saving modern aircraft is so high that borrowing from Nigerian banks for that purpose makes no sense

fuel has amounted to 31 per cent of the cost of the major business of airline companies in the first half of this year, up from 22 per cent. The whole airline industry has afforded additional cost expenditure of $1.27 billion.

The airlines are in perilous financial conditions. Two major airlines, representing over twenty per cent of the industry, are bankrupt. Passenger carriers reported over $10 billion in 2012 net losses. Industry debt now exceeds $100 billion, while the industry’s $15 billion total market capitalisation continues to decline. Our ability to borrow to support continuing losses is evaporating. The few airlines that have been able to record profit are doing so under tremendous adversity. And with the prospect of war on the horizon, the overall picture is bleak.

Unfortunately, Nigerian airlines are severely affected by two major factors: cost of borrowing and the constant depreciation of the Naira. While the rest of the world’s currencies enjoy exchange advantage over the U.S. dollar these days, the Naira keeps depreciating on a daily basis.

The cost of buying economical fuelsaving modern aircraft is so high that borrowing from Nigerian banks for that purpose makes no sense.

Right now, the only way out of this dilemma is for government to salvage the situation by either subsidising all imported aviation fuels or allow the airlines to double the current air fare.

The cost of mismanaging our economy will always splash on all of us at one point or another. With more functional refineries, we may save our children’s future.

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BUSINESS | AVIATION

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

WITH

Arik Air operates first AIR RAGE Nigeria registered Lessons to learn from aircraft to US in 20 years Malaysian airline’s tragedy T

A

rik Air has achieved yet another milestone in Nigerian aviation, operating the first Nigerian-registered commercial aircraft to the United States of America in two decades.

On Monday, last week, the airline operated its scheduled Lagos-New York flight using an A330-200 aircraft with registration 5N-JID. The feat by Arik Air is made more outstanding given that the operation of the flight was staffed by Nigerian crew.

The airline’s latest milestone was the result of almost three years preparation, during which time the airline received the Part 129 approval from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and

was also awarded the Extended Range Twin Operations (ETOPS) approval.

Arik Air commenced direct flight operations from Lagos to New York in November 2009 using its foreign registered A340-500 aircraft operated by Hi-fly of Portugal and it was the first direct flight between Nigeria and the United States to be operated by a Nigerian airline in the last decade.

With the ETOPS approval, the airline has the flexibility of interchanging between its two variant of wide body aircraft for the Lagos-New York services. The airline has two A340-500 and two A330-200 aircraft in its fleet of 26 aircraft.

Speaking on the develop-

ment, Arik Air Senior Vice President Operations/Deputy Managing Director, Captain Ado Sanusi, said the feat was a major achievement, not only for Arik Air, but for Nigerian aviation in general.

“Arik Air is proud of this achievement and appreciates the support from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), US FAA and all other stakeholders in the industry,” Ado added.

Arik Air has scored many firsts in its seven years of operation. It is the first airline in Nigeria to operate new aircraft in almost two decades, as well as the first to operate the A340-500 and new CRJ1000 aircraft in Africa.

Airk Air's premium class cabin

Dana Air prepares for IOSA assessment training

I

n its determination to meet the highest global aviation safety standards, Dana Air has commenced an Implementation Training Initiative as part of the preliminary process to prepare the airline for the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA).

The airline is one of the ten benefiting from the IOSA implementation training initiative that is 100 per cent funded

by International Airline Training Fund (IATF), a non-profit foundation whose purpose is to bridge the training gap for airlines in regions where it is most needed, with a particular focus on improving safety.

The first stage of the implementation training is a gap analysis workshop, the first of three sessions over the next

year that will give Dana Air a greater understanding of their shortcomings in relation to the IOSA standards and recommended practices (ISARPs) and to provide guidance and tools to establish action plans towards ISARPs implementation.

Last year, the Abuja Declaration by the states of the African Union mandated that African airlines should achieve IOSA status by 2015.

The total accident rate for IOSA carriers in 2012 was 77 per cent lower than the rate for non-IOSA operators.

Speaking on Dana Air’s commitment towards achieving a listing on the IOSA directory in line with the African Union mandate, the Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Yvan Drewinsky, noted that Dana Air is resolute

about adhering to globally-recognised safety standards and its commencing preliminary training for the IOSA process confirms the premium the airline places on safety.

“The IOSA Implementation Training Initiative is coming at an auspicious time when Dana Airline is looking at reinforcing services, as well as seeking the possibility of forming alliances with global airlines as it aims to operate in line with the highest global standards,” said Mr. Drewinsky.

The Manager of the IATF, Oscar Haro, said IATA was pleased to confirm Dana Airlines Limited as one of the 10 African airlines for the IOSA implementation training in readiness to meet the challenges of the Abuja Declaration.

he disappearance of Malaysian Flight MH370 is mysterious. For over three weeks, global media descended on Malaysia - and as with every airline tragedy, numerous false leads emerged, along with dissemination of misinformation and widespread myth-making.

This is one tragedy that has for now defied accuracy of where exactly the B777-200 went down. It is one that has attracted the attention of the entire world with over 26 advanced nation deploying their technologies to help locate the debris of an airplane that was declared missing on March 8, 2014.

The dissemination of misinformation and widespread myth surrounding the incident could be likened to exactly what happened to Associated Air’s accident of October last year when the light aircraft crashed minutes after take-off at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos.

Misinformation reigned supreme as the spokesman for the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Yakubu Dati, periodically issued statements that were at variance with the position of the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), a body statutorily created to investigate incidents and accidents wherever they occur within Nigeria.

Who’s in charge, anyway?

Despite what many believe, the FAAN, because it is the landlord or manager of the airports, doesn’t always take command. During this crisis, multiple news reports questioned the role of Dati or FAAN on what ordinarily is not its field.

Another lesson is the treatment of next-of-kin that need to be treated with respect. Unfortunately, the airline industry has a spotty record when it comes to consistently meeting the needs of the loved ones of passengers missing, injured or killed in tragedies, with some carriers performing much better than others.

In the years to come, Malaysia Airlines may be best remembered for its poor treatment of family members, culminating in the ludicrous decision to notify them via text messages that all aboard were lost.

Wole Shadare

The same scenario played out during the crash of Sosoliso in 2005, ADC in 2006 and recently, Dana in 2012. Bellview’s crash of 2005 was reported to be well managed and Dana to a little extent which later snowballed into bigger crises as the airline was accused of refusing to take responsibility initially in settling the families of victims of the ill-fated June 3, 2012 accident in Iju-Ishaga, a suburb of Lagos.

There had been allegations of airlines involved in accidents to want to dodge their responsibility. In most cases, information is deliberately withheld for reasons for reasons best known to them.

Do we still need “black boxes?” Over the past three weeks, countless references have been made to the search for the 777’s “black box,” even though there are two boxes (and they are orange). Cockpit voice recorders (CVRs) and digital flight data recorders (DFDRs) are insulated, wrapped in stainless steel or titanium, and are designed to survive high impact, fire, seawater and nearly all types of catastrophe (leading the late comedian, George Carlin, to quip that the entire airplane should be made of the same materials).

Can’t commercial aircraft be better monitored worldwide?

Well, yes and no. While there are limits to global coverage provided by civilian radar (and there are altitude gaps as well), it’s also clear that the armed forces of several nations had access to radar and satellite data concerning MH370, and safety experts questioned why so many of these findings took so long to come to light. Media coverage failed on the likely causes.

Ever since the MH370 first went missing, 24/7 cable news and Internet sites developed a voracious appetite for experts to weigh in. Unfortunately, a lack of answers fueled wild speculation and “conspiracy theories” that included alien abduction and a portal to heaven.

What’s often overlooked is that investigators live in a world of theorising, conspiratorial and otherwise. (Ironically, many of the same media outlets admonishing viewers and readers to ignore “conspiracy theories” simultaneously promulgated them.)

BUSINESS | AVIATION

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

39

2014 First Quarter Review... 2014 First Quarter Review... 2014 First Quarter Review...

Lots of actions, no movement Wole Shadare

Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, Nnamdi Udoh, Rector of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Capt.

Chinyere Kalu and the Director-General of the NCAA, Captain Fola Akinkuotu.

More worrisome was the removal of Akinkuotu, who assumed duties less than six months ago. The action further raised concern of the huge interference in the duty of the NCAA which is highly expected to be autonomous.

T

he Nigerian aviation industry in the first quarter of 2014 is one that is difficult to assess. In terms of performance, the sector is still where it was; motion without movement.

Like every other sector, the aviation industry witnessed a lot of events; some bizarre, laughable, nauseating, while others were unbelievable decisions taken that are capable of drawing the sector backward.

Some of these events provided stakeholders, experts and analysts issues to discuss on daily basis.

The year started on a fast pace, but stakeholders were worried that the purpose was not beneficial to the industry but a deliberate plan to make things look as if all was well.

Car scandal The controversy generated by the two bullet proof cars scandal by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the Ministry of Aviation would not just go away. The indignity, which broke in October 2013 dominated discourse in the sector as all the plans to bury or sweep the matter under the carpet was met with resistance by Nigerians and stakeholders who demanded explanation as to why the former Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah would compel the aviation regulatory body to buy her two luxury BMW limousine cars at the cost of N255 million.

President Goodluck Jonathan

It was also discovered that the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) was equally indicted for purchasing equal number of cars for the sacked Oduah.

But the former Minister and her aides continued to defend their boss that the cars were operations vehicles of the NCAA captured in the 2013 budget.

The condemnations that trailed the scandal made it too uncomfortable for President Goodluck Jonathan to accommodate Oduah.

On February 11, 2014, President Jonathan dropped the controversial minister in what was generally a welcome but a belated decision.

Aviation chiefs’ sack Just three weeks after the Federal Government sacked the Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah, the Presidency yet again caused a huge tsunami by relieving chief executives of the sector of their jobs on March 3, 2014, sparking frenzy and one that many said was unusual. It was the first time chief executives of the industry would be removed before the appointment of a minister.

Not a few saw it as ‘the hands of Esau but the voice of Jacob”, meaning that there was more to it than meet the eyes.

The affected people included the Managing Director of FAAN, Mr George Uriesi, the

Audit of aviation Just yesterday, a four man team from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) began a comprehensive assessment of Nigeria’s aviation sector. The Americans would be looking at what Nigeria had been able to do to close noticeable gaps in the country when they were here four years ago.

It does not appear as if those gaps had been closed. In fact, there are yawning gaps that many said were yet to be closed because of the concentration more on facilities that travellers said were cosmetic, while safety critical issues were glossed over.

An official of Capital Airlines, Amos Akpan I said, “I have inspected the Enugu international airport. Enugu airport as it is today need facility upgrade to compare with Cotonu airport or Gbessia airport in Conakry. My pilot friends say that instrument landing system is not functioning in Enugu airport.

We need a pilot currently fly-

ing into Enugu to speak out if the ILS is functioning or not.

Port Harcourt, Kaduna, and Calabar airport remodel and upgrade are now controversial because construction works for upgrade and remodeling of these airports started in 2010.

“The work done in these airports since 2010 and March 2014 can be seen by all of us.

Why so slow? What is happening? Nnamdi Azikiwe airport in Abuja has almost taken a permanent transition posture.

Domestic and international movement mix very well in the only functional terminal in the Abuja airport. The domestic terminal is now a private property.

“Some say it is concessioned but the process is yet to complete as terms like proceeds payments are inconclusive.

Others say it is still under remodeling. The mode of movement between the different communities in Abuja airport is unspecified. We either take the luxury of car hire or do the nomadic style”.

Akpan concluded that what we see and what we get is very different from what our aviation managers say and display.

He stressed that we must not be the proverbial ostrich with head in the sand while all the underneath is open to public glare.

He said: “We need to stop dancing naked in public glare.

We can move this aviation forward; we are a community of professionals. We all know ourselves. Politicians come and go with regime or election calendar but we remain.”

Gambia Bird Airlines begins services to Lagos Wole Shadare

N

igeria is fast becoming a big destination for airlines as a new airline, Gambia Bird, has commenced operations to Lagos.

The commencement of flight services to Nigeria would help to open up the West African air transport system and would also help to eliminate the monopoly of the West African air transport system that are dominated by Nigerian airlines such as Aero Contractors and Arik Air. It could also assist in reducing cost to many remote parts

of West Africa not hitherto serviced by many airlines.

Travelling within the continent is cumbersome as there is no effective linkage of the entire sub-African region through air transportation.

The airline would connect Lagos to Accra, Banjul, Dakar, Douala, Freetown and Monrovia, giving travellers wide range of choices to choose from.

From its hub in Dakar, the carrier connects its services to London, and Barcelona and plans to expand to many other European and African destinations.

Commercial Manager Gam-

bia Bird West Africa, Sodieri Osei-Bonsu, at the unveiling of Gambia Bird Airline in Lagos recently, said: “We are committed to being an aviation market leader in West Africa, providing safe, reliable, and above all, exceptional services that create customer loyalty, shareholder value and highly motivated employees.”

He disclosed that the airline was established in 2012 in Banjul, The Gambia and ccommenced operations in October 2012.

Shareholding Structure is made up of 80 per cent Germania Airlines, 10 per cent owned by Thomas Wazin-

L-R: Managing Director, Bytol Travel and Tours, Mrs. Biyi Tunji Olugbodi, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Wakanow.com, Mr. Obinna Ekezie, Commercial Manager Gambia Bird West Africa, Sodieri Osei-Bonsu and General Manager, Air Travel Control Operations, Nigeria AirSpace Management Authority (NAMA), Mr. Ogedegbe Edward, at the unveiling of Gambia Bird Airline in Lagos …recently.

ski and 10 per cent owned by Karsten Balke.

According to him, “key management team is an experienced mix of experts from

across West Africa and Germany. Gambia Bird is a proud West African carrier that maintains EOSA operational standards.”

40

BUSINESS | AVIATION

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Why Emirates is breaking new grounds in aviation, by Clark What are your challenges?

Growth at the scale we do sometimes bring its own problems. We are trying to grow the Dubai hub as quickly as possible. There are areas of compression as a result of the flight movements.

We have the air traffic control issues.

The upper air spaces need to be managed. So these are constraints on us that we’re working on with the (Dubai) government and other governments in the UAE. Other points of concern are aero-politics. Emirates has become an extremely well-known global aviation brand. It’s now the number one airline brand in the world. That brings great kudos, but at the same time, it brings problems because people are concerned about us, so they try and block what we’re trying to do. And we spend time trying to deal with that.

Emirates Airline was, in early 2014, adjudged overall best airline brand globally in the World Airline Awards at the Paris Air Show. The airline’s president, Tim Clark, talked about his vision for the airline, which now carries a million passengers a week across the world. He spoke to WOLE SHADARE

Are you facing problems with recruitment?

Certainly the Europeans or the Americans tend to look at their local labour market. Now the labour market in the 21st century is highly mobile. You’ll see movement of labour. They’re going where the jobs are. And people like us facilitate that. But for us, recruiting of staff, whether an IT person, pilot, engineer, whatever, because we have a global source, is not a problem.

What can you attribute to Emirates giant strides as it was voted World’s Best Airline for 2013?

These awards are widely regarded as the industry’s benchmark for excellence. For us, the awards clearly reflect a vote of confidence from global travellers, who acknowledge and appreciate our continuous drive to deliver highquality service. To be voted World’s Best Airline by millions of discerning travellers really is something for our 60,000-strong workforce to be proud of.

What was the main achievement of the past year and expectations for the future It’s been a better year than what we did a year earlier. In the last two years, we have opened routes to 27 cities. We’ve taken on 44 aircraft. Many of those are A380s. In airline economic parlance, to have grown your production, we’ve layered on two almost completely new international airlines and kept the profits growing and the cash growing and positive. That is an incredible feat I have to say, because in my aviation experience, when you grow a business that fast, your cash starts to take hit. But you bank that, you say, ‘to get here, I have got to go down here.’ We never allow that to happen. We say we

We can grow so quickly and retain the same quality because of scalability and the baggage it brings want profits, we want them quickly; we want the cash. So the high points of last year and the year before was the ability of the organisation to grow the business to the extent that we have kept things profitable and cash positive and kept the balance sheet strong. And that’s what you’ll see at the end of this financial year.

Your growth over the years has been phenomenal, what is the secret?

We can grow so quickly and retain the same quality because of scalability and the baggage it brings. If you are not careful, particularly in our customer-facing business, you have to spend more time and money ensuring that your 20,000 cabin crew and all of your customer-facing staff on the ground are as equally aware of the criticality of the customer service offering as they

were when we were 200 cabin crews. So our training organisations have a very high level of focus. Crews are brought back in, trained again. There’s a very high focus on training. We will react very quickly if we start to see slippage of standards. We measure that through customer reaction. Secondly we will spend an awful lot of time and money, far more than most, in constantly refreshing and reinvigorating the products that we offer. Again, we try and keep people on message that we are a value proposition. It may be bigger televisions, it may be different types of food, or new baths and showers and whatever we put on the A380. This is all great fun. Keep them interested and that’s what we do. It’s because of that that we run a very flat structure. I have many reports and they know that I and my colleagues at the top work right the way down to the coalface. And I jump a mile if I start seeing things not going right. So there’s a kind of culture of excellence that permeates the company. I’m not saying we’re perfect all the time. We can’t be. We carry a million passengers a week at the moment.

So, some of them are going to be a bit upset sometimes. But generally, it’s a good story.

India has agreed to raise its seat allocation to Dubai. Does that mean you are going to open new routes to India?

The Indian government calls the shots on that. They’ve given us 11,000 seats for Dubai, which, of course, has to be shared between Emirates and Flydubai. We had asked for, I think, 30,000 seats and multiple points in India additional to what we have at the moment.

But we didn’t get any of those. So we’ll have to carve up the cake the best we can. Don’t forget that we had no (new) seats (allocated) since May 2008. So it’s six years since we had a single extra seat in India. We’re running at 90 per cent (capacity). It’s such a pity. I don’t think we’ll be opening new routes to India in the immediate future.

What is your prediction for the Middle East aviation industry in the next 15 to 20 years Let’s assume that the geo-politics, the socio-economic factors at play in the Middle East do not constrain what is likely to happen. I think that (the aviation sector in the Middle East) will almost go nuclear if the hub carriers such as us grow and the low-cost operators are allowed to grow. I think some of our European carrier friends have got their heads in the sand about that because it’s a honeypot. So, for us, it’s great.

MOM&PARENTING

NEW TELEGRAPH

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www.newtelegraphonline.com/mum&parenting

OLUWATOSIN OMONIYI oluwatosin.omoniyi@newtelegraphonline.com tosin042001@yahoo.com

TUESDAY, APRIL 1, 2014

What language are you teaching your child?

Many parents today believe that speaking English, French and even Chinese make their children better equipped. But that is at the expense of local languages such as Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba. The result is the gradual death of the mother tongue, OLUWATOSIN OMONIYI reports

T

o a spectator, it was an enjoyable dramatic scene. To the child, it was an embarrassment and probably child abuse. It was a battle for control between the parents of Oluwadare Ayodeji of Oshodi Junior Secondary School, Lagos. Ayodeji’s parents had divorced five years ago and alternated the custody of their only son. On one occasion, Ayodeji went to spend a midterm break with his dad in the Ikorodu area of Lagos. While there, he couldn’t comprehend all discussed between his dad and step mum but he kept hearing his mother’s name. “No mummy, I didn’t hear anything they spoke about you, but I kept hearing them mentioning your name Sumbo Sumbo, Sumbo.” Sumbo, now Ojuolape, was outraged that her child could not understand the Yoruba language spoken in his father’s house. She was more frustrated especially as she did not know what game her husband and his new wife were up to because she is yet to get her divorce process through.

She immediately rushed to the school to commit the son’s teacher for extra lessons on Yoruba for her child. This was the main reason she didn’t allow the father to pick the child for the next holiday, thereby causing a huge quarel. How lucky was she to realise on time that the child needed to learn his mother tongue early. It has become a fad for Nigerian parents to raise their children in the cities, speaking only English language so as to comply with the societal demands.

How wrong? Mother tongue plays very important role in our day-to-day activities.

For instance, a marketing manager with Unilever Company in Oregun, Lagos, had to employ the service of Adebola Lawal, a Yoruba teacher in one of the Lagos State government schools, to teach him Yoruba language for commercial purposes. The manager needed to learn the language because he felt he should connect more with his customers and one of such ways was to learn the language of the people to enable him penetrate them and enhance his customer service relationship.

Another interesting scene was when Bayo Adewakun, an architect and his wife went to the United States of America recently to visit his daughter-in-law, who put to bed. They related fine with

the parents but the grand children were more frustrated and always complained bitterly that they didn’t understand what their grandparents were talking about. They felt out of place even with their own parents. “My son and his wife asked my wife and I to either stop speaking Yoruba language in his house or let them book a hotel for us to stay pending the due time of our leaving.” It finally dawned on him that he has lost his child and his offspring to the Western world because he did not inculcate the values of the language into his child, who should in turn pass it onto his immediate family and if possible, the next generation. Too bad for Adewakun, whose main concern now is how to mend fences between himself, language, culture and his son with his children.

Bunmi Mosimisolaoluwa, mother of three, had a similar problem when she delivered her second baby. Her mother came to Lagos to help her with the rigours of new born babies otherwise known in Igbo as “Omugwo.” Funmi, her first child was never a friend with the grandma. Her complaint was that grandma could not speak English while she too could not speak the Yoruba language. As such, there was no effective communication channel between them.

One day, Funmi’s mother took the new baby to the clinic for vaccination. Funmi was left in the care of her grandma. It was war between them within the short period. Grandma did not understand Funmi’s language of want of snacks in between meal and Funmi did not understand grandma’s language of “you just finished eating proper food, allow the food to digest before another food.”

Funmi cried, of which grandma misunderstood to be pettiness. She flogged her accordingly. When their conciliator came back from the clinic, Funmi did

Your children will learn English much more effectively if they continue to develop their first language at the same time

Prof. Ojo

not let her enter before she recounted how grandma “maltreated” her. The next thing Funmi did was to go inside and brought out grandma’s belongings, asking her to leave. “Every time, she will be speaking that her foolish language. She cannot speak simple English, even simple Yoruba. Let her go back to her village,” she murmured. Poor girl, one would say.

Most Nigerian parents are guilty of this offence. They don’t consider their language or dialect fashionable enough for their children. They probably believe making the children speak their mother tongue will make them misfits among their peers or they may not be able to speak English properly. It is sheer ignorance, as Mother tongue plays very vital role in communication. It is the window of identity and culture. According to Dr (Mrs) Titilayo Ojo, Professor of Linguistic at the University of Lagos,”Your children will learn English much more effectively if they continue to develop their first language at the same time.”

A key recommendation she suggested is that “understand that the more parents and teachers help children to use and develop their mother tongues, the better children are likely to do in educational performance, including second language skills. “Students that are prepared to be successful learners will be better language learners and will have a smoother transition into an all-English curriculum”, she said. She added that research has shown that many skills acquired in the first language can be transferred to the second language. For this reason, she advised that it helps if you can encourage your child to read

good fiction and non-fiction in her own language. Similarly, the skills of being able to plan out a piece of writing or develop an argument in a persuasive essay can be applied in the second language once they have been learned in the first.

“We don’t want our language to extinct.

Encourage children to communicate in Yoruba. If you are Yoruba for instance, inculcate the culture into them, promote the values so that they keep the good heritage flying. The same thing if you are Igbo, Hausa or Efik”, she said.

Lawal said there were students, who are willing to learn the language in the classrooms but cannot develop it on their own because their parents are not encouraging them at home. She said it is only in Nigeria that we don’t value our mother tongue because we want to copy other people’s language and way of life. She revealed that the Montessori school for instance, where parents are rushing to put their wards is not meant for every child. It is for children that are very passive in learning. It is therefore an irony that the Westerners are willing to learn most Nigerian mother tongues and are even paying high for it. Which is the reason the Unilever manager is paying her in Pounds just to learn the language.

She said anytime she arrived England, some reasonable parents gather their children for her to teach them Yoruba language. “I teach them Yoruba and its culture. I teach them to kneel down to greet.” Government is another factor that is not helping the situation any longer as they have erased it from SSCE, according to her.

42

MOM&PARENTING

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Leave your skin natural Oluwatosin Omoniyi

T

The family way

Naked in front of the kids Oluwatosin Omoniyi

T

he question really is when should parents cease being naked in front of their children? Is it healthy and safe to be nude in their presence?

In some families though, being nude in front of the kids is acceptable at any age.

To some others, it is totally way out of the culture and seen as a taboo or simply being body-prudish. A good number of Nigerian parents start hiding their bodies when their kids are able to talk and point.

While for others, it depends on the ages and gender.

For Bola Gidado, a naked mother and in front of the daughter is okay, but a nude dad and teenage daughter is awkward. It can also be influenced by culture. At what age, if ever, will you shy away from baring yourself before your children? “If I were a young girl, I would not want to see my naked father or brother. You can call me a prude but I wouldn’t care.” Said Gidado Nkiru Chukwura, believes that it should stop when the child and or parent is uncomfortable. “My son is five and he still sees me naked sometimes. I sometimes take him to have a bath with me.

He doesn’t make a big deal or feel uncomfortable yet. But with my seven year old daughter, not anymore with my husband because I think she got too old to see him naked when she was six. So, I guess I’ll stop when my boys are six.”

Chukwura, who is also a teacher with a private school in Lagos, said the topic is controversial, hence, there may be no regular answer for it. “In my opinion, it depends on the individual. If a child at any point displays discomfort, then you should consider respecting his or her wishes to cover up. I walked around naked long enough for my children to reach the age of curiosity. When I walked through the living room and my children

were no longer watching the Television, but instead, had their eyes on me, pointing, giggling,covering their eyes, making eyes contact with siblings because of my nudity; those were just a few signs that it had to come to an end.

“They are my children. Why should I feel uncomfortable being bare before them?”

Lynus Nweze, a businessman says, “Honestly, it all depends on the family and their culture. I still help bath my son and he sees me get dressed and the innocence is still prevalent within him.

It rather should be a way of teaching him practically all about his body. The mother and I have taught them the difference between good, innocent and bad touch. Again, we don’t watch bad nudity on television where they could start having funny ideas about their bodies. Naturally, I feel the time will come when they will realise the difference in their body growth and when that happens, another level of respect will happen.”

But Christy Nweze differs a little from her husband’s view. “It’s just taking it one day at a time.” With a boy and his Mom, she said whenever he stops looking at the mother’s face, because he is fascinated by her breasts, then you know it is ripe to avoid being naked in front of them. “My two daughters, would come in and talk while I am taking a bath. There is probably an age where it becomes strange or awkward, the issue I would be most concerned about is when the children start questioning their own body like if the mother shaves or doesn’t shave or waxes their privates’ hair. Or questions that has to do with tattoos and skin piercings.

These could impact them negatively as a teenager when they start to experiment.

I’ve heard of young girls saying their boyfriends want them ‘bald.’ The age of these

girls alarmed me the most! They were still in high school. Unfortunately in my family, nudity in front of the children is a taboo. In my parents’ home, going about nude in front of your child or children at any age was a taboo.”

To Samuel Oluwagbemisola, a Lagos based lawyer, nudity in front of the children according to African culture which is supported somewhere in the Bible is a curse. It is complete rubbish to dress or undress in front of the children. His words: “We are not Americans; hence, it is not in our culture to be nude in front of them. I believe that a parent’s nakedness before the children is very a wrong notion and counter to the African culture.”

He added that charity begins at home.

Seeing the parents’ nakedness might give the children funny and shady thoughts of what they wouldn’t ordinarily think of.

Theresa Ajewole, a guardian and counsellor says it depends on the family and their values. It also depends on the nature of the child. Parents need to be mindful of their child’s personality and confidants to decide if they are causing more harm, or allowing their child to accept themselves and be comfortable in their own skin regardless of how they look. “This topic is so controversial. In my opinion, it depends on the individual. If a child at any point displays discomfort, then you should consider respecting his or her wishes to cover up. I walked around naked long enough for my children to reach the age of curiosity.” “Mummy what’s that?”

Mummy, why don’t we have the same body parts down there?”

Even after the questioning and my explanations, I continued to walk around my home naked.

Finally, I ended it once I felt it was a distraction”, she concluded.

he concept of beauty in the Nigeria seems to revolve around a flawless and fair complexioned skin. There is a rising aspiration by women to have a fairer skin colour.

The thinking generally is that a fairer skin is a sign of beauty. The desire to look more beautiful and good is drastically taking an alarming level in the purchase of bleaching liquid soaps and creams. Oh no! There’s the desire to turn white from our God given colour. But there is something like a sense of inferiority attached to changing your skin colour. That is, buying whitening products for the desire of a perceived better colour. It’s no more news that the World Health Organisation, WHO, recently announced that about 77 per cent of Nigerian women, the highest percentage in the world, use skin-lightening products on a regular basis.

The report added that in many parts of Africa, lighter-skinned women are considered more beautiful and believed to be more successful and likely to find marriage. It also said it is not only women who are obsessed with bleaching their skins; men are involved too.

How wrong this impression could be?

Success and beauty are more of an inner thing and self confidence.

The latest trend now, (though it had been there, more pronounced now) is cream mixing. Last week, in one of the branches of a Second generation bank, a lady was going from one desk to the other, asking the staff what type of mixture they wanted- “brown, chocolate, sand colour or pure white. Depending on the demands,” she took their order with a promise to return in a few days time with her customers’ requests. One of the cashier said the woman is a perfect creamer mixer, who has been their customer for two years. Asked why toning cream, her answer was “it is survival of the fittest!” Ladies and some men try to outshine themselves not in their performance or capability at work but in their look and skin colour.

What they seem to ignore is that these toning or bleaching creams have their attendant dangers associated with the use of toxic compounds for skin bleaching. According to WHO, such dangers include blood cancers such as leukemia and cancers of the liver and kidney, as well as severe skin conditions. It said hardcore bleachers use illegal ointments containing toxins like mercury, a metal that blocks production of melanin, which gives the skin its colour, but can also be toxic.

According to Companies and Markets, the skin-lightening market is expected to be worth $19.8 billion by 2018, driven by demand among both men and women predominately from Asian, African and Middle East regions.

The question now is that, do you need to change your skin colour? My answer is no please.

FEATURES

43

NEW TELEGRAPH

newtelegraphonline.com/entrepreneur

ABIODUN BELLO FEATURES EDITOR

abiodun.bello@newtelegraphonline.com

TUESDAY, APRIL 1, 2014

Kid kidnappers: A dangerous dimension Involvement of children, as young as eight years, in abduction portends a grave danger for Nigeria, writes ABIODUN BELLO

A

bduction has become a multi-billion naira ‘business’ venture in Nigeria.

Although kidnapping is not a recent phenomenon in the country, it has become a money-spinning engagement in the last few years.

A few decades ago, abduction was not as rampant as today. Kidnapping cases were isolated and far in between.

They were mostly for money-making and other fetish rituals.

But a few years ago, abduction became a tool employed by the youths of the Niger Delta, the oil-rich region of the country. This was to call attention to the plight of the people of the area. The story of the Niger Delta was a story of neglect of the devastation wrought on the area as a result of oil exploration and exploitation.

Then, the youths were agitating for better living conditions for the people whose means of livelihood have been destroyed. Many people in the region, whose economic lifeline, which is either farming or fishing, has been cut off as a result of pollution from oil spills.

Then to draw the attention of the other parts of the country, the government and the international community to the plight of the indigenes of the Niger Delta, youths, later christened militants, adopted kidnapping as a tool.

However, the militants themselves turned it to an avenue to make money until the government of the late President Umaru Yar’Adua came up with the amnesty programme.

But youths of other regions, particularly the South-East, also saw a way to enrich themselves through abduction for ransom. It also spread across the country to such areas as the South-West and the North.

Occasionally, the dreaded Islamic fundamentalist group, Boko Haram, also abducts important personalities for ransom.

But more worrisome is the dimension that has been added to the abduction phenomenon. Now, almost everybody is involved, including toddlers.

Late last year, the police in Imo State raised the alarm over the rise in the rate of neighbourhood kidnapping in the state.

The Commissioner of Police, Muhammad Musa Katsina, who sounded the alarm, said the command was being confronted with the activities of

teenage kidnappers in parts of the state.

Katsina said some suspects within the age bracket of eight to 11 years were already in police net for stage-managing the abduction of their relations and collecting money to set them free.

At an interactive session with journalists in Owerri, the commissioner said a young suspect, who callously stage-managed the abduction of his father had been arrested.

He disclosed that another, who masterminded the kidnap of a reverend sister, was also being held at the state police headquarters, Owerri.

Katsina appealed to parents and guardians to always monitor the activities of their children and wards to keep them away from crime.

Speaking with New Telegraph on why kidnapping has become entrenched in the country, Dr Augustine Dokpesi, a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Sociology, University of Benin (UNIBEN), said it was because of free money in terms of ransom being collected by kidnappers.

He said: “The issue of kidnapping in Nigeria is a product of societal pressure on the family, most especially. While the problems of poverty, unemployment,

The free money which the oil wealth provides for Nigerian politicians is the same free money abduction ransom provides for these criminal elements

weak and compromised security system, and the unnecessary value placed on wealth creation provided the enabling environment for the emergence of kidnapping; ransom payment and its social effect are the social forces which reinforce this phenomenon.

“Most families in Nigeria are being pulled backward by the strings of poverty and unemployment as they try to attain the societal value of ‘wealth creation.’”

Dokpesi said as a typical African society, Nigeria is an extended family based society, consequently, when a young member is employed or economically empowered, after he might have struggled under the yoke of poverty to be educated with the assistance of the poor family, he is expected to reciprocate by performing his filial obligation towards his parents and siblings to assist in improving the socioeconomic status of the family.

He said: “The more the wealth you have created, the better the chances of achieving this. However, because families do not have equal access and opportunities to socioeconomic necessities of life, some still remain poor because of the unemployment experienced by their educated young ones.

“Yet virtually every one shares in the value of ‘wealth creation’ in a society where people eulogise the rich; and perhaps until recently, nobody bothered about how you make your money.

“Consequently, some of the reasons why politicians embezzle money in office, and why some elements get involved in oil-theft are perhaps the same reasons why kidnapping thrives in Nigeria. Everyone wants to run far away from pov-

erty and be eulogised by others.”

This, according to him, is one of the pull factors drawing many to such crime.

Dokpesi added that the fact that children are now involved as facilitators or errand boys shows that the act of kidnapping has become a social network.

According to him, the free money which the oil wealth provides for Nigerian politicians is the same free money abduction ransom provides for these criminal elements.

“It is this free ransom (money) that attracts youth and intensifies kidnapping in Nigeria. Apart from the fact that society has not been able to address this because of security lapses, some communities find themselves entangled in the web of ethnic sentiments”.

Speaking on the issue, a security expert, who is the Executive Director, Fountain Guards, Richard Amuwa said, Nigeria descended to the level where children below 10 years old engaged in kidnapping for money because Nigerians had placed money above everything else.

He said: “We have lost the family value. A terrorist, armed robber or kidnapper came from a family. If parents have not abandoned their responsibilities, we will not be where we are today.”

Like Dokpesi, Amuwa, who presents and produces Security 24/7 on radio, blamed the love of money for many of the social vices in Nigeria.

He said: “A 19-year-old boy brings money or a car home; his parents will not ask him where he got it from.”

As a way out, Amuwa said there must be reorientation, retraining of children about societal values.

44 FEATURES At least a child, almost on a daily basis, is abandoned in Calabar and other parts of Cross River State, reports CLEMENT JAMES

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Born to be abandoned

“T

o lose one parent is a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness,” Oscar Wilde.

If Oscar were alive today, one would have asked the Irish author his thoughts on women who throw away their children or give them out for a pittance.

Recently, a popular street in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, was like a market place. People of different shades gathered, some with hands crossed over their chest, muttering, cursing and expressing disenchantment in various ways.

A-day-old baby girl had just been discovered in a waste bin by a young woman who had gone to dispose of some domestic waste.

Wrapped in a black cloth, the child’s voice could only be heard at a close range, an indication that she might have cried for a long time. She was taken away by a nurse to a motherless babies’ home in Calabar where she would remain for the most part of her life.

The baby, named Little Mercy, is a few months’ old. Watching her sleep at the Motherless Babies Home in Uwanse area of the state capital, one noticed an air of innocence, making one to wonder what must have forced her mother to take that drastic decision to abandon her.

According to the Coordinator of the home, Mrs Helen Usang, Mercy’s birth was premature, a condition which kept her in an incubator for two months.

Today, still very young to understand the circumstances of her birth and oblivious of what awaits her without a mother, she lives on, guided by foster parents in the home.

Mercy is not the only one in the home. Livet, Eric and about 20 others, including 23-year-old Okon who is suffering from Down syndrome, share the same fate with Mercy.

Okon, the oldest, can fairly express himself but one noticed some difficulties in his speech. Probably because of his condition, he has stayed longer than any other person as many others, according to the coordinator, have been adopted by wealthy individuals.

Child abandonment in Calabar has assumed a frightening dimension.

Hardly a month passes without one child or the other being abandoned by unprepared mothers who, often times, take advantage of the night to throw away these babies.

This attitude, apart from putting so much pressure on social workers, presents a big problem to the larger society.

For instance, the last one year has witnessed an influx of street children in Calabar and its environs.

Activities of these children have remained in the realm of conjecture as they have become pawns in the

Children of Uwanse Motherless Babies Home

Abandoning your child is synonymous with abandoning your blood

Mrs. Imoke

hands of their senior colleagues, the area boys.

Recently, the Commissioner for Social Welfare, Mrs Patricia Enderley, raised the alarm that street boys were invading Calabar. The alarm, far from providing respite, seems to have reinforced the boys, as they are seen everywhere within the city centre.

Child abandonment carries with it a peculiar social problem. According to a Sociologist, Mrs Angela Ogban, child abandonment is a natural social problem because it retards the potential of the child and deprives him of parental care.

She said: “In that case, an abandoned child could grow up with an imbued rage against society. This rage could take different forms and unless the society realises it, it could generate social malaise.”

On what could prompt a mother to abandon and leave her child to an unknown future, Ogban said the reasons vary.

“First and foremost, it is frustration; the fear of the unknown. Many

young girls are not prepared to be mothers,” she added.

Ogban pointed out that some irresponsible young men put some girls in the family way and thereafter, deny responsibility.

“And if this girl is not psychologically and financially prepared to handle the situation, she is forced into abandoning the child,” she said.

Fortunately, the same Oscar Wilde had a solution to this kind of situation: “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.”

Difficult situations have always served as human compass and many have come to realise that the condition of these accidental orphans may strengthen their resolve to sail through life.

It is for this reason that many enlightened, wealthy individuals have come to identify with the plight of the abandoned children.

For instance, the wife of Cross River State governor, Mrs Obioma Imoke, has established the Destiny Child Centre (DCC), which has provided succour and comfort to the abandoned children.

Besides, she has established a NonGovernmental Organisation, Mothers Against Child Abandonment (MACA).

This outfit is basically to sensitise mothers to the dangers inherent in child abandonment.

Recently too, the wife of the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 82 Division, Enugu, Dr Celine Yusuf, was in Calabar on a familiarisation visit.

Given her attachment to the plight of the motherless, she adjusted her itinerary to include paying a visit to and sharing love with inmates of Uwanse Motherless Home.

The visit was the tonic the children needed to show their ingenuity as they welcomed their august visitor with scintillating displays of traditional dances and innovative art work. Perhaps some, if not all of them, are looking at the sky.

To many, it was not the donation that was important, which in any case amounted to over N1 million, but the deep passion that could force a visitor far removed from this environment to make a detour to the motherless home.

It is such passion that the children at the Uwanse home and, indeed, all other children who share the same circumstances across the country, want to see on a daily basis.

It is very difficult to question the reason why innocent children should suffer for the mistake or carelessness of their parents, but Ogban warned of an impending divine punishment for those who take solace in the ignominious act.

She said: “Abandoning your child is synonymous with abandoning your blood. If God gives you a child by whatever means and you choose to abandon him, definitely God will one day require the child from you.

“And don’t forget, apart from the fact that you would have deprived him of a bright future, whatever social vices he indulges in goes into your account.”

On the part of the government, efforts have been made to ensure that anybody caught abandoning her child faces prosecution.

The Commissioner for Social Welfare, Patricia Enderley, said in a recent interview with journalists in Calabar that the government viewed the issue with serious concern.

This concern necessitated the enactment of the Child’s Rights Act which, according to her, provides very strict punishment for those caught. But so far, nobody has been caught and none has been prosecuted or punished.

METRO 45

April 1, 2014

We’ll eradicate water-borne diseases – LG chairman

C

Braide with the children

Let’s identify with the orphans – Braide Juliana Francis

L

agos State Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, has called on the people to assist the less privileged, particularly the orphans.

Braide made the call while marking her birthday with inmates of Heritage Homes Orphanage in Lagos.

The PPRO said she thought it fit to celebrate her birthday with the kids.

She said: “My birthday was on March 25 but instead of celebrating it as I did last year, I de-

cided that I would spend it with these children because I have really been touched by them.

“I have donated some of the things I know that they will need.

Today is not about speeches but celebration. It is good for us to always remember them and I hope we can make impact in their lives in any way we can.”

Braide donated cartons of noodles, toiletries, drinks, bags of rice and other items to the orphans who came out in droves to welcome and celebrate with her.

The Administrative Officer of the orphanage, Mr Kola Akinola, urged the public to emulate Braide’s gesture, adding that the importance of giving could never be over emphasised.

Akinola said that the orphanage was a transit home as its aim was to rescue abandoned orphans and connect them with foster parents within the shortest possible time.

The administrative officer disclosed that most of the chil-

dren in the orphanage were between the ages of 0 and 4, adding that the orphanage could still use more generous donations.

He said: “This orphanage is a model transit home. The vision of this place is not to keep a child until the age of marriage.

The aim here is to save lives of babies that have been orphaned or abandoned. Some of the babies come with certain medical conditions so we begin to rehabilitate them.

“As soon as this is done, we try as quickly as possible to get a parent for the child but if the child is over five and has not found a parent, the child is then taken to the Lekki branch of the orphanage because the directive is that children that are four years apart should not share the same room.

“We don’t make money from this orphanage but through the help of some good members of the society, we have been able to keep the dream alive.”

hair man, Odeda Local Government Area of Ogun State, Sulaiman Mukaram Adebayo, has said that his administration was ready to eradicate water-borne diseases in the area.

Adebayo said this during the launch of the distribution of free ceramic water pots (Omilero pots) to rural dwellers in the council by the governor’s wife, Mrs Olufunso Amosun.

The chairman promised that his administration would support efforts of Governor Ibikunle Amosun to eradicate water-borne diseases sometime

discovered at Apojola, Osiele, Orile Ilugun and Alagbagba communities.

Also in her address at Apojola and Olodo, Mrs Amosun said that in line with her support for the government’s mission to rebuild Ogun State, she was collaborating with the Ministry of Rural Development to raise the living standard of the rural dwellers through the distribution of over 5,000 free ceramic water pots.

The governor’s wife, according to a statement by the Director of Information, Odeda council, Mr ‘Tope

Oyekan, described the pots as an effective means of filtering water of dirt, debris and bacteria.

According to her, it is small and also of lightweight but helps to remove most pathogens and suspended solids, thereby making the filtered water to taste good and be safe for drinking, while also contributing to the social well-being of the people at the grassroots.

High point of the event was the distribution of the ceramic pots to victims of waterborne diseases in the affected communities.

Mrs Amosun flanked by Adebayo( right) and the Commissioner for Rural Development, Falilu Sabitu at Olodo Motor Park during the distribution

11 arrested for Lagos violent clashes Juliana Francis

P

olice yesterday arrested 11 people suspected to be members of notorious gangs, terrorising different parts of Lagos metropolis.

The police also recovered from them several machetes.

According to a police source, the suspects were part of those who had been fighting and killing at Mushin, Ijora Badia and Orile communities.

The suspects were transferred to the Special Anti- Robbery Squad (SARS), Ikeja. Although 11 of them are in the custody of SARS, police said they were still hunting for other fleeing members.

The suspects were said to have been ap-

prehended following reports of their involvement in a series of murder, armed robbery, gang clashes and rape that had for long engulfed the aforementioned areas.

In deed there was tension at Sari, Ismaila and Akinola Streets in Orile at the weekend as factions of hoodlums clashed with dangerous weapons.

It was gathered that about eight people were injured, with about 10 shops looted during the fight.

A trader, Alhaja Alirat Balogun, explained that the thugs always took advantage of their clash to rob people and break into shops to loot.

Another trader in the area, who gave her name as Ramota Animashaun, also corroborated Balogun’s claim.

She said that constant clashes from factions of hoodlums in Orile had forced a lot of traders to abandon their shop and relocated.

The Chairman of Apapa Iganmu Local Council Development Area, Mr Adeshola Adedayo, admitted that the area had been witnessing some security challenges in the last few weeks, adding that no fewer than four people had been killed in clashes among hoodlums.

Adedayo said that the suspects were picked at their different hideouts following a resolution at a security stakeholders’ meeting held after a serious clash.

Meanwhile, another police source disclosed that a powerful politician had started lobbying to get the suspects released on bail.

Daily Summary as of 31/03/2014 Printed 31/03/2014 14:32:07.007

46 BUSINESS | CAPITAL MARKET

Daily Summary (Equities) Sanctity of Truth

Activity Summary on Board EQTY FINANCIAL SERVICES Other Financial Institutions FCMB GROUP PLC. STANBIC IBTC HOLDINGS PLC UBA CAPITAL PLC Other Financial Institutions Totals

Daily Summary as of 31/03/2014

Tuesday, April 1, 2014 Symbol FCMB STANBIC UBCAP

No. of Deals 71 23 76 596

Symbol EVANSMED FIDSON GLAXOSMITH MAYBAKER NEIMETH PHARMDEKO

No. of Deals 4 24 7 7 8 1 51

Current Price 3.38 20.50 2.48

Quantity Traded 8,209,370 432,048 6,166,155 38,961,430

Value Traded 28,046,543.92 8,862,789.07 15,468,071.29 330,798,346.26

353,451,008

2,555,697,434.74

Current Price 2.22 2.88 70.00 2.00 1.45 1.57

Quantity Traded 32,382 760,182 28,786 27,030 200,000 50 1,048,430

Value Traded 69,945.12 2,212,477.16 2,015,965.86 52,867.90 290,000.00 75.00 4,641,331.04

1,048,430

4,641,331.04

Current Price 0.61

Quantity Traded 4,430,700 4,430,700

Value Traded 2,952,927.00 2,952,927.00

The Nigerian Stock Market Exchange as at March 31, 2014

Printed 31/03/2014 14:32:07.007

FINANCIAL SERVICES Totals

Daily Summary (Bonds)

HEALTHCARE Pharmaceuticals EVANS MEDICAL PLC. FIDSON HEALTHCARE PLC GLAXO SMITHKLINE CONSUMER NIG. PLC. MAY & BAKER NIGERIA PLC. NEIMETH INTERNATIONAL PHARMACEUTICALS PLC PHARMA-DEKO PLC. Daily Summary as of 31/03/2014 Pharmaceuticals Totals Printed 31/03/2014 14:32:07.007

Activity Summary on Board DEBT Federal

Bond Name 10.00% FGN JUL 2030 15.10% FGN APR 2017 16.00% FGN JUN 2019 16.39% FGN JAN 2022 Federal Totals

Symbol FG7B2030S3 FG9B2017S2 FG9B2019S3 FG9B2022S1

DEBT Board Totals

No. of Deals 1 1 1 1 4

Current Price 76.75 103.40 108.05 112.05

4

Bond Activity Totals

Quantity Traded 100 100 100 100 400

Value Traded 78,655.88 109,912.81 112,182.07 114,992.76 415,743.52

400

415,743.52

400

4

HEALTHCARE Totals ICT Computer Based Systems COURTEVILLE BUSINESS SOLUTIONS PLC Computer Basedon Systems Activity Summary Board Totals EQTY

415,743.52

ICT IT Services COMPUTER WAREHOUSE PLC Published by The Nigerian Stock ExchangeGROUP © NCR (NIGERIA) PLC. IT Services Totals

Daily Summary (Equities) Activity Summary on Board EQTY AGRICULTURE Crop Production OKOMU OIL PALM PLC. Daily Summary as of 31/03/2014 PRESCO PLC Printed 31/03/2014 14:32:07.007 Crop Production Totals Livestock/Animal Specialties LIVESTOCK FEEDS PLC. Livestock/Animal Specialties Totals Activity Summary on Board EQTY AGRICULTURE Totals

Symbol OKOMUOIL PRESCO

No. of Deals 2 34 36

Current Price 42.00 40.00

Quantity Traded 10,630 435,460 446,090

Value Traded 424,137.00 17,628,154.50 18,052,291.50

Symbol

No. of Deals 17 17

Current Price 3.17

Quantity Traded 593,457 593,457

Value Traded 1,910,900.69 1,910,900.69

1,039,547

19,963,192.19

Symbol AGLEVENT TRANSCORP UACN

No. of Deals 13 136 65 214

Current Price 1.40 3.75 54.51

Quantity Traded 241,009 Page 6,222,579 527,150 6,990,738

Daily Summary (Equities) LIVESTOCK

53

CONGLOMERATES Diversified Industries A.G. LEVENTIS NIGERIA PLC. Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATION OF NIGERIA PLC U A C N PLC. Diversified Industries Totals CONGLOMERATES Totals

214

CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE Building Structure/Completion/Other COSTAIN (W A) PLC. Building Structure/Completion/Other Totals Infrastructure/Heavy Construction JULIUS BERGER NIG. PLC. ROADS NIG PLC. Infrastructure/Heavy Construction Totals Daily Summary as of 31/03/2014 Printed 31/03/2014 14:32:07.007 Real Estate Development

UACN PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT CO. LIMITED Real Estate Development Totals

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) UPDC REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST Activity on Board EQTY RealSummary Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) Totals CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE Totals Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © CONSUMER GOODS Beverages--Brewers/Distillers CHAMPION BREW. PLC. GUINNESS NIG PLC INTERNATIONAL BREWERIES PLC. NIGERIAN BREW. PLC. Beverages--Brewers/Distillers Totals

Current Price 1.48

Quantity Traded 101,895 101,895

Value Traded 149,900.45 149,900.45

Symbol JBERGER ROADS

No. of Deals 4 1 5

Current Price 71.25 8.46

Quantity Traded 1,650 10,000 11,650

Value Traded 111,688.50 85,000.00 196,688.50

Symbol UAC-PROP

No. of Deals 11 11

Current Price 23.03

Quantity Traded 1,123,854 1,123,854

Value Traded 25,879,632.62 25,879,632.62

Current Price 11.02

Quantity Traded 100 100

Value Traded 1,085.00 1,085.00

1 1

31

Beverages--Non-Alcoholic 7-UP BOTTLING COMP. PLC. Beverages--Non-Alcoholic Totals Food Products DANGOTE FLOUR MILLS PLC DANGOTE SUGAR REFINERY PLC FLOUR MILLS NIG. PLC. HONEYWELL FLOUR MILL PLC NATIONAL SALT CO. NIG. PLC Daily Summary as of 31/03/2014 UNION DICON SALT PLC. Printed 31/03/2014 14:32:07.007 U T C NIG. PLC. Food Products Totals Food Products--Diversified CADBURY NIGERIA PLC.

No. of Deals 14 14

UPDCREIT

1,237,499 Page

No. of Deals 5 81 9 91 186

Current Price 13.79 200.00 24.20 152.98

Quantity Traded 114,540 206,864 29,477 3,346,230 3,697,111

Value Traded 1,579,506.60 40,938,739.68 749,010.57 500,847,630.02 544,114,886.87

Symbol 7UP

No. of Deals 4 4

Current Price 90.00

Quantity Traded 8,350 8,350

Value Traded 713,925.00 713,925.00

Symbol DANGFLOUR DANGSUGAR FLOURMILL HONYFLOUR NASCON UNIONDICON UTC

No. of Deals 120 82 87 39 26 1 15 370

Current Price 8.75 9.90 68.00 3.87 12.21 14.14 0.57

Quantity Traded 977,496 3,318,835 1,127,643 2,635,845 380,228 1,300 277,087 8,718,434

Value Traded 8,513,381.10 31,833,334.70 75,723,577.54 10,192,435.14 4,707,955.75 17,472.00 159,682.40 131,147,838.63

Symbol

No. of Deals 50

Current Price 78.55

Quantity Traded 152,226

Value Traded 11,589,258.06

Page

Published

by TheSummary Nigerian Stock Exchange © Activity on Board EQTY

CONSUMER GOODS Food Products--Diversified NESTLE NIGERIA PLC. Food Products--Diversified Totals

3

of

Symbol NESTLE

No. of Deals 58 108

Current Price 1,050.00

Quantity Traded 43,808 196,034

Value Traded 45,758,374.09 57,347,632.15

Household Durables VITAFOAM NIG PLC. Household Durables Totals

Symbol VITAFOAM

No. of Deals 4 4

Current Price 4.25

Quantity Traded 5,457 5,457

Value Traded 22,090.45 22,090.45

Personal/Household Products P Z CUSSONS NIGERIA PLC. UNILEVER NIGERIA PLC. Personal/Household Products Totals

Symbol PZ UNILEVER

No. of Deals 37 52 89

Current Price 31.10 45.15

Quantity Traded 289,493 169,897 459,390

Value Traded 8,754,444.50 7,644,076.23 16,398,520.73

13,084,776

749,744,893.83

Quantity Traded 12,700,752 5,012,937 45,693,133 2,248,464 19,575,197 12,108,756 150,889,824 29,937,144 532,510

Value Traded 94,570,953.80 31,957,445.25 603,382,981.34 4,970,195.86 498,498,170.62 44,331,997.05 372,570,672.19 210,316,485.10 5,297,932.18

CONSUMER GOODS Totals FINANCIAL SERVICES Banking ACCESS PLC. Daily Summary as of BANK 31/03/2014 DIAMOND BANK PLC Printed 31/03/2014 14:32:07.007 ECOBANK TRANSNATIONAL INCORPORATED FIDELITY BANK PLC GUARANTY TRUST BANK PLC. SKYE BANK PLC STERLING BANK PLC. UNITED FOR AFRICA PLC Daily Summary as ofBANK 31/03/2014 Activity Summary on Board EQTY UNION BANK NIG.PLC. Printed 31/03/2014 14:32:07.007

FINANCIAL SERVICES Banking UNITY BANK PLC WEMA BANK PLC. ZENITH INTERNATIONAL BANK PLC Activity Summary Banking Totals on Board EQTY

Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange ©

FINANCIAL InsuranceSERVICES Carriers, Brokers and Services Insurance Carriers, Brokers and Services AIICO INSURANCE PLC. CONTINENTAL REINSURANCE PLC CORNERSTONE INSURANCE COMPANY PLC. EQUITY ASSURANCE PLC. GREAT NIGERIAN INSURANCE PLC INTERNATIONAL ENERGY INSURANCE COMPANY PLC MANSARD INSURANCE PLC N.E.M INSURANCE CO (NIG) PLC. NIGER INSURANCE CO. PLC. OASIS INSURANCE PLC PRESTIGE ASSURANCE CO. PLC. STANDARD TRUST ASSURANCE PLC STANDARD ALLIANCE INSURANCE PLC. UNITY KAPITAL ASSURANCE PLC WAPIC INSURANCE PLC Insurance Carriers, Brokers and Services Totals Mortgage Carriers, Brokers and Services ASO SAVINGS AND LOANS PLC Published by The Nigerian StockBrokers Exchange © Services Totals Mortgage Carriers, and Daily Summary as of 31/03/2014 Printed 31/03/2014 14:32:07.007 Other Financial Institutions AFRICA PRUDENTIAL REGISTRARS PLC CUSTODIAN AND ALLIED PLC FBN HOLDINGS PLC

Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange ©

761 Symbol ACCESS DIAMONDBNK ETI FIDELITYBK GUARANTY SKYEBANK Daily Summary STERLNBANK UBA UBN

No. of Deals 111 75 75 76 432 (Equities) 110 170 206 47

Current Price 7.45 6.35 13.20 2.20 25.50 3.67 2.65 7.00 9.94

Page

4

of

Electronic and Electrical Products Totals Packaging/Containers BETA GLASS CO PLC. Packaging/Containers Totals

THOMAS WYATT NIG. PLC. Paper/Forest Products Totals

NATURAL RESOURCES Totals OIL AND GAS Energy Equipment and Services Activity Summary on Board EQTY JAPAUL OIL & MARITIME SERVICES PLC Energy Equipment and Services Totals

Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors CONOIL PLC ETERNA PLC. FORTE OIL PLC. MOBIL OIL NIG PLC. MRS OIL NIGERIA PLC. TOTAL NIGERIA PLC. Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors Totals

Apparel Retailers LENNARDS (NIG) PLC. Apparel Retailers Totals

Automobile/Auto Part Retailers R T BRISCOE PLC. Automobile/Auto Part Retailers Totals

13

13

Value Traded 28,815.50 818,099.97 346,985,730.27 2,213,729,479.13

Symbol Symbol AIICO CONTINSURE CORNERST EQUITYASUR GNI INTENEGINS MANSARD NEM NIGERINS OASISINS PRESTIGE STACO STDINSURE UNITYKAP WAPIC

No. of Deals No. of Deals 28 2 4 4 3 7 2 24 1 26 2 1 1 1 48 154

Current Price Current Price 0.77 0.98 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.62 2.08 0.79 0.50 0.50 0.56 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.75

Quantity Traded Quantity Traded 2,732,156 300,000 341,000 30,500 246,200 914,056 2,000 1,322,187 10,000 3,358,957 4,767,172 22 25,000 4,000 3,226,255 17,279,505

Value Traded Value Traded 2,109,542.84 294,000.00 170,500.00 15,250.00 123,100.00 567,084.12 4,260.00 1,026,502.02 5,000.00 1,681,525.54 2,669,616.32 11.00 12,500.00 2,000.00 2,437,717.51 11,118,609.35

Symbol ASOSAVINGS

No. of Deals 2 2

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 102,000 Page 102,000

Value Traded 51,000.00 5 of 13 51,000.00

Symbol AFRIPRUD CUSTODYINS FBNH

No. of Deals 60 16 350

Current Price 2.96 2.10 12.60

Quantity Traded 1,519,208 1,089,458 21,545,191

Value Traded 4,549,114.86 2,271,516.89 271,600,310.23 of

FINANCIAL SERVICES Totals HEALTHCARE Pharmaceuticals EVANS MEDICAL PLC. FIDSON HEALTHCARE PLC GLAXO SMITHKLINE CONSUMER NIG. PLC. MAY & BAKER NIGERIA PLC. NEIMETH INTERNATIONAL PHARMACEUTICALS PLC PHARMA-DEKO PLC. Pharmaceuticals Totals HEALTHCARE Totals ICT

No. of Deals 71 23 76 596

Current Price 3.38 20.50 2.48

2,347 Symbol EVANSMED FIDSON GLAXOSMITH MAYBAKER NEIMETH PHARMDEKO

No. of Deals 4 24 7 7 8 1 51 51

Current Price 2.22 2.88 70.00 2.00 1.45 1.57

No. of Deals 1 1 2

Current Price 5.85 15.99

Quantity Traded 500 Page 749 1,249

7

Symbol CHAMS

No. of Deals 3 3

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 80,000 80,000

Value Traded 40,000.00 40,000.00

4,511,949

3,007,091.80

11 Symbol ASHAKACEM BERGER CAP CCNN DANGCEM Daily Summary DNMEYER PAINTCOM PORTPAINT

Value Traded 2,780.00 of 13 11,384.80 14,164.80

No. of Deals 65 21 30 21 86 (Equities) 4 1 1

Current Price 16.06 8.90 40.62 9.75 241.93 1.16 1.81 4.10

Quantity Traded 749,009 56,300 154,184 91,718 779,591 123,955 100 2,000

Value Traded 12,051,115.07 480,598.36 5,953,189.78 865,040.22 184,059,263.52 143,348.25 172.00 8,000.00

Symbol PREMPAINTS WAPCO

No. of Deals 1 18 248

Current Price 10.93 109.50

Quantity Traded 11,880 76,127 2,044,864

Value Traded 123,433.20 8,130,609.43 211,814,769.83

Symbol CUTIX

No. of Deals 2 2

Current Price 2.07

Symbol BETAGLAS

No. of Deals 3 3

Current Price 19.00

Page Quantity Traded 1,380 1,380

No. of Deals 1 1

2,718.60

Quantity Traded 3,500 3,500

Value Traded 67,925.00 67,925.00

2,049,744

211,885,413.43

Current Price 0.79

Quantity Traded 1,244,055 1,244,055

Value Traded 982,803.45 982,803.45

253 Symbol THOMASWY

8 of 13 Value Traded 2,718.60

1,244,055

982,803.45

Symbol JAPAULOIL

No. of Deals 9 9

1 Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 1,008,944 1,008,944

Value Traded 504,472.00 504,472.00

Symbol OANDO

No. of Deals 168 168

Current Price 16.30

Quantity Traded Page 3,886,309 3,886,309

9

Symbol CONOIL ETERNA FO MOBIL MRS TOTAL

No. of Deals 21 5 59 32 1 11 129

Current Price 51.90 3.83 96.50 125.00 54.44 172.95

Quantity Traded 57,505 6,182 751,198 98,602 500 10,514 924,501

Value Traded 2,694,114.17 21,395.12 71,356,855.71 12,139,541.54 25,860.00 1,800,747.80 88,038,514.34

5,819,754

152,308,377.15

Daily Summary (Equities)

306 Symbol LENNARDS

Value Traded of 13 63,765,390.81 63,765,390.81

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 3.31

Quantity Traded 24,446 24,446

Value Traded 77,004.90 77,004.90

Symbol No. of Deals Daily Summary (Equities)

Current Price 1.17

Quantity Traded 721,500 721,500

Value Traded 844,155.00 844,155.00

Current Price 4.47

Quantity Traded 75,700

Value Traded 334,010.00

22 22

Symbol REDSTAREX

No. of Deals 2

Symbol

No. of Deals Current Price 2

Quantity Traded Page 75,700

Employment Solutions C & I LEASING PLC. Employment Solutions Totals

Symbol CILEASING

No. of Deals Current Price 3 0.50 3

Quantity Traded 190,185 190,185

Value Traded 95,092.50 95,092.50

Hotels/Lodging IKEJA HOTEL PLC TOURIST COMPANY OF NIGERIA PLC. Hotels/Lodging Totals

Symbol IKEJAHOTEL TOURIST

No. of Deals Current Price 5 0.63 2 4.08 7

Quantity Traded 127,770 500 128,270

Value Traded 79,062.00 1,940.00 81,002.00

Printing/Publishing LEARN AFRICA PLC STUDIO PRESS (NIG) PLC. UNIVERSITY PRESS PLC. Printing/Publishing Totals

Symbol LEARNAFRCA STUDPRESS UPL

No. of Deals Current Price 20 2.04 1 2.40 13 4.00 34

Quantity Traded 1,131,269 500 456,411 1,588,180

Value Traded 2,172,210.36 1,140.00 1,835,591.90 4,008,942.26

Road Transportation ASSOCIATED BUS COMPANY PLC Road Transportation Totals

Symbol ABCTRANS

No. of Deals Current Price 7 0.90 7

Quantity Traded 926,517 926,517

Value Traded 811,869.79 811,869.79

Symbol No. of Deals Current Price AIRSERVICE 12 2.58 NAHCO 37 5.30 Daily Summary (Equities) 49

Quantity Traded 1,156,641 1,170,979 2,327,620

Value Traded 2,960,626.94 6,199,553.47 9,160,180.41

Activity Summary on Board EQTY Courier/Freight/Delivery RED STAR EXPRESS PLC

Daily Summary as of 31/03/2014 Printed 31/03/2014 14:32:07.007

Transport-Related Services AIRLINE SERVICES AND LOGISTICS PLC NIGERIAN AVIATION HANDLING COMPANY PLC Transport-Related Services Totals

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

Page

SERVICES SERVICES Totals

EQTY Board Totals

Daily Summary (Equities)

Value Traded of 13 334,010.00

10

11

of

125

5,982,418

15,412,256.86

4,153

396,459,918

3,792,092,879.93

Quantity Traded 640 640

Value Traded 838.40 838.40

640

838.40

13

Activity Summary on Board ASeM CONSUMER GOODS Food Products MCNICHOLS PLC Food Products Totals

Symbol MCNICHOLS

No. of Deals 1 1

CONSUMER GOODS Totals

Current Price 1.37

1

ASeM Board Totals

1

640

838.40

Equity Activity Totals

4,154

396,460,558

3,792,093,718.33

Daily Summary (ETP)

13

Exchange Traded Fund Daily Summary as of 31/03/2014 Name 14:32:07.007 Printed 31/03/2014 NEWGOLD EXCHANGE TRADED FUND (ETF) VETIVA GRIFFIN 30 ETF Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange ©

Symbol FCMB STANBIC UBCAP

Symbol CWG NCR

Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange ©

Activity Summary on Board EQTY FINANCIAL SERVICES Other Financial Institutions FCMB GROUP PLC. STANBIC IBTC HOLDINGS PLC UBA CAPITAL PLC Other Financial Institutions Totals

6 6

RTBRISCOE

SERVICES Courier/Freight/Delivery Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © Courier/Freight/Delivery Totals

Quantity Traded 57,631 870,036 17,481,689 297,108,073

6

COURTVILLE

OIL AND GAS Totals

Daily Summary as of 31/03/2014 SERVICES Printed 31/03/2014 14:32:07.007

Current Price 0.50 0.98 20.00

Page

OIL AND GAS Integrated Oil and Gas Services

Published by The Nigerian OANDO PLCStock Exchange ©

Integrated Oil and Gas Services Totals

No. of Deals 3 34 256 1,595

Daily Summary (Equities)

Daily Summary (Equities) Symbol No. of Deals

INDUSTRIAL GOODS Totals

Daily Summary as of 31/03/2014 NATURAL RESOURCES Printed 31/03/2014 14:32:07.007 Paper/Forest Products

Symbol UNITYBNK WEMABANK ZENITHBANK

Daily Summary (Equities)

INDUSTRIAL GOODS Building Materials PREMIER PAINTS PLC. LAFARGE WAPCO PLC. Building Materials Totals Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © Electronic and Electrical Products CUTIX PLC.

26,227,306.57 2 of 13

Symbol CHAMPION GUINNESS INTBREW NB

Daily Summary (Equities) CADBURY

INDUSTRIAL GOODS Building Materials Daily Summary as of 31/03/2014 ASHAKA CEM PLC Printed 31/03/2014 14:32:07.007 BERGER PAINTS PLC CAP PLC CEMENT CO. OF NORTH.NIG. PLC DANGOTE CEMENT PLC DN MEYER PLC. PAINTS AND COATINGS MANUFACTURES PLC Activity Summary on Board EQTY PORTLAND PAINTS & PRODUCTS NIGERIA PLC

Value Traded

52,222,778.87

51

ICT Totals

23,066,020.63 28,806,689.37 52,222,778.87

Symbol COSTAIN

Daily Summary (Equities) Symbol No. of Deals

Processing Systems CHAMS PLC Processing Systems Totals

1 350,068.87 of 13

6,990,738

2,347

Quantity Traded 8,209,370 432,048 6,166,155 38,961,430

Value Traded 28,046,543.92 8,862,789.07 15,468,071.29 330,798,346.26

353,451,008

2,555,697,434.74

Quantity Traded 32,382 760,182 28,786 27,030 200,000 50 1,048,430

Value Traded 69,945.12 2,212,477.16 2,015,965.86 52,867.90 290,000.00 75.00 4,641,331.04

1,048,430

4,641,331.04

Exchange Traded Fund

Name Exchange Traded Fund Totals

Symbol NEWGOLD VETGRIF30

No. of Deals 1 4

Current Price 2,068.00 17.33

Page

Daily Summary (ETP) Symbol

Quantity Traded 100 34,590

No. of Deals 5

Current Price

Value Traded 206,800.00 597,518.70 12

of

Quantity Traded 34,690

Value Traded 804,318.70

ETF Board Totals

5

34,690

804,318.70

ETP Activity Totals

5

34,690

804,318.70

13

BUSINESS | FINANCIAL MARKET NEWS 47

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

FMDQ Daily Quotations List

31-Mar-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

FGN Bonds Issuer

Rating/Agency

NA

NA

Description

Price

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

45.00 100.00 535.00 327.47 452.80 20.00 100.00 300.00 351.30 233.90 600.00 50.00 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

0.25 0.50 1.06 2.38 3.07 3.32 3.42 4.16 5.25 5.56 7.83 9.95 14.66 15.14 15.64 16.31

13.69 14.01 14.34 13.79 13.98 13.84 13.84 13.83 13.89 13.83 13.92 13.95 13.72 13.70 13.68 13.71

13.08 13.68 14.17 13.71 13.86 13.71 13.71 13.73 13.82 13.73 13.86 13.89 13.67 13.65 13.62 13.65

98.85 97.81 90.12 98.50 102.70 89.61 88.09 90.30 107.60 74.08 111.50 101.30 107.96 92.32 66.89 76.00

99.00 97.96 90.27 98.65 103.00 89.91 88.39 90.60 107.90 74.38 111.80 101.60 108.26 92.62 67.19 76.30

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

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

4,132.04

Rating/Agency

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

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

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

0.59 1.15 1.51 2.69 3.06 3.27

1.00 2.63 2.27 2.00 1.49 1.00

15.07 16.93 16.40 15.86 15.33 14.84

91.88 82.96 101.17 90.19 87.24 85.73

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 06-Jan-21

0.35 0.54 1.42 1.02 1.32 1.33 3.05 1.88 3.75 2.72 4.51 2.73 2.73 3.31 3.19 5.65 3.34 4.05 6.66 4.06 4.10

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 1.44 1.95

18.32 20.03 18.61 17.59 18.68 17.70 19.43 21.55 15.62 15.66 14.83 14.85 15.07 14.84 16.30 15.77 16.58 16.57 14.84 15.27 15.78

98.45 97.02 92.65 95.92 94.91 97.82 79.00 88.66 95.46 96.57 97.35 99.41 106.54 99.21 98.09 95.32 95.62 94.93 94.40 103.64 103.30

07-Oct-14 18-Dec-14

0.52 0.72

1.00 5.21

15.03 19.38

98.29 96.15

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 A-/GCR

KWARA NIGER KADUNA *EBONYI *BENUE *IMO LAGOS *BAYELSA EDO *DELTA NIGER *EKITI *NIGER *ONDO *GOMBE LAGOS *OSUN *OSUN LAGOS *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 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 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 14.50 15.00

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

567.90

Corporate Bonds A+/Agusto; AA/GCR Aa/Agusto Nil

LAFARGE WAPCO GTB µ NGC

Bbb-/Agusto A-/Agusto BB+/GCR A+/Agusto; A-/GCR

*UPDC *FLOURMILLS *CHELLARAMS

A-/Agusto

FSDH UBA

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

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

*C & I LEASING # *DANA *TOWER#

13.00 UBA 30-SEP-2017 18.00 C&I LEASING 30-NOV-2017 MPR+7.00 DANA 9-APR-2018

UBA

MPR+7.00 TOWER 9-SEP-2018 MPR+5.25 TOWER 9-SEP-2018 14.00 UBA II 22-SEP-2018

*LA CASERA *CHELLARAMS#

MPR+5.00 CHELLARAMS II 17-FEB-2019

*TOWER

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

#

15.75 LA CASERA 18-OCT-2018

NAHCO

15.25 NAHCO II 14-NOV-2020

IFC

10.20 IFC 11-FEB-2018

07-Oct-11 18-Dec-09

11.50 13.50

11.80 13.17

01-Apr-10

17.00

2.00

31-Dec-14

0.75

8.71

22.90

96.01

17-Aug-10

10.00

15.00

17-Aug-15

0.90

4.88

19.18

92.85

09-Dec-10 06-Jan-11 29-Sep-11

12.00 14.00 13.00

37.50 1.50 15.00

09-Dec-15 06-Jan-16 29-Sep-16

0.98 1.06 2.50

1.00 2.63 1.00

15.36 16.97 14.87

97.16 97.54 96.22

25-Oct-13

14.25

5.53

25-Oct-16

2.57

1.34

15.20

98.00

30-Sep-10 30-Nov-12

13.00 18.00

20.00 0.94

30-Sep-17 30-Nov-17

3.50 2.12

4.52 1.88

18.35 15.77

86.60 105.01

09-Apr-11

16.00

8.01

09-Apr-18

2.02

3.48

17.37

97.68

09-Sep-11 09-Sep-11 22-Sep-11

18.00 16.00 14.00

3.63 1.00 35.00

09-Sep-18 09-Sep-18 22-Sep-18

2.44 2.44 4.48

5.20 5.06 3.06

19.07 18.93 16.89

98.20 101.84 91.17

18-Oct-13

15.75

3.00

18-Oct-18

2.30

2.29

16.17

99.30

17-Feb-12 14-Nov-13

17.00 15.25

0.54 2.05

17-Feb-19 14-Nov-20

2.63 6.62

6.11 2.76

19.97 16.60

94.58 94.64

11-Feb-18

3.87

1.00

14.83

86.69

Maturity Date

Bid Yield (%)

Offer Yield (%)

Bid Price

Offer Price

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

175.67

Supranational Bond AAA/S&P

11-Feb-13

10.20

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE Rating/Agency

12.00

12.00 Issuer

Description

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Issue Value ($'mm)

FGN Eurobonds

Prices & Yields

BB-/Fitch; B+/S&P BB-/Fitch; BB-/S&P BB-/Fitch; BB-/S&P

FGN

6.75 JAN 28, 2021

07-Oct-11

6.75

500.00

28-Jan-21

5.55

5.40

106.76

107.61

5.13 JUL 12, 2018

18-Dec-09

5.13

500.00

12-Jul-18

4.64

4.43

101.85

102.67

6.38 JUL 12, 2023

01-Apr-10

6.38

500.00

12-Jul-23

5.95

5.83

102.96

103.85

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

1,500.00

Corporate Eurobonds Afren PLC I

11.50 FEB 01, 2016

01-Feb-11

11.50

450.00

01-Feb-16

3.67

3.09

113.72

114.83

GTBank PLC I

7.50 MAY 19, 2016

19-May-11

7.50

500.00

19-May-16

5.36

4.68

104.25

105.65

GTBank PLC II

6.00 NOV 08, 2018

08-Nov-13

6.00

400.00

08-Nov-18

6.14

5.92

99.43

100.30

B+/S&P

Access Bank PLC

7.25 JUL 25, 2017

25-Jul-12

7.25

350.00

25-Jul-17

7.02

6.61

100.65

101.87

B/S&P; B/Fitch

Fidelity Bank PLC

6.88 MAY 09, 2018

09-May-13

6.88

300.00

02-May-18

8.54

8.06

94.32

95.91

B/Fitch

Afren PLC II

10.25 APR 08, 2019

08-Apr-12

10.25

300.00

08-Apr-19

5.16

4.70

114.25

115.22

B-/S&P; B/Fitch B+/S&P; B+/Fitch

NA

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

NA

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

15.10 9.85 9.35 10.70 16.00 7.00 16.39 14.20 15.00 12.49 8.50 10.00

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

48 BUSINESS | FINANCIAL MARKET NEWS

Rating/Agency

Description

Issuer

452.80 20.00 100.00 300.00 351.30 233.90 600.00 50.00 75.00 150.00 200.00 591.57

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

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

KWARA NIGER KADUNA *EBONYI *BENUE *IMO LAGOS *BAYELSA EDO *DELTA NIGER *EKITI *NIGER *ONDO *GOMBE LAGOS *OSUN *OSUN LAGOS *EKITI *NASARAWA

NEW REGIME

Dealers are set to have very robust controls and strong governance framework that will enable them compete.

Chris Ugwu

N

igerian Stock Exchange has set new miniTOTAL(NSE) OUTSTANDING VALUE mum operating standards Corporate Bonds A+/Agusto; WAPCO forAA/GCR all dealing LAFARGE members liAa/Agusto GTB censed by the bourse.

The latNGC Nil Bbb-/Agusto *UPDC est initiative becomes effective A-/Agusto *FLOURMILLS January 1, 2015.

BB+/GCR *CHELLARAMS A+/Agusto; A-/GCR NAHCO The new standards stemmed A-/Agusto FSDH A/GCR the Exchange’s from efforts to UBA BBB-/GCR *C & I LEASING augment long-term protection BBB+/DataPro†; BB+/GCR *DANA A-/DataPro†; BB-/GCR *TOWER of Investors through the delivAAA/DataPro†; A+/GCR *TOWER ery of a sustainable securities A/Agusto; A/GCR UBA Bbb+/Agusto; BBB+/GCR *LA CASERA market.

BBB-/DataPro†; BB+/GCR *CHELLARAMS The standards cater for all A+/Agusto; A-/GCR NAHCO TOTAL classes OUTSTANDING VALUE memthree of dealing bers (broker dealers, brokers Supranational Bond AAA/S&P and dealers). They IFC address the TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE five broad areas of manpower and equipment; organisational Rating/Agency Issuer structure and governance; efFGN Eurobonds fective processes; global comBB-/Fitch; B+/S&P petitiveness; and technology. µ

#

# #

#

BB-/Fitch; BB-/S&P BB-/Fitch; BB-/S&P

FGN

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 14.50 15.00

KWARA 5-AUG-2014

Ms. Tinuade Awe, Head of NIGER 15-OCT-2014 KADUNA 31-AUG-2015 the Exchange's Legal and RegEBONYI 30-SEP-2015 ulation Division, BENUE 30-JUN-2016said the NSE 30-JUN-2016 has IMO undergone tremendous LAGOS 19-APR-2017 transformation over the last BAYELSA 30-JUN-2017 EDO 31-DEC-2017 couple of years and intends to DELTA 30-SEP-2018 NIGER II 4-OCT-2018 extend these forward-moving EKITI 09-DEC-2018 traitsNIGER to the dealing members.

III 12-DEC-2018 ONDO 14-FEB-2019is to transform "Our objective GOMBE 02-OCT-2019 the operators now with set miniLAGOS 22-NOV-2019 12-DEC-2019 mumOSUN operating standards in a OSUN II 30-SEP-2020 concise manner that is both LAGOS IV 27-NOV-2020 EKITI II 31-DEC-2020 easy to comprehend and impleNASARAWA 06-JAN-2021 ment. We intend to ensure that the broker dealers, brokers and 11.50 LAFARGE WAPCO 7-OCT 2014 dealers have very robust con13.50 GUARANTY TRUST 18-DEC-2014 17.00 NGC 31-DEC-2014 10.00 UPDC 17-AUG-2015

14.00 CHELLARAMS 06-JAN-2016

W

13.00 NAHCO 29-SEP-2016 14.25 FSDH 25-OCT-2016

ema Bank Plc yesterday 13.00 UBA 30-SEP-2017 said it had divested its 18.00 C&I LEASING 30-NOV-2017 majority stake in Great MPR+7.00 DANA 9-APR-2018 MPR+7.00 TOWER 9-SEP-2018Plc. Nigeria Insurance MPR+5.25 TOWER 9-SEP-2018 This contained in a state14.00 UBA is II 22-SEP-2018 15.75 LA CASERAby 18-OCT-2018 ment signed Mr Tunde LawaMPR+5.00 CHELLARAMS II 17-FEB-2019 nson, the company’s 15.25 NAHCO II 14-NOV-2020Head, Brand Management and Research, and made available to the News AgenIFC 11-FEB-2018 cy10.20 of Nigeria in Lagos.

Lawanson said that the new Chairman ofDescription the bank, Mr Tokunbo Talabi, had assured shareholders of the new board’s 6.75 JAN 28, 2021 commitment to ensuring opti5.13 JUL 12, 2018 6.38 JUL 12, 2023

#

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Issue Value (N'bn)

Maturity Date

Avg. Life/TTM (Yrs)

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

0.59 1.15 1.51 2.69 3.06 3.27

1.00 2.63 2.27 2.00 1.49 1.00

102.70 89.61 88.09 90.30 107.60 74.08 111.50 101.30 107.96 92.32 66.89 76.00

103.00 89.91 88.39 90.60 107.90 74.38 111.80 101.60 108.26 92.62 67.19 76.30

05-Aug-09

14.00

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Valuation Yield (%)

Indicative Price

15.07 16.93 16.40 15.86 15.33 14.84

91.88 82.96 101.17 90.19 87.24 85.73

Stock market sustains upbeat path

1,304.32

trols,15-Oct-09 strong governance 14.00 31-Aug-10 12.50 framework and sustainable 30-Sep-10 13.00 operations that will 30-Jun-11 14.00 enable 15.50 them30-Jun-09 compete on a global scale 19-Apr-10 10.00 30-Jun-10 13.75 for the benefit of the investors 30-Dec-10 14.00 and 30-Sep-11 the Nigerian capital mar14.00 04-Oct-11 14.00 ket" Awe said.

09-Dec-11 14.50 "The capital market 12-Dec-13 14.00 is very 14-Feb-12 15.50 dynamic with a diverse mix of 02-Oct-12 15.50 local22-Nov-12 and foreign investors who 14.50 12-Dec-12 14.75 can invest with the confidence 30-Sep-13 14.75 13.50 that 27-Nov-13 the dealing members oper31-Dec-13 14.50 ate pursuant to clearly defined 06-Jan-14 15.00 standards that are comparable to those to which broker dealers 07-Oct-11 11.50 in other climes operate.

Chris Ugwu05-Aug-14

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

T

15-Oct-14

0.35 0.54 1.42 1.02 1.32 1.33 3.05 1.88 3.75 2.72 4.51 2.73 2.73 3.31 3.19 5.65 3.34 4.05 6.66 4.06 4.10

31-Aug-15 he Nigerian equities market 30-Sep-15 continued its 30-Jun-16 northwards 30-Jun-16 price movement as inves19-Apr-17 30-Jun-17 tors’ sentiment on equities re31-Dec-17 mained green following a 1.07 30-Sep-18 04-Oct-18 per cent gain recorded by the 09-Dec-18 twin market12-Dec-18 indices - the NSE 14-Feb-19 All Share Index and market 02-Oct-19 capitalisation.

22-Nov-19 12-Dec-19 Consequently , at the close 30-Sep-20 27-Nov-20 of transactions yesterday, the 31-Dec-20 market capitalisation increased 06-Jan-21 by 1.07 per cent or N134 billion 567.90 from N12.312 trillion traded on 11.80 07-Oct-14 Friday, to N12446 trillion. 0.52

18-Dec-09

13.50

13.17

18-Dec-14

0.72

01-Apr-10

17.00

2.00

31-Dec-14

0.75

17-Aug-10 09-Dec-10

10.00 12.00

15.00 37.50

17-Aug-15 09-Dec-15

0.90 0.98

06-Jan-11

14.00

1.50

06-Jan-16

1.06

13.00 29-Sep-16 2.50 mum29-Sep-11 performance of the com- 15.00 pursued.”

25-Oct-13 14.25 5.53 25-Oct-16 2.57 13.00 20.00Lawanson 30-Sep-17 pany30-Sep-10 . disclosed 3.50 that 30-Nov-12 18.00 0.94 30-Nov-17 2.12 ``Following the CBN directhe Managing Director of the 09-Apr-11 16.00 8.01 09-Apr-18 2.02 09-Sep-11 18.00 3.63 09-Sep-18 2.44 tive for banks with subsidiaries bank, Mrs Cecelia Osipitan, 09-Sep-11 16.00 1.00 09-Sep-18 2.44 to either sell off their14.00 subsidiar- 35.00 had assured22-Sep-18 that the company 22-Sep-11 4.48 3.00 now fully 18-Oct-18 2.30 ies or18-Oct-13 adopt a holding15.75 structure, was focused on imple17-Feb-12 17.00 0.54 17-Feb-19 2.63 Wema Bank Plc., decided to sell menting its e-engineering ini14-Nov-13 15.25 2.05 14-Nov-20 6.62 175.67 her stake in the company. tiatives and customer service ``The successful bidding pro- improvement programme.

11-Feb-18 3.87 cess,11-Feb-13 which started 10.20 in 2011 led 12.00He said that its retail prodto the new ownership of Great 12.00 ucts FireProof, Motorflex and Nigeria InsuranceCoupon Plc. (%) Great Delight, which Issue Date Issue Value ($'mm)Savers Maturity Date Bid Yield (%) ``The new board wants to em- were sold under its e-business phasis that the corporate gov- platform, had also started grow07-Oct-11 6.75 500.00 28-Jan-21 5.55 ernance policy will be strictly ing.

Also, the NSE All Share In4.88 18.32 98.45 dex5.99 (ASI) appreciated by97.02 416.25 20.03 4.44 18.61 basis points to 38748.01 92.65 points 3.23 17.59 95.92 from points recorded 4.46 38,331.78 18.68 94.91 3.48 17.70 97.82 in the previous day.

5.59 19.43 79.00 7.60 21.55 of yesterday's 88.66 Further review 1.79 15.62 95.46 trading showed that investors 1.80 15.66 96.57 1.00 bought 396.414.83 million 97.35 shares 1.00 14.85 99.41 worth N3.7 billion in 4,154.

1.21 15.07 106.54 1.00 14.84 Financial services 99.21 stocks 2.46 16.30 98.09 showed mixed results as the 1.94 15.77 95.32 2.74 16.58 95.62 NSE Banking Index rose by 1.93 2.74 16.57 94.93 14.84 per1.00 cent, while the NSE94.40 Insur1.44 15.27 103.64 ance Index lost 0.04 per cent 1.95 15.78 103.30 of its former value. NSE Consumer Goods Index and the NSE Oil/ 15.03 98.29 Gas1.00 Index remained in positive 5.21 19.38 96.15 territory , rising by 1.30 per 8.71 22.90 96.01cent 19.18 92.85 and4.88 1.06 per cent respectively .

1.00 15.36 97.16 Brewery giant, Guinness Ni2.63 16.97 97.54 1.00 96.22 geria, led the14.87 winners having 1.34 15.20 98.00 4.52 86.60 gained N5.7518.35 to close at N200 1.88 15.77 105.01 per3.48 share. Similarly , Nigerian 17.37 97.68 5.20 19.07 Breweries firmed up by98.20 N2.98 5.06 18.93 101.84 to close at N152.98 per share.

3.06 16.89 91.17 2.29 16.17 99.30 Downstream petroleum market6.11 19.97 94.58 ers,2.76 Forte Oil 16.60 and Mobil 94.64 Oil Nigeria Plc, strengthened by N4.50 and N3.00 to close at N96.50 and 1.00 14.83 86.69 fiN125.00 respectively , while nancial services Trust Bank Offerfirms, Yield (%) Guaranty Bid Price Offer Price and Zenith Bank, rose by N0.98 Prices & Yields and N0.40, to close at N25.50 and 5.40 106.76 107.61 N20.00 respectively.

18-Dec-09

5.13

500.00

12-Jul-18

4.64

4.43

101.85

102.67

01-Apr-10

6.38

500.00

12-Jul-23

5.95

5.83

102.96

103.85

FMDQ Daily Quotations List

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

13.86 13.71 13.71 13.73 13.82 13.73 13.86 13.89 13.67 13.65 13.62 13.65

Sanctity of Truth

Wema Bank divests from GNI 12.00 FLOURMILLS 9-DEC-2015

13.98 13.84 13.84 13.83 13.89 13.83 13.92 13.95 13.72 13.70 13.68 13.71

Risk Premium (%)

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 A-/GCR

3.07 3.32 3.42 4.16 5.25 5.56 7.83 9.95 14.66 15.14 15.64 16.31

4,132.04

Dealing members get new operating standards Agency Bonds

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

1,500.00

31-Mar-14

The FMDQEurobonds Daily Quotations Corporate

the FMDQ B-/S&P; B/FitchOTC

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 and Disclaimer Statement.

PLC Terms of Use 11.50 FEB 01, 2016 01-Feb-11 11.50 450.00 01-Feb-16 Afren PLC I 3.67 3.09 113.72 114.83 GTBank PLC I

7.50 MAY 19, 2016

19-May-11

FGN Bonds B+/S&P

GTBank PLC II

6.00 NOV 08, 2018

08-Nov-13

Access Bank PLC

7.25 JUL 25, 2017

B/S&P; B/Fitch

Fidelity Bank PLC

6.88 MAY 09, 2018

B/S&P; B-/Fitch

First Bank PLC

B+/S&P; B+/Fitch

Afren PLC III

B+/S&P; B+/Fitch

B/FitchRating/Agency

Afren PLCIssuer II

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE **Treasury Bills DTM 10 17 24 NA 38 45 52 59 66 80 87 94 101 108 122 TOTAL OUTSTANDING 129 136 143 157 Rating/Agency 248 283 297 Agency Bonds 311 325 339

Maturity 10-Apr-14 17-Apr-14 24-Apr-14 NA 8-May-14 15-May-14 22-May-14 29-May-14 5-Jun-14 19-Jun-14 26-Jun-14 3-Jul-14 10-Jul-14 17-Jul-14 VALUE 31-Jul-14 7-Aug-14 14-Aug-14 21-Aug-14 4-Sep-14 Issuer 4-Dec-14 8-Jan-15 22-Jan-15 5-Feb-15 AMCON 19-Feb-15 5-Mar-15 FMBN

Description

Issue 10.25 APR 08, 2019

Date

8.25 AUG 07, 2020

9.20 29-JUN-20146.63 DEC 09, 202029-Jun-07 9.25 28-SEP-2014 28-Sep-07 4.00 23-APR-2015 23-Apr-10 13.05 16-AUG-2016 16-Aug-13 15.10 27-APR-2017 27-Apr-12 Bid Discount (%) Offer Discount (%) 9.85 27-JUL-2017 27-Jul-07 11.70 11.45 9.35 31-AUG-2017 31-Aug-07 11.75 11.50 11.90 11.65 10.70 30-MAY-2018 30-May-08 12.20 11.95 16.00 29-JUN-2019 29-Jun-12 12.20 11.95 7.00 23-OCT-2019 23-Oct-09 12.30 12.05 16.39 27-JAN-2022 27-Jan-12 12.45 12.20 14.20 14-MAR-2024 14-Mar-14 12.50 12.25 12.40 12.15 15.00 28-NOV-2028 28-Nov-08 12.80 12.55 12.49 22-MAY-2029 22-May-09 13.10 12.85 8.50 20-NOV-2029 20-Nov-09 12.45 12.20 10.00 23-JUL-2030 23-Jul-10 13.10 12.85 13.10 12.85 13.00 12.75 13.10 12.85 13.05 12.80 13.10 Description 12.85 12.90 12.65 13.00 12.75 13.10 12.85 13.05 0.00 AMCON 31-OCT-2014 (SR.5 TR.1)12.80 13.00 12.75 0.00 FMB 13.05 24-MAY-2015 12.80

17.25 FMB II 03-APR-2017 0.00/16.00 LCRM 09-DEC-2016 ***LCRM 0.00/16.50 LCRM II 20-APR-2017 *from the Amortising bonds, the average life is calculated and not the duration # 0.00/16.50 LCRM III 06-JUL-2017 Risk Premium is a combination of credit risk and liquidity risk premiums NA

**Exclusive of non-trading t.bills TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

Bonds

7.50

500.00

19-May-16

5.36

4.68

104.25

6.00

400.00

08-Nov-18

6.14

5.92

99.43

25-Jul-12

7.25

350.00

25-Jul-17

7.02

6.61

100.65

09-May-13

6.88 Outstanding Value 10.25 (N'bn)

300.00

02-May-18

8.54

Offer8.06 Yield 4.70 (%)

94.32

Coupon (%) 08-Apr-12 07-Aug-13

9.20 9.25 4.00 13.05 15.10 Bid Yield (%) 9.85 11.74 9.35 11.81 11.99 10.70 12.36 16.00 12.39 7.00 12.52 16.39 12.71 14.20 12.79 12.75 15.00 13.20 12.49 13.56 8.50 12.89 10.00 13.63 09-Dec-13

13.70 13.63 13.77 13.75 13.88 Issue Date 14.14 14.46 14.66 14.68 28-Dec-11 14.70 24-May-10 14.85

03-Apr-12 09-Dec-11 20-Apr-12 06-Jul-12

8.25

Maturity Date 300.00

TTM (Yrs) 08-Apr-19

Bid Yield 5.16 (%)

300.00

07-Aug-20

7.11

45.00 29-Jun-14 6.63 360.00 100.00 28-Sep-14 2,960.00 535.00 23-Apr-15 327.47 FIXINGS 16-Aug-16 452.80 27-Apr-17 NIBOR 20.00 27-Jul-17 Tenor Rate (%) 100.00 31-Aug-17 CALL 10.7500 7300.00 DAYS 11.0000 30-May-18 30 DAYS 11.3750 351.30 29-Jun-19 60 DAYS 11.7083 233.90 23-Oct-19 90 DAYS 11.9583 600.00 27-Jan-22 180 DAYS 12.2083 50.00 14-Mar-24 365 DAYS 12.5417 75.00 28-Nov-28 150.00 22-May-29 NITTY 200.00 20-Nov-29 Tenor Rate (%) 591.57 23-Jul-30 1M 12.1052

0.25 13.69 6.18 0.50 14.01 1.06 14.34 2.38 Money Market13.79 3.07 13.98 Tenor Rate (%) 3.32 13.84 OBB 10.25 3.42 13.84 4.16 13.83 O/N 10.50 5.25 13.89 REPO 5.56 13.83 Tenor Rate (%) 7.83 13.92 Call 10.25 9.95 13.95 1M 11.25 3M 11.92 14.66 13.72 6M 12.17 15.14 13.70 15.64 13.68 NOTE: 16.31 13.71 09-Dec-20

6.89

:Benchmarks 12.5838 13.1849 * :Amortising Bond 13.9077 µ :Convertible Bond # 14.3838 Risk AMCON: Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria Avg.ofLife/TTM 14.9560(N'bn) FGN: FederalDate Government Nigeria (%) Issue Value Maturity Premium (Yrs) FMBN: Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (%) IFC: International Finance Corporation LCRM: Local Contractors Receivables Management NIFEX NAHCO: Nigerian Aviation Handling Company 0.00Current Price ($/N) 978.35 31-Oct-14 0.59 1.00 NGC: Nigeria-German Company 24.56 2.63 BID($/N) 0.00 164.8500 UBA: 24-May-15 United Bank for Africa 1.15 17.25 6.00 1.51 Company 2.27 OFFER ($/N) 164.9500 UPDC:03-Apr-17 UAC Property Development WAPCO:West Africa Portland2.69 Cement Company 0.00/16.00 112.22 09-Dec-16 2.00 3M 6M 9M 12M Coupon

116.70 66.49

20-Apr-17 06-Jul-17

100.30 101.87 95.91

Bid Price 114.25

Offer Price 115.22

104.17

105.04

13.08 98.85 99.00 5.95 101.76 102.73 13.68 97.81 97.96 14.17 90.12 90.27 13.71 98.50 98.65 Foreign Exchange (Spot & Forwards) 13.86 102.70 103.00 13.71 89.61 89.91 Tenor Bid ($/N) Offer ($/N) 13.71 88.09 88.39 Spot 164.89 164.99 13.73 90.30 90.60 7D 165.13 165.40 13.82 107.60 107.90 14D 165.39 165.77 13.73 74.08 74.38 1M 166.00 166.74 13.86 111.50 111.80 2M 167.16 168.52 13.89 101.30 101.60 3M 168.26 170.55 6M 171.83 176.51 13.67 107.96 108.26 1Y 178.91 188.60 13.65 92.32 92.62 13.62 66.89 67.19 13.65 76.00 76.30

2M 4,132.04

0.00/16.50 0.00/16.50

105.65

Price

3.06 3.27

1.49 1.00

0.35 0.54 1.42 1.02 Implied Yield 1.32 1.33 3.05 12.22 1.88 13.91 3.75 13.71 2.72 13.45 4.51 2.73 2.73 3.31 3.19 5.65 3.34 4.05 6.66 4.06 4.10

4.88 5.99 4.44 3.23 Implied Portfolio 4.46 Price 3.48 5.59 101.4879 7.60 118.5984 1.79 82.9287 1.80 103.3416 1.00 1.00 1.21 1.00 2.46 1.94 2.74 2.74 1.00 1.44 1.95

NA :Not Applicable # :Floating Rate Bond ***: Deferred coupon bonds

Valuation Yield (%)

Indicative Price

15.07 16.93 16.40 15.86 15.33 14.84

91.88 82.96 101.17 90.19 87.24 85.73

†: Bond rating expired

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 A-/GCR

KWARA NIGER KADUNA *EBONYI Modified Duration *BENUEBuckets *IMO <3 LAGOS *BAYELSA3<5 >5 EDO *DELTA Market

14.00 KWARA 5-AUG-2014 14.00 NIGER 15-OCT-2014 12.50 KADUNA 31-AUG-2015 13.00Porfolio EBONYIMarket 30-SEP-2015 Total Outstanding Value(Bn) Volume(Bn) 14.00 BENUE 30-JUN-2016 15.50 IMO 30-JUN-2016 1,269.71 1,315.27 10.00 LAGOS 19-APR-2017 1,047.00 951.30 13.75 BAYELSA 30-JUN-2017 449.59 591.57 14.00 EDO 31-DEC-2017 2,766.30 2,858.14 14.00 DELTA 30-SEP-2018

NIGER *EKITI *NIGER *ONDO *GOMBE LAGOS *OSUN *OSUN LAGOS *EKITI *NASARAWA

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 14.50 EKITI II 31-DEC-2020 15.00 NASARAWA 06-JAN-2021

05-Aug-09 14.00 17.00 FMDQ FGN BOND INDEX 15-Oct-09 14.00 6.00 31-Aug-10 12.50 8.50 30-Sep-10by 13.00by Mkt 16.50 Weighting Weighting Bucket Weighting Outstanding Value 30-Jun-11Vol 14.00 13.00 30-Jun-09 15.50 18.50 19-Apr-10 10.00 45.90 57.00 0.46 46.02 30-Jun-10 13.75 37.85 50.00 0.33 33.28 30-Dec-10 14.00 16.25 25.00 0.21 20.70 30-Sep-11 14.00100.00 50.00 1.00 100.00 04-Oct-11 14.00 9.00 09-Dec-11 14.50 20.00 12-Dec-13 14.00 12.00 14-Feb-12 15.50 27.00 02-Oct-12 15.50 20.00 22-Nov-12 14.50 80.00 12-Dec-12 14.75 30.00 30-Sep-13 14.75 11.40 27-Nov-13 13.50 87.00 31-Dec-13 14.50 5.00 06-Jan-14 15.00 5.00

05-Aug-14 15-Oct-14 31-Aug-15 %30-Sep-15 Exposure_ Mod_Duration 30-Jun-16 30-Jun-16 19-Apr-1722.34 30-Jun-1738.47 31-Dec-17 39.19 30-Sep-18 100.00 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 06-Jan-21

18.32 20.03 18.61 17.59 INDEX 18.68 17.70 19.43 1,026.60 21.55 1,004.25 15.62 1,003.92 15.66 1,005.66 14.83 14.85 15.07 14.84 16.30 15.77 16.58 16.57 14.84 15.27 15.78

98.45 97.02 92.65 95.92 YTD Return (%) 94.91 97.82 79.00 2.6599 88.66 0.4246 95.46 0.3918 96.57 0.5657 97.35 99.41 106.54 99.21 98.09 95.32 95.62 94.93 94.40 103.64 103.30

BUSINESS | MONEY LINE 49

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Peter Amangbo is Zenith Bank CEO

SUCCESSION Zenith Bank is tapping from its tradition of grooming leaders.

has been ratified by the board of the bank.

Prior to this appointment, which is subject to confirmation by the CBN. Amangbo, who has been an Executive Director since 2005, is one of the longserving staff, having spent some 21 years in the bank.

He is expected to have understudied Emefiele to steer the bank on growth, which the new CBN governor has led it.

Zenith Bank has continued to maintain a robust performance, posting a profit after tax of N95.32 billion for the financial year ended December 31, 2013.

The bank's gross earnings stood at N351.47 billion against N307.08 billion achieved in 2012,

Abdulwahab Isa

T

he Zenith Bank Plc, the third-biggest lender by assets, has named Mr. Peter Olisamedua Amangbo as new Chief Executive Officer. He succeeds Mr. Godwin Emefiele who was confirmed last week as the next governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The bank conveyed the new appointment in a notification letter it submitted to the management of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) yesterday.

The appointment, which comes in to effect June 11, 2014

Amangbo

representing a growth of 14.46 per cent.

It also proposed a dividend of N54.94 billion in contrast to N50.23 billion declared in the corresponding period in 2012.

The dividend translated to N1.75 per share compared with N1.60 declared in 2012.Mr. Amangbo

Naira stabilises on ExxonMobil's $50m sale Meanwhile the Monday sale of $50 million by ExxonMobil, which stabilised the Naira was also supported by the sale of an undisclosed amount of dollar by Shell.

Traders said there was demand for the dollar from investors repatriating dividends, but the dollar sales by the oil companies provided support for the naira.

"We hope to continue to see stability in the market in the near term and a bit of appre-

Adeola Yusuf

T

he Naira, yesterday stabilised against the dollar after ExxonMobil sold $50 million on the interbank market.

The Naira, which had hitherto suffered rapid fall against dollar, closed at 164.95 to the dollar yesterday, the same level it closed at last Friday.

ciation early next week when Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) expects to sell dollars in the market," one dealer said.

The local currency has sustained a stable outlook since last week when the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) hiked the cash reserves requirement on private sector deposits at the end of its monetary policy committee meeting.

Economic Indicators As at M2* CPS* INF IBR MPR 91-day NTB DPR PLR Bonny Light Ext Res**

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

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

holds a B.Eng. Degree (Electrical and Electronics Engineering) from University of Benin and an MBA from the University of Warwick, Coventry in the United Kingdom. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered of Accountant Amangbo is vast in Corporate Finance and Investment Banking, Business Development, Credit and Marketing, Treasury, Financial Control and Strategic Planning and Operations. He was appointed to the board of the Bank and its subsidiary companies in 2005.

He was a pioneer Non-Executive Director of Zenith Bank UK. Before joining the banking industry, he was a senior consultant with PriceWaterhouse where he covered assignments in financial services, manufacturing and general commerce.

A statement from Zenith bank, said Amangbo “brings the experience and expertise to meet the current competitive

banking challenges that require constant innovation through proven leadership and teambuilding skills, an exceptional ability to drive product, process and customer service improvements and a talent for building partnerships with key business decision-makers. He also has demonstrable ability to motivate, mentor and lead talented senior professionals and to direct crossfunctional teams. “ He was part of the team that drove the Strategic Planning and successful execution for positioning the bank as one of the best in the country. “His exemplary leadership continues to make significant contributions to the banks growth.

As an Executive Director of Zenith Bank for the last nine years, Amangbo was responsible for the supervision of corporate and commercial banking, corporate finance, trade services and all the subsidiaries of the bank, “ the statement added.

Sterling Bank’s ‘Get Ready for Work’ gig holds Saturday

S

rerling Bank Plc has concluded plans to hold the second edition of its annual ‘Get Ready for Work’ Concert, billed for Saturday April 5, 2014 at the Kakanfo Hall, Ibadan.

The concert was conceived to change the mindset of graduates towards entrepreneurship and equip them with life skills to bridge the gap between employee expectations and employer requirements.

Already, Non-Governmental Organisations and professionals have aligned with the vision of the bank and commended it for coming up with the initiative.

Speaking at the pre – event press conference held in Lagos yesterday, representatives from LEAP Africa, Iyaduni Olubode and Muyiwa Afolabi of The Frontiers commended Sterling Bank for investing in the future of youths in country through the concert. Olubode opined that the programme would go a long way in preparing the minds of “our youth on challenges in the workplace and help build the required confidence to engage professionally and instill in them the confidence to communicate and relate with their colleagues.”

Similarly, Muyiwa Afolabi noted that the programme would transform the lives of the Nigerian youth and change their mindset about their fu-

ture. He said: “ The mindset of an average Nigerian youth when going to school to acquire degrees is to finish his programme and join an institution that will give him/her the best pay that would guarantee his/ her future.

“However, Sterling Bank though this programme is bound to change this mindset into one in which our youth will begin to think of being their own boss by embracing entrepreneurship. Those in paid employment will also begin to think of what they could give back to the institution where they earn their living and not necessarily what they stand to gain”.

Also speaking at the conference, the bank’s Chief Financial Officer, Abubakar Suleiman explained that the Concert was conceived to strategically help the lender actualise its Corporate Social Responsibility drive in the education sector. The concert/seminar, being the first of its kind, was set to address undergraduates, NYSC members and fresh graduates on setting off their careers properly.

A minimum of 2500 attendees are expected.

The bank plans to hold these concerts quarterly to provide a strong platform to build Nigerian entrepreneurs and project them to the next level in their businesses.

50 WORLD | NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Russian prime minister’s visit angers Ukraine

P

rime Minister Dmitry Medvedev flaunted Russia’s grip on Crimea by flying to the region and holding a government meeting there yesterday, angering Ukraine and defying Western demands to hand the peninsula back to Kiev.

The Ukrainian government denounced the visit, a few hours after the latest round of crisis talks between Russia and the United States ended inconclusively, as a “crude violation” of the rules of diplomacy.

Soon after landing in Crimea’s main city of Simferopol with many members of his cabinet, Medvedev held a government

meeting attended by Crimean leaders and outlined moves to revive the region’s struggling economy.

“Our aim is to make the peninsula as attractive as possible to investors, so that it can generate sufficient income for its own development. There are opportunities for this - we have taken everything into consideration,” he said, sitting at a large desk with Russian flags behind him.

“And so we have decided to create a special economic zone here. This will allow for the use of special tax and customs regimes in Crimea, and also minimize administrative procedures,” he

told the meeting, broadcast live on Russian state television.

Russia said it had pulled some troops back from near Ukraine’s eastern border, a move that could ease tension in the worst East-West standoff since the Cold War. The Defence Ministry said a motorized infantry battalion was being withdrawn from the region. A battalion numbers between 300 and 1,200 men.

However, Medvedev’s visit

taunted Western leaders by underlining their inability to force President Vladimir Putin to relinquish Crimea, seized after the overthrow of Russian-backed Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich and annexed on March 21.

Accompanying Medvedev, outspoken Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin - targeted by Western sanctions - left no doubt about the symbolism of the trip,

saying on Twitter: “Crimea is ours. Basta!”

Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed by telephone ways of stabilizing Ukraine and another former Soviet Republic, Moldova. A Kremlin statement quoted Putin as calling for a comprehensive solution that would a “blockade” on Moldova’s breakaway region of Transdniestria

Search for missing plane continues, Australia PM vows

A

ustralian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said yesterday the hunt for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 had no time limit, despite the failure of an international operation to find any sign of the plane in three weeks of fruitless searching.

A total of 20 aircraft and ships were again scouring a massive area in the Indian Ocean some 2,000 km (1,200 miles) west of Perth, where investigators believe the Boeing 777 carrying 239 people came down.

“I’m certainly not putting a time limit on it,” Abbott told reporters after meeting flight crews at Pearce airbase in Perth.

“The intensity of our search

and the magnitude of our operations is increasing, not decreasing,” he said, adding that searchers owed it to grieving families of passengers to continue the hunt.

Some families have strongly criticized Malaysia’s handling of the search and investigation, including the decision last week to say that, based on satellite evidence, the plane had crashed in the southern Indian Ocean on March 8.

Abbott rejected suggestions his Malaysian counterpart, Najib Razak, had been too hasty to break that news, given that no confirmed wreckage from the plane has been found and its last sighting on radar was northwest of Malaysia heading towards India.

North, South Korea trade artillery rounds into the sea

N

orth Korea fired more than 100 artillery rounds into South Korean waters as part of a drill yesterday, prompting the South to fire back, officials in Seoul said, but the exercise appeared to be more saber-rattling from Pyongyang rather than the start of a military standoff.

The North had flagged its intentions to conduct the exercise in response to U.N. condemnation of last week’s missile launches

by Pyongyang and against what it says are threatening military drills in the South by U.S. forces.

North Korea also accused the South of “gangster-like” behavior at the weekend by “abducting” one of its fishing boats and threatened to retaliate. The South said it had sent the boat back after it drifted into its waters.

More than 100 North Korean

shells out of 500 or so fired landed in South Korean waters, prompting marines from the South to fire back with more than 300 rounds into the North’s waters, defense officials in Seoul said.

Seoul also scrambled F-15s on its side of the maritime border, they said.

“We believe the North’s maritime firing is a planned provocation and an attempt to test our military’s determination to defend the Northern Limit Line and to get an upper hand in SouthNorth relations,” South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said.

In Washington, the White House called North Korea’s actions “dangerous and provocative” and said the country’s threats and provocations only isolate it further.

Health officials attending to a victim of Ebola virus in Guinea… Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF) said yesterday that the Zaire strain of Ebola virus was the most aggressive and deadly, killing more than nine out of 10 patients. MSF added that the geographical spread makes the current outbreak difficult to control

Ebola death in Guinea rises to 78

H

ealth authorities in Guinea are facing an “unprecedented epidemic” of Ebola, an international aid group warned yesterday as the death toll from the disease that causes severe bleeding reached 78.

The Ebola outbreak is the first of its kind in West Africa in two decades. Authorities in neighboring Senegal have closed the land border with Guinea. Liberia, another neighboring country, has confirmed two cases, one of them fatal.

Senegalese music superstar Youssou Ndour cancelled a weekend concert in Conakry, Guinea’s capital, because he feared the disease could spread in a large crowd gathered to hear him. Residents have steered clear of the hospital

in the city of two million where, according to authorities, relatives of one victim are being held in isolation.

The emergence of Ebola in Guinea poses challenges never seen in previous outbreaks that involved “more remote locations as opposed to urban areas,” said Doctors Without Borders. Ebola has struck down people in Conakry as well as in Guinea’s rural south.

“The vast geographic spread of the Guinea outbreak is worrisome because it will greatly complicate the tasks of the organizations working to control the epidemic,” said Mariano Lugli, the group’s coordinator in Conakry.

The Ebola virus was first discovered in Congo — then known as Zaire — in 1976. There is no

vaccine or specific treatment for it. The Zaire strain detected in Guinea can kill up to 90 percent of its victims who suffer extensive internal and external bleeding.

Officials have not conclusively ruled how the virus showed up in Guinea, a West African nation far from Congo’s borders. However, bats that carry the virus are eaten as a local delicacy in Guinea.

The virus can be transmitted from human to human through direct contact with the blood or secretions of an infected person, or objects that have been contaminated with infected secretions. Bereaved relatives can also contract the virus when coming into contact with the victims’ bodies at communal funerals, health officials say.

Uganda holds ‘thanksgiving’ event for anti-gay law

P

resident Yoweri Museveni of Uganda has launched fresh condemnation of gays, saying they deserve punishment because homosexuality “is criminal and it is so cruel.”

Museveni, who last month signed a bill strengthening criminal penalties against homosexuals, said yesterday that

he is “now mobilizing to fight” Western gays he accuses of promoting homosexuality in Africa.

Museveni spoke at a “thanksgiving service” organized by a coalition of Ugandan religious leaders and government officials who said the president deserves credit for defying Western pressure.

Thousands of Ugandans at-

tended the raucous event in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, many of them school children who sang and danced to anti-gay tunes that also railed against the West.

Some European countries and the U.S. have cut, delayed or reviewed aid to Uganda over the law.

Doping: AFN bans Lee Evans for four years Vincent Eboigbe

T

wo-time Olympics gold medalist Lee Edward Evans has been banned for four years after the Athletic Federation of

Nigeria Anti-Doping Committee found him guilty of administering performance enhancing drugs to a youth athlete.

The AFN Anti-Doping Committee met at the Obafemi Awolowo

SPORT

AUTHORITATIVE VOICE IN GLOBAL SPORT

University Ile-Ife on February 17, 2014.

Evans, who is a consultant to Lagos State Government, was banned alongside Coach Abass Rauf. The latter was banned for

51

life.

The panel headed by Dr. Ken Anugweje had Femi Ayorinde and Eric Campbell as members and James Eakyns as secretary.

The third accused Tony Osheku CONTINUED ON PAGE 55

NEW TELEGRAPH

Did you know?

ADEKUNLE SALAMI, DepUTY Editor, SPORTS

That Germany’s Lothar Matthaus has played in a tournament record 25 games at the World Cup

newtelegraphonline.com/sports

kunle.salami@newtelegraphonline.com adekunles@yahoo.com

TUESday, APRIL 1, 2014

World Cup team list

NFF, KESHI AT WAR AGAIN

Emmanuel Emenike (middle) arguing with the centre referee during Nigeria’s friendly match against Mexico

lNFF demands provisional list of 35 players lList not ready, nobody can force me to release it –Keshi

l“No country is talking about team list now, why Nigeria?”

Jude Opara Abuja

T

he rift between Super Eagles Head Coach Stephen Keshi and the Nigeria Football Federation over the players to represent Nigeria at the 2014 FIFA World Cup deepened on Monday as the coach

says he is not ready to release the provisional list of players for the mundial.

Chairman of the Technical Committee of the NFF, Christopher Green, last week told journalists in Abuja that Keshi would release a provisional list of 35 players this week a development that did not go down well with the coach.

Barca, Atletico clash in Camp Nou

Flying Eagles face Morocco test

}p-53

}p-54

Keshi said he did not know why the federation was insisting on the list being made public so early arguing that of all the other countries going to the World Cup, only Nigeria is talking about the team list now.

He also frowned at the call for a 35 man list saying such huge number may rather

be heavy and counter productive because of the short time to prepare the players.

Keshi said, “When I am ready, I will release the list whether it is this week or any time. I really don’t know why the list is so important that everybody is asking for it since the past two months. But it is

Bosnia ’ll attack Nigeria, Argentina –Ibisevic }p-55

CONTINUED ON PAGE 55

52 SPORT

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Countdown to Fifa World Cup

It hurts when ref’s error affects team’s fate – Howard Webb Referee Howard Webb officiated the final of the last World Cup. The 44-year-old, a father of three teenagers said “I think they (children) are proud of what I do, even if they don’t show it much.” He spoke to fifa.com on a wide range of issues.

Excerpts: How did your passion for refereeing start?

I dreamed of becoming a footballer too. If you speak to any of the referees here, they’ll all tell you that football is their passion. That’s why we do this job. It’s true that children dream of being footballers and we’re no different to them.

I worked hard to try and make it but I simply didn’t have the necessary talent.

What position did you play in?

I was a big centre-back. I could read the game well but I was never very good in the air, I suppose I just wasn’t good enough. I used to believe that referees were bald old men, which is why I didn’t really consider it as an option when my father [a semi-professional referee] suggested it to me. I thought, ‘No, that’s not for me’. Now that I think about it, maybe that’s what children nowadays think about me too! (Laughs) But my dad encouraged me and when I was 17 I decided to try it, along with a friend from school. That decision ended up taking me to the Final of the 2010 World Cup. Maybe I was there in a different capacity to what I had dreamt of, but I was there. I’ve travelled to 44 countries in five different continents. It’s incredible and has definitely been worth it.

So you would recommend it as a career path?

Of course. Anyone who’s passionate about the game should consider it as an opportunity.

Not everyone has enough natural talent to reach the top but if they have the right attitude, are willing to work hard and love the game, they can find a way to make it.

As a player, how did you used to treat referees?

I used to just concentrate on my own game.

Sometimes I ask myself how some footballers can comment on my performance when they should be focusing on playing. I was always very respectful towards referees. But do you know what? The current relationship between players and officials is very good. They trust the more experienced referees because they know them, have had matches with them several times and they understand that sometimes we do make mistakes. That’s part and parcel of the game as well.

If you had to pick the best and worst thing about being a referee, what would it be?

The best thing is being in the perfect position to enjoy the game we love. We don’t say this very often but it’s true: people pay for a ticket to go to a match, but I don’t. I just go. Of course I work hard when I’m there but I’ve got

a friend. I wanted to keep the memory the best seat in the house. The worst of what I had experienced alive which part is living with the inevitable is why I haven’t seen it again. It was a mistakes you make. It’s difficult.

The last thing I want people to difficult game and I think it turned out think is that we referee a match, better than I thought it had at the time. head home and think ‘right, that’s I was extremely focused on my job that night. Now it lives on in my mind and done and dusted now’. It hurts every in my heart. time we make mistakes, and it can have an impact on the fate of a team, a player, a coach or You must have a lot of stoeven our own reputation. ries from that match. Are Match officials do not there any you would like have fans cheering them to share? on and only appear in the There are severheadlines if mistakes are al, yes…[pauses to made. Does it require a think]. I rememspecial kind of character to ber leaving the become a referee? pitch and going Yes. The other day to look for my I read a report about father, who a match I officiated was in the and at the end they stands. He got put my name and me started gave me a grade. as a referee There were only and he had Webb two words an English “anonymously flag with the competent” words ‘Can’t play but can and I thought, ‘That’s perref’ on it. It was great. (Laughs) fect’. That’s what we want to be After you watched the as referees: replay of the anonymously Final, were there competent. Matchany decisions you would es don’t always have liked to change? pan out in a way Maybe one or two but at the time you have that means we can stay in the background, sometimes we have to raise our profile. But it’s to make decisions according to the information hugely satisfying to leave the stadium knowing you have and the position you’re in. It was a there were no difficulties. You go home feeling very tough game and you learn from experion top of the world. If nobody is talking about ences like that. I would have preferred for us you, you know did a good job. not to be so involved in the match. We always want people to talk about how great the game What do you remember most about the Final in was and the goals that were scored, but that Johannesburg between Spain and the Netherlands? was a very tight, intense game. You have to deal Walking towards the pitch, picking up the with what’s in front of you and do what you golden Jabulani ball and going past the World think is best with the right intentions. That’s Cup Trophy. I’d seen it many times before, both what we did. on television and in replicas, but there I was next to the real thing. It was the shiniest piece If England do well in Brazil, your chances of officiatof metal I’ve ever seen in my life: a golden statue ing in the latter stages of the competition would with a globe on top and a green base. It’s incred- decrease. How do you deal with those sorts of conflicting feelings during a tournament? ible.

We’re passionate about football and it’s only logical that we want our national team to go far.

Were you tempted to pick it up?

Yes! (Laughs) It had been a dream of mine. It We know that if that happens, if England win was a great honour to be there. Even speaking the World Cup, the positive impact on our game about it now my hairs - not the ones on my head would be huge. The best way of coping with it is to put it to the back of your mind because it’s as I don’t have any - but the ones on the back of my neck stand up on end! It was fantastic. That not something we can control. It’s a win-win situFinal completely changed my life. ation though. If England have a good tournament I’ll be happy, but if not then it’ll be a good How many times have you watched the game since opportunity for us. We’re going to Brazil hoping then?

England go as far as possible, we really are. If Just once. And I waited four weeks to do so. they do and we have to go home, as long as we’ve I sat down and watched the whole match with done a good job we’ll be satisfied.

Messi (left)

B

arcelona and Atletico Madrid will put their Liga title chase to one side when they meet in the Champions League on Tuesday.

The sides currently occupy the top two spots in the Spanish top flight - Atleti are one point clear of second-placed Barca - and clash this week in the first leg of their quarter-final tie at Camp Nou. There has been no previous meeting between the clubs in continental football, but their three domestic fixtures this season point to this being a hotlycontested encounter.

Robben

Bowditch happy to win Texas open

S

t e v e n Bowditch is happy to win the Texas Open in windy conditions Sunday for his first PGA Tour victory and a spot in t h e Masters. ‘’I’m over the moon. I really can’t believe it’.Every time I got out of check, looking ahead to the Masters and winning golf events and making my speeches before I was finished, I had to pull myself in check every time,’’ he said.

INTERNATIONAL SPORT

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Brazil 2014: FIFA favoured Nigeria against Ethiopia, says Bishaw Dapo Sotuminu

Barca, Atletico clash in Camp Nou Barca edged the Supercopa de Espana on away goals after both legs ended all square in August, while the Liga meeting in January finished goalless.

Despite their proximity in La Liga, Barca head into the last-eight tie with far greater experience of Europe’s premier club competition.

The Blaugrana will be looking to extend their record of having contested the semi-finals in the last six seasons, while Atleti are in the quarter-finals for the first time since 1997 and have not reached the last four for 40 years.

S

acked Ethiopia chief coach, Sewnet Bishaw, has openly accused the Federation of International Football Association, FIFA, of conspiring to see the Walya Antelopes of Ethiopia miss out of the Brazil 2014 World Cup by helping Nigeria to secure an undeserved victory against his team both at home and away.

He attacked the top hierarchy of FIFA for bringing the game to disrepute as they clearly

A

favoured the reigning African champions to make an appearance at the 2014 World Cup as against a believed colourless and less influential Ethiopian team.

The Walya Antelopes failed to pick a ticket to this year’s Brazil showpiece after losing their qualifying play-off against the Super Eagles, with Nigeria winning 2-1 in Ethiopia before securing a 2-0 victory at home

L

iverpool boss Brendan Rodgers is confident his team can handle the pressure of the title battle after they moved back top of the Premier League.

The Reds thrashed Tottenham 4-0 on Sunday

larly special about it, a fantastic atmosphere. As a footballer, you dream of playing Champions League quarter-finals in such atmospheres.”

According to Robben, Bayern can expect their stiffest test yet against the Red Devils, even if the German champions are unbeaten in 53 Bundesliga matches and have only lost once in all competitions in the past 12 months.

UEFA Champions League Barcelona v Atletico 7:45pm Man United v Bayern 7:45pm

and will be champions if they win their last six matches.

“There are still a lot of points to play for and there will be points dropped by all teams before the end of the season,” said Rodgers.

“We don’t feel the pressure and we’re very confident with how we play.”

Liverpool were last top on Boxing Day and moved back above Chelsea with a convincing victory against Tottenham.

T hey are two points ahead of Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea side and four in front of third-placed Manchester City, although Manuel Pellegrini’s team have played two matches fewer than their title rivals.

SA coach Jurgen Klinsmann has appointed former Germany boss Berti Vogts as a special advisor to assist him at the FIFA World Cup. The experienced Vogts will stay on as Azerbaijan boss - a role he has been in since April 2008 - while he undertakes duties such as helping with the development of training plans and scouting the USA’s opponents for the tournament in Brazil.

Djokovic, a nightmare-Nadal

Hamilton plays down victory

afael Nadal has said it is difficult playing against bitter rival, Novak Djokovic after losing to the Serb in the Miami Sony Open final.

“Today I felt that he played great, but I feel that he doesn’t need to hit a great shot to be an advantage on the point.

So playing against him is the worst thing that can happen for me.”

ewis Hamilton warned Mercedes will not have it all their own way this season.

“Sebastian was massively quick in Malaysia,” said Hamilton. “He was applying pressure to Nico.

“Looking at their pace, their car is just as quick as ours through the corners. They are just slower on the straights.

L

and these things happened because the world football governing body wants the more colourful Super Eagles team to qualify for the World Cup. “It was a shame for Ethiopian football because we fought from the first blast of the whistle to the end. For me, Nigeria did not deserve to qualify as they were aided by FIFA, which is not good for the game of football.”

Valdes out for seven months

Former Eagles coach gets US job

Valdez

S

pain and Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes will be out for seven months after undergoing

successful knee surgery, meaning he will miss this summer’s World Cup finals.

The 32-year-old suffered anterior cruciate ligament damage in last week’s 3-0 win over Celta Vigo.

He had surgery in Germany on Monday, with Barcelona confirming he would be out until at least October.

Balotelli set for shock Monaco move A

Balotelli

Other sports

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in the return leg.

“FIFA did not want us to qualify for the World Cup because who knows Ethiopian football and who wants us to qualify when we were playing against the current African Champions,” the coach said.

“We played our hearts out and we wanted to win and qualify for the World Cup but FIFA didn’t like that. They manufactured penalties for Nigeria,

Liverpool ’ll cope with U pressure –Rodgers

Old Trafford is special -Robben

rjen Robben cannot wait to return to Old Trafford on Tuesday night as Bayern Munich look to maintain their push for a successful defence of their UEFA Champions League crown against Manchester United. The 30-year-old Dutchman scored one of his best career goals at the venue almost four years ago, securing the Bavarian giants’ passage to the semi-finals with a sweet volley.

“It’s always fantastic to play in England,” Robben told Bayern’s official website. “And Old Trafford has got something particu-

53

C Milan striker Mario Balotelli was the subject of a personal check from Monaco deal-broker Jorge Mendes last weekend, with Italian publication Calcio Mercato reporting that they expect the maverick forward to leave the San Siro this summer.

Balotelli has been unable to prevent Milan toil-

I’m close to Klitschko fight

Beverley to return this season

H

ouston Rockets guard Patrick Beverley’s status is up in the air for the remainder of the season, but he seems pretty confident that he will be back on the court again soon.

“No one was going to remove anything. We haven’t even discussed surgery yet. It looks to the point I think I might not have to get surgery. We don’t know. We have to see Dr. (James) Andrews for him to make his educated decision about that.”

ing during a miserable Serie A campaign, with new Rossoneri coach Clarence Seedorf unable to lift a struggling side into the top half of the table.

Milan’s disappointments have not stopped Balotelli scoring though, with the Italian international star netting 17 goals in all competitions.

W

BO Tyson Fury estimates he’s only 2 fights away from a world title shot against IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko next year.

I’m two fights – including the gym bout [against Carlos Takam] and Chisora – away from fighting Klitschko for the world title unless he does a runner, but he can’t this time and he’ll be forced to fight me,” Fury said.

“

54

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Sanctity of Truth

CMB building boosts South West Rugby League

R-L Tertius Strauss, Regional Director EXP Marketing; Joy Mayaki , Board Member NRFF; Uche Onwumedi, NRFF Secretary General, Fasimoye Olatunji, NRFF Vice President/Technical Director during the South West Regional Rugby League press conference in Lagos on Thursday.

Emmanuel Tobi

C

MB Building Maintenance and Investment Company has re-affirmed its commitment towards sports development by sponsoring the inaugural edition of the South West

Regional Rugby League expected to kick off on 5th of April 2014 at the National Stadium, Surulere.

Lagos.

According to officials of the Nigerian Rugby Football Federation, the regional league includes

the South West League, Northern League and South South League which will run concurrently this year with the winner of each regional league contesting in a Super League later in the year in Lagos.

The Vice-President and Technical Director of the NRFF, Mr. Tunji Fasimoye, thanked CMB Building Maintenance and Investment Company for its drive towards the development of Rugby in Nigeria and its support in sponsoring the 2014 Regional Leagues.

He also thanked newsmen for their continuing support for rugby and acknowledged their role in the development of the sport.

He said it was important for the growth of rugby for players to get regular competition and opportunities to show their skills ahead of the international season.

“Nigerian rugby players around the country have been starved of regular competitions and it is the NRFF’s in-

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

tention 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,” Fasimoye said.

The Northern League comprises seven teams, while the South West and South South/East leagues comprise eight and four teams respectively.

Teams competing in the three regional leagues announced by the NRFF are: Cowrie RFC, Police RFC, Lagos RFC, Hawckstar Athletics RFC, Racing RFC, Eco II RFC, Gosar RFC and Riyal Stallion (South West) while the Abia RFC, Imo RFC, Delta RFC and Edo RFC are the teams that make up the South -South/East League.

Leading the Northern League are Kano RFC, Kaduna RFC, Zaria RFC, Sabon Gari RFC, Jos RFC, Kano RFC and Barewa RFC.

Heineken House Lagos bubbles for UEFA Champions League

T

he state-of-the-art Heineken House Lagos is the place to be tonight and tomorrow when action resumes with crunchy first leg quarter final matches of the UEFA Champions League in four prominent stadiums in Europe.

After mixed fortunes on the domestic scene for all the remaining eight clubs in the competition, FC Chelsea, with huge followership in Nigeria look set to be the star attraction at the Heineken House Lagos when the English Premier-

ship title contender play away to Saint Paris Germaine at the Parc des Princes in Paris on Wednesday night.

Nigerian artist, Alexander Adegbola, popularly known as 9ice, is a staunch fan of the club and as a guest in the Heineken House Lagos on the night London side cruised into the quarterfinal stage of the competition has been able to galvanize more support for the side ahead of this crucial stage.

“I love this club not just be-

cause the colour is blue, but the team plays good football and also achieves results every season... and today Chelsea is a global brand,” he remarked moments after Gary Cahill scored the second goal to put the match beyond adventurous Galatasaray in the return leg match at the Stamford Bridge.

The artist, who paid glowing tributes to Heineken for the Heineken House Lagos said his experience was far above expectation.

Judoka laments state of sport in Nigeria Chimaobi Uchendu

A

judo athlete, Esther Augustine, has predicted a total annihilation of Judo in the sporting map of Nigeria, if urgent steps are not taken to checkmate the decline in participation and staging of competition Augustine said Judo had become an object of caricature because of neglect by government and sponsors.

She said even the sport had no functional secretariat where enquires could be made by athletes and members of the public, while the sport is yet to hold any competition for over three

years.

“I don’t know if I should accuse the government or the stakeholders on the dearth of Judo in Nigeria. This is the sport that exposed some of us to the world few years ago, but it has become moribund with no functional secretariat.

“I can’t remember the last time a judo tournament was hosted in any part of the country, yet we have people who say they are board members of the Federation”.

She called on the minister of sports and the Director General of the National Sports Commission to beam their searchlight on Judo and bring back the glo-

ry days of the sport in Nigeria.

Augustine said, “Lack of funds and competition is the bane of Judo in this country that has Judo enthusiasts and athletes. I don’t know if it is the fault of those elected to manage the affairs of Judo in Nigeria or a deliberate attempt to extinguish the sport in the country.

“New rules were released by the international judo federation recently on how points are scored and on techniques but no one is telling us anything about these. But I have decided to train on my own and perfect the rules, maybe the government and the board might have a change of heart in the future.”

Deputy Managing Director, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, Mr. Kennedy Uzoka (front row left); Company Secretary, UBA Plc, Mr. Bili Odum ahead of other cyclists, during the 20-kilometres ‘Cycling for Prostate Cancer’ organised by UBA Foundation to raise awareness on Prostate Cancer in Lagos at the weekend.

Flying Eagles face Morocco test

N

igeria’s U-20 team, the Flying Eagles, will engage their Moroccan counterparts in a two leg friendly scheduled to hold inn in Casablanca on April 9 and 11.

The team will depart the country for Morocco on Sunday, April 6, with a 20-man squad.

The players have already regrouped in Abuja preparatory to a 2015 African Youth Championship qualifier in May. This followed a short break given after a month-long rigorous screening exercise in Abuja.

Coach Manu Garba has called up 35 players, who have

been booked into Serob Legacy Hotel in Area 1 Abuja.

Seven invitees based overseas are also expected to join the rest of the squad this week.

Team secretary Aliyu Ibrahim said letters to their various foreign clubs have been sent out to that effect.

Nigeria are billed to face the winners of the qualifying match between Kenya and Tanzania next month in continuation of the qualifying tournament to be hosted by Senegal in March 2015.

The Flying Eagles have won the competition a record six times.

SPORT 55

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

World Cup: Odunlami ready to battle for shirt Charles Ogundiya

O

ne of Nigeria’s top players at the 2014 African Nations Championship in South Africa, Kunle Odunlami, has declared his readiness to battle with other Super Eagles stars for a place in the squad that will be going to Brazil for the World Cup. Odunlami featured in all of the Super Eagles’ six matches in South Africa and was named in the CHAN all-star team along with compatriots Rabiu Ali and Ejike Uzoenyi.

The Sunshine Stars defender is in Stephen Keshi’s plans for the World Cup and, speaking with New Telegraph, he fancies his chances of making the final 23-man team for Brazil.

“I don’t think anybody has an edge, we all need to work hard for the team. I am doing my best possible to be part of the team because the dream of every player is to represent his

country at the world stage.

The final decision is for the coaching crew but the best players will surely make the team and I am looking forward to making the cut,” he said.

The defender added; “As a professional, I will be disappointed if I fail to go to

Brazil, but if such happens, I will still support whoever the coach picks and wait for my own time.”

On a possible move overseas, the former First Bank FC defender insists he will ponder over it when the transfer window opens later in the year.

C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 5 1

“After the CHAN competition I had some offers but decided to stick with Sunshine Stars,” he continued. “I really wanted to play in Europe but the European transfer window had already closed by the time the tournament ended.

Later in June, I will review my options.”

was discharged and acquitted.

The athlete a minor (name withheld) told the panel that Abass took her to a medical doctor who injected her with an unknown substance despite the fact that she was not sick.

She claimed she collapsed after the injection and when she was revived, she asked the coach why he brought her to be injected and he said she should have confidence in him that he could not harm her. He also warned her not to disclose what happened to anyone although she confided in her mother.

She revealed that Evans introduced her to supplements and amino acid and a sport drink when she was in Lagos State training camp.

Evans admitted he gave the athlete supplements (amino acid complete and metabolic infusions) between February and March 2013. He tendered the supplements, saying he gave the athlete the substances because women need supplements for their health and that the substances were not prohibited.

Osheku told the panel he was not aware that Evans gave the athlete any substances whether prohibited or otherwise.

Sport Trending

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Odunlami battling a South African player during their Africa Nations Championship match

NFF, KESHI AT WAR AGAIN C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 5 1

not time yet but when the time comes I will release the list. There is no other country that is going to the World Cup that has released list but here in Nigeria, I must bring my team list even when the top teams of this world are yet to do so “We have been crying for this list since February, it doesn’t make sense.

I have heard of different numbers, the other time it was 40, now I am hear 35, may be next week it will be 25. I don’t know what they want to do with the list but when I am ready I will give you guys

the team list.”

The former national team captain further argued that since he has only about two and half weeks to prepare his team, it was only reasonable that he limits the list to a manageable size so as not to muddle things up.

“I am not going for a jamboree, I am going to the World Cup so I need to have a reasonable number of players that we can focus on and work well with,” Keshi said.

Nigeria is in group F along with former world champions Argentina, Bos-

nia Herzegovina and Iran at the global soccer fiesta.

Ifeanyi Ibeh osnia-Herzegovina star, Vedad Ibisevic, has warned every team they will be coming up against at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, including Nigeria’s Super Eagles, that the Dragons will play attacking rather than defensive football.

The Dragons are in Group F along with Argentina, Iran and Nigeria, and with an impressive forward line that includes Manchester City striker, Edin Dzeko, and AS Roma attacking midfielder, Miralem Pjanic, Ibisevic, who plays for Stuttgart in the German Bundesliga, said; “Our team always plays attacking football because we have such players

and that’s why we have scored a lot of goals in qualifying.

“Dzeko and Pjanic are top players and we work well together and I hope it will be like that in the future too,” added Ibisevic, who is expected to link up with Dzeko up front for the Dragons with Pjanic playing just behind them in an exciting offensive trident.

“However, it isn’t just the three of us. It is important that the whole team plays well. Every player in the BosniaHerzegovina team is very important.”

Ibisevic, who played alongside Nigerian forward, Chinedu Obasi, for five seasons in the forward line of Bundesliga side, Hoffenheim, admits qualifying for

Peter Odemwingie Found where I can get guava in the UK. So so happy. @OdemwingieP Rio Ferdinand Huge game vs Bayern tomorrow (today).... Can’t wait to feel the atmosphere in the stadium....let’s be avin ya! @rioferdy5 Raheem Sterling Great team performance. Really happy to be named man of Match. @sterling31 Aaron Lennon Today (Sunday) was not good enough and we let everyone down,but the rumours about the boss hitting someone are bollocks,crazy how powerful twitter is. @Aaron7Lennon Xherdan Shaqiri Get well soon bro @Thi_Alcantara91 you come back stronger!! @XS_11official

Keshi

Bosnia ’ll attack Nigeria, Argentina –Ibisevic

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Doping:AFNbansLee Evansforfouryears

the knockout rounds from Group F could be tough but is nevertheless confident about his country’s chances.

“Our group is tough. The draw could have been better, but it could have been worse, too,” Ibisevic reckons. “However, there are no easy opponents at the World Cup. No one is there by accident, all teams had their qualities and it should be respected.

“Our job is to play the best we can in all three games. If you play to the limit of your abilities, the result will come. Can we get to the second round? There is a chance. Absolutely,” stressed Ibisevic in an interview with Germany-based magazine, Dawn.

Philipe Coutinho Happy birthday my love, I wish you every happiness in the world, may God bless you always! I love you more than anything. lLiverpool’s Brazilian midfielder, Coutinho, wishing his girlfriend all the best on her birthday. @Phil_Coutinho Andy Murray If you could choose anyone to be your tennis coach who would you want it to be? @andy_murray Chicharito Hernandez Keep working no matter what... Wish you a good week people!! @CH14 Thiago Alcantara Grateful for all the messages of support that you’ve sent me. No matter the distance or colour of your jerseys. Football unites us. lBayern Munich midfielder, Thiago Alcantara, who recently suffered a knee injury, thanks friends and fans for their goodwill messages. @Thi_Alcantara91 Daniel Sturridge Great result!! 6 cup finals to go, let’s do this!!! @D_Sturridge

On Marble

World Record

I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I was

Sanctity of Truth

– Muhammad Ali

w w w. new tel eg rap ho nl i ne. co m

Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon and the truth – Buddha TUESday, APRIL 1, 2014

N150

The record for inverted pole climb - greatest distance climbed in a minute is 9.73 m (31 ft 11 in) achieved by Nele Bruckmann (Germany) on the set of Guinness World Records - Die größten Weltrekorde in Cologne, Germany, on 1 September 2007.

Why Europe matters for Nigeria and Africa

P

resident Goodluck Jonathan is in Brussels tomorrow [April 2nd] and Thursday [April 3rd], rubbing shoulders with at least 60 other leaders for the first European Union-Africa summit in four years.

The event is being heralded as a landmark in relations between the two continents, a moment that they can meet each other on equal terms, talk freely and frankly, and set the course for deeper relations.

Yet I suspect that many Nigerians who see images of President Jonathan striding through the grandiose hallways and schmoozing with other leaders will wonder what the point of all this is.

They will grumble that Jonathan has enough on his plate at state oil revenues. They may well assume he is trying to distract voters with pretty pictures from a futile jamboree.

So for the sceptics out there, here are a few reasons why all this matters, and why Jonathan needs to not only be at the top table, but to be one of the loudest voices in the room.

The first is about economics.

While European nations are no longer Africa’s colonial overlords, their relationships today provide vital streams of trade and aid that are already improving the lives of millions. The EU is by far Africa’s biggest aid donor, but it is commerce that offers the best long-term hope, and trade between two has almost doubled compared with 2007, when the Joint EU-Africa Strategy was agreed. The EU now accounts for one third of Africa’s total trade.

The shift away from the development aid co-operation that has traditionally dominated the relationship comes as Africa’s growth soars and Europe’s stalls – the EU’s finances aid budgets are shrinking and private-public alliances are being actively encouraged. It also reflects African calls for ‘African ownership’ of the relationship. Necessity may be another factor: the Ukrainian crisis is already turning attention to African alternatives to Russian energy.

This touches on the second reason: peace. The EU invests heavily in African efforts to reduce insecurity, notably in places like Mali, the Central African Republic and Somalia.

In the Gulf of Guinea, where pirate

World View LEO CENDROWICZ Brussels Bureau Chief, New Telegraph

attacks have targeted European tankers, the EU last month agreed a multilayered strategy to address the causes, as well as the effects. Overall, the EU has committed over €1bn (N210bn) to peacekeeping in Africa over the years and currently has 2,300 men and women serving on the ground. Indeed, the EU increasingly backs African security efforts, with around €325 million (N682.5bn) a year budgeted for 2014-20 to help improve African peacekeeping.

For Nigeria, the EU offers particular opportunities. Let us count the ways: the EU is Nigeria’s largest trading

Over the past six years, Nigeria has benefitted from nearly €700m (N147bn) of aid from the European Development Fund (EDF) – more than any other African country

partner accounting for 35.4% of its exports, worth €82.4bn (N173bn) and 30% of its imports, worth €43.4bn (N91.1bn). Nigeria is already the fourth supplier of oil to Europe and the sixth supplier of natural gas. The EU’s stock of investment in Nigeria has hit €30bn (N6 trillion). Over the past six years, Nigeria has benefitted from nearly €700m (N147bn) of aid from the E u r o p e a n Development Fund (EDF) – more than any other African country.

EU assistance helps Nigerian authorities to make better use of their own resources, notably by supporting government initiatives to improve access to water and health services, and strengthening gover nance, in particular the fight against corruption. Here are a few examples of it at work in Nigeria: • L a s t we e k , t h e E U a n nounced €10m aimed for women’s eng a g ement in peace and secu-

rity in nor ther n Nigeria; • In February, a €27m EU financing deal was signed to improve access to sustainable energy sources in Nigeria; • Some €70m has been channelled to strengthen immunisation, including against polio.

• €200m is earmarked to help people in the Niger Delta.

All this should dispel the notion that the Brussels summit has little to do with Nigeria. In fact, it will be the second time in five weeks that Jonathan meets likes of British Prime Minister David Cameron, French President François Hollande and European Commission president José Manuel Barroso: they were all in Abuja at the end of February for the centenary celebrations.

The organizers of the EU-Africa summit have given this year’s event a three-word slogan that covers the main bases: peace, prosperity and people. Europe and Africa are bound by a common past, but the summit is a moment to confirm a common will to build their future together. As the Africa’s most populous nation and unofficially its biggest economy, Nigeria is at the heart of this relationship.

Brussels may be a faraway city of which Nigerians know little, but the outcomes of this week’s summit there could echo for many years to come.

OmoBaba

I MAY LEAD ADAMAWA OUT OF NIGERIA - Lamido of Adamawa

- Is that patriotism?

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