Mon 29 Apr 2013 The Guardian Nigeria

TheGuardian Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

Monday, April 29, 2013

Vol. 29, No. 12,541

www.ngrguardiannews.com

N150

Obasanjo dares Jonathan on probe of corruption From Emeka Anuforo, Abuja

I

T has been an intermittent disagreement that is sometimes considered to have been magnified by the public.

But the face-off now festers, and erstwhile President Olusegun Obasanjo did not mind letting the public know this.

Yesterday, Obasanjo told his estranged protégé President Goodluck Jonathan that he

• Says ‘ hold me liable, not Ezekwesili’ • Faults pipeline protection contract • Graft now democratised, ex-minister insists was not serious about fighting corruption.

He told Jonathan that he should demonstrate his fight against corruption by directing it on him (Obasanjo)

rather than one of his former ministers, Oby Ezekwesili.

Obasanjo, who spoke in Abuja at the 50th birthday thanksgiving of Ezekwesili, said that the Jonathan government

would not find anything against the former Minister of Education and World Bank chief.

He noted that as head of government for eight years, he

should be held liable if any of his ministers was found wanting.

Obasanjo, who also spoke on the planned pipeline protection contract, described it as an avenue for corruption.

The former President said in defence of Ezekwesili: “Those who wanted to probe you, you should have asked them to, because if they are honest probers, they will find out that the government of Nigeria

ACN decries invasion of citizens’ privacy with $40m contract From Lawrence Njoku, Enugu N alleged $40 million Internet surveillance contract by the Federal Government drew criticism from the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) yesterday.

The party specifically regarded the contract as a launch of an unprecedented attack by the Jonathan Administration on the civil rights of the citizens, especially journalists and those considered to be opponents of the administration.

Besides, the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) has accused the government of “rapidly rail-loading Nigeria back into debt trap” despite the unprecedented revenues from oil and gas, among other duties accruing to the country.

The group lamented that less than 10 years after the Minis-

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ter of Finance, Ngozi OkonjoIweala, made the country pay $12.4 billion to the Paris and London Clubs and the assurance that Nigeria was out of the debt trap, the country’s external debt would before the end of next year hit $20 billion while domestic debt would rise to N6 trillion.

The ACN noted in a statement that since the report of the contract, said to have been awarded to an Israeli firm, had yet to be denied several days after it was published, it was safe to assume that it was indeed true.

If so, the statement by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said it would mark the beginning of what was sure to be the curtailment of the right to

CNPP laments govt’s rising debt profile freedom of speech and expression and the freedom of the press, in addition to the invasion of citizens’ privacy, among other implications. ‘’For a government that is increasingly paranoid, having failed to meet the yearnings and aspirations of the citizenry who are justifiably becoming restive by the day, the ability to spy on the Internet communications of citizens as well as to intercept and read private emails, not to talk of being able to suppress unwanted connections, is a potent weapon against the civil rights of Nigerians as well as the constitutionally-guaranteed rights like freedom of ex-

pression, freedom of the press and freedom of association. ‘’It is a common knowledge that the Jonathan Administration has been getting a bad rap from Nigerians in the traditional media as well as the social media - a veritable platform for the citizens to vent their frustrations at a donothing government. ‘’It is also a common knowledge that journalists have borne the brunt of the administration’s increasing propensity to stifle freedom of expression and press freedom, while members of the opposition are being portrayed more and more as ene-

mies of the administration, rather than being seen as indispensable allies in the nation’s quest to evolve a strong and enduring democracy. ‘’These may have been the motivation for the administration to acquire the Internet surveillance capability. However, no government in the history of our country, whether elected or otherwise, has taken this kind of brazen measure for whatever reason, hence it must raise serious concerns among the citizenry, their political representatives as well as civil liberties organisations,’’ the ACN said.

The party said while the government may seek to hoodwink Nigerians by saying the CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

NLC, NUPENG allege govt involvement in oil theft - Page 6

should give you money for what you have done for this country without stealing money.

“I have always said this. Whatever you want to blame in my government, blame me, don’t blame any of those people who assisted me. If there is any credit to dispense, we share it.

But for anything you want to say is wrong, I was the one in CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

Militants kidnap nine oil workers in Bayelsa From Willie Etim, Yenagoa INE workers of two oil N servicing companies, the Octopus Clan Nigerian Limited and the Deck Oil Services, were yesterday confirmed kidnapped along the Ilebiri Creek in the southern Ijaw area of Bayelsa State by gunmen suspected to be renegade militants.

The oil workers, according to top security sources, were abducted around 2.00 p.m. last Thursday by gunmen suspected to be killers of the 12 policemen last month along the waterways of Azuzuama community of the southern Ijaw area.

It was disclosed yesterday that the kidnapped workers were Nigerians and were on CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

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THE GUARDIAN, Monday, April 29, 2013

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, April 29, 2013

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THE GUARDIAN, Monday, April 29, 2013

4 NEWS

CNPP laments government’s rising debt profile CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 technology would enable it to keep a tab on the insurgents rampaging a section of the country, such justification could not hold water since the project would violate the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The party queried who would police the use of the technology to ensure that it would not be abused. ‘’Desirable as it may be for the government to be able to gather useful intelligence on the terror groups that have held a section of our country

by the jugular, nothing can justify what will essentially become a weapon for harassment, intimidation and even decimation of perceived opponents by a desperate and paranoid administration that is already firing poisoned arrows at those it sees as its enemies, within and outside its fold, in the run up to the 2015 elections. ‘’This is why we are calling on the National Assembly, civil liberties organisations, professional groups and ordinary citizens to speak out now before it is too late. No

government should have the right to play a ‘Big Brother’ role in the lives of the citizens, because this will ultimately herald the return to autocratic rule and sound the death knell of our democracy,’’ it said.

According to the CNPP, the debt profile has been raised by the $9 billion loan allegedly approved by the National Assembly and the National Economic Council (NEC) for the Federal Government.

In a statement in Enugu yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Osita

Okechukwu, the CNPP said instead of stemming the pervasive corruption allegedly going on in the administration, the government was going for another loan.

“We posit that Dr. OkonjoIweala’s economic policy of government has no business in business, premised on the private sector driver, and targeted on abstract percentage growth cannot succeed in a primitive economy like Nigeria. There cannot be growth without huge

state investment in robust critical infrastructure, as 98 per cent of the so-called captains of industry have no factory. Otherwise, how come a country which earns yearly $20 billion in oil and gas revenue, $5 trillion from Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) tax revenue, over $1 trillion from Customs Duty and $10 billion Excess Crude Account still records over 70 per cent of her citizens living below poverty line, over 30 per cent illiterate population, life expectancy of below 50 years

and gross unemployment dislocating families?”

The CNPP said that those who rail-loaded Nigeria into the debt trap, instead of managing its resources prudently, must bear in mind that they were not positively projecting the image of the country as a disciplined and organised nation with which foreigners could do business.

According to the CNPP, Nigeria has no good reason to borrow and should in fact stop borrowing.

pects were overpowered and arrested. The suspects have been handed over to the Department of State Security, Calabar, for further investigation.

One pump action gun, one locally-made pistol, 22 cartridges and four 7.62mm special ammunition were recovered from the hide-out.

In another anti-kidnapping operation, according to a statement issued yesterday

by Nwachukwu, the troops of Sector 4 of the JTF on patrol along Ngbodo and AkoliImeni in Bende Local Council of Abia State have rescued one Mr. Chidi Nwosu who was kidnapped by gunmen at Arochukwu Street along

Umuahia Road.

The victim was extricated after a shoot-out with the kidnappers during which one of the abductors was gunned down.

“In the Delta State recent anti-illegal oil bunkering operation in the Niger Delta, 146

Militants kidnap nine oil workers in Bayelsa CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 their way to resume repairs on 18” Tebidaba Brass line, Ogoda Ogboinbiri 24” line at Oporoma, Ogboinbiri Tebidaba 14” line at Ikebiri, Kemebiama, Osiama 6” flowline, Tebidaba wells 14 & 11 and several others for the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC).

An indigene of the Ikebiri community, Kelvin Okuneibie, told The Guardian that the indigenous fishermen along the waters confirmed that the gunmen swooped on the oil workers from the Azuzuama axis of the area.

He said: “These gunmen are suspected to be killers of the 12 policemen and may be running from the onslaught of the JTF and kidnapped the workers as insurance.”

Five of the kidnapped workers were reportedly attached to the Port Harcourt-based oil and gas servicing company known as the Octopus Clan Nigeria Limited. The company is owned by the former Chairman of the defunct

Bayelsa State Peace and Conflict Resolution Committee, Chief James Jephathah.

Contacted on the development, the Media Co-ordinator of the Joint Task Force codenamed Operation Pulo Shield, Lt.-Col. Onyeama Nwachukwu, said he was not aware of the development as the employers of the kidnapped workers had not officially reported to the task force.

All calls to the Public Relations Officer of the Bayelsa Police Command, Mr. Alex Akhigbe, yielded no result as they claimed ignorance of the development.

Meanwhile, detachments of the Joint Military Task Force code-named Operation Pulo Shield at the weekend came under heavy gun attacks from suspected oil thieves and kidnappers in the Delta, Cross River, Abia and Bayelsa communities.

According to the JTF, two suspected kidnappers were drawn out of their hide-out in Afukang in Calabar South Local Council of Cross River

State in a sting operation by a combined team of operatives of the Sector 3 of the JTF and Department of State Security covering Cross River State.

But the suspects, one Edidiong Udom and Victor Akwang, opened fire on the security team. The gun-battle, according to the JTF, lasted for some minutes and the sus-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

Obasanjo says ‘ hold me liable, not Ezekwesili’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 charge.”

He continued: “This morning, I was travelling from Abeokuta and I was listening to radio. I heard that they said that they are going to set up an agency for pipeline protection. Now, what are the police there for? What are all the security agencies that we have doing? This is another chop chop.

“I just hope that we will get it right. We have no choice. We have to get it right. Let us decide individually that I would do what I have to do to bring about change in Nigeria. If you do that, let me assure you, you will be called names. You will be abused. Some people are hired to do that. But like

Oby said, if what you believe is right, stand by it.”

On her part, Ezekwesili, who spoke with reporters after a church service held at the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) and a reception at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, lamented that endemic corruption was destroying the country.

She said the country was suffering from the woes of the past, calling on the citizens to demand accountability from their elected officials.

She said: “I am not a politician. The day I decide that I want to become a politician you don’t need to guess, you will see me. I am very candid.

I am very frank. I am too honest to play games on things that I believe in.

“I am not a politician but I am an active citizen who is basically carrying out the role that every citizen of this nation must carry out. We are going through challenges that require a very strong sense of sacrificial leadership.

The corruption in the society now is so endemic it has almost become democratised and that is going to sink us.

We need to tackle corruption as we will tackle cancer. It can kill. There is no need pretending that this country is not burdened by corruption.

Every Nigerian knows that we have a problem.”

Ezekwesili attracted criticism from the Jonathan administration when she raised questions on what the

Jonathan Presidency has done with the $67 billion purportedly left by Obasanjo. She spoke at a convocation of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

Since then, Obasanjo’s and Jonathan’s aides have been at loggerheads, leading to another call by Ezekwesili for a public debate on the issue.

The Jonathan government has subtly turned down the call for a public debate on the issue. The government has rather sent some of the nation’s anti-corruption agencies to the Ministry of Education to snoop around if there were suspicious contracts awarded during the tenure of Ezekwesili, who is fondly called “Madam Due Process.”

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, April 29, 2013

NEWS 5

News One feared killed in Ogun bank robbery

By Dele Fanimo USPECTED armed robbers SOkearo, yesterday raided a bank at Agbado area of Ogun State, killing one person in the process and carting away unspecified amount of money.

Besides, the bandits who, according to police source, attacked an old generation bank with dynamite arrived the scene of the crime around 2 a.m. shooting sporadically to scare residents.

According to the source, the policemen on guard initially mistook them for policemen, until they sighted gas cans and cylinder in their hands, which prompted them to take to their heels.

The robbers were said to have forced open two of the three ATMs in the bank premises with explosives and carted away unspecified cash.

It was gathered that at about 3 a.m., when they were about rounding off their operations, they saw a man, who was later identified as a member of Oodua Peoples Congress, (OPC) trying to put a distress call through and shot him dead.

The source said that adjourning buildings including a church were riddled with bullets while the robbers held sway for close to one hour.

Military denies existence of mass grave, detention of soldiers over Baga • Gunmen kidnap Borno official, JTF alerts on new tactics • Elders forum, Okoh, Ademowo task govt on insecurity From Chris Irekamba (Lagos) Karls Tsokar (Abuja) Njadvara Musa (Maiduguri) Ann Godwin (PortHarcourt), Ali Garba (Bauchi) and Isah Ibrahim (Gusau) HE Defence Headquarters T (DHQ) has denied the existence of a mass grave in Borno State and the detention of 15 soldiers as reported in some newspapers (Not The Guardian), saying the claims are aimed at discrediting the military and their operations.

Meanwhile, gunmen suspected of members of Boko Haram sect on Saturday morning kidnapped the general manager of Borno State Water Board (BOWB), Alhaji Baba Gujbawu at his residence while in Gashua, a border town with Niger Republic. The Joint Task Force (JTF), also recovered a snatched Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC), arms and ammunition from fleeing Boko

Haram terrorists.

Still, the JTF yesterday alerted on fresh moves by the Boko Haram sect to now concentrate on kidnapping than robbery.

They alleged that kidnapping is more lucrative, less dangerous and requires short time to plan and execute.

Similarly, the Northern Elders Forum has warned against a situation where foreign phobia against Islam will be imported into the country, saying the consequences will be disastrous.

And the Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Most Reverend Nicholas Okoh has charged the Amnesty Committee on Boko Haram not to limit its responsibility to the North alone but to take a more national approach to the issue.

Also, the Diocesan Bishop of Lagos and Dean Emeritus, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Most Rev.

Adebola Ademowo has said that dialogue was a necessary prelude to the granting of amnesty to the Boko Haram members, adding that such a move would ascertain the actual motive behind the sect’s killings.

In a related development, the Sokoto State chairman of the Labour Party, Ahmad Muhammad Tangaza has described the emergence of Boko Haram in the country as the product of social injustice, which the ruling class is using to their advantage.

The Defence Headquarters had deployed a fact-finding team to Baga, led by the Chief of Training and Operations, Defence Headquarters, Maj. Gen. Lawrence Ngubane, who returned to present its report to the Chief of Defence Staff on the outcome of its three-day visit to Baga following last week’s clash between the Multi

National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) and Boko Haram terrorists in the town.

According to a statement from DHQ signed by the Director, Defence Information, Brig. Gen. Chris Olukolade, the team’s mission was in “particular concern to ascertain the claims of massive loss of lives, the team was taken to cemeteries in the town as it tried to locate the reported large number of civilian casualties were buried. It, however, found no mass grave after nearly two days of search”.

Olukolade in a statement issued yesterday in Abuja said reports in some newspapers at the weekend that “some soldiers have been arrested and detained over the Baga killings…more than 15 of them have been implicated in the massacre” is a complete fabrication.

The APC, according to JTF sources in Damaturu yesterday,

Bini indigenes abroad deny ethnicity in UNIBEN VC’s appointment From Alemma-Ozioruva Aliu, Benin City ITING misinformation, Bini indigenes in Europe and the United States (U.S.) yesterday faulted the report that the current Vice-Chancellor (VC) of the University of Benin (UNIBEN), Prof. Osayuki Oshodin’s appointment was not based on merit.

The group was reacting to last Thursday’s The Guardian’s lead story ‘How ethnicity, religion influence appointments of varsities’ officials.

They faulted the report that Oshodin did not emerge on merit but based on agitation by Bini for their own to be the vice chancellor of the university.

Describing the report as not true and “mischievous,” the group said Oshodin was by all standards qualified for the position.

A statement by Mrs Rose Osayende on behalf of the indigenes in Europe and U.S. said, “what the Bini were fighting then was a cabal that made it impossible for qualified Bini to emerge as VC of the university in their soil and not that we wanted a Bini VC at all cost”.

It further said that “Professor Oshodin was one of the best and that was why he was chosen. He became a Professor since 1991 and has served the university in many capacities before he was appointed VC. We would have ignored the report but that will misinform our people on what was actually the agitation of the Bini then.

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The wife of Vice President, Hajiya Amina Namadi Sambo (left); Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo; Chairman of Parliament (The State Great Hural of Mongolia), Mr. Zandaakhuu Enkhbold and his wife, Mrs. Tumurbaatar Bat-Ulzii during a courtesy visit to the palace in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia yesterday.

was recovered at Maluria village of Gashua council area of Yobe State, along with other arms and ammunition used in attacking the Police station and the Police area commander’s office on Nguru road.

According to an eyewitness, Gujbawu was ambushed by the four–man gang abductors at gunpoint, while preparing to hold a meeting at the Water House, Maiduguri on Shehu Laminu Way at 9 a.m. on Saturday.

The recovery of APC, arms and ammunition, according to spokesman of JTF, Lt. Lazarus Eli, in a statement, were used in the Police station, bank and office of Police area commander attacks, where N9 million cash was also carted away by the gunmen in police and army uniforms.

The statement also reads in part: “Other arms and ammunition recovered include; a general purpose machine gun (GPMG), three K2 rifle, three pumps action rifle and a riot gun, two smoke pistols, four dane guns, two RPG bombs, 15 hand grenades and one air rifle.

“1,200 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunitions, three cartridges, several police uniforms and accessories, 10 bullet proof metal plates and gas masks were also recovered.”

The Borno State Police Command spokesman, Gideon Jibrin confirmed Gujbawu’s abduction, adding that no arrests had been made over the incident.

A statement by the JTF said similarly, a special kidnapping squad has been earmarked and tasked by Boko Haram sect to kidnap persons who could be wealthy relation, politician, businessman/woman, traditional ruler, senior civil servants and foreigners alike.

The JTF urged all to be wary and continue to be security conscious at all time and to avoid or be very sensitive to strangers and friends that have not been in contact for long.

Additionally, members of the public are also warned to avoid isolated areas and shun meetings or friendship organised through telephones or social media.

Govt spends N1.3tr on Abuja infrastructure • FCT councils get N2b allocation in March From Terhemba Daka, Abuja DISCLOSURE has come A from the Federal Government that it has sunk about N1.3 trillion into the Abuja project in infrastructure provision since the founding of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) over 37 years ago.

Within the next four to five years, the authorities said an inflow of private capital exceeding that amount would be injected into FCT rough accel-

erated opening of new districts thereby doubling the areas serviced with infrastructure for increased housing and physical development.

Meanwhile, the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Gwagwalada Area Council and Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) topped the revenue allocation distributed by the FCT Area Councils Joint Account Allocation Committee (JAAC) for March

2013.

FCT Minister, Bala Mohammed who disclosed this at the weekend while responding to issues raised at a special town hall meeting on the land swap programme in Abuja described the FCT as the most successful federal project of Nigeria so far.

He said that the land swap programme would help to bridge the huge infrastructure gap currently existing in FCT. He advised Abuja natives not

to allow themselves to be used by those who do not mean well and were looking for ways of sabotaging laudable government programmes like the Land Swap initiative recently introduced by the authorities.

The minister said that the special town hall on the land swap initiative was organised as a way of opening a level playing field for all people with diverse shades of opinion to step forward and put them on the table in a democratic spirit so

that the grey areas could be resolved.

He assured the affected Abuja original inhabitants that a robust framework of resettlement and compensation programme which adequately caters for them had been developed, adding that the responsibility of government under the transformation agenda was not just about infrastructure provision but also about social amenities and the well being of the citizens.

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, April 29, 2013

6 NEWS

Jonathan, Tinubu, Kalu salute Adenuga’s attainments at 60

NLC, NUPENG urge speedy passage of PIB

RESIDENT Goodluck By Wole Oyebade F the Petroleum Industry Allege govt involvement in oil theft P Jonathan has congratulatI Bill (PIB) is not passed into were the NLC President, Abed one of Nigeria’s renowned Stating that the value of law in the next six months,

businessmen and Chairman of Globacom, Otunba Michael Adenuga, on his 60th birthday today, stating that he would be celebrating 60 years of great achievements in business and philanthropy.

According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, Jonathan described Adenuga as an embodiment of the ideals of “diligence, commitment, unmediated patriotism and selfless service.

In same vein, the former governor of Lagos State, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, described Adenuga as a man of exceptional performance and business ability. A statement from his media office yesterday on Adenuga’s birthday held the likes of Adenuga as rare across the world.

“His business exploit, acumen and strategic investments in the world of telecoms, oil and gas and philanthropy stand him out among the crowd as an exceptionally talented individual,” Tinubu said.

“With more patriotic and selfless Nigerians, who are consummate about empowering others like Adenuga, the former governor added, Nigeria would be an advanced and better society. He prayed that Almighty God should grant him more years of health, wealth and wisdom.”

Also, the former governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, eulogized Adenuga as “one of the few courageous Nigerians with resilient spirit, despite the numerous odds facing businesses in Nigeria.”

Kalu, in a statement by his Special Adviser, Oyekunle Oyewumi, said of Adenuga: “When it appeared impossible that Nigerians could have cheaper GSM services, you came into the market and crashed the prices with various innovative offerings, especially the per second billing.”

NUJ to picket media houses over salary arrears EGINNING from WednesB day, May 1, labour and civil society groups in the country will begin to picket media houses that owe journalists past months’ salaries.

According to the directive by the National Executive Council (NEC) of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) at its quarterly meeting in Umuahia, Abia State, tomorrow is the deadline for the payment of all outstanding salaries, while picketing starts in Lagos on Wednesday, then to other states and Abuja.

Already, all the affected media houses in Lagos and Abuja had been duly notified, according to the union. NEC also affirmed its commitment to the welfare of its members, decrying the spate of arrests of journalists, especially the four from Leadership newspapers.

It viewed such arrests as a siege on the media, and describing them as undemocratic and unwarranted, it noted that the union would not shy away from its responsibilities of protecting its members, who it urged to discharge their duties in line with the ethics of the profession.

the oil sector would be in deeper crisis, labour leaders warned as they pushed for the passage of the bill in Lagos at the weekend.

Speaking under the aegis of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), they maintained that the new regulations in the bill were necessary to accommodate newer investors, arrest oil theft and stabilise the sector as the mainstay of Nigerian economy.

Among those who spoke at the NUPENG Special Delegates Conference in Lagos

dulwaheed Omar, his counterpart in NUPENG, Achese Igwe, and former leaders, Frank Kokori, Peter Akpatason, Samuel Dada, Joseph Akinlaja, Principe Awe and Chris Uyok.

According to Omar, “NUPENG must do all that is necessary to ensure that the PIB, when passed into law, serves the interest of workers and aligns with national interest.”

He explained that the NLC was bothered about the continuous theft of crude oil in the Niger Delta region right in the presence of task force men and huge investment on security infrastructure in the oilproducing region.

crude stolen in the country yearly is as much as $7 billion, he said it was totally unacceptable to Nigerians and the international community to see such wastage continue unabated.

“The massive theft of crude oil in the Niger Delta is an act of conspiracy by a cross-section of government officials and their foreign collaborators to exploit the larger population,” Omar alleged. “Our fear is that with such amount of oil being siphoned, all the economic calculations and projections are now null and void.

To avoid the looming danger, Omar urged NUPENG

and allied unions to condemn the oil theft in Nigeria, assuring of NLC’s partnership in that struggle.

On his part, NUPENG President, Achese, called on the lawmakers to ensure quick passage of the bill “after looking at the grey areas with objectivity,” especially on labour issues of gratuities, pensions, transfers and status of its members in new companies that will emerge.

Stating that their sector is the most endangered with the consequent downsizing and rightsizing, Achese said the PIB would bring in a lot of reforms, and should, therefore, accommodate severance packages for the oil workers it would affect.

However, he advised the Federal Government to assemble

the illegal refiners the Niger Delta region, give the operatives further training and establish legal refineries for them to work in “instead of chasing them around the creeks and destroying their technology.”

Meanwhile, Akpatason, a serving member of the House of Representatives, told the delegates that the oil sector would be in deeper crises unless fresh laws were introduced to regulate it.

According to him, “current investors in the sector are winding up their activities and without newer investors, Nigeria will be in trouble because the oil industry is the mainstay of the economy.”

Nigerians tired of promises, Akide tells Jonathan

By Isaac Taiwo PPARENTLY fed up, like A most other citizens, with President Goodluck

President, Nigerian Guild of Editors, Femi Adesina (right); Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola and his deputy, Mrs. Titi Laoye-Tomori, during a dinner party organised for Adesina and other executive members at the Government House, Osogbo... last Friday.

Court hears Al-Mustapha, Shofolahan’s appeal today

By Joseph Onyekwere

T

ODAY, the Court of Appeal, Lagos Division, will hear the appeal filed by Major Hamzat Al-Mustapha, the former Chief Security Officer (CSO) to the late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, and Lateef Shofolahan, an aide to the late business mogul, Chief MKO Abiola, over a death sentence passed on them by a Lagos High Court.

Justice Mojisola Dada had convicted both for the murder of Alhaja Kudirat Abiola along the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway and accordingly sentenced them to death by

hanging until confirmed dead.

Abiola had contested the 1993 presidential election on the platform of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) during the administration of Gen. Ibrahim Babangida. The events following the cancellation of the results of the election and his subsequent self-declaration as winner led to his detention when Abacha held sway as Head of State and Commander in Chief.

Meanwhile, the appellate court presided over by Justice C.C. Nweze had fixed today for hearing of the appeal after

counsel representing both convicts had applied for a regularisation of their briefs of argument.

Counsel to both appellants, Joseph Daudu (SAN) and Mr. Olalekan Ojo, moving in terms of their motion paper, had applied for leave to file their appellants’ brief of arguments and serve same on the respondent. Both convicts were arraigned in October 1999 on a four-count charge of “conspiracy and murder of Alhaja Kudirat Abiola on June 4, 1996, along the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway.”

The appellants had prayed

the Court of Appeal that the death sentence passed on them was unwarranted. They further argued that the trial court erred in law when it arrived at the conclusion that they conspired to kill Kudirat on June 4, 1996.

Therefore, Al-Mustapha and Shofolahan are urging the appellate court to entertain their appeal, set aside the judgment, discharge and acquit them of conspiracy and murder, accordingly.

Al-Mustapha’s appeal was premised on four grounds, while that of Shofolahan was hinged on five.

Militants kidnap nine oil workers in Bayelsa CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 Battalion patrol team of Sector 2 of the Joint Task Force (JTF) Operation Pulo Shield has impounded a vessel for suspected oil theft activities along Otokomabie Creek near Oloma community in Rivers State. The vessel, MT SHANDY before its arrest, had been kept under surveillance by JTF operatives while it lurked around Bonny anchorage.

“The JTF gun-boat patrol team lay in wait until the vessel prowled into Otokomabie Creek close to Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) pipelines before swooping on it. The 12-man crew on the vessel initially resisted arrest by refusing to let down the vessel’s stairway (ladder) for the patrol team to access the vessel until the

troops threatened to apply some force.

“Eight among the 12 crew members arrested are currently being quizzed at the Headquarters, Sector 2, in Port Harcourt to ascertain the degree of their culpability, while four others were left behind to man the vessel which is presently secured at the NPA Jetty in Bonny Island. Troops of 343 Regiment of same Sector have also impounded a metal barge found lurking at an illegal oil loading point close to Burma Rice Farm between Brass and Obiama waterways in Brass Local Council of Bayelsa State. The barge has been towed to AGIP Brass terminal while preliminary investigations are being carried out to ascertain its owners,” Nwachukwu said.

Operatives of the Forward Op-

erational Base Formosso (a maritime component of the JTF) have also arrested a barge with the designation Lot-098 at Odioma waterways in Nembe Local Council of Bayelsa State. The barge was arrested laden with 50,000 litres of suspected stolen crude oil.

The barge has been towed to AGIP Brass terminal pending further investigation.

Meanwhile, in Delta State, troops of 3 Battalion of Sector 1 of the JTF during an anti-oil theft patrol intercepted 61 assorted boats conveying stolen petroleum products along Whiteman community, Benneth Island and Spediagbene general area in Warri SouthWest Local Council of Delta State.

According to Nwachukwu, “Twenty-eight illegal oil dis-

tilleries were also scuttled and clamped down by the troops in the same general area. Apparatus used by the oil thieves to facilitate their illicit activities, including 65 empty plastic drums and two large plastic reservoirs were razed while seven hoses, 10 pumping machines recovered from the site as exhibits are in custody of the battalion.

“During the entire operations that lasted from April 15-27, 2013, 76 suspects were arrested for crimes ranging from kidnapping and oil theft activities.

The suspects are undergoing a preliminary investigation in various sectors of the Joint Task Force (JTF) after which they will be handed over to appropriate prosecuting agencies.”

Jonathan’s often stated resolve to address or contain the many ills afflicting Nigeria but without any determined effort to that effect, the Archbishop of Lagos (Anglican Communion), the Most Revd. Adebayo Akide, has called on him to wake up and confront the nation’s problems.

Akide, who spoke yesterday at the enthronement of the second Bishop of Lagos West Diocese, Rt. Rev. James Olusola Odedeji, listed the problems to range from insecurity to energy, the later he described as very crucial and affects the stabilisation of the economy.

The cleric informed President Jonathan that Nigerians were tired of promises and were now asking for nothing but action. According to him, “past administrations made series of promises, which they did not fulfill. This administration too, at one time or the other, had made some promises that were not fulfilled.

“Nigerians now want action and I plead with Mr. President to act now and fix various problems, ranging from insecurity, bordering on termination of innocent lives, to kidnapping.

“Investments would invariably boost the economy of a nation, which largely depends on regular power supply, and so, the earlier the problem of energy is put behind us, the better.”

Nevertheless, he expressed confidence in the new bishop, stating that if he depends on God as he has professed, the diocese would grow from strength to strength.

Also speaking, Bishop Odedeji called on the Federal Government to create jobs so that jobless Nigerians would be gainfully engaged, noting that “a jobless man is not only an idle man ready to be engaged by Satan but also an angry and desperate man.

“Our nation is blessed with a lot of resources and, frankly speaking, it is not in this type of a nation that citizens should be subjected to the type of situation Nigerians are passing through.”

Dignitaries at the event included the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, and Deputy Governor of Osun State, Mrs. Titilayo Laoye-Tomori.

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, April 29, 2013

Akpabio denies threatening senator’s life From Azimazi Momoh Jimoh, Abuja OVERNOR Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State yesterday dismissed as baseless and untrue allegations that he was using state power and extra-constitutional means to force his way into the Senate in 2015 and deny Senator Alloysius Etok the opportunity of seeking reelection to the Senate.

Akpabio’s statement came just as Senator Etuk (PDP, Akwa-Ibom State) alleged that his life was being threatened by persons he suspected were working for Akpabio for insisting on seeking re-election to the Senate in 2015.

Both Etuk and Akpabio hail from the same Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.

The lawmaker said he was writing petition to President Goodluck Jonathan, Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar and the National Security Adviser, Alhaji Sambo, in protest against alleged threats to his life.

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PDP goes to court over Edo council polls From Azimazi Momoh Jimoh, Abuja HE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said yesterday that it would take the Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, to court for allegedly using his powers to interfere with the conduct of the local council elections in favour of his party, the Action Congress

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of Nigeria (ACN).

At a press conference in Abuja yesterday, National Publicity Secretary of the party, Olisa Metuh, said the role played by soldiers during the elections was questionable.

Metuh described the election as an aberration to the tenets of democracy, saying:

“Unpatriotic and undemocratic elements have laid siege to our nation’s democracy and Nigerians are now living in serious fear and uncertainty.

“Since the annulment of June 12, 1993, presidential elections, we have never in the political history of Nigeria witnessed any such

assault on the people and democracy like what is going on in Edo State today.”

“As I address you, the people of Edo State are being subjected to the worst form of tyranny. Their will as a people has been subverted and their rights to choose their leaders absolutely

Tiv leader decries plan to reduce Zaki-Biam judgment money From Joseph Wantu, Makurdi HAIRMAN of Tiv Elders and Stakeholders’ Forum, Abu King Shuluwa, has said the alleged move by the Federal and Benue State governments to trim to N8 billion the compensation of N41.8 billion judgment sum awarded to the victims of 2001 military invasion of Zaki-Biam is an act of fraud.

Shuluwa, who spoke with The Guardian at his Makurdi residence at the weekend, wondered how a group of people that did nothing to assist the victims of the invasion could conceive of plans and even have the effrontery to reduce the compensation sum from N41.8 billion to N8 billion when they did not support the effort of late Chief Alexander Gaadi, who championed the cause of the victims.

The elder statesman said now that Dr. Gaadi is dead, anything done to reduce the compensation sum without due consultation with the victims should be regarded as corruption of the highest order.

From Abiodun Fagbemi, Ilorin HAIRMAN C Character (FCC), Prof.

of Federal Commission Shuaib Oba AbdulRaheem, at the weekend promised equitable distribution of infrastructural facilities to all parts of Nigeria.

AbdulRaheem gave this assurance in Ilorin, Kwara State capital, while speaking with reporters after a thanksgiving prayer organised in his honour over his second term appointment in office as chairman of the Commission.

He said his major task during the second term in office is to ensure that no community is marginalised in the provision of amenities in the country.

He, however, noted that the challenges require a lot of funds, manpower and dedication but expressed optimism that it would come to reality.

taken away from them by brute force.

“In their desperation to dethrone democracy and enthrone maximum rulership in Edo State, Governor Adams Oshiomhole and the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) have turned themselves into ferocious wolves and have continued to unleash terror on the people.”

Metuh accused Oshiomhole of “motivating armed policemen attached to him to use guns freely on the people”.

“Governor Oshiomhole used the military to intimidate and harass PDP members from exercising their democratic rights. We, therefore, call on the military authorities to investigate the role of the Brigade Commander in Benin in the use of the military against PDP members during the elections.

Oshiomhole’s intention was to embarrass prominent personalities of PDP,” he further alleged.

Akinadewo resigns from Nigerian Compass ANAGING Editor of the M Nigerian Compass, Gabriel Akinadewo, has

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FCC boss pledges equitable distribution of infrastructure

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Osun State Deputy Governor, Titilayo Laoye Tomori (left); former Bishop of Diocese of Lagos West, Dr. Peter Adebiyi; his successor, Rt. Rev. James Odedeji, his wife, Olukemi and Lagos State Deputy Governor, Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, during the enthronement of Odedeji as bishop of the Diocese, Lagos West (Anglican Communion), at PHOTO: OSENI YUSUF the Archbishop Vining Memorial Cathedral, Ikeja…yesterday

Experts seek sanctions against intellectual property theft

By Adeyemi Adepetun, Gbenga Salau and Ikechukwu Onyewuchi XCEPT government institutes tougher punitive measures against the regime of intellectual property theft in the country, Nigeria’s effort of becoming a major economic bloc by 2020 through innovations may remain a mirage.

According to the Managing Director of CMC Connect, Mr. Yomi Badejo-Okusanya, for Nigeria to be the hub of business and innovation, its intellectual property right regime must be strong and be one that can adequately compensate right owners.

Badejo-Okusanya said for any economy to grow, there must be a compendium of innovation and creativity, stressing that innovation and creativity cannot grow

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unless there is a strong intellectual property protection regime in place.

Speaking at the Microsoft Nigeria organised roundtable to mark this year’s World Intellectual Property Day in Lagos at the weekend, Badejo-Okusanya informed that development is based on certain pillars and without creativity and innovation, there cannot be any “and if there is no proper intellectual property protection regime, it will be difficult for creativity and innovation to thrive.”

This position was re-echoed by other panelists who maintained that there had not been innovative development because the environment has not been conducive.

The Chief Executive Officer

of Trybe Records, Mr. Lanre Dabiri, said that Nigeria has not transited from a developing to a developed nation because intellectual property right is not taken seriously.

He noted that the many ideas in Nigeria do not go beyond the conceptual stage because the incentives to take it to the next level are not available as the environment is not conducive.

The Anti-Piracy Manager, Multichoice, Mr. Gozie Ohumori, stated that innovation is what grows any business and without intellectual property rights, it cannot happen. He called for a change of mind-set about use of free content as people need to be aware that when they buy fake products, they are not only killing the producers but also the economy,

Stakeholders urge merger of Nigerian airlines to survive

By Wole Shadare OR Nigerian airlines to Fharsh survive in the face of economic reality, they have been told to shun the stand-alone ideology, as the idea is no longer realistic.

That was the verdict of experts from Europe, United States and Nigeria at the Nigerian Aviation Summit, with theme: “A dozen world airlines…Nigeria challenges”, held in Lagos at the weekend.

They explained that all over the world, bigger airlines are merging, forming alliances to remain in business and helping one another as global airline business has become competitive.

African airlines, particularly Nigerian airlines, are in serious financial dire straits

as they are bogged down by heavy debts, harsh operating environment and sometimes, government’s policies that are not favourable to them.

The carriers’ precarious situation forced the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to organise a N100 billion worth of rescue operation the airlines have not repaid.

The Managing Director of Sabre (Nigeria), Mr. Gabriel Olowo; Director of Studies, European Centre for Advance and Professional Studies, University of Cambridge and Chairman, Sabre Nigeria, a global distribution system for airlines, Dr. Anthony Kila and Director, Europe, Middle East and Africa for Sabre, Soroya Nosworthy, affirmed that Nigerian airlines urgently need to get out of the doldrums if they are to

remain in existence in the next decade. They noted that African airlines are too small and fragmented, adding that they need to consolidate to remain afloat.

In his presentation, the Chief Executive Officer of Landover Aviation, Captain Edward Boyo, lamented that the growth of Nigeria’s economy does not reflect in the number of airlines in the nation’s domestic market.

Boyo, who was represented by the Executive Director of his firm, Mrs. Aduke Atiba, said in the past 10 years, there has been an average of 10 domestic airlines in operation at any particular time, with an average fleet capacity of about 10, adding that, ‘Today, there are only about seven licensed airlines operating in Nigeria”.

as it has negative implication on creating unemployment and killing businesses at their infancy stage.

Noting that intellectual property crime is seen as a soft crime and treated as one, Ohumori also called for stiffer punishment for intellectual property thieves, just as efforts must be made to continually speak about the importance of intellectual property rights.

Dabiri argued that no industry will be sustainable without intellectual property rights and the fight against pirates becomes more difficult with no government support.

resigned from the organisation.

In a letter to the Chairman of Western Publishing Company Limited, publishers of Nigerian Compass and The Westerner, Aare Kola Oyefeso, he thanked the Chief Promoter and the Board for the opportunity given him to serve the organisation since 2008.

The letter reads: Sir, I hereby resign as the managing editor of the Nigerian Compass. I want to thank the Chief Promoter and the Board for the opportunity given me to serve as the Weekend Editor, Editor and Managing Editor since May 26, 2008, when the newspaper hit the newsstand. Thank you sir.”

When asked about his future engagement yesterday, Akinadewo said he, with people of like minds, would explore the fresh opportunities “in the modern journalism world.”

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, April 29, 2013

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Suspect in Oyo murder case gets bail

DFID to fight malnutrition in Zamfara

From Iyabo Lawal, Ibadan HE Oyo State Police Command yesterday confirmed that the former vice chairman of the Pilgrims Welfare Board (Muslim wing), Alhaji Abass Oloko, who was arrested on Friday in connection with the murder of the night guard of a former secretary to the state government and chieftain of Accord Party, Chief Ayodele Adigun, has been released on bail.

Police spokesperson in the state, Olabisi Ilobanafor, said Oloko was released due to an alibi he provided and which the command confirmed to be true.

Gunmen had invaded Adigun’s Ikolaba residence on Tuesday March 26, and frantically searched the house for the former SSG who was lucky to have gone to Ado Ekiti with former governor, Alhaji Rashidi Ladoja, to formally inaugurate the state’s chapter of the Accord Party.

According to the police spokesperson, Oloko’s temporary release was based on an alibi that he was out of the country when the crime was committed and that the pieces of information supplied by him were verified to be true.

She added that “the airline was contacted and we were able to establish that as of the time of the commission of the crime, he was in United Kingdom. We have since released him on bail.”

The police PRO, however, called on members of the public to assist the command with information that could lead to arrest of killers of Adigun’s night guard.

From Isah Ibrahim, Gusau HE Department for I n t e r n a t i o n a l Development (DFID) has allocated over $500 million to fight malnutrition in Zamfara State through the cash transfer programme for pregnant and other women residents in the state.

Governor Abdul’aziz Yari Abubakar disclosed this at the weekend during a town hall meeting organised by the National Good Governance team headed by the Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, and held at JB Yakubu Secretariat Conference Hall, Gusau, the state capital.

He said the DFID country director had confirmed to him that necessary arrangements have been concluded for the take off of the programme in the state.

The governor, who denied allegation that the state government got large amount of funds as assistance from the government of Germany, however, confirmed that Zamfara is receiving interventional support from Japan and USAID for some programmes that have direct impact on the residents.

Yari described the good governance tour as a good initiative as leaders at state level are being examined on their performance.

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Inspector General of Police, M.D. Abubakar (right); Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Alex Barde; Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika and National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd) during a state reception organised by Delta State in honour of the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Dele Joseph Ezeoba in Asaba, at the

Nigeria to introduce pneumonia vaccine in August

By Chukwuma Muanya S part of efforts to reduce infant death in Nigeria caused by pneumonia, the Federal Government has concluded plans to introduce the pneumonia vaccine, the Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV), by August 2013, even as the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) said universal coverage of insecticide-treated bed nets is key in tackling malaria, one of the largest killers of children in the world.

A consultant peadiatrician at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) IdiAraba, Dr. Taiwo Ladapo, said pneumonia is currently the leading cause of death in children under five worldwide

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• Disease ‘kills more kids than others’ and kills more children in the world than any other disease.

Executive Director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Ado Gana Mohammed, in an interview with The Guardian said: “Nigeria has made progress on tackling childhood killer diseases with vaccines. We have developed immunisation strategy. What it means is that Nigeria is definitely making progress and we are beginning to see some return on investment. We are making some progress in terms of immunisation agenda. We are beginning to see some progress in terms of uptake and coverage. Also, we are going to introduce PCV in August-September this year.”

Ladapo told The Guardian that “if you add the number of children that die from malaria and Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV), pneumonia kills more than HIV and malaria combined globally as of today. So generally, control of pneumococcal disease is a major priority. Nigeria has a very high burden. It is said that about

three quarters of all the episodes of pneumonia in the world occur in just about 15 countries, this is data from about two years ago. And Nigeria is one of the countries top on that list so pneumococcal diseases are very significant.”

PCV is a pneumococcal vaccine used to protect infants and young children against diseases caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus).

According to the alliances and information at the International Vaccine Access Centre (IVAC), John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, United States, the new PCV can save Nigeria N49 billion treatment cost in ten years when introduced in the country. There are currently three PCV vaccines available on the global market: Prevnar (called Prevenar in some countries), Synflorix and Prevnar 13.

Mohammed said the vaccine, which will be introduced within three years, beginning from 2013, is expected to protect the Nigerian child against dis-

eases caused by the pneumococcal virus such as meningitis and pneumonia.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), pneumococcal diseases are the leading vaccine-preventable killers of young children worldwide. It is estimated that introducing the vaccine is likely to prevent up to 206,000 child deaths in Nigeria by the year 2018.

UNICEF’s Director of Programmes, Nicholas Alipui, in a statement said: “Malaria still kills 660,000 people every year, most of them African children. It is unacceptable that every day more than 1,500 children still die from a preventable and curable disease.

“We must distribute insecticide-treated nets to all who need them, provide timely testing for children and appropriate medicine when they are infected.

“We have made considerable progress in this fight, but cannot take our eyes off the goal of reducing malaria cases and deaths to zero. We must make sure that countries have the funding they need for malaria control and use it to protect their children and expectant mothers.”

NLC, TUC deny collecting money for Maysector.

Day celebration

By Collins Olayinka, Abuja HE May Day celebrations slated for Wednesday to commemorate Workers’ Day is being threatened by alleged collection of N200 million by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) from the Centenary Committee.

While addressing the media yesterday in Abuja on the preparations towards a successful May Day celebration, one of the deputy presidents of the NLC, Promise Adewusi, said the labour organisation did not collect money from the Centenary Committee.

It was alleged that representatives of labour collected N200 million from the Centenary panel through a company.

Sources close to the negotiation at the SGF secretariat of the Centenary Committee alleged that money indeed changed hands but labour insisted no money changed hands between it and the committee.

It was learnt that the decision of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and NLC to celebrate the centenary of

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labour movement in Nigeria in 2013 instead of 2012 has made some labour leaders curious.

The Nigeria Civil Service Union (NCSU), which came into existence in 2013 and is the oldest union in the country celebrated the labour centenary in Nigeria last year and the NLC, which NCSU is part of, did not take active part. The questions begging for answers are: Why is labour movement celebrating the centenary of the movement one year after the event? and Why is the President of NCSU, Kiri Mohammed, who is a deputy president of the Congress not driving the process?

It should be noted that at no time in history did the labour spent more than N10 million to host the May Day celebration.

Adewusi revealed that the Centenary Committee would be responsible for the organisation of the 2013 edition of May Day with the labour movement contributing nothing towards the event. He also stated that labour is not partnering with government on the celebration but with private

Speaking on the controversies, the Chairman of TUC, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) chapter, Aliyu Musa, insisted that labour did not collect money from the committee but suggested which company to patronise.

Indeed, Adewusi stated that it was at the instance of labour that African Textile Manufacturers Limited, Kano got the contract to supply the clothes.

He said: “We insisted that the company that would manufacture the clothes must be the one that allows unionism in its establishment. We insisted that we would not take money from the committee but we would have a say in who got the contact.”

Adewusi also said the Centenary committee wanted the shirts to be branded but that labour refused, which resulted in some big companies pulling out of the deal.

For logistic reasons, a raffle draw where about 300 cars would be won would have been part of the May Day celebration, according to Adewusi.

Navy arrests five suspected sea pirates

By Anietie Akpan, Calabar N its fight to make the maritime waters safe for business, the Nigerian Navy in Calabar, Cross River State has handed over five suspected sea pirates to the state Police Command.

The Commander of the NNS Victory, Commodore James Oluwole, who paraded the men before some select newsmen said theirs is to arrest, hence the suspects were handed over to the police for further investigation and prosecution.

He disclosed that the five suspected sea thieves were arrested at about 1700 hours on Friday last week around Parrot Island along the estuaries of the Calabar River as they tried to escape.

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Abducted Ondo baker released From Niyi Bello, Akure ETECTIVES from the D Ondo State Police Command have secured the release of Alhaji Musa Adisa Labaika, the 90-year old former president of the Ondo branch of the Association of Master Bakers who was abducted last Wednesday.

He was freed at the weekend by the police from the hoodlums’ hideout in AdoEkiti, capital of Ekiti State, while three of the abductors were arrested at the place.

The grey-haired old man was seized while crossing the road in front of his 121, Isolo Street, Akure home to a nearby mosque to observe his dawn prayers by a gang of four armed hoodlums who took him away in a red car under a hail of gunfire.

The police were said to have gotten on the trail of the hoodlums through the mobile telephone number they used to demand the N30 million from the family, 48 hours after the abduction.

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THE GUARDIAN, Monday, April 29, 2013

Nigeria nearing failed state, says Aregbesola From Tunji Omofoye, Osogbo SUN State Governor Rauf Aregbesola has urged the nation’s leaders to rise up to the challenges facing the country, saying the indices in the polity raise fears of possible disintegration.

He particularly urged the Federal Government to wake up to its responsibilities by initiating policies aimed at reducing the excruciating effects of poverty and deprivation, which he said, have brought disenchantment by various groups across the country.

Aregbesola spoke at the weekend in Osogbo at a dinner he organised in honour of the newly-elected President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, Mr. Femi Adesina, and other executive members of the association.

The governor, who said the nation should learn from the recent Somalia’s experience, lamented the protracted unrest in virtually all the regions of the country, stating that unless the Federal Government urgently takes some concrete steps, the

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Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun (3rd right); his wife, Mrs. Olufunso Amosun (left); bride’s father and Special Adviser to Governor Amosun on Energy, Taiwo Fagbemi (2nd right); bride’s mother, Mrs. Bisi Fagbemi (right) and the couple, Dr. and Mrs. Uwem David Akpan during the wedding of the Akpans in Lagos…the weekend

FG appoints Haruna as NASENI boss HE Federal Government T has appointed Dr. Mohammed Sani Haruna as executive vice chairman and chief executive officer, National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI).

According to a statement by the Chief Information Officer (Media and Protocol) of NASENI, Mr. Segun Ayeoyenikan, before this appointment, Haruna has

been at the helm of affairs in the agency since March 2012 in acting capacity as director general and chief executive.

Haruna, an indigene of Nasarawa State, is a former director, Power Equipment and Electrical Machinery Development Institute (PEEMADI), Okene, one of the institutes of the agency and also Director of Engineering Infrastructure at the agency’s headquarters.

He is a Fellow of Nigerian Society of Engineers (FNSE) and Institutions of Engineering and Technology (FIET), UK, among others.

In a congratulatory letter to Haruna, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, said President Goodluck Jonathan approved the appointment for an initial period of five years.

UN urges Bakassi residents to live in peace HE UN Representative to T the Cameroun-Nigeria Mixed Commission, Mr. Said Djinnit, has told residents of the Bakassi Peninsula to live in peace with one another, irrespective of the proposed boundary adjustment in the peninsula.

Djinnit made the plea in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Yaounde, Cameroun, yesterday during the 31st session of the commission.

“We believe that the border will divide the states but it should not divide the people, so I am advising that they should live together in peace.

“They should remain united, in spite the fact that the border will be demarcated; the UN is taking initiatives that will benefit the affected population on both sides of Nigeria and Cameroun,” he said.

Djinnit said he had drawn the attention of the EU and other relevant authorities to the need to cooperate with the activities of the commission to achieve its desire.

According to him, the cartographic section of the UN in charge of producing maps that represent the land and maritime boundary between the two countries will organise a workshop for enlightenment on the issue.

“To ensure the sustainability of this demarcation agreement, we will also constitute an agreement drafting committee.”

He said that the mixed commission had been able to develop an atmosphere of confidence between Cameroun and Nigeria.

The Bakassi Peninsula, including Lake Chad areas, had been in dispute for

decades between Nigeria and Cameroun. On October 1, 2002, the International Court of Justice ceded the oil-rich peninsula to Cameroun in a landmark judgment that apparently left the residents, mostly Nigerians in a quandary.

But the equally resourcerich maritime frontier between the two countries is yet to be demarcated.

Nigeria had agreed to turn over the Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroun between July and September 2004 and had since handed over 32 villages to Cameroun. The villages stretch along the newly-marked 1,700 km border from Lake Chad to the Gulf of Guinea.

The Nigeria’s National

Assembly, however, insists that the hand-over is unconstitutional, demanding a referendum on the issue, which informs the current Cameroun-Nigeria Mixed Commission’s intervention.

• Urges action against poverty nation may collapse.

According to him, anyone with the interest of the country at heart would certainly know that Nigeria at present is closer to failure than success as a nation.

According to Aregbesola, instead of addressing the fundamental causes of challenges confronting the nation, the federal authorities are merely scratching them on the surface.

“I am particularly worried about the fate of this nation today. Nigeria is very close to being a failed state than being successful. A nation can only remain indivisible and hold itself together when people charged with responsibilities refuse to shirk in the dispensation of such responsibilities. Crises manifest in different ways but the real causes of the nation’s abnormalities have not been addressed. It is not enough to tag the insurgency in the South as militancy or youth unrest and the one up North as religious crisis or Islamic

fundamentalism, rather the utmost things needed are solutions to all these unrests,” Aregbesola said.

He charged the media, which is the source of information to the people, to practise development journalism that can really make those in political power to change their attitude and restore hope to the people.

“Media should challenge the leaders and wake them up to their responsibilities. I want you to use your medium to also correct the bad impressions created for our state. All these are borne out of rumour-mongering,” he said.

Earlier in his remark, Adesina said the Guild of Editors and the entire media would always support and cooperate with a government that stands for the people.

“We will cooperate with any government that serves the people, gives them dividends of democracy and puts smile on their faces like you are doing,” Adesina said.

Edo, MAN to partner on industrial park From Alemma-Ozioruva Aliu, Benin City

S part of efforts to improve A socio-economic activities of Edo State, the government would soon partner the Manufacturers’ Association of Nigeria (MAN) to build an industrial park that would generate employment for residents.

The Guardian learnt at the weekend that representatives of the state government and those of MAN would this week have an inspection tour of the

site designated for the project.

Chairman of MAN, Edo and Delta states’ chapter, Humphrey Emuobor Masodje, during a courtesy visit to the Government House yesterday, said the state was overdue for industrial park to manage industrial clusters and as such, recommended that the government grants consent to the Organised Private Sector to manage and partner government on the utilisation of the

industrial park along Sakponba Road.

The state government said it has a strategic plan for the sector that would run till 2016. “A section of the strategic plan deals with industrial policy. The plan, which goes on to 2016, is such that any other government that comes will have a flow in and continue from there and can also adjust what needs to be adjusted,” the Secretary to State Government, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, said.

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THE GUARDIAN, Monday, April 29, 2013

AfricanNews ‘Bouteflika responding well in of youths yesterParis after stroke’ HUNDREDS day attacked senior RESIDENT Abdelaziz

Fear, anger trail rebels’ deadly strike on Sudanese town

PBouteflika of Algeria was reportedly “responding well” in

a Paris hospital yesterday after suffering a mini-stroke that has raised doubts about his ability to govern less than a year before a presidential election.

The 76-year-old, in power since 1999, suffered a “transient ischaemia” on Saturday and was flown to Paris where he was driven under army escort to the Val de Grace military hospital, which often treats high-profile patients.

Officials in Algeria were quick to allay fears over his condition, but the media raised fresh questions about his health, which has been an endless source of speculation since 2005 when he had surgery in Paris.

Rachid Bougherbal, director of Algeria’s National Sports Medicine Centre, said the “transient ischaemia” – a temporary blockage of blood flow to the brain often called a “mini-stroke” – “did not last long”.

Bouteflika “did not suffer irreversible damage” and was “responding well”, he told the state news agency APS, explaining that “no sensory function was impaired.”

The office of Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal said in a statement yesterday that tests undergone at the hospital had confirmed there were “no worries” over his state of health.

Sudan’s officials to express their fear and anger following rebels’ strike on a major town that residents said had been left unguarded and was hit during coordinated attacks in what was termed “insurgents’ most audacious act in years.”

Residents in Umm Rawaba – a previously peaceful community of thousands which bore the brunt of Saturday’s attack – said about 300 youths stoned a convoy carrying North Kordofan state governor, Murghani Hussein ZakiAdeen, and federal Electricity Minister Osama Abdullah Mohammed.

Witnesses said protesters shouted “where were you yesterday?” after the governor visited the homes of people who died in the unrest.

Youths then set fire to local government buildings, witnesses told Agence France Presse (AFP).

Residents complained that

the town, the second largest in North Kordofan, had been left undefended when insurgents briefly occupied it on Saturday.

The death toll was unclear but included some policemen, according to residents and officials.

Rebels said eight of their number died during the operation, four in battle and four in accidents.

North Kordofan has been largely free from the insurgencies in the Darfur region to its west, and South Kordofan to its south.

A rebel coalition, the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF), said it attacked Umm Rawaba and several other areas as part of its strategy to reach Khartoum and overthrow the 24-year regime of President Omar al-Bashir.

Umm Rawaba is about 100 kilometres east of the state capital, El Obeid, which is home to an air force base, It was tense with armoured ve-

hicles deployed and soldiers in the streets.

The SRF said it seized government garrisons at Abu Kershola and Um Ktera before “chasing” the army to Umm Rawaba, Allah Kareem and to the edge of North Kordofan’s El Rahad town.

Abu Kershola and Um Ktera were still in rebel hands yesterday, while two additional South Kordofan garrisons nearby had also been captured by SRF, said Arnu Ngutulu Lodi, spokesman for the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), which is based in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states.

Residents of Abu Kershola, a village about 65 kilometres south of El Rahad, said they were living rough after fleeing.

“We are staying under trees and we are using camels to bring water from far away.

Some families have nothing to eat,” said one of the displaced, Ahmed Ibrahim, who called

for government aid.

“There are just a few trees to shelter the young children and old people,” said another man, Hamid Ahmed Mohammed, who fled the village early on Saturday.

“There is no food and we brought our water in by donkey,” he said.

However, calm returned to Umm Rawaba town yesterday but there was no electricity or water following the rebel attacks, people said.

“People are still fearful,” one resident said.

Hafez Mohammed Hamoud, North Kordofan’s Minister of Finance, said Allah Kareem and the area outside El Rahad were also “under control completely.”

Sudan’s army spokesman, quoted by SUNA on Saturday, said the rebels had been “defeated” and had scattered in small groups.

The SRF consists of SPLM-N and Darfur’s main rebel groups the Sudan Liberation

African political parties meet to boost unity OME political parties from Smeeting 35 African nations began in Khartoum on

Mali smashes Islamist cell in Bamako agents in Mali have Stal,ECURITY broken up a cell in the capiBamako, operated by one of the Islamist groups that had controlled northern Mali until a French-led military intervention this year.

A police source said yesterday that security service agents arrested seven people last month when they smashed the cell belonging to the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa, (MUJAO).

“Since the start of the week, we have the formal proof. The seven people detained last month in working-class neighbourhoods of Bamako formed the first MUJAO cell in Bamako,” the source told Agence France Presse (AFP) on condition of anonymity.

The police obtained the help of Malian State Security intelligence services, whose role was “decisive in dismantling the cell,” the police source said.

“The investigation continues,” the source added No details about where the seven were being held was available, but the arrests were mentioned in a confidential report that AFP consulted in Bamako yesterday.

The report said the arrests “led to the dismantling of the MUJAO cell in Bamako.”

It said the seven were all Malian nationals between 16 and 57 years old who were all trained militarily and ideologically by the Islamists in the north.

Army and Justice and Equality Movement (JEM).

In 2008, JEM pushed all the way to Khartoum’s twin city of Omdurman where government forces said they were beaten.

The rebel attack in North Kordofan comes as the government, beset by internal political struggles, seeks a broad political dialogue with its opponents.

Last week Khartoum and the SPLM-N held their first direct talks in almost two years, but both sides said negotiations stalled.

From the rebel perspective, “now would probably be a good time to capitalise on some of the divisions and... a softening stance in Khartoum,” said Jonah Leff, of the Small Arms Survey, a Swissbased independent research project.

But if they tried to reach Khartoum, “I think they’d get beat back pretty quickly,” he said.

President Goodluck Jonathan (right) welcoming President Nhamajo Serifo of Guinea Bissau to the Presidential Villa, Abuja…at the weekend.

Saturday to create a joint forum that will further unify the continent, Sudanese officials said.

“I suggest this meeting will be one of the basic steps to complete the unity of Africa,” Sudan’s President Omar alBashir told the opening session of the two-day gathering.

He said Africa has not had proportionate representation in international forums despite the continent’s history and its population of more than one billion.

Delegates plan to form the first Council of African Political Parties.

“This meeting wants to unite the African political parties.

We want to create a political body for all the parties,” Nafie Ali Nafie, assistant to Bashir, told reporters.

He said that only parties with representatives in their parliaments were invited.

A delegate from Zambia described the meeting as an “initiative” of Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party.

Gunmen surround Libyan foreign ministry in Tripoli IBYA’S Foreign Ministry was L again on edge yesterday as Around 30 vehicles, some mounted with gunmen surrounded it and demanded that the place be “cleansed of agents” and ambassadors of ousted dictator, Muammar Gaddafi, an official said.

According to agency report, the group prevented members of staff working in the ministry from entering the building in Tripoli.

Around 30 vehicles, some mounted with anti-aircraft guns, and dozens of armed men surrounded the office, an Agence France Presse (AFP) photographer at the scene reported.

The official criticised the group’s “extremely offensive”

anti-aircraft guns, and dozens of armed men surrounded the office.

behaviour, even if their demands were “legitimate”, saying this did not justify “paralysing the whole work of a ministry”.

The General National Congress, Libya’s highest political authority, is studying proposals for a law to exclude former Gaddafi regime officials from top government and political posts.

The proposed law could affect several senior figures in the government, and has caused waves in the country’s

political class.

In March, demonstrators encircled the assembly, trapping members in the building for several hours as they called for the adoption of the law.

After the siege was lifted, gunmen targetted Congress chief, Mohammed Megaryef’s motorcade without causing any casualties.

Libya’s government is struggling to assert its influence across the country, where Megaryef’s militias who fought Gaddafi in the 2011 up-

rising still control much territory.

Meanwhile, an explosion hit a police station in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi on Saturday, causing extensive damage but no casualties, a security source said.

“The explosion damaged a large part of the building. An explosive device was probably thrown,” the source said on condition of anonymity.

“Fortunately, the officers and police were in another part of the building. That is why there were no injuries,” he said.

A policeman at the scene said he was among officers who fled the building after the blast, and that there were no

apparent casualties.

A photographer at the site said the explosion could be heard at 7:00 am (0500 GMT) and that it destroyed more than half of the police station.

Benghazi, the cradle of the 2011 uprising that ousted Gaddafi, has been targetted by several bombings and a wave of assassinations in recent months.

The attacks are usually attributed to Islamic extremists, including one on the U.S. consulate that killed ambassador Chris Stevens on September 11.

On Tuesday, the French embassy in Tripoli was struck by a car bomb that wounded two French guards and caused significant damage.

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, April 29, 2013

11

WorldReport Syria’s chemical weapons: The world now on edge

Three killed in apartment block’s collapse in French town

From Oghogho Obayuwana, Foreign Affairs Editor

BOUT three people were A killed and 14 injured yesterday when part of an apart-

HE big noise over alleged T use of chemical weapons in Syria has again put the world

ment block in the French city of Reims collapsed after a suspected gas blast, just three weeks after a similar tragedy not far away.

French President Francois Hollande sent his “condolences to the families of the victims” as shocked residents grouped around the scene of the accident on a council estate in the Champagne region.

Local authorities said the “probable” cause of the accident – which saw the extremity of a four-storey building containing some 10 flats crash down – was a gas explosion.

Police in the Marne department where Reims is located, said three adults were killed and another 14 people injured, one seriously. Among the hurt were children, they added.

A 60-year-old woman was found dead in the rubble sev-

on edge.

Western leaders over the week fumed over what is thought to be a sarin (banned chemical substance) attack by the embattled Syrian President Bashar Al Assad regime on people in rebel held city of Alepo. This is viewed as a war crime. Sarin is a colourless and odourless liquid which scientists say is an extremely potent nerve agent.

Although Syria is not a party to the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention that bans the development, production, possession and transfer of chemical weapons, it is party to the 1925 Geneva Protocol banning their use in warfare.

There was outrage by world leaders at the weekend following the emergence of a footage in global media including Sky News, of an apparent sarin attack in the city of Aleppo. But Syrian officials denied the government had used chemical weapons against rebel forces.

A Syrian lawmaker, Sharif Shehadeh, called the claims by western governments “lies” and likened them to false accusations that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction.

The United Nations (UN) Security Council had on 28 April 2004 unanimously adopted Resolution 1540 under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter which affirms that the proliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and their means of delivery constitutes a threat to international peace and security.

Diplomatic watchers said if it is verified that the Assad regime used sarin, that would in itself place it in direct violation of international law as well as international norms against chemical weapons use.

Up till yesterday afternoon, British Prime Minister David Cameron insisted that “there is growing evidence of the use of chemical weapons by Bashar al Assad’s regime,” condemning the reported attacks as a war crime.

Voices are rising in the United States (U.S.) where President Barrack Obama is being encouraged to take

Obama

Assad

There was outrage by world leaders at the weekend following the emergence of a footage in global media including Sky News, of an apparent sarin attack in the city of Aleppo. But Syrian officials denied the government had used chemical weapons against rebel forces. decisive action on Syria because it is largely felt that the red line has now been crossed.

Obama had repeatedly said that any use of chemical weapons would be cross a “red line”, triggering possible military action. A possible tough action could also mean enforcing a no fly zone and creating safe zones inside the country.

The video, now sparking the outrage was taken in a hospital and shows men and women frothing at the mouth and twitching from the effects of the nerve agent. One was first posted online just over a week ago.

The images were recorded at the medical facility in Afrin, about an hour’s drive from the city of Aleppo, where the alleged sarin attacks by government forces were carried out.

Dr. Kawa Hassan, an orthopaedic surgeon who treated the first casualties, told agencies’ reporters: “We received an initial five casualties, then a second group.

Many were foaming at the mouth and their pupils were dilated. Then some of my medical staff started to become affected, too. We gave them all atropine. For most, it had an immediate positive effect.”

The United Nations (UN) Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) is an arms control agreement, which out-

laws the production, stockpiling, and use of chemical weapons. Its full name is the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction. The agreement is administered by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which is an independent organisation based in The Hague, Netherlands.

As of August 2010, 188 states are party to the CWC, and another two countries (Israel and Myanmar) have signed but not yet ratified the convention.

The British leader Cameron told the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) yesterday morning: “It is very disturbing what we are seeing. It’s limited evidence, but there’s growing evidence that we have seen too of the use of chemical weapons, probably by the regime. It is extremely serious, this is a war crime, and we should take it very seriously.”

He said it was now essential to gather further evidence and for Britain to work with the international community to put pressure on the Assad regime.

“This is extremely serious, and I think what President Obama said was absolutely right - that this should form

Cameron for the international community a red line for us to do more,” he added.

By the weekend (Friday), the White House was not ready to definitively rule that chemical weapons had been used, saying it was “not an airtight case” against the Assad regime.

U.S. Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel had already announced during a trip to Abu Dhabi that evidence of chemical weapons use had been found.

His comments were backed by the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who said the Syrian regime had carried out two small-scale chemical weapons attacks.

What is more? Senator John McCain told Sky News: “The problem is that the president has consistently said that’s a red line, so the question is, will the president act in a way that I have advocated for a long time?

UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon announced earlier this month that he had a team of 15 inspectors on stand-by in Cyprus ready to go and investigate allegations of chemical weapons us.

In 2002, United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1441 offering Iraq under Saddam Hussein “a final opportunity to comply with its disarmament obligations” that had been set out in several previous resolutions. Then, Iraq’s breaches related not only to weapons of mass destruction (WMD), but also the known construction of prohibited types of missiles etc.

The world surely does not want a repeat of the situation where real evidence eventually failed to prop up after the U.S.led invasion of Iraq had been accomplished.

Shooting casts shadow over swearing in of Italy’s new cabinet NEW coalition government Interior Minister Angelo according to media reports. February elections but withA in Italy was sworn in yester- Alfano said the “tragic and He was reportedly depressed out the majority needed to govern. day, but a ceremony symbolis- criminal act” was an isolated after failing to find a job. ing a fresh start for a country mired in recession and dogged by political feuds was overshadowed by a shooting outside government headquarters.

As Prime Minister Enrico Letta and his 21 ministers took the oath of office in the presidential palace, an unemployed man about a kilometre away opened fire on policemen guarding the headquarters, wounding two of them and sparking fear among tourists.

incident, but many blamed the economic crisis hounding ordinary Italians and called for the new government to act.

“This has its roots in an increasingly widespread social desperation. The dramatic problems the country is living through call for strong, radical decisions,” said Rosy Bindi, former president of the Democratic Party (PD).

Police tackled the aggressor, Luigi Preiti, after he shot two officers in the neck and leg and begged them to kill him,

The magistrate who interviewed Preiti, Pierfilippo Laviani, told ANSA news agency “he wanted to shoot the politicians (the cabinet) but as he couldn’t get near them, he shot the police.”

The shooting cast a shadow over the swearing in of a team meant to bring hope after over two months of bitter post-election deadlock watched closely

by European partners.

Letta was appointed by President Giorgio Napolitano after the centre-left won

The 46-year-old, one of the European Union’s youngest prime ministers, is expected to unveil his programme in a parliamentary session on Monday, before the government is put to a confidence vote in parliament on Tuesday.

The deadlock had thwarted efforts to end the worst recession in Italy in 20 years, and Letta has said he wants to move quickly to tackle unemployment – currently 11.6 per cent – and boost growth.

eral hours after the collapse, bringing the death toll up to three.

Authorities said they were also looking for a young man who lives on the fourth floor of the block.

Some 75 residents gathered in a nearby sports complex and a school where counsellors were available for the traumatised.

At the beginning of the month, four people from the same family were killed and another person seriously injured when a gas explosion devastated their council flat in Witry-les-Reims, not far from the scene of yesterday’s accident.

That incident shocked the neighbourhood, particularly as the father had still been alive when firefighters arrived, talking to them for over two hours to try to help them locate his wife and child, before dying in the ambulance.

Iraq suspends TV stations after deadly unrest HE authorities in Iraq yesT terday suspended the licences of 10 satellite television channels for promoting “sectarianism”, the country’s media regulator said.

The bloody unrest, which has claimed more than 220 people over six days, began on Tuesday with deadly clashes between security forces and Sunni Arab anti-government protesters in north Iraq.

The unrest is raising fear of a return to an all-out sectarian conflict that plagued the country in the past and killed tens of thousands.

“We took a decision to suspend the licence of some satellite channels that adopted language encouraging violence and sectarianism,” Mujahid Abu al-Hail, a top official in the Communications and Media Commission, told AFP. “It means stopping their work in Iraq and their activities, so they cannot cover events in Iraq or move

around,” Hail said.

The suspensions include AlJazeera, the main broadcaster in the Arab world, and Sharqiya, a leading channel in Iraq.

“The fact that so many channels have been hit all at once ... suggests this is an indiscriminate decision,” an Al-Jazeera spokesman told AFP. “We urge the authorities to uphold freedom for the media to report the important stories taking place in Iraq,” the spokesman said.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said on Saturday that sectarian strife “came back to Iraq, because it began in another place in this region,” in an apparent reference to Syria.

The civil war in neighbouring Syria pitting mainly Sunni Muslim rebels against the regime of President Bashar alAssad, a member of the Alawite offshoot of Shiite Islam, has killed more than 70,000 people.

British minister urges the rich to give back state handouts AIN Duncan Smith, the Ipushing British government minister through strongly criticised reforms of the welfare state, has urged rich pensioners to give back any handouts they don’t need.

Older people are entitled to help with their heating bills, free bus travel and free television licences, but there are growing calls for these to face the same cuts as unemployment payments and other benefits for working-age people.

Work and Pensions Secretary, Smith, told the Sunday Telegraph there were “no plans to change” the current system, which Prime Minister David Cameron promised to protect at the last election.

But he told the newspaper: “It is up to them, if they don’t want it, to hand it back. I would encourage everybody who reads the Telegraph and doesn’t need it, to hand it

back.”

His comments were given short shrift by cabinet colleagues.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, the junior partners in Cameron’s Conservative-led government, said he would support a change in the system, adding of Duncan Smith’s suggestion: “I don’t think that makes sense.”

Conservative minister Ken Clarke, who at 72 years-old would be entitled to pensioners’ benefits, said he didn’t think it was possible to hand money back to the government in that way.

“You can’t hand it back to the government. I don’t think it is a system for doing that,” he told Sky News television.

“Every pensioner and retired person like myself has to make up their own mind about whether they really need it and whether they are going to give it to some worthwhile cause.”

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, April 29, 2013

12

Politics Much ado about Edo council election

Oshiomhole

From Alemma-Ozioruva Aliu, Benin City NCUMBENT Edo State chief executive, Ihelp Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, through the of the courts, rode into office on the popu-

lar mandate he got from the people in the 2007 elections. And he promised therefrom a mantra of ‘one man, one vote.’

Indeed, there had been series of elections conducted in the state since the change of baton at the Government House in Benin City in 2008.

The most prominent was the July 14, 2012 governorship poll that returned Oshiomhole for a second term in office.

So, the April 20, 2013 local government election was to be another test case for a free and fair exercise.

But the disputing voices of the opposition — both from civil society groups and political parties — may have punctured that expectation.

That is if one discountenanced the refrain of the opposition parties that — “the election was rigged” — whenever they lost any contest.

The noise from particularly the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is strident in this regard. Its Edo State chairman, Chief Dan Orbih, said his party is not just crying wolf where there is none.

He told journalists in Benin City on Friday that, “from the beginning, it was clear that ACN-controlled government was not ready to conduct council election.”

“This cancellation (of the rescheduled election in Esan North-East) has exposed the ineptitude and inability of the ACN government to conduct local government election.”

“These are the same people who, at the slightest opportunity, will criticise INEC. What we expected the government to do is to take responsibility for foisting an inefficient EDSIEC on the people.”

Orbih said his party would explore all legal means to correct the anomalies, just as he described the sworn-in council chairmen as “caretaker committee chairmen. ” Perhaps, as part of that “legal means,” there were protests against the election last Tuesday in Benin City. Some prominent politicians from the opposition, using some members of the civil society groups, reportedly sponsored the demonstrations.

A sore point in the unfolding drama is the criticism the governor has been getting from civil society groups, which, ordinarily, were expected to be his constituency.

Against all expectations, most of them, who had appeared both on local and national media, condemned the election; an indication, observers believe, that all is not well in that sector.

The protests in some quarters notwithstanding, the Accord Party (AP) and the Coalition of Registered Political Parties (CRPP) have lauded the election. They noted that despite reported hitches, it remains the best council election ever held in the state and that it substantially complied with the electoral law.

Orbih

Addressing the press in Benin City, the National Secretary of AP and chairman of the CRPP, Samson Isibor, commended the chairman of the EDSIEC, Solomon Ogor, whom, he said, displayed a high level of sincerity in his mission.

Isibor said the election was devoid of electoral malpractices, such as ballot-snatching, stuffing of ballot boxes, using guns to scare away eligible voters; there was none of such things.

“Do you know that in remote villages like Idibo, Udeni, and Ewoghan villages of Uhunmwode council, where it is difficult to reach because of the roads, election took place there. Accord Party candidate won in some units in that area; what else do we say about that?”

In the same vein, a youth group, Edo Is In Safe Hands, described the PDP complaints against the election as those of a sinking group.

In press statement, the youths’ chairman, Washington Osa-Osifo, wondered why the PDP should complain about shifting election in some councils when in 2011, the INEC postponed election to ensure fairness to all parties.

Noting that the postponement was not by Governor Oshiomhole but the electoral commission, Osa-Osifo said “patriotic citizens are supposed to address the institution of EDSIEC instead of acting in ignorance and castigating the image of a man who has always acted and is still acting in line with the provisions of the law.”

How did these back and forth come into play?

Where did all go wrong for an election the electorate had hoped would throw up credible people to replace the much-vilified caretaker committee chairmen and councilors in the local governments in the state?

From January this year when the chairman of Edo State Independent Electoral Commission (EDSIEC), Mr. Solomon Ogor, announced April 20 as the date for local government council elections, activities in the political parties became frenzied, as aspirants revived their campaign machineries to get control of the councils.

Expectedly, the commission promised credible, free and fair elections just as the state government gave the assurance that it would not interfere in the running of the commission.

However, the elections eventually held as scheduled in 14 of the 18 local councils due to logistics hiccups and violence in some areas.

Elections in these councils were rescheduled for Wednesday, April 24 and Thursday, April 25, respectively.

On the first day of voting, there was large turnout of voters in virtually all the polling units visited but the main challenge was late arrival of voting materials. While some centres began accreditation as at 3pm, others, including actual balloting, went into the night.

The EDSIEC chair, Ogor, attributed the hitches to flight challenges, disclosing that the electoral materials arrived at the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos late the previous

day and could not be flown to the Benin Airport, which does not have functional night landing capacity.

He said Edo State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Folunsho Adebanjo, had to call his Lagos State counterpart, to provide security for the materials conveyed by road to the Benin City.

This explanation was not accepted by the people, including Governor Adams Oshiomhole, who said even though it appeared it meant well, the EDSIEC needed to apologise to the people of the state for the avoidable delay.

However, the Action Congress of Nigeria had swept the 14 councils in which elections were conclusive; and Governor Oshiomhole promptly sworn-in the elected officials to preempt a possible court injunction the opposition PDP was reportedly hatching.

Meanwhile, as most of the ACN members and residents in the state were celebrating the victory of their candidates in the elections, there were protests in some areas, particularly in Esan North-East in Edo Central. Incidentally, the chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) of the PDP, Chief Tony Anenih, and the Minister of Works, Mr. Mike Onolenmemen are from the council.

Twice, election was held and twice it was cancelled in the place due to violence. The PDP candidate, John Yakubu, is believed to be very popular in the council; hence it was no surprise that so much tension was generated in the area, as his supporters claimed that he won in the 11 wards where the election was cancelled.

Ogor, who announced the cancellation of the election in the council on Thursday at about 6:11pm, told newsmen at the EDSIEC headquarters in Benin City that the rescheduled election was marred by violence and thuggery.

He stated that the election was earlier postponed from Saturday, April 20, to Wednesday April 24, 2013 because the Divisional Police Officer in the area forced the Electoral Officer (EO) to postpone the election without recourse to the EDSIEC authority.

Ogor alleged that the Minister of Works visited some of the voting centres with a large entourage of armed policemen; thus, compromising the security of the environment against laid-down electoral laws.

He said in many places at the rescheduled election, EDSIEC officials were chased away and the EO was held up in the police station.

“The activities of thugs and overzealousness of some law enforcement officers made it impossible for EDSIEC officials to perform their functions and the process became thoroughly contaminated and unmanageable; the security of voters and electoral officers could not be guaranteed and upon that, the election was inconclusive and EDSIEC decided to cancel the election,” Ogor said.

He said a new date would be announced after stocktaking.

But this position has been roundly condemned by the opposition PDP, which said the commission was acting the script of the state governor, who, it said, was bent on winning the entire local government councils.

Also in Ward 2, Etsako East local government council, the PDP candidate, Sanusi Ayuba, said results collated from the polling units showed that he won the area with 595 votes while the ACN scored 499 votes.

In Unit 3, PDP scored 138 votes and ACN 101; Unit 5: PDP 131, ACN 130; Unit 6: PDP 56, ACN 52; Unit 1: PDP 83, ACN 72; Unit 2: PDP 79, ACN 70; Unit 7: PDP 14, ACN 40 and in Unit 8: PDP 94, ACB 34 votes.

But reports indicated that the ACN candidate was sworn-in as councilor from the ward and this has led Ayuba to petition the EDSIEC. Mr. Moses Agbukor, the agent for the PDP, who has lodged petition against the EDSIEC declaration, said he was hounded into a military vehicle from the ward’s collation centre after receiving all results from the units.

He said that the official results, which should return the PDP candidate as the winner of the election, were yet to be released as at Thursday.

Indeed, the results were still unreleased as at the time of filing this report yesterday.

The ruling ACN, going by results of last year’s governorship election, which it won in the entire 18 local councils, was confident it would cruise to victory in the same way going by the party’s seeming popularity.

Still, the governor and party leaders toured the 18 councils where they pledged that their candidates would replicate what the governor was doing in the state in terms of infrastructure.

But the story was different in the PDP, which, rather than imitating the ACN and hit the road for massive campaigns, started crying foul even before the election.

On election day, the senator representing Edo North senatorial district, Domingo Obende, commenting on the nature of the election in his council and many other parts of Edo North, told The Guardian that, “there was peace everywhere; and that is why I am here.”

Referring to the PDP, he said: “What they planned was that, ‘let us destroy everything,’ because they knew they wouldn’t win. You know we are carrying egg; so, we have to guard it jealously.

“The reports I have from Etsako, Owan and Akoko-Edo presuppose that we are fine and it’s been peaceful. From what I have seen, sometimes when materials arrive late, people are more organised because the anxiety is no longer there; the tension would have calmed down.

“Voting went in an orderly manner, and so far, I am very impressed and I am grateful to the people that have decided to conduct themselves in a very orderly manner.”

Similarly, the member representing AkokoEdo Constituency in the House of Representatives, Peter Akpatason, described the allegation that the election was rigged in favour of the ACN as baseless “because PDP never believed elections could be won on the basis of popularity.”

“ACN fielded popular candidates capable of winning elections without rigging. In any case, the ACN as a party is not known for rigging and we have not only fielded winning candidates, but also campaigned well to win and win squarely.

But a PDP chieftain and the commissioner representing Edo State in the Public Complaints Commission, Mr. Oladele Bankole-Balogun, described the election as a “charade,” stressing that it was a deliberate strategy to rig the polls in favour of the ruling party (ACN).

He regretted that Governor Oshiomhole, who rubbished INEC over the conduct of the state governorship election, would allow something like this (alleged malpractice) to happen.”

He subsequently called for the cancelation of the election.

All said, the criticisms trailing the council election, which several quarters adjudged to have been the best in the state since 1999, could have been minimal had the EDSIEC done a good job of adequate and timely distribution of logistical materials.

Hence, the need for improvement on the part of the commission, especially as it was observed, for instance, that the commission used only one vehicle to distribute materials to polling units in each ward.

This contributed to the late arrival of sensitive materials at polling units even after they were distributed from the EDSIEC offices in the local government headquarters.

POLITICS 13

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, April 29, 2013

Kwara PDP, ACN torn apart by crises

Ahmed

From Abiodun Fagbemi, Ilorin NTERNAL rifts rather than threats from the camp of the opposition — depending on which divide you are — may be the heels of Achilles of the Kwara State chapters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) respectively, ahead of the 2015 general elections.

But while the PDP members seem poised to resolve their differences, those in the ACN look to be digging in.

Even though none of the local officials of the PDP was willing to admit the existence of internal wrangling, sources disclosed in Ilorin that some of the ranking members are plotting to wrest their independence from the acclaimed ‘Leader’ of the party and former governor of the state, Dr. Bukola Saraki.

The development, comparable to a cauldron preparing for a ball of fire, is believed to be alien to the political style of the Saraki dynasty, often noted for its welfarist ideology but under the firm control of the pivotal figure, referred to as ‘The Leader’.

The political system made popular in the lifetime of the Turaki of Ilorin, Dr. Olusola Saraki, the biological father of Bukola, is still very popular with members of the political family,

I

now headed by Bukola.

According to a party source: “Three members of the party in the state, who are using the quota of the state apart from a senator, who was voted into power, are working against the interest of Bukola, our leader and by implication, working against the interest of our great party.

“They are claiming that they got to their positions at the national level by other means outside Bukola’s influence; hence, they believe that they owe him or other members of the party no allegiance.

“This is a dangerous trend, especially with the concerned senator who believes that he, rather than our leader, is a more experienced politician and therefore can’t do the bidding of our leader.”

On two occasions in the past, the Saraki political dynasty was enmeshed in internal imbroglio, which almost tore it apart. The Second Republic governor of the state, Adamu Attah, had fallen out with the Turaki just as another exgovernor, Mohammed Lawal, did between 2001 and 2003.

The elder Saraki was eventually able to tame the roaring fire of “rebellion” and had both his say and his way. The rest is now history!

But the question on the lips of many political analysts in the state today is

whether the new leader of the dynasty, like his late father, has enough muscles to weather the storm of internal crisis looming in the party.

Yet, one area that may timely eclipse the crisis is the non-involvement of the state government in it.

The Governor Abdulfatah Ahmedled PDP government has so far shunned politicking, facing instead the art of governance.

But it is doubtful if the government could sustain its “neutral role” till the end. Besides, if it decided to take a position, on whose side would it pitch its tent?

Approached for comments on the issue, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media and Strategy, Femi Akorede, told The Guardian to beam its searchlight at the party structure, saying, “I know nothing about any wrangling within the PDP in Kwara; I am simply concerned with my assignments here. See the officials of the party, please.”

The Secretary of the PDP in the state, Yemi Afolayan denied the existence of any rift in the party. As an alternative, he warned, “rumour mongers to mind their own business rather than dabbling into(sic) other people’s affairs.”

In the same vein, the state’s Chairman of the Local Government Service Commission and an associate of Senator Saraki, Alhaji Kayode Suleiman, said he was not aware of any rumpus in the party.

He queried: “Crisis? I don’t know of any. We are focused, as a political party and our leader is in firm control of the party. We are a big and a happy family. That is all I can say.”

Notwithstanding the foregoing trend of reported fragments within the PDP circle, it may still be difficult for members of the opposition group to wrest power from the ruling party in the next general elections.

Indeed, the infighting at the state’s chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria seems protracted than the cold war in the PDP. The ACN, since its presence in the 46-year-old state, has been playing the role of a leading opposition group. But the crisis of ego between the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, an

Belgore Oro-born politician, in Irepodun local government council of the state and the governorship candidate of the party in the last elections, Dele Belgore (SAN), descendant of a prominent Islamic scholar in Ilorin, may have torn apart the party.

Although Mohammed and Belgore had denied the existence of any rift, the recent unfolding events in the leadership structure of the party may have confirmed the fears.

It is “talk of the town” in Kwara that Mohammed is nursing the ambition of having another chance at the governorship, having lost out in 1994 on the platform of the Alliance for Democracy (AD). While the ambition may be a legitimate one, the alleged interest of Belgore again at the slot may have caused the rift.

Sources said the duo believe that the emergence of the APC, an alliance arrangement among the major opposition political parties in the country, may eventually bolster the chances of the governorship candidate in the next polls in the state; hence, the twosome’s resolve to get “at all costs” the sole ticket of the emerging party.

Already, attempts have been made by the aspirants to control the hierarchy of the party in the state.

Meanwhile, the crisis has gone beyond the two politicians, as many

of their supporters have resolved to fight it to “a logical conclusion.”

An aide of Belgore said, “Do you know that till date ‘Oga’ (Belgore) does not believe that Mohammed is working against his ambition come 2015? I know ‘Oga’ wants to contest but he is not desperate about it. He has made his marks as a lawyer but he is only interested in liberating his people.”

But this appears not the general position of the Belgore loyalists, who contend that the Kayode Olawepo-led caretaker committee of the ACN in the state, which “they believe to be working for Mohammed,” should have been dissolved and replaced with properly constituted officials of the party. But Mohammed’s aides canvass the continuation of the committee in office.

However, Olawepo, in a chat with The Guardian, said, “any attempt to dissolve us at the state level is null and void because it was the national (headquarters) and not the state (chapter) that set us up.”

“He who does not have the power to appoint can’t dissolve; it is a simple matter. Nevertheless, we are one big family,” he said.

Who benefits from the stalemate in the two parties remains the next logical question, as Kwara, and indeed, the country inches towards 2015.

Over 17 governorship aspirants emerge in Akwa Ibom From Anietie Akpan, Calabar S build-up to 2015 begins to thicken, as A many as 17 aspirants from Eket senatorial district have lined up to succeed Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State.

A breakdown of the number shows that seven aspirants are from Eket federal constituency, six aspirants from Oron federal constituency and four governorship from the Ikot Abasi federal constituency.

The chairman of the Akwa Ibom South (Eket) Senatorial District Assembly, Chief Nduese Essien, dropped the hint at the third meeting of the body held recently at the Ekid Civic Centre in Eket.

However, he did not disclose the names of the aspirants but it is obvious that personalities like the Nigerian Ambassador to Russia, Chief Assam Assam (SAN), Senator Helen Esuene (the only female among the aspirants), Bishop Samuel Akpan, Dr. Samuel Udonsek, Mr. Owodigehe Adiakpan, Effiong Abia, Nisima Ekere, Otu Ita Toyo, Michael Onofiok and Okpolopum — all from the senatorial zone are all in the race.

Chief Essien, a former minister, said the number of governorship aspirants did not surprise him, noting that by the zoning principle of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, “it is the turn of Eket senatorial district to produce the next governor of the state.”

He argued that, “if not by zoning, then it comes by rotation, equity, justice, fair play, good governance and all other known and unknown principles of human relationship and mutual co-existence.”

The 2015 governorship project of the district, he said, is real; “hence, the chosen governorship candidate must be one who is capable,

It is the turn of Eket senatorial district to produce the next governor of the state. If not by zoning, then it comes by rotation, equity, justice, fair play, good governance and all other known and unknown principles of human relationship and mutual co-existence. We call on our sons and daughters currently playing the role of Judas to trade cautiously in the morning market and return home early to the fold to claim their birthright. competent and focused enough to make the district proud by improving upon the quality and tempo on the uncommon transformation witnessed in the state.”

“It has become imperative for the district to organise itself in readiness to shoulder the heavy responsibility of the office, as the governorship position is a high-stake office for which the district cannot relax and take for granted.”

Essien warned that the Assembly is not about individual aspiration, village, local government, federal constituency or ethnic

Akpabio

group that should take the governorship position but to consolidate the turn for governorship to the senatorial district.

He declared: “We have knowledgeable brilliant

and competent persons in the various nooks and crannies of the senatorial district to run Akwa Ibom State. We want any person who can replicate and, in fact, go beyond what Dr. Godswill Akpabio is doing.

“The Assembly is principally concerned with the sensitisation and mobilisation of our people for this project. Our group is also to plan, organise and strategise toward the attainment of our turn.

“We call on our sons and daughters currently playing the role of Judas to trade cautiously in the morning market and return home early to the fold to claim their birthright.”

A communiqué issued at the meeting warned all sons and daughters of the senatorial district against playing the role of a second fiddle, by accepting the deputy governor position; declaring that senatorial district does not want the office of deputy governor.

Participants at the forum insisted that, “the principle of zoning and rotation will ensure equity, fair play and justice enjoyed by governors from the other two senatorial districts, to make for peaceful co-existence in the state.”

They posited that Akwa Ibom South senatorial district is aware that zoning and rotation has been in place with regard to the office of the governor since 1999, with Uyo senatorial district having their turn through Obong Victor Attah between 19992007, and Ikot Ekpene senatorial district producing the subsisting Governor Akpabio since 2007 to complete in 2015.

In all these, the people of Eket senatorial district gave their firm support and loyalty.

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, April 29, 2013

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TheMetroSection How husband allegedly slaughtered his wife in Lagos • Deceased’s father narrates family ordeal

By Odita Sunday NDURANCE Agbobonye-Ajisegiri, a native of Uro Ivrogbo Iri in Isoko South Local Council of Delta State was enjoying a blossoming career in Speech Writing.

In fact, she had concluded plans to pay for a Sports Utility Van (SUV) at the car dealer’s place as a surprise gift for her husband, when the same man sent her to her early grave with a knife, which he used to slice her throat.

But for the quick intervention of the Medical Doctor of the hospital who prevailed on the police from Shasha Division to arrest him, her husband, the prime suspect, who is now in the cell of the homicide unit of the State’s Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, Yaba Lagos alongside his mother and his sister, would have escaped the wrath of the law, when Endurance finally gave up the ghost at the Hospital.

Unaware that danger lurked ahead, Endurance, who left her husband’s home following a feud between the duo, had innocently followed his spouse’s friend to make peace with the man she loved when the said man suddenly turned against her the next day and allegedly sliced her to death.

Endurance’s father, Elder Johnson Agbobonye, who is very distressed over his daughters’ demise, told The Guardian that he was yet to believe his daughter, whom he described as “the breadwinner of my family” has been sent to the great beyond by a wicked husband.”

Elder Agbobonye narrated how the feud between Endurance, a Speech Writing Consultant and Managing Director of Speech Transition Company Limited and her husband, a native of Kogi State, began.

According to the 68-year-old man: “ I was not at home when it happened. I was at the sea side, and so they called me.

On Saturday April 13, a friend of my daughter’s husband came to our house to come and carry Endurance, my daughter so that they could go and meet the husband for settlement over the quarrel between them. He did not meet her in our house here; he had to go to her office to carry her to the husband’s place. My daughter quarrelled with her husband, which we settled. The following day, the young man sent me

KEIGBO Consultative O Forum holds the maiden edition of Okeigbo Agenda

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Endurance’s father, Elder Johnson Agbobonye

The late Endurance Agbobonye-Ajisegiri a text telling me he was not satisfied with the settlement. Immediately, I called my daughter to stay away from him, because the content of the message he sent to me showed that he did not love her and did not want her.”

He continued: “I warned her not to go to him. It was this friend of my daughter’s husband that put pressure on her and carried her to the man on Saturday, April 13 when I was not at home, at about 2.00p.m., on the ground that they wanted to settle the matter. The next day, I received a shocker from the husband, who called to say we should come to the hospital that Endurance had killed herself. Immediately, I started coming from Ibeju Lekki Local Coun-

cil. Before I got here, the Doctor had already called the police from Shasha Police Station to arrest the suspect.”

“The doctor saw that it was a pure case of murder because my daughter’s throat was sliced. They took me to where my daughter’s body was laid and I started crying. I wept uncontrollably, I could not control myself. The father of the man who killed my daughter is from Kogi State, he is a son to a professor,” Endurance’s father lamented.

Explaining the details of the quarrel, which his family was trying to manage, the elder said: “There was a woman at the centre of this whole quarrel. She was a staff working for my daughter. My daughter brought her up in her company Speech Transition Limited and this same lady started having a carnal affair with

her husband, so my daughter sacked the lady from the company. It was the sack that led to the hatred by her husband.”

“My daughter usually trained speechwriters for companies and schools.

She brought her husband into the business. She left her husband’s place and ran to her sister’s place since the man turned her to a punching bag because of another woman. She was the breadwinner of our family. Her 57year- old mother cannot sleep even as I am talking to you now. What will make me feel satisfied in this matter is for justice to be done . I want the man and his family to feel the pain my family and I are feeling now,” he said.

Her elder sister, Mercy Amadi told The Guardian that she was yet to believe that her sister was dead.

“I cannot accept that. I am yet to believe that someone my sister calls her husband has taken my sister’s life. She was a vibrant and intelligent young lady. When my sister saw a cockroach in the bathroom, she would run out of the house, that was the person they had killed. I refuse to accept that! Look at her three-year-old daughter, she is with me now.”

Club 09 donates ICT Laboratory to Irri Grammar School in Delta From Chido Okafor, Warri OR the first time since the school was established in 1980, Irri Grammar School, Delta State, would experience computer literacy. Thanks to a brand new Information Communication Technology (ICT) centre donated to the school

by Club O9 founded by 11 Irri citizens.

The ICT facilities provided include 10 desktop computers, a power generating set, and one Glo modem with one-month

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browsing period as the first phase of the ICT project.

Club 09 President, Christopher Ojareda Enase, promised that the club would provide the school with a broadband Internet facility when students and teachers of the school become computer literate.

Speaking during the commissioning of the ICT centre in the school, the President of Club 09, said the “ICT centre is the first of the several projects the club has planned to exe-

cute.

“It is our belief that the students and teachers of Irri Grammar School will seamlessly integrate with the information superhighway, not for its frivolities and frills but what it can offer as borderless frontiers of knowledge”, he said.

Enase said he expected the quality of teaching and learning would improve tremendously just as he appealed to the students and teachers to put the facility to good use.

The Principal of Irri Grammar

A cross-section of club members and guests during the commissioning of the centre

Briefs Okeigbo Forum holds summit May 1

School, Mrs. Alice Edherue, said she did not believe it when she was told that Club 09 was going to donate the ICT centre to the school until the items for the centre arrived.

Immensely grateful to the club for the rare gesture, she said: “In a society where people struggle to gain at the expense of the town, it is difficult to believe that there are still persons who care for the future of the children of this town. What we are witnessing today is the sacrifice by people who want

to move Irri Town forward.

The Principal said “the world today is technology driven and anybody who is not ICT complaint is “terribly disadvantaged.”

The Permanent Secretary Ministry of Basic Education, Oleh Zone, Mrs. Monica Ozomaro, who equally witnessed the commissioning of the ICT centre, said with the ICT centre Irri Grammar School would easily download and print its student’s results faster. She said she had advocated for ICT centre in all schools and expressed gratitude to Club 09 for donating the ICT center. She urged other groups to emulate the club.

Club 09 was founded on November 7, 2009 in Irri Town by a few likeminded individuals of Irri clan opposed to violence and destruction and who have passion for the development of Irri clan through the empowerment of the youth.

The club aims to contribute towards the development of Irri clan, to foster peace and unity among Irri youths and to empower them for a sustainable future.

Summit on Wednesday, May 1, 2013 at Lagos Airport Hotel, Lagos by 9.00 a.m.

The group’s Chairman, Chief Dele Oduwale, said the theme of the conference is: “Okeigbo Agenda: Issues and the way forward” The event will be presided over by Chief Clement Ogunlana with AlhajaIyabo Animashaun as the Chairperson while the keynote address will be delivered by Chief Oye Elusiyan.

Other guest speakers expected include: Prof. Tola Olatunji, Prof. Sola Olowu, Prof. Francis Fajemirokun, Mr. Rufus Egunyomi and Dr. Wole Gbadebo.

All sons and daughters of Okeigbo are enjoined to attend the summit, which would provide a unique opportunity to discuss extensively on how to move the community forward.

College PTA donates 20-seater bus to school HE Parents’/ Teachers’ AsT sociation (PTA) of National College, Gbagada, Lagos, has donated a 20-seater bus to the authority of the school.

At a presentation ceremony, the outgoing Chairman of the PTA, Mr. Ade Kolawole handed over the keys of the vehicle to the Managing Proprietor, Alfred Aina (Jnr.) and said the gesture was a manifestation of the cooperation and understanding that have existed between the parents and the management of the school. " We are quite impressed with the infrastructural and academic development of the school since it was returned to the owners by the government. We are further encouraged by the commitment of the management and the entire staffers towards the progress of our children", he said.

In his response, Alfred Aina (Jnr.) assured the parents that the school would continue to go higher in quality education and moral upbringing, stressing that the bus would be used for activities that would boost the corporate image of the

Aduke Ige passes on ADAM Comfort Aduke M Ige, popularly known as Mama Olopo-Ewa, is dead.

She was a virtuous woman and devout Christian who served God diligently and touched many lives.

A Christian wake holds on Friday, May 24, 2013 at her residence at K52, Isare Street, Efon Alaye at 5.00pm.

She will be buried on Saturday, May 25, after a funeral service at St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Idagba Street, Efon Alaye at 11.00a.m. Reception holds at Oke Are Primary School, Efon Alaye from 2.00p.m – 7.00p.m.

She is survived by Mrs. Folake Idowu, Chief Kayode Allen Ige, Bankole Julius Ige, Kehinde Festus Ige, Taye Ige, Idowu Ige and Mrs. Alaba Oderinde.

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THE GUARDIAN, Monday, April 29, 2013

Photonews

A cross-section of Lagos State Traffice Management Authority (LASTMA) and Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) officers and the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Transport Educaation, Dr. Mariam Masha with the top managment of the public service officers after an advocacy visit by Batch 13 participants undergoing the Career Evaluation Training Programme for Law Enforcement Officers at the Lagos State Secretariat, Alausa...on Tuesday

Delta State Deputy Governor, Prof. Amos Utuama (left), his wife, Nelly , wife of Edo State Deputy Governor, Mrs. Endurance Odubu and Speaker of Delta House of Assembly, Victor Ochei during the 50th birthday Thanksgiving Mass for Mrs. Gina Oghenechuvwen, wife of the State Commissioner for Water Resources, Dr. Chris Oghenechuvwen at Iwhrekan …on Saturday

Police rescue kidnapped private school student

By Odita Sunday STUDENT of a private international school in Lagos, who was kidnapped on his way to school by suspected kidnappers two weeks ago, has been rescued by policemen attached to the Ikoyi division in a forest located in Ilaro, Ogun state.

The rescue operation, surreptitiously commanded and monitored by the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, Mr. Umar Manko, however, did not come easy as one of the kidnap suspects was reportedly shot dead by the police.

A Police Corporal was reportedly stabbed twice by the kidnappers, while attempting to evade arrest.

Surprisingly, the alleged mastermind of the kidnap was discovered to be the family’s driver, Adebayo John, who was supposed to drop the teenager in school. Detectives fingered him as a prime suspect immediately the crime was reported.

A ransom of N60 million was allegedly demanded from the victim’s family, whose father was said to have traveled out of the country the previous day.

However, when news of the

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Corporate Media / Brand Public Relations Manager, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Edem Vindah (left), Marketing Manager, Gulder and Legend, Emmanuel Agu and Senior Brand Manager, Gulder, Onyeka Okoli during the unveiling PHOTO: SUNDAY AKINLOLU of the new Gulder TVC tagged The Ultimate Arrival, in Lagos ...at the weekend

abduction reached the Area ‘A’ command, operatives from Ikoyi Police Division led by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Aisha Haruna, a female Superintendent of Police (SP) were said to have swung into action by secretly entering Ilaro town and gathering intelligence.

They were said to have spent about four days probing the whereabouts of the kidnappers.

They were said to have made headway, last Thursday, following the arrest of one of the kidnappers, who during interrogation disclosed the whereabouts of the abducted schoolboy.

The Guardian gathered that

the operatives worked alone as policemen in divisions around the dreaded forest where the boy was kept, exonerated themselves from the rescue operation.

Two members of the kidnap gang were said to have been waiting at the bush path for the ransom masterminded by Manko and his men last Friday, when the operatives stormed the place. Sighting the intruders, one of them allegedly drew a knife and stabbed one of the policemen, who were in plain clothes, twice in the head. The suspect who stabbed the police officer was eventually shot dead. On realizing that they were policemen, his accomplice who attempted to escape was apprehended. It was gathered during investigation that the deceased suspect is the sibling of the driver.

Three of the kidnap suspects were reportedly whisked down to Lagos for further investigation. The Guardian gathered that they would be paraded this week.

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police who confirmed the breakthrough by his men urged Nigerians to believe in their police and shun paying ransom to kidnappers.

TREM honours members at community development award

By Adeniyi Adunola HE Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM) recently honoured its notable members who have contributed to the development of Ikorodu community.

Speaking at the event tagged: Ikorodu Community Development Award (ICDA), which was held at TREM Liberty Centre, Idowu Fatoki Street, Ikorodu, the Director of the Directorate of National Transformation, TREM Liberty Centre and Chairman of the Award Planning Committee, Mr. Austen Awulonu, said: “ICDA, basically, is a medium to celebrate individuals and organizations, who

T

Bride’s father, Dr. Feyi Soyewo (left); Bishop of Ijebu North (Anglican Communion), Rt. Rev. Kuponu; Taofeek Malik and his wife, Adejoke and the bride’s mother, Olori Abiodun Soyewo, after their wedding at Alausa, in Lagos.

through significant positive service, have contributed to the development of Ikorodu.”

“Our concern is neither political nor religious or ethnic. It is purely developmental because we believe that a community that ceases to develop will sooner than later become extinct,” he lamented.

He urged the awardees to keep the flag flying and pleaded with them to do more.

While unveiling the nominees, the Resident Pastor of TREM Liberty Centre, Pastor Mike Egwu, said: “The ICDA aims at the development of Ikorodu community.”

Egwu urged the Christians and

all that were present, to be a change agents and follow the example of Jesus Christ, saying “we must demonstrate Christlike love to the whole world.”

Meanwhile, the award was categorized into nine different categories, ranging from special recognition award, which was won by Rev. Felix Joshua.

Also under category of Arts, veteran actress, Mrs. Sola Onayiga, Funke Akindele and Chidinma Ekile were nominated. Other categories included public service, commercial service, journalism, community banking, social responsibility and youth empowerment awards.

Benue police arrest suspected robbers of bank customers From Joseph Wantu, Makurd OLICE in Benue State have arrested two suspected armed robbers who specialise in robbing bank customers of their money and other possessions.

The Command Public Relations Officer, DSP, Daniel Ezeala told The Guardian at the weekend that the suspects’ names are Clifford Umezurike and Christian Duru.

The PPRO said Umezurike, who hails from Akabur in Okuta Local Council of Imo State had robbed Paul Amada

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Lay President, Diocese of Lagos West, Methodist Church Nigeria, Morakinyo Hanson (right), the Host Bishop, Rt. Revd Isaac Ayo Olawuyi and the representative of the Lagos State Governor, Prince Adesogun Ogunlewe, at the Synod Delegates at the 2013 Diocese of Lagos Seventh yearly synod hosted by the Opebi Circuit, Ikeja Lagos...

of Nyima layout, Makurdi of his N265, 000, which he had withdrawn from the bank at gunpoint.

According to the PPRO, as soon as they snatched the money, the suspects bolted away but the distressed calls to the Police on patrol was said to have saved paid off.

DSP Ezeala said that the said sum and an unregistered motorcycle were recovered from the suspects, adding that upon investigation the duo were gathered to be among the robbers that specialise in robbing bank cus-

tomers in the capital city.

While assuring the people of the state of adequate protection of lives and property, Ezeala said that the State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Christopher Katso is committed to ridding the state of criminal elements.

He, however, called on the people of the state to always cooperate with Police by giving useful information that could lead to the arrest of criminals within their environment promising that such information would be treated with high level of confidence.

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THE GUARDIAN, Monday, April 29,

Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

FOUNDER: ALEX U. IBRU (1945 – 2011)

Conscience is an open wound; only truth can heal it. Uthman dan Fodio 1754-1816

Editorial The U.S. report on corruption in Nigeria OES Nigeria need to be told of how corruption thrives in high D places? Or can anything new be said about what a pandemic graft has become in Nigeria? That the answer is an emphatic no illustrates how bad the situation is. But a greater tragedy is that when the matter is raised either by Nigerians or outsiders, the official response is one of denial or combative defence instead of a dignified silence or, better still, a solemn resolve to do something about the cankerworm.

When the United States Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour, an arm of the State Department made public its annual country report recently, the endemic corruption in Nigeria was again at the centre of the routine report. It painted a picture of the deep-rooted nature of corruption among public officials in the country. Titled, “Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2012,” the report noted specifically that despite legal provisions against corrupt practices in the country, public officials engaged in them with an unprecedented impunity at all levels of government, including the security forces. It went further to take a swipe at the Nigerian judiciary where it claimed that justice too is for sale. All assertions undisputable.

Typically, the reaction of the government of Nigeria is one of denial of the patently obvious. The presidency warned Nigerians to be wary of the assessment and described the State Department report as “parachute researches” limited by absence of any knowledge of the country and its affairs. The ruling People’s Democratic Party even viewed the report as an insult on the country, but, in contradictory terms, agreed that corruption was everywhere and that the party had been ‘fighting’ the scourge, obviously with little success. Of course, only PDP knows the tools with which it has done the fighting.

However, it is to be noted that this is not the first indictment of Nigeria over corruption. Not long ago, wife of the former president of the United States, Mrs. Hilary Clinton as Secretary of State also threw barbs at the country over widespread corruption. And indeed, since the inception of the country’s fourth republic, the nation has come under scrutiny over corruption. The Transparency International perception index has not spared Nigeria, which is often rated low in its documentations. And the local agencies of corruption, namely, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFFC) and Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) have brought to limelight high profile cases of corruption against public officials, many of which have been inconclusive.

Once again, there is nothing to deny in the State Department report that corruption is widespread in Nigeria. It has not only undermined the country’s growth and development but has also aggravated the incapacity of the state to meet the growing needs of the populace.

Many of the examples cited in the report, including the oil subsidy scam, the police pension fraud, the trial and conviction of James Ibori in the United Kingdom are common knowledge and irrefutable. Also, the recent glorification of corrupt public officials through indiscriminate state pardons does no good to the image of Nigeria as a very corrupt enclave.

The point must be stressed that the focus on corruption in Nigeria by foreign bodies need not be seen as merely self-serving but on the contrary as a challenge that must be taken up with a view to tackling the problem. Corruption is a serious socio-economic and political issue that should not be treated with kid gloves or trivialized through spinning by hirelings of a government. Pervasive corruption was used in the past as a justification for irresponsible and unacceptable military intervention and therefore has remained a veritable source of instability in the realm.

Government’s response to the U.S. searchlight on corruption in Nigeria is indeed unconscionable. The time has come for the government of the day to tackle this challenge headlong. There is need to articulate a national strategy to combat this scourge. That strategy must begin with exemplary conduct of the leadership of the country who must claim the moral high ground through self-purging.

Corruption, apart from being systemic, is also partly a question of character failure, and the presidency is pre-eminently a place for moral leadership.

It is a shame that the sixth largest oil producing country has the wellbeing of its citizens ranked among the lowest in the world. The structures for fighting corruption or even preventing it are too weak.

An exemplary leadership can breathe life into the sinews of govern-

ment, cut short the deepening habituation to and tolerance of corruption.

A ‘Naming and Shaming’ process should form part of the strategy.

Corrupt public officials must not only be identified and put on trial, with a view to stigmatising them both internally and externally and keeping them on an Eternal Roll of Dishonour. As the former Malaysian Prime Minister, Mahati Mohamad once remarked, corruption is driven in Nigeria by the absence of a sense of shame.

Restructuring the country in ways that are expressive of fiscal autonomy for the federating components will also help to curb corruption as the over-reliance on oil revenues by all strata of government has fuelled the Dutch disease that has afflicted the country since the discovery of oil.

The grand strategy should also include capacity building for anti-corruption within the bureaucracy of government, especially horizontal accountability, which involves mutual checking, annulling and righting actions and inaction of state institutions.

Above all, the proposed strategy should include remodeling Nigeria’s politics, removing its current commercial value and making it attractive only to genuine servants. Now, this is the only business in town and the desperation in the scramble for it fuels corruption in ways unimaginable! Central to this is a drastic reduction in the cost of governance in the executive branch, the legislature and the civil service. The journey may have to begin, for example, with the whittling down of the legislature by making legislative business at all levels a part-time one. This should expunge from the national psyche a mentality in which politics is perceived and practiced today as the only business with the highest returns.

Of course, attitude must change. And the breakdown of values must be addressed through the family system and a nationwide school curriculum that emphasizes ethical re-orientation. This is necessary to keep the future of Nigeria away from the claws of corruption even as the battle goes on to wrest its present from its jaws.

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, April 29, 2013

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Business The need for time-tested decisions for robust market, investors’ confidence Page XVI

NCC plans 4G spectrum auctions, rules out compensation for subscribers

By Adeyemi Adepetun HE Nigerian T Communications Commission (NCC) has expressed its readiness and plans to auction 4G-spectrum licenses in the country.

NCC said this has become necessary in order to improve the country’s broadband services and deliver 21st century telecommunications services.

Though, the auction processes will not come until 2015, the regulator said Nigeria must also join countries,

which are making efforts to auction such frequency bands, by preparing ahead.

In telecommunications, 4G is the fourth generation of mobile phone communication technology standards. It is a successor of the third generation (3G) standards.

A 4G system provides mobile ultra-broadband Internet access, for example to laptops with USB wireless modems, to smartphones, and to other mobile devices. Conceivable applications include amended mobile web access, IP

telephony, gaming services, high-definition mobile TV, video conferencing, 3D television and Cloud Computing.

Indeed, two 4G-candidate systems are commercially deployed: the Mobile WiMAX standard and the Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian regulator has ruled out compensation plans for subscribers, as a result of poor quality of service from telecommunications operators.

Speaking in Lagos, the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Dr. Eugene Juwah said the commission’s regulation doesn’t permit it give out money to subscribers, “because of lack of audit.”

Juwah, who said virtually all countries are now making efforts towards 4G, “Nigeria is also about to auction some 4G frequencies for LTE. We are presently upgrading operators on 800MHz to LTE. LTE is 4G.” Already, Global service rev-

Group Managing Director, UBA Plc, Phillips Oduoza; Prime Minister, Republic of Cameroon, Philémon Yunji Yang; and Managing Director, UBA Cameroon, Georges Wega during the visit of UBA Management to the Prime Minister in Yaounde, at the weekend.

SEC’s dividend payout directive elicits reactions

By Helen Oji APITAL Market shareholdC ers have faulted directives of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on dividend payment, saying that the law has not given it authority to make such order.

SEC had mandated shareholders of public companies to forward their bank account details to their respective registrars or stockbrokers on or before June 3, 2013, as failure to comply may lead to automatic forfeiture of future dividend.

The General Secretary, Independent Shareholders of Nigeria, Adebayo Adeleke, apparently irked by the pronouncement explained that

the CAMA currently stipulated that once dividend was declared and ratified, the dividend is payable to the shareholder over the next 12 years, after which the money would be ploughed back into the account of the company that declared the dividend.

He noted that the law has not being reversed, adding that until that Act is reviewed, SEC does not have any authority over unclaimed dividend.

He pointed out that in an ‘allinclusive’ capital market, there was need for regulators to consult other stakeholders before taking decisions, adding that the pronouncement would attract legal tussles in the market, as shareholders would continue to

challenge the decision.

“It is not in the place of SEC to make such pronouncement.

This country is ruled by laws and here, the law says dividend is payable to the shareholder over the next 12 years until it become statue bar and that law currently has not being amended.

“In an all-inclusive market like ours, the regulator must continue to engage people.

How much has SEC alone in shareholders enlightenment on the need to embrace electronic dividend that they are issuing the directive.

“They should consult with people and take them into confidence and when you come out with such pronouncement, it would be

something that is well thought out and you would have taken all opinion into considerations,” he said.

Corroborating his assertions, the National Coordinator, Progressive Shareholders Association of Nigeria, Boniface Okezie explained that such directive by the SEC is not a panacea for the elimination of unclaimed dividend in the market.

“Allow people to open savings account. Over the years, we have been campaigning that people should migrate to CSCS account and open account so that dividend can be paid electronically. You cannot force people, it is CONTINUED ON PAGE 28

enues generated by LTE mobile networks are forecast to reach $100 billion by 2014.

According to him, auctioning would enable the telecommunications sector to fast track development and makes it more LTE enabled.

The NCC boss said the commission was also getting ready to auction the remainder of 2.3GHz and 2.6GHz frequency bands.

He said the commission was also working with the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) for the latter to release some frequencies, which are with it to improve telecommunication services.

“The challenge is that some of this 4G bands are not in the custody of NCC. They are with NBC. But we have agreed privately with them to release these unused frequencies to us by 2015. This will enable us expand our operations.

“I am very sure we are not late for 4G. Even lots of developed countries won’t be on LTE by 2015. For example, it took UK five years of study for them to be able to auction 4G. They did that about two months ago”, Juwah stated.

On the compensation for telecommunications subscribers over poor QoS from the fine NCC got from the operators, Juwah said; “Our regulations doesn’t permit us

to give money to subscribers because we may not be able to audit it. The problem it will generate will be more than the problem of QoS. So, no compensation.”

In an interview, the Country Manager, Ericsson Nigeria, Kamar Abass said, “As the demand for data and broadband grows, migrating to LTE will become a necessary step for operators, in order to enable more users access high speed data services within the limited spectrum available. LTE technology enables more efficient use of spectrum.”

Speaking to The Guardian , GSMA Director of Spectrum Policy, Africa and Middle East, Peter Lyons, said the rapid pace of mobile adoption has delivered huge economic benefits for the region, directly contributing $32 billion to the sub-Saharan African economy, or 4.4 per cent of GDP. He disclosed that Nigeria and other sub-Saharan Africa economies faces a looming ‘capacity and coverage crunch’ in terms of available mobile spectrum.

Lyon said the current amount of spectrum allocated to mobile services in subSaharan Africa was amongst the lowest worldwide.

According to him, some CONTINUED ON PAGE 28

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, April 29, 2013

28 BUSINESS

SEC’s dividend directive elicits reactions CONTINUED FROM PAGE 27 wrong. “ People need to be sensitised, even in the next two years is not enough to achieve this successfully. SEC should liaise with CBN to give commercial banks directive that every warrant should be paid into savings account not only current. The money must remain with the company that declared the dividend until when the same law is amended.”

The President, Renaissance Shareholders Association of Nigeria, Ambassador Timothy Olufemi described the pronouncement as ‘abnormal’, noting that it is not the responsibility of the SEC to issue such directive.

According to him, the regulators should ensure that they monitor the activities of the registrars to ascertain whether dividends are actually paid to the owners as claimed.

For those that could not claim their money, he said, the unclaimed dividend should be given to companies that declared it to manage, adding ploughing it back to the company would give the generality of shareholders to benefit from it.

“The money belongs to shareholders. It should be given back to the company that declared the dividend so that when thy do business with it, the generality of shareholders, including the real owner would benefit.”

For the President, Association of Stockbroking Houses of Nigeria, Emeka Madubuike, there was needs to put a deadline on issue of unclaimed dividend in order to resolve the problem.

According to him,” it would help stockbrokers to have information regarding all the investors in the market, which would also help the market. E-dividend has been there for three years and unless you put a deadline to it, people would not act. The position of SEC is part of ensuring that the market gets better. People need to do what is right and follow the processes and order in the market,” he said.

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Infrastructure Bank Plc, Adekunle Oyinloye; Director of the bank and Deputy President Nigeria Labour Congress, Promise Adewusi; and ViceChairman of the bank, Johan Kruger, during the board meeting of the bank, in Lagos, at the weekend.

Chevron earns $6.2 billion in first quarter 2013

By Roseline Okere Chevron Corporation earned $6.2 billion for the first quarter 2013, compared with $6.5 billion in the 2012 first quarter.

The company said in its first quarter 2013 result released at the weekend that sales and other operating revenues were $54 billion, which represents a decrease from $59 billion last year, mainly due to lower prices for crude oil.

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the company, John Watson, stated: “Our first quarter earnings were strong. Our consistent financial performance has enabled us to significantly increase the dividend again, and fund major development projects that are the foundation of the company’s future growth in production, earnings and cash flows.

“Our key development projects remain on track.

Construction is progressing well on the Gorgon and Wheatstone LNG projects in Australia. Important milestones have been reached recently for our Jack/St. Malo and Big Foot deepwater projects in the Gulf of Mexico, and both remain on schedule for start-up in 2014.”

The company said that worldwide net oil-equivalent production was 2.65 million barrels per day in the first quarter 2013, up from 2.63 million barrels per day in the 2012 first quarter.

“Production increases from project ramp-ups in the United States and Nigeria were largely offset by normal field declines”, it added.

The company’s downstream, or refining segment earnings for the quarter

decreased 13 percent to $701 million.

U.S. upstream earnings for the quarter declined 26 percent to $1.13 billion, due mainly to lower crude oil and natural gas realizations and higher operating expenses.

Meanwhile, international upstream earnings rose three percent to $4.78 billion as lower crude oil production and realizations were partly offset by favorable tax items and lower exploration expenses.

U.S. downstream operations fell 71 per cent from last year to $135 million. The decrease was due to higher operating expenses primarily as a result of a turnaround activity at the refineries in El

Segundo, California, and Pascagoula, Mississippi, in addition to lower margins on refined product sales.

International downstream operations earnings increased 64 per cent to $566 million.

According to the company, earnings were up primarily due to higher margins on refined product sales, but were partly offset by the absence of a 2012 gain on the sale of the company’s fuels and finished lubricants businesses in Spain.

Chevron’s board of directors approved an 11.1 per cent increase in the quarterly dividend to $1.00 per share, payable in June 2013. The company purchased $1.25 billion of its common stock in

the first quarter under its share repurchase program.

Capital and exploratory expenditures in the first three months of 2013 were $8.9 billion, compared with $6.4 billion in the corresponding 2012 period. “The amounts included approximately $453 million in 2013 and $361 million in 2012 for the company’s share of expenditures by affiliates, which did not require cash outlays by the company. Also included were amounts related to the acquisition of interests in the Kitimat LNG project in western Canada.

Expenditures for upstream represented 93 percent of the companywide total in the first three months 2013”, it added.

APCON withdraws alcoholic certificates from Guinness HE Advertising T Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) has through its Advertising Standards Panel (ASP) committee, whose mandate is to ensure compliance with, and maintenance of advertising standards and laws in Nigeria withdrawn all the certificates of approval previously granted to Guinness Nigeria Plc for advertising its alcoholic beverages, until further notice.

This action is sequel to continuous disregard for compliance to the provisions of the Nigeria Code of Advertising Practice and Sales Promotion, even after series of notification and caution from APCON. A letter signed by the Registrar/Chief Executive of APCON, Alhaji Garba Bello Kankarofi (fpra), and sent to the Managing Director Guinness Nigeria Plc. States inter alia” I am directed to intimate you of the decision of the Council approving with immediate effect and until further notice, the withdrawal of all approvals hitherto granted, to you Guinness Nig Plc for exposure of all alcoholic beverage adverts for your brand of products.

“Councils position is that it cannot fold its arms and

allow impunity in disregard of the law by any person or organisation no matter how large it may be and it would fail in its duty to protect our children and promote public safety if it did otherwise than intervene as it has now done.

“Please note that you are expected to ensure compliance with the decision of the Council immediately. All media houses and sector reg-

ulators are advised by this letter to implement the decision of Council and ensure compliance. Attention is particularly drawn to Article 140 of APCON Code which provides penalty for publication/exposure of advert without ASP approval has now by virtue of this letters been withdrawn with respect to all Guinness advertisements.”

No compensation for subscribers CONTINUED FROM PAGE 27 countries apportion as little as 80MHz, compared to developed markets where allocation for mobile exceeds 500MHz. With mobile Internet traffic forecast to grow 25-fold over the next four years, he disclosed that there will be a considerable increase in network congestion unless governments across the region take urgent steps to release new spectrum in line with the recommendations of the I n t e r n a t i o n a l Telecommunications Union’s World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC).

According to him, these includes capacity in the Digital Dividend (700-800 MHz) band and the 2.6 GHz

band, and also liberalising existing licence agreements to allow the deployment of high-speed UMTS and LTE networks in the 900 and 1800MHz bands.

The GSMA Director of Spectrum Policy for Africa and Middle East noted that the combined aggregated effect of the spectrum release of the Digital Dividend, 2.6GHz and the refarming of 1800MHz would have a positive impact on job creation: “an additional 14.9 million jobs could be created between 2015 and 2020 in the key six markets in the region.

Mobile industry growth could also generate a GDP increase of $40 billion, representing 0.54 per cent of total GDP, in the region by 2016.”

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, April 29, 2013

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THE GUARDIAN, Monday, April 29, 2013

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Insurance Regulators’ firm measures boost image, public perception of industry

By Joshua Nse OBUST and hard measR ures taken by the industry regulators in the last couple of years may have begun to strengthen and enhance the image and public perception of the industry in recent time.

Industry chieftains, who spoke to The Guardian lauded the regulators – National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), the Nigerian Insurers Association (NIA) as

well as the Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers (NCRIB), for the hard decisions they have taken in the sub-sector to regulate the market in order to improve the image and attract public patronage of insurance business in Nigeria.

For instance, the Chairman and Chief Executive, Prestige Insurance Brokers Limited, Dr. Feyi Soyewo, expressed joy that insurance industry in Nigeria has no doubt witnessed significant restructur-

ing and rebranding in recent time and it is ultimately intended to improve customer services in the market.

We are delighted to know that the intended purpose of the restructuring is quietly being achieved, he said.

He said, for example, the reliability of the Nigerian insurers today is greater and the image of the industry is getting better by the day. Even the co-operation amongst the various arms of the industry has improved greatly.

Indeed all hands are on deck and I am delighted to know that the Nigerian insurance industry is steadily moving to greater and more enviable heights that we can all be proud of.

Soyewo, past president of the brokers fraternity and past chairman, African Insurance Brokers Association (AIBA) said “The regulator, no doubt is the engine room of the transformation we are talking about.

For example, they provide

conducive environment for the restructuring through appropriate regulations and operational guidelines as well as ensuring effective monitoring and compliance by the various insurance institutions and bodies.”

He said “No doubt you can see that the regulator is the key actor in the transformation process and I am delighted to say that they have so far shown that they are up to the task. Indeed, NAICOM has been responsive and supportive of all meaningful effort geared towards the development of the insurance industry.”

An insurance technocrat, managing director/CEO, RiskGuard-Africa (Nigeria) Limited, Yemi Soladoye, said that the biggest achievement of the commission is that the Nigeria insurance industry now have a united focus. “We all know, whether you appreciate it or not, key into it or not, you are very clear about where we are going, you are very clear about the milestones you want to achieve, the time you want to achieve it and you are also clear about the vision, the new mission and the objectives of the Nigerian insurance industry.”

According to him, hitherto it was the operators that were leading the regulators. Now, unlike before the operators were even blaming the regulators, at public forum , you will hear operators complaining that if there had been serious regulator in the insurance industry, things would not be like this, you would not hear that again.

Now, the fear of the regulator is the beginning of underwriting wisdom in the business. I think we have to give credit to the commission for what the market has turned out to be today.

In his remark, the Group Managing Director, Mutual Benefits Assurance Plc, Mr. Akin Ogunbiyi, commended the commission for the bold measures it has initiated to improve the image and develop the market through the compulsory insurances This, he said, has presented opportunities and challenges to the entire insurance industry.

They are challenging us to come up with products and services that will meet the needs of 160 million Nigerians. We need to take a look at the common man, create values for them and make the products affordable.

News Corp. insurers pay $139m in shareholder suit EWS Corp. has reached a N $139 million settlement in shareholder lawsuits over

Assistant Director IT, A&G Insurance, Balogun A. Ozovehe (left), Emmanual Otitolaye MD, Niyi Adeboyejo COO Life, Dotun Onipede, Director Business Development & Strategy, during the company’s road show held in Lagos,.... recently

Mutual Benefits creates 22,200 jobs for retail market

By Joshua Nse O flag-off the retail insurT ance distribution segment of the company, Mutual Benefits Assurance Plc has launch search for 22,200 fresh hands to manage its retail market segment.

In an advertisement for 22,200 new jobs, the company said the opportunity is coming under the Market Development and Restructuring Initiative (MDRI), a baby of the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) to drive insurance penetration in Nigeria.

The company in a statement said: “As a result of our desire to support the efforts of the Federal and State governments in Nigeria on job creation and the initiative of the

Commission to create 250,000 new jobs in the Nigeria insurance industry by 2020, we have decided to fully downscale insurance penetration to 200 communities, towns and cities in Nigeria within the next three years using the franchise management approach (FMA).

According to the statement, this project is packaged to specifically excite, but not limited to people who are displaced in the banking, finance, insurance and public sector reforms who want to be their own bosses and avoid routine resumption/closing hours.

The group managing director of the company, Akin Ogunbiyi, - arrowhead of the campaign for retail market as a source of deepening insurance penetration in this country, speaking

recently, said the company has set aside N1 billion as project seed fund for products, product distributions and customer service.

According to him, the MDRI was a business model and road map in consonance with the company’s business objectives as the company believed in the beauty of possibilities.

He explained that insurance anywhere in the world especially in developed countries, were actually tools for wealth creation, and there was really no growth or development that could actually come unless the insurance industry was strong, reliable and was able to play the role as major mover of the economy.

Besides, he said that the Nigerian economy was a rent economy, where every-

thing depended on the Federal Government and the national budget, but if the national economy has to witness the growth and development it desired, the private sector had to be well mobilised through enabling environment, through policies and programmes that would actually allow direct foreign investments to be channeled to the right sector of the economy.

He explained that a study conducted by the company identified that access to insurance was a major problem, thus Mutual targets 200 new offices slated for opening between 2012 to 2015, 32 opened in 2012, the number to reach 70 by December 2013 to bring existing and new offices of the company nationwide to 96 by December, 2013.

the British phone hacking scandal and the controversial purchase of an entertainment company run by founder Rupert Murdoch’s daughter.

The company also said it has agreed to corporate governance reforms including a whistleblower hotline and an annual review of the independence of current and prospective board members.

The reforms will remain in place through at least 2016.

The insurers backing News Corp.’s board will pay the company $139 million to settle the lawsuits. The cash, after subtracting fees for the plaintiffs’ lawyers, will benefit shareholders indirectly by going into the company’s coffers.

It will go part of the way to covering some of the $346 million the company has spent so far on probes related to the hacking scandal, which burst into the open in the summer of 2011. The company is still dealing with the fallout. Last week, Fergus Shanahan, executive editor at News Corp.’s Sun newspaper in Britain, was charged with authorising bribes to a government official.

Shareholders had also argued that News Corp. overpaid when it bought Elisabeth Murdoch’s Shine Group, a TV production com-

pany, for 290 million pounds, then worth about $470 million, in April 2011.

Mark Lebovitch, a head lawyer for the plaintiffs, said the money and the corporate governance reforms were significant.

“If you compare the company’s governance and compliance today to where it was when the lawsuit was filed, you would see some really significant improvement,” Lebovitch said.

In one example of the changes, News Corp. in August named its general counsel, Gerson Zweifach, as its chief compliance officer, a position mandated in the settlement.

The reforms don’t change News Corp.’s dual-class share structure, which allows CEO Murdoch to control the company through the 40 per cent of voting shares he controls through a family trust.

News Corp. is preparing this summer to split into two companies - one containing its newspaper and publishing assets, and the other containing its TV and movie properties - and the settlement resolves an issue that had been hanging over the company without it having to admit to wrongdoing.

“We are pleased to have resolved this matter,” the company said in a statement.

News Corp. shares rose 43 cents, or 1.4 per cent, to close at $31.64 .

THE GUARDIAN, Monday,April 29, 2013

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Homes & Property UN-Habitat, ecological body in N310m deal

Realtors offer blueprint for government’s social housing scheme

Urban Development HE partnership between T UN-Habitat and the International Ecological Safety Collaborative Organization has been strengthened with the signing of an agreement of cooperation focusing on youth empowerment and urban ecological safety.

Under the deal, UN-Habitat and IESCO will cooperate to implement Youth Empowerment and Urban Ecological Safety programmes.

Specifically, the funds provided will be used to support the following youth initiatives: Youth surveys and publishing of the State of the Urban Youth China Reports; and Youth skills training in Entrepreneurship and Ecological Safety aimed at promoting young people’s innovation and participation.

Other programmes are Youth Innovation Awards programme to promote best practices in entrepreneurship, ecological and urban safety and Urban Ecological Safety Index based on the aspects of Ecological safety of city location, positioning, planning, construction and management.

The funding is a boost to UNHabitat’s Youth programme, which implements a number of programmes that promote urban youth engagement in sustainable urbanization on issues of employment generation, entrepreneurship, climate change, governance and skills training. To achieve this, UN-Habitat works with United Nations agencies, governments, youth organizations, civil society and the private sector globally The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the 24th session of UN-Habitat’s Governing Council which was held in Nairobi last week. Dr. Joan Clos, UN-Habitat Executive Director and Dr. Jiang Mingjun, the Director General of International Ecological Safety Collaborative Organization signed the agreement. Also present at the signing ceremony were International Ecological Safety Collaborative organization Senior Managers, Ms. Shan Fenping, Mr. Tee Chingseng and Mr. An Xueli.

“The signing of this Agreement represents a historic milestone in the cooperation between our two organizations and provides a new focus and momentum for addressing urban issues such as urban poverty, youth unemployment and ecological disasters caused by climate change and the poorly planned urban

A housing estate in Lagos, recently

Housing

By Emmanuel Badejo OW can Nigeria successfully tackle the housing need of her ever-increasing masses?

Do low-income earners have any hope of being housed in the face of noticeable factors contributing to their inability to afford decent homes?

These are some of the pertinent questions considered last week by built industry professionals, who gathered in Lagos at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS Nigeria Group), continuing professional development.

The consensus among them was that the housing shortage was alarming, low-income earners could be properly housed if government at all levels showed the will adopt and implement tested way out of homelessness of her people.

Indeed, challenges of housing in terms of quality and quantity appear to be the same all over the world. The needy have less access to housing while the less needy have greater chances of accessing housing.

In Nigeria, housing is generally inadequate in the rural areas in terms of quality, while the major problem in urban areas is more of quantity, although quantity is also an issue. The shortage of housing is one of the factors responsible for the poor environmental quality across Nigeria. In 1991, the national housing policy was promulgated in order to propose possible solutions

H

Their views range from encouraging trade unions’ participation to rental accommodation, usage of alternative materials, which they said most stakeholders perceived to be odd in this modern day and initiative on the part of government towards reducing high rate of housing gap and homelessness in Nigeria to the housing problems in Nigeria. 22 years on, millions of Nigerians are still homeless while many others are living in indecent houses.

More worrisome is what the professionals call lip service to solving the challenge and this why government after government did not see the need to create ministry for housing until Obasanjo’s regime and even then there was no positive impact on housing.

Speaking on “Housing: Any Hope For The Low Income?”, Chief Kola Akomolede, said: “The problem of housing in Nigeria today has reached an alarming stage. The problem seems intractable as evidenced by slums and squatter settlements, which are visible in our urban cities. The problem has been aggravated by the uncontrollable growth of the urban population at the expense of the rural communities. This is a result of the pull and push factors created by the concentration of amenities and job opportunities in the urban centers only which attract the rural population to the cities in search of job and better living conditions which often times are non-existent in the cities.”

Throughout the discourse, the professionals agreed on why low-income earners do

not have decent accommodation. Some of them are: low level of income, high interest rate, high-cost of building materials, land acquisition problem, legal and other problems and inadequate government participation.

Giving the way out, Akomolede, said all governments must show political will in tackling the shortage.

“To solve or reduce the problem of housing for the low income, our governments – the federal, state and local governments must embark on massive construction of houses for the low income. One or two bedroom flats and bungalows, where land is cheap, should be built and allocated to the low income. They should be made to pay for these over a period of between 20 to 30 years. No deposit should be required and no other collateral should be demanded. The property should serve as collateral.”

Also, Akomolede who is the President, International Real Estate Federation (FIABCI), Nigeria said there was need to address the issue of high standards, saying the standards we aim at are too high and unrealistic given our level of resources and the ability of the target group to pay back the cost. To him, there is nothing

Planners decry location of telecom masts, filling stations in cities

Developer unveils Gateway Sparklight Phase II scheme

Page 32

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wrong in building houses where two or three families can share facilities like kitchen, bathroom and toilet, adding it is an illusion to think that the minimum acceptable standard of accommodation should be self-contained flats, which he said not affordable by low income people.

“No doubt, there is need for imagination and ingenuity in tackling the housing problems of low income in the Third World countries. There cannot be only one solution.

Many methods may be tried.

But such method must be those that incorporate the use of local materials.”

RICS Nigeria Group Chairman, Mr. Barin Epega, said the issue of housing for the low income was very timely as housing is a critical social need, adding that though all governments in Nigeria since independence highlighted housing as a major priority, unfortunately, for over 52 years of its independence, Nigeria was yet to develop a vibrant mortgage market.

“Unfortunately in Nigeria there is no mechanism risksharing that will encourage banks and other financial institutions to extend mortgage loans to people at the lower income level. Rather, the institutions settle for lend-

ing only to the rich.”

According to Epega, the government has not created the enabling environment to reduce the housing challenge, as the process of acquiring land is still a major challenge.

Former President of Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV), Mr. William Odudu, said there was hope for low-income, if the government was serious to tackle it. “Government can encourage developers to build houses for the low-income earners and subsidized the rent. Odudu said the government must develop local building materials’ market to meet the housing need.

In his contribution, Mr. Sola Enitan, said there was need to find opportunities within the scarcity to provide homes for the low-income earners. He said trade unions could be a veritable means of reducing the housing gap.

But Akin Olawore said although the machineries for local fabrication were available, there was lack of expertise among the artisans, urging professionals to see to organising training on skill acquisition on mud housing technology, which he said he has been proven to be one sure way to solve the housing shortage.

And Adeniji Adele asked, “Why can’t government make use of unclaimed dividends to build houses for the masses, sell and recoup the fund?” arguing that such investment would make much returns, if properly managed.

Lagos’ estate agency law will tame sharp practices, says Page 63

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, April 29, 2013

32 HOMES&PROPERTY

Planners decry location of telecom masts, filling stations in cities NITP plans new secretariat complex in Cross River Professional Practice From Aniette Akpan, Calabar EMBERS of the Nigerian M Institute of Town Planners (NITP) have raised concerns on the indiscriminate citing and installation of communication masts and filling station in cities across the country.

Before now, experts have been raised environmental issues on the adverse impact of such on residential areas, schools or hospital grounds or in conservation areas as proximity of telecom masts to a residential property adversely the market value of such property to the detriment of the owner.

NITP President, Chief Steve Onu who spoke at the foundation stone laying ceremony of the multi-million secretariat complex being built by the Calabar Cross River State Chapter, noted that the development was a disturbing one, which must be checked for the safety of citizens. The State’s Deputy Governor, Mr. Efiok Cobham performed laid foundation stone of the secretariat.

The proposed three-storey edifice is named after Late Mr. Oyebe Attoe.

Mr. Onu explained that the Institute came to the State on a dual capacity, first to lay foundation for the State Secretariat and secondly to hold her annual mandatory continuing professional development programme.

The President pointed out that training exercise is imperative and a veritable tool to equip town planners with the requisite skills in line with cur-

Town planners have expressed concerns on the installation of telecommunication infrastructure and filling station in all the cities, and calling for a regulation and control to protect citizens’ health and physical environment rent realities to tackle developmental problems that have plagued the profession and reposition it to meet the 22nd century development challenges in the country.

The President who solicited for government’s assistance to complete the building. He commended the state for setting up urban development centres in the 18 local government areas of the state to ensure that human settlements are properly ordered among other developmental plans.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Cobham commended the body for honouring a man who had contributed immensely to the development of the country from the creation of the then Eastern Region of Nigeria.

He lauded the Institute for embarking on the project, which he described as a landmark development that will contribute to the aesthetics of the State capital as well as boost the State’s developmental aspirations.

While calling on other professional bodies to emulate the Institute by making their pres-

Former President, Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV), Mr. William Odudu (left), Chairman, The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS Nigeria Group), Mr. Barin Epega, Mr. Kehinde Adenmosun, FIABCI Nigeria President, Chief Kola Akomolede and Mr. Gbenga Ismail at RICS Business Luncheon in Lagos last week ence felt by erecting befitting secretariats, Efiok reiterated the State Government‘s readiness to collaborate with them to achieve their goals.

Cobham however described some areas in the state, particularly the capital city, as “disaster waiting to happen” due to faulty or lack of planning attributing this to the negligence of town planners who he said should know better.

While urging the town planners to go back to the drawing board to improve the situation, he called on them to embrace the use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in the dis-

Lagos targets early completion of Lekki drainage projects Projects

By Tunde Alao ETERMINED to ensure the state, particularly the Lekki corridor is free from flooding, the Lagos State Government has called on all contractors handling drainage projects within the neighborhood and Eti-Osa Local Council Area, to speed up their works before the commencement of heavy rainfall.

So far, four major channels, namely: Lekki-Ikota, Osapa

D

Lagoon, SPAR channel, Lekki among others, have works ongoing in them.

However, apart from appeal to the contractors, Lagos government, piqued by the seeming slow pace at which the federal government is going about the execution of Lekki-Phase 11- Ikota River drainage project, there is an indication that Lagos would take over the project.

Expressing fear of possible noncompletion of the 1,780metre drainage during the inspection

tour of his ministry to Lekki, last week, the Commissioner for Environment in Lagos, Mr. Tunji Bello, while admitting that Lagos is aware of the federal government initiative, bemoaned the pace at which the project is being pursued.

According to him, drainage facility is a network that connects each other, noting that with the way the Lekki Phase 11Ikota River is being handled, there is possibility of creating CONTINUED ON PAGE 61

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, April 29, 2013

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Prime Estates Developer unveils Gateway Sparklight Phase II scheme Housing

By Chinedum Uwaegbulam

TOWN planning initiaA tive that will create community circles outside the hustle and bustle of Lagos has been jump-started in an emerging urban fringe settlement along the LagosIbadan Expressway, if successful, offer fresh impetus for Ogun State’s government measures to attract families into its border town and decongest Lagos metropolis.

The initiative is a joint venture between Sparklight Property Development Company Limited and the state government and is meant to provide accommodation for medium and low-income earners within the Gateway City.

Christened Gateway Sparklight Estate Phase II, located in Magboro area, the estate provides 120 family dwelling units, comprising 15 blocks of three-bedroom flats and two blocks of two-bedroom flats with the buildings at various stages of development, as well as proposed 20 units of fourbedroom duplex (town h o u s e s ) .

Under the project, Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) and Stallion Home Savings and Loans Limited are the financiers. Stallion is also providing mortgage to contributors of the

National Housing Fund (NHF). Messrs O.U. Ikpa and Partners is the monitoring consultant. A two bedroom flat goes for N12.95 million with option of installmental payment.

The project was formally showcased top prospective investors and buyers last week. A completed prototype unit furnished by Labade Furniture was showcased to prospective homeowners as part of the company’s ’Open House’ event..

Proposed facilities include tarred road, drainage system, electricity, treated borehole and street lights, clinic as well as shopping complex, playground and recreational area.

Commenced 18 months ago, the project will be commissioned in August. The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Sparklight Properties Development Company Limited, Chief Toyin Adeyinka told The Guardian that the block of flats are sitting on pile foundation and the terrain is not a flood plain.

He said construction works were being accelerated on the houses, which are being built with locally sourced materials, and that they were meant for low income earners, who would be expected to make an initial down payment of 20 per cent of the total cost, while the rest would be spread over a period of time.

Gateway Sparklight Estate Phase II, located in Magboro area, Ogun State

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SON, BCPG to flush out substandard building materials Materials Watch

By Tosin Fodeke GAINST the backdrop of stalled efforts at evolving a workable National Building Code, the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and some professionals under the Building Collapse Prevention Guild (BCPG) have moved to curtail the widespread use of substandard building materials, with a proposal to form a partnership aimed at eradicating the menace in the building industry.

The partnership according to Director General, SON, Dr. Joseph Odumosu was necessary to find a lasting solution to the menace of collapse buildings and influx of substandard building materials.

Odumosu who made this disclosure during a courtesy visit

by BCPG to the organisation’s office in Lagos said the spate of

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building collapse has necessitated that his organization, which is in charge of standard regulation and BCPG collaborate to find a lasting solution to the menace.

“We must set up a special team within SON to be focused only on building materials and to become our own liaison with groups like yours. When buildings collapse people die, people lose money and of course there are professional issues involved.

Odumosu also said his organisation is interested in the fact that Nigerian artisans must be provided with an opportunity be involved in the professional construction of buildings.

“A lot of people get their artisans from neigbouring countries, so there is need to develop our artisans and give them jobs, we must stop providing employment opportunities

for others because they would come after us when they don’t have jobs.,” he said.

National President of BCPG, Mr. Kunle Awobodu earlier revealed the need for SON to rejuvenate its internal mechanism and create a department that is solely focused on monitoring the standards of building materials.

“The Preponderance of build-

ing collapse requires voluntary efforts at finding lasting solutions. Expecting the government to solve such a huge problem alone while practitioners in the construction industry fold their arms is unacceptable,” he said.

He added that the federal government should provide SON with sufficient resources to realise this goal.

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TheGuardian

45 | Saturday, April 27, 2013

Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

YourMoney

Aganga

By Chidi Wilson Nwachukwu HERE could not have been a worse adverT tisement for the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) and the awful state of education in Nigeria than the article published in The Guardian of Saturday, April 13, 2013, entitled “Foreign Direct Investment: A Vote For APCON Reforms” written by one Mr. Edwin Madueme. “I have not seen a doctor that opened shop in the country legally,” declared the writer, “ without first of all registering with the Nigerian Medical Association.” How has mercantilism pervaded the consciousness, the very being, of some Nigerians that they now refer to medical doctors as not setting up clinics but opening shops?

As the exceedingly brilliant economist, Dr Pius Okigbo told the nation at the University of Lagos convocation lecture in 1992, we are now in times when “everything is calibrated in pecuniary terms.” Madueme, a supposed mass communication specialist, pontificates, without any sense of embarrassment, that doctors in Nigeria must register with the NMA before they can be licensed! This writer confuses the Nigerian Medical and Dental Registration Council with the NMA. Professor Chinua Achebe would describe a person like Madueme as a personification of “combative ignorance trumpeting its own values”.

The essence of Madueme’s article is two-fold: to establish that advertising is so crucial to our national existence that it borders primarily on national security and that local advertising firms are world class. The article is, indeed, a resounding failure. Not even during the malevolent Sani Abacha regime when all manner of atrocities were committed with impunity under the guise of protecting national security was advertising regarded as a national security issue. Nigerians need to bear in mind that the three areas where international investment is not allowed by the Nigerian government for security concerns and domestic economic development are security, cabotage and defence.

APCON’s leadership just came up with the brainwave that advertising borders on national security simply because Prima Garnet, an Ikeja-based advertising firm founded and run by Lolu Akinwunmi who is the APCON chairman, has just lost the multimillion dollar advertising Airtel account to an interna-

Akinwunmi

Advertising And APCON’s Xenophobia tional advert agency whose name unfortunately I cannot remember now. Prima Garnet went to the extent of suing the international agency. If Prima Garnet had retained the account, there would not have been all this media frenzy generated by Lolu’s APCON, under the pretext of nationalism and patriotism, against foreign firms operating in the Nigerian advertising industry. This simulated, orchestrated, artificial, mechanical, unnatural and contrived campaign reminds all literate Nigerians of the passage in Lee Kuan Yew’s book entitled From Third World to First: The Story of Singapore from 1965 to 1990 where the great Singaporean leader narrates how shocked he was listening to Finance Minister Festus Okotie-Eboh happily announce that he was banning the importation of shoes in the country so that his personal shoe factory in Sapele in today’s Delta State would prosper!

Mr. Lee, easily the most successful statesman of the 20th century from the developing world, notes in his captivating memoirs that Nigerian leaders merely use their positions to further private interests. No wonder the First Republic failed in a very popular military coup less than two weeks after Chief OkotieEboh’s infamous confession at the Commonwealth Summit in Lagos in January, 1966.

Far from changing for the better since the

First Republic collapsed, things have gone from bad to worse. We are not longer talking of ministers using their high office to feather their own nests but of chairmen of government agencies and even civil servants serving their own private interests at our expense.

How long will public policy be formulated in our nation and implemented for purely personal gains? Former British Prime Minister Disraeli once famously stated that “patriotism is the first refuge of scoundrels.” Akinwunmi’s APCON argues that it amounts to undermining national security if an international agency handles the advertising account of Airtel, an Indian company, but the same advert will not hurt national security if run by Akinwunmi’s private firm, Prima Garnet!

Pray, how can an advert campaign sabotage national security when the same campaign must be cleared by Akinwunmi’s APCON in the first place? Or is the APCON chairman passing a vote of no confidence in the regulatory agency he heads? Truth be told, all the inelegant actions and statements we have been seeing from APCON of late owe to one thing: conflict of interest. And this circus show will continue in the entire advert industry until the nation chooses to do the right thing by separating APCON’s leadership from the com-

mercial interests of one or two ad agencies.

Nigeria must be the only country in the world where an industry player doubles as the chair of the regulatory agency!

The other issue which the Madueme article touches upon to which I will respond briefly is the claim that local ad agencies are world class and, therefore, highly professional. This claim is fatuous through and through. How many banks with high advertising budgets, for instance, still patronize local agencies?

How many films are still shot in Nigeria, and not South Africa or Kenya? Doesn’t Nigerian Breweries, for one, use a Dubai-based agency because of its gross dissatisfaction with local agencies despite decades of patronizing them? Is there a newspaper or magazine or television or radio station not owed several millions of naira by these agencies, which have long been paid by their clients? Is it possible to discuss the woes of the media in Nigeria without a preeminent place reserved for local ad agencies whose chief executives live opulently like Saudi sheikhs even when they have not paid staff salaries for several months?

APCON’s stance on driving international firms out of the country threatens our national economic interests. When international agencies are here, they hire Nigerians, do all the work here, pay taxes, transfer technology, enhance local capacity and serve as models for Nigerian businesses to work in a professional and ethical way. But if they are outside and do all the work there, as has been largely the case, the Nigerian economy suffers.

APCON’s leadership is creating and orchestrating xenophobia in an era when bringing foreign direct investment (FDI) into the country is a cardinal plank of the government’s economic policy and even of our foreign policy. Such a pity that APCON, which should have been working in line with government’s economic vision, is part of an attempt to hoodwink the Nigerian people and government.

Enough of this nationalistic card at a time Nigerian firms like Dangote, United Bank of Africa and Guarantee Trust Bank are moving fast into all parts of sub-Sahara Africa and even beyond.

Nwachukwu , a lawyer, media researcher and social activist, heads Centre for Environmental Management in Africa based in Abuja. He can be reached via chidiown@gmail.com

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Developer woos investors to Ikeja’s N600m Trinity Mall Projects

By Tosin Fodeke FTER months of construction work, private property development firm, OMAIS Homes, are rounding off activities on the Trinity Mall last week, ahead of its final completion date.

The firm offers prospective investors purpose built shopping spaces at three-storey shopping mall project, located on Obafemi Awolowo Way, Ik eja, which stands at 90 per cent completion.

The mall is throwing up 40 shopping spaces - lock up shops, open plan shops and glass see through shops with modern facilities such large parking spaces, 24-hour solar, inverters, generator and transformer based power supply; security and 24-Hour surveillance (CCTV); borehole and Water treatment plant; and various shop types with see through Glass type design.

Chairman and Chief executive Officer of the company, Mr. Omochiere Aisagbonhi explained that acquisition of the shops at shops at the mall has been made easy with flexible payment options of 40 per cent down payment and 60 per cent balance spread over a period of six months.

He added that with a leasing option of 50 years prospective buyer could purchase private spaces outside the general floor area. The mall has convenience area and a minimum of one dedicated parking space outside the general parking area.

Aisagbonhi in a chat with the media noted that Omais Homes, a subsidiary of Omais Investment, is positioned to develop and build exquisite homes at affordable prices for young chief executives of companies without jeopardising their desire to live in central cities like Lagos. ‘’Trinity Mall is the flagship of our property projects that extends our Trinity range which includes several residential property in Ikeja and environs, and these comprise Trinity Court 1 in Idi-Iroko, Trinity Court II at Mende, Maryland, Trinity Place at Opebi and several other specially designed living developments’’, “As you can see, we are putting finishing touches and the Mall is in the final completion stage, preparatory to formal opening in June, i.e. less than two months time. Much of the space has been bought or leased by discerning shop owners who want to take advantage of the unique advantage that Trinity Mall has, in terms of its location, state-of-the-art facilities and ambience. We still have a few shopping space left and we are in the process of allocating to clients on first come, first served basis. Some of the spaces have been taken up by IT and Telecoms companies, Clothes and Accessories, Eatery and so on. We have space for banking hall, department store, bar or coffee shop, dry cleaners, sports goods shop, .

This is why we have committed about N600 million to the completion of this project and we have spared no expense in making sure that the Mall meets all interna-

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Even as Ikeja has evolved into a vibrant hangout with bustling markets, the commercial district in the town’s area has added another shopping mall, Trinity Mall to its list, which boosts of a unique design tionally acceptable standards.

He stated.

Designer of the building, Mr. Akin Akiyemi also revealed unique features such as its avante-garde ceramic and marble finishing automated lifts and doors.

Trinity Mall last week

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Engineers urged to embrace new skills, mentor young graduates Professional Practice

By Tosin Fodeke N search for best practice in the engineering profession, the Nigeria Institute of Mechanical Engineers (NIMechE) has joined in the clamour for professionals to embrace leadership skills that will lift the country out of its current unemployment malaise.

They argue that the provision of engineering services that would create jobs, provision guidance for less- experience peers by the senior-level engineers has therefore become imperative if engineers wants to take up leadership roles in the country.

At an induction and luncheon ceremony organised by Lagos Chapter of the (NIMechE), a senior member of the Nigeria Society of Engineers, Mrs. Margaret Oguntala noted that excellent leadership skills are necessary to effectively execute such responsibilities adding that engineers can make a world of difference through their chosen careers.

“Equipped with technical knowledge, analytical and problem-solving skills, they have the know-how to create things that make the world a better place. As the rate of technological change accelerates and the world become more interconnected, engineers are needed as leaders in a wide range of field including business, government, law medicine, and community service.

Moreover, Technical gurus without leadership skills have limited influence. Not many can achieve guru status, but wouldn’t you rather be a guru with technical master and the combination of business skills and interpersonal skills that makes a great leader?

“Engineer lead project and even engineers who aren’t “project leads” provide a certain

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Lagos drainage projects get completion date CONTINUED FROM PAGE 32 flooding problem in the area.

His view was predicated on the fact that progress is being recorded in other areas that share the same alignment with the Ikota River project in a faster momentum, believing that efforts at other ends would be meaningless without its completion.

He said: “In view of the presence of rain, we would have no alternative than to take over this project, because without its completion, our efforts in Lekki Phase 11-Ikota would be meaningless. The rate at which this project is being handled by the federal government is not acceptable, because we want to ensure the facilities are aligned to each other for the free flow of water to their outlets.”

The ongoing projects in the axis include the concrete lining of Agungi Channel in Eti-Osa Local Government Area, being handled by Messrs Mercury Bond Engineering Company.

The project is of two sections, namely: Hydraulic and Trapezoidal sections. The hydraulic section is 1,540 metres length, with varied width and 1.3metres in depth, while the Trapezoidal section is 1,240 long, 11.0 metres long and 14 metres deep.

The channel on completion is meant to de-flood Agungi and Ajiran communities, part of Osapa West and part of LekkiEpe Expressway.

Engineers say that professionals in their field have the potentials of setting the pace in the construction sector and leading the country out of its current unemployment malaise and significantly lift domestic economic performance. amount of direction, and they need to influence others to others to help get their work done.

Engineers need to guide lessexperienced peers and guidance is providing direction; ne of the three basic definitions of leadership, the other two being influence and authority.

“In an engineering context leadership incorporate a number of capabilities which are critical on order to function at a professional level. These capabilities include the assess risk and take initiatives, the willingness to make decision in the face of uncertainty, a sense of urgency and the will to deliver on time in the face of constraints or obstacles, resourcefulness and flexibility, trust and s team setting, and the ability to relate to others.

National Chairman of NIMechE, Ayo Fanimokun, an engineer, implored engineers to build capacity of other budding engineers, stressing that “Our major aim should be personal development and capacity building of engineers.

He further commended the branch for its innovativeness in organizing a business luncheon programme, which is unique among other branches.

At the event special adviser to the Governor on Works and Infrastructure, Lagos state, Ganiyu Johnson, Mrs. Margaret Oguntala, Executive Vice President Prime Sources Limited Johnson Duru, Chairman of Electricity Power Foundation (EPF), Mr. Otis Anyaeji, all engineers were given special awards.

Chairman, Sparklight group, Mr. Toyin Adeyinka (middle), Executive Director, Adebayo Adeyinka,Executive Director, Real Estate, Mr. Andy Wu and Ogun State Controller, Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), Mr.Taofeek Ijaya during the ‘Open House’ of the Gateway Sparklight estate II, held in Magboro, Ogun State, last week

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PropertyInterview Lagos’ estate agency law will curb sharp practices, says Olawore The Africa Real Estate Society (AfRES) is a continentwide organisation for all practitioners in the sector.

The group provides common platforms for sharing international experiences on best practices and affords opportunities for establishing linkages and networks.

MR. AKIN OLAWORE, is the Executive Director and President of the International Real Estate Society.

He is also a Development Consultant and Project Manager; Principal Partner, Akin Olawore and Company as well as a fellow of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers. In this interview with The Guardian’s TUNDE ALAO, he speaks on the activities of the organisation and the fate of real estate sector in the contemporary world, especially, in Africa.

Excerpts: Professional Practice When exactly was AfRES founded and since its formation, how has it faired? fRES was founded in 1997 as part of the International Real Estate Society network. It was first organised in South Africa and later it grew into Tanzania and Kenya. Today, the numbers of member countries have grown to about 14 and the scope reduced to Sub-Saharan African, with the North Africans teaming up with the Middle East to form MENARES in 2009.

African Real Estate Society like its counterparts all over the world is dedicated to producing and disseminating knowledge related to real estate decision-making and the function of real estate markets. What part has your continental society played in all these?

AfRES encourages research by her members and also provides opportunity for collaboration between her members and members of other societies. To further help in the dissemination and sharing of knowledge, the society has a Journal of African Research that is solely for African research.

Among others, your organization is supposed to encourage research and promote education in real estate. What have happened in this regard?

Yes, we do this and as I stated earlier, researchers are supported.

To further this objective, Universities had received support by donation of books as well as donation of time for free lectures by visiting academics also at each Annual conference, which in itself is used to brainstorm on research issues, contemporary issues, and so on, training workshops for practitioners are organised.

How will you assess the synergy existing between AfRES and other sister organisations all over the world, especially within estate surveying professions in member countries?

The synergy has been very productive and has led to collaborative curriculum review, exchange of lecturers, expanded opportunity for sabbatical placements and seamless knowledge sharing platform.

Mentoring within the real estate profession has been dwindling. In what area (s) is you association collaborating with Nigerian surveyors?

We provide mentoring opportunity for our members including our Nigerian colleagues. International mentors are available especially during the conferences. Personally, I had been involved in providing professors from Australia and Germany as mentors and shadow supervisors for not less than two Doctoral students in Nigerian Universities. We also support Nigerian universities to get external lecturers.

Also two students from Kigali Institute of Science and Technology are coming to Lagos to do a 3-month programme. This is to encourage cultural integration.

Besides, at every conference, we help researchers to on how to get their works done, especially, on how to write their papers.

Looking at real estate agents today in Nigeria, what are the challenges that your association has identified and what are you doing to face such challenges?

These are local issues that are best handled by the local National professional bodies. AfRES cooperates with National professional bodies in furtherance of her objectives.

Just recently, Lagos government muted the idea of registering estate agents in the State, what is your view on this development?

This is the culmination and manifestation of an eight years journey. The idea did not just come up, it was mooted in 2005 when I was the Chairman of the Lagos State branch of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors & Valuers (NIESV) and we thank the Lagos State government for giving us the opportunity to work with her in fashioning the law. I am happy to note that despite the delay in implementation of the law which was signed in 2007, this has finally come to be. The idea is to be supported by all well meaning citizens because it will tackle the problem of fraud and sharp practice. It is expected that the ethics of the pro-

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President of the International Real Estate Society, Olawore

Olawore fessional Estate Surveyors and Valuers will now be widely applicable in Agency and those found wanting will be dealt with. The public now has an opportunity to demand service and value for money benchmarking with the expectations of the law.

As a follow-up to the above question, reasons for registration of estate agents was as a result of the allegation of fraudulent activities by the practitioners. From global perspective, does such unwholesome activities exist?

Yes this is a global phenomenon but in the advanced economies there are legal frameworks and structures to deal with it as a human as well as economic issue. Besides, the case with Lagos is peculiar. You cannot legislate on some issues, for instance, market forces. This is demand and supply phenomenon. How many houses we have in Lagos? The issue is that when demand is not at par with supply, what we are witnessing is inevitable.

Can you let Nigerians know what is the situation with real estate agents in other countries, especially, those that belong to AfRES? I am aware that a couple of African countries have National umbrella bodies for Estate Agency like the National Association of

Olawore Estate Agents mid-wifed by the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors & Valuers. These bodies are set up as professional bodies that set out standards and expectations as well as ethics for the profession.

AfRES has been in existence for sometime now, what will make your regime stand out from your predecessor, what is its significance to the overall objectives of the group?

I served my term as President in 2009-2010 and I am now the Executive Director of the Society and the President of the International Real Estate Society. During my term, I moved for the restructuring of the society into sub regional levels for governance and activities, that is, Western, Eastern and Southern parts. I also realised that at AfRES, we are unable to retain members due to the fact that members meet only once a year at conference that was not sufficient to achieve the objectives of the Society. Today, the various chapters organise three programmes in a year that helped for bonding. The Chapters are also the arrowheads in carrying the message of AfRES to countries within their sub-regions. This has helped us to grow membership and get more countries into the fold.

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TheEnvironment UNEP warns of emissions linked to mobile phone demand Climate Change ISING levels of greenhouse R gas emissions and deforestation caused by metal pro-

Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun and wife, Olufunso (centre) other dignitaries including Chairman, House of Representative Committee on Environment, Mrs. Uche Ekwunife and United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) Regional Director/Representative to Nigeria, Dr. Patrick Kormawa

Experts, UNIDO chart new course for Ogun sustainable development strategy The Environment

By Chinedum Uwaegbulam, Assistant Housing & Environment Editor NEW comprehensive plan has been launched by private organisations in an effort to assist the Ogun State Government in its initiative to increase environmental protection and ensure waste-towealth scheme.

The Uplift Development Foundation (UDF) led by the Wife of the Governor of Ogun State, Mrs. Olufunso Amosun, is anchoring the programme, which may come under the Public Private Partnership (PPP). The initiative is already receiving the support of the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO). It is also backed by Knowledge Economic Network (KEN) and International Center for Promotion of Enterprises.

Under the Green Empowerment for the Youths (GEFTY) announced at a twoday International Conference and Workshop on the theme, Uplifting the Environment Ogun State Goes Green held at the June 12 Cultural Centre, Kuto, Abeokuta, the group plans to launch a comprehen-

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Ogun State is effectively drawing on its vast resources, including the young and dynamic population, towards achieving sustainable development. The experts say governments should also be proactive about protecting the citizenry from droughts and floods as well as formulate energy renewal strategies to curb dependence on fossil fuels. sive green education in all primary and secondary schools through the state’s Ministry of Education and Federal Ministry of Environment.

UDF also plans to raise awareness in government, industry and academia on the need for a green revolution using series of green initiatives driven through a youth empowerment scheme as well as deploying bigger youth inclined projects and programmes in the State and beyond.

The projects are targeted at achieving sustainable development and leapfrogging the state to make right choices and drawing on its vast resources, including the young and dynamic population, rapidly turning into valuable human capital which is the crucial factor in the development process.

Mrs. Amosun, who set the tune of the event, said that the conference was expected to highlight steps to reduce adverse environmental impact, save money and ensure citizens live happier lives. “In Nigeria, lack of

concrete knowledge and understanding of environmental issues as well as the lack of access to funds to drive environmental initiatives is a huge challenge and set back,” she said.

The Chairman, House of Representative Committee on Environment, Mrs. Uche Ekwunife commended the initiative, called for immediate action to tackle the scourge of climate change and sustainability in all sectors of the economy.

“Today, as effort to support our conventional way of granting access to energy and electricity, we must consider generating energy from renewable and alternative sources, which will preserve our environment. Any forward thinking nation must consider going green. Our programmes and policies must align with these objectives.

Africa must not be left out; Nigeria must be at the forefront.

“We must create a green environment, access to clean energy and water, pollution free

environment, reduction in waste and immensely improve our ecosystem. This will make companies to pursue profit more sustainable ways, and ensure economic benefit for all.

“We will respond to the threat of climate change with the introduction of new bills, knowing that the failure to do so would negatively affect our children and future generations. Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can avoid the devastating impact of pollution, storms, droughts and desert encroachment, which are all consequences of the negative environmental impact.”

The United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) Regional Director and Representative of Nigeria, Mr. Patrick Kormawa who spoke on “Strategies of Regional and International Entities to Foster and Support Going Green-related PPP, Joint Ventures and FDIs” urged the state government to invest in renewable technologies such as solar panels; small-

hydro power, biomass and cook stoves.

While pledging support for small and medium enterprises to adopt green technologies, under the PPP scheme, Kormawa called for enactment of long- term policies and strategies to promote PPP investments in green projects.

Meanwhile, in a communiqué issued after the conference, stakeholders agreed that environmentally sound master plans for urban development should be guided by sound policies at various levels. They also noted that green awareness has created new job opportunities in the construction industry, while training programmes are imperative.

They also said that governments should be proactive about protecting citizenry from droughts and floods as well as formulate energy renewal strategies to curb dependence on fossil fuels.

The participants noted that consistent regulatory and policy framework as well as reference materials are very useful for development of PPP. “New transport and communication projects should undergo strict environmental impact assessment.

Nigerian Doctor wins WED blogging contest The Environment

By Chinedum Uwaegbulam 24-YEAR-OLD doctor and A environmentalist from Nigeria has won the 2013 World Environment Day blogging competition after picking up almost half of close to 70,000 votes cast in an online vote organized by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

Charles Immanuel Akhimien was one of ten short-listed bloggers whose entries were posted

on the World Environment Day website, where WED followers could choose their favourite entry. After securing first place with over 31,000 votes, Charles will travel to Mongolia in June 2013 to report on World Environment Day (WED) 2013.

WED - organized by UNEP - is the single biggest day for positive action on the environment worldwide. It is celebrated each year on June 5, Organizations and individuals across the world are encouraged to carry out an environmental activity in support of WED.

Previous winners of the WED Blogging Competition have reported from Rwanda, India and Brazil “As a doctor, I have found that the state of our environment is directly related to our personal health, so I have decided to champion environmental issues,” said Mr. Akhimien “I look forward to seeing some of the two million trees planted across Mongolia’s vast desert regions since 2011, and to observe how Mongolia is using renewable energy by exploiting its huge solar power potential,”

he

added.

Over 100 international bloggers submitted entries to this year’s UNEP competition on the theme of food waste. The competition was held in support of the ‘Think.Eat.Save. Reduce Your Foodprint! campaign launched by UNEP,the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and other partners earlier this year.

Food waste and food loss is also the theme of WED 2013.

For the final phase of the competition, Mr. Akhimien wrote a blog on the role of social media

Akhimien in encouraging sustainable consumption.

duction must be urgently addressed, a new report from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) warns.

Demand for metals is expected to rise tenfold as emerging economies adopt similar technologies and lifestyles to richer nations. 1.75 billion mobile phones were sold in 2012, of which 53.5per cent were smartphones, which use over 40 variants of metal. The average tablet or Apple iPad weighs 650g and contains 1.3g of tin-rich solder.

UNEP says the recycling of electronic equipment has to be radically increased to ensure mining and refining operations around the world do not get out of control.

It estimates that 20-50 million tonnes of electronic waste is produced annually, equating to three to seven kilogrammes per person.

Samsung Electronics says it is committed to tracing its supply chain back to mines and sourcing metal from more sustainable sources “As populations in emerging economies adopt similar technologies and lifestyles to those currently used in OECD countries, global metal needs will be three to nine times larger than all the metals currently used in the world,” said UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner.

“A far more sophisticated approach is urgently needed to address the challenges of recycling complex products, which contain a broad variety of interlinked metals and materials,” he added.

“Product designers need to ensure that materials such as rare earth metals in products ranging from solar panels and wind turbine magnets to mobile phones can still be recovered easily when they reach the end of their life.”

As Steiner suggests, the issue is particularly relevant for the renewables sector, which needs a regular supply of metals and rare earths to survive.

Sourcing these sustainably is a key test of the environmental integrity for wind and solar. The use of metals and their compounds cause local impacts from mining and use 7-8% of the global energy supply.

Recyling uses less energy than extracting metals from the earth, but it can be complicated and costly. UNEP says mobile phones contain more than 40 elements, including copper, tin, platinum, silver and gold.

Electronic waste in Europe is expected to increase 4% annually, three times faster than other forms of rubbish, a level which German Environment Minister Peter Altmaier admits is unacceptable.

“Our aim must be to beak the raw materials spiral by using materials more consciously,” he said.

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BusinessInterview There must be robust market through time-tested

Edozien

John Edozien was a federal permanent secretary, who served in several ministries and agencies in that capacity. A one-time Deputy Governor of the old Bendel State and later Delta State, Edozien proved his astuteness in the private sector as Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Afribank Nigeria Plc, now Mainstreet Bank, as well as Chairman of Afribank International Limited (Merchant Bankers) from 1993 to 1999. He also served as Chairman, Securities and Exchange Commission from 2005 to 2008 and currently he is on the board of a number of companies. In this interview with CHIJIOKE NELSON, he examines some issues in the financial sector and regrets the poor perception of the civil service today. Excerpts.

OW has your journey this far been?

H I grew up in an environment of love and very strong Christian catholic family values.

Religion was taken very seriously. This explains the source of my faith, which I regard as one of my strongest assets. These combine to give me the discipline of mind and character that have sustained me over the years as I faced the challenges of my career. I was born the 12th of 15 very successful children and the youngest of the seven sons in my family. I grew up with a passion for excellence and a will to succeed in order to maintain a long held family tradition of each person being successful in his or her own right.

Being an Edozien carried a certain minimum obligation and not upholding that tradition was therefore never an option for me. The good Lord was always there for me and used various people to help me along the way; family, friends bosses, colleagues, among others. I felt armed with very good education and training which gave me a lot of confidence in the course of my career development and in my dealings with people. I believe that enduring success comes from working very hard, being honest and transparent, keeping your word with people so that you can be trusted and above all being God fearing. In other words good character is important to goal attainment and enduring success. At high levels of responsibility one needed to be trusted and to be seen to have the ability to add value. In this regard I am particularly grateful to President Ibrahim Babangida for believing in me and given me the opportu-

nity to serve the country in very high capacities in the public sector. I have also been greatly helped by my wonderful wife and children who together kept the home front happy and peaceful and ensured that I had the peace of mind, which was invaluable throughout my career. It always felt good after a hard day’s work to know that you were going back not to a “house” but to a “home” where you are completely at peace with yourself and with your environment. I consider myself exceptionally lucky to have had the rare opportunity to serve at the executive capacity across sectors and political administration in our country.

What would you say about CBN’s stance on the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR)?

The Central Bank always has a tough call to make. Various stakeholders might have expected the CBN to lower the MPR in line with the decline in the inflation rate as released by the Bureau of Statistics. Manufacturers and those in the real sector will like to see the MPR come down so that lending rates will also come down.

The CBN however has wider concerns, which have to be factored into its decision-making.

Every country has its own peculiarities and economic realities and these present unique challenges to their Central Banks. Here in Nigeria there may be concerns over government borrowing and its overall fiscal operations, the need for exchange rate stability and overall macro-economic stability. The point to make here is that the CBN has more facts at its disposal than I have and adjustments to the MPR must

remain their judgement call. The CBN will however always take full responsibility for how their decisions ultimately impact on the economy.

Owing to speculations that the incumbent CBN governor would not seek re-appointment, who is your ideal candidate for the job?

When the present Governor of the CBN retires I believe that he would feel that he has served his country well and made his mark. We should collectively as a nation thank him for his services and wish him well in all his future endeavours. The job of a Governor of the Central Bank of any nation is a very important one. His responsibility over the conduct of monetary policy and regulation of the banks and other financial institutions in the country has serious implications for the economic development of the country. It is therefore important to have the right person in that position. I believe there is a profile for such a person already in place. I will put some emphasis on the knowledge and practice of Economics especially Monetary and International Economics with years of banking experience at the top level as an added advantage.

What were your experiences like in the civil service?

I rose through the ranks to become a permanent secretary in the Civil Service. I was also privileged to play it at the top in the private sector. To tell you how the perception of the civil service and even the position of the permanent

secretary has gone down, when you go to a function, nobody recognises the permanent secretary, but they will recognise the politicians, the bankers, captains of industry, among others.

They will introduce the military, the police and other uninformed services, but don’t forget that the permanent secretary is the highest career position you can get in the public service and it takes a lifetime to get to that position. So, the service has gone down seriously in terms of public perception and performance of those traditional roles for the government.

Two major reforms have been in the public domain since 2005. What do you think prompted them?

It was the absence or breakdown of good corporate governance and inadequate risk management. There might also have been a regulatory failure. However, after the problem in the banking industry, a whole lot of reforms have been put in place. We now have a robust risk management system that has been put in place and if effectively applied, it will ensure that the problems that led to the banking crisis do not reoccur in the future. In addition, the industry regulators have issued corporate governance codes that effectively guide management and board behaviour in banks.

Your advice to the regulators regarding capital market development…

Like they say, the capital market is as good as the companies quoted on it. That is the truth about the markets. So, what the regulators have to do is basically to effectively carry out the core func-

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THE GUARDIAN, Monday, April 29, 2013

NigeriaCapitalMarket NSE Daily Summary (Equities) as at Friday PRICE LIST OF SYMBOLS TRADED FOR 26/4/2013

CAPITAL MARKET 69

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, April 29, 2013

NSE Daily Summary (Equities) as at 26/4/2013

PRICE GAINERS

LOSERS

Investors stake N223.7bn on FGN bonds in five days

By Helen Oji HE Over-The- Counter (OTC) market for FGN bonds last week recorded a turnover of 186.579 million units valued at N223.752 billion in 793 deals, compared to 108.212 million units worth N131.607 billion exchanged in 622 deals during the preceding week ended April 19, 2013.

Similarly, transactions in the equity sector recorded a turnover of 1.758 billion shares worth of N17.898 billion in 23,958 deals, in contrast to a total of 2.114 billion shares valued at N26.678 billion that exchanged hands

T

last week in 27,624 deals.

Specifically, at the close of trading activities for the week, the financial services sector maintained its dominance in volume terms, accounting for 1.443 billion shares valued at N10.502 billion, exchanged in 14,600 deals.

The consumer goods sector followed in the activity chart with 69.691 million shares valued at N5.130 billion traded in 4,100 deals.

Precisely, the banking subsector was the most active during the week (measured by turnover volume) with 1.061 billion shares worth

N8.432 billion traded in 10,546 deals.

According to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) volume in the subsector was largely driven by activities in the shares of Unity bank Plc, Zenith Bank Plc and Access Bank Plc, as trading in the shares of the three banks accounted for 587.557 million shares worth N4.230 billion in 3,163 deals, contributing 33.43 per cent to the total equity turnover volume recorded during the week.

Also traded last week was 14,905 units of NewGold Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) valued at N32.677 mil-

lion exchanged in 50 deals compared with a total of 6,021 units valued at N12.944 million transacted last week in 21 deals.

One thousand, four hundred and twenty (1,420) units of FGN bonds valued at N173,253.00 were traded during the week in 8 deals in contrast to 4,140 units valued at N4.471 million transacted last week in 30 deals The NSE All/Share index rose by 165.11 basis points or 0.50 per cent to close on Friday at 33,159.08 while the market capitalization of the listed equities on the main board increased by 0.52 per cent to

close at N10.602 trillion. The NSE 30 Index appreciated by 8.72 points or 0.55 per cent to close at 1,583.57 while NSE Banking Index inched up by 8.65 points or 2.28 per cent to close at 388.09.

However, other NSE sectoral indices that depreciated during the week include; NSE Consumer Goods, NSE Insurance, NSE Oil and Gas, NSE-Lotus II and NSE Industrial Goods by 1.20per cent, 5.53 per cent, 6.35 per cent, 1.41per cent and 2.03per cent respectively while the newly launched NSE-ASeM Index closed flat.

On the price movement

chart, 34 equities appreciated in prices during the week higher than 28 recorded in the preceding week while 46 depreciated in price lower than 49 of the preceding week. 116 equities remained constant lower than 116 equities of the preceding week Osun State N30 billion fixed Rate Bond (Series1) 2012/2019 under the N60,000,000 debt issuance programme was admitted on the Exchange on April 23, 2013 while total of 800,000,000 units of shares resulting from Placing were added to the outstanding shares of Livestock Feeds Plc on the April 25th, 2013.

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Published in association with (Regulated by the Securities & Exchange Commission of Nigeria)

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, April 29 2013

71

Opinion How restructuring can develop the Niger Delta (1)

By Chris Akiri HIS topic calls for a definition of terms, such T as ‘restructuring’ and ‘development’, to provide a foundation for a consideration of the hypothesis that a restructured Nigeria would issue forth in the development of Nigeria, in general, and the Niger Delta, in particular.

In this paper, we shall examine, rather in extenso, the present structure of the Nigerian nation-space in terms of the past and current political, legal and constitutional configurations, with an accent on the nature of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as it relates to fiscal federalism, the derivation formula, the local government system and the overtures for its autonomy.

Comprising 36 federating units, called states, Nigeria is bound together by a constitution, cited as the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, having eight chapters, 320 sections, numerous subsections and paragraphs, sharply contrasting with its U.S. counterpart, which has only seven Articles and 24 sections and which, since 1787, has only been amended 27 times.

Nigeria at independence and before the military Before the intervention of the military in politics, in January, 1966, Nigeria was governed by the 1963 (Republican) Constitution, having the qualities of autochthony (or the active participation of its stakeholders in its framing) and units-central co-ordinateness, as enunciated

by Prof. Kenneth Wheare, in contradistinction to the Independence (1960) Constitution which, though substantially federal, was a personal decree of an alien sovereign. The indigenous, federal and contractual character of the 1963 Constitution was clearly reflected in its preamble: “Having firmly resolved to establish the Federal Republic of Nigeria…So as to further the ends of liberty, equality and justice both in our country and in the world at large, We the people of Nigeria, by our representatives here in Parliament assembled, do hereby declare, enact and give to ourselves the following Constitution: …”

The Schedule to the 1963 Constitution consisted of Exclusive and Concurrent Legislative Lists. The former contained 45 items, including, but not limited to Defence; Immigration into and emigration from Nigeria; Copyright; Deportation; Aviation; Bills of Exchange; External Affairs; Maritime shipping and navigation; Passports and visas; Patents, trademarks, designs and merchandise marks, etc., whilst the latter List comprised 29 items, including, but not limited to the following: Antiquities; Arms and ammunition; Bankruptcy and insolvency; Census; Commercial and industrial monopolies, combines and trusts; Prisons and other institutions for the treatment of offend-

ers; Registration of business names; Statistics; Traffic on Federal trunk roads; Water power, etc.

The foregoing unexhausted list of items on the Exclusive and Concurrent Legislative Lists in the Republican Constitution contrasts substantially with the corresponding list in the U.S. Constitution, which has only 18 items or functions on which only the U.S. Congress can legislate. Such items, in the U.S. Constitution, include Taxes, Defence, Imposts and Excises, Borrowing money on the credit of the United States, Naturalization, Currency, Weights and Measures, Navy, etc. (see Article 1, Section 8 thereof).

Different though they are in that significant respect, both the ‘contractual’ Republican Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the US Constitution have one thing in common: each has a Residual List, or items not mentioned either in the Exclusive or in the Concurrent Legislative List, which reside in the federating units (Regions or States). The control of the Residual List by the Regions makes for strong federating units and a centrifugal, in contradistinction to the present centripetal central government, which the founding fathers of Nigeria, like the author of “Federal Government”, Prof. K. C. Wheare, before them, fulminated against. According to Kenneth Wheare, “The federal principle requires that the general and regional governments of a country shall be independent each of the other within its sphere, shall not be subordinate one to the another but co-ordinate with each other. Now if this principle is to operate not merely as a matter of strict law but also in practice, it follows that both general and regional governments must each have under its own independent control financial resources sufficient to perform its exclusive functions. Each must be financially co-ordinate with the other… It is, therefore, necessary that State governments should be able to command the means of supplying their wants, as that the national government should possess the like faculty in respect to the wants of the union...”

The views of founding fathers Particularly germane to this paper are the views of some of the most prominent founding fathers of modern Nigeria. In his book, Ideology for Nigeria: Capitalism, Socialism and Welfarism, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, the late former Premier of the Eastern Region and President of Nigeria (196366), had this to say: “It should be our manifest desire to operate in word and in deed a federal system of government, which insulates both majority and minority groups of (the) Nigerian nationality from wrong-doing either against each other or by Federal or State or Local Government…”

In his “Path to Nigerian Freedom”, written in 1945 and published in 1947, the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, former Premier of the defunct Western Region and Leader of the Opposition in the House of Representatives, had this to say:

“Since the amalgamation (of Northern and Southern Protectorates of Nigeria) all efforts of the British Government have been devoted to developing the country into a unitary State. This is patently impossible; and it is astonishing that a nation with wide political experience like Great Britain fell into such a palpable error…”

In “My Life”, published in 1962, the late Premier of the defunct Northern Region, Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto, wrote, with aplomb and information: “The first and most important point was to clear up the relations between the Central Government and the Regions. The British Government had already said that they would agree to changes, and so it is up to the Conference (i.e. the first London Conference of 1950) to decide the extent. It was agreed that the Regions should be as independent as possible, and there was a long argument as to whether specific functions should be allotted to the Centre or the Regions…” Continuing, he said: “…a list had to be drawn up for the Centre and…everything else should be Regional—this was called technically the allocation of the ‘residual list’.

He then added: “Naturally the Centre must be responsible for the matters which affected the whole of Nigeria—-that is, defence, external affairs and trade, civil aviation, banking and currency, tele-communications, railways and harbours, and the corporations (electricity and broadcasting) and some other minor matters...The only one which we regret was the allocation of Trunk Roads ‘A’ to the Centre; this has been a constant cause of irritation ever since...”

The items enumerated above by Ahmadu Bello as the only functions acceptable to him, to the other founding fathers and to other Nigerians for inclusion in the Exclusive Legislative List were about seven or eight. Today, there are 68 items on that List! When did we veer away from the sublime to the ridiculous?

(See paragraph 20 infra for a clue).

Additionally, in his seminal book, “Thoughts on the Nigerian Constitution”, Chief Awolowo forcefully stated: “If a country is unilingual and uni-national, the constitution must be unitary. If a country is bilingual or multi-lingual and also consists of communities, which over a period of years, have developed divergent nationalities, the constitution must be federal and the constituent States must be organized on the dual basis of language and nationality. If the country is bilingual or multi-national, the constitution must be federal, and the constituent States must be organized on a linguistic basis. Any experiment with a unitary constitution in a bilingual or multi-lingual or multi-national country must fail, in the long run.”

Nigeria at independence, federalism and fiscal federalism To Nigeria’s founding fathers, a federal sys-

tem of government, complete with its essential part of fiscal federalism, became a desideratum devoutly to be wished and was evidenced in writing in the form of the Independence, and later, the Republican Constitutions. Chief Awolowo, speaking for his compatriots, followed up on the train of his thoughts on federalism and its co-traveller, fiscal federalism, when he asseverated in his book, “The Strategy and Tactics of the People’s Republic of Nigeria”, inter alia, as follows: “In discussing this principle (i.e. of revenue allocation on the basis of derivation), I would like to make six observations. Firstly, in a capitalist society, whether it is a federation or not, it is untenable and dishonest in the extreme, to insist on sharing another person’s or another State’s wealth on any basis other than that which the rules of the capitalist game allow. In this type of society, every State is perfectly entitled to keep any wealth that accrues to it either by the sweat of its brows, by cunning, or by the unaided bounty of Nature. And to accuse a rich State of lack of fellow-feeling or patriotism, because it insists on keeping practically all that comes to it by whatsoever means, is unreasonable and unrealistic. For it must be remembered that, in a capitalist society, the over-riding code of conduct is naked self-interest...”

The foregoing view by Chief Obafemi Awolowo chimes in perfectly with the picture of federalism painted above by Kenneth C. Wheare.

By reason of the strong sentiments and severe preferences expressed by the then leaders of Nigeria for an unvarnished federal system of government, the Republican (1963) Constitution, re-echoing the Independence Constitution (supra), substantially reflected the globally accepted principles of federalism with its concomitant fiscal federalism as enunciated by K.C. Wheare and practised in countries like the United States of America, Switzerland, Canada and Australia. But there are countries like Russia, Mexico and Brazil, which profess to practise a variant of federalism that is anything but federalism, which explains the birth and use of the term “true federalism” to distinguish the K.C. Wheare-type of federalism from unitarism and those variants of federalism that are redolent of unitarism, such as you have in the UK, France, the Netherlands and Belgium, the Scandinavian countries, New Zealand and South Africa. At Independence, Nigeria could be said to have been cast in a truly federal matrix (as depicted in the ensuing paragraphs), and we dare say that a return to it is the surest therapy for the arrested socio-economic development in Nigeria.

• To be continued • Akiri wrote from Lagos.

Nigeria’s commitment to human rights

By Terence P. McCulley HE United States Department of State released its Country ReT ports on Human Rights Practices for 2012 on Friday, April 19. In the more than 30 years since these reports were first mandated by the U.S. Congress, they have become essential for governments, intergovernmental organisations, scholars, journalists, activists, and others as a reliable measure of human rights conditions around the world. The reports offer an opportunity to commend progress and, when necessary, highlight areas for improvement.

Respect for human rights is not a western construct or a uniquely American ideal; it is the keystone for peace and stability everywhere. As noted by Secretary Kerry recently, “(H)istory shows us that countries whose policies respect and reflect these rights are far more likely to be more peaceful and more prosperous, far more effective at tapping the talents of their people, far more capable of being innovative and moving rapidly and innovatively in the marketplace, and they are better long-term partners.”

Nigeria has a committed partner and friend in the United States. As with any friendship, we celebrate your steps forward and speak up when setbacks occur.

In my three years as U.S. Ambassador to this great country, I have witnessed progress in the realm of human rights – the most free and fair elections in your nation’s history in 2011; committed efforts at reconciliation in the North; the signing of the Freedom of Information Act; and welcome efforts by the House of Representatives to manage issues of security and corruption, including its recent ordering of an investigation into rising cases of

extra-judicial killings by the police. But despite these positive actions, Nigeria continues to confront serious human rights challenges, including a culture of impunity where perpetrators are often not held accountable for their actions.

The appalling violence occurring on a daily basis affects Nigerians at all levels of society. We deplore the heartless attacks by the extremists, known broadly as Boko Haram, who victimize innocent civilians. Any persons or groups who use violence must be held accountable. This includes holding security forces to account when they commit unlawful acts. We remain deeply concerned about reports of extra-judicial killings, illegal detention, and destruction of property by security forces. Such acts create a deadly cycle of mistrust, harming the very citizens the security forces pledge to protect. We urge the Government of Nigeria to investigate reports of excessive use of force by security forces, and to take the necessary legal actions against those responsible.

The Nigerian government has announced a number of campaigns against corruption, and has strengthened the country’s anti-corruption institutions – both positive steps that the U.S. Government applauds. Nigeria needs to do more, however, to address and conquer this issue. Corruption in Nigeria diverts financial resources from building roads, hospitals, schools, and otherwise investing in infrastructure that would serve businesses, attract foreign investment, and create jobs.

Freedom of the press and freedom of expression are also fundamental human rights, key to functioning democracies. A vibrant free press is critical to illuminating public discussion on issues key to Nigeria’s democracy, including security and corruption. The silencing of journalists, political critics, and others,

whether via arrest and detention, threats, or other forms of intimidation, has no place in a democratic society. Respect for the rule of law is paramount and must start with the government itself.

Nigerians must come together to combat these ills, to impress upon their democratically elected government that the principles of democracy and human rights must be sacrosanct. The challenges facing Nigeria are not limited to North or South, Christian or Muslim, Igbo, Hausa-Fulani or Yoruba. These are matters that affect all Nigerians, matters that require urgent attention. As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said during his seminal “I Have a Dream” speech, all men and women, at all levels of society, must seize upon “the fierce urgency of now.”

In protecting the rights and liberties of all Nigerians, the Nigerian Government must be resolute in its commitment to ensuring security without compromising human rights. And these rights must be extended to all, regardless of class, creed, ethnicity, gender, political views, tribal affiliation, or sexual orientation. The U.S. hopes that our Nigerian partners will honour their citizens by building and sustaining strong and transparent institutions that deliver essential services to the nation and setting a standard by which all federal, state, and local government entities hold themselves publicly accountable.

By enshrining these rights, Nigeria will be poised to achieve its potential and, most importantly, to give its citizens the peace, stability, and prosperity that they deserve. The key now is to look internally, to take significant action to address critical human rights issues. And through this process, the United States will remain Nigeria’s partner and friend.

• McCulley is the U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria.

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, April 29, 2013

72

Opinion AMCON tackles IMF

By Henry Boyo HE International Monetary Fund (IMF) reT cently concluded its 2012 ‘Article IV Consultation’ on Nigeria. The IMF, as part of its recommendations, suggested the winding down of the operation of the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON).

This recommendation was apparently predicated on the need to curb what it described as ‘moral hazards and fiscal risks’.

We recall that Central Bank created AMCON to soak up non-performing loans (toxic debts), and stem instability and threat of collapse of the banking subsector with attendant loss of depositors’ funds. The banks were consequently expected to become better positioned to offer improved services and boost employment by providing cheaper funds to the real sector, particularly the Small and Medium Enterprises, which are traditional drivers of economic growth.

Conversely, the IMF supports the funding of critical areas of the economies of member countries and also serves as a ‘quasi headmaster’ of their fiscal policies and financial institutions; for example, “under Article IV of the IMF’s Articles of Agreement, the IMF holds bilateral discussions with members, usually every year. A staff team visits the country, collects economic and financial information, and discusses with officials, the country’s economic developments and policies. A summary of the appraised report of findings is ultimately transmitted to the country’s authorities”.

In response to IMF’s recommendations, Mustapha Chike-Obi, Managing Director of AMCON did not deny the challenge of moral hazard or fiscal risk but noted as follows: “they commended Nigeria for fixing the banking sector and said it should wind down AMCON; but, I find it very surprising that an institution as serious as IMF would make such recommendation like that without telling us

how to do it, and in what time frame, and what assistance they can offer to us to wind down.”

Furthermore, Chike-Obi sarcastically noted “we are aware that IMF has its hands full on banking crisis all over the Euro zone that they have been struggling to resolve. Therefore, it is strange to hear such a comment about a country where the crisis has been resolved. It is part of our plans to slow down AMCON’s activities, but the comment they made is baffling”!

Fortunately, we do not require an extensive search for an appropriate arbiter between the IMF’s observation and AMCON’S criticism; fortuitously, the head of our current Economic Management Team is, a renowned former IMF Vice President who was also Finance Minister when AMCON was established!

Nonetheless, in the rest of this piece we will briefly examine the validity of IMF’s fears that the operations of AMCON may inadvertently become subject to abuse, and also ultimately deepen our debt burden with destabilising impact on fiscal stability.

Incidentally, we had earlier echoed IMF’s apprehensions in our article titled “AMCON as Time Bomb” in October last year. The following is an excerpt from that article.

“It is worrisome that AMCON appeared to have been stampeded to pay for those toxic debts before it even considered the need for proper valuation of the acquired assets; curiously,according to media reports, AMCON has only lately begun ascertaining the real values of the assets it acquired almost three years ago!

“Considering the widespread corruption and level of impunity and insider trading in the banking subsector, Nigerians will not be surprised if it is later revealed that AMCON may have grossly overpaid (rather than underpaid) for the redemption of some of these ‘toxic’ debts.

“In a related development, the House of Rep-

resentatives also recently faulted the N140.9 billion debt settlement deal between Femi Otedola, the Chairman of Zenon Oil, and AMCON, noting that the procedure adopted was unacceptable. The Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Zakari Mohammed, insisted that the transaction was suspicious, and therefore warned that the House would subject the deal to investigation; this development may just corroborate increasing public concern that AMCON has become a ready pool for laundering the huge debit accounts of favoured political and business moguls, who seek to acquire our national assets for next to nothing.

“Indeed, the House Committee also questioned the rationale for the different methods adopted for loan valuation and expressed its disappointment that AMCON CEO, Mustapha Chike-Obi, could not satisfactorily defend the agency’s modalities! “The House Committee equally observed that the source of AMCON’s funding was far from transparent!”

Presumably, the legislature never exercised any oversight on AMCON’s substantial loans.

The preceding excerpts seem to corroborate the expressed fears in IMF’s Article IV report of the need to curb moral hazards and fiscal risk in the operations of AMCON. In the same article under reference, we also noted that “Nigerians do not seem to recognize that the net product of AMCON’s redemption efforts is the deepening of our national debt and the perennial scourge of systemic cash surplus with the destabilizing outcome of double-digit inflation and interest rates and a prostrate economy.

Curiously, in spite of Chike-Obi’s caustic response to IMF’s observation, the banking sector has lately declared humongous after tax profits, while AMCON on the other hand, reported a N2370 billion trading loss in 2012, and may require to borrow about

$11 billion from offshore creditors to refinance the N2000 billion the agency borrowed domestically to fund its acquisition of the banking sector’s toxic debts.

Consequently, the AMCON boss projected about 10 years to completely free the financial system of bad loans, and confirmed that AMCON would no longer serve as a lifeline to banks with bad loans.

Coincidentally, last week, the international ratings agency, Standard & Poor’s reported that in spite of the current wave of stupendous profits being posted, their studies portend increased losses between 2014 and 2016 in the Nigerian banking sector. If this ‘prophecy’ becomes manifest despite the readily canvassed ‘success’ of banking reforms, toxic debts will once more become problematic, and one wonders, whether AMCON would rescind its decision not to purchase more toxic debts.

Nonetheless, even if the promise of quality banking services and access to single digit cost of borrowing to the real sector remain unfulfilled, Nigerians would, regrettably, still have to bear the burden of servicing AMCON’s estimated N5 trillion debt portfolio (about 50 per cent of national domestic debt) for many years to come.

Notably, the perpetrators and beneficiaries of the banking crisis (including regulatory collaborators from CBN) have largely gone unpunished. Once again, government may have consciously sacrificed the poor to pamper the rich and powerful with the proceeds from our commonwealth!

• Boyo is a financial analyst and commentator on public affairs.

The legislature-civil society interface

By Sylvester Akhaine HE leadership of the Lagos State House of Assembly deT serves some praise for creating a popular forum of interaction with the civil society. In a society where the civil society is often regarded in antagonist terms by state actors, this initiative is to be applauded. Military regimes and democratic rule are not the same. Elected representatives need to be constantly engaged by the people and civil society institutions as a process of legitimacy renewal. It is important to note that there is a relative weakness of the legislative arm of government in many transition countries with authoritarian hangover. Thus, policy advocacy work directed towards legislators thus becomes important if the goals of good governance are to be achieved. As representatives of the people, the legislators need to channel the views of their constituencies and translate them into concrete policies. An interaction between the legislature-civil society can help fulfill this goal. Let me throw some light on the role of these two bodies – legislature and civil society.

In a modern milieu, the legislature is theoretically the engine room of democracy. Indeed, Alan Rosenthal calls it, the “guts of democracy”. Traditionally, it is the arm of government saddled with law-making. And in a context where there are separated powers, it ought to act as a check on the executive in ways that ensure a degree of horizontal accountability.

Within the dynamics of government relations, holding the executive accountable in these parts often take the form of oversight functions over the activities of the executive arm of government. Despite numerous challenges of the legislature in democratizing social formations, the legislator remains the chief policy maker by its sheer power of law-making. Both individual and executive bills must pass through the domain of the legislators underlining their role as them therefore as the transmission belt of policies in a democratic polity where powers are diffused and there is a habituation to the rule of law. The reason for the institutionalization of the doctrine of separation of power is to prevent the arbitrariness of one arm of government over the others.

As Baron Montesquieu, who theorized about this doctrine puts it: “When the legislature and executive powers are united in the same person, or in the same body of magistrates, there can be no liberality…Again, there is no liberty if the power of judging is not separated from the legislative and

executive. If it were joined with the legislative, the life and liberty of the subject would be exposed to arbitrary control; the judge would then be the legislator. If it were joined to the executive power, the judge might behave with violence and oppression. There would be an end to everything, if the same man, or the same body, whether of the nobles or the people, were to exercise those three powers, that of enacting laws, that of executing public affairs, and that of trying crimes or individual causes.”

The principle of sovereignty or parliament sovereignty is vital to the legislature. This principle denotes that acts of parliament are not subject to judicial review to the extent that they remain consistent to the basic law. Today, in our country, the National Assembly is the institutional expression of the legislative power and resources and therefore remains the quintessential site for policy delivery. This equally applies to state legislatures.

Contemporary discourse on civil society came in the context of struggles across the globe against authoritarian regimes and hence its definition as those forces that are counterpoised to structures and institutions of authoritarian formations. Earlier notion of the civil society equates civil society with the state but today it is seen as state-society bifurcation. In contexts where opposition forces transformed into forming government of the day as it happened in Poland under Lech Walesa, civil society became the state, a fact long acknowledged by Antonio Gramsci who saw the transitory dynamics of the civil society. We are again confronted with yet another dilemma. In Nigeria, civil society fought the military up to the point of disengagement from politics. We have a dispensation which some prefer to call civilian rule than democratic. What should be the attitude of the civil society towards this type of political dispensation? Influencing policies under this situation demands a paradigm shift to partnership from the antagonisms of the military era. It is only in the context of this appreciation that we can formulate ways of interfacing with the legislature to influence policy process to the good of the society.

In their work, “Promoting Good Governance through Civil Society-Legislator Linkages,” Nicholas Jones and Fletcher Tembo calls “attention to the diversity of linkages between different sub-sectors of civil society – from think-tanks and policy advocacy-focused non-governmental organisations (NGOs), through to community-based organisations (CBOs) and nontraditional civil society, such as faith-based groups, grassroots

organisations and private sector associations.” The duo emphasize the point “that any effort to forge new spaces for policy engagement between CSOs and elected officials needs to take into consideration the full range of civil society groups – more elite think-tank and policy advocacy NGOs as well as nontraditional civil society groups. In the same vein, there is a strong need to recognise the value of the different types of knowledge that these respective groups are able to bring to the policy negotiating table – quantitative, qualitative and participatory.”

While taking cognisance of the fact that the policy community goes beyond the legislators, as Jones and Tembo rightly noted, “a more nuanced understanding of the policy-making process is vital for more strategic civil society influencing strategies and tactics.” Nonetheless, our main focus here shall be the interface between the legislature and the civil society.

Thinking about this interface one is often drawn to the modern principle of engaging with modern parliament, that is, legislative advocacy. This is because “Legislators play a key role in policy decision making and evaluation, and theoretically in representing and listening to the voices of the electorate in the policy process, whereas civil servants often lead on policy formulation and implementation…”

Jones and Tembo have identified in the literature on the subject four types of methods of collaboration between the civil society and the legislators in the policy-making process and they include: • Providing expert inputs; • Promoting policy reforms through the profiling of civil society viewpoints in parliamentary hearings; • Coordinating outreach activities to enhance grassroots participation in policy dialogues; and • Securing longer-term agreements through alliances with political parties and/or securing a quota of seats in the legislature.

I believe the above typology is central to the thinking of the leadership of the Lagos State House of Assembly. The civil society will be playing a patriotic role if it assists the Assembly to improve the quality of governance in the state by making factual and evidence-based input to policies.

• Dr. Akhaine, a visiting member of The Guardian Editorial Board made this as an introductory remark at the Lagos State House of Assembly and Civil Society Interactive Forum held in Lagos recently.

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Media At forum, traditional media urged to embrace digital platform Issue

By Gbenga Salau HE way things are done around the world is T fast changing because of information technology. People are now moving away from analogy to using more of digital content.

Many organisations are daily improvising ways to ensure that they are visible within the content, using it to close up with its target audience. With this, there is an alternative to the traditional media in engaging with the market.

Understanding the trend and the need for more digital visibility, the Media Independent Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MIPAN) organised a seminar with the theme, Digital Media in Nigeria and West Africa: the Facts, the Myths and the Future at its yearly Media Director’s Circle.

Speakers at the forum talked about the impact of digital platform, how there is a geometric increase in its consumption especially among youths, including how the future belongs to the digital platforms.

They noted that the digital platforms are affecting the acceptability and use of the traditional media, especially among youths, who consume the digital content more. They pointed out that this trend has implications for the traditional media and providers of services and goods.

While many agreed that the impact of the digital media is on the rise, they also maintained that the traditional media would not go into extinction, though there is need for integration of the traditional and digital platforms for impactful reach.

Therefore, there is urgent need for media to keep pace with the digital platform if it does not want to go into extinction.

For service providers, there is also a need to keep being in business, increase revenue and to reach more people, which the digital platform provides.

The Chairman of Advertisers Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), Mr. Lolu Akinwunmi, who also chaired the forum, in his opening remarks, said professional groups must continue to invest in building capacity.

“We need a lot of knowledge, it is not just for people to come in to invest, the local players must have much knowledge as they could and this is why I want applaud MIPAN for organising the seminar.”

Also, former Chairman of APCON, Mr. Chris Doghudje, said all stakeholders must learn how to integrate the two platforms, as the traditional media will not die.

While advising clients to involve agencies in developing their sites, he said, in driving the dig-

Participants at an FoI event ital platform for their clients, agencies must consider how they would benefit by making it a two approach in terms of revenue.

According to Olusola Lawson (Jnr), CEO of Space Limited, the digital media has changed the ways things are done, as it has moved strategy from one-way to two-way communication, where the clients is not just speaking and sending information down to the consumers.

He noted that many organisations and practitioners are experiencing tension in their use of the digital and traditional media.

“The older generation, which I belong to, grew up creating communication between a brand and a consumer in a one-way interaction, but the new media, the digital platform, is all about conversation, two or multiple ways, where several people engage with the brand.

“The resistance from the older generation, because what you do not understand, you overtly or covertly will resist it and I can see a bit of that happening. What I’m advocating for is a way by which people who have become stakeholders of the digital media engage those who are stakeholders of traditional media. It is not about one

Winner emerges in Loya Milk It’s What’s Inside That Matters promo Promo ROMASIDOR Nigeria P Limited, makers of Loya Milk, has rewarded another winner with a brand new Hyundai i10AT car in the ongoing Loya Milk It’s What’s Inside That Matters promo.

Launched in February, the promo ends on May 31.

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the company, Chief Keith Richards, made the presentation to Mr. Tochukwu Oranu, a 29 yearold businessman at the company’s head office in Lagos, recently.

Mr. Kachi Onubogu, Commercial Director of the company, and Don Jazzy, the brand Ambassador of Loya Milk, accompanied Richards.

The excited Oranu said, “I feel so happy. I never thought I would win because I do not believe in things like this. I have never participated in any promo because I do not believe in it but with this I am very excited I won. I bought the milk at Onitsha for my mom because she said she likes its taste. At first, I didn’t want take it at first but the shop attendant pressured me to take the milk and jokingly said that I may win from it, just truly I won a car from the milk.”

Earlier, in his address of welcome, Richards said that his outfit lives up to its promises and would continue to reward its loyal consumers.

His words: “This is about Promasidor keeping our promise of fulfilling what we say we

will do, we will do. Not just because we have regulators, but also because we are touching the lives of our consumers.

All over Nigeria, people are talking about the promo and when someone in their region will win the car since they have gone to redeem their cash prizes in various branches of Zenith Bank.”

In the words of Onubogu, “we are here to show the world again in the presence of our regulatory bodies that our commitment to give out cash and car prizes is real. We make commitment and we keep them; that’s why we have been in business for over 20 years.

We have given out one car in March, we are giving out another today and also we will give out another in Aba.

replacing the other, it is about complementing one another and integration because we are all talking about integrated marketing communication.”

He noted that many organisations are already integrating the two platforms in their engagement with the market.

“People are already walking the walk, linking the traditional and digital media. But what I am advocating for is for more companies, especially products companies that have young people as their market because we have 40 per cent of our population, who are already on the internet, of that population, I can guarantee you, about 80 per cent of them are young people between the ages of 19 and 35.

“So, if you are somebody who is into manufacturing goods for that age category, you should be on the digital platform.”

One of the participants said many stakeholders are having challenges with the digital platform because they are transferring the methods and strategies deployed in the traditional media to the digital platform.

He also noted that many practitioners do not have grasp of the digital media yet, and clients and agencies are suffering as a result of this, saying there is need for more enlightenment.

Speaking on the format that the integration process should take among the practitioners, President of MIPAN and MD MediaReach OMD, Tolu Ogunkoya, said it should be people who

already know the traditional media learning new skills and those who know the new skills also learning the methodology of old.

“So that if you understand both, it will be better. Perhaps if you come to the table with the understanding of one, you will struggle to adapt and integrate the two.”

Ogunkoya said, “agencies have to play the role of making sure that clients, and everybody understand the integration more. I think clients have to play the role of being open minded to new ideas and the media also have to learn to say that beyond The Guardian being sold in hard copy what is The Guardian online doing, because a lot of people are reading online.”

Country Manager, CEE New Markets, Goetz Trillhaas, stated that digital is CEOs topic as it is not something that can be ignored anymore.

To him, now is the time to start something because it holds the future. He also said that digital is about connectivity disclosing that only two billions of the seven billion people on the face of the earth are connected, which to him is the biggest opportunities for organisations.

He said Nigeria is a country with a lot of young people, which implies that in the future people; there will be limited use of the traditional media. He however said that the bigger the Internet becomes, the more the need users should be guided in their use.

Experts task journalists at BBC media training on good governance

By Lillian Chukwu TAKEHOLDERS have urged Sform the Nigerian media to translives and increase capacity to produce content that encourages accountability, participation and dialogue for good governance.

Speaking yesterday in Abuja at a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)Media Action training on global grant project stakeholders forum for the Federal Capital Territory, head of training of the unit, Oyebola Adeyinka stressed on the relevance of

the media in societal change.

She noted that the BBC Media Action “believes in the power of the media to change society and to inspire and support individuals in need.

“Use media to help reduce poverty and promote human rights around the world and work in local partnership to provide access to media to help poor and marginalized people to know their rights,” Adeyinka added.

Executive Director, Community Action for Popular Participation, Kyauta Giwa stressed on importance

for the need for an interface between government and the citizens.

Assistant project manager, BBC Media Action Damian Ihekoronye said that the Global grant project is a five year old programme funded the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID) to be implemented in three regions in Africa, Asia and the Middle East and Europe.

Ihekoronye urged the media to help identify specific governance issues in the FCT in areas of accountability, participation, dialogue and conflict.

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Media urged to verify information before publication Issue

By Gbenga Salau HE cold war between Prima Garnet and Scanad, two advertising agencies, is gradually snowballing into what is called roforofo fight in local parlance, with a spurious organisation calling for the sack of the Chairman of Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), Mr. Lolu Akinwunmi.

Reacting, Akinwunmi and some senior practitioners in the marketing communication industry have cautioned media practitioners to verify and authenticate the sources of press statements before publishing in order not to give credibility to ‘ghost’ attentionseekers who hide behind inexistent aliases to attract public attention.

They spoke against the backdrop of a recent publication credited to a non-governmental organisation, Network for Responsible Communication, which called for the resignation of Akinwunmi from the board of APCON, following a dispute his firm, Prima Garnet, has with an Indian telecom company, Airtel, and a Kenyan advertising agency, Scanad, owned by another Indian.

The practitioners wondered how an organisation that does not exist could ever claim to be working towards “responsible communication.”

Responding, Akinwunmi said, “ordinarily, I should not have responded to this because every right thinking Nigerian who read that story knows it was designed to deceive everybody into thinking that I was exploiting my position as APCON Chairman for purposes that are self-serv-

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ing. This is not so and I believe time will vindicate us. When we read this report, we conducted a thorough due diligence search on the source and found that there was no organisation called Network for Responsible Communication anywhere and wondered why and how such a story could find its way into the pages of Nigerian newspapers without an authentication of its origin.

“Those who read this story will understand that the writer was all out to attack APCON and denigrate the entire marketing communications industry. This, I think, is not right. The fact that my company has some issues with some of our former partners in court should not give anyone the license to insult the entire advertising industry. How can anyone who claims to be a network for Responsible Communication make such irresponsible blanket statements?”.

Also, a source close to the industry picked holes in the publication’ claim that suggested that most Nigerian clients, particularly Nigerian Breweries and the banks had shipped their marketing communication jobs abroad because of lack of local capacity.

She said it was outright fabrication, which exposed the writer’s ignorance of the industry. “As I speak with you, First Bank, Nigeria’s biggest and oldest bank works with Nigerian agencies; Diamond Bank is being managed by an indigenous agency. The same goes for Guaranty Trust Bank, Fidelity Bank and many others. Are the banks I mentioned not the most attractive in terms of look and feel? The fact

Akinwunmi that a few of them have inhouse communications departments is a matter of strategy and choice and not in any way a testimonial on the competence of advertising agencies in Nigeria.”

She also added that for as long as anyone would remember, the Nigerian Breweries has proudly supported the Nigerian advertising industry by working with notable Nigerian agencies like Lintas, Insight and others.

A senior foreign marketing practitioner, who chose to be identified corroborated this claim, “even the foreign multi-

national telecoms companies work with Nigerian agencies.

MTN works with DDB, Etisalat works with 141 as well. The only exception is Airtel, which shares its business with Prima Garnet and its Kenyan Ogilvy agency managed by Bharat Thakrar.”

On whether Akinwunmi’s continued stay as APCON Chairman amounted to an

‘ncestuous’ relationship as contained in the report, which compared his role as Chairman of APCON to that of the Governor of the Central Bank, who regulates the banking industry, a lawyer who works with the communication industry explained that the hack writer displayed a serious ignorance of the law setting up APCON, which provides for a Chief

Executive/Registrar and a Chairman.

“The APCON Chairman can be involved in other businesses, and is a part time job. The Registrar is the Chief Executive, appointed by the Council, and has a full time job. In fact the first APCON Chairman, Mr. I.S. Moemeke was simultaneously the CEO of Lintas; the next Chairman, Chief Olu Falomo simultaneously managed Forum Advertising. The late May Nzeribe, the third APCON Chairman was also the CEO of Sunrise Advertising and the last Chairman, Chris Doghudje also simultaneously managed his consultancy and publishing interests”.

Another senior marketing practitioner, who works in a telecoms company explained, “APCON is not a court. It is a regulatory body. Akinwunmi was appointed Chairman before the dispute between Ogilvy and Scanad.

“Lolu commands a lot of industry respect, and is not the first agency head that will also be the Chairman of APCON. The government that established this body knows why they made it so and I reemphasise that this dispute is between Prima Garnet and Ogilvy/Scanad Nigeria on one side and Prima Garnet and Airtel, on another. In fact, if any of those parties; Ogilvy, Scanad or Airtel has any respect for this country; they should respect the decisions of the court that said that the status quo be maintained”.

ADVAN unveils industry magazine in May N order to provide marketIsionals ing communication profeswith insightful research and trending marketing reports and analyses, the Advertisers’ Association of Nigeria (ADVAN) has partnered World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) to launch a quarterly marketing journal in Nigeria tagged, Advertisers’ Quarterly. The journal is billed for launch in mid-May this year.

The magazine will bring to its readers articles on insights analyses, and best practices on the latest topics and trends to transforming the marketing community, as well as profiles on today’s leading-edge marketers globally.

The all-gloss journal will be published four times a year.

The quarterly, according to the President of ADVAN, Mr. Kola Oyeyemi, will ensure that members and industry practitioners as well as the general public are informed, enlightened, educated and entertained on global marketing practice and issues as well as the local ones.

He said: “I am particularly excited over the prospects and values this initiative will add to the marketing firmament in Nigeria. Partnering with WFA to serialise some of their best research efforts particularly free is one of the best things to happen to the industry and even to the media. It is a laudable project and we urge everyone to embrace it.”

The magazine will be circulated throughout the marketing

community in Nigeria, and will serve as the leading journal for marketing information.

Giving insight into the makeup of the keepsake, ADVAN Executive Secretary, Mrs. Ediri Ose-Ediale, said the quarterly would be a reference material for the industry, adding, “It would focus on latest and best marketing trends and principles”.

The editorial team and contributors of the journal will comprise the thought leaders of marketing both in local and international levels. Articles, insights analyses and best marketing practice mantras will be sourced from authentic providers and leading marketing resources, Ose-Ediale stated.

Cool FM splashes car, other gift items on Nigerians

By Odita Sunday OOL FM radio has finally given out Grand Prizes to the female winner of the raffle draw of its annual Praise Jam 2012 organised on Christmas Day at the Banquet Hall, Eko Hotel & Suites, Lagos. The radio station also presented a whooping N1 million cheque to House of Gold, a children hospice based in Lagos.

Presenting the KIA Picanto car to the Praise Jam winner, Miss Amy Yawus Retna, a staff of Airtel, Group Managing Director of AIM Group Nigeria Limited, Mr. Amin Moussalli said the gifts were a way giving back to Nigerians for supporting Cool FM Radio station.

Moussalli said without members of the public who listen and contribute to Cool FM, the

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radio station would go under, adding, “We are giving out this car gift to the overall winner of Praise Jam 2012 raffle draw, Army Yawus to show appreciation to Nigerians. Today again we are giving a N1 million cheque to Heart of Gold Children Hospice also to show our love to the less privileged people in the society”.

Mousalli, who is also the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Wazobia FM and Nigeria Info FM stations, pledged to do more for Nigerians and the less privileged.

In her response, the Praise Jam winner, Yawus said: “On that fateful day, I had enjoyed myself during the Praise Jam. When I got tired, I told my friend that we should try and do the raffle. Lo and behold, when the draw was done, I was

shocked that I won the great prize.

“I think it is a miracle because I never thought I would win. I thank Cool FM for the wonderful gift”.

On her own, the proprietress of Heart of Gold Hospice, Laja Adedoyin said she was shocked when she got a telephone call to come and pick up a cheque from Cool FM for her home.

She said, “I thank Cool FM and Golden Penny for their donation. I want corporate organisations and individuals to visit my home at Surulere and see for themselves the kind of persons I am catering for. Many of them may not survive but we are just assisting them before the Lord will call them. Visit me before you do your donation”.

Tunde Ayeni, Divisional Sales Manager (South West), Olusegun Koleoso, Business Development Manager, Chief Keith Richards, MD/CEO, all of Promasidor Nigeria Limited; Tochukwu Oranu, winner of the star prize, Don Jazzy, Loya Milk Brand Ambassador and Kachi Onubogu, Commercial Director, Promasidor Nigeria Limited during the presentation of star prize in the on-going Loya Milk It’s What’s inside that Matters Promo in Lagos

IWMF seeks applications HE International Women’s T Media Foundation (IWMF) is now accepting applications for the 2013/2014 Elizabeth Neuffer Fellowship, which will close on May 1. The fellowship is designed for women journalists working in print, broadcast or digital news media to spend seven months in a tailored programme that combines access to MIT’s Center for International Studies and media outlets including The Boston Globe and The New York Times.

Named after the 1998 IWMF Courage in Journalism Award winner and The Boston Globe correspondent, Elizabeth Neuffer, who was killed in Iraq in May 2003,the fellowship is

open to women journalists worldwide whose work focuses on human rights and social justice. Created with Elizabeth Neuffer’s family and friends, it aims to perpetuate her memory and advance her life mission of promoting international understanding of human rights and social justice while creating an opportunity for women journalists to build their skills.

“The Elizabeth Neuffer Fellowship has opened a whole new world of journalism for me, and in the least, it has made me a better journalist”, 2012/2013 Neuffer Fellow Priyanka Borpujari from India told the IWMF.

“This fellowship provided me the much-needed time and space to reflect on my work, and learn from my peers. It also gave me the chance to write for and speak to different audiences about India’s economic-humanitarian crisis”, she added.

To apply, visit iwmf.org/2013neuffer to start the online application process.

Journalists working in the print, broadcast and Internet media, including freelancers, are eligible to apply.

Applicants must have a minimum of three years of experience in journalism and the fellowship will run from September 2013 - March 2014.

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Sports NFF warns Golden Eaglets to shape up as Garba plans team audit N a tersely worded repriIFederation mand, the Nigeria Football (NFF) yesterday warned members of the defeated Golden Eaglets to curtail their excesses or risk being thrown out of the team.

The FA has, specifically, asked the coaching crew not to condone any iota of indiscipline ahead of the 2013 U-17 World Cup coming up in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) later in the year.

The Eaglets finished as runners-up after losing 5-4 on penalties to Cote d’Ivoire after a pulsating 1-1 draw in the finale of the 2013 CAN Under17 Championship on Saturday in Marrakech, Morocco, At a session with the team the morning after, Technical Director of the Federation, Dr. Emmanuel Ikpeme said: “As a Federation, we want to thank the coaching crew and the backroom staff for bringing these boys to this level because qualifying for the World Cup as well as coming second was not a mean feat.

“But having said that, the NFF would not condone any act of irresponsibility from any player because we want to build a virile national team and this is the basis of all the national teams.”

Ikpeme, frowned at the conduct of some players during the clash against Cote d’Ivoire where defender Izu Omego earned a red card and midfielder Chidiebere Nwakali, collapsed under the weight of expectation with a terrible penalty kick.

“Personally, I won’t feel good without saying this because we threw away the opportuni-

ty of becoming African champions at this level because of the irresponsible behaviour.

Specifically, the issue of red card and the penalty kick really bother everybody.”

He admonished the players to be at their best behaviourially as well as put in their best at any given opportunity in order to justify their inclusion in the team.

However, head coach of the team, Manu Garba (MFR) has stated that more youngsters would be given opportunities to fight for places in the team ahead of the Mundial.

Speaking after the competition, where striker Success Isaac emerged as the top scorer, Manu said his boys failed to live up to expectations for obvious reasons.

“Frankly, whatever happens, we should still be thankful to God since we didn’t bargain for this… we wanted to go back to Nigeria with the Cup and gold medals, we created many chances but did not take our chances. If we had taken them, the story would have been different “We are going to fortify the team despite the fact that some of these players secured us the ticket to the World Cup and we are going to look for quality replacements before going for the World Cup.” Meanwhile, hours after his terrible penalty kick ostensibly cost the team the chance to win a record third CAN Under17 Championship trophy, Chidiebere Nwakali, who took the penalty has apologized for the miss.

Okpekpe Race gets Abubakar’s support HE Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar has enjoined his officers and men to embrace sports and return the force to the task of providing quality sportsmen and women to the country.

Chief Superintendent of Police, Chioma Ajunwa and late Sunday Bada, two Olympic gold medalists for Nigeria remain the pride of the police to date.

Speaking while endorsing the Okpekpe 10-kilometre International Road Race scheduled to hold this weekend in Edo State, Abubakar, who has registered to join Governor Adams Oshiomhole and several other high networth Nigerians for the competition, urged his officers to prove their worth again.

“I commend the initiators of this Okpekpe 10-kilometre Road Race for giving Nigeria another quality competition expected to attract international athletes to the country. I have informed my officers that I want to see to see the Nigeria police providing the bulk of athletes representing the country as it was in the past,” Abubakar, a for-

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mer board member of the Nigeria Football Association, said.

Most of the invited foreign road runners for the race are expected to start arriving the country from Wednesday, just as the Nigerian team for the race is rounding up its training in Afuze, Edo State.

Siasia hails Bundesliga’s UCL feat at Heineken Champions Planet ORMER Super Eagles Fhailed Coach, Samson Siasia has the domination of

Nigeria’s Abubakar Adamu (left); pursues a Tunisian attacker during their semifinal clash at the just-concluded Morocco 2013 African U-17 Championship. Coach Manu Garba says he will overhaul the team ahead of the FIFA Cadet World Cup.

DStv PBL: Dodan Warriors, Union Bank set pace

By Adeyinka Adedipe ond one 50-46 to the Police “What I expect from the ODAN Warriors and machine. new players is to acquire DUnion Bank Basketball Dodan Warriors’ Coach, more skills as they play Club are the early pacesetters in the DStv Premier Basketball League, which began at the weekend in Lagos at the sports hall of the National Stadium.

Dodan Warriors defeated Nigeria Customs 92-67 and 82-63 in the two games played at the weekend.

Union Bank also scored double victory over rivals, Comets 66-48 and 59-51 to claim all four points at stake.

Honours were shared in the last game between Islanders and Nigeria Police team. Islanders won the first game, 68-40 but lost the sec-

Peter Ahmedu commended his team for a good start and for carrying out his instruction on the court. “My team is a young and inexperienced one but I am happy that they started with double victories. We had a plan for both games and the execution was perfect, that is why we did well this weekend.”

He said that he had brought in seven young players from the team’s academy in the hope that they would add quality to the team, which also lost some players before the season began.

against the best in the league. It is a good transition for all of them and they will get use to the style of play of the team as time goes on,” he added.

Ahmedu stated that his team would battle for the top prize after last year’s disappointing exit in the semi finals of the Final Eight in Lagos.

“Our ambition is always to be among the top three teams in the league. We finished third last season, and we hope to reach the final this term and possibly win the trophy,” Ahmedu added.

English Premier League

Man United, Arsenal draw, Reading, QPR relegated OBIN van Persie earned a R point for Barclays Premier League champion, Manchester United, in a 1-1 draw on his return to Arsenal.

The former Gunners captain received the expected hot reception as soon as he stepped out at the Emirates Stadium for a guard of honour, which was impeccably observed by the Arsenal team to mark United’s achievements in marching to a 20th championship.

It was, though, Arsenal without suspended forward Olivier Giroud - who raced into the lead as Theo Walcott beat the offside trap to fire the hosts ahead inside two minutes.

However, despite enduring

plenty of jeers from the home support as passions continued to run high in the wake of his controversial £24 million move to Old Trafford last summer, Van Persie kept his cool to equalise from the spot just before half-time after being brought down by Bacary Sagna.

To his credit, there was no wild celebration from the former Arsenal captain, who continued to test the home defence in the second half.

Neither side, though, was able to press on and claim all three points, with a draw seeing Arsenal drop into fourth place, but still two points ahead of Tottenham, albeit having played a match more in the race for

Champions League qualification.

At the Stamford Bridge, Frank Lampard scored his 201st Chelsea goal as the Blues moved closer to a return to the Champions League with a 2-0 victory over Swansea at Stamford Bridge.

Lampard, who began the game as a substitute, set up Oscar’s opener before converting a 45th-minute penalty to move him within one goal of the club record held by the watching Bobby Tambling.

Last season’s European champion sits third but was unable to add to its total in the second half as it moved three points clear of Tottenham and extended

Swansea’s winless run to six games.

Reading and QPR were both relegated from the Barclays Premier League yesterday following their 0-0 draw, with neither side able to secure the win it required at the Madejski Stadium to still have an outside chance of surviving.

In a game bereft of quality, both sides were guilty of wasting the few chances that fell their way as they both bowed out of the top flight with a whimper.

A win for either would have kept it mathematically in the hunt for survival and relegated the losers, whereas the draw condemned both clubs to the npower Championship.

German teams, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, over current powerhouses in European football, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid in the semi-final matches of the UEFA Champions League at the Heineken Champions Planet in Lagos.

Many of the guests viewing the semi-final matches at the Heineken Champions Planet were surprised by the scores but the former Super Eagles striker told the large gathering during the interactive session that, “it is a power shift from La Liga to the Bundesliga.”

“The combined final score in those two first-leg fixtures tells a tale of German greatness, Spanish stagnation and a significant shift in power among Europe’s elite on the football field. The Bundesliga has handed a harsh lesson to the Primera Division today and it is now Bayern and Dortmund who look set to rule on the continent, not Barcelona or Real Madrid,” said Siasia, who coached Nigeria’s Olympic team to a silver medal at the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008.

As it happened last season, when the semi-final draw was made earlier in the month, most guests to the Heineken Champions Planet were quick to predict an allSpanish Classico clash at Wembley in May.

Iwuanyanwu, Tukur to unveil 5,000 Nigerian Unity tourney balls HE National Organising T Committee of the Nigerian Unity Football Tournament tagged: Youth Peace and Unity Cup 2013, will tomorrow officially unveil 5,000 balls for the tournament.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the Presidency endorse the tournament.

The ceremony will take place at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Abuja under the chairmanship of Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu.

Peoples Democratic Party chairman, Dr. Bamaga Tukur, will also grace the unveiling of the balls, as father of the day, while Dr. Ngozi Olejeme is the mother of the day.

According to the organisers, the balls would be branded in the names of the sponsors and the 36 state governors.

A statement signed by the National Project Director of the competition, Moses Ebahor, stated that the branded balls would be distributed to youths across the country before the commencement of the tournament.

“The major objectives of the Nigeria Unity Football Tournament is to promote peace and unity in the country using the power of football as a unifying factor to unite us as one Nigeria irrespective of our tribe and reli-

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THE GUARDIAN, Monday, April 29, 2013

‘Clubs’ resistance to LMC, a lack of appreciation

By Christian Okpara

Since the Nduka Irabor-led League Management Company (LMC) started its task of restructuring the Nigerian Football League, it has met with different forms of resistance, surprisingly, by those ‘who stand to benefit’ from the changes planned by the body.

Fielding questions on the crisis in the league recently in Ilorin, Sports Minister, Bolaji Abdullahi, who is one of the champions of reform in the system, says the club managers, who are opposed to some of the new ideas by the LMC, would applaud the league company if they understood the benefits.

He also spoke on other issues on Nigerian sports development. Excerpts: ECENTLY, the club managers said they have R sacked the League Management Company.

Among their grievances is that the LMC is going beyond its mandate. They also accuse the LMC of not carrying them along. What do you make of the impasse?

I won’t call what is happening now an impasse.

It is just another form of resistance to positive change, which should be expected.

For various reasons people resist change. But I still want to think that the resistance we are facing is also likely to be a lack of appreciation of the overall benefit of the change to the clubs themselves.

The managers of the clubs , while they recognize their strengths, should also acknowledge their limitations. I don’t think they have the power to arrogate to themselves the kind of role they have assumed in the last couple of days.

They say they can manage the league themselves. But you cannot be playing in the league and also want to regulate the same league. You cannot be the actor and still be the regulator.

Now, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) that has the primary responsibility and authority to Enyimba against Sunshine Stars in a recent Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) game. Abdullahi says the clubs stand to gain more when the on going restructuring of the PHOTO: FEMI ADEBESIN-KUTI. manage football in Nigeria has delegated the league is completed. power to so do in the league to the League Management Company (LMC) and has not chairman of the LMC and I told him that he They know about it, it is incumbent on them to that is where the trouble started. their members. People started going backwards and forward. probably needs to do more of communication inform withdrawn that authority .

I asked one of them, Sabo Babayaro: “When you We met with Supersports officials during the with the club owners.

And I think since then he Until the NFF reverses itself and withdraws that authority, the LMC remains the bona fide has made efforts to bring everybody on board. I people have a meeting, do you go back to tell AFCON in South Africa and they gave us details authority on the management of the league in know that the LMC has made some advertorials your colleagues, because you are representing of the contract they have with Total “Yes.” Promotions. Even the Supersports officials said Nigeria. So I will deem anybody else seeking to where it detailed how things are now being them here?” and he said, He said he did not know why they were behavthey were not happy because they were not seestructured.

I am also aware that he has met arrogate to himself that authority to be overing the money in the league and they cannot some of the club managers to tell them how ing like this. reaching himself.

So, I am surprised that the same Babayaro get out of the contract.

I want to think that they are concerned, but things are now being done.

Fundamentally, two representatives of the woke up one morning to say that the LMC I understand that they are having different disthis concern should be channelled to the releclubs are members of the LMC and they are sup- deserved to be sacked. So what has changed? cussions on how to disengage from the third vant authority. I have not heard that any of the These are the same people that said they are party and negotiate directly with the league. club managers has made any petition, whether posed to communicate the grievances, the singly or collectively to the NFF about the way doubts and questions arising from the clubs to now happy with the way the league is being Supersports said they originally wanted to deal the LMC has carried out its duties. the LMC. They are members of the LMC and no run… that they are happy with the results. That with the league directly, but some people told None of them has come to me to complain that decision would be taken without their knowl- away teams are now winning matches… that them they must deal with the middleman. Why he is not happy with the way things are going. edge. But be that as it may, we also have to look everything is now transparent. So, what has would anybody tell the buyer to deal with a suddenly changed? middleman?

Not to follow this channel and just go ahead to at this talk of interest. make unilateral pronouncements is uncalled What does the interest mean? Is it the interest When we were talking about reviewing the title So, we said alright, middleman no problem, for and for me it must be condemned. People of the clubs? Does the interest of the clubs nec- right we didn’t have much problem. Everybody but we have to renegotiate the terms of the concannot behave that way because we are not in a essarily mean the interest of the club man- wanted us to attack Glo, everybody wanted to tract so that clubs will benefit from the broadjungle. This is a country that must be guided by agers? Does the interest of the clubs or the club see us tackle Glo. We tackled Glo and they came cast right of the league. Let any club manager managers necessarily represent the interest of round to do things the way we wanted in the tell us how his club has benefited from the prorules and regulations. ceeds of the broadcast right that has existed One of the issues they have been harping on is the club owners? Does it represent the interest interest of the clubs.

They have issued a check of N550 million, but over the years. the LMC holding the leagues’ shares in trust for of other parties that have personal benefits them. Do you see that as a sort of misinforma- from the way things are arranged? we have not finished negotiating with them. Unfortunately, the broadcast rights still subsist tion or misinterpretation of the roles of the I still want to believe that probably more work Don’t forget that where we are coming from is till 2015 with a clause that gives Total has to be done by the LMC to bring everybody that Total Promotions is the title right owner of Promotions the first right of refusal up till 2020.

LMC? When people don’t know, those who know have on board at this stage. But what I completely the league. But when we encountered this log- That is the kind of contract people have signed the responsibility to educate them. Personally, I disagree with is to try to upturn the entire sys- jam, we asked Total Promotions to please cede in this country and we said we must get out of it have had the opportunity to discuss with the tem because some people have grievances. If that right to Glo. They said they are ready to do and this is where the trouble started. that because they are not fanatical about it. But And so when people tell us about interest, they should tell us what interest they are fighting you have grievances the right they must be compensated.

Glo said alright, we will give you N100 million. for. Definitely, not the interest of the clubs. thing to do is to bring such grievances to the table and Then Glo came with the long list of conditions, Which state governor is not complaining that seek redress. And there are and I got angry and threw it back at them. the clubs are drainpipes on his resources and I told them that we don’t have to play football we are saying we cannot continue that way. We appropriate channels to seek if that is what we will go through. That was must incorporate the clubs into proper limited redress.

The NFF is the overall govern- because they brought all sorts of funny things. liability companies where the state governing body of football in Nigeria, But things were sorted out. We met everybody ment will own shares and shares would be sold so if club managers severally or halfway and Glo’s representatives met LMC rep- to private individuals. collectively have any misgiv- resentatives and they agreed on the contract. Take Kwara United, for example… when it has ings about the things that have We are in the final stage of signing the contract matches in Ilorin, you cannot get any taxi from 4.00pm because all the taxi drivers will park been done, it is incumbent on so that the money will be released.

Now, all the problems started when we came their vehicles and head to the stadium to watch them to approach the NFF to Kwara United. These are potential shareholders. ventilate or to seek rearrange- to the issue of broadcast rights.

What is the LMC saying? The LMC is saying When you incorporate a club as a company, it ment. They have not done that.

They have access to come to me there is no way in the world where the broad- means the club will have a chief executive offias the minister to table their cast right is wholly devolved in one company. It cer, who will run it as a business venture. grievances, but not one of is either you want the terrestrial broadcast You can no longer go to the government to colthem has come to me to do right or you want the satellite broadcast right. lect money weekly to prosecute matches. So, if And there is also the right for the online media. these are some of the changes people are resistthat. ing, we cannot support them to do that. If there So, to say that the LMC has You have to choose the one you want.

In strictly legalistic terms, there is no such they are specific grievances against the LMC we will incorporated a company and holds the shares in trust for called NPL anywhere. So if anybody took the address these grievances. But if it is the interest them without consulting NPL to court he would be wasting his time. Even that wants us to scatter everything and go back them will be less than the Glo, which took NPL to court, withdrew the case to the ignoble past, we will not do that.

Some of the club owners complain that the truth. I say this because their because the NPL is dead.

Then we told Total Promotions this right you LMC has started doing away with NPL property representatives in the LMC are part and parcel of the decision had was with the NPL, but because you helped and staff even when the NPL has not been propto incorporate the company. the league in the past, let us renegotiate and erly wound up.

LMC Chairman, Nduka Irabor.

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THE GUARDIAN, Monday, April 29, 2013

of benefit of the new order’ Winding up the NPL is a minor legal issue that is being taken care of. When the judge declared NPL illegal, did he say anybody should do business with it? We have instructed our lawyer to advise the CAC to wind up the NPL properly. But as I said, that is simply administrative. What I want to hear is that a court has upturned that judgment or that a court has issued a stay of execution on that ruling in Nigeria. There is nothing like that.

That the CAC has not carried out the winding up of the NPL does not affect the judgment. If there was a counter application that says there is a stay of execution on the case, then we will look at it.

The LMC is a new company that has been incorporated under the authority of the NFF to run the league in Nigeria. It is only 25 per cent of the new company’s shares that is now being held.

Twenty per cent held by Nduka Irabor on behalf of the clubs, while Aminu Maigari has five per cent on behalf of the NFF. At the point of it being incorporated, an affidavit was sworn by Irabor and deposited at the CAC that he would relinquish the shares as soon as the clubs are incorporated into companies. That is the arrangement. People were coming to me to say that Nduka Irabor has registered a company in his name.

Some of the club owners are not aware of this, while some are saying that he cannot hold their shares for them because they are not kids.

It was published and it was circulated in the newspapers. Some of them signed and collected the literature.

Once these clubs are incorporated the shares will return to them. It is a process but we like to look for conspiracies. If we are looking for opportunity to scatter things we bring up conspiracies. Are we dumb? How can we sit down and one person will go and register a company in his name?

And let me tell you, apart from signing that indemnity that he is ready to relinquish the shares as soon as the clubs are incorporated, he also signed another one that he is ready to relinquish the chairmanship of the LMC any time the NFF asks him to do so.

When I saw that I was shocked. I asked him: ‘So if some people manage to get the NFF to ask you to leave and they get rid of you and get somebody to rubbish all we have done, what then happens to this change that we are trying to bring about?’ He said: ‘This is Nigeria, I don’t want anybody to think that I am deriving any personal benefit from running the league.’ That is what he has done. I saw it and they know it. If they don’t know, I am telling them now. If they want evidence, I will show it to them.

There is a group called the NFA, which says the LMC is illegal because it was not incorporated through it. They claim to be the right football governing body because the law, according to them, does not recognize the NFF. What is your take on that?

Look, I think this is being spread to the ridiculous level. I am the Minister of Sports supervising the NFF and I don’t know this group. I give money to the NFF and I don’t know the other group.

Were they in South Africa for the Nations Cup? This is absurd, to say the least. I know what they are talking about. This is serious business and people should not trivialise it.

People always come up to say that this is illegal, that is illegal and it is this question of things being illegal that has held Nigerian football down over the years. Now, we are getting somewhere and people are saying we must remain where we were. It will not happen.

There appears to be some political undertones and I wonder if you are trying to bring in some of the sports commissioners to make them understand what the LMC is all about?

Yes, we will bring the commissioners on board.

That is part of the things I have advised the LMC to do. And as the Minister of Sports, I will also try to get across to the commissioners.

I will meet with the commission when they arrive for the council meeting tomorrow (Thursday last week) to keep them abreast of events.

But many of them are aware already. That is why Delta has suspended the chairman of Warri Wolves for acting contrary to Delta’s support of the LMC and the change it is bringing about.

For those of them that don’t understand, we will make information available to them so that they understand. But they cannot ask us to stop breathing until they understand.

The NFF has invited the club managers to a meeting on Tuesday… will you be there to straighten things out?

I don’t have to be there because the NFF has the responsibility of running football in the country and it is quite capable of doing that. The NFF initiated this process, the NFF constituted the LMC. It spearheaded the transformation of the League Management Committee to League Management Company. So the NFF under-

Sports Minister, Bolaji Abdullahi. stands what it has to do.

But for me at the political level, I will engage the commissioners and also make presentations at the National Economic Council, where the governors will be able to know that what we are talking about is good for Nigeria.

I will still appeal to the club managers to understand what we are trying to do. They are stakeholders and we want to carry them along.

And we don’t want any acrimony in doing so.

If there is anybody that still does not understand what is going on, he should go to the LMC for clarification. If the LMC does not satisfy him, he should go the NFF and where he is not still satisfied, he should come to me.

If they want change in terms of process or procedure, we will look at the possibility of that change. But if what they want is for us to revert to the status quo, it will not happen.

Lets move away from the LMC and football.

After the last National Sports festival, you said the festival would henceforth be thrown open to all comers so long as they are Nigerians. Are you planning to include the intermediate and junior categories to discover young athletes, who may not get the chance to compete in the festival because of the presence of the elite athletes?

We have to look at the principle behind the National Sports Festival. You see, when we suffered the shame of London 2012 Olympics, one the things we said was that we will search for new talents at the 2012 National Sports festival in Lagos.

Take table tennis as an example.. we lost out of the event in the first round because we used the same players that have been representing us over the years. Segun Toriola, Funke Oshonaike, among others, are people who had done very well in the past, but they were no longer up to the demands of the game.

So, when we came back, I constituted a committee to go round the various games at the Lagos Sports festival to pencil down new athletes that would constitute the new team.

Bruce Ijirigho, who is in charge of the Cross River grassroots programme, was in charge of the committee. When the report was presented to me, it contained a list of 84 new athletes in various fields. It also indicated the age of each of these athletes and when I looked at the average age it came to about 24.

So, when you are just discovering a 24-year-old athlete, when will you develop such an athlete?

The next Olympics is a few years away, which means they will be 27, 28 when the next Olympics comes around. This is an age when most athletes are talking about retirement. At 24, Usain Bolt has done two Olympics.

So in that situation, I told my colleagues at the NSC that we definitely must look for another means of getting young talented athletes for the country because the National Sports Festival is no longer capable of doing that for us.

In fairness to Lagos, they organized an efficient event. Everything ran smoothly, but the media aspect of it was a challenge. That is Nigeria’s Olympics and it should be a glamorous event that will attract fans to the stadium.

Definitely, the National Sports Festival did not leave up to its billings. So, we started asking questions and we thought maybe we should open the festival because the rules of the existing festival say you have to be resident in Nigeria to compete and if you have competed internationally more than twice you cannot be part of the festival .

The people who made the festival rules then, were focused on discovering fresh talents and also not to give undue advantage to states who have the wherewithal to bring athletes from abroad over those who rely on home grown athletes. These are very germane concerns.

But I was in London and I saw that in some events about seven Nigerians represented other countries to the extent that you began to think whether our salvation is not in the Diaspora.

As we are today, we don’t have even one high performance centre and we have the athletes abroad who have the benefits of these worldclass facilities in training and we said they can’t come and compete. That is one side.

Another side is that when you say that an athlete that has represented Nigeria twice cannot compete at the National Sports Festival, then what happens to them? The Abugunlokos and

NFF President, Aminu Maigari.

others are not based abroad but here in Nigeria, what happens to them?

The states’ sports councils employ some of them and we are saying they cannot compete for these states. So what we did is to reconcile the aspiration of those who made the festival rules with the imperatives of this challenges we face and that is why we decided to open the festival to allow Nigerians anywhere in the world to come and compete. It will also give states the encouragement to send athletes abroad for training.

There is no reason any other state should beat Nasarawa, Plateau and Taraba states in long distance races. They may give up when it comes to boxing, weightlifting or wrestling, but they should be able to confidently tell their governors that you will win the medals in long distance races.

Let states invest in sports they have comparative advantage so that when all these are packed together, we will have a national pool of athletes in various sports. That way, you would have equalized the individual states’ disadvantages in different sports.

But sports have become big business, and you have to invest in it to compete effectively. A state that has refused to invest in sports cannot hope to compete effectively against a Delta State that has spent so much on its athletes or against a Lagos State that is building mini-stadia across the state.

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, April 29, 2013

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Eguavoen gives reasons for COD move

By Olalekan Okusan HE need to face new chalT lenge coupled with quality of organisation are some of the reason that inspired Super Eagles former Captain and Coach, Austin Eguavoen to join Nigeria National League (NNL) side, City of David (COD) United.

Eguavoen replaced Coach Bode Awakan, who recently parted ways with the Lagosbased team and he is expected to lead the team to the Premier League.

Speaking on his decision to team up with the club, Eguavoen said, “I am very happy to join C.O.D United. I

am very excited about their approach to football and I feel at home already. They are forward looking, very ambitious and brave which are all attributes I share. I have seen the players, they are talented no doubt and all I can do is make them even better and work with them to gain promotion.”

He added, “I actually see this as a great move for me. This is a hugely ambitious club. It is well run by intelligent people and all the structures even the so-called premier league clubs lack are all in place here. I am definitely positive this is a good move for me

and I am sure come end of the season when we gain promotion, I would be proved right,” he said.

For the Chief Executive of the club, Shola Opaleye, it was the experience of the coach that motivated the management to sign the coach.

“Eguavoen is highly experienced at the very highest level of football and we hope he can bring his wealth of experience to bear on our ambitions to gain promotion. He is passionate, driven and ambitious and we are glad to have him join us. We have very good young players here and we have further reinforced by signing experienced hands like Kabiru Alausa.

He added, “we feel putting Eguavoen in charge now is the right thing to do and we hope his knowledge, experience and leadership skills would help our players become better players and help us gain promotion.”

COD United are fourth on the Nigeria National League (NNL) table, with just three points below the table topper, Crown FC of Ogbomosho.

Brila FM, MPS reach agreement Radio, 88.9 Brila FM SwithPORTS has reached an agreement Media Planning Services

Eguavoen

Bishop Mike Okonkwo football tourney kicks off May 11

By Adeyinka Adedipe LAYERS that will take part in the 11th edition of the Bishop Mike Okonkwo Football tourney have been advised to eschew violence and work hard to achieve their aim of playing for big clubs at the draws, which took place at the weekend.

Former Super Eagles goalkeeper, Peter Rufai, who is a consultant to the competition through his outfit, Staruf Sports Development Limited, told the players that hard work and discipline were the major attributes to becoming stars.

The competition, which will begin on May 11 and end on August 31 at the National Stadium, will see 32 teams competing for honours and will have scouts all over Europe in attendance.

The Tunisia ’94 Nations Cup winner said the scouts were invited to spot talents that may travel to Europe for trials. He also commended the overseer of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM), Bishop Oknokwo for sponsoring the event for 11 years and noted that he would be remembered for the changes he has brought to the lives of young footballers.

“I and Nwosu are here to let the young players know that

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playing for big clubs doesn’t require magic, it’s through hard work and discipline,” Rufai said.

“I would also enjoin the players to adhere strictly to the rules governing the competition, so that all the activities around the event can go on smoothly,” he added.

Former Eagles Captain, Nwosu, who told the players that discipline should be their watchword and urged them to make good plans for themselves in future since they were not going to play football for live.

Chairman of the competition’s Organising Committee, Malachy Ndubuzor said that the number of teams was increased from 24 to 32 to enable more players take part in the competition, as well as, take the preaching of the gospel on the pitch.

“What we are doing at TREM is to touch the lives of the footballers and let them know that the church can also contribute to their development. With more teams this year, we will be able to take the gospel to more players through football,” Ndubuzor stated.

The players were also given career talks, how to care of injuries and the need to stay away from steroids.

(MPS) to exclude the all-sport station from its periodic research on media houses in Nigeria till the media planning company comes up with a method for researching specialized stations.

When done, specialized stations would assess and agree to be researched with it.

Encouraged by the research agency’s acceptance of the station’s proposal not to measure specialized stations with research instruments designed for general content stations, the Executive Chairman of Sports Radio, Dr. Larry Izamoje, said he is pleased with MPS’s recognition of the need to come up with a framework that is more definitive in survey research.

“We sincerely thank MPS for accepting our position and proposal to evolve a template using a targeted research instrument that reaches the exact sample population of specialized stations,” Izamoje said.

Thomas Otu….one of the emerging stars of Nigeria tennis.

PHOTO: FEMI ADEBESIN-KUTI

Babalola, Abinu begin title defence at 35th CBN Tennis Open Championship

By Olalekan Okusan EFENDING champions, Abdulmumuni Babalola and Fatima Abinu will today at the National Stadium begin their title defence at the 35th Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Senior Open Tennis Championship.

To clinch the titles last year, Babaloal overcame Shehu Lawal, while Abinu beat teenage sensation, Sarah Adegoke to lift the coveted trophies.

As the main draw of the 35th edition of the tournament serves off, action will take centre stage with players eyeing the improved N14.3 million prize money with singles champions (men and women) carting home N.7 million each.

Also, special athletes will also have opportunity to share from the largesse when the wheelchair event, which will be debuting this year begin.

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Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer, Staco Insurance Plc, Mr. Sakiru Oyefeso (left); with one of the beneficiaries, Nimota Ajayi at the payment of claims by Staco to injured players of the season five of MTN Lagos Street Soccer Championship over the weekend.

According to CBN’s Director of Corporate Communications, Ugochukwu Okoroafor, the inclusion of the wheelchair event is aimed at adding value and expanding the tournament.

Being the only competition this year that would afford the Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF) to assess the players, this year’s CBN Open will serves as trials to select players for next month’s Davis Cup tournament in Egypt.

For the Vice President of NTF, Matthew Owoseni, it is disheartening little attention is being paid to tennis with too much focus of football.

“I don’t think organising two tournaments yearly for our players will make any meaningful impart on them

and we expected them to compete with others at the All Africa Games and the Olympic Games. It is not possible because we had made passionate appeal to corporate bodies and philanthropists to help the sport but it seems everybody is just focusing on football.

“I want to tell you that globally that tennis and football are rated among the top sports in the world and with all the billions spent on football what have we achieved. I think sport like tennis can also bring honours to this country. So I am also suing this platform to appeal to companies and well-meaning individuals to support our players so that they can be among the best in the world,” he said.

UNILAG, UI dominate NUGA Zone F preliminaries OST – University of Lagos H (UNILAG) and University of Ibadan (UI) confirmed their superiority in the 13 event competed for at the preliminaries of the 2013 Nigeria University Games Association (NUGA) Zone F held at the Sports Complex of UNILAG. The three-day tournament had six schools featuring with UNILAG dominating in events like Volleyball, football, chess, basketball, badminton, squash among others.

Like their host, UI also reigned supreme in judo, athletics, swimming, tennis, as well as, taekwondo.

Tutored by Coach Emmanuel Okolo, UNILAG ruled the basketball event after clinching the top places in the men and women divisions.

Four teams took part in the men’s basketball event with UNILAG recording 100 per cent in all their matches while the women’s team also emulated their male counter-

part with emphatic victories in all their matches against UI and Tai Solarin College of Education (TASUED).

In volleyball, UNILAG also ruled beating TASUED and Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) 3-2 and 3-0 respectively to top the event.

As their male team claimed 12 points to emerge winner in the chess event, their female team settled for third place with UI winning the women event in chess.

After missing out in the football event of the last NUGA Games in Benin, UNILAG will make a return to the event at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in June after qualifying alongside UI. In badminton, as UI was dominating the team events, UNILAG swept the laurels in the singles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles.

To ascertain its readiness for NUGA in June, UI team was superb in events like judo, athletics, tennis, swimming and taekwondo.

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, April 29, 2013

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Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

By Uche Nwachukwu HERE have been glib mentions of democratic dispensations in Africa. But although democracy is a highly commendable concept that is practically needed in socio-political dispensations, one may asked: What are real democracies like?

Democracy seems to have been unilaterally and rigidly defined in a stereotyped way of late, oblivious of the different cross-cultural shades of rich, multi-millennial experiences that can add diversity colour and contour to the democratic conception context.

The Greeks invented and philosophised it, the Romans sanitised and tried to crudely globalise it militarily, the French tried to develop it into a political masterpiece from the grassroots, the English dexterously consummated it in a splendid marriage with monarchy and the Americans like modern-day Romans are trying to globalise their unique brand militarily, oblivious of their unique winner takes all spoils system. But each might perhaps say: mine brand is the best, or this is how it should be defined or conceptualises it this way, so so, this and that. Yet the facts remain that democratic values can still be seen as essentially democratic even if they entail a confabulating Babel of discordant defining terminologies.

They still possess the lowest common denominators of democratism in unique ways even though some concepts can be as impalpable as defining the elves. These unique inter-cultural attributes complement and sometimes compensate each other and compensatory mechanisms underlay the fundamental design of many systems, from the heart beat to self-reciprocating engines or the stability of a geodesic design.

It would have been naïve to define it from unilateral narrow cultural perspectives. There are non-democracies alright but we need intense cross-cultural research to give the last word.

Neither do we expect that everything about seemingly culture bound concepts like democracy must be learnt.

Where then will the millennia of sophisticated, heterogeneous cultural developments and adaptations find relevant applications here? The unilateral terminologists would have written them off as non-democratic.

Yet cultures where some elements of democracy find some sustainable bearings are already open or semiopen universities of democracy.

There has to be local contextual inputs synonymous with homespun, time-tested, culture-bound worldviews and Weltanschauungs, to

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Birds did not learn aeronautics technology. But they fly all the same often with greater astounding maneuverability than man’s technologies can ever imagine. Cultures like civilisations are products of complicated socio-evolving mechanisms and make their imprints in the prototypes of democracy as a continuously evolving historical process, a continuum. A good work of art is never perfected

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A cross-cultural view of democracy

There is need for greater synergy, greater cultural integration and understanding and that is an important aspect of life, to ultimately integrate and empathise and democratism can help achieve these when really conceptualised and taken for what it is presenting not what should be. Some of those countries some Africans may term democratic may seem quite non-democratic to Westerners and vice versa

maneuverability than man’s technologies can ever imagine. Cultures like civilisations are products of complicated socio-evolving mechanisms and make their imprints in the prototypes of democracy as a continuously evolving historical process, a continuum. A good work of art is never perfected. It is continuously perfecting and a “perfected” one becomes a pontificating Frankenstein menace to freedom and creativity. There is no reason why democratic values cannot be cross-culturally conceptualised, synthesised and synergised. It could be made as synthetically, smooth and functionally pragmatic as the English language, which can ‘begin’ in German, ‘commence’ in French, take its “fiestas” and “siestas” in Spanish and do other things ‘et cetera’ in Latin and still remains English, a unique German-oriented dialect. Unilateral conceptualisation arguments cannot hold water and leak like baskets.

President Goodluck Jonathan Some aspects of western democratic values may not be well understood by an African or a Saudi Arabian, for instance, some places in the West where children cannot be disciplined by parents or teachers or else they face the courts can be seen by Africans to be as weird as futuristic surrealistic art. It is like where the child’s rights have gone haywire to overwhelm and over-run even the most optimistic idealist argument with this implicit “maximalism of democratism”. To them, a parent that cannot discipline his child onto responsibility looks for trouble and damns the future. Neither can some Westerners understand the African extended family systems nexus either etc. These to mention but a few. There is need for greater synergy, greater cultural integration and understanding and that is an important aspect of life, to ultimately integrate and empathise and democratism can help achieve these when really conceptualised and taken for what it is Edem Duke, minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation Birds did not learn aeronautics presenting not what should be. Some make it tick. We don’t expect everything to be learnt about western technology. But they fly all the same of those countries some Africans may often with greater astounding term democratic may seem quite democratic value systems. non-democratic to Westerners and vice versa.

The YOUTHSPEAK Column which is published daily is an initiative of THE GUARDIAN, and I dwelt at length on this issue powered by RISE NETWORKS, Nigeria’s Leading Youth Development Centre, as a substantial advocacy platform available for ALL Nigerian Youth to engage Leadership at all levels, engage because of apparent riot of misconSociety and contribute to National Discourse on diverse issues especially those that are pecuceptions and socio-economic palaver liar to Nigeria. Regarding submission of articles, we welcome writers‘ contributions by way of this issue may bring about if recklesswell crafted, analytical and thought provoking opinion pieces that are concise, topical and non-defamatory! All articles (which are not expected to be more than 2000 words) should be ly used. It should be carefully viewed sent to editorial@risenetworks.org To read the online Version of this same article plus past from a cross-cultural context and publications and to find out more about Youth Speak, please visit experts would be needed. www.risenetworks.org/youthspeak and join the ongoing National Conversations’’.

Functionality, communicability, communication networks and popuAlso join our on-line conversation 21676F3E @risenetworks RISE GROUP lar satisfaction could have been among the hypothetical research Published by Guardian Newspapers Limited, Rutam House, Isolo, Lagos Tel: 4489600, 2798269, 2798270, 07098147948, 07098147951 Fax: 4489712; Advert Hotlines: variables to be studied here by the Lagos 7736351, Abuja 07098513445; Circulation Hotline: 01 4489656 egg-head consultants.

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E-mail letters@ngrguardiannews.com; www.ngrguardiannews.com • Uche Nwachukwu is a public affairs Editor: MARTINS OLOJA ABC (ISSN NO 0189-5125) . commentator based in Lagos.

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, April 29, 2013

INSURANCE

LASACO Assurance hosts brokers N furtherance of the need Itionship to maintain effective relawith strategic stakeholders, especially insurance brokers, LASACO Assurance Plc is to host the April edition of the Members’ Evening of the Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Broker (NCRIB).

The event, which is expected to hold on Tuesday April 30, 2013 at the Insurance

Brokers House, Lagos will attract Insurance Brokers operating within the nooks and crannies of Nigeria, as well as other stakeholders.

In a statement issued by the Director of Corporate Communications of the NCRIB, Mr. ‘Tope Adaramola, LASACO offered to host the event in order to leverage on the spread and pivotal positions of Insurance Brokers to further deepen the compa-

ny’s share of the insurance market in Nigeria.

According to him, the LASACO team headed by its Managing Director, Mr. Olusola Ladipo-Ajayi, will be received by the NCRIB President, Barrister ‘Laide Osijo, while selected students from both the University of Lagos and Crawford University will also be in attendance.

I

Sovereign Trust parleys Teenage Life OVEREIGN Trust Insurance SCorporate Plc has extended its Social Responsibility efforts to the youths and secondary school pupils in Lagos State by partnering with Teenage Life, a non-governmental agency responsible for youth mentoring and development.

The Project Manager, Jessica John Braimah, stated that “the Teenage Life project sets out to secure the future of young people by providing them with enduring moral compass as their guide for navigation in the passage of life”.

According to her, it is pertinent for youths to be appropriately sensitised and empowered with adequate knowledge and skills that will enable them adopt premarital sex abstinence as the most preferred option for the prevention of sexuallytransmitted diseases, the prevention of teenage pregnancies as well as abortion.

She also stated that to further amplify the sensitisation and advocacy reach, the

organisation has adopted an interactive radio programme that is focused on youth and family life with regards to everyday moral issues. She said the main objective of the programme is to reduce to the barest minimum, such societal malaise like prostitution, rape, teenage pregnancies, abortion and Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV) /Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) transmission.

The spokesperson of the underwriting firm, Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc, Mr. Segun Bankole, said that the support for the Teenage Life Project is in line with one of the company’s CSR platform, which is hinged on health, sports and the environment. He pointed out that the underwriting firm is committed to ensuring that initiatives under these categories are supported in bringing about positive change in the society. He also stated that the infection rate of HIV/AIDS in the country is

gradually hitting an alarming state and hence, efforts should be directed at combating the spread of the scourge at an early stage before it becomes too late not forgetting to mention the several pathetic abortion stories rampant amongst youths of today.

The main objective of the programme is to reduce to the barest minimum, such societal malaise like prostitution, rape, teenage pregnancies, abortion and Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV) /Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) transmission

FUG partners Simon Lions Club on education spirit of giving back to IateNthethe society, and the immedioperational environment,

Managing Director/CEO, Future Unity Glanvills Pensions Limited (FUG Pensions), Usman Sulaiman (second right), presenting a cheque to officials of Simon Lions Club in his office. With him is Habib Daranijo (right), company’s Secretary/Legal Adviser.

Future Unity Glanvills Pensions Limited (FUG Pensions) has again showed proof of commitment to the ideals of relationship by partnering with Simon Lions Club, Anthony, District 404A in providing qualitative education in a conducive environment to a reconstructed model public school in Anthony village, Lagos State.

The company, which has an impressive Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) creden-

tial from inception, made a donation to the club as part of its contribution to the completion of the school project.

Simon Lions Club, with the support of well meaning corporate bodies and individuals, has constructed two blocks of classrooms in Anthony Village Model School, Lagos.

Shortly after the presentation last Thursday, the Managing Director and Chief Executive of the PFA, Mr. Usman Suleiman, said that the company has a history of CSR. He said: “Actually our compa-

ny is an organisation that has partnership as one of its core values. We want to be identified with the community and as part of the community that we are in, we want to be socially responsible. It is part of our corporate core values, which are Trust, Integrity Prudence and Partnership.

“You may have noticed that last year we visited Bales of Mercy Orphanage and made donation to them. Likewise, we have made material donations to a number of organisations including tertiary medical institutions.

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, April 29 , 2013

III

Stockwatch In association with Lead Capital

Stock Market Report for the week Friday, 19th April to Thursday 25th April, 2013 N the week, the total volAJOR equity markets around the I14.16% ume depreciated by ANNOUNCEMENT M globe moved upwards as their URING the period under review, thirty one and value traded various indexes gained marginal D (31) stocks recorded price appreciation comdepreciated by 34.25%. A points. In our universe of sample pared to thirty three (33) that depreciated in the equity markets; the S & P 500, NASDAQ and Dow Jones all gained points by 1.73%, 2.03% and 0.42% respectively, at the end of last week. In Europe, The German Dax, FTSE 100 and France CAC 40 gained points by 3.41%, 3.00% and 6.77% respectively. In the Asia/Pacific region, BSE Sensex, Nikkei 225 and Hangseng gained points by 2.05%, 5.34% and 4.13% respectively. In Brazil, the Bovespa gained point by 4.11% while Russia’s RTS INDEX gained points by 3.58%. On the local setting, NSE ASI closed at 33,271.33 recording 1.17% appreciation at the end of the week’s trading.

turnover of 1.88 billion units of shares valued at N18.85 billion was recorded, in contrast to a turnover of 2.19 billion units of shares worth N28.67 billion that was recorded in the previous week.

Volume this week was driven by activities in the shares of UNITYBNK, ZENITHBANK, ACCESS, STDINSURE FBNH, GUARANTY, WEMABANK, DIAMONDBNK, UBA and SKYEBANK.

previous week, LEARNAFRICA was first on the top gainers chart to close with 58.99%, followed by PAINTCOM with 28.08%, ABCTRANS with 13.56%, IPWA with 12.90%, WEMABANK with 10.66% and GUARANTY with 9.01%. Other gainers in the top ten categories were AGLEVENT with 7.14%, NAHCO with 6.61%, UNILEVER with 6.60% and ZENITHBANK with 5.47%.

On the flip side, forty five (45) stocks depreciated in price last week compared to forty four (44) that depreciated a week ago. CCNN led on the price losers’ table with 23.81%, followed by MRS by 18.97%, DEAPCAP by 18.68%, COSTAIN by 18.18%, ROYALEX by 16.90%, UTC by 16.00%, JOHNHOLT by 15.66%, WAPIC by 14.66%, STERLNBANK by 13.97% and AFRIPRUD by 13.41%.

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THE GUARDIAN, Monday, April 29, 2013

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THE GUARDIAN, Monday, April 29, 2013

STOCKWATCH

Lead Capital Stock Valuation

COMPANY’S RESULT

CONTINUE ON PAGE XIII

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THE GUARDIAN, Monday, April 29, 2013

V Published in association with

InvestmentWatch Investment Mistakes To Avoid UCCESSFUL investing is an art and sciSence, ence that requires creativity, experiand good judgment among others to achieve mastery of the process. It requires attention to details and adherence to some principles, which must be judged on a case by case basis. In this edition of INVESTMENT ONE education series, we shall be highlighting mistakes investors often make for your benefit.

They include the following: Undefined Investment Goal Becoming an investor without knowing what you want or where you are going, is a fatal error. As the old saying goes, if you don’t know where you are going, any road may seem the right one to take you there.

To solve this challenge, you must have an investment blue print that addresses the following: Your principal goals and objectives; which must answer why are you investing questions. Whether your aim is to accumulate fund for retirement at a certain age, or you’re putting fund together for your child(ren)’s education or perhaps you wish to gather funds to reinvestment in other sectors of the economy, you need an investment plan or policy that will serve as road map to guide and gauge your progress. Note that investing with the sole aim of beating the market is not a reasonable goal.

The document should also address what risk factors are common to your field of investment and map out strategies for avoiding or reducing the prevalent risk to a significantly low level. Appropriate benchmarks to measure the success of your portfolio, comparative assessment of asset classes and individual fund should also be covered.

Asset allocation and diversification must also feature in your investment blue print to enable you determine what percentage your total portfolio will you allocate to equities, fixed income instruments, commodities or real estate. Diversifying the allocated asset within each asset class follows asset allocation to facilitate exposure to large, mid and small cap stocks.

Your written blue print is a foundation that will help you abide by a sound longterm policy, even when current market conditions are unsettling. Giving the attendant thrill of trying to time the market and the often fatal consequences, having a good plan and sticking to it will likely be more profitable in the long term.

Entry At Peaks, Exits At Lows The capital market is information driven,

with prices rising and falling, depending on the prevailing sentiment. Ideally, the price of a share should be reflective of the total capital and earnings prospects of the company. However, sentiment results in shares being overpriced or under-priced.

Whilst investors buy into overpriced shares in a bullish run because every other person is buying, becoming optimistic of continuous rise, in bearish market they become pessimistic and tend to sell when they should be buying. Successful investors always base their investment decisions on a stock’s intrinsic value and hunt for bargain stocks. They will buy shares of a company with strong fundamentals when it's beaten in the market and sell when prices surge.

Succumbing To Negative Emotions You may have probably experienced emotional investing rage; which leaves you trying to get even with the market. You do such things as double down or even sell all your stocks impulsively. Fear is relatively as debilitating as anger is disconcerting.

When you are afraid, everything looks like a threat, lots of investors are still afraid because of the market crash a few years back. Giving the recent impressive returns in the Nigerian stock market, the memories of previous loses has held many investors captive from investing, forgetting that "Risk and return go together.”

Chasing Performance Many investors select asset classes, strategies, managers and funds based on recent strong performance. The feeling that "I'm missing out on great returns" has probably led to more bad investment decisions than any other single factor. If a particular asset class, strategy or fund has done extremely well for three or four years, we know one thing with certainty: We should have invested three or four years ago. Now, however, the particular cycle that led to this great performance may be nearing its end. The smart money is moving out, and the dumb money is pouring in. Stick with your investment plan and rebalance, which is the polar opposite of chasing performance.

Short Investment Time Horizon Depending on your investment timeline, your investment is better focused on long term horizon, and this must reflect in your asset allocation and diversification strategy. If you are saving for retirement 30 years from today, what the stock market does this year or the next should not be your biggest concern worry. Based on your investment blueprint, you can strategies

your investment spend to feature in more long term investment vehicles, while you make provision for short term expense like payment for your child (ren)’s education , take a vacation as well provide for after life situation scenarios such as transfer of wealth to your heir which may come sooner than expected.

Overconfidence Unrealistic mind mental frame has led many to believe without justification that they have the ability to pick stocks that will have above average returns. This more often than not is a set up for an accident caused by framing error that fostered by emotional attachments that confers on investors an all knowing ability. Balance can be achieved by applying fundamental and analytical benchmarks to moderate extreme cases of investors’ overconfidence.

Affirmation Dissonance When confronted with information that contradicts their belief in a hypothesis, investors disregard it, preferring to look for information that confirms their hypothesis. From the print to broadcast media, investment experts provide that more often than not constitute postulations on what the market will do thereby misleading many investors through hype and generation of group think solutions.

Though there are few newsletters that can provide you with anything of value. The best you can do as an investor is to spend less time watching financial shows on TV and reading newsletters and spend more time creating and consulting your investment plan.

Reluctance To Book Losses An attitude retail investors have been found to practice is that of eagerly cashing out small profit on retail investment, but unwilling to book losses on stocks that are sinking. They hold on to the stock with the hope that prices will soon rebound; which often lead to greater loss. A stop loss of 10% ensures your loss is restricted to 10%; which can be recouped easily by investing in better stocks.

Diversifying Diversifying stock holding is often misunderstood by investors, who often end up buying a bunch of different products under the premise for holding for future profit with absolutely no regard to what the current market is doing or may be about to do. Diversifying your portfolio with a percentage of stocks, bonds, funds etc. is only good when investing at the right time. By watering down your port-

folio, at best, you limit your gains and you might only loss a less, but you’ll still lose.

Note, you need a plan to protect your capital during bad market time, without it you can never diversify your way to profit.

Failure To Rebalance Portfolio Because this contrarian action is very difficult for many investors, they fail to capitalise of the benefit inherent in it.

Rebalancing is the process of returning your portfolio to its target asset allocation as outlined in your investment plan.

Though rebalancing is difficult because it forces you to sell the asset class that is performing well and buy more of your worst performing asset classes, it should be religiously adhered toward reaping long-term benefit. Please note that, rebalancing is unprofitable right up to that point where it pays off spectacularly, and the underperforming assets start to take off and, a portfolio allowed drifting with market returns guarantees that asset classes will be over weighted at market peaks and underweighted at market lows - a formula for poor performance.

“Discounting Fundamentals In a rush to make some quick cash, retail investors often place buy mandates without taking a look at the financials of such company. Experience has shown some investors buy into companies without even knowing the line of business and service offering of the companies. Investors sometimes invest based on speeches and intended expansion plans, pre-empting a surge in stock prices. As a principle never invest in a company without understanding the dynamics of its business.

Using Margin Using borrowed money better known as margin to purchase securities can help you make more money; however, it can also exaggerate your loses - a definite downside.

The absolute worst thing you can do as an investor is become carried away with what seems like free money - if you use margin and your investment does not go your way, you end up with a large debt obligation for nothing. Note also that using margin requires you to monitor your positions much more closely because of the exaggerated gains and losses that accompany small movements in price.

Like we said at the beginning of this study, successful investing is an art and science that requires commitment to study to achieve mastery of the process. Investors who are often busy earning and making money may not be in well situated to studying charts and analysing trend projection.

You therefore need the service of qualified and experienced financial advisers to guide you to circumvent the mistakes enumerated above as well as help you achieve your wealth creation and management goals.

Your decision to call a professional investment adviser may just be what you need to help you navigate the investment waters successfully.

Please join us next week Monday to learn more about how we can help you achieve your investment goals.

Kindly let us know if you have found this article useful by contacting us at: enquiries@investment-one.com

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, April 29, 2013

Weekly Lead Equity Ratings

COMPANY’S RESULT

CONTINUE FROM PAGE IV

STOCKWATCH

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THE GUARDIAN, Monday, April 29, 2013

XIV STOCKWATCH

Fund Of Funds INTRODUCTION UND of funds can be defined as a mutual fund that invests in other mutual funds. This method is sometimes known as "multi-management". A fund of funds may be 'fettered', meaning that it invests only in funds managed by the same investment company, or 'unfettered', meaning that it can invest in external funds. There are different types of 'fund of funds', each investing in a different type of collective investment scheme (typically one type per FoF), for example 'mutual fund' FoF, hedge fund FoF, private equity FoF or investment trust FoF but the original Fund of Funds was created at First London Securities PLC. CHARACTERISTICS Investing in a collective investment scheme may increase diversity compared to a small investor holding a smaller range of securities directly. Investing in a fund of funds may achieve greater diversification. According to modern portfolio theory, the benefit of diversification can be the reduction of volatility while maintaining average returns. However, this is countered by the increased fees paid on both the FoF level, and of the underlying investment fund.

An investment manager may actively manage with a view to select the best securities. A FoF manager will try to select the best performing funds to invest in based upon the managers past performance and other factors. If the FoF manager is skillful, this additional level of selection can provide greater stability and take out some of the risk relating to the decisions of a single manager. As in all other areas of investing, there are no guarantees for regular returns. As a fund of funds invests in the scheme of other funds, it provides a greater degree of diversification. Instead of investing in different stocks of mutual funds and keeping records of all of them, it is much easier to invest and track only one fund which in turn invests in other mutual funds.

Management fees for Funds Of Funds are typically higher than those on traditional investment funds because they include the management fees charged by the underlying funds. As in the case of schemes of mutual funds, FOF schemes also work under the due diligence of a fund manager. This gives the scheme an additional expertise. It also helps to provide access to information which may be difficult to obtain information by an investor on a case by case basis.

Every fund manager has a particular style of diversification.

This diversification has a perfect correlation with the number of managers involved. Since a fund of funds buys many different funds which themselves invest in many different securities, it is possible for the fund of funds to own the same stock through several different funds and it can be difficult to keep track of the overall holdings.

Funds of funds are often used when investing in hedge funds and private equity funds, as they typically have a high minimum investment level compared to traditional investment funds which precludes many from investing directly. In addition hedge fund and private equity investing is more complicated and higher risk than traditional collective investments.]

The lack of accessibility favors a FoF with a professional manager and built-in spread of risk.

Pension funds and other institutions often invest in funds of hedge funds for part or all of their "alternative asset" programs, i.e. investments other than traditional stock and bond holdings. After allocation of the levels of fees payable and taxation, returns on FoF investments will generally be lower than singlemanager funds.

The due diligence and safety of investing in FoFs has come under question as a result of the Bernie Madoff scandal, where many FoFs put substantial investments into the scheme. It became clear that a motivation for this was the lack of fees by Madoff which gave the illusion that the FoF was performing well. The due diligence of the FoFs apparently did not include asking why Madoff was not making this charge for his services.

2008 and 2009 saw fund of funds take a battering from

F

investors and the media on all fronts from the hollow promises made by over-eager marketers to the strength (or lack) of their due diligence processes to those carefully explained and eminently justifiable extra layers of fees, all reaching their zenith with the Bernie Madoff fiasco.

ASSET ALLOCATION The fund-of-funds structure may be useful for asset-allocation funds, that is, an "ETF of ETFs" or "mutual fund of mutual funds". For example, iShares has asset-allocation ETFs, which own other iShares ETFs. Similarly, Vanguard has asset-allocation mutual funds, which own other Vanguard mutual funds.

The "parent" funds may own the same "child" funds, with different proportions to allow for "aggressive" to "conservative" allocation. This structure simplifies management by separating allocation from security selection.

FUND OF HEDGE FUNDS A fund of hedge funds is a fund of funds that invests in a portfolio of different hedge funds to provide broad exposure to the hedge fund industry and to diversify the risks associated with a single investment fund. Funds of hedge funds select hedge fund managers and construct portfolios based upon those selections. The fund of hedge funds is responsible for hiring and firing the managers in the fund. Some funds of hedge funds might have only one hedge fund in it, this lets ordinary investors into a highly-acclaimed fund, or many hedge funds.

Funds of hedge funds generally charge a fee for their services, always in addition to the hedge fund's management and performance fees, which can be 1.5% and 15-30%, respectively. Fees can reduce an investor's profits and potentially reduce the total return below what could be achieved through a less expensive mutual fund or exchange-traded fund (ETF).

While funds of funds conceptually can provide extremely useful services for many hedge fund investors, they have been criticized for the significant incremental costs they impose. (The underlying hedge funds usually charge fees of between 1 and 2% of assets managed and incentive fees of 15–25% of profits generated. The funds of funds typically add additional fees of 1% and 10%, respectively). Moreover, fundof-funds behavior has often exhibited crowdfollowing tendencies, suggesting the managers of these funds prefer to match indices rather than seek opportunities.

The industry has recently been criticized by some hedge fund managers for a reputation of holding a shortterm view. Some hedge funds have even started turning away fund of hedge funds money. “It is really beginning to irritate those funds of hedge funds that approach their investments sensibly,” says one fund of hedge funds manager.

The first fund of funds was started by the Rothschild family in Europe in 1969 under the name Leveraged Capital Holdings. In 1971, Richard Elden founded Grosvenor Capital Management in Chicago, Illinois, introducing the concept of fund of funds to the United States.

HISTORY OF THE MUTUAL FUND Historians are uncertain of the origins of investment funds.

There are some indications that the idea of pooling assets for investment purposes began in the Netherlands in the late 18th or early 19th century. Closed-end investment funds did take root in Great Britain and France in the 1800s, making their way to the United States in the 1890s. The creation of the Massachusetts Investors' Trust in Boston in 1924, which went public in 1928, is cited as the arrival of the modern mutual fund in the U.S. In 1929, there were 19 open-ended funds competing with nearly 700 of the closed-end variety. The market crash of 1929 wiped out the highly leveraged closed-end funds, but a small number of opened-ended funds managed to survive.

The creation of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the passage of the Securities Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940 put the mutual fund business on a solid regulatory basis with safeguards for investors. In the early 1950s, the mutual fund count topped 100 and continued to grow through the next two decades. The bull markets of the 1980s and 1990s accelerated this growth, pushing the fund count over 3,000, with total assets surpassing the $1 trillion mark during this period.

In response to the mutual fund scandals of the 2003-2004 period, corrective regulatory and industry practices were, and continue to be, enacted. By the end of 2006, the mutual fund business was still growing and mutual funds in the U. S. numbered more than 8,000 with asset holdings of $10.4 trillion and new markets opening up around the world.

HOW A MUTUAL FUND WORKS Fund sponsor - generally a financial intermediary like Fidelity Investments or Vanguard - organizes a mutual fund as a corpo-

ration; however, it is not an operating company with employees and a physical place of business in the traditional sense. A fund is a "virtual" company, which is typically externally managed. It relies on third parties or service providers, either fund sponsor affiliates or independent contractors, to manage the fund's portfolio and carry out other operational and administrative activities.

The fund sponsor raises money from the investing public, who become fund shareholders. It then invests the proceeds in securities (stocks, bonds and money market instruments) related to the fund's investment objective. The fund provides shareholders with professional investment management, diversification, liquidity and investing convenience. For these services, the fund sponsor charges fees and incurs expenses for operating the fund, all of which are charged proportionately against a shareholder's assets in the fund.

The most prevalent and well-known type of mutual fund operates on an open-ended basis. This means that it continually issues (sells) shares on demand to new investors and existing shareholders who are buying. It redeems (buys back) shares from shareholders who are selling.

Mutual fund shares are bought and sold on the basis of a fund's net asset value (NAV). Unlike a stock price, which changes constantly according to the forces of supply and demand, NAV is determined by the daily closing value of the underlying securities in a fund's portfolio (total net assets) on a per share basis.

In some instances, investors can purchase shares directly from the fund, but most funds are sold through an investment intermediary: a broker, investment advisor, financial planner, bank or insurance company.

FUND INVESTMENT QUALITIES Investment research firms use data provided by the fund sponsor to generate a variety of analytical perspectives. These are used by professional and non-professional investors in selecting and monitoring mutual funds. For funds that are publicly traded and the object of significant investor interest, this information is distilled into fund research reports. These are available to the investing community through a number of services such as Morningstar and Value Line.

The content of such a report is comprehensive, containing dozens of data points, ratios and informational perspectives that reveal the investment quality of a fund. To make things simple for the average investor, we'll take this abundance of information and focus on eight fundamental indicators of investment quality. An investor can use this perspective to make intelligent decisions on whether to buy, sell or hold a mutual fund.

These eight evaluative fund investment qualities are listed below. Subsequently, you will find in-depth discussions of each of these investment quality indicators, including where to find them, what they mean and how to use them). Armed with this know-how, you will be equipped to make informed mutual fund investment choices.

• Fund I-Q No.1: Investment Style Considerations • Fund I-Q No.2: Risk-Return Profile • Fund I-Q No.3: Fund Size and Style Compatibility • Fund I-Q No.4: Manager Tenure and Structure • Fund I-Q No.5: Portfolio Turnover Ratio • Fund I-Q No.6: Fees and Expenses • Fund I-Q No.7: Comparative Total Returns • Fund I-Q No.8: Analytics The Fund Investment Quality Scorecard (FIQS) is a tool to record your findings on a given mutual fund. We've avoided suggesting the use of any type of quantitative ranking with the scorecard, preferring instead that the investor use his or her best judgment to arrive at a qualitative "score."

A fund does not have to be perfect in all aspects to be top rated.

For example, what we are looking for is a fund that has a composite investment quality score from above-average to high.

Completing a scorecard will be relatively easy once you learn how the system works from the instruction provided herein. A little experience and some common sense will serve you well.

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, April 29, 2013

BUSINESS XI

Infrastructure Bank raises capital to N29b HE board of T Infrastructure Bank Plc has approved the recapitalisation of the bank to the tune of N29 billion.

The bank’s Managing Director, Adekunle Oyinloye, disclosed this to journalists after the bank’s board meeting in Lagos on Thursday, saying that the board had also agreed to raise new funds both in equity and debt capital to meet the recapitalisation exercise.

He said that the board members had agreed to raise N3 billion to N4 billion as equity among themselves, while the rest would be raised from the capital market.

He said that the debt capital would drive the bank’s business more than the direct equity because of the nature of bank’s business.

He said that the board

Firm launches new product BBLAT Company Nigeria A Limited, makers of popular Yoyo Bitters, have launched a new product, Yoyo Sappiro Lemon Ginseng Liquor.

The Managing Director of the company, Dr. Abiola Oluwatobi, at the presentation of the product in Lagos at the weekend, noted that the premium herbal blend, beyond being an aphrodisiac, is an alcoholic beverage that is fortified with herbs to boost the body’s immune system for both male and female.

The product, which contains 42 per cent alcohol, among other ingredients, according to him, was a product of painstaking research that spanned five years.

“It is a dream comes true.

Good product requires good plan. Our research and Development Unit has been on it for almost five years and today, we are proud to say that we have a product we are all proud of”, he said.

LCCI, Exchange parley on market recovery HE recovery of the Nigeria’s T capital market will take the front-burner at a stakeholders’ forum being organised by the Financial Services Group of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry on May 2, at Commerce House, Idowu Taylor Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The yearly Business Clinic of the Group will address the theme: “The Nigerian Capital Market: The Outlook,” with the leading of the DirectorGeneral of The Nigerian Stock Exchange, Oscar Onyema, as Guest Speaker, and the Chief Executive Officer, IBTC Asset Management, Olumide Oyetan, as analyst.

Chairperson of the Financial Services Group and Managing Director of Resort Development Limited (a subsidiary of Resort Savings and Loans), Mrs. Olajumoke Fashanu, who disclosed this, said the time had come for Nigerians to be made fully aware of the state of recovery of the nation’s capital market.

“Investors and other players in our capital market need to have their confidence restored in its profitability, with proof of the market’s excellent performance in recent times,” she stated.

believed that the new level of capitalisation would be adequate enough to address the capital required for its projects based on its five-year capital plan.

The managing director also said that the bank would in future raise municipal bond for community-based projects.

“We believe that based on our five-year capital plan, that this will be far more than adequate to address our capital requirement for our projects.

“This is not limited to what we raised on specific bases.

We will also be raising what we called municipal bond and will soon be in the capital market for that,” he said.

Oyinloye, who said the bank might also be in the market for a transport fund, added: “This is to tell you that by the nature of business, there will be focus on each sector of the economy.”

Micheal Dauda (left); Tope Aladenusi; Rafael San Maguel Carrasco; Yomi Olugbenso; and Tony Olukoju, all of Deloitte, at the cyber security breakfast session, organised by the company, in Lagos.

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, April 29, 2013

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decisions to win investors’ confidence, says Edozien tions of regulation and market development.

Under regulation, you have the issue of investigation, enforcement and compliance. If those issues are very well taken care of, you will be able to achieve a zero tolerance for market infractions. When infractions occur, they affect investor’s confidence. Our market has been on the rebound and will continue to do so as the performance of quoted companies improves and confidence in the market grows. The SEC and the NSE must be prepared to take the hard decisions. They must regulate the market with firmness and keep transactions transparent in order to attract investors. Basically, not only for domestic investors, but more importantly, for foreign portfolio investors and there is a whole lot of them out there. There are huge equity funds all over the place looking for good investment destinations. We cannot therefore afford to encourage anything that will create problems for our market and lead to the diversion of investment inflows to other jurisdictions. So regulation is very important and I hope that SEC will be equal to the task.

There have been calls for the regulators to compel multinationals to list on the Exchange. What is your view?

This is why we talk about market development.

I do not believe in forcing people. I believe in creating the enabling environment that will motivate people to take actions on their own. That way the action is sustainable. I think we should continue to develop the Nigerian capital market to make it more attractive. When it is sufficiently attractive, I am sure the listing will come. There are so many Nigerian businesses that are not yet listed. That is another area of challenge. We should encourage them to list. It is even in their best interest to list. The idea of force should be viewed with a lot of caution.

Despite several civil service reforms in Nigeria, why has it been difficult to raise the standard to meet the reality of nationhood?

Successive governments have tried to introduce some reforms in the Civil Service and some of those efforts fell short of what was needed.

Others were quite useful in solving some of the problems identified, especially specific problems that were supposed to be addressed. I believe everything revolves around the perceived role of the Service and this has been with us for a long time. I always refer to the Service as the engine room of government and you can imagine what happens to your car when the engine knocks! You get stranded. So, the Civil Service as the machinery that is available to government for the articulation and implementation of its programmes needs to function at all times at the highest level of effectiveness and efficiency if government is to deliver on its programmes. I believe part of what has plagued the Service and yet to be addressed, is the issue of the overall role and perception of the Civil Service relative to other employment cadres and opportunities in the country.

In the past, the Civil Service was the employment destination of choice for graduates and it is a fact that the vacancies were open only to those who made first class, second class upper and second class lower degrees. However, overtime, the standards got compromised and lowered, while at the same time the standards imposed by the private sector were rising. It was as if, the Civil Service was going down while the private sector was going up in terms of employment attractiveness.

Also note worthy is that in the past, the public service was respected. Those working in the public sector were convinced that if they worked diligently, they could build a fulfilled career. All these have changed. Conditions of service at the civil service have been on the downward trend while those of the private sector seemed to be getting better. Private sector has since become the employment destination of choice while the public service has become a place where people go when they do not have any other choice. So it has gotten to a point where those who go to civil service are those who do not have other options and if they have options they just go there to mark time until a better employment opportunity comes. I think the whole thing has to be addressed holistically. We have to get the Civil Service back. It must have respect. There is this habit of demonising the Service, giving it a bad name in order to deny it its functions. For example, with the political class, the civil service is practically groping for relevance. The political class comes with all manner of aides and they

take over career functions. You have to allow the Service to play its own role in governance. If there are some people within the Service that are not performing, there are rules within the service to deal with such people. There are General Orders of Financial Instructions as revised from time to time. These rules were sufficient in the past to deal with any non-performers in the Service and they are still available.

Comment on the taskforces usually set up by government to undertake some core functions of the civil service…

You cannot govern by committees and taskforces. There are MDAs working under political heads. For each problem that confronts government, there are MDAs responsible to deal with such challenges. Take for example the banks, the police to mention a few; it is not usual to inject people from outside those organisations to undertake career functions. In the case of the civil service however, it is a no man’s land!

Anybody can just come and be thrown into the Service to perform career functions. It’s like anybody can do the job. But that is wrong! Working in the civil service is a calling, a deliberate choice of a career. You have to be committed and have the right temperament to go into the Service and function properly. So let us go back and do it right. The civil service is a Service with its own norms and ethos. It is not possible to bring people from other services and expect them to conform and get with the Service overnight. It is simply not possible. This is why we now have different loyalties within the Service. There is no espirit de corps gel. Let people go into the Service together at the entry point and grow together, and develop a sense of oneness.

Are these inconsistencies responsible for the unbridled corruption in the civil service today, because there are insinuations that permanent secretaries aid and abet politicians in looting the treasury?

I do not think it is true. One will not however say that there is no corruption in the service. But the service is also a mirror of the society. The Service does not exist in a vacuum. People want to see the Service get back to its former glory. Any talk about that time, should also talk about the society. You will find out that the society at that time was more disciplined. The society then was not as corrupt as it is today. But while we recognise that there is corruption transmitted from the society, there is the overriding need to deal with serious corruption endemic in the service itself.

The service, as an organisation, has rules and regulations that should be enough to deal with errant civil servants. Why are those rules no longer being stringently applied? I do not see how civil servants will hold politicians’ hands and guide them to loot the treasury. I think it is a societal problem and it has to be dealt with appropriately. We have the laws, regulations to deal with corruption, but they are not being enforced. In the absence of adequate sanctions for corruption, impunity holds sway! People engage in acts of corruption and say nothing will happen and nothing indeed happens! You know what is going on. How many corruption cases have been successfully concluded?

Having operated in both sectors, what do you think is fundamentally wrong with our youth development strategies?

I joined the service in 1967 and left in the 90s. I think it was in 1989 that the first Ministry of Youths and Sport was created by the General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida administration and I was privileged to be its pioneer permanent secretary. The whole idea was to look at youth development holistically. There is need to educate the youths; create skills in order to adequately prepare them for paid and self-employment. Not everybody is happy to seek paid employment in regular organisations. That is what small businesses are all about. You empower the youth to be able to set up small businesses of their own and become employers of labour rather than seek employment. These are the issues and most importantly, we also need to focus on technical education. Today, as a result of serious neglect of technical education with emphasis on a good certification system, we now have houses built with perpetual artisan problems. These days we have to import people from Togo, Benin and Ghana to do these things.

People are establishing universities everywhere but not enough emphasis is being given to technical education and youth development. The reasons for establishing the Ministry are not being met and this may partly explain the high incidence of youth delinquency in our country today.

I felt armed with very good education and training, which gave me a lot of confidence in the course of my career development and in my dealings with people. I believe that enduring success comes from working very hard, being honest and transparent, keeping your word with people so that you can be trusted and above all, being God fearing.

This is why we talk about market development. I do not believe in forcing people. I believe in creating the enabling environment that will motivate people to take actions on their own. That way, the action is sustainable. I think we should continue to develop the Nigerian capital market to make it more attractive. When it is sufficiently attractive, I am sure the listing will come.

There are so many Nigerian businesses that are not yet listed.

We have the laws and regulations to deal with corruption, but they are not being enforced. In the absence of adequate sanctions for corruption, impunity holds sway. People engage in acts of corruption and say nothing will happen and nothing indeed happens. You know what is going on. How many corruption cases have been successfully concluded?

The GUARDIAN, Monday, April 29, 2013

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Oil & GasWeekly Remi Aiyela, Editor-in-Chief

editor@NOGintelligence.com www.NOGintelligence.com

UPSTREAM NEWS

Midwestern/Mart Resume Umusadege Field Operations

1 Stk 3 in Oil Mining Lease (OML) 5 produced in excess of 2,000BOPD of light oil. The tested reservoirs are located at a depth of over 5,400ft.

The company has moved the Depthwize-owned swamp barge Majestic to Ango-2, to appraise the deep oil zones it tested in Ango-1 Sidetrack 3. The plan is to drill Ango-2 to a depth of 18,500 feet and also probe the reservoirs it was unable to reach first time round in the discovery well.

The aggressive work programme is paying off as the company is now looking to do even more drilling on its Oil Prospecting Licence 290 where it is drilling the Mbuotidem Deep1x in shallow water off the south eastern part of the Niger Delta using Seawolf’s Oritsemehin Jack Up. The current depth of the well is about 12,100ft. Wells drilled in the area have not gone deeper than 9,000 feet on average and the Mbuotidem well has experienced some pressure challenges and some incidents.

The company is not stopping there and has mobilised another one of Depthwize’s rigs, Imperial, to ekokor Deep1X in OPL 2007.

This frenzied activity by Conoil should enable it to get the most it can out of its assets. With a current production of 25,000 barrels per day mostly from its Otuo South field - 30 kilometres from the wells - the indigenous producer hopes to add reserves variously estimated at between

MIDSTREAM NEWS

AReLya month after Mart Resources, secured B a $100,000 loan facility, production from Umusadege field has resumed. Resumption of operations on the field follows notice by the Nigerian Agip Oil Company, the pipeline operator, that maintenance and repairs to the export pipeline have been completed. Production and deliveries into the export pipeline, which was shut down in February have now resumed and are expected to reach normal levels over the next few days.

The Umusadege field is in an area of 3,771 gross acres, located within Oil Prospecting License (OPL) 283 onshore, in Delta State. The field was formally awarded to Midwestern Oil and Gas Plc. as Operator (70 per cent) and Suntrust Oil Limited (30 per cent) on February 25, 2003. Mart Resources entered into an agreement with Midwestern on April 27, 2006 and with Suntrust on May 22, 2006 to participate in the block and provide technical and financial services to the joint venture.

The Umusadege field is a multiple-horizon hydrocarbon reservoir situated in the North Central area of the Niger Delta basin and it contains 13 known reservoirs. Commercial production commenced from 2008 and as at May 2011 the field had reached an average production of 10,525 barrels of oil per day (bpd).

Mart and its partners installed 10,000 bpd early production facilities (ePF) in 2008. A permanent central production facility (CPF) has been installed to replace the ePF, with further expansion on-going to reach a capacity for the full field development (30,000 - 35,000 bopd) from the Umusadege field.

Crude from the Umusadege field is being purchased by ente Nazionale Idrocaburi (eNI) under a Crude Sale and Purchase Agreement and exported through the Brass Terminal.

The Canadian TSX listed Mart announced dividendsof$0.05toitsshareholdersinMarchshortly before securing a $100 million loan facility through its Nigerian subsidiary from Guarantee Trust Bank. The 5-year facility bears interest at 90 days LIBOR plus 4% with a floor of 8.25%.

Mart said in a statement that the funds would be used to finance capital expenditure required for further field development activities. With operations resuming on the field barely a month later, concerns about the company being able to service the huge debt are now reduced.

Mr. Wade Cherwayko, the Chairman and Chief executive Officer of Mart Resources, said of the loan: “Mart is very pleased to have made this arrangement with Guaranty Trust Bank PLC and anticipates that the additional flexibility the facility can provide will enable Mart to move ahead quickly with development and potential growth plans.”

Conoil Carries Out Appraisal Of Ango Deep Discoveries Conoil is appraising its IestNDIGeNOUSproducer, two discoveries at Ango, an area with the thicksedimentary sequences and one of the deepest pay zones in the Niger Delta.

The flow test in one of the two reservoirs, Ango-

NNPC GED Anthony Ogbuigwe Elected President, African Refiners Association heAfrican Refiners Association, ARA has electT ed Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Group executive Director (GeD) for Refining and Petrochemicals as its new President, Anthony Ogbuigwe, replacing Anabella Fonseca of Sonangol. he is a fellow of the Nigerian Society of Chemical engineers, a Chartered engineer and a Member of the Nigerian Society of engineers.

Before being appointed GeD, Ogbuigwe was the Managing Director of the Port harcourt Refining Company Limited. he was chosen to replace the outgoing head when the organisation met at its annual gathering, the African Refiners Association Week in Cape Town.

Mr Ogbuigwe is keen to leave a strong legacy and says that he will focus on a number of objectives. he wants to improve the efficiency and reliability of operations in African refineries. he also wants to foster the production and distribution of high quality petroleum products to drive high growth in African economies. he is keen to ensure that best practices in health and safety are maintained. It is also his desire to work with regional groups to ensure that the common fuel specifications on the octane, sulphur and benzene levels for Gasoline and the sulphur cetane, and density levels for Diesel are adopted across the regions. he wants this to be done within economic zones and common fiscal structures along regional supply chains.

“This will encourage free trade between neighbouring countries, avoid smuggling and adulteration, and help create the regional cross-border optimisation that is necessary for an efficient low cost product supply,” he said.

Ogbuigwe was appointed GeD on 26th June 2012, where he oversees the operation of the four refineries in Nigeria. he is already making his position felt in that role, with a report that the dismal efficiency rates of the refineries have already improved since he took his post. This has resulted in a greater supply of petroleum products in the country and a reduction in imports.

Mobil To Begin Sale of Power From Qua Iboe 500MW Plant OBIL Producing Nigeria Unlimited (MPN) M will soon begin to undertake the sale of powertoNigerianBulkelectricityTradingPlcforitself and on behalf of its joint venture partner, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. MPN confirmed that it had signed a Seller’s RepresentativeAgreement(SRA)fortheQuaIboe Power Project, located at MPN’s Qua Iboe terminal in the state of Akwa Ibom State.

The 500MW Qua Iboe Power Project includes a gas-fired power plant using simple cycle gas tur-

bine generators and a high voltage transmission line from MPNU’s Qua Iboe Terminal (QIT) to PhCN substation Ikot Abasi.

The execution of the SRA is a critical part of the commercial framework for the project, which, according to the Managing Director of Mobil Producing Nigeria, Mark Ward, is a clear demonstration of the company’s commitment to the President’s stated priority of providing electricity to the whole country.

The company said in a statement that Front end engineering Design (FeeD) and environmentalImpactAssessmentsfortheproject have been concluded, adding that commercial tenders for engineering, Procurement and Construction are near completion. Austrian and German headquartered engineering firm, ILF were the consulting engineers on the FeeD contract, which was in two parts. First, the gas turbine power plant and also the 330kv high voltage transmission line which connects the plant with the national grid. ILF was also involved in topographical and geotechnical surveys, the eIA for the transmission line, the issue of construction documentation for the fuel gas piping across QIT, the preparation of the Invitation To Tender (ITT) documents and the criteria to evaluate the bids in the subsequent phase of ePC Tendering.

The power station will provide an additional 500MW to the national grid in a nation that is massively underpowered. The country generates 2,000MW as against its current potential capacity requirement of 6,000 MW. The government has stated that it intends to ramp that up to 10,000MW. At the ground-breaking ceremony when the project began in 2009, the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi Barkindo expressed optimism at the time that with the Federal Government’s 6000MW power target, the Nigerian economy was set to join the next eleven most developed economies in the world.

“The aspiration of the Federal Government to achieve a higher and higher power target remains at the front burner of the nation which has the potential of transforming the Nigerian economy to a tiger economy,” Dr. Barkindo said at the time. Four years later, and it appears that not much has changed.

DOWNSTREAM NEWS

OPEC Daily Basket Price Stood At $98.96 A Barrel Wednesday, 24 April 2013 hepriceofOPeCbasketoftwelvecrudes stood at $98.96 a barrel on Wednesday, edging up from $97.52 the previous day, as prices continued to stay below the $100 mark.

The question now on everyone’s lips is “Will OPeC cut output?” Venezuela and Iran are alreadycallingforanemergencymeetingahead of the OPeC meeting scheduled for May 31 although there has been no official reaction from OPeC. Traders and analysts are bracing themselves for a reaction after the recent price plunge, given the strong reliance by many of the organisation’s member nations on oil for revenue. Many will be struggling to balance their budgets if prices continue to slide.

There is a strong expectation that if prices remain under $100 for much longer, OPeC may cutproduction.OPeCsuppliesmorethanathird of the world’s oil demands, meeting twice a year to decide on production levels. It kept oil output limits unchanged at a meeting its last meeting in December.

In any case, OPeC is already experiencing a drop in exports as seaborne oil exports from OPeC are estimated to fall by 220,000 bpd in the four weeks to May according to Oil Movements, which calculates the volumes by tallying tanker bookings. The force majeure declaration by ShellonBonnyLightcrudeexportsisalsoadding pressure after the vital 150,000 barrels per day Nembe Creek pipeline shut for repairs.

Some analysts are saying that an emergency meeting is unlikely as prices have started to shore up with increasing speculation about an OPeC production cut. But that does not mean a

T

in association with

production cut is off the table at the scheduled meeting on the 31st.

PeFMB Commences 100% e-Tracking Of Products Distribution In a bid to combat the high incidence of fraud in the movement of petroleum products around the country, the Petroleum equalization Fund (Management) Board (PeFMB) has commenced electronic monitoring of product distribution from its depots to other areas in the country. The PeFMB’s role is to ensure that each marketing company complies with the laws regarding the management of the transportation equalisation process, and to equalise the transportation differentials in product marketing in the country.

The fund has provided a way to equalise the price differential in transportation costs incurred by marketers moving products from the coastal parts to other areas of the country.

Without the Fund, products would be more expensive the further away from the depot the area is. This would mean that the north would end up paying much more for petrol than the south.

The Fund is intended to plug the gap ensuring that uniform petroleum products prices are maintained throughout the country.

Unfortunately, the system has been prone to abuse and the electronic monitoring system was brought in to make it easier to monitor the distribution of products.

The Board’s head of Government and Public Relations, Goddy Nnadi, said the project, codenamed named Aquila, started in January 2013 but that the board had decided to insist on complete compliance. he said that the board would no longer process any payment to petroleum product distributors who refused to comply with the new directives. he said: “We have started full automation of our payment and monitory of petroleum product marketers. We are covering 68 depot and we have gone 100 per cent, which means that we will no longer process anything manually.

We have stopped all manual processing since March and we want to ensure that we clear the remaining ones by June.”

Speaking on the benefits of the new system, Nnadi stated: “This automation of your services will ensure availability of products in every parts of the country. Nobody will be able to divert products and it will save the country a huge sum of money, which would have been wasted to irregularities in the old system. The system is very transparent as everybody can confirm the movement of trucks and when payments were made.” every year over N17 billion is paid to petroleum products transporters from the Fund, for distributing products nationwide, and this amount is built into every litre of products purchased by consumers.

REGULATORY NEWS Nigerian Navy Launches Information Website In War On Crude Oil Theft he Nigerian Navy has launched a new webT site on crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism as part of a new phase in its war on crude oil theft.

The website www.cot.navy.mil.ngis intended to be a means of providing information to citizens and stakeholders on the growing menance of crude oil theft.

The website has facts and figures on crude theft and its impact on the nation. For example, it explains what is considered to be crude oil theft and the economic, environmental, social and health impacts. Some commentators have long suggested that sensitising Nigerians to the issue was going to be an important part of the war on crude theft so that every Nigerian feels affected by the problem. Only when the ordinary person on the street feels the pain of the impact of crude oiltheft,somesay,willthecountrystandachance of getting rid of the problem.

The Director of Information of the Nigerian Navy, Commodore Kabiru Aliyu explained: “The website serves as a platform to share information, exchange ideas with the international community and reports of suspicious activities.

The website also generates the desired global awarenessonthescourgeofoiltheftandpipeline vandalism.” he asked members of the public to report any information concerning illegal activities relating to petroleum products to the Nigerian Navy, other Services, security agencies, NNPC, Directorate of Petroleum Resources and the

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THE GUARDIAN, Monday, April 29, 2013