The Nation July 4 2011

Nigeria’s truly national newspaper

Boko Haram kills 10 in Borno

Dangote crashes cement price

NEWS

Page 2

BUSINESS

Page 12

•It’s now N1,350 per bag

•Jonathan probes N1.8b vote

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VOL. 6, NO. 1810 MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

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•Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) (second left) and (from left) his wife, Dame Abimbola, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, the Bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission Church (TREM), Bishop Mike Okonkwo, his wife, Peace, Anambra State Governor Peter Obi, Permanent Secretary, Special Services, Office of the President, Mrs Esther G. Gonda and Senator Oluremi Tinubu at the dedication of TREM headquarters at Gbagada, Lagos ... on Saturday.

JONATHAN’S CABINET

Okonjo-Iweala, Omobola, Duke, Pepple in last eight Return of 12 ministers to former ministries temporary ON THE LIST •Amal Pepple (Southsouth) •Edem Duke (Cross River) •Nurudeen Mohammed (Northwest) •Omobola Johnson (Ondo) •Hamisu Mai Rago (Kaduna) •Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (Southeast) •Sarah Ochepe (Plateau)

B

ARELY 48 hours after returning from the African Union (AU) meeting in Equatorial Guinea, President Goodluck Jonathan has closed consultations on his cabinet.

He has sent the names of his last nominees to security agencies for screening before presenting them to the Senate tomorrow.

Besides, there were strong indications yesterday that the return of 12 ministers to their old portfolios is temporary.

The President may reshuffle port-

•Pepple

From Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation, Abuja

folios after he has fully constituted his cabinet, a source said.

Since the President returned from the AU meeting till early yesterday, he had been holding meetings on the last eight ministerial nominees.

Jonathan had earlier sent a list of 34 to the Senate, leaving out the “controversial” eight.

The battle for the last eight was hot in Kaduna, Ondo, Cross River and Plateau states as well as the four geopolitical zones.

•Okonjo-Iweala

The geopolitical zones are the Southsouth, the Southeast, the Northwest and the Northeast.

Some of the nominees are a former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Ms Amal Pepple (Rivers, Southsouth), a former spokesman of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Chief Edem Duke (Cross River), Nurudeen Mohammed (Northwest), a former member of the Presidential Advisory Council, Mrs. Omobola Johnson (Ondo), exPetroleum Techonology Develop-

•Duke

ment Fund (PTDF) Executive Secretary Yusuf Hamisu Mai Rago (Kaduna), a Managing Director of the World Bank, Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (Southeast) and Mrs. Sarah Reng Ochepe (Plateau), who is a former Chairperson of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).

A Presidency source said: “The pressure was much on the President, but he decided to exercise the prerogative powers conferred on him by the constitution.

“At least, six more names were

•Rago

sent to the State Security Service (SSS) and other agencies by the President on Saturday.

“The last batch of nominees will get to the Senate on Tuesday.”

The President picked the Southsouth nominee from Rivers State, following a strong case made

by Governor Rotimi Amaechi.

“By implication, the President has turned down the agitation of the zonal slot for Delta State by Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark,” Continued on page 2

•POLITICS P17 •SPORTS P23 •CITYBEATS P25 •JOBS P43 •MOTORING P52

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THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

NEWS Grammy Award winner Kenny G performs in Lagos

By Victor Akande

A •From right, Rivers State Governor Rotimi Ameachi, President Goodluck Jonathan, Director General, National Sports Commission, Chief Patrick Ekeji and Senate President Senator David Mark.

Okonjo-Iweala, Omobola, Duke, Pepple in last eight Continued from page 1

the source said, adding: “But, in order not to hurt Chief Clark, the President was also careful in ignoring any of the candidates recommended by the governor. We learnt Amaechi had wanted his Chief of Staff, Nelson Nwike.

“What is important is that Amaechi succeeded in securing Southsouth ticket for Rivers State.”

“According to the source, the Ondo slot went to Mrs. Omobola Johnson, daughter of Chief Bayo Akinnola, who he described as “a committed leader of the PDP since 1999 who has never benefited from the party”.

“The President bowed to the demand of Governor Jonah Jang by approving the nomination of Mrs. Sarah Reng Ochepe (Plateau), who

is a former Chairperson of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).

“Although Mrs. Sarah is a Berom, like the governor, the choice of the nominee led to the dropping of Dr. Jonah Madugu and ex-Minister Josephine Tapgun, earlier recommended.

“In Kaduna, the godson of the Vice-President, Yusuf Hamisu Mai Rago, is retained as the state’s nominee. But the state lost the battle to take the slot meant for the Northwest, which has gone to Nurudeen Mohammed from Jigawa State.”

Responding to a question, the source added: “The President has plans in his team for ex-Minister of Information Prof. Dora Akunyili, ex-Defence Minister, Prince Adetokunbo Kayode(SAN), ex-Deputy Governor Ada

Okwuonu, ex-NDDC Chairman Chief Onyema Ugochukwu, ex-Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs. Josephine Anenih and a former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Odein Ajumogobia (SAN).

“He will unfold these plans in the next one or two weeks.”

On why the President returned the 12 re-nominated ministers to their portfolios, the presidency source said: “It is temporary”.

“Once the President gets the cabinet in place, he will reshuffle all the portfolios.

What he did on Saturday was an interim measure to keep the government machinery running.”

Concerning the jettisoning of a Government of National Unity (GNU) earlier proposed by the President, the source

said: “The idea was foreclosed based on legal advice since the Congress for Progressive Change is still pursuing its case before the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal.

“Counsel to the President advised him to be careful about the GNU matter because the CPC can raise issue at the tribunal on why he opted for GNU if the April presidential poll was free and fair.

“So the Legal advice given to the President was that he should be wary of technicalities that could be raised before the tribunal.”

The National Association of Yoruba Students (NAYOS), Lagos State chapter, yesterday said a former Minister of Finance, Mr. Olusegun Aganga, is a bonafide citizen of the state.

The President of the asso-

ciation, Comrade Adamson Oluwatosin Ayinde, issued a statement, saying: “So, the orchestration that Aganga is not from Lagos can only be a negative move which we know will fail. He is a bonafide Lagosian, there should not be any controversy about this.

“He has so far done his best for the PDP in Lagos State and we thank Mr. President for nominating him again. We also appeal to the National Assembly to clear him on behalf of the youths in Lagos State. The Yoruba must not be denied the position in the economic team as we lost out in the contest for House of Representatives’ Speaker not too long ago. We want our brothers and sisters to think the way we are doing. This is another opportunity for us which we must embrace.

MERICAN saxophonist and multiple Grammy award winner, Kenny G put up a superlative performance last night at a show considered by many as upscale and a departure from the regular youthful hip hop concerts experienced in recent time.

The American jazz artiste arrived Lagos on Saturday to join his 22-man band which arrived the day before to prepare grounds for the much-expected evening of classical music.

Tagged Sax Appeal, the show which entered its third edition this year is the brainchild of Jazz maestro, Mike Aremu.

Aremu said the concert cost over N100 million to organise saying though there was no major sponsor, “ we have to keep up with the spirit of the art.”

The bearded saxophonist said the show is geared towards the rebirth and promotion of live musical performances in Nigeria.

The show took place at the Expo Hall of Eko Hotels and Suites and featured sonorous voice singer, Waje, Tosin Martins, Kunle Ayo, Bez, Yinka Davies, rapper M.I, multiple MOBO award winner, Yolanda Brown and South Africa-based guitarist-performer Kunle Ayo..

Kenny G, who is visiting Lagos for the first time, did not conceal his excitement which he expressed profoundly with his performance on the saxophone.

Boko Haram kills 10 in bloody weekend

I

N yet another bloody weekend, suspected Boko Haram members have killed 10 persons in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

The victims include a local government chairman. Many were injured in three attacks at different places in the city.

Government at the weekend took a major step to stem the activities of the Islamic Fundamentalist Group with President Goodluck Jonathan raising a panel to review the security situation in the country.

The panel may also probe the whereabouts of the N1.8billion released to a former InspectorGeneral of Police for the installation of CCTV cameras in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and some other cities.

The fear of Boko Haram gripped Abuja last night.

There was an unusual presence of heavy security around the headquarters of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) following the fear of attack by the group.

Attempts to clartify the cause of the security beef up from corporation spokesman Livi Ajuonuma last night were unsuccessful.

The President has, according to sources, ruled out the removal of Inspector-General of Police Hafiz Ringim, the service chiefs and heads of security agencies over the spate of bombings in the North.

The panel is made up of some former National Security Advisers and some past and present officers from the intelligence service.

‘Anti-terrorism law good for security agencies’

C

HIEF of Army Staff Lt.-Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, is confident that the anti-terrorism law will enhance the efficiency of security agencies.

Gen. Ihejirika spoke yesterday during an interaction with reporters shortly after the Inter-Denominational Church Service held to mark the 2011 Nigerian Army Day Celebration at the All Saints Military Church (Protestant), Mogadishu Cantonment, Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Senate on Feb. 17 passed the anti-terrorism law, 24 hours after President Goodluck Jonathan urged the National Assembly to speed up the process of enacting the law.

The law creates the legal framework for fighting all forms of terrorism.

From Yusuf Alli, John Ofikhenua, Abuja and Abiodun Joseph, Maiduguri

Although the list of members was kept secret, it was gathered that the panel will operate “covertly”.

It was also learnt that the panel may exchange information and compare notes with intelligence units of some countries since terrorism is a global issue.

Chairman of Ijere Local government Area, Alhaji Mustapha Baale was yesterday shot dead by gunmen believed to be members of the Boko Haram.

He was killed around 3.30pm on his way home on Old Maiduguri Road within his local government area.

Baale, a three-time chairman of the local government, was reappointed to the post barely

Gen. Ihejirika said: “The passage of the anti-terrorism bill is a major achievement, which will encourage the security agencies to be more committed to their jobs.

“Previously, there had been cases of people being arrested and released under one excuse or another, because the extant law has not provided adequately on issues such as kidnapping.”

Commenting on the church service, he said the thrust of the sermon was the nobility of the profession, stressing that “no gift is superior to laying down one’s life, if necessary for one’s country or friends”.

“The ethics of the military profession demands that a soldier must be satisfied with his wage; and the message has been brought home to all.

“As soldiers, who have signed up to

three weeks ago by Governor Kashim Shetima. He was also a member of the sixth House of Assembly which ended its tenure last month. He contested for a House of Representatives seat but lost.

Chief of Staff to Governor Shetima, Alhaji Abua Kyari described Baale’s killing as unfortunate.

Barely two hours after the killing of the LGA boss, the Boko Haram men struck again at Wulari Police station Mammy market around 5.30 pm yesterday. They reportedly rained bullets and threw a bomb at the people drinking at the market.

Five people lay dead after the attack. Many others were injured.

Sunday’s twin attacks were preceded by the killings on Saturday.

Among those killed in the Saturday attacks were two

defend the nation, I can proudly say we have all it takes to do our jobs; with good salaries, goodwill of the people and prayers from Christians and Muslims, the soldiers have no excuse.”

Lt.-Col. Charles Iroegbu, the Director, Army Catholic Chaplaincy, urged officers and men of the Army to be contented with their wage.

Taking the text of his sermon from John 15 vs 13, Iroegbu said soldiers should maintain the nobility of their profession.

Soldiers, he added, would be wonderful, if they shunned intimidation and extortion, stressing: “Our responsibility is to protect Nigerians, not to intimidate them, not to extort anything from them, but to work with them.”

brothers – Isa Umar and Apagu Umar.

In the Sunday attacks at the Mammy market, a father of 10 was among those shot dead.

There was also a retired soldier among the wounded.

Head of the Joint Police Military Task Force in Maiduguri, Maj. Gen. Jack Nwachukwu Nwaogbo confirmed the killings.

A source, who spoke in confidence on the presidential action on Boko Haram said: “Contrary to the insinuations that Mr. President’s approach to the security challenges facing the country has been weak, he has been doing a lot.

“A panel has been set up to review the security situation, what has gone wrong, stocktaking of the level of sophistication to cope with the latest challenges facing Nigeria,

and how the system can be overhauled for maximum efficiency.

“The panel is mandated to complete its assignment as soon as possible. So, the team should be done in a few weeks.

It comprises some former National Security Advisers, crack intelligence chiefs and other security chiefs.”

The source added: “Following reports coming up on the N1.8billion, the President asked the panel to find out if the money was spent, inspect the installed CCTV cameras in the FCT and other cities and review their impact.

“But if nothing was done, the panel is to find out the whereabouts of the money that was approved and released. The panel will speak with all those involved in the project.

“I think the outcome of inves-

•Ringim

tigation into the bomb explosion at the Force Headquarters where it was difficult to get the footage of the bomber might have informed a review of the N1.8billion project by the police.

“After the panel has submitted its report, the President will determine whether the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission should step in or not.”

On the alleged plans to remove Ringim, and service chiefs over the Boko Haram menace, the source added: “The President has ruled out such a step because terrorism is a global challenge and it requires a global reaction.

“Jonathan has said he does not want to play to the gallery through mere grandstanding to remove security chiefs. He believes that recourse to bombing

by Boko Haram is a challenge to all Nigerians, including himself as the Commander-InChief of the Armed Forces.

“Instead, the President has given these security chiefs a major task to arrest the insurgency and they are on top of the situation.”

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THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

NEWS

Islamic banking: Sanusi stirs the hornet’s nest

Africa has 11.5m displaced persons, says ECOWAS chief From Tayo Owolabi, Abuja

The planned introduction of Islamic banking has sparked a row, which some experts have dismissed as needless. AYODELE AMINU and COLLINS NWEZE report the unfolding scenario

T

HE ongoing controversy over the proposed Islamic Banking, also known as Non-Interest Banking was triggered by the announcement that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) may have given the go-ahead for JAIZ Bank International Plc to operate as an Islamic bank and the subsequent issuance of final guidelines on Islamic banking. Interestingly, a draft framework for non-interest banking was issued in March 2009 by the CBN and its stance on Islamic banking was not much of an issue, until recently when the final guidelines were released.

Islamic banking is a system consistent with principles of Islamic law and economics. It prohibits the collection of interest, commonly called riba, although revenue-sharing arrangements are generally permitted.

Non-interest Banking, however, is not restricted to Islamic Banking. It includes other variants of non-interest banking not based on Islamic principle.

Although Islamic banking has been on the statutes of the apex bank for over half a century, this is the first time the modalities are being worked out to put it into practice.

Islamic banking has been in the works since the regime of the immediate past governor of the CBN, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo. The incumbent governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, is only implementing what he met on ground. Coincidentally, the deputy CBN governor, Financial Surveillance, Babatunde Lemo, who is responsible for working out the modalities of Islamic Banking, is a pastor.

But criticisms, especially from Christians, have continued to trail the release of the guidelines, with some saying the CBN governor wants to turn Nigeria into an Islamic state, even though the country is and has remained a member of the Organisation of Islamic Communities (OIS).

Criticisms

Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Cardinal Olubunmi Okogie said Sanusi has erred by introducing Islamic banking without due consultation.

He said the apex bank boss should put more efforts in bringing life to the comatose banks in the financial system rather than churning out policies that will aggravate tense religious situations in the country.

Bishop David Bakare of the Kaduna State chapter of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) accused Sanusi of harboring sectarian loyalties and of exacerbating interreligious tensions at a delicate moment.

Similarly, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) said the introduction of Islamic banking was a move to “Islamise Nigeria.”

Defence

However, Lateef Adegbite, the Secretary-General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), said countries across the world are falling over themselves to establish the banking product. Nigeria he said, therefore cannot be an exception.

Mohammed Aliu, an Islamic scholar based in Lagos, said Nigeria must not lag behind in financial creativity and must avail itself of all opportunities the global financial system has to offer.

CBN’s stance

Responding to the criticisms, the

‘Whoever is opposed to the proposed establishment of Islamic Bank should go to court, because it’s only the court that has the powers to determine whether or not the CBN under its enabling Act, has the power to establish Islamic banks’ banking watchdog boss said the attention to Islamic banking at CBN predates his tenure and that what is called “non-interest banking” attracts the involvement of non-Muslims as well, including backers of the Jaiz International Bank.

Sanusi challenged those opposed to the proposed introduction of Islamic banking to seek redress in court.

Speaking in Kano last Saturday at Kofar Mata Juma’at Mosque during a lecture organised by the Tijjaniya Youth Enlightenment Initiative, he explained that the proposed Islamic Banking was part of the CBN Act, which empowers the apex bank to establish such a banking system.

“Whoever is opposed to the proposed establishment of Islamic Bank should go to court, because it’s only the court that has the powers to determine whether or not the CBN under its enabling Act, has the power to establish Islamic banks.

“I was told that some people are opposed to the Islamic bank formation; if they are opposed to this idea, let them go to court to challenge it,” he said.

Sanusi, who justified the proposed establishment of Islamic banking, said: “I am always ready to explain the reasons for the formation of Islamic banks.”

Sanusi called on Nigerians to disregard rumours that the proposed Islamic banking would favour a section of the country, stressing that “those opposed to it, really misunderstood its concept.”

Supporting its guidelines for Islamic banking operations as an issue of non-bias, the CBN said it recognised two types of non-interest banking: non-interest financial products and services based on principles of Islamic commercial jurisprudence, as well as financial products and services based on any other established rules and principles. It, however, promised to issue guidelines pertinent to other types of banking to individuals and groups wishing to practise noninterest banking based on established rules and principles other than Islamic.

Rumours of Sanusi’s removal

Last Monday, there were rumours that Sanusi, who was just coming into the country from London had been removed from office. The rumour mongers - mostly from the banking industry could however, not justify Sanusi’s purported removal.

How works

Islamic

Banking

Islamic banking has the same purpose as conventional banking, which is to make money for the banking in-

stitute by lending out capital. Since Islam forbids simply lending out money at interest, Islamic rules on transactions have been created to avoid this problem.

In an Islamic mortgage transaction, instead of loaning the buyer money to purchase the item, a bank might buy the item itself from the seller, and re-sell it to the buyer at a profit, while allowing the buyer to pay the bank in installments. However, the bank’s profit cannot be made explicit and, therefore, there are no additional penalties for late payment. To protect itself against default, the bank asks for strict collateral.

There are several other approaches used in business transactions. Islamic banks lend their money to companies by issuing floating rate interest loans. The floating rate of interest is pegged to the company’s individual rate of return. Thus the bank’s profit on the loan is equal to a certain percentage of the company’s profits. Once the principal amount of the loan is repaid, the profit-sharing arrangement is concluded. This practice is called Musharaka.

Guidelines

According to the guidelines for the establishment and operation of Islamic banking, the CBN said all funds coming into such banks from abroad must be fully screened to avoid money laundering and terrorism financing in the country.

The apex bank expects promoters to screen shareholders, customers, counterparts, transactions, products and activities against the proceeds of crime, corruption, financing of terrorism and other illicit activities using legal and moral filters. It also added that all funds to be received either from investors or depositors must be approved, not only by the bank but also by security agencies.

The guidelines stipulate that anyone desiring to go into the model of banking must state clearly that it would operate under the Islamic laws.

The CBN said it would come up with other guidelines in the conduct of banking under the principles of Islamic commercial jurisprudence such as operational, corporate governance, product compliance, risk management and capital adequacy.

From the provisions of the guidelines, conventional banks could operate Islamic products through fullfledged Islamic banking subsidiary, branch or window. Applications for the grant of licence shall be accompanied by evidence of a technical agreement executed by the promoters of the proposed institution with an established and reputable Islamic bank or financial institution. The agreement shall explicitly specify the role of the two parties and shall subsist for a period of not less than three years from the date of commencement of operations of the licensed IIFS. Categorisation The banking watchdog categorised Islamic banks into regional and national. Islamic bank with a regional banking authorisation shall be entitled to carry on its banking business operations within a minimum of six and a maximum of 12 contiguous states of the Federation, lying within not more than two geo-political zones, as well as within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

A national Islamic Bank, whose minimum capital base has been

pegged at N10billion can operate in all the 36 states and the FCT, while a regional Islamic bank’s statutory capital is N5 billion. .

Global perspective In the last two decades, interest-free banking has attracted more attention, partly because of the political interest it created in Pakistan and partly because of the emergence of young Muslim economists. Islamic banking is growing at 10 to 15 per cent per year and with signs of consistent future growth. There are more than 300 institutions spread over 51 countries, including the United States, through companies such as the Michigan-based University Bank, as well as an additional 250 mutual funds that comply with Islamic principles. Besides, Islamic finance is the fastestgrowing segment of the global financial system and sales of Islamic bonds have risen by 24 per cent to $25 billion in 2010.

Shariah-compliant assets reached about $400 billion throughout the world in 2009, according to Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services, and the potential market is $4 trillion. Iran, Saudi Arabia and Malaysia have the biggest sharia-compliant assets.

Iranian banks accounted for about 40 per cent of total assets of the world’s top 100 Islamic banks. Bank Melli Iran, with assets of $45.5 billion came first, followed by Saudi Arabia’s Al Rajhi Bank, Bank Mellat with $39.7 billion and Bank Saderat Iran with $39.3 billion. Iran holds the world’s largest level of Islamic finance assets valued at $235.3 billion, which is more than double the next country in the ranking with $92 billion Global regulation In Malaysia, the National Shariah Advisory Council, which has been set up at Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), advises BNM on the Shariah aspects of the operations of these institutions and on their products and services. In Indonesia, the Ulama Council serves a similar purpose. A number of Shariah advisory firms have now emerged to offer Shariah advisory services to the institutions offering Islamic financial services. In Nigeria, the Expert Advisory Council is expected to nuture non-interest banking under the principle of Islamic commercial jurisdiction.

AFRICA has 11.5 million of the 27.5 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) globally, the Economic Community for West African States (ECOWAS) said at the weekend. The figure, according to the union, represents nearly half of the world’s conflict-induced displacements.

The ECOWAS Commissioner in charge of Human Development and Gender, Dr. Adrienne Yande Diop, told reporters in Abuja that about 70 per cent of the IDPs are concentrated in Sudan (which has between 4.5 million and 5.2 million), Congo (which has about 1.7 milion) and Somalia (which has 1.5 million IDPs).

Diop, who gave instances of conflict-induced displacement said the post-election violence in Cote d’Ivoire displaced about one million persons.

She said: “Virtually all of Liberia’s 2.8 million citizens and half of the population of Sierra Leone are estimated to have fled their homes at least once as a consequence of internal conflict.

In Guinea Bissau, the 1998-1999 crisis made up to 400,000 IDPs, while Guinea recorded a peak of 320,000 IDPs in 2001.

“In Senegal, about 60,000 persons were displaced internally and externally in 2008 as a consequence of the Casamance conflict. In Niger, the Tuareg insurgency resulted in some 11,000 IDPs in 2007 and in Nigeria, communal violence has caused the displacement of thousands of people.”

PDP may appoint NWC member acting chair From Sanni Ologun Abuja

THE Presidency and the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are considering the appointment of a serving member of the National Working Committee (NWC) as the acting national chairman of the party pending its national convention in March next year.

According to a source, this was one of the several options discussed during a meeting at the Presidential Villa on Friday in Abuja.

The meeting was chaired by President Goodluck Jonathan.

Outgoing Acting National Chairman Mohammed Haliru Bello and the party’s former Chairman of Board of Trustees (BOT), Chief Anthony Anenih were present, the source said.

According to the source, “the party and the presidency are looking at the possibility of a current member of the NWC to be appointed acting national chairman pending the convocation of a national convention next year.”

The source said the agitation by the Southeast to fill the slot pending the convention was dismissed.

“The position of the Southeast caucus was considered, but it was seen as belated because the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) has been zoned and implemented.

“To do otherwise and allow someone from the Southeast to be appointed acting national chair is to drag the principles of zoning further into the mud with what happened in the House of Representatives where the party’s position on zoning was defied,” the source said.

CTION

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THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

NEWS Waziri kicks against EFCC, ICPC merger

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CONOMIC and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) chair Mrs Farida Waziri has rejected the clamour for the merger of the anti-corruption agency with the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC).

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Mohammed Adoke had called for the merger of the two bodies, citingduplication of functions and conflict of interests.

Mrs. Waziri expressed her opposition at the Executive Forum on Nigeria, a series organised by BEN Television, an African oriented channel in the United Kingdom (UK), yesterday in London.

“Our roles are clearly defined by the Acts; there has never been any conflict nor duplications as being alleged,’’ the Europe Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quoted Mrs. Waziri as saying.

According to her, while the EFCC used the Economic and Financial Crime Act to prosecute suspects, the ICPC did the same with its Establishment Act. She added that assets and monies worth $11 billion were recovered from corrupt officials and their cohorts.

Mrs. Waziri said her commission’s collaboration with the Federal Inland Revenue Service(FIRS) had increased government’s revenue profile by more than $500 million.

The recovered monies are $ 6.5 billion as bad loans and $1.5 billion from former Group Managing Director of Oceanic Bank Mrs Cecilia Ibru alone.

She called for the establishment of special courts to try culprits, saying that this would reduce the delays in prosecuting suspects.

Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the UK and the Court of St. James Dr Dalhatu Tafida, said the Commission would not condone corruption under any guise.

Agbakoba sponsors Bill to amend Constitution

A

DVOCATES of restructuring have got an ally in former Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) President Olisa Agbakoba.

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) is sponsoring a Bill at the National Assembly for the devolution of powers and functions from the Federal Government to the states.

The Bill seeks among others, reduction in federal powers in respect of items in the exclusive legislative list that seem more relevant to the states than the Federal Government and items necessary to achieve technical efficiency at the state level.

It is entitled: “An act to alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 by creation of the State Court of Appeal, introduction of state legislative list and adjustments/modifications of legislative powers of government between the Feder-

•Seeks devolution of power to states

By Eric Ikhilae

al and State Governments.”

The Bill also seeks constitutional recognition of the six geo-political zones of the country.

It recommended that powers relating to natural and mineral resources, excluding petroleum and gas, agriculture, Micro Finance Banks, municipal police, state appeal courts and solemnisation of marriages, be devolved to states.

Others include issues relating to incorporation of business enterprises with state objects, taxes on income and profits within the state other than income and profits of companies, regulation of labour and industrial relations at state level including prescription of minimum wage for the state and evidence.

The Bill suggested the in-

N

IGERIA Economic Summit Group (NESG) chair Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa has described the immediate past Minister of Finance, Olusegun Aganga as an outstanding Christian who served in government with great humility and high sense of productivity.

Speaking on the nomination of Aganga for the Young Men Christian Association (YMCA) distinguished Christian award yesterday, Ohuabunwa, who doubles as chairman, Project Anniversary Committee, said YMCA decided to select the former finance minister for the award because of his “prodigious and innovative” style of leadership while he served in government.

sertion of Sub-sections 7 and 8 to Section 3 of the Constitution, insertion of new subheadings and Sections 270 (1) to (15) and Section 270A, insertion of Part 1B to the First Schedule to the Constitution, the substitution of item 8 on Part II of the Second Schedule to the Constitution and the modification of the arrangement of the Second Schedule to the Constitution.

It also suggested the alteration of Sections 4(2), 147, 233,

237, 238, 239, 240, 241, 242, 243, 244, 245, 246, 248 and the sub headings of section 275(1) and 280(1) of the Constitution. It further suggested the alteration of Part I and item 7 on Part II of the Second Schedule to the Constitution.

Agbakoba said the Bill was informed by his belief that most of the 36 states are financially unviable and that a way out is to devolve and allocate more duties to states rather than just more federally distributed funds that make states corrupt and unaccountable.

He contended that if governors are empowered by more responsibility under the Constitution, they would be more accountable. He observed that the current 36 states and 774 local governments structure is too weak to support any claim for true federalism and impoverished

Editors urge govt to tackle violence

By Joseph Jibueze

T •Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Mrs Funmilayo Olayinka, Governor Kayode Fayemi; Group Managing Director, First Bank of Nigeria Plc, Mr Bisi Onasanya and the Executive Director , Corporate Banking Mr Kehinde Lawanson when the FBN team visited the governor in Ado-Ekiti on Thursday.

el-Rufai’s arrest diversionary, says ACN

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NESG chief hails Aganga

‘The Bill also seeks constitutional recognition of the six geo-political zones of the country’

HE Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) yesterday condemned Saturday’s arrest and detention of former Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nasir el-Rufai by the State Security Service (SSS).

It said such a draconian action by a ‘’transformational’’ government is dangerous, diversionary and negates the tenets of democracy.

In a statement in Lagos yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party wondered why the former minister could be so harassed for expressing his opinion in a syndicated article, when freedom of expression is one of the rights enshrined in the country’s Constitution.

It said even if the article written by the former minister was found to have contained some inaccuracies, as alleged by the SSS, a government that believes in robust debate as a means of strengthening democracy would simply have issued a statement pointing out such inaccuracies while stating what the facts are.

The party said the SSS’ accusation that el-Rufai failed to take advantage of the FoI Act, which made it seem as if the service was using the Act to justify his arrest, was disingenuous and cheap, adding: ‘’We thought the FoI was a shield, rather than a sword!’’

ACN said: ‘’A government that pledged a new dawn for Nigerians on May 29, under a President who promised to ‘seek fresh ideas that will enrich our national consensus’, has now resorted to a tactic that was so cruelly employed by anti-

By Nneka Nwaneri

democratic forces in the country’s not-too-distant past. Is this the transformation that President Jonathan promised all Nigerians?’’

The party wondered why the government has chosen to dissipate so much time and energy on hounding an innocent citizen for the mere fact that he expressed his opinion, whether anyone agrees with such opinion or not, at a time of growing national insecurity, looming strike over minimum wage, worsening electricity supply and mass unemployment, just to mention a few. ‘’The Jonathan administration’s hounding of el-Rufai, instead of tackling headlong the many problems that are making life unbearable for Nigerians, reminds one of the adage that a man who carries an elephant on his head should not be searching for a cricket,’’ ACN said.

It said there is no way the government will escape the insinuation that el-Rufai was so treated because he belongs to the opposition, and wondered whether indeed it is true that the travails of former Labour Minister Hassan Lawal over alleged corruption are due to the fact that he left the PDP for the CPC. The party called on the government to leave el-Rufai alone and apologise to him for the unwarranted intimidation and harassment to which he has been subjected since his arrest, otherwise Nigerians will be free to conclude that the country is in for a period of citizens’ rights abridgement under the democratically-elected President Jonathan.

Judges, Kadis ask for jail term guidelines

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O avoid imposing conflicting terms, Judges and Kadis have asked for guidelines for criminal sentences to enable smooth administration of justice.

They stated this in a 13point communiqué at the end of their induction or-

to undertake any meaningful development.

Agbakoba argued that the high cost of governance in Nigeria is attributable to a poor federal structure.

He said the recognition of the six geo-political zones in the proposed Constitution amendments will bring down cost of governance.

The former NBA chair observed that in 1961, the Western Region had about 12 ministers. He added that today, the same region now has eight states (Oyo, Ondo, Osun, Ogun, Ekiti, Lagos, Edo, Delta), with about 30 commissioners and special advisers in each state; totaling 240.

He argued that despite the increase in the number of personnel and splitting of the region, the quality of life in the old Western Region was far better than today. Agbakoba said the “power pyramid at the centre” should be devolved downward “to the base (i.e. the states).”

He urged the Seventh National Assembly ‘to hit the ground running’ by amending the Constitution to reflect the principles of true federalism, arguing that a streamlined Federal Government, with limited functions, is the best option for ensuring the nation’s development.

From Kamarudeen Ogundele, Abuja

ganised by the National Judicial Institute (NJI) in Abuja.

A statement from the NJI Head of Information, Madu Emezie said the judicial officers “also asked that vari-

ous laws should be amended to accommodate the modern trend of non-custodial forms of punishment such as restitution, restoration, rehabilitation and victim compensation in order to meet the aim of justice. The Judges and Kadis said in order to en-

hance speedy trial and meet the requirements of judicial performance evaluation, judges should embrace case flow management principles in the course of exercising their judicial duty. This they agreed, would go a long way in serving the interest of justice.

The statement reads: “They urged the NJI to include a topic on judicial performance evaluation in one of its Conferences for further assessment of the format adopted by National Judicial Council in order to improve on the process of performance evaluation.

HE Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) has condemned the rising wave of insecurity in the country. It urged the government to address the root causes of violence.

In a communiqué issued at the end of its Standing Committee Meeting held in Kaduna at the weekend, signed by the President, GbengaAdefaye and General Secretary, Isaac Ighure, the editors reaffirmed their confidence in democratic governance.

The meeting offered the editors an opportunity to deliberate on the state of the nation, particularly the challenging security situation in many parts of the country.

The communiqué reads: “NGE condemned the fresh wave of violence and spate of bombings across the country, saying the trend portends danger for the unity of the country.

“The Guild also bemoaned the near passivity of security operatives in proactively policing and actual apprehension of culprits. The editors attributed the unabated violence to failure of intelligence gathering by the security agencies and urged them to talk less and do more in securing the nation.

“It maintained that there is a systemic vice across the country that is being watered by poverty and therefore urged the governments at every level to view employment creation and social infrastructural development as panacea to the restiveness fuelling the killings in certain parts of the country.

“It urged the Federal Government in particular to address the root causes of the violence, especially in the Northern part of the country and should be seen to be genuinely interested in addressing perceived injustices that may have been metted out ‘’.

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

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NEWS ‘Osun PDP’s comments on Aregbesola boring’

Falana urges rejection of corrupt politicians LAWYER and human rights activist Femi Falana has accused churches of promoting corruption by conducting thanksgiving services for election riggers, corrupt politicians and people of questionable character.

He was delivering the keynote address, titled: “The Church And Public Morality in Nigeria” at the 50th Anniversary of the Sacred Heart Catholic Seminary, Akure, Ondo State.

Falana, an alumnus of the institution, described himself as a “failed seminarian”.

He wondered why the Catholic Church, which through the Bishops’ Conference condemned the rigging of the 2007 elections, allowed its Okigwe Diocese to conduct a mass for Prof Maurice Iwu after his removal as the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

He condemned the service conducted by a church in Lagos for an ex-convict, saying such profanity should be rejected by the church.

The lawyer reminded Christians of the story of Ananiah and his wife Saphira, who died for hiding part of the proceeds of their land.

“If the couple could be punished for not making a full disclosure of their own property, pastors ought to know the punishment that awaits them for provoking God by attempting to rehabilitate those who have been indicted for looting the commonwealth. “ The shameful practice of using the name of God to cover up corruption by prosperity pastors is a reflection of the general collapse of values in the society,” he said.

‘Why we sacked traffic managers’ From Bisi Oladele, Ibadan

THE Oyo State Government has said it sacked the Oyo State Road and Traffic Management Authority (ORTMA) workers employed by the administration of former Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala because its employment was riddled with “massive irregularities, cronyism and favouritism.”

A statement by the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Abiola Ajimobi on Public Communication, Dr Festus Adedayo, yesterday said the sack was also to allow the new government to “put round pegs in round holes”.

The statement added that the former government hurriedly set up the organisation and filled it with party and family members “in flagrant disregard for the requirements of such appointments.”

The government said though it recognises the need to have such an establishment and has set machinery in motion to have a similar organisation it would do this with strict adherence to the norms and practices of employment as is done worldwide.

O

•Managing Director, Nigeria Breweries (NB) Plc, Nicolaas Vervelde flanked by Creative Director, Farafina Trust, Chimamanda Adichie (left) and Prof Njabulo Ndebele at the Farafina Trust literary evening at the Eko Hotel, Lagos...at the weekend

Ajimobi declares N2.5b in assets, cash

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YO State Governor Abiola Ajimobi has declared his assets.

The governor owns N292, 432,107 cash and is worth over N2.2billion in assets.

A statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Dr Festus Adedayo, said Ajimobi deposed to the Assets Declaration Form for Public Officers at the Registry of the State High Court, Ibadan before Justice Ladiran Akintola, on May 27, two days before assuming office.

Adedayo said by his action, Ajimobi became the first chief executive of the state to have

From Bisi Oladele, Ibadan

made public his worth in cash and assets.

The assets are all the governor had acquired in his private capacity as at May 29, when he was sworn in.

They include cash in local banks, buildings, vehicles, business enterprises and household items.

According to the form filled, the cash he had in local banks was N292, 432, 107.00.

He has none in any foreign account.

Ajimobi also declared that he had a mansion in Ibadan

worth N250 million, a building in the same city worth N150 million, another one with the value of N300 million in Lagos, as well as a detached house worth N300 million in Abuja.

In the Assets Declaration form, he listed that he had a flat purchased through mortgage financing worth £450,000 in the UK, another worth £1, 950,000, purchased through mortgage and another house worth $1,500,000 in the United States of America.

The governor also declared that he owned 131 acres of farm land in a village at Ido

Local Government worth N150 million, two Lagosbased companies, Grandex Nigeria Limited, worth N200 million and Network Petroleum Nigeria Limited, worth N260 million.

Ajimobi also stated that the total worth of all his vehicles was N94.25 million and household furniture, which include generating sets and electronics, to be worth N25 million.

In the form, Governor Ajimobi also declared that his wife, Florence, owns a house in Ibadan worth N15 million and another in Lagos worth N250 million.

We’ve restored transparency to governance, says Fayemi

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KITI State Governor Kayode Fayemi, has said he has restored transparency and integrity to governance since coming to power on October 16, last year.

Fayemi, who said he met a “very bad situation” on ground, assured the people that his administration would turn around the fortunes of the state by using the template of the administration’s eightpoint agenda.

He spoke at the weekend as a special guest on Channels Television’s Sunrise programme.

Fayemi said his administration has been accountable to the people in management of limited resources.

The governor said one of

the first bills he signed into law was the Fiscal Responsibility Bill while the Freedom of Information Bill was among the nine bills just passed into law by the House of Assembly.

The governor dismissed insinuations that the Assembly was a rubberstamp legislature, saying an Assembly that boasts of quality members cannot be pocketed by the Executive.

Fayemi noted that the foundation for socio-economic development of the state had been laid with adherence to the principles of good governance which, according to him, has restored public confidence in governance.

His words: “The first thing to be done was to be com-

pletely transparent with our people, we have huge aspirations but limited resources.

“Our people can see a gradual difference with what happened in the past, they now see a governor that is consistent in connecting with them and somebody that will not embarrass the state.

“I declared my assets and published them in the media.

I signed the Fiscal Responsibility Bill into Law, we have restored public confidence in governance”.

Fayemi said his involvement in politics was an extension of his life as an activist, saying “political leadership is not meant for charlatans.”

Speaking on his recent trip overseas, the governor saidthe tour was meant to boost the investment and industrial profile of the state.

He said the British Department of International Development (DFID) has returned to the state while the World Bank has expanded its activities in the state.

Fayemi added that he also visited the headquarters of the United Nations International Development Organisation (UNIDO) to expand the industrial base of the state and boost its economy.

The governor said Chinese, Korean and Italian investors are coming to the state to tap the abundant solid minerals in the state.

SUN State Governor Rauf Aregbesola has advised the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to generate more intelligent arguments if it is to be taken serious as an opposition party.

The governor said no decent Osun indigene would take what he called “puerile arguments of the PDP” against his administration serious, adding that the party has convinced the people that it is incapable of well-reasoned arguments.

He was reacting to a report in which PDP Acting Chairman Sunday Ojo-Williams berated Aregbesola for inaugurating a project in Lagos State last week.

But Aregbesola’s spokesman Semiu Okanlawon said Nigerians and Osun people have dismissed Ojo-Williams’ several allegations against the governor because they lacked substance.

“For instance, Ojo-Williams saw a photograph of the governor inaugurating a project in Lagos State simply translated into abandonment of his duties in Osun! How unsound an argument?

“The ceremony that gave Ojo-Williams headache was the formal opening of the Rauf Aregbesola Medical Centre built by the Mosan Okunola Local Council Development Authority in Lagos State.

“The project was named after the governor in recognition of his contributions to the socio-political and economic growth of Lagos, before, during and after his tenure as Commissioner for Works in the state.

“Indeed, that Aregbesola is being remembered for the laudable works he did as commissioner in Lagos is a pointer to the fact that the people of Osun State have made the best choice in their search for a leader who can pull the state out of the woods and wilderness that the PDP administration dragged it through its seven and a half years of visionless reign.

“And just in case Ojo-Williams has forgotten, the former PDP governor was a governor in the same Lagos State and all he is remembered for till date is the “nobitumen” excuse for leaving the state’s roads in very precarious state.”

The statement advised OjoWilliams to spend more times to put the fallen house of the PDP in order rather than engaging in arguments which he cannot sustain and which lack substance.

Mimiko may dissolve caretaker committees

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HERE is tension in the Labour Party (LP) in Ondo State over speculations that the interim committees of local government councils are to be dissolved this week.

It was gathered that Governor Olusegun Mimiko may dissolve the 18 councils on Wednesday.

There had been ripples over the delay in the dissolution of

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

the councils.

Stakeholders said the interim committee should not have constitutionally exceeded six months, but the caretaker chairmen have remained in office for almost two years.

It was learnt that the development had pitched the leadership of the party against the state executive.

Many aggrieved party supporters have been clamouring for the dissolution of the interim councils.

Already, serious lobbying among party members eyeing positions in the local councils has begun.

Sources hinted that list of new appointees from each local government has been forwarded to appropriate quarters for chairmanship

and other executive members in the local government.

A top leader in the LP, who pleaded for anonymity, noted that the present caretaker committee members have remained too long in office, citing Ekiti State ,where their counterparts spent only six months before they were sacked by Governor Kayode Fayemi.

•Aregbesola

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THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

NEWS Robbers raid bank in Kogi From Mohammed Bashir, Lokoja

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IGHT armed robbers at the weekend invaded a first generation bank in Kabba, the headquarters of Kabba/ Bunnu Local Government of Kogi State, and stole millions of naira.

The robbers reportedly drove into the bank premises in two Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) at about 11.30am, shooting indiscriminately to scare away people.

Eyewitnesses said they told customers to lie down and made straight for the vault. They continued shooting throughout the operation, which reportedly lasted about 35 minutes.

An eyewitness said a stray bullet hit a nursing mother in the thigh.

Another customer was also hit where he was lying down.

Police Public Relation Officer (PPRO) Ajayi Okasanmi, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), confirmed the robbery, saying the command was investigating.

Babangida warns Jonathan against F silencing opposition

ORMER military president General Ibrahim Babangida, yesterday warned President Goodluck Jonathan against listening to sycophants who are asking him to muzzle the opposition and stifle dissent voices.

He urged the President to avoid frivolous issues that would distract him from national duties.

In a statement in Abuja by his spokesman, Prince Kassim Afegbua, Babangida advised Jonathan to listen to opposition and other dissenting voices.

According to him, the President needs to appreciate that he has enormous tasks ahead than hounding down perceived enemies.

The statement reads: “The happenings in the country in recent times call for worry if we must be sincere with ourselves. Every day, the nation is treated with one form of political issue or the

•‘Beware of sycophants’ From Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation

other. From security challenges to economic challenges, Nigerians are asking several questions that deserve responses from government at various levels.

That is the beauty of democracy: a people-driven government with its fundamental principles of freedom of expression, freedom of association, rule of law, accountability, probity and equal representation among others.

“It is against this background that I will like to advise President Goodluck Jonathan to tread cautiously so that those sycophants in, and out of, government will

not derail his focus. He needs all the comportment, resilience, perseverance, introspection and determination to be able to take the right decisions for the good of the country.

“The arrest and release of Mallam Nasir El-Rufai is a deliberate distraction which the President must run away from. He must avoid gambling with decisions and he must be willing to seek a third opinion on issues before he takes his decision.

“It is not my tradition to use public platform to pass on my advice to any incumbent President. My choice of this forum is to allow Nigerians the opportunity to appreciate the challenges that President

Jonathan is facing in the light of our current economic downturn and security concerns in the country.

“President Goodluck Jonathan must understand that there are people out there who are not happy with happenings in the country. It is his responsibility as the President to reach out to them and make his mission understandable to the common man on the street so that they can buy into his government.

“If his body of advisers do not understand the temperament in the country and decide to embark on arresting and releasing people on very questionable allegations, they will be making enemies for the President instead of

Oritsejafor to inaugurate N2.8m water project

Aniagolu’s death a national loss, says Mark

From Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

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From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

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ENATE President Senator David Mark has called for the immortalisation of the late Supreme Court Justice Anthony Aniagolu, in recognition of his contributions to the Judiciary.

In a condolence message to the government and people of Enugu State on Aniagolu’s death, Mark noted that the late legal luminary was one of the pillars of the nation’s contemporary Judiciary.

Mark’s message was part of a statement yesterday in Abuja by his Chief Press Secretary Paul Mumeh.

The Senate President said Nigeria’s current constitution got its foundation from the 1989 Constitution midwifed by Aniagolu as the Chairman of the defunct Constituent Assembly.

Mark said: “Aniagolu was a distinguished judicial officer, a highly principled and brilliant administrator. He was a patriot and pan-Africanist who believed in the sanctity of one indivisible Nigeria where no one or group should be oppressed or marginalised.”

He said the late Aniagolu would be remembered for his objectivity and landmark judicial pronouncements, which he added are needed to bring peace and order to the society.

He urged the Federal Government and Enugu State to consider naming a befitting monument after Aniagolu in appreciation of his meritorious services to the nation.

Mark urged the bereaved family to take solace in the fact that the late Judicial icon lived a fulfilled life worthy of emulation.

friends. The prerogative is that of the President and no one else.

“President Jonathan should, as a matter of responsibility, listen to voices of the opposition and/or dissent, as he stands to gain experience and knowledge from their wellinformed criticisms rather than build hostilities around them.

“He has to ensure that he minimises and maximises his discretionary powers in a manner that will not be subject to abuse. The essence of transformative leadership, on which platform his campaign was anchored, boils down to how the leader is able to articulate his thoughts, nuances and provoke policy options that would best suit the variables.”

Babangida noted that since the President was pursuing a transformation agenda, he should tolerate constructive criticisms.

•From left: Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko; representative of the Federal Ministry of Education, Rev. Chris Ogaji; Gen. Gowon; and FUTA Vice-Chancellor Prof.Balogun at the ceremony in Abuja...at the weekend.

Gowon urges increased funding of varsities

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ORMER Head of State General Yakubu Gowan has called for increased funding for universities.

Speaking at the Capital Campaign Launch of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), in Abuja at the weekend, Gen. Gowon said universities should look inwards and outwards to raise money for their development.

He said: “Besides the requirement to have a reasonable modest increase in fees, the need to call on all stakeholders for assistance has become imperative.

“It is acknowledged that today, the burden of education can no longer be carried by the government alone. This is indeed one of the greatest challenges facing universities in Nigeria.”

Gen. Gowon said FUTA has the potential to become one of the nation’s leading universities.

He said: “The university has great potentials and opportunities for growth and development but for the serious con-

From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

straint of funding and limited operating budget.”

FUTA Vice-Chancellor Prof. Adebisi Balogun said N40 billion was projected for the development of the university in its 2005 to 2015 Strategic Plan, adding that an average of N4 billion was projected to be spent annually.

Balogun said: “Since government subvention has remained grossly inadequate to fund the realisation of the goals of the plan, the capital campaign initiative was adopted to source for fund and seek the support of other stakeholders.”

The Chairman of the African Business Round Table, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, noted that FUTA’s Global Research Programme on West Africa Climate Change System, Geo-Information Technology Programme and approval of the university as the Centre of Excellent in food security by the World Bank are worthy of emulation.

IGP gives Niger Police bulletproof vehicles

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NSPECTOR-General of Police Hafiz Ringim has given five bulletproof armoured vehicles to the Niger State Police Command to combat rising violence in the North.

Inspecting the vehicles at the Police Mobile Barracks, Minna, the state capital, Police Commissioner Mike Zuokumor said they were part of efforts by Ringim to

From Jide Orintunsin, Minna

combat bombings and other crimes.

He said the customised vehicles were built to protect officers and men from attacks by hoodlums during uprising and to protect them from bombs.

The inspection of the vehicles coincided with the passing-out of the first batch of 120 Special Anti-

Terrorism Squad trained by the state command.

Zuokumor said the vehicles have bomb detectors, adding that the machines mounted on them would enhance operations, protect the officers and help them in discharging their duties.

He said the command required more of such vehicles, adding that the first consignment would be effectively used.

Praising Ringim for the

vehicles, Zuokumor noted that they would enhance policemen’s performance, urging the Force Headquarters to provide more logistic support for the command to enable it check insurgents.

The Police chief said there would be a capacitybuilding project for the command’s personnel to undergo a month training in anti-terrorism and body fitness programme.

HRISTIAN Association of Nigeria (CAN) President Pastor Ayo Oritjesafor will this week inaugurate a N2.8million miniwater works in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.

The project was donated to Gaa Imam community by a pentecostal church, the World Assembly, to mark its 15th anniversary.

General Superintendent of the church Evang. Isaac Omoleyin told reporters in Ilorin at the weekend that the church wanted “to give back to the community in our own little way”.

He said: “We also plan to build rehabilitation centres for the destitute, commercial sex workers and the castaways who desire alternative lifestyle.

“Our church is thinking of what charity institution it can put in place to relieve the society of the burden of the destitute. There is no place in the world where everything is left in the hands of government.”

Omoleyin said that plans were in top gear by the church to establish an old people’s home in the Ilorin.

The anniversary, which began yesterday and ends on July 10, is tagged: Week of Charity.

Omoleyin said: “With the downturn of the economy, young girls become more desperate and abandon their babies.

We have an orphanage to take care of their babies. We have 18 of them now; the youngest being nine days old and the oldest five. We have also built a children’s village which the CAN president will open .

“As part of activities for the event, we will have daily lectures on charity. Members of the church will visit the children’s centre, run by the Ministry of Social Development, during the week-long event.

“We shall embark on the clearing and cleaning of blocked drains and gutters, which aided flooding in the past. Equally, some of our members have been assigned to keep the aged company during the week without discrimination.”

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THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

NEWS Audu’s planned defection to ACN criticised

FCT residents urge soldiers’ redeployment

From Isah Idris, Katsina

From Bukola Amusan, Abuja

SOME residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, have urged the Federal Government to redeploy the soldiers it drafted to the city to strengthen security for alleged power abuse.

Since last Thursday when soldiers of the Special Airborne Squad were directed by the Army Headquarters to mount roadblocks in Abuja and conduct stop-and-search, there have been complaints that they had gone beyond their mandate.

The soldiers’ deployment followed the bombing of the Police Headquarters by Boko Haram religious sect on June 8.

Men of the State Security Services (SSS) have also been deployed to mount security at the entrance of major parks in the FCT. At the gate of most public parks, including the Millennium Park, SSS officials have taken over security.

As fun seekers are screened with hand-held metal detectors before being allowed into the park, gun-wielding SSS officials conduct stop-andsearch on vehicles going into the park.

A resident, who did not want his name in print, said the soldiers on Mararaba/ Nyanya road have been violating the fundamental human rights of motorists by whipping them with belts and torturing others for little or no offence.

Yobe governor gets award From Duku Joel, Damaturu

YOBE State Governor Ibrahim Gaidam has received the Housing Governor of the Year Award.

He received the award at the fifth Abuja Housing Show organised by Fesadeb Communication Limited in conjunction with the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, Platinum Savings and Loans Limited and Wichtech Roofing Limited.

The ceremony took place at the International Conference Centre, Abuja. The award was received on the governor’s behalf by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Housing, Bukar Buni.

The organisers said they were impressed by Gaidam’s policy of cutting down the cost of housing to civil servants by 65 per cent, describing it as “people-oriented and exemplary”.

The Managing Director of the Housing Corporation, Alhaji Kalomi Usman, received the award of the CEO of state-owned Housing Corporation of the Year for the corporation’s role in housing development.

Gaidam expressed appreciation to the organisers, saying the award would make him to increase efforts on housing development.

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•Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun (middle) discussing with the state Chairman of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Prince Lanre Tejuoso at the wedding of Oba Oladapo Tejuoso’s daughter at St. James Cathedral, Idi-Ape, Abeokuta...on Saturday. With them is the governor’s wife, Olufunso.

Medical Council outlaws strike for doctors

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EDICAL doctors can no longer go on strike, the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) has declared.

The highest decision-making body for doctors and dentists in the country said sanctions await any doctor that flouts the new directives agreed upon at the last stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja on June 23.

Dr. Roger Makanjuola, Chairman of the Council, told reporters in Abuja at the weekend that doctors could only go on strike in extreme cases.

He noted that certain measures must be put in place before doctors can abandon their duty posts.

Besides, he said before embarking on a strike, permission must be sought from and approval given by the central

From Dele Anofi, Abuja

committee of the MDCN, which has not been the case in previous industrial actions.

Reading a communiqué at the end of the meeting, Makanjuola said: “It is unethical to go on strike. Practitioners must respect the provisions of the Code of Medical Ethics in Nigeria as prescribed by the MDCN. Having sworn to the Hippocratic Oath doctors should not go on strike because the oath says, first, the health of my patient shall be my first consideration and secondly that I will maintain the utmost respect for human life.

“These two components of the oath are clearly in conflict with strikes. If we do not intend to abide by the Hippocratic Oath, then we should stop swearing to it,” he said.

Though Makanjuola said

doctors could express their grievances when such are genuine, he added that the Medical Code of Ethics allowed medical and dental practitioners to go on strike only in extreme circumstances.

He said: “When such industrial actions occur, the care of our patients is protected. The code stipulates that no patient can be abandoned in the midst of his or her treatment.

A striking doctor must make arrangements to hand over the continued care of his patients before he leaves his post.

“Also, provision must be made for the continued provision of services for accident and emergencies and the care of those with serious illnesses and life-threatening conditions”.

On the possibility of governments and hospital man-

agement latching on the new directives to turn down demands for salary enhancement or provision of working tools or health infrastructures, Makanjuola said such could occur.

He said: “This is because, if the doctors have no tools to work with, coupled with an environment unsuitable for job, naturally he would explore all options first, then if everything fails to achieve redress, then the last option would be to down tool.

“What we are saying is that if any doctor goes on strike and it is reported to the Council, we will investigate it and if found culpable, sanctions would be imposed,” he emphasised.

He also said the Council was set to swoop on individuals that used fake imported medical equipment that diagnoses and treats all aliments.

Obasanjo urges incentives to bring youths into agric

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ORMER President Olusegun Obasanjo has advocated increased incentives from federal, state and local governments to farmers to stimulate increased farm produce and encourage youths into agriculture.

Obasanjo spoke at the weekend in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, at the inauguration of the ‘Feed Africa Committee’ of the Centre for Human Security.

Expressing worry over the

From Bisi Oladele, Ibadan

rate farmers were decreasing in Nigeria, the former President said governments need to encourage young people into agriculture by giving them incentives.

Obasanjo said: “We must make farming profitable by making incentives available to interested youths. Incentives must be made in the areas of land available to interested youths and graduates of agriculture. They must

have access to loans and have specialised training on the kinds of crop to grow. After these have been provided, they must be sure that there is a market for their produce.”

He noted that security would be threatened if there was no food for the increasing African population.

The former president said the Obasanjo Farms Nigeria (OFN)/Delta partnership was a pilot project aimed at increasing the awareness of

and improving skills in poultry management, create employment and improve human security through production of improved quality of animal protein based food.

He said building a successor generation of farmers was a challenge for Nigeria.

Director of the centre, Prof Peter Okebukola urged the government to formulate and implement agriculturefriendly policies to eradicate poverty and provide employment for youths.

CHIEFTAIN of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Kogi State, Chief Dennis Ebo, has criticised the planned defection of former Kogi State governor Prince Abubakar Audu, to the party.

Ebo, who spoke with The Nation on phone yesterday, queried the rationale behind the defection and why it was receiving so much attention.

He noted that Audu’s former party, the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), was once a vibrant opposition to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), having also been in power before 2007.

Ebo alleged that the party mismanaged Kogi when it was in power, criticising ACN members that were working on the defection.

He said such members were unmindful of the future of ACN, adding that the party was admitting those who might become a liability in the future.

Ebo said: “As a foundation member of APP, now ANPP, what did former Governor Audu contribute tangibly to ACN that he cannot do for ANPP to rescue the party out of its present pitiable state to attain progress in Kogi State?

“Who are those that led ANPP over the years before it fell into its present quagmire that it had to be dumped?

“Those clamouring for Audu to come into our esteemed party (ACN) on July 11 are uncaring about his antecedents; are not wishing the ACN well or thinking anything good for it.”

ANPP former House of Assembly member (Kogi East) and its Chairman, Farouk Yahaya could not be reached for comments.

On the crisis ACN in Kogi leading to the suspension of the state chairman, Alhaji Hadi Ametuo, Ebo said it was just part of politics.

He added that there would soon be a resolution of the crisis.

Oyo NURTW crisis: I’m not a criminal, says Tokyo

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HE embattled Chairman of the Oyo State branch of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Alhaji Lateef Akinsola, aka Tokyo, has said Police Commissioner Baba Adisa Bolanta was wrong for calling him (Tokyo) “a criminal”.

Tokyo, who was declared wanted with his opponent, Alhaji Lamidi Mukaila, aka Auxiliary, over the June bloody clash among factional members of the drivers’ union, urged Bolanta to retract the statement or be sued for defamation.

Bolanta had told reporters a few days ago that Tokyo was a criminal because of his alleged role in the lingering crisis rocking the Oyo NURTW. He said the Police com-

•Urges IGP intervention From Oseheye Okwuofu, Ibadan

mand was compiling reports to be submitted to the Justice Olagoke Ige-led Judicial Commission of enquiry inaugurated by Governor Isiaka Abiola Ajimobi to probe the crisis.

But Tokyo, in a statement in Ibadan at the weekend, accused Bolanta of hypocrisy in the state NURTW crisis.

He said: “Bolanta actually knows who the real criminal is in the matter but has always been looking the other way for parochial interest.”

Challenging the Police chief to tell the world where he saw him (Tokyo) going about with dangerous weap-

ons or ammunition, or committing crime, Tokyo said: “Mukaila Lamidi, aka Auxiliary, is the mastermind of so many attacks in the state in which several innocent souls were maliciously terminated, including that of the 500-level medical student of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Mr. Auwal Shanono, who was killed during the Iwo Road attack.

“What has Bolanta done to fish out Auxiliary, whom he (Bolanta) has been shielding?

Bolanta should desist from playing politics with the Oyo NURTW as he is the one harbouring Auxiliary. Bolanta has been playing the script written for him by ex-Governor

Adebayo Alao-Akala, who happens to be his brother-inlaw. Bolanta should also be asked by the public to restate the roles he played in leading his men to destroy the NURTW state secretariat with caterpillars, despite a subsisting judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction, all in his efforts to satisfy his paymasters.”

Tokyo said despite the proscription of the Oyo NURTW by the government, it was an open secret that Auxiliary had been collecting tolls from motorists at motor parks, especially at Iwo Road and Ojoo motor parks, allegedly with Police protection.

He said: “The public would recall the roles of Bolanta at the time he deliberately tried to no avail to rope me into

•Tokyo

the alleged murder of Eleweomo’s security guards wherein he used fake bodies to deceive the public that the guards were killed. The perceived murdered guards are still alive today, hale and hearty, moving about freely.“

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

8

NEWS Odion for commissioner

Four suspected robbers set ablaze in Warri

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F

ORMER Managing Director of National LIFE Louis Odion, who was nominated as a commissioner by Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole, will this week appear before the House of Assembly for screening and endorsement.

Oshiomhole’s spokesman Tony Iyare said at the weekend that Odion’s name is to be forwarded to the House for confirmation.

Odion, a graduate of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), was editor of The Sun on Sunday.

He began his professional career at the defunct Concord Press in 1992 and rose to deputy editor, Sunday Concord in 1999. In 2000, he joined Thisday and resigned as the deputy editor of the daily paper in October 2002 to join The Sun .

He was the pioneer editor of The Sun on Sunday and piloted it till January 2008 when he joined National LIFE as Managing Director.

A prolific and incisive writer, Odion has written a weekly column, ‘The Bot-

•Odion

tomline’, for more than a decade.

He has received many professional laurels. In 2007, he was adjudged ‘The Media Person of the Year’ by City People magazine. Twice, he won the coveted prize of’The Columnist of the Year’ (in 2007 and 2009) of the prestigious Nigerian Media Merit Award (NMMA).

Also appointed as a Special Adviser is Osaretine Edosomwan.

HERE are concerns over the increasing spate of ‘jungle’ justice in Warri, Delta State. Four robbery suspects were set ablaze yesterday.

Although incidents of lynching of robbery suspects have increased in the area in recent times, yesterday’s incident was the highest lynching at a single incident.

It was gathered that the suspects met their end after snatching gold accessories from a female victim at Hausa Quarters.

Eyewitnesses said the incident occurred at about 3:30pm.

The hoodlums reportedly fled into the nearby slum in the area.

•Seven lynched in days •Rights group raise alarm From Shola O’Neil, Warri

Sources said they were caught when security personnel and residents chased them before they got to McDermott Road in front of GKS’ Salem City.

“The mob did not have to look too far for disused tyres, there were vulcaniser shops around. They took a number of tyres and made bonfires out of the criminals,” an eyewitness said.

However, it was gathered that the development had heightened concerns of civil society groups in the area.

Sheriff Mulade of the Cen-

tre for Peace and Environmental Justice warned that innocent persons risked being killed if security authorities failed to take drastic actions to prosecute victims.

Oghenejabor Ikimi, coordinator of the Forum for Human Rights Defence, condemned the jungle justice, describing it as extra-judicial killing, which security agents must not condone.

Investigations by our correspondent revealed that yesterday’s incident brought to seven the number of suspected robbers lynched in the city within the past 10 days.

The roasting of the quartet

came barely three days after two suspected bank robbers were burnt on Airport Road after they allegedly dispossessed a customer of a new generation bank of money he just withdraw from the bank.

Prior to the Airport Road burnings, on June 21 a suspect, said to be notorious for attacking his victim with dagger and other dangerous weapons at the Enerhen Junction, was caught and also set ablaze after allegedly stealing a handbag containing N150.

When contacted, the Area Commander (Delta South), Abutu Yaro, said he was on casual leave.

Akpabio, others mourn ‘Lady of songs’

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KWA IBOM State Governor Godswill Akpabio and Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko have condoled with the family of Lady of Songs Christy Essien-Igbokwe Akpabio, in a statement by the Secretary to the State Government Umana Umana, said she would be difficultto replace.

Describing her as a musical icon and a spectacular actress, Akpabio said the late musician was a distinguished daughter of Akwa Ibo, who manifested the work ethic typical of Akwa Ibom people.

Mimiko’s condolence message by his Chief Press Secretary Kolawole Olabisi noted her role as a singer, who used her talent to bring

From Kazeem Ibrahym, Uyo and Damisi Ojo, Akure

didactic morals home to the children and the old alike.

“I pray that the good Lord will console you all and give you the grace to ensure that her ideals never die with her.

“On behalf of my wife, my family and the good People of Ondo State, I wish to sympathise with you on this sad loss and pray that the good Lord grants her eternal rest in His bosom.

Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomole said the country has lost one of its finest music and theatre protagonists in the death of Igbokwe.

Oshiomhole prayed the Almighty God to grant the family the fortitude to bear the loss.

Kidnappers free REC’s daughter

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HE kidnapped daughter of the Rivers State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Utibeabasi Ikoiwak, was yesterday freed by her abductors.

Utibeabasi was kidnapped on June19 when unknown gunmen invaded Abundant Life Ministry, Eket, Akwa Ibom State.

The kidnappers demanded N100million.

It could not be confirmed if the ransom was paid before Utibeabasi was freed but the REC confirmed the release in a text message.

In the message, Ikoiwak said: “Sir/Madam, Please join us to thank this great

From Kazeem Ibrahym, Uyo

God, Utibeabasi is back home.

May glory be to God. I wish to thank you for all your contributions. God, in his infinite mercy, will surely reward you.

Aniedi Ikoiwak and family.”

Ikoiwak, who later spoke to our reporter, said Utibeabasi was not hurt in any way during her stay in the kidnappers’ den.

The REC, however, refused to say if any ransom was paid by the family before Utibeabasi was released.

His words: “Utibeabasi was not hurt in any way by her abductors. I really appreciate the efforts of The Nation.”

•Widower Edwin Igbokwe (right) with sympathisers Chukwuemeka Okonkwo and Okey Igbokwe at the Lagos home of the late PHOTO: RAHMAN SANUSI Mrs. Christy Essien-Igbokwe... at the weekend.

Anenih, Clark may clash over House Leader

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PPOINTMENT of principal officers of the House of Representatives may have ran into a hitch following alleged conflicting interest of some Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stalwarts.

A source close to Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal said yesterday that “the undue interest of two PDP stalwarts from the Southsouth over who becomes the House leader has made the appointment of principal officers of the House to be delayed.”

Though the PDP zoned the position to the Southsouth, the House has been unable to appoint its principal officers more than 28 days after the election of Tambuwal and Emeka Ihedioha as Speaker and Deputy Speaker on June 6.

From Onyedi Ojiabor, Assistant Editor

The source also said the entry of former Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Eseme Eyiboh into the race has complicated the election.

He noted that besides Eyiboh (Akwa Ibom), others angling for the position included Godwin Ndudi Elumelu (Delta); Andrew Uchendu (Rivers); Sekonte Davies (Rivers); John Enoh (Cross River); Leo Ogor (Delta); Friday Itullah (Edo) and Yakubu Dogara (Bauchi).

It was gathered that while former Chairman, Board of Trustees (BOT) of PDP, Chief Tony Anenih has allegedly thrown his weight behind one of the aspirants from Rivers State, Ijaw leader Chief Edwin Clark is backing an aspirant

from Delta.

The source said Anenih, who initially rooted for his protégé, Itullah may have changed his mind because the Rivers aspirant is “more sellable.”

He noted that Anenih played a major role in the appointment of the immediate past House leader, Tunde Akogun.

According to the source, Anenih and Clark “are pressing necessary buttons” with the aim of ensuring that their candidate clinches the position.

“We also understand that President Goodluck Jonathan is also interested in who becomes the House leader. So the presiding officers of the House are really in a difficult position trying not to offend any of the three, Jonathan,

Anenih and Clark,” he added.

There was also strong indication that Mulikat AkandeAdeola who lost the position of Speaker to Tambuwal might be compensated with the position of Chief Whip of the House.

But some power brokers in the House are said to have insisted that Tambuwal could not afford not to have a hand in who becomes what in the House if he wanted his position as Speaker sustained.

Efforts to contact Anineh and Clark were unsuccessful.

Clark did not answer his call neither did he respond to a text message When contacted, Eyiboh said: “Since the position of House leader was zoned to the Southsouth, any member from the zone is entitled to vie for the position.”

‘Sekibo didn’t consult ACN leaders before withdrawing petition’

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HE National Treasurer of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Kenneth Kobani, has said the party’s governorship candidate in Rivers State, Dr. Abiye Sekibo, refused to consult party leaders before withdrawing the petition from the Election Petitions Tribunal in Port Harcourt.

Kobani, in an interview yesterday, said Sekibo, two weeks ago, met in Port Harcourt with some ACN leaders, where he assured them that the petition would be pursued to a logical conclusion.

The ACN’s chieftain said

From Bisi Olaniyi, Port Harcourt

Sekibo was taken seriously, believing that he was a gentleman, only to betray the cause last Friday.

Kobani said he was surprised on Friday, to learn from the lead counsel to the ACN and Sekibo, Golden Tamuno, that the former Transport Minister instructed him before travelling to England, that he should withdraw the petition, citing frustration.

He said the last discussion he had with Sekibo before he travelled was that when he

returned, both of them would meet with some leaders, especially Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola to strategise on the petition.

Kobani said: “I do not know how I find myself associating with these unreliable characters in the ACN. It is very frustrating and annoying. Imagine what Okwukwu did before the election. What Sekibo has just done is very unbelievable. That is the peak of betrayal.”

Despite the withdrawal, the ACN’s lead counsel said the party would still continue with the state and National Assemblies’ petitions before

the tribunal, as well as petitions arising from the chairmanship and councillorship elections of May 21, before the Local Government Election Tribunal.

Investigations revealed that Sekibo bowed to pressure from his political mentor and godfather, former Governor Peter Odili after allegedly being assured that his legal bills would be taken care of.

It was also learnt that the development was a prelude to the withdrawal of petitions

by Celestine Omehia of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA).

9

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

NEWS

We always dismiss erring officers, says police chief

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BONYI State Commissioner of Police Dippo Ayeni has said the Nigeria Police always dismiss erring officers.

Ayeni spoke at the weekend when the Director of Public Enlightenment, Directorate of Attitudinal Change, Kelechi Mbam, visited him in Abakaliki, the state capital.

Ayeni said everyone should be involved in the fight against corruption and other social vices.

He called for an attitudinal change saying: “There is

From Ogbonna Obinna, Abakililki

need for a re-orientation in our country, people must begin to change their attitude towards the masses and the masses towards constituted authority. “On our part, we consistently punish the ‘bad eggs’ among us. If you go to the cell now, you will see a lot of policemen detained for various offences.

“We constantly purge ourselves of bad elements so that they do not pollute others. If other organisations can em-

ulate us, the society would be a better place to live in.

“The issue of attitudinal change calls for a holistic approach, every segment of the society must get involved, people now do things the way they like. Corruption has eaten deep into the fabric of our society”, he said.

Ayeni called for a synergy between the police and other organisations.

He urged people to always give information to the police.

Mbam hailed the commissioner for reducing crime in

Fed Govt initiates programme for workers

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HE Federal Government has begun an exchange programme for senior staff in the civil service and private sector.

The programme is aimed at creating a stronger synergy between the private sector and the civil service.

Head of Civil Service of the Federation (HOCSF) Prof. Oladapo Afolabi made this known at the weekend during a meeting between the private sector and the civil service in Abuja.

He said the impact of the civil service is not felt because of the gap between the private sector and the civil service.

Afolabi said: “The skill enhancement programme will promote an exchange of

From Franca Ochigbo, Abuja

skills, ideas and expertise on common issues, thereby achieving greater and better synergy required for national development.

“The scheme is expected to last for one year and is restricted to the directorate cadre of the civil service and its equivalent in the private sector.

“This is in line with the provision of the public service rules which allow for such levels of staff to take and spend their sabbatical leave in a learning environment in a reciprocal manner. Their counterparts in the private sector would be accommodated in the public service, under similar conditions.

“The senior staff exchange

programme was developed to bridge the age- long divide between the public and private sectors.

“While the public service has the responsibility of formulating sound policies, the private sector is seen as the primary engine of economic growth.

“Government has come to the realisation that for it to attain progress in its national agenda, we need to move away from traditional practices and engage our private sector partners in a collaborative and symbiotic relationship.

“The private sector operatives will use this as an opportunity to gain better understanding of government and ensure that more robust policies are enunciated. “

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

10

NEWS

Activists call for family courts in Oyo

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CIVIL society group, the Legal Rights Awareness and Protection Organisation (LAREPO) has called on the Chief Justice of Oyo State to set up family courts in the state in line with the Child Rights law (2006).

In a letter to the Chief Judge by LAREPO National Coordinator, Yakub Fadare, the group said establishment of the courts would ensure a proper protection of the Child’s right, adding that offenders would be punished.

From Bisi Oladele, Ibadan

According to the group, many abusers of child rights have escaped the law because of absence of a court to adjudicate on the offences .

LAREPO noted that the Child Rights Act, passed by the National Assembly is still in force,saying Oyo State had adopted it.

A statement by the group reads: “The law equally provides for instrumentality of law through which the rights of the child may be enforced vis-à-vis their

interest, welfare, development and how their developmental process and education may be enhanced.

The law further spells out offences relating to children and the penalties which may be meted out to offenders against the child in compliance with the mandatory provision of Section 36 of Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria on criminal justice.

The law is doubtless exhaustive to the extent that it confers jurisdiction on a special court referred to as Family Courts under Sec-

tion 150.”

The LAREPO coordinator said the group would create awareness for childrens’ rights to help them protect their rights within the purview of the law.

The June 23 letter to the Chief Judge, Justice Badejoko Adeniji, reminded her of the need for the establishment of the court.

The letter was also sent to the state governor, the zonal director of the UNICEF and State Commissioner of Women Affairs and Youth Development.

Ogoni in diaspora condemn Amaechi’s investments From Clarice Azuatalam, Port Harcourt

HE Ogoni in dispora have joined in the fray to reject the N20billion investment being offered to them by Governor Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers State.

In an on-line statement in Port Harcourt at the weekend by the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) in the diaspora, the people described the proposed banana project and the botched military camp in Ogoniland by government as “extraterritorial projects”.

In the statement signed by DumBari Tsaro Deezua, Secretary of MOSOP-USA, they said that “there is no piece of land in Ogoni for either a military camp or a plantain plantation.”

Deezua said they would not have the governor “concentrate all his developmental initiatives in one area of the state by building a Greater PortHarcourt City in PortHarcourt City; building another university in addition to the many that are already in Port-Harcourt; building state- of- the- art hospitals in PortHarcourt; and then see Ogoni-land as the backyard dumpster that is only good for “extra-territorial projects such as a plantain plantation or military installations.”

Continuing, the Ogonis stated that “the Ogoni ancestral farmlands have sentimental values that are worth much to our people and could only be exchanged for developmental projects that will serve our public good; not to be used as a backyard storage bin by Governor Amaechi.”

The group also expressed disappointment with their political representatives for not standing by the people.

The MOSOP in Ogoni had issued a statement through its Information Officer, Bari-ala Kpalap, rejecting the governor’s offer.

They also accused the governor of using a clandestine means by the offer of the banana plantation to cause resumption of oil exploration in the land.

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Anambra community seeks assistance of security agencies HE war torn Orumba community of Anambra State has sought the assistance of security agencies to protect them following the land crisis rocking Ogbunka and Owerre Ezukala .

This followed a petition to the Police Commissioner Muhtari Ibrahim, Joint Task Force (JTF), and State Security Service (SSS) by one of the warring communities.

Over 2,000 Ogbunka indigenes have allegedly fled the community for fear of being arrested by security operatives.

A petition signed by Osy

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•The Chairman, Ejigbo Local Council Development Area, Lagos, Mr. Kehinde Bamigbetan (right) receiving the award of Fellowship of Ife Business School from former Minister of State for Water Resources, Bashir Awotorebo at the induction of fellows at Oduduwa Hall, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State...at the weekend

AGF promises to help govt realise targets

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HE new Accountant -General of the Federation (AGF) Jonah Olaniyi Otunla has pledged to work for the realisation of the goals of the President Goodluck Jonathan administration.

He spoke on Friday when he assumed office as the new AGF in Abuja.

Otunla expressed grati-

From Nduka Chiejina, Abuja, Assistant Editor

tude to President Jonathan for giving him the opportunity to serve and described the assignment as “a call to duty.”

The office of the AGF would help the government to realise its set targets and objectives.

Former AGF A. B. Ogun-

sanya said he was playing a noble role in the activities of government as constitutionally mandated. He attributed his achievements to a dedicated workforce and their adherence to laid down public sector rules and procedures.

Ogunsanya urged workers to co-operate with the new AGF.

Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe State described the emergence of Otunla as competitive.

J.K Naiyeju, former AGF, advised the new Accountant General not to bring the House to disrepute.

Naiyeju advised the workers and the AGF to maintain integrity and competence .

Okomu Oil denies owing FIRS N300m

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KOMU Oil Palm has denied owing the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) N300million.

The company said it has not defaulted in its tax payment to Edo State and the Federal Government.

Addressing reporters in Benin , Chairman of Okomu Oil Palm Company Gbenga Oyebode said there was nothing wrong with Okomu Oil Palm securing loan from Access Bank.

Oyebode said: “I don’t know where the allegation came from that we owe FIRS N300 million. If we owe FIRS such a huge sum of money, we would have been

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

sanctioned by now. There is no truth to the allegation whatsoever. Anybody that has any document to back up this allegation should come up with it.”

On the allegations raised

by Onitsha zone shareholders of the company, Oyebode denied owing the shareholders saying the management has no special relationship with them different from the relationship it keeps with the other shareholders to warrant any special payment in cash or kind.

“A company does not pay its shareholders association

for expenses they incurred.

If a company pays its shareholders’ expenses, then it will soon discover it will have to pay more than it anticipated.”

“The allegation from the Onitsha zone is that there is something “unconscionable” in our dealings. There is nothing illegal, nothing unconscionable in our dealings. From the very first day the loan was taken, it was disclosed in our annual report.

“By the business year 2010, it has actually been repaid. That is why you won’t see it in this year’s annual report. Following their petitions, CAC and SEC have

looked into our operations.

They are doing their jobs and we are doing our jobs. We have not done anything wrong. They have not told us we did anything wrong,” Oyebode explained.

Oyebode was accompanied by the company Managing Director, Dr. Grayham Hefer, the representative of Edo State government and Esogban of Benin Kingdom, Chief David Edebiri and the representative of Ovia South West Local Government Jonathan Igbinomwanhia.

Igbinomwanhia is on the board as the current Chairman (Transition) of the council that hosts Okomu Oil Plc.

From Nwanosike Onu, Awka

Peter Ibeh called on security agencies to dismantle what they called the Ogbunka terrorists arms’ depot.

The member representing Orumba North/South Federal Constituency Ben Nwankwo has expressed worry over the development.

He urged Governor Peter Obi and Ibrahim to resolve the crisis.

A peace committee has been set up to resolve the crisis.

Anambra police spokesman Emeka Chukwuemeka has denied the allegations.

‘Nigerian entrepreneurs need initiative’ From Nduka Chiejina, Abuja, Assistant Editor

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IGERIAN entrepreneurs need initiative and creativity to survive, according to Director-General, Centre for Management Development (CMD), Dr Kabir

Usman.

He spoke at the weekend during the graduates ceremony of 100 participants of the Entrepreneur Academy of El.Bethel Global Initiative.

Usman advised the graduates to partners others to succeed in life. He said while a business man thinks about profit,an entrepreneur thinks about the future of his enterprise.

Usman also identified multiple taxation and lack of basic infrastructure as militating against the growth of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria.

The challenges confronting SMEs in the country, the CMD chief said, “are lack of infrastructural facilities, adequate training, political factors and multiple taxation.”

He called for the introduction of Skills Development Centres to take care of some of the problems and urged the government to adopt measures aimed at improving SMEs.

Abia, MTN in court over N350m tax

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BIA State Government has sued telecom giant, MTN, over N350million tax evasion.

MTN ought to have paid the money as the State Infrastructural Development Fund (IDF) levy/ tax from 2001-2010.

The tax allows all telecom operators in the state to pay N200,000per mast monthly.

The MTN has 365 masts in the state.

An Aba Chief Magistrate Court presided over by Nnaemeka Orji has ruled

From Ugochukwu Eke, Umuahia

that NTN is liable.

But MTN’s the General Manager, Corporate Communications, Mrs Funmi Omogbenigun said the case is being contested in court.

She said: “The case is being contested. It is one of the cases of multiple taxation we are faced with daily. It is one thing for a court to give a judgement, but you have a right to appeal it. So, we are contesting the judgement”.

11

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

BUSINESS THE NATION

E-mail:- bussiness@thenationonlineng.net

From John Ofikhenua, Abuja

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COMMODITY PRICES Oil -$112.3/barrel Cocoa - $2,856/metric ton Coffee - ¢132.70/pound Cotton - ¢78.07.pound Gold -$1,161/troy ounce Rubber - ¢146.37/pound MARKET CAPITALISATIONS NSE JSE NYSE LSE

-N8.1 trillion -Z5.112trillion -$10.84 trillion -£61.67 trillion RATES Inflation -11.3% Treasury Bills -2.64% Normal lending -24% Prime lending -18% Savings rate -3% 91-day NTB -6.99% Time Deposit - 6% MPR -7.50% Foreign Reserve -$32.5bn FOREX CFA 0.281 • 220.9 £ 253.5 $ 153.59 ¥ 1.5652 SDR 245.85 RIYAL 39.3

– SANUSI LAMIDO SANUSI

Fed Govt incurs N109b electricity subsidy debt

Dana injects N2b into Katsina Rolling Mill INCE the privatisation of Katsina Steel Rolling Mill (KSRM) in 2006, its new owners - Dana Group - has injected N2billion into the operations of the once moribund mill, its General Manager (Operations), Madhav Mekala, has disclosed.

The spokesman, Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Mr. Chukwuma Nwokoh, said this in a statement yesterday.

He noted that Mekala, who conducted a team of journalists, which visited the company in Katsina last week on a facility tour, said that the company was back to life with 60 per cent production output.

KSRM, which has been renamed Dana Steel, has an installed production capacity of 207,000 metric tons annually, but is currently producing 144,000 metric tons annually on a 12- hour basis.

He said the company was engaged in the production of steel products ranging from 3mm, 5mm to12mm rods.

He explained that there were plans to increase production.

The General Manager (Operations) said the new owners have diversified into the production of billets, adding that Phase Two of the company’s Steel Melt Shop (SMS), which is in the works, will double the production of billets. He disclosed that an oxygen/nitrogen plant for in-house and commercial purposes was nearing inauguration.

To modernise its operations, Mekala stated that the rolling mill has established a standard laboratory and computerised quality control room.

The fact is that cashless transactions or electronic money transfer system is the vogue around the world. If it could be done in Uganda, why not in Nigeria? We cannot afford to delay its implementation further but we have put in place measures that will make the transition seamless.

• N2.9b coming for pre-paid meters

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HE Federal Government’s reluctance to pay its own share of N3.50k per kilowatt of the electricity subsidy under the Multi Year Tariff Order (MYTO) has resulted in a total debt of N109billion as at last June.

Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Dr. Sam Amadi, revealed this to our correspondent in a telephone interview at the weekend.

“Right now, the government is owing about N109billion outstanding. So the government is owing its share of the subsidy. With the new charge, which comes to effect on July 1, thest government is also going to commit to pay the subsidy tariff

From John Ofikhenua, Abuja

on time until there is a revision of the situation, but right now, what the government pays is N3.50.

“For the past one year or so, the government may have paid only three times.

That is the problem; government’s failure to pay its own share of the subsidy on time starves the industry of revenue,” he said.

Amadi noted that the recurring debate in the power sector is now how to ensure that the government is committed to paying its share of the subsidy on time.

Although a new electricity charge took effect on July 1, the Federal Government will still be committed to the payment of its share until there

is a revision, said the chairman.

He, however, regretted that both consumers and the government have lost huge revenue as a result of the estimated billing because only 25 per cent of the consumers are metered.

But he noted that the commission in a meeting with the chief executive officers of the distribution companies last week agreed on the procurement and deployment of pre-paid meters.

Amadi said Nigeria requires N7billion for provision of pre-paid meters nationwide, although government has disbursed N2.9billion for the procurement.

He insisted that NERC will ensure that the N2.9billion is

spent on meters alone and not for maintenance or operation by the utilities.

“After procuring it (the prepaid meters), on the arrival, they have two to three weeks to deploy them. What we are going to do is once the meters arrive, we will go and check how they are deployed to consumers. We don’t want a situation where meters are kept in their stores and not deployed to the consumers,” he said.

Upon privatisation of the Power Holding of Nigeria Company (PHCN), Amadi said :”The first commitment of the would- be takers of these companies will be a firm guarantee and a timeline for them to effectively deploy metering to cover all the consumers.”

• From left: Executive Director, South East/Treasury, Skye Bank Plc, Mrs. Amaka Onwughalu; Imo State Governor, Chief Rochas Okorocha and Regional Director, South East 2 of the bank, Mr. Cliff Agbaeze, during the visit of the bank's senior management to the Governor in Owerri.

NNPC to begin direct distribution of kerosine • Test-runs mobile kerosine dispensing trucks in Lagos

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HE Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is set to start the direct distribution of keroseine to households in the country through the use of ultra-modern mobile fuel dispensing trucks, which made its debut on the streets of Lagos over the weekend in a test run exercise.

Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Dr Levi Ajuonuma, disclosed this in a statement yesterday.

He said the project, which is being run by the Corporation’s downstream retail outfit, NNPC Retail Limited, in conjunction with Capital Oil and Gas Limited, an indigenous player in the nation’s downstream petroleum products storage and distribution business, is designed

From John Ofikhenua, Abuja

to provide lasting remedy to the prevailing artificially induced challenge in the distribution of household kerosine to homes in Nigeria.

Speaking at the flag-off of the pilot scheme, NNPC stated that the exercise which is restricted to some streets in the Lagos area would provide an invaluable knowledge base for the NNPC in good time to perfect any noticeable shortcomings in the programme before the eventual full blown deployment of the dispensing trucks.

“Our determination to arrest this artificial challenge in the distribution of kerosine to Nigerians is total.

What we are doing here today is to guarantee that the product gets to the end user

at the right time and correct price of N50 per litre, Ajuonuma stated.’’

He said the deployment of the mobile dispensing trucks is not just an adhoc exercise, but a well thought out product distribution strategy by the NNPC Retail and Capital Oil, designed to complement the conventional method of selling the product at regular filling stations. Under the arrangement, NNPC Retail, according to the statement, will provide the product while Capital Oil will make available the ultra-modern dispensing trucks. Each of the trucks has a capacity of 33,000 litres of kerosine.

However, to ensure that profiteers do not exploit the situation, nobody would be allowed to buy more than 25

litres.

Also to reduce the risk involved in the cash transactions, customers are expected to come with a kerosine voucher, which can be purchased at the nearest NNPC retail mega/affiliate stations.

“Earlier this year, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke as Minister of Petroleum Resources, inaugurated these trucks and the ultra-modern Capital Oil and Gas loading gantry in Apapa. So, what we are doing right now is in furtherance of this vision to ensure complete sanitisation of product distribution channel as we believe that the provision of alternate and direct sales point like this would go a long way in curbing profiteering,’’ Ajuonuma stated.

Money laundering: ‘24 banks default’

By Collins Nweze

Senior Correspondent

A

LL the 24 deposit money banks in the country defaulted in their filling of reports against account holders that failed to comply with the money laundering Act in 2010, The Nation has learnt.

A source in the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), who asked not to be named, disclosed this to our correspondent over the weekend.

“Last year, all the 24 banks defaulted in their filling of reports. But we are preparing sanctions against them, which will be sent to the Central Bank of Nigeria,” the source said.

Just last Friday, the NFIU said it would soon send a detailed report on banks’infractions on the Anti-Money Laundering Act to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The Anti-Money Laundering Act stipulates that banks report transactions from N5 million and above for individual, and N10 million and above for corporate organisations to the NFIU. The sources said to make it easier for banks, the NFIU has designed format for them to file in all their returns, which should be sent on monthly and quarterly basis. Banks have, however, failed to abide by this directive.

The source said before the reports are sent to the CBN, the NFIU will, this week, send ‘Compliance Status’ to all the banks to enable them to prepare for the sanctions ahead.

He said banks are not giving the NFIU accurate information about their transactions, making it difficult for the agency to know all that is going on in the financial services sector.

The official said Section 27 of the Bank and Other Financial Institutions Act (BOFIA) 2009 stipulates that banks should put their default in filling reports to appropriate bodies on their financial reports for the public to know about such activities. But none of the banks have done that to enable them to protect their reputations and business interests.

To make such reporting easier, the source, who is a management staff member of NFIU, said the agency is also planning a web publishing where the banks have to fill in such infractions for the public to be aware of such acts.

He said that the Money Laundering Act is being strengthened to check the activities of people wanting to launder money in the country.

12

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

BUSINESS NEWS Airtel to increase investments in Nigeria

Flight Schedule MONDAY - FRIDAY LAGOS – ABUJA Departure Arrival 1. Aero 06.50 08.10 2. Associated 07.00 09.30 3. Air Nigeria 07.00 08.20 4. IRS 07.00 08.20 5. Dana 07.02 08.22 6. Arik 07.15 08.15 7. Chanchangi 07.15 8. Air Nigeria 08.15 09.35 9. Dana 08.10 09.20 10. Aero 08.45 10.05 11. Arik 09.15 10.15 12. Chanchangi 10.00 11.00 13. IRS 11.15 12.35 14. Dana 12.06 12.26 15. Aero 12.20 13.30 16. Air Nigeria 13.25 14.45 17. Chanchangi 13.30 14.30 18. Arik 13.45 14.45 19. IRS 14.00 15.20 20. Aero 14.10 15.30 21. Air Nigeria 14.50 16.10 22. Dana 15.30 16.50 23. Chanchangi 15.30 16.30 24. Arik 15.50 16.50 25. Aero 16.00 17.20 26. IRS 16.30 17.50 27. Arik 16.50 17.50 28. Dana 17.10 18.30 29. Chanchangi 17.30 18.30 30. Air Nigeria 17.35 18.55 31. Air Nigeria (T/TH) 18.30 19.50 32. Arik 18.45 19.45 33. Aero 19.20 20.40 1.

2.

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LAGOS – BENIN Arik 07.30 Associated 08.30 Aero 10.50 Arik 11.45 Associated 13.00 Aero 14.25 Arik 15.30 Associated 16.00 Arik Aero Arik Aero

1. Arik 2. Aero 1.

2.

3.

4.

LAGOS – CALABAR 07.30 11.20 12.50 16.00 LAGOS – JOS 10.55 11.15

LAGOS – KADUNA Aero 08.00 Chanchangi 10.00 Arik 10.00 Arik 15.10

08.30 09.10 11.50 12.45 13.40 15.20 16.30 16.40 08.50 12.40 14.10 17.20 12.15 12.45 09.10 11.00 11.10 16.20

LAGOS – PORT HARCOURT (CIVIL) 1. Aero 07.15 08.35 2. Arik 07.15 08.35 3. Arik 09.00 10.20 4. Dana 09.27 10.40 5. Aero 10.50 12.30 6. Arik 11.40 13.00 7. Air Nigeria 12.00 13.10 8. IRS 13.30 15.00 9. Arik 14.00 15.20 10. Dana 15.03 16.20 11. Air Nigeria 16.00 17.10 12. Arik 16.10 17.30 13. Aero 16.15 17.30 14. Arik 17.10 18.30 1.

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LAGOS – OWERRI Aero 07.30 Arik 07.30 Air Nigeria 13.40 14.00 Arik Arik 16.30

08.40 08.40 14.55 15.10 17.40

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Arik Aero Arik Aero

LAGOS – WARRI 08.15 11.50 11.55 14.55

09.1 12.50 12.55 15.55

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LAGOS – KANO Air Nigeria 07.10 IRS 08.00 Dana 08.10 Arik 12.20 IRS 14.00 IRS 18.15

08.50 09.45 09.40 14.00 15.45 19.55

LAGOS – OWERRI 07.20 14.00 16.30

08.30 15.10 17.40

LAGOS – UYO 10.35

11.35

1. Arik 2. Arik 3. Arik 1. Dana 1. IRS 2. Arik

LAGOS – MAIDUGURI 11.15 13.15 15.50 18.00

LAGOS – ILORIN 1. Overland 07.15 2. Arik (M/T/TH/F) 17.30

08.00 18.00

LAGOS – ABUJA SAT/SUN Arik 7.15; 10.20; 2.20; 5.20pm – 7.30; 9.15; 10.20; 2.20; 4.50; 6.45 Aero 07.30; 09.35; 13.10; 14.50; 20.20 – 07.30; 09.35; 13.10; 14.50; 20.20 Air Nigeria 08.15; 14.30; 17.15; 18.30 – 08.15; 13.30; 14.30; 17.15; 18.30

From Dele Anofi, Abuja

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• From left: Jean Francois van Boxmeer, Chairman/CEO, Heineken; Victor Famuyibo, HR Director, NB; David Wightman, Regional HOUR Director, Africa/Middle East; Justus Aina, Lagos Brewery HR Manager and Michael O’Hare, Global H.R Director, Heineken, at the presentation of Heineken Global HR Star Award for Operational Excellence to Nigerian Breweries in London.

Dangote crashes cement price to N1,350 per bag

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ANGOTE Cement Plc has announced a reduction in the ex-factory price of its product to N1, 350 per bag. In June it sold for about N2,500 until the Federal Government ordered a reduction of the price.

A statement from the company said its Executive Director, Sales and Marketing, Mr Ekanem Etim, disclosed this while briefing cement distributors last Friday.

He said the reduction in its exfactory price, was in line with the company’s declared policy to make cement affordable to Nigerians as it expands its local capacity in the country.

Etim also informed the distributors that the country will be self-sufficient in cement production this year, especially with the inauguration of Ibeshe Plant of the company before the end of the year, with an installed capacity of six million metric tons of cement per annum.

He also said the price reduction will be implemented at its various depots in different parts of the country.

By Toba Agboola

Reacting to the significant price reduction by the Dangote Group, Executive Secretary of Cement Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (CMAN), Mr James Salako, said the group has done so well by bringing its prices down for the benefit of the masses, in line with the objectives of CMAN. He assured Nigerians that the country would soon become selfsufficient in cement production and even commence exportation of the product.

Salako said the price of the product would further crash because other manufacturers are also increasing their capacity and the supply of the products will definitely outweigh the demand.

“Dangote Cement is expected to pump 20.5 million tons of Cement to the market before the end of this year with Obajana Cement producing 10 million metric tons; Ibeshe, six million metric tons and Gboko Plant, in Benue State with 4.5 million metric

tons. This is against the total local demand of cement currently put at about 17 million metric tons per annum,” the statement said.

Dangote Cement is in 14 different African countries. They include: Zambia, Tanzania, South Africa, Congo (Brazzaville), Ethiopia, Cameroun (Grinding), Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Ghana, Senegal, among others.

The expansion move, according to the company, was to ensure that Africa remains self-sufficient in cement production and make the products easily available and at highly affordable costs to the end users.

The company recently invested $400 million in Zambia for the construction of a cement plant while also increasing its stakes in Sephaku Cement (Pty) Limited, based in South Africa, from 19.76 per cent to 64 per cent, with an investment of R779 million. The huge investment into Sephaku Cement by Dangote, is the largest ever foreign direct investment (FDI) by an African company into South Africa.

Inflation: CBN may raise interest rate to 8.5%, rates hike,” he said.

O curb inflation, the Central says Rewane interest Rewane said the poor performBank of Nigeria (CBN) may

T

further raise the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) by 50 basis points to 8.5 per cent, the Managing Director, Financial Derivatives Company (FDC), Bismark Rewane, has projected.

He said the apex bank might resort to a cocktail of measures such as a 50 basis points increase in the MPR to 8.5 per cent per annum, strengthen Open market Operations (OMO) and increase mop-up of excess liquidity to check inflation.

The MPR, which has been raised thrice this year, is the interest rate at which the banking watchdog lends to commercial banks.

Rewane stated this in the FDC June Monthly Review of the economy. He said that by increasing both the frequency and volume of the intervention at the foreign exchange auction, the apex bank can also achieve its objectives.

But he regretted that the rise in imported inflation and the likelihood of seeing the scenario play out has been increased by utterances of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, on the importance of exchange rate management to the apex bank.

Inflation level rose by 12.4 per cent in May compared to 11.3 per

By Collins Nweze

cent the previous month while food inflation also increased by 12.2 per cent. The inflation rate further widens negative interest rates as the gap between the benchmark rate and inflation now stands at 4.4 per cent. However, Rewane said inflation expectation is a bit low in the short-term as energy price pressures, specifically kerosine is expected to reduce, but inflation pressures could return in July as governors begin to cave in to pressures from labour groups to affect the new mini-mum wage.

He said inflation levels could rise to 13 per cent per annum in the third quarter.

Rewane noted that seven days after the inflation figure broke, the naira gained slightly to the dollar as it traded at N152.4 and N156.7 at the official and parallel markets.

“Luckily, the naira remained literally stable against the dollar in spite of the increase in price levels in May while a high interest rate environment has the potential to pull in foreign funds thereby reducing the pressure on the domestic currency.

“The expectations of the market shows that monetary tightening is imminent, but not necessarily an

ance in the capital market was further exacerbated by the announcement made by the CBN Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, that rescued banks who failed to reach Memorandum of Understanding agreements by September 30 would be liquidated. “This announcement backed by CBN wins in court against shareholders of these banks caused a run on the rescued banks and decline in prices for bank stocks with rescued banks recording more significant and sustained losses,” he said.

Stock market liquidity was further weakened as cautious investors continue to play in the fixed income market, which is more attractive than the equities market on the hills of higher interest rates and yields. Money market also experienced tightened liquidity and consequently, rates and yields went up across all tenors.

But Rewane said he expects that the stock market would continue to trend sideways as the market awaits second quarter results and cabinet announcement for the Goodluck administration.

“But the fiscal policy challenges remain mainly on how to tackle chronic unemployment estimated at 25 per cent without overheating the economy.”

LOBAL System for Mobile communications (GSM) service provider, Airtel Nigeria, would double its investments in the country in the next one year, it was learnt over the weekend.

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer (MD/CEO), Mr Rajan Swaroop, disclosed this during an interactive session with journalists in Abuja.

“To improve our services and set the path for becoming market leader in the industry, within the next one year, we are going to double our investment in Nigeria.

“As you know, with Airtel line, you can call all other networks with just 20 kobo per second, which is N12 for per minute and our Blackberry monthly charge is N1,580, which is the cheapest in the country.

“This is certainly the lowest in the country and elsewhere in the world,” he said.

Bharti Airtel that took over Zain in November 2010 is the fifth largest telecommunications company in the world with about 200 million subscriber base in 19 countries across Asia and Africa. Since the take-over, the company has invested about N93billion ($600million) in technical and network expansion.

Swaroop also disclosed that the company would create thousands of jobs for the Nigerian youth through a novel call centre initiative as obtained in other parts of the world.

He said rather than relinquish the call centre service to Ghana or India, the Management insisted on retaining it in Nigeria and through it, has generated about 2,000 jobs already.

Swaroop, however, assured subscribers of a stable organisation able to offer quality service after several transfers and change of name in the last 10 years, adding: “We are doing everything possible to reposition and re-strategise so as to ensure that the company is standardised and will not witness another transfer of ownership which I can say has affected the development of the company.”

He said the services of a Chinese firm has been engaged for effective management of their network for better quality of service.

Marketers decry inadequate supply of kerosine

S

OME major and independent marketers have alleged that the NNPC and Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC) are under-supplying them kerosine.

Some of the marketers, who spoke with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Lagos on condition of anonymity, said the situation had resulted in the artificial scarcity and hike in the price of the commodity.

“The inability of NNPC and PPMC to flood the market with the commodity caused the scarcity, and hike in the price of the commodity,’’ one of them said.

The source said that less than five million litres of kerosene were being distributed to the marketers daily, as against 12 million litres the NNPC claimed were being supplied.

The marketers alleged that 30 of them were being allocated a truck of 33,000 litres daily.

They, however, suggested that they should be given licence to import the commodity as part of efforts to address the lingering scarcity of kerosine.

“We urge the government to put in place appropriate mechanisms to ensure that the product is available throughout the country.

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

13

ISSUES

•NSE trading floor

Diaspora bonds and new funding opportunities Nigerian sovereigns have become an alluring instrument for indigenous and international investors. With more than N7 trillion raised in recent years, the Federal Government’s debt issues have outperformed expectations. But there is growing fear of overcrowding of the local debt market. TAOFIK SALAKO examines the potential of harnessing huge resources of Nigerians abroad through a sovereign issue targeted at the Diaspora.

N

IGERIA has relied extensively on almost insatiable demand for its debt issues, otherwise known as sovereign bonds or sovereigns, to significantly restructure its national finance in the past eight years.

Riding on the back of new democratic experience and economic reforms, Nigeria has seen a paradigm shift in its public finance with the almost predictable oversubscriptions of its regular domestic bond issues and lately huge success of the first Nigerian international bond.

Domestic sovereign bond issues by the Federal Government have raised about N7 trillion in the past six years as investors’ appetite for national debt issues has elongated tenor from initial two years in 2005 to 20 years since 2008. Early this year, the first Nigerian international bond, a 10-year senior unsecured Eurobond, that sought to raise $500m attracted about $1.3 billion, indicating an oversubscrip-

tion level of 159 per cent. The oversubscription at the international market reflected the subscription pattern at the domestic market.

Since the commencement of the Federal Government’s regular bond issuance programme in 2005, investors’ appetites have always been ahead of government issues. Federal Government bonds were oversubscribed by 133 per cent, 89 per cent, 95 per cent, 64 per cent and 93 per cent in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 respectively. In spite of the 55 per cent increase in value of issue, demand for sovereign bonds at the primary market was 111 per cent above issue in 2010.

The Debt Management Office (DMO), which oversees government’s debt issues, has maintained regular bond issuance programmes in the past six years, with the combined objectives of restructuring government finance and creating a vibrant debt market.

The preliminary objectives of the debt issue

have largely been met. The huge investors’ appetites for sovereign bonds have led to significant changes in the tenor, value, volume, structure of holders and sequence of issuance of government bonds. Increasing success of the Nigerian sovereign bonds has relieved the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) of the burden of public finance with non-governmental institutions and individuals now largely responsible for the finance of government deficits. At the onset of the debt management programme in 2002, CBN had held the largest percentage of domestic debts in 2002 with about 46 per cent while banks and discount houses held about 39. Nonbank public had held about 15 per cent of domestic debts in 2002. Latest updates, however, showed that by the end of 2010 banks and discount houses held the largest chunk of 57 per cent followed by non-bank public with 32 per cent. CBN’s holding stood at some 7.5 per cent while sinking funds held 3.2 per cent.

Primary issuance details within the six-year period showed overwhelming preference for government bonds with subscription almost a double of initial issues, forcing the government to make additional allotments. Total value of initial issues stood at about N3.44 trillion within the period while investors staked N6.73 trillion, indicating an oversubscription of 96 per cent, a situation that pushed final allotment to more than N3.69 trillion, 7.3 per cent above initial value of issues.

Also, improving investors’ appetite for sovereign bonds has gradually seen the size of the issue rising almost annually, except in 2008 when global and national credit crunch forced a slowdown. Government issued bonds worth N140 billion in 2005 tripled to N411.8 billion in 2006 and subsequently to N603.7 billion in 2007. In 2008, total initial •Continued on page 18

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

14

ISSUES

Diaspora bonds and new funding opportunities •Continued from page 17

issue slipped to N515 billion but recovered to N694 billion in 2009. In 2010, initial value of issue crossed the trillion naira mark to N1.07 trillion.

All through the five years, subscriptions remained exceedingly higher them initial issues.

Subscriptions stood at N326.4 billion, N779.7 billion, N1.18 trillion, N846 billion and N1.34 trillion in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 respectively. In 2010, investors staked about N2.3 trillion on offer of about N1.1 trillion, which pushed the government to allot additional 16 per cent to its initial offer. With the government unwilling to follow the bond bulls, final allotments have usually been slightly above initial issues and well below subscriptions, except in 2008 when the government allotted less than initial issue in spite of overwhelming subscription apparently as a measure against the liquidity squeeze during the year. Final allotments were N178.3 billion, N448.8 billion, N603.7 billion, N492 billion, N726.5 billion and N1.24 trillion between 2005 and 2010.

Increasing interests in sovereign bonds had also enabled the government to gradually extend tenor from two years in 2005 to three years in 2006 and subsequently five years and seven years in 2007. Tenor further firmed up to 10 years in 2008 and by 2009; the historic 20-year tenored bond was oversubscribed. Government had issued bonds ranging from three-year tenor to 20-year tenor in 2010, all of which were oversubscribed. Besides, from a predominance of short-term treasury bills in 2002, Nigerian domestic sovereign debts are now largely comprised of bonds. At the onset of the bond issuance programme in 2002, Nigerian Treasury Bills (NTBs) made up about 63 per cent of total domestic debt while treasury bonds constituted about 37 per cent. There were no bonds and development stocks were negligible at 0.14 per cent. But in 2010, the composition has been completely reversed with sovereign bonds constituting about 64 per cent while NTBs comprised 28 per cent. Treasury bonds made up 8.2 per cent while development stocks were almost non-existent at 0.005 per cent.

Beyond the primary market, the development of an emergent secondary market for bond issues has deepened tradable instruments in the Nigerian capital market. The level of activities at the Over-the-Counter (OTC) bond market, where Nigerian sovereign bonds are traded, has witnessed considerable increase year-onyear. With the introduction of the Primary Dealer-Market Maker System (PDMMS) in 2006, turnover at the secondary market stood at N585.41 billion for 585.41 million units in 5,482 deals. Turnover jumped by 574 per cent in 2007 to N3.95 trillion for 3.95 billion units in 30,241 deals. Investors staked about N10.1 trillion on 10.1 billion units in 80,135 deals in 2008, representing an increase of 156 per cent. By 2009, turnover rose by 66 per cent to N16.8t trillion for 16.8 trillion units through 132,374 deals.

Although number of deals increased to 135,874 deals, turnover, however, dropped by 18 per cent to N13.8 trillion for 13.8 billion units in 2010. The OTC bond market has also shown considerable liquidity this year. Turnover on the OTC bond market in the first quarter of 2011 surpassed transactions on the equities market by 1038 per cent as investors staked about N2.5 trillion on 2.7 billion bonds in 18,399 deals compared with a total turnover at the equity segment of 26.51 billion shares worth N216.99 billion in 413,575 deals.

The success of government-issued bonds has seen a catch over in the corporate bond market with several companies successfully raising funds in the past 15 months. Guaranty Trust Bank, UACN Property Development Company (UPDC) and Flour Mills of Nigeria have all raised funds through bonds recently. With the successes of the initial corporate issues, there is a strong expectation that there might be increase in corporate bond issues in the period ahead.

Tapping into new opportunities With the huge successes of its domestic issues and the recent landmark international issue, there is a growing call for Nigeria to deepen its bond issuance by advancing unto project-tied and fund-specific issues. In spite of its huge successes, Nigerian bond issues have been rudimentary issues aimed at refinancing or financing deficits rather than the high-end high-im-

pact project-tied infrastructural bonds. Besides, there is also the lurking fear that government issue, giving its strong appeals as sovereign issue- a almost risk-free investment, might overcrowd the domestic market and constraint capital outflow to the private sector. Many financial advisers said Nigeria could consolidate the successes of its sovereign issues and gains of its relatively stable democracy to domesticate hardcurrency savings of Nigerian and other African immigrants and channel these into developmental projects.

Diaspora bond “Diaspora bond” is conceived as a graduated saving instrument that encompass low and high-income brackets issued and marketed only to migrants by their country of origin or in some instances continent of origin. As such, Nigeria can issue a Nigeria Diaspora bond as well as African Diaspora bond. The World Bank has noted that through retailing Diaspora bonds at small denominations ranging from $100 to $1,000, developing countries can huge sums as much as $20 billion with relatively low interest.

According to the World Bank, Diaspora bond creates a “win-win” situation for sellers and buyers. Unlike high-net-worth investors who tend to be more cold-blooded about where they put their money, typical diaspora members might invest with their hearts or not at all. A government “can tap into that emotion to actually get a discount” on interest rates, perhaps as low as four per cent.

The World Bank estimates that annual savings of the Diasporas from developing countries could be in the range of $400 billion, with $53 billion coming from African Diasporas.

Sub-Saharan Africans in Diaspora including Nigerians are estimated to save more than $30 billion annually, about N4.6 trillion. The United Nations estimates that there are more than 200 million migrants worldwide but many analysts have cited higher figures considering secondand third-generation migrants. Migrants from developing countries were estimated to have sent $325 billion to home countries last year.

“If one in every 10 diaspora member, whether rich or poor, could be persuaded to invest $1,000 in his or her country of origin, developing countries could potentially raise $20 billion a year for development financing,” Managing Director of World Bank, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Manager of the Migration and Remittance Unit at the World Bank, Dilip Ratha said in a joint assessment.

Many countries are already exploring opportunities of harnessing the resources of the diasporas. India and Israel have already floated diaspora bonds while Greece hopes to raise $3 billion from a planned diaspora bond. Other countries such as Italy and Scotland are also considering the potential represented by the huge resources of their diasporas. The World Bank is working on a number of initiatives to set up projects co-funded by diaspora bonds, aimed at infrastructure financing, bank capitalisation and debt management.

“The scale of this funding combined with the depth of attachment and commitment Africans abroad retain for their homelands indicate how central they could be in the creation of public goods (such as much-needed infrastructure) in the continent, especially if African governments find creative ways that can attract some of the investment most needed,” Co-founder of the London-based African Foundation for Development (AFFORD) and now a diaspora returnee in Sierra Leone, Chukwu-Emeka Chikezie noted.

According to Okonjo-Iweala and Ratha, reducing poverty, creating employment, and

•President Jonathan

building schools and roads for the benefit of billions of people in developing countries requires large amounts of funds. But there are not that many new sources of funding that can be tapped for such noble purposes. The migrants of developing countries offer a rare pool of resources that can be tapped via diaspora bonds.

They noted that migrants could play important roles in setting developmental agenda. The migrants’ savings, according to them, could be used to finance projects that interest overseas migrants including housing, schooling, hospitals, and infrastructure projects with a concrete benefit to their families or the community back home.

“Diaspora bonds can tap into the same kind of emotion migrants feel when cheering their national team in a football match, a long way from their homeland. Patriotism could in effect become the effective tool for helping a developing country fulfill its development dreams. There is also a readymade marketing avenue to target the diaspora. These bonds can be sold globally to diaspora groups through national and international banks and money transfer companies. They can be marketed through churches, community groups, ethnic newspapers, stores, and business associations in places where migrants live in large numbers,” they noted.

Attractions National government’s bond is usually called sovereign bond because it derives its risks and values from the sovereignty of the issuing country. Given the omnibus power of the central government over resources within its domain and almost limitless ways and means, central government’s debt issues are regarded as almost risk-free, although the economic standing and management of resources may weigh in on the possible values and attractions of the

‘The scale of this funding combined with the depth of attachment and commitment Africans abroad retain for their homelands indicate how central they could be in the creation of public goods (such as muchneeded infrastructure) in the continent, especially if African governments find creative ways that can attract some of the investment most needed’

debt issues. Sewa Wusu, economist and investment adviser, Sterling Capital, the investment banking arm of Sterling Bank Plc, said sovereign issues usually secure value even in the event of economic depression. According to him, the only alternative investment outlets in the period of rapid selling pressure in the stock market are the fixed income instruments.

“These types of instruments preserve capital and yield fixed amount of interest. This explains why the bond market is currently a veritable haven for investors. That is why most investors are fleeing from the capital market to pitch tent in the bond market. This scenario so created in financial parlance is that of flight to safety or flight to quality. Capital must be preserved,” Wusu said.

Room for growth The Nigeria’s debt-to-GDP ratio still has enough headroom for new issues. Nigeria ’s total debt profile stands at about N5 trillion comprising largely of domestic debts. Director General, Debt Management Office (DMO, Dr. Abraham Nwankwo, said with a debt-to-GDP ratio of about 14 per cent, Nigeria still has enough room to raise more funds to meet funding needs for critical infrastructures. DMO has already indicated that government bond issuance programme would subsist in the years ahead.

“Nigerians need to understand that there is no problem with borrowing to fund growth, especially when such funds are committed to major projects. Our collective responsibility is to ensure that whatever is borrowed is used prudently to generate growth and reduce poverty,” Nwankwo said.

He noted that the removal of restriction on foreign investments in Nigerian bonds of one-year tenor by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) would reduce Nigeria’s borrowing costs. “The measure has removed residual restrictions on entry and exit of nonresident investments in Nigerian securities.

All things being equal, the new rule would moderate yield downwards,” Nwankwo said. CBN had on June 24 removed the restriction paving way for foreign investors to fully participate in all bond issues irrespective of the tenor. The removal of restriction took effect from July 1, 2011. The apex bank has also indicated that the government would explore other forms of bond issues including non-interest bond issues. These and other on-going economic reforms have set the stage for Nigeria to tap into the Diaspora resources.

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

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THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

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MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

POLITICS THE NATION

E-mail:- politics@thenationonlineng.net

Just a few days ago, the Saraki political family in Kwara State became whole again, after months of friction engendered by the ambitions of key members in the April elections. ADEKUNLE JIMOH examines the postmortem of the reconciliation.

Kwara politics after PDP, ACPN wedlock T HE rapprochement between Dr. Olusola Saraki, his son Bukola, and Kwara State Governor AbdulFatah Ahmed on one hand, and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN) on the other, has been sealed, no doubt. But it may not have gone down well with some PDP members.

The reconciliation between the older Saraki and his estranged son, which started like a rumour about two weeks ago, crystallised on Saturday, last week.

The duo parted ways a few months to the April general polls, following their irreconcilable political differences.

However, the grandmaster of Kwara politics, Dr Olusola Saraki, has once again made a dramatic return to the mainstream of the state’s politics.

Saraki, who had helped five civilian governors into power since the Second Republic in 1979, suffered unsettling defeat in the 2011 general elections. His favourite party, the ACPN, could not win any elective office in both the state and federal elections.

Perhaps the most devastating blow to Saraki’s almost 50-year robust political career was his inability to ensure the realisation of the gubernatorial ambition of his daughter, Senator Gbemisola Saraki.

Her ambition to succeed her brother as governor polarised the Saraki political dynasty.

Bukola held firmly to the PDP. The elderly Saraki and Gbemisola sought solace in the ACPN. But, shortly after the younger Saraki and his party recorded a major victory in the last general election, winning all the available elective seats, except two House of Assembly seats the former governor initiated the reconciliation with his father.

But, there are signs that some in the PDP’s camp were not at home with the development. They alleged ‘hijack’ and plot by ACPN supporters to, according to them, reap where they did not sow.

Some political observers in the state also felt that the reconciliation, rather being helpful, would pull back the hand of the clock. The issue of appointments has remained a major cause for concern.

A disturbed PDP stalwart asked rhetorically: “How can they reserve about 30percent of appointments in the state for ACPN members when they did not contribute anything to PDP’s successes at the polls?”

The development, perhaps, accounts for why the governor has formed his executive council.

• From left: Dr. Olusola Saraki (middle), Gov. Ahmed and Senator Bukola Saraki at the prayer session.

A politician who pleaded for anonymity, said: “The reconciliation is a ploy to deny the people of Kwara south the full benefit of having one of their sons as the governor of the state.”

The source noted that Ahmed had been put into a tight corner and might not have any option other than act the scripts of his masters both in PDP and ACPN. But a close political associate of the governor confided in The Nation that “the reconciliation notwithstanding, Ahmed already has a blueprint of his programmes for the next four years. He is determined to succeed and nothing will stop him from implementing his well-thought-out people-oriented programmes.” As if to sooth their frayed nerves, the party said it would not share any political appointment with ACPN’s members. PDP added that it, therefore, did not attach any conditionality for ACPN to join the PDP. The party’s position came on the heels of the rumour that PDP had conceded some exco slots to ACPN. The Chairman of the PDP, Ishola Balogun-Fulani said it in Ilorin after a meeting of the elders’ council of the party:

“No, we are not sharing slots or appointments wit the ACPN. We’ve concluded the election and the names of those that are to be appointed as commissioners and advisers have been submitted to the party and the party is working on them. There was no conditionality for the ACPN to join PDP. There is no sharing of appointments with any political party. All the appointments will be made within PDP members.”

The PDP chairman, however, enjoined the PDP members to accept all members of the ACPN into the fold, adding: “We are all brothers and sisters.”

He said that the harmonisation of the parties would not be tantamount to members of the ACPN assuming their former positions.

“They are coming as members and they should be accommodated. They have been directed to go to their wards individually for registration and you should accept them all. We have succeeded with the reconciliation of our leaders and we should sustain the new found peace,” he said.

The immediate past majority leader in the House of Assembly said the meeting became necessary so that there would

be no misinterpretation of the message of Oloye, as the older Saraki is fondly called, at the reconciliation event by members of the two parties.

The result of Dr Saraki’s initiative came to fruition on Sunday when a special prayer was held at the Saraki’s Ilofa, GRA residence to mark the end of the “hostility” between the warring factions of the Saraki’s political family.

The elderly Saraki did not only confirm the resolution of the crisis, he also openly blessed the election of Governor Ahmed, assuring him of his support and that of his followers.

Oloye, however, said for the new governor to succeed, “I must be informed before hand about your programmes, policies and activities. I have never taken any contract from those that I have helped into power, including Bukola. All I have always demanded is to be informed about programmes, policies and activities of such people. This will afford me the opportunity to counsel you and provide the right answers to those who may have come to report you to me.”

Both the former governor and his father were unanimous in their claims that the reconcili-

‘It is our collective desire to move the state forward and build on Baba’s legacies. The love of the Saraki’s political dynasty for the common man is still firm. We have always been one. Everybody is working to have this unity. What is important now is for us to move forward. If all of us now live up behind the new governor, there is the greater hope that he will succeed’

ation was brokered primarily to “allow peace and unity to reign in the state.”

The younger Saraki, who was the first to break the news about the resolution of the crisis to reporters in Ilorin last Saturday, said: “I want to categorically confirm to you that the family is back to one.”

“It is our collective desire to move the state forward and build on Baba’s legacies. The love of the Saraki’s political dynasty for the common man is still firm. We have always been one. Everybody is working to have this unity. What is important now is for us to move forward. If all of us now live up behind the new governor, there is the greater hope that he will succeed.”

Corroborating his son, the elder Saraki said: “I succumbed to pressure from Bukola for peace and unity to reign supreme in the state. I urge the new governor to be broadminded and work with everybody. Secondly, here in Kwara, anybody who is in position of authority needs to consult before taking any action. Bukola, in the first six years, was consulting. I cannot run their government for them. I can only make suggestions. There will not be any crack. It is the crack that happened in the past that brought other parties to the state.”

However, not a few Kwarans are skeptical about the workability of the new arrangement between the PDP-led government and the ACPN. The question many are asking is why the PDP was desperate to reconcile with ACPN’s supporters and leaders.

The chairman of Northern Union said the reunion was borne out of the desire of the Saraki dynasty to ward off opposition parties from infiltrating the state. “They (opposition parties) feel that this is a virgin land for them to explore.

That is why we have resolved to settle our differences to repel all enemies that may want to come to Kwara. I heard some people have been boasting that they want to capture the state. I assure them they cannot get Kwara,” he added.

PDP and ACPN stalwarts at the reconciliatory meeting included the immediate past deputy governor of the state, Chief Joel Ogundeji; ACPN and PDP chairmen, Abubakar Zubair and Hon Ishola Balogun-Fulani; House of Representatives members, Dr Ali Ahmad and Mashood Mustapha, and former House of Representatives member, Hon Wahab Issa, as well as former commissioners, special advisers, special assistants and Chief of Staff during the Bukola Saraki’s administration.

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

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OLITICS PPOLITICS

Secret of our success, by Jega

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N what seemed an account of his stewardship in the April elec tions, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, spoke yesterday, disclosing that the concerted efforts of all stakeholders contributed to his success.

Jega, who spoke on the Focus on Nigeria programme on AIT, further revealed that the commission saved a whopping N7.1 billion out of the amount given the commission for the election. He, however, hinted that the money was later spent to take care of certain vital challenges.

“In other circumstances, some other people would have gone on spending spree with the money we saved, but we believed we were there to serve our country with unalloyed integrity, prudence and total honesty,” he said.

Expatiating on the commission’s success, Jega said: “The polls were successful owing to the collective efforts put into the assignment by all stakeholders. We also enjoyed the supports of every member of the commission from everyone at

ACN ‘ll totally liberate Nigerians in 2015

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By Dada Aladelokun, Assistant Editor

the national office through the RECs to the least official. Their commitment did it.”

The INEC boss also disclosed that the commission had established a mechanism for continuous voter registration to keep on updating the voter register in order to avoid a situation whereby the register would have to be reviewed wholesale in future elections. The initiative will also give us a credible and secured Data Base He stated further: “With the ongoing development, we don’t have to wait till when there is an election. For example, if you turn 18 now, all you need do is to go to specified areas and register and if you change address, you have to register it and the update is thus done. This is part of what we are doing to do better in future elections for the general good of all.”

However, the INEC boss disclosed that despite the adjudged success of the commission, some members of its staff were caught for registration

• Jega

and electoral offences and eventually made to face prosecution. According to him, they include officials and NYSC members.

He also said: “We caught 870,000 with multiple registration offences.

Most of the offenders were highprofile people. Since we lack the legal empowerment to prosecute them on our own, we are into an arrangement with the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to get them prosecuted pro bono.” That, he said, would go a long way in contributing to a better exercise in future.

Lagos Speaker: Party loyalty ‘ll attract reward

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AGOS State House of Assembly Speaker Yemi Ikuforiji yesterday spoke on the doctrine of party loyalty, saying that Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) would always reward dedicated members.

He asked party chieftains to emulate two nominees for commissionership; Hon. Olatunbosun Jeje and Hon. Ademorin Kuye, who were asked to ‘take a bow and leave the floor’, in recognition of their continued loyalty to the party and steadfastness, despite their past political setbacks.

Jeje, banker, property developer, investor and lawyer won the

By Emmanuel Oladesu

Kosofe House of Representatives primaries, but was asked to step down in the last election. He worked vigorously for the success of ACN during the elections.

Kuye, former Somolu Council chairman, failed the screening in 2007 due to personal mistakes. During the screening, he was chewing bitter cola. Outside the parliament, his supporters also protested that he was being nominated for Special Adviser, instead of commissionership.

A member of House of Assembly from Kosofe Constituency, Bayo Osinnowo, paid tribute to Jeje,

saying that he believed in party supremacy and discipline. Echoing him, Ikuforiji recalled that despite the fact that he passed the screening in 2007as a commissioner-designate, he was not sworn in.

The Speaker said:”Majority of us know him as a faithful, dedicated and responsible chieftain of our party. Other people would have jumped ship. But Jeje is firm and consistent. If you will agree with me, I will say that he should just take a bow and go”.

Urging the ACN members to emulate him, Ikuforiji maintained that loyalty to the party and its leadership would always attract political reward.

‘Niger people deserve better governance’

By Kunle Akinrinade

• Musa

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OT a few Nigerian leaders of thought have expressed bitterness over the kind of leadership style of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The Senator representing Niger North on the platform of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Ibrahim Musa has joined the fray.

While citing his state as an example, he said that there was nothing to justify PDP’s grip on power in Niger State.

When asked to draw a comparison between his party and PDP, he replied angrily: “There is no basis for comparison between CPC and the PDP because the CPC remains the party to beat in Niger. The PDP with all its noise about being the largest political party in Africa has nothing to show for ruling the state in the last four years. PDP has nothing to offer Niger people because it does not have a clear agenda of

what it wants to do and what the people really want. Since PDP has been in power in Niger has the story of the pole change for better?

Have they been able to impact positively on the lives of the people?”

He also revealed his plans for his senatorial zone and his quest to promote the cause of the youths especially the jobless ones.

“I went into politics in order to assist my people and I have mapped out the strategy to address the needs and yearnings of my constituents with a view to bringing smiles to their faces through unequalled service to my people.”

“I have served the people with my profession to the best of my ability. I have been living among my people for about 17 years now and I have assisted them with legal representations in a number of times and that is why they compensated me with this position. I want to leave a legacy of robust and purposeful representation by the time my tenure ends, he added.

He berated his predecessor for his lacklustre performance while in the saddle of leadership, adding: “I want to explore every avenue towards the educational advancement of my area because education is a key parameter for judging the development of a society and its people in this modern period. I cannot afford to watch my people lag behind at all.”

He hailed the emergence of Sena-

tor David Mark as Senate President, describing him as “honest and dedicated.” “I knew him since I was in secondary school when he was the governor of Niger State. I saw what he did while serving as governor and as leader of the upper legislative chamber and I have no doubt that he would surpass his outstanding record,” he said.

O doubt, Alhaji Mohammed Danladi Garba Auyo is an accomplished businessman.

Besides, he is the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) deputy governorship candidate in Jigawa State during the April elections. But two things always keep smiles off his face: Rising poverty and joblessness among Jigawa people.

He couldn’t conceal his displeasure over the plight of Jigawa people while his discussion lasted with The Nation in the week. “My people do not deserve what they are passing through in my home state today. They are suffering because of the lack of development ideas of their so-called leaders and it is sad.

This is why we in the ACN felt the need to participate in the April elections to rescue them,” he said.

Asked to comment on the outcome of the governorship election in the state which is now a subject of litigation, he simply said: “Everybody in the state knows today that the people really want the ACN’s touch in their lives; but as things are, I know that God is in control. Let us wait on Him.” In case he wins at the court, what will be his cardinal plans for his people? Auyo said tersely: “We are going to evolve farming techniques that will give our people food and reduce joblessness among them. We are also going to tackle lack of education. We know our people’s problems and how to go about handling them to their satisfaction. Interestingly, they invited us to come and contest in the last elections and they voted for us. So, they have hope in us.”

Speaking generally on the elections, Auyo said: “Yes, it can be said that there is no where in the world where you would have a perfect election. But I want to say that we have less post-elections problems in this country because of the groundwork of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) under Prof. Attahiru Jega.

The body did its best and we could all see. I thank God for it. In my state, despite all the odds, no life was lost. Today, the country is intact for us to seek ways forward.”

He, however, urged all the candidates who scaled through the electoral hurdles at all levels and organs of governance to always think about their people who gave them the mandate to serve and also fear God in whatever they do in office.

Lamenting the loss of lives that had been accompanying the bombings in some parts of the country, the politician said he was really

• Auyo

By Dada Aladelokun, Assistant Editor

troubled by the Boko Haram problems as well as the kidnappings among other causes of growing insecurity in the country. He therefore submitted: “If we can control what is happening through dialogue and prayers, President Goodluck Jonathan, joined by all Nigerians must not wait a second more. We must learn from the troubles in Afghanistan. We must find out the source of the problems and proffer urgent solution in the interest of all.”

He evinced confidence when he spoke on the future of his party, the ACN. Hear him: “I can assure anyone that my great party will assume the Presidency of this country in 2015. You could see that the profile of the party has remained on the rise through the relentless efforts of its leaders, notably Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. Also working for the party is its governors’ exemplary performances in their states. Another thing that will work for us in the 2015 elections is the obvious disappointment of Nigerians by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led administration in the country. We are going to liberate Nigerians in 2015.

“I was once in the PDP. They agreed on zoning which the party could not abide by. They breached it, thus disregarding its own internal constitution. Is that the party that can help our country grow?

This is enough to convince anyone that my party is already on the royal route to the country’s presidency in the next elections.”

• Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan (middle) flanked by the Managing Director, Mercedes Benz Centre, Mr Benson Uwatse (left), the chairman of the company, Mr John Edozien; Mr Wale Raji, Lagos State Ministry of Commerce and Industry; Oceanic Bank Executive Director, South, Mr Henry Ajagbewa and others during the opening ceremony of Mercedes Benz Centre in Lagos.

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

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EDITORIAL/OPINION EDITORIAL FROM OTHER LAND

COMMENT

Stalled gas project •We should work towards facilitating, rather than jeopardising the contract

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IVEN the importance that the Federal Government supposedly places on improved power supply in the country within the shortest time frame possible, it is amazing that bureaucratic power plays, petty intrigues and red tape are allowed to stall projects designed to achieve this urgent national objective.

One of such critical projects that has allegedly become the victim of intrigues and power play is the $400 million (N60 billion) gas treatment processing scheme at Utorogu and Oben in Delta State.

According to the sad, almost unbelievable narrative, the project designed to end gas flaring and provide dry gas for improved power generation in the country is currently virtually grounded. As far back as July 2009, a company, Southfield Petroleum Ltd (SPL), reportedly obtained the mandate to build the supplementary facility at Utorogu and Oben on Build Own and Operate (BOO) basis. Over two years after, little or no progress has been

‘It is shocking that this type of petty bureaucratic politics can be allowed to stall a key project in the power sector, even as the Federal Government continues to assure us daily of its determination to improve electricity supply as a necessary condition for rapid economic recovery and growth’

made despite the SPL mobilising to site in accordance with its own side of the agreement.

What remains a mystery is the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation’s (NNPC) refusal to sign the BOO agreement in line with the directive of the Minister of Petroleum, thus stalling the project. The BOO agreement expected to have been in place since April 2010 is now 13 months overdue. If the NNPC had played its own part and signed the agreement, the supply of gas by the operators/owners would have been guaranteed, even as no new processing plants/technology would be applied upstream of SPL plants.

Despite the existence of the contractual obligations that can solve the problem once all parties play their parts to ensure it comes into force, the country reportedly continues to flare liquid hydro carbons with severe impact on host communities. The continued pumping of wet gas into the pipelines has reduced capacity of the generating plants, which consequently suffer from frequent breakdowns.

There are unhealthy insinuations that the NNPC is planning to use a yet-to-be created consortium to execute the same project while the subsisting agreement remains on hold. Matters are further compounded by the allegation that NNPC and Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) plan the award of $250 million (N37.5 billion) contract to Daewoo Engineering Construction Company Ltd of Korea to execute the same project. Be-

yond the NNPC’s alleged reluctance to enforce government’s directive on the project, the Shell Petroleum Development Corporation has also allegedly refused to supply gas for the de-watering scheme.

The assertion of the NNPC spokesperson, Dr. Levi Ajuonoma, that the aggrieved contractor could go to court if it is not satisfied with the situation of the project is, to say the least, unsatisfactory and unhelpful. As a country, we must treat contractual obligations with utter seriousness if we are not to erode the confidence of foreign concerns in doing business with us. Going to court will not only be time consuming, it will also lead to diversion of scarce resources by affected parties to protracted and avoidable legal proceedings.

Can it be that the Department of Petroleum Resources did not properly do its home work before signing the agreement with the SPL? If so, those responsible must be brought to book. Furthermore, the NNPC must come clean and let the public know why it is reneging on its own side of the bargain.

It is shocking that this type of petty bureaucratic politics can be allowed to stall a key project in the power sector, even as the Federal Government continues to assure us daily of its determination to improve electricity supply as a necessary condition for rapid economic recovery and growth.

President Goodluck Jonathan should take urgent steps to get to the root of this impasse in the public interest.

Rejoice Bi-Courtney?

We hope this time, work would finally start on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway OW that Bi-Courtney has announced it is starting work on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, some two years after its concession agreement with the Federal Government, we suppose longsuffering road users should burst into intense celebration, choosing the melodious Rejoice Bi-Courtney as its theme song!

But a caveat here: merry makers should not celebrate too soon. While we have no reason to doubt the claims of Dipo Kehinde, Bi-Courtney’s head of communication and media, there is certainly a reason to take whatever reasons he gave for the late starting of work with caution.

Take the delay in road design claim, in the Design-Build-Operate and Transfer (DBOT) concession. Mr. Kehinde, blaming tardy bureaucracy and a steady change of ministers as the principal culprits in the delay in approving the road’s new design, said the design was only approved in May 2011. That could well be; and anyone familiar with how the Nigerian bureaucracy move in mysterious ways their wonders to perform, would empathise with Mr. Kehinde and his company.

But at what point did Bi-Courtney find out the design was yet to be approved?

Now, if indeed the concession is DBOT (which it is), how come Bi-Courtney would flag off work with all that fanfare, when it knew full well that the design, the very first step in the concession, was yet to be tidied up? If that were so, why did the company give the impression that it was starting work immediately? Why

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all those giant billboards claiming “Work has commenced, bear with us” – or something to that effect? All these simply do not add up.

The perceptive may well have a glimpse at the probable reason the company had tarried this while – access to capital. “We have secured the funds needed, though not from Nigeria,” Mr. Kehinde gushed. “Money is not an issue.

We are ready to start full blast.” That is reassuring, except that it could also ring true of a Freudian slip, aside from giving ready excuses for delay in the immediate future. Stating money was secured from outside Nigeria, while not being unusual for such giant construction projects, could hint at the real reason work has been delayed: the inability of local banks to come up with the cash.

The caveat that work would start “full blast”, but after the rains though not unreasonable, would appear a ready excuse, should work ground to a halt, even after this latest announcement of resumption of work. While all this may ordinarily sound sceptical or even cynical, it is perfectly logical to a Nigerian public already fed an overdose of excuses for non-performance.

Still, with all these reservations, it is cheering news that Bi-Courtney is mobilising fully to site and that luckless road users on that critical road could soon heave a sigh of relief, if Bi-Courtney walks its talk. Everything should be done to encourage it to do so.

But, aside from the company, the Federal Government itself has serious soul-

searching to do. If the Bi-Courtney allegation about delay in road design is true, then the Federal Government is culpable of crass insensitivity to the plight of Nigerians, who have almost reconciled themselves to the turning of a major road artery into a death trap, no thanks to years of neglect. To speed up matters in the future, the government may want to draw its own basic designs for major roads, subject to mutual amendments, of course.

Certainly, the Federal Government can do better, in ensuring the welfare of citizens.

Let both parties therefore make this announcement a fresh start in rapidly reconstructing that all-important road. It is the least they can do to ease the angst of thousands of souls who daily travel on that road.

‘But, aside from the company, the Federal Government itself has serious soul-searching to do. If the Bi-Courtney allegation about delay in road design is true, then the Federal Government is culpable of crass insensitivity to the plight of Nigerians, who have almost reconciled themselves to the turning of a major road artery into a death trap, no thanks to years of neglect’

The Libya Campaign

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OUR months into the NATO air campaign, Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi is still in power, protected by loyalists and mercenaries. Americans are weary of war, and patience in Europe is also wearing thin. But NATO must not give up.

If Colonel Qaddafi is allowed to have his way, thousands more Libyans will die. The credibility of NATO and this country would also be severely damaged. Colonel Qaddafi, who has a long history of sponsoring international terrorism, is not one to let bygones be bygones.

There is progress. The make-shift rebel army — aided by British, French and Italian advisers and armed by France and Qatar — is slowly improving. NATO strikes on military command centers, including Colonel Qaddafi’s compound in Tripoli, have done real damage.

This week’s International Criminal Court indictment of Colonel Qaddafi, one of his sons and his intelligence chief on charges of crimes against humanity should be a warning to all of his cronies.

A naval blockade and international sanctions are increasingly having an effect. Oil revenues, the government’s main income, are down by two-thirds. There are reports of long gasoline lines in Tripoli and rising bread prices. On Thursday, people fleeing Tripoli told of overnight gunfire and signs of revolt.

The Qaddafi clan is watching closely for signs that NATO’s will is flagging. Italy’s recent call for a cease-fire (which could give government forces time to regroup) and second-guessing by the Arab League’s outgoing leader, Amr Moussa, are not helpful. Neither are Congressional efforts to force an end to American support for the air campaign.

President Obama was wrong to ignore the War Powers Act, but that should not stop the House and Senate from adopting the KerryMcCain resolution authorizing the mission to continue for another year.

NATO must help, but the Libyan people are the only ones who can bring the regime down.

The rebels need more military advisers and weapons and access to $30 billion in frozen Qaddafi government funds. The United States and other countries need to remove the legal obstacles to getting that money.

The alliance should extend sanctions to more of Colonel Qaddafi’s cronies and the subsidiaries of state-owned enterprises. Washington and its partners should also help the rebels start building the political and civil institutions they will need to keep a post-Qaddafi Libya from descending into chaos.

There has been recent talk by all sides about a possible political deal between the rebels and the government. We are eager to see an end to the fighting. But Washington and NATO must stand firmly with the rebels and reject any solution that does not involve the swift ouster of Colonel Qaddafi and real freedom for Libyans.

– New York Times

TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief Victor Ifijeh • Editor Gbenga Omotoso •Chairman, Editorial Board Sam Omatseye •General Editor Kunle Fagbemi

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THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

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EDITORIAL/OPINION

IR: The recent blame games between Oyo State government and the State’s Commissioner of Police on the unabated, incessant and bloody crisis within the rank and file of the weapon of mass destruction in the stateNational Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW)- would not come as a surprise to those who understand the politics involved.

While the state government fired the first salvo by accusing the police of hypocrisy and being economical with truth about the whereabout of leaders of warring factions, the much maligned CP who has fired back accusing successive government in the state of aiding and abetting the NURTW crisis. In another word, the Commissioner of Police believes that the twin agents of destruction called Lateef Akinsola (Tokyo) and Lamidi Mukaila (Auxiliary) were created by the politicians in the state.

Both the CP and the state government are right.

The hottest battle ground in the on going NURTW members faceoff in the state is Iwo Road, where the state has the largest concentration of the motor parks. I live in this neighborhood and I am a witness of the incessant crisis which they always perpetrate with impunity.

If the state government accuses

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On Oyo’s NURTW crisis the police of not being alive to their responsibility on the arrest of the now fleeing duo, I will agree with the government. It is a wellknown fact that Auxiliary passes through Iwo Road on daily basis under the watchful eyes of policemen. The police know where to get both Tokyo and Auxiliary if they really want to arrest them. They should stop fooling us.

Government too should stop throwing stones because they are living inside a proverbial glass house. The former government in the state would be for ever grateful to the members of this union for ‘hitch free and peaceful’ tenure of office. It was a case of partnership that worked between the government and the motor park miscreants who are willing destructive tools for the politicians.

While the present government is trying to come to the equity with clean hands as far as the issue is concerned, they should be aware of the fact that people in the state

are watching with keen interest how they will find lasting solution to the lingering crisis. Since 1999 when Nigeria returned to the civilian rule it has been a case of one crisis too many within the NURTW in the state with the successive government fanning the ember.

Government’s decision to set up a task force to take over the motor parks in place of the NURTW members might not be the best solution.

Findings show that there is no difference between six and half a dozen. The outlawed union members are still collecting money from the commercial drivers. The composition of the task force members is even crucial because either faction is waiting to see if task force membership will favour either of the two factions.

The Judicial Panel of Enquiry has been put in place to look into the remote and immediate causes of the crisis. The people of the state are waiting to see the outcome of the panel.

The strengthening, defense, reinforcement, enrichment, fortification, gratification and beautification currently being enjoyed by the so called untouchable NURTW big guns from the government/politicians/police in the state must stop.

Even if the two leaders currently ‘on the run’ are eventually ‘captured’, for how long will they be out of circulation before they are left off the hook to go and wreak more havoc on the defenseless and innocent people of the state? We have passed trough this road before. Is it not possible to rebrand the union? Are they all bad eggs?

The right thing is to put heads together and map out proactive, matter-of-fact, realistic and functional measures that will permanently end this NURTW cankerworm and let the good people of the state live in peace and harmony.

• Suleman ‘Wale KAREEM Iwo Road, Ibadan.

Mimiko and Aye rice farm project contractors

S

IR: When our amiable Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State announced that his government was establishing a 10,000-hectare rice farm in OdeAye, Okitipupa Local Government in January, our hopes for industrialization and employment opportunities had no limit. Lands were released willingly by peasant farmers for a token on the assurance that we were out to eat rice harvested from the farm by Dec 2011! We are greatly distressed that up till this

moment less than300 hectares of the compulsorily acquired land have only been cleared.

Indeed we are aware that all the contractors abandoned the clearing of the land four weeks after collecting huge mobilization funds running to 300 million naira. They are just waiting for heavy rains to come full blown, so as to plead flooding as a factor preventing them from performing.

They have abandoned the clearing in the last six months having

collected mobilization in October/ November 2010. None of them is on ground presently; we wonder if this is known to our Governor who is enthusiastic about this project.

We are hereby appealing to his Excellency to call these false contractors to order. Their conscience should be awakened to the facts that the more than 500 poor farmers forced out of their farm land near a planting season, are now impoverished and famished.

They should refund government

funds taken for the clearing immediately.

Sir, a stitch in time saves nine.

Call these people to order or turn them over to EFCC to recover the funds with them. They should not be allowed to tarnish the good image your government has built these two years.

• Akinmoye Akinwale Ode-Aye, Ondo-State.

Bama Mayonnaise alert

S

IR: Few days ago as my wife attempted opening a BAMA Mayonnaise She bought from a supermarket, the bottle dropped in a water container and got wet.

This unfortunate incident revealed a lot to us: the BAMA MAYONNAISE label was actually an overlay on a different brand of mayonnaise called REMIA with part of the information on the REMIA label written in Arabic. The shock was rude. Some people are taking Nigerian Consumers for granted; they are hell bent on putting the health of Nigerians at risk.

Another interesting thing is that the label over-lay was so well done that an average consumer will not suspect any foul play. It is mostly in the 235ml size (the smallest size) of BAMA MAYONNAISE. The other interesting thing is that this same BAMA brand continues in this label over-lay practice even as this piece is being read.

Worth remembering is that the recent bacterial outbreak that had left 17 people dead in Germany and other European nations was found in vegetables. Still fresh in our mind also is the reported case of death of some teachers and staff of Katsina State Ministry of Education from food poisoning. This should be of a serious concern to Nigerians especially government agencies responsible for consumers’ safety and economic interest.

Failure to investigate, unravel and punish the culprit may give rise to more importation of all forms of unapproved food products that are not only unhealthy for Nigerians but also allow consumers to be short-changed by some unscrupulous marketers/importers.

• Olugbenga Alomaja Lagos. omanombv@gmail.com

21

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

EDITORIAL/OPINION

G

OD the Almighty often works in mysterious ways that we mortals cannot see or comprehend. His criteria for choosing people to fulfill his plans lies outside the scope of human reasoning or understanding, such that most unexpectedly He anoints the less obvious person, making underdogs invincible, an action no human scheme can alter or prevent.

This aptly describes the spiritual angle to the emergence of Dr. Olusegun Mimiko as Governor of Ondo State some two years back. Today, the rest is history.

When Mimiko emerged as governor after a long drawn court battle, the emotion, the outpouring of goodwill that greeted the appeal court verdict was overwhelming. The celebration was total as the whole state went into raptures with a new fragrance of joyous ecstasy pervading the air.

His address at the inauguration ceremony witnessed by an unprecedented crowd was rich with promises that gave grounds for great expectations, some of which seemed impossible to deliver considering political antecedents and other daunting factors.

At this point it became quite disquieting for me, as failure to redeem these pledges as and when due, could only mean one thing-estrangement. Would a broken trust not lead to a broken relationship which may be very harmful to the governor’s reputation and credibility? Were these promises a product of a well thought-out and carefully researched plan? What is the level of Mimiko’s commitment to deliver on this rash of promises that were probably euphoria induced?

Does he possess the necessary wherewithal especially strong political will to effect such promised landmark changes? Would unredeemed pledges not debilitate an unquantifiable goodwill he presently enjoys and eventually become his political albatross? These, among others were some of the disturbing questions racing through my mind at that time.

But I soon discovered that Governor Olusegun Mimiko’s word was his bond as he was not given to making hollow promises or mere political statements characterized by pompous rhetoric typical of today’s politicians. Rather with an uncompromising and resolute commitment, the governor has been delivering on his promises step by step and often with an enchanting quality.

It is therefore noteworthy that after two years in office, Governor Olusegun Mimiko has been able to articulate clearly and forcefully too, his vision to take Ondo State to the next level, to make it a flagship and reference point for

‘The magic of Mimiko’s prompt delivery on promises may be attributed to his ingenuity at being able to effectively build in a margin of safety in delivery dates. This has greatly enhanced his reputation, credibility and the people’s confidence in his ability to take the state to the next level’

S

UDDENLY I got laughing, but with no one. But before someone could notice and accuse me of laughing at my own calamity – since I’m among the helpless victims of the malady that had assumed a monstrous dimension in my society – I chose to quickly end the amusement.

It was at my desk on Wednesday last week. I had begun the day’s work as early as 7.01 am. I had snappily digressed to flip through my newspaper with a sole aim: to know the latest palaver since mine had turned a country of ‘one day one trouble.’ I lie?

Late last year, is it not true that the leading story was about the Independence anniversary ‘gift’ of bombing in Abuja? Before and afterwards, had kidnapping not turned a sickening norm? Therefore, was fear not all over the place as fasting and prayers became the only weapons against the oddities?

Okay, let’s move nearer. Who would want me to believe that the devil was done with my beloved country after the April elections? By His grace, we are living witnesses to the theatre of bloodshed Nigeria has turned into, no thanks to the blood-thirsty and now-invincible Boko Haram bombers who have practically taken over the reins of government before our very eyes. I lie?

No, let’s leave ex-Speaker Dimeji Bankole now; I think the bigger, tormenting scoop was the ordeal of the headquarters of the Nigeria Police in Abuja where the satanic ones unleashed their anger last week, killing and maiming. The late Sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo was the one who, out of shock, had said when the late Head of State, Gen Murtala Mohammed was killed in a coup de tat that “any community in which a dog kills a tiger is unsafe to live in.” Now, think Police boss Hafiz Ringim; think the suicide bombers; think the defenceless ordinary Nigerians!

Why then won’t I chuckle in pains? It’s in the same paper, The Nation, that Wednesday that I read about the grief of Sunday Samuel who lost his beloved wife to robbers’ gunshots when the latter took their ‘business’ to a bank at Ado, the Ekiti State capital, a few days ago. I could not but shed tears for the hapless man and her unlucky wife. One week, one headache!

Again, on Tuesday, I was tormented with the frightening news of yet another Boko Haram bravado in Maiduguri . The evil ones struck the previous day, leaving 25 souls stone dead! On the same day, they took their dare-devil spirit to three liquor joints, killing two, injuring 12; yes, human souls!

Mimiko at two

By Gbenga Ogunremi development, transformation and good governance.

The second anniversary of his administration therefore was a celebration of fulfilled promises and good governance packed full with the commissioning of life-changing projects across the state.

Indeed, there seems to be a paradigm shift, a fundamental change in approach to governance in Ondo State under Mimiko, striking out on new paths by expanding the frontiers of governance to accommodate the common man and the down-trodden as stake holders and participants in key decision-making especially as it relates to their respective communities.

This systemic political attitude which favours changes or reforms as against reactionary or conservative ideologies ensure that it is no longer business as usual whereby government will by executive fiat determine and dictate projects and developmental programmes to be executed in the various communities that make up Ondo State without considering concrete imputs that reflect the utmost desires and expectations of the residents of these communities.

The practical side of this was that government recruited and trained some people referred to as Change Agents who visit communities, fraternize with and feel the pulse of the residents including traditional rulers, artisans, okada riders, farmers, petty traders, social and religious organizations etc in order to ascertain their problems, expectations, requirements etc. Such interactions engender a list of urgent needs. The residents then vote to prioritize the list with the number one need being provided within 3 months.

To this end, over 230 communities have been visited to date while records show that projects like boreholes, rural electrification, blocks of classroom, rural roads, health centres, market stalls, town halls, cottages industries etc termed Confidence Building projects have been provided in at least 180 communities. This I understand is an on-going process that will definitely cover every single community in Ondo State.

Quite a host of other promises have over time been kept while others are in the process of being fulfilled especially in the areas of health, education, markets, roads, dredging of water ways and other social infrastructures both in the rural and urban centres.

For example, the governor recently flagged off a N3.9 billion dualisation project of the major roads in Owo township while barely two weeks later he commissioned an ultra-modern market in the ancient town, using the opportunity to also distribute soft loans to various women groups that would trade in the market under his administration’s micro-credit scheme.

These and more were in fulfillment of his pledge to accede to the requests and yearnings of Owo people during a town hall meeting held only about 18 months ago which included demand for more medical doctors in their hospitals, dualisation of Owo township roads and the rebuilding of

their main market to a standard comparable to the best in the country.

Perhaps the one that beats me hollow was Mimiko’s pledge at Chief Gani Fawehinmi’s burial to build a world standard diagnostic centre aimed at preventing avoidable deaths and the way he pursued its realization with a suicidal passion when he was barely six months in office. This promise was in direct response to the dying wish of Gani Fawehinmi, who advocated for the country to have standard health facilities for accurate diagnosis of ailment because he probably would have lived longer had he not been initially wrongly diagnosed of pneumonia before discovering rather too late that he was suffering from cancer of the lungs.

It is therefore commendable and note-worthy that the commissioning of the N800 million world-standard Gani Fawehinmi Health Diagnostic Centre in Ondo, home town of the legal icon and rights activist was held as part of the events marking the second year anniversary of the administration. According to the governor, the centre which parades state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment that can diagnose diseases of un-imaginable kind and at an unbelievable accuracy would provide unfettered access to good medical services for the residents of the state and even beyond.

The magic of Mimiko’s prompt delivery on promises may be attributed to his ingenuity at being able to effectively build in a margin of safety in delivery dates. This has greatly enhanced his reputation, credibility and the people’s confidence in his ability to take the state to the next level.

Finally, I would say this is a tribute to a friend, a tribute devoid of partisanship but rich in history and facts but more importantly, Mimiko’s success story is indeed a tribute to his resilience, tenacity of purpose, forthrightness, great focus and altruism.

I could not have done better that to write this compelling tribute because I was there when his political journey started.

Way back in time, roughly 30 years ago, I met Rahman as he was fondly called then through a mutual friend Soji Bello who was the then Branch Manager of Owena Bank in Ibadan where I also operated a salary account as an employee of the Sketch Press Limited, publishers of the defunct Daily and Sunday Sketch Newspapers. Soji Bello saw in me as Head of Political Desk of Sunday Sketch at that time a rare opportunity to bring his friend to political limelight and therefore urged and persuaded me to visit Ondo town to meet his young doctor friend. Soji Bello was so passionate about his friend’s political future so much that you would think he already knew through a crystal ball or other spirituals that Mimiko would one day be a huge political success.

Eventually we met at his twin bungalow which doubled as his residence and medical clinic in Ondo town and I was hugely impressed by his intelligence and vibrancy. We hit it off as friends and we remain so till date. So it is just natural that I consciously and sometimes unconsciously follow the trends of governance in Ondo State and I am proud to be part of Mimiko’s success story. Afterall the Yorubas would say “Bi eegun eni ba jore ori a ma ya atokun re” which literally translates to the fact that if one’s masquerade displays quality dance steps and outshines others, one is filled with joy and pride.

Nigeria: Stench on all fronts

By Dada Aladelokun Oh no; why won’t I be worried about the current coup against the teeming defenceless Nigeria masses by our ‘loving’ governors who seem poised to strangle President Jonathan should he fail to remove the contentious oil subsidy? And of course, I’m not deaf to the ongoing needless rage over the N18,000 minimum wage which is, to say the least, long overdue for Nigerian workers. Ripples, ripples on all fronts!

Let’s take a step back to the previous Wednesday. ‘Will NITEL ever be sold,’ a story written by a colleague, Adline Atili, in that same edition, ‘bombed’ my heart silly. The writeup expressed worries over the collapse of serial efforts that had been made to sell the communication commonwealth.

The piece quickly reminded me of what had suddenly become a fad in our national life – PRIVATISATION; sensible or nonsensical!

Once an establishment is deemed ailing, the next suggestion here is, sell to ‘able and more effective’ private hands! I often laugh. And each time I ask: Who we the ones running these establishments successfully in the years past? Were the ghosts, super humans or angel? Now, it you say that failure is the reason for privatisation, why has Aso Rock not been sold off since? I’m still surprised that none of the merchants of deceits at government quarters has suggested outright sale of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway since it became a stubborn blood-sucking hell of a route.

Of course, not a few of such people’s collective wealth have gone into private hands through k-legged stinking deals for ridiculous amounts. But we must let some people realise that not every Nigerian have mud or eba encased as brains in their craniums. Who are the thieves that ran those companies aground? How many of them ended up in jail houses to deter prospective others?

Nigeria is the only place, at least as far as I know, where a self-professed economic wizard who cannot manage a pure water business to fruition, is idolized because of a suddenly cooked up idiotic and self-serving policy. And bad enough, unsuspecting victims of such a ‘coup’ against them will be shouting hosanna!

Just a few weeks before he left this ‘sinful world’ after a legendary life career, celebrated legal icon, Chief Ganiyu Oyesola Fawehinmi had noted during a passionate discourse on the contrived woes bedevilling the nation. He had noted on top of his cancer-rattled voice: “Mr. Dada, this country suffer only two problems; the wickedness of its so-called leaders and the sheepish gullibility cum docility of Nigerians.” Did he not say it all? But can we honestly blame poor Nigerians? To me, the culpable are the misfits in public offices who have succeeded in denying the people of education, thus injecting in them, intellectual lethargy and in extreme cases, impotence.

God forbid, they won’t succeed in selling us all, but I’m more than certain that one day, most of these cheats with be made to return our wealth which they have continued to steal in the name of privatisation. And who is there to save the mouse from the claws of the cat? God, of course! They may not know or pretend not to appreciate it; I’m sure that ultimately, The Omniscient, The Omnipresent, The Omnipotent is on standby. Good enough, His case can’t be appealed!

But when shall troubling wonders cease in our land?

• Aladelokun is Assistant Editor with The Nation

Nigeria is the only place, at least as far as I know, where a self-professed economic wizard who cannot manage a pure water business to fruition, is idolized because of a suddenly cooked up idiotic and self-serving policy. And bad enough, unsuspecting victims of such a ‘coup’ against them will be shouting hosanna!

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

22

EDITORIAL/OPINION

M

OST Nigerians do not seem to fully appreciate the global reach, the powerful cultural influence and the enormous economic potentials of their film industry.

Whenever I visit the Nairobi art and craft market in Kenya, sellers try to win me over by calling me Oga or Igwe as soon as they realize that I am a Nigerian. Thanks to the ubiquitous Nigerian movies, such quintessentially Nigerian titles are gradually becoming part of the Eastern and Southern African vocabulary.

When Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga visited Nigeria two years ago, his Kenyan wife’s major request from their host was an opportunity to meet

‘Nollywood, as it is now known globally, should take itself more seriously and realize the power it wields over the minds and hearts of millions of people all over the world.

Power comes with responsibility. Therefore, it should use that power responsibly by striving at all times for a more rounded and balanced portrait of Nigeria. It should avoid the sort of distorted and exploitative images we often see in some of the movies’

Nollywood should adapt Nigerian Novels and Plays

By Adinoyi Ojo Onukaba with and fraternize with some of the famous Nigerian actors. Mrs Ida Odinga could not hide her excitement when the great Justus Esiri, Clarion Chukwurah and two other stars sat down for a dinner with her and her husband at the new Federal Palace Hotel in Lagos.

All over the world, Nigerian faces, cultural symbols, traditional practices and value system are being beamed daily into the living rooms of Nigerians, Africans, the Black Diaspora and others. The Nigerian story is being told by Nigerians – no matter how amateurish it might sometimes look.

Some cultural purists may dismiss the whole Nollywood phenomenon as most unrepresentative of the Nigerian way of life or a distortion of our cultural heritage. But they must concede that there is something particularly alluring about our movies for them to have captured the hearts and minds of diverse audiences all over the world.

The Nigerian film industry can promote and preserve the Nigerian culture the way the novels of Chinua Achebe and the plays of Wole Soyinka and others exploded the Nigerian narratives on the world stage in the sixties and seventies.

But it must pay attention to quality over quantity. There is need for intellectual rigour; a less superficial treat-

ment of serious social issues. Nigerian writers have created a rich body of works from highly successful novels to popular plays that should interest film directors and producers for possible adaptation.

Nollywood, as it is now known globally, should take itself more seriously and realize the power it wields over the minds and hearts of millions of people all over the world. Power comes with responsibility. Therefore, it should use that power responsibly by striving at all times for a more rounded and balanced portrait of Nigeria. It should avoid the sort of distorted and exploitative images we often see in some of the movies.

It should seek to educate the world about the richness of the Nigerian way of life, and it should seek a harmonious relationship with other cultures through collaboration and partnership as a way of addressing the lopsided flow of films from Nigeria to other places, especially in Africa.

Given the increasing dominance of Nigerian movies in the world today, it is hardly surprising to hear that some nations are beginning to grumble about the onslaught of Nigerian cultural imperialism. Already, the people of Tanzania have started to blame the prevalence of ritual killings of albinos in their country on the

influence of occult practices in Nigeria movies.

Therefore, as Nigerians export their booming cultural products to the world, we must realize that there will be resistance from some consumers who feel threatened by Nigeria’s growing cultural dominance. The Nigerian film industry should from time to time engage other cultures in a creative dialogue to erase the fear that one culture is about to swallow the other.

Stakeholders in the film industry have an obligation to reposition the Nollywood products to become an engaging, thrilling, profitable and artistically valuable African magic and be a true representation of our rich cultural heritage.

• Onukaba made the remarks at the 4th Nigerian Film Corporation 2011 annual lecture held in Lagos.

‘Some cultural purists may dismiss the whole Nollywood phenomenon as most unrepresentative of the Nigerian way of life or a distortion of our cultural heritage. But they must concede that there is something particularly alluring about our movies for them to have captured the hearts and minds of diverse audiences all over the world’

VIEW FROM THE FOREIGN PRESS

T

HERE is something crazy about what is going on in our country today. Our fiscal condition continues on an unsustainable path, the European currency is heading for a crackup, the Arab world is in the midst of a crackup, unemployment is creeping upward and basically our two parties are telling us that they will not make the reforms that we know are necessary because it would involve too much pain and could imperil their chances of winning the presidency in 2012.

Ever since President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s legendary “First 100 Days” in office — which stabilized a country ravaged by the Depression — the first 100 days of every president have been used as a measuring stick for success. That’s over. I’ve said this before, and I believe it even more strongly today: We’ve gone from the first 100 days to the “Only 100 Days.”

Really — it feels as if Barack Obama had 100 days to push through the basics we needed to stabilize the economy and then lay the basis for his one big initiative — health care reform — and then he was pre-

‘There is no way that America can remain a great country if the opportunities for meaningful reform are reduced to either market- or and climate-induced crises and 100 working days every four years. We need a full-time government, and instead we’ve created a Congress that is a full-time fund-raising enterprise that occasionally legislates and a White House that, save for 100 days, has to be in perpetual campaign mode’

100 days

By Thomas L. Friedman paring for the midterms, and then he was recovering from his midterm losses and then he was announcing his re-election bid and then, judging from all the Republicans who have declared for the presidency already, the 2012 race got started. As such, the chances of the two parties successfully doing something big, hard and together to fix the huge problems staring us in the face are very small — unless the market or Mother Nature imposes it upon them.

Therefore, let us all now hold our breath and hope that nothing really bad happens until the next president has his or her 100 days in early 2013 to take a quick shot at fixing the country before getting ready for the 2014 midterms and 2016 elections.

There is no way that America can remain a great country if the opportunities for meaningful reform are reduced to either marketor and climate-induced crises and 100 working days every four years. We need a fulltime government, and instead we’ve created a Congress that is a full-time fund-raising enterprise that occasionally legislates and a White House that, save for 100 days, has to be in perpetual campaign mode.

To get elected today, politicians increasingly have to play to their bases and promise things that they cannot possibly deliver (5 percent annual growth for a decade) or solutions to our problems that will be painless for their constituencies (we’ll just raise taxes on the rich or we’ll just cut taxes even more) or to keep things just as they are even though we know they can’t possibly stay that way without bankrupting the country (Social Security and Medicare benefits).

The truth is, we need to do four things at once if we have any hope of maintaining American greatness: We need more stimulus to keep the economy from slipping back into recession. But we need to combine that stimulus with a credible, legislated, longterm plan for cutting spending and getting the deficit under control — e.g., the SimpsonBowles deficit-reduction plan. And we need to raise new revenues in order to reinvest in the sources of our strength: education, infra-

structure and government-funded research to push out the boundaries of knowledge.

That’s right. We need to do four things at once: spend, cut, tax and invest. And unless we do all four at once we’re not going to break out of our slow decline. But to do all four at once will require a new hybrid politics, which does not conform to the political agenda of either major party.

The Democrats are ready for more stimulus but have refused to signal any serious willingness to cut entitlements, like Medicare, that we know are unsustainable in their present form. The Republicans are all for spending cuts but refuse to accept any tax increases that we need to pay for the past and invest in the future. So what we’re basically saying as a country is that unless the market or Mother Nature make us pay, we are going to hand this whole bill over to our children.

Maybe it is just my friends, but I find more and more people completely disgusted by this situation and looking for a serious Third Party candidate who could run in 2012 and deliver the shock therapy to the corrupt, encrusted, two-party duopoly now running the show in America.

Such a Third Party would have a simple agenda: 1) Inject a short-term stimulus. 2) Enact Simpson-Bowles. 3) Shrink our presence in Afghanistan. 4) Raise automobile mileage standards. 5) Impose a gasoline tax to pay for a massive increase in governmentsupported scientific research and a carbon tax to pay for new infrastructure and stimulate clean-power innovation.

Do I think such a Third Party can win in 2012? Not likely. But it doesn’t have to win to be effective. If such a party attracted substantial voters on such a platform, it would shape the agendas of the Republicans and Democrats. They would both have to move to attract these voters by changing their own platforms and, in so doing, might even create a mandate for the next president to govern for an entire term — not just 100 days.

– New York Times

• Obama

AHEAD CANADA CLASH

ALL AFRICAN GAMES QUALIFIERS

Rain disrupts Obiora, Musa, doubtful for Dream Team Falcons’ training Pg. 24

Pg. 42

Nation Monday, July 4, 2011

FREE COPY

PAGE 23

FIRST WIMBLEDON CROWN:

Djokovic overpowers Nadal N

•Nadal

OVAK DJOKOVIC crowned his rise to No 1 in the world in perfect fashion with a dramatic 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3, victory over Rafael Nadal in the Wimbledon final.

The Spaniard was looking to make it three titles in four years at the All England Club and win back-to-back French Open and Wimbledon titles for the third time, but it was the player in his first final in SW19 who held his nerve the best.

Having been sublime in the opening two sets, Djokovic, the Australian Open champion in January, dipped in the third but he was not to be denie d.

Microphone problems added an unfortunate twist to the presentation ceremony, with Nadal eventually managing to make himself understood.

'Now I can say well d o n e t o N o l e (Djokovic),' he said to a great cheer. 'I tried my best but today one player played better than me.'

Djokovic, who will overtake Nadal in the rankings on Monday (today), said: 'It's really difficult to describe except it's the best and most special day of my life. I

think I'm still sleeping. I played probably my best match on grass ever.'

The Serbian has emphatically been the player of 2011, winning an astonishing 47 out of 48 matches before the final, with his only defeat coming against an inspired Roger Federer in the semi-finals of the French Open.

His 41 consecutive wins included four over Nadal in the finals of Masters Series events, two of them on the Spaniard's favoured clay, yet still Djokovic was not the favourite.

Nadal had not been beaten at Wimbledon since a five-set loss to Federer in the final of 2007, and his record against Djokovic in grand slams read: played five, won five.

The start showed what the second seed was up against, with Nadal piling on the pressure and drawing gasps from the crowd with two thumping forehand winners.

But a man does not win 41 straight matches without having complete confidence in himself and his game, and slowly he began to turn things around.

Playing Djokovic must be the closest Nadal comes to facing himself - superb athleticism in defence, but crucially the ability to turn defence into attack with the flash of a racquet.

The Serbian began to come out on top in the long, brutal rallies Nadal so loves, and two stunning forehand winners took him to 30-30 with his opponent serving to stay in the first set.

Rarely does Nadal crack, but this time he

•Djokovic

did, dumping a tame shot into the net to hand Djokovic the set point and then missing with his favourite forehand down the line.

A lucky net cord took Nadal to 0-30 in the opening game of the second set but Djokovic was like a rock, and it was Nadal who was making the errors - more of them than he had in four sets of his semi-final against Andy Murray.

It was an important moment. Djokovic promptly created two more break points in the next game and he took the first with a beautiful dinked backhand off a Nadal dropvolley, celebrating as if he had won the match.

Murray had let the Spaniard off the hook but Djokovic simply got better, breaking again in the sixth game and clinching the set with ease.

The question was whether the 24-year-old would be able to keep up his almost superhuman level, and the answer arrived in the second game of the third set when a forehand error was followed by a backhand one and Nadal had his first break from his first opening.

The crowd had been waiting for a fightback, and they erupted. Nadal began to slow things down, forcing Djokovic to apply the pace, and his error count soared.

He saved two break points in game six but a third brought the first double fault of the match, and Nadal served out another emphatic set to love.

MONDAY, JULY 04, 2011

24

NATION SPORT

NATION SPORT

Mourinho stopped Ronaldo's Man City move

•Mourinho

RONALDO was the subject of reported interest from free-spending City earlier this summer, with recordbreaking transfer fees and bumper pay packets discussed.

Ronaldo responded to the rumours by hinting that he could be tempted back to England if the price was right.

He has, however, sought to play

down any chance of that happening this year by insisting that he will not leave the Santiago Bernabeu where countryman Mourinho is overseeing events in the Spanish capital.

Ronaldo said in the Sunday Mirror: "It's flattering to be offered £20million a year - it's very good, but I spoke to my agent and I think it's better to stay in Madrid because this year we're going to be the best. This season we are going to be a big force.

"Jose Mourinho is staying at Madrid so I stay.

"If he went to Chelsea then I would have left. I would have gone to Manchester City. But now he's staying, I'm staying."

While his immediate future remains in Madrid, Ronaldo has revealed that he does intend to take in a second spell in the Premier League.

Having enjoyed a successful sixyear stint with Manchester United between 2003 and 2009, he admits he would welcome the opportunity to return at some stage in his career.

"I think if I went from Spain it would be to the Premier League - but not now," he said.

"First we have to win the Champions League.

"If I went back to the Premier League it would be with a club in the North West. I don't like London."

Maicon: I ‘ll speak on transfer after Copa America BRAZILIAN international says winning Copa America comes before he sheds light on Serie A future following consistent links with Jose Mourinho's Spanish giants

Villas -Boas will not fall prey to Fergie's off-field tactics NEW Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas does not intend to be drawn into managerial mind games with his Manchester United counterpart Sir Alex Ferguson.

The Scot has been known to get under his opponents' skin and also has a reputation for using the media to his advantage.

But the former Porto boss believes he will not fall prey to the veteran manager's off-field tactics, explaining that he has a non-confrontational personality and insisting that it is not about scoring psychological points off other managers as much as the Blues competing to win the Premier League.

"I have the utmost respect for Sir Alex.

I'm not a confrontational guy," VillasBoas told The Daily Star Sunday.

"It's not just a question of me taking on Sir Alex or the other Premier League managers.

"It's a question of a top club like Chelsea challenging for the title again.

"Last year, we ended on a very good run to threaten for the title in the last couple of games. I want us to be up there at the beginning."

•Villas Boas

Maicon has said his club future will become clearer after the Copa America when he will speak about Inter and Real Madrid.

The 29-year-old, who is tied to San Siro until 2012, has long been linked with a summer move to the Santiago Bernabeu, where he would reunite with former coach Jose Mourinho.

Inter President Massimo Moratti has always said his defender is not for sale, but the Brazilian is keeping his options open.

For now however, his focus is solely on the Copa with Brazil who play Venezuela on Sunday.

"I am happy at Inter, but we will speak about Real Madrid and Inter after the Copa," he is quoted as saying by Il Corriere dello Sport.

"I want to win a trophy with Brazil and this is my only objective right now."

Maicon was also linked with Real Madrid last year, but a •35 million move proved groundless.

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HE rain in Dresden has not allowed Super Falcons prepare adequately for their last group game against Canada in the on-going FIFA Women's World Cup. The team arrived the Eastern part of Germany on Friday from Frankfurt and have been lodged in Maritim Hotel by FIFA ahead of Tuesday's encounter.

However, not much has been achieved by the team due to the constant rain.

The cold weather put at 16 degrees centigrade is also not helping matters.

“We were to train twice yesterday both in the morning and evening going by the FIFA itinerary but we could only train once which was in the evening because of the rain,” explained Falcons coach, Uche Eucharia.

The coach was expecting Dresden to have the same weather condition with that of Frankfurt which was the venue of their second match.

“Although it was colder in Austria

•As team complains of cold weather

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•As team moves to Lagos

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By Ejiro Femi-Babafemi, from Germany Nigeria who have lost the All Africa Games ticket to Ghana.

"People think the replacement is a welcome relief to the team but l do not think so. They may have beaten Cameroon before now group but that does not make them a better than their opponents,' she said.

"Cameroon has been there since 1991 just like Nigeria. The same with Ghana.

The fact that Equatorial Guinea has won the Africa Women Championship trophy and are in the FIFA Women's World Cup in Germany, does not make them a stronger opposition,' said the coach.

Equatorial Guinea were ejected after the FIFA Judicial Bodies declared the 2 matches forfeited by Equatorial Guinea in the 2nd round, due to player’s ineligibility in infringement of the Regulations”..

The final qualifying fixture is scheduled for August 26-28 in Nigeria with the return leg billed for Cameroon in September. South Africa will battle Ethiopia for the second slot.

•Louisa Necib of France challenges Rita Chikwelu of Nigeria during the FIFA Women's World Cup 2011 Group A match between

...AsplayerswantmatchmovedoutofAbuja

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LAYERS have pleaded with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF)to move the first leg fixture of the Olympic qualifier out of Abuja.

They have cited the absence of crowd patronage as reason.

London Olympics official suspended over W/Ham link •Eucharia

we're going to be working the way he thinks is the right way to be successful."

Whilst revealing it felt like coming home to rejoin the Stamford Bridge club, Di Matteo admitted that it will be a challenge to adapt having been manager of West Brom to now fill an assistant role to new Blues boss Andre Villas-Boas.

A 2012 Olympic Park Legacy Company executive has been suspended after a Sunday newspaper revealed she had been working for West Ham, the football club which won the bid to take over the main stadium.

The OPLC board voted 14-0 in February to make the Hammers the first choice to move into the £486 million ($776 million) Olympic Stadium once the London Games are over, edging out Tottenham Hotspur.

The future of the 80,000-seater venue in Stratford, east London, has been a bone of contention, trying to match the Games organisers' pledge for an athletics legacy with the need to make the stadium viable

in the long term.

West Ham confirmed that OPLC director of corporate services Dionne Knight had carried out consultancy work for the east London football club but vehemently denied any wrongdoing.

Knight is in a relationship with West Ham director Ian Tompkins, who spearheaded the club's bid to take over the stadium.

The OLPC said it knew about the relationship but had not given permission to undertake any work for West Ham, who were relegated from the English Premier League in May. The body has suspended her pending a probe.

•To go on three weeks break Those who spoke to SportingLife on the condition of annonymity said they are never happy whenever they play before an empty crowd.

They have however suggested Delta, Ogun or Edo states as preferred venue for their match against Cameroon in August.

'If you would recall in 2002 and 2006 when Delta hosted the Africa Women Championship, you saw the crowd that turned out to cheer the teams. It was so encouraging. That is what the NFF should do this time around.

Making us play all our matches in Abuja is not helping us," they said.

Meanwhile, the players would go on a recess for four weeks when they return on from Germany on Wednesday. They are expected to reconvene in the second week for the first leg match.

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player Umit Karan and Turkey players Serdar Kulbilge and Serkan Calik were also among the detained.

Yuksel Gunay, a Fenerbahce official, reacted angrily to Yildirim’s detention.

“This is ugly,” the Anatolia news agency quoted Gunay as saying. “I have no qualms in saying that this is a police state. This is ugly. What match-fixing are they looking for?”

In April, Turkey introduced tough legislation to battle hooliganism and cheating in soccer, including a maximum 12-year prison sentence for match-fixing.

arrives on Wednesday.

Warri Wolves hit man Ekhigo Ehiosun joins the team on Monday.

The Dream Team V camp moves to Lagos on Monday after one week of intensive preparations in Benin City. The Team Observe Sunday as rest day.

Players in camp includes: Dele Ajiboye, Theophilus Afelokhai, Terna Suswam, Emmanuel Anyanwu, Otekpa Eneji, Kabiru Sanusi, Dimaku Tochukwu, Olaitan Otubanjo, Ikande Harmony, Usman Amoda, Kingsley Udoh, Edet Ibok, Adewole Lawal, Jonathan Okafor, Olumide Durojaiye, Solomon Okpako.

The Ghana Nigeria game holds on Sunday, July 10, 2011 at the Baba Yara sports Stadium, Kumasi.

•Obiora

•Durgesh Kumar Pal

INDIA today named its largest ever team of 19 athletes to take part in the IAAF World Youth Championships starting at Lille, France from July 6.

Durgesh Kumar Pal, silver medallist in 400m hurdles at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year, will lead the squad, consisting of 15 boys and four girls.

The present squad surpasses the earlier largest number of 13 in Marrakesh, Morocco in 2005.

Durgesh, who has a personal best of 50.89s in Singapore, clocked 51.49 while winning the National Youth Championships at Ranchi in May. The 51.49 effort is the season's second fastest time for 400m hurdles behind Christiaan Mouton of South Africa, who holds the world youth lead with a 51.24 since March.

With the Youth Olympics Games victor Norge Sotomayor of Cuba graduated to the junior division, Mouton will be the main challenger

BARCELONA and Brazil defender Dani Alves believes Lionel Messi struggles to replicate his club form for Argentina because he does not have the support of the Camp Nou players.

The Copa America host nation struggled to beat Bolivia in their Group A opener on Saturday, settling for a disappointing 1-1 draw after coming back from behind thanks to Sergio Aguero.

Messi was unable to shine for his national team with suggestions that he is just a club player once again coming to the fore and Alves has offered an explanation to those theories.

"In Argentina they want Messi to be what he is for Barcelona, but he does not have the same team-mates," Alves told the press, as reported by Sport.es.

"Not even the best player in the world can help win a game by himself."

•Messi

Brazil kick off their Copa campaign against Venezuela on Sunday evening.

Cech backs Man United over David CHELSEA goalkeeper Petr Cech de Gea signing believes Manchester United have gambled with their goalkeeping conundrum by bringing in David de Gea. Edwin van der Sar called time on his career at the end of last season, having spent six fruitful years at the club, during which time he helped the Red Devils win four Premier League titles, one League Cup, a Champions League and a Club World Cup. Van der Sar made 265 appearances for United, and the Czech shot-stopper is wary of a player who is half the age of the former Netherlands international and who has made only 84 competitive appearances so far in his career.

"It’s a huge advantage for Manchester United to have a goalkeeper who is 20years-old because he can stay for many years," Cech told Sky Sports News.

"It’s a huge gamble at the same time because he’s joining, historically, a very successful club with great [former] goalkeepers like Peter Schmeichel, Edwin van der Sar, and we all

remember how many years it took to replace Peter Schmeichel.

"So let’s see what is going to happen now Edwin van der Sar has retired because it’s a huge task to fill the boots of Van der Sar." The 29-year-old also believes that the appointment of Andre Villas-Boas could see the Blues finally enjoy a period of continuity, after having plied his trade under six different managers in his seven years at the west London club.

"Andre Villas-Boas is the youngest we’ve ever had so he can stay for 30 years to be coaching Chelsea football club if the success goes, and everything goes, well. So let’s hope," said the Czech Republic international.

When quizzed if he actually believes that such a thing would come to pass, Cech said: "I think it will be exciting to see if he can be the manager for five years at least."

Adebayor to wait for Madrid move ADEBAYOR scored eight goals after joining Madrid on loan in January and has been given encouragement by Jose Mourinho that a permanent deal will be considered, with the striker unlikely to figure in the plans of Roberto

Carroll told to 'hit the ground running' at Liverpool pre-season training LIVERPOOL striker Andy Carroll has been told he will be put on a strict training regime to prove his fitness before the start of the new season.

The striker made an early return for pre-season training, and Liverpool’s

India fields largest team ever in World Youth Athletics

Police detain Emmanuel Emenike Police were investigating possible fixing of a final week match between Fenerbahce and Sivasspor, which ended in a 4-3 victory for the Istanbul club and helped it claim the league title, along with a match against Eskisehirspor, the Dogan news agency reported.

Those detained include Fenerbahce president Aziz Yildirim, other Fenerbahce officials, and players and officials from several other clubs.

Television footage showed Yildirim getting into a police vehicle.

Anatolia said that Eskisehirspor club manager and former Turkey

FTER leading the Dream Team V to 3-1 win over the Black Meteors of Ghana in the first leg second round All Africa games qualifier, Inter Milan Midfielder Obiora Nwankwo would not be available for the return leg fixture in Kumasi this weekend.

The Player who is on loan to Parma FC and captained the Dream Team V to victory against Ghana confirmed at the weekend that his club has insisted that he takes part in the club’s pre-season preparation. “I would have really wanted to be in the return leg game against Ghana but my club has said otherwise after considering several factors” he said.

Obiora Nwankwo who has been in the Dream Team Camp in the last one month, played in the last four games of the Coach Austin Eguavoen tutored side.

Similarly, the availability of Super Eagles winger Ahmed Musa is now a major doubt after his Dutch Club VVV Venlo at the weekend threatened not to release the player for the all important All Africa games qualifier this weekend.

Even though the player is still holidaying in Kano, the club in a correspondent insisted that they want the player to rest ahead of the new season. “ VVV Venlo are giving us problems, they are insisting that Ahmed Musa observes his rest and not honour the game against Ghana but we hope to make them understand the importance of this game” explained Arafat Aliu, the Dream Team V spokes person.

Ahmed Musa made an immediate impact in his first outing with the Dream Team V in an Olympic game qualifier against Tanzania, scoring one of the three goals against the Vijana stars at the Samuel Ogbemudia stadium.

However, Nnamdi Oduamadi, Oseni Ganiyu, Nurudeen Orelesi and Chukwuma Akabueze are expected to join the Dream Team V on Tuesday while Nosa Igiebor

Other Sports...Other Sports...Other Sports...Other Sports...Other Sports...Other Sports...

TURKISH SOCCER LEAGUE MATCH-FIXING SCANDAL UPER Eagles striker, Emmanuel Emenike, Fenerbahce president Aziz Yildirim and more than 40 other persons were detained on Sunday by Turkish police for questioning over allegations of soccer match-fixing.

NationSport gathered from wiresource in Turkey (Dogan News Agency) that the one-capped Nigerian who recently transferred to Fenerbahce from Karabukspor in a deal worth $9 million was among those Police conducted simultaneous raids at homes and club offices in at least 12 cities.

ALL AFRICAN GAMES QUALIFIERS

Obiora, Musa, doubtful for Dream Team

during our training tour but over here we never expected that it was going to be like this. We were expecting a similar weather like that of Frankfurt,” she added.

Uche has however told NationSport that the team would train this morning and evening irrespective of what happens.

"We are here for a competition so we cannot give room for excuses. On the day of the match we cannot tell FIFA that we would abandon the game if it rains," she told NationSport.

Cameroon tougher than Equatorial Guinea—Falcons’ coach

Di Matteo admits surprise at Chelsea move FORMER West Brom boss admits he is thrilled to be back at Stamford Bridge but reveals changing role from manager to assistant coach will be challenge for him Roberto Di Matteo returned to Chelsea on Wednesday, as assistant to new boss Andre Villas-Boas, nearly ten years after retiring as a Blues player following 175 appearances at Stamford Bridge in 2002.

The Italian admitted that whilst he followed Villas-Boas' progress last season, he was surprised at being asked to be his assistant, but believes they have a shared outlook on how the game should be played.

He told the club's official website: "I followed Porto last season and the amazing success he had there. But his call came a bit out of the blue to be honest, so it's mostly based on the fact that he likes my football philosophy and that's why he wants me to be part of his team.

"I think he likes to play football and be positive and attacking, and over the years if you've seen a game or two of the teams I coached I think we played the same way, I liked my teams to try and win games rather than not lose, to build, to pass.

“He's going to be in charge of it and

RaindisruptsFalcons’training

OLYMPICS QUALIFIER

ALCONS chief coach, Eucharia Uche has rated Cameroon above Equatorial Guinea who have been disqualified by the Federation of International Football (FIFA).

The coach made the disclosure after Cameroon was announced as Falcons, opponents for the final qualifying fixture to determine Africa's representative at the London 2012 games.

'I heard about it on Saturday evening and l wondered why. Anyway l am indifferent and not excited despite the rising profile of Equatorial Guinea in the women's game. It is football," she said.

Uche, however, insisted that Equatorial Guinea would not have been able to qualify at the expense of

Dani Alves: Messi needs Barca team-mates to shine

AHEAD CANADA CLASH

By Ejiro Femi-Babafemi, from Germany

41

to Pal for the top spot.

India will also pin its hope on distance runner Indrajeet Patel, another Youth Olympic finalist in 3000m with a career best of 8:15.02. Shot putter Navtejdeep Singh (19.34m) and Hammer thrower Ali Ahmed (64.34m) are other key members of the team.

The Team: Boys: Jijin Vijayan (100m), Jatin Jain (200m, 400m), Sandeep (400m), Harish Koranga (1500m), Indrajeet Patel (3000m), Rajendra Bind (2000m steeplechase), Amit Kumar Singh (110m hurdles), Durgesh Kumar Pal (400m hurdles), Anburaja (long jump), Sandeep Singh (triple jump), Navtejdeep Singh (shot put), Sachin Singh (discus throw), Ali Ahmed (hammer throw), Naveen Kumar (javelin throw), Kuldeep (10000m walk).

Girls: Sunanda Sarkar (100m, 200m), Archana Suseendran (200m), Priyanka Mondal (400m), Navjeet Kaur (discus throw)

backroom staff have been told by manager Kenny Dalglish that they must try and improve Carroll’s fitness and attitude to help his development as a footballer.

A source close to Carroll told The Daily Mirror: “Andy hasn’t been fit since injuring a thigh against Tottenham on December 28. He never played for Newcastle again and it was another 10 weeks before he kicked a ball for Liverpool.

“That was a long time to be out and he didn’t really recover. He picked up several niggling injuries but knows he has to hit the ground running next season.

“He has been told he is going to be worked hard in pre-season and it is a big challenge now for him to reach peak physical condition.

“He is aware questions are being raised over his attitude and lifestyle and it is now up to him to put in the required effort to prove the doubters wrong.”

Pictures have surfaced of Carroll at the Glastonbury festival and in Barbados, attracting criticism for a lifestyle that has been under intense scrutiny since last season.

There are fears that Carroll’s attitude and perceived lack of discipline could affect his England prospects, and Fabio Capello is unlikely to want to deal with many more negative headlines involving the striker.

Mancini at City.

However, Neymar and Sergio Aguero are key targets for Madrid at present and Adebayor says he is ready to play a waiting game if necessary in order to move to the Bernabeu.

"I am prepared to wait until the last minute of the window on August 31," Adebayor told Marca.

"Mourinho told me he will do everything to bring me back and I am optimistic that a deal can be done. For me, Real are everything. I love the club.

"On my last day working with the club, my team-mates demanded that I be brought back for next season. That was incredible.

"I don't believe that Manchester City will create any problems and will be happy to sell. I don't think I am of interest to coach Roberto Mancini.

"During my loan last season I scored eight goals and that is not a bad return.

I think I completed my mission, but people in Madrid have not seen the true Adebayor. I can still do much better."

•Adebayor

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

CITYBEATS THE NATION

E-mail:- ynotcitybeats@gmail.com

25

The danger of not using pedestrian bridges

• People crossing the road at Cele bus stop, Oshodi-Apapa, Express Road

PHOTO: DAVID ADEJO

Why do people shun pedestrian bridges and settle for dashing across the road, despite the inherent danger? It is a waste of time, claim some pedestrians, who seem to forget the risk to their lives. Sunday Ogundugba and Bukola Akinjole report

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HEY were built for the safety of pedestrians. But rather than use these bridges, pedestrians prefer to dash across the road. Many have been knocked down and killed while attempting to cross the road, yet others have not desisted from the risky practice.

What could be responsible for this? Is it that they don’t care for their lives or that they are in such a hurry that they dont have time to use the bridges?

The bridges, which are in various parts of Lagos, such as Onipanu, Ojota, Oshodi, Fadeyi, Mile 2, Ketu now serve a dual purpose as petty traders also use them to display their wares.

Beggars and destitutes also find a home there. The beggars sit on the steps chanting supplication to passers-by for alms.

The killing of those crossing the road by fast-moving vehicles have not deferred other pedestrians.

Last week Thursday, at the Cele Bus Stop, on the Oshodi/Apapa Expressway, the scenario was not different. Some defiant commuters dashed to the road to avoid using the flyover.

But one of them was hit by a tipper . The accident caused temporary traffic snarl. The man’s head was severed from his mangled body.

Passers-by were shocked. The accident only brought a temporary relief as many commuters, a few minutes after the accident, started crossing the road, shunning the pedestrian bridge.

Despite threats or arrest by the police and other security operatives, crossing the road

where there are pedestrian bridges has become the norm notwithstanding the risk.

According to the Area Commander of Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) Oshodi, Mr Ayodele Ogungbiye, the situation has become worrisome because some police officers have died while enforcing the order.

“A police officer,not too long ago, was knocked down under the Oshodi pedestrian while trying to arrest a defiant commuter for not using the bridge. As he made to arrest the man, a bus approached at break-neck speed and hit him. He gave up the ghost in the hospital.”

Some commu ters, who spoke with CityBeats, gave many excuses,such as the stress and pain of climbing the footbridges for taking shortcuts.While some said cimbing the bridges takes much of their time, others said

the stress and pain involved Frequently are big hurdles. make use A man, who identified himof the self as Uchegbu Samuel , told pedestrian CityBeats that he prefers to bridge cross the highway by foot because of the stress in using the bridges.

“Most time, it is not because we don’t know the right thing but the pain in climbing the bridges is stressful.

“This is why I prefer to take the shortcut by crossing the road because it is shorter and it saves time. What I do is that I ensure that I look left and right to ensure there is no close oncoming vehicle.”

Another commuter, Adeniyi Badmus, said some of the footbridges are far from the bus stops. “In this case, there is no reason walking miles just to cross the road,” he said.

But, according to Mrs Mercy Adeniji, crossing the bridge was a big deal to her until the day somebody got knocked down on the road in her presence.

•SEE PAGE 26

Immigration deports 10 Malians

FERMA promises free traffic

THE Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has deported 11 Malians for being in possession of invalid travelling papers.

The officer –in-charge of NIS office in Badagry, Danji Kabiru, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the deportees were rounded up at different locations.

“The deportees were handed over to the Benin Republic immigration authorities for onward movement to Mali,” he said.

He said that the list of the deported Malians had been sent to the immigration office at Alagbon Lagos. NAN reports that 100 Nigerians, found without valid papers were also deported from Badagry about two months ago through the Seme border.

NCAA advises pilots not to fly NNNNNCNCSC N

THE Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) pledged free flow of traffic on the Third Mainland Bridge as it begins its routine maintenance next week.

The maintenance will be done by FERMA contractor, mostly at weekends, especially Sundays.

“That is when traffic would lighten that bridge,” FERMA said.

Eniola also explained that such routine works would include patching of potholes, milling off the weak areas and laying fresh asphalt on the road.

“The contractor would start working fresh asphalt on the road. “The contractor would start laying fresh asphalt on the road,” FERMA said, adding that the work would be completed within two weeks.

THE Director General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dr Harold Demuren , has advised pilots not to fly in bad weather. Demuren gave the advice at the closing of the African Aviation wild life hazard management workshop in Lagos.

Demuren told the pilots that it was important for them to be careful as the country witnessed numerous hazardous weather conditions during the rainy season.

The workshop, attended by aviation professionals from Nigeria, Mali, Cameroun, Liberia, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, The Gambia and Sierra –leone, was organised by Embry-riddle Aeronautical University is by collaboration with NCAA.

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

26

CITY BEATS

Vehicle dealers warned

LAGOS State Government has for the umpteenth time warned individuals and auto dealers displaying vehicles for sale at unregistered premises to desist from such an act as it negates the law regulating the activities of Motor Vehicle and Spare Parts Dealers.

Giving the warning at the Motor Vehicle Administration Agency’s headquarters, Agidingbi, Ikeja, the Permanent Secretary, Mr Akin Hanson, stated that the agency has noted with dismay the number of displayed vehicles for sale at unregistered premises, particularly, roadsides, petrol stations, eateries and kerbs. This attitude, he said, constitutes a nuisance to the environment and impedes the movement of pedestrians and free flow of the traffic.

He said the agency has embarked on a campaign to enlighten the dealers on the law regulating sales of motor vehicle and spare parts in the state in addition to the regular stakeholders’ meetings held to further enlighten them. He said it would be sheer pretence for any auto or spare parts dealer to claim ignorance of the law regulating the business He warned the auto dealers not to take the humane approach of the government in enforcing the law regulating the business for granted, saying that the government has the capacity to enforce the law to the letter.

How NTDA can help mega city

By Bidemi Bakare

FOR the envisaged growth of Lagos into a mega city to be possible in quickest time possible, the New Towns Development Authority (NTDA) would have to revisit the recommendations and provision of the master plan on the establishment of new towns in the state.

The Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP), Lagos State Chapter made this revelation during a visit to the agency’s office in Lagos.

Speaking on behalf of the executive committee and members, the institute’s Chairman, Makinde Ogunleye, said the chaos that has characterised the emerging Lagos is a pointer to the fact that the criteria for a self-sustained city suitable for living, working and recreation has not been fully met.

Commending the agency’s achievements in the provision of needed infrastructure in existing schemes, he noted that the agency needs to make serious effort at addressing varying issues affecting new towns development if the dream of a functional, secured and sustainable mega city must be a reality.

Some of these issues include: the need for the agency’s reintegration into the ministry of physical planning and urban development, the creation of self sustaining towns in Ikorodu, Epe and Badagry as models to showcase what new towns are really are and the reduction of time lag between land allocation, issuance of title and access to land for actual development.

1. Fire and Safety Services Control Room Phone Nos: 01-7944929; 080-33235892; 080-33235890; 08023321770; 080-56374036.

The danger of not using pedestrian bridges •Continued from page 25

Hear her: “It was what I went through that made me changed my mind about not using the bridges.

The man was trying to cross the road to the other side of the bridge.

It was as if something stuck him to the road. There was a trailer on high speed that crushed him to death.

“When I got home, I sat my brothers and sisters down and narrated the incident. I was so touched that I begged them to make use of the pedestrian bridge any where they go, no matter whether there is busy traffic or not.”

A safety consultant in Lagos, Jamiu Badmus, advised residents to stick to basic rules. He said: “In health and safety what we don’t realise is that shortcut cuts life short.

It is better to be patient than to be a patient. Education has to be done and adopted. Lagosians know that pedestrian bridges are public facilities for their safety, but many prefer to risk their life. So, I believe proper education has to be done.

“Three things are important to do in Lagos: a serious awareness campaign to manage the behaviour.

Then enforcement must come. If you don’t enforce the order, people won’t comply. Not the enforcement strategy that will involve corruption. Next is putting engineering system in place,” he said.

Ogungbiye decried the attitude of uniformed men as one of the challenges in curbing the disobedience in Lagos.

His words: “We are trying our best to ensure that people comply with safety measures by using the

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•Ogungbiye

pedestrian bridges. Most time, uniform men in mufti flout the orders and even encourage their people to cross the road. People want to use force. With the intervention of the task force, some of them were arrested and taken to Alausa.

“At present, I believe that people do not have any choice than to

PHOTO: DAVID ADEJO achieve is to ensure the safety of Lagosians. Any body, who flouts the order, bears the risk. We have evidences of people knocked down dead while crossing the road.

On why many have not been arrested, Ogungbiye said an order has not been given to that effect. He said the force is enlightening residents on the advantages of using the bridge, adding that the government is not interested in victimising anybody.

His words: ‘This is a new dispensation. We have not arrested anybody because there has not been an order to that effect. What we are •Badmus doing now is enlightenment by telling the people to use the pedestrian make use of the pedestrian bridge. bridge.It is for their safety. For“My advice to residents remains merly, there was just one pedesthat they should use the flyovers betrian bridge in Oshodi but because cause it is for their safety. If you it was not enough, another one was make use of the pedestrian bridge, constructed to accommodate the you are protecting yourselves. high number of commuters in the There is danger in not using the area. bridge.”

“What the government set out to

Firm equips customers, staff with skills

O secure the future, Nigerians have been asked to play in the securities and investment markets.

In line with this, many firms are engaging in activities geared towards enhancing their personnel’s skills and equipping investors with the knowledge for making right investment decisions.

Quantum Securities Limited, a member of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), through its monthly staff and customers’ sensitisation seminar, review of the economy and activities on the stock market in the past month.

At the last edition, Vice Chairman, Dr. Andrews Elueni, after about two hours of analysing global, national economic and political activities, told the gathering that the economic atmosphere looked hazy.

This, he said, resulted from the failure of the Federal Government to provide a clear direction for the economy by making public its economic blueprint.

Elueni said such blueprint would

‘

•Another bridge underutilised by commuters

By Eric Ikhilae

not only give a general idea of what economic direction the government was heading, it would help investors in planning and taking decisions on what sectors to invest in.

He took participants through the variables that guide investment decisions and recommended areas to target investment this month.

Elueni urged participants to “look into the stable banks.” He advised them to look in the direction of the breweries, the food and beverages and construction industries.

He told CityBeats that the seminar “is a monthly thing during which we review the economy and the activities on the stock market for the past month and make some projections for the next one or two months with a view to making sure that our investment are consistently in the right direction.

“It is not just enough to make

We draw their attention to what had happened and how they are likely to affect their investments. Our policy is to grow our customers’ portfolios or wealth

2. Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Lagos Zonal Command Phone No: 080-77690200; 01-7742771 Sector Commander Phone No: 080-776909201; 01-2881304 FRSC Emergency No: 070-022553772

projections, we analyse the economy, expose the pros and cons of the various economic policies to our customers and advise them so that they can take possession of their investment “We observed that most Nigerians are not well informed about what should inform their choice of shares to invest in. This seminar allows us to advise our customers on where and what to put their money.”

He said the seminar was introduced in May last year and would continue as long as the company, established about 17 years ago, existed.

“We hope to continue doing it so that if there is another recession, our customers will not feel the impact so much.

“The benefits are of two folds; to us and to our customers. To us, it enables us to strategise monthly on how to adjust our portfolio so as to stay in high yield stocks. It also enables our customers to know what stocks to invest in from time to time.

“The real thing about investment is that an investor should watch where his money is. We know people are very busy and do not have time to engage in research to know how political and economic developments both locally and internationally, affect their investment.”

’ EMERGENCY LINES 3. LASTMA Emergency Numbers: 080-75005411; 080-60152462 080-23111742; 080-29728371 080-23909364; 080-77551000 01-7904983

4. KAI Brigade Phone Nos: 080-23036632; 0805-5284914 Head office Phone Nos: 01-4703325; 01-7743026 5. Rapid Response Squad (RRS) Phone Nos: 070-55350249; 070-35068242 080-79279349; 080-63299264 070-55462708; 080-65154338

•Dr Elueni

He went on: “So, we draw their attention to what had happened and how they are likely to affect their investments. Our policy is to grow our customers’ portfolios or wealth. Remember, a bank keeps money for you, but a stock broking firm, an investment bank grows your money.

“People have been making enquiries and they have been acting according to our projections, suggestions and recommendations.

We have noticed that for sometime now, our projections have been proved right by 80 per cent. When we recommend a stock, we observed that in the next one or two months, that stock does very well,” he said.

767 or email: rapidresponsesquad@yahoo.com 6. Health Services – LASAMBUS Ambulance Services Phone Nos: 01-4979844; 01-4979866; 01-4979899; 01-4979888; 01-2637853-4; 080-33057916; 080-33051918-9; 080-29000003-5.

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

27

CITY BEATS FROM THE GRASSROOTS

Review revenue allocation, govt told

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HE Chairman of Ifako Ijaiye Local Government, Mr Demola Doherty, has called on the Federal Government to review the revenue allocation formula for states and local governments.

Doherty stated this while delaring open an orientation programme for Grade 02 to 06 workers in the council.

He said the implementation of the new wage is already taking its toll on the local government revenue. Though he admitted that the Governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola, has since implemented the new wage, Doherty said implementing it at the council level has become problematic for some council chiefs because of other welfare plans for the workforce.

On the aim of the training, Doherty said the council decided to do the uncommon by training the workers so that that they will realise that more is demanded from them in terms of giving quality service at all times.

He said: “As a government, we shall continue to provide the enabling environment that would

By Yinka Aderibigbe

IFAKO IJAIYE

‘

I want to challenge the workers to be focused. Have a focus on where you want to be in the next five or 10 years and begin to work towards it from now

’

guarantee both effective and efficient service delivery to the citizenry to justify the mandate they reposed in us. We shall continue to deploy resources to train and retrain our staff to enable them to fit into the emerging Information and Communication Technology (ICT) age to aid them in tackling the challenges confronting local

•From left: Mr. Fashola, Alhaji Onibon, Alhaja Mumuni and Hon. Olowopejo, at the 2011 public service lecture at Ikeja local Govt. Secretariat government administration,” Doherty added.

He said the training was borne out of the need to deliver quality service at the third tier, stressing that the workforce requires regular up-to-date information and sound knowledge in public service ethics.

He congratulated the newly em-

Council boss pleads with residents

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HE Chairman, Lagos Mainland Local Government, Mr Oladele Adekanye, has appealed to residents of Ojo Oniyun and Thomas Streets in Ebute-Meta to bear with the council as it is working to solve the problem of flood in the community.

Adekanye made the appeal following complaints of blocked drainage by the residents.

He said the council’s officials were working day and night to clear the blocked drains to ensure a good environment.

He explained that the council was mindful of the flooding and that was why the workers started clearing the drains even before rains.

Adekanye said the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr Nurudeen Ojora, had visited Ebute Metta to supervise the

LAGOS MAINLAND

A

•Adekanye year to reduce the burden on their parents.

He also said that General Certificate of Examination (GCE) forms were also given to some of them alongside free coaching classes to prepare them for the yearly examination.

NGO fumigates community

A

COMMUNITY-based NonGovernmental Organisation, Imegbon Youth League , has fumigated over 100 houses against mosquitoes and other insects.

The group carried out the exercise during the last Saturday’s cleaning on Ishaga Road to the Lagos Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi Araba Mushin Lagos.

According to the Chairman of the group, Mr Adekunle Agbabiaka, the motive was to reduce the menace of mosquitoes breeding in the gutters, which he said would help to reduce the scourge of malaria.

“It is our way of giving back to the society.On monthly basis, we spend more than N12, 000 to fumigate the environment.We believe it is a way of reducing mosquitoes in our community,” he said.

He urged other organiSations such as theirs to contribute to the eradication of malaria scourge through mosquitoes free environment.

Agbabiaka called on the government to enlighten the people on the importance of good health saying health is wealth.

On the part of the people of the area, normal life activities was going on during the environmental sanitation as many were seen car-

By Amidu Arije

MUSHIN/IDIORO ing on with their daily activities like selling and buying.

The area was seen dirty and untidy, despite being an environmental day. The society’s Secretary, Ismail Omikunle called on the government to ensure a mosquitoe free environment by making stricter rules that will make the people be cautious of their environment.

He said the essence of the exercise by the group was a means of giving back to the society and working towards reducing mosqutoe in the environment “It is a voluntary programme and the motive behind it is that we realised that the basic problem in our environment is the scourge of mosquitoes which accounts for malaria in the society that kills children, so we decided that we should come to the grass root to work towards reducing if not totally eradicating mosquitoes, let us contribute to the society through this effort,” he said.

One of the street residents, Abubakar Musa, thanked the group for their kind gesture and urged the government to replicate the programme to provide better life for the people.

She commended the chairman for his pledge to make resources avaliable for the regualr training of staff and described the training as a good initiative to sustain the effectiveness of the staff. "I want to challenge the workers to be focused. Have a focus on where you want to be in the next five or 10 years and begin to work towards it from now,”she said.

Aspirant seeks Fashola’s help

By Dada Aladelokun

job.

He appealed to residents of the affected areas to remain calm, assuring them of his administration’s commitment to their wellbeing at all times. He listed some of the projects his administration had executed in the last two and a half years to include renovation of 18 primary schools while two new ones were built.

On health centres, while it had renovated existing ones, among which is the former Damisile Health Centre, according to the council boss, the council also constructed six roads including Oba Ganiyu Odesanya and Coates Street in Oto and Ebute.

He added that students of public schools are given free exercise books and mathematics sets every

ployed workers and charged them to make very good use of the opportunity the training provided.

At the event was the Permanent Secretary, Training and Pensions Office, Mrs Iyabo Obasa. She urged workers to be inventive and creative and to arm themselves with the requisite skills to be effective civil servants.

“They are really trying, we appreciate them, the government should replicate them, we also call on government to fix our roads for us,” he said.

• Members of the group

STALWART of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and former chairmanship aspirant in Egbe-Idimu Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Mr Mutairu Ekeolere, has appealed to Governor, Babatunde Fashola, to urgently look into his plight.

He made the appeal while congratulating Governor Fashola, his deputy Adejoke OrelopeAdefulire, Reps elect Hon. Adeola Olamilekan and other ACN members who won in the last election.

According to him, despite his contributions to the success of the party in the last election through the mobilisation of his people in Abule Odu to come out in large number to vote for the party, the powers that be in the LCDA have not allowed him to participate actively in its activitiess nor recognise him as one of the political leaders in the LCDA. The attitude of the powers that be in the LCDA, he said, has been a

• Ekeolere

By Oziegbe Okoeki

EGBE-IDIMU source of concern to him and the entire Abule Odu community.

Describing Fashola as an epitome of success and diligence, Ekeolere said his achievements are a source of pride to him as he has proved that “he is a true democrat”.

He also thanked the National Leader of the party and former governor of the state, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, for his efforts in moving the party forward, advising all elected ACN members to be good ambassadors of the party.

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

28

CITY BEATS

Ex-Editor sends SOS to BPE

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E toiled for years to get a roof over his head. Now that he should be enjoying the fruit of his labour, he is being threatened with eviction from the property he bought in 1989.

Mr Ojo Bejide, former Production Editor of Daily Times, acquired the property, which is now in dispute on owner-occupier basis.

The house was allocated to him in the Daily Times Estate in Satellite Town, Lagos, by the management.

Other workers also benefited from the scheme initiated by the management of The Daily Times of Nigeria (DTN) Plc. Like others, Bejide paid installmentally for the house. The first payment was for N120,000; then he paid N300,000 and N380,000.

But the purported buyers of DTN are claiming that he is owing N680,000 on the house.

Bejide, 70, told CityBeats, that the General Manager, Daily Times Properties, Mr Innocent Nwankwo, wrote him that he is owing that amount.

Denying owing the company, Bejide accused the management of being after

‘

FROM THE COURT

‘My husband is irresponsible’

the house he bought while in service. Displaying the receipts for the payment of the house, Bejide said the Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE) supervised the sale of the property, adding that all documents were given to him.

He said he was shocked when the DTN management wrote the Satellite Town Residents Association that he is owing and did not meet the requirements for allocation.

He said: "The house was allocated to me in 1989 and I offset the cost in August 2004.

Even after my lawyer had sent the receipts showing I paid N800,000 in three installments, the company still insisted that I have not paid the money and this has been giving me sleepless nights.

"We are two journalists in the estate currently being troubled for not paying fully for our houses. With the way they are selling available spaces in the estate, it will be foolhardy for me to continue to expect that a miracle wil happen."

Bejide, who retired as Night Editor in February, 1996, said he did not know why the company's new

I could have gone to court to challenge their claim, but right now I cannot afford the cost of litigation. This is why I am calling on the BPE who supervised the sale of the properties and well-meaning Nigerians to come to my aid

’

“I •Mr Bejide

management is after him, despite having retired before they came on board. He said he could not take the matter to court because of the high cost of litigation, adding that he is retired and not receiving any pension.

“I could have gone to court to challenge their claim but right now I cannot afford the cost of litigation. This is why I am calling on the BPE who supervised the sale of the properties and wellmeaning Nigerians to come to my aid because it is very frustrating. It is painful as this age to be having constant trouble from the management over payments that I have offset since 2004," Bejide said.

According to a letter sent to Bejide's lawyer, Nwankwo said: “The company's record has been amended provisionally in response to the claim. We shall view the originals during the physical allocation audit to be held in the last quarter of the year.”

But, in another June 9 letter, Nwankwo through his lawyer, claimed that Bejide and another allottee have not fulfilled the conditions precedent for the allotment of plots.

Cleric hunts for soccer talents

By Emmanuel Udodinma

•Dr Eniola

C

LERIC and sports administrator, Dr Caleb Eniola, has concluded plans to organise a football clinic for indigent players through his Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), the Eagle Global Association (EGA).

He is partnering with the Association of Proprietors of Football Academies of Nigeria (APFAN) to stage a talent hunt programme to select football players that would be sent abroad for trials.

Successful players, he said, will be sent to his NGO’s partner clubs in Paraguay, Canada, Europe and Asia to begin a career in football.

“The screening and selection shall be carried out in the main bowl of the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos on July 30, beginning from 6.30 am, and the selected ones, male and female, 17 to 25 years old shall

be distributed to aforementioned nations, according to their fitness.

“To ensure that the best marketable materials are selected, registered players shall be thoroughly screened with international standard football requirements by football experts,” Eniola said at a press conference in Lagos.

On what motivated him to begin the project, Eniola said it was in realisation of the potential of football to contribute to economic growth.

“The benefits of football to the players as well as government in terms of economic development are enormous and tremendous.

It’s no exaggeration to say that football as a profession is becoming a highly productive industry with pronounced capability to creating job opportunities for the youths.

“A lot of football nations today depend on football to generate their revenue for sustainability, economic recovery and development.

Nigeria is naturally blessed with talented players that would promote the nation within a short pace of time but we are too slow to realise this fact.

“To be factual, Nigeria is progressing rapidly in sport creativity which is evident in

the support of given to this first of its kind programme

by NFF, the governing body for APFAN and all other associate football bodies in Nigeria.

“Regrettably, most of these players’ family backgrounds are factored with abject poverty. What a pitiable situation that those who are talented don’t have the money to sponsor themselves.

“We are appealing to corporate organisations, governments and individuals to support this cause to enable our talented youths actualise their potentials and dream,” Eniola said.

WANT this court to dissolve my marriage as my husband often embarrasses and beats me after taking alcohol.

“I want the court to dissolve the marriage so that I can be free from serious beating and constant embarrassment from this man,’’ a 39-year-old woman pleaded with a court in My husband L a g o s l a s t is not week. faithful.

M r s He steals I y a b o my money Makinde, and never a petty t r a d e r , cared for me

had taken her husband, Saubana Makinde, 40, a butcher, to a Grade “A’’ Customary Court in Mushin over his drinking habit.

She claimed that her husband of 22 years was not responsible and never cared for her and the five children of the union.

“My husband is not faithful. He steals my money and never cared for me and the five children. The children, all female, are aged 22, 19, 17, 13 and nine.

“We met and have been co-habiting but no bride price was paid. He is a liability to me as I have

been responsible for his upkeep,’’ Iyabo said.

She said she packed out of the matrimonial home in October 2010.

According to her, their first daughter is married while the second daughter lives with her parents in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

The third child lives with her husband and the last two children stay with her.

The Court President, Dr Abayomi Ipaye, after listening to the petitioner, noted that the respondent had been absent in court for three consecutive times.

He adjourned the case till July 12 for judgment.

Court gives landlord ultimatum to repair dilapidated bungalow HE Grade “A” Customary Court in Mushin has given a landlord three months’ ultimatum to repair his dilapidated bungalow or have it sealed for environmental nuisance.

The Court President, Dr Abayomi Ipaye , said the bungalow at No. 14, Agoro St., Mushin had defective roof, partially collapsed fence, cracked floor, dilapi-

T

dated toilets and decrepit bathrooms.

He said if the landlord failed to rehabilitate the building within the period, the court would have no option than to seal it.

The Mushin Local Government had on May 19 arraigned the landlord, Mr Babatunde Onitiri, over the environmental nuisance the building has constituted.

The council’s Health Of-

ficer, Mr Raji Razak, had submitted that the building also lacked a kitchen.

He said the nuisance contravened the Lagos State Environmental Law, 2003 and the Mushin Local Government Bye-Law, 2004.

Onitiri had blamed the poor sanitation on refusal of a tenant in the building to pack out to pave way for repairs or outright demolition.

Lover in dock for allegedly stabbing EBORAH Suleiman, quarrel. boyfriend a “The has been arraigned complainant is in the

D

for allegedly stabbing her boyfriend with a kitchen knife on the nose and stomach.

Suleiman is standing trial at the Ejigbo Magistrates’ Court on a one-count charge of causing grievous bodily affliction.

She, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The Magistrate, Mrs

T

Maimunat Folami, granted the accused bail in the sum of N50,000 with one surety in like sum.

Folami adjourned the case till July 6 for further hearing.

Earlier, the prosecutor, Sgt. Olakunle Shonibare, told the court that Suleiman allegedly stabbed her boyfriend, one Mr Tope Lawal, during

hospital with stitches on his nose and stomach, “Shonibare told the court.

He alleged that the offence was committed on June 13 at about 9:30 a.m., at No. 19 Independent Drive, Igando, Lagos.

He submitted that the offence contravened Section 338, Cap17 of the Criminal Code Laws of Lagos State.

Housemaids arraigned for stealing N50m jewellery

HE police in Lagos have arraigned two housemaids who allegedly stole N50 million worth of jewellery belonging to the mother of a former gubernatorial candidate, Mr Jimmy Agbaje.

The housemaids — Abibat Raji (23) and Joy Pater (22) — were said to be employed by Agbaje’s mother, Margret.

They were arraigned on a two-count charge of con-

spiracy and stealing before an Igbosere Magistrates Court.

Jimmy was the 2007 gubernatorial candidate of the Democratic People’s Alliance for Lagos State.

The prosecutor, Insp.

Francis Ifijen, said the accused stole the jewellery on June 17 at about midnight at Margret’s residence at Lekki.

He said the assorted jewellery were in three bags.

Ifijen said the alleged offences contravened Sections 390(9) and 516 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Lagos State, 2003.

The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge, and were granted bail in the sum of one million naira with two sureties each.

Magistrate J.A. Adegun adjourned the case till July 14 for further hearing.

Assembly urges govt to watch rising kerosene price

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HE LAGOS State House of Assembly has urged President Goodluck Jonathan to direct the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to live up to ensuring adequate supply and pricing of petroleum products, particularly kerosine.

The motion was moved by Rotimi Olowo (Shomolu 1).

He said it was high time the Federal Government found a lasting solution to the recent hike in the supply and pricing of kerosine in the country.

He said: “It is very sad and pathetic that a country that

By Oziegbe Okoeki

produces fuel could not provide enough kerosene for its citizenry and this has caused a lot of health hazards to people as some of them have resorted to the use of coal to prepare meals. The fuel that is supposed to serve people is being exported abroad at the expense of the masses and if we cannot cater for the needs of our people, what is the essence of the government because the 1999 Constitution stipulates that the government should provide for the welfare of the entire citizenry.”

Contributing, Ipoola Omisore (Ifako-Ijaye II), said it would amount to aggravating the people’s suffering if the House should wait for the Federal Government’s intervention on recent hike in kerosene price before the state government finds ways of alleviating the problem confronting people of Lagos State.

He said: “If we wait for the government at the Federal level to halt the situation, things may go out of hand. I, therefore, want us to call on our Governor, Babatunde Fashola to find a lasting so-

lution to the increase in hike of kerosene in Lagos so as to make life bearable for the citizens because he (Governor) can ensure the petroleum product is bought in large quantity and made available for the people at affordable price.”

Dayo Fafunmi (Ifako-Ijaye I) said the government should empower the task force to search every nook and cranny of the state to shut down any filling station that inflates the regulated price of kerosene so as to serve as deterrent to others.

DEVELOPMENT

BEQUEST

PROJECT

N140m for water project

Group donates to less-privileged

‘Flood control measures in place’

Ekiti

31

Lagos

O

Lagos

36

Email: news_extra@yahoo.com

MONDAY JULY 4, 2011 MBI community in Nasarawa State and students of the state polytechnic are angry with the Power Holding Company (PHCN) over what they called poor performance.

Their grouse with the company is that they are always in darkness. The black out in the community where most of the students reside and on the campus, made the students to take to the streets protesting the phenomenon. They barricaded roads and this led to the disruption of traffic along the only highway linking the Eastern part of the country with the North.

All efforts to calm the students at that time proved abortive as they threatened matching on the PHCN office in the heart of the town until the then Deputy Governor under Adamu, Labaran Maku appeared on the scene. His presence saved the situation as the students discontinued the protest.

As a result of the protest then, a brand new transformer was donated to them by a former House of Representatives candidate, the late Musa Baba (Mabudin Lafia). The transformer is the one serving the whole of the Ombi community till date.

The same Ombi community that the transformer has been able to serve since the first demonstration seems to be outgrowing the capacity of the transformer, as the community has rapidly increased in population.

The community’s growth in population has equally increased the burden on the capacity of the transformation. The capacity of the transformer is not commensurate with the number of consumers using it. The great load on the transformer and the consequent low voltage may have informed the constant power outages experienced by the community and the institution.

Though the students most often

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Page 29

Nasarawa community seeks end to power outage Pleads with governor for new transformer PHCN promises urgent action From Johnny Danjuma, Nasarawa

become enraged as a result of the continued power outage, the host community has been able to prevail

on them to suppress their anger.

That was then.

However, the students in the institution now seem to be less patient than their predecessors

who, as it were, understood the situation.

The situation is compounded by lack of hostel facilities to accommodate all the students. The

situation resulted in individuals erecting residential buildings around the institution where majority of the students reside. For those who live off campus, their anger seems to be growing by the day because of lack of electricity supply.

Continued on Page 30

The old transfomer

NLC praises Elechi over minimum wage From Ogbonnaya Obinna, Abakaliki

Elechi

Continued on Page 30

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

30

T

HE Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) has sealed off four companies over alleged tax evasion worth N227.6m.

The LIRS Assistant Legal Adviser, Mrs Afolashade Afolayan, who made this known to Newsextra on Friday in Lagos, said that the companies were sealed off for their failure to remit its tax liabilities to the coffers of the state government.

Afolayan also said that several notices had been sent to the affected firms requesting for payment of their tax outstanding for the year 2007 to 2009 didn’t yield any result.

It was however revealed that the sum of N574, 000 has been received from companies who hurriedly paid their outstanding to avoid being sealed off when the enforcement team visited their premises.

Afolayan applauded the quick re-

Lagos seals off firms over tax evasion

By Akinola Fabunmi

sponse of some companies in turning over their taxes to the state government without waiting to be sanctioned.

“The state had recorded high level of tax compliance from companies. Most of them had remitted their outstanding taxes to the state government’s coffers.

“Government has also warned all tax defaulters in the state to remit their taxes to government coffers to avoid being sealed off or served notices of closure of their business premises before they would remit their tax obligation to the state,” she said.

Afolayan further disclosed that sanc-

tions will be meted out on those companies that always tear or remove government seals placed on their business premises, even as she added that only the state government official have the right to remove them.

She said that those companies sealed off

were under the Lagos State Board of Internal Revenue Law, Section 104, Cap 8, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

She however urged companies and individuals still having some tax outstanding to ensure prompt payment to avoid being sealed off or sanctioned.

The companies were sealed off for their failure to remit its tax liabilities to the coffers of the state government…Several notices had been sent to the affected firms requesting for payment of their tax outstanding for the year 2007 to 2009 didn’t yield any result

Nasarawa community seeks end to power outage

•Continued from Page 29

The students had planned to protest the unsavoury state of affairs twice but the leader of the host community was said to have prevailed on them to shelve the protest, even as he promised to appeal to the PHCN to look into their demands. Though Newsextra gathered that a transformer has already been provided to complement the overloaded one, the instalment is however gradually pitching the community and the students against the PHCN. The community and the students are contesting the N500, 000 being demanded

by PHCN from them before it would install the transformer, a claim the PHCN has denied. It explained that it didn’t need to demand such money from the community before it will install the transformer.

The PHCN also explained why power outage has been persisted in Ombi community.

The Senior Manager in charge of Distribution, Lafia Business Unit of the PHCN

Engineer Elisha Yakubu told Newsextra that “the area around the Nasarawa State Polytechnic is fast developing and up till now, there is only one overloaded transformer serving the entire area.

“In fact, we need a relief there and we have written to our headquarters and they are doing something about it presently,” he said.

On what is delaying the installation of the transformer which the students claimed is already available, Yakubu explained that the PHCN in Lafia has been able to install five transformers in Lafia alone and some in Akwanga area from last year’s budget.

He however added that during the installation of the said transformers, the PHCN never asked anybody or community to contribute anything towards the installation as the company is solely responsible.

He described the rumour getting the

The good news is that the new governor, His Excellency, Umaru Tanko Almakura has asked us to furnish him with information on areas we have problems. I want to assure you that Ombi is one of the places that we told him that we have problems and I believe that any moment from now, something will be done about it

round that PHCN is demanding N500, 000 to install transformer as the handiwork of some individuals who desperate to satisfy their own ego.

He urged PHCN customers to be patient, adding that “any time the materials are ready; we will go and fix the transformers for them.”

He also pointed out that it is not only Ombi 1 that needed the transformers at the moment as Ombi 2 and Shabu areas are also in dire need of the item, even as he stated that the management of the PHCN is fully aware of the problems in those areas. He said that if the materials which are budgeted for in the 2011 budget are ready, they will be fixed.

Yakubu further told Newsextra that a letter had earlier been written to the former Governor, Aliyu Akwe Doma which necessitated an inspection tour by him.

He however said that “the good news is that the new governor, His Excellency, Umaru Tanko Almakura has asked us to furnish him with information on areas we have problems. I want to assure you that Ombi is one of the places that we told him that we have problems and I believe that any moment from now, something will be done about it.”

Yakubu disclosed that “as an interim measure before a new transformer can be installed, PHCN may resort to load shedding in a situation where a transformer is overloaded.

Meanwhile, the Head of Ombi 1, Gabriel Manga Ali told Newsextra in his palace that the problem of the transformer is really affecting the students residing in the community.

Manga, who acknowledged that the community is fast expanding beyond what was expected said the only transformer in that area cannot serve the whole comm u n i t y anymore.

He further

•Chief Ali

explained that most times when the transformer is working; it will suddenly explode and the area will be in darkness up to a whole month. Pleading on behalf of his community and the students, Chief Manga Ali called on the PHCN to come to their aid by providing the needed transformer as the students cannot study effectively in the night without electricity.

He pleaded with the new governor; Umaru Tano Almakura to do something urgently for the benefit of the community and the students.

When asked on what the PHCN has been able to do concerning the matter, Ali said the staff of the organisation had promised that they would provide two transformers for the community, even as they discussed the areas that will be suitable for the transformer.

NLC praises Elechi over minimum wage •Continued from Page 29

The NLC expressed strong belief that the harmonious relationship between the government of Ebonyi State and workers, which it attributed to the fatherly disposition of Governor Elechi, will continue and be emulated by other states in the zone.

The union also thanked President Jonathan for his generosity of spirit concerning the welfare of Nigerian workers.

•Mr Wale Tinubu, Group Chief Executive, OandO PLC; Mr Omamofe Boyo, Deputy Group Chief Executive and Mrs Oredeji Delano, Group Company Secretary and Chief Compliance Officer during a press conference that followed the company’s 34th Annual General Meeting held in Lagos.

THE NATION

31

MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

Centre educates students on career choice CRUSADE aimed at assisting students on future career choice has commenced in secondary schools in Edo State, courtesy of Wing Community Development Project, Edo State 2011, sponsored by the T.Y. Danjuma Foundation in partnership with After School Graduate Development Centre.

The project coordinator, Mr. Briam Oji during the group’s visit to Akenzua Secondary School, Benin, explained that After School Graduate Development Centre was interested in the employability of Nigerian graduates.

Mr. Oji said the decision to begin the crusade at the secondary school level was to ensure that such graduates adapt quickly in their workplace.

He said: “Career choice problem starts from that level before university education. Attention is focused on SS1 because that is the formative level where students decide to choose their courses of study.”

Officials of the centre, during the visit delivered career lectures, counselling and provided guide to SS1 students of the schools on how to choose their future careers.

There was also distribution of note books, pens, Mathematical

A

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

sets and other study materials to the students, just as psychometric test was also conducted for the students.

According to Mr. Oji, a total of 14 institutions, have so far benefited from the Centre’s Career Day Training, Computer ICT training while the centre has also carried out two vocational training programmes for IkpobaOkha and Ovia North-East Local Government Areas.

Career choice problem starts from that level before university education.

Attention is focused on SS1 because that is the formative level where students decide to choose their courses of study

I

N its efforts towards ensuring that the people have access to potable water always, the Ekiti State government has purchased over 700 ductile iron pipes worth over N140m to improve water distribution network in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.

The procurement of the ductile pipes which are meant to take water from the Ureje Water Works in Ajilosun area of the capital to the reservoirs in Oke-Ila and Mary Hills areas in Ado-Ekiti forms part of the 2009 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) water projects.

In her address after the inspection, the State Commissioner for Information, Communication, Civic Orientation and Strategy, Mrs. Fola Richie-Adewusi said the tour was to find out the level of work done towards providing basic infrastructure, particularly the provision of water for the citizenry.

The Commissioner noted that the contractors have started laying pipes from the Ureje Dam in Ajilosun to feed various water reservoirs in Ado-Ekiti from which would be linked with the various points of use across the capital, adding that the pipe-laying project would run till the end of August this year.

Richie-Adewusi observed that the present water network in the city would supply only 40 per cent of water to the

•Enugu State Governor, Mr. Sullivan Chime in a handshake with the new Chief of Field Office, UNICEF, Mr. Charles Nzuki, shortly after signing the 2011 Programme of Implementation Agreement (PIA), at the Government House, Enugu PHOTO: OBI CLETUS

Ekiti votes N140m for water project From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

people in Ado-Ekiti, while the new effort of the government would extend the network to areas that are not currently covered.

However, the residents around the Mary Hill water reservoir, which was constructed in 1999 but is non-functional, have appealed to the state government to assist the community to find lasting solu-

The contractors have started laying pipes from the Ureje Dam in Ajilosun to feed various water reservoirs in Ado-Ekiti from which would be linked with the various points of use across the capital, adding that the pipe-laying project would run till the end of August this year •Workers laying pipes for the water project

tion to the perennial water problem in the area.

Mr. Samuel Ogunleye, a 75-year-old community leader said that water is the major problem in the area and called on government to expedite action on the project in order to facilitate the people’s quick access to water which has remained a major challenge to decent living.

Special Adviser to the State Governor on Infrastructure and Public Utilities, Mr.

Kayode Jegede, stated that government was trying to restore all the dams in the state to their designed full operational capacity, adding that the state government had concluded plans to embark on turn-around maintenance on all three water plants in the state.

The 2009 MDGs water project is collaboration between the Federal Government and the state in which both governments contributed N500m each.

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

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•Governor Fayemi

HE Caretaker Chairman of Oye Local Government Area,in Ekiti State , Mr Adewale Adekoya, has directed the rates collectors in the council who had failed to remit collected revenue to the coffers of the council to do so immediately.

The chairman said some of such defaulters had not paid in collected rates since January this year while the last time some remit money was in February, March or April.

Speaking with the rates collectors in his office, the chairman berated their low performance and wondered if they had justified their employment. He warned that delay in remittance would henceforth be treated as fraud and that those found liable would be made to face the wrath of the law.

Replying, the collectors requested for at least a back-up van to assist them in both the task of rates collection as well as the necessity for identification cards.

They also pleaded with the chairman to

Osun to partner WAEC

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HE Osun State government and the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) are to collaborate in order to enhance the performance of students in the state for the annual examinations.

Both the state government and the management of WAEC expressed readiness to collaborate when the council’s Registrar and Chief Executive Officer, Alhaja Mulikat Ayoni Bello, paid a courtesy visit on Governor Rauf Aregbesola in his office in Osogbo.

The governor lamented the level of mass failure of students in the state, saying that his administration was ready to increase the level of performance of the students in the examinations.

“I want us all to collaborate to see how we can raise the bar here for the performance of students in your examinations; not through any capricious means but through serious engagement for the best interms of contents, interms of preparing our teachers and the programme that will raise the performance level of our students.

“To me whatever it is going to cost, even if it require obtaining loans, I will do it because without that there is no future for us. I know that examinations are meant to be passed for average students and so, I do not believe that anybody should be scared of any examination.

With adequate preparation, I believe everybody must pass examinations for their

From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

grade.

“Let us work together in seeing that the mass failure of students in your examination is put behind us without lowering your standard. The situation cannot continue this way. Less than 10 per cent of the students passed the last examinations nationwide while we have about one per cent in Osun, the governor said.

The governor noted that the students should be able to do better with the facilities available in the country now, saying that students must be encouraged towards preparedness to influence their results such that their parents and the state would be happy.

He noted that if students pass examination as they participate in it, the level of crime would be drastically reduced, as the students would shun all vices.

The WAEC Chief Executive Officer, who commended the governor for responding promptly to the payment of the 2010 examination fees of the students sponsored by the state government, said that the action had showed that the present administration was conscious of the future of the affected students.

Edo to review criminal code

E

DO State Judiciary has said that it is taking a hard look at the Criminal Code, Criminal Procedure Law and the Magistrates’ Courts Law with a view to sensitising the legislature to review the laws.

It said a committee would soon be set to undertake the review of the laws.

Edo State Chief Judge, Justice Cromwell Idahosa disclosed this when Governor

Ekiti extend his deadline for remittance of collected revenue from one day to one week.

While the chairman was silent on their demand for an extension of deadline, he, however assured them that their requests for a van and for identification cards and vests would be met.

Jang seeks Israeli cooperation in agric, tourism

Cleric urges youths to embrace agriculture

Edo

From Adimike George, Onitsha

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HE Chairman of Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, (PFN), Anambra State chapter, Bishop David Ebelechukwu has stressed the need for Nigerians especially the youths to take to agriculture seriously to provide jobs for the unemployed and reduce over dependence on oil.

The PFN Chairman, who spoke at Onitsha when some traders in the commercial city under the aegis of Victory Agro General Market Association partnering with Federal government laid a foundation for an integrated farm located at the outskirt of the town.

He said that the action of the traders was informed by their desire to reduce poverty, hunger, the country’s over dependence on oil and the need to provide alternative source of employment for the younger generation.

• From left: Commandant, Armed Forces College Staff Centre (AFCSC); Air Vice Marshal Ahmed Muazu, Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Oluseyi Petinrin; District Head of Karawa, Alhaji Salisu Abdulahi, and District Head of Jaji, Alhaji Abdulraseed Sani, at the inauguration of community development projects in Jaji, Kaduna State PHOTO: NAN

Army offers free medical services

A

S part of the activities lined up for the Nigerian Army Day celebration (NADCEL) for the year 2011, the Nigerian Army is giving free medical services to the residents of Akwa Ibom State.

Addressing newsmen in Uyo, the state capital,the Assistant Director, Army Public Relations Headquarters, 82 Division Nigerian Army, Lt-Col Sagir Musa, said the free medical services would take place in rural areas of Ukana-Ikot Ntuen in

Okorocha flags off immunisation campaign

MO State Governor Rochas Okorocha has flagged off the 2011 Maternal New Born and Child health immunization excise in the state.

Addressing a mammoth crowd at the flagoff ceremony at Owerri West Local Government Council headquarters, Umugwuma, Okorocha urged women in the state to save their children by presenting them for proper immunisation.

According to him, early and adequate immunisation of children will prevent them from sustaining life pains and as well reduce childhood mortality rate in the state, stressing on the need for a regular health status checkup.

Governor Okorocha further urged residents to imbibe the spirit of eating right food , keeping clean environment and regular check up to detect early killer diseases such as HIV/ AIDS, Polio and breast cancer.

The governor who said that the administration’s Rescue Agenda is to better living standard of Imo people, enjoined them to stop celebrating poverty, both in their

I

Osun

Council chief warns rates collectors

From Kazeem Ibrahym, Uyo

Essien Udim Local government area.

Other areas the free medical services would take place according to Musa include: Ibot Oboenyin in Mkpat Enin LGA; Ndiya in Nsit Ubium LGA; Itak Ikot Akpan in Ikono LGA; Oboho Ikot Ika/Mbiokoro 1 in Nist Ibom LGA and Uyo metropolis.

He explained that the free medical services which began on July 1 would end tomorrow.

Musa explained that the free medical services would be conducted by a team of medical doctors and other seasoned professionals from the Nigerian Army Medical Corps.

He stated that the exercise would cover diagnosis; medical examination; and dental care.

Musa noted that the seasoned professionals from the Nigerian Army Medical Corps would also attend to other diseases such as malaria; typhoid; dysentery and hypertension.

A

From: Emma Mgbeahurike, Owerri

•Otunba Edward Akin George (left) with Otunba Francis O. Meshioye at the 10th anniversary of Otunba George as Head (Olori Apena) of the Reformed Ogboni Fraternity Inc at Shillo Ikeja Worship Centre .

Akwa Ibom

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From Yusufu Aminu Idegu, Jos

LATEAU State Governor Jonah David Jang and the Mayor of Tiberias in the State of Israel Zohar Oved have opened discussions on areas of co-operation between them.

According to a press statement signed by the Director Press and Publicity to Jang, James Manok, “The meeting which took place at the Rimonim Hotel and Resort,Tiberias, bordered on agriculture, power and energy, fish farming, tourism, technological development as well as spiritual relationship”Governor Jang travelled to Israel after signing the 2011 Appropriation Bill.

Manok added: “Governor Jang told the Mayor about the potential that abound on the plateau particularly in the area of agriculture, tourism, solid minerals as well as political developments and the profile of Plateau State.

“The governor expressed the hope that Plateau State will benefit from this relationship towards enhancing the people’s well-being.

In his remarks, Mayor Oved also identified areas that Plateau State can benefit to include agriculture, tourism, hydro-technology, fisheries as well as power and energy.

The Mayor said, “The bond between Plateau and Tiberias will also open doors of spiritual blessings.

Governor Jang who was accompanied by his wife Talatu also visited some spiritual sites and was also hosted to a dinner by Mayor Oved.

‘Tinubu does not beg for Yoruba leadership’

Imo attitude and dressing.

In his remarks, the chairman of the occasion, Mr Chikodi Igbokwe, thanked God for the emergence of Governor Okorocha in the last governorship election, recalling that he had made several efforts in the past to ensure the health and improvement of the lives of the poor.

In her address, the wife of the governor, Mrs Nkechi Okorocha, said that the Maternal New born Child Health is an integrated strategy aimed at achieving child survival and proper development.

“Effective implementation of primary healthcare is one of the cardinal policies of this administration and every effort must be made to ensure that every child no matter where located is reached for the exercise” she said.

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•Representative of Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr Femi Olugbile (second left) congratulating Chairman, Mosan-Okunola Local Council Develoment Area, Hon Abiodun Mafe on the opening of a Mini-General Hospital named: Rauf Aregbesola Medical Centre at Okunola, Lagos. With them are the Council Manager, Mrs Kehinde Fasuyi (left) and Medical Officer, Mrs Toyin Onasanya.

PHOTO: TAJUDEEN ADEBANJO

NGO seeks promotion of emergency rescuing methods

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HE National Coordinator of Emergency Response International (ERI) Dr. Nnamdi Nwauwa, has called on government to support the acquisition of emergency rescue and resuscitation methods.

Speaking at the official presentation of new international resuscitation guidelines for emergency rescue in Lago, he admonished government at all levels to make it compulsory for its official to undergo training in emergency rescue.

“The Nigerian government is yet to embrace the propagation of resuscitation skills, unfortunately when emergency situation arises, there is need for urgent rescue or resuscitation before the victim would be taken to the nearest health facility.

In fact, 30 minutes is enough for emergency situation to get out of hand. Even if the person involved is to be taken oversea for intensive treatment, still there is need to first stabilise his condition to a manageable level.”

He also spoke on the need for a law to protect people in accident scenes who might want to rescue victims.

“At the moment, there are no laws governing protection of rescuers at accident scenes. A situation whereby eyewitnesses cannot rescue accident victims for fear of

Lagos

N ACTION Congress of Nigeria chieftain in Lagos State, Otunba Mooshood Tijani, has condemned the statement credited to one Senator Sulaiman Salau in one of the dailies not The Nation that Yoruba leader is not for sale, trying to castigate and insult person of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. In a telephone interview, with The Nation Newspaper, he said “if Senator Salau has not got any serious business to do, he should keep quiet instead of insulting the person of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu who is busy working on how to move the entire Southwest and Nigeria forward. He said that Tinubu did not at any time beg for Yoruba leadership but he is an anointed Yoruba leader by Almighty God. “He is the Awo of our time; he had worked

Briefly

By Kunle Akinrinade

being unnecessarily reprimanded by law enforcement agents is uncalled for. Therefore, there should be laws to protect rescuers while law enforcement agents such as soldiers, police, paramilitary personnel and other members of a r m e d f o r c e s should be trained on emergency rescuing and resuscitation in order to help people in danger.”

T h e occasion a l s o witnessed presentation of awards to corporate partners of t h e oragnisation. •Dr.Nwauwa

‘Beware of quacks’ The Nigerian Society of Engineers in Imo State has warned members of the public against the activities of fake engineers even as it called on Governor Rochas Okorocha to put the right professionals in the right places.

This admonition was given by the state chairman of the group,Engr. Remy Uche, while addressing reporters in Owerri, the capital .

The group urged Governor Okorocha to ensure that the right professionals are given opportunities to man core professional ministries such as Ministry of Works, Petroleum and Public Utilities, so as to fulfil the dream of the Rescue Mission.

It advised the governor to give consideration to the views of engineers in the stateas they are always ready to support his administration .

tirelessly and creditably, taking Southwest back to the progressive era when the region was number one in terms of social, economic and infrastructural development.”

Otunba Tijani said all that is needed is to support him and pray for good health and long life rather than casting aspersion on him. He then advised Senator Salau who is the Chairman Kwara State Chapter of Yoruba Council of Elders to make use of his position to better the lives of his people rather than discourage those whom are God anointed to fight against injustice and better the lives of their people.

Lagos lawmakers challenged

Edo From Osagie Otabor, Benin

Adams Oshiomhole inaugurated the renovated High Court building Complex A. Justice Idahosa, who noted that the State High Court Rules have been reviewed, said the Magistrates’ Court Civil Procedure Rules will also be reviewed.

The State Chief Judge explained that provisions of such laws could not meet the needs of the present age.

Justice Idahosa praised the Governor for renovating the High Court complex and urged that same be extended to other dilapidated buildings.

Inaugurating the complex, Oshiomhole said he was moved to renovate the complex after what he experienced when he was trying to retrieve his mandate at the tribunal.He said the

• renovation was to ensure speedy trial of cases and for Judges to dispense justices in a conducive atmosphere.

• Members of Olu-Ofu-Obi Social Club Oke-Ira Branch Ogba Lagos during their monthly PHOTO: ABIODUN WILLIAM meeting at Ilupeju

Group donates to less-privileged

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EMBERS of United Legend Social Club of Nigeria in Lagos recently visited the Society for the Safety of the Insane and Destitute a.k.a. So Said International Charity Home in Ago-Okota, Lagos.

Welcoming the group, the Coordinator of the centre, Mrs Concern Martins, recalled how she established the school through a divine call while undergoing her law degree programme.

She said the centre had successfully rehabilitated some former inmates and reconciled them with their families She said it has been tough but that God has remained the pillar. She introduced some of the present inmates, which include a former newscaster on the NTA network, a United Kingdom trained medical doctor that once worked at the UNIBEN Teaching Hospital, Benin City and others. She said that the centre admits people from every segment of the society and enumerated some of the needs of the home. Top on the list is accommodation, saying that the rent of the present accommodation has expired.

Lagos She admitted that Lagos State government had allocated the centre a portion of land in Badagry but appealed for help to develop it.She sought for help on feeding as well.

Replying, the leader of the delegation and chairman of the club, St. Joe Ezike, said that United Legend Social Club of Nigeria specialises in service to humanity with special bias for the less privileged.

He recalled how the club had visited other charity homes in Lagos. He praised the resilience of Mrs. Martin for being true to her calling which he described as a rare case of true call to service. He said that the good Lord who called her into this job will surely provide for her, reminding her of the biblical injunction that “if you are willing and obedient that you will eat the good of the land! (Is. 1v9)”.

The club presented the home with gift items such as bags of rice, other food stuff, detergents, toiletries and a bank cheque.

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HE Lagos State House of Assembly has been urged to cooperate with the State governor, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, so that residents can enjoy more dividends of democracy.

Making this known while addressing journalists recently, the new president of Abe-Igi Senate, a social club, Chief Raphew Tunde Fahm, implored the lawmakers to work as a team and ignore political bickering that can retard physical development.

Fahm also advised Lagos indigenes and non-indigenes to obey the law and pay their tax promptly.

He advised National Assembly members from the state to make sure that the 57 councils become a reality, adding that the lawmakers should lobby others to accepting the councils and to make constitution amendment.

According to him, the 57 councils have become a model for other states to emulate.

He said, if Kano State could get more councils, the Lagos State with the largest population should not be denied.

He advised the National Assembly to correct the imbalance.

•Mrs Martins receving gifts from members of the club

THE NATION

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MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

‘Why students perform poorly in examination

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HE proprietor of Headstart Private School Isolo, Mrs Udenwa Obi has said that students perform poorly in examination because of lapses on the part of examination boards.

Obi disclosed this while assessing student’s performance in the just-concluded Joint Admission and Matriculation Board Examination (JAMB) during the school’s 4th inter-house sports competition.

She said: “JAMB results were a shocker.

I saw the figure and analysis and I think the board and other education boards should go back to their drawing board.

“Invigilators are not helping the students and the issue of examination malpractices is to be looked into critically because a situation where we have someone writing examination for a student is not good for the child and the future of our nation. Certain measures should be put in place to make offenders pay for such offences when committed.”

On the school’s inter-house sports competition, she explained that the objective was to groom and inculcate in the children the spirit of genuine competition.

“We are building in them good team spirit and ability to accept defeat and success. They should know today that whoever loses or wins will have that courage in him to work harder and make it happen the next opportunity.

“Inter-house sport is that game that gives the children that kind of boldness to overcome all difficulties later in life.”

She lamented the falling standard of education in Nigeria, saying that we all must work hard to eradicate the phenomenon so as to redeem the country’s image.

“I am happy that here in Headstart Private Schools, we are known for our stand on quality standard of education without any compromises. I think every other school in Nigeria and especially the ministry in charge of education should monitor what we have put in place right now.

“The regulatory authority has to take their supervisory role seriously by ensur-

•Students in a group study

By Miriam Ndikanwu

ing that private schools put facilities in place to ensure that the children got quality education.

“We don’t cut corners when it comes to imparting knowledge. That is why we have put in place all-encompassing facilities for our secondary school that will soon kick off,” she said.

FRCN boss challenges media practitioners on FoI bill

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HE Director-General of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Mr Yusuf Nuhu, a Barrister has advised media practitioners in the country to take advantage of the new law on freedom of information and source information that

We should be very careful in what we do with the bill…It should not be used to witch-hunt organisations or individuals. We have to use it to serve the country.

It is an opportunity to use the bill for the benefit of the country

From Bisi Oladele, Ibadan

will benefit the society.

He also disclosed that two new zonal radio stations would soon be opened in Bayelsa and Gombe states to take care of the South-South and North-East geo-political zones. The additions would bring the FRCN zonal stations to six.

Nuhu disclosed this at the Ibadan zonal station while inspecting the renovation of a floor of the FRCN building, which was gutted by fire last year.

The D-G said that with the signing of the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill into law, doors of opportunities to officially source useful information have been opened to Nigerian journalists, even as he stressed that they should explore the opportunities.

He, however, cautioned media practitioners against using the opportunities to the detriment of the society.

While noting that giving accent to the bill

by President Jonathan was one of the best things to have happened to the media industry in Nigeria, Nuhu said: “We should be very careful in what we do with the bill.

“It should not be used to witch-hunt organisations or individuals. We have to use it to serve the country. It is an opportunity to use the bill for the benefit of the country.”

Speaking on the expansion programme of the corporation which started in 1999, the FRCN boss explained that the idea has brought broadcasting to the doorsteps of Nigerians with the additional benefit of promoting indigenous languages.

Invigilators are not helping the students and the issue of examination malpractices is to be looked into critically because a situation where we have someone writing examination for a student is not good for the child and the future of our nation

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HE National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has trained about 600 job seekers in Oyo State in agriculture, computer and domestic trades. The training was conducted on Friday last week.

They received training under the Rural Agricultural Development Training Scheme (RADTS) and the Basic-Skills Acquisition Training Scheme Employment (B-SAT).

Beneficiaries, who had been screened by the directorate, were drawn from the 33 local government areas of the state.

A statement by the directorate’s Coordinator in the state, Dr Michael Akinremi said the new training programmes were geared towards taking unemployed people off the streets and helps them to contribute to wealth creation in the country.

Akinremi said 100 trainees would go for four months Rural Agricultural Development Training Scheme in Oyo East Local Government while another batch would go for three-month training in agro-enterprises such as poultry, fisheries, bee keeping and crop production. The training held at the NDE Agricultural Skills Training Centre located at Onsa Village near

NDE trains 600 job seekers From Tayo Johnson

Aawe.

One of the benefits derivable from the training is that they will also enjoy the privilege of acquiring on-the-job experience at large agro-enterprise firms after completion of the training.

Akinremi said: “Five hundred unemployed youths now registering at the NDE office at Federal Secretariat and through the 33 local government areas in the state were shortlisted for Basic Skills Attachment Training Scheme (B-SATS) formerly known as National Open Apprenticeship Scheme (NOAS) in Computer, Domestic and Technical trades.”

All the trainees for the two schemes are entitled to training allowances to assist them in participating in the training to acquire marketable skills for self-employment.

Five hundred unemployed youths now registering at the NDE office at Federal Secretariat and through the 33 local government areas in the state were shortlisted for Basic Skills Attachment Training Scheme (B-SATS) formerly known as National Open Apprenticeship Scheme (NOAS) in Computer, Domestic and Technical trades

THE NATION

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MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

Farmers advise committee on loan facility

F

ARMERS in Gombe State have tasked a committee set up by the state government on agriculture to advise Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo on the need to disburse the N1m loan aimed at enhancing agricultural production.

The farmers also urged the committee to prioritise capacity building as a significant tool for tackling problems of poverty in the state.

In a statement, the National Publicity Secretary of All Farmers’ Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Alhaji Muhammad Magaji noted that the loan, facilitated by the previous administration, which was supposed to be disbursed to the farmers by May, 2011 has not been accessed by them.

Magaji stated that the loan was part of the last administration’s support to improve agricultural production in the state.

He said: “The committee should, as a matter of importance, advise his Excellency to help in disbursing the N1m loan facility to farmers. It is our wish at AFAN that farmers should have access to that facility so as to enhance their capital base and improve our agricultural activity.”

Magaji urged the state government to establish agricultural skill acquisition centres across the state as Adamawa State government did. He added that such development would further create employment opportunities for the youth as well as eradicate poverty in the state in particular and the country in general.

He further said: “The Murtala Nyako administration in Adamawa State has, through its skill acquisition centres enhanced agricultural activity in the state in areas such as

•A farmer at work From Olugbenga Adanikin, Abuja

increase in the measure of their produce per hectare, modern agricultural practice and modern way of aqua cultural production.

“The skill acquisition centres have offered employment opportunities to their restive youths. Therefore, the committee should

The committee should, as a matter of importance, advise his Excellency to help in disbursing the N1m loan facility to farmers. It is our wish at AFAN that farmers should have access to that facility so as to enhance their capital base and improve our agricultural activity

recommend same to his Excellency for the betterment of our agricultural sector.”

Magaji however advocated the resuscitation of the Gombe State Agriculture and Sup-

ply Company (GOSAC) and the Gombe fertilizer blending plant, even as he noted that it would further improve agricultural produce in the state.

‘We want increment in scholarship fund’

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HE National Association of Ilaje/EseOdo Students’ Union has rejected the N25, 000 scholarship award proposed by the Ondo State Oil- Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC) for students in various tertiary institutions across the country from the area.

Though the commission had started screening eligible students from the oil-producing communities for the scholarship awards, the students however demanded an upward review of the bursary from N25, 000 to N50, 000.

•From left: President, Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Dr Idris Omede; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr Linus Awute and National Coordinator, Cancer Control Programme, Dr Patience Oshinubi at a workshop on the role of the media in Cancer Prevention and PHOTO: NAN Control in Nigeria

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

In a statement issued by the Vice-President of the students’ body, Comrade Obayelu Igbekele, said the N25, 000 being paid annually by the commission to students as scholarship grant was not enough in view of the increase in tuition fees and miscellaneous expenses.

Igbekele noted that since the state benefits largely from the 13% derivation from excess crude, it became expedient for the students to demand an increase in the scholarship fund.

The statement reads in part: “We the Ilaje/ Ese-Odo Students reject the N25, 000 being paid to our members annually by the state government. Our reason is not far-fetched.

There is nothing that can be compared to the annual expenditure that ranges between N200, 000 and above.

“If we compare what other commissions are paying in other states, it will be an embarrassment that OSOPADEC that has less than 5,000 students are being paid N25, 000 yearly.

“We therefore call for the upward review of the scholarship in view of the fact that students from mandate areas where the resource that makes Ondo State an oil-producing one should be increased to N50, 000 without further delay.”

The students pleaded with the state governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko to direct the chairman of the commission, Mr. Debo Ajimuda to urgently endorse the students’ call for increment in scholarship fund. N50, 000 without further delay

We the Ilaje/Ese-Odo Students reject the N25, 000 being paid to our members annually by the state government. Our reason is not far-fetched…We therefore call for the upward review of the scholarship in view of the fact that students from mandate areas where the resource that makes Ondo State an oil-producing one should be increased to

MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

36

What we have been experiencing in Lagos in recent past is flash flood which disappears in less than one hour unlike in the past when flood lasted for one week or more on roads.

We want the public to always clean the drains and desist from dumping refuse in them to avoid blockage which is a major cause of flooding

Lagos restates commitment to flood control R

ESIDENTS of flood-prone areas in Lagos State should no longer panic as plans have been concluded by the government on how to control the perennial flood in the state.

Speaking during the inspection of Oyan and Ikere Gorge Dam managed by the Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority (O-ORBDA) in Iseyin, Oyo State last week, the Permanent Secretary, Office of Drainage Services, Mr Muyideen Akinsanya an Engineer, gave the assurance that there was enough room to contain more storm water from the dams.

He said the Oyan dam currently has three metres capacity, even as he disclosed that excess floods arising from the rains would be diverted to the reservoir.

Akinsanya, who led journalists on a tour of the dams to ascertain their storage capacity, said the intense rainfall in Lagos over the past weeks necessitated the inspection.

According to Akinsanya, the inspection is a regular step to avert a recurrence of the heavy flooding which inundated communities on the Ogun River banks last year.

“We regularly inspect the reservoirs to enable experts to plan ahead in view of the expected high intensity of rainfall this year. We have experienced intense rain in Lagos as predicted by NIMET. The trip was to see the effect of the rain on the river and possible overflow to Lagos,” he said.

He said a joint committee made up of engineers from the O-ORBDA and Lagos State government would continue to do its best on continuous monitoring of the rise in level of the rivers and issuance of warning statements to the public as well as advising the governments on steps to be taken to avoid casualties when it senses danger.

Akinsanya, however, appealed to members of the public to adhere to warnings so as to avoid disasters. He revealed that the flood in Ajegunle last year claimed no lives because of the proactive measures taken by the Lagos State government.

His said: “What we have been experiencing in Lagos in recent past is flash flood which disappears in less than one hour unlike in the past when flood lasted for one week or more on roads. We want the public to always clean the drains and desist from dumping refuse in them to avoid blockage which is a major cause of flooding.”

According to the Executive Director, Engineering, O-ORBDA, who received the team, Mr Bayo Alayande, the Oyan Dam was built to keep the flow of Oyan River, a tributary of Ogun River in check.

He said the dam’s reservoir has water storage capacity of 270 million cubic meters, a length of 27km, width of 6km and 40 kilometre square surface area. He added that the dam, if well explored for electricity, can generate 9, 000 kilowatts.

Alayande noted that the Federal Government, as part of efforts to tackle flood,

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HE Ondo State representative on the governing board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr. Benson Enikoumehin has said that one of the ways the commission could realise the objectives for which it was established which is to develop the Niger Delta region is ensuring that the people in the area live healthy and normal life.

•A flooded street

By Sunday Ogundugba

has procured four Flood Early Warning Systems. He said two of the systems are located in Alamutu, Ogun State and Eruwa, in Oyo State.

“The Early Warning System whose components include rain gauge, radar for reading, solar panel, has a satellite-linked to computers in the office to monitor level of water rise in the river. The equipment in Alamutu which is near to Lagos State is expected to trigger alarm whenever the water level rises up to 3.4 metres,” he said.

Mr Alayande noted that contrary to the belief that the dams cause flood, they were primarily built for flood control, provision of water to water corporations and elec-

tricity generation.

According to him, during the dry season, water is released to increase capacity for storage and during rainy season; if the excess water was not held in the dams’ reservoirs, it would flow freely and would have caused a lot of damage on its route to the downstream.

He added that the amount of water being released from the dam is insignificant compared to the volume that is being held back in the reservoir.

At the Ikere Gorge Dam, the Project Manager, Mr. Babatunde Ojo told journalists that “the dam which has 555 million cubic metres storage capacity has many purposes such as power generation, water supply, flood control and tourism. The dam is capable of generating 3, 750 mega-

watts of electricity” he noted, adding that “the reservoir was to ensure that water is available during dry season and to control excess water during rainy season.”

He further said: “Ikere Gorge Dam has ungated design. We can do little to water releases but what we do is to carry out systematic release to downstream to create space to contain excess water during rainy season and there is a spill barrier over which the water flows at a particular level.”

He noted that the present level of Ikere Gorge Dam is 262 million cubic metres, saying spill over occurs in July depending on the intensity and frequency of the rainfall. He also said that when it gets to 266 metres, it spills over to Ogun River and then flows to Lagos.

NDDC, India partner on health delivery From Damisi Ojo, Akure

Enikoumehin disclosed this at the opening ceremony of the free health programme organised by the commission

About 10 surgeons from Artemis Health Institute in Ariana State in India, 25 resident doctors and 30 professional nurses in the Ondo State Ministry of Health are engaged in the free health programme which is taking place at Igbokoda and Okitipupa specialist hospital respectively

in the state.

About 10 surgeons from Artemis Health Institute in Ariana State in India, 25 resident doctors and 30 professional nurses in the Ondo State Ministry of Health are engaged in the free health programme which is taking place at Igbokoda and Okitipupa specialist hospital respectively.

He explained that the commission would continue to partner with Indian government to ensure quality health service delivery across the Niger Delta region.

The NDDC Chief said his experience during his medical trip to India informed

his decision to bring the surgeons to Ondo State so that the people can have access to quality health services.

He further said that the programme was part of his commitments to ensure a healthy environment in the oil-producing area of the state by tackling various health challenges confronting the people.

He disclosed that about 50,000 people would benefit from the health programme out of which 10,000 children below the ages of five and six would be de-wormed.

Enikoumehin also said that any patient diagnosed of severe ailments would be flown abroad on the bill of the commission, while those with minor cases will be treated accordingly.

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

37

CITY BEATS

CRIME

F THE COURTS SROM ECURITY TIPS

Residents seek police attention

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ESIDENTS of Vono Street in Ilupeju, Lagos have called on the police to provide adequate security for them.

CityBeats gathered that gun duel are frequent occurrences in the area as some area boys from Fadeyi, Onipanu and Akala Mushin battle for supremacy and their fight spills over into Ilupeju.

According to one of the residents, who identified himself as Jide, a corpse was found lying on the street with its brain scattered as a result of a gunshot.

He added that such a scene

• • • • • •

By Banjoko Titilayo

was not uncommon in the area as carcasses of people are found on the street.

Although no one could be certain of the identity of the corpse as it was still there till late in the evening when CityBeats visited the police station, no one had yet reported the case to the police, the station had no idea of the corpse.

The Divisional Police Officer, Mushin Division, Obinna Ikeagu said he was aware of the constant violence that the residents were

• • • • •

•Alkali facing and following this recent incident, he would deploy his men to the area to maintain law and order.

Bureau de change operator nabbed for HE Lagos State Police alleged fraud ing shot was said to have given up the money without Command has ar-

T

rested a bureau de change operator for allegedly defrauding and stealing dollars from unsuspecting money changers under the guise of a customer.

The suspect, Princewell Nwobodo Eze, was also reported to have robbed several people at gun point in Ajah, Lagos in the company of two men seen in police uniforms who are still at large.

According to a source who claimed anonymity, the suspect had robbed a lady at the Bureau de Change located in a shopping complex at the Ajah area of the state of $14, 000, an equivalent of N1.2 million before poaching on other victims.

Another victim identified as Mohammed was said to have been approached by the

‘

By Banjoko Titilayo

suspect in a purported bid to buy $130, 000, an equivalent of N19.8 million but that instead of the naira equivalent, he would be given a draft.

The money changer fell for the trick but he insisted that before he handed over the money, the draft must be confirmed with the bank in question- Afribank. The suspect was reported to have accepted without knowing it was a trap.

After the draft had been confirmed, Eze in company of the two yet to be identified police officers, allegedly brought out a pistol, threatening the victim at gun point to surrender the draft and the dollars.

Mohammed for fear of be-

It is true that the suspect has fleeced several money hangers of their money in disguise of being a customer

’

a fight and he was thrown out of the car some metres away from the bank.

According to the source, following a tip off, a woman was arrested driving the car used for the operation and on interrogation, she pointed out the owner which turned out to be Eze who was then arrested, and confessed to the crime.

However, it was gathered N1.7 million stolen by the gang was recovered along with a Ranger Rover (SUV) used for their illicit operations.

The Lagos State Police spokesman, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Samuel Jinadu , who confirmed the incident, however, refuted claims that the two accomplices on police uniform were real police officers.

His words: “It is true that the suspect has fleeced several money changers of their money in disguise of being a customer, but after several investigations, it was discovered that the two alleged officers were actually fake.”

Man, 25, arraigned for burglary

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25-YEAR-OLD man has been arraigned before an Apapa Chief Magistrates Court, Lagos, over alleged burglary of four shops.

The accused, Sibo Idris, is facing a nine-count charge of felony, unlawful breaking, unlawful entering and stealing goods worth N1.2 million.

The prosecutor, Insp.

Benedict Unawunwa, told the court that Idris, with an accomplice still at large, broke into the four shops at

Trade Fair Complex, Lagos, on the night of June 8.

He said the shops belonged to Messrs Azubuike Ogbonnya, Patrick Chukwujekwu, Andy Umeadi and Anayo Okonkwo.

The prosecutor said items removed included suits, jeans trousers, women body hugs, plain trousers, women tops, plain skirts, men and women’s shoes, all valued at N1.2 million.

He said that the offence

contravened Sections 390 (9), 413 (1) and 516 of the Criminal Code Cap C17, Vol. 2 Laws of Lagos 2003.

Idris, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Mr Augustine Ugwu, counsel to the accused, pleaded with the court to grant his client bail on liberal terms.

The Chief Magistrate, Mrs Oluyemisi Adelaja, granted the accused N100,000 bail with two sureties in like sum and adjourned the case till July 20 for further hearing.

Suspected phone thief gets bail

A

SOMOLU Magistrate, Court in Lagos has granted bail for N200,000 to a 40-year-old man, Victor Kazeem, charged with stealing mobile telephones and other items.

Magistrate Bola Osunsanmi granted Kazeem the bail after he pleaded not guilty to the three-count charge.

Osunsanmi ordered the accused to provide two sureties

‘

also as a condition for the bail.

Kazeem was accused of stealing two cell phones, a television set and jewellery worth N163,000 from one Mrs Omonike Akanmu.

He was also accused of stealing the woman’s N150,000.

The prosecutor, Asp. A. Adegoke, told the court that Kazeem conspired with

The accused and his accomplices also unlawfully broke into the room of one Mrs Omobakin Ukama with the intent to steal

’

others still at large to break into the woman’s house and steal the property on June 10.

He said that the alleged theft occurred at No. 1, Ovieamalda St., Somolu.

“The accused and his accomplices also unlawfully broke into the room of one Mrs Omobakin Ukama with the intent to steal,’’ he added.

Adegoke said that Ukama lived on the same street.

He noted that the alleged offences were contrary to Sections 390, 411 and 516 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Lagos State. The case has been adjourned till July 13 for further hearing.

Be cautious when entering private vehicles that operate as taxis Avoid spending the night with free women In crowded bus stops, hold tight to your bags and pockets in order not to be robbed by pick pockets Do not leave your children with strangers, especially in religious places of worship.

Always secure your residence by locking up the place.

Do not allow a stranger to embrace you in the public as such person may be out to pick your wallet Mind how you leave your car with strangers as some may be robbers.

Be observant inside and outside bank premises in order not to be trailed by robbers.

Provide adequate security for cash in transit, including the use of police escort, also stop keeping money or valuables inside your car.

Help the police to help you. Let us join hands to rid our society of crime. It is our collective responsibility.

Report suspicious movement within your vicinity to the Police, never confront crimi nals as your life is very important, call the police on the following numbers: Police Control Room 1 emergency/distress call telephone numbers 07055350249, 07035068242, RRS Control 2 Alausa 08065154338, 07055462708, Control Room 3 SHQ: 08079279349, 08063299264 and 767 Toll free line.

MISSING PERSONS

1.

One Nneoma Grace Ogba ‘f’ aged 14yrs old about 3ft tall, fair complexion, speaks English and Igbo language fluently. If seen, contact one Chima Obuma ‘m’ of No. 8, Abimbola Odunsi Street, Ifako Ijaiye Lagos or Ikeja Police Station.

2.

One Folake Godonu ‘f’ aged 27yrs old about 6ft tall dark in complexion, speaks Yoruba and Egun Languages fluently. If seen contact one Joseph Godwin ‘m’ of Ikoga Zebbe Badagry Lagos or Badagry Police Station.

3.

One Benjamin Onuikpu ‘m’ aged 30yrs about 4.8ft tall fair complexion, speaks English and Hausa Languages fluently. If seen contact one Monisola Adetola ‘f’ of Block 94 Flat, 1 Jakande Estate Isolo or Festac Police Station.

4.

One Feyisara Oyindamola Shittu ‘f’ aged 32yrs old about 5ft tall, dark in complexion, speaks English and Yoruba Language fluently. If seen contact one Mr. Shittu Kamoru ‘m’ of No. 6/ 8, Rufai Street, Onipanu Shomolu Lagos or Onipanu, Police Station.

One Blessing Ojumo ‘f’ aged 21yrs old about 4ft tall dark in complexion speaks Awori Egun Languages fluently. If seen contact one Hajia Muse Ariyo ‘m’ of No. 10, Okoya Ilomas Close Surulere Lagos or Surulere Police Station.

One James nkama ‘m’ aged 29yrs old about 5ft tall light in complexion speaks English and Igbo Language fluently. If seen contact oen Mrs. Udok Eze Onelaka ‘f’ of No. 17A Broad Street or Ebute Ero Police Station.

One Olalekan Alawode ‘m’ aged 41yrs old about 5ft tall dark in complexion speaks Yoruba and English Language fluently. If seen contact one Taiwo Alawode ‘m’ of No. 28 Mourning Star Street, Ejigbo, Lagos Police Station.

5.

6.

7.

STOLEN VEHICLES 1.

One Toyota highlander Jeep with Reg. No. ET 250 SMK Colour Navy Blue with Chassis No. JTEDP21A340001497 and Engine No. 3MZ0037370. If seen contact any nearest Police Station or Itire Police Station.

2.

One Toyota Corolla S/car with Reg. No. LN 471 EKY Colour Ash with Chassis No. JTDBR32E530012917. If seen contact any nearest Police Station.

3.

One Toyota Camry S/Car with Reg. No. AR 700 KUJ with Chassis No. 4T15KIZESPU1803 and Engine No. 551818765. If seen contact any nearest Police Station.

4.

One Toyota Camry and Reg. No. RZ 435 AAA Colour Grey with chassis No. J4T1BG22K8WU267091 and Engine No. 556469891. If seen contact any nearest Police Station.

RECOVERED VEHICLES

The Lagos State Police Command recovered a total number of 28 vehicles from 18th - 23rd May, 2011 suspected to have been stolen from different location in Lagos and the vehicles can be located at the station mentioned against each of the recovered vehicles as follows:S/NO

NAMES OF VEHICLE

REG. NO

COLOUR

LOCATION

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

25.

26.

27.

28.

OPEL OMEGA TOYOTA COROLLA HONDA ACCORD TOYOTA SIENNA TOYOTA COROLLA TOYOTA CAMRY TOYOTA COROLLA FAN PICK UP TOYOTA COROLLA HONDA ACCORD TOYOTA 4 RUNNER HONDA ACCORD TOYOTA COROLLA HONDA ACCORD NISSAN PATHFINDER NISSAN QUEST NISSAN QUEST TOYOTA 4 RUNNER JEEP NISSAN PRIMERA TOYOTA 4 RUNNER JEEP NISSAN PATHFINDER V/W VANAGON BUS V/W VANAGON BUS PEUGOT 307 S/CAR HONDA ACCORD B/BOY TOYOTA HIACE BUS TOYOTA CAMRY HONDA ACCORD

DC 470 MUS BW 624 AKL EY 442 APP TU 730 KJA BZ 638 KSF PP 856 RBC EE 809 KJA DG 491 GGE ET 398 APP SM 974 KJA EP 61 KRD SD 242 KJA DY 489 AAA DN 623 LSD FW 449 LSR DE 934 RBC NW 137 AAA CS 239 MUS JF 80 KJA 473 APP DE 686 KTU XC 691 LSD XZ 184 MUS DR 921 ABJ FY 993 EKY XU 119 APP DA 244 APP BF 734 GWD

WHITE M/GREY WHITE ASH BLACK BLACK GREY GREY BLACK BLACK GOLD GREY ASH BLACK BLACK GOLD L/BLUE BLACK ASH GREY GOLD LSCC LSCC BLUE ASH WHITE BLACK ASH

AGO-OKOTA ALADE ALAPERE OJOKORO AGUDA V/ISLAND OJO LAYENI SHOMOLU RRS HQTR AREA ‘D’ ILASAMAJA DENTON IJESHA LAYENI GOWON ESTATE SABO IKORODU OKO OBA STD IKEJA ALAKUKO MOSAFEJO OWUTU OWUTU ALADE AREA ‘A’ APAPA BARIGA

Members of the public who have claims to the recovered vehicles should check at the police station mentioned against each recovered vehicles with original documents.

Claimants should endeavour to check the engine numbers as the original registration numbers may have been tampered with.

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

38

CITY BEATS Assembly summons LASIEC officials

By Oziegbe Okoeki

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HE House of Assembly has ordered Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) to appear before the House to explain why it has not commenced preparation for the conduct of elections into local government councils.

The call was made when the member representing Badagry 11 constituency , Hodewu Avoseh, brought to the notice of the House lack of preparation by LASIEC concerning the local government councils' election.

According to Avoseh, the last local government election was held in October 2008 and “by now the commission is yet to begin preparations for the conduct of another election," he stated.

He explained that the amended electoral act stipulated that the commission responsible for local government election "shall announce the date for the conduct of election not later than 90 days.

As at now nothing has been heard from the commission.

“LASIEC by now should have started making pronouncement on when and how the election will hold. Moreover, our people are already confronting us on this issue, because they want to know what is happening concerning the local government election,” Avoseh added.

Also , Ipoola Omisore from Ifako-Ijaiye 11 constituency said: “If by now, we are not hearing anything concerning the conduct of local government election, it means the officials of LASIEC are not doing anything.

"Already, those who are interested and aspiring for positions in the local government councils are complaining and they are confronting us asking us what we are doing on the issue", said Omisore.

Wahab Alawiye-King and Babatunde Ayeni from Lagos Island 1 and Oshodi-Isolo 1 constituencies both suggested that officials of the Commission be summoned to the House to explain the reason for the delay.

On his part, Speaker of the House, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, stated that "if by now nothing has been heard concerning the conduct of election to local government councils, there is nothing wrong in calling on the officials of LASIEC to come and explain to the House what has been responsible for the delay."

• The trained lecturers

Lecturers trained on quality assurance

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CTION Health Incorporated in collaboration with the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), Nigeria (AHI) has trained 42 lecturers from 14 Colleges of Education on Quality Assurance.

The three-day training, which was held simultaneously in two batches (Lagos and Zaria) from June 6 to 8, was a further demonstration of the NCCE and AHI’s contribution to advancing young peoples’ sexual and reproductive health rights by instituting quality assurance for pre-service Family Life and Emerging Health Issues (FLEHI).

The aim of the training was to strengthen the capacity of the FLEHI Master trainers (lecturers)

Stories by Oyeyemi GbengaMustapha

on FLEHI Quality Assurance (QA) to ensure the effective implementation of the FLEHI course across the six geopolitical zones.

Participants drawn from FCE Kontangora, FCE Abeokuta, FCE Akoka, FCE Ondo, FCE Pankshin, FCE Oyo Special, and FCE Okene, were trained in Lagos while participants from FCE Gombe, FCE

‘

Potiskum, FCE Yola, FCE Kano, FCE Katsina, FCE Gusau and FCE Zaria were trained in Zaria.

The training focused on four thematic areas which include: Institutional preparedness for FLEHI implementation; trainer’s ability to implement the FLEHI curriculum; classroom delivery of the FLEHI curriculum and knowledge/attitude inventory of the learners.

The focus on teacher educators is premised on the belief that teachers are the greatest resource that we have in the preparation of young people for productive and healthy living in the society

’

Chevron praised for enterprise wellness programme

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HEVRON Nigeria Limited (CNL), operators of the NNPC/Chevron Joint Venture, has announced that its small and medium enterprise wellness programme has been formally recognised by Global Business Coalition (GBC) Health for its success in assisting businesses to implement comprehensive workplace programs on HIV, TB and malaria.

The recognition came during an awards presentation at GBC Health’s 10th annual conference, held in New York, US. Widely regarded as the preeminent organisation for businesses engaged in major workplace and public health issues internationally, GBC is a network of over 220 businesses that fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in their workplaces or in communities where these issues loom large. The

coalition provides strategic advice and support for member companies and creates public private partnerships with leading international organisations, donors, governments and NGOs. GBC is headquartered in New York, with offices in Paris, Moscow, Nairobi, Johannesburg and Beijing.

According to GBC Health, CNL’s programme “exemplifies the pow-

erful impact the private sector is making on global health.” The vice president, Membership and Advisory Services for GBC Health, Pamela Bolton, praised the company for its achievement, saying: “We are proud of Chevron Nigeria Limited and of the global Chevron family.”

Commenting on the honour, Chairman/Managing Director,

‘Why we mentor our accountants’ HE Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA) has explained the reason for the work-place mentoring programme for its certified account.

ACCA Country Manager, Toyin Ademola, also debunked rumours that the body is at loggerheads with the Institute of Chattered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), saying their relationship is cordial.

She spoke at the mentoring training session in Lagos.

“I don’t know where all that rumour is coming from,” Ademola said, adding that there is a wide market that requires varied qualifications.

On the essence of the workshop, she said: “Today’s workshop is about mentoring. We at ACCA believe that every student deserves an opportunity to develop their skills and progress in their careers.

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The quality assurance tools which focus on the above-mentioned thematic areas were designed for monitoring exercises to be undertaken by the FLEHI QA trained lecturers for the successful and effective implementation of the FLEHI course in Colleges of Education.

The main purpose of the tools are to ensure the alignment of the contents of the NCE FLEHI curriculum with the Family Life and HIV/AIDS Education (FLHE) curriculum for basic education, and for the assessment of the successful and effective implementation of the FLEHI course in the Colleges of Education.

Dr. Uwem Esiet, the Director of Action Health Incorporate stressed that the wheel of change in any society is in the hands of teachers.

He stated that the focus on teacher educators is premised on the belief that teachers are the greatest resource that we have in the preparation of young people for productive and healthy living in the society.

He encouraged the participants to ensure that the FLEHI programme is effectively implemented in the colleges and monitored for its successful implementation.

Furthermore he emphasised that the training received should be stepped down to other Master trainers in the colleges to further strengthen the capacity of the master trainers.

During the closing ceremony at the training in Zaria, Dr. M.I. Maccigo, the Provost of FCE Zaria acknowledged and appreciated the effort of the NCCE in organising the training.

He further reiterated the importance of the teaching profession in influencing the lives and behavior of young people and thus encouraged the participants to intensify their efforts in implementing the FLEHI programme in their colleges.

By Nneka Nwaneri

“We find out a lot of time that some of the problems students face is because they have no mentor to actually guide them in their working place. We have situations where people are hired, given job description and asked to keep working. Some fail because they do not understand how to go about it and what to do. That is why we have the mentoring session.

“We also teach and empower our members to tell them what to do and how to go about it. The session is to empower and alert our own members who are employers to agree to take on this aspect of managerial support.

“Once they have agreed to mentor people, we will now match them with the students who are the mentees. Overall, we are trying to make sure that it is productive for the students and the employers,”

•Mrs Ademola (middle) flanked by members of the team she said.

According to her, one advantage of being an ACCA member is that it is relevant for different sectors, adding that one of the objectives of the work-place mentor is to identify some areas the mentee is weak in.

“The mentors are there to guide them with their experiences. It is about giving them the advanced experience without having to go far. The mentors are volunteers and they also learn from it in return,” Ademola added.

CNL, Mr Andrew Fawthrop, said: ”This is, indeed, an acknowledgement and recognition of our dedication to the well-being of our employees and citizens of Nigeria. It also highlights our partnership approach. We have worked with several external stakeholders to deliver quality health care through technical support, advocacy, peer education and training services.”

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

39

CITY BEATS Curbing child abuse through implementation of Child Act

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TAKEHOLDERS at the first parenting summit have resolved that to curb child abuse, parents must take morethan-a-passing interest in the affairs of their children.

Unlike before when such issues hardly attracted people’s attention, the Agip Hall oft the MUSON Centre, Onikan, venue of the summit, was filled to capacity, as government officials, parents, students and stakeholders converged to brainstorm on the best solution to effectively tackle the perennial challenges of child abuse.

The event, organised by Vanguard Media Limited, in collaboration with United Nations Children Endowment Fund (UNICEF) and the Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilisation (CBAAC), was to commemorate the 2011 International Day of the African Child with the theme: The place of

By Miriam Ndikanwu

parenting in curbing child abuse.

Prominent among those who attended the conference were: the Lagos State Deputy Governor, Mrs Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire; wife of the Governor, Dame Abimbola Fashola; wife of Ogun State Deputy Governor, Mrs Adefumilayo Adesegun; DirectorGeneral of CBAAC Prof. Tunde Babawale; Agatha Amata and pupils from public and private schools, among others.

The event began with a dramatic presentation to educate the audience on the cruelty of sexual abuse, that street children and the vulnerable are exposed to daily. The dance drama told the story of a girl who hawked while her peers were in school. The story depicted her pain and the unfortunate situation. Hope, however, came her way when

she was picked off the street by a volunteer who wiped her tears and offered her the opportunity to be educated.

Her excitement at reintegrated back into the society set the tone for the various discussions at the forum.

Declaring the summit open, Mrs OrelopeAdefulire reiterated the need for parents to take more-than-a-passing interest in the affairs of their children.

She explained that child abuse does not stop at sexual abuse and harassment, noting that parents who abandon or neglect their children due to career or religious engagement or deny them of their fundamental rights as enlisted in the United Nations Charter on the Rights of Children have abused such children.

The deputy governor noted that beyond the provision of education and other basic needs,

•From left: Editor , Vanguard Newspapers, Mr. Mideno Bayagbon, Dame Fashola, Mrs Orelope-Adefulire, Babawale and and Mrs Adesegun at the summit.

Agency to spend N1.12b on roads

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HE Lagos State slum upgrading agency, Lagos Metropolitan and Governance Project (LMDGP), said it will upgrade 131 roads (about 38.785 kilometres) across nine slum areas in the state.

The road project would be handled in two phases. The first phase, which will takeoff this month, is to cover some strategic streets in Amukoko, Ajegunle, Agege, and Badia. The phase will gulp N1.12 billion.

Disclosing this at an interactive session with stakeholders last week, the LMDGP’s Project Director, Mr Bayo Kelekun, said the road construction will improve on the environment and upgrade the standard of living of the slum dwellers.

The second phase, which is scheduled to begin next year, is expected to cover strategic streets in Iwaya, Ilaje, Bariga, and Makoko. Also slated to be addressed in this phase are some streets and drains in Ijeshatedo. Each phase is slated to last for one year.

At the meeting, which was held at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) conference hall, Alausa, last Thursday, the agency chief also disclosed that work would soon resume on the abandoned Elere canal at Agege, which was stopped as a result of the termination of the contract of the erstwhile contractor over his failure to deliver on schedule, even as he assured Badia dwellers of his agency’s readiness to construct for them a befitting primary school for the benefit of their children.

He said the school project in the area has been delayed because of the lack of land, and the huge cost of construction that would require heavy piling to be done on the presently available site before anything could be constructed on it.

Kelekun, however, implored the commu-

By Yinka Aderibigbe

nity leaders to work on their members to co-operate with the agency in ensuring the timely delivery of all the projects, adding that since the projects are time bound, the agency is committed to ensuring that they are completed within the next one year.

He said: “One of the reasons we are here is to implore you all to please go back home and tell your people that work is about to commence on these roads. Since you all know what could constitute hindrance to the projects within your areas, we are imploring you to please plead with those concerned to remove those hindrances in order to accelerate the work.”

Kelekun listed illegal structures, shops, abandoned vehicles and the menace of area boys as some of the challenges answers must be sought early as they could delay projections on the project.

He equally appealed to residents to bear the expected inconveniences to be experienced when the project takes off with patience, adding that the agency will do all in its power to ameliorate the sufferings of the people.

Kelekun, therefore, urged them not to bog the project down with avoidable litigation as a result of differences when the project takes off, adding that rather than resorting to the law courts, the doors of the agency are open to consultation and amicable resolution of all grievances on the projects.

He harped on the need for the council chairmen to always maintain the utilities provided by the agency to prevent them from getting to the very bad state that necessitated the intervention.

Giving a breakdown of the multi-billion naira project, the Project Manager, Mrs Joy

‘

parents should also creA faithful ate and spend time implementation with them and address of legislation the issues that affect to protect the them at home or in the rights of the school.

African child “Parenting is a serious business that we cannot abandon, abdicate or transfer to our house help or relations who can easily molest or abuse our children.

“If we are negligent or careless we will not be guiltless if our children are victims of child abuse” she said. The Deputy Governor while calling on all parents to come together and unite behind the common purpose of eliminating child abuse reminded them that children are God’s gifts entrusted in their care and they will be accountable for what becomes of them.

Mrs Orelope-Adefulire disclosed that the state government has developed various programmes to take the children off the streets and prepare them for a better future.

She listed the Yellow Card initiative, ‘No Child is Left Behind’ Basic Education policy in compliance with the MDGs Goal No 2, the girl-child education project, the establishment of Skills Acquisition/Vocational centres, which empowers more than 9,000 young adults annually, the construction of the Rehabilitation centre for victims of abuse and human trafficking as well as the provision of an enabling environment for learning and teaching as some of the efforts of the government to address the trend. Mrs. Fashola in her keynote address stressed the importance of parents in the development of children noting that these roles cannot be transferred.

She enjoined parents to see the task of parenting as collaborative efforts of the father and mother noting that inculcating family values in the children is a task for both parents. Mrs Fashola admonished the children to see their parents as their friends and confidants and talk with them on any form of abuse or harassment they may be facing outside the home.

Babawale, in his contribution, called on government at all levels to “faithfully implement legislations that protect the rights of the African child, such as the UN Convention on Rights of the Child, African Charter on Human and People’s Rights and the Child Rights Act. We must also show compassion and give succor to the impoverished and malnourished children who require greater governmental and societal support,” he added.

One of the reasons we are here is to implore you all to please go back home and tell your people that work is about to commence on these roads... We are imploring you to please plead with those concerned to remove those hindrances in order to accelerate the work

Oke said but for Badia, for its narrow and swampy terrain would have all the 16 streets slated for rehabilitation constructed with rigid pavements, (paving stone), all other roads captured under the proposed rehabilitation will be constructed with flexible pavements.

According to her, while eight roads have been penciled down for rehabilitation in Amukoko, all totaling a distance of 2.891km; a total of 10 roads about 2.505 km would be rehabilitated in Ajegunle, while in Agege, a total of 22 roads, totaling a distance of 7.33 km would be addressed. The phase is projected to cost about N1.12 billion.

Under the second phase, which has a total of 21.425 km of roads slated for repairs, 33 streets totaling 7.69 km will benefit in Ijeshatedo; while 15 roads with a total of 4.146 km would benefit from Iwaya; and eight roads in Ilaje, totaling 3.575km would benefit from the agency’s intervention.

Other slum areas slated to benefit from the road scheme are Bariga, where nine roads with a distance of 2.68 km, and Makoko with 14 roads totaling a distance of 3.334km, have been

’

penciled down for rehabilitation.

Mrs Oke said all the streets to be handled by the agency in the road rehabilitation intervention would be complemented with walkways, covered drains, culverts, painted kerbs, and appropriate road markings in line with the overall objective of beautifying the environment.

Commending the agency for what he called “the timely intervention,” the Chairman of Ifelodun LCDA, Mr Kamaldeen Baiyewu, advised that to overcome the nuisance posed by the area boys, the contractors must meet with council Chairmen in their respective domain before commencing the project. He recommended that the roads be built with speed breakers to serve as safety net against reckless driving.

MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

40

CITYBEATS

QUOTE OF THE WEEK “Drug barons must understand that we are prepared to nip their evil plans in the bud. This is a clear warning that they will continue to be arrested and prosecuted.”

Chairman and Chief Executive of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Ahmadu Giade during the interception of Cocaine by the NDLEA at the Muritala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos.

Cool/Wazobia FM clears canal to avert disaster

M

ANAGEMENT of Cool/Wazobia FM has commenced the de-silting of Itirin Canal fingered to be responsible for the flooding threatening lives and properties in some parts of Victoria Island.

Mr Okwudili Ibe, the company engineer supervising the clearing of the canal, explained that the gesture is part of the organisation’s corporate social responsibility.

Ibe added that the organisation took up the arduous task of de-silting the downstream of the canal to allow for free flow of water that disrupts business and social activities, leaving the whole area submerged whenever it rained.

He lamented the sad situation which is causing nightmares to residents and landlords, stressing that they were de-silting the downstream end of the Itirin Canal to ease flooding in the upstream.

Ibe explained that the flooding “is caused by heavy siltation of the channel. You understand that a channel is meant to convey water but when that chan-

By Miriam Ndikanwu

nel is silted there is flooding. Presently, the silt in the channel is about 1.2 metres thick and the depth is about 1.5 metres deep. So, a channel of 1.5m depth having a silt of 1.2m will cause flooding as it is no longer a channel.

“So the water in the channel will definitely find a way out. You now find all roads including Aboyade Cole heavily flooded, the upstream end of the channel housing several companies including CoolFM/ Wazobia is heavily flooded. Last week, we lost millions of naira due to the flood and we cannot continue to face such problems.”

He listed the street worst affected by flooding to include Bishop Aboyade Cole Street, Ligali Ayorinde, Adeyemo Alakija and Ajose Adeogun, saying the canal drains water into the creek and causes other collector drains to discharge into the channel.

“So, once the major collector is silted the whole area is flooded. Go to Idowu Taylor now, it’s like a per-

•The on-going dredging at the canal manent pool each time it rains. So, we in Cool/ Wazobia FM decided to go out of our way to help and solve the problem of flooding. With what we are doing, people can walk freely without necessarily wearing rain boots after work.

“You won’t also have traf-

fic congestion after work hours. So, you will find out that business will be free and people will respond promptly to calls to attend to their duties. Some staff working on Aboyade Cole don’t come to work each time it rains because they don’t have access to their of-

fices.”

Ibe emphasised that the company would spend about N30 million to dredge the canal, noting that their concern is for it to be on record that the media firm that is one of the smallest organisations in the area is taking up the task that would

benefit others in the state.

He also lamented the lack of cooperation of other corporate organisations within the axis, stressing that the government alone cannot tackle the infrastructural need of the people which requires the collaborative effort of all concerned.

‘Lagos legislators have declared their assets’

T

• Nofisat ( right) and her car

T

WENTY-YEAR-OLD Miss Nofisat Aderoju, a vocational catering student of the Lagos State Skills Acquisition Centre, Mushin, has won a Honda City in the Known Cook and Win Promo raffle draw.

Nofisat was in high spirits when she, in the company of her colleagues and official of the centre, visited the Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA) , Alausa to show her car to the Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Risqat Akiyode.

Nofisat commended the government for the opportunity which she said has

Vocational student wins car in promo

BY Miriam Ndikanwu

opened doors of development to her.

“I am very excited that I won in the raffle draw. I never believed I could win it. I have never dreamt of owning a car. Now, I will learn how to drive and be driving the car,” said Nofisat from Oyo State.

She thanked the state government and the principal of the centre for giving her the opportunity to be a student of the vocational centre.

Mrs Akiyode said she was

delighted that a student of one of its vocational centres won the raffle draw, saying that it was by dint of hard work.

She encouraged others to toe her footsteps by trying their luck in subsequent raffle draws, adding that the state government had adequately equipped the various vocational centres to meet standards.

Mrs Akiyode, however, urged youths to enroll for shoe making at its Skills Acquisition Centre, Isheri, free, saying that the state government had set up a shoe manu-

facturing and woodwork factory at the centre. ”We appeal to youths to enroll in this centre as the admission is free and still open. The centre is well equipped with modern equipment and they have adequate hands to help them make quality furniture.

“We have people there to teach them. The government has really invested in this place. The admission is still open and I want to encourage them to come to this centre and get the best,” she stated.

HE Lagos State Director of the Code of Conduct Bureau, Mr Ibraheem Owodunni, has disclosed that newly swornin legislators and those that served between 2007 and 2011 have declared their assets to the agency.

He disclosed this in a chat with reporters at the agency’s office in Lagos last week.

According to him, the 40 legislators in the House of Assembly have submitted their assets declaration forms, and the 18 legislators who are not returning to the House have also submitted their end-of-tenure assets declaration forms.

The Permanent Secretary and Clerk, Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr Taiwo Olatunji, confirmed that the 40 legislators submitted their assets declaration forms before assuming office on June 4.

According to Owodunni, “They have all complied.

Civil servants in the state are also complying. We are enlightening them and many are responding positively,” he said.

The agency has concluded “content verification “of the assets form submitted by the politicians and would start physical verification of the assets soon.

“The first stage has been carried out. A team, consisting of seven officers headed by a Federal Commissioner, Dr Ademola Adebo, arrived the Southwest on May 23, for the exercise. The next stage shall start soon. We

By Oziegbe Okoeki

need everybody’s cooperation,” he added.

Owodunni urged Nigerians to contact the agency whenever they have information about public officers that acquire assets beyond their income, adding that Nigerians should show more commitment to the war against corruption by blowing the whistle on public officers who use their offices to amass wealth.

“Code of Conduct Bureau’s mission is to establish a high standard of morality in the conduct of government business and to ensure that the actions/ behaviours of public officers conform to the highest standard of public morality and accountability “Nigerians should join us more in the crusade against corruption by blowing whistle on corrupt officers.

We assure them of prompt actions.

“It is a collective war. Assets declaration should be done at the beginning of the tenure and at the end of the tenure.

“For civil servants, it is done every four years. Those who are yet to declare their assets should do so. Failure to declare ones assets is a criminal offence,” Owodunni said.

“People should write factual petition to our offices.

Give us facts on public officers living beyond their income. Attached evidences and locations of their undeclared assets,” he appealed.

SEND YOUR STORIES, VIDEOS AND PICTURES TO CITY BEATS at ynotcitybeats@gmail.com OR SEND AN SMS TO 08033054340

SLIDING TACKLE

MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

42

W

ladimir Klitschko showed the "invincible" qualities of Ukrainian national character in his victory over Britain's David Haye to become world boxing heavyweight championon Sunday.

"Millions of spectators and fans all over the world witnessed this remarkable event – you became the champion of the prestigious international organisation of professional boxing, World Boxing Association (WBA)," said Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in his statement of congratulation.

Prime Minister Mykola Azarov described the victory as a "fantastic achievement", which demonstrated to the world the invincible qualities of the Ukrainian national character.

"You showed the highest skills, endurance and the invincible power of the spirit in this battle," said Azarov in his statement. "This is a fantastic demonstration to the world of the invincible Ukrainian character."

"Injuries are part and parcel and once we go in the ring, if we mention the injuries we are carrying, we don't get any sympathy.

When we mention it we just get crushed so if I was David I wouldn't even bother mentioning it.

He got himself in position, he took some big shots in the fight, he didn't fold, but he was unable to do it.”

Audley Harrison, believes David Haye gave a poor excuse when he said a toe injury made him lose fight against Wladimir Klitschko.

WLADIMIR KLITSCHKO V DAVID HAYE FALLOUT

Ukraine leaders hail 'invincible' Klitschko Klitschko now holds the IBF, WBO and WBA belts after being awarded Saturday's fight 117-109, 118-108, 116-110 by the three judges to claim victory over Haye, the former WBA champion.

Wladimir's elder brother Vitali holds the WBC belt and also heads the Kiev-based political party Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform (UDAR, meaning "punch" or "strike" in Ukrainian and Russian).

David doesn't want a rematch—Klitschko

W

LADIMIR Klitschko has raised doubts over David Haye's desire for a rematch, following Klitschko's one-sided points win in Hamburg on Saturday.

Haye claimed after the bout that another chance to topple Klitschko would represent a "perfect fight" for him as he attempts to end on a winning note before retiring from the sport in October.

And the Brit feels that he warrants a second shot at Klitschko, having been forced to battle through the pain of a broken toe at the Imtech Arena.

Haye also believes he was harshly treated by referee Genaro Rodriguez, who gave a knockdown against him in controversial circumstances.

But despite the complaints of the Haye camp, Klitschko doubts whether his rival will commit to another bout. "You know what? If the guy wants a rematch and comes into the press conference shouting 'I want a rematch, that was nothing,' then okay," he said.

"But I didn't see from David Haye a real desire to have a rematch. Instead the rematch was actually pushed to him (by reporters) and he was like 'okay, maybe, I don't know, whatever.'

"If there is a rematch I will definitely knock him out and right now I'm in the driver's seat and I'll have a think about what I'm going to do next."

If Haye is off the agenda, Klitschko will turn his attention to the winner of the British and Commonwealth title clash between Tyson Fury and Dereck Chisora, two unbeaten heavyweights, on July 23.

Klitschko has withdrawn from a bout with Chisora on two previous occasions, citing injury both times.

"I tell you something. There is another fight between Dereck Chisora and Tyson Fury, two other British fighters," Klitschko said. "I think this could be interesting for me. As for David Haye's next move...I don't care about David Haye!"

•Wladimir Klitschko displays unification belts after fight with David Haye

Haye blames defeat on injury sustained in training

D

AVID Haye has claimed that a broken toe was behind his heavyweight title defeat to Wladimir Klitschko.

Haye claimed he injured it three weeks ago in training and it prevented him sparring

Harrison not buying ‘toe injury’ tale A UDLEY Harrison believes David Haye's inability to draw Wladimir Klitschko out of his comfort zone - not a toe injury was the reason for his comprehensive defeat in Hamburg on Saturday night.

The Ukrainian secured a unanimous points victory in their heavyweight unification clash at a soaking wet Imtech Arena last night.

Afterwards, Haye cited a broken toe sustained in training, which left him unable to launch his trademark Hayemaker attacks, but Harrison - who had surgery on a torn pectoral muscle in the lead-up to his defeat by Harrison last year - advised the 30-year-old to keep his counsel.

"I went straight from surgery to camp," Harrison told Sky Sports News. "But I didn't mention that all the way through the camp, in the fight or after the fight. You've just got to live with

it.

"Injuries are part and parcel and once we go in the ring, if we mention the injuries we are carrying, we don't get any sympathy. That's just the nature of the beast.

"When we mention it we just get crushed so if I was David I wouldn't even bother mentioning it.

"He got himself in position, he took some big shots in the fight, he didn't fold, but he was unable to do it.

"Klitschko was too big and he stuck to his game plan and that was always always going to be the difference unless Klitschko took some chances - and David was unable to get him to do that."

Harrison believes Haye's inability to land combination attacks meant he was never going to seriously hurt Klitschko.

• Klitschko was eventually penalised for pushing Haye to the ground

during the build-up.

But former champions Lennox Lewis and Barry McGuigan branded that a poor excuse. 'He came here on a mission and failed,' said Lewis.

'You forget about that, there is too much adrenaline and you

don't worry about anything like that.'

McGuigan added: 'It seems like an excuse. You need your toes to push off but Haye got his tactics wrong. It seems dubious.'

Haye insisted those tactics were enforced by injury, however.

'I might not have been at my best but I gave it as much as I could,' he said.

'I couldn't push on my right leg. Something happened in training and I didn't want to pull out.

'I broke my toe on my right foot. I couldn't push off the right foot to throw the right hand.

'I thought adrenaline would get me through it but it was tough.

It's incredibly frustrating.

'I feel OK physically, I took a few shots, a few more than I normally do, but that is heavyweight boxing, you are going to take some punches.

'There were some big exchanges, Wladimir boxed the perfect fight and used his size and reach, so I wasn't able to land attacks like I like to do.

There are two factors [in the defeat].

'He has got a very good defence, he moves back a lot, but I feel the majority of the reason - and it makes me sick when boxers make excuses - is I broke a toe three weeks ago.

'There was no way I was going

to pull out of this fight. But I was unable to push off my foot to shoot off my right hand and that's why I feel it didn't allow me to throw big, powerful punches. That's boxing. You don't get it your own way all the time. I'm gutted.'

But the victorious Klitschko, who by winning the WBA title and adding it to his IBF and WBO belts ensured he and brother Vitali hold all four major crowns, mocked his fierce rival.

'You have a broken toe? I would give David some advice - don't say anything right now, like you have a broken toe and couldn't compete.

You'll be called a sore loser.

It won't look good. Take it like it is. I could pull out certain things [injuries] as well but I have learned it is definitely wrong to do that. Do you have a medical statement?'

Haye suffered a break to the small toe on his right foot The event had threatened to be a damp squib with constant rainfall leaving most of ringside soaking wet, although the downpour eased by the first bell and a canopy over the ring itself seemed to be keeping the canvas dry.

Haye, who headed into the bout with a record of 25-1 with 23 knockouts, ended over two years of waiting when he finally came face to face with Klitschko (55-3, 49KOs).

R

JOBS THE NATION

Website:- http://www.thenationonlineng.com

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

43

• Map of Nigeria

Unemployment rates by states, March 2009 STATE DISAGGREGATED RATES States which recorded high composite unemployment rates, i.e. above 19.7%, which is the overall unemployment rate were Bayelsa (38.4%), Katsina (37.3%), Bauchi (37.2%), Akwa- Ibom (34.1%), Gombe (32.1%), Adamawa (29.4%), Borno (27.7%), Kano (27.6%), Yobe (27.3 %), Taraba (26.8%), Jigawa (26.5%), FCT (21.5%) and Imo (20.8%) while Plateau recorded the lowest figure of 7.1%.

(See Table 3) Figure 2: Unemployment Rates by State, March 2009.

Bayelsa 38.37 Katsina

37.3

Bauchi

37.2

Akwa Ibom

34.1

Gombe

32.1

Adamawa

29.4

Rivers

27.9

Borno

27.7

Niger

19.7

Cross River

14.3

Nassarawa

10.1 8.5

Kano

27.6

Lagos

19.5

Zamfara

13.3

Benue

Yobe

27.3

Kogi

19

Osun

12.6

Ogun

8.5

Taraba

26.8

Delta

18.4

Edo

12.2

Plateau

7.1

Jigawa

26.5

Anambra

16.8

Ebonyi

12

Sokoto

22.4

Enugu

14.9

Kebbi

12

Rate 2.0 7.0 12.0 17.0 22.0 27.0 32.0 37.0 42.0

FCT (Abuja)

21.5

Ondo

14.9

Niger

11.93

Imo

20.8

Oyo

14.9

Kaduna

11.6

Ekiti

20.6

Abia

14.5

Kwara

11

Table 1: National Unemployment Rates (2000 - 2009)

Year 2000

Rates 13.1

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

13.6 12.6 14.8 13.4 11.9 12.3 12.7 14.9 19.7

National Bureau of Statistics Labour Force Survey March, 2009

Towns with lucrative jobs Where are the jobs? Lagos is still the favourite destination of job seekers, even as other cities are showing promises. DANIEL ESSIET presents what the cities have to offer job seekers.

F

OR many young Nigerians looking for jobs, their minds are already made up on places where they think the good jobs are – Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna. There are others. They may be right in their thinking as the pay in these states is high. Low cadre workers, such as drivers, security

men, dispatch riders, messengers and the like earn an annual pay of N240,000 and above as against N72,000 and N150,000 in other towns. But there are chances of good pay in the towns with stronger industries than others. The towns are strong performers with large concentration of jobs in industries that are even steady during any economic turbu-

lence.

These towns contend with about 50 per cent of the unemployed between 16 and 35 years. This is because many people move into the towns annually. Lagos offers the widest range of opportunities for men and women getting started in their careers.

In the past five years, many jobs have

been created in the towns in banking, telecommunications and information services. The other towns, more often than, not lose their workers to the cities. Even with increasing population, visitors see Lagos as a place with strong • Continued on page 44

44

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

JOBS

Towns with lucrative jobs • Continued from page 43

growth rates and moderate cost of living.

Speaking with The Nation, the Chairman, Southeast and Southsouth Chambers of Commerce Forum, Dr Hyde Ochia, said Lagos is drawing a lot of workers because the finance sector is thriving, and manufacturing is strong.

He said there are prospects for stable employment and well-paying positions.

According to him, the robust job market makes Lagos a safe haven as it offers job seekers hope and a head start in their careers.

For newcomers to Lagos, the issue is not just the number of jobs, but the quality of the positions. Although the impact of job shortage is felt across the country, it is less severe for those in the state. A major consideration is thriving professional practice and an environrment of networking.

Compared to major cities, Lagos has a higher proportion of residents between ages 18 and 34. One factor is that long-term job growth has been impressive.

Spot check reveals that the state tops the list of states with the highest number of degree-carrying applicants.

The establishment of new private universities has seen at least 30 per cent increase in the number of degree holders moving into Lagos to look for jobs.

There are job oppotunities in telecommunications, shipping and information technology, banking; but mainly in Lagos than the other towns.

The companies in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt pay higher, compared to those in Yobe, Adamawa and Plateau and the

like. Income needs, however, depend on where a family lives.

From spot checks, the private sector is the source of long-term job creation. This depends on the balance sheets of major industrial concerns. According to Ochia, the suburbs and surrounding communities contribute to job stability by offering relatively cheaper accommodation. Compared to Abuja, housing is more affordable in Lagos.

Transportation is not a problem, thanks to a multitude of buses and taxis.

Even for those working outside the city, there is access to quality schools and health care.

In Lagos, workers feel confident enough to make demands on their employers.

There are places, though, where it’s so tough to live that employees can still get companies to pay them extra just for agreeing to work there.

Ochia said Port Harcourt, to many, is the best place to work. As a result, it has a high growth rate in population and business.

Across the state, income levels have risen.

There is a steady demand for employees in the oil sector, manufacturing and maritime. Kidnapping had some effect on business, but the economy continues to be bolstered by the oil and gas industries. Besides, the state government is embarking on a massive urban renewal. It still remains one of the best places to live and work in Nigeria.

Better remunerations given by firms in oil and gas have helped to bolster incomes and sustain consumer spending that accounts for about 70 per cent of the

• Dr Ochia

economy.

In Port Harcourt, nearly 20 per cent of the workers are employed by multinational companies or their affiliate firms.

Ochia said places such as Calabar and Owerri may provide peaceful neighbourhoods, culturally and ethnically unique, but that job seekers want places with projected growth in the job market.

The Chairman, Chartered Institute of Taxation, Lagos Branch, Mr Chukwuemeka Eze, said Lagos is an attraction for job seekers because of the booming local economy, continued job growth, superb transporta-

tion, and a consistently high quality of living environment.

In states such as Kwara, Cross River and Bauchi, most jobs are low-paying while high-paying ones are on the decline. Most lower-wage industries, such as retail and food, account for 60 percent of the jobs.

Speaking with The Nation, the immediate past Vice Chancellor, Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijebu Ode, Prof Kayode Oyesiku, said the government has to do more to support employment growth.

According to him, the government has to encourage the states to go back to the manufacturing, to shore up in activities in the real sector. He said the state governments need to support local manufacturers with infrastructure.

He said an economy with a glut of lowpaying jobs isn’t working for most Nigerians.

In places such as Kwara, Oyo and Ogun states, despite that there are more lowwage jobs, workers meet their housing, utilities and food demands.

Many of the jobs in these states are in retail, hospitality and home/health care, and the pay is enough for workers to cover cost of housing, utilities, food, transportation, but may not be sufficient for health care and child care, in the case of working parents.

In Calabar, Aba, Makurdi, the hiring environment has not improved much. Job seekers rely on unstable industries. There are 5,000 unemployed individuals for every advertised job in Calabar, making it difficult for people to find jobs.

For most Nigerians, the government needs to develop a pragmatic job agenda to take care of the unemployed and those yet to graduate across the country.

MOVERS AND SHAKERS

Vigeo Holdings gets new executive director

V

IGEO Holdings Limited, a multi-business empire with interests spanning power, shipping, oil & gas, distribution and financial services has announced the appointment of Mrs Ayodele Maji as an executive director with effect from July 1, 2011.

According to a statement from the company, Mrs Maji, who joined the group in 1992, is a graduate of the University of Lagos with over 20 years post-graduate experience. She has constructively contributed to

• Mrs Maji

the entrepreneurial initiatives of the company including serving as group head, Business and Corporate Development in 1999.

Her major assignments centred on the development of the New Vigeo Entreprise, afive-year organisational restructuring and expansion programme.

In 2007, Mrs Maji was appointed the Chief Executivwe Officer of Vigeo Oil & Gas. Having worked in the senior managment cadre for over 10 years, she parades experi-

ence in international business development, marketing, key account management, product development, people management, business and finnacial operations.

She also heads the company’s representation at leading fora for the oil and gas business such as the Offshore Technology Conference, Houston, USA, the Nigerian Oil & Gas Show and Offshore West Africa.

She heads the Vigeo Faculty, an in-house training platform, with

responsibility for organising company-wide management development training sessions.

Mrs Maji, who also serves a director of one of the groups’ subsidiary (Datatech Energy Services Limited), has attended several management development programmes.

She is an alumnus of the Lagos Business School Senior Managment Programme (2000) and a member of the Nigerian Institute of Management and the Nigerian Gas Association.

CAREER MANAGEMENT

Answers to key interview questions A

FTER spending good time perfecting your resume, and polishing your cover letter, the call you’ve been waiting for finally comes: it is time to schedule an interview. Don’t make the mistake of others who think the hard part is done.

The most difficult part of the job hunt process isn’t landing the interview, it’s surviving the interview. Be prepared by knowing the most common interview questions and the answers that will have them saying ‘you’re hired.’

Here are some of the most common interview questions you’ll face:

Tell me about yourself Ok, so not all common interview questions are actually questions.

Generally asked at the start of an interview, this is your opportunity to make a great first impression.

For your answer, you should have a one-minute ‘elevator speech’ ready to go. If you are not familiar with the idea behind an elevator speech, envision that you get into an elevator with the person that can give you your dream job. You have only as long as the elevator

By Olu Oyeniran

ride to convince the person to follow-up with you.

So what do you say? Most importantly, keep it concise and relevant.

If you are interviewing for an engineering job, you don’t need to explain that you cook Thai food for fun and once worked at the carnival. Instead, briefly touch on your education, previous work history and goals for the future.

Tell the interviewer what you can do for them. For example, if you have an extensive work history, emphasize that you can begin work immediately with little training. The key is to sell yourself without sounding like you are selling yourself. Practice your answer to this most important of common interview questions with friends until what you say comes across sounding natural.

What are your weaknesses?

Among common interview questions, this can be a trick question.

You want to answer honestly, but you don’t want to sink your chances by giving the interviewer a reason to pass you by. Stating that you have trouble getting up in the

morning and are chronically late is would not be a good way to answer this question.

Determine a weakness that can be turned into a positive for this job.

For example, if you are applying for a job that requires detailed work, you can say that you are a perfectionist which may actually be an asset for the job in question.

Another tactic is to pick a weakness that you have already addressed. You could say that you struggle with organization skills but have developed a morning routine that allows you to collect your thoughts and develop a plan for the day.

Why did you leave your last job?

This is one of the common interview questions that will have a different answer depending on your circumstances. If you left your job voluntarily to pursue other interests, you can simply explain that for your answer. However, if you were fired from your last job or left on poor terms with your employer, your answer will need a little more finessing.

If you were fired, a reference

check to your previous employer will undoubtedly reveal the truth so don’t bother lying. Briefly explain that you were let go from your previous job but that you have learned from your mistakes and are ready to move forward. Keep your explanation short and to the point.

Above all, resist the urge to speak badly about your former boss or employer. Nothing sends up a red flag faster than a prospective employee who appears angry and vindictive.

Why do you want to work here?

The obvious answer is to make money, but that’s not the right answer. You’d be surprised how many people walk into an interview without thoroughly researching the company at which they are applying. As with other common interview questions, the interviewer wants to know that you really understand the business and deserve to be a part of it. Does the company have a stellar reputation?

Is it on the leading edge of innovation? Are you excited about the product or service it offers? All

these make excellent answers.

Sure interview questions are many and far larger than this. But these are common and critical.

Arm yourself with good answers to them and you may as well be on your way to a good job you have always wanted. At any rate, before walking into an interview, you should be ready to answer common interview questions. In addition, you should feel confident enough in your abilities to talk freely and naturally throughout the interview.

The key is to practice, practice, practice. Enlist a friend to role play and ask common interview questions. Then work on your answers until they are second-nature. And then walk into your interview knowing that you are ready to make a great impression and land that dream job.

Good luck.

Olu Oyeniran is the Lead Consultant, EkiniConsult & Assoiciates.

Website: www.jobsearchhow.com E-mail: oluoyeniran@yahoo.com Tel 08083843230 (SMS Only).

45

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

THE CEO

‘We ’ll hold Jonathan to his word’ Otunba Femi Deru became the president, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), 18 months ago. In this interview with TOBA AGBOOLA, he speaks on the meeting of the Organised Private Sector (OPS) with President Goodluck Jonathan, manufacturers’ plight and the economy.

Excerpts:

• Deru

W

HAT are your achievements/challenges as the president of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI)?

I’ve been the president of this chamber for one and a half years and I will say we have achieved a lot. Thank God, our past leaders laid the foundation. We have done a lot in partnering with other chambers of Commerce and Industry. We have a lot of dealings with the bilateral chamber of commerce and we have been able to open more channels of trade. On our main theme, which is to advocate, we have not relented. We treat many topical issues. We advise government every time.

How is government responding?

Governments have been playing their parts. At least, when we invite them, they do come and, atimes, they send their representatives.

This is one of the advocacy aspects of the chamber. The infrastructural facilities miligating against our movement are being addressed by the government. And I’m happy that with ourt advocacy, the President is taking power as his portfolio.

Probably within one year, we may be able to achieve steady power supply. If this is so, you know that the effect will be that all the sectors will perform their duties and this will reduce the cost of production.

The Orgainsed Private Sector (OPS) met with the President recently, what is the outcome of that meeting?

The President called us to discuss how to move the country forward. We discussed challenges that we are facing.

And we are holding the President to his words. We believe that government will play its part and that’s why I said we are holding him to what he said at the meeting with us.

The private sector has a crucial role to play in the recovery and transformation of our economy and improvement in the welfare of our people. But for the sector to make this happen, the operating environment must be improved significantly and in a sustainable manner.

We want to laud the President’s initiative on tariffs restructuring. Locally produced goods were expensive because manufacturers were operating under a harsh environ-

ment. A situation where the manufacturers provide power, water, roads and other infrastructure instead of the government, and pay excessive taxes, is unhealthy for the sector.

The problem is often compounded by the government‘s penchant for revision of policies, from time to time. These, coupled with the poverty in the land, place serious strain on manufacturing firms.

What is your agenda for the President?

One of the major issues is the macroeconomy. The GDP growth performance has been good over the last few years, but its impact on the standard of living and private sector performance has not been impressive.

Growth has to reflect development, productivity and improved private sector performance.

President Goodluck Jonathan needs to address the critical barriers to real development in the economy. We desire a growth that creates jobs and improves private sector productivity and competitiveness.

The double digit inflation is not good for • Continued on page 46

46

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

THE CEO

‘We’ll hold Jonathan to his word’ • Continued from page 45

economic and private sector performance. It aggravates costs and weakens consumer demand. Inflation rate of over 12 per cent as at March this year is not good for business as it erodes purchasing power and undermines profitability. In the next four years, we will like to see concrete steps being taken to curb inflation.

The government needs to curb the escalating domestic debt profile which is currently estimated at N4.8 trillion.

The burden of servicing this debt is becoming an increasing concern.

We urge for an urgent moderation of the debt in the next four years.

Government needs to critically focus on the infrastructural issues, most especially power and roads.

We note and commend the power sector reform, but we request that the process should be accelerated and translated to concrete results in terms of delivery of electricity.

The government should commit a greater portion of its resources to the short-term power improvement programme. This is without prejudice to the medium and longterm plans. The current power sector situation has become unbearable.

Can industrialist cope with high interest rates?

Cost of credit in the economy is still unbearably high, over 20 per cent per annum in many cases. This has adverse effect on business and needs to be addressed. Access to credit is still a big challenge for many investors, especially the small and medium enterprises.

The tenor of funds in the financial system is too short to accommodate long-term investment. This has created a big financing gap for the real sector of the economy.

Corruption is still very much endemic in many public and private sector institutions. It is however, more pronounced in the public sector. This is true of many of the procurement and contract management processes. It has implications for quality of projects and the delivery of public goods to the citizens.

What is your take on government policies and multiple taxation?

Government policies should be credible, consistent and sustainable. Policies should also be predictable and promote the principle of level playing field for all investors – small, medium and large enterprises. Policies should not perpetuate the rent economy.

Multiple taxes and levies has continued to be a problem for many businesses across the state. It is more pronounced at the state and local government levels. We call for a review of the tax system to curb this practice.

Lastly, President Jonathan should populate the cabinet with people with track record of integrity, performance and robust intellectual content. The practice of using ministerial appointments as rewards for political loyalty and electoral support should be discontinued. At the end, the administration would be judged by its impact on the lives of the people.

Are banks doing enough to assist operators and does the reform have any impact on your business?

Banks are not doing enough. Although we know that they have their challenges, they are not do-

ing enough.

We welcome the ongoing reforms in the banking sector and we believe that the CBN leadership means well. We note in particular the focus on the strengthening of risk management, corporate governance and transparency in the banking system. But we need to worry about issues of policy stability and the implications for the banking system and the economy.

The banking system is fragile and sensitive; therefore, reform of the sector should be carefully managed not to undermine confidence in the system. Transition from one policy regime to the other, should be systematic and methodical to minimise shocks. There should be a soft landing framework as well as adequate consultation with stakeholders to minimise dislocations in the system.

I want to commend the decision of the CBN to strengthen its developmental role in the economy. We are excited in particular by its commitment to real sector funding and infrastructure financing.

It is laudable that the facility will be extended to the re-financing and restructuring of existing loan portfolios to manufacturers. We commend the CBN for this initiative and urge the apex bank to quickly come up with the modalities for implementation.

But, despite the reforms, manufacturers still complain that banks are not ready to give loans. What’s your view on this and what steps will you advise CBN to take?

There is, indeed, a severe credit squeeze. This is ascribed largely to the ongoing reforms of the banking sector. The credit conditions took its toll on business in the first quarter.

This was manifested in the reduction in capacity utilisation of many manufacturing concerns as a result of lack of access to working capital from the banks. You will notice that the capacity of many firms to source raw materials was impaired.

Another thing noted was that many consumer product distributors could not also access credit to buy products, and there are lots of abandoned projects in the construction industry by contractors who could not get funds to complete the projects. Many of them could also not be paid by their clients. This is not good for our economy.

The banks have taken risk management to the extreme. There is now a phobia for lending and zero tolerance for risk. This outlook is neither in the interest of the banks, the investors nor the economy. We are faced with the paradox of liquidity glut and credit squeeze occurring at the same time in the economy. This is a contradiction.

We need, therefore, to act quickly to get the economy back on track.

However, most importantly, CBN should seek the views of other

• Deru stakeholders. They should call the stakeholders to the roundtable and let everybody give their view.

What are the challenges facing the economy?

The major challenges are the infrastructural facilities. The poor state of the infrastructure is making the cost of production and other things to escalate. And the key infrastructure is power. The inability to have energy to drive the wheel of progress of manufacturing and trading is our major headache. And when you don‘t have the required infrastructural facilities, investors are scared away.

And some of business people have been taking their businesses to other countries where these essential things found. Also, the issue of security is very important.

Remember what has been happening in Jos in the last few months.

This is not giving any comfort to the people. Some people have fled the place, relocating their businesses to areas there is relative peace. And no foreign investors, wishing to come to Nigeria will want to establish in Jos as a result of the crisis.

How can these challenges be tackled?

Tackling the challenges of the economy is different ways. One, we thank God that President Goodluck Jonathan had declared that he will take over the power sector. That is a bold step and he has set up a committee to that effect. Once we have power 24 hours a day, it will improve the state of the economy and there will be a lot of changes in the

country. Productivity will go up and people who can‘t afford generating sets will be in business and those who can afford it will see the cost of manufacturing going down and that is a challenge which has been taken up by the President and we commend him for his bold step.

We hope that within one year, we will see a lot of good things happening in the country.

What can Nigeria learn from the economic development of some advanced countries?

There are lots of things in many advanced countries which our people could learn. Where you have democracy in place, as we have in Nigeria, we must have the courage of providing for the poor and not spend 60 per cent of our budget on recurrent expenditure.

They don‘t do that in other advanced countries. If we spend that on paying salaries, only 40 per cent is left to improve the lots of the people. And this 40 per cent, which is capital expenditure, and we also have a lot of loan burden of about N497 billion which we have to pay.

So learning from other countries means that we have to do what other people are doing if we want to be among the top 20 developed economies in the world by the year 2020. We should go and see what all those countries have done to grow their economies and that is what is important, even little Malaysia, Korea, Singapore, among others, are improving the lots of their people.

Can you enlighten us about the

‘The banks have taken risk management to the extreme.

There is now a phobia for lending and zero tolerance for risk. This outlook is neither in the interest of the banks, the investors nor the economy. We are faced with the paradox of liquidity glut and credit squeeze occurring at the same time in the economy. This is a contradiction. We need, therefore, to act quickly to get the economy back on track’

different groups in the chamber, and their activities?

We have the industrial group.

This group is like Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) to us. They are into manufacturing and they are in various stages, the big , small and the medium scale industry. Some of them are medium enterprises. We also have the agricultural group. They also partner with companies from abroad who come to Nigeria to form a joint venture. We also have the Small Medium Enterprises Group.

These are the small scale industries.

Also, we have the science and technology and the transport group.

As one of the stakeholders in the real sector, what are your expectation from the incoming Minister of Commerce and Industry?

We all know that the major problem is power and since the President is taking over on the power, there is the need for him to liaise and work closely with the Presidency. Although the new minister is coming at the time the industrial sector is going, he is not new to the system. There is nothing he can achieve if there is no power. This is also the time to partner with the states which are into Independent Power Project (IPP).This will enhance industrial growth.

Power should be very important to him because there cannot be meaningful achievement without power. The Gross Domestic Product and productivity will increase and more jobs will be provided as firms will work more and stay in Nigeria. Besides, with regular power supply, less diesel will be consumed, which means less environmental pollution, cleaner air and better life.

He must also be interested in getting investors to come and invest in the country. Indeed, other issues on which the minister can also play prominent roles include the pursuit of the completion of the ongoing National Independent Power Projects, which is vital in tackling the nation’s power supply challenge and the revival of ‘dead’ industrial firms.

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

47

PERSONAL FINANCE

Email: taofad2000@yahoo.co.uk

Investor’s Worth

A conglomerate chief’s collections

M

R Larry Ettah has over the years built an unassailable reputation as a shrewd business manager.

His doggedness, focus, resilience and excellence are shown in his life-long career at the UAC of Nigeria (UACN) Group, Nigeria’s largest conglomerate.

As the Group Managing Director of UACN and Chairman of CAP Plc and UACN Property Development Company (UPDC) Plc, two highvalue quoted subsidiaries of UACN Plc, Ettah is saddled with creating values for more than 250,000 shareholders and several millions of UACN stakeholders.

He has continuously been discharging this onerous value-creating responsibility given the unbroken returns records of the three quoted companies and UACN’s internationally appealing brand.

CAP is one of the best-return companies and the leader in chemical and paints sector.

UPDC, the only quoted real estate company on the Nigerian stock market, has remained consistently a leading stock while UACN is the highest-priced conglomerate, although it has seen relatively significant depreciation in recent time.

The companies in the UACN Group are among the predictable companies in terms of best corporate governance, dividends and stability. Ettah,

a blend of old and new traditions, has sustained UACN’s age-long corporate reputation while giving verve to new ideas.

But Ettah has also demonstrated a steady focus on creating value for himself while creating values for shareholders and other stakeholders. He has gradually built nest eggs in the conglomerate.

Except in UACN, his shareholdings in other UACN companies far exceed shareholdings of other directors, implying that he stands to also benefit more as the companies improve their performances.

With CAP’s mouth-watering performance in recent years, Ettah’s shareholdings have built up - growing by 33 per cent in 2010 and lately by 100 per cent. CAP had declared a bonus issue of one for three shares and one for one share for the 2009 and 2010 business year.

This also led to about 67 per cent increase in his cash dividends for the 2010 business year. Ettah’s shareholdings in UPDC had also increased by 25 per cent and currently quadrupled the entire shareholdings of all other directors.

Similarly, his shareholdings in UACN had increased by 25 per cent on the back of the bonus issue declared for the 2009 business year.

Ettah is estimated to hold 0.16 per cent equity stake each

Ask a Broker

•Mr Ettah

T

Compared with the All Share Index that includes price changes of all quoted companies, NSE 30 Index is a top-value index.

But it also serves as a key indicator of the entire market direction given that the 30 most capitalised stocks account for two-thirds of market capitalisation, although they are less than 15 per cent of total number of

Ways and Means

How to own a house, cars through a Y paying additional at combo account tention to the privileges

B

and opportunities attached to your financial transactions, you can maximise the benefits accruable to you, reduce your cost of transactions and greatly enhance your standards of living.

Many banks run periodic promotions on their product offerings, giving existing and new customers opportunities to derive additional benefits besides the inherent advantages stated in the contract.

The Intercontinental Premium Savings Account (IPSA) is a variant of the savings and current combo account now popular in the offerings of many banks.

Designed as a dynamic and flexible savings account, IPSA is skewed towards cost-benefit conscious individuals that desire the “cost-free” operation of savings account and

convenience of current account.

While offering the inherent benefits of current account including clearance of paper monies such as dividend warrants, cheques and third party cheques withdrawal, IPSA charges no cost on transaction and even pays interest on balance in the account.

Other benefits include provision of quarterly statement of account, free ATM debit card and access to internet banking. However, interest payment will be forfeited if withdrawal exceeds three times in a month.

Besides, an individual account holder must keep a minimum operating balance of N5, 000 while corporate account holder must keep a minimum operating balance of N20, 000. The opening bal-

LTHOUGH the returns on real assets are more difficult to ascertain due to the absence of an organised system of exchange for real estate in Nigeria, many investors however, prefer real assets such as buildings because of their stability and direct usefulness to solving the basic need of accommodation of their owners.

The most desirable investment type depends on the kind of lifestyle and personal outlook of each individual.

Most Nigerians tend to have their investments in ownertenants occupied and fully tenanted houses.

Indivisible and fully dependent on rents, the absence of additional stream of incomes is the root cause of the frequent escalation in house rents.

Many average investors combine the two classes of assets, by investing in real estate and securities.

This combination, though the ratio of assets allocation may influence the portfolio outlook, often provides the balance of steady incomes from real estate with sometime mouth-watering capital appreciation and returns from financial assets.

Most upscale individuals and elites show stronger preferences for financial assets due to their timeliness and superior liquidity, relatively higher returns and divisibility.

in UACN and UPDC as well as 0.035 per cent stake in tightcapitalisation CAP. At market values, his investment values stand at more than N152 million.

UACN has market capitalisation of N62 billion while CAP and UPDC are valued at N19 billion and N28 billion.

He recently pocketed about N1.2 million as cash dividends from UPDC and more than N3 million cash dividends from both UACN and CAP. Ettah joined UACN as a management trainee in 1988 and rose through the ladder to become the group managing director in 2007.

He was subsequently appointed as chairman of boards of directors of UPDC and CAP Plc. A member of councils of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Nigeria Employers Consultative Council (NECA) and Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Ettah’s profile aptly Types of financial assets demonstrates the benefits of a Financial assets, otherwise professional career built on creating values for others and broadly referred to as securities, can be delineated princioneself. pally by the certainty of return and the issuer. Thus, there are fixed-income securities such as bonds, treasury bills, and fixed-deposits, among others, and equities. Fixed-income securities are securities with fixed periodic payment on the quoted companies. principal investment.

An investor may build his They take on the full weight portfolio to track the NSE 30 of contractual obligations as Index by following the soon as the parties agreed. A stocks that constitute the in- fixed depositor, for instance, dex. is entitled to his deposit and Besides the common in- agreed rate of interest irredex, it’s always instructive spective of the operating chalto note the directions of the lenges that may militate group and sectoral indices against the profitability of so as to known the driving such agreement thereafter. forces behind market direc- Similar situation applies to tion. other fixed-income securities.

On the other hand, equity investment carries no fixedreturn. The investor shares in the profit and loss of the investment.

An equity investor bears the ultimate liability in any investment as he draws his income from the residual earnance for individual is N10, 000 ings after the payment of fixed while companies can only obligations and expenses. open with a minimum of N50, However, equity investors 000. stand to benefit more in the Intercontinental regular event of successful business savings accounts promos pro- operations as they draw benvide IPSA holders opportuni- efits from actual dividends and ties to leverage their living improved evaluation of their standards at no extra cost. investments.

They only need to time their Securities are also generally deposits and keep within the denoted by the nature of the minimum range. issuer, either the government Intercontinental Bank is or corporate entity. Thus, we currently offering IPSA and have government securities other savings account holders such as sovereign bonds, treasa three-bedroom flat or N15 ury bills and corporate securimillion equivalent, 10 Toyota ties such as corporate bonds Corolla cars, 200 32-inch TV and shares. sets and N9 million to cusThe maxim of the higher the tomers who save and main- risk, the higher the return aptain between N50,000 and plies to all the securities. SovN100,000 for 90 days. ereign bonds carry lower risk It’s a lucky pick that throws and return than corporate up immense opportunity for bonds; bonds issued by blue small and big savers. chips carry lower risk and re-

What is the NSE 30 Index?

HE Nigerian Stock Ex change provides vari ous benchmarks to variously measure average returns in the entire stock market, within a category of stocks and sectors.

The NSE 30 Index, started in February 2009, is primarily a value-based or price index consisting of the 30 most capitalised companies on the NSE.

Starting your investment portfolio (2) A

By Taofik Salako

turn than junk bonds.

Penny stocks have higher prospect for capital appreciation, but are also more volatile than established stocks or blue chips.

Thus, the capital and return requirements, time horizons, risk thresholds and cash flows of each investor will shape the composition of his portfolio.

When to buy securities Following the determination of what to buy is the crucial timing of when to buy or sell securities as the case may be.

Timing is perhaps the most important factor in the investment process given the constantly changing nature of the securities market and the dynamism of corporate operations.

The appropriateness of the entry and exit points usually makes the difference in asset management and mediates the extent of profitability of an investment.

The main consideration in the “when to buy” decision is the appropriateness of the entry price vis-à-vis the envisaged return on investment.

Both financial and real assets follow periodic trends that move from low point to high point and vice versa.

An investor needs to understand general macro economic trends and specific factors that influence the pricing cycle of each class of asset.

For instance, what is the implication of the recent removal by the apex bank of the tenor restriction on foreign participation in debt issues?

The stock market operates like any traditional open-market system where the prices of goods are determined by demand and supply. Demand and supply, on the other hand, are determined by the perception of the good, season and the general operating environment.

So, it is common to expect the price of maize to fall during a bumper harvest period and to rise in post-harvest period or during a low-harvest season.

Determining the price to buy on the secondary market requires a combination of fundamental and technical analysis, although many have successfully used historical technical data to predict appropriate buying period.

Fundamental analysis is particularly useful in unearthing the hidden value or weakness locked in a particular stock prior to the discovery of

‘Investors must develop the understanding to identify the current trend or cycle and the possible trend or cycle to follow, for the overall market and for each stock’

such by the multitude, which is usually the trigger for upward or down trend.

Price discovery In summarising the many theories on share pricing, there is an underlying assumption that the market operates a cyclical system that swings between low and high points.

Various formulae and instruments have been developed to aid the prediction of the market trend.

Without delving into the theoretic arguments about secondary market pricing, variables such as season and policy changes have been found to influence market prices. Holiday and festive periods are times of more spending across the globe.

These periods have been found to influence prices of securities, as demand tends to wither while supply increases.

Also, the season for the declaration of returns by companies usually trigger a bull or bear market as the case may be.

Most quoted companies including all banks end their business year by the last day of the Gregorian calendar. The time lag between the year-end and the formal declaration of results usually witness a build up of price rallies as various news make the grapevine.

Policy change is also a strong indicative factor of the timing of entry into securities. Recent policies such as the local content policy, ban on importation of certain products, standardisation among others, have given fillips to growths of many companies.

An investor who correctly interprets the implications of a policy change on operations of a company can take position or exit ahead of the rush.

Also, determining the implications of certain corporate decisions on the operations of a company can allow the investor to take a calculated position before the effects of the policy become evident.

The debt payments and restructurings have been turning points for many companies recently, yet many investors failed to see through the likely positive effects of the reduction in financial leverage.

Investors must develop the understanding to identify the current trend or cycle and the possible trend or cycle to follow, for the overall market and for each stock.

An investor must also be able to understand the rudimentary primary valuation of companies to ascertain the appropriateness of the offer price of a primary issue.

Traditionally, rights issues are offered to existing shareholders at discounts to market considerations and valuations, but many rights issues have been found to be overpriced and loaded to give feign impression of discount.

The secondary market will, ultimately, undress the trappings and reveal the true value for the discerning investor to time his entry. One way of determining the fairness of a primary offer price is to measure the offer price against a distant average trading price of the stock, especially prior to the commencement of the primary issue process. Every stock follows a cyclical trend!

•(To be continued).

48

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

CAPITAL MARKET

Activities end on a bearish note

O

N the whole, activities at the exchange last week further deepen by 2.35 per cent as against the decrease recorded a fortnight ago, the magnitude of the decrease in the activities stood at 0.99 per cent.

The continuous bearish note shows was as a result of recent development in the financial sector and the fact that investors’ confidence was not strong enough to drive the general market performance.

The worth of activities last week stood at N 3.31 billion with the volume of transaction of 0.97 billion shares as against the trading activities of 0.97 billion shares worth N 10.24 billion a fortnight ago.

The Market capitalisation which measures the share price movement also dropped from N8.05 trillion a fortnight ago to N 7.89 trillion last week. The All Share Index also declined to 25,696.83 from 25,185.27, representing a 2.35 per cent decrease on weekly assessment. Apparently, the braIndex® also fell by 2.95 per cent.

Banking stocks led the pack at the Exchange last week with 0.25 billion units’ worth N1.64 billion in 5,269 deals. Investors in the industry had exchanged 0.42 billion units valued at N2.58 billion in 9,526 deals a fortnight ago.

The banking sector, controlled 46.29 per cent of the total activities at the Exchange last week, this pointed out that the banking stocks were actively traded at the exchange compared to 43.29 per cent the penultimate week, the value of money spent on banking stocks in percent stood at 49.54 per cent.

Astoundingly, the Livestock sector made the list of the first five sectors at the Exchange while the Insurance sector occupied the first runner up with 170.21 million units worth N 95.46 million in 1,873 deals. On average evaluation, the Insurance sub-sector accounted for approximately 31.48 per cent of the total activity and 2.87 per cent of the total funds invested at the Exchange during the week under review.

Shares of Union Bank of Nigeria Plc, First Bank of Nigeria Plc and Guaranty Trust Bank Plc were the toast of investors as they were actively traded in terms of volume and total investment.

In terms of transactional volume, the Mortgage sub-sector’s performance represented an improvement of about 2.22 per cent last week. The total weekly value of stocks in this sub-sector stood at N 6.69 million.

All the three market indicators fell last week showing that overall activities in terms of volume and fund invested may decrease noticeably. The returns of both benchmarks were less than two index point and attributable to the recent development in the banking sector.

On a year-to-date basis, both benchmarks - the NSE All-Share Index and the braIndex® - showed gains of 1.09 per cent and 1.15 per cent.

Stock market sectoral performance Investors in the shares of Union Bank of Nigeria Plc exchanged 29.30 million units in 108 deals worth N 74.19 million. The average number of deals remained well over 21 deals per day during the week. First Bank of Nigeria Plc was second with 28.79 million shares worth N0.38 billion.

In the Insurance sub-sector, Mutual Benefits Assurance Plc led with 104.39 million shares worth N52.19 million. The sectoral volume amounted to almost 95.46 million units and constituted over 76.47 per cent of the sector’s trading volume.

Companies appraisal The most active company in the

Table 1: A 5-Day Moving Average Data of the Market Indices Change(%) Average Weekly Depth

Market Capitalisation (%) (1.54)

All-Share Index(%) (1.57)

Year To Date (YTD)

3.07

3.02

Month To Date (MTD)

0.38

0.36

Week To Date(WTD) Values

(2.27) All-Share Index

(2.35) braIndex®

(2.95)

7.89

25,696.83

16.30

Market Cap(trillion Naira)

As of closing on July 01, 2011

Average Average (2.02) 3.56 0.83

Source: NSE & bra Limited Table 2: Stock Market Summary Statistics for the week ending July 1, 2011.

Period Market Capitalisation (Trillion) 24/06/2011 8.08 27/06/2011 8.04 28/06/2011 8.00 29/06/2011 7.96 30/06/2011 7.98 01/07/2011 7.89 Source: NSE & Bra Limited

All-Share Index (Base Points) 25,271.69 25,170.63 25,023.84 24,923.64 24,980.20 24,696.83

braIndex® (Base Points) 16.69 16.53 16.31 16.06 16.33 16.30

Table 3: Statistics on Weekly Sectoral Contribution Sectors Banking Conglomerates Food, Beverages and Tobacco Mortgage Insurance Source: bra Limited

% of Total Trading Net Worth 49.54% 2.32% 7.14% 0.20% 2.88%

Trading Net Worth(in Naira Millions ) 3,310.77 77.31 236.55 6.69 95.46

Figure 1a: The All Share Index and braIndex® Performance at a Glance

Source: BRA Computation

Source: BRA Computation

Banking sub-sector was Union Bank of Nigeria Plc, followed by the First Bank of Nigeria Plc. The company closed the week at N0.38 billion in 1,111 deals.

Among the most active companies in the Insurance subsector were Mutual Benefits Assurance Plc, Standard Alliance Insurance Plc, Continental ReInsurance Plc, and Aiico Insurance Plc. In the Mortgage Industry, apart from Afro Media Plc, Union Homes Plc and Aso Savings and Loan Plc which claimed the very active companies in the sector in terms of trading.

The Conglomerates industry was also active in terms of the market

value. Transnational Corporation Plc, Scoa Plc, PZ Cussons Plc, Unilever Nigeria Plc, and U.A.C of Nigeria Plc were some of the most active stocks in the sub-sector.

Last week, shareholders of Nigerian Breweries Plc, NCR Plc, Champion Plc and Stanbic IBTC Plc saw the value of their investments earning profit by almost one per cent while investors in Dangote Cement Plc, Oando Plc, Seven-Up Plc and CCNN Plc made less than five per cent loss daily.

Points to note: The weekly stock market analysis reports the current

position of the outlook of the stock of the companies listed on the Exchange and the aggregate market.

The NSE closed the 26th trading week on a bearish note. The movement supports our statement last week as we suggested strides towards a bearish stand. The expected improvement may, however, be small in the coming week. Historical analysis of trading volume shows that in the new week, the Banking, Insurance and Conglomerates stocks are likely to continue to be the toast of investors.

Disclaimer

This report has been prepared for information purposes only and for private use. Whilst reasonable care had been taken in its production, bra Limited does not guarantee the correctness of its contents nor does the company accept liability for any loss arising from a reliance on its contents.

Kindly note that our suggested recommendations and other tactical actions are based on bra Limited best estimates which are guided by generally available information and our Proprietary Tools. This is not an invitation or a solicitation to deal in any stocks and we do not guarantee the future outcome of such recommendation.

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

49

CAPITAL MARKET Bond and Money Market Review

G

OING by the apparent bearish returns that characterised the stock market last week, investors stake more on bonds in the money market, as capitalisation increased by 2.27 per cent.

The volume of market transaction rose significantly, one of its kinds in recent time. Against its norms, last week the stock market on the other hand ended activities on bearish stand last week, to replicate what was observed a fortnight ago. Market capitalisation closed with N 1.80 trillion to end last week transaction as against N 1.76 trillion observed in the penultimate week, the daily changes in the index increased by 0.33 per cent.

The index direction shows that the market performance and bond prices show complete turnaround from the previous weeks as the prices of traded bonds increase tremendously. The overall market review showed negative signal last week.

Consequently, the market appreciated as the prices of most long term instruments rose. The Federal Government Bond (FGN) bond Index began the week at 1,458.09 and closed at 1,483.73 points, increasing by 2,564 basis points as against a drop of 471 basis points a fortnight ago. It ended the week at 1,483.73 points. Average index stayed at 1,473.28 points, compared with 1,456.69 points the previous week.

There was, therefore, an increase on the average evaluation by 1,659 basis points. The 30-day, 60-day and 90-day indices dropped by 17 bps, 17 bps and 25 bps to 12.83 per cent, 13.29 per cent and 13.70 per cent.

Among the 15 traded bonds, all the traded bonds have their price increased the last week trading activities. None of the categories witnessed stumbled price. The top price gainer was the 20-year bond, 15 per cent FGN Nov. 2028, which appreciated by 470 basis points to close at 117.70. However, the three-year bond, 10.50 per cent FGN Mar 2014 which slightly rose by 225 basis points to end the week at 99.41.

Figure 1 illustrates the six-month change in the bra FGN bond Index.

The bra FGN bond index is a market value weighted index and is designed to measure the performance of the Nigerian investment-grade fixed income market. Although the index remained flat during most of January and February as seen, it recorded a sharp drop in March as investor outlook turned negative in the bond market in anticipation of elections.

The FGN index fell 108 points in March losing roughly seven per cent of its value. We observe the stabilisation of the declining trend in April and a gradual recovery in May. The index increased by 1.1 per cent in May recovering some of its losses since mid March.

Last week, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) sold foreign exchange worth $182.96 million to authorized dealers at the Wholesale Dutch Auction System (WDAS) window as against $400 million a fortnight ago.

The dealers had demanded $182.96 million before the auction while the actual amount offered stood at $200 million.

Investors in treasury bills also parted with N120.33 billion on three financial instruments maturing between three and 12 months. The bonds comprised the N29.6 billion (91-day), N40.6 billion (182-day) and N50.0 billion (364-day) tenors at the stop rates of 8.62 per cent, 9.39 per cent and 10.99 per cent. The public subscriptions were N58.017 billion, N74.017 billion and N178.773 billion for the 91-day, 182-day and 364-day coupons.

The over-the-counter bond market notched up by 2.59 per cent last week, yielding N160.43 billion with a turnover of 197.8 million units in 1,301 deals.

The amount compared favourably

Investors stake more on bonds Table 4: Key Statistics of Market’s Stock Performance as of July 1, 2011 S/N

Company Name

Share Price Gain (‘N)

% of Shares’ Gain by Investors

TOP FIVE GAINERS BY PRICE 01

Nigerian Breweries Plc

88.00

0.50%

02

NCR Plc

6.25

0.29%

03

Champion Plc

4.25

0.20%

04

Stanbic IBTC Plc

9.40

0.20%

05

NASCON Plc

5.40

0.15%

125.00

-4.99%

TOP FIVE LOSERS BY PRICE 01

Dangote Cement Plc

02

Oando Plc

40.70

-2.10%

03

Seven Up Plc

45.00

-1.00%

04

CCNN Plc

9.30

-0.45%

05

Guaranty Trust Bank Plc

15.20

-0.38%

Source: NSE and bra Limited Indicator Turnover Value Deals FGN Bond Index Market Capitalization Index Weekly Returns (%) Index Year-to-Date Returns (%) 1-Month Returns (%) 3-Month Returns (%) 12-Month Returns (%)

CurrentWeek 197.8 million N160.43 billion 1,301 1,483.73 N1.78 trillion 1.75 5.25 0.69 5.28 18.60

PreviousWeek 192.8 million N157.84 billion 1,296 1,458.09 N1.76 trillion 1.75 5.21 0.66 5.24 18.49

% Change 2.59 1.64 1.75 1.13 0.01 0.76 4.54 0.76 0.59

Source: BRA Figure 1: FGN Bond Index

Source: FMDA Figure 2: Nigerian T-bill Primary Market Auctions

Primary Market Auction

Source: Financial Markets Dealers Association with the N157.84 billion invested on 192.8 million units in 1,296 deals a fortnight ago.

The activity was boosted by the 20-year bond, due in July 2030 with 10.0 per cent coupon rate. It traded 41.95 million units valued at N31.30 billion in 316 deals. This was followed by the three-year bond, 5.5 per cent FGN Feb 2013 which traded 33.55 million units valued at N30.04 billion in 281 deals. Sixteen of the available 34 FGN bonds were traded during the week, compared with 12 the previous week.

In May there was no issuance of new NTBs in the primary market

yet there were two issues of OMO bills in the fourth week of the month with subscription rates well above the amount offered.

The true yield on the four-month NTB was 9.37 per cent and on the sixmonth one was 9.84 per cent. In the mean time, the Federal Government issued two FGN bonds in May both with N35 billion face values. The yield on these three and five-year maturity new issues were 11.04 per cent and 12.05 per cent. These rates suggest an increase in investor demand for the FGN debt since in April the three-year FGN bonds yielded slightly higher at 12.14 per cent and the five-year ones

had a yield of 13.19 per cent. Figure 23 shows the volume of the NTB and FGN Auctions in the Primary Market.

Nigerian Yield Curves An increase is observed in the short-end of the Nigerian Interbank Treasury Bills True Fixing Yield (NITTY) curve in May compared to April and the beginning of the year.

The yield on the 30-day T-bill increased to 6.83 per cent up more than 100 bp compared to 5.25 per cent in April but relatively less than the record yield of 8.03 per cent in March.

The yield on the one-year T-bill stood at 10.52 per cent down from 11.74 per cent a month earlier. This is substantially higher than the yields seen at the end of February when the 1-year NITT Yield stood at 8.98 per cent.

Figure 3 shows the NITT Yield curves for the last three months. The increase in the short-end of the yield curve as well as the drop in the longend suggests investors’ appetite for holding short-term debt has moderated while six-month and one-year bills have become more attractive. We believe this is a sign of improving political risk conditions in Nigeria.

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

50

LABOUR

New national minimum wage: Between governors, Labour W

ITH 10 days to the expiration of the 14-day ultimatum given to state governments for the implementation of the N18,000 national minimum wage, the stage is certainly set for a Labour-Government face off.

The N18,000 minimum wage is no longer negotiable, according to Labour. It is backed by the National Minimum Wage Act. State Governors, however, maintain different positions on its implementation. Currently, only one state is set to implement while others are giving various excuses. The Federal Government is neither here nor there. It has not taken any concrete step towards implementation since the Minimum Wage Act came into being in March this year.

Labour’s position The two labour centres have made it clear that non-implementation will lead to mass protests and strikes. It maintains that no excuse can stop the implementation. Labour leaders have vowed to do all they can to ensure payment of the N18,000 minimum wage with arrears.

President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) Peter Esele described the failure to implement the minimum wage as a negation of law. He lamented alleged unwillingness of the National Salaries and Wages Commission to produce a table for implementation, to enable the Federal Government to implement the law.

TUC advises government Esele believes the states can conveniently pay the N18,000 minimum wage, if government can be breaking down the budget. He said the huge allocation that goes to “Welfare” and “security” should be broken down towards proper accountability. He said that such blind allocation only happens in Nigeria, as countries worldwide always account for every kobo expended by them.

He said: “Government can afford to pay the new minimum wage without removing fuel subsidy. Government should break down the budget. In the western world, every kobo spent is always accounted for. It is only here in Nigeria that they include welfare in the budget. They allocate a huge sum of money for welfare and security vote. They should break down the budget and let us know how much money is being spent on what and which project. By the time they do that the minimum wage will be easier to pay.

NLC President, Abdul Waheed Omar said anything short of N18,000 minimum wage is totally unacceptable.

Government’s position Chairman, National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, Chief Richard Egbule, said the commission cannot be reluctant to issue guidelines on the implementation of the National

T

HE Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) has petitioned President Goodluck Jonathan over the alleged move by his administration to scrap the 104 unity schools across the country.

In a save-our-soul letter written to the President, and signed by the Secretary-General, Mr Solomon Onaghinon, the union said it was disturbed by the information that “the Federal Government is contemplating opting out of the ownership and management of the 104 Federal Unity Colleges as a commonwealth.”

The union wondered what will happen to the Unity Colleges of the Army, Airforce and Navy. It reminded the President of people’s reaction when the Federal Executive Council (FEC), which he presided over resolved at its meeting held on July 21, 2010 in Abuja to restore the Federal Government’s full ownership and management of the Unity

• Esele

Throwing more light on the type of negotiation between his state and the unions, Oshiomhole said the N18,000 is not negotiable, that it will certainly be paid, but that the state needs to agree with the unions on the level of increase for workers who are already earning more than N18,000.

“The truth is we are not to negotiate whether or not to pay. It will certainly be implemented. But what we can negotiate is, having raised the minimum wage, what shall be the level of increase for those who are already above the minimum wage. Once we complete those discussions, in the next one week, we will commence implementation.”

The minimum wage story, however, varies from state to state. So far, Edo is the only state that has said what the workers want to hear concerning the implementation of the new minimum wage.

The Minimum Wage Act not withstanding, some governors are still telling their workers that they are awaiting Federal Government’s guideline on implementation of the N18,000 wage.

• Omar

Governors’ demand The governors were at first unanimous in calling for an upward review of the revenue allocation formula. This, according to them, will enable the states to implement the new stipulated wage. They claimed that the Federal Government takes the lion share for minimal responsibilities while the states are left with lesser percentage for their huge expenditure which include salaries and workers welfare.

The Federal Government under the current revenue sharing formula, takes 52 per cent, while states and lo-

cal governments get 26.72 and 20.60 percent respectively.

As the agitation for the review of revenue sharing formula gained prominence, the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) set up a revenue allocation committee under the chairmanship of Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola of Lagos State. The Committee later suggested a new sharing formula of 35, 42 and 23 per cent for the Federal government, states and local government.

The masses support the governors on their improved revenue allocation demand.

However, the governors take the minimum wage implementation issue to another dimension when they suddenly tied the implementation of the new minimum wage to removal of fuel subsidy. Majority of Nigerians immediately rose against their decision saying it would lead to fuel price increase.

Calling for immediate removal of petroleum subsidy, the NGF said members would engage Labour in a holistic manner, so that they could jointly agree to a common implementation framework. The Governors also

‘He lamented alleged unwillingness of the National Salaries and Wages Commission to produce a table for implementation, to enable the Federal Government to implement the law’

‘We do not issue guidelines, we issue circulars on the implementation because it is a law that must be implemented and the process of issuing circular is for us (commission) to prepare the position and send it up’

Stories by Dupe Olaoye-Osinkolu Minimum Wage, like labour claimed because its duty is to issue a circular.

“First, we do not issue guidelines, we issue circulars on the implementation because it is a law that must be implemented and the process of issuing circular is for us (commission) to prepare the position and send it up.”

Egbule, however, said that there were issues to be cleared before the circular could be issued and that they were being addressed.

decided to constitute a committee that would determine the financial implications of the new minimum wage and work out its implementation details.

The grey area The grey area in the NGF decision is their resolve to examine the realities the minimum wage law imposes on the states and its implication for the workers.

Workers take this to mean that the governors want to disregard the law.

Petroleum products price increase has been an age- long bone of contention, dating back to the era of former President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.

Edo State’s decision Oshiomhole, who is now the Governor of Edo State, however, said minimum wage should not be tied to removal of fuel subsidy.

The governor recalled that he fought deregulation of the downstream petroleum sector for years as a labour leader, and wondered why he should now, as a governor endorse fuel price increase as a condition for implementing the new national minimum wage.

He said the minimum wage has been passed into law and government must be seen to respect the rule of law. He noted that the law is not necessarily going to be convenient to anyone, and that people obey law not because it is convenient.

In view of his belief that no condition should be tied to the implementation of the minimum wage, the Governor said his state, Edo, will commence implementation of the N18,000 minimum wage after completing negotiations with the labour unions next week.

Lagos pays more than N18,000 The planned strike will, however, be far from nationwide as some states in which workers are already earning more than N18,000 like Lagos and Edo will not join the strike. A source from, Lagos State Ministry of Lands and Survey said the state is already paying more than N18,000 minimum wage.

Oil workers divide on removal of fuel subsidy Senior oil workers under the aegis of Petrolem and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association ( PENGASSAN) said dergulation will “swiftly serve as a catalyst for needed local refining capacity within a specified timeframe.”

Their junior staff counterpart however disagreed with them on the issue. General Secretary of Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) wondered which refinery will refine the petroleum products within the specified timeframe.

“If you deregulate now there will be hyper- inflation because agriculture, health and education are not subsidised. Removal of subsidy will send the poor, the peasant to their death.

We are not upporting total deregulation.

National Industrial Court The newly repositioned National Industrial Court (NIC) will soon be having a field day handling non-implementation of minimum wage cases across the country, just as the Industrial Arbitration Panel had a swell time reconciling governors and their workers over implementation of the N5,500 minimum wage approved for the states in May 2000 while the federal workers earn N7,500.

Don’t scrap unity schools, civil servants urge govt • ASCSN petitions Jonathan Colleges.

It recalled that millions of Nigerians hailed the historic decision to preserve the schools that have played and continue to play strategic roles in promoting national cohesion apart from serving as models for secondary school education in Nigeria.

“Indeed, in response to the patriotic decision of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) under your distinguished leadership to retain ownership and management of the schools and also restore JSS components of the Unity Colleges, the Association sent Mr. President a letter of Appreciation Ref. ASCSN/PRESIDENCY/ VOL.I/54 of 23rd July 2010 in which the Union traced its protracted strug-

gle led by this Union since 2005 to ensure that the schools were not quarantined or auctioned to a select privileged few as intended by the previous administration.”

The letter reads in part: “We, therefore, implore you, sir, not to follow the bandwagon of your predecessors, who erroneously believed that the whole essence of governance is to unleash unnecessary battles against the citizens on all fronts and reduce every issue to cash and carry. It is our fervent hope that you will not allow the 104 Federal Government Colleges die in your era. If you do, you would not only have unwittingly mortgaged the country’s commonwealth to the privileged few but

would also have sacrificed the unity of future Nigerians and consequently ingrained negative footprints on the sands of time.

“Mr President, we are aware that your detractors who tried hard to stop you from being elected as President will never go to sleep. Past experiences have shown that they will want to soil your image by infiltrating the rank of your top advisers who will now be coming up with retrogressive ideas in form of advice that will push your administration into taking faulty steps that will end up throwing the entire country into the precipice. Sir, you have to be conscious of this position and be circumspect so that the God ordained years, which you will be spending in the saddle will end up being eventful and fruitful.

“Specifically, Nigeria as an emerging economy needs to invest heavily in education. In doing that, investment in education at the grassroots levels i.e primary and secondary levels becomes extremely essential because that is the foundation upon, which the tertiary education is based.

It is necessary to state that America as the most advanced economy in the world today runs secondary education. In actual fact, one of the issues that brought Barrack Obama to power was his promise to build more secondary schools, a promise, he had fulfilled upon coming into power. Mr. President Sir, you need to borrow a leaf from this noble cause and refuse to take advice that will seriously affect the future of the youth of this country. Policy summersault shall never be your portion.”

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

51

LABOUR

Activists condemn electricity tariff

Govt restates commitment to electricity workers

T

HE Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to the electricity workers’ severance benefit.

A meeting at the instance of the Vice President Namadi Sambo to fast-track the implementation of the negotiated agreement between the Federal Government and Labour unions in the power sector, directed a speedy action on the part of concerned government agencies.

The meeting, which was held at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity was chaired by Anthony Z. Ozodinobi.

Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Power; Chairman, National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, Managing Director, PHCN, Director, Ministry of Finance, Director in charge of the Power Sector at the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) as well as representative of the Director, Budget Office were also in attendance.

The meeting stressed that the goverment is committed to abiding by and implementing its agreement with the labour unions in the power sector. The meeting further directed all government agencies concerned to accellerate action so as to ensure timely implementation of the agreement.

T

HE Campaign for Democratic and Workers’ Rights (CDWR), a rights group, has condemned the electricity tariff that is to take effect from July 4.

The Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) announced an increment in tariff from N8.50 to N10 in preparation for the outright privatisation of PHCN. CDWR described this increment as unfair and exploitative. “This increment, like increment in petroleum products will only make the already poor Nigerians poorer while the few privileged rich will get richer,” it said in a statement signed by its Public Relations Officer (PRO), Chinedu Bosah.

CDWR said it sees no justification for the increment “ when power supply is still ter-

Stories by Dupe Olaoye-Osinkolu ribly low and power generation has gone down from 3,500 to 2,800 megawatts. It does not make economic sense for NERC to increase tariff just to gratify private companies coming to take over distribution when they are not investing anything tangible to uplift the present abysmal state of facilities or adding to the generation capacity.”

NERC said its action, which is in line with the economic programme of the government, at all levels, is just to guarantee profit to self-serving private business at the expense of Nigerians.

“The challenge the government faces today is how more power should be generated and adequately distributed and not

how best to exploit Nigerians.

“It is a shame that Nigeria with a population of 150 million is generating just about 3,000 megawatts when South Africa, a population of less than 50 million generates over 40,000 megawatts and is planning to expand! The Obasanjo government wasted $16 billion on the Power Project without any result and yet nobody is held accountable,” the group said.

It said only planned massive public investment in basic infrastructure with democratic control of workers and the communities can guarantee improvement in the economy and the wellbeing of the people.

This, the group also said, will enable them to invest massively in clean safe energy such as solar and wind.

Chemical employers begin dialogue

T

HE International Labour Organisation (ILO) will be organising a tripartite meeting on “Promoting Social Dialogue on Restructuring and its Effects on Employment in the Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industries” in Geneva in October this year.

Participants at the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers’ Union (ICEM), and the International Chemical Employers’ Labour Relations Committee (LRC)’s jointly organised first “Global Social Dialogue Meeting in the Chemical Industry” in Geneva also said the ILO will hold a Global Dialogue Forum on initiatives to promote decent and productive work in chemicals at the same venue between 2012 and 2013.

The meeting fully supported ILO meetings on developing social dialogue in the industry.

Participants discussed co-operation framework, principal topics, and followup for developing global social dialogue in the chemical industry. The meeting also took up the globally celebrated “International Year of Chemistry – 2011” with a role and contribution in social dialogue.

TUC warns state officers on new wage

T

HE Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has warned state labour officers not to concede to any agreement that is not in line with the N18,000 Minimum Wage Act. In a letter addressed to all state chapters, the TUC General Secretary, Chief John Kolawole, said it was beyond state officers to accept anything less than N18,000.

The congress was reacting to the N14,000 minimum wage accepted by workers in Ondo State, which led them to call off their strike on June 26.

The workers said they were ready to accept the N14,000 as minimum wage from the state government pending when the Federal Government would take a decision on the revenue sharing formula.

Kolawole said the Act did not attach any strings to the payment of the new wage and that the 36 states would have to pay according to the Act. ``I strongly advise the state officers to resist any attempt to cajole them to concede to the agreement, which is not in alignment with the Minimum Wage Act,’’ he said.

The TUC scribe said it was not right for any worker to accept any amount lower than N18,000, which was the agreed sum and based on the law.

• Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole flanked by member, House of Assembly, Hon Elizabeth Ativie (right), NAWOJ President Asaba BabaNahaya (3rd right); Vice President Mary Asuque and others at the NEC meeting of the association in Benin.

NAWOJ challenges journalists on information management T HE Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) has praised President Goodluck Jonathan and the legislative arm of government on the passage of the Freedom of Information (FOI) law. They also charged media practitioners to ensure effective management of information.

The commendation was included in the nine-point communiqué issued at the end of the association’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held in Benin, the Edo State capital. The communiqué was signed by Biliquees Oladimeji and Chizoba Ogbeche, Chairman and secretary, Communique drafting committee.

NAWOJ noted that easy access to information will strengthen democracy and reduce corruption.

The NEC-in-session also commented on the plans to increase electricity tariff without a commensurate increase in power supply. They charged the Federal Government to ensure that electricity generation and distribution are increased. The increased tariff is expected to take off today.

NAWOJ also lamented the high rate of maternal mortality and called on the three

tiers of government to ensure adequate health facilities for women and children as a way of resolving health hazards including all forms of cancer.

The association resolved to observe the international day for health - related issues, especially as it affects women and children.

It flayed the porosity of Nigeria’s borders and the indiscriminate enlistment of immigrants into our security forces. “We should beef up security at the borders and regulate the influx of illegal immigrants,” they said.

NAWOJ commended the government and people of Edo State for their hospitality and goodwill during the hosting of the NEC. The NEC made case for the inclusion of more women in governance in compliance with the 35 per cent affirmative action and in line with campaign promises of President Goodluck Jonathan.

The communiqué also mentioned NAWOJ’s advice that deregulation should not be a condition for implementation of the recently approved minimum wage.

“NAWOJ demands that the NYSC scheme

be reformed with additional and adequate security measures put in place for the protection of corp members,” the communique said.

The association commended the Federal Government for its intervention in the hike price of kerosine. It, however, charged the Federal Government on the enforcement of the prices of the product while ensuring that supply of the product is commensurate with its demand.

The NEC was attended by National and state officers.

The opening ceremony was attended by the Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole; representative of the Oba of Benin, Omo N’Oba Erediauwa, the Omu of Okpanam, Omuco Martha Dunki; the only female legislator in Edo State House of Assembly, Elizabeth Atiewe and other important dignitaries from the state.

A lecture was delivered by Mrs. Benedicta Atton, Senior Special Adviser to Edo State Governor on Non-Governmental Organisation. She spoke on “Gender Mainstream; Requisite for Attaining National Development.”

Utomi advises state govts on minimum wage

D

IRECTOR, Lagos Business School (LBS), Prof Pat Utomi, has urged state governments to pay the N18,000 minimum wage.

He told The Nation in Lagos that workers must be adequately taken care of, and that the state governments should train people and look inward to generate funds instead of relying on statutory allocations.

He said the governors must pay the N18,000 as it was bad enough for someone to live on N18, 000 a month alone.

According to him, the state governments have to train people and use the few people to create opportunities for others to get jobs.

“I don’t think governors are wise to say somebody should not be paid N18,000 a month. What is N18, 000? How can anybody

live on N18, 000 alone?

“Even that is bad enough and you are saying you can’t pay it. Train people well. Use a few quality people to do the job and create more opportunities for more and better jobs to be created elsewhere for the other people to get jobs.

“They can and must pay it as far as l am concerned,'' he said.

MOTORING

52

THE NATION

MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

Website:- http://www.thenationonlineng.net

0803-4693-984 tajudeen1423@yahoo.co.uk

email:- motoring@thenationonlineng.net

Car lovers world-wide are now going for brands that can return the sparks of life they thought adulthood had taken away from them.

Mitsubishi Eclipse Coupe seemes to be one of such cars that is restoring this. SEYI ODEWALE writes

• Mitsubishi Eclipse Coupe

Mitsubishi Eclipse Coupe: affordable, exotic

T

HE Mitsubishi Eclipse Coupe has now been described as a more mellow sport car, competing with the likes of the Honda Accord Coupe, Nissan Altima Coupe and the Volvo C30. Its 2012 edition impresses car freaks with its exotic good looks, affordable window sticker, and noteworthy performance.

The other two-door hatchbacks, such as the Volkswagen GTI and Mini Cooper, may fall into the same price range as the Eclipse, but neither can match the up-level Eclipse GT’s 265-horsepower engine. However, the V6powered Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro are both less expensive and more powerful than the Eclipse GT. If you are the kind of person looking for a sporty yet comfortable two-door, the 2012 Mitsubishi Eclipse Coupe deserves your full attention. Although it may look like a high priced exotic, the Eclipse Coupe’s price tag remains within reach.

But if your ideal performance coupe is rearwheel drive and has 300 or more horsepower, the 2012 Mitsubishi Eclipse Coupe probably may not be on your list.A host of new styling and creature comforts added to 2011 have been carried over to the 2012 Mitsubishi Eclipse Coupe. These include a black-painted roof • Some features of the car panel, lowered suspension, and the addition of a 12-volt outlet to the center console. The The V6 engine has enough power to generate base Eclipse GS’s price is unchanged, while it some torque steer (a tendency for the steering gains heated leather seats, heated side mirrors, of a front-drive car to pull to one side or the a power driver’s seat, and a rear spoiler. other during hard acceleration), it is not Driving the Eclipse one realises that it is no unmanageable by any means. longer the turbocharged, all-wheel-drive The car’s features include the nine-speaker powerhouse once coveted in the 1990s. The 650-watt Rockford Fosgate audio system that 2012 Mitsubishi Eclipse Coupe has more; it is features a six-disc in-dash CD changer that also still a fun and seductive ride. Engineered for a plays MP3 files. It is a standard on the more matured driver, the 2012 Eclipse Coupe Mitsubishi Eclipse GS Sport and GT. can still deliver plenty of thrill rides on curvy You may also enjoy a 10-year/100,000-mile roads, while also serving as a very livable warranty on the powertrain, which is pretty daily commuter. hard to ignore when you’re considering the Both the four-cylinder and V6 engines pros and cons of a new-car purchase. provide plenty of low-end torque, which is Mitsubishi has given the 2012 Eclipse Coupe the force required to merge quickly or scoot an artful interior rich in curves and quality across an intersection. With the Eclipse GT, materials. The car provides impressive Mitsubishi has managed to strike a satisfying outward visibility thanks primarily to an balance between steering responsiveness and abundance of side glass. low-speed control, both of which seem nearly Hooded gauges and circular air vents create effortless.

a cozy cockpit-like environment, which is made even more alluring by blue backlighting of the instruments and controls.

Nicely bolstered front bucket seats strike a balance between being supportive during sporty drives, and supremely comfortable on longer trips. Rear-seat passengers, however, will find almost no legroom and very little headroom.

The car’s many available features, such as its heated leather seats, Rockford Fosgate high-end audio, and Bluetooth endears it to many. Added to this, is the car’s curvaceous good looks, blacked-out roof panel, which is a tribute to the original Eclipse.

The 2012 Eclipse Coupe also sits about half an inch lower, giving it a more custom look, as well as slightly improved cornering ability.

Attention-catching details on the car include the blacked-out wide-mouth grille, clear rear tail lamps that change color when their red LED lights ignite, and headlamps that include a blue

tinted “monocle” lens extending from their centers.

The Coupe’s large rear hatch is becoming an increasingly novel feature in the coupe world, but its practicality can not be overlooked. The Mitsubishi Eclipse Coupe comes in three trim levels: the base GS, the mid-level GS Sport, and the up-level GT. Standard equipment on the base 2012 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS includes a 162-horsepower, four-cylinder engine mated to a five-speed manual transmission, and 18-inch aluminum alloy wheels. Standard sound system is an AM/ FM stereo unit with an MP3-compatible CD player. A move to the mid-level GS Sport adds a four-speed automatic transmission, heated leather front seats, power driver’s seat, HID headlamps, and a power sunroof. The Eclipse GT Sport boasts a 650-watt Rockford Fosgate nine-speaker audio system. The topof-the-line Eclipse GT adds a 265horsepower V6 engine, a five-speed Sportronic automatic transmission, and automatic climate control.

The 2012 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS Sport and GT can be equipped with a Sport Aero Package that adds colour-keyed front air dam, side sill extensions, and a rear air dam.

Options are limited to a few dealer-installed items such as floor mats and a rear wing.

Both engines in the 2012 Mitsubishi Eclipse Coupe feature Mitsubishi Innovative Valve Electronic Control (MIVEC), which spreads the output over a wider engine speed range and optimizes power, emissions, and fuel economy. The more desirable of the two engines, particularly for performance, is the 265 horsepower V6. The tradeoff for the additional power is an expected reduction in fuel economy, with a drop of three miles per gallon on the highway.

With either engine, the automatic transmission allows the driver to shift manually by moving the shift lever into the sports mode gate.

The base 2012 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS with a five-speed manual transmission has a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) that is affordable, so also is the GS Sport, while the V6-powered GT is equally affordable.

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011 MOTORING

53

EFCC investigates car dealers T over tax evasion

HE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has turned its searchlight on new car dealers to fish out those who may have been shortchanging the government in tax payment.

Auto firms under investigation in the first phase of the exercise are those that have been in the business for decades.

But the firms have kicked against the move, alleging that the agency deliberately placed a tall order before them in order to give room for ‘negotiation’ and corruption.

In a two-page document signed by the EFCC’s Head of Operations, Mr Ahmad Abdulrahman, the anti-graft agency requested each of the firms to furnish it with all documents relating to financial transactions, including workers’ salaries between January 2006 and December, 2010.

It specifically demanded receipts for the transactions, cash book, invoices and their local purchasing orders for the period.

Others were the evidence of payment of income tax, education tax (where applicable), remit-

•It’s threat to our business –auto firms tance of withholding taxes deducted, VAT remittance and Pay-As-You-Earn.

It also asked for their bank statements/bank reconciliation statements; income tax returns and capital allowance computation; the payroll of all workers, letters of employment and evidence of deduction and remittance of the PAYE. Documents showing others financial matters as they affect the workers being sought for were the National Housing Fund returns, National Health Insurance Scheme returns and receipts and the Pension Commission returns It also asked for their certificates of incorporation, names of directors, details of their remuneration and minutes of the directors’ meetings, annual general meetings and extra ordinary meetings.

Reacting to the development, a managing director of one of the affected auto firms, who

did not want his name published said: “The activities of the multiple regulatory agencies are a threat to our business.

The latest action of the EFCC does not provide a good environment for legitimate auto business to thrive.

“How can they be requesting for over 20 different documents for five years? It is a deliberate effort to make things difficult and crerate a fertile ground for bribery and corruption.”

But the spokesman for EFCC, Mr. Femei Babafemi, denied that the exercise was for witch-hunting, stressing that it was aimed at ensuring that no company defaulted or shortchanged the government in tax payments.

It was also to expose all forms of money-laundering, he added.

Babafemi recalled that the agency recently recovered over N3 billion from some tax evading companies.

The Managing Director, Hyra Motors, Mr Seyi Oyinlola, confirmed that the EFFC team visited its head office in Lagos last year to check all the necessary documents.

Oyinlola said the agency had written them again this year.

Although he claimed the documents verification process was tedious and cumbersome, “We do not have anything against the action as long as it is to check money-laundering and if the information given about our customers, employees and others is made confidential.”

The Head, Corporate Affairs, Toyota Nigeria Limited, Mrs Bukky Ogunnusi, said she was not aware about the EFCC’s investigation, but “we have always paid the required taxes and do not engage in behind under the table deal.”

Meanwhile, an auto consultant, Dr Oscar Odiboh, warned that the exercise should be done in a way not to derail or distort legitimate business, adding that the auto industry was still going through a turbulent period.

Group seeks partnership with FERMA to curb accidents

A

TRI-SECTOR initiative for the prevention of accidents, Nigeria Road Safety Partnership (NSRSP), is willing to partner with Federal Road Maintanance Agency (FERMA) to reduce road accident in the country.

This collaboration was presented by Mr Obi Iloanusi-led executive members of NSRSP during a courtesy call to FERMA last week.

The group’s quest arose from United Nations General Assembly declaration meant to reduce the rate of accidents drastically worldwide.

The declaration, “2011 – 2020 the decade of action for road safety”, was to enable the government to implement dedicated action to reduce the high rate of road traffic crashes, currently estimated by World Health Organisation at 1.3million deaths and over 50million injuries.

Members of the NRSP include the Federal Road Safety Corp, NNPC, Shell, UBA, Chevron, Total and

• From right: Mr Abdullahi, Mr Iloanusi and other executive members of NSRSP during the visit.

By Tajudeen Adebanjo

Dangote Industries.

In his response, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, FERMA, Mr Kabiru Abdullahi, said the agency places serious importance on road safety and had taken some measures to ensure that

the roads are accident-free.

According to Abdullahi, FERMA has a division for traffic and safety matters, it has also made arrangement for truck parks nationwide.

FERMA, he said, has embarked on repair of roads and pavement strengthening na-

tionwide, constructing over 70 road camps among which 43 has been put into use by the Nigerian Police and FRSC. This, he added, is in addition to provision of streetlights on highways/ bridges for visibility at night.

Hyundai commercial vehicles make debut

I

N its bid to expand its customers’ base and assure Nigerians of its commitment in making affordable and durable vehicles available, Globe Motors has introduced series of Hyundai commercial vehicles into the nation’s automobile market.

The introduction, according to its Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mr Victor Oguamalam, was after a careful research into the auto industry.

He said the auto industry,

By Seyi Odewale

however, is replete with various brands of commercial vehicles. Nevertheless, Hyundai manufacturers in South Korea had built the vehicles for the market at affordable prices.

G l o b e M o t o r s , Oguamalam noted, had in the past marketed other brands of commercial vehicles, but that the introduction of Hyundai commercial vehicles would boost the company’s presence in that

segment.

The newly introduced products, he added, included light and heavy-duty trucks; cargo trucks; dump trucks; concrete mixers; tractors; buses and vans.

“The vehicles are reliable and rugged-with comfort for passengers. They are made for Nigerian roads,” he explained.

He continued: “We are not afraid of competitors and will not run away because of some people in the business. I don’t think having

competition here will make us to lose it, but we won’t ignore our competitors.

There is a market for us to acquire and using our usual skills. I think we will continue to be in the market.”

“As it is customary with Globe Motors, we have provided a solid after-sale-service network in terms of diagnosis facilities and spares in all our locations nationwide for customers who would be using the Hyundai commercial vehicles.”

DRIVING TIPS

Police and road safety

S

OMETIMES one wonders if our security agencies were exposed to the right training in security, surveillance and countersurveillance at all.

About a month ago, the police authority in Oyo State made an open statement that they heard an information that the Transport Union leaders they declared wanted in Oyo State have moved to Ogun and Ondo States and that they will take their searchlight on the two states.

On hearing these statements, what do you expect the culprits to do? Is it not foolish to announce openly to the hearing of a thief that you are coming to arrest him? He will surely move to another location.

Security information should be kept secret until the culprits are arrested. It is not all the police officers that should even know the action plans because not every confidential secretary is confidential.

Few days ago, the Police authority goofed again by making a public pronouncement that the Boko Haram sect was responsible for the force Headquarters bombing incident.

Why should such categorical statement be made when no investigation has been made to ascertain the root cause of the incident?

Is it a crime if the police authority refused to make comments on the incident? You don't tell a bird that a stone is coming.

My candid advice is that the police authority should take some lectures from the intelligence and signal units of the Nigerian Army.

We have heard many "we shall bring them to book" by the Nigeria police, but how many of the criminals were actually brought to book? Too much talks and boastings with little results is not good enough.

In addition, whenever a culprit is caught, their faces are usually covered on the pages of newspapers.

Why should the faces of evil doers be covered?

Their faces should be uncovered to serve as a deterrent to the evil doers that have not been caught yet. Details of such cases and the police action plan should not be discussed openly until all the culprits have been caught unless the assistance of members of the public is required to apprehend the criminals.

The shame of exposing their faces can deter others from committing crimes.

It is now more expedient than ever before that the police officers (rank and file) should be ex-

Jide Owatunmise posed to the right retraining programmes backed up with resultoriented implementation.

It is evident from the utterances and activities the officers of the Nigeria Police that most of them have not been exposed to the right types and levels of training and re-training programmes.

I have been to several Police Stations in some states on research surveys in the past. I saw many depressed faces in uniforms; I saw many inappropriate dressings.

I saw many drugged eyes. I saw many depressed offices. I saw few ill-mannerism and poor human relationship. I heard many unwarranted and unjustifiable toxic languages from police officers against their "friends" (Fellow Nigerians).

There were many other unpleasant findings which an average Nigerian knows. Please let every policeman and woman of every rank be trained and re-trained based on the training need assessment results.

Before I conclude this writing, may I quickly mention that many of the Nigeria Police drivers are among the worst drivers in Nigeria in terms of reckless driving and poor vehicle maintenance. My research revealed that it is rare to see a brand new police vehicle used neatly for five years without turning it to a dust bin inside - out.

There are many police vehicles without indicator light and other vital components contrary to road safety norms.

One officer told me the vehicles are for operations and I asked him if the police in other countries don't use their vehicles for similar operations, yet very neat.

How many police officers passed through the conventional driving schools and how many of them hold valid driver licence if not for bank transactions? I am not saying these to spite our dear Police officers, but I am trying to encourage them to talk less and do more.

They should let their activities and not their mouth speak of their great and commendable works in the overall interest and safety of the nation.

54

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

55

56

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

MONEY LINK

Banks, finance houses scramble for N500b leasing business

D

EPOSIT Money Banks and finance houses are picking interest in leasing as the volume of business in the sector rises.

The industry, which recorded a turnover of N500 billion in the last 12 months, is also witnessing influx of foreign investors, Chairman, Equipment Leasing Association of Nigeria (ELAN) Kehinde Lawanson, has said.

Speaking during the Sierra Leone leasing investment forum, held in Lagos, Lawanson said aside the traditional practitioners made up of banks, finance houses and independent leasing companies, the industry has attracted new investors cutting across the various sec-

By Collins Nweze Senior Correspondent

tors of the economy.

There are also a couple of foreign firms in partnership with Nigerians that have opened shops in the country with many more concluding arrangements to participate in businesses springing up in the sector.

He said the oil and gas sector maintained its lead achieving about 40 growth, followed by an impressive performance from transportation at 37 per cent growth, where commercial vehicles for passengers and haulage remained the major attraction to lessors.

“Total figure for the industry could well be over N500 billion taking into cognisance the level of leasing ac-

tivities carried out by nonELAN members especially in the oil and gas sector which are not captured,” he said.

Lawanson explained that there are over 350 established companies engaged in diverse forms of leasing in the country.

For example, insurance companies, manufacturers/ vendors, construction companies, oil services companies and even government are now getting more involved in leasing.

Also, as a result of the impact of the economic meltdown, many institutions have added leasing as part of their product offering, although many of such companies mainly focus on Small and Medium Enter-

•Lamido Sanusi, CBN Governor

prises and consumer leasing.

Over the years, ELAN has been in the forefront of promoting socio- economic de-

S

ments to come out stalled climate talks in 2009.

Reuters said the resources will help poor countries brace for the effects of climate change while also investing in projects that mitigate it, such as renewable energy and protecting forests.

The global cost of combating and adapting to climate change is estimated at $46 trillion up to 2050, or $1 trillion a year.

The fund will be launched in South Africa in November. African leaders have been trying to firm up a united position for the continent, which experts say will be one of the most affected by climate change because of its susceptibility to drought.

Dia said only four countries, South Africa, Tunisia, Morocco

D

IAMOND Bank has stressed the need to embrace the saving culture to meet the rising demand for goods and services.

The Senior Adviser, Retail and Private Banking, Garry Marsh, said this during the bank’s Savingsxtra Season Three Draw held in Lagos at the weekend.

Marsh, emphasised that keeping aside some part of

and Egypt, currently had the expertise, the knowledge or technology to attract the money from global climate funds. "We want to use the knowledge and expertise of the African Development Bank in managing ad hoc mechanisms to set up that African Green Fund," Dia said.

Amount N

Rate %

M/Date

3-Year 5-Year 5-Year

35m 35m 35m

11.039 12.23 13.19

19-05-2014 18-05-2016 19-05-2016

A

The programme, which is being packaged by two international financial experts from Europe and Canada, is facilitated J. Rolfe Wiley, FPA, Senior Partner, Rolfe Wiley Associates of Canada; Ms Charlotte Wright, Senior Lecturer, London College of Accountancy and Dan Molokue (UK) Principal IFRS

Initial Current Quotation Price Market N8250.00 5495.33 N1000.00 N552.20

7.9-10% 10-11%

PRIMARY MARKET AUCTION (T-BILLS) Rate % 10.96 9.62 12.34

Date 28-04-2011 “ 14-04-2011

GAINERS AS AT 4-7-11 SYMBOL REDSTAREX NCR UBN FIDSON CAPHOTEL NASCON INTERCONT BAGCO IBTC STARCOMMS

O/PRICE 2.66 5.96 2.70 1.75 3.36 5.25 1.05 2.52 9.20 0.50

C/PRICE 2.79 6.25 2.83 1.83 3.50 5.40 1.08 2.59 9.40 0.51

CHANGE +0.13 +0.29 +0.13 +0.08 +0.14 +0.15 +0.03 +0.07 +0.20 +0.01

LOSER AS AT 4-7-11 SYMBOL UPL OANDO ETERNAOIL CCNN UNITYBNK DANGCEM WAPIC FIRSTINLND UNHOMES PLATINUM

O/PRICE 5.50 42.80 4.75 9.75 0.58 129.99 0.55 0.58 0.58 0.89

C/PRICE 5.23 40.70 4.52 9.30 0.84 125.00 0.53 0.56 0.86 1.95

2010 to December 31st 2011.

This has put immense pressure on organisations in terms of time, resources and implementation knowledge-gap. The combination of resource pressure and the need to get it right the first time, has led to mistakes and poor adoption of IFRS by many organisations.

WHOLESALE DUTCH AUCTION SYSTEM

Price Loss 2754.67 447.80

INTERBANK RATES

Amount 30m 46.7m 50m

Implementation Manager, Thomson Reuters).

The organisers, said the programme, would give further teeth to the Federal Government and Central Bank of Nigeria’s directives to all public and private entities to take the necessary steps to adopt IFRS within an 18month time frame spanning June

Amount Amount Offered ($) Demanded ($) 400m 467.7m 400m 452.3m 500m 499,8m

MANAGED FUNDS

Tenor 91-Day 182-Day 1-Year

Savingsxtra Account with the bank daily. “ We are very happy to have touched the lives of our customers with this promo.

What we are doing here is very different from other banks because KPMG certifies whatever draw we are embarking on to make sure that we do things correctly,” he stated.

DATA BANK

Tenor

OBB Rate Call Rate

ones disposable income will help boost ones purchasing power. He however explained that the promo is a strategy to grow the bank’s credit profile.

Marsh said: “It is a way of encouraging people to save more by leaving some money in their account and be rewarded for that. Since we started this promo, more than 1,000 people have opened

Firms organise training on IFRS

THREE-day programme on International Finan cial Reporting Standards (IFRS), is billed to hold from July 19 to 21 in Lagos. The training would provide participants with detailed, analytical explanation and real life illustration of all key accounting principles and pronouncements, the organisers, said in a statement.

FGN BONDS

NIDF NESF

ment into the country, affirming that leasing has a vital role to play in transforming economic structures in the country.

Speaking on behalf of the Sierra Leone delegation, Dainkeh, hinted that as the Champion of Leasing in Sierra Leone, the Bank of Sierra Leone (BOSl) was attending the event with a delegation that included local and international banks, high profile technocrats heading Sierra Leone’s National Revenue Authority (NRA) among others with the aim of showcasing the investment opportunities offered by the leasing market in Sierra Leone.

Diamond Bank reiterates need for savings

AfDB to manage climate fund in Africa ENIOR United Nation and African Union, Ibrahima Dia, has said the African Development Bank (AfDB) would establish and manage the fund, which is needed as African states individually lack the knowledge and technology to secure their share of global climate funds.

African leaders plan to launch a fund this year to help the continent access and manage its share of money from the global United Nation Green Climate Fund. Climate negotiators have yet to establish the Green Climate Fund, which the United Nations wants to be able to deliver $100 billion a year by 2020. The idea of the fund was one of the few agree-

velopment and growth through leasing in Nigeria and beyond.

The Association remains committed to the development of a vibrant leasing industry that would provide the much-needed integral support to national economic growth in Nigeria and the rest of Africa, he said.

Banking Supervision Department, Bank of Sierra Leone, Tapsiru Dainkeh, and leader of the country’s delegation said his country has restated her preparedness to partner with governmental and non -governmental agencies world over in its effort to attract foreign invest-

CHANGE -0.27 -2.10 -0.23 -0.45 -0.04 -4.99 -0.02 -0.02 -0.02 -0.03

Amount Sold ($) 400m 400m 499.8m

Exchange Rate (N) 153.59 153.4 153.45

Date 25-5-11 23-5-11 16-5-11

EXHANGE RATE 30-05-11 CAPITAL MARKET INDEX Currency

Year Start Offer

Current Before

C u r r e n t CUV Start After %

NGN USD NGN GBP

147.6000 239.4810

149.7100 244.0123

150.7100 245.6422

-2.11 -2.57

NGN EUR NIGERIA INTER BANK (S/N) (S/N) Bureau de Change (S/N) Parallel Market

212.4997

207.9023

209.2910

-1.51

149.7450

154.0000

154.3000

-3.04

152.0000

153.0000

155.5000

-2.30

153.0000

154.0000

156.0000

-1.96

24-06-11 N8.0802tr 25.271.61

Name

January ’11

February ’11

May ’11

MPR

6.50%

6.50%

8.00%

Standing Lending Rate ,, Deposit Rate ,, Liquidity Ratio Cash Return Rate Inflation Rate

8.50% 4.50% 25.00% 1.00% 12.10%

8.50% 4.50% 25.00% 2.00% 12.10%

9.50% 5.50% 30.00% 2.00% 11.3%

NIBOR

7 Days 30 Days 60 Days 150 Days

23-06-11 N8.0533tr 25,185.27

% Change 0.34% 0.34%

MEMORANDUM QUOTATIONS

DISCOUNT WINDOW

Tenor

NSE CAP Index

Rate (Previous) 04 MAR, 2011 9.0417 9.6667 11.2917 12.1250

Rate (Currency) 24, MAY, 2011 10.17% 11.46% 11.96% 12.54%

Offer Price

Bid Price

9.17 1.00 117.49 122.45 0.84 1.00 1,575.41 10.12 1.39 1.87 8,793.29 193.00

9.08 1.00 117.03 121.55 0.81 1.00 1,567.25 9.62 1.33 1.80 8,567.25 191.08

ARM AGGRESSIVE KAKAWA GUARANTEED STANBIC IBTC GUARANTE AFRINVEST W.A. EQUITY FUND THE LOTUS CAPITAL HALAL BGL NUBIAN FUND NIGERIA INTERNATIONAL DEB. PARAMOUNT EQUITY FUND CONTINENTAL UNIT TRUST CENTRE-POINT UNIT TRUST STANBIC IBTC NIG EQUITY THE DISCOVERY FUND • ARM AGGRESSIVE • KAKAWA GUARANTEED • STANBIC IBTC GUARANTE • AFRINVEST W.A. EQUITY FUND

Movement

OPEN BUY BACK

Bank P/Court

Previous 04 MAR, 2011

Current 07, MAR, 2011

8.5000 8.0833

8.5000 8.0833

Movement

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

57

EQUITIES NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 01-07-11 2ND-TIER SECURITIES Company Name SMART PRODUCTS NIGERIA PLC. Sector Totals

No of Deals Quotation(N) 2 1.04 2

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 11,900 11,781.00 11,900 11,781.00

AGRICULTURE/AGRO-ALLIED Company Name FTN COCOA PROCESSORS PLC LIVESTOCK FEEDS PLC PRESCO PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 3 1 13 17

Quotation(N) 0.50 0.50 8.00

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 22,000 11,000.00 2,000 1,000.00 282,400 2,261,248.92 306,400 2,273,248.92

No of Deals Quotation(N) 30 7.50 30

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 173,351 1,362,788.36 173,351 1,362,788.36

AIR SERVICES Company Name NIGERIAN AVIATION HANDLING COMPANY PLC Sector Totals

AUTOMOBILE & TYRE Company Name DN TYRE & RUBBER PLC R. T. BRISCOE (NIGERIA) PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals Quotation(N) 5 0.50 23 2.10 28

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 40,686 20,343.00 307,305 657,628.69 347,991 677,971.69

BANKING Company Name ACCESS BANK PLC AFRIBANK NIGERIA PLC DIAMOND BANK PLC ECOBANK NIGERIA PLC FIRST CITY MONUMENT BANK PLC FIDELITY BANK PLC FIRST BANK OF NIGERIA PLC FINBANK PLC GTBANK PLC STANBIC IBTC BANK PLC INTERCONTINENTAL BANK PLC. OCEANIC BANK INTERNATIONAL PLC BANK PHB PLC SKYE BANK PLC. SPRING BANK PLC STERLING BANK PLC UNITED BANK FOR AFRICA PLC. UNION BANK OF NIGERIA PLC UNITYBANK PLC WEMA BANK PLC ZENITH BANK PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 102 47 62 18 25 400 332 32 484 36 74 134 59 90 15 19 215 214 27 33 343 2,761

Quotation(N) 7.12 1.30 5.07 2.95 7.10 2.61 12.50 0.56 15.20 9.40 1.08 1.40 0.86 7.50 0.85 1.84 5.60 2.83 0.84 0.98 14.67

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 2,251,237 15,994,164.52 800,200 1,011,550.75 2,747,971 13,799,497.46 69,391 203,185.40 5,976,776 42,543,943.75 6,653,045 17,401,041.35 4,635,893 57,633,091.50 1,297,797 727,160.32 13,316,201 205,152,189.43 1,646,016 15,552,018.11 3,997,225 4,121,986.49 7,968,850 11,073,060.42 6,115,492 5,225,158.20 1,671,981 12,479,886.10 157,000 130,170.00 577,754 1,028,492.56 11,274,371 63,572,691.50 9,941,361 27,901,894.87 1,704,000 1,509,201.04 1,019,737 1,003,657.04 13,755,139 202,144,579.32 97,577,437 700,208,620.13

Quotation(N) 245.00 6.44 2.37 88.00 0.93

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 415,503 101,602,720.92 3,250 20,475.00 100 226.00 598,038 52,277,299.70 1,000 930.00 1,017,891 153,901,651.62

BREWERIES Company Name GUINNESS NIGERIA PLC INTERNATIONAL BREWERIES PLC JOS INTERNATIONAL BREWERIES PLC NIGERIAN BREWERIES PLC PREMIER BREWERIES PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 71 3 1 92 1 168

BUILDING MATERIALS Company Name ASHAKA CEMENT PLC CEMENT CO. OF NORTHERN NIGERIA PLC DANGOTE CEMENT PLC NIGERIAN ROPES PLC. LAFARGE WAPCO PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 39 17 43 1 28 128

Quotation(N) 23.00 9.30 125.00 8.69 47.50

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 394,007 9,053,692.38 283,922 2,697,667.02 665,166 83,112,865.54 100 826.00 474,300 22,578,930.10 1,817,495 117,443,981.04

Stock market opens second half on negative T

HE Nigerian stock market started the second half on a negative note, underlining investors’ concerns about the potential returns for the year after the market closed the first half almost flat.

On the first trading day of the second half, key market indices closed in the red with the benchmark All Share Index (ASI) and aggregate market capitalisation of equities dropping by 1.13 per cent each, compared with last-day (last Thursday) gain of 0.23 per cent each during the last trading session of the first half.

The ASI opens today at 24,696.83 points while the market capitalisation now stands at N7.90 trillion compared with 24, 980.20 points and N7.988 trillion recorded as closing positions for the first half.

The stock market had closed the first half with a negligible average gain of 0.85 per cent as last-month recession eroded average year-to-date gains from N360 billion by the fifth month to N74 billion by the close of the market yesterday.

ASI had closed first half at 24, 980.20 points as against its year opening index of 24,770.52 points, indicating average gain of 0.85 per cent, while aggre-

By Taofik Salako

gate market capitalisation of quoted companies closed first half at N7.988 trillion, representing an increase of 0.93 per cent or N74 billion on the 2011’s opening market value of N7.914 trillion.

The first half position reflected the sustained recession witnessed in June when the stock market lost N280 billion or 3.4 per cent, eroding the momentum gathered in May when the stock market rallied a gain of 3.29 per cent, to push the overall average yield for the five-month period to 4.43 per cent compared with about 1.1 per cent by the fourth month.

Analysts were divided on the extent of recovery that might be witnessed in the second half but most agreed that the market would outperform its first half performance in the second half. Analysts said the reversal to the negative that started the second half underscored concerns that the market might not sustain its appreciable double-digit recovery. The stock market had recorded average return of about 19 per cent in 2010.

Weekly market analysis

showed that the ASI dropped by 2.27 per cent last in spite of the last-day bullish break that closed the first half on Thursday. Also, the NSE 30 Index last week declined by 27.47 points or 2.5 per cent to close at 1,099.74, indicating a worsening recession shaving off points across the market. The ASI and NSE 30 Index had two weeks ago dropped by 0.14 per cent and 0.22 per cent respectively.

Three out of the four sectoral indices depreciated last week, further indicating the breadth of the bearish circle. The NSE Insurance Index depreciated by 0.13 points or 0.1 per cent while the NSE Banking Index and NSE Oil and Gas Index dropped by 3.6 per cent and 8.5 per cent respectively. However, the NSE Food and Beverage Index appreciated by 0.54 points or 0.1 per cent last week.

On price movement, 28 recorded capital appreciation last week as against 56 stocks that suffered price depreciation. Julius Berger Nigeria topped the gainers’ list with a gain of N5.76 to close at N62.26 per share. Guinness Nigeria Plc followed with a gain of N5 to close at N245 per share.

NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 01-07-11

CHEMICAL & PAINTS Company Name CHEMICAL AND ALLIED PRODUCTS PLC PAINTS AND COATINGS MANUFACTURES PLC PORTLAND PAINTS & PRODUCTS NIGERIA PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 11 1 1 13

Quotation(N) 34.12 1.42 5.11

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 25,010 895,858.20 1,000 1,350.00 100 536.00 26,110 897,744.20

COMMERCIAL/SERVICES Company Name COURTVILLE INVESTMENTS PLC RED STAR EXPRESS PLC TRANS NATIONWIDE EXPRESS PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 2 55 1 58

Quotation(N) 0.50 2.79 5.78

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 22,000 11,000.00 4,283,408 11,597,727.00 100 550.00 4,305,508 11,609,277.00

COMPUTER & OFFICE EQUIPMENT Company Name NCR (NIGERIA) PLC. Sector Totals

No of Deals Quotation(N) 3 6.25 3

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 99,048 619,050.00 99,048 619,050.00

CONGLOMERATES Company Name CHELLARAMS PLC PZ CUSSONS NIGERIA PLC TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATION OF NIGERIA PLC UAC OF NIGERIA PLC UNILEVER NIGERIA PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 2 35 31 37 43 148

Quotation(N) 7.22 38.10 1.03 39.02 27.00

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 700 4,802.00 89,719 3,422,163.40 6,706,007 6,907,187.21 71,359 2,783,276.12 171,595 4,678,010.65 7,039,380 17,795,439.38

Company Name AIICO INSURANCE PLC. CONTINENTAL REINSURANCE PLC CUSTODIAN AND ALLIED INSURANCE PLC EQUITY ASSURANCE PLC GOLDLINK INSURANCE PLC GUARANTY TRUST ASSURANCE PLC CONSOLIDATED HALLMARK INSURANCE PLC INTERNATIONAL ENERGY INSURANCE COMPANY PLC LAW UNION AND ROCK INSURANCE PLC. LINKAGE ASSURANCE PLC MUTUAL BENEFITS ASSURANCE PLC N.E.M. INSURANCE CO. (NIG.) PLC. NIGER INSURANCE CO. PLC. PRESTIGE ASSURANCE PLC. STACO INSURANCE PLC STANDARD ALLIANCE INSURANCE PLC UNIVERSAL INSURANCE COMPANY PLC INTERCONTINENTAL WAPIC INSURANCE PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals Quotation(N) 9 2.46 10 62.26 19

No of Deals Quotation(N) 1 2.18 3 0.54 4

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 85,093 199,117.62 40,260 2,496,341.00 125,353 2,695,458.62

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 2,000 4,560.00 6,490 3,504.60 8,490 8,064.60

FOOD/BEVERAGES & TOBACCO Company Name 7-UP BOTTLING CO. PLC CADBURY NIGERIA PLC DANGOTE FLOUR MILLS PLC DANGOTE SUGAR REFINERY PLC FLOUR MILLS NIGERIA PLC HONEYWELL FLOUR MILL PLC NATIONAL SALT COMPANY NIGERIA PLC NIGERIAN BOTTLING COMPANY PLC NESTLE NIGERIA PLC NORTHERN NIGERIA FLOUR MILLS PLC TANTALIZERS PLC UTC NIGERIA PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 11 33 49 41 68 7 31 12 26 4 3 6 291

Quotation(N) 45.00 17.95 16.00 12.80 95.00 4.34 5.40 41.00 400.00 26.36 0.50 0.68

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 126,828 5,731,400.00 188,256 3,385,106.10 1,926,233 30,819,728.00 403,282 5,170,081.87 253,731 24,039,651.75 25,557 113,031.81 481,300 2,503,530.00 30,449 1,248,409.00 24,087 9,617,424.06 21,382 563,131.92 15,100 7,550.00 254,800 173,264.00 3,751,005 83,372,308.51

Quotation(N) 1.83 26.94 3.70 1.70 3.87

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 691,777 1,208,428.10 24,494 632,267.26 61,635 232,732.50 550 891.00 10,050 36,993.50 788,506 2,111,312.36

HEALTHCARE Company Name FIDSON HEALTHCARE PLC GLAXOSMITHKLINE CONSUMER NIG. PLC MAY & BAKER NIGERIA PLC. NEIMETH INTERNATIONAL PHARMACEUTICALS PLC PHARMA-DEKO PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 28 9 13 1 3 54

HOTEL & TOURISM Company Name CAPITAL HOTEL PLC IKEJA HOTEL PLC TOURIST COMPANY OF NIGERIA PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 14 12 1 27

Quotation(N) 3.50 1.46 4.53

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 564,735 1,969,730.80 1,591,000 2,322,860.00 1,000 4,530.00 2,156,735 4,297,120.80

INDUSTRIAL/DOMESTIC PRODUCTS Company Name ALUMINIUM EXTRUSION INDUSTRIES PLC VITAFOAM NIGERIA PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals Quotation(N) 1 11.20 11 6.00 12

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 5,000 53,200.00 228,489 1,370,974.00 233,489 1,424,174.00

INFORMATION & COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY Company Name CHAMS PLC MASS TELECOM INNOVATION NIGERIA PLC STARCOMMS PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 2 1 6 9 INSURANCE

Quotation(N) 0.50 0.50 0.51

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 1,413,496 1,142,039.41 6,452,000 7,295,965.14 2,527,500 7,606,665.00 2,250,000 1,125,000.00 1,214,150 607,075.00 12,198,405 18,318,154.00 2,566,411 1,283,205.50 312,111 156,055.50 1,262,000 710,320.00 1,000 500.00 2,200 1,100.00 571,600 307,624.00 154,884 99,940.88 1,329,214 2,326,124.50 147,439 73,719.50 2,505,000 1,252,500.00 11,800 5,900.00 639,710 339,046.30 35,558,920 42,650,934.73

No of Deals Quotation(N) 4 1.25 4

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 42,750 51,330.80 42,750 51,330.80

MARITIME

ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY Company Name CUTIX PLC NIGERIAN WIRE AND CABLE PLC. Sector Totals

Quotation(N) 0.81 1.15 3.00 0.50 0.50 1.50 0.50 0.50 0.55 0.50 0.50 0.55 0.65 1.75 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.53

LEASING Company Name C&I LEASING PLC Sector Totals

CONSTRUCTION Company Name COSTAIN (WA) PLC JULIUS BERGER NIGERIA PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 32 13 6 2 9 33 2 2 6 1 2 19 14 7 2 203 2 7 362

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 300,100 150,050.00 500,000 250,000.00 510,000 260,100.00 1,310,100 660,150.00

Company Name JAPAUL OIL & MARITIME SERVICES PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals Quotation(N) 99 1.05 99

Company Name AFROMEDIA PLC DAAR COMMUNICATIONS PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals Quotation(N) 1 0.51 5 0.50 6

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 4,909,454 5,386,703.25 4,909,454 5,386,703.25

MEDIA Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 2,000 1,020.00 6,000 3,000.00 8,000 4,020.00

MORTGAGE COMPANIES Company Name RESORT SAVINGS AND LOANS PLC UNION HOMES SAVINGS AND LOANS PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals Quotation(N) 2 0.50 8 0.56 10

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 4,000,000 2,000,000.00 130,300 73,074.00 4,130,300 2,073,074.00

OTHER FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS Company Name CRUSADER NIGERIA PLC. ROYAL EXCHANGE PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals Quotation(N) 1 0.50 5 0.50 6

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 2,000 1,000.00 417,027 208,513.50 419,027 209,513.50

PACKAGING Company Name NIGERIAN BAG MANUFACTURING COMPANY PLC BETA GLASS CO. PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals Quotation(N) 133 2.59 1 12.71 134

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 1,522,486 3,874,277.84 50 604.00 1,522,536 3,874,881.84

PETROLEUM(MARKETING) Company Name BECO PETROLEUM PRODUCT PLC MRS OIL NIGERIA PLC CONOIL PLC ETERNA OIL & GAS PLC. FORTE OIL PLC MOBIL OIL NIGERIA PLC. OANDO PLC TOTAL NIGERIA PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 8 23 19 6 8 14 235 4 317

Quotation(N) 0.50 72.00 36.10 4.52 19.28 157.50 40.70 195.50

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 197,800 98,900.00 248,850 18,148,623.00 19,107 657,617.95 83,546 377,627.92 32,665 629,781.20 8,629 1,336,305.00 3,886,389 158,579,302.72 802 156,797.92 4,477,788 179,984,955.71

PRINTING & PUBLISHING Company Name LONGMAN NIGERIA PLC UNIVERSITY PRESS PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals Quotation(N) 1 5.60 21 5.23 22

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 365 2,044.00 280,325 1,475,304.94 280,690 1,477,348.94

REAL ESTATE Company Name UACN PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT CO. PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals Quotation(N) 7 20.00 7

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 26,089 497,737.50 26,089 497,737.50

THE FOREIGN LISTINGS Company Name ECOBANK TRANSNATIONAL INCORPORATED Sector Totals Overall Totals

No of Deals Quotation(N) 8 14.40 8 4,747

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 76,450 1,081,226.50 76,450 1,081,226.50 172,548,193

1,338,661,869.00

58

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

59

FOREIGN NEWS

M

OROCCANS have approved constitutional reforms put forward by King Mohammed VI in response to recent pro-democracy protests, preliminary results show.

With almost all the ballots counted, 98.5% of people had voted in favour, Interior Minister Taib Cherkaoui said.

The reforms grant executive powers to a prime minister, but the king is retained as head of the military, religious authorities and judiciary.

The concessions come after protests inspired by the so-

called Arab Spring.

Popular uprisings have toppled Presidents Zine alAbidine Ben Ali of Tunisia and Hosni Mubarak of Egypt.

The turnout in Friday’s constitutional referendum the first under King Mohammed’s 12-year rule was nearly 73%, officials said.

The king did not say anything as he cast his vote in the capital, Rabat, but he has described the reforms as a “decisive historic transition”.

All the country’s main political parties, unions, civic

groups, religious leaders and media urged Moroccans to vote in favour of the new constitution.

“I support the king, he keeps Morocco safe. It is not like Algeria and Yemen, it’s stable here,” Rachid Aboul-Hassan, a cab driver in Rabat told the Associated Press on Friday.

Some called it the “big decision day” here in Morocco. Yet Moroccans seemed to go about their daily life without much fuss unlike the days leading up to the referendum.

Some people here said it was the quiet before the storm.

In one of the polling centres, set up in Hassan II High

School in the capital, Rabat, all voting rooms looked the same. They contained a Moroccan flag and a poster of the king, both taped next to each other on the blackboard. Participation was slow in the morning but people say much more voters will turn out after Friday prayers.

There was a sense of anticipation in the kingdom, many people felt they were making history and they said they were weighing their vote carefully. They knew their vote - no or yes - might represent a referendum on the king himself.

Extradite Habre or try him, AU urges Senegal

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Libyan rebels welcome AU’s ‘Gaddafi-free’ talks offer

Morocco approves King Mohammed’s reforms

HE African Union says Senegal must try the former dictator of Chad who has been living in the Senegalese capital for decades.

The AU decision passed

Friday during a summit in Equatorial Guinea states it is “incumbent on Senegal in accordance with its international obligations to take steps to bring Hissene Habre to trial, or extradite

him.”

Habre who is accused of torturing and executing opponents has become a symbol of Africa’s unwillingness to try its own. He has lived in Senegal since 1990,

and Senegal agreed to create a special court to try him more than five years ago.

Human Rights Watch applauded the move, saying it is the first time that the AU has taken such a strong stance.

•Gaddafi

L

IBYAN rebel leaders have welcomed an African Union offer to open talks with the government in Tripoli without the direct involvement of Muammar Gaddafi.

The Transitional National Council said it was the first time the AU had recognised the people’s aspirations for democracy and human rights in Libya.

The talks offer was agreed at an AU summit in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.

The AU also told members not to execute an arrest warrant for Col Gaddafi from the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The warrant “seriously complicates the efforts

aimed at finding a negotiated political settlement to the crisis in Libya, which will also address, in a mutually reinforcing way, issues related to impunity and reconciliation,” delegates said in a statement.

The chairman of the AU Commission, Jean Ping, said they were not against the ICC, but felt that the court was “discriminatory” and targeted only officials from the African continent.

A total of 31 states in Africa are signatories to the ICC, representing nearly a third of the nations where the mandate applies.

Libyan government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim welcomed the decision.

“The ICC is a European Guantanamo Bay. It’s only against the African leaders. It never deals with the crimes committed by the United States of America... and by the European powers,” he told reporters in Tripoli.

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60

FOREIGN NEWS Palestinian Authority faces budget crisis THE Palestinian Authority has had to cut salaries paid to its civil servants by half as it faces a major budget shortfall.

Prime Minister Salam Fayyad called on “donors and our Arab brothers” to come to their aid, saying that international donors notably Arab countries - had failed to deliver promised funding.

Donors had provided only $330m of a total $970 commitment for the year.

The authority has been relying on bank loans to tide it over until now.

However, in a recent report the World Bank noted that Palestinian borrowing was “unsustainable” - it was nearing its borrowing limit.

“Today is a day of crisis,” said the prime minister in Ramallah on Sunday.

Foreign donations account for just over a quarter of the total Palestinian budget of $3.7bn.

Allies of ex-IMF chief Strauss-Kahn eye political comeback A

LLIES of former International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn have said he could make a political comeback in France now he has been freed from house arrest in the United States.

Before being accused of sexually assaulting a hotel maid in New York on 14 May, Mr Strauss-Kahn was tipped as a possible French presidential candidate.

But doubts have since emerged about the credibility of the maid, and the case is reportedly close to collapse.

On Friday a judge ordered Mr Strauss-Kahn released on his own recognisance.

He is now free to travel in the US, although he cannot leave the country and must appear in court again later this month.

Mr Strauss-Kahn, who resigned as head of the International Monetary Fund to defend himself, vigorously denies the charges.

He had earlier been the favourite to be the Socialist Party’s candidate for the French presidency in May 2011.

The BBC’s Christian Fraser in Paris says that regardless of events in court, the expectation is growing here in France the case will ultimately collapse.

And if that happens, the only person who can rule his out of next year’s contest is Mr Strauss-Kahn himself, our correspondent adds.

Here in Paris there is huge anticipation. The man who

had been written out of the script for next year’s presidential elections is potentially back in the running.”

The last Socialist Prime Minister, Lionel Jospin, said: “If we hypothesise that Dominique is cleared of all suspicion and all charges, which I obviously hope will happen, then it will be first down to him to decide... and then it will be down to the Socialists to decide.”

A Socialist MP, Jean-Marie Le Guen, said he thought it likely that Mr Strauss-Kahn would stand.

“Yes, he will be present for the presidential campaign,” he said.

“If what we heard... is true,

that the American justice will free him and re-habilitate him, give him back his honour and dignity. Then, since Dominique Strauss-Kahn is a fighter, he will fight in our country.”

The list for nominations is due to close on 13 July - five days before his next scheduled court appearance. But the senior Socialist, Francois Hollande, said the deadline could be extended.

Our correspondent says there are though plenty in France who hold Mr StraussKahn in high admiration for the way he has conducted himself in court, there is sympathy and renewed hope among his staunchest allies.

UK to review immigrants’ ‘right to family life’ THE United Kingdom government is to review some of its immigration policy relating to the European Convention on Human Rights clause about family life.

The Home Office will look at how it works with Article 8 of the ECHR, which guarantees the right to a family life.

The review comes after a Burundi asylum seeker won permission to bring her children to the UK - a move not usually allowed.

The Home Office said the review was part of managing migration.

In the case of the Burundi woman, reported in the Sunday Telegraph, she was granted “indefinite leave to remain” in the UK after the Home Office lost her paperwork.

Her immigration status would not normally allow her to bring dependents, but she won that right under Article 8.

This is part of a package of reforms we are putting in place to manage migration”

Floods at China mines trap ‘40’ RESCUERS in southern China are trying to reach more than 40 workers in two coal mines after one pit was flooded and the other caved in.

They are venting explosive gas and pumping water from a mine in Guangxi region, where three miners died.

Flooding has continued to hamper rescue work at the other mine in the neighbouring province of Guizhou.

China’s mines are the world’s deadliest; more than 2,600 miners died in accidents in 2009 alone.

Heavy rain was said to have caused the latest accidents.

Emergency workers said water continued to rise inside the Niupeng mine in Pingtang County in Guizhou, Xinhua news agency reported.

•Israelis protesting the Greek authority’s decision banning a Gaza-bound flotilla from sailing...yesterday

said he made the proposal about a month ago.

He had made the statement through the United Nations,but had yet to receive any response from Tripoli.

Mustafa Abdel Jalil says he is still waiting for a reply to his offer “As a peaceful solution, we offered that he can resign and order his soldiers to withdraw from their barracks and positions, and then he can decide either to stay in Libya or

abroad,” he said.

“If he desires to stay in Libya, we will determine the place and it will be under international supervision.

“And there will be international supervision of all his movements.”

He added: “We offered this through a UN envoy. We haven’t received any answer.”

Nato probably did not really think when it began military intervention in March

T

ade with an estimated 3.2m people in need of emergency aid.

Mr Mitchell said: “Through no fault of its own, the Horn of Africa is experiencing a severe drought caused by the failed rains.

“Britain is acting quickly and decisively in Ethiopia to stop this crisis becoming a catastrophe. We will provide vital food to help 1.3 million people through the next three months.

“This situation needs an international response and Britain is calling on the international community to provide

fast, effective relief.”

Oxfam welcomed the announcement and said the money could not come soon enough.

Humanitarian director Jane Cocking said: “There are already critical and lifethreatening food shortages in Ethiopia and across the Horn of Africa region.

“Two successive poor rains have left millions of people struggling to get food as hundreds of thousands of livestock have died and crops have failed.

“Other donors now need to follow suit and increase

T

HE Acting DirectorGeneral of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Professor Bola Akinterinwa, has decried the declining productivity and the diminishing status of the institute.

Akinterinwa spoke at the inauguration of the NIIA’s former Director-Generals Forum. He noted that the institute could no longer attract first class academics from the universities following the new retirement age for university professors, which has been extended to 70 as against 65 in NIIA. His words: “The institute has been finding it difficult to attract first class brains from the universities to serve, and this is responsible for the declining productivity of the institute”.

He hailed the establishment of the ex-DGs forum, saying “we want to tap from their wealth of experience in our effort to rescue and reposition the institute.”

Akinterinwa said: “If NIIA must remain as a veritable instrument for Nigeria’s leadership role in global politics and provide the foundation for a virile foreign policy, the former DGs also have a role to play.”

The Chairman of the occasion, Chief Arthur Mbanefo, commended Akinterinwa for taking the initiative by bringing together people that had served the institute in an effort to reposition it.

The former DGs present at the inauguration are Professors Gabriel Olusanya, George Obiozor and Rafiu Akindele. They promised to assist in making the institute regain its old glory.

W

•Abdel Jalil

that Colonel Gaddafi would still be in power now.

He said the rebel council believed Col Gaddafi could be held in a military barracks or “a civilian building” in Libya, but gave no details.

UK pledges $61m food aid to Ethiopia HE United Kingdom has pledged £38m ($61m) in food aid to drought-hit Ethiopia enough to feed 1.3m people for three months.

International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell said the World Food Programme cash would also treat 329,000 malnourished children and mothers.

He warned that other countries must also give money if a full-scale disaster was to be avoided.

The African country faces its worst drought for a dec-

By Leke Salaudeen

Thailand opposition wins key election

Rebel leader: Gaddafi can retire if he resigns L

IBYA’S rebel chief says Colonel Gaddafi is welcome to retire on Libyan soil as long as he resigns formally and agrees to international supervision of his movements.

Rebels and their Western allies have rejected any solution to the conflict that does not include Col Gaddafi’s resignation.

They say he must quit before any peace talks can begin.

Speaking in his stronghold of Benghazi, rebel leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil - Gaddafi’s former justice minister -

NIIA boss decries institute’s declining productivity

funding before it is too late.”

Mr Mitchell urged the Ethiopian government to provide the latest estimates of those affected - particularly in the south - so that aid agencies could target their relief.

“For the response to be effective, we need the most up-to-date, accurate information on the level of need in Ethiopia,” he said.

“The country has made great strides in many areas over the past 30 years and this emergency relief will help to ensure that these gains are not eroded.”

ITH most votes counted, outgoing Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has conceded victory to his rival, opposition leader Yingluck Shinawatra.

Ms Yingluck, who will become Thailand’s first female prime minister, said there was “a lot of hard work ahead”.

She is the younger sister of Thaksin Shinawatra, ousted in a coup in 2006.

With 92% of votes counted, Ms Yingluck’s Pheu Thai party had won 260 seats, giving it a majority in the 500-seat parliament.

“It is now clear from the election results so far that the Pheu Thai party has won the election, and the Democrat Party concedes defeat,” Mr Abhisit said on national TV. The longer the campaign went on, the more the momentum seemed to be with the opposition.

But few predicted the margin of victory would be as decisive as it now appears.

Yingluck Shinawatra has never run for political office before but her family name energised a support base still loyal to her older brother.

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

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62

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

SPORT EXTRA

NSF:Jonathan toshower N45m on winners

RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has disclosed that the best three participating states at the National Sports Festival will share N45 million, along with the newly-presented trophies, but noted that Nigerian sports are not near where they ought to be.

The contingents of the overall winning state, according to the President, will go home with N20 million, while the first runner up will be richer with N15 million and the second runner up will also return to base with N10 million.

The three trophies were donated by Plateau, Lagos and Anambra states, to encourage

P

From Bisi Olaniyi and Akeem Lawal, in Port Harcourt

the athletes to put in their best.

The President spoke yesterday while declaring open the colourful 17th National Sports Festival (NSF), tagged “Garden City Games,” at the Liberation Stadium, Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

Jonathan, who got to the stadium at 7:01pm, said: “The 17th edition of this fiesta is coming at a critical time in our history, as we embark on a journey of national transformation, which places a great

•Jonathan

Rangers lose first home game in two years

F

IVE-TIME Nigerian champions, Enugu Rangers, suffered their first home defeat in the Nigeria Premier League (NPL) in over two years when visiting Kano Pillars got a lone goal win at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium on Sunday in a Week 30 game.

Playing in their 14th home game of the season, the Flying Antelopes were clearly the better side against Kano Pillars from the start of the game.

An insipid style of play from the visiting side ensured that Rangers were reduced to just a handful of half chances in the opening half of the game that ended goalless.

But ten minutes into the restart, Kano Pillars’ midfielder, Musa Musa, stunned the home team with a fine goal side after a sweeping counter-attack from Ladan Bosso’s men.

Surprisingly that turned out to be the only real chance created

by Kano Pillars, which adopted a largely defence play that caught an attacking Rangers outfit on the break.

It was evident that the Flying Antelopes were missing the dribbling runs, crosses and guile of attacking winger, Ejike Uzoenyi, who was not dressed for the game.

However, Rangers were handed a lifeline on 65th minute when centre referee, Bunmi Ogunkolade from Oyo State, awarded them a penalty after an infringement on a goal-bound attempt in the Pillars’ goal area.

Rangers’ captain and spot kick specialist this season, Uwadiegwu Ugwu, blew his side’s chance of salvaging a point from the game when he missed from the penalty kick.

Attempts by Rangers attacking line led by Brendan Ogbu to get their side back into the game were met by dogged defending

by Bosso’s side.

It is the first time the Flying Antelopes would lose at home since March 7, 2009 when Heartland defeated them 1 – 3 at their temporary home in Nnewi. Before today’s loss at home, Rangers were on a streak of 87 home games without a loss.

responsibility on the vibrancy of our nation, as the nation recognises the pivotal roles and contributions of our youths to our sustained growth and development efforts.

“This is why we are specially committed to providing the enabling environment for them to realise their full potential, as critical agents of change.

“The NSF has continued to live up to the vision of the founding fathers, who 38 years ago, conceptualised the fiesta as a vehicle for national integration, through the congregation of youths from across the nation, engage in sporting activities.

“In addition to providing platforms for the tremendous budding talents that abound in every part of the country, the sporting fiesta also affords us the opportunity to celebrate tomorrow’s leaders.”

The biennial event, which was introduced in 1973 by the administration of Gen. Yakubu Gowon, after the Civil War, as a unifying factor, was last hosted by Rivers state in 1988.

NSF’s opening ceremony was attended by the Senate President, David Mark, other members of the national and states assemblies, governors, ministers and other eminent personalities.

The Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, in his welcome address described hosting of the NSF twice by the state as a rare privilege, thereby joining the league of states that had hosted the games twice.

He said because of the games, the Rivers state government decided to build a brand new Adokiye Amaesimaka Stadium at the Greater Port Harcourt City, which he described as the best in Nigeria.

Amaechi pointed out that there was an urgent need to reinforce the values the nation’s founding fathers held dearly, with the energies of the youths redirected to productive ventures.

He noted that the NSF was a tool to strengthen “our” nationhood, adding that since Rivers state hosted the games in 1988, no other state had been able to beat its records.

In his address, the Chairman of the Main Organising Committee (MOC), Chief Patrick Ekeji, who is also the Director-General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), described the NSF as a veritable avenue for bonding for diverse tribes and constructive engaging the youths, thereby promoting love and brotherliness.

Shortly after the march past by the states’ contingents, the Chairman of the Local Organising Committee (LOC), Tele Ikuru, who is also the Deputy Governor of Rivers State, gave his welcome address.

Ikuru stated that the athletes, officials and dignitaries attending the event, especially the opening ceremony, had to do with their belief in a new Nigeria.

The LOC chairman noted that if the hosting fell short of the people’s expectations, the blame should go to the LOC, but if it turned out to be a success, the accolades should go to Amaechi.

THE NATION MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011

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SPORT EXTRA

•Nsofor

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ITH what you’ve seen so far, would you say the recent seminar for coaches has been felt in the on-going festival?

The seminar was done just last week and I don’t think it has any impact on the festival. You won’t start seeing good boxing until quarter final and semi final.

You complained the other time that we don’t have heavy weight boxers, have you seen any boxer that is likely to be called into camp ahead of the All Africa Games?

So far the heavy weights have not started yet and I haven’t seen any heavy weight boxer. I have not seen a tall guy, but we will see what we have when they go into the ring and we will see if we can develop them more because it’s all a process. They keep on growing and growing and it will not be achieved in one outing. We have not maximized our boxing potentials, we have the talents all around and this festival will be an avenue to fish the out.

Technically from your own view, do you think Rivers is really prepared to host this event?

I don’t know because this is the only boxing venue and as you can see, with the rain everywhere is leaking. So I don’t know about other venues, but for boxing we’ve been here three days before the events started and a lot of improvements have been done since then. They’ve done the lighting, the changing room; everything was done at the last minute.

What are the challenges so far in terms of facilities?

Well everything for boxing is here. We needed a ring and we got it, so we have the boxers

The future of Nigerian boxing is bright — Nsofor Prince Idika Nsofor is the Technical Adviser of the Nigeria Boxing Federation. He spoke with NationSport AKEEM LAWAL and FLORENCE NKEM during the preliminary round of the sport, at the Convocation Arena, University of Port Harcourt. here and I don’t know about any other places, but here everything is fine so far.

So what is the future of boxing in Nigeria?

The future of Nigerian boxing is bright, we are growing and we will continue to grow. You know why?

Because we have the talents

and all we have to do is put our hearts together and boxing will grow again in Nigeria. We have the talents here in Nigeria and all over the world, but it’s

•A Nigerian amateur boxer in action in an international competition recently

putting everything together, I mean all the negative aspects in the country’s boxing should be avoided and we will start to see improvement. It’s a gradual

progress and not something that happens overnight. Champions are not made overnight, it takes time and they will grow.

So we have a future.

WHO SAID WHAT

MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

‘Iroko would rather be a big fish in a small LP pond; than be a small fish in a big ACN pond. Some ACN partisans, particularly at the local Ondo front, are not at all amused!’

VOL. 6, NO. 1,810

C OMMENT & D EB ATE EBA

O

NE of the tragedies of any religious crisis is that we look at it as a religious crisis. The zealots dangle the holy book, chant familiar sing songs, eyes pop out with indignation, bullets fly, swords loom and blood chills.

Is that not the way of belief? To hold the word as sacred we have to manifest the rage of the heavens. True? Not true. We forget that the bigot is a human being before he is a bigot.

That is why the Boko Haram affair has seemed difficult to tackle. We think those releasing the bombs are God’s maniacal messengers, and therefore are operating in a spirit with which we cannot relate.

Yet the group that calls itself a hater of books and Western civilisation is in awe of the elements of the West. In Abuja, they did not ride donkeys or camels to the police headquarters. The whole thing happened in one of the most showy and emblematic of the white man’s genius: the car. The car that John DeLorean wrecked with his extravagant pursuit of capitalism two decades ago is wrecked here in an extravagant pursuit of God. Both the maker of Chrysler muscle car and the self-acclaimed errand boy of the Almighty ended the same way: they destroyed the world’s adult toy. Some of the most violent offences in the West take place in the car. John F. Kennedy fell in a car in Texas.

The movies wreck car after car.

What did our Boko Haram use? Not dagger or sword or machete, but the most violent device in the form of a plaything: the bomb. Who made it? The West and the product of education. Those who made the bomb learned it from the ideas of some of the Western genius, like Isaac Newton, like Albert Einstein. They were regarded as the lights.

The poet Alexander Pope wrote of Newton’s role in poesy in a parody of Genesis: “Nature and nature’s laws were hid in night.”

God said: “let there be Newton” and then there was light.”

That is not the light the Boko Haram extols but its light enabled them to fight the light of that education.

They also communicate in English language. They issue press release not in Arabic but in the most subversive of all the languages: the language of the Americans, of the British. Christmas day bomber Abdulmuttalab is a proficient English language speaker. Boko Haram also uses the Internet, the product of the Americans. The first idea sparked in a university in Pennsylvania and President Dwight Eisenhower adopted it for the military for instant communication as a foil against the rise of the Soviet military. Osama Bin Laden was shown obsessed with his own image on television, another Western invention.

SAM OMATSEYE

IN TOUCH

samo@thenationonlineng.net 08054501081(sms only) •Winner, Informed Commentary 2009 (D.A.M.E) •Columnist of the Year 2009 (NMMA)

They are part of us ‘While we contemplate criminalising the Boko Haram group, we must understand that we created them. The elite had food but did not give them. They had school but did not educate them. Shelter they had but left them to loiter in heat and sands. So they followed who gave them a living, no matter how little’ •Yusuf

So if we want to understand the Boko Haram we have to forget the view of them as some savages locked in the savanna or the desert lands. We must first understand them as vagrant, lost in the nights of human soul. It is then we can start to understand why.

We must then ask ourselves how we allowed such a group to fester in our midst.

If they were human, how did they carry piety the way others who believe would not. Then we can look at the situation in a place like Afghanistan or Pakistan and ask whether we have a similar background. If we look deeply, we would find that we do. The descent into zealotry had less to do with spiritual than with material neglect.

RIPPLES ACN urges Jonathan to fix roads–News

...and REDUCE fuel price, too!

The story is often told that Afghanistan fell into the hands of the Taliban after the United States pulled out of the country when the Soviet conflict ended. The place lacked money and the beneficence of natural endowments. The people became desperately poor. In such atmosphere, they became susceptible to the extremist thought, the seduction of the austere life.

They became angry. That was why Osama Bin Laden succeeded there rather than in Saudi Arabia where people were prosperous. He exploited the facile minds of the poor. He recruited them to the army of his God. Such men feed them, clothe them and house them while simultaneously condemning the search for material things.

HARDBALL

W

ESTERN countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, France and Italy must be wondering what they have got themselves into with the increasingly messy adventure in Libya. On the back of the swift resolution of the political crises in Tunisia and Egypt, Muammar Gaddafi looked like the next despot to be retired by the people’s revolution sweeping the Arab world.

But after six months of facing the psychological strain of being bombed nonstop, he remains dug in power. The rebels, who seemed to have everything going for them when the United Nations authorised air strikes, continue to look like a ragtag bunch of idealists without a prayer of toppling the old despot and his family.

Indeed, whatever modest gains they have made have been as a result of the degradation of Gaddafi’s army’s attack capabilities by using air strikes.

The Colonel’s strategy seams clear: outlast his Western foes. It is all about psychology.

He knows that citizens of the key countries carrying out the bombings are increasingly weary of their government’s involvement in foreign military conflicts given their

OLAKUNLE ABIMBOLA

They get bread but not butter. They get shelter under heat, but it is shelter. They get water in trickles better than complete dryness. In a special kind of solitude, they belong to a group, as delineated in Eric Hoffer’s classic, The True believer. They feel wanted. Pride comes back to them in spite of little bread, spare shelter and drops of water. They can get it better in heaven, so it is time to join God’s army and battle the infidel.

That is the sort of condition we have in the Northeast. The former Borno State Governor Bunu Sherif once boasted that his folks could not read the newspapers, so they would not know the negative outpourings from the press about his poor governance. The same policy nurtured the army of the ignorant who hate the authorities. His failure as governor to unleash prosperity for his people, to make them eat well, sleep well, go to school, get shelter and awaken the giant within them gave birth to Boko Haram. It is just like the story of militancy in the Niger Delta.

They came from an ambience of neglect and became phony revolutionaries. But they have raised the awareness in the region to the value of caring for the restless youth.

While we contemplate criminalising the Boko Haram group, we must understand that we created them. The elite had food but did not give them. They had school but did not educate them. Shelter they had but left them to loiter in heat and sands.

So they followed who gave them a living, no matter how little. Such people inspire the kind of zeal in the words of the Cuban revolutionary, Che Guevera: “If I go forward, follow me; if I stop, push me; if I go back, kill me.”

These people may seem far gone. But they are not. We need to start a system of rehabilitation. We need to deploy intelligence, to rake up those ideas that will seep to their circles and draw them out. They are human and they do not have to kill and shoot and destroy. They can be like us. Hear what Galileo, the scientist, said: “I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who endowed us with sense, reason and intellect intended us to forgo their use.”

We saw a similar retreat to solitude in Obafemi Awolowo University when the students wanted to go to heaven in suicidal ecstasy. The Boko Haram people have been in many years of solitude. It is time we worm them out.

If they feel comfort with Western tools of violence, they must feel comfort in cars, air-conditioners, cell phones, televisions, jeans as well as they love things intrinsically local. They are part of us.

•Hardball is not the opinion of the columnist featured above

Gaddafi as Western nightmare extended stay in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Already, the Republican controlled United States House of Representatives, voted not too long ago to censure President Barack Obama for not seeking congressional stamp of approval before plunging into the NATO air strikes arrangement. At some point, they even threatened to cut off funding for the war.

The situation is similar in the UK. Ever since it was revealed that the British mission to Libya was costing about 43 million pounds per month, criticism of the military adventure has become more aggressive. This is understandable given that both the American and UK economies are burdened by huge debts and struggling to get out of a slump.

The upshot is that Western countries are under pressure to deliver fast by getting rid of Gaddafi. Unfortunately for them, short of some freak accident happening to him, the man seems determined to prevail. With his foes in Benghazi equally dead set against jim and his family remaining in power, there is no clear way of breaking the deadlock.

Already, the rebels have rejected an African

Union peace plan on the ground that it would leave Gaddafi in power. The expectation that the recent International Criminal Court (ICC) indictment of the Libyan leader would pile up the pressure is being vitiated by the likes of the African Union (AU), which has asked its members not to execute the ICC arrest warrant.

Experience has shown that there is a limit to what such warrants can achieve. Sudanese President Omar El-Bashir, who has one hanging around his neck, continues to travel freely between Africa and the Middle East.

Ultimately, the hardline postures of all sides would crack. The West, with Iraq and Afghanistan looming in the background, would not commit to open-ended air strikes and would call a halt when the cost becomes unbearable. The rebels, realising that they cannot prevail, on their own, militarily would be forced to negotiate without preconditions. Gaddafi, on his part, must then extract his head from the sand and fold his tent because it can no longer be business as usual in Tripoli.

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