The Nation May 21, 2014

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•From left: Former Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) President Oba Otudeko, Oba of Lagos Rilwan Akiolu, NSE Chief Executive Officer Oscar Onyema, Carverton Chairman Aderemi Matanjuola and Vice Chairman/CEO Olabode Makanjuola at the listing of Carverton on the NSE in Lagos...yesterday

EKITI 2014

PHOTO: ADEJO DAVID

•Anti-bomb experts deployed as Buhari, Tinubu visit MORE •Ado-Ekiti youths rally for Fayemi’s re-election •AND ON PAGE •Fayose seeks popularity test •Jonathan expected 11

•SCENE OF HORR OR HORROR OR:: Firefighters and rescuers extinguish a fire at the scene of a bomb blast at Terminus market in the central city of Jos...yesterday

PHOTO: AFP

Bombs kill 118 in market

‘

56 injured in twin explosions Residents besiege hospitals

•SEE PAGE 6

I can’t tell you the figure of those killed by the blasts now, because we are still evacuating bodies from the scene. The only thing I can say is that the casualty figure is very massive. It is a catastrophe

’

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014

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NEWS CHIBOK GIRLS’ ABDUCTION

Senate renews e T

•Former Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Dele Alake with his wife and daughter, Wuraola, during her graduation at the Temple University, Philadelphia, United States

•From left: President, Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria, Pius Okigbo Jr., Director-General/CEO, National Information Technology Development Agency, Peter Jack, President, Information Technology Association of Nigeria/ Chief Executive Officer, Omatek, Dr.Florence Seriki, Chairman, Digital Africa, Dr. Evans Woherem and f ounder, President/CEO, Consumer Electronics and Technologies Industry Association, Tony Smith, during the Digital Africa conference and Exhibition and the 19th World Electronic Forum (WEF) in Lagos...yesterday. PHOTO: ADEOLA SOLOMON

•From left: Managing Director, FrieslandCampina WAMCO, Mr Peter Eshikena, Chief Operating Officer, FrieslandCampina Consumer Products for Europe, Middle East and Africa, Mr Gregory Sklikas and Chairman, FrieslandCampina WAMCO, Mr PHOTO: DAYO ADEWUNMI Jacobs Moyo-Ajekigbe at the company’s 41st Annual General Meeting in Lagos...yesterday.

•From left: Senior Partner, PwC Nigeria, Uyi Akpata, CEO, NSIA, Uche Orji, CEO, Stanbic IBTC Holdings, Sola David-Borha, and GMD/CEO, Dangote Cement Plc, Devakumar Edwin, during the PwC networking breakfast meeting to discuss the Africa Business Agenda at the World Economy Forum in Abuja.

HE Senate yesterday endorsed a six-month extension of emergency rule in three states in the Northeast.

The endorsement was, however, with eight conditions which the lawmakers said must be observed in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe.

Some senators of Northern extraction had last week vowed to stop the extension.

The lawmakers contended that one year of emergency rule had not yielded the expected results.

Before the upper chamber threw its back behind the extension it held over four hour closed door session to thrash contentious issues especially those raised by opposing Senators.

Some observers were, however, taken aback with the turn of events, especially the unanimous adoption of the motion to extend the emergency rule.

Senate President David Mark praised the lawmakers for their patriotism in approving the extension of the emergency rule.

He said: “The Senate in closed session deliberated on the motion before us on the extension of state of emergency in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe and agreed that we will approve it in the plenary.”

He noted that it was agreed during the closed session that certain issues be resolved as “quickly as possible.”

Mark said: “I want to thank you all for this painstaking discussion that took place and the subsequent approval.

“Let me also say emphatically here that we have requested that certain issues be resolved as quickly as possible. We stand shoulder to shoulder and strongly behind our colleagues from all the states affected.

“We take this in the same vein that we are equally affected and that this is a national issue and not an sectional issue in any form.”

The Senate had last week deferred debate on the request to allow for “adequate consultation.”

Senate Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba said the Senate arrived at the eight conditions based on which the extension of the State of Emergency was approved.

Ndoma-Egba said: “Senate welcomes and endorse the support of the International Community in respect of efforts to rescue the abducted Chibok students and urge Mr. President to expand the cooperation and collaboration to the overall arrest of the ugly incidence of terrorism in Nigeria.

“Senate calls for proper kitting and arming of our Armed Forces deployed to arrest the insurgency and adequate welfare care for troops.

“Urge that full military operation be undertaken on sustained basis to rout out the insurgents.

“Special recruitments into the Armed Forces of screened and vetted youth particularly those in the Civilian JTF (Joint Task Force) who will receive emergency training and deployed in the troubled zone in order to beef up the strength of our troops and win hearts and minds of the locals.

“The Federal Government in conjunction with the state governments to come up with an Economic Marshal Plan to revive the economy of the economically and educationally backward parts of our country. Federal Government to seek and secure multi-lateral support for such Marshal Plan.

“The Ministers of Defence, Police Affairs, Service Chiefs, National Security Adviser (NSA) and the Director General (DG) State Security Service (SSS) to report to the Senate on

•Members of the Oyo State Women for Change Initiative at a prayer session for the abducted Chibok Girls in Ibadan.... yesterday.

P H O T O : NAN

From Onyedi Ojiabor, Assistant Editor and Sanni Onogu, Abuja

monthly basis progress made in combating the insurgency on the basis of which Senate can take any decision it reconsiders necessary including but not limited to the revocation of the declaration of State of Emergency.

“Urge Mr. President to prepare and submit to the National Assembly supplementary budget to meet any establishment financial requirements needed to combat the insurgency.

“Urge Mr. President to immediately approve intervention funds to the affected states for development.”

However, the ninth condition contained in the motion paper read by the Senate Leader, which reads: “The continuation of service of any Service Chief, GOC or Field Commander should be tied to his or her operational performances in combating the insurgency, protection of civilians and upholding the fundamental human rights of civilians” was dropped by the Senate Leader even though it was contained in the motion paper.

The motion on the extension of the emergency rule entitled: “Extension of State of emergency in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States” which the Senators must have discussed during the closed door session before it was read by Ndoma-Egba, states that: “The Senate notes that on Thursday, 7th November, 2013, the Senate considered and approved the extension of the period of the state of emergency in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States.

“Aware that by virtue of the provisions of section 305 (6) (c) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), the proclamation will elapse after a period of six months from the date of approval, except the period is extended by the National Assembly.

“Further aware that the President, in a letter of 13th May, 2014, requested for a further extension of the period of the state of emergency in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.

“Recognising that the security situation in the three states remains daunting in the face of persistent attacks by members of the Boko Haram sect on civilian and military targets with alarming casualty rates.

“Cognisant of the provision of Section 305 (6) (c) which states inter alia: ‘Provided that the National Assembly may, before the expiration of the

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014

5

CHIBOK GIRLS’ ABDUCTION

ws emergency rule with conditions

•Alhaji Yakubu Oludoro Sanni (middle) addressing reporters in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital before leading muslims to stage a walk against the Chibok girls’ abduction...yesterday.

Why we extended emergency rule, by Tambuwal

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HE House of Representatives has given reasons for the extension of emergency rule in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states.

House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Tambuwal said the extension was granted to provide a legal framework for the war against terrorism and to consolidate on the successes recorded in recent past.

Tambuwal, who spoke while receiving the Botswana High Commissioner in Nigeria, Lt. period of six months aforesaid, extend the period for the proclamation of the State of Emergency to remain in force from time to time for a further period of six months by resolu-

From Victor Oluwasegun, Abuja

Gen. Louis M. Fisher, yesterday at the National Assembly, said the granting of the extension would not only provide a enabling environment for foreign countries who are in the country to help the government locate the abducted Chibok girls and solve other security challenges, but that it would give them a legislative instrument to carry out their operations.

tion passed in like manner’; “Recalled that the Ministers of Defence and Police Affairs, Service Chiefs and Director-General, State Security Service, Inspector-General of

He said the House is working closely with other arms of government to ensure that the over 200 girls abducted in Chibok are returned to their families alive and in good condition adding that the House is determined to continue appropriating funds and put in place enabling laws to allow the armed forces operate efficiently.

“Our effort is not just geared towards safe return of our girls, but is also targeted at ending insurgency in the country as a whole,” Tambuwal said.

Police and the National Security Adviser had briefed the Senate on the State of security in the affected states; “Accordingly resolved to: Ap-

The Speaker expressed satisfaction with the manner in which Botswana and other African countries for stood with Nigeria “in this difficult time,” He extolled the close ties between Nigeria and Botswana, and enjoined the Ambassador the exploit other means of deepening the relationship between both countries.

The High Commissioner in his remark said Nigeria is an important country in Africa that has always aided other nations in the continent.

prove the extension of the Proclamation of a State of Emergency as contained in the Emergency Powers (General) Regulations, /013 effective in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States

to remain in force for a further period of six months in accordance with the terms, conditions, content and context as earlier passed by the National Assembly.”

Chibok girls: Anglican synod seeks overhaul of security system

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HE Diocese of Lagos West (Anglican Communion) has urged President Goodluck Jonbathan to overhaul the security system to successfully fight insurgency.

It condemned the abduction of over 200 girls from the Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, and urged the government to ensure that they are rescued alive.

These are contained in a communiqué issued at the end of the Third Session of the Fifth Synod held at the Archbishop Vining Memorial Church Cathedral, GRA, Ikeja, signed by the Diocesan Bishop Revd. James Olusola Odedeji; Clerical Synod Secretary Ven. Tope Adewumi and Lay Synod Secretary Mrs Olateju Akindolire.

The church sought divine intervention in solving Nigeria’s security challenges.

It said: “Synod shares the pain of the nation and sympathises with the parents and relations of the kidnapped Chibok girls. Synod joins the world to say ‘Bring Back Our Girls, Now and Alive’ and thanks the international community for joining in the efforts to locate and rescue the girls.

“In view of the insecurity in the nation, Synod prays for God’s intervention on the issue and calls on the President of the country to have a complete overhaul of the national security system.

“Synod enjoins the Federal Government not to surrender or yield to the criminal demands of the insurgents. Noting that the government alone cannot fight terrorism, Synod implores Nigerians to assist the government by being security conscious.”

The church urged the government to “show seriousness in fighting corruption and indiscipline,” as wealth is concentrated in the hands

By Joseph Jibueze

of those who subvert measures put in place to fight graft.

It praised the National Assembly for passing a bill to criminalise same sex marriage and President Jonathan for promptly signing the bill into law despite external pressures against it.

Ahead of the 2015 General Elections, the synod called for fair play, urging parents not to allow their children to be used as political thugs.

On the National Conference, the church urged delegates to work in the best interest of the nation.

The church called for an end to the incessant strikes by university and polytechnic workers.

It urged parties to “stop toying with the future of children,” adding that the government should “fully implement its agreement with these and other relevant unions.”

The communique reads: "Synod commends the National Assembly for passing a bill to criminalise same sex marriage. Synod also praises the President of the Nation for promptly signing the bill into law despite some external pressures against the bill.

"Synod regrets the frequent strikes by both The Association of Senior Staff Union of Universities (ASSU) and Association of Senior Staff Union of Polytechnics and Colleges of Education (ASSUP). These strikes paralyse academic activities in our tertiary institutions and keep our children at home for months. Synod calls on the parties involved to stop toying with the future of our children and encourages the government to fully implement its agreement with these and other relevant unions.

"Synod views with great concern the unemployment rate in the country. With over five

millions of our youths roaming the street without jobs, the nation is not likely to have peace and security.

Synod condoles with the families of those who lost their lives and sympathizes with those who sustained injuries during the interviews for employment into Nigeria Immigration Service.

Synod calls for thorough investigations into the issues and those found wanting should be brought to book. Synod urges the government to embark on aggressive job creation and to deemphasize our over-dependence on oil by developing other sectors of our economy. Synod also calls for the restructuring of the educational system in such a way as to create more entrepreneurial skills.

"Synod notes that the wealth of the country is concentrated in the hands of few Nigerians especially politicians and their cronies. These individuals use their ill-gotten wealth to subvert measures put in place to fight corruption and indiscipline. Synod calls on the government to show seriousness in fighting corruption and indiscipline in the country.

"Synod notes with grief the increase in the cases of violence against women and children and frowns on the sale of babies by outfits popularly called "Baby factories". Synod also calls on States that have not adopted the Child's Right Act of 2007 to do so in the best interest of the Nigerian child. Synod calls on the Federal Government to establish a special Agency to coordinate efforts at re-habilitating abused women and children.

"Synod considers these acts of kidnapping, terrorism and ritual killings as heinous senseless, ungodly and crimes against humanity. Synod notes particularly "the Boko Haram" Insurgency and describes it as a menace and

disgrace to the nation. Synod shares the pain of the nation and sympathies with the parents and relations of the kidnapped Chibok girls. Synod joins the world to say "Bring Back Our Girls, Now and Alive" and thanks the international community for joining in the efforts to locate and rescue the girls. In view of the insecurity in the Nation, Synod prays for God's intervention on the issue and calls on the President of the country to have a complete overhaul of the national security system.

Synod enjoins the Federal Government not to surrender or yield to the criminal demands of the insurgents. Noting that the government alone cannot fight terrorism, Synod implores Nigerians to assist the government by being security conscious.

“Since the General Elections are coming up in 2015, Synod encourages fair play and truth on the part of the INEC and also implores parents not to allow their children to be used as political thugs.

“Noting that Nigeria has been adjudged as the largest economy in Africa, Synod recognies that this has not positively impacted on the life of the common man. Synod calls for the re-appraisal of the nation's value system and equitable distribution of the wealth of our Nation.

“Synod recognises the purposeful governance style of Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola SAN, the Governor of Lagos State ably supported by Mrs. Adejoke Orelope Adefulire, the Deputy Governor. Synod appeals to the Governor, as much as practicable, to complete the ongoing projects before the expiration of his term. Synod prays for a good successor who will build on the solid foundation already laid by the incumbent governor and his team.”

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014

NEWS APC fixes convention for June 13 in Abuja

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HE All Progressives Congress (APC) said yesterday it would hold its National Convention on June 13 and 14 in Abuja.

The party, which has thrown all offices open to members, named a 15-man National Convention Committee headed by Governor Aliyu Wammako of Sokoto State. Senator Chris Ngige is secretary.

The party faulted the approach of the Federal Government to the rescue of the 276 girls abducted by Boko Haram.

It described the government as insincere in its method and blamed it for not including the APC in the efforts to find the girls.

National Publicity Secretary Lai Mohammed and National Organising Secretary Osita Izunaso briefed reporters on the National Convention after the 10th meeting of the Interim National Executive Committee in Abuja.

Senator Izunaso said: “It is important for us to note that our national convention is slated for the 13th and 14th of June.

“The committee is headed by the Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Aliyu Wamako, while the Secretary is Senator Chris Ngige.

Then we have other committee members, like Senator Aisha Alhassan, Ambassador Sule Buba, Senator Hadi Abubakar Sirika, Mr. Rotimi Fasakin, Dr. Ezekiel

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Tinubu: explore all options to rescue girls

NATIONAL Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, asked the Federal Government yesterday to explore all options to rescue the abducted 276 girls.

He said the girls must be brought back alive in the interest of all, adding that foreign intervention in the search for the girls is a welcome development.

Tinubu, who spoke with reporters in Abuja at the end of the National Executive Committee meeting of the APC, said foreign intervention would help, if it is well utilised to enhance the capacity of our armed forces.

He said: “We want them alive. It is a national tragedy and we have said that several times.

“All options must be examined to bring them quickly alive out of the trauma. It is a national tragedy.”

The former Lagos State Governor faulted the extension of emergency rule in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.

He said: “I don’t know what it has fetched us, how effective it has been. What we want is security for this nation in a transparent manner to protect lives and property of all citizens.

“Whether martial law, emergency; what has it produced till date? We have had a second round of emergency. Is it ceremonial? What have we achieved with previous declaration of the state of From Yusuf Alli and John Ofikhenua, Abuja

Izuogu, Hon. Innocent Chime, Prof Julius Ihonvbare, Senator JK Waku, and Hon Suleiman Kawu among others.”

Shedding more light on the

From Yusuf Alli and John Ofikhenua, Abuja

emergency? We just want it in the gazette but the result justifies the means.

“It is not the state of emergency; it is the action, commitment, and effort to achieve the goal.

First the unity; every member of the Armed Forces is involved. So what is an emergency about?

I have not really been able to dissect and understand how this emergency has effectively delivered the goals. It has not.”

Asked about foreign assistance to rescue the abducted girls, Tinubu said: “It is welcomed. It is very good if we utilise it effectively to enhance the capacity of our Armed Forces, to equally learn new things and improve the security around our various institutions, including particularly the schools. That is about the limit of it. “ We will have to do things and develop things ourselves transparently. Is there any element of corruption going on and a waste in the amount and resources dedicated to this? ” On why some APC chieftains left the session earlier, Tinubu said: “This is democracy.

Some might Continued on page 62

convention, Mohammed said: “To your first question on whether any member of the Interim National Committee is eligible to contest, the answer is yes. The only thing is that anybody who wants to contest canContinued on page 62

•Asiwaju Tinubu...yesterday

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Shehu Sanni writes Sultan on girls’ fate

Rights Activist Shehu Sani has asked the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Saad Abubakar, to mobilise Northern clerics to rescue the abducted Chibok girls from Boko Haram’s captivity.

He said the Sultan and others must not allow the girls’ fate to get worse, adding that the abducted girls have guns on their heads and chains in their hands and every second counts to save them.

Sani, a key facilitator of talks with the extremist Boko Haram and President of the Civil Rights Congress of Nigeria made the plea in an open letter to the Sultan, who is the President of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA).

The May 16 letter was obtained yesterday by our correspondent in Abuja.

Sani, who once facilitated exPresident Olusegun Obasanjo’s visit to Boko Haram leaders, said the Sultan and other clerics would have to lead talks with the sect if the nation wants the girls released.

The letter reads: “I’m writing to you as a concerned citizen, privately and proactively involved in the campaign to end the stand off and resolve the abduction saga, that has kept for one month, over 280 of our girls of the Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State as

118 die in Jos explosions

Mother of abducted Chibok girl dies From Bodunrin Kayode, Maiduguri

Madam Mary Paul Lalai mother of one of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls is dead.

A member of the Borno State House of Assembly representing Chibok constituency, Aimu Fona, stated this yesterday.

According to him, upon hearing the news of the abduction of his daughter, he collapsed and died of heart attack the following day.

She was buried at the Mbulabam village in Chibok local government area.

From Yusuf Alli, Abuja

hostages in the hands and in the grip of the insurgent group, Boko Haram.

“I have read the clear and unambiguous position on the issue by the Jammaatu Nasril Islam of which you are the leader, and that is commendable.

“I have also followed your consistent position and opposition to all forms of violence or mayhem perpetrated in the guise of religion. However, I Continued on page 62

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FTER a brief respite, Jos returned to its bloody way yesterday, with two bombs going off in the Plateau State capital city.

The explosions occurred in the highly populated shoes market section of the Murtala Muhammed Way within 20 minutes interval.

“The exact figure of the bodies recovered as of now is 118,” Mohammed Abdulsalam, co-ordinator for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in the city, told AFP. He added that “more bodies may be in the debris” of buildings which collapsed due to the intensity of the blasts.

Fifty-six people were injured in the twin blasts, said Abdulsalam. The military said improvised explosive devices were hidden inside a truck and a minibus.

No group has claimed responsibility for the explosions.

The huge impact of the explosions, which occurred at peak hour in the afternoon, reverberated kilometres away, throwing the entire city into panic.

Jos was a boiling point during the long-running clash between Hausa settlers and the Berom before peace was restored in the hilly city.

Yesterday’s explosion followed Sunday night explosion in Sabon Gari, Kano in which five people died.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) declared the blast as “catastrophic”.

“I can’t tell you the figure of those killed by the blasts now, because we are still evacuating bodies from the scene.

“The only thing I can say is that the casualty figure is very massive. It is a catastrophe,’’ told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

The first explosion went off in the centre of the market around 3.28 p.m. The second followed about 14 minutes later.

Abubakar said both explosives were loaded in parked cars.

“The bombers parked the cars and left the explosives to deto-

•Firefighters extinguish a fire at the scene...yesterday

•The wreckage of a vehicle in front of burning shops...yesterday

•Stallkeepers salvage their belongings as rescuers and residents gather at the charred scene...yesterday

•A young boy pushes a wheelbarrow past the wreckage of a burnt vehicle and burning shops...yesterday.

PHOTOS: AFP

From Yusufu Aminu Idegu, Jos and Jide Orintunsin, Minna

nate. It was in the market and at a peak period. So, you can only imagine what could have happened,’’ he said.

He said bodies were being deposited at the old and new Jos University Teaching Hospitals and the Plateau Special Hospital.

“There are also a massive number of people injured. We have conveyed some to various hospitals,’’ the NEMA official said.

He said an idea of the number

of casualties was only possible after the rescue operation.

“We will have to first finish the operation and then visit the various hospitals. For now, we are only picking bodies all over the place,’’ Abubakar said.

Plateau Police Commissioner Chris Olakpe said there were “46 dead, 45 injured”, a figure believed to be a gross under estimation of the casualties.

Security agencies, NEMA, Red Cross and other humanitarian organisations launched a rescue battle in which only a few were saved.

Over 20 bodies were burnt beyond recognition. They were brought to the morgue at the Plateau Specialists Hospital, Jos. The Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) and the Bingham University Teaching Hospital (BUTH) were jammed by residents who came in search of their loved ones. The two tertiary hospitals received more bodies than the injured.

An eyewitness account said a bus loaded with bags of maize was parked by unknown persons. The bags of maize were used to conceal the “apparently

Firefighters extinguish a fire at the scene...yesterday

timed” explosive device.

Another eye witness account said a Vectra Opel car was parked carelessly. Two young men, who were seen alighting from the car, disappeared into the crowd of traders and their customers. Shortly after, the explosive went off.

The explosions set the entire city in disarray. Banks, shops and other businesses were hurriedly closed. People ran in various directions. Some stood by the victims, calling for help.

Letters allegedly written by the Boko Haram sect were re-

ceived in Jos a few weeks ago.

The letters were said to convey threats of attack. Many government and public institutions were mentioned as targets of attack. Those targets include Plateau State House of Assembly, National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, University of Jos, and Federal Government Continued on page 62

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014

NEWS CHIBOK GIRLS’ ABDUCTION

Govt deploys more troops in Northeast

Escapee girls, parents to storm Abuja

From Bukola Amusan, Abuja

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HIRTY-FIVE days after the abduction of over 200 schoolgirls from a secondary school in Chibok, Borno State, President Goodluck Jonathan ordered yesterday the deployment of more troops to reinforce the military operations in the Northeast.

The Coordinator of the National Briefing Centre, Mr. Mike Omeri, spoke on the deployment at a routine daily briefing on the current and developing trends in the country, particular on the search and rescue operations by government forces on the abducted Chibok schoolgirls.

He said the action became necessary following the regional alliance to end the activities of the Boko Haram sect.

Omeri said: “President Goodluck Jonathan has ordered the deployment of additional troops to reinforce the ongoing military operations in the Northeast.

“This action came in the wake of regional alliance to checkmate the activities of Boko Haram in the region and also to strengthen the President’s avowed resolve to rescue the missing girls and his commitment to providing total security for all Nigerians.”

Defence headquarters’ spokesman Maj.-Gen. Chris Olukolade said operation rooms, where the activities will be shared, had been set up at the operation zone.

He said troops were in active operations in the area, besides the regional alliance.

‘Insecurity in North affecting health care programmes’

By Kelvin Osa Okunbor

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XPERTS in public and community health care have said insecurity in the Northeast is a major challenge to the implementation and monitoring of public and community health care intervention programmes.

The experts said insecurity, occasioned by the insurgency of Boko Haram in the region, was adversely affecting the design and implementation of public and community health care programmes.

They spoke yesterday in Lagos at the unveiling of an online exchange platform: Nigeria Springboard for Health Communication.

Dr Mojisola Odeku, who is Project Director at the Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative, and Mr Yemi Abodurin, the Programme Officer at the Centre for Communication Programmes Nigeria (CCPN), said the government needs to protect the people living in highly prone crisis areas in the Northeast to ensure that health care intervention programmes are not thwarted.

Dr Odeku said the rising insurgency in the region was forcing many Nigerians to migrate to Abuja, thereby overstretching the available public and community health care facilities.

She noted that if security measures are not put in place to guarantee the safety of health care officials and facilitators in the Northeast, the increasing migration rate into Abuja would become a major challenge for the government.

The health expert canvassed the establishment of more public and community health care centres and outreaches in satellite towns around Abuja to cater for the rising number of migrants.

From Grace Obike, Abuja

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•Soldiers on guard on Post Office Road in Maiduguri, Borno State capital…yesterday: PHOTO:NAN

Govt knows what to do about Chibok girls, says Maku T HE Minister of Information, Mr Labaran Maku, has said the Federal Government knows what to do to bring back the schoolgirls abducted from the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, over a month ago.

The minister said the rescue process would not be disclosed to the public, except its result.

He also said the government did not jump to the situation because it did not want to confuse the people.

Maku said the fight against terrorism seemed to be dragging because of the nature of the war, which he described as "urban and guerrilla warfare".

The minister explained that the war is difficult because the Nigerian Army had never fought such war.

He said the government decided not to join issues with

By Faith Yahaya, Abuja

anybody on the rescue of the abducted schoolgirls but use the rescue efforts to reunite the nation and avoid further endangering the people's lives.

Maku spoke yesterday in Abuja at the inaugural lecture of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR).

He said: "We are looking at the perceptions about what Nigerians think, but the position of the government is to unite everybody. This government knows what it wants to do and what it will do to face the challenges of Chibok.

But I am not here to tell you what it will do."

On the abduction saga and why it seemed the government delayed its rescue operation, Maku said: "By the time

we could define our story, it took time. We have tried to take that off and, up till this moment as we talk to you, there are still aspects of this story that are very confusing.

But we say stop the confusion, the blame game, and leave everything first. There is fire on the roof. Let us put out the fire, after which we will analyse every other thing.

"So, that is the approach of the government. If we don't do that, we will be delaying the search and endangering the lives of these young children. Our approach is to unite the nation in the search for these girls and get them out.

That is what we are doing at the moment. No matter or and what they are, whether they disagree or agree, our target is finding our girls.

On the impact of terrorism

on Nigeria, the minister said: "Terrorism is very complex, and because it is our society and because it is new to us, we feel it will end tomorrow.

We ask: what is the government and the Armed Forces doing?

"This war is a mixture of politics and other things. Politicians react quickly on the matter as if we have a disagreement. We must all agree that terrorism is bad and must be scrapped from Nigeria. To defeat terrorism, we need everybody.

"This war is a symmetrical warfare and it is an urban and rural guerrilla warfare whose enemy is not defined.

The enemy has no territory; the enemy lives among the people. It is not a war that the military can carry tanks and planes to go and bomb a particular area. This war is not so..."

Borno earmarks N150m for escapee Chibok girls, parents

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HE Borno State Government promised yesterday to set aside N150 million for the 53 schoolgirls who escaped from their Boko Haram abductors and the parents of those in the sect's captivity.

Governor Ibrahim Shettima spoke yesterday in Maiduguri, the state capital, when he hosted the presidential fact-finding committee on the abducted schoolgirls in Chibok.

Agonising over the abduction saga and the trauma the parents, the government and other Nigerians had been facing since the incident over a month ago, Shettima asked rhetorically: "So, are we going to continue to ignore these suffering parents and the 53 girls just because we are afraid of political accusations and false interpretations? The

answer is No! Governance is beyond the fear of accusations; governance entails making a decision with sincerity of purpose and for the good of the society.

"The Borno State Government will set aside N150 million to fund a rehabilitation programme for the 53 girls and support the parents in Chibok, whose sources of livelihood have been truncated by their trauma, leaving them with little or nothing to feed while we continue to work immeasurably for the release of the girls being held."

The governor relived his experience in the last few years of his administration.

He said: "In the last three years, we have witnessed the most turbulent of times as a people. I have seen very terrible incidents as a governor. I have come across innocent

citizens of Borno being killed in thousands; some slaughtered by fellow human beings who think they earn rewards from God by their brutality.

"I have witnessed high scale of destruction inflicted on us as a people in Borno by fellow human beings who again think they earn reward from God by their intentional and planned devastations. I have in the last 36 days, also come across a situation where men abducted young, innocent schoolgirls, separated them from their education, from their parents, from their relations and friends and from their environment and, more disturbing also, attempted to separate them from their own religion out of compulsion.

"To every other Muslim, worldwide, these men who kill, destroy and abduct, in-

sult Islam by calling themselves Muslims. They have contradicted every single tenet of the Islamic religion.

They have, in some cases, tried to change the ordained translation of verses in the Holy Qur'an. To every Muslim, a verse of the Holy Qur'an clearly says there is no compulsion in religion. But to these men of violence, there is compulsion, not only in religion but even in Islamic ideology.

"To these men, any human who doesn't share their ideology deserves to be brutally killed. A Muslim who is of not of the Boko Haram sect is condemned to death, and so is any Christian. To them, the human race should go into extinction for their doctrine to thrive."

IGP orders security threat analysis in boarding schools

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HE Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Abubakar, has ordered police commissioners to begin security audit and threats analysis of boarding schools across the country.

The measure is aimed at assisting the police and other security agencies to design security strategies for the safety of students and teaching staff.

The exercise is coming amid threats of attacks and abduction of secondary school pupils in certain parts of the country by Boko

From Gbade Ogunwale, Abuja

Haram insurgents.

A statement yesterday by the Force Headquarters’ spokesman, Mr. Frank Mba, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (ASP), said the exercise would reduce the vulnerability of the schools to terrorist attacks.

The police said the measure was also part of deliberate and proactive efforts to bolster security network around boarding schools nationwide and ensure the safety of students and other stakeholders in secondary schools.

The statement added that the police commissioners would work with other security agencies, the Ministry of Education in the states and the management of the schools.

Other partners include the parents/teachers associations, the host communities and other stakeholders working together in intelligence gathering.

The police called for the support and cooperation of the public, adding that the team would protect the lives and property of the citizenry.

HOSE who escaped among the abducted schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State, and their parents will march on Abuja soon, it was learnt last night.

Representatives of the Chibok community said they intend to show President Goodluck Jonathan and other Nigerians, who still doubt the abduction of the over 200 schoolgirls from the Government Girls’ Secondary School in Chibok, that the atrocity really took place and they need their girls back.

The chairman of the Chibok community and other representatives of the area living in Abuja said they would pull resources together to fund their action.

The Chairman of the Management Board of the Federal Medical Centre in Umuahia, Abia State, and representative of the Abuja Chibok Community, Dr Wakil Chibok, spoke at the usual gathering of protesters seeking the release of the abducted schoolgirls.

Dr Chibok explained that since the 11 wards in his home town were affected, two affected parents each and some of the girls would be flown to Abuja.

The spokesman said the girls would have arrived today, ahead of tomorrow’s rally to the President, but for a change in the plan.

According to him, the visit will be shifted because of the arrival of the Presidential Fact-Finding Committee, set up by Dr Jonathan, in Chibok, to hear from the parents and the girls who escaped from Boko Haram dungeon.

Dr Chibok said: “Initially, we agreed that in order to get more sympathy, there is need for people to know that these girls were really kidnapped. This is because there are some Nigerians who still don’t believe.

“We decided to ask the parents and the girls who rescued themselves to come on Thursday and join the protest march to the President. This way, people will see them physically and understand that this thing is real and not a hoax.

“They will no longer make it for the Thursday march because of the Presidential Fact-Finding Committee visiting Chibok at the moment to see the girls and their parents and to hold talks with them.

“We pray that the girls are rescued before the week runs out. If not, I believe some of the parents and the girls are going to come to Abuja.

“We have 11 wards in Chibok and all 11 were affected. So, we believe that it is better we bring two from each ward and anyone who volunteers to come, maybe five or 10, will be included.

“We, the Chibok community in Abuja, will take care of the cost and take care of them.”

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014

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NEWS Court remands Chinese woman over N36.6m ‘fraud’

Conference denies tenure elongation ‘campaigner’

From Oseheye Okwuofu, Ibadan

From Onyedi Ojiabor, Assistant Editor and Dele Anofi, Abuja

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A

FEDERAL High Court sitting in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, ordered yesterday that a Chinese woman, Zhou Jun, be remanded in Agodi Prisons for allegedly defrauding a Nigerian, Abdulrahaman Mohammed, and seven others of N36.6 million.

The accused, who was arraigned on a 16-count charge, pleaded not guilty after the charges were read to her in English language.

Part of the charges reads: “That you, Zhou Jun (F), and others at large, sometime in 2011 at Ibadan, within the Ibadan Federal High Judicial Division, did conspire among yourselves to commit felony to wit: obtaining goods under false pretence and stealing and thereby committed an offence, contrary to and punishable under Section 8(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other FraudRelated Offences Act Cap. A6, Vol. 1, Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 2004.

“That you, Zhou Jun (F), and others at large, on the same date, time and place in the aforementioned judicial division, did obtain precious stones valued at N17,850,000 from Ado Black (M) under the pretence of paying for the goods on delivery, knowing same to be false and thereby committed an offence, contrary to Section 1(1)(a) and punishable under Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud-Related Offence Act, Cap. A6, Vol. 1, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.”

The prosecuting counsel, Fawole Bukola, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), also told the court that the accused, on April 17, 2014, at Ibadan, issued a dud cheque ...of N700,000 to Awokson Dilan Shem (M) which, on presentation, was dishonoured and thereby committed an offence, contrary and punishable under Section 1(1) (b) of the Dishonoured Cheque (Offence) Act, Cap. D11, Vol. 5, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

Counsel to the plaintiff, Mr Akorede Ayodele, pleaded for bail for the accused on health grounds.

Diocese of Lagos Mainland opens Synod

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NGLICAN faithful from the Diocese of Lagos Mainland will open their synod tomorrow at the Cathedral of St. Jude, Freeman Street, Ebute Meta, Lagos, to discuss urgent matters facing the church and society.

The four-day annual synod, which is the second session of their third Synod, will hold at two venues - the Cathedral of St. Jude, Ebute Meta and All Saints’ Church, Yaba.

It has as theme: Service to The Lord, taken from Joshua 24:15.

The passage urges the people of Israel to choose whom to serve: idols or the living God. It is expected that in the face of rising insecurity in the land, the need to be hopeful and remain focused on the benevolence of God will echo throughout the synod.

• From left: An official, Public and Governmental Affairs Department, ExxonMobil, Emmanuel Etti; Convener, Doctors Discuss Malaria, Dr Yetunde Ayo-Oyalowo and Keynote Speaker, Prof Olugbenga Mokuolu, at a conference sponsored by ExxonMobil in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital to commemorate World Malaria Day.

Tambuwal to UAE: find killers of Aisha’s son

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OUSE of Representatives Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal has urged the United Arab Emirates (UAE) authorities to find the killers of Toba, son of Nigerian sports presenter, Mrs Aisha Falode.

The Nigerian youngster was allegedly murdered in the UAE recently.

The Speaker spoke yesterday in Abuja when he hosted the outgoing UAE Ambassador to Nigeria, Rasheed Aldhaheri, at the National Assembly.

Tambuwal urged the outgoing ambassador to ensure that justice is done in the case to deter

F

•Envoy: I haven’t received official complaint From Victor Oluwasegun, Abuja

others, who may be planning another inhuman act in the future.

Mrs Falode, in a 10-page petition, titled: Petition on my son Oloruntoba Falode’s Death in Dubai, presented at plenary by the Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Publicity, Zakari Mohammed, last Wednesday, demanded an unbiased investigation into her son’s death, among others.

She said: “I am writing to formally petition for the active

support of the Federal Government of Nigeria in my efforts to seek justice from the Government of Dubai following the death of my son, Mr Oluwadamilola Oloruntoba (‘Toba’) Falode, who died unexpectedly (mysteriously) on February 15, 2014.”

Tambuwal called for more investments and participation of businessmen from the UAE in Nigeria.

The Speaker noted that this would ensure that the relationship between both nations yield mutual benefits.

According to him, Nigeria and UAE have a long standing relationship which they must strengthen.

Aldhaheri said he had not received any official communication from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the alleged murder at the time he was with the Speaker.

The envoy said he could only take action on a formal complaint from Nigerian authorities.

He was, however, confident that a bilateral agreement will soon take place between the two countries to open a new window of opportunities.

Boko Haram: Nigeria, four others to contribute troops for border patrol

EDERAL Government’s plan to end Boko Haram insurgency got a boost yesterday.

Four neighbouring contries - Cameroon, Niger, Benin and Chad - agreed to contribute one battalion of troops each to the international force set up to patrol Nigeria’s borders, in line with the resolution of the Lake Chad Basin Commission.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, addressed State House correspondents yesterday in Abuja on the development.

He said it was part of the resolutions reached at the Summit in Paris, France, on the security situation in Nigeria, hosted by French President Francois Hollande.

Dr Abati expressed full commitment of the government to win the war against terror.

The presidential spokesman stressed that the administration would not be cowed by the atrocities of enemies of human progress and civilization.

From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

He said: “President Jonathan has also expressed Nigeria’s deepest appreciation to the international community on the success of the recent summit in Paris on the security situation in Nigeria, hosted by French President Francois Hollande.

“He reaffirms Nigeria’s commitment to the implementation of the resolutions reached by the Summit, in addition to existing measures already being taken by the administration to combat terrorism and ensure the safety of lives.

“President Jonathan states that the Federal Government of Nigeria is prepared to strengthen existing mechanisms to ensure the immediate implementation of the resolutions of The Summit, among which are: •“That every necessary measure should be taken to find the school girls abducted

by Boko Haram terrorists from

Government Girls’ Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State on 14th April 2014;” •“ That Nigeria and other countries in the sub-region will continue to co-operate and co-ordinate efforts to combat the Boko Haram menace.”

•“ That the Heads of State have agreed that each country will contribute one battalion of troops to the international force set up to patrol the border areas, in line with the Resolution of the Lake Chad Basin Commission. France, United States of America and the United Kingdom will extend technical assistance to achieve this objective;” •“That the countries will come together to put in place an effective border management regime;” •“That no effort will be spared to stop the proliferation of small arms and light weapons and the supply of arms and equipment made available to terrorists,” He added.

According to him, President Jonathan considers the measures very useful aspects of the concerted international effort to combat terrorism and put an end to the Boko Haram menace in the region.

The President also directed relevant government agencies to ensure enhanced implementation of the following programmes in the areas affected by Boko Haram atrocities: •“Emergency relief assistance: The intensification of on-going relief assistance programmes by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA)) in partnership with donor agencies.”

•“The programme will ensure rapid deployment of relief assistance to the affected local government areas and communities. This will include provision of food supplies, medical supplies, basic relief commodities, and conditional cash transfer programmes for affected households...”

Police probe alleged N50million fraud

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PERATIVES of the Special Fraud Unit (SFU) of the Nigerian Police are investigating alleged N50 million fraud against a businessman, Solomon Nwadiogbu.

The suspect allegedly collected the money to supply doors, kitchen equipment and wardrobes to another businessman to furnish his property in Lagos.

It was gathered that the suspect diverted the money to buy choice cars.

Police sources told our reporter that Nwadiogbu was arrested on April 28 but denied the allegation initially.

“He claimed that the complainant wanted to pay him in dollars somewhere around PWD, Ikeja, but that as soon as he touched the money, the holy spirit told him not to accept it because the complainant had set armed robbers along

By Jude Isiguzo

his route to rob him of the money.

“He also claimed that the receipt of acknowledgement of N50 million that the complainant tendered was obtained from his e-mail box, which he alleged the complainant hacked into,” the source said.

Police sources said during interrogation, the suspect, who is the Managing Director of Emilinks Limited, admitted that he received N50 million from the complainant and confirmed issuing the receipt tendered by the complainant.

SFU spokesperson, Ngozi Isintume-Agu, a Deputy Superintendent (DSP), confirmed the arrest, but said the matter wasbeing investigated.

HE Chairman of the National Conference, Justice Idris Kutigi (rtd), has denied the involvement of the conference’s principal officers in the campaign for the elongation of the tenure of the current administration.

Kutigi, in a statement yesterday in Abuja by Akpandem James, the Assistant Secretary, Media and Communications, said the comment of Chief Okon Osung, a member, on the controversial subject, was his personal view.

The chairman said decision of the conference to deny Osung’s comments were because certain members of the public mistook the delegate’s personal views as those of the conference.

He said: “This is far from the truth. The attention of the Chairman and other Principal Officers of the 2014 National Conference has been drawn to several publications and commentaries in the media arising from a press conference allegedly addressed by a delegate to the National Conference, Chief Osung from Akwa Ibom State.

“At the said press conference, Chief Osung was said to have called for a Presidential Declaration of a Moratorium.”

How vessel with arms entered Nigeria, by witness

By Joseph Jibueze

The Federal High Court in Lagos heard yesterday how a foreign flagged vessel with a cache of arms and ammunition entered Nigeria without permit.

A shipping company, Blueseas Maritime Services Nigeria Limited and its employee, Chinenye Stanley, were arraigned for allegedly aiding the vessel’s “illegal” entry into Nigeria.

They were re-arraigned on an amended three-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence and facilitating the unlawful entry of a foreignflagged ship, MV Myre Seadiver, into the country.

Stanley pleaded not guilty to the charge.

During the trial, a naval officer, Mr Vincent Okechukwu, led in evidence by the prosecutor, Mrs Hajara Yusuf, said the foreign vessel was arrested on October 18, 2012.

According to him, he and other officers were on patrol when they sighted the ship and reported to his Commander, simply identified as Njoku, at the NNS Beecroft.

The witness said the vessel was sighted at their base, using an R. Maritime Awareness Capability (RMAC) device.

He said it was found to be within the Nigerian waters at Latitude 06 degree 20920 North and Longitude 003 degree 27402 East.

Okechukwu said the Commander ordered its arrest, since no information was received about the entry of any vessel, either from the Nigerian Custom Service (NCS), the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) or the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS).

THE NATION WEDNESDAY MAY 21, 2014

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NEWS

•Lamidi with one of the guns and some ammunition ... yesterday

•The suspected fake soldiers ... yesterday

Police recover seven guns from Oyo NURTW chief Auxilliary

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•‘I bought them to protect myself’ •Ten ‘fake soldiers’ held

HE Lagos State Police Command has paraded a factional leader of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Oyo State, Alhaji Mukaila Lamidi, a.k.a. Auxilliary, for alleged stockpiling of arms and ammunition.

One AK 47 rifle, one 9mm pistol, five Automatic Pump

By Jude Isiguzo and Ebele Boniface

Action rifles and assorted ammunition were recovered from Lamidi.

Lamidi said he bought them from Abdulazeez Amao to protect himself.

He said: “I bought the AK 47 for N350,000 and the pistol, N350,000. I bought them to

protect myself because there was a time assassins were after me. I do not rob with them.

I know where this victimisation is coming from.

“The All Progressives Congress (APC) wants to rope me because I am in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

They asked me to join them and because I refused, they

‘Lagos needs 5,000mw for stable power supply’

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AGOS State needs, at least, 5,000 megawatts of electricity to have stable power supply, Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources Taofeek Tijani said yesterday.

Tijani said the figure was arrived at after an audit conducted by the government to ascertain the state’s power needs.

He said only 1,000 megawatts was being supplied from the national grid to the state.

Tijani said: “Lagos requires 5,000 megawatts of electricity.

The total national generating capacity as of now is about 4,000 megawatts, with Lagos getting just 1,000, so there is a huge deficit in the state.”

He said the government was building Independent Power Projects (IPPs) and taking other strategic steps to gradually address the deficit.

The commissioner said Alausa, Akute and Island IPPs had been completed and have enhanced power supply by about 35 megawatts, adding: “The 10.4mw Alausa IPP led to the decommissioning of about 140 generators, as the secretariat now enjoys uninterrupted power supply, a situation that has also saved us the running cost for generators and paying electricity bills.

“The Island IPP is providing stable power supply to government institutions, like the Island Maternity Hospital and Massey Hospital.”

Tijani said the on-going 8.8mw Ikeja IPP and 6mw plant in Lekki would bring the total megawatts generated from IPPs to 47mw, when completed.

By Miriam Ekene-Okoro

Tijani said the government was partnering major players in the oil and gas industry to ensure adequate supply of gas to the power plants.

He said the government dis-

covered little quantities of limestone and bitumen in some parts of the state through a geological mapping, adding that investigation was on the discoveries.

Tijani said about 208 sand mining companies were given licenses.

decided to put me in trouble.

I am a strong member of the PDP and I do not regret it.”

Police Commissioner Umar Manko said: “Sequel to the arrest of a notorious illegal arms dealer, Abdulazeez Amao, who smuggled AK 47 rifles from Mali and Burkina Faso to Nigeria on March 10, and the recovery of 10 AK 47 rifles, Amao confessed that Alhaji Mukaila Lamidi, the former chairman of the Oyo State NURTW, bought one AK47 rifle and one English pistol from him.

“Consequently, I directed the officer in charge of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Abba Kyari, to go after Lamidi.

Two SARS Lagos decoy teams were briefed and deployed to

Oyo State with extensive GSM data obtained from Lamidi’s phone number. After three days of diligent follow-up, Lamidi was arrested at Olodo in Ibadan on May 10 at about 2:30am while driving in his ash colour Nissan Quest space bus.

“He confessed to have given his AK 47 rifle to one Tirimisiyu Olowoposi in Ibadan. Efforts to arrest Timirisiyu proved abortive as he is already aware of Lamidi’s arrest. Kyari and his men are working to arrest him soonest.”

Ten suspected fake soldiers were also paraded.

One of the suspects, John Musa, who allegedly operates in FESTAC with his gang, said he stole the mili-

•Amao

tary uniform in a commercial bus.

Musa said: “I escort vehicles carry goods so that they would not be harassed by policemen and NURTW members. I am paid N3,500 per day for the job. I never knew I would be caught. A soldier at Ojo Barracks exposed me and handed me over to the military police, who handed me over to the Commander of Area E Police Command.”

Manko warned criminals to stay off the state.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014

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NEWS Lagos Assembly orders payment for ex-council chiefs

By Oziegbe Okoeki

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HE Lagos State House of Assembly has ordered Commissioner for Finance Ayo Gbeleyi, who is the chairman of the Joint Account Allocation Committee (JAAC), to immediately pay the severance benefits and allowances owed former political office holders in 57 local councils since 1999.

This was the resolution of the House at plenary yesterday where Gbeleyi and Commissioner for Justice/ Attorney-General Ade Ipaye were summoned to explain why the Assembly’s earlier directive on the issue was ignored.

The Speaker, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, faulted Gbeleyi’s argument that he was not a member of the committee that came out with the decision on which the House based its January resolution on.

Gbeleye admitted that he sent a representative to the committee and claimed that he thought his invitation was “informational”, but letters sent to his office, which he read on the floor, showed the contrary.

Most of the legislators said they were disappointed in the commissioner and said the resolution should be implemented.

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Conference: Lagos opposes regionalism

AGOS State has said the idea of making geo-political zones systems of administration should be discarded.

In a position document to the National Conference, the state demanded that while Nigeria remains one indivisible political entity, constitutional federalism should remain as the nation’s system of government.

In the document that was made public shortly after the Southwest’s position was unveiled on Monday, the state demanded special status in addition to the extraction of local governments from the constitution.

The document reads: “On regionalism and geo-political zones, the governing regions in the late colonial and post-colonial constitutions (1960 & 1963) represent the height of our national development, where devolved powers, regional constitutions and revenue derivation ensured competition and self-determination. That era has long ended with the creation of states.

“We do not support, nor do we think it feasible - to return to the creation of regions as governing sub-national units in Nigeria. We also do not recommend the creation of new states at this time or in the foreseeable future, viability and cost are

By Dele Anofi

two of the immediate reasons that militate against the creation of states.

“There are said to be six geo–political zones in the country – this nomenclature is unknown to the Constitution and yet it continues to feature in national discourse.

“We do not recommend the said zones as a feasible structure for government for Nigeria. It is folly to believe that the coincidence of geography dictates anything but convenience; we recommend that Nigeria should adhere to constitutional federalism which, to date, only prescribes states and desist from the use of zones for planning or execution of constitutional authority.

“Local Government: Constitutionally, there ought to be only two orders of government, the Federal Government and the state governments. Local Government administrative divisions should be left as the exclusive preserve of the states.

“All references to local government should be expunged from the constitution. Local Government creation, structure, tenure, boundary adjustments, functions and funding should remain a residual function of the states.”

Lagos demanded that equity should return to the country’s revenue allocation for-

•Demands special status ‘We also do not recommend the creation of new states at this time or in the foreseeable future, viability and cost are two of the immediate reasons that militate against the creation of states.’ mula, saying: “Constituent states are the raison d’e^tre for the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Without the component states, the corporate entity “Nigeria” would cease to exist.

This should be reflected in a new prioritisation in the revenue accruals to the nation – a prioritisation in favour of the states.

“There shall be two express Legislative Lists in the Constitution: the Exclusive Legislative List and the Concurrent Legislative List for both the Federal Government and the state governments.

“For the avoidance of doubt, all matters or powers not contained in the Exclusive Legislative List are residual and only the House of Assembly of a state shall have power to make laws in respect of such residual matters in terms of Section 4(7)(a) of the 1999 Constitution.”

Demanding a special status, Lagos State said it was for the allocation of revenue and other resources, adding: “The equity of this demand is located in the national uniqueness and socio-economic significance of the state to the entire nation.

“Lagos has historically been and has continued to be the economic and commercial capital of Nigeria. With this has come an increasing rise in its population.

“With a current population of over 18 million, Lagos is one of the 10 megacities of the world. The uniqueness of Lagos is now publicly and indeed internationally acknowledged.

“The economic significance of Lagos is a constant attraction to a growing number of “newcomers”, not only from around the country but also from other countries in the West-African sub-region.

“The infrastructure in the state, therefore, seems never to meet the demands of resi-

dents. The enormity of the pressure on the infrastructure and other critical factors of governance, including education, health and security, are now a major threat to the sustainability of the state.

“It is on this basis that a case is hereby made for Lagos – Nigeria’s only former capital - to be assigned a “Special Status”.

“This special status should essentially reflect in a special budgetary allocation of the resources (including revenue) required to meet the uncommon demands for the proper governance of the state.”

Lagos proposed that the justice sector and judicial restructuring should reflect on the appointment procedure for judges of State High Courts.

It said justice and judiciary matters should be the exclusive preserve of the respective states, adding: “The Federal Government, through the National Judicial Council, should no longer participate in the appointment procedure.

“Also, Prisons, as a legislative item, should be moved from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List.

“This will allowstates to run their prisons. states should also be allowed to maintain their own police”.

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY MAY 21, 2014

NEWS

EKITI 2014

Ado-Ekiti youths rally for Fayemi’s re-election

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OUTH staged a rally yesterday in AdoEkiti, the Ekiti state capital, announcing their support for Governor Kayode Fayemi The youth are members of Modupe Adelabu Support Group (MASG).

The youths group said the rally was part of its contributions towards Fayemi’s re-election.

The participants, who took-off at the Odo-Ado junction of the state capital, listed the achievements of the Fayemi administration with songs and also chanted the slogan of the John Kayode Fayemi (JKF) Campaign Organisation.

The rally took the youths through Ijigbo, Old Garage, Okeyinmi and Dallimore with security and traffic officers protecting them against infiltrators.

The entourage of the governor ran into the procession on their way to Fajuyi Park before they re-

•Members of the Modupe Adelabu Support Group staging a solidarity rally in Ado-Ekiti... yesterday

turned to Okesha and Ojumoshe en-route the take-off point.

Their coordinator, Prince Diran Aladesanmi, son of the

late Ewi, Oba Daniel Aladesanmi Anirare described the three-hour solidarity rally as “a tip of the iceberg”, promising that the group has lined

up some programmes to ensure Fayemi’s re-election.

According to him, the administration has done enough to return it to office

for a fresh mandate.

“There is no point in changing a winning team. We need continuity in Ekiti State.

Fayemi has put us on the path

Anti-bomb experts deployed as Buhari, Tinubu, others visit today E

KITI State Police Command has deployed antibomb experts to strategic locations across Ado-Ekiti, the State capital and other major towns.

The move, according to the command, was designed to ensure security of life and property during today’s rally of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the visit of President Goodluck Jonathan to the state, which is slated for tomorrow.

Disclosing this in a telephone interaction with journalists in Ado-Ekiti yesterday, the State Police Commissioner (CP), Felix Uyanna said that the action was necessary as more visitors would impose higher security

From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

challenges.

Jonathan is expected tomorrow to flag off the campaign of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Ayodele Fayose.

The national leadership of the APC, which includes Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Chief Bisi Akande and among others are also attending a rally in support of reelection of Governor Kayode Fayemi.

According to reports, both rallies are billed for the Oluyemi Kayode Stadium in the state capital.

Also, the spokesperson of

•Jonathan expected tomorrow

the command, Victor Babayemi, noted that officers had equally commenced a “stop-and-search operation on all vehicles” to prevent any explosive devices from being brought to wreak havoc on the people.

He said: “The command has enough manpower to ensure that the rallies are held under a peaceful atmosphere. The protection of lives and property is our utmost duty and we are going to do all within our powers to curb any crisis that could lead to loss

Fayemi is our candidate, Ekiti council workers assert

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KITI State Governor, Kayode Fayemi’s reelection bid received a boost on Monday, with local government workers endorsing his candidacy for the next month poll.

The council workers’ adoption of Fayemi came exactly one week after teachers pitched their tents with “the true friend of teachers”.

The local government workers, who spoke through their representatives during an interactive forum held at the NULGE Secretariat in Ado Ekiti, stated that they knew Fayemi as a promise keeper, who kept all the promises he made to them during the 2007 electioneering and at the various meetings the had with him since 2010.

One of the representatives of the workers, Itadare Leke, said they were desirous of continuous partnership with the governor beyond 2014 because Fayemi cannot reverse many of the good welfare packages he approved for the workers when he is re-elected.

While explaining that the reforms made by Fayemi in the local government system were painful at the initial stage, Itadare said the reforms had now paid off with the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration lifting many bars that hindered the council workers from having career progression.

He stressed that the council workers had weighed candidates from other political parties and discovered that they are merely making empty promises to cajole them into supporting them.

He said council workers had resolved to adopt Fayemi as their candidate.

“We are desirous of staying with you. We know that Kayode Fayemi will never say what he will not do. We know he will not reverse the various policies he has put in place - the appointments of administrative secretaries, cancellation of the bar for officers on level 16 to progress to level 17; readmission of sacked workers and overseas

of lives.

“We have activated all the police units to be able to deal with any situation because we are not unaware of the personalities that will visit the state within the next two days. Our men from the Explosives and Ordinance Department have already commenced operation at the venue of the two rallies.

They are combing everywhere as we speak.”

Babayemi added that the command would not limit its

operations to the venue of the rally.

“We are also going to give adequate protection to all the hotels where some of these personalities will be staying. So, we are on top of the situation and we are monitoring situations very carefully.

“We want to warn troublemakers to beware because we are several miles ahead of them.

Our men are well-mobilised and positioned to march them up because the security of lives and property is very dear to us”, he said.

Bamidele promises modern farming for rural dwellers

T •Dr. Fayemi

training opportunities are some of the things we have benefitted under Fayemi. We are convinced these will continue when he is re-elected.

Any other candidate, who may come here to talk to us, may end up deceiving us.

“Mr. Governor, I don’t want you to see it as a slight that I did not refer to you as governor, but as our candidate. We have adopted you.

When you came on board, you did some reforms. At first, it was painful but right now, it is paying off. People have said a lot of things you have done for us and we want the good works to continue”.

HE governorship candidate of Labour Party (LP), Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, has promised improved farming practices for rural farmers across Ekiti State.

Bamidele said this at Ajebandele-Alagbede, Aba Ilupeju and Aba Ede farm settlements in Ekiti South West Local Government during his campaign meeting with the farmers.

He told them that since agriculture is the mainstay of Ekiti economy, he was prepared to introduce massive mechanised farming in their domain.

He promised adequate supply of fertiliser, tractors, pest control items and other farming tools as a way of improving quality of their lives.

He also stressed the urgent need for revival of microfinance and co-operative systems in Ekiti to salvage current plight of rural farmers.

Said he: “Gone are the days when people were engaging in farming, using cutlasses and hoes. The trend now around the world is that people use machines and improved farming implements. This is what we want to do for all rural farmers in Ekiti when we get to office.

“I promise to make life easier for you as a sector that is critical by feeding our teeming population. We will give farming profession its pride of place through mechanisation. You will regain your pride as farmers. This is our promise to you and God will help us.”

Concerning other basic amenities, Bamidele pledged to construct the only link road between the settlement and other towns.

According to him, “I understand your plight concerning basic amenities. We have received your request about the need to construct the only road here. I stand before you today to promise that I will construct the Ipole-Iloro-OgotunAjebandele-Alagbede road as soon as we get to office.”

of progress and we must all vote for the All Progress Congress (APC) for the good work to move on,” Aladesanmi said.

Fayose seeks popularity walk

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HE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, has challenged the governor and All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Dr Kayode Fayemi, to a streetwalk in Ado-Ekiti, the State capital.

Fayose, in a statement issued by the Director General, Ayo Fayose Campaign Organisation (AFCO), Chief Dipo Anisulowo, said: “The street-walk will show to the public, who is more acceptable to Ekiti people and who has been rejected by the people.”

The PDP candidate said the walk should start from Fajuyi-Park, running through Ojumose, Oja-Oba, Old-Garrage, Ijigbo, Ajilosun, Ekute road, Atikankan and Okeyinmi areas of AdoEkiti.

“We have challenged Fayemi to an open debate on the education sector and we are again challenging the governor to a street-walk in Ado-Ekiti.

“Let the governor test his popularity and acceptability on the streets of Ado-Ekiti, and let the PDP candidate also test his own.

“Fayemi should choose the date for the street-walk and he should take off from Fajuyi Park first, while we follow after 10 minutes, without supporters of either of the party.

“Let’s now see who will be booed and who will be hailed by the people of Ekiti State.

“Let also see who has been rejected by the people of Ekiti between Fayemi and Fayose, and we hope Fayemi will accept this challenge that we have thrown at him if he is so sure of his popularity and acceptability among Ekiti people.”

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014

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CITYBEATS

CITYBEATS LINE: 08023247888

‘Mad man’ held with arms, ammunition

Suspected illicit drug packaging specialist held

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HE end of the road has come for an alleged specialist in the concealment of illicit drugs, Onyejiaju Chukwuemeka Augustine. He is 52.

He was arrested by officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.

The suspect, who was said to have been on the agency’s “watch list” was apprehended during the screening of passengers on an Etihad flight.

He was said to have left Sao Paulo in Brazil with 2.605 kilogrammes of cocaine well-packaged as candies.

NDLEA Commander at the Lagos Airport, Hamza Umar, said that the suspect unlawfully possessed cocaine, adding: “We made a shocking discovery of the cocaine carefully and neatly packed as candies. The suspect, Onyejiaju, has been arrested and currently under investigation in connection with unlawful possession of cocaine.”

Onyejiaju, the agency said,

A

By Kelvin Osa Okunbor

owns a supermarket in Sao Paulo, which he uses as a cover for his illicit drug activities.

The suspect, who hails from Urualla, Imo State, owned up to the crime.He said: “I own and manage a supermarket in Brazil where I have lived since 2006. I bought the cocaine and concealed it as candies. It is just unfortunate that the cocaine was found in my bag.”

Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade, described his arrest a reward for the agency’s protracted surveillance.

“This significant arrest is an indication that the agency is making remarkable progress in undercover operations.

The suspect has been under surveillance for some years following his alleged role in illicit drug concealment for drug mules,” Giade said.

The NDLEA boss, who said Onyejiaju would soon be charged to court, added that other suspects on the agency’s “watch list” would also be brought to justice soon.

•Onyejiaju ... with the substance

Customs officer ‘bathes woman with acid’

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N i g e r i a n Customs Service (NCS) official has been arrested by the police for allegedly pouring acid on a woman.

The victim, Tope Fadipe, a sales girl in a restaurant owned by the officer, is lying in a critical condition at the Emergency Unit of the Badagry General Hospital, Lagos.

The officer, who heads NCS’s unit at Mosafejo

By Jude Isiguzo

Aradagun, has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for further interrogation.

It was gathered the incident occurred over N50,000 which was allegedly unremitted by the sales girl.

An eyewitness said an argument ensued over the missing money and

the enraged officer stormed off and later returned to bathe the victim with acid despite insisting on her innocence.

Although the matter was initially reported to the Badagry Police Division, the suspect was said to have evaded arrest until he was later caught by the police.

The Badagry Divisional Police Officer (DPO),

Ibrahim Hassan, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), said the suspect had since been arrested, contrary to claims that he was still at large.

He added: “We have arrested the suspect. We have also transferred the case to the State Criminal and Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, Yaba, where investigations are currently ongoing.”

Traders kick as market is demolished . Council chief: we’ll intervene promptly

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NLESS the Lagos State Government urgently handles the grievances of traders at Amukoko market along Alaba Road in Ifelodun Local Council Development Area (LCDA), a major crisis may erupt in the area.

The traders are protesting the demolition by some “unknown soldiers” on May 2, of the market stalls rebuilt for them by the council. The demolition, The Nation learnt, lasted 30 minutes when most residents were in the church.

The invaders were said to have been led by some hefty men in Army uniforms bearing no name tags. “They threatened to deal with whoever attempted to take pictures of the bulldozer while demolishing our stalls market,” a trader said.

On Monday, the traders, armed with placards, took their anger to the council’s chairman, Hon. Shuaib Fatai Ajidagba, asking him to restore their market without delay.

They also urged the state House of Assembly to intervene to forestall imminent breakdown of law and order.

At the council’s secretariat, the General Secretary of the market, Mr Lukman Iyanda Omotayo, said the 17-year-old market was rebuilt in 2005 after a fire outbreak. He said the

•Hon Ajidagba

By Uyoatta Eshiet

market comprised over 100 shops on two rows, with one facing the Alaba Road.

Lukman explained: “In 2010, the state government started the dualisation of Alaba Road and the stalls facing the road were demolished as Hon. Ajidagba pleaded for understanding with a pledge

to rebuild them for us. But three weeks ago, some suspected task force men came without notice to anybody, not even the council’s chairman, to demolish the market that had reached completion.”

Ajidagba, who described the demolition as shocking and illegal, assured the traders that he would look into their grievances and find a lasting solution to them. He said he sought due permission from the state task force before embarking on the project which was aimed at ensuring comfort of the traders.

He said when the task force gave him the go-ahead, one man, Dr Abimbola, had falsely alleged that structure was being erected to block access to his property.

Ajidagba said said the council has information that it was the man who directed the task force to the market before pulling it down on May 2.

Group condemns insurgency A GROUP, Organisation of Responsible Men and Women for Peace in Nigeria (ORMAWPIN), has urged President Goodluck Jonathan to expose sponsors of insurgency in the country.

Its founder, Mr Samson Akinmuda, praised the president for the nation’s centenary celebration, hosting of the World African Economic Forum and the inauguration of the ongoing national conference. “We commend Nigeria’s security agents and also the international communities on their rescue mission. We pray these young teens will be brought back to their respective parents without regrets.”

LOSS OF DOCUMENT This is to inform the general public of the loss of an international passport NO 126109 belonging to MR.MOHMOUD EL-CHEIK TALEB ABDUL RAHMAN (Palestinian) OF IRON OX METAL WORKS LIMITED PORT- HACOURT. All effort made to trace it prove abortive. If found please contact the above address or call 08033390222, 08088869999 or the nearest Police Station.

PUBLIC NOTICE NWOBODO

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS NWOBODO NGOZI CHRISTIANA, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. ECHEGIRI NGOZI CHRISTIANA all former documents remain valid. Imo State University and general public please take note.

MAN suspected to be lunatic has been arrested with a pistol in the Gowon Estate area of Ipaja, a Lagos suburb.

The suspect is being interrogated by operatives at the Anti-Robbery section of the State Criminal Investigation Department, (SCID), Yaba, Lagos Mainland Eyewitnesses said the man had been loitering in the area for two months until a curious passer-by saw him wrapping an object with a rag.

The man was said to have started looking sideways, apparently to ascertain whether he was being watched, before he dumped the content of the rag into a container at the dump site.

The passer-by was said to have alerted others who immediately rushed to the scene to discover that the object was a double-barrel pistol with four cartridges.

He was immediately apprehended and handed over to police operatives at the estate for interrogation, a source said.

It was gathered that news of the man's arrest shocked residents of the area as they were told that the man intended planting a bomb at the dump site.

Police source at the station said that during interrogation, the man's speech was incoherent.

Said the source: "We tried to find out where he got the weapons from, but he gave a meaningless response. He was later

By Jude Isiguzo

transferred to the SCID. “The investigation will include taking him to a psychiatric hospital to ascertain his mental stability before further investigations".

However, residents believe that the man is sane but was only pretending, fearing that he might be working for criminals in the area.

"We think he is the one criminals are using to hide their weapons. The man may not be mad," a resident said.

Command's spokesperson, Ngozi Braide, a Deputy Superintendent (DSP), told The Nation that the suspect was arrested on Saturday at the estate.

Braide said the suspect was allegedly seen at 5th Avenue, Customs Junction, Gowon Estate, while trying to empty some items into a dust bin.

"The people were curious about what he was dumping. Upon closer examination, it was discovered that the mad man emptied one locallymade double-barrel pistol and four live cartridges into the dust bin. Youths in the community claimed they had mistaken him for a mad man. He was immediately handed over to the police at Gowon Estate but under interrogation, he was not coherent in his speech. He was later transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, Yaba, for further investigation,” Braide said.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014

Life

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014

The Midweek Magazine E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

Text only: 08023058761

•From left: Mrs Laoye-Tomori, Aregbesola and Prof Soyinka

‘How to stop Boko Haram’ ‘HowtostopBokoHaram’ Scholars converged on Osogbo to explore the concept of secularism in the face of growing religious intolerence in the country – SEE STORY ON PAGE 16

Exploring Pan Africanism as tool for good governance – Page 46

Ondo in the artists’ eyes – Page 47

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014

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The Midweek Magazine

E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

An academic conference has been held in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, to find solutions to religious intolerance and extremism. FEMI MACAULAY, a member of The Nation Editorial Board was there.

‘How to stop Boko Haram’

“H

AVE you heard?” This was the question on many lips as the news spread that Boko Haram Islamist terrorists had bombed the Nyanya Motor Park in Abuja.

No fewer than 75 people were killed and 164 injured. It was the opening ceremony of the All-Comers Colloquium on Fundamental Imperatives of Cohabitation: Faith and Secularism organised last month by the Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding (CBCIU) and the Osun State Government at the centre’s auditorium in Abere, Osogbo, the state capital. A moment silence was observed for victims of the bombing.

This coincidence was not only striking; it also mirrored the timeliness of the event, which the conveners said was “organised against the background of perceived religious war by Boko Haram and tension in some states, for example Osun, where religious differences are being exploited to cause trouble.” CBCIU Chairman, Professor Wole Soyinka, stressed that the colloquium should not be seen as just a direct reaction to the Boko Haram terror campaign which has escalated in the northeastern part of the country since 2009, saying, “The conference has been conceived in many minds for decades in the face of rising problems.” In a fundamental sense, therefore, Boko Haram is not simply an identifiable physical group of religious extremists; it also has metaphorical signification, referring to all manifestations of extremism based on faith. Nevertheless, Soyinka described the Boko Haram insurgency as “a non-partisan situation.” According to the Nobel Literature laureate, it is “a war situation, which is a strictly security situation.”

On Day Two of the colloquium, Soyinka was proved right as the terror champions raised the bar with the April 15 seizure of over 200 students at the Girls Senior Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, an indescribably scandalous move that continues to trigger emotionally charged responses worldwide, particularly as most of them are still missing. In his opening day speech, Soyinka had pointed out that “we cannot underestimate the religious inspiration”, suggesting that religious adherents could go to unimaginable lengths to further their cause.

Boko Haram has never hidden its contempt for western education and values; neither is

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•From left:Aregbesola, Prof Soyinka, Director, Development Policy Centre, Ibadan, Prof Bimpe Aboyade and Mrs Laoye-Tomori at the event.

it apologetic about its ambition to Islamise the country.

It is precisely this lack of limit, especially in the context of secular society, that the colloquium was organised to address; and Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola, who is a Muslim occupying a secular office, expressed his standpoint at the forum, saying, “My position is that religion should not be a source of rancour, misery and cheap death as we have in Nigeria today. Accommodation of one another should transcend the context of faith.” The desirable separation of faith and secularism and the necessity for harmonious cohabitation in the country’s multi-religious situation was dramatically captured by Soyinka with the imagination of a master playwright. He said: “I admit that I’m not a particularly religious person, but I believe in the spiritual quest; every human has a portion of himself which seeks transcendence.

Sometimes I wish religionists would leave us to develop the earth, and go to paradise or wherever; they can take a spaceship to another planet where they can live by faith.”

The three-day conference, with four plenary sessions and 18 papers, was marked by open and frank discussions, and participants explored the essence of the concept of secularism as it applied to the country in particular.

The papers included Primordial Spirituality as Agent of Development by Prof Dawud Noibi;

Religion and Development by Mr. Modupe Oduyoye; Equilibrium that Adjusts the World

by Dr. Abiodun Agboola; Pluralism and Accommodation in a Democratic Society by Pastor (Dr.) Michael Adekunle; Quest for Peace by Mr. Mustapha Adebayo Bello and Personified and Objectified Persons by Dr. Olujide Gbadegesin.

Others were From Violent Crises to Insurgency

by Dr. Bimbo Adesoji; Theocracy and Secular Mind by Dr. Kamil Koyejo Oloso; Reinventing the Wheel of our Life by Ogbeni Funmi Odusolu; Secularism and Pluralism Nexus: The Nigerian and Sudanese Experience by Comrade Jide Olutobi; When Faith Makes Sense: Religion as Catalyst of Progress and Development by Engr.

Moses Oludele Idowu and You Must Find Your Own Way by Mr. Femi Macaulay.

Additional papers were Mythologies and the Test of Humanity by Ms. Folakemi Odoaje; Where the Rain Began to Beat Us? by Engr.

Moses Oludele Idowu; From Mysticism to Technology by Dr. Tunde Adegbola; Rational Religion by Araba Ifayemi Elebuibon and What Shall We Teach Our Children? by AbdulHakeem Ajilola.

There was a perceptible tension between advocates of “strict secularity”, which implies a “relegation of religion in public affairs”, and those who are comfortable with “quasisecularism”, which suggests “minimum re-

ligious penetration of state affairs”. However, it was generally agreed that there is a need for cohabitation in the context of “secularism that respects and appreciates the reality of diverse faiths without promoting any religion at the expense of others.” Aregbesola said, “We need an organised intervention in this area.”

A central issue in the various perspectives was the observed religionisation of politics by the country’s leaders, which continues to complicate the fundamentals of secularity.

Soyinka noted, in words that had implications for the political class as well as others who misuse religion for non-religious purposes, “The mind is where it started and ultimately the mind is where this disease will be cured.”

In the end, collective recommendations emerged as a way to the ultimate objective of inter-faith harmony in the pursuit of peace for social progress. The proposed path to arresting the troublesome Boko Haram spirit came in the form of certain identified answers, specifically, constitution review to reflect religious diversity; tightening legislation to address religious violence; nonpoliticisation of religion; value reorientation; programme of compulsory education for social enlightenment and establishment of a national centre for inter-faith studies.

‘Wage war against election fraudsters’

IGERIAN youths have been urged to take their destinies in their hands, and be agents of change. This they can achieve, by being purpose-driven and self-evaluating. As the 2015 elections draw near, they have been urged not to dopt the siddon look posture; but to be actively engaged in the electoral processes and wage relentless war against election fraudsters.

Thiswas the thrust of submissions by speakers at this year’s National Youth Summit held at the Afe BabaLola Hall of the University of Lagos. The theme was: ‘The Nigerian youth in an uncertain terrain: Hopes and aspirations”.

For a dramatic improvement in the nation’s democratic governance fortunes, youths must learn to be more productive than they presently are, considering their numerical strength, agility, knowledge, and their mandate as the nation’s future leaders, said the Director-General Centre For Black and African Arts and Civilization (CBAAC), Prof Gabriel Olatunde Babawale.

Adegunle Olugbamila and Ibrahim Yusuff

Babalakin who chaired the occasion, noted that the roles of youths in nation building cannot be underestimated, drawing his premise from global experience where youths have often been in the vanguard of protest that resulted in either change of government or government policies.

His words: “In every society, youths have always taken the lead. Youths must play their transformational roles. They have a responsibility to be part of the vanguard for general change in our society.

“To this end, you must see yourselves as change agents, an important role you must reflect on as elections draw near. You must see to it that no one steals your vote. You must educate the public on the importance of their votes as their power. You must enlighten your colleagues not to engage in election malpractices and at the same time resist anyone that wants to perpetrate electoral fraud.”

The Chairman House Committee on

Diaspora Affairs, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa lamented the spiralling corruption which she said now pervades every aspect of Nigeria’s life.

Rather than hold corrupt leaders accountable, Dabiri-Erewa said some youths have chosen to sit on the fence, a situation she said makes the youth also culpable. The lawmaker said youths have more work to do as they must extend their crusade beyond election fraud alone to every aspect of the nation where corruption permeates. She, therefore, challenged them to intensify their efforts and always hold the leaders accountable.

“Corruption thrives in Nigeria because there are no sanctions. As long as you see corruption and you do not say anything, then it will continue to thrive in our society. If you do not fight against corruption, things will then continue the way they are,” she warned.

Speaking on the topic: Electoral responsibilities of the youth, President, Campaign for Democracy and Woman Arise for Change Initiative, Dr. Joe Oke-Odumakin who de-

scribed the youth as ‘lubricant for the success of any society’ also frowned over recruitment of youths as election riggers by certain unscrupulous politicians. She warned them to henceforth turn down such entreaties, and further expose the antics of such elements bent on truncating the nation’s growing democracy.

In his contribution, the Lagos State Director, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr. Waheed Ishola, who identified unemployment and poor reading culture as some of the major problems affecting youths, suggested creativity, innovation and acquisition of vocational skills as some of the ways the youth can be economically independent.

Earlier speaking, the convener GreenPath Convergence organiser of the event, Comrade Abiola Ojo, emphasised the aim of the summit.

He said: ”The aim of this summit is to bring into sharp focus the various challenges, solutions, possibilities and strategies of achieving a viable and conducive environment for human development.”

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014

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COMMENTARY FROM OTHER LANDS

EDITORIALS

Delay dangerous

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•Govt should swap the Chibok girls for Boko Haram prisoners before it is too late

HOULD there be a debate as to whether the Federal Government should go ahead and exchange the girls of Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, abducted by Boko Haram insurgents on April 15, for Boko Haram prisoners? We do not think so.

The eerie air of public disgust over the abduction has been further compounded by the purported demand made on government by Boko Haram. Abubakar Shekau, its leader, reportedly spoke in Hausa and Arabic in a video posted on social media where he threatened not to release the girls except in exchange for Boko Haram prisoners. “These girls, these girls you occupy yourselves with … we have indeed liberated them. These girls have become Muslims …We will never release them (the girls) until after you release our brethren,” he declared.

The video also beamed the forceful conversion of the girls to Islam as they were heard reciting the first chapter of the Qur’an with their palms upwards in prayer. Chibok, Borno State, is inhabited by a sizeable Christian community and most of the abducted girls are reportedly Christians.

Perhaps the simple question to ask those who think that the government should not accede to the demand of the insurgents is whether they would have held the same view if their daughters had been among the abductees? In our view, the government should go ahead and swap the girls for the prisoners, immedi-

ately. Indeed, we want the Federal Government to be decisive and effective in whatever action it has chosen to rescue the girls from the sect. So far, the government has not shown purposeful coordination on the method of negotiation to be officially adopted.

At a point, Tanimu Turaki, Minister of Special Duties, disclosed that the government was ready to negotiate with Boko Haram: At another event, Senate President David Mark rejected this position which, unfortunately, corroborated what Mark Simmonds, British Africa Minister, disclosed to be the outcome of his meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan, that the school- girls-for-prisoners swap is not within his administration’s contemplation. To us, the conflicting signals on whether or not the government should accede to the demand by Boko Haram constitute serious distractions from the main issue of prompt rescuing of the girls first, after which other things may follow.

We should not lose sight of the fact that it was government’s failure to protect them that led to their abduction in the first place. Nigerians are supposed to feel safe under the federal might, irrespective of where they are in the country. Any government that cannot guarantee protection of lives and property in its territory has unquestionably lost its legitimacy to govern. This is the danger inherent in President Jonathan’s administration’s further procrastination over the fate of these innocent girls in the hands of Boko Haram.

Moreover, the Federal Government has

so far displayed lack of the required capacity to subdue the rebellion of the sect members, the anti-climax of which was the girls’ abduction that led to compelling acceptance of assistance from Britain, US, France and Israel. Nothing short of positive rescue of all the abducted girls is expected by the public as outcome of this global effort.

We only hope that the Federal Government will not procrastinate further in reaching a quick armistice with the Boko Haram so that these girls can be released immediately before serious damage is done to them psychologically, emotionally and physically. Anything short of this is unacceptable.

‘Perhaps the simple question to ask those who think that the government should not accede to the demand of the insurgents is whether they would have held the same view if their daughters had been among the abductees? In our view, the government should go ahead and swap the girls for the prisoners, immediately’

Money laundering

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We need new initiatives to catch up with the criminals

R. Sarah Alade, acting Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) said the obvious at a regional course on Combating Money Laundering and other Financial Crimes organised by the West African Institute for Financial and Economic Management(WAIFEM), held in Abuja. She accused banks of complicity in money laundering when she said: “bank facilities are used knowingly and unknowingly to further the act of money laundering, and in most cases to retain the proceeds of such crime.” Her speech that was read at the event by Charles Mordi, director of research of the apex bank is an indictment of banks generally, in the perpetuation of this criminality.

The enormity of this crime globally could be gleaned where the apex bank’s top woman stated that “over 80 percent of the proceeds of money laundering are

‘How far has the nation gone in the enforcement of her money laundering law through prosecution of infractions and subsequent convictions in courts? More importantly, how effective are the investigative agencies saddled with the responsibility of tracking the crime and to what extent have the agencies been collaborating with their foreign counterparts?’

associated with banks, one way or the other, all over the world.” We recollect that the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in its survey conducted as far back as 2009 to determine the magnitude of illicit funds and to investigate to what extent the funds are laundered declared that criminal proceeds amounting to 3.6 percent of global GDP was reportedly laundered. We wonder what the actual percentage could be in 2014.

Some of the vicious money laundering activities include proceeds of computer fraud, bribery, round-tripping, drug trafficking, prostitution rings, embezzlement, financial fraud, capital flight, fake cheques, fake currency minting, advanced fee fraud and insiders abuse.

These illegal acts, on several occasions, have put banks’ professional integrity and ethical standards on the line. Yet, the destabilising acts have inexorably been on the increase, especially in the country where corrupt public officials launder public funds in collaboration with bank officials.

Over time, money laundering has become an avenue through which perpetrators try to legitimise ill-gotten gains. It provides a means for controlling such criminal proceeds without attracting attention to the underlying activity or the persons/ groups involved. However, such initiative is particularly detrimental to developing economies, including that of Nigeria, with its potential capability for perilous distortions on financial markets and its dampening effects on foreign direct investment (FDI). The act necessitated global scru-

tiny of all financial transactions, including embarrassingly, the legal ones, because it has become a ruinous catalyst for cross-border illicit asset transfers.

We recollect that the G-7 summit which held in Paris in 1989 beamed its klieg light on the cankerworm. The summit established the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on money laundering to coordinate international response through the development of 40 recommendations targeted at guiding national governments in their implementation of effective anti-money laundering programmes.

Nigeria subscribed to those recommendations and we demand to know how far the country has gone in obliterating money laundering in our clime. We know that the act has been criminalised through the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011. But how far has the nation gone in the enforcement of her money laundering law through prosecution of infractions and subsequent convictions in courts? More importantly, how effective are the investigative agencies saddled with the responsibility of tracking the crime and to what extent have the agencies been collaborating with their foreign counterparts?

Nigeria needs a renewed money laundering initiative that would bring law enforcement agencies and financial regulatory authorities and other stakeholders not only in the country but within the West African sub-region together, to discuss and come up with initiatives that would stem the tide. The time to do that is now!

South Sudan in Peril

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RANSFORMING South Sudan into a viable state after it declared independence from Sudan in 2011 was always going to be a huge challenge. President Salva Kiir and rebel commander Riek Machar have made that task vastly more difficult.

Since war broke out in December, these political rivals and their armed followers have turned the country into a killing field, slaughtering thousands of South Sudanese, imperiling thousands more and destroying hopes for a stable future.

In the latest sign of how bad things have become, the International Committee of the Red Cross on Thursday said that it would undertake its first airdrops of food and supplies in almost two decades to help families in temporary settlements and remote areas. The civil war has impeded deliveries by roads and rivers, and seasonal rains are making the situation worse.

More than one million people have been displaced over the past five months. Some 80,000 people are now sheltering in United Nations bases; 300,000 have fled across the borders to Ethiopia, Uganda, Sudan and Kenya; and nearly half the population — 4.9 million people — need humanitarian aid. The situation is so desperate that the United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, has said South Sudan is facing “catastrophic” famine, and Secretary of State John Kerry has warned of genocide.

The international community now faces a twopronged problem: helping civilians at risk of famine and pressing Mr. Kiir and Mr. Machar to end their senseless, ethnically driven war.

On humanitarian aid, the world has been shockingly tightfisted, contributing only about $500 million of the $1.27 billion that the United Nations says is required by mid-2014. Along with food and water, seeds and farming tools are needed, so crops can be planted before the end of May when rains halt the planting season.

The West and Japan are usually the most generous givers, but a coalition of 60 humanitarian groups has issued a statement saying that even traditional donors are falling short. Such groups also need to pressure China and Russia, the world’s second- and eighth-largest economies, which hardly ever appear on donor lists. A donor conference is set for Tuesday in Oslo, where all nations should respond to the call for aid.

An intervention by Mr. Kerry and Mr. Ban in the last few weeks resulted in Mr. Kiir, a member of the Dinka tribe, and Mr. Machar, his former vice president and a member of the Nuer tribe, signing a cease-fire deal and agreeing to allow access for humanitarian deliveries. But the cease-fire began to fall apart almost immediately, raising doubts that the two sides would follow through with a pledge to hold further talks on forming an interim government. The United Nations Security Council should move quickly to strengthen and expand the peacekeeping mission in South Sudan.

No foreign nation has worked harder for South Sudan’s independence than the United States. After the war began and the two sides resisted appeals to end the bloodshed, the Obama administration froze United Statesbased assets owned by allies of the two leaders.

Washington should increase the pressure by adding more names to that sanctions list.

While Mr. Kiir and Mr. Machar subject millions of innocent civilians to killing and chaos, experts say their families and assets are safely out of the way in neighboring countries.

– New York Times

TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief Victor Ifijeh

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014

20

CARTOON & LETTERS

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IR: If words and outcries after each attack by Boko Haram were bullets, there will not be a single Boko Haram member still breathing today but sadly noises and outcries from the masses can’t hurt a fly without action from the government and so the killings continue. Even the government has joined in ‘sharing’ the noisemaking and helpless cry.

We are used to our policemen calling black white but not so used to our military playing the game of “lying by numbers”. From the numbers of the children kidnapped to the numbers of those rescued and even numbers of terrorist killed, the game of lies is being perfected gradually. Remember Shekau was once killed by the military before he rose up again?

State of emergency is when law abiding citizens are forced to stay at home to become a sitting duck for the lawless ones. Or how do you explain the situation whereby a state is under a state of emergency yet they are being murdered in large numbers?

Almost after the Nyanya bombing, our president was at Kano dancing his heart out. If you think that was just a gaffe, our president was away to Ibadan birthdaying just after the kidnapping of more than 200 students at Chibok. Does it sound like let the dead bury their dead?

Can you imagine a United States President or any civilized president doing this?

In few years time when the history of Boko Haram would be re-

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Lessons Boko Haram taught us viewed, one thing will dominate its timeline, it is when Shekau and his boys decided to take the path of impatient dog; rather than wait for the illusory 72 virgins, they decided to grab over 200 young girls from their place of learning. Historians will recall that it was the ‘kidnap’ (not the whip) that broke the Nigerian timidity (not camel) and also woke up the international community (USA and Britain). Historians will also recall how Nigeria des-

S

perately covered up the sponsors of the group after eliminating majority of the Haram boys.

Nigeria’s number one enemy are the people that come out in daytime to shed ‘tears’ with us, criticize Boko boys with us and in the night supply both ammunition and intelligence to these agents of death. Without them the activities of Boko Haram will greatly reduce and so also is their power. Our second enemy is the government that we sur-

render both our resources and protection to that is daily looking like a weakling… the armies that we surrendered our civility to that is everyday acting more cowardly than our shadow.

Ever heard of beer parlour generals? Don’t take it literarily like I did until a friend’s father (a retired general in the Nigeria army who has served almost in all the continent of the world with distinction before retiring a decade ago) gave

tion of the biography of Akinwunmi Ambode, the erstwhile Lagos State Accountant General and Permanent Secretary Ministry of Finance, Oba Rilwanu Akiolu of Lagos gave his endorsement of Ambode’s candidature to contest the governorship seat of the state. In doing so, he revealed that there had been due consultation between him and traditional rulers, especially from Epe where Ambode hails from. He also made it clear that his support was personal and that being known as someone who does not pretend on critical is-

sues such as this and does not paper over cracks, he was acting in good conscience.

Since Oba Akiolu’s endorsement, both the Pan-Lagos Development Advocacy Group (LDAG) and the opposition PDP have gone to town to berate the much-respected Oba. While the former wants Babatunde William-Fowler, the current executive chairman of the Lagos Inland Revenue Service (LIRS) as their preferred choice, the latter is vexed by that singular support for Ambode as it obviously narrows their

Much ado about Akiolu’s endorsement

IR: The beauty of democracy is the freedom it grants citizens who are of voting age of both expression of their views and association. This social latitude does not preclude traditional rulers who are the custodians of our much-cherished cultural values and traditions.

Indeed, given their exalted positions of spiritual authority they ought to speak up when any government in power is out of tune with the collective wishes of the people.

Recently, at the public presenta-

Terrorism as Nigeria’s incubus

IR: Do the murderous deeds that are being executed by the Boko Haram Islamists foreshadow an impending apocalypse for Nigeria? Nobody can correctly conjecture what will happen in the future. Nigeria stands at an equidistant between war and peace.

How our leaders tackle the issue of Boko Haram will either throw Nigeria into a civil war or make it an oasis of peace.

Nigeria is reputed to be a cat with nine lives. When people thought that Nigeria would implode, bowl over and disintegrate, it would pull back from the precipice. The 30month civil war failed to dismem-

me the definition. “A beer parlour general is a general who is more adept at drinking, looting or is it sharing of money, politicking, socializing and civilian maltreatment than at the arts of war.” He added “They used to be available then but they rarely get to the top because when they get to the top, they render the military blunt and obsolete” What do you say?

Many theories have been propounded since advent of Boko Haram, some are laughable while others are purely maniac; there is one that so much sound like the work of a genius. It goes thus; the people responsible for Boko Haram are the Christian Association of Nigeria.

They created Boko Haram to reduce the population of the North and reduce the influence of Islam…!

• Odunlade Oluwaseun, Mowe, Ogun State

ber our country; the trouble caused by the annulled June 12, 1993 Presidential election didn’t throw Nigeria into a civil war. The ethnoreligious conflicts that characterized Nigeria have not snow-balled into a civil war. So, can any political upheavals cause the demise of Nigeria?

Nigeria is not immune from disintegration. Nigeria is a federal state. Some federal states had split into many smaller nation- states.

Think about Yugoslavia, USSR and others. But, no multi-ethnic country with diverse religions is without internal ethno-religious conflicts. From Ivory Coast to Liberia;

and from Kenya to South Sudan, it is the same sad tale of bitter ethnic rivalry and religion-induced conflicts.

Who doesn’t know that Nigeria is weeping from the whiplash of Boko Haram insurgency? So, Nigeria is battling for breath as its soul is choked by terrorism. But, if the menace of the Boko Haram is not eradicated from our polity sooner than later, Nigeria may go the way of Czechoslovakia.

President Jonathan should wield the big stick and use maximum force to flush out the group from the North-east; otherwise, the political stability of the country will

be imperilled. Is he not aware that the country’s general elections will take place next year? Can INEC conduct elections in the North-east, the hot-bed of violence and the strong-hold of the Boko Haram group? If elections are not held there, many people will say that they’re disenfranchised. This has the potential of causing political chaos in the country.

Nigeria is at the cross-roads; our leaders have the onerous and taxing duty of entrenching unity in the country.

• Chiedu Uche Okoye Uruowulu-Obosi, Anambra State

chances at the polls.

Oba Akiolu has freely expressed his candid views. He has a right to.

Others are entitled to their choices without stoking the fires of acrimony across Lagos State. After all, only recently , the Oba of Benin, sent his eldest son to President Goodluck Jonathan asking him to contest the 2015 presidential election, just as he had endorsed Governor Adams Oshiomhole for second term. Several traditional rulers from the South-south, Southeast and Middle- Belt have pitched their tents with President Jonathan even while he is yet to publicly declare his intention to contest.

One’s candid advice to those being sponsored to cast aspersions on the Oba of Lagos is to sit down and ask themselves why he did so. For all intent and purpose, Ambode is eminently qualified to take over from Fashola, given his professional competence, his vast experience of the workings of virtually all the local councils Lagos, his brilliance and humility.

Lagos residents of voting age would be the final decider of who wins the race come 2015. Oba Akiolu is one of such and should not be denied his constitutional right.

•Yemi Ojo Lagos

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014

21

COMMENTS

‘Our Girls’; Questioning security; Employ psychologists please; Will the $10m be stolen also?

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‘

UR Girls’ from Chibok are uppermost in our minds and actions and require a collective non-partisan political will. There is a public perception that the Tony Dame Jonathan sumMarinho mons to Chibok related officials was actually in bad taste. Many people think however it revealed serious flaws in every level of national, state and LGA management, security and supervision. As a result of this and the seeming unserious sluggish uncoordinated planning and response to Chibok, Nigerians are worried and not for the first time are asking about the state of readiness of their armed forces in spite of the military hierarchy having unlimited access to the nation’s finances for years. How far has politics compromised its professionalism to meet threats?

Generations of Nigerians are used to military excesses and many at home and abroad, still bear the scars of being on the receiving of soldiers and killer squads from the Abacha era even as Al Mustapha has walked ‘free’ in body if not in soul. But with Boko Haram and the Fulani cattle herder menaces and the coming political violence threatening every home now, this generation, is questioning the generals –retired and serving and the police hierarchy. Are they ready or will they stand aside and watch, saving only politicians and billionaires? This is supposed to be a new democratic era.

The questions Nigerians want answered include - What manner of material and mental support does Nigeria give to those under arms as compared to soldiers in foreign countries? What quality and quantity of arms have they?

What is their state of mind and body and weapon preparedness to meet guerrilla warfare? What happens to the armed forces budget that they require ’emergency’ billions extra? What is ‘welfare’ and who gets what out of ‘welfare’? What is the welfare package for our other ranks

T

HESE days, whether you are in London, New York, Berlin or even nearby Johannesburg, the debates and discussions on Nigeria are most certainly centred on the rapacious corruption that has eaten deep into the fabric of the nation as well as bad leadership which has turned the country into one rudderless ship unable to navigate its way on the mighty ocean of life. At least these two factors have dominated discussions on Nigeria for a long time until terrorism increased the tally. Now, with a combination of these three afflictions, the country seems to be headed for Golgotha.

Presently, more than 230 school children (their total number is shrouded in controversy) are marooned in an evil forest called Sambisa in Borno State, north-east of Nigeria. The schoolgirls were writing their final year examination, more than a month ago, when terrorists of the Boko Haram terror gang swooped on them in their dormitory at the Government Girls’ College, Chibok, near Maiduguri, capital of Borno State, abducted them and disappeared into thin air.

The issue has since become internationalised with people across the globe calling for their release. Not only this. Following the lacklustre performance of the country’s security forces that have, so far, been unable to record a breakthrough in their efforts to free the abducted girls, a good number of countries have offered military assistance to the country to help in freeing the girls.

Even with the presence of military assistance to the country, it thus appears that there is no let-up in the spate of terrorists’ attacks. The attacks have not only been brazen, exposing many chinks in security

soldiers in our current warfare? When do the other ranks get paid and rotation in and out of war zone? Why was there a mutiny? Do soldiers in the field get adequate supplies as we have never seen police at checkpoints ever being supplied with food and water? What is the point of Jaji and all those military manoeuvres?

Regardless of corruption today and in the past military era, Nigeria must further empower its armed forces to contain Boko Haram and the Fulani herdsmen and later the thugs of democracy. It must also upgrade its toilets to clean and functional, a human right for its foreign security advisors.

How many of our hundreds of unemployed psychologists are employed in the police, the armed forces and other security units and even NGOs and for staff and victim support? For the first time in Nigeria’s history, we are thankfully being forced by international anti-terror protocol to involve psychologists to care of anguished parents, families and initiate standard Post Trauma Psychological Protocols (PTPs), for dealing with anxiety and trauma memories on release. We had no such psychologists for the victims of Fulani herdsmen, bomb blasts at Nyanya or for the survivors of the several other attacks since Chibok which have claimed over 350 Nigerians since Chibok. This Post Trauma Psychological Protocol must be part of the medical preparations for the reception of the Our Girls’ and victims and family at every other emergency that produces physically and psychologically traumatised survivors and relatives.

Of course our armed forces are good. Look at their track record internationally. For our investment in them, they have to be. From their pledge of service they must be good.

They have pledged their lives and many have lost their lives, often unsung, to protect us. Already how many soldiers have paid the ultimate price to keep us safe from Boko Haram? How do we honour those already dead?

Do they even get a public military funeral? Though we do not judge success by the casualty figures, the estimated 8,000 ECOMOG soldiers dead in Liberia and Serra Leone are bloody testimony to the sacrifice of our young Nige-

rian men. Where is their memorial? Did they get a military burial? We all know that the Navy and the Air Force have been under-supplied for years supposedly because of the expense of training and purchasing and especially properly maintaining sophisticated planes, helicopters and modern ships. However is the army in the same poorequipment boat? Nigerians pay little attention to maintenance. Is it so in the Armed Forces?

Certainly Nigerian authorities pay little or no attention to communications updates even in the police. Remember David Mark’s remark, as a high military government minister, about the phone not being for the poor. Of course we all have cell phones now but do the armed forces personnel have modern high-tech communication gadgets that we see in modern warfare during the capture of Bin Laden for example? Many Nigerians want to know if we have any elite troops not the type unleashed during the Abacha terror when Al Mustapha worked infamous CSO for the dreaded Abacha.

International donors’ $10m school security fund will substitute for education funds mismanaged or stolen over the years. Donors should demand evidence of recent funding in the 500 schools for books etcetera and how much of the vote for the selected schools was received. The $10m donors will merely replace funds routinely ‘redistributed’ from the LGA accounts monthly. Each LGA in Nigeria has had enough money to turn schools and hospitals into good quality premises delivering good education and health.

‘Regardless of corruption today and in the past military era, Nigeria must further empower its armed forces to contain Boko Haram and the Fulani herdsmen and later the thugs of democracy’

Still on Nigeria’s security policy

for which heads should roll, but also, we have witnessed some of the worst attacks in recent times. In the wake of the international outcry that greeted the Chibok abductions, the government finally got down from its perch and took a position. But the current inflow of foreign security assistance and the so-muchmouthed government’s determination to go the whole hog to rescue the abducted girls as well as defeat terrorism is seen not as a comprehensive strategy to combat Boko Haram, but more of a reaction to a situation. It is not something proactive and well-thought out.

Now that the government has indicated its willingness to act more decisively, it is relying on the security forces especially the military, to make and execute operational plans. That is the job for the military, of course, but the problem with the whole approach is that there is hardly anyone on the civilian side to understand such plans, much less analyse them critically. An operational plan is not just about acting out a script; it is also about assessing how the adversary will react.

We must have a fair idea about their reaction. The Boko Haram’s asymmetric advantage is urban terrorism. Its affiliated groups in the northern parts of the country have enormous social penetration. There is no shortage of funds and motivation and they have sympathisers seriously embedded in the population. Besides, operating in the northern part of the country is somewhat easy. Against a determined, superior force, the terrorists will not hold ground. They don’t need to. An operation will also disrupt their lives

‘Let the country say that Boko Haram and its affiliated groups, regardless of where they might be located, are enemies of Nigeria, and the country will not rest easy until it has rid itself of this threat’

for a short while, resulting in a reduction of their attacks. But it will be a brief reprieve.

Just like the military, the terrorists also have contingency arrangements. The question is: does the government, including the military, have any plans to disrupt their contingency plans? The application of strategy is like a game of chess. The successful commander is the one who stays ahead of his opponent’s likely moves. Let me be more specific. Once the terrorists are smoked out of the forests of the North, they are likely to react by moving to the major cities. Does the government have the wherewithal to deal with that? It is quite unfortunate that military operations in the last one year have not succeeded in breaking the backbone of the Boko Haram terrorists. This is an important point that needs some clarification.

Military operations have cleared and physically dominated the major cities in the North-east, thereby pushing the terrorists to the fringes - the border areas. That, in itself, is a success. But it is not the entire story.

In the strategic triangle, physical dominance is only one end of the triangle. Any operational success hinges on securing at least two ends of the strategic triangle. In this case, the other ends, socio-psychological and fiscal-economic, have largely remained unoccupied by the government. Add to this the fact that the reprisals have come in the urban centres, including Abuja and last Sunday, in Kano, we then have a situation in which it looks as if the military operations have ended up doing nothing.

It is as if the government has been reading the intentions and the ideology of the enemy wrongly, and many presume that these terrorists are merely reacting to a situation.

While it is correct to say that the situation has given them a fillip, their motives and motivations are selfish and stupid. That is very clear

from their statements, videos, and other materials available for anyone interested in constructing their narrative. Even so, in making one point, they are right, notwithstanding whether the point is made crudely or unwittingly. Thus far, we have been looking at the problem like the blind men figuring out an elephant. Fighting terrorism (or regular and irregular wars) is not a function of military operations alone. It requires the employment of the full resources of a country.

What does this mean? It means many things. Most of all, it has to do with dealing with the whole rather than just the parts. Take urban terrorism, the preferred operational space of the enemy. The threat has to be handled through efficient counter-terrorism strategies. That presupposes an effective police force and a transparent and functional criminal justice system. As for the police and its counter-terrorism function, it is sad to note that the government has no plan to improve its capacity. There are other important aspects of counter-terrorism, which, are about the enforcement of everyday laws rather than any James Bond activity. The country needs an effective security policy.

Improving the capacity of the police must go beyond a narrow definition of security and, by implication, a counter-terrorism strategy.

The point is that counter-terrorism is not an isolated activity. It is woven in the warp and woof of a country’s laws, and presumes that a country can effectively enforce those laws at all levels. Effective enforcement presupposes that state functionaries are aware of the threat of keeping any activity under the radar. This includes those who do not have any direct affiliation with a uniformed force.

Dealing with our internal threat is not about knee-jerk reactions. It requires a policy and a sustained effort. How? First, there must be a clear understanding and acceptance

Dele Agekameh of the fact that we face a threat. If that requires a declaration, let there be one. Let the country say that Boko Haram and its affiliated groups, regardless of where they might be located, are enemies of Nigeria, and the country will not rest easy until it has rid itself of this threat. This would mean knowing that we are now in a state of internal emergency. Doing so would mean subjecting the political visage of these groups under laws relating to terrorism. Such an emergency will give the country the authority to track communication. Furthermore, government officials found involved in any activity that helps keep anyone below the radar must be dealt with as accomplices.

Nigeria’s problem is not just terrorism. In fact, terrorism is the byproduct of an extremist mindset which has seeped into some sections of the population. If the country wants to fight and win, it does not just have to deal with the terrorists but also with a mindset. In that, our existential threat is very different from that facing other countries. We sowed the wind; we now have to either reap the whirlwind or do something about it.

Simplicita!

Send reactions to: 08058354382 (SMS only)

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014

22

COMMENTS ‘Re: ‘Does the president need help?’ The most striking aspect of the media chat was when Mr. President was dazed by the fuel pump price of N110-N130per litre by the independent fuel marketers since February 2014. Since then, I was amazed whether Mr. President was governing us from Nigeria or from France.

Even since his assurance that the DPR would do its job, his promise is yet to materialise. Indeed, Mr. President needs help on all fronts; but not from sycophants. From Lanre Oseni’

•Jonathan

For Olatunji Dare You read politics into everything.

Jonathan is not problem. Jonathan cannot be everywhere. Why do we have governors, local govt chairmen etc. They know the security situation of that place, what arrangement they made before taking the children to that place? Anonymous Are you God to decide whether Jonathan should go for second term or not? Let me inform you that he has a right to contest and will win whether you like it or not.

That is why you are orchestrating violence to discourage him. Anonymous GEJ: No second term. Thank you Dare.

You have spoken the minds of 80 per cent of Nigerians. This number can’t be wrong.

Anonymous Thank you Dare, for, JEG:No second term. There is nothing anybody can add to what you have written. Indeed, Nigeria deserves much,much better. Anonymous Thank you Dare. You have spoken the minds of 80 per cent of Nigerians. This number can’t be wrong. Anonymous Is that the reason why you introduce Boko Haram to frustrate his ambition? We are 100 per cent behind him, the devil is a liar, GEJ carry go 2015. From Nasarawa State Please only God in heaven can stop Jonathan and not selfish people causing confusion in Nigeria. From Delta State.

GEJ. No second term. You speak the minds of 80 per cent Nigerians. You really love him by telling the truth. You are a. great writer sir. From Dr Jide Akinyemi Ikole Ekiti It appears that your main preoccupation and reason for this your write up is to canvass that Jonathan does not seek re-election. You only found the Chibok incident as a support to your argument. You never said anything about the governor of the state who is the chief security officer of the state and collects security votes. You did not also make any reference to the local government council chairman. May I ask you; are you aware whether or not the governor and the council chairman have visited the families of the girls? From Orji O. Orji Jonathan has constitutional right to contest a second term. You can break your neck if you like. Jonathan is like all of us.

Leave him alone. From Olukaiyeja Dare, Lokoja I have never been afraid for Nigeria and Nigerians than in the last three weeks. We are saddled with a leader who seems not to have the strength nor words to bring out the best of us. I salute your courage for speaking the truth.. From Lokji David, Jos. I really enjoy your article. GEJ is an accidental president in Nigeria. Remember the first Oct 2010 bomb blast in Abuja where GEJ exonerated MEND and later MEND publicly claimed responsibility.

Thank to South African police and judicery system for sentensing Henry

Okah the mastermind of the October bomb.

It is time in Nigeria for us to elect a competent and good president better than the one in office. Anonymous A few Nigerians have Dare’s courage.

Please Mr. President step aside. The President I want is the Philosopher-King.

Thank you. From Adakole Oine Goodluck Jonathan will serve second term that is clear you and your paper will not stop him. Anonymous Who among those jostling for the position of the president in 2015 is the messiah, tell me. You forget that Boko Haram is not Goodluck Jonahan’s creation.

Anonymous Are you and other nation newspaper columnist’s not tired of your vendetta against Jonathan? Never mind Jonathan will seek re-election and win by landslide margin. He is doing well.you are not blind to transformation in the agric and power sectors. the massive airport, road and rail rehabilitation.Try to be objective. From Barrister Felix Agbonrofo, Akure Thanks for your today’s opinion on your back page, it is a fine one. But for the PDP political group, what you would have advised them is to field another candidate instead of GEJ, they would then know you don’t have anything against the president.

Weakness is what you are pointing out and this they should understand. From Emma Omotson.

Truly, the man of thought who cannot act is ineffective and the man of action who cannot think is dangerous for a country like Nigeria. From Saheed Yussuf.

Is the presidency of this nation Nigeria the preserve of the Hausa’s and Youruba’s only? Anonymous Each time I read your ranting called editorials in The Nation newspaper(s), I weep for Nigerian jornalism. Instead of giving Nigerians food for thought, you only end up making us to have stomach(s) aches.

But my only consolation is that come rain come shine, Jonathan will surely “WIN” next year presidencial election. Anonymous For Segun Gbadegesin You said it all in your today’s article.

But then, must stay together by force. It is to your tent oh Odua, now or we remain stupidly enslaved forever. What are we doing in this deceitful mere geographical instability and failed union that has no future even for the proponents. Anonymous Re-Looking back...and moving forward.

We emphatically need not go back to three regions again. We also do not have to give six geo-political regions any prominence any longer if Nigeria is to progress. Three major things are killing Nigeria’s unity and progress- Indiscipline, Corruption and Ethnicty! Once they are killed, there would be merit, functional power supply, technological development, effective/efficient leadership, economic growth and complete unity! Let us retain our 36 states, 774 LGAs and one FG. From Lanre Oseni.

Segun,You’ve set agenda of peace for the nation...Blowing elephants horn into ele phants ear! IF they blunder,we will throw their memo into fire! From Prof AEO,Uyo. Hello sir, Re: Fallacious Reasoning For

Centralised Security Regime. The idea of state police is desirable and ideal in a truly federated republic. However,with the current corrupt, inept, highly unreliable state of our police force, where majority of its personnel don’t even know the essence of their being in the police force and majority of who live under the delusion that being in the ‘force’ gives them the ‘power’ to harrass those that they are supposed to protect and with whose tax payers money they are catered for with impunity,will amount to a great disservice to Nigerians and the Nigeria police force itself. What we need to do now is to promote a ‘genuine to protect and serve orientation’ among police personnel and ensure that it is ingrained in their mind before we can start thinking of decentralising our police force.

From Olumide Soyemi.

I read your article with admiration for your well crafted pit fall of our great nation but once again just like others before you. You failed to mention in emphasis, the civil war, which for me has remained the greatest of all the stumbling blocks of the nation. Some group may want to wish that away because of the role some socalled elderstatesmen played and failed to avoid that shame called the civil war; amazingly that part of our history holds the key to our moving forward as a nation or we shall continue in this vicious cycle called Nigerian nation. Anonymous I don’t think anybody or group of people should be considered qualified to stop Jonathan from contesting the forthcoming 2015 presidential election having been constitutionally certified to do so.You dont ask a man whose turn and right it is to conduct the affairs of his people not to do so because there is a problem(real or imagined) in his method.Subjective reasons/his performance index rating notwithstanding,let the president’s continuity or removal be decided at the polls by the electorate whose power it is to determine who rules over them in a given period and time.Thats what makes democracy what it is for the people. From Emmanuel Egwu.

For Tunji Adegboyega Hi Tunji, I read your piece, “Does the president need help”?. You actually brought into public glare the sycophancy in governance; praise singers have done this country more harm than good. Really, the Reuben Abati I knew with Prof Pat Utomi and his days at The Guardian is completely a different person today. Abati even gags the press at times; as for Labaran Maku, before now, Maku had been a critic of government. Well done, Tunji. From Musa.

You don’t disappoint your readers when all one needs to hear is the kind of truth that the Bible says can make one free.

I haven’t met Jonathan in person; I only worked briefly in Bayelsa State (his home state) when he was deputy governor. During that period, I was able to discover that he is not a good leader, or, better still, he is not someone who can take the right decision when that is what is needed to make a difference. Having shouted myself hoarse, warning Nigerians not to elect him as president in 2011, without anybody lis-

•Abubakar, IGP

tening, I published an article in which I told the people to get prepared for stormy and confusing leadership style. Three days after his election in 2011, when the people were jubilating over his victory, I repeated the same warning and was almost skinned alive by those who thought they had found good luck on a platter of gold. Today, the reality is staring us in the face. From Ifeanyi O. Ifeanyi.

Your today’s (Sunday) piece was an excellent one; a great advice to the president and other leaders, But, being the lazy type, will they be able to read a piece like this by themselves? Let us pray so that they will not listen to wise counsel until they give way to someone who will save us from the mess of almost 16 years. More ink to your pen. Regards. From Festus.

Patience Jonathan’s meddlesomeness in governance is a reflection of the home front irritation … Anonymous.

This president actually needs to be helped because, presently, he is in a fix.

Those people he thinks are his friends are his worst enemies. They advised him to go and dance in Kano while Nyanya was burning and now, they said going to Chibok does not make any meaning. Then, why is he the president if going to Chibok is nothing to him? This is a very hard moment for all Nigerians because our socalled leaders are only leading themselves. The president needs a very solid orientation from all of us. From Hamza Ozi Momoh, Apapa, Lagos.

Re: ‘Does the president need help?’ The most striking aspect of the media chat was when Mr. President was dazed by the fuel pump price of N110-N130per litre by the independent fuel marketers since February 2014. Since then, I was amazed whether Mr. President was governing us from Nigeria or from France. Even since his assurance that the DPR would do its job, his promise is yet to materialise. Indeed, Mr. President needs help on all fronts; but not from sycophants. From Lanre Oseni.

The president has a good plan for Nigeria but his problems are the sycophants and the cabal that are misleading him in pursuance of their own selfish interests.

Some people are benefiting from the security crisis; so, the president needs to be proactive in dealing with insecurity before talking about development. He should not take sides; he should bring the people behind the insurgency and other vices to book to deter others who might intend to cause trouble. From Gordon Chika Nnorom, Tunji, your criticisms are moderate, so, I will choose to be moderate in my observation too. Please for heaven’s sake, GEJ only inherited a sick nation after years of succession of misrule by leaders your paper is clothing with a saintly coat … GEJ has done well under the circumstances he finds himself. Northern problem; northern solution. From K. Briggs, Port Harcourt.

Tunji, been following you for years. just article...No second term. Wish we all have

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014

25

BUSINESS THE NATION

E-mail:- bussiness@thenationonlineng.net Stories by Taofik Salako

NLNG is one of the biggest success stories in our country. From what I am told, the company has invested $13 billion so far since inception, and has become a pacesetter in terms of revenue generation for the government.

-Minister of Trade and Investment, Dr Olusegun Aganga

Major shareholders move to recapitalise quoted companies C

ORE investors in several quoted companies have agreed to inject new equity funds to bridge financing gaps and reduce dependence on bank loans.

Against the background of the dormancy in the public issue segment of the primary issue market, several core investors that hold the decisive votes and funds necessary for the success of recapitalisation of quoted companies have opted to inject additional funds, hoping to rally minority shareholders to provide much-needed equity funding to their companies.

The Nation’s investigation with investment banking sources indicated that no fewer than 10 companies have initiated plans to raise new equity funds, with most opting for rights issue. Rights issue, which preallots shares to existing shareholders on the basis of their shareholdings at a cut-off date, underlines a major vote-of-confidence by major shareholders, who are expected to contribute the largest funds. Besides, with one-share-one-vote rule, majority shareholders also, to a large extent, generally determine the new capital issuance of companies.

Rights issue gives the first

By Taofik Salako,

Capital Market Editor

right of refusal to existing shareholders and thus preserve existing shareholding structure.

It however provides window for new investors to buy into the company through rights trading on the secondary market.

Unity Bank on Monday opened application list for a N19.2 billion rights issue.

Presco is seeking to raise N3.5 billion while May & Baker Nigeria is considering raising some N3 billion from existing shareholders. Julius Berger Nigeria is also considering raising about N8 billion while market sources indicated that many companies including RT Briscoe, Oando and Cement Company of Northern Nigeria (CCNN) among others could be raising funds in the period ahead.

Market analysts said the growing list of rights issues underscores the preparedness of core investors to refinance their companies as well as the undervaluation of several companies at the stock market. According to analysts, rights issue implies significant financial commitment by the core investors.

•Eye N50b equity funds Unity Bank is raising N19.22 billion through a rights issue of 38.447 billion ordinary shares of 50 kobo each to existing shareholders at a price of 50 kobo each. The rights have been pre-allotted to shareholders on the register of the bank as at December 16, last year on the basis of one new share for one share held as at the closure date.

The rights issue will close in late June.

Presco Plc plans to raise about N3.5 billion from existing shareholders with the board of directors of the oil-palm processing company expected to table a proposal for the new equity issue before the shareholders at the forthcoming annual general meeting.

The Board of Presco would be rooting for a rights issue of 100 million ordinary shares of 50 kobo each on the basis of one new share for every 10 shares held as at the qualification date.

The board has indicated that the rights would be offered at N35 per share.

If approved at the general meeting, Sa Siat nv, which holds 60 per cent majority equity stake in Presco, will provide nearly two-thirds of the rights funds. Presco has 10,000 shareholders with the largest group of shareholders holding small units within the range of 1000 to 10,000 shares.

In the case of May & Baker Nigeria, Lt. Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (rtd), the major core investor in the healthcare company, will provide some onequarter of the required equity funds if all shareholders pick up their rights. There are indications that Danjuma, who had earlier extended N2 billion bail-out to the company, might consider providing additional equity funds beyond his pre-allotted shares to bolster the success of the rights issue.

Danjuma, a multi-billionaire, at the last count, held the largest equity stake of 24.38 per cent in May & Baker Nigeria through his company, T.Y. Holdings Limited.

Shareholders of Julius Berger Nigeria Plc are expected to vote on a new capital issue that could see injection of about N8 billion into the leading construction company. While the details of the new issue are still sketchy, directors of the company have indicated they could be raising funds through any form of debt and or equity instrument by way of public offering, private placement and rights issue among others.

At the forthcoming general meeting of Julius Berger Nigeria next month, shareholders are expected to increase the authorised share capital of the company from N622.50 million, comprising 1.245 billion ordinary shares of 50 kobo, to N800 million, comprising 1.6 billion ordinary shares of 50 kobo. This will create headroom for new issues.

The board of Julius Berger Nigeria would also be rooting for shareholders’ mandate to issue up to 150 million ordinary shares of 50 kobo each in the authorised share capital of the company to identified investor(s) by way of special

placement, at a price per share to be determined on the basis of the volume weighted average closing price derived from the daily official list of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) over the 90-day period immediately preceding the date on which the company obtains the approval of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Market analysts said they expected more companies to file for rights issue given the high gearing ratios of several quoted companies, which interest burden could stifle returns to shareholders in the period ahead.

Managing Director, GTI Securities, Mr. Tunde Oyekunle, said companies were making recourse to rights issue because of the relative lull in the public issue market.

According to him, the recourse to rights issue was a sign of confidence of shareholders in the prospects of their company, especially the core investor, which would provide the larger chunk of the required capital.

He pointed out that successful rights issue would help to set benchmark for future public offers and galvanise investors to participate in such offerings.

Chrome Group plans $750m investment in subsidiary

T

HE Chrome Group is to invest $750 million between this year and next year in a project being handled by its engineering and oil service subsidiary, Kaztec Engineering, at Snake Island in Lagos.

The Executive Vice Chairman of Chrome Group and business mogul, Sir Emeka Offor, spoke during a tour of the project by the management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS).The tour was led by the NNPC Group Managing Director, Andrew Yakubu, and other dignitaries including former Senate President, Ken Nnamani.

Sir Offor, who is also Charman, Kaztec, said: "Kaztec is set to become a full turnkey one-stopshop in the building and refurbishment of floating production, storage and offloading vessel (FPSO, construction of large offshore modules for oil and gas business, offshore pipelines and platforms; logistics and supply base; pipeline coating; structural steel pipe rolling mill, dry or floating dock and oil and gas training centre, among others."

He explained that the $750 million would be invested in the construction of a pipe coating and pipe rolling mill facility, drydock and logistics base at the dockyard. With this, the company would have invested over $1 billion in the facility since August last year.

The Snake Island project, which is being executed in partnership with Addax Petro-

By Emeka Ugwuanyi

leum (A Sinopec Company), is currently working on the booster compressor 2.

Offor said the project would contribute substantially to solving the unemployment problem, adding that it will create about 5,000 direct jobs and 20,000 indirect jobs by 2016.

He said the company has 50 engineering design professionals in its employ, and plans to increase it to over 300 by 2016, and another 75 professionals which will be increased to over 200 by 2016. He said the company has 500 skilled workers and 30 project managers, adding that it is expected to increase to over 150 in 2016.

Offor said the project sits on 550 hectares with 80 per cent of the land reclaimed. He added that dredging, sand filling and grading of phase 1A is ongoing, while pre-cast of sub-assembly foundation and foundation trench for warehouse has been set up.

The Senior Vice President/ Managing Director, Addax Petroleum, Mr. Cornelius Zegeelar, said the project is a reflection of Kaztec's capacity in the oil and gas sector, adding that it would boost Addax's production by between 6,000 and 7,000 barrels per day.

Kaztec Engineering's Commercial Director, Mr. Marc Robillard, said the company is set to improve the country’s position as an oil and gas engineering, procurement and logistics; construction and fabrication.

CBN asks MDAs to deploy echannels in remittances

- P 26

• From left: President, Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE), Mrs. Adedoja Ojelabi; General Manager, Operations Technical Geoscience (OTG), Mobil Producing Nigeria, Andrew O. Ejayeriese and Geophysics Coordinator, ExxonMobil Production Company (EMPC), and David Johnson, at a training for geosciences lecturers in Lagos.

Fed Govt extends ex-PHCN’s workers probation by six months

T

HE probation of the 15,000 workers of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) has been extended by another six months, The Nation has learnt.

The extension, it was gathered, was granted by the Federal Government to help the 15 power generation companies (GENCOS) and distribution companies (DISCOS) stabilise their operations.

A senior management staff member of one of the DISCOSM who spoke on condition of anonymity, said

By Akinola Ajibade

the extension was part of measures introduced by the government to improve activities of the PHCN successor companies.

The sources said the companies are short-staffed, following the sack of the over 60 per cent of the 48,000 workers a few days to the November 1, last year handing over of the then government-owned corporation to the new investors.

But the Assistant General Manager, Public Affairs, Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC), Pekun

Stockbrokers’ institute expels member for misconduct - P 28

Adeyanju, said he was not aware of the extension, adding that the firm has given many workers permanent employment.

He said: “As far as I’m concerned, I’m not aware of the extension. At the initial stage, some workers were disengaged, while others are on probation. The workers on probation have been given permanent letters of employment by the management.

However, I do not know the number of staff that was employed, after April 30 deadline elapsed,‘’ he said.

The power firms have been battling infrastructural problems, caused by shortage of gas, frequent drop in water level at the hydro power stations, meters, weak distribution and transmission networks and workforce, among others.

The development resulted in the meeting between the chief executive officers of the firms and the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to fashion out modalities on how to proffer solutions to the challenges.

Battery charging as cash spinner - P38

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014

26

THE NATION

BUSINESS MONEY

e-mail: money@thenationonlineng.net

banks are cautious CBN asks MDAs to deploy ‘Why in granting loans’ e-channels in remittances B T HE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has asked Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to adopt e-payment channels for their transactions.

Salaries, pensions and suppliers and taxes are to be paid using the electronic channels.

The policy applies to organisations with over 50 employees.

In a circular, the apex bank said the process would reduce time and transaction costs, minimise leakages in government revenue receipts, provide reliable audit sytems, and make it comply with global payment standards.

The policy is also expected to ensure confidentiality of transactions.

CBN said, henceforth, payment instructions and associated schedules are no longer to be transmitted to banks by organisations in the public and private sectors through unsecured channels, such as paper-based mandates, flash drives, compact discs, and email attachments.

The transactions, the bank said,

• Acting CBN Governor Sarah Alade Stories by Collins Nweze

must be routed through bank approved electronic platforms, which transmits the instruction to debit a payer’s account and credit that of a

a beneficiary, mobile account, electronic wallet or other electronic channels.

It will include the ability of a payer to monitor and obtain electronic feedback on the status of any payment, without depending on any third party, manual or semimanual means.

Draft guidelines that will ratify the policy have been sent to commercial banks and payment service providers. The exercise is in line with the CBN Act, 2007, Section 47, Sub Section 2(2d).

It said the policy aligns with the National Payment Systems Vision 2020 (NPSV), which is aimed at ensuring the availability of safe and effective mechanisms for making and receiving various payments from any location and at any time.

The CBN said all public and private sector organisations, which relates with employees, pensioners, suppliers, taxpayers and others are considered as stakeholders required working for the success of the policy.

ANKS are still smarting from their mistakes which triggered the meltdown on 2007, a report by Renaissance Capital (RenCap), an investment and research firm, has said. They are now being cautious in giving out loans following their 2007 experience when they granted many non-performing credits.

The report is titled: Global emerging and frontier markets: Which markets can boom?

Despite those mistakes, RenCap said, banks should improve on their lending to support equity prices.

According to the firm, banks having lent 14 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2007, suffered and have been cautious ever since. It predicted a modest rise in nominal growth from 13 per cent as at last year, to 16 per cent this year. “We expect a modest uptick in nominal growth, from 14 per cent in 2013 and 16 per cent in 2014,” it said.

According to the report, the growth index suggests that the main bid for equities will continue to come from rapidly rising local pension fund money and frontier cash.

“It explained that in the first quarter of 2014, and perhaps the entire first half of 2014, we see Nigeria outperforming Kenya, due to movements by frontier investors,” it said.

RenCap said Nigeria’s rising weight in the Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) index, up from 14 per cent to 20 per cent is one factor behind this, adding that the stability of the naira is critical.

It said an analysis of debt cycles shows that credit booms have tended to drive equity returns.

“Conceptually, we think this makes sense, as credit booms have tended to coincide with accelerating economic activity, periods of low interest rates and strong corporate earnings,” it said.

It said the magnitude of the credit expansion is key, especially when credit is growing faster than GDP, adding that there is a greater opportunity for equity and other assets to perform well.

“Nigeria, Mexico and Turkey also have a somewhat supportive creditgrowth trend, though Turkish credit growth and pricing are increasingly dependent on the availability of funding,” it said.

Diamond Bank gets global nod

F

From left: Former Head of State Gen. Yakubu Gowon; Chairman, Friends Africa and former Group Managing Director (GMD), Access Bank Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede; Coordinating Minister for Economy/Minister of Finance Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Access Bank GMD Herbert Wigwe at the Africa Health Innovation Meeting during the World Economic Forum in Abuja.

AfDB okays five-year anti-graft framework T HE African Development Bank Group (AfDB) has approved a five-year strategy for fighting corruption in membercountries.

In a statement, the lender said the Governance Strategic Framework and Action Plan (GAP II) would take effect from this year and end in 2018. It will promote good governance, accountability and enhance the continent’s transformation.

The policy, he added, would assist in fighting corruption and enhancing regional integration in the continent.

Presenting the document to the Board, the bank’s Governance Director, Lobe Ndoumbe, said the strategy, which is based on the “One Bank” concept, benefited from wide-ranging external consultations with various stakeholders.

He explained that GAP II vision is: “Africa governed by transparent, accountable and responsive governments and strong institutions, capable of driving inclusive and sustainable growth.”

He said the plan would strengthen governments’ capacity for transparent and accountable use of public resources and citizens’ ability to hold governments responsible while also improving outcomes in the sectors and citizens’ ability to monitor them.

The plan, he added, would promote a business enabling environment which supports job creation and financial inclusion.

“Within these three strategic pillars, the bank will build on the

achievements of GAP I in the areas of Public Financial Management, Business Enabling Environment and sector governance. Regional integration will be mainstreamed in all the three strategic pillars,” he said.

The strategy will be implemented in the context of the “One Bank” approach and the decentralisation road map. While the former will necessitate a collective cross-departmental effort in mainstreaming governance across all bank operations.The decentralisation roadmap would further bring the bank closer to its clients, enhance policy dialogue and facilitate responsiveness and feedback.

According to the document, policy dialogue will act as an enabler of reforms and as an essential tool for sustainable development.

OREIGN investors have accepted Diamond Bank as a brand. This was during the bank’s inaugural Eurobond issuance of $200 million, which will mature in five years.

On the completion of the road show with major international fixed income investors, Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Alex Otti, said the bank was pleased with the development, adding that it demonstrates a global acceptance of the efforts aimed at positioning the bank as a leader.

“The successful issuance of the Eurobonds is yet another milestone in the growth trajectory of the bank.

Three years ago, we embarked on the task of transforming Diamond Bank into a leading player in the Nigerian banking industry and having moved four positions from the 11th largest bank in terms of total assets size to sixth, we are quite convinced that we are on the right path.

The success of this Eurobonds issuance exercise has effectively launched Diamond Bank into the international market and we will continue to tap from this opportunity in a phased manner as the opportunities present themselves,” said Otti.

The bank announced its intention

to meet with international fixed income investors on a road show with a target to raise between $200 million and $300 million.

Explaining the rationale for the capital raising and the decision of the bank to peg the maturity of the funds at five years, Chief Financial Officer of the bank, Abdulrahman Yinusa said: “The proceeds of the bonds will be used to fund growth of the business. With the remarkable growth we have recorded in the last three years, we have grown our loan book significantly, with a large portion of the loans extended to major players in the oil and gas, telecommunications and power sectors.

“In addition, we will deploy some of the proceeds into funding our short tenured trade finance transactions, which is another area of strength for the bank. Though we are the sixth largest bank in the country, we have consistently ranked among the top three in trade finance. This led to us to receive the award of the Best Issuing Bank in Sub-Sahara Africa by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), an arm of the World Bank earlier this year,” he said.

Diamond Bank’s Eurobonds have been rated “B” by both Standard & Poor’s and Fitch.

BoA installs e-banking facilities

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HE Bank of Agriculture (BoA) has begun the computerisation of its opera-

tions.

It will cover e-payments, card payments and mobile devicesbased transactions using mobile payments.

The bank’s Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr. Mohammed Santuraki, noted that the deployment of Information Technology (IT) infrastructure and the core banking solution software will reduce transaction time and enable the lender reach more people faster.

He said the exercise would enable its clients’access cutting edge real time banking services.

According to him, the computerisation programme is part of the vision of the management to reinvent and position it as the foremost selfsustaining Development Finance

Institution (DFI) in Africa.

Santuraki said BoA remains the first Nigerian Development Finance Institution (DFI) with a retail orientation to computerise its operations at all levels.

“As a DFI, BoA innovates to meet the expectations of our clients, the bulk of whom, are constantly embracing new technology. We therefore decided to up our own game through the full computerisation of our operations and the introduction of mobile payment platforms.

“The driving force for all of these is to remain the bank of first choice for our clients across the country by deploying the latest technology that makes banking experience easy, safe and accessible,” Santuraki said.

According to him, this will also promote the development objectives of the bank and improve its capacity to track the growth of its clients.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014

27

THE NATION

BUSINESS PENSION

Premium Pension assets hit N330b •Returns on investment to retirees above 12%

P

REMIUM Pension Limited has over N330 billion pension assets since 2005, the Managing Director, Wilson Ideva, has said.

Ideva, who made this known at a retirees’ forum organised by the firm in Owerri, Awka and Enugu, said they have paid about N63.2 billion as retirement benefits, while 13, 350 retirees receive pension monthly.

He expressed satisfaction with the growth in pension payment, adding that the development has impacted on the fortunes of the firm.

According to him, the collaboration between Premium Pension Limited and the retirees whose pensions are managed by the company continue in the Southeast geopolitical zone of the country.

He said the retirees are healthy, noting that there is no better testimony to the success of the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) than the good life of the

Stories by Omobola Tolu-Kusimo

retirees.

He added that the return on investment by Premium Pension has continued to be above 12 per cent, despite inflation in the past three years.

He said: “We salute the vision of those who set up the CPS in Nigeria. This is one government policy that has been consolidated and begun to yield dividends in a short time. With the continued increase in the return on investments, retirees would have to benefit more in the near future.”

Head, Southeast Zonal Office, National Pension Commission (PenCom), Mr. Eneh Ejiofor, described the forum as reflective of industry’s best practice and demonstration of the high premium placed on retirees by Premium Pension and the scheme.

He told the retirees that it is their right for their various Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) to enlighten them on de-

•From left: Mr. Ezema; Mr Ideva and Mr. Ejiofor, at the event.

velopments in the management of their Retirement Savings Account (RSA) and the industry.

The industry is growing and would even grow bigger in the next few years, he added.

Funds in the CPS is one of the most protected in the world, he

T

plaints and enquiries.

She stressed that the call centre was established during the last quarter of last year for prompt resolution of all complaints and enquiries on various pension issues.

She added that service delivery standards have been established for implementation by the pension operators.

She said: “These measures have been put in place to ensure significant improvement on the level of customer satisfaction in the services provided by the pension industry.

“The call centre has been commissioned to provide an easy means of contacting the Commission to lodge complaints or make enquiries on issues relating to pension.The Centre operates during working

T

•Mrs Anohu-Amazu

days from 8.00 am to 5.00 pm”.

Mrs. Anohu-Amazu added that trained agents will be available to answer to calls and attend to issues.

Alternatively, written messages can be sent while timely responses shall be providedto complaints, she said.

Detroit creditors seek to defend pension debt in lawsuit

A

BOND insurer wants the chance to fight Detroit’s effort to cancel $1.4 billion in pension debt, while the city is asking a judge to take a bus tour of its blighted areas before ruling on its $18 billion bankruptcy plan.

The insurer, Financial Guaranty Insurance Co., along with investors who would be wiped out by the plan, wants to take part in a lawsuit Detroit filed to cancel the debt, which was issued in 2005 and 2006 to prop up public worker pensions.

FGIC and the investors claim that a trustee now opposing the suit won’t represent their interests adequately, Bloomberg reports.

FGIC faces $1 billion in claims over pension bonds if the city succeeds in throwing out the debt, Edward Soto, an attorney for the bond insurer, told U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes in Detroit.

Cancelling the debt will free up money to pay other creditors, said Chris DiPompeo, one of the city’s attorneys. Letting FGIC and the in-

vestors participate in the lawsuit would make the case more complex and may disrupt the city’s plan to seek approval of its debt-adjustment proposal in July, he said.

DiPompeo said keeping the lawsuit narrowly focused would allow key issues in the bankruptcy to be resolved before the July plan-approval trial.

Service corporations Two service corporations that the city set up to issue the debt and send the money to the city’s pension systems have asked Rhodes to dismiss the lawsuit. Rhodes said he would issue written decisions on whether to allow FGIC and the investors to join the bond-cancellation lawsuit and whether to dismiss the two service corporations from the case.

Detroit filed the largest U.S. municipal bankruptcy last July, raising alarms over the sanctity of

Union Bank, Mr. Peter Aliogo.

Officers of the Nigeria Police representing the Mechanised Salaries Section and Pension Unit in Owerri; DSP Rufai Ahmed Magayaki and ASP Obi Chukwujekwu, among others also attended the event.

Pension tax breaks favours the rich, minister claims

PenCom urges workers, retirees to use call centres HE National Pension Commission (PenCom) has urged workers, retirees, beneficiaries and other stakeholders in the industry to take advantage of its Call Centres whenever they need to communicate with the Commission.

Its Acting Director-General, Mrs. ChineloAnohu-Amazu, said the Commission embarked on some initiatives to enhance the quality of service delivery to its stakeholders.

Prominent among these initiatives, she said, is the completion of automation of its basic internal processes.

She said this had not only enhanced the effectiveness of these processes, but also improved the response time to customers’ com-

said The events were attended by the Enugu State Head of Service, Mr. Chidi Ezema; Acting Director of Pensions, Office of the Head of Service, Imo State, Mrs. De Nwigwe Ezioma; and Regional Executive, Southeast,

municipal bonds and state-protected pensions.

The city has begun sending creditors ballots and documents explaining its debt-adjustment plan, soliciting votes through July 11. The plan is the product of agreements with retirees, employee unions and some bondholders.

State lawmakers have yet to approve Republican Governor Rick Snyder’s plan to give $350 million over 20 years — or $195 million in a lump sum — to Detroit’s employee pension systems. The money is necessary to secure an additional $466 million from private foundations and the Detroit Institute of Arts to bolster pensions while shielding the museum’s art collection from sale to pay creditors.

September deadline Rhodes yesterday told a lawyer for the state, Matthew Schneider, to ask lawmakers to avoid imposing a Sept. 30 deadline for him to approve the debt-adjustment plan.

HE Pension’s Minister, Steve Webb, is calling for a flat rate of tax relief on pension savings, claiming tax breaks favour the wealthy.

According to The Telegraph,Webb, the Liberal Democrat MP, said there should be a flat-rate of tax relief on pension savings set between 20pc and 30pc.

This would end a system in which savers get relief at their highest marginal rate which effectively means higher rate taxpayers pay just 60p to put each £1 into a pension.

The Treasury spends £54billion a year on this relief and b oth the Labour Party and Liberal Democrats have suggested they will seek to reform it, should either enter government following the 2015 general election.

In an interview with financial publication Money Marketing, Webb said this would help reduce Britain’s deficit.

“We know the cost of pensions tax relief is a very large number and the benefits are heavily skewed towards high earners,” he said.

“In the real world a government will want to spend less rather than more on pensions tax relief.”

Successive governments have tinkered with pensions, clawing back the incentives handed to savers through lower allowances.

Webb said this would continue “as long as we fail to address the unfairness of the current structure”, which he said would be solved by introducing a flat rate for all.

The Pensions Policy Institute (PPI), a think tank, has suggested a 30pc flat-rate of relief would be cost-neutral to the Treasury. The effect would be redistribution of the incentive to save to the less

wealthy, taking the tax on contributions to pensions made by higher earners and effectively putting it into the funds of those who pay 20pc tax only. In retirement, three-quarters of the fund would still be subject to income tax on withdrawal.

Webb said the think tank’s research “just shows you how skewed ( the tax relief system) is towards the higher earners”.

His proposed level of flat-rate tax relief would “a standard rate north of 20pc but south of 30pc.”

It is the second time since the Budget Webb has spoken out on pensions tax relief, which has become a pre-election battleground.

In doing so, he has commented on legislation for which his government department is not responsible. The Treasury, which is headed by the Conservative Chancellor, George Obsorne, is ultimate responsibility for changes to the way pensions are taxed.

A spokesman for the Treasury said: “Pensions tax relief provides strong incentives for everyone to save; however this needs to be balanced against the need to protect the public finances from the growing cost of pensions tax relief.

“Although the Government keeps all taxes under review, there are no plans to make any changes to pensions tax relief.”

In April, another think tank, the Centre for Policy Studies, said pension tax breaks were “ineffective” and “inequitable”, and should be replaced with a state handout of 50p for every £1 saved. Michael Johnson, the academic behind the report, said his proposals would also cap the amount of income tax refunded on pension savings at £4,000 a year. At this level savers would only need to pay £8,000 to put £12,000 into a pension equivalent to a relief of 33pc.

28

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014

THE NATION INVESTORS

Safetrust Mortgage Bank to list on NSE

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AFETRUST Mortgage Bank Limited plans to list its shares on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) within the next three years as the mortgage bank moves to consolidate its operations and attain a nationwide coverage.

Managing director, Safetrust Mortgage Bank Limited, Mr. Yinka Adeola, said the mortgage bank has launched a three-year growth strategy that would lead to nationwide coverage and listing of its shares on the NSE. According to him, with the mortgage bank now above the minimum capital requirement for its state operating licence, the next focus is to grow its capital to obtain national operating licence and subsequently list its shares on the stock market.

“Well the three-year plan is that today we are about N2.8 billion and

Stories by Taofik Salako Capital Market Editor

we want to continue to grow the mortgage business and with liquidity management company coming in place by the middle of the year, we believe there is much more to do in the area of mortgage and we will be doing larger business and the return will be much. We will be doing that over the course of 36 months and the shareholders’ funds will be above N5 billion organically,” Adeola said in response to questions by The Nation.

He said the mortgage bank might also consider mergers and acquisitions noting that the board will be willing to consider acquisition if there is a creditable partner where there is synergy and there is advan-

tage in merging the business.

He said the mortgage industry has immense potential that would make mortgage stocks attractive to investors pointing out that Safetrust as one of the oldest mortgage bankers in Nigeria with more than 20 years of operations and enormous experience is at vantage position ahead of the competition.

According to him, the major challenge of the mortgage industry is the high interest rate and cost of mortgage, which will be shortly addressed with the impending commencement of operations of the Mortgage Refinance Company (MRC).

“I think the mortgage industry is the next big thing to happen in the financial industry because every human being needs a room over his head and we all know that the

housing gap in Nigeria today is about 17 million. Imagine denting that even at an average of one million per annum what it will translate into the GDP so, the potential is big.

The main challenge is the interest rate and cost of mortgage and the frontal attack to that is the liquidity management company that the federal government is putting in place with the support of the World Bank and Nigerian Sovereign Wealth Fund. With that, they will come out with mortgage rate that is likely to be in single unit. Once we can achieve that, we believe that will start unleashing the energy in the mortgage industry,” Adeola said.

He said Safetrust’s resolve to continue to be a one-stop mortgage banking shop remains unfettered as

evident in the substantial strides made by the bank towards human capital development, upgraded service standards and branch networking.

According to him, the bank is currently working on expanding its branch network with more branches expected in Lagos State while it will also adopt agent banking model to reach out to more customers.

He added that the mortgage bank has concluded on improvements of its service channels with customers now able to avail themselves of electronic banking services such as Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), telephone banking and internet banking while it is working on providing additional e-channel services to its customers.

SEC harps on financial literacy as bedrock for economic growth

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HE Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will continue to foster investment education and financial literacy as a major plank of efforts to mobilize savings and enhance capital formation necessary for economic growth.

Director General, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Ms Arunma Oteh, said the Commission is committed to ensuring that more Nigerians become financially literate. Oteh said this when she received members of the Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM) in her office in Abuja.

According to her, the commitment to financial education among other considerations informed the decision of the Commission to partner with the entertainment industry to communicate to Nigerians, issues relating to financial literacy.

“As the apex regulator of the capital market we need to raise financially literate citizens who spend wisely and save wisely. We believe if people are well schooled, they will be able to make informed financial decisions. We are keen on ensuring that Nigeria has financially responsible citizens,” Oteh said.

She pointed out that integrity and discipline are very important to the Commission as it must strive to be a role model in all it does.

“We must be a role model in everything we do because our work entails regulations and enduring that our markets are where we want them to be and also ensure that Nigeria is the preferred investor destination,” Oteh said.

In his remarks, president, Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM), Dr. Nelson Uwaga commended SEC for the meritorious service it has been rendering to the nation and the economy and on its efforts in turning around the nation’s capital market.

He urged Sec to further engage key stakeholders adding that networking is important for a better tomorrow for Nigeria.

“We wish to commend the SEC on its role in restoring confidence in the capital market. Without doubt, your organization has also been making noticeable efforts to realize its mission to develop and regulate a world class capital market with the capacity to contribute to the nation’s economic development, “ Uwaga said.

•From Left: Head, Communications & CSR, FCMB Group, Uchenna Mojeku; Deputy Managing Director, Access Bank Plc, Obinna Nwosu; Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Mr. Oscar Onyema; Chief Executive Officer, Airline Services & Logistics Plc, Richard Akelere; Chief Executive Officer, Lafarge Cement Wapco Nigeria Plc, Joe Hudson and Chief Executive Officer, Total Nigeria Plc, Mr. Alexis Vovk at the NSE's Corporate Challenge 5km race in Lagos

Stockbrokers expel member over unprofessional conduct

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HE Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS), the selfregulatory body that regulates the practice of stockbroking and serves as the umbrella body for all stockbrokers, has expelled one of its member; Mr. Akinwale Olagundoye.

Olagundoye had been found guilty of unprofessional conduct by the CIS Disciplinary Tribunal on March 28, 2013. He however appealed against the judgement of the Tribunal to the Federal High Court, Lagos. The Federal High Court, Lagos on March 28, 2014 dismissed his appeal.

Secretary to the CIS Disciplinary Tribunal, Mr. Babatunde Odofin, said with the dismissal of the appeal, Olagundoye's name was accordingly removed from membership of the institute with effect from March 28, 2014.

"Olagundoye is therefore barred from operating or presenting himself as a chartered stockbroker or a member of the institute under any circumstance," Odofin stated in a statement.

On the other hand, Odofin said another stockbroker, Mr. Peter Temidayo Ola, who had been suspended last year, has been readmitted as a member of CIS. Ola was found guilty of infamous conduct

contrary to and punishable under Regulations 5(vi), 5(vii) and 5 (xii) and section 11(1)(a) of the CIS Act of 1992.

He was said to have collected the sum of N320, 000 from two persons under the false pretence that he had shares of Friesland Campina Wamco Nigeria when he knew in actual fact he had no such shares to sell. He did this between May and June 2009.

But Odofin said Ola brought an application last December for re-admission having re-purchased 1,000 units of shares of Friesland Campina Wamco Nigeria including the outstanding dividends and bonuses for the two complainants.

"The Tribunal considered the application which as not opposed by the prosecution. In this circumstance, the Tribunal hereby orders that the applicant be and is hereby relisted as a member of the Institute with effect from April 1, 2014. The Tribunal, however, would like to sound a note of warning that in the future, the applicant must in all circumstances comply with the rules and regulations of the institute. He is also under obligation to uphold the ethics of the profession to which he subscribed and swore as a stockbroker," Odofin said.

Meanwhile, the chief executive officer and registrar, Chartered In-

stitute of Stockbrokers (CIS), Mr. Adedeji Ajadi, has stressed the importance of standardization of training and certifications across all functions in the capital market.

According to him, there is the need for standardization of training and certification to ensure that only qualified and competent professionals operate in the market in order to ensure that market operators are subject to regulation and discipline, as appropriate.

He noted that in order to improve investors' confidence, all stakeholders need to continue to work together to foster transparency and good corporate governance structures in the market.

"We need to put structures in place to ensure that investors' funds are safeguarded. Charlatans and quacks should not be allowed to handle investors' funds and transactions in the capital market. The CIS is playing a major role along this line. We also need to educate investors and prospective investors. Financial literacy will build investors confidence. It is heartwarming that the regulators; SEC, NSE, as well as CIS are currently putting in a lot of efforts along this line," Ajadi said.

He added that the CIS's annual national workshop provides plat-

form for national development as it brings together key players in both the public and private sectors of the Nigerian economy to engage, and generate ideas which will serve as useful input to the national budget and enhance the quality of the policy making process.

"Our experience at the three national workshops held so far has proven that we are on the right track. Increasingly, we are getting the attention of the key drivers of the public and private sectors in the economy who are eager to contribute in all ways possible to making future workshop more successful.

We are aware that the capital market is a major segment that drives national economy through mobilization of savings and creation of investment opportunities. On an on-going basis, we need to continually highlight the critical link between the capital market and other key sectors of the economy," Ajadi said.

According to him, there is need to keep mobilising all stakeholders to participate actively with everybody coming together once in a year to deliberate, brain storm and share ideas not only on critical issues affecting the capital market, but also the Nigerian economy as a whole.

Newspaper of the Year

AN EIGHT-PAGE PULLOUT ON THE SOUTHWEST STATES

Jungle justice

•PAGE 32

INSIDE

PAGE 29

In the last three months, Lagos has been in the grip of the mob who deliver jungle justice to anyone accused of kidnapping, even without convincing facts. The fear of the mob has become the beginning of wisdom for many Lagosians as fear of extra-judicial killings grips many residents. SEUN AKIOYE investigates •Continued from Page 30

How irate Lagos mobs torture and burn suspected kidnappers OGUN: The making of an Industrial Hub

WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014

Ex-AttorneyGeneral Akinlaja opens chamber •PAGE 35

Hunting for survival •PAGE 36

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014

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SOUTHWEST REPORT

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HERE were more than 1,000 people in the murderous mob comprising mostly of commercial motorcyclists and tricycle riders, motor park touts and idle youths the day Ify Blessing, a graduate of Public Administration from the University of Maiduguri, was stripped naked, beaten up and murdered.

For many hours, her body burned at the gates of Idowu Adetunji Street, Ekoro Road in Agbado Oke-Odo Local Council Development Area of Lagos State.

Almost everyone in the crowd agreed she attempted to kidnap three children, two boys and a girl on their way to school. But what the crowd could not agree to was the manner of the kidnap; while a section of the crowd said she came in a Jeep fourwheel-drive and was caught when she was making a phone call to prospective buyers, others said she seized the children on the way to school and attempted to take them in the opposite direction. Newcomers to the scene believed either story depending on the side of the crowd they were in. And of course, you could make up your own version.

The accused stood in the midst of the crowd, naked and bleeding. She did not respond to any of the questions posed at her by her tormentors.

This to the crowd confirmed her guilt and more blows were rained on her.

She took the blows without crying and when she fell under the powers of the flames, she did not beg for mercy.

Alhaji S. Taiwo remembered the day. “It is disheartening, it is wicked, inhuman. I could not sleep for three days after witnessing what the crowd did that day, “he told The Nation. As one of the community leaders on Idowu Adetunji Street, Taiwo’s house overlooks the gate of the street where Ify was murdered. From a room, in his third floor apartment, he had a vintage position to witness all that happened on Tuesday, May 6, 2014.

“I saw everything; none of the boys on this street took part. When the crowd attempted to bring her into the estate, we locked the gate. We called the police. It was dangerous to interfere, some of us who tried to were beaten up, one luckily escaped with his life. Now, we know the woman was innocent, they just killed her for nothing,” Taiwo said, shaking with anger.

The story of Ify strongly reminiscent of what has become the lot of many in Lagos recently. In the last three months there have been more than 40 reported cases of mob justice against those accused of either stealing or kidnapping children for the sake of ritual money. In many of the cases, the first accusers were not known, a slight suspicion was enough to send the mob into a frenzy of murder and their usual instrument of death is arson.

The second day, after Ify was murdered another man was burnt to death on Osundairo Street in IyanaIpaja, another suburb of Lagos. The victim later identified as Shamsideen Yussuf was accused of trying to kidnap a 4-year-old boy, who was also on his way to school. Eyewitnesses said Yussuf was wearing only his underwear and looking unkempt.

His ‘crime’ was being seen near a school child and when questioned, his response was incoherent, so the mob descended on him, stripped whatever remained of his clothes, a disused car tyre was brought, money was contributed to buy petrol and he was burnt to death. Black smoke rose from the burning flesh visible for all to see several meters away.

Jungle justice •Adigun Popoola Street looking police officers from Ile-Epo police station.

A reliable police source at the IleEpo police divisional headquarters told The Nation that five more people were rescued from irate mobs that same week within the area.

“But the irony of the matter is all those we rescued were all mad people. After securing their identities, we have released them to their families. And all those who accused them have ran away and we can’t even find the children they were supposed to have kidnapped or attempted to kidnap,” she said.

Investigations conducted by The Nation into the murder of Ify revealed startling facts about the alleged kidnapper. Alhaji Taiwo said he had met her father at the police station who confirmed she had mental problems.

“Her father told me her mental problem began the first year she started working after her graduation from the University. This has prevented her from getting married or doing anything worthwhile with her

life. Her sister brought her to Lagos to take proper care of her before she met her death,” Taiwo said.

Investigations also revealed that prior to her death; Ify had lived on Adigun Popoola Street in Ekoro road, about 500 meters from where she died. When The Nation visited the neighbourhood, few people initially admitted they knew where she lived; but many later confirmed she was indeed mad.

“She had mental problems but you wouldn’t know, every morning, she would go to the bus stop to beg for money. But because she was always neat and she dressed well many people didn’t know her mental state.

She came to live here with her sister in November 2013,” a resident volunteered.

Alhaji Adisa (surname protected), a human rights activist in Ekoro said the suspect who was rescued at IleEpo was really mad. “The boy was discharged from Yaba Psychiatrist Hospital in 2010; the father brought the discharge certificate. He fought with his boss where he was learning

•Abubakar

•Adetunji

Disturbing trend The day Ify died, another suspected kidnapper was almost murdered about two kilometers from the spot of her murder. He had been accused of trying to kidnap some children, no one is sure how many or the manner of kidnap but mere accusation had satisfied the mob which was about to burn him to death but he was saved by a detachment of tough

a trade and disappeared only to show up here in Ile-Epo. If not for the police, he would have been killed,” he said.

A disturbing trend about the jungle justice is that many of the victims were either totally mad or suffer from autistic conditions. In Ify’s case, her accusers said when she was questioned, her response was incoherent.

“How can her response be coherent, were they blind to see she was not normal?” Adisa asked, full of anger. In his house, a fully grown autistic woman came outside, she could speak but her words were full of inconsistencies. “She is an endangered specie, that is why we don’t ever leave her alone in the house, somebody must always be with her.

If she goes out and someone accused her of kidnapping how will she defend herself, how will her words be coherent?” he asked.

Guilty or not But an irate mob is hardly convinced about the mental stability of its victim neither does it care about getting facts of the accusation. Most of the time, therefore, many of its victims were found to have been innocent, only when it was too late.

That was the case of Ify. In her Adigun Popoola Street, a pall of gloom had descended on the neighbourhood since her murder.

The residents are wary of the label her murder had given the street and any inquiry about her met with stoic silence, at first.

A woman identified as “Iya Latifat” who sells provisions on the street said she knew the late woman as the deceased used to patronise her store.

The Nation asked her if Ify was a kidnapper, she responded to this inquiry with a look of profound contempt.

“She was not a kidnapper, I knew her,” she snapped, a sort of anger creeping to her face. “I knew her, she was my customer. She loved groundnuts and she comes here every day to buy N20 worth, if you see her, you will think she was a rich woman, until she starts begging for money,” she said.

She also revealed that Ify was

plump and big; she had a pink cap on her head all the time and had a rich look around her. “She wears second hand clothes but they were neat, she doesn’t speak much except to ask for money from anybody. I didn’t know she was the one they were burning, if I knew I would have been able to identify her.”

Many people on that street felt the same way. Many carried with them the guilty feelings of their inability to save a fellow resident who was incapable of saving herself. The day of her death, her sister identified as Uche was said to have gone around looking for her late into the evening, until someone came to tell her she saw Ify’s clothes near the scene of the tragedy.

“Normally, she doesn’t stay outside too long, but on that day she didn’t come back till evening. That was when alarm was raised. It’s sad she died like that, if only she could talk, we have left her killers in the hands of God,” Iya Latifat said. But the irony of Ify’s death was that she was to be taken to a church for ‘deliverance’ the day she died.

Pastor John Amaga of Deliverance Outreach Ministries, located on the same street said he had tried to conduct a deliverance session for the deceased. “Every time I asked her to come to church, she would just say give me breakfast. I believe she was bewitched, she had been harmed in the spirit and the physical manifestation just came about,” he said.

Inside her former house on 13, Popoola Adigun Street, family members had gathered to condole with her sister. It was difficult to believe Ify had been living in the house which was decently arranged and kept neat. Though The Nation could not see Ify’s sister, after repeated visits, a family member said the issue has been left in the hands of God. On Tuesday, May 13, a grandmother was almost murdered in Ajegunle by a mob who had accosted her when a baby was found with her.

Without waiting for explanations, the mob accused her of kidnapping the day-old baby and proceeded to lynch her.

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‘

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014

SOUTHWEST REPORT

Nobody has any right to take any life no matter the gravity of the offense, if you see anyone committing a crime, the next thing is to call the police, the command is against it, you don’t have the right to kill

‘

It was later learnt she was the baby’s grandmother and the hospital had asked her to take care of the child as the mother was mentally unstable. That same day, a mob descended on a man in Shasha area of Akowonjo and almost killed him but for the timely intervention of the police.

“It was the Baale that called the police before the man was saved. It was actually the parents of the child that asked him to take the child to school because it was on his way,” an eyewitness said.

A riotous mob The crowd that supervised the burning of Ify had showed her no mercy, according to several eyewitnesses interviewed by The Nation, Ify’s travail did not start from Idowu Adetunji gate. It was gathered that she had been accused of kidnapping by a woman very close to her own street and dragged all the way to where she was eventually murdered.

“You should have seen them that day, they were beating her mercilessly, somebody went to the petrol station to get petrol and when they burnt her, they were turning her like a barbecue,” Alhaji Taiwo said.

Several other witnesses, who do not want their names mentioned described the mood of the mob as demonic. “It was like they were possessed by demons. There were a few people who tried to stop them but they were beaten up, one man was chased down the street, I am sure he is still recuperating in the hospital now,” one said.

The mob is usually very violent and unrestrained. Only those who were ready to face the consequences dared interfere. In Iyana-Ipaja, the mob was so violent; it was able to repeal the police who came to rescue the victim.

In the Ekoro tragedy, most of those in the mob were Okada riders and motor park touts, some witnesses also accused the members of the Ekoro motor park of complicity in the murder. ”Okada and Marwa people are very touchy, a little thing and they go on rampage,” an eyewitness said. Two weeks ago, after the Police had rescued a suspected kidnapper putting him under protective custody, the mob had followed the police to the station and demanded jungle justice on the suspect.

“Our DPO (Divisional Police Officer) had to forcefully take the suspect to the Force Headquarters because the crowd had the audacity to demand that we hand over the suspect to them for jungle justice. It was that bad,” a police source said.

How does a mob work? According to findings, most mobs gather their strength from their number, the more the people, the more the difficulty in pinning the crime on a particular person. And in Nigeria where most mob actions go unpunished, it has become a ‘legitimate’ weapon used by the poor against fellow citizens.

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In Lagos, where an army of unemployed and under-employed youths roam the streets, it is very easy to be lured into crime especially when there will be no repercussions. In Ify’s case, those who killed her were said to have come from far and near and the men seemed eager to strip her naked.

“Ha, when they stripped her, you could see she was a beautiful woman, she would be in her 40s and when they were beating and mocking her, she just took it all in quietly, like a sheep led to the slaughter,” an eyewitness said.

So what could have turned an otherwise decent crowd into a blood sucking, murderous mob? According to Adesanyan Olawale, a sociobehavioural scientist, the behavi-our of the mob was a result of bottled up anger against the ills of the society.

“People say when election is around the corner, that is when all these disappearances happen, so the people are charged already. If you look at the mob, you will see it is made up of the jobless and those on the lower strata of the societal ladder. They are already angry at the corruption and ills of the land, so they believe that kidnappers used the children for money or political ritual and as such they should not be spared,” Olawale said.

But one wonders why the suspects were not handed over to the police as usually advocated by law enforcement agents. “The people do not trust the police any longer, they say the police will release them and they will go scot free, that’s why they take the laws into their hands,” Pastor Amaga said.

While agreeing that the people may have passed a vote of no confidence in the police, former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) vice chairman, Ikorodu branch, Barrister Adedotun Adetunji said jungle justice has no place in the Nigerian law.

“It is detestable and under the law it is wrong. There have been many cases where they have lynched the innocent. But you see, the people are charged and when they see all the injustice going on in government they tend to take the laws into their own hands. But that does not justify jungle justice, it should not be condoned,” Adetunji said.

Coming to the spirited defense of the police, Alhaji Aziz Fasugba, a community leader in Oke-Odo area said poverty could not be the reason for the unrestrained behaviour of the mob. He said the people’s superstitious belief about ritual killings during election time usually fuels the suspicions of kidnappings and the acts were mainly carried out by touts.

“When they blame the police, you should know that the police need evidence and when such is not forthcoming, the police will have to release the accused. Only people with criminal inclinations will resort to such barbaric acts,” Fasugba said.

A police source also blamed the •Continued on Page 34

Man burnt to death in Ekiti The lynching of a kidnap suspect by an irate mob in Ikere-Ekiti, Ikere Local Government Area of Ekiti State, has thrown up issues about the growing tendency among the people to take the law into their hands, SULAIMAN SALAWUDEEN reports

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ENULTIMATE Sunday was a particularly bad day in Ikere-Ekiti, Ikere Local Government Area of Ekiti State, when an alleged kidnapper and ritualist was apprehended by the people and later set ablaze.

Time was 7.40 in the morning and the man (name unknown) reportedly in his 40s was sighted by a commercial motorcyclist emerging from a bush located at Eyitayo Housing Estate, Moshood area, Ikere-Ekiti.

On sighting the man, the motorcyclist was said to have made few frantic calls to residents around the area and the man was promptly arrested. He was said to be carrying, at the time, a black polythene bag containing what was described as a mutilated but fresh body of a boy whose age could not be ascertained.

The people reportedly forced the man back into the bush to know his actual mission where they saw objects which looked most like fresh human parts covered with fresh blood.

The mob which had now formed brought him out of the said bush again and then dealt him blows, using all manner of objects, before they took him to the local vigilance group called the Odua Peoples Congress (OPC), in the town.

But they (the mob) reportedly numbering about fifty seized him from the vigilance group, brought him to Odo-Oja main road, stripped him naked and while still in the unconscious state, heaped upon him about ten used tyres, doused all in petrol and in seconds, he was up in flames.

An eye witness had said the man had earlier been handed over to the Oodua Peoples Congress in the belief that they would ‘deal’ with him but “they schemed to protect and shield him.”

“We were looking at them after he had been handed over. We expected he would be tortured but

they (vigilance group members) did no such thing. They kept him there and wasted our time. At a point we got angry and we moved in and took him to the main road close to a bank and burnt him.

“Just last week, a kidnapper escaped here in this town with some collusion and support among certain elements. We did not want that to happen again. To catch a kidnapper and allow him to escape is the worst thing that can happen in a community. That criminal would return to perpetrate worse crime,” the eyewitness said.

While investigations are currently ongoing to bring perpetrators to justice and discourage a repeat of the act, The Nation investigations revealed that criminal activities like that were not unique to Ikere alone, other towns in Ekiti State, including Igede and Omuo have lately recorded such occurrences as well.

In Omuo-Ekiti, a 12-year-old girl sent by her mother on an errand was waylaid by suspected relative and killed for ritual purposes.

According to a source, the girl who was sent to deliver food to her grandmother was pursued and stopped by her mother’s brother as she was returning from her granny’s place. She was said to have been taken to a small house where she was killed and some parts of her body, including her brain removed The Omuo case was generally believed to be a case of ritual killing.

Police reaction In a swift reaction, the State Police Commissioner, Felix Uyanna, condemned the burning of the suspect, saying it was unlawful for people to take laws into their hands, adding that “the Command will deal with whoever is found engaging in such.”

Mr Uyanna, while maintaining that the act “was regrettable and inhuman” said in a statement that the state police command”is dis-

mayed at the ugly incident of mob attack/killing/burning of a yet to be identified citizen at Ikere.

“The supposed victim of the alleged crime is also unknown and that the flimsy excuse or suspicion of being a kidnapper if allowed is a recipe for anarchy, especially now that a major election is afoot.

“The Command hereby warns members of the public to desist from taking laws into their hands, rather reports of any incidents of commission of crime or any suspicion whatsoever should be made at the nearest police station as anyone arrested in connection with any lawless act will be made to face the full weight of the law,” Uyanna said.

While some of the suspects were said to have been arrested and making useful confessions, the fact according to the police remains that residents themselves have to support the police in securing the communities.

At a recent chat with journalists in the state, the Police Commissioner stressed that security had become everyone’s business and that people have to be interested in who is moving where and at whatever time.

While residents have continued to condemn the abandonment of Eyitayo Housing Estate, where the man was reportedly found, The Nation findings reveal that the estate used to be the site of a proposed central market when Ise, Emure, and Ilawe were still under Ikere Local Government about thirty-years ago.

According to a source, “The place at a time was being prepared for a large local market. But the local government failed to implement this before the separation of the council into Ise, Emure, Ilawe and Ikere local government areas.

A resident around the area said: “We have been having meetings in this place because of the tendency of criminals to use that place (Eyitayo Estate), but most times when decisions are taken, it would not be implemented.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014

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SOUTHWEST REPORT Landslide threatens Okitipupa as rehabilitation begins

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KITIPUPA, the capital of the ‘Ikales’ in Ondo State, is currently facing natural hurdles capable of endangering the lives of its inhabitants. A landslide on a major road is threatening to cut the area into two, making vehicular traffic near impossible.The site is scaring but Ondo State government has assured the people in the area of government’s quick intervention to rehabilitate the landslide along the major road in the council headquarters.

The disaster, which according to residents of the area occurred few days ago claimed a section of the Adeniran Estate area of the popular Broad Street, the major road in the local government.

The Commissioner for Works, Gboye Adegbenro, who rushed to the site of the natural disaster in company with the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the Governor, Eni Akinsola, member representing Okitipupa constituency 2 at the state House of Assembly, Mrs. Jumoke Akindele and Director in the Ministry of Works, said government would take drastic measures to prevent future occurrence.

According to him, “this is not a road failure, it is a geophysical failure of an existing structure which means the road is sliding and it needs urgent attention because it is risky for road users.”

He assured that the survey would be ready in 24hours, after which the government would come up with a design.

Adegbenro said though the problem is a long term issue, but pointed out that the first 50-meters of the slide would be rehabilitated and sustained urgently so as to avoid total landslide and make the road passable for users.

Akinsola, urged the people of the area to prevent heavy duty vehicles from plying the road until the road was fully rehabilitated in order to prevent total landslide.

•Okitipupa landslide

From Damisi Ojo,Akure

The member representing Okitipupa Constituency 2 at the state House of Assembly, Mrs. Akindele, also appreciated the swift intervention of the state government to the plight of her people.

Governor Mimiko, who also visited the site said engineers were already surveying the damaged area, which affected the major road that links Okitipupa and Igbokoda.

He assured residents that his administration would not allow the situation to degenerate, adding that their safety was a priority to the government.

Mimiko urged residents to stay off the site because of its inherent danger.

Some concerned residents in the area urged the state government to expedite action in rehabilitating the landslide to prevent loss of human lives.

According to them, with the present development, there is an urgent need to take prompt action against the natural disaster, stressing that delay might be dangerous.

At the weekend, it was learnt that rehabilitation works have started on the site, while the road has been cordoned off to traffic.

The chairman of the Ondo State Asphalt Company (OSAC), that is handling the project, Engr. Kehinde Osikoya said work had commenced immediately after the visit of Governor Mimiko to the site.

According to him, “What we met on ground was serious earth movement which can be described as landslide, it virtually cut the road into two and that is why the area has been cordoned off because it is very unsafe for motorists to use the road.

“In the next two weeks, we would have gotten to a stage where the road will be re-opened and after then, we will begin the channelisation to make the road motorable again.”

OGUN: The making of an Industrial Hub •Dangote Cement, Ibeshe

Still basking in the euphoria of the successes recorded from its maiden edition of its Investors’ Forum, Ogun State appears set to consolidate with the hosting of the second edition of the forum.

MUYIWA LUCAS writes

S

ENATOR Ibikunle Amosun, Ogun State governor, is a happy man. Amosun’s happiness stems from the silent industrial revolution currently going on in his state. Two years after the maiden edition of the Ogun State investment forum, about 45 companies, each with a minimum investment of $100 million, have made the state their abode.

And in this, the high-rise cap wearing governor takes delight.

“Today, I have the pleasure that Ogun State is now the industrial base of the country. No state has the number of industries that we now have in this state; it is not an unhealthy rivalry with anybody,” Amosun told a gathering at a forum preparatory to the second edition of the state investment forum which commence today at the June 12 Cultural Centre, Kobape Road, Abeokuta, Ogun State.

The investments spilling into the state are said to be the fallout of the policies put in place by the administration since its inception in 2011. For instance, early in the life of the administration, a clear-cut focus was put in place for achieving the set goals, one of which was to improve on agriculture and also embark on urban development.

This reasoning was premised on the belief that agriculture will lead to urban development, and at the same time create wealth for the state considering its capacity to employ more people and the possibility of processing farm produce, which will ultimately lead to the harnessing and development in agriculture.

It is therefore not out of place that the theme for this year’s investors’ forum is “Agriculture and Urban Development: Ogun State... The new Frontier.” Besides, it is the be-

lief that promoting sustainable agriculture will lead to industrialisation. “That is why we belief that agriculture is imperative for urbanisation. For instance, a starch manufacturing firm came here to grow cassava; and we had to encourage them to set up their processing plant here to produce the starch since the raw material is here. This will also create employment for our people; we are encouraging industries not to look far for their raw materials elsewhere because they are all here in our state,” the governor noted.

Amosun explained that the state chose the two sectors as the focus of the forum because, apart from the fact that they are interwoven, they also serve as agents of change, while agriculture, in particular, gives the state an edge over other states of the federation in terms of potentials and the gateway position of the state to other neighbouring countries. For him, the proximity of the state to Lagos State and also being an entry/exit point to other •Senator Amosun countries in the West African region, make the state stand tall above and siting of factories and other others as far as commercial agriindustries. Ogun State government, culture is concerned. His words: The Nation learnt, gives as much as “What we have in Ogun is not the 70 per cent rebate on cost of acquirseven million population but the ing land and ensures that documenease with which we can be a hub. tation of such properties are conWe are very close to Oyo and Lagos cluded at the speed of light. Howpopulation. So, it is easy to make ever, such lands have a caveat: deOgun as hub. We are creating and velopment must commence on it repairing our roads, and as well within six months of its allocation. building modern markets. So with This, the governor explained, is to these, you can access the West Afriensure that only serious minded can countries through Ogun.” investors come to the state. For him, As part of measures to turn the the target is to feed, cloth, house state into an industrial hub, the state and move Lagos, as well as becomis working closely with the Bank ing the industrial hub of West Afriof Industries (BoI) to aid credit facan region. By this he means being cilities for investors. This is aside the all round provider of the needs the ease of acquisition of land for of Lagosians, in the area of agriculinvestment purposes like farming ture, accommodation, and others

•Otunba Ashiru socio-economic needs of the state.

A high point of the forum will be the launch of the state’s metro city project, on which the urban development programme of the administration is anchored. This aims to bring mega cities, comparable to what obtains in developed countries and places like Dubai, to the state.

These efforts appears to be falling in line with a study conducted shortly after the inauguration of the present administration which hinted that the state will attain fiscal autonomy by 2015, provided her current economic realities are sustained. This was contained in the preliminary report of the peer review exercise conducted by the policy consultant to the Nige-

rian Governors’ Forum (NGF), Mr. Ilyasu Gashinbaki. According to the report, the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) was projected to exceed that of Oyo State by 2013; and may be ranked in the same category with major IGR driven states like Lagos, Kano and Rivers by 2020. It reckoned that if the current policy thrust is sustained by successive regimes especially regarding port development - deep sea port Olokola regional free trade zones, Kajola special rail system; Gateway International Airport, tourism, trade and commerce, construction boom and trans ECOWAS trade, then Ogun will become the most advanced subnation among countries in the West African sub region. Besides, the state’s Gross

Domestic Product (GDP) is said to be bigger than that of countries like Togo, Lesotho, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Gambia, Guinea, Sao Tome and Principe amongst others.

According to 2007 GDP estimates, the state was ranked ninth in the country with regards to GDP, with approximately $10.5billion GDP when the State’s population based on the 2006 census, was about 3.75 million and 16th among the 36 states in Nigeria. But these have since changed in the last three years. Ogun State now provides a home for many as a large number of the workforce of Lagos now reside in the Ogun due to the urbanisation and rural development schemes that have given room for several satellite estates

emerging in various locations in the state. Likewise, most of the direct foreign investments coming into the country have found an appropriate business atmosphere within her several industrial layouts, including new businesses which are coming into the state in droves. These and more makes Amosun to say that “today, Ogun State is not only open for business, it is business.”

The Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Otunba Bimbo Ashiru, told The Nation that apart from the 45 industries that came as a result of the 2012 economic forum, 19 other industries are at the various stages of construction. He said that the influx of industries into the state has made her the state where President Goodluck Jonathan has visited the most to commission industries and factories. “These are the result of the last forum. It shows that we have been able to sort out things for our people.

You can see that infrastructure goes with urban development. I am happy to tell you that we are also a leading state in driving the SMEs and the result has encouraged us to hold the second edition of the investor’s forum,” an obviously satisfied Ashiru said. The multiplier effect of these efforts is that it has created wealth, increase IGR, and started an industrial revolution. This is evident in the average monthly IGR of N4 billion revenue now being generated by the state compared to N730 million when Amosun took over the administration in 2011.

Ashiru, who disclosed that the state has the largest concentration of limestone in the country, also revealed that of the 28.6 million metric tonnes of cement produced locally in Nigeria, 14 million metric tonnes of this comes from Ogun State. The commissioner further said that in the last 30 months, his ministry has been able to increase its IGR by 1, 282.77 per cent, which he says is an indication that it has been able to identify all sources where revenue can be generated to grow the state.

Both Amosun and Ashiru are, however, not oblivious of the fact that for the state’s economy to be more vibrant, it must be private sector driven; a factor that the governor said has made his administration to continually provide an enabling en-

vironment for businesses and investment to flourish. This is why, according to Ashiru, the administration is pursuing with vigour infrastructural development, whereby construction is on-going in all parts of the state; towns and villages are also being reengineered.

Yet, it is still not eldorado for the state. This is because there is a need to close some gaps in the areas of large unregulated informal sector and integration of tax planning, urban planning and urban regeneration. “Residence and tax jurisdiction challenges, property audit in urban areas, financial empowerment strategy by issuance of bankable titles (C of O for all houses); beautification by corporate bodies, signage, indirect tax systems, goods and services tax, for example consumption tax for hotels and diversifications – tax and non-tax IGR sources: Warehouse receipt bill; tourism, trans-ECOWAStrade and industrial development agenda,” Gashinbaki noted as areas to bridge the gap.

A faculty of renowned business technocrats and investors locally and internationally has been lined up as speakers and panelists for the 2-day forum. The former President of Mexico Mr. Vicente Fox is the keynote speaker. Other speakers are: YB Dato’ Tajuddin Bin Abdul Rahman, Malaysian Deputy Minister of Agriculture; Dr Kandeh Yumkella, former Director-General UNIDO; Mr. Thomas McCallum, International Finance Corporation (IFC); Mr. Uche Orji, Managing Director, Sovereign Wealth Fund among others.

Certainly, the Ogun State government looks poised to make the state a global investment destination, creating several industrial estates, and the infrastructural base that would encourage both local and foreign investors to come to invest in the state. These include an independent power plant, adequate security, and the roads across the state which are being reconstructed and expanded. And for this, the governor takes delight. “It tells us that we are beginning to grow the economy of our state and that is our vision for Ogun State, where we see a Dubai in the making,” a very optimistic Amosun said.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014

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SOUTHWEST REPORT The Nigeria Customs Service appears determined to prevent all forms of smuggling, including narcotics and illicit drugs into the country. It’s Oyo/Osun Area Command recently intercepted some consignments of Indian hemp being smuggled from across the border and they arrested the smugglers.

OSEHEYE OKWUOFU reports on the effort to stop the illicit business and the harmful effect of smoking Cannabis Sativa.

Oyo/Osun Customs Area Command vows to suppress smuggling of Marijuana

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N January 16, 2014, a Toyota Sienna bus with registration number Lagos EPE 39 AY, loaded with 29 sacks of Indian hemp was arrested along Saki-Iseyin axis by men of the Oyo/Osun Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service.

Four months later the anti-smuggling squad of the Command intercepted a Peugeot 504 car along the same axis carrying 22 (50kg) bags of smuggled rice and sixty packages of the illicit drug neatly concealed with yam flour. The driver, Wasiu Raji, resident at No. 3, Challenge Road, Saki in Oyo State, was immediately arrested.

The Nation learnt that these arrests and seizures were just a few of the successes recorded by the Command in recent times in their fight against the smuggling of illicit drugs into the country especially through the Iseyin/Saki land corridor which is becoming a major problem in the area, and also an indication that some unpatriotic Nigerians are still engaged in the business.

Use of narcotics such as Indian hemp which are becoming rampant in the society especially among the youth is considered as one of the factors responsible for the cause of insanity among many Nigerians who were addicted to the weeds.

Some Indian hemp farms have been discovered in Oluyole, Iseyin

•The seizure of rice and indian hemp and Saki in Oyo State, as well as in some parts of Ondo State and destroyed by law enforcement agents.

The rate at which people, especially the youth, consume the weeds is quite alarming. In motorparks, garages, residences, beerparlour and comfort stations, it is a common sight.

Some of the consumers who obliged to speak with The Nation claimed to derive a lot of benefits from the consumption of the weeds, but failed to see some health hazards and challenges it might cause to users.

“The leaves alone are used as drug to reduce excitement, irritation and pain as well as to induce deep sleep,” Tajudeen Adewale one of the consumers who spoke on the advantages of Indian hemp said.

Though Tajudeen, 25, tried to justify the fact that smoking the weeds is medicinal, he lacked the courage to display his habit in the open out of fear that he could be caught by law enforcement agents.

The Comptroller Oyo/Osun

Command of Nigeria Customs Service, Mr Richard Oteri, discouraged the consumption, smuggling and cultivation of Indian hemp because of its negative impact on the health of the populace.

According to him, the law of the Federal Republic of Nigeria forbids the use of narcotics, one of which is Indian hemp.

He warned the operators of the illicit trade to desist from it as the command would not leave any stone unturned to ensure that anyone caught faces the full wrath of the law.

“I want to use this medium to warn all unpatriotic Nigerians who engage in this illicit business of smuggling unwholesome goods into Nigeria, that it is no longer business as usual in the Oyo/Osun Area Command axis as the Command has been well equipped by our visionary and dogged leader, the Comptroller General of Customs, Dr Abdullahi Dikko Inde (CFR) with the provision of AK 47 riffles and three brand new Hilux vehicles which have enhanced our

performance,” the Customs boss reiterated.

The Command, he said, will continue to arrest and prosecute suspects who engage in smuggling of cannabis into the country, while stating that the men of the Customs have made giant strides in suppressing smuggling of Indian hemp.

“With our intelligence network and the effective strategies put in place in the Command, sixty packages of Indian hemp have been handed over to the State Commander, Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Oyo State, Mrs Faboyede Omolade, on Tuesday May 13, 2014, in the spirit of inter-agency collaboration.

“The Legal Advisers of both the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the National Drug Law Enforcement (NDLEA) are to file separate charges against the accused person. The charges are to be filed on the same day.

“We shall continue to build on this robust relationship with other sister agencies to rid the society of

Jungle justice •Continued from Page 31 problem on the populace. “How can we solve crime when people don’t give us the information to unravel crime, what is the basis for jungle justice when you don’t have evidence, it’s a societal problem and not a vote of no confidence in the police,” the source argued.

In proffering a solution, the police in Oke-Odo said it has begun a mass sensitisation of the people of the area towards eradicating the problem. “We have called all the leaders of thought in this area and enjoined them to go back to their communities and enlighten their people. We commend some who have taken action against this scourge in the past and plead with the people not to take the laws into their hands,” a police source said.

On his part, Adetunji said the people’s orientation must change.

“When we have a government that listens to the yearnings of the people

and which the people can trust. The rule of law must be in place and the wishes and aspirations of the people must be done. Then trust can return and we will see less of such problems in the society,” he said.

Government takes a tough stance Worried by the growing trend of mob justice, the Lagos State government through the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ade Ipaye, last week issued a warning against the barbaric act saying the full weight of the law would be brought to bear on anyone caught engaging in jungle justice, no matter what the alleged criminal could have done.

Ipaye noted that anyone who engages in such act has committed criminal act and liable to arrest and punishment. “Even, if they did commit the alleged offence, there is a process for prosecuting and showing the evidence in court so that

•House where the late Ify lived with her sister proven criminals can be properly punished according to law,” he said.

In the same vein, the Inspector General of Police, Muhammed Abubakar warned that the police will no longer tolerate the act of jungle justice. “The IGP warns that any person found to be involved in any acts of impunity or jungle justice must bear the full wrath of the law as two wrongs can-

not make a right,” a statement signed

by Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba said.

In the same vein, Ngozi Braide, a Deputy Superintendent of Police and spokesperson for Lagos State Police Command told The Nation jungle justice is not acceptable in Lagos. “Nobody has any right to take any life no matter the gravity

•Oteri criminal elements that are working against the interest of the country. The Command will not relent in its war against smuggling till it is reduced to its barest minimum,” Oteri said.

Marijuana, another name for Indian hemp, especially the variety Cannabis, from which several narcotic drugs are obtained is a coarse Asian plant, of the family Cannabaceae, widely cultivated for its fiber and for its yield of intoxicating drugs.

Many out of ignorance, have abused and misused the plant and in the process have developed severe nervous exhaustion, convulsions and neuralgia.

Yet, some part of Indian hemp is said to contain medicinal values when regulated.

Dr. Edward Akomolafe of the University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan, in his assessment stated that Indian hemp plant provides three products, namely, fiber from the stems, oil from the seeds and narcotic from the leaves and flowers.

He, however, cautioned strongly against smoking of the leaves and flowers, which contained narcotics as it has caused severe damage to the nervous system, and is responsible for a lot of mental challenges being faced by many Nigerians who have formed the habit of smoking the leaves and flowers of Marijuana.

of the offense, if you see anyone committing a crime, the next thing is to call the police, the command is against it, you don’t have the right to kill,” she said.

Braide, who blamed the occurrences of jungle justice on moral decadence in the society said whoever commits such acts will be arrested. “We will deal with those arrested with the full measure of the law, the act is unacceptable.”

On Wednesday, May 14, at about 6:00pm, about 100 people gathered in Ify’s house for a solemn service of songs for her departed soul.

Among the crowd were family members, residents of the street, church members and other sympathisers. A family source told The Nation, the service may be the only last rites accorded her because her body had been burnt to ashes.

At the gate of Adetunji Idowu Street, a huge pile stood in the middle of the road, on closer look there were remnant of burnt car tires and ashes. “This is where they burnt her, this is where it happened,” Alhaji Taiwo pointed to the spot on the ground. And that was where Ify was buried, that was where her ashes remained.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014

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SOUTHWEST REPORT

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HE epoch-making outing was primarily designed for giants in legal practice especially, to felicitate with one of their own, Mr. Dayo Akinlaja (SAN), a former Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in Ekiti State, as he opened his new multi-million-naira chamber in Akure, Ondo State capital. It, however, turned out to be an avenue for frontliners in the noble calling to extol his virtues as a workaholic activist lawyer, which, they advised younger ones should emulate.

The venue was the eye-popping edifice, Amity House of Dayo Akinlaja & Co. situated at Oshinle Junction, Hospital Road, in the heart of Akure, the tastefully furnished building was the cynosure of all eyes. Even passersby strained necks to behold the masterpiece.

The bigwigs from the Bar and Bench stepped out to be counted. Among them were: Chief Judge of Ondo State, Justice Olaseinde Kumuyi; his Ekiti State counterpart, Justice Ayodeji Daramola; President, Customary Court of Appeal, Ondo State, Justice Taiwo Aguda and the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Eyitayo Jegede (SAN).

Former Plateau State Commissioner of Police, who is now a Special Adviser to Governor Kayode Fayemi on Security Matters, Mr Dipo Ayeni, was among other eminent personalities who gathered to witness the commissioning and opening of the new law house.

Legal luminary and former President, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), who is Akinlaja’s “professional father,” chaired the occasion. The accomplished legal icon exuded a sense of fulfillment while the event lasted.

Members of Akinlaja’s family, especially his ever-smiling mother, could not contain their joy. So it was for his kinsmen from Ikere, his home town who turned out in enchanting attires.

It was a moment for younger lawyers to learn a lesson: That hard work, selflessness and diligence are major ingredients of success. The venue roared in applause when the story was told how Akinlaja had been using the instrument of law to fight for the oppressed, especially the lessprivileged.

It was also said, how he, alongside another prominent lawyer, fought tirelessly for the reinstatement of 49 lecturers that were unjustly sacked in

•Aguda, cutting the tape of the new Amity Chambers, beside him are Olanipekun, Jegede with Akinlaja on the left.

Encomiums as ex-Attorney-Gen. Akinlaja opens chamber •Says the multi-million-naira project will help the oppressed

Giants in the legal profession paid tributes when a former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Ekiti State, Mr Dayo Akinlaja (SAN), inaugurated his multi-million-naira chamber in Akure, Ondo State. Damisi DAMISI OJO was there the University of Ilorin, Kwara State, years back.

He assured that he remained irrevocably committed to fighting the cause of the cheated through the profession, explaining that the commitment accounted for why he christened his chamber Amity House.

Declaring the occasion open, Ikereborn Olanipekun, who held the gathering spell-bound with his thoughtprovoking edifying speech that was impressively laced with proverbs and biblical quotes, said: “My heart is glad. I rejoice with Dayo Akinlaja and Co, and with the family of the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). It is a landmark for a lawyer to attain this feat; it is a landmark for a lawyer to have the

grace of God to have this type of structure that houses his chamber.

“In our profession, I have always been telling our colleagues, particularly senior one and more particularly, those who have been blessed

by God to invest in the profession.

This is heart-warming.”

According to him, the profession has made them by the grace of God since it is from it that they earn their living.

Therefore, they must pay the profession back by contributing to enhancing its nobility.

He explained: “Younger ones and even those who are not lawyers, if they see a lawyer who is shabby, whose office is contained in a room and parlour, and who struggles with

nearby tenants to enter into his office, will think that law is not a living profession.

“I am not saying that lawyers should be extravagant. But what I am saying is that we lawyers must learn how to plough back into the profession. We have to invest part of our income into the profession for us to stand out. The way of doing such thing is what this young man has done today. And when you look at the entire Akure, I think Akinlaja has distinguished himself with this feat.

“To me as a person, I feel fulfilled.

He trained in my office. He is the fifth SAN that will come out of my womb as a lawyer. Each and every one of them has his (or her) own law office

like this because it is the type of environment from where they grew up.”

Olanipekun described Akinlaja as one of the best in the legal profession today that people can boast of, adding: “I as a person, I boast in the Lord that God has made him to pass through my office. Dayo is my professional son. So, this is also my own personal achievement.

“Those of us who are elders in the profession should be happy; we should be glad; we should rejoice when those who have passed through us are doing very well. We should not be envious of their achievements. We should not feel jealous; rather, we should pray for them. If your son is doing well, it is a fulfillment.” He showered encomiums on Akinlaja’s mother and wife, congratulating them for their input in the ex-commissioner’s successes.

In his remarks, Akinlaja said: “I thank God who gave me the strength to build this place. I feel professionally fulfilled and I thank God Almighty. By His grace, I am a SAN. It is befitting to have this edifice to complement my status as a Senior Advocate.”

On why he erected the structure in Akure, he said: “It was just a happenstance, I would say. Of course, I was practising as a lawyer in Ilorin. I was there for 19 years until I was appointed Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in Ekiti state.

“When I came into the office, I just had an inspiration that this axis of Ekiti and Ondo states was in dire need of professional leadership. And I got that inspiration to put a structure of my own, to relocate the head office of my practice to this axis.

“It turned out that in the course of my searching for where to get the office, I got this auspicious and strategic area of the town. So, as I did mention, it is a product of happenstance.

“The good thing is that I am able to cover both Ekiti and Ondo states. Ekiti and Ondo states share the same umblical cord. To my mind, a project like this, being in Akure, is as good as being in Ekiti State. Both states are of the same parentage.”

Encomiums poured in for Akinlaja from Kumuyi, Daramola, Aguda and Jegede, who represented Governor Olusegun Mimiko at the event. They were all agreed that Akinlaja is a humble legal giant.

The former CP, Ayeni said Akinlaja’s accomplishment is a reflection of his commitment and brilliance, stressing that the Senior Advocate is an epitome of humility and transparent honesty.

Better life for Ibara prison inmates

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NMATES of Ibara Maximum Prison in Abeokuta, Ogun State, were in a joyous mood recently when members of a non-governmental organisation, Human Concern Foundation International (HCFI) and a professional body, Muslim Pharmacists Association of Nigeria (MPAN) visited them.

The visit, meant to give the inmates a sense of belonging culminated in the donation of N5 million worth of materials to them by the two bodies.

The materials include sewing machines, clippers, foot wears, drugs, toothpaste, rolls of tissue papers, packs of antiseptic soaps, dozens of sponge, blanket, bed sheets, clothing, rosaries and praying mats.

During the visit, HCFI, a department of The Muslim Congress (TMC) and MPAN delighted the inmates when they paid bail charges on behalf of two inmates.

HCFI National President, Dr. Ibrahim Oreagba, while presenting the relief materials enjoined the inmate not to lose hope assuring them of better life outside the prison yard.

By Tajudeen Adebanjo

Oreagba urged them to stay focused and seek forgiveness from God always.

According to him, the prison is meant to change inmates untoward behaviour to better personalities, but regretted that the reverse appears to be the case in Nigeria and some other countries.

He enjoined government and the security agencies to seek ways of returning the prisons back to a habitable and soul-purification place.

Government, he said, should emulate the developed nations in making the prison a better place.

Oreagba promised the inmates of the foundation’s continuous support, describing it as a religious duty.

President of Pharmacists Association of Nigeria (PAN), Ogun State chapter, Oluwakemi AbdulKabir, admitted that government cannot do it all, hence the need for individuals and organisations to join forces to move the nation forward.

TMC President, Ogun State chapter, Alhaji Ibrahim Ogunkoya, said the gesture was to create a sense of

•Members of HCFI and MPAN presenting the materials to the prison authority belonging and responsibility among the inmates, assuring them that they have not been forgotten by the larger society.

While urging them to be hopeful Ogunkoya advised that they should be conscious of God whenever they regained their freedom.

He hailed the governor of Ogun

State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun for his efforts and mission to rebuild the state.

He promised that TMC and other organisations will continue to support government policies and programmes that bring reliefs and development to the state and Nigeria as a whole.

Head of Medical Unit of the Prison, Alhaji Abdullahi Lawal, on behalf of the Deputy Comptroller of Prison thanked the organisations for the initiative.

He called on other organisations to assist in building a mosque for the inmates, so as to instill morality and fear of God in them.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014

36

SOUTHWEST REPORT Fashola tasks children on climate change mitigation

By Okwy Iroegbu-Chikezie

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Hunting for survival Against the backdrop of biting unemployment in the country, a group of young men in Akure, Ondo State, has taken to hunting. DAMISI OJO visited their base at the popular Onyearugbulem Market junction along Akure-Owo Expressway. His report:

T

HEY are young men between the ages of 20 and 35 years who in spite of the high level of unemployment in the country are sustaining themselves and families by hunting for games in the forest and selling the ‘Bush Meat’ to a growing clientele of people with appetite for wild animals.

They are professional/commercial hunters and members of ‘Young Shall Grow Hunters Association (YSGHA), a group they inherited from their fore fathers, particularly a retired soldier named “Aboke” who has now retired from hunting due to old age and returned to his home town, Ibadan, Oyo State.

According to the deputy chairman of the association, Mr Ojo Peter, in a chat with The Nation, it was their forefathers who were predominantly hunters and retired soldiers that formed the Association some 50 years ago. Then their hunting expeditions were purely for private and family consumptions unlike the situation now where the animals are killed for commercial purposes.

Peter, who disclosed that YSGHA is based on mutual trust and understanding, devoid of rebellion or bickering parades about 30 members, all of whom are licensed hunters recognised by the government.

His words: “Memberships of our association are drawn from all tribes and professions, among us we have undergraduates, artisans, soldiers, policemen, young students and pastors, but the major impetus is trust.”

The deputy chairman said within the association, there are two groups - The Hunters simply called “Gunmen” who shoot the animals when they are in the bush, and the “Girls” who drag the animals out of the forest to the waiting hands of the hunters who in turn shoot them to death.

According to him, they operate in all the forests across the country and mostly on invitations from communities or individual farmers who are being tormented by wild

animals destroying their farms.

He said they have rules guiding members of the association which must be adhered to strictly, stressing that violators are liable to prosecution.

According to him: “As part of our laws, hunters must not shoot unnecessarily without seeing their targets, while it is against our rule to “steal” any crop in the forest, but we may pluck paw-paw for consumption in the forest if available because it is a natural fruit” Shedding more light on their operation, Peter said they are in the forest from Monday to Saturday, while Sunday is observed as a day of rest in accordance with the dictate of the holy scripture.

He debunked the rumours that the hunters rely on magical power (Juju) to catch the animals in large number saying, As I said earlier, we have pastors among us, and it is our culture to pray on a daily basis before we move into the bush and God has always been protecting us and answering our prayers, there has been no report of accidental shooting by any of the hunters.”

Among their frequent catches are wild pigs (esi) antelope, grass cutter squirrel, monkey, rodents, reptiles and assorted birds.

According to him, during the rainy season like now, they usually kill as many as seven wild pigs daily which usually go for about N50,000 per one.

He said they normally share their proceeds equally among themselves without any rancour after taking care of miscellaneous expenses like money for weapons, gun powder and logistics from home to the forest and vice versa.

“We operate like one family we have rules binding on all members.

Before becoming a hunter, you must have operated as ‘Girls’ whose responsibility is to comb the forest and drag animals out for the hunters (gunmen).”

Peter disclosed that many of them had built their own houses and bought cars from the proceeds of their hunting expeditions saying “we

•Two of the hunters are contended with the job, though we face many challenges in the forest, but God has been on our side.”

He urged government at all levels to provide employment for the teeming young graduates to reduce crime rate in the country, stressing that satan provides jobs for the idle hands.

As at the time The Nation visited the “Animals Sales Outlet”, a big wild

pig was being slaughtered and cut into pieces at the slab, while customers trooped in to purchase various parts of the animal ranging from N500.

It was gathered that there is no day the hunters will operate without having catches of assorted animals especially antelopes, grass cutters, rodents and monkeys.

AGOS State Governor Mr. Babatunde Fashola has called on children to join in the war against climate change, saying such would engender shared knowledge and best practices in mitigating the effects of the scourge.

Fashola, gave the charge at the sixth anniversary of Climate Change Clubs in Lagos State Schools, theme: “Children across boundaries unite to combat climate change” held at the Nigeria Police College, Ikeja, Lagos.

The governor represented by his deputy, Princess Adejoke Orelope Adefulire reiterating the vulnerability of the state to the negative effects of global warming.

He urged all residents especially, the young ones to be part of the strategic and complementary efforts by the state government at correcting the mistakes of the past.

The governor said, “Climate Change is a global challenge that transcends borders as a result of which it has become collective responsibility among global players.”

Fashola at the event, attended by thousands of pupils from different schools across the state and sister states said the establishment of Climate Change Clubs in primary and secondary schools in Lagos was part of the strategic efforts by government to combat the negative effects of climate change.

He said children as future leaders must be prepared to take up the challenges ahead.

According to him, “The theme is a timely wake-up call inviting all our young ones globally to join hands in the fight against climate change. Such exercise will engender shared knowledge and best practices in addressing the challenge of climate change amongst our children.

“For us in Lagos State, we are vulnerable to the effects of global warming. The establishment of climate change clubs in our schools is part of our strategic and complementary efforts to correct the mistakes of the past.

“I believe I do not need to emphasis that our children are the future of this nation and they will be the next parent and leaders who will take over the running of our families and most especially, the affairs of this country when we are no more. If we do not teach them what is right, they will not escape doing what is wrong.”

Fashola said young people have shown that they cannot wait to inherit a world damaged by climate change; rather they want to be part of creating solutions.

He added that, “Young people have shown their potentials at various fora across the world through their creative thinking and inventions. Today, they have brought positive thoughts and creativity to global inter-governmental process, demanding concrete action from their governments.”

Earlier, the Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Tunji Bello, lauded the efforts of members of the Climate Change Clubs in the state schools, saying they have been agents of positive change and vehicles of transformation.

Bello said, “It is gratifying to note that six-years ago, when the club was formed, little did we know that the little mustard seed sowed then could now transform to a big oak tree that not only influences the lives of the people but has also become a principal vehicle of transformation which is positively influencing people’s behavior and habits.

“Over the years, emerging facts on issues concerning climate change have shown that children and the aged are the most vulnerable to climate change effects.”

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014

37

THE NATION INVESTORS

There is no presidential approval for transfer of NTC Dubai, says Ambassador N IGERIAN Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Ambassador Ibrahim Auwalu, has disclaimed allegations that he was stalling the transfer of the Nigerian Trade Centre (NTC), Dubai, to the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (MITI) as purportedly approved by President Goodluck Jonathan.

In a media chat with The Nation, Auwalu said there was never such Presidential approval for any form of private-public partnership (PPP) between the NTC Dubai and the Federal Government noting that the Nigerian embassy in UAE obtained the approval of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment to dissociate the government from the operations of the NTC Dubai.

The Nation had last week reported on the brewing crisis around the status of the NTC Dubai, and its negative influence on flow of trade and investments between Nigeria and UAE. Official documents made available to The Nation had indicated that President Goodluck Jonathan had in early 2012 approved the transfer of the NTC, Dubai to the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (MITI) as a platform for the development of a regional trade hub for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

But the transfer has since stuck in alleged high-level personality clash involving the Director of the NTC, Alhaji Mohammed Baiwa on one side and former Nigerian ambassador to UAE and current Minister of State for Works, Alhaji Bashir Yuguda and Auwalu on the other side.

Baiwa alleged that Yuguda was the arrowhead of the plan to frustrate the transfer, dating back to his tenure as the ambassador to the UAE. Yuguda’s office has not responded to media enquiry for clarification on the issue.

Official documents showed the transmission of approval of the transfer of the NTC from the Presidency to the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, an idea welcomed by the Ministry.

The Ministry, in a review in support of the transfer, outlined that the NTC, Dubai would serve as a platform for the establishment of trade and investment desk within the region.

Auwalu however said he has never seen any such Presidential approval for the transfer of the NTC Dubai, denying any personality-clash or witch-hunting.

According to him, the NTC Dubai is a private organisation and the Nigerian embassy in UAE only took steps to set such record straight to forestall the transfer of any liabilities to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

“I have not come across any document anywhere where the approval for the transfer of NTC Dubai was given, not one whatsoever. As far as I’m concerned, the approval does not exist. I have never seen any Presidential approval of such; I don’t think such approval exists without me knowing about it. I am the ambassador,

S

FS Capital Nigeria Limited, a member of Skye Financial Services Group, has launched a variant of mutual fund known as SFS Fixed Income Fund.

The investment product is a collective investment scheme registered by the Securities & Exchange Commission and has a top rating of AA. SFS Capital Nigeria Limited is the fund manager.

The mutual fund, according to its prospectus, aims at giving all investors a minimum return of

•Auwalu

•Baiwa

By Taofik Salako

Capital Market Editor

I have never seen it,” Auwalu said.

He said there was no relationship between the NTC Dubai and the Nigerian embassy as the NTC Dubai has always been run as a private office.

He however noted that the Nigerian embassy had to place advertorials in Nigerian and UAE newspapers to dissociate the Nigerian government from the activities of the NTC Dubai, alleging that Baiwa was using official paraphernalia of Nigerian government to create wrong impression of a government agency.

“The only thing we did in relation to NTC Dubai was to place advertorials in the newspapers, two newspapers in UAE; one English, one Arabic and two newspapers in Nigeria, to distance ourselves from the activities of the centre. That is what we did. Another thing we did was to write to the foreign ministry of the UAE that Nigerian government has no hand in the activities of the centre. Of course, as the ambassador, I should know who has government recognition here in UAE because Mr Baiwa was flying Nigeria flag, coat of arm and everything that might make you feel the NTC was another embassy. So we needed to act. Apparently, there were too many liabilities that we

don’t want anybody to pass any blame to the government for the bills we didn’t incur,” Auwalu said.

When asked to expatiate on the many liabilities, Auwalu said the Nigerian embassy was aware of rent, utilities and salaries that have not been paid.

He said the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment approved the closure of the NTC Dubai on the reasoning that it has no usefulness to the government given that the Nigeria has a functioning embassy in Abu Dhabi and a consulate general in Dubai, which are effectively representing the nation’s interest in the UAE. “The same ministry sent us approval to go ahead and close the centre. If they have Presidential approval, why did they send us approval to go ahead and close the centre? As far as we can see, the story about Presidential approval is just a story, nothing more than that,” Auwalu said.

He denied any involvement in obstruction of immigration status of Mr Baiwa.

“The system here is such that you cannot have the resident permit unless you have a guarantor, they call it sponsor. It is either you have a sponsor in the emirate or you have a company and the company will now be your sponsor to obtain legal resident status. In the case of Mr Baiwa, I am sure he is the spon-

sor himself, so since I am not his sponsor, I can’t block his visa because here, it is the sponsor who will process all the immigration activities, some sponsors even hold the passport of some foreigners they sponsored,” Auwalu said.

He said the Nigerian embassy has no objection to the continued existence of the NTC Dubai as a private business centre but insisted that the embassy would not succumb to usage of government fund to run a private enterprise.

He said contrary to claims that the crisis of the NTC Dubai is affecting trades between Nigeria and UAE, the NTC has never played any active role in the trade and investment between the two countries.

“The embassy was opened in 2007, the NTC was opened two years earlier in 2005. Between 2005 and 2007 and 2007 till date, The NTC has not brought a kobo investment into Nigeria. He was just bandying figures all about; I don’t even know how he got the figures. He is just going around saying he had introduced Mr A to Mr B, here people are open, you can see anyone you want to see, so introducing is not an issue. Besides, I am not aware of any Nigerian product the NTC has encouraged to be introduced to the Dubai market,” Auwalu said.

Baiwa had alleged that efforts to renew the trade license and his

‘Official documents made available to The Nation had indicated that President Goodluck Jonathan had in early 2012 approved the transfer of the NTC, Dubai to the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (MITI) as a platform for the development of a regional trade hub for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)’

SFS Capital floats mutual fund 12 per cent annually irrespective of the time of entry and exit, provided funds remain with the fund manager for at least one month.

However, exit from the investment takes maximum of five days after a request is made.

The fund will invest exclusively in fixed income products such as Federal Government’s bonds and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s Treasury bills with ‘AAA’ rating, blue-chip corporate bonds and commercial papers with a mini-

mum of ‘A’ rating.

Other parties to the fund include: Skye Trustees, trustees; Skye Bank Plc, receiving bank; Securities Africa Financial Services, stockbroker while Stanbic IBTC Plc will serve as custodian to the fund.

SFS Fixed Income Fund will utilise the NIBSS standing instruction platform, which enables both local and international investors participate in the investment process through standing instructions

from any Nigerian bank with as low as N10,000.

The fund is also eligible for institutional investment by trustees, insurance companies, cooperative societies and pension funds due to its ‘AA’ rating and SEC registration.

Mutual funds, otherwise known as collective investment schemes (CIS), are joint investment vehicles through which investors can pool funds and invest in chosen basket of securities un-

personal visa were frustrated by the Nigerian Embassy in Dubai.

He added that the inability of the trade centre to operate effectively has led to accumulation of unpaid salaries, rents and other ancillary expenses with the NTC Dubai currently facing threat of ejection from its office in Dubai.

He said he had written to the two chambers of the National Assembly and made overtures to the Nigerian Embassy in Dubai, but Yuguda had enlisted political network and a smearing campaign of calumny to misrepresent the NTC, Dubai and discredit the transfer process.

“The trade centre was operating before the presence of the Nigerian Embassy. The first Acting Consul General, Ambassador Abdullahi Gwari was cooperative because he was a carrier Ambassador, we had a working relationship. But when Ambassador Bashir Yuguda came we were in good relationship in the beginning until he realised that I was more popular and he felt I would take over from him, and then he started to blackmail me with an allegation that I am a drug pusher just to take over my office. When it became difficult, he opened an office called Nigerian Trade Mission in Dubai which was not approved by the Nigerian Government and the host country. He operated this office from 2009 to 2013, then the current Ambassador Ibrahim Auwalu inherited the office,” Baiwa stated.

“Nigeria is losing billions of Dollars because of the Nigerian Ambassador to UAE who has overridden the Presidential approval for two years. This has affected the centre to operate like the other regional trade offices independently of Embassy, and now face with office rent and legal action that will affect the image of the county,” Baiwa added.

Baiwa said only Presidential intervention can help to resolve the crisis and expedite the transfer in order to stem the decline in trade and investment between the country.

“It’s been one year and three months since they have withheld my visa. All his allegations against me are false. The role of an ambassador is to protect the interest and citizens of his country. But what we have here is a clear case of persecution and falsehood. I have been running the NTC since 2005 to date, I have not been paid a kobo as salary but I have staff that I pay salaries. We owe rent on the NTC office because I cannot travel to formalise payment. I have been detained by the Dubai authorities because all my cheques I issued returned. This has affected my dignity and respect that I have earned other the years.

The NTC can generate billions of naira for Nigeria. Nigeria as the biggest country in Africa has a huge number of people coming to this country. I am appealing to President Jonathan to revisit the NTC case and deny these people the opportunity to take over what belong to Nigeria,” Baiwa said.

der a professional management with a view to optimize returns and reduce risks.

A mutual fund is usually categorized by the class of assets that forms the primary focus of its investments.

Thus, there are equity funds, money market funds, bond funds, real estate funds, ethical funds and balanced funds among others.

Net asset value is determined by subtracting total liabilities of a fund from its total assets. The net asset value can further be divided by the total number of units of the fund to determine the unit price.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014

38

SMALL BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP The auto subsector will continue to thrive, despite the twists in the economy. People will keep buying cars, trucks and other vehicles that use battery. LUCAS AJANAKU writes that automobile battery maintenance could create opportunities for many.

Battery charging as cash spinner O NE of the major sources of income for the battery technician is the emergency use of their batteries to start broken down cars, truck or any other automobile with run down battery.

According to an automobile engineering online platform, About.com Auto Repair, if you turn your car key and get nothing, or get anything less than an engine roaring to life, you might be in for a bad day. If your car key fails to turn on the ignition, it may be caused by malfunctioning fuses. Few cars have a fuse associated with the starting system, so if you have challenge starting your car, check the fuse.

Another is battery corrosion: Over time, battery connections get dirty or corroded. This breaks the connection the battery has with the rest of the car and stops it from starting.

The most common reason a car won’t start is due to dead battery.

This is where the ‘battery charger’ comes in with his skill. He comes with his battery tester to measure cranking amps and test to see if it’s weak.

While bad ignition switch is another reason cars do not start, bad starter connection through corrosion can keep the battery from working.

In all of these cases, the battery charger’s services are needed. It is only when he fails that he will recommend that an auto electrician be consulted. This will not deter him from collecting money from you, however small.

According to findings, depending on the location, just starting a car could cost between N500 and N2,500. In Egbeda/Akowonjo area on the outskirts of Lagos, starting a car costs N700 while at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, it is between N1,500 and N2000.

The Nigeria Battery Technologists Association (NBTA), Treasurer, Egbeda Branch, Alao Ogunbunmi, said restoring power to a battery that has run down will attract N1000 and N2,500. This, however, depends on the capacity of the batteries. “It depends on the amps. Between 38amps and 80 amps will attract N100 while between 100amps and

B

rica the idea stemmed from her love for leather products and the fact that her home country, Ethiopia, is a key source of quality hides and leathers used by many global luxury brands to craft high end articles.

“I have worked side by side with the producers of these very same fine leathers for years as I built my footwear brand soleRebels. I have deep relationships that span from the supply side – right from the origin and selection of the hides and skins themselves – through to our tanners network.”

The company’s online platform allows customers to select their products from a range of leather goods, such as jackets, bags and gloves. Customers can then use an online app to customise details, from the leather type and colour to the stitch patterns used, and can then choose the artisan and location around the planet where they want their designs to be handcrafted. “ •Culled howwemadeitinafrica.com

200amps will attract N2,500 for charging,” he said.

A battery charger, who identified himself as Alfa, said the amount paid for cars is determined by whether the car runs on automotive gas oil (AGO) or diesel or premium motor spirit (PMS) of petrol. If it is diesel, it is usually higher because it takes extra effort to start a car with diesel engine.

Starting trucks is another source of income for battery chargers. To start a 33000-litre tanker, for instance, could cost as much as between N15,000 and N20,000. If the tanker breaks down in the middle of a major highway and is capable of causing a traffic gridlock, it could cost as much as N20,000.

The job is not constrained by

weather. Wet season is the time they make the most returns because of the bad roads that all the nooks and crannies of the country. When it rains and there is flood which prevents drivers from locating the deep pot holes on the road, drivers so often ram into these making car engine to stop. Efforts to start the car may lead to running down the battery inevitably, leading to contracting a battery charger.

The battery chargers also rent batteries out for commercial bus drivers who pay between N1000 and N1500 per day.

Starting up requires financial support from families and friends. Electrical fan, burner, forge, distilled water, spanners, cell and acid are some of the items needed to be in

the business.

But central to the success of the job is the charger machine. “This is the live wire of the business. It is what charges dead batteries, bringing them to live,” Ogunbunmi said.

Alfa added that power is crucial to the sustainability of the job. “Generators are just for support, the best for efficient performance is power supply from the natioanl grid. What will be achieved within 10 minutes using public power supply will be achieved after more than one hour using generators,” he said.

Analysts say the job does not require that one wears rags. “It depends on the person doing it. You can wear your suit and sit in your shop to do the job,” a battery charger said.

Making a living from sales

Celebrated entrepreneur reveals her next big idea ETHLEHEM Tilahun Alemuis one of Africa’s most celebrated entrepreneurs. In 2004, she founded soleRebels in Ethiopia, and the company has since become one of Africa’s largest footwear brands with its range of artisan-made shoes now selling in over 55 countries.

According to Making It magazine, soleRebels is set to generate US$15milion-$20milion in revenue by 2015. Alemu’s success has led her to be named by CNN as one of 12 “smart women” entrepreneurs in the past century, alongside Coco Chanel and Elizabeth Arden. She has also been featured on the front cover of Forbes magazine and in 2011 was selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.

Last week, Alemu launched her second company, Republic of Leather, an online startup that addresses the global trend of consumers wanting to have more control over how and where their products are produced. Republic of Leather allows just this.

Alemu told How we made it in Af-

•A battery charger shop

from

Ifeoma Nwanfili has moved from being an unemployed youth to becoming a successful sales woman. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

I

N the Nigeria’s challenging economy, many people have turned to sales to make a living. One of them is Ifeoma Nwanfili, Chief Executive, Scents She has always dreamt of making a career in sales. As a girl, she saw salespeople, going from house to house in the hot afternoon, trying to convince homeowners to buy their goods.

From then on, she worked towards achieving her aspiration.

She worked with a travel agency. But her salary was small.

She later resigned and started selling recharge cards. At a time, the company starting owing salaries.

Because of this, she was forced to quit.

With N7000, she bought a cooler and a few items and started selling cooked rice and salad at Berger Bus stop on the Apapa-

•President, Centre for Vocational Empowerment and Development (CVED), Ipaja, Lagos, Dr David Olatona, presenting a gift to a graduand of the centre.

Oshodi Expresssway, Lagos. Her food was good and it brought a lot of people. That was how she became popular. She made more customers. Soon, she won a large chunk of the market at the bus stop. She was excited and continued working hard.

She proved to be so adept at sales and was able to build a good clientele. But after a few months, she shifted from food business to learn fashion designing. On graduation, she started a fashion designing business with the aim of sewing quality products. In a short time, people started calling for her services and she gained their trust. What she didn’t expect — especially in the competitive fashion industry — was that sales would rise quickly. She came out at a time contemporary dresses were in vogue. She rode on the crest of this and learned how to build a good business. Her growth was notable because she found success in the fashion industry. But she did not give up.

She was determined to do everything she could to make sure that she was successful.

She envisioned a company in which she could become as successful as she wanted to be. For her, the doors would be opened for people who were willing to pay the price.

Though a sales person, she was not satisfied with the fashion designing. She realised she has the ability to do other things.

Along the line something happened in her family that made her to spend much of her savings. She was left with nothing. She had to go back to selling to give herself opportunity to go back to school.

Starting from the scratch, she net-

worked with some people who gave her the opportunity that made that made to excel.

As a sales person, she needed to find good products to sell. It should be something people could believe in, that they could recommend, and, most importantly, products that could be used up and re-ordered. She knew that when people look good, they feel good, because their self-confidence is strong. And that idea set her on her journey. She began selling perfumes and other goods to pay her bills. She was ready to sell product to make money. Her indomitable spirit and belief has had a huge impact on her.

Nwanfili urged young persons to step out and not to be deterred by past failure.

•Nwanfili

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014

39

EMPOWERMENT CLINIC with

Make money from your hidden talents BOOK REVIEW Author: David Ray Publisher: Inner Eye Publishing Reviewer: Goke Ilesanmi

GOKE ILESANMI

O

NE of the ways to get rich is through exploitation of our talents. At times, these talents are hidden and need to be unveiled. That is why David Ray, an exceptionally brilliant motivational writer, endowed with the skill of appreciable analytical details has written this book tagged Make Money from Your Hidden Talents.

This book contains a lot of money-making tips, from earning a bit extra by exploiting the work and skills you are devoting to your hobbies to complete detailed plans to run your own successful business from home with the potential of expanding it into your life’s work. By reflecting to you how to develop the attitudes central to success as well as the secrets of gaining advantages from almost any situation, Ray has been able to help you prepare the ground for a successful life in which any situation at all can be harnessed to create greater success.

Each approach in this motivational book proves to you that you can change your life for the better by simply following the same principle that rules all life. According to Ray, the ideas in this book are so powerful that they will not only help you to achieve success, but will also help you on how to brush competition aside.

Structurally, this book is segmented into three parts of over a hundred concepts. Part one is generically christened Unearth your secret wealth, and contains about 26 different concepts. According to Ray here, rich people are not successful because they were born with a silver spoon in their mouths or because of luck. He adds that they are rich because they follow certain princi-

ples, whether they are aware of them or not.

They have certain goals, take actions, step-bystep, talk to certain people and seek out certain opportunities which help them to get where they are, stresses this author.

Ray says we live in a society that believes that some people are fortunate and others are not, adding that nearly everyone likes to believe that one day he may win the lottery and become fortunate too. “But if somebody told you that if you stood outside your front door you would be likely to be struck by lightning, hit by a meteorite or a falling aircraft, you would find this possibility extremely unlikely, although it has the same chance of happening as you do of winning the lottery,” he illustrates. Ray submits that at present, there are a large number of get-richquick schemes in circulation, leading people to believe that they can get money without doing certain things first.

As regards the concept of how to tap abundance like a natural resource, this author says never before in history has life offered so many opportunities for so many people as at this turn of the new millennium. Ray asserts that the revolution in information technology means that mankind has tapped an immense resource unknown to us at any other time in history. He says this resource is information and availability of information via the media, internet, print and education allows us to equip ourselves with unique skills and market these skills in a way never known before.

This author also discusses how to turn your thoughts into raw creative power to change your life; how to ‘invent’ a better life; how to eliminate negative things from your life; how to turn attitude into your most financially rewarding skill; how creating value for other people creates wealth for you; the hidden secrets of success; how to discover your hidden talents and potential and turn them into the business of your life, etc.

Part two is summarily woven together as Your business basics. The first concept examined here is tagged A brief practical tour of the business from home.

According to Ray here, “Home-based businesses are becoming the trend of the new millennium.

Tens of thousands of workers are responding to new economic and social realities brought about by the information revolution. They are opting for this way of life, a life in which they can make their own hours, commute to work in seconds, make their own choices and become their own bosses.”

As regards the legality of working at home, this motivator says before setting up your new business, it would be advisable to check on the legal status of your business. “You need to check the laws for your community which may dictate if you can legally operate a business from home,” submits this author.

Apart from examining the concepts of home and the legality surrounding it, other concepts notionally X-rayed here are business licence; the sole proprietorship; partnerships; limited company; designing your workplace; financial planning; reason for having a business plan; insurance and legal considerations; factors determining your success; planning as key to your success; investing in good equipment; selecting the right product or service; developing a good marketing technique, etc.

Part three is conceptually summarised as Find the business of your life, with about 70 different concepts examined. The first concept in this part is called The ultimate money making guide to new life.

According to Ray here, associations are the most powerful forces of your hidden talents and can lead you into unimaginable opportunities. He says your greatest opportunities lie within the ability of your brain to make connections.

This author advises you not to dismiss any section of this book just because you feel you are not interested. “Treat this book as your guide, your oracle, to open the whole universe of your hidden talents and lead you into a life of fortune and abundance. You are now at the threshold of an abundant life. Good luck and good fortune,” submits Ray. He also teaches you how to make outrageous connections to multiply your income; how to set up your own craft consignment shop; how to make money in advertising; many ways of mak-

ing money with photography; how to start printing business from your garage; how to start and operate your own profitable import/export business at home; how to make your fortune with self-improvement seminars; how to prepare your curriculum vitae and get better jobs; how to write research papers, etc.

As regards style, Ray’s efforts are worthy of commendation in this text. Apart from the radiation of analytical simplicity, this author gives attention to details in this book and employs a lot of reflective illustrations just to achieve notional conviction and analytical clarity. To arouse readers’ interest and ensure readers’ practical participation, Ray includes the Exercise section.

By compacting the many concepts into just three parts, the study of this book is made easy, and the otherwise boredom that would have arisen as a result of many chapters is avoided.

However, in part one, error of wrong application of conditional clauses is noticed. Instead of the Open Possibility type, “But if somebody tells you that if you stand outside your front door you will be likely to be struck by lightning ...”, the Theoretical Possibility type, “But if somebody told you that if you stood outside your front door you would be likely to be struck by lightning ...” is used for a possible action.

Generally, this book is fantastic and highly recommended to anybody that wants to get rich through discovery of hidden talents.

BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

Fundamentals of effective e-mail communication in business (2) Last week, we said electronic mail, called e-mail for short, is a system that allows people to send messages to each other by computer. We added that e-mail makes everything easier and faster including making a powerful business impression and establishing positive professional relationships.

However, we examined some dos and don’ts of email communication. One of them is the omission of the subject line. Another one is the contrasting header. Imbibing 24-hour-reply culture constitutes another of them. Here, we said if you receive an e-mail that gets you angry, and your first reaction is to think about counter-attack, do not but close it and wait 24 hours before you respond so as to get your anger possibly defused.

Other dos and don’ts of email communication discussed are the need not to deliver a negative message by email; use of Cc and Bcc; need for thorough editing; leaving off your signature and when to put the address of the recipient. This week, we will continue from where we stopped.

Continuation

I

T is noteworthy that e-mail is not a good tool for delegating. This is because it leaves little room for dialogue and a lot of room for misunderstanding. E-mail is a poor tool for providing business updates. This is because there are too many factors people may not understand and want to ask about. Joan Llyod, a career-development expert says it is inappropriate for disciplining an employee except as a follow-up documentation.

Research has also shown that e-mail is not a good tool for coaching and providing feedback as there is too much that is lost. It is not a good tool for communicating sensitive information.

Lloyd gives an example of employees getting outraged when they were informed they did not get promotion or their job was being redesigned through email. In Lloyd’s words, “Believe it or not, some people have told me they were fired by email. Email-or email distribution lists- don’t take the place of team meetings and team communication.”

Consciousness Your e-mail is as much a part of your professional image as the clothes you wear, the postal letters you write, the greeting on your voice mail and the handshake you offer. Experts say if you want to impress on every front and build posi-

By Goke Ilesanmi

tive business relationships, pay attention to your e-mail and steer clear of e-mail mistakes.

Not making your subject line meaningful Always make your subject line meaningful.

This is very close to failure to change the header to correspond with the subject discussed last week. Lydia Ramsey, a business etiquette expert and professional speaker says your header should be pertinent to your message, not just ‘Hi’ or ‘Hello.’ The recipient is going to decide the order in which he reads e-mail based on who sent it and what it is about. Your e-mail will have lots of competition.

Not personalising your message to the recipient Even though e-mail is informal, it still needs a greeting. Begin with ‘Dear Mr. Gbenga’, ‘Dear Ayodele’, ‘Hello Femi’, or just ‘Femi’. Failure to put in the person’s name can make you and your email seem cold.

Not accounting for tone When you communicate with another person face to face, 93 per cent of the message is nonverbal. E-mail has no body language. The reader

cannot see your face or hear your tone of voice so choose your words carefully and thoughtfully.

Put yourself in the other person’s place and think how your words may come across in Cyberspace.

Forgetting to check for spelling and grammar Another error is forgetting to check for spelling and grammar. In the early days of e-mail, someone created the notion that this form of communication did not have to be letter perfect. Experts say this is wrong. It does. It is a representation of you. If you do not check to be sure your email is correct, people will question the kind of other work you do. Use proper capitalisation and punctuation, and always check your spelling. Remember that your spellchecker will catch mis-spelt words, but not misused ones. It cannot tell whether you meant to say “from” or “form,” “for” or “fro”, “he” or “the.”

Brevity E-mail is meant to be brief. Keep your message short. Use only a few paragraphs and a few sentences per paragraph.

Expecting an instant response Expecting an instant response is also one of the mistakes. Not everyone is sitting in front of the computer with e-mail turned on. The beauty of Internet communication is that it is convenient.

It is not an interruption. People can check their messages when it suits them, not you. If your communication is so important that you need to hear back right away, use the phone.

Punctuation We know that punctuation marks are intended to clarify meaning. But when not used correctly, they can just as easily confuse. One mark that

calls for special caution is the simple, ubiquitous comma. Some striking examples will drive the point home. So much depends on choosing the correct mark of punctuation at the correct time.

Each little period, each hyphen, each dash conveys meaning to the reader. And when the conventions of punctuation are ignored, readers tend to become confused.

Reinforcement Tracy Peterson Turner, an expert in both written and verbal communication says as I teach every single one of my clients, the point of all business writing is clarity. If a document whether email, letter, memo, or report – is not clear, no business is going to get done. Period.

The various marks of punctuation we have at our disposal can either be used to clarify or confuse. The mark that has the most confusion over is the comma: how and when do we use it. When is it necessary, and when is it over used?”

We will talk about two specific uses of the comma here and, as a result, help you be more certain of the punctuation choices you make. Our two focus points are: commas after introductory phrases and commas in series.

•To be continued PS: For those making inquiries about our Public Speaking, Business Presentation and Professional Writing Skills programme, please visit the website indicated on this page for details.

GOKE ILESANMI, Managing Consultant/CEO of Gokmar Communication Consulting, is an International Platinum Columnist, Certified Public Speaker/MC, Communication Specialist, Motivational Speaker and Career Management Coach. He is also a Book Reviewer, Biographer and Editorial Consultant.

Tel: 08055068773; 08187499425 Email: gokeiles2010@gmail.com Website: www.gokeilesanmi.com

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014

40

BUSINESS INTERNATIONAL

Another big full-year loss coming, warns Sony

S

ONY Corp said it would implement tough restructuring measures this financial year and warned it would post a second consecutive year of net losses as it tries to turn around its struggling electronics business.

The company said it would spend 135 billion yen ($1.32billion) on restructuring in the year to March 31, after spending 177.4 billion yen the prior year.

Chief Financial Officer Kenichiro Yoshida told an earnings briefing Sony had changed its strategy, and was now bowing out of some businesses, instead of just trying to restructure them.

Quality control issues have added to concerns that Japan’s big companies may not be able to contribute to a recovery the way the government hopes. Yonggi Kang reports on what may need to change.

Companies are reigning in flashy perks like paying for CEO’s mansions and club memberships, replacing them with boring extras like better insurance and financial planning. Bobbi Rebell reports.

The company has already said it would sell off its loss-making PCs and storage businesses.

“We’ll make this a year of biting the bullet on restructuring,” he said.

“In previous years the restructuring was mostly within business units and in manufacturing,” he added. “This time the difference is that we are quitting businesses entirely.”

Sony forecast a 50 billion yen ($489-million) net loss for the 2014/15 financial year, its sixth in seven years.

It said operating profit in the 2014/15 financial year to March 31 was expected to rise more than five

times compared to the year-ago level to 140 billion yen ($1.37billion), falling short of the 227 billion yen average of 20 analysts’ estimates from Thomson Reuters StarMine.

Sony made a 128.4 billion yen net loss for the 2013/14 financial year that ended March 31, in line with its own forecast of a 130 bln net loss. On May 1, Sony issued its third profit warning for the year and cut its outlook to barely one-tenth of its initial estimate.

Chief Executive Kazuo Hirai vowed when he took the helm two years ago to push electronics into the black, but the flagship division’s persistent losses have frustrated investors and invited unfavourablecomparisons with rivals Panasonic Corp and Sharp Corp, which have recovered from heavy losses in consumer electronics.

Hellenic ship owners control 46.72% of EU tonnage

ELLENIC ship owners control 46.72 per cent of the EU fleet based on dwt tonnage, a token of the size of the country’s maritime industry, despite the challenging conditions in global shipping. As such, Hellas has remained the No1 maritime nation globally, controlling a total of 3,669 vessels (over 1,000 GT), which make up for the 16.16 per cent of the global fleet, in terms of deadweight tonnage.

This according to the message by Mr. TheodorosVeniamis, President of the Union of Greek Shipowners (UGS), during the Posidonia Exhibition, to be held in June, attracting exhibitors from more than 93 countries.

Mr. Veniamis noted that the majority of the fleet is been managed by companies based in Hellas.

As a result, shipping is responsible for about seven per cent of the country’s GDP, preserving thousands of jobs, both direct and indirect, through the cluster of companies involved in all aspects of the maritime business. In fact, according to UGS’ president, for every 1 million euro which the European shipping community contributes to the EU’s economy, an additional 1.6 million euros are being created in other fields of the economy.

This means that shipping should be deemed as one of the backbones of both the Hellenic and the Euro-

H

pean economy, which means that it is imperative for the EU to adopt a unified policy, which will give priority to the preservation of the maritime industry’s competitiveness, especially given the acute competition from other nations. According to Mr. Veniamis, “the existence of a stable framework for shipping is a prerequisite for the safety of investments and thus, their sustainability”. These issues should be highlighted on the occasion of this year’s Posidonia, which coincide with the Hellenic Republic’s Presidency of the EU. In a recent note, Clarksons had noted that “for twenty years Greece, the big risk taker, has been locked in competition with Japan, that sober nation of corporates (well, that’s the perception). From the mid-1990s Greek owners kept well ahead of Japan, but when the 2000s superboom arrived Japan surged ahead to become the top shipping nation.

But Greek owners who were quite restrained during the boom, made up for it in 2010 and by the start of 2the year they were back at the top of the charts, with a fleet totalling 164m GT. So the perception of the two titans turned out to be wrong.

Perceived risk taker Greece held back in the boom, while Japan’s bulk investors had a flutter, from which they now have a bloody nose.”

Chinese banks may fund Yamal LNG if Europeans exit, says Total

C • From left: Chief Commercial Officer, Seacom, Byron Clatterbuck; Chief Carrier Services Officer, Telkom Kenya, Kebaso George Mokogi; Chief Executive Officer, MainOne, Funke Opeke; Chief Operating Officer, Epsilon Telecoms, Jerzy Szlosarek; and Chief Operating Officer, BT Global Telecoms Market (GTM), Andrew Dodsworth, at the MainOne-sponsored Spotlight on Africa panel session, during the International Telecoms Week (ITW) conference in Chicago.

Qatar buys helicopters, missiles in $23b deal Q

ATAR announced contracts worth about $23billion (U.S.) to buy attack helicopters, guided missiles, tankers and other weapons from Boeing Co., Airbus SAS and other arms makers as the Gulf state accelerates its military build-up.

The world’s top liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter announced deals with about 20 global companies, including firms from the United States which were awarded deals worth 27.5 billion riyals ($7.6billion), said a spokeswoman for a Doha defence conference where the announcements were made.

Ukraine has won a $27-billion international financial lifeline, rushed through in the wake of Russia’s annexation of Crimea. As Joanna Partridge reports it comes as Moscow’s economy minister outlines the cost to Russia of the military action.

EU foreign ministers agree travel

bans and asset freezes on 21 Russian and Ukrainian officials, in response to Moscow’s seizure of Crimea and the region’s attempt to break from Ukraine and join Russia. But as Ivor Bennett reports, the sanctions could end up harming the EU just as much.

The weapons purchases include large deals with Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and others.

Qatar, and other Gulf Arab and Middle Eastern countries are looking to acquire new high-tech military equipment to protect themselves from neighbouring Iran and internal threats after the Arab Spring uprising.

Boeing confirmed that the announcement included a contract to buy 24 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters and three Boeing 737 Airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft.

The deal for the helicopters was valued at 8.9 billion riyals, said the spokeswoman for the conference.

In Paris, France’s Defense Ministry said Qatar had agreed to buy 22 NH90 military helicopters from a unit of European aerospace group Airbus worth 2billion euro ($2.76billion) and two Airbusmade refuelling tankers.

NHIndustries is 62.5 per cent owned by Airbus’ Eurocopter helicopter unit, 32 per cent owned by AgustaWestland, a unit of Italy Finmeccanica’s and 5.5 per cent by Stork Fokker.

Qatar also committed to buy a Patriot missile defence system built by Raytheon equipped with PAC-3 missiles made by Lockheed; advanced daytime, high-definition sensors and radars for Apache helicopters; and Javelin missiles built by a Lockheed-Raytheon joint venture, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Credit Suisse set to announce $2b settlement in US tax-evasion probe

C

REDIT Suisse’s guilty plea to United States criminal charges is likely to be announced after the market closes on Monday, three sources said.

Under a settlement, Credit Suisse is expected to pay over $2 billion to U.S. authorities to resolve charges it helped Americans evade taxes. The Swiss bank has been in negotiations with the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Federal Reserve, and the New

York State Department of Financial Services.

Credit Suisse Chief executive Officer (CEO) Brady Dougan defends practices against allegations from U.S. lawmakers that the Swiss bank helps wealthy Americans evade taxes. Bobbi Rebell reports.

Spokesmen for Credit Suisse and the New York State Department of Finance as well as a spokeswoman for the U.S. Federal Re-

serve all declined to comment. A representative from the Department of Justice was not immediately available for comment.

A criminal guilty plea would be unusual for a financial institution.

Authorities have not often sought criminal convictions against a company, fearing the action would put the firm out of business and result in lost jobs for employees that had nothing to do

HINESE lenders may boost funding for the $27 billion Yamal LNG venture to export liquefied natural gas from Russia’s Arctic if European banks pull out over the crisis in Ukraine, the head of project partner, Total SA (FP) said.

According to Bloomberg, “The Chinese are putting an important sum on this project and if they put more it could compensate for the international portion,” Chief Executive Officer Christophe de Margerie said. “The U.S. Eximbank has announced its withdrawal, others not yet, but we feel if things don’t improve, some western banks might put off their decision.”

There is a risk of a project delay, due for commercial operation in 2017, should the political situation worsen, he said.

Russia’s annexation of Crimea in Ukraine after pro-Moscow President Viktor Yanukovych was ousted drove relations with the U.S. and Europe to the lowest since the Cold War. Total’s reliance on Russia to meet growth targets was thrown into relief by U.S. sanctions against Russian officials including Gennady Timchenko, a share-

holder of Yamal venture partner OAO Novatek.

Total and Novatek reached a final investment decision in December, with the Russian company taking 60 percent of the venture to produce 16.5 million metric tons of LNG a year, and Total and China National Petroleum Corp. 20 percent each.

“We’re not affected by financing problems or embargoes because for the moment there aren’t any,” De Margerie told reporters today in Paris after a shareholder meeting. “If there is, then there would be a risk of a slight slippage.” Chinese banks had already agreed to fund half the project, he said.

Total has said it will stick with plans to raise its stake in Novatek given Russia’s large oil and gas resources. The company also says it will still negotiate a new venture with OAO Lukoil (LKOD) for unconventional energy projects in Western Siberia.

Total plans to boost Russian output more than 30-fold over a decade, partly through Arctic projects, with output reaching as much as 400,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day by 2020.

Firm inaugurates housing scheme

A

FIRM Triumphant Gate Company Limited (TGCL) has inaugurated a housing scheme in Lagos as part of its Sixth Anniversary celebration, saying it is aimed at helping low-income earners to own houses.

Its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Peter Ubuwere, said: “Over 90 per cent of Nigerians do not have properties they can call their home. We are trying to make it affordable to all. This is because we are determined to make the difference for Nigerians.”

He added: “You can buy your land and we build for you or you buy the house through the new housing scheme.”

He claimed that only about 10 per cent of the population and a few classes of families have access to such homes and properties, adding that there was the need for them to their own homes.

However, with its quest to be the

market leader in the real estate sector in Africa and its root in Nigeria, Triumphant Gate focal point in the emerging real estate sector is in the acquisition of large expanse of land, development of estates, such as site and service plots or design, build and sales of different types of modern houses with a more flexible means of acquisition.

TGCL was established in 2008 with the objective of providing excellent customer satisfaction and good returns on investments.

“Our growth and success over the time,” its CEO said, “ has been hard earned through the retention of our existing and prospective clients and good referrals by our satisfied clients.”

It is a firm that offers its customers satisfaction through giving them value for their money, he claimed.

He urged that the private sector should be empowered to assist the government in nation building.

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014

POLITICS

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WEDNESDAY MAY 21, 2014

THE NATION

E-mail:- politics@thenationonlineng.net

PDP CRISIS The Southwest Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is in a fix. For almost two years, it has failed to hold a congress for the election of a new leadership. The absence of a zonal leadership has hampered effective coordination of the six troubled chapters in the zone. Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN reports.

• Mu’azu

T

• Prof. Oladipo

• Oyinlola

• Filani

When is Southwest PDP’s congress?

HERE seems to be no end in sight to the crisis rocking the Southwest Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Owing to the internal strife and rancour, the party has not been able to hold a congress to elect zonal leaders as stipulated by its constitution. Thus, for two years, a caretaker committee with limited powers has been steering the party’s affairs.

Last week, there was a new twist to the leadership tussle in the zonal chapter. A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos reinstated the members of the Caretaker Committee led by Chief Ishola Filani, a chieftain from Ekiti State. Justice Okon Abang ruled that the committee should remain in office, until a valid congress is held.

Filani and members of his team had prayed the court to restrain the party leadership from tampering with the interim structure, pending the emergence of an elected zonal executive committee in a democratic congress.The judge said the Filani-led committee was tricked into resigning under the guise of conducting a zonal congress, which did not hold, For more than two years, the Southwest PDP has been battling with a war of attrition. The party is factionalised in the six states.

Analysts contented that the crisis had escallated, following the exclusion of chieftains loyal to former President Olusegun Obasanjo from party activities. In fact, when the zonal leadership was sacked by the court, the Obasanjo camp recorded a heavy casuality.

The crisis started at Osogbo, the Osun State capital. Party chieftains from the six chapter had converged on the ancient city for the zonal congress in 2012. Aggrieved stalwarts were bent on whittling down Obasanjo’s influence on the party. A faction of the PDP from Ogun State led by multi-billionaire Buruji Kashamu alleged exclusion from the exercise. The aggrieved members, who claimed that they were denied participation, went to court to challenge the validity of the congress.

The court ruled that it was wrong to exclude the Ogun State chapter. Therefore, it ruled that the congress was null and void. According to the court, a new congress should hold in the Southwest. The judgment provided a caveat for the Bamanga Tukur-led National Executive

‘The thinking is that this is not the time for convention because there is too much rancour in the zone. Virtually all state chapters in the Southwest are in crisis’ Committee to disband the Southwest executive and remove Obasanjo’s men from the National Executive Committee. The victims were the National Secretary, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, National Vice Chairman (Southwest) Mr Segun Oni, and National Auditor Gbenga Mustapha.

However, Oyinlola’s election was not voided by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which voided the election of 16 national officers. Therefore, when he was asked to vacate his office, the Obasanjo camp perceived it as an orchestrated plan to eliminate the loyalists of the former President from the party. There were protests by pro-Oyinlola forces, who insisted that he should the reinstated in the spirit of fairness and justice. But, his critics, especially party chieftains from Ekiti State, who had an axe to grind with Oni, maintained that the zonal leadership was not properly constituted. Oyinlola is still in court battling to regain his lost position.

With the recent court ruling, the question is: when will the PDP National Secretariat conduct the Southwest zonal congress?

Analysts are of the view that the party has found a new excuse for indefinite postponement of the congress. A source close to the the PDP leadership told our correspondent that the congress was scheduled to hold before the end of this month. But, there is nothing to suggest that it would.

The PDP National Publicity Secretary , Chief Olisa Metuh, has said the party will respect the court judgment that restrained it from appointing a new caretaker committee.

He blamed the delay in holding the congress on logistics, promising that it would hold as soon as possible.

Metuh said the National Working Committee had met and reviewed the judgment.

“We want to hasten the process of holding the congress. The committee responsible for

this is already working on it. Although no date has been fixed for the congress, I can assure you that the congress will hold very soon,” he said.

A chieftain, Chief Akintayo Akin-Deko, holds a different view. He said the zonal congress may not take place, until further notice. “This is not the time for a convention. This is the time for rebuilding the party.

What we need to do is to put in place a caretaker committee that will reflect the wishes of the PDP leaders and the stakeholders in the zone. What is happening now in the Southwest PDP is that a faction of the national leadership at the national secretariat dissolved the zonal executive without the consent of the zonal leaders.

“Therefore, what they have done is to transcribe their division into the Southwest, which is making the matter worse,” he said.

On the removal of Oyinlola as the national secretary, Akin-Deko said it was all politics.

“He was endorsed by a national convention and until another convention does otherwise, he is the defacto national secretary”, he stressed. According to him, the fact that there is a court case to determine the genuiness of his position means that the position is not vacant and cannot be contested.

“First of all, he has to be removed properly before declaring the position vacant. It has to be through the established party system.

Oyinlola was installed in office by a national convention. He can only be removed by his own resignation or a national convention,” he maintained.

A legal practitioner, Mr Kunle Odunayo, faulted the replacement of Oyinlola by Professor Wale Oladipo. He recalled that the Southwest PDP held a special congress last year in Ibadan to nominate a replacement for Oyinlola, whose appointment was nullified by the court on the ground that the con-

gress that produced him was illegal. “The delegates, in a communiqué released after the congress, claimed to have unanimouslyapproved the nomination of Prof. Oladipo as the acting national secretary,” he said.

Odunayo noted that 48 hours after the announcement, a group, the Osun PDP Concerned Forum, kicked against Oladipo’s nomination. In a petition, the forum stated that the mode of the selection did not conform with the PDP constitution, adding that it does not enjoy the support and goodwill of the majority.

Thus, the appointment of Oladipo has brought disunity, disenchantment and mutual suspicion.

Odunayo said that, if the appeal at the Supreme Court favours Oyinlola, the party would have taken a wrong step in asking him to vacate office illegally. “It will render all actions taken by the PDP and signed by the acting secretary illegal and of no effect”, he added.

But, the Chairman of the Ogun PDP, Chief Adebayo Dayo, defended the process that brought Oladipo to office. He recalled that he was present at the special convention that approved his nominatin. According to him, the selection of Oladipo was open and transparent, adding that there were two candidates. “The other candidate stepped down for Oladipo to emerge as the unanimous candidate,” he said.

Dayo explained that the position of the National Secretary was zoned to the Southwest. He said that a proper convention ratified Oladipo’s selection. “It is good that the national secretariat has said that we should have a new congress in the Southwest. We are looking towards the new date for the congress. In fact, the new PDP chairman has assured that the Southwest zonal congress would hold this month before the mini-national convention scheduled for the end of this month”, he said.

However, a party official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said there was no serious commitment towards a fresh congress in the zone. “The thinking is that this is not the time for convention because there is too much rancour in the zone. Virtually all state chapters in the Southwest are in crisis,” he added.

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY MAY 21, 2014

POLITICS There is no sign that the National Conference is mustering efforts to resolve the contentious issues germane to true federalism, reports Group Poliltical Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU.

Can conference resolve national question?

T

HE moment delegates to the National Conference failed to reach a consensus on the fundamental issues that necessitated the setting up of the conference, the hope that the exercise would bear good fruits disappeared.

Advocates of true federalism were stunned when many delegates rejected the proposal on the state police, in spite of the security challenges confronting the country.

However, when the committee on Citizenship, Immigration and Related Matters commenced sitting last month, with 19 members in attendance, there was hope that there would be a robust debate and novel recommendations would emerge at the end of its deliberation. Two issues which Nigerians expect the conference to resolve are state police and formula for sharing the national cake.

But, the committee on Citizenship, Immigration and Related Matters also has a big task on its hand.

The chairman of the committee, Dr. Muhammad Zaiyanu Abdullahi, presided over deliberations. The committee deliberated on 10 issues. They are the movement of goods, persons and services, citizenship and nationality, integrated national database, immigration and internal security, multiple citizenship of Nigeria, residency and indigeneity and residency (indigenes/settlers dichotomy). Others are refugee and asylum, national census and border control. However, it was unanimously resolved that the issue of internally displaced persons (IDP) should be included as one of the thematic issues.

A member of the committee, Hajiya Hauwa Bukar, suggested that the committee should devolve into sub-committees to accommodate the various thematic issues, but most of the members preferred the grouping of related thematic issues and subsequent deliberation of the issues by

all members.

Dr. Magoro and Hajiya Ladi Ibrahim suggested that the committee should review recommendations of previous conferences and panels, which are related to its current theme.

Similarly, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife noted that the 1993 and 2005 Conferences as well as the report of the Alfa Belgore Committee would be handy in this regard.

Dr. Garba Ibrahim requested that the Conference Secretariat should forward to the Committee all received memoranda relating to its theme. He also advised the committee to be circumspect in extending invitations to relevant stakeholders, including service chiefs, in order not to encroach on other committees with priority need to invite such persons.

The Deputy Chairman of the committee, Dr. Chidimma Uwajimogu, deferred to an advice by Mr. Atedo Peterside that the committee should in the consideration of its thematic issues, determine where the country needs to get to, where it is now and how the country can get to where it wants to be with regards to the various thematic issues. She opined that these should guide the committee in articulating and executing its work plan.

On immigration and internal security, the committee expressed concern over lapses in border control.

While resolving to make recommendations for improved funding of the Immigration Service and adequate training of its personnel, it considered suggestions on the need to recommend for the establishment of Special Border Control Posts to address current border security challenges.

On the issue of multiple citizenship, the committee aligned with extant constitutional provisions on multiple citizenship; but carefully

• Kutigi

Contentious issues: • Citizenship and nationality • Integrated national database • Internal security •Multiple citizenship of Nigeria • Indigenes/settlers dichotomy • Refugee and asylum • Census • Border control considered the implications of recommending that indigeneship be granted to Nigerians resident outside their states of origin.

It proposed to recommend that Nigerians who seek to become indigenes of their places of residence may be compelled to renounce their indigeneship of any other area in the country.

The committee considered a proposal to recommend that to, avoid conflicts, a Nigerian who may change indigeneship, may not aspire to head the traditional institutions at their new area(s) of indigeneship. It also

proposed to make recommendations for the amendment of the constitution to address perceived contradictions on indigeneship; as well as to lay emphasis on nationalism rather than indigeneship in its recommendations.

The Comptroller-General, Nigeria Immigration Service, Mr David Paradang, highlighted the challenges facing the service, particularly inadequate Land Border Control Posts, manpower, insufficient patrol vehicles, modern technology and the need for welfare and insurance for officers.

Paradang also enumerated the various efforts being made by the Service to address current immigration challenges, including the establishment of a Border Patrol Corps, which was recently approved by the Federal Government.

Deliberations by the second subcommittee were anchored on the need to foster nationalism and reflect same across all the thematic issues under consideration. It considered that nationalism would greatly address conflicts arising from the sometimes polarising implications of emphasis on indigeneship and related issues.

However, the sub-committee agreed to consider the issue of residency together with indigeneity (indigene/settler dichotomy), rather than duplicate deliberations on the former as reflected in the initial outline of the thematic issues.

Multiple citizenship was also restricted to ‘dual citizenship’, which is contained in the 1999 Constitution.

The sub-committee concentrated on issues relating to citizenship and nationality, indigeneity and residency and dual citizenship.

During deliberations, it was agreed that the issue of citizenship and nationality was adequately addressed

by the provisions of Section 25 of the 1999 Constitution. Section 25 states inter alia: 25 (1) The following persons are citizens of Nigeria by birth, namely– (a) every person born in Nigeria before the date of independence, either of whose parents or any of whose grandparents belongs or belonged to a community indigenous to Nigeria.

It therefore, recommended that Sections 27 (d) and 29 (4) (b) be expunged from the Constitution; and that Section 26 (2) (a) should read “every person” in place of “any woman.”

On indigeneity and residency, the sub-committee recommended that Section 42 (2) of the 1999 Constitution should over-ride any other contrary/conflicting provision e.g. Section 147.

Section 42 (2) states inter alia: “No citizen of Nigeria shall be subjected to any disability”.

It further recommended that Section 42 (3) of the 1999 Constitution be expunged. The sub-committee referred to page 28, item 26 of the Report of the Presidential Committee on Review of Outstanding Issues from recent constitutional Conferences, and recommends the proviso: “provided that such a person meets his/her basic civic obligations”.

The sub-committee aligned itself with extant constitutional provisions on dual citizenship and recommends that such dual citizens may not be restricted to aspire to any elective political office.

Other recommendations made by the sub-committee include the inclusion of “gender” alongside “sex” wherever it may appear in the constitution, especially. In Section 41. It also considered a proposal that married women should have the right to choose from state of origin or that of their husbands; with a caveat that where a choice is made, the woman should stick to the choice.

Lagos State All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain Alhaji Kola Oseni spoke with reporters on the succession battle in the Centre of Excellence and the future of progressive politics. MUSA ODOSHIMOKHE was there.

‘Let the people decide who governs them’

• Oseni

H

OW can the tempo of development be sustained in Lagos State?

The social and transformational development in the state emanated from Alhaji Lateef Jakande. He laid the foundation of everything in the state. He opened up the state by initiating the metro-line and gave the financial backing to it. When the military got there, they made nonsense of the projects. In our regime, the Jakande’s regime, we created three new cities. You should note that what determined what is called a town depends on its population. If you go to Abesan Estate, is it not a town? If you go to Isolo Housing Estate, is it not a town? If you go to Iba Housing Estate, is it not a town? The essence of governance is to serve the people and the idea of Alhaji Jakande was to serve by making housing available to the teeming population, by using models that are adopted in the civilised society through mortgage. In a

civilise country, nobody buys house on cash. They would accept some mortgage. This was the idea of the Jakande Administration. Politics is service to the people.

How is the APC handling the succession battle in Lagos State, taking into consideration zoning, religion and other matters?

I will use the word, political synergy. It simply means political tricks, political manipulation. There is a difference between the church and the state. We should not mix it. When King James wanted a divorce and the Pope refused it, he started the Church of England. When Martin Luther now discovered that James was doing nothing to punish the Methodist, the Lutherans came out of it, and then ,the Baptist came out of it. There is different between the church and the state and we should not bring it into politics. Can anybody go to Abia, Imo, Anambra, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River states and say there must be a Muslim candidate for the position of the governor? Democracy is the government of the people, by the people for the people. You cannot go to Zamfara, Katsina, Kano and Jigawa, say there must be a Christian governor. You cannot go to Ondo State, Ekiti State and say there must be a Moslem governor? Why are we

mixing the state and the church in this matter? It is never done. Let everybody go to the primaries and whoever wins, let it be. Let the people decide for themselves. You are playing with fire. We don’t want religious war. It is very painful for anybody to make that pronouncement that religion should be the basis for the selection of the next governor of Lagos State. Religion should be detached from politics. Jesus Christ was clear on it. When he was asked whether to pay dues to Caesar, he said, give to God what is God and give to Caesar what is to him. That is separation of church and the state.They should go to the primaries. If a Christian emerges, good luck. If a Muslim emerges, good luck. I am Alhaji Kola Oseni, had gone to hajj 25 times, gone for Umrah 29 times and I don’t discriminate. My mother of blessed memory had nine children; one of my sisters died, leaving eight of us.

The twins that are immediate after me; one is a CAC member, Kehinde Oyesola now Fausat Oyesola, she is Iya-Ijo, the Taiwo, Modupe Odofin; she is now Mary Odofin, a catholic member. Abiti, that is Fatimo, who is a Director of Finance in the Ministry of Information, is a Christian. Kola Peregrino is a Christian. Funke is a Christian. That does not mean we did not come from the same womb. Am I going to say Fausat, Abiti and Yeye, who started as Muslims, are

no longer my sisters? Am I going to disown them that they are not my sisters? We don’t want religious war in Lagos. So, whoever is saying this thing should shut up.

But’s the party has its constitution...

The Yoruba in their proverb says, the name that a child would be christened would remain private affairs.

By this act, we are challenging Muslims. If you slap them, they would fight back. I am not part of what is outside the constitution of the party.

Let everybody go to primaries. Who knows who will do the best job for Lagos State? If you say it is a Christian and it turns the other way, what happens? If you say it is Muslim and it turns the other way, why don’t we leave it to God?The Bible says a house divided against itself will not stand.

You once said you preferred academic than politics. Why? Deep down in me, I don’t believe in politics. My playing ground is democracy. Anything outside democracy is not the politics that interests me. After the demise of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, I became tired of politics because of the unfolding inconsistencies. I think I should have remained in the academic.

Though you paid glowing tribute to Alhaji Jakande, but you rebelled against him along the line. Why?

‘We don’t want religious war. It is very painful for anybody to make that pronouncement that religion should be the basis for the selection of the next governor of Lagos State. Religion should be detached from politics’

Why I broke up with Alhaji Jakande was not because of personal reason. I love the man and God knows I love him. But, at that point in time, he was surrounded by sycophants. The only destroyer of any leader is tilting to the caprices of sycophants. When we were considering the person to become the governor of Lagos State, we all sat down and agreed that Dapo Sarumi will become the governor. All of a sudden, like they are bringing religion into politics now, they brought ethnicity into politics.This turned out to be a bad decision. Sarumi is an Eko Epe man while Femi AgbalaJobi was Ijebu Epe. They began to whip ethnic sentiment, instead of looking at competence. That was the beginning of my rebellion because they were now toying with our collective decision to support a candidate we agreed was viable. I had been standing by Sarumi for over a year, supporting him for the governorship. Suddenly, others backed out and wanted me to do similar thing. It was like what should I tell him now? That he was no more in the picture? I am not that kind of person who changes suddenly. Our party paid dearly for it. The effect of the mistake was the emergence of Michael Otedola as the governor of the state. Agbalajobi and Sarumi were disqualified. It was Abiodun Ogunleye and later, Yomi Edu who later became the party’s candidate. But, through the inconsistency, the party lost the governorship position to Otedola. At that time, there was no party like the SDP. It was like the rock of ages. But, what happened? We lost.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014

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The Midweek Magazine

E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

The Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilisation (CBAAC) has held an international conference on Pan Africanism in Kingston, Jamaica.

Africans and African Diaspora discussed developments at the event, Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME reports.

Exploring Pan Africanism as tool for good governance

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OR two days, scholars and top government functionaries drawn from strategic institutions in Africa and the Caribbean converged on the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, Kingston, Jamaica to chart a new roadmap to confront the numerous socio-economic and political challenges facing the African continent and the Diaspora using Anthropology, Archaeology, History and Philosophy.

The ninth international conference with the theme, Toward a New Pan-Africanism: Deploying Anthropology, Archaeology, History and Philosophy in the Service of Africa and the Diaspora was organised by the Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilisation (CBAAC) in partnership with the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, Kingston, Jamaica, the African Caribbean Institute of Jamaica (ACIJ), the Pan African Strategic and Policy Research Group, (PANAFSTRAG), the High Commission of South Africa in Jamaica and the Nigeria High Commission in Kingston, Jamaica.

According to a communiqué, participants resolved that African scholars and public intellectuals must deconstruct Eurocentric tendencies and dependencies and develop epistemologies that are reflective of African realities, relevant to Africa and her Diaspora, responsive to the challenges of sociopolitical, economic and intellectual development of Africa and the Diaspora. The statement said that Pan Africanism is capable of creating enabling environment for viable and sustainable economic growth and development.

It also recommended that “in encouraging Africans from the Diaspora to visit Africa, CBAAC and similar African organisations should provide a database of interested Diasporan Africans who would like to go to Africa as well as those in Africa who are willing to host brothers and sisters from the Diaspora.

“The production of films, movies and documentaries on historical figures and experiences from the continent and the Diaspora should be actively pursued. Africans should value one another. This means respecting our past, our ancestry and embracing courageously the challenge of building our future together.

“We need our scholars to communicate with us, they must be accountable to the African youth, be more approachable/available to engage with the grassroots community. Elitism must be discouraged.

Provide funding to create a Brain Trust of best minds “experts” and ‘community stakeholders’ who will be able to design the strategic plan for Africa and Diaspora development and implement the solutions needed.”

The communiqué added that “we must develop a language we can use similar to how the European languages are taught by strengthening the mandate of the African Heritage Project, •Create a database of curriculum in a format easy to use by teachers, parents and community members and made available via the internet for free, create a skills database of African intellectuals and professionals in order to identify what they are doing and could be part of Africa’s development agenda,

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•Prof. Babawale

CONFERENCE •Create partnerships with historical black colleges and university that can become sister universities with African universities, evaluate the role of education and curriculum and tie it into the findings of the needs assessment, •Create a comprehensive needs assessment which is adaptable to each country’s needs. This assessment will be the guiding document for the creation of education and training needs for each country and will tie into internships for college students, develop international relationships between CARICOM, African Union and the Americas, •Develop youth entrepreneurial programmes to begin to create future business people for Africa, broaden trade opportunities between Africa and the Diaspora, open up travel opportunities and remove visa restrictions between Africa and the Diaspora and establish African administrative structures on solid intellectual and academic traditions.

Earlier, Nigeria’s Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Chief Edem Duke stressed that Pan-Africanism marked a significant watershed in which people of African descent forge a common front against impediments that delay African development. He said it represents an attempt by African and its Diaspora at destroying the leviathan and vestiges of slavery, colonisation, racism, neo-colonialism and all negative identity syndrome that have become characteristic of places inhabited by people of African descent.

“Pan-Africanism played useful and significant role in Africa’s decolonisation process. Lamentably, years after we attained selfrule, we are yet to realise the lofty dreams of the great people that led our agitation and struggle for independence,” he added.

Duke observed that Africa bears half of the burden of world’s misery and that life expectancy is rapidly declining while infant mortality is on the increase. According to him, at the political level, ‘we are developing and improving on culture of violence.

The continent is a hot bed of frightening inter-state confrontations, civil wars and genocide.’

“On the continent, the culture of accountability and peaceful conflict resolution is gradually paving way for recklessness, impunity and violence. These are, therefore, demands that we retrace our steps by revisiting the ideology that drives the struggle for independence in the first instance. Given the problems on the continent, an international conference that explores other ways of surmounting Africa and Diaspora’s numerous problems is appropriate and timely,” he added.

He noted that the ‘Pan Africanism ideology is capable, if employed objectively, of providing us avenues for peace-building which can help in promoting democratic governance and re-

•Chief Duke

spect for human rights. Pan-Africanism can also aid our quest at fostering continental integration and seeking beneficial partnership with the industrialised world.’

Director-General, CBAAC, Prof Tunde Babawale noted that despite decades of experimentation with different economic policies and programmes, the world’s absolute poor still live on the continent.

He said except for few, most countries on the continent are caught in the poverty trap, with more than half of the population living below the poverty line and on less than $1 per day.

“Poverty is so severe in Africa that about 22 out of the 25 poorest countries in the World are in Africa. The problem of poverty has been compounded by needless political crises that often resulted in violent conflicts on the continent,” Babawale said.

He stressed that the conference was organised to among others, create the desirable space and forum for African and African Diaspora experts, students, scholars and researchers to meet, debate, exchange ideas and present their work particularly the humanistic and social science disciplines of history, the arts, philosophy, anthropology and archaeology. It is also to foster understanding of the relationship between Anthropology, Archaeology, History and Philosophy and identify politics in Africa and the Diaspora; * To examine the extent to which Anthropology, Archaeology, History and Philosophy have promoted or hindered development in Africa and the Diaspora; *To enhance the understanding of Anthropology, Archaeology, History and Philosophy and how they could be explored and utilised to advance the frontiers of Pan-Africanism.

Present at the conference include Prime Minister of Jamaica, Her Excellency, Rt. Honourable Portia Simpson-Miller, High Commissioner of Federal Republic of Nigeria to Jamaica, Kingston, Jamaica, His Excellency Ambassador Olatokunboh Kamson, The High Commissioner of the Republic of South Africa to Jamaica and CARICOM, Kingston, Jamaica, Her Excellency Ambassador Mathu Joyini, Prof Augustin Holl, Professor, Université Paris-Ouest Nanterre La Défense, France, Chairman, Nigeria’s House of Representatives Committee on Culture and Tourism, Hon. Ben Nwankwo, The Chairman, Nigeria’s Senate Committee on Culture and Tourism, Senator Ahmed Barata, The Pro-Chancellor & Campus Principal, the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, Kingston, Professor Archibald McDonald, Chairman, CBAAC Governing Board, Senator Brimmo Yusuf, Vice-Chancellor, the University of the West, Kingston, Prof E. Nigel Harris, The Director General, Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilisation, Prof. Tunde Babawale and The Executive Secretary, PANAFSTRAG International, Gen. Ishola Williams (Rtd.).

Fresh voice, old tunes

HE April 14 abduction of over 200 girls of Government Girls Secondary School(GGSS), Chibok, Borno State by terrorists, took centre stage at a photo exhibition tagged: Femme Fatale Deconstructing’ the politics of sexuality. The group exhibition shares many things in common with the Chibok calamity- girl child, freedom, perception and representation of women and politics of sexuality. It was organised by the African Artists Foundation.

Little wonder when artists, enthusiasts and collectors gathered at the opening of the exhibition at Ford Foundation office in Banana Island, Ikoyi, Lagos, issues raised by the works were familiar to all.

Also, the exhibition theme has been used extensively as a stereotypical representation of women in literature, cinema, and the visual arts throughout history. In its popular incarnation, female identity is articulated through her role as an over sexualised, seductive, and scheming predator that uses her erotic charms to manipulate the opposite sex, literally translated from French as ‘’deadly woman’’.

Curator of the African Artists’ Foundation, Medina Dugger, said that the Female Artist Development project, which aims to call attention to the vital yet undervalued role of female artists in Nigeria contemporary arts community, is what this exhibition will explore and how female identity is constructed, articulated, and vehemently asserted in both the contexts of Nigerian society and a boarder global paradigm. She noted that the self esteem of the girls has been demoted and kidnapped. She asked; what are they bringing them to?, what are we bringing in future that is worthy of the respective girls and the education that they have. I will also like us to have a check on bringing back our girls, winning back their self esteem, bringing sisterhood and

By Linda Ogudo

VISUAL ART bringing back the dignity in girls all over the world.

The artists whose works were on display included Karimah Ashadu, Elisa Bortolussi, Sesu Tilley- Gyado, Shannon Lawrence, and Omoligho Udenta. Exhibits on display were: photography, mixed media, video, design and performance.

Mask Woman by Jenevieve Aken, who is a Nigerian photographer, focuses on social documentary photography, selfportraits, urban portraits and cultural portraits. According to Aken, the mask is a self portrait performance series that explores sexuality, firstly as an African woman, and seeks to challenge the narrow concept that women are nothing but possessions and sex objects, void of intellectual or creative potential, whose primary role is to please a man. It is a personal journey to freedom from self bondage, prescribed by society, she said. She also said that, she wish to call into question the unspoken strength dormant within many African women, a thick silence which, if broken, would unleash the necessary spark to ignite our mutual supreme womanhood: a state which will empower us to face our fears of judgment.

The mask woman addressing a growing number of unmarried, independent, women professionals and exposes both their autonomy as well as their stigmatization by society. By diverting from the status quo and by exercising their freedom of choice, such women are often perceived as extreme, eccentric or pitiable.

She said, I chose to create these self- portraits to birth my personal freedom, with the hope it will inspire other women to express their truths as well.

• One of the exhibits on display

Naked Truth by Tyna Adebowale, who is a painter and mixed media artist lives and works in Lagos. Her work explores issues of gender, politics, and social media in contemporary Nigeria society, described her work, that investigates the politics of, and sexuality of the female gender, and her downplayed importance as well as the abuse of the female gender in social, traditional and religious context in Nigeria, which is her view of Femme Fatale as an African female artist. Naked truth addresses issues of sexual exploitation of the female body in fatal situation like crisis, the struggles experience because of the female identity through the years resulting in victimisation and continuous rape of the female gender, with little or no power for self- defense.

Why should I be a victim of my sexual identity? I know it not.

Will I just remain silent or will my struggles be given a continuous ‘ignore’ button?

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E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

Ondo in the artists’ eyes

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Book on politics debuts A new book, ‘Nigerian Political Parties and Politicians: Winding Road from Country to Nation’, was released on May 1.

A statement by the book’s author, Bolaji Samson Aregbesola,said the book is an in-depth study of politics, politicians and political parties in Nigeria, from the preindependence era to the present day.

The book, after extensive research, concluded that Nigeria has not made much progress because the attitude of its politicians have not changed for the better.

‘The same omissions and errors of the early republics are being repeated in the current republic,’ Aregbesola asserts, ‘Nigerian political parties and politicians have not learnt any lessons from the past.’

The book, a ready tool for the general reader apart from students of political science, is available in local bookshops and online on amazon.com.

Want to know about Ondo town? Take a collection of paintings titled: Perspective, by four Nigerian artists, who captured the historic and iconic landscape of Ondo on canvas, reports Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME.

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AVE you ever been to Ondo town in Ondo State or lived there? There are symbolic features-rocky hills and picturesque scenery- in the town that wi l l f o re v e r r e m a i n f r es h i n y o u r memory. They include the famous OkeIjewo Ese hills, the historic St. Stephen’s Church, Oke-Aluko and the Ondo Boys High School.

Remember Prof JP Clark’s popular poem, Ibadan- ‘running splash of rust and gold-flung and scattered among seven hills like a broken China in the sun?’ Take a trip to Ondo town, and you will almost be greeted with same landscape as captured in Ibadan above.

These and many more scenic views are what four Nigerian artists-Tola Wewe, Lekan Onabanjo, Abraham Uyovbisere and Damola Adepoju captured in their paintings recently exhibited at a salon held at House 6, Foreshore Town House, Banana Island, Ikoyi, Lagos.

The one-day salon entitled, Perspective, which featured a minimum of four paintings per artist, was attended by mainly Ondo indigenes, art collectors and critics.

Perspective is a fall-out of an invitation to Lekan Onabanjo by the Managing Director, Alma Stores and chairman, Irede Foundation board of trustee, Mr. Kunle Akinkugbe for a weekend painting retreat in Ondo. This gesture later turned into a week and an extension to three other artists.

Between March 20 and 27, the four artists undertook the task of capturing sceneries of Ondo on canvas. The exercise was

Lagos holds jazz fiesta

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• Painting of St Stephen Church, Ondo

VISUAL ART sponsored by Mr. Akinkugbe, an indigene of Ondo town. What inspired the project? Mr. Akinkugbe was inspired to capture the picturesque scenery of his home town he has fond memories of on a medium that transcends time-artists’ canvas.

For the host, Mr. Akinkugbe, the landscape in and around Ondo has always held fascination, having a raw natural and ancestral beauty that sometimes comes across as mystic. He said through the salon the four artists are contributing to the Irede Foundation. Two of the artists donated paintings to the foundation. “I love Ondo scenery and I wanted Lekan to spend a weekend in Ondo to capture it on canvas. So that was how the idea came up. In fact, my views of the paintings are exceeding my expectations,” Akinkugbe said.

Interestingly paintings exhibited are expressions of each artist’s peculiar and unique style of interpreting scenic subject matter. And nio doubt, each artist’s character and skill manifested in their respective paintings while at the same time, revealing the other parts of one or two artists’ handling of landscape.

For instance, former Ondo State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Chief

Tola Wewe literarily left his regular spiritual motifs and forms to embrace outdoor painting of landscape using different colour scheme as against his traditional hues. Wewe described the Ondo retreat as revealing and refreshing especially when such is done amongst professional colleagues. “It was a sound fun, and elating with colleagues reminded me of my school days. The experience made me feel younger as a painter. The lesson I took from the painting retreat is that Nigerians must appreciate what they have as heritage. In fact, I did not know and see the beauty Ondo has until I painted them.

We are really blessed and our natural environment is rich enough to sell to the globe.

“It was also an opportunity for art collectors to discover that beyond those spiritualimages and motifs in my paintings, I do love nature,” Wewe said.

President, Guild of Fine Artists, Mr. Abraham Uyovbisere sees Ondo through the landscape and rocky ills he painted. The retreat gave him opportunity to resuscitate some of the fading values in colour scheme.

“It was a revealing experience as it exposed us to outdoor painting once more. I wish to go back there to document Ondo,” Uyovbisere noted.

Perspective was curated by Mr. Timi Balogun who was also part of the retreat in Ondo.

By Linda Ogudo

NSPIRO productions the organisers of the Lagos International Jazz Festival have announced a 30th and 31st May date for the fiesta, which will hold at the Freedom Park, Broad Street, Lagos. In a statement Inspiro CEO and festival director Ayoola Sadare said “we are still committed to positioning the event as Nigeria’s Premier Jazz Festival designed to offer visitors and residents in Lagos world class entertainment. The festival is also poised to become a major event on the Nigerian Tourism calendar and will attract jazz and contemporary music lovers to the country.

“Our long term goal is to establish Lagos as a Jazz Tourism destination alongside cities like Cape Town, Montreal, Montreux, New Orleans, London and Tokyo among others which are significant on the global Jazz tourism calendar and have hundreds of thousands of people visit each year and experience the cities and enjoy good music.

Lagos as a Megacity is not going to be left out and will surely become a Jazz and music Mecca in the near future.’’

He stated that “ the Jazz Festival is not just another show but a tourism brand with the potential to boost the image of the country, and add to the GDP of the state and Nigeria as a whole when properly developed. We see it as our social responsibility project for our dear nation Nigeria.”

He added that ‘“this year’s line-up has a few international acts but we have also chosen a significant number of the Megacity’s authentic Jazz and Jazz musicians.

Macmillan holds youth cultural day

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IGERIAN youths have been urged to shun any act that will constitute a setback to national development.

Rather, they should channel their energy and creativity towards national unity and development by exploiting their culture for their benefit.

The Chairman, Macmillan Literary Events Committee, Mrs Francesca Emanuel, made the call last week at Macmillan head office, Ilupeju, Lagos.

Emanuel said the aim of Macmillan Literary Committee is to encourage students to take advantage of literature and their culture to preserve the cultural heritage of Nigeria. She noted that it is also to give the youth the window to believe in themselves and their nation.

For this reason, six schools in Lagos State: Ifako International Private School, Agege, Focus Secondary, Ebute-Metta, Edidoto College, Badore Ajah, Jubril Martins Memorial Grammar School, Iponri, Methodist Boys High School, and Yaba College Teacher Staff School will compete among themselves today at Agip Recital Hall, Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos. It is the second edition of Macmillan Youth Cultural Day; with a theme: My Country, My Pride. The competition which is to celebrate centenary existence of Nigeria, will focus

By Udemma Chukwuma

COMPETITION on sub-themes such as religion, education, security, governance and culture. It will feature about 60 students drawn from other schools in Lagos to watch and support their fellow students as they perform; while two reputable judges, which the committee said they will like to keep secret, will anchor the competition. The participants will be awarded prizes in various categories while certificates will also be awarded.

“At a time like this, channeling the thoughts of our youths in the direction of this theme will encourage them.

Despite all challenges faced by the country, we can still remain strong, united and equipped with all the capacities needed to build a country that we all can be proud of.

“To drive home the chosen theme for this year, six schools have been invited to use our cultural values and aesthetics to interpret the various sub themes,” Emanuel said.

She noted that the future is still bright for Nigeria even though “it might be true that we have not been reaping the

•From left: The Executive Director (Operations), Macmillan Nigerian Publishers, Mr. Yinka Olaniyan, Mrs Francesca Emanuel and the Managing Director Macillan Nigeria Publishers Mr Adesanya Iyiola Adelekan in Lagos.

dividends of our immense natural wealth and the democracy that the move to civilian government was supposed to have ushered in, yet we do not have to give up. There are some green shoots to show that there is hope for the country.

And these shoots are symbolically, the young ones.

“Everyone should appreciate the fact that Nigeria is still a work in progress.

Thus we should all be encouraged and challenged everyday to keep building in spite of various obstacles that we may be facing. Nigeria is a great nation that any citizen can be proud of. The country has

produced many resourceful, intelligent and talented sons and daughters, who have exhibited strong passion to take the world to great heights. Every day, these men and women all over the world keep contributing immensely to global development,” she stated.

She advised Nigerian youths to show love, and respect to the country and to one another. “We should stop the destruction of lives and wasting of our talents. We should rather come together to realise and harness our diversity and potentials for the development of our nation.”

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E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

Adeyemi College of Education honours Babalola

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HORTLY after breakfast tomorrow (May 22), another colourful feather will be added to the already well adorned cap of the elderstatesman, farmer and educationist, Aare Afe Babalola, SAN. The Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo will present him with its Distinguished Fellowship Award for his remarkable work as an educationist and as part of the activities marking the College’s Golden Jubilee.

The college has rolled out the drums since Monday (May 19) to celebrate 50 years of its existence and its 23rd Convocation, which grand finale comes up tomorrow.

This Award is coming 22 days after the Forum for International Green Sustainability (FIGS) crowned the multiple chief and manysided man as the Africa Man of the Year in Food Security 2004 for his exploits in food security, job creation as well as the monumental investment he has made in his ABUAD Enterprise Farm.

FIGS is a Non-Profit organisation with Tax Exempt Status in the United Kingdom. Its mandate is to bridge the widening gap of extreme hunger and poverty in every home in Africa, one crop at a time. It was inaugurated in Nigeria as a Regional Chapter in Abuja in 2006 with 52 mentors and over 1,000 Volunteers in the six geo-political zones of the country.

The erroneous perception of farming being old fashioned has become the anchor of FIGS global campaign while championing the cause of youth inclusiveness in sustainable agriculture, capacity building amongst farmers, stakeholders and Green initiatives and Food Security in over 23 Countries including Sub regional Africa.

Babalola whose formal education ended at Emmanuel Primary School, Ado-Ekiti, where he obtained his Standard Six Certificate because of paucity of funds for him to go further in those early days, went on life with an unbending determination and by dint of hard work to obtain two Bachelors’ degrees (B. Sc. Economics and LL.B) by private study.

Since then, Babalola, who was at various times a pupil teacher, a secondary school teacher, vice principal, university lecturer, economist, auditor, administrator, farmer and educationist, has been so many things within the country’s educational landscape, so much so that he is a former winner of the Senior Teachers of Nigeria Award by Association of Nigeria Teachers.

The unflinching contributions of Babalola, a man who has built and donated towering edifices to many tertiary institutions in Nigeria, started with his patently selfless wavering of a

• Aare Babalola

By Tunde Olofintila

AWARD 5 million British Pound Sterling legal fee in 1982 just for a federal institution to be established in his home state of the bigger Ondo State then.

It was this altruistic and patriotic gesture that gave birth to the Federal Polytechnic, which was first sited in Akure before it was relocated to Ado-Ekiti, Babalola’s homestead, when the Federal University of Technology took off in Akure. It is on record that as Chairman of the Federal Polytechnic, which he part funded, Babalola did not take any allowance, rather, and on a continuous basis, he kept on expending his own resources.

In 2,000, Babalola, a man bitten by the bug of excellence, was appointed Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council of the University of Lagos, during which time he was able to see firsthand and bare-facedly the rot and decay that characterized the nation’s educational landscape. Together with his colleagues in the Council and the University Administration, they were able to turn the fortunes of UNILAG around so much so that that university became the best around that time and he was voted

Best Pro-Chancellor twice (2005 and 2006).

But because that was not enough for him and more importantly because of the urge to change things for the better, to give education a befitting face lift and to show that it is possible to have good quality, functional and reformatory education, he establishedhis wave-making AfeBabalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), to lead others by example in quality, functional and reformatory education.

The University, which began academic works on January 4, 2010, has received many accolades from eminent personalities and notable institutions within and outside Nigeria.

For example, the All African Students Union with Headquarters in Ghana acknowledged the university as the “fastest growing private university in Africa”, the European Business Assembly in Oxford gave it Socrates Award for the Best Enterprise in Africa, 2011.

The university, though only four years old now has been rated by the Global University Webometric as the second (2nd) Best Private University in Nigeria and number thirteen (13th) of the totality of the 157 universities in Nigeria. It recently secured 100 per cent accreditation in all the fourteen Programmes presented to NUC for accreditation in 2013. The Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) has also accredited all the seven engineering programmes. Similarly the Computer Professionals Registration Council of Nigeria (CPN) also granted full accreditation for its computer programmes.

The Nigerian Universities Commission (NUC), the Regulatory Body for Education in Nigeria, described it as a model, benchmark and reference point, former President of Nigeria, Chief OlusegunObasanjo described it as a model, former military leader, Dr. (Gen.) Yakubu Gowon (retd) described the setting as “superlative and impressive with nothing of its kind that I have seen so far in this country or anywhere”, President Goodluck Jonathan also described it as “Notably one of the most outstanding individual contributions towards government educational project”.

At the international level, UNESCO, which acknowledged ABUAD as one of the prestigious universities in Africa, has invited the university to collaborate with it on issues relating to education, particularly on the Flagship Programme 2 of Operational Strategy for Priority Africa (2014-2021) titled “Strengthening Education Systems for Sustainable Development in Africa: Improving Equity, Quality and Relevance” and further volunteered “to publicise UNESCO-ABUAD initiatives on its website”, thereby ‘portraying the university as one of the shining beacon of excellence in its endeav-

our to be one of the best universities in African and the world’.

The university operates the collegiate system and has seven of such colleges: the College of Law, College of Natural and Applied Sciences, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, College of Engineering, College of Social and Management Sciences and College of Arts and Humanities as well as the College of Education. It also offers Entrepreneurial and Leadership training to make its graduates allrounder human beings that do not have to wait for anybody to give them white collar jobs before they can be gainfully employed.

As leaders in functional, quality and reformatory education, the university initiated and developed programmes in Social Justice, Intelligence & Security Studies, Human Biology and Mechatronics.Today, ABUAD is the only university in Nigeria offering such programmes and NUC has gone ahead to adopt them as the benchmark for any university that may want to offer these programmes in future.

It also has a gigantic Entrepreneurial Talent Centre with26 different sports, a rare phenomenon in any university around today and an Agricultural Enterprise Centre which has been designated by IITA as a Centre of Research where students learn many areas of Agriculture.

The Centre boasts of 110,000 Mango trees, 500,000 Teak trees, 310,000 Gmelinatrees, a Moringafactory worth over N1 billion, 600 fish ponds with at least 5,000 fishes in each of them, and a Feed Mill worth over N500,000.00 as well as an Animal section made up of a Piggery, Snailery, Turkey, Guinea Fowl, Quail and Mushroom as well as an incubator.

Today, the mustard seed that was planted four years ago has grown and blossomed into a great oak tree as the first set of our 103 students from the College of Sciences and the College of Social and Management Sciences were released to the world at a very colourful maiden convocation ceremony on October 21, last year. Testimonies abound about the respect and honour appreciative members of the society accord these ABUAD Ambassadors.

It must be in appreciation of all these national and international recognitions and encomiums that the new College of Industrial Development (UID), Ghana, appointed the four-year old university to mentor it as the ‘Mentoring Tertiary and Affiliate Institution.

Undoubtedly, ABUAD is an ‘incubator’ that would enable Babalola to ‘replicate’ himself in the ‘leaders’ of tomorrow through function.

Certainly, ABUAD and its Founder are going places.

•Tunde Olofintila wrote from Lagos.

Dr George Okeyoyin is the Conservator of Gashaka-Gumti National Park, Nigeria’s biggest protected area with a land mass of about 6,731 square kilometers cutting across Adamawa and Taraba states. In this interview with PAUL AKPABIO, he reveals the importance of fauna, floral and animal conservation to national life.

‘National Parks are research, recreation heritage’

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AN you give us an insight into the Ghashaka- Gumti Park (GGNP)?

This place is a great testimony to the future of Nigeria as a veritable player in global effort in conservation.

GGNP is the most scenic and the largest of all National Parks in Nigeria. Its ecological importance lies in its protection of flora and fauna species because of its location to several conservation enclaves across the Cameroon border. As a laboratory for sustaining and protecting the gene pool, this place is an important watershed for Rivers Benue, Taraba and other streams where aquatic species complete their life cycles.

GGNP is also home to the diverse and rare population of primates and migratory species from Cameroon and home to the highest mountain in Nigeria.

It is also a laboratory where Nigerian and foreign students carry out biological and primate research. To give you all about GGNP, is to give you all about Nigeria’s conservation future.

INTERVIEW What are the specific issues that drive conservation today considering the conflict associated with husbanding gene resources?

There is this dynamism associated with conservation just like other human developmental efforts. You need understand that in a world where population explosion is on the increase, pressures definitely will be visited on earth resources either for housing or farming. So conflict becomes a face of conservation because people, even government when they are not properly informed, will kick at setting aside a Chunk area(s) of land for the sake of the yet unborn and the future wellbeing of our people who no matter the level of infrastructural development, need to find food, water and fish for survival.

However, the templates of arrest and prosecution of offenders who dare illegal entry into protected area have long changed and there is the need to respond in such a manner that all stakeholders can appreciate the tasking assignment before us. We need to diverse another progressive opening to carry along people who own the land in the first place. That rigidity in conflict management when conservation is still at infant stage has to change, so we now operate in such a manner that endears us to our immediate communities.

Instead of arrest and prosecute, what we do now is arrest, train and provide platforms of productive engagement outside and within the confines of our cherished collective patrimony which is the protected environment.

• Okeyoyin

To achieve developmental conservation objectives, the management of the seven National Parks in Nigerian has resolved to change the way we do business. The era of pursuing poachers, hunters and grazers need to come to an end and that’s way this initiative must be sustained.

How, considering again that forest reserve and other primary source of conservation seem to be abandoned over the years?

In GGNP, about three years ago, we met

and resolved to build a vocational training centre where offenders or those arrested for illegal entry into the Park can be trained and assisted on graduation with seed money to engage in productive activities. Today, our initial fear and apprehension has given way to joy as we graduated the first batch of trainees. We have empowered them and would monitor their activities so that they can grow and become employers of labor, feed their families without recourse into our parks for hunting or faming. The people now have alternative source of living and it makes our work easy.

What about grazers?

This is truly a headache and telling situation. Grazers, particularly the Fulani should have a grazing reserve which the state can carve out and engage a management team comprising of people from livestock department, National Park, and Veterinary people. We suggest that the management should be in line with that of a National Park and government can give us the opportunity to nurture the reserve areas for a particular period of time and then hand over.

The Park definitely needs more funding in view of your challenges?

This is part of the reason for our new policy.

National Parks Services should work to generate revenue. This would convince the budget office to do more for us. The option of Private Partnership Project (PPP) should be an option in particular areas such as visitor facilities. In GGNP, we have an NGO, Chester zoo from United Kingdom assisting use through the primate project. We have two Rotary Camps.

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MONEYLINK

CBN retains 12% interest rate

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HE Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has voted to leave the the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) at 12 per cent, keep the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) on public sector deposits at 75 per cent and CRR on private sector deposits at 15 per cent.

It also retained the MPR corridor at +/-200 basis points.

The Acting Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Dr Sarah Alade made these known yesterday at the end of the 95th MPC meeting in Abuja.

Mrs Alade also said Nigeria’s gross official external reserves stood at $38.30 billion by May 15, this year compared with $37.40 billion at the end of March, last year and $42.85 billion in December, last year. She added that the reserves

P

•External reserves hit $38.3b From Nduka Chiejina, (Asst. Editor), Abuja

could provide about nine months’ imports cover.

On why it retained the 12 per cent, the Acting CBN Governor expalined: “The Committee noted with satisfaction Nigeria’s overall domestic economic environment which has remained stable with inflation contained within the target range, the recent stability in the foreign exchange market, stable interbank rates and strong growth outlook.”

The key challenge for the policy, she added, “was that of sustaining and deepening the outcomes of existing policies”.

The committee noted that over

FIRS warns defaulting tax collecting banks

the medium term, “the major risks to price stability appeared to be emanating from both external and internal sources”.

The key risk factors, she identified, include the high systemic banking system liquidity, elevated security concerns and anticipated high election-related spending in the run-up to the 2015 general elections”.

High domestic liquidity, she said, “could exert sustained pressure on both the exchange rate and consumer prices, as well as accentuate the already high demand for foreign exchange, further depleting the country’s external reserves”.

In addition, core inflation the committee agreed has continued to send conflicting signals since January, last year, noting: “If the

M

R Akin Oluyide, State Monitor ,Government Business Tax Office, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Oyo State has threatened to sanction any erring collecting banks that delayed in remitting taxes collected on behalf of government.

Oluyide stated this why delivering a paper at a sensitisation workshop in Ibadan titled The Roles and Responsibilities of Banks of Collecting Banks in the Tax Revenue Collection Process. ‘‘Any bank which delays in remitting the taxes or play pranks with FIRS money will be sanctioned by way of paying interest,’’ he said.

NAN reports that FIRS was established in 2007 through FIRS Establishment Act of 2007 to assess and collect taxes for the country.

He said any collecting bank that withhold or delay remittance of taxes collected for FIRS for 30 days without any justifiable excuse would be made to pay an interest of three per cent. ‘‘Ditto, any bank that delayed remittance of taxes collected for a period of 30 to 60 days would be made to pay an interest of 10 per cent,’’ he said.

Oluyide, who said any collecting banks that have challenges should notify FIRS on time, stated that the objective of the workshop was to rub minds with the stakeholders in the business.

He said danger in delaying include wrong remittance or outright loss of the money instead of lodging it into the Federation Account.

•Dr Alade

upward trend continues as observed in April 2014, it could be a major factor in the upward trend in prices.”

The MPC also expressed concern over the eroded fiscal buffers, which have exposed the economy to vulnerabilities arising from both domestic and external shocks.

AfDB blames political, social unrest for Africa’s economic woes

OLITICAL and social unrest in some African nations is tainting investors’ views of risk on the continent, undermining the region’s economic growth prospects, the African Development Bank (AfDB) said.

“Political risks complicate bridging the perception gap that remains a barrier to foreign investment to Africa, in particular from investors that do not yet have a presence on the continent,” the lender told Bloomberg.

It said the lingering tensions and political instability “could affect investors’ willingness to undertake planned projects,” according to the African Economic Outlook 2014, cowritten by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and

By Collins Nweze

Development (OECD) and United Nations (UN).

Civil uprisings that started in North Africa in 2010 have toppled regimes in countries such as Tunisia, Libya and Egypt.

Conflicts in Central African Republic (CAR) and South Sudan have left thousands of people dead and at least one million others displaced in both countries since last year. Somalia, Kenya, Mali and Nigeria are among nations that have been hit by bomb attacks and kidnappings by Islamist insurgents.

Africa’s economy, excluding

Tenor

Amount N

Rate %

M/Date

3-Year 5-Year

35m 35m

11.039 12.23

19-05-2014 18-05-2016

with an estimated $186 billion in 2013. Inflows may be undermined by lagged economic recovery in the euro area, the effect of potential changes in US monetary policy and a possible slowdown in emerging economies, which emphasises the need for diversification in African economies, Pezzini said.

He said: “We have been dealing with a window of opportunity in previous years, and in part, this window is now getting smaller and it’s closing down, which means the urgency to deal with a series of structural issues is increasing.

“When you are an economy that is too much dependent on natural resources, then obviously you risk to lose out on the possibility of sustainable growth.”

Libya, will probably expand 4.8 per cent this year compared with 4.2 per cent in 2013, according to the report. Western, eastern and central Africa will be the fastest growing regions, with expansion of six per cent or more. In southern Africa, growth of four per cent is forecast.

North Africa will expand at the slowest pace at 3.1 per cent as economies recover from the Arab spring, Mario Pezzini, director of the OECD’s Development Centre, said in a phone interview from Paris on May 16.

It said foreign inflows into Africa are projected to reach more than $200 billion this year, compared

DATA BANK WHOLESALE DUTCH AUCTION SYSTEM Amount Amount Offered ($) Demanded ($) 400m 400m 400m 400m 400m 400m

MANAGED FUNDS

NIDF

Initial Current Quotation Price Market N8250.00 5495.33

OBB Rate

Price Loss 2754.67

INTERBANK RATES 7.9-10%

PRIMARY MARKET AUCTION (T-BILLS) Tenor 91-Day 182-Day

Amount 30m 46.7m

Rate % 10.96 9.62

Date 28-04-2012 “

GAINERS AS AT 20-5-14

SYMBOL O/PRICE IKEJAHOTEL 0.69 AIICO 0.80 COURTVILLE 0.60 ETI 14.11 FO 155.95 UPL 3.97 AVONCROWN 1.47 NPFMCRFBK 0.95 LEARNAFRCA 1.67 CCNN 9.30 UTC 0.51

C/PRICE 0.75 0.84 0.63 14.81 163.50 4.16 1.54 0.99 1.74 9.68 0.53

CHANGE 0.06 0.04 0.03 0.70 7.55 0.19 0.07 0.04 0.07 0.38 0.02

EXHANGE RATE 6-03-12 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 212.4997 NIGERIA INTER BANK (S/N) 149.7450 (S/N) Bureau de Change 152.0000 (S/N)

207.9023

209.2910

-1.51

154.0000

154.3000

-3.04

153.0000

155.5000

-2.30

DISCOUNT WINDOWx Feb. ’11

July ’11

July ’12

MPR

6.50%

6.50%

12%

Standing Lending Rate ,, Deposit Rate ,, Liquidity Ratio Cash Return Rate

8.50% 4.50% 25.00% 1.00%

8.50% 4.50% 25.00% 2.00%

9.50% 5.50% 30.00% 2.00%

LOSERS AS AT 20-5-14

SYMBOL

O/PRICE

LIVESTOCK BETAGLAS JOSBREW FCMB CONTINSURE UAC-PROP BERGER NEIMETH DEAPCAP OASISINS

3.20 18.90 3.42 3.99 1.06 18.00 10.15 1.17 0.99 0.53

C/PRICE 3.04 17.96 3.25 3.80 1.01 17.16 9.70 1.12 0.95 0.51

NIBOR Tenor 7 Days 30 Days 60 Days

Rate (Previous) 4 Mar, 2012 9.0417 9.6667 11.2917

Rate (Currency) 6, Mar, 2012 10.17% 11.46% 11.96%

Exchange Rate (N) 155.75 155.8 155.7

Date 2-5-14 2-3-14 1-29-14

CAPITAL MARKET INDEX

NSE

6-2-14

28-10-11

% Change

CAP Index

N13.07tr 40,766.16

N6.617tr 20,903.16

-1.44% -1.44%

MEMORANDUM QUOTATIONS Name AFRINVEST W.A. EQUITY FUND ARM AGGRESSIVE GROWTH BGL NUBIAN FUND BGL SAPPHIRE FUND CANARY GROWTH FUND CONTINENTAL UNIT TRUST CORAL INCOME FUND CORAL INCOME FUND FBN FIXED INCOME FUND FBN HERITAGET FUND FBN MONEY MARKET FUND FIDELITY NIGFUND INTERCONTINENTAL INTEGRITY FUND KAKAWA GUARANTEED INCOME FUND

Offer Price Bid Price 155.90 156.93 9.17 9.08 1.06 1.05 1.17 1.17 0.72 0.71 1.39 1.33 1,646.05 1,634.24 1,646.05 1,643.24 1,081.88 1,081.39 116.74 115.95 1,087.30 1,087.00 1.67 1.62 1.05 1.03

LEGACY FUND NIGERIA INTER DEBIT FUND PARAMOUNT EQUITY FUND STANBIC IBTC ETHICAL FUND • UBA BALANCED FUND • UBA BOND FUND • UBA EQUITY FUND • UBA MONEY MARKET FUND

CHANGE -0.16 -0.94 -0.17 -0.19 -0.05 -0.84 -0.45 -0.05 -0.04 -0.02

Amount Sold ($) 399.9m 399.9m 399.9m

Movement

143.11

142.62

0.78 1,944.64 12.72 1.07

0.76 1,936.31 12.40 1.05

1.2655 1.3132 0.9270 1.1597

1.2543 1.3132 0.9098 1.1597

OPEN BUY BACK

Bank

Previous 04 July, 2012

Current 07, Aug, 2012

8.5000

8.5000

Movement

54

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014

EQUITIES

N

Nigerian equities rally as CBN eases concerns

IGERIAN equities witnessed a major uptick yesterday as investors responded positively to the decision of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to retain current monetary policy stance.

The stock market, which had opened the week on a cautious outlook with a tinge of bearishness, saw increased demand for equities, especially in the banking subsector, where policy changes could have had immediate impact.

Average return at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), which had declined by 0.03 per cent on Monday, rose by 0.40 per cent yesterday, underlining the widespread gains in the banking, oil and gas and manufacturing sectors.

The MPC yesterday decided to retain all elements of its current monetary policy including a 12 per cent Monetary Policy Rate (MPR), cash reserve ratio (CRR) on public sector deposits at 75 per cent and CRR on private sector deposits at 15 per cent and MPR corridor at +/ -200 basis points.

The MPC had acknowledged the success of monetary policy measures in attaining price and exchange rate stability and unanimously voted to retain the current stance of monetary policy.

The Committee had also noted the modest improvement in the equities market pointing out that the All Share Index (ASI) rose by 0.7 per cent from 38,748.01 on March 31, 2014 to 39,018.34 on May 16 while market capitalization increased by 3.3 per cent from N12.45 trillion to N12.85 trillion in the same period.

Equities responded to the MPC’s decisions with improved tempo of activities, pushing several equities to the upside. The ASI, the benchmark index for the Nigerian market, rose from 39,007.40 points to close at 39,162.49 points.

Aggregate market value of all quoted equities rose by N83 billion from N12.848 trillion to N12.931 trillion, indicating an increase of 0.65 per cent. The difference between the ASI and market value’s growth was due to the listing of Caverton Group Plc.

•Analyst bullish on Forte Oil Stories by Taofik Salako Capital Market Editor

Forte Oil led 29 other stocks on the gainers’ list with a gain of N7.55 to close at N163.50.

Forte Oil rallied on the back of positive analyst’s report that showed that the company has strong prospects. Equity research report made available by Cardinal Stone Partners’ analyst, Damilola Lawal, said the combination of Forte Oil’s management, strong asset in the Geregu Power Plant and an attractive market valuation, makes a persuasive investment case for the budding energy group.

While Forte Oil is still listed under the petroleum-marketing subsector, Cardinal Stone Partners stated that its recent foray into the power sector, in addition to its primary business of petroleum-marketing, calls for a reclassification of the stock.

“Following the company’s rebranding and restructuring of the last two years, Forte Oil’s

outlook is reinvigorated by the extensive managerial and technical expertise of its new management. In addition, the acquisition of the Geregu Power Plant is a major game changer for the company. Over the long -term, we believe this feat would strategically reposition Forte Oil to be the foremost-integrated energy solutions provider, in line with the company’s vision,” Cardinal Stone Partners stated.

The report noted that the recent inclusion of Forte Oil in the Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) Frontier Market Index would significantly push up interest in the company’s shares.

Other top gainers yesterday at the NSE included Nigerian Breweries, which rose by N2 to close at N166.50; Mobil Oil Nigeria, which added 97 kobo to close at N120.03; Stanbic IBTC Holdings, which rose by 76 kobo to close at N22.80; Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI), which added 70 kobo to close at N14.81; Guaranty Trust Bank rose by 49 kobo to close at N27.49, Cement Company of Northern Ni-

geria added 38 kobo to close at N9.68 while Zenith Bank chalked up 31 kobo to close at N23.30 per share.

Total turnover stood at 298.14 million shares valued at N3.90 billion in 4664 deals. Financial services sector accounted for 244.26 million shares valued at N2.36 billion in 2,600 deals. Zenith Bank was the most active stock with a turnover o 31.1 million shares worth N715.34 million in 244 deals. Wapic Insurance followed with a turnover of 25.43 million shares valued at N19.09 million in 62 deals.

FCMB Group placed third on the activity chart with a turnover of 22.91 million shares valued at N86.85 million in 180 deals.

On the downside, Nestle Nigeria led 27 other stocks on the losers’ list with a drop of N6 to close at N1, 070. Lafarge Cement Wapco Nigeria followed with a loss of N2.49 to close at N110.01. CAP slipped by N1 to close at N37.51. Beta Glass dropped by 94 kobo to N17.96 while UACN Property Development Company lost 84 kobo to close at N17.16 per share.

Caverton boosts NSE with N32b, eyes new capital

C

AVERTON Offshore Support Group Plc yesterday transited fully into a publicly quoted company with the listing of its entire issued share capital on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE). Caverton listed 3.35 billion ordinary shares of 50 kobo each at N9.50 per share, which added N31.8 billion to the market capitalisation of the Exchange.

Caverton was listed in the support and logistic subsector of the service sector in line with its core business of on-shore and off-shore logistics to oil and gas companies.

Chairman, Caverton Offshore Support Group, Mr. Aderemi Makanjuola, said the board took the decision to list the shares of the company in order to create a legacy business that can outlive its founders and maximise the opportunities created by the Federal Government’s local content policy.

According to him, Caverton has gotten to that stage where it needs to access more capital

because more contracts are coming in.

“We also need to train more people and ensure that Nigerian engineers and pilots derive greater benefits from the evolving opportunities and that instead of hiring people from abroad and taking out the money, we can help Nigerians to acquire the necessary capacities and hire them,” Makanjuola said.

In his remarks, chief executive officer, Caverton Offshore Support Group, Mr. Olabode Makanjuola said the company plans to be preferred offshore support and logistics provider in Sub-Saharan Africa by offering a fleet of modern aircraft and offshore support vessels.

According to him, the company will leverage Nigerian local content and Cabotage laws to attain scale through organic and inorganic means with a view to sustaining its leadership position in the industry.

He added that the company has strength-

ened its leadership by expanding its fleet and increasing its diversified client base.

He pointed out that the company is also focusing on attractive international markets to complement its local market.

Chief executive officer, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Mr Oscar Onyema, reiterated the commitment of the Exchange to becoming Africa’s Exchange of choice for African issuers and global investments.

“We will continue to executive several key initiatives that are aimed at developing a more transparent, liquid and accessible market with the modern market structure to support the delivery of wide range of investment products,” Onyema assured.

Incorporated in June 2008, Caverton Offshore Support Group was formed in response to the Local Content Policy of the Federal Government, which is aimed at increasing indigenous participation in the oil and gas sector.

55

THE NATION WEDNESDAY MAY 21, 2014

NEWS

Authenticate your claims, APC tells Omisore

El-Rufai sues PDP, Metuh, Thisday for N1.5b

F

ORMER Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nasir El-Rufai, has instituted a N1.5 billion libel suit against the Peoples Democratic Party, its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Olisa Metuh and ThisDay before a High Court in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

El-Rufai accused Metuh of authoring a defamatory statement, issued on behalf of the PDP, linking him and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Boko Haram insurgency.

He added that in a separate publication, Metuh claimed that he (El-Rufai) collected N5billion as consultancy fee from the suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Lamido Sanusi.

Metuh was said to have made the claims in separate publications in the March 17 and 23 editions of ThisDay Newspaper.

The plaintiff, who is also the deputy National Secretary of APC, named Thisday newspaper, as the third defendant in the suit marked CV/1424/14.

The former minister claimed that the publications occasioned irreparable injury against him and damaged his hard-earned reputation.

He quoted one of the publications as saying, “specifically, PDP cited the instance of an

C

T

From Eric Ikhilae, Abuja

APC chieftain, ostensibly the former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nasir El-Rufai, who collected N5bn for consultancy fees provided to the Central Bank and another N1.5billion diverted to APC to enable it open offices across the federation”.

The former minister also quoted the publication of March 23 as being “boldly captioned as, ‘In a daring move, PDP says Buhari, el-Rufai, know more about B’Haram’”.

The plaintiff averred in his statement of claim that the publications have done irreparable injury and damage to his hard-earned reputation by portraying him as a corrupt, money-laundering, reckless, lawless, greedy and unscrupulous public figure, who illegally collected N5billion as consultancy fees.”

He is specifically seeking an order awarding N1billion as general damages against Metuh and PDP. He is seeking another order awarding additional N500 million as general damages jointly and severally against all the three defendants, including ThisDay newspaper.

El-Rufai is also seeking the award for “the injury, embarrassment and distress suffered in respect of the loss of reputa-

•El-Rufai

tion and goodwill as a result of the malicious, unwarranted and defamatory utterance against the person of the plaintiff.”

He is praying for an order declaring that he was “deservingly entitled to a written apology from the defendants, published with the same prominence as the offending publications”.

He claimed that the publications were “in furtherance of the defendants’ campaign of calumny” against him.

The ex-minister equally wants the court to give an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from further defaming him.

The case has been adjourned till June 5 for mention before Justice Abubakar Talba.

‘Akunyili getting better, not dead’

ONTRARY to the alleged rumour making the rounds that the immediate past Minister of Information and Communication, Prof. Dora Akunyili, is dead, an aide yesterday claimed that her condition “continues to improve” in an Indian hospital where she is receiving treatment.

Prof. Akunyili’s media adviser, Isaac Umunna, in a statement quoted her husband, Dr. Chike Akunyili, as saying that “she is better today than she was yesterday.”

The husband insisted that “her condition continues to get better everyday.”

Dr. Akunyili, who spoke on the phone from India last night thanked “Nigerians for their prayers for his beloved wife, urging them to continue to pray for her full recovery.”

The former minister on Sunday afternoon thanked Nigerians, saying their prayers on her behalf are working.

She said: “I am comforted that prayers are going on for me in

churches and mosques as well as in homes. God is answering the prayers He has already healed me. I am only waiting for the physical manifestation of the healing. I’m grateful to all Nigerians. I look forward to recovering and coming back to rejoice with you all.”

Prof. Akunyili was first attended to by doctors in Abuja after she fell ill. She travelled to India the next day based on doctors’ advice for further medical attention.

Wike’s ‘N25m largesse’ divides ex-militants

T

HE “N25 million largesse” from the Supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike, to an ex-militant “General,” Solomon Ndigbara, aka Osama Bin Ladin, is causing ripples.

Ex-militants are at “war” with Ndigbara over the money, which Wike “donated” on May 8, when he visited Yeghe-Ogoni in Gokana Local Government Area.

It was gathered that the unfavourable sharing formula made many of the “boys” revolt, threatening to withdraw their support for Wike.

But the minister who spoke through his spokesman, Samuel Nwanosike, said no money was given to Ndigbara, when he visited Gokana stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

From Bisi Olaniyi, Port Harcourt

Nwanosike, who is also the PDP State Publicity Secretary, said: “Wike visited Gokana stakeholders and Ndigbara was in attendance.

“He (Ndigbara) has been a member of the PDP since 1998 and has worked for governments at various levels.

“There was no private discussion between Wike and Ndigbara and no money was given to him by the minister. There is no crisis whatsoever. People are just spreading rumours.”

The All Progressives Congress (APC), through its spokesman, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, asked President Goodluck Jonathan to call the

minister to order.

APC said: “Wike is a confused man and an enemy of Rivers State.

“We do not want to go back to the era of militancy, before Rotimi Amaechi became governor in 2007. “ APC is known for peace and will ensure change in 2015.”

Ndigbara said: “Let me make it clear that the meeting I held with the minister on May 8 was a private visit from the minister to show his love and support on my recent victory in court, against those who persecuted me.

“I do not see how the private visit has frustrated any effort in moving Rivers State or Nigeria forward. I urge APC members to focus on issues and not my private life.”

Fee hike: O.A.U. students block highway in protest

S

TUDENTS of the Obafemi Awolowo University (O.A.U.) in Ile-Ife, Osun State, blocked yesterday the road linking Ife to Abuja, Ekiti, Ondo and Ibadan to protest the new fee regime in the institution.

They carried placards and sang anti-government/antimanagement songs.

The students said the increment was to take education away from the reach of the poor. Passengers on the federal highway were stranded for over five hours as the students

By Ajose Sehindemi

grounded movement.

The management of O.A.U., at its last Senate meeting, increased the fee of new students in the Faculty of Humanities/ Social Sciences by 322 per cent; Clinical Sciences and Pharmacy by 267 per cent, and Sciences by 253 per cent.

With the increment, new students will pay between N92,400 and N104,000, excluding N20,000 acceptance fee, as against the previous N37,150 and N44,150.

President of the Students’

Union Ibikunle Isaac, who led the protesters, said they have negotiated with the management to reduce the fee to no avail.

He said: “Consultations have failed and the whole Nigeria must hear us as they did about three years ago. We want peace but we are not scared of crisis and we will not allow the legacy of our founding fathers to die.”

Isaac said the increase was not justifiable because the school generates fund from various sources.

HE All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State has faulted claims by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Senator Iyiola Omisore, that he influenced the siting of the Airforce Safety School in Ipetu-Ijesha, the Navy Communications School in Ile-Ife and the Army Recruitment Centre in Esa-Oke. In a statement by its Publicity Director, Mr. Kunle Oyatomi, APC said only former Chief of Defense Staff General Petirin, former Chairman of the House Committee on Defense Wole Oke and Erelu Olusola Obada could justifiably make such claims.

It said they projects are Federal Government institutions, whose creation and location were decided by the security apparatus of the government before they were confirmed by the defense committees of the House of Representatives and the Senate.

APC said: “What Omisore’s

Appropriation Committee perhaps did was to approve the fund estimated for the projects, which were already done deals before they got to the appropriation committee.

“It is blatant lie for Omisore to claim that he influenced the siting of these projects in Osun. What we challenged Omisore to do is to identify any ‘spectacular’ achievement in his Ile-Ife home town that was his idea or which he influenced.

“The Navy Communications School was a naval idea and it was not under Omisore’s watch in the Senate. So the man lied when he said he influenced that school’s location in Ile-Ife. Omisore lied that he facilitated many infrastructural development in Ile-Ife. Why couldn’t he name them?

“Anybody in Osun or anywhere else who continues to say without producing evidence that Aregbesola has led Osun State into N403 billion debt is a shameless liar and unworthy of being a gov-

Oyo fuel price hike: ‘Faulty generators at Mosinmi responsible’

F

From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

AULTY generators at the pumping station in Mosinmi depot, Ogun State have been disclosed to be responsible for the increase in the price of Premium Motor Spirit, otherwise called petroleum, in Oyo State, as many independent filling stations sell above the official pump of N97 per litre.

The Chairman, Independent Petroleum Markerters’ Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Ibadan depot branch, Basorun Joseph Oyewole Akanni, disclosed this yesterday in Ibadan.

He said that the negative effect of vandalism on the pipelines, as well as high landing cost of the product being sourced from private depots in Lagos, were part of the challenges.

In a statement signed by Akanni, made available to reporters in Ibadan, IPMAN adduced reasons its members selling above the official price in the past three months, promising to reverse to the old rate immediately the identified problem areas were rectified.

The statement reads:”The Chairman of Independent Petroleum Markerters’ Association of Nigeria, Ibadan depot wishes to clear the air on the reasons why our members are selling petrol (PMS) above the government approved rate.

“For almost three months now, there was no lifting of any product from the Ibadan depot due to the activities of vandals on the pipeline; the generators at the pumping station are faulty and need to be repaired and the landing cost of product (PMS) sourced from private depots in Lagos is above N100 per litre in Ibadan. Outlets outside Ibadan incurred additional cost of transportation”.

ernor. And that is what Omisore had been doing in the last one year.

“The most ridiculous of Omisore’s lies is that Aregbesola has spent N3 billion on billboards and posters for a second term campaign. Again the man did not produce a shred of evidence to back his allegation.

“Omisore needs education on what is going on in Osun. It will interest the PDP under Omisore’s leadership that up till this point, Aregbesola has no idea who is putting up those billboards across the state, neither has he engaged any group or individual to print or paste posters anywhere.

‘240,000 newborn die annually’ From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

A

Professor of Paediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Prof.

Chinyere Ezeaka, has said no fewer than 240,000 newborn die annually in the country.

She spoke yesterday at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan during a three-day workshop organised by the Nestle Nutrition Institute of Africa through its CWAR Advanced Nutrition Programme for Anglophone countries.

The theme of the programme is: “Maternal and Infant Nutrition”.

Prof. Ezeaka said the gory statistics made Nigeria the highest in Africa and second in the world after India, in terms of infant mortality.

According to her, nutrition was a basic necessity during pregnancy as it had an effect on the health of a mother and an unborn child.

She said malnutrition was a major public health problem for mothers and infants.

The paediatrician said 1000 days was a sum up of the nine months of pregnancy and the first two years of a child’s life.

Obiano gives contractor six-month ultimatum

A

NAMBRA State Governor Willie Obiano has given a six-month ultimatum for the completion of the 3.3 kilometre Ekwulobia– Ezinifite road project awarded at the cost of N770 million.

Speaking while inspecting work on the road awarded by his predecessor, Obiano expressed satisfaction about the progress of work done so far.

He said his administration would insist on high standards on all road projects to stand the test of time and justify the resources spent on them.

Obiano urged the benefitting communities to cooperate with

the contractor to ensure that he completes the project on schedule.

He enjoined those who had gone to court to vent their grievances in relation to the road to withdraw their cases, noting that when completed, it would boost socio-economic activities in the area.

The governor advised youths to participate in the ongoing registration of unemployed persons and benefit from government’s empowerment programme.

The Commissioner for Work, Sir Callistus Ilozumba, said the road was well-designed and awarded to a competent

contractor, adding that he had been mobilised while the ministry would maintain supervision.

A lawmaker representing Aguata II, Ikem Uzoezie, expressed happiness about the ongoing work, which he said would give the people access to all parts of the state and empower the farmers.

The Chairman of Orumba South Local Government, Mr. John Onyeakpa, hailed the governor for fulfilling his promise to the people and implored him to extend the inter-state roads in Orumba South to Ezira–Enugu-Umuonyia road.

Lagos hands over water scheme to rural community

L

AGOS State government yesterday handed over a micro- water scheme to Ijede community in Ikorodu.

The Commissioner for Rural Development, Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi, said government rehabilitated the water plant built and abandoned 23 years ago to provide potable water to the indigenes and eradicate water-borne diseases.

He said the Governor Babatunde Fashola administration is concerned about the water people drink and is determined to reduce water-borne diseases.

The commissioner said government knew that many people in rural communities

were low income earners and could not afford to dig wells, construct boreholes or buy table water, hence it decided to build micro-water schemes and hand them over to rural dwellers.

Ojelabi urged the community development associations (CDAs) to reciprocate government’s gesture by taking over its ownership and protecting it to enable the facility last.

The Chairman of Ijede Local Council Development Authority (LCDA), Mr. Saheed Adefarasin Hassan, thanked government for the laudable project.

The Head of Rural Water and Sanitation in the ministry, Mr. Adisa Yinusa, an engineer,

said the project was designed to deliver 45,000 litres of water per run and could supply 105,000 litres per day for three runs.

He said to make the scheme functional, the ministry has provided a 45KVA generator, installed a 100KV transformer connected to 1KDC line with submersible pumps, dosing pumps, tanks and accessories.

Also present at the event are the Special Adviser to the Governor on Rural Development, Mr. Babatunde Hunpe, Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr. Olatunde Agoro, the Chairman of the Community Development Committee of Ijede, Mr. Rotimi Ayoku-Owolawi and others.

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY MAY 21, 2014

NEWS

•National Leader, All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu (left) and Adamawa State Governor Murtala Nyako at the party’s National Executive Council meeting in Abuja...yesterday

•Interim National Chairman, APC, Chief Bisi Akande (second right); former Head of State Gen. Mohammadu Buhari (second left); former Governor of Abia State Chief Ogbonnaya Onu (left) and his Ogun State counterpart,Aremo Olusegun Osoba at the meeting...yesterday.

PHOTOS: ABAYOMI FAYESE

Benue Assembly approves N11b bond

LASU teachers begin indefinite strike

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HE Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in the Lagos State University (LASU) began an indefinite strike yesterday.

The union said the action followed a resolution reached by its National Executive Committee at a meeting held at the University of Ibadan (U.I.) on May 14 and 15.

The union has three key demands: The reversal of the “high tuition” in the university; repeal of the ‘No Vacancy; No Promotion’ policy in the Condition of Service and the implementation of the Federal Government (Universities) Miscellaneous Provision Amendment Act, which stipulates 70 as the retirement

By Adegunle Olugbamila

age for professors.

ASUU said though the decision to go on strike was painful, it was necessary owing to the management’s failure to meet its demands.

LASU-ASUU Chairman Dr Adekunle Idris said: “We are using this opportunity to inform the academic community and the good people of Lagos State that as from today (yesterday), we the Academic Staff of LASU are withdrawing our services to embark on a total, comprehensive and indefinite strike until the three core demands of our union are completely met.

“It is a sad decision we are

compelled to take and we have taken it with every sense of responsibility. We are prepared for the usual phases of engagement with the authorities in Nigeria denial, blackmail and finally return to the altar of truth.”

Addressing reporters at the Theathre Arts Auditorium yesterday, Idris said the union had explored all avenues to get the government to implement the agreement Governor Babatunde Fashola signed with workers in 2010.

He said when the hike in tuition was introduced in 2011, ASUU, rather than protest, decided to watch and study the outcome of the policy, which, according to him, has resulted in a decline in enrolment.

From Uja Emmanuel, Makurdi

•Suswam

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HE Benue State House of Assembly has approved for the government to take a N11 billion bond from the capital market.

Governor Gabriel Suswam requested for the bond, citing the continued dwindling revenue in-flow from the Federation Account, which posed grave challenges to the state.

Suswam, in his March 7 letter, stated that there had been a decline of 40 per cent revenue from the Federation Account.

The Speaker, Terhile Ayua, who read the letter, said the bond if collected would enable the government to complete critical projects and programmes.

Ayua called on members to approve the request.

The Majority Leader, Paul Biam, moved the motion and was seconded by Kenneth Iyo. The Minority Leader, Benjamin Adanyi, moved a counter motion, which was supported by the Minority Whip,

Terkimbi Ikyange.

Adanyi said the motive of seeking the bond was not in the interest of the state, adding that it would enslave the people.

He said a bond of N15 billion was approved by the House for the government on March 7, 2012, and nothing had been heard about the funds.

He said the government should furnish the house with details of how it spent the 2012 bond before requesting another N11 billion bond.

Ayua put the matter to vote and 17 members voted in favour of the bond while six voted against it.

He said from the outcome of the vote, the House had resolved to grant the request.

Five paraded for ‘attack’ on Umana’s man

F

IVE suspects were paraded yesterday by officials of the Department of State Services (DSS) for an “assassination attack” on the Director-General of Ibom Development Network (IDN), Soni Udom.

IDN is the political group working for the actualisation of the governorship aspiration of the former Secretary to Akwa Ibom State Government Umana Umana.

The State Director, Toma

T

From Kazeem Ibrahym, Uyo

Minti, dismissed any government involvement in the alleged assassination attempt, saying the gang’s operation was robbery.

Minti said apart from robbing Udom’s office, the gang also robbed Iniobong Otong and Itina Aniedi.

The DSS boss said all the suspects were not Akwa Ibom indigenes but were from

Benue, Plateau and Nasarawa states but were invited to Akwa Ibom by Anas, who is at large.

He gave their names as Isreal Doolyor a.k.a Igwe; Israel Istofanus; Aminu Madaki; Ibram Mohammed and Orseer Ramsey Pine.

Minti said the gang leader, Israel Doolyor a.k.a Igwe, was arrested in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. His confession led to the arrest of other members of the gang.

Kwara Poly council chair dies at 70

HE Chairman, Governing Council, Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, Prof Shehu Jimoh, is dead. Jimoh (70) has been buried according to Islamic rites.

From Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed described the death as shocking and a loss to the state and the nation’s education sector.

He said the deceased was one of the shining lights and a colossus in the education sector who contributed immensely to the education development of Nigeria for many decades.

Lagos alerts on invasion of unknown traffic officers

U

NKNOWN traffic officers dressed in grey and black uniforms, yesterday invaded some federal highways in Lagos.

The illegal traffic officers operating from the old Lagos end of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway toll gate took over control from the Lagos State Traffic Management Agency (LASTMA) officials at the toll gate area.

Other areas where they were sighted yesterday are the stretch of Ikorodu Road and at Ojota and Mile 12.

Spokesman of the state’s Ministry of Transportation Mr. Sina Thorpe said the unknown group may have invaded the

By Adeyinka Aderibigbe

roads with a view to causing public disturbance as they do not have the backing or the support of the Lagos State Government.

“The Lagos State Government is therefore using this medium to call on the handlers of this faceless group to withdraw them immediately so as not to breach the peace and tranquillity the state currently enjoys,” Thorpe said.

He said the government would not condone any group’s aim to disturb the operations of the State Traffic Management Personnel already positioned at various

traffic points across the State, who have been working assiduously to keep the traffic in the state moving.

Also yesterday, LASTMA’s PRO Mrs Bola Giwa-Ajao said the faceless group was unknown to the state government.

Speaking with The Nation, Mrs Giwa-Ajao said it was wrong for anybody or a group of people to invade roads within the state and takeover an assignment that has not been given to them.

“Who are they and who gave them the assignment to start controlling traffic? These people are unknown to the government and to LASTMA,” she said.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014

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NEWS (SHOWBIZ)

Search for Naija Street Champ hots up

A

S the search for the next Naija Street Champ continues, Ajegunle and Festac towns in Lagos State played host to the second round of auditions for the contest recently.

A number of young talents took part in the audition held at Maracana Stadium, Ajegunle. They thrilled the enthusiastic crowd with their different acts.

Although 14 contestants battled to qualify for the next round of audition, the trio of Chinedu Okafor( Busta), Ademola Martins( Michelyn) and Mike Arane stage( X-Brown) emerged winners.

Popular singer Terry G, who was present at the Ajegunle audition, declared his support on the occasion. “I

By Dupe Ayinla-Olasunkanmi

am here for you all and I cannot wait to meet the street champ of Ajegunle,” he said.

The Festac audition, which held at F.H.A playground Festac on May 18, was equally ex-

O

By Ovwe Medeme

and The Godfather: Part III. “This is a momentous loss. He was one of the giants who changed the way movies looked,” said Richard Crudo, the president of the American

Ice Prince, AY, others thrill at The Chronicles of Ushbebe Live

T was another exciting moment for fun lovers at the weekend when popular radio presenter Ushbebe held the maiden edition of his comedy show, The Chronicles of Ushbebe Live, at the MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos.

The event, which was packaged by Priderock Entertain-

By Ovwe Medeme

ment, began with a series of video skits followed by live performances by notable entertainers, including Ajebo, Pencil, Seyilaw, Funnybone, Helen Paul, AY, Gordons, Princess, Solid Star, Ice Prince, Kcee, Iyanya and Sean Tizzle, among others.

FOREIGN NEWS Malawians vote in tight poll

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ALAWIANS have voted in a tight election, with President Joyce Banda facing three strong challengers.

Mrs Banda came to power two years ago after the sudden death of President Bingu wa Mutharika. Her reputation has been dented by a corruption scandal, known as Cashgate, which has led donors to cut aid.

Her main challengers are Mr Mutharika’s brother, Peter, Atupele Muluzi - the son of another former president - and a former preacher, Lazarus Chakwera.

Mr Chakwera is the candidate of the Malawi Congress Party, which governed from independence in 1964 until the first multi-party poll in 1994.

Voting was delayed in parts of the largest city, Blantyre, due to a shortage of election material.

There are reports of angry

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•ID Cabasa

citing, as the contestants displayed their individual talents.

Top music producer ID Cabasa, who was present at the audition, stated that the qualifiers from Festac zone were quite promising and had a lot

Gordon Willis dies at 82

NE of Hollywood’s most revered cinematographers, Gordon Willis, has died at the age of 82.

Willis received an honorary Oscar lifetime achievement in 2010 and was nominated for his work on Woody Allen’s Zelig

I

•Terry G

to offer the Nigerian music scene.

Out of 10 contestants, Omenogor Ceaser( Ceaser), Timi Tony Jnr.(Cyclone) and Big Daddy Africa emerged winners.

The project manager, Oladeinde Fajana, stated that both auditions brought a lot of energy to the competition, thereby emphasizing the essence of the project aimed at discovering the next big music star in the streets of Lagos.

According to him, the Naija Street Champ audition train will stop next at Skypower Grounds, G.R.A Ikeja, on Saturday for the Ikeja zone and at the Nigerian Army Sports Ground, Somolu, and the following day for the Bariga zone.

scenes at some polling stations.

But in the capital, Lilongwe, voting mostly started on time, Reuters reports.

Mrs Banda has denied any wrong-doing in relation to Cashgate and last week told the BBC that the fact the affair has gone to court was her “greatest achievement” because in the past, such scandals would have been covered up.

Scores of officials, including former ministers, have been arrested over the scandal, often with large amounts of cash. Up to $250m (£150m) may have been lost through allegedly fraudulent payments.

Analysts say that despite the close race, she is likely to win because of her popularity in rural areas.

The candidate with the most votes is declared the winner of the presidential race - there is no run-off.

Putin seeks gas deal on state visit to China

USSIAN President Vladimir Putin has begun a two-day state visit to China with a major gas supply deal high on the agenda.

A price for the Russian gas was not agreed on Tuesday, but analysts say a deal could still be struck before Mr Putin leaves China today.

Mr Putin described China as a reliable friend and Russia’s leading foreign trading partner.

It is his first visit to China since President Xi Jinping took office.

The state visit comes as China hosts a key summit of Asian states in Shanghai that includes delegates from nearly 40 countries and international organisations. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is attending, as are the leaders of Iran, Pakistan, Kazakhstan and Cambodia. President Xi is expected to make announcements on security in Asia at the summit.

In an interview with Chinese media before his arrival, Mr Putin called China “Russia’s reliable friend” and said the two countries had reached a new stage in bilateral and military ties.

Society of Cinematographers.

Willis was known in the industry as ’The prince of darkness’, due to his unique lighting technique, which created lots of shadows. He also worked on Allen’s The Purple Rose of Cairo and Broadway Danny Rose.

He was renowned for his striking imagery in films such as Allen’s Manhattan. He was also the cinematographer on Alan J. Pakula’s Klute for which Jane Fonda won her first Oscar.

Willis worked on several other Pakula’s thrillers, including The Devil’s Own, his final film in 1997, which was also Pakula’s last directorial outing.

Willis was born in New York, where his father worked as a makeup artist for Warner Bros.

Eniola Badmus launches radio programme

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INCE she played Gbogbo Bigz Girls in actress Funke Akindele’s award-winning flick, Jenifa, Eniola Badmus’ profile has been on the rise.

A few days ago, the graduate of Theatre Arts from the University of Ibadan, Oyo State, launched her radio programme, Your Head Dey There, on both Wazobia and Naija FM stations, to the admiration of her fans.

According to her, Your Head Dey There is a ‘question-and-answer programme, which will focus on the environment, especially for residents in Lagos State.

She added that there would be cash prizes for listeners who

•Badmus

By Mercy Michael

correctly answer questions on the show.

Eniola, also a graduate of Economics from the Lagos State University, Ojo, has appeared in several English and Yoruba home movies, since she started her acting career some years back.

I’ve not lost focus, says Korede Bello

C •The late Willis

He was initially attracted to acting before turning to photography, which he studied while in the Air Force during the Korean War. After leaving the Army, he became an assistant cameraman and then first cameraman. His first film, End of the Road, in 1970, was a comedy drama.

ONTRARY to the insinuation in some quarters, fast-rising soul singer Korede Bello has said that his muse has not left him.

The new addition to Marvin Records also added that he had not embraced another genre of music, a situation that necessitated the claim that he had lost focus.

He further explained that his latest single is in sync with his style of music.

His manager, Casper, said: “He is set to do good music.

You can take everything from him, but you can’t take his guitar away from him.”

His songs, according a critic, are usually “straight from the heart and inspired by his environment. Sometimes,

•Bello

By Dupe Ayinla-Olasunkanmi

they are hilarious but with a deeper meaning.”

Apart from his euphonic gift, he is also loved by his fans for his dexterity on the guitar.

His first official single, African Princess, is a passionate song dedicated to lovers.

Thailand military declares martial law

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HAILAND’s caretaker premier called for the military to avoid violence as the army chief imposed martial law after more than six months of political turmoil that brought down an elected leader.

“There must be no violence, no bias, equality for all parties and it should comply with the rule of law,” Prime Minister Niwattumrong Boonsongpaisan said in a statement of the army’s efforts to quell protests. “The army’s action must be under the constitution with the king as the head of state.”

The imposition of martial law nationwide is not a coup, Army Chief Prayuth Chan-Ocha said on local television. The army is seeking to restore order and asks political groups to halt their protests, he said. There was an increased presence of soldiers and military vehicles in the capital Bangkok, although no curfew had been imposed.

“There will be a centre to control order, headed by the army chief,” Prayuth said. “The centre can enforce any law under the martial law act to control the situation effectively.”

The move is the army’s most direct involvement in the Southeast Asian nation’s politics since 2006, when then-premier Thaksin Shinawatra was removed in a coup, with Thai stocks and the baht falling. Martial law already is in place in parts of southern Thailand, and then-prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva briefly declared it in Bangkok in 2010 to end antigovernment protests.

“The political crisis seems to have reached a tipping point,” said John Blaxland, a senior fellow at the Australian National University’s Strategic and Defence Studies Centre in Canberra. “The one institution that remains the arbiter of power in Thailand is the military. The politics have gotten so toxic there aren’t many viable alternatives to martial law.”

Political polarization has escalated in the past decade over the role of Thaksin and his allies in a nation that’s seen 11 coups since the end of direct rule by kings in 1932. Thailand has been without a fully functioning government since December, when then-premier Yingluck Shinawatra, Thaksin’s sis-

ter, called snap elections in a bid to ease the unrest.

Anti-government protesters halted planned rallies today to assess the army’s decision, said Akanat Promphan, a spokesman for protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban.

The army said in a statement it would ban the broadcast of news that could “trigger fear among the public” and would take 11 satellite TV and radio stations off the air, including Bluesky, which is affiliated with the opposition Democrat party.

The U.S. expects the Thai army to honour its commitment to take temporary action to prevent violence, “and not to undermine democratic institu-

Russian oligarch faces $4.5 billion divorce

A

SWISS court has ordered a Russian billionaire to pay more than $4.5 billion to his ex-wife in what could become the biggest divorce settlement in history.

In papers delivered Monday to both parties, the Geneva Tribunal of First Instance said Dmitry Rybolovlev, an owner of the French soccer club AS Monaco, must pay 4,020,555,987.80 Swiss francs ($4,509,375,184.80) to ex-wife Elena Rybolovleva of Geneva.

Both are aged 47.

The judgment also granted his ex-wife property worth 130.5 million francs ($146 million) in property in Gstaad,

Switzerland, where the couple owned two swanky chalets. It awarded his ex-wife two other pieces of real estate in the ultra-wealthy area of Geneva known as Cologny, where the couple once lived together, but listed no value for either address. And it confirmed her custody of their 13-year-old daughter, Anna. The couple also has an adult daughter, Ekaterina.

Her lawyer Marc Bonnant called it “the most expensive divorce in history,” an unheard-of amount for Switzerland and for Russian oligarchs.

But Rybolovlev’s lawyer said that the judgment’s cash order was likely to be whit-

tions,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement.

China hopes Thailand can resolve the crisis peacefully, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told reporters today in Beijing. “China has always advocated that for the country’s long-term interest all parties in Thailand strengthen political dialogue and properly handle political differences to restore stability.”

The declaration of martial law is not a surprise, Thaksin said yesterday on his official Twitter account.

“I hope no groups violate people’s human rights or further destroy the democratic process,” he said.

•Rybolovlev

tled down in coming appeals.

“There will definitely be a new appellate review and therefore this judgment is not final given the existence of two levels of appeal in Switzerland,” said Tetiana Bersheda.

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NEWS

Fed Govt imposes 70 per cent tariff on Tokunbo vehicles

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HE Federal Govern ment has directed the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) to collect 35 per cent duty and 35 per cent levy (on the cost of the vehicle) on every imported used (popularly known as Tokunbo) vehicles from July 1.

The Nation gathered that the directive is contained in a circular No: BD/FB/09/224 dated February 28 and another circular No: NAC.993/5 dated April 28.

It was gathered that the Customs at Tin-Can Island port and other terminals in Lagos have commenced full implementation of the directive.

Under the new policy, Fully Built Unit (FBU) cars would attract a duty of 35 per cent and 35 per cent levy.

“If the bill of lading is dated not later than March 31, and its arrival date is not later than June 30, (you) will pay old duty rate irrespective of the date of

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By Oluwakemi Dauda

opening of Form ‘M’ and letter of credit.

“Whereas, used vehicles will be imported at 35 per cent duty rate without levy till June 30, this year,” the circular added.

Commercial vehicles, such as Danfo bus, which paid only 10 per cent duty, are to pay 35 per cent duty and 35 per cent levy by the importers.

The new policy has been uploaded into all Customs systems, making it difficult for importers or their agents to pay old rate.

A senior Customs officer who carved anonymity said the policy ought to have started on January 1, if not because of the position of the Controller General of Customs Alhaji Dikko Abdullahi that its implementation should come to effect now.

Custosms Public Relation

Officer at Tin-Can command said the 35 per cent duty on used vehicles has been enforced by Customs formations across the country.

“The Circular is a Federal Government circular that has to be implemented by all Customs commands,” Osunkwo said.

But the National President, Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) Alhaji Olayiwola Shittu said most agents had wished that the implementation commenced in July.

“There is no reason for the government to start collecting 35 per cent duty on used vehicles now and imposed another 35 per cent levy in July.

We had expected that the full implementation of the policy would commence in July, if the government is determined to go ahead with the policy despite the public outcry against it,” Shittu said.

Judge refuses to hear Sanusi’s suit

USTICE Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court, Abuja held yesterday that his court lacked the jurisdiction to hear the suit filed by suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Lamido Sanusi.

Sanusi filed the suit against President Goodluck Jonathan, the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), challenging his suspension as the nation’s apex bank’s governor by the President.

Justice Kolawole, in a judgment yesterday, upheld the objection by the defendants and held that the case related to labour and employment dispute over which the NIC has exclusive jurisdiction.

The judge held that, as against Sanusi’s contention that he is not an employee of the Federal Government, but of the Central Bank, and as such the case could not be described as an employer-employee dispute, he (Sanusi) is an employee of an agency of the Federal Government, which could be subjected to the control of the President.

“Once it is established that the CBN is an agency of the Federal Government of Nigeria, it goes without saying that he is by extension an employee of the Federal Government of Nigeria,” the judge held.

Justice Kolawole further held that his court could not

From Eric Ikhilae, Abuja

hear Sanusi’s case because his appointment has statutory flavour, made in accordance with the CBN Act, as against that with constitutional flavour, made pursuant to constitutional provisions, and on which the Federal High Court could adjudicate.

The judge held that it was only public officers, whose tenure and appointments are specifically mentioned in the Constitution that could approach the Federal High Court for such judicial interpretation as requested by Sanusi in his case.

“The plaintiff’s application is rooted in the CBN Act 2007 and rooted and not in the Constitution. In view of the conclusion, which has been inevitably reached, the Federal High Court has no jurisdiction to entertain the case, causes and action of a plaintiff as an employee of a statutory body like CBN.” The judge further held that by the provision of Sections 251(1) and 254(c) of the Constitution the proper forum for the hearing of Sanusi’s suit was the National Industrial Court.

The judge, relying on Order 56 Rule 3 of the Federal High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2009 and Section 24(3) of the NIC Act, 2006, elected to transfer the case to the NIC as

against the defendants’ prayer that the suit be dismissed.

“In conclusion, the plaintiff’s case is hereby transferred to the National Industrial Court subject to Section 24 (3) of the National Industrial Court Act 2006 and shall be heard and determined on the direction of its President in accordance with the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) as well as other relevant and enabling Acts as a matter of utmost urgency,” Justice Kolawole ruled.

The judge said he would refrain from deciding the substantive suit on its merit so as to be fair to the NIC which he said was entitled to hear the case afresh and to avoid making any pronouncements that could deny justice to any of the party at the NIC. He urged the NIC to determine the case promptly in view of the fact that the plaintiff’s tenure as the CBN governor officially expires on June 1.

He struck out IGP’s name from the suit on the ground that the plaintiff failed to disclose any cause of action against him.

Sanusi had argued that by sections 1, 3, 4, 7, 8(1) and 11(2) of the CBN Act 2007, the President lacked the power to suspend him and that if he had such power, it could not be exercised without the support of the two-third majority of the National Assembly.

An illustrious wordsmith at 70 •Continued from back page For example, when the late Chief M. K. O. Abiola resigned his membership of the NPN after his humiliation following his bid for its chairmanship against the favoured late Chief Adisa Akinloye, Dan ran it as the lead story, much to the great annoyance of the party.

On another occasion he rejected a story based on a document allegedly signed by the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo which purported that he was training people in a forest in the Western Region for a coup against the Federal Government. While the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria in Kaduna made hay with the story, Dan demanded incontrovertible proof that the document was genuine before he

would publish the story. He never got the proof and he never published it. In the end it turned out that the document was fake and its source a big con artist.

Predictably, Dan’s editorship of the New Nigerian did not end on a happy note. Sensing the authorities had had enough of his unyielding insistence on professionalism and might push him out anytime, he decided to jump. Thus, his departure in 1984 to co-found Newswatch which eventually hit the streets in January 1985 as Nigeria’s first weekly newsmagazine to be owned principally by professional journalists themselves.

The rest, as they say, is History. Newswatch ran without missing a beat for 27 years, except for it ban by the authorities a

couple of times, once for a period of six months, due to its hardhitting stories and scoops.

Since its controversial takeover last year by Chief Jimoh Ibrahim, the controversial business mogul, Dan and his colleagues have established a book publishing company, May5Media, which has since published two books, one, Moving in Circles, a selection of their columns, and the other on the life and times of the rebel leader, the late Chief Odumegwu Ojukwu.

Shows you, doesn’t it, that old journalists and old writers, like old soldiers, never die.

Here’s many more returns of yesterday to one of Nigeria’s best writers, humourists, satirists and, above all, most professional and most courageous journalists.

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NEWS APC fixes convention for June 13 in Abuja Continued from page 6

not be a member of the convention committee of the party.”

Asked if the convention will not affect the party’s fortunes in Ekiti State, Mohammed added: “Do not forget that we have conducted the governorship primary already in Ekiti and all we need to do is to mobilise for Ekiti poll. The leadership of this party will all troop to Ekiti on Wednesday to witness the handover of the flag to our candidate in Ekiti State.

“I can assure you that our convention will not affect adversely our party, it will complement it. It is to mobilise support and we will start it with Ekiti State.”

The National Publicity Secretary, however, said the party was displeased with the Federal Government’s handling of the girls’ rescue.

The party’s communique said: “After agreeing that the National Convention of the Party will now hold in Abuja on the 13th and 14th of June 2014, the party proceeded to express its views and concerns about the Federal Government’s insincerity in the fight against Boko Haram and search for the abducted girls.

“We make bold to say that the Federal Government has been very insincere in its persistent call for national unity to combat the despicable Boko Haram sect.

“This has been manifest, perhaps more than at any other time, since the tragic abduction of over 200 school girls from Chibok over a month ago.

Continued from page 6

College, Jos, among others.

The said letters placed citizens and security agencies on the alert, but yesterday’s attack caught everybody, including security agents unawares. The attack came at a target not mentioned in the threat letters.

The Plateau State government expressed shock at the attack, but pleading with citizens to remain calm.

Commissioner for Information Olivia Dazyem said: “The two explosions took the state unawares and came at a time government had restored total peace in the state.

“There are casualties recorded but the actual figures cannot be ascertained immediately as rescue operations are still going on and security agencies have been drafted to all parts of the state to avoid violent reactions from citizens who are hurt by the explosions.

At Plateau specialists hospital and Bhingham University Teaching Hospital, many residents were rushing to identify their loved ones.

The government said it was “not in a hurry’’ to release the casualty figures.

“The casualty figures have not been ascertained because the figures are still being collated from various hospitals,’’ Mrs. Dazyam said.

She, however, said the figures

S

“Up to this moment, the Federal Government has yet to reach out to the APC, the main opposition party, on how to forge a common front against this despicable terror group, despite our incessant efforts to reach out to the government.

“Nigerians will recall our various interventions in which we stated clearly that only a nonpartisan approach could help extricate Nigeria from the death grip of Boko Haram; how we have consistently called on the government to organise a national stakeholders’ summit to put all hands on deck and how we have made a number of recommendations which we feel can help pep up the fight against the terror group.

“The only response we have received so far is that in which the government said it had implemented or it is implementing those recommendations anyway, in what clearly amounts to an unnecessary hubris and a cold shoulder.”

APC expressed regrets that the Federal Government had not consulted it on how to address the Boko Haram insurgency.

The party added: “The Federal Government that has been calling on the international community for assistance must know that charity begins at home, and that for all hands to be on deck, the APC cannot be ignored.

“A party that controls 16 out of 36 states and has over 40 Senators and over 150 members in the House of Representatives is

too big to be ignored at a critical time like this in the life of our nation.

“A party that controls the three hardest-hit states by the Boko Haram insurgency cannot be excluded from any serious effort to tackle the insurgency.

“Interestingly, the Federal Government that has been clamouring for support in the anti-terrorism fight did not deem it fit to even reach out to the APC ahead of its announcement of its extension of the state of emergency in the three states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.

“We, therefore, call on the government to stop politicising the fight against Boko Haram and to show sincerity of purpose in its call for a national front to confront the sect.

“This government must jettison its jaundiced, ridiculous and clearly partisan view that portrays our party as the sponsor of Boko Haram. This is mere politicking and should stop.

“It is noteworthy that a few minutes after the first Nyanya bombing, the PDP issued a statement blaming the APC for the blast. Now that the masterminds of the blast have been arrested and none of them has been proven to have any link with our party, the PDP has yet to admit its faux pas and apologise not just to our party but to the entire nation.

“Our party remains committed to a non-partisan approach to end the scourge of Boko

Haram, despite the Federal Government’s partisanship.”

Replying a question, Mohammed said APC was ready to partner with the Federal Government to rescue the girls.

He said: “I will answer the second question first, which is, is our party ready to partner with the Federal Government in the search for these girls? Yes. That is the purpose of this communique.

“We are saying that despite all the offers we made, the suggestions we have made we are yet to be contacted either formally or informally by the Federal Government.

“And concerning the suggestions we have made, I think that just about a week and two days ago, we held a world press conference in Lagos in which 10 recommendations were made to the Federal Government, not just on how to recover the girls that are missing but how to confront Boko Haram, but also on how to eradicate Boko Haram as a terror group. “ I think this is not the first time we are making such recommendations. At every point in time, we offer the Federal Government our advice. Of course , when the government is not doing well we always give them knock on the head.

“To answer your question, we will continually give the Federal Government our advice and our governors are always partnering with the Federal Government on this.”

would be made available “as soon as possible’’.

“Full investigation has begun on the incident. But we want people to be calm and pray, especially for the victims.

“We also want everyone to support the authorities in these trying times,’’ she said.

Maj-Gen. Dave Enetie, Commander of the Special Task Force (STF) in Jos, could not give details of the causality.

An eye-witness, Peter Amine, said the first explosion went off in the centre of the market. The second followed about 14 minutes later.

“We were inside the market when I heard a loud explosion at about 3:28 p.m.

“Before I knew what happened, a vehicle part landed just by my legs,’’ a visibly shaken Amine told NAN. He said that a thick dark smoke engulfed the scene, thus compounding the already chaotic situation as horror-stricken persons ran in all directions.

Police chief Olakpe said: “But, most importantly, there are lessons to be learnt in this terrorists’ attacks. When a primary explosion occurs, there is greater possibility of a secondary explosion. So citizens should learn not to rush to scene of primary explosion because it is meant to gather more casualties for the secondary explosion.

“The second lesson is, when an explosion of this magnitude oc-

curs, there will by flying objects which are capable of causing more casualties. So citizens should lie down as soon as they heard the explosion.

“The third lesson is that citizens should avoid rushing to the scene of explosion. They should give an interval of 30 minutes before going there because, if there will be a secondary explosion, as it happened in this attack, so many people that will fall victim.

Olakpe denied that the security agencies were caught unawares by the attacks. He said, “We were not caught unawares.

The issue of terrorism is what I call ‘secret conspiratorial’ it is something that involves the vigilance of everyone. It is not issue of security agencies alone; let all hands be on deck. Every citizen should take interest in their own security.”

Olakpe added: “The market portion of the attack has been cordoned off and the market suspended for now. Security agencies will sweep the area in the next two days.”

President Goodluck Jonathan expressed dismay at the blast in a statement by his spokesman Dr. Reuben Abati.

House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal described the attacks as acts of cowardice that had no place in civilised societies.

In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and

Public Affairs, Malam Imam Imam, Tambuwal urged security agencies to redouble their efforts to fish out perpetrators of the attacks. He urged the public to provide the security agencies information that will help their investigations.

He urged Nigerians not to despair, saying the security challenges bedeviling the nation will soon be a thing of the past.

The Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF) urged Nigerians, especially those living in the Northern, not to lose hope due to the persistence of attacks by members of Boko Haram.

The forum also advised people not to be despair about the development stressing that “tough time don’t last but tough people do”.

Chairman of the forum and Governor of Niger State Dr Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu promised that leaders at all levels were doing their best to ensure that terrorists are defeated.

In a statement signed by Chairman of Northern SSGs Forum and Secretary to the Niger State Government Saidu Idris Ndako Kpaki, the forum expressed regrets that the murderous act happened when security agencies were doing their best to stop the killing of innocent citizens.

acts of terror that their grievances are not religious, ethnic nor political. They simply want to destroy the democracy which Nigerians have fought for and which we are now trying to build.

“I call on the insurgents to drop their arms and embrace the government’s offer of dialogue so that whatever grievances they have against the system will be addressed. I also wish to remind them that Nigeria has come to stay and any attempt by them to destroy the country will fail. Nigeria has fought a civil war before and survived it. The new attempts

to plunge our beloved country into yet another civil war will fail.

“I call Nigerians of all religious beliefs and ethnic origins to stand firm against the premeditated attempts to destroy this country. The insurgents do not represent any religion or ethnicity but themselves and their dark motives. We must not allow them to succeed.

“I pray that the almighty God grants eternal rest to the souls of the victims of the blast. I also pray that he gives the families of the victims of these dastardly acts the fortitude to bear the loss.”

118 die in Jos explosions

Akume condemns explosions

ENATE Minority Leader George Akume also lamented the Jos blast.

In a statement, he said: “The recent spate of bombings in which many innocent Nigerians have lost their lives is clear evidence that the insurgents have unleashed terrorism on Nigeria with the sole aim of destroying our country.

“Most disheartening is the kidnapping of young teenage school girls and the announcement by the leader of Boko Haram that the girls are to sold into slavery.

“It is clear from the utterances of those committing these

‘Explore all options’ to rescue girls Continued from page 6

have other assignments. So you should probably ask them various questions where and why they have to go.”

Pressed by a correspondent to explain if there was any problem or challenge at the ses-

sion, he quipped: “Which problem? You are speculating. Are you an agent of problems? Are you promoting one?”

On the party’s National Convention, Tinubu said: “I am not in a position to say anything on that.”

Shehu Sanni writes Sultan

Continued from page 6

believe you can do more than pronouncement or public statement on the unfortunate incident.

“Your Eminence, this letter is a personal appeal for you to move beyond your present position and directly intervene in the resolution of this national problem that has attracted so much international interest, attention and concern.

“This is not a matter for the Federal Government or President Goodluck Jonathan alone or the security forces alone to resolve but it’s a national emergency which will predictably affect the future of our people and our great country.

“You have a moral duty and a spiritual responsibility to be visibly and actively involved in seeking the resolution of this impasse happening within areas you have religious influence.”

He asked the Sultan to secure the Federal Government’s nod to intervene in the fate of the abducted girls.

He added: “Your eminence, you have the listening ears of the Federal Government and you also enjoy the respect of all religious clerics in northern Nigeria and beyond.

“I advise that you should facilitate the intervention of selected Islamic clerics to ask the permission of the Federal Government and reach out to the insurgent group to demand for the release of the Chibok girls and take custody of them; the Islamic clerics to intervene should also appeal to the Federal Government to consider the release of all persons currently in detention without trial arrested on suspicion of security breaches.

“Arbitrary arrested and prolonged detention of citizens, if there is any, clearly breaches our fundamental human rights as succinctly spelt out in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and our national laws.

“Until the Chibok girls are released, they represent the encased conscience of our country.

We must not let what will happen to them to be worse than what is happening to them.”

Sani reminded the Sultan that the image of the nation is at stake.

He said: “Your Eminence, as long as the Chibok girls continue to remain in captivity, it’s not only the credibility of the Federal Government that is at stake but the moral perception of the nation and the relevance of your institution and influence is under question and so also the image of all Muslims in Nigeria, irrespective of their verbal stance on the issue.

“Religious clerics particularly in the North, should move beyond prayers and independently move further to reach out to the insurgents and amicably retrieve these girls via means that will guarantee their safe return.

“This option is an alternative to the use of force and the unavoidable consequences of it.

The insurgents have consistently justify all their actions on religious ground,as a spiritual leader you have a duty to engage them or intellectually confront them in line with divine teachings that promote and assert the imperatives of peace, dialogue and harmonious coexistence.”

Sani urged the Sultan to save the girls from being killed by the insurgents.

He said: “Your Eminence, this is a simple appeal for you to use your vantage position to resolve this matter and so as to get the hovering drone off our skies and the pains off our hearts.

“I’m quite informed about the limitation of your institution but I’m confident that your active intervention based on this advice can help in resolving this problem as every second counts.

“The Chibok girls have guns on their heads and chains on their hands and we have a dangling sword of posterity hanging over our heads.”

LOSS OF DOCUMENTS TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN This is to notify the general public that the allocation and ownership documents pertaining to Flat 2, Block 21, Ijaiye Medium Housing Estate, Ogba, Ikeja, Lagos have been misplaced and are declared missing. If found, please contact Mrs A.M. Obuli on 08033066100 or P.O.Box 51320, Falomo Post Office. General public please take note.

TODAY IN THE NATION

WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

VOL.9 NO.2855

‘Regardless of corruption today and in the past military era, Nigeria must further empower its armed forces to contain Boko Haram and the Fulani herdsmen and later the thugs of democracy’

COMMENT & DEB ATE EBA

Y

ESTERDAY, one of Nigeria’s most accomplished journalists and wordsmiths, Daniel Ochima Agbese, clocked 70. He was born on May 20, 1944 into Agila royalty in Okpowu Local Government of Benue State. It speaks volumes of the man’s character that few of his acquaintances, and proportionately fewer still of the millions of readers he must have gathered in his long and illustrious - but hardly materially rewarding - career as a columnist, journalist and author, ever knew he was a prince. All his life he’d always referred to himself as simply Mister, apparently because he did not suffer from the superiority complex of your typical Nigerian Big Man. Yet Dan, as those on a first name basis with him call him, had sufficient virtues to make him feel proud and superior to most Nigerians. To begin with, God gave him a good head and a way with words. This was obvious from his academic career which begun in earnest when he returned to the classroom in 1970 after a three-year teaching career followed by another year as a library assistant and ending with a fouryear stint as a staff writer with the New Nigerian during its heydays in the late sixties.

Before all this he had attended Government Teachers Training College, Keffi, between 1960 and 1962.

It was as a staff writer under the tutelage of Malam Adamu Ciroma, the first indigenous editor of the New Nigerian and the creator and principal author of the famous humour columnist, the anonymous Candido, that Dan left to pursue a degree in Journalism at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), the second university in the country after the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), to establish a degree course in the profession.

At UNILAG, Dan became a prize winning student and, upon graduation in 1973, earned himself a second class upper division. That, in combination with a three-year stint as the chief sub-editor of the Nigeria Standard, then published by the then Benue-Plateau State, must have earned him a place in 1976/77 to do a Masters degree at probably the best Journalism school in the world and custodian of the most prestigious journalism awards world-wide (The Pulitzer) - the Graduate School of Journalism of Columbia University, New York City.

As with UNILAG so it was with Columbia; there he became the best of the 16 international students in the class and among the best of its entire 160 students.

Dan’s fascination with and love of the written word probably dated back to his days as a library assistance – possibly before. His move from there to the New Nigerian seemed then natural enough; after all, the written word is the principal commodity of both.

Once he returned to class to read journalism it seemed he had made up his mind to stick with it as his life-time career and forget about being a librarian. However, as the man

RIPPLES

SUPPORTERS CLUB NEEDS 62 MILLION CONDOMS IN BRAZIL–News

I bet, NIGERIA is going to BRAZIL for a different SPORT

People and Politics By

MOHAMMED HARUNA ndajika@yahoo.com

An illustrious wordsmith at 70

•Agbese

himself said in an interview with the newsmagazine Verbatim (October 21, 2013) which looks like an offshoot of the defunct (?)

Newswatch he co-founded in 1985 with the late Dele Giwa, Ray Ekpu and Yakubu Mohammed - all three of them among the country’s best and brightest journalists and columnists - he developed second thoughts about remaining a journalist after graduation while still a student at Columbia.

“Actually as far back as 1977, when I was in graduate school in the US,” he said, “I didn’t think I was returning to journalism, I thought I was going into book publishing. This was because I had had a long association with book publishing from the period of my youth service in 1973/1974. I was a reader for Heinemann educational books in Ibadan, and so I picked up a lot of interest in writing books. And I had hoped that if I returned I would set up a book publishing company, but it didn’t work out that way.”

As things turned out, Dan stuck to Journalism. However, even though he did not become a book publisher, he wrote several of them.

Indeed he wrote enough to make him the most prolific author among Nigerian journalists since time.

I

T is double cause for concern that over 200 schoolgirls abducted by the Islamist terror group Boko Haram in Chibok, Borno State, have remained in captivity since April 15; and more importantly, the Jonathan presidency is yet to address the grave issue with reassuring decisiveness. It is noteworthy that Abubakar Shekau, the militia’s notorious leader, has spelt out conditions for the release of the kidnapped students of the Girls Senior Secondary School, Chibok. He said : “All I’m saying is, if you want us to release your girls that we kidnapped, you must release our brethren that are held in Borno, Yobe, Kano, Kaduna, Enugu and Lagos states, as well as Abuja. We know that you have incarcerated our brethren all over this country…We will never release them until our brethren are released.”

Shekau’s words were unambiguous enough, which is why it is puzzling that the Federal Government’s response presents a picture of unhelpful ambiguity. The nearest to an official reaction by the government came through a third party, namely, British Africa Minister Mark Simmonds who gave a clue to President Goodluck Jonathan’s thinking after a meeting in Abuja to discuss an international rescue mis-

So far the man has six books to his credit, three of them (The Reporter’s Companion, The Columnist’s Companion and Style: A Guide to Good Writing), practical guides to Journalism that should be compulsory reading in all our Journalism schools, one (Nigeria, Their Nigeria), a satirical dig at Nigerians and their country after the fashion of that famous evergreen, How to be a Nigerian, by Peter Enahoro, whose editorship of a national newspaper at 26 in the early sixties remains unbeaten, and two (Fellow Nigerians: Turning Points in the Political History of Nigeria and IBRAHIM BABANGIDA: The Military, Politics and Power in Nigeria, to date, the most authoritative and most definitive biography of General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, the man whose eight-year military rule has re-defined the country’s political economy like no other before and after him) on Nigeria’s politics.

Dan has also edited three books, Newswatch Conversation With Babangida, The Energy Crisis in Nigeria and In the Service of My Country: Selected Speeches of Abdullahi Adamu, the two-term civilian governor of Nasarawa State.

All books are a reader’s delight for their readability, insight, humour and precision.

Take, for instance, his virtue of readability.

Dan began Chapter Two of the book with a quote from Jim Rohn, the late American entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker. “Learn to express, not to impress,” he quoted Rohn as saying. Dan kept faith with the motivational speaker in all his books and columns; he never wrote to impress anyone. Instead, he used everyday words, used concrete words instead of the abstract, used simple rather than convoluted sentence structure, etc. In short, the man was a stickler for all the rules in the manuals on how to write well.

Five years after Newswatch came out, the company decided to compile its house style.

“I was,” he said, “assigned the task. I still don’t know why.” This wasn’t false modesty; all his three colleagues were good to write the house style. But then even the most casual

HARDBALL

TONY MARINHO

reader of the man could see why; of all the magazine’s four co-founders, he was the most experienced, and arguably the most expressive, writer.

Take for another example, his virtue of humour, one of the several tools he listed in The Columnist’s Companion as useful, even necessary, for effective punditry. In his preface to The Reporter’s Companion which he dedicated to his first daughter, Aje-Ori, who had paid the ultimate tribute to her father by going one better in taking a doctorate degree in Mass Communication and teaching it at a university abroad, he said he had intended it to be a guide for sound editorial judgement for editors. “More or less midstream,” he said, “I changed horses – for the love of reporters.

This book is evidence that you can change horses midstream.”

Obviously all those Peoples Democratic Party chieftains, most notably Chief Bode George and Dr Amadu Ali, who told Nigerians in the heat of President Olusegun Obasanjo’s Third Term campaign in 2005 that it would be disastrous for Nigerians to change horses midstream never read Dan’s book.

Again in his introduction to Style, which took him ten years to write, he said he missed several deadlines which he could not explain.

“Several deadlines,” he said, “were given for the completion of the style book. All of them were breached...Well, if you wait long enough for a miracle it always happens. So there.”

It’s hard to beat such self-deprecating sense of humour as a tool for effective writing.

Among Dan’s virtues were not only his good head and a way with the written word.

The man also possessed the courage of his convictions and a diligence for accuracy, balance and fairness in pursuing news stories. I saw these and other virtues first hand as his deputy when he edited New Nigerian between 1982 and 1984.

Before him I had acted as the editor for 11 eleven months. I was denied confirmation because the management and chieftains of the ruling National Party of Nigeria said I was too headstrong. Instead, Dan was brought in as editor at the time he was the Director of Information in Benue State, then also ruled by the NPN. Clearly there was politics in his appointment but it was an appointment no one, certainly not I, could quarrel with; Dan was older and much more experienced as a journalist than me by the time he was appointed.

Four years after his appointment, if those in authority thought they had a lapdog for an editor it became obvious to them that they made a great misjudgement. Day in day out Dan published stories and ran editorials that they found uncomfortable. When he was not running such awkward stories he was rejecting stories the authorities tried to foist on him that were clearly more public relations than news.

•Continued on page 61 •For comments, send SMS to 08059100107

•Hardball is not the opinion of the columnist featured above

Bluffing will not bring back our girls sion linked with the kidnap, which has attracted worldwide outrage and condemnation. The BBC quoted Simmonds as saying in respect of Jonathan, “He made it clear that there will be no negotiation with Boko Haram that involves a swap of abducted schoolgirls for prisoners.”

There has been no contradiction from official quarters, which is not only food for thought but also raises a logical question as to the government’s plan, if any, to get the girls back alive. Perhaps the administration needs to be reminded that it is battling with a murderous group, which has again and again proved to be unpredictable. The inescapable implication is that the government may be running out of time to secure the girls’ freedom, and would need to act expeditiously to prevent the group from possibly having a rethink that might not favour releasing them.

Understandably, Jonathan is most likely anxious to avoid being perceived as vulnerable to bullying tactics, particularly

against the background that he has often been criticised by the country’s political opposition for alleged weak leadership. However, this is a wrong occasion for him to attempt to change that perception, which may indeed be valid.

Moreover, given that the concept and practice of prisoner exchange or prisoner swap are not strange, yielding to the idea may not be a bad idea. Of relevance to the country’s situation is the model of Humanitarian Exchange or Humanitarian Accord popularised by the experience of Colombia in which the government reached an agreement with guerillas to swap prisoners for hostages, an idea that was pushed by the families of the captives. It is easy to imagine that in the Chibok case the affected families, if not the empathetic public, would readily endorse such arrangement.

In case Jonathan does not understand, it would be a demonstration of strength to ensure that the girls are brought back alive, no matter the cost. This is not the time for bluffing.

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