May 11, 2015

Newspaper of the Year

Senate: Supreme Court can’t stop us

•AND MORE ON •House set to pass Petroleum Industry Bill PAGES •’How OAU lecturer was kidnapped in Ado-Ekiti’ 5,6,7&53 •83m Nigerians browse internet on networks •Kwara police detain 70-year-old woman for ‘kidnap’

Page 60

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•www.thenationonlineng.net

TR UTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM TRUTH

VOL. 10, NO. 3211 MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015

Why AfDB job may elude Nigeria, by experts

There’ll be no quick fixes, says Buhari

P

RESIDENT-ELECT Muhammadu Buhari said yesterday that there won’t be quick fixes following 16 years of rot.

He urged Nigerians to temper their expectations from his administraton due to take office on May 29, “with some justice”.

Gen. Buhari told a delegation of the Northern

From Tony Akowe, Abuja

Elders Forum (NEF), led by first and Second Republic Minister Alhaji Maitama Sule, who visited him at the All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign secretariat in Abuja, that his administration will inherit a huge decay.

“The biggest message is to

try and persuade the people that it is not possible to change the state of affairs now. It took 16 years and those 16 years, most of you know it better than me; Nigeria earned revenue more than what it earned from 1914 till then.

“You know that we used to have Nigeria Airways, Continued on page 4

N150.00

By Emmanuel Oladesu

N

IGERIA’s bid for the African Development Bank (AfDB) may fail because it is simultaneously bidding for the African Export-Import Bank head, it was learnt at the weekend.

Out-going Minister of Agriculture Dr. Femi Adesina, who is a frontline aspirant for the AfDB job, is supported by President-elect Muhammadu Buhari, who has sent former Continued on page 4

•Gen. Buhari

•INSIDE: CBN GIVES BANKS DEADLINE TO RECAPITALISE P25

•DEADL Y VENTURE: People scooping fuel at the site ... yesterday.

•DEADLY

NLC: END FUEL SCARCITY P5

•Fuel flowing from the burst pipeline ... yesterday.

Vandals scoop fuel as Atlas Cove pipeline bursts

ST OR Y ON STOR ORY PAGE 54

Jonathan, ministers jittery as May 29 approaches ‘My ministers ‘ll be persecuted’ First Lady in church

T •Jonathan ... yesterday

HE President, ministers and aides seem to be jitery as the May 29 handover approaches.

Dr Goodluck Jonathan told ministers yesterday to brace for “persecution”. He gave no details.

It was all at a thanksgiving and farewell service in his honour at the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Cathedral Church of Advent, Life Camp, Gwarimpa, Abuja.

He was relective – he recalled how good the system has been to him –

‘

For ministers and aides who served with me ... they will be persecuted. And they must be ready for that persecution ... We will all have hard times From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

and grateful – for his achievements, which he said ordinary people appreciated.

’

But Jonathan seemed to betray the nervousness that has gripped his cabinet since it became inevitable that a new administration will mount the saddle on May 29.

He said his ministers would be persecuted, adding: “For ministers and aides who served with me, I sympathise with them; they will be persecuted. And they must be ready for that persecution.”

Jonathan went on: “To my ministers, I wish you what I wish myself.

They will have hard times; we will all have hard times. Our ways will be rough.

Continued on page 4

•AKUME STEPS UP BID FOR SENATE PRESIDENT P9 •MARK’S MEN TIP LAWAN P60

THE NATION MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015

2

NEWS

Electronic b The cashless policy introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) over three years ago has recorded little success, despite the several billions of naira earmarked for the project.

With 90 per cent transactions still cash-based and N20 billion lost to fraudsters in six months, the policy objective seems to be far from being met. COLLINS NWEZE captures the experiences of worrisome customers.

•Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola (second left) speaking at the inauguration of Citizens Relationship Management and Performance Dashboard Systems in Lagos...at the weekend. With him are: Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Science & Technology, Mrs Onikepo Animasahun (left); Director-General, Office of Transforamtion,Lagos Command Centre, Mr Toba Otusanya (second right) and Microsoft's Senior Director (Public Sector), Middle & East Africa, Mr Yasser Elabd.

hiejina ditor)

•From left: Chairman, Transcorp Hotels Plc., Olorogun O'tega Emerhor; President/Chief Executive Officer, Transcorp Plc Group, Emmanuel N. Nnorom; Board Chairman, Transcorp Plc., Tony O. Elumelu and Director of the group, Stanley Lawson at Transcorp's ninth Annual General Meeting at Transcorp Hilton in Abuja...at the weekend.

•From left: Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Afrinvest (West Africa) Limited, Mr. Ike Chioke; United States Ambassador to Nigeria, James F. Entwistle; ex-Vice President and founder, American University of Nigeria (AUN), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Kano State Governor-elect, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje at the seventh convocation of the varsity in Yola, Adamawa State...at the weekend.

•From left: President, Architects Registration Council of Nigeria (ARCN), Mr. Umaru Aliyu; Representative of the Lagos State Governor/Commissioner for Physical Planning & Urban Development, Mr. Toyin Ayinde; Country President, Schneider Electric, Mr. Walid Sheta and President, Nigerian Institute of Architects, Waheed Brimmo at the products’ launch by Schneider Electric at the 2015 Lagos Architects Forum in Lagos...yesterday.

M

ICHAEL Nwadike, a Lagosbased banker, who was on vacation in Las Vegas, United States lost $5,000 (about N1 million) to fraudsters. “The debit alerts kept coming at a lightening speed.

Within 10 seconds, 10 alerts were sent to my mobile phone,” he recounted.

The fraudulent transactions, according to him, occurred after he used his debit card to book for a room at Venetia Hotel in Las Vegas. “The international syndicates picked my card details and perpetrated the fraud.

They did not stop until the account balance read zero,” Nwadike said.

He said attempts to call his bank to block the account were unsuccessful because of the speed with which the fraudsters operated.

After returning from the trip, Nwadike completed a customer complaint form in the local branch of his bank but nothing positive has come out of it since February.

The e-payment-related fraud continues to thrive both locally and internationally. In the shoes of Nwadike are thousands of customers who embraced the cashless policy after its introduction in 2010 by the apex bank in 2012. The policy was to ease payment difficulties and promote the use of Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), decongest the banking halls and encourage Point of Sale (PoS) transactions, promote web payment and online transfers as well as mobile money in bank transactions.

Some customers have relived their experiences and frustration with the policy.

Sunday Chukwu, an entrepreneur, said he had no premonition he would lose N120, 000 to fraudsters on a particular Saturday, when a customer bought N120, 000 worth of goods from him. The customer, who pleaded that he had no cash, had requested for his account details to transfer the money.

Chukwu said: “He typed the number on his phone and within few minutes, I got transfer notification alert from my bank. The alert showed that N120, 000 had been credited to my account. So, he took the goods and went away.

“The next working day, which was Monday, I went to the bank to withdraw the money but it was not there.

My account officer showed me my last transaction detail and said that the alert I got did not come from the bank and that it was a fraud. That was how I lost the money and all efforts to trace the fraudster failed.”

Chukwu released the goods because the alert showed his previous account balance and the new deposit by the customer. That, he said, was an indication that the fraudster collaborated with an insider from the bank.

“Up till today, I have not recovered that money,” he told The Nation. That devastating experience, Chukwu noted, has made him to always insist on cash payment no matter his closeness to customers.

Despite the arguments supporting cashless policy, there are also customers that have completely abandoned the use of e-payment channels for insecurity reasons. The Managing Director, Park and Carry Limited, Emeka Ekwueme, falls into this category.

He said: “I don’t use ATMs. I make my transactions through cheques and withdrawal booklets. It is quicker and

less-stressful. Poor network quality remains a major issue that reduces my confidence in cashless banking. Sometimes, you go there, slot in your card and nothing comes out but your account is debited.”

Also, Mrs. Olatunji Alima, an egg distributor who has been using ATM since 2012 has stopped because she felt unsafe with it.

“I own a boutique and I also distribute eggs in Lagos. I don’t feel secure using the device anymore because robbers attack ATM subscribers daily at the point of withdrawal,” she said. Alima recounted how the ATM once malfunctioned and how she spent hours waiting to make withdrawals.

On April 18, a journalist, Victor Ahiuma-Young, was shot, by gunmen on the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway. He had been robbed by hoodlums, who swooped on him after withdrawing cash from the Sadiku branch of a new generation bank. He was shot in the thigh and hands by his assailants, who had trailed him from the bank.

Ahiuma-Young was lucky. Though he survived, he lost the cash.

Jeremiah Ufot, an information technologist, expressed reservations in the use of ATM and other e-payment channels. Admitting that the introduction of ATM has made banking easier, he identified dispensing error as one of its major challenges.

His words: “The other day, I wanted to withdraw N20, 000 from the ATM. The machine debited my account but did not dispense the cash. I was told it would reverse the transaction within 24 hours. It never did until after 21 days,” he said.

A cashier with SMAT Electronics in Computer Village, Lagos, Maureen Onyekachi, told The Nation that poor network in the use of e-payment channels and the 1.25 per cent charge on merchants’ accounts when using the PoS is a disincentive.

She said the merchant fee would not have mattered if the network were to be seamless and trusted by customers.

She narrated that on several occasions, customers got debit alerts after paying with the PoS, but at the merchant’s end, the transactions were declined.

Although such hitches were always resolved between the customers and their banks, Onyekachi said they create doubts on the feasibility of achieving a viable e-payment system.

However, the Managing Director, Happy Man Magnificent Ventures Limited, Celestine Enemuo, described the evolving cash-less policy as good, even as he blamed the skepticism on commercial banks and the CBN. According to him, the institutions have not created enough awareness and the right infrastructure for the project to succeed. He said many bank custormers have to be adequately educated on the need to keep their passwords secret.

Electronic fraud cases The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) had in February 2013, arrested a man with 107 units of ATM cards at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos. The cards were discovered in his luggage when passengers travelling to Istanbul, Turkey, aboard a Turkish Airline were being screened. It was discovered that the

THE NATION MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015

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nic banking: Little gains...more pains

‘

To participate actively in the global economy, our payment system must be successfully benchmarked against the global best practices, as in most developed nations of the world.

We have made some significant achievements so far in this journey, but a lot still remains to be done

• Customers queuing up to withdraw cash from ATMs

•Emefiele

•Boleigha

suspect also had two international passports bearing his photographs but with different names.

“He had a Nigerian passport with the name Funsho Oladimeji Babatunde and a Turkish passport marked Kosar Kursat. Both passports bore his photographs. The cards found in his luggage are: 68 Citi MasterCards and 39 Citi VisaCards,” the NDLEA disclosed.

The agency believed the cards were being used for fraudulent purposes, since he was neither an authorised, nor accredited agent.

Also in 2014, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrested two undergraduates for an alleged N2.05 billion fraud at an old generation bank. They allegedly used Oracle’s ‘flexicube’ software to access a bank’s database and fraudulently transferred huge sums of money to several accounts.

Experts’ explanations The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Forenovate Technologies Ltd, Mr. Don Okereke, said cyber criminals use skimming and trapping devices to steal credit or debit card details without the knowledge of account owners.

He said there have been cases of online account takeover, where an unauthorised party gains access to an existing account by stealing the access codes and conducting illegal funds transfer to a designated account.

Okereke said: “In today’s increasingly-connected world, convenience, speed, technology adoption and payment options allow people and businesses to conduct online financial transactions with ease.

“Fraudsters are taking advantage of this trend to fleece customers of their funds. A leading bank has been bragging of its capacity to open instant bank accounts via Facebook and even approve loans online. I advise banks not to sacrifice security and safety of their customers for speed.”

Besides, Okereke said some illiterate bank customers are yet to get accustomed to the dictates of cashless banking and all the issues associated with it.

He alleged that some discerning and security-conscious Nigerians deliberately avoid the policy because of the inherent loopholes. Many of these customers, he added, lost confidence in their banks after many reported fraud cases.

The growing concerns over banking security have slowed down the acceptability of e-payment channels by bank customers.

A recent survey by Visa Interna-

•Muazu

•Otiti

tional showed that high net-worth account holders neither own nor use ATM cards. The survey showed that the more the people earn, the less they own and use debit cards. Majority of the rich, the survey said, think that avoiding debit cards is the best way to stay protected from online frauds.

A recent statistics on fraud seemed to have proved them right.

In June 2013, 18 months after unveiling the cashless policy, 2,478 fraud and forgery cases involving local banks, valued at over N20 billion were reported by KPMG. The figure, the accounting firm said in its Customer Satisfaction Survey (CSS), represented an eight per cent and 200 per cent increases in volume and value from 2012. The global credit card fraud was estimated at $15 billion last year, making it one of the most significant criminal developments in modern times.

The Country Manager, IBM West Africa, Taiwo Otiti, said the rising cases of fraud prompted global payment companies like Visa and MasterCard to raise the standard of technology deployed in the country.

Otiti said: “The standard for Visa in Nigeria is the strictest in the payment system worldwide. Visa stipulates a very, very high standard for Nigeria.

“We have seen syndicates collude with internal staff of banks to transfer funds to fraudulent accounts. The easiest way is to get a normal card, open an account and get someone internally to transfer funds into the account. The funds are withdrawn mainly through the ATMs.” Otiti explained that in other cases, online fraudsters could compromise a customer’s account by demanding his token.

“They can send you a mail asking you to generate a token, and it will be unwise for you to oblige them. Remember, each time you generate a token, the system in the bank waits for further instruction that will come either from the fraudster, or from you,” he warned.

He said the ecosystem for credit and debit card processing involves a complicated set of players interacting to process every transaction. He said that standards for cards vary from country to country and that Europe and most African countries use chip and PIN cards, while the U.S. uses magstripe which is susceptible to fraud.

He explained that the Chip and PIN cards have computer chip embedded in the smartcard, and allows users to input their personal identification number (PIN) before transactions are

•Babatunde

approved. But magstripe cards do not need PIN but simply swiped past a magnetic reader before transactions are approved.

CBN’s position CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele , who admitted that a lot more must be done in the implementation of the cashless policy, urged stakeholders to reduce the use of cash across all segments of the economy.

He spoke at the inauguration of the Payment System Vision 2020 in Lagos.

According to him, the cashless policy provides safe and efficient mechanisms for making and receiving payments with minimum risks to the CBN, payment service providers and end-users.

The CBN chief said: “To participate actively in the global economy, our payment system must be successfully bench-marked against the global best practices, as in most developed nations of the world. We have made some significant achievements so far in this journey, but a lot still remains to be done.”

CBN’s Director in charge of Banking Payment Systems ‘Dipo Fatokun said the introduction of chip-and-PIN cards have led to drastic drop in ATM card fraud. He said the apex bank and other relevant institutions have been able to reduce frauds considerably by instituting ATM Fraud Prevention Group and the Nigeria Electronic Fraud Forum (NeFF).

The groups, he explained, were formed by the banks to collaboratively share data on fraud attempts and proactively tackle them.

According to Fatokun, the CBN has instructed banks to set and enforce the mandatory daily withdrawal limits for ATM users, while other related transactions, including PoS and web purchases are subjected to stringent limits as agreed and documented between the banks and their customers.

He said the banks have the responsibility of being automatically alerted whenever the approved limits have been exceeded.

Admitting the need to improve bandwidth of the telecommunications service providers, Fatokun said the CBN and the Nigerian Communication Satellite (NIGCOMSAT) are collaborating to tackle connectivity challenges.

The director said the CBN’s directive mandating customers to inform their banks whenever travelling abroad was meant to monitor transactions in fraud-prone countries, including the U.S., South Africa and China.

He said the banks that fail to take

‘‘

appropriate measures will be liable for frauds committed abroad through their customers’ cards.

Otiti explained what the CBN aims to achieve thus: “So, what the CBN has done is to set up security operating centres from where it restricts transactions coming from different regions, unless the customer informed his bank he was going to that region.

“Basically, it is to mitigate fraud.

When Europe was on the magstripe, there was a tremendous level of frauds going in the card sector. Those frauds have moved to the U.S. The most intelligent of banks will not bother you when you go into a country using chip and PIN, because it is safe.”

Also speaking, CBN’s Deputy Director, Banking Supervision, Ibedu Onyebuchi, urged banks to recognise the realities of cyber fraud and strengthen their Information Technology (IT) units to protect depositors’ funds and boost customers confidence in e-payment.

He advised lenders to discourage the introduction of e-payment products and channels without first protecting their customers on such platforms.

Onyebuchi said: “We cannot continue to roll out e-channels without securing them. Transactions have moved from the banking halls to the e-channels. Therefore, we must control all aspects of these channels, both internally and externally.”

To check insider-related frauds, the CBN has also called on banks to always obtain prior clearance on prospective employees before engaging them. The purpose, the bank said, will prevent the recycling of workers who had been indicted, sacked or dismissed for fraud and other acts of dishonesty within the industry.

The way out The Group Managing Director, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, Phillips Oduoza, advised banks to embrace information security, warning that compromising the system could trigger collatereal damages.

Oduoza said that no amount spent on banking security could be too much, given the dangerous consequences of inaction.

The Chief Compliance Officer, Access Bank Plc, Pattison Boleigha, disclosed that fraudsters have gone ahead of internal control measures. He recommended effective collaboration with the police as the most effective way to check fraud.

According to him, the Know Your Customer (KYC) policy of the CBN is a foundation that must be followed by all banks.

“The KYC is the foundation of banking. Banks need to know who the customer is. Proper customer due diligence should come naturally in financial institutions,” he said.

Boleigha, who spoke during a training organised in Lagos by his bank for compliance officers and the Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU) personnel, urged lenders to always conduct due diligence and risk assessment on their customers as such will help in fraud control.

The Deputy Commissioner of Police at the SFU, Ikoyi, Zubairu Muazu, said the effort of the police in fraud control has been yielding positive results.

“The cooperation between the police and the financial sector is getting better, and we are doing our best to reduce fraud in the system,” the police chief claimed.

The Biometric Project Manager at Nigeria Interbank Settlement System (NBSS), Oluseyi Adenmosun, said the introduction of Bank Verification Number (BVN) which captures customer’s physical features including fingerprints, will frustrate fraudsters.

He said the project, which is part of the $50 million biometric contract awarded to Dermalog, a Germanbased IT firm, will make it difficult for the fraudsters to operate.

“It will not completely eliminate fraud but it will reduce it to the barest minimum,” he said.

The Managing Director, Unified Payments Limited, owners of PayAttitude, Agada Akpochi, explained that when it comes to retail payment, especially at merchant locations, fraud is not an issue in the country.

Nigeria, he said, uses chip and PIN technology from end to end, which according to him, has zero fraud rates unless the customer’s PIN is compromised.

On network failure, he said the introduction of PayAttitude, a contactless payment platform that allows transactions in both online and offline modes make reliance on telecommunications network unnecessary. He said that the platform, run in collaboration with six local banks, will fix all issues relating to network quality and make the financial system the ‘safest and fastest growing amongst emerging markets’.

Despite the assurances and the CBN efforts to promote cashless policy, experts are worried that cashbased transactions still account for 90 per cent of total payments in the retail industry.

For the CEO of Financial Market Dealers Association of Nigeria (FMDA), Wale Abe, given the huge infrastructural gap in the country, nothing less was expected.

He attributed the continuous use of cash for transactions to lack of operational PoS machines and ATMs. Abe said the epileptic electricity supply has made it impossible for supermarkets to use their PoS or other e-channels for transactions.

The CEO, Primex Background Check Limited, Frank Oyorhigho, alleged that most bank frauds take place with internal connivance.

“It is the rat inside that tells the rat outside that there is food in the house,” he said proverbially and advised banks to know their prospective employees beyond the qualifications and abilities.

Banks, he said, are also expected to check in-between the lines - their employees’ attitudes, pedigree, integrity and where they had worked before.

“Having enough information about such employee like knowing the guarantor and village of origin among others, will serve as a check on the employee,” he said.

Other analysts insist stability of financial and customers’ confidence in the e-payment policy will continue to suffer unless the hitches facing the cashless policy have been tackled.

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THE NATION MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015

NEWS Why AfDB chair may elude Nigeria, by experts Continued from page 1

•From left: Bishop of Enugu Anglican Diocese, Rt. Revd. Emmanuel Chukwuma; Most Rev. Okoh; his wife, Nkasiobi; President Jonathan; Dame Patience; Executive Secretary, Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission, Mr John Kennedy Opara and other clerics ... yesterday.

PHOTO: NAN

Jonathan, ministers jittery as May 29 approaches Continued from page 1

“But we are happy the ordinary people appreciate what we did and that is most important. It’s not what the elite or the privileged few talk or say about you but what the majority of the Nigerian public think about your actions and inactions that matter.

“We came to Abuja peacefully and we are returning peacefully. I thank the church and Nigerians because they stood by us at our most difficult times.

“Even for election, we had people who supported us all over the country and for the success of the incoming administration.”

Recalling how good the system has been to him as an individual, President Jonathan said he was ready to pay the supreme price for Nigeria.

Dr Jonathan said having received scholarship to study and having been a major player on the nation’s political landscape in the last 16 years, including his six years as President, paying the supreme price would not be out of place.

The service, conducted by the Primate of Church of Nigeria, ArchBishop Nicholas Okoh, was attended by Jonathan’s wife Patience, who was appearing for the first time in any public event in the country since her hus-

The APC position on probe of Jonathan’s govt

T

HE APC last month decried the allegations of last minute looting of resources, hurried recruitment into the public service and rushed privatisation of key financial institutions.

The party warned that such actions would have serious repercussions.

It said though “it is true that the incoming Gen. Muhammadu Buhari Administration will not get itself bogged down by an band lost the March 28 election.

The President said: “When I look at the whole picture of my life up to when I became the president of this country.

And I say that if soldiers and police officers that have not received 0. 5 per cent of the benefits that I have received from the state can lay their lives for this country, I should do anything in the interest of Nigeria, including paying the supreme price.

“As long as I live, I will continue to do my best for the state because the state has helped me as a person. I have to thank Nigerians, especially my state, for giving me the opportunity to serve as deputy governor and the country gave me the opportunity to serve as vice president and then president, first was to complete the tenure of the late president and later serve as president from which I am exiting now as a very happy

endless probe of the activities of the Jonathan Administration, all actions taken since the result of the May 28 presidential election was announced may come under the searchlight.

Gen. Buhari himself said he would revisit the “missing N20b” investigation, a statement that elicited panic in government following which the audit report of the PriceWaterCooper (PwC) was released.

and fulfilled man.”

Jonathan added: “I believe there are reasons for everything. Some hard decisions have their own cost, no doubt about that. That I have run the government this way that stabilised certain things; the electoral process and other things that brought stability into this country. They were very costly decisions which I myself must be ready to pay for.

“Some people come to me and say this or that person, is he not your friend that benefited? Is it not your government that this person benefited from? But this is what the person is saying. But I always say worse statements will come. If you take certain decisions, you should know that those close to you will even abandon you at some point. And I tell them that more of my so-called friends will disappear.”

He recalled that when Frederick W. De Klerk took the

decision to abolish minority rule in the Republic of South Africa, his wife divorced him.

He said: “I hope my wife will not divorce me. But that is the only decision that has made Republic of South Africa to still remain a global player by this time. If we still had that minority rule there, by this time, nobody will be talking about Republic of South Africa.

“If you take certain decisions, it might be good for the generality of the people but it might affect people differently.”

The President also pointed out that his ministers would be persecuted as he hoped that they are prepared to face the situation.

According to Jonathan, people will benefit more when the country is in good shape and things are going on well.

He said: “You don’t need to know Mr. President or Mr. Governor. The issue is not about Jonathan or Buhari or

any other person. The issue is how the government functions, stability and buoyant economy that will enable Nigerians to move forward and live happy.

That is our interest; that is my prayer point.”

He also urged religious groups to continue to pray for the peace and development of the nation.

The President took the Old Testament lesson from Isaiah 40: 25-31. His wife read the New Testament lesson from 1st Timothy 6:11-19.

There was thanksgiving by the first family, which got a farewell gift.

Prayers were said for the first family and the nation.

In his sermon, the Most Revd.

Okoh spoke on the need for all Christians to give thanks at all times, in all circumstances.

He took the congregation through 1st Thessalonian 5:1618, Daniel 4:17 and the book of Hebrew.

Noting that President Jonathan gave thanks to God when he assumed office, he said the Sunday service was to thank God with him as he is rounding off his tenure.

He said: “By God’s divine grace, he was chosen to be President after being deputy governor, governor and vice president. Whichever way you look at it, our God has been good to him.”

“Furthermore, we thank God Continued on page 60

Constitution amendment: Presidency serves Mark, Tambuwal Supreme Court order

T

HE Federal Government has served the Supreme Court’s order on the leadership of the National Assembly to stop the legislature from overriding President Goodluck Jonathan’s veto on amendments to the 1999 Constitution.

The service will halt moves today by the Senate and the House of Representatives to gazette the amendments and pass the alterations into law without presidential assent.

According to sources, the court order, including the ruling of the apex court, was served on the Senate President David Mark and the House Speaker Aminu Tambuwal on Friday.

It was learnt that the ruling was personally signed by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed.

The order specifically states that all the parties should maintain the status quo.

“This means the National

Supreme Court can’t stop constitution amendment, says Senate

T

The last may not have been heard about the Supreme Court ruling on the amendment of the 1999 Constitution by the National Assembly.

The Senate yesterday declared that the apex court is not competent to prevent the National Assembly from conducting its constitutional legislative functions including amending the 1999 Constitution.

Chairman, Senate Committee on Information, Media and Public Affairs, Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe, made the declaration in his reaction to an order of the Supreme Court which mandated the National Assembly to maintain the status quo in its quest to amend the 1999 Constitution.

There is also strong indication that the National Assembly may this week go ahead to gazette the amended Constitution to pave the way for the parliament to over ride the President’s veto on the Constitution amendment.

From Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation

Assembly is expected to stay action on constitution amendments until the determination

From Onyedi Ojiabor, Abuja

Sources said that if the document is gazette, the two chambers of the National Assembly would pass the amended constitution by twothirds majority for it to become law.

The sources noted that issues raised by President Goodluck Jonathan on the basis of which he withheld his assent notwithstanding, the parliament cannot be stopped from performing its constitutional duties.

Abaribe told reporters in Abuja that it was wrong for the Supreme Court to stop the parliament from performance its legislative duties.

Abaribe said: “The Supreme Court is wrong.

The law does not allow one arm of the government to stop another arm of government from performing its duties.

“The Supreme Court cannot stop us from legislating and if they say that the Supreme Court is stopping us from making laws, it is misleading and it amounts to misreading the powers of the Supreme Court.”

of the substantive suit. The Senators and House members cannot in any manner gazette or go ahead to override the President’s veto,” a

Presidencial source said yesterday.

“We have heard reports of plans by Senators and Representatives to defy the order of

•Tambuwal

the Supreme Court. If they disobey court order, they will be setting a bad precedent.

Some of their leaders also risk being jailed if they are contemptuous of the court,” he added, pleading not tobe named because he is not permitted to talk to the media.

Another source said: “Should the National Assembly override the President’s veto, the Federal Government may return to the apex court .

“Once a matter is in court, it is subjudice to act on it. And Order 53 (5) of the Senate Standing Rules states that ‘reference shall not be made Continued on page 60

Vice President Atiku Abubakar to South Africa to lobby for his candidature.

Another Nigerian, Benedick Oramah, has been unanimously nominated as the President of the African Export-Import Bank. The bank has its headquarters in Cairo, the capital of Egypt.

Some experts fear that while South Africa may back Adesina, Egypt may not support Nigeria’s bid for AfDB president because it means Nigeria will be heading two foremost financial institutions in Africa at the same time.

They recall that when a Nigerian, Bisi Ogunjobi, aspired to the AfDB president some years back, Cairo objected to his bid, pointing out that Nigeria was already playing a domineering role in the African Export-Import Bank.

According to the experts, who pleaded not to be named, two Nigerians, former Nigerian Ambassador to South Africa Alhaji Sheu Malami and former External Affairs Minister Gen. Ike Nwachukwu, who were sent to Cairo by the Federal Government to lobby for Continued on page 60

There’ll be no quick fixes, says Buhari Continued from page 1

Nigerian Shipping Line, Nigerian Railways. Where are they now? Where is the infrastructure? Consider what we earned between then and now and what we earned in-between and what is on ground. That is how efficiently the PDP managed Nigeria in the last 16 years.

“Now we have invariably inherited all the problems, especially in the Northeast. I am sure that you have heard or seen the children recovered from the Sambisa Forest. Only the children and women are remaining while all the ablebodied men have been gotten rid of somehow.

“Some have been taken to as far as Adamawa State to be resettled. A generation has been denied education and health care, infrastructure has gone.

“You can imagine what is happening in the high seas where up to 400,000 barrels of crude oil which we rely on is stolen everyday with the full cooperation of those who are supposed to protect it.

“The crude price has gone down and 90 per cent of foreign exchange we rely on come from that. So, you have to convince your constituencies that we have virtually arrived at the wrong time and that they have to tamper their expectation with some justice towards the leadership.

“I think this has to be discussed, especially in the churches and mosques. It is the quickest way to communicate this to the ordinary people. Continue to remind them of all the things I said in all the states I visited.

Continued on page 9

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THE NATION MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015

5

NEWS •From left: President, Project Fix Nigeria Olusegun Kowonta Jr; former Secretary for Health Prince Julius Adelusi Adeluyi; Mrs. Eugenia Ayam Orhil, Director-General, National Agency for Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) Dr. Paul Orhil, Managing Director, May and Baker Nigeria Plc, Mr. Nnamdi Okafor, at the presentation of a book: “The Odyssey of a Survivor”, written by Dr. Orhil in Lagos.

PHOTO: ABIODUN WILLIAMS

Reps to consider PIB, says Deputy Speaker Ihedioha

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HE House of Representatives will consider the passage of the much-awaited Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) when members meet for plenary this week.

Already, copies of the bill have been distributed to all members to study an get ready for clause-by-clause consideration of the legislation.

Deputy Speaker Emeka Ihedioha broke the news to reporters after he led a delegation on a condolence visit to the Minority Whip of the

•’We ‘ve exposed corrupt practices’ From Osemwengie Ben Ogbemudia, Benin

House, Samson Osagie, at Urhokuosa, Uhunmwode, Edo State.

The minority whip’s father, Pa Samson Osagie Imarhiagbe Ogbewe, has just passed on.

Ihedioha said: “I think it will be most unfair for anybody to insinuate that the House is not working on the PIB. We have slated it for passage and we have mentioned it and we said we have to ac-

complish it before the end of this Assembly.

“As we speak, copies of the Bill for consideration have been distributed to all members of the House to enable them study it so that they can make inputs. This week, we invite all Nigerians to join us as we take the clause-byclause consideration of the bill because we believe that the passage will do the Nigerian economy and the petroleum industry a lot of good.”

He denied that the 7th As-

sembly did not tackle corruption, stressing that the members did their best in exposing the menace where necessary.

Ihedioha said: “It is most unfair for anybody to indicate that we have not done anything about corruption. First, the leadership of the House and the 7th Assembly have discharged itself as a House that lead by example. We have led the House transparently and we have open our books for anybody or individual to appreciate how we

have ran the affairs of the house and that is why in the 7th Assembly, there is no banana pills.

“We also have done everything that we can to expose corrupt practices by any branch of government and by any member of the society.

“We have done all we need to do and we have asked the Executive to do its own part.

If the Executive fails to do its own part, that is not the responsibility of the House and it’s not an indictment of the legislature. We have exposed corruption where necessary.”

Kwankwaso warns APC to act fast on National Assembly’s leadership •Governor: PDP has hired mercenaries to infiltrate party

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ANO State Governor and senator-elect Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has advised the All Progressives Congress’ (APC’s) leadership to come out fast with an acceptable zoning formula for the National Assembly’s leadership positions.

Kwankwaso, who spoke to reporters in his office in Kano at the weekend, said any delay could “cause confusion and mess up the entire system”.

He alleged that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has hired mercenaries to infiltrate the APC with the sole aim of retaining the National Assembly’s leadership, particularly at the Senate.

The senator-elect warned

From Kolade Adeyemi, Kano

that it would be a dangerous trend, if the PDP is allowed to lead the Senate in the next political dispensation.

He, therefore, insisted that something must be done to avert an impending leadership tussle within the APC over who becomes what at the Senate.

Such a situation, the governor added, would give the PDP an opportunity to use its experience in the game to muster support, even from the APC. According to him, the APC should come out with acceptable guidelines for zoning. If delayed, the party might not meet the expectations of the people, particu-

larly at the National Assembly level, he said.

Kwankwaso noted the tussle for the House of Representatives Speaker in 2011 when Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal emerged Speaker.

He claimed that Tambuwal’s emergence was made possible by members of the opposition, who backed him.

The governor said the PDP might want to adopt the same strategy to retain the leadership of the Senate.

The PDP as an experienced party in this game, Kwankwaso warned, might want to capitalise on this mistake, “which I know the APC national leadership don’t want it to happen because we won the elections and we shall continue to play the game as one

family”.

He added: “I am one of those experienced in this game. I was a deputy Speaker in 1991. So, the issue of leadership is very important. The party should come out with guidelines, so that confusion can be reduced to the barest minimum.”

The senator-elect said the May 29 handover would complete the circle of his administration and promised to support the incoming administration of Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.

On media reports that he was lobbying to become the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Kwankwaso said: “I have never discussed with anybody on whether I have any interest in any ministerial ap-

•Kwankwaso

pointment. I am a politician, who is ready to serve in whatever capacity my party and the people deem proper.”

He thanked Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido for naming a street after him and other members of the G7 Governors.

Kwankwaso dismissed the petition against his election at the tribunal, saying: “On the issue of my election being challenged in a tribunal, it’s not something to worry about as they have no case. They are just wasting their time and we are used to their antics.”

Akinyemi to Buhari: you ‘re wrong on your security instructions

F

ORMER External Affairs Minister Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi yesterday urged the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, to take his personal security seriously in the country’s interest.

Akinyemi was reacting to Buhari’s statement that he has directed his motorcade to obey traffic regulations.

In an open letter to the president-elect, Akinyemi urged Gen. Buhari to reconsider his decision, reminding him of security threats bedevilling the country.

The former minister said he was constrained to issue the statement after the bomb explosion in Potiskum, Yobe State and gun attacks on Damaturu-Kano road at the weekend.

Akinyemi stated that there was nowhere in the world where the motorcade of a Pres-

By Precious Igbonwelundu

ident or Prime minister, was subjected to traffic regulation.

He said: “When you announced on Wednesday, May 6, that you have instructed your security motorcade to obey traffic instructions, my immediate reaction was to write you this letter. I refrained because I did not want to subject myself to the abuse on the social media that passes for criticism...

“I changed my mind because of the implication for national security of your decision.

“You would recall the events of 1975/76 in this country. When General Murtala Mohammed became Head of State in 1975 after the overthrow of General Gowon, he abolished the motorcade for himself, governors, and mili-

You would recall the events of 1975/76 in this country. When General Murtala Mohammed became Head of State in 1975 after the overthrow of General Gowon, he abolished the motorcade for himself, governors, and military ministers in reaction against what was perceived as the security excesses of the Gowon regime. tary ministers in reaction against what was perceived as the security excesses of the Gowon regime.

“You were a military Gov-

ernor in that regime. You would recall what happened next. General Mohammed was gunned down while his car was waiting at a road junction.

“Nigeria and the world have become a more dangerous place than in 1976 when General Mohammed was assassinated. You would also recall the attempt on your life just last year when your motorcade was attacked in Kaduna.

“There is no country in the world where the motorcade of a President, or Prime Minister or Head of State is subject to traffic regulations. I have just watched the motorcade of the British Prime Minister on his way to Buckingham Palace.

Traffic was stopped and his outriders ensured that the motorcade was not impeded.` “General, it is not about your personal safety. It is about Nigerian national security.

“You would recall the controversy that followed the ascension to the Presidency of the then Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan following the death of President Musa Yar’Adua because some people felt the ascension breached the principle of rotation.

“In fact, this was what led the 2014 National Conference to recommend a constitutional provision that in case of vacancy in the President’s seat, a Vice-President from the same zone should serve out the term of the incumbent. This Sir shows the extent of the sensitivity about the seat of the President.

“We cannot continue to take chances with the peace and stability of Nigeria and depend on God to bail us out. General, Please reconsider your decision, not for your sake, but for the sake of Nigeria.”

NLC to Fed Govt: end fuel scarcity now

By Toba Agboola

THE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has urged the Federal Government to ensure the restoration of regular supply of petroleum products.

Speaking with reporters at the weekend, the NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, called on the government to immediately review the activities of its agencies in the oil and gas industry.

He noted that the protracted dispute among the major stakeholders on the total amount owed by the government on subsidy “points to a conspiracy that perhaps the scarcity may have been ignited by those clamouring for the removal of subsidy on petroleum”.

He said: “The scarcity has led to sharp practices with workers paying between N120 to N150 per litre at some filling stations. For workers commuting by public transport, they now pay more to get to work, even when there are no increases in salaries.

“This painful experience Nigerians have been subjected to have been exacerbated by the embarrassing tirade between the fuel marketers and the Federal Government represented by the Coordinating Minister on the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on the actual amount owed the marketers.”

Wabba added that the Federal Government owed the citizens the responsibility to stop the scarcity “since it is responsible for the management of the petroleum industry”.

“We do not expect to experience any scarcity in any part of Nigeria because one of the reasons government gave for the increase in the price of petroleum products in 2012 was that it will ensure regular supply of the products.

“We will not be blackmailed into accepting the current scarcity as reason for another increase,” he said.

6

THE NATION MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015

NEWS

NCC: 83m subscribers now browse on telecom networks

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HE Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said the number of internet users on the country’s telecom networks increased to 83,362,814 as at February.

The regulatory body said this in its Monthly Internet Subscriber Data, which was obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Lagos.

The data revealed that there was an increase of 1,316,176 internet users on

both the Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) and the Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) networks in February.

According to the data, 82,046,638 users were recorded on the networks as at January.

It showed that of the 83,362,814 internet users as at February, 83,209,380 were on GSM networks, while 153,434 users were on the CDMA networks.

Also, of the 83,209,380 in-

ternet users recorded on the GSM networks in February, MTN Nigeria had 39,278,019 customers browsing the internet on its network.

It stated that MTN had an increase of 104,896 internet subscribers in February, after it recorded 39,173,123 users in January.

According to the data, Globacom had 18,184,587 subscribers surfing the net with its network in February, up from 17,671,405 users in January.

It said that Globacom

gained a total of 513,182 additional internet users on its network.

Airtel Nigeria, it said, had 15,894,061 internet users in February, as against 14,969,924 customers recorded in January.

The data showed that internet users on the Airtel Nigeria network increased by 924,137 in February.

It indicated that Etisalat had 9,852,713 of its customers browsing the internet in

February, against the 10,078,388 users in January.

The data showed that those browsing the net on Etisalat’s network decreased by 225,615 in February.

The NCC data also revealed that the CDMA operators (Multi-Links and Visafone), had a joint total of 153,434 internet users on their networks in February.

It showed that the only surviving two CDMA networks in the country listed a loss of

364 internet subscribers in the month under review, from the 153,798 users they recorded in January.

According to the data, Visafone recorded a decrease of 274 customers surfing the internet in February, reducing to 152,785 compared to the 153,059 users in the month of January.

It showed that Multi-Links had 649 internet users in February, losing 90 customers from the January record of 739 users.

Reps’ probe into economy stalled From Victor Oluwasegun and Dele Anofi, Abuja

T

•President Goodluck Jonathan (fourth left); Primate, Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion Most Revd. Nicholas Okoh (third left); Bishop of Ogbia Diocese Rt Rev. James Oruwori (right); the couple, Mr. George and Mrs. Jennifer George Turnah and other officiating ministers, at the wedding between Jennifer and George at St. Matthew’s Anglican Church, Maitama Abuja... on Saturday.

Katsina Governor Shema receives The Sun’s exit award

K

ATSINA State Governor Ibrahim Shema was at the weekend honoured with The Sun Outstanding Performance Exit Award.

The governor was honoured for his outstanding performance in governance in the last eight years.

Speaking at the Eko Marquee of Eko Hotel and Suites on Victoria Island, Lagos, Shema thanked the Publisher/Chairman of The Sun and its management.

He described the award as descent and honourable.

He said The Sun has demonstrated capacity for sustaining integrity in Nigeria and in Africa.

The governor said: “There is only one sun in the entire

By Olatunde Odebiyi

world. This is one award that has no string attached; it is one award that is given and funded exclusively by The Sun Publishing House; it is one award that is given to a governor that is leaving office. Not one that is just starting or one that anyone can look out to for contracts or profit.

“The Sun has set a pace and I hope that our friends, colleagues and those coming will take seriously the idea of service delivery that will be of service to humanity.

“Wherever we are in the position of leadership, we should support and advance the course of this nation and its people.”

He prayed that Nigeria would continue to enjoy peace, unity, progress and development.

“This is a great nation that deserves decency and honour, our leaders must ensure dedication, commitment and continue to make the nation grow in the most successful democracy.

He described the just-concluded elections as a watershed in the history of the country, adding that it defied all predictions of violence.

He urged Nigerians to sustain the pervading spirit of peace, which, he said, would move the country forward.

He thanked his friends, members of his family, and political associates for the support

and interest in his achievements.

Former Abia State Governor and Chairman / Publisher, The Sun, Orji Uzor Kalu, said; “It is at no financial cost to receive the award, but rather The Sun has paid all the bills for what is going on here today. The Sun is the only newspaper organisation that gives award without receiving any money from the awardee. In fact, I wish that the board of editors created cash also for the outgoing governor to go home with.”

He described the award as better than ‘Man of the Year Award’, adding that the award was important because the governor is leaving office in less than 20 days.

Former Ogun State Governor Gbenga Daniel, who chaired the occasion, described The Sun as a newspaper of excellence and prayed that the paper would continue to succeed and move from strength to strength.

He congratulated and applauded Shema for the good works he has done in Katsina and for the turnaround in developing infrastructure without borrowing money.

The Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief of The Sun, Mr. Femi Adesina, said the award was instituted to promote quality governance.

He said the award was designed to advance quality governance as stepping stones to a great future.

Jonathan lost to evil conspiracies, says Okupe

APC ‘ll create opportunities, Odigie-Oyegun tells AUN graduands

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ATIONAL Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Chief John Odigie-Oyegun has urged graduands of the American University of Nigeria (AUN), Yola, to join the party to rebuild Nigeria.

Odigie-Oyegun, who spoke at the 7th Commencement for the university’s Class of 2015 at the weekend, promised them that the party, which takes over power on May 29, when Gen. Muhammadu Buhari is sworn in as president, will create opportunities for them.

“I want to say and urge you to leave this place, leave this university and become agents of a new Nigeria. You’re most welcome to the real world. I am sure and certain you’ve been adequately prepared. I want to assure you, the fresh graduands that Nigeria is waiting for you, and the APC is going to from the very minute it comes into office, start opening the doors of opportunity for you all,” he said.

However, the APC chieftain said Nigeria was passing through difficult times, but urged them to be tough and utilise the specialised knowledge

By Kofoworola Belo-Osagie

gained from schooling in such a unique institution to proffer solutions to her problems.

He said: “Let me just put a caveat. We as a people, as a nation, are going through very difficult times. The economy of this nation is near a state of collapse.

The treasury of this nation is very near exhausted. These are hard times. And when the times are hard, the tough gets going. You are going to join us in proffering solution to the new direction, the new trajectory on which this nation is going to embark from May 29, 2015.”

Odigie-Oyegun praised the university for giving women a chance to excel as he noted that the president of the university, Dr. Margee Ensign, the commencement speaker, Mrs. Vicky Colbett, the valedictorian, Hephzber Obiorah, and the Class of 2015 Speaker, Marvelous Imabeh, were all women.

In his speech, the chairman of the AUN Board of Trustees, Mr. Akin Kekere-Ekun, praised the founder of the university, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, for investing in the institution, say-

ing that despite the fees paid by the students, the former vice president still contributes about 65 per cent of the funds used to run the university.

In her speech, the AUN President described the recent election as a revolution. She urged the graduands to plug into the opportunities that the new government would provide.

She said: “The recent elections have opened that window of hope for all of you, for all of us. In fact, the peaceful transfer of power in Nigeria is nothing less than a revolution.

It is a revolution of hope, and promise in a continent, most important country and economy.

“I am sure all of you know the Founder of our university, His Excellency Atiku Abubakar, the former Vice President of Nigeria, played a crucial role again in the opening up of Nigerian democracy, a central role in helping to establish the party which triumphed in the presidential election, and effective opposition party in bringing hope and promise and prosperity to Nigeria. Please join me in thanking him. That window of

hope has opened wide for you, class of 2015. So, now is the time to create a new Nigeria, a new world, a free world. You the class of 2015, graduates of the finest university in Nigeria, are about to enter that world as competent and educated adults.”

The valedictorian, who finished with a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 3.99 (on a 4.00 scale) in English, Literature and Language, urged her fellow graduands to pursue their passions to be successful in life.

“You have to love what you do. I will give you the secret of success: passion. You know why? Because passion drives you,” she said.

The university graduated 114 undergraduates from the schools of Arts and Sciences, Business and Entrepreneurship; and Information Technology & Computing. There were also 26 graduands from the postgraduate school who graduated with Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM), Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Technology, Information Technology, and Master of Technology, Telecommunications.

WO months after the House of Representatives ad-hoc Committee on the State of Economy was constituted, the investigation is yet to begin even as the 7th House prepares to wind down its session.

The Nation learnt that the ad-hoc committee, which is headed by the Chairman, House Committee on Legislative Budget and Research, Opeyemi Bamidele, is yet to receive any terms of reference from the leadership of the House through the Clerk, Sanni Omolori.

Efforts by the committee to begin investigation by obtaining the terms of reference from the leadership has met with promises that it would soon be transmitted to it through the clerk.

On March 12, this year, the House resolved to probe into the state of the nation’s economy sequel to the adoption of a motion of urgent national importance moved by Minority Whip, Samson Osagie.

The decision was hinged on the fact that various figures were being bandied as the income of the country and that there was a need to reconcile the figures.

The committee is to specifically investigate the earnings from crude oil exports and other revenue sources in 2014 fiscal year and make recommendations to the House within three weeks.

From Gbade Ogunwale, Assistant Editor, Abuja

P

RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan lost his re-election to “evil conspiracies within and outside the country”, the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, has alleged.

“Jonathan fought against evil conspiracies both locally and internationally in his bid to deliver good governance, but was unfortunately misunderstood by many Nigerians, who mistook his good nature and intentions for weakness”, Okupe said in a statement yesterday.

He, however, stated that the President is leaving office as a fulfilled man who was “excellent in achievement, humility, tranquility and simplicity”.

Okupe posted the message on his Facebook account, after a thanksgiving service held for President Jonathan at the State House chapel yesterday.

“Nigerians mistook meekness for weakness, restraint for lack of strength, reticence for inaction, calmness for indecisiveness”, the President’s aide stated. He described the thanksgiving service as emotional for him and other friends of the President, who attended the event.

According to him, despite losing the election, Jonathan remains “the greatest President Nigeria ever had” and that he “triumphed” because of the “inherent goodness” that God has deposited in him.

Okupe insisted that Jonathan meant what he said and stood by them, even to his own detriment and to the detriment of those who believed in him.

He noted that though the President lost his election, he triumphed because of his commitment to the peace of Nigeria, which, he said, made him declare that his ambition was not worth the blood of any Nigerian.

Dr. Okupe advised Nigerians to pray for the continuous peace and stability of the country, saying: “God will guide our incoming leaders and endow them with the competency of His wisdom to lead us aright”.

THE NATION MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015

7

NEWS 8,900 jostle for 15 schools

APC blames Fayose for Ekiti kidnappings

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HE All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has said Governor Ayo Fayose should be blamed for the spate of kidnappings in the state.

The party said the governor had failed to deliver his campaign promises, six persons, including medical doctors, have been kidnapped in the last five months.

Publicity Secretary Taiwo Olatubosun, in a statement, said the kidnapping of medical doctors had forced medical practitioners to down tools.

“We raised the alarm when the trend started, calling the attention of Ekiti people to the governor’s refusal to

HE Lagos State government at the weekend conducted placement tests for 8,700 primary school pupils seeking admission into its 15 junior model and upgraded secondary schools for the 2015/2016 academic session.

The Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye, who monitored the exercise, said 18 candidates sat for the pilot computer based examination (CBT) in addition to the regular paper/pencil mode.

Oladunjoye said the CBT has come to stay in the state.

The 15 model colleges and upgraded schools include Model Junior College, Meiran; Vetland Junior Grammar School, Ifako Ijaiye; Model Junior College, Igbokuta; Civil Service Model Junior College, Igbogbo; Oriwu Model Junior College, Ikorodu; Government Junior College, Ikorodu.

Others are Model Junior College, Igbonla; Model Junior College, Agbowa; Model Junior College Badore; Lagos State Junior Model College, Ojo; Eva Adelaja Memorial Junior Secondary, Bariga; Model Junior College, Kankon; Government Junior College, Ketu, Epe; Epe Junior Grammar, Epe; and Badagry Junior Grammar School, Badagry.

T

From Odunayo Ogunmola, Ado-Ekiti

fund security agencies, even though Fayose increased his personal security vote to N200 million monthly.

“What is happening now is a confirmation of our earlier claim that the 19 APC lawmakers were targets of kidnapping to reduce their number to stall his impeachment.

“This would have been done if they had attended the meeting at ABUAD where we were informed that an ambush had been laid for them,” Olatunbosun said.

He added that the recent kidnappings could not be detached from the earlier state of siege and insecurity by

criminals after the government unleashed thugs, miscreants and escapee-inmates to harass political opponents.

“The thugs, who are still being lodged in the Government House, had in the past, unleashed terror on opposition members in every town across Ekiti State.

“We have every reason to believe that they are the same criminals together with their colleagues from neighbouring Ondo State who are responsible for the kidnappings in the state,” Olatubosun said.

He added: “We raised the alarm about the state of insecurity in Ekiti in the last six months. It was first the

jailbreak, followed by the reign of robbers, next was the reign of thugs who maimed political opponents and now kidnappers.

“We call on security agencies, especially the Acting IGP Solomon Arase, to revisit our petitions on the Government House thugs. They should be arrested and prosecuted now.

“We sympathise with Ekiti people who were deceived

by Fayose into believing he is the best for them. They now know better, as the difference between a government that really cared for the masses and a government of stunts and deceit is becoming clearer by the day.”

Oyo moves 200,000 commuters From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

T

HE Oyo State government public transport, Pacesetter Mass Transit (PMT), has moved no fewer than 200,000 passengers in the last one month.

PMT Acting Manager Wole Akinleye said this at the raffle draw promo to celebrate the second anniversary of Ajumose Shuttle Buses.

He said: “The Abiola Ajimobi administration rebranded the Trans City Transport Company (TCTC) to PMT and bought 100 luxurious buses in 2013.

“Our buses are the cheapest in the state. Apart from this, it is free for students and civil servants.

“One of the reasons we have decided to celebrate is to give back to our customers.”

MDCAN appeals to striking doctors From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

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HE Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) has appealed to striking doctors in the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, to end their 10-day strike.

Arising from an emergency congress, the consultants urged the striking doctors and the hospital management to sheathe their swords for the sake of the patients.

A statement by MDCAN General Secretary, Dr. Victor Makanjuola, said all the issues being raised by the doctors are legitimate. He urged the management to address them.

The statement reads: “MDCAN UCH Branch held an emergency congress to consider all the issues leading to the strike.

“The MDCAN has set machinery in motion to address the contentious issues in collaboration with resident doctors and UCH Management.

“We seek the kind of understanding of the public, as the matter is expeditiously resolved.”

•Isolo carnival group performing at the Lagos Carnival 2015 in Lagos…at the weekend.

PHOTO: NAN

Lafarge WAPCO to resettle 1000 villagers in Ogun

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EMENT Giant Lafarge WAPCO has agreed to relocate no fewer than 1000 villagers from two communities- Oke - Oko and Sekoni- in Ewekoro Local Government Area of Ogun State.

Also to be relocated are a number of deities - community and household gods-worshipped by the villagers.

The two communities were found to be sitting on limestone belts, a major raw material in cement production.

The affected people would be re settled on 60 acres of land - referred to as new Oke-Oko, Sekoni.

This followed many years of complaints and request by the villagers that mining and blasting of

From Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta

the mineral deposit exposed them to grave health hazards, including environmental degradation and harm to their farm crops.

Speaking at the inauguration of the housing facilities at the new site at the weekend, the Managing Director, Lafarge Africa (WAPCO Operations), Adepeju Adebajo, said the relocation of the “people and their deities” was an initiative of the company’s management to protect them from mining hazards.

Adebajo, who was represented by the Manager, Ewekoro Plant, Thierry Terriere, said the facilities would house 1000 people.

He said: “It is our hope that when

completed soon, the newly-relocated Oke-Oko, Sekoni would be our modest contribution to the muchsought-after societal advancement.

“Needful to state, however, that the huge resources being committed to this special project is in addition to the yearly developmental initiatives we carry out in Ewekoro Local Government, which include bursary awards and training of youths.”

The traditional ruler (Baale), Chief Mukaila Oginsola, lauded the initiative, saying it would save the villagers from mining hazards.

He said: “We fought them for this project and they are giving us what we asked of them. This is very good and Lafarge should be commended.”

How Ondo meets salary obligations, by commissioner

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HE Ondo State government has explained how it has been paying workers regularly.

Commissioner for Information Kayode Akinmade said what the state earns monthly is a far cry from what it spends on salaries and pension.

Akinmade said last month, the state’s total earnings, including allocation from the federation account and Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), was N3.2billion.

Salaries and subvention paid for the same month was N4billion. The commissioner said the government had to look inwarda to provide the N800million difference.

He added that for the same month, allocation for local governments was

N1.9billion and the wages for the council workers N2.6billion.

Akinmade said the government had to argument that too, adding that it has been the trend for over a year.

“There has never been a time that the state’s allocation is sufficient to pay salaries,” he said.

Besides local government workers, primary school teachers, pensioners and traditional rulers get paid from the local government purse.

“This clarification became necessary because of the mischievous figures being bandied about as the state’s allocation from the Federal Government.

“People can ask questions to know the truth instead of misinforming the public, be-

‘This clarification became necessary because of the mischievous figures being bandied about as the state’s allocation from the Federal Government’ cause these figures are in the public domain for people to verify.

“What each state gets as al-

location from the Federal Government is not hidden. It is not a secret thing. These figures are in the public domain and it is pure mischief for anybody or group of people to continually play politics with such a sensitive issue.

“It is on record that Ondo pays the highest minimum wage of N22,500 to civil servant. Despite all is financial obligations, the government has been able to maintain regular payment of salaries and provide dividends of democracy to other residents.

“The government’s mega school, free school shuttle buses, mother and child hospitals, Urban renewal programmes across the state, the cocoa revolution, road constructions.”

Mobile blood bank centre From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

THE University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, has inaugurated a new mobile blood bank centre to improve blood donation.

The Chief Medical Director (CMD), Prof.

Temitope Alonge, said it was a great day for the hospital because it had resuscitated and refurbished its blood bank to save lives.

Alonge said the mobile blood bank cost between N5 to N7 million, adding that the vehicle will go into the nooks and crannies of the state to collect blood from voluntary donors.

“Blood is an essential part of human life, it is key to survival and its absence in the body is equivalent to death.

“UCH is expanding in terms of service delivery, we now have a lot of centres to cater for more people.

Alonge said the hospital has three standard blood fridges which can accommodate between 600 to 800 pints of blood.

According to him, donors will have the opportunity to know their health status, such as HIV 1 and 2, hepatitis B and C, syphilis, blood group and genotype before making donation.

How OAU lecturer was kidnapped From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

FRESH facts have emerged on how a lecturer in the Environmental Design Department of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Dr. Femi Omisore, was kidnapped on Saturday in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital.

It was gathered that unknown gunmen shot at the fuel tank of the lecturer’s car when his driver attempted to flee.

The kidnappers were said to have pursued the lecturer, who was on his way to Oye-Ekiti, until they eventually caught up with him and shot his driver.

According to a source, the lecturer’s car caught fire.

The source added: “A car was trailing him (the lecturer) and his driver tried to escape but he was caught. The driver tried so much to avoid being overtaken by the gun men but it is painful that he did not succeed.

They eventually killed him.”

The chairman of the OAU chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Dr. Caleb Aborisade, said: “It is true. He was taken away and his driver was killed. His car was also burnt.”

THE NATION MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015

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NEWS Teenager dies in Osun accident

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13-YEAR-OLD girl was killed yesterday, when a car rammed into her mother’s shop at Ilobu, Irepodun Local Government Area of Osun State.

The victim, who hailed from Ile-Olowola Compound, was said to be inside the shop when the incident happened.

The driver of a gold Toyota Camry reportedly lost control and drove inside the shop.

From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

A mob set the car ablaze but the driver, Gbenga Ayangoke (28) of Ile Iyaloja Compound, Erin-Osun, was said to have been rescued by the police.

An eyewitness said Ayangoke lost control, veered off the road and knocked down the girl.

The victim’s remains have been deposited at the General Hospital, Ilobu.

‘Ondo should wait for NDDC slot’

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CHIEFTAIN of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akwa Ibom State, Uwem Udoma, has urged the people of Ondo State to allow Akwa Ibom complete its managing director tenure in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

His comments followed a report that Ondo was agitating for MD. Udoma said subject to the provisions of the Act establishing NDDC, a member of the Board, other than an exofficio member, shall hold office for a term of four years.

Udoma said the NDDC MD, Bassey Dan Abia, had only spent one year and six months in office, adding that if the present NDDC board

From Kazeem Ibrahym, Uyo

is dissolved, it would still be the turn of Akwa Ibom to complete that tenure.

According to the APC chieftain, unlike the chairmanship of the commission which is based on rotation in the alphabetical order of Abia; Akwa Ibom; Bayelsa; Cross River; Delta; Edo; Imo; Ondo and Rivers states, the MD position is based on the member states with the highest oil production quantum and such is to rotate among member states in the order of production.

His words: “The report that Ondo may produce the next NDDC MD is misleading. Why Ondo when Akwa Ibom hasn’t completed its tenure?”

Ekiti begins workers verification tomorrow

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HE verification of 48,977 workers in the Ekiti State public service will begin tomorrow and end on Monday. Payment of salaries will begin on Wednesday.

Special Assistant to the governor on Public Communications and New Media Lere Olayinka, in a statement yesterday, said the verification was to block close to N500 million being lost to ghost workers.

“Those insinuating that the verification was meant to delay April salary are just playing cheap politics because the arrangement is such that the moment verification is concluded, salaries of those cleared will be paid.

“The implication of this is

•Salary payment on Wednesday From Odunayo Ogunmola, Ado Ekiti

that those verified tomorrow will receive their salaries on Wednesday; those verified on Wednesday will get paid on Thursday.

“By Friday, 70 per cent of the workers would have received their April salary.”

Giving details of how the exercise will be carried out, Olayinka said: “Tomorrow and Wednesday, staff of core Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), Health Management Board (HMB) and six local councils will be verified at designated venues.

“The councils are Ado, Efon, Ekiti East, Ekiti South West, Moba and Oye. Workers of Ise/Orun, Ikere, Emure, Ekiti West, Ido/Osi, Ikole, Ilejemeje and Irepodun/Ifelodun, Gbonyin and Ijero will be verified on Thursday and Friday.

“Also on Thursday and Friday, staff of Local Government Training School, Local Government Service Commission, Loans Board and Pension Board, as well as primary school teachers in Ado, Efon, Ekiti East, Ekiti South West, Ekiti West, Emure, Gbonyin, Ido/Osi local councils and State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) Local

Government Education Authority (LGEA) Headquarters will be verified.

“Primary school teachers in Ijero, Ikere, Ikole, Ilejemeje, Irepodun/Ifelodun, Ise/Orun, Moba and Oye local governments, as well as all secondary school teachers will be verified on Saturday and Monday.”

The governor’s aide added that verification of local council workers will be done at their councils’ headquarters, those under LGEA (SUBEB) will be verified at their respective LGEA headquarters.

Secondary school teachers will assemble at designated schools in their respective local governments for the exercise.

Ogun CJ frees 37 prisoners

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GUN State Chief Judge Justice Olatokunbo Olopade has granted unconditional release to 37 inmates.

Six prisoners were freed at Ilaro, 11 at Oba, 15 at Abeokuta, two at Sagamu and three at Ijebu-Ode prisons.

Justice Olopade said the exercise was shifted due to judiciary workers strike.

She advised the released inmates to turn a new leaf and be good citizens.

The Chief Judge revealed that the state judiciary has put up a Justice Fast Track Initiative Clinic in Abeokuta, Ijebuode and Ota High Courts to expedite action on criminal cases.

Don’t be chauvinistic, Buhari told

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GROUP, Coalition of Oodua Self-Determination Group (COSEG), has urged Presidentelect Muhammadu Buhari “not to sacrifice the goodwill he enjoys from Nigerians on the altar of ethnic chauvinism”.

In a statement by its chairman, Dayo Ogunlana and Secretary, Eazaq Olokooba, COSEG said it was disturbed by statements credited to Northern leaders, such as Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso and Justice Mamman Nasir, insinuating that the North singlehandedly gave victory to the President-elect.

Reminding the leaders that the North had voted massively for Buhari in earlier elections but could not make him win, COSEG said it was the alliance between the Hausa-Fulani and the Yoruba that produced the remarkable victory.

“Let us begin by stating some incontrovertible facts.

Firstly, Buhari had tried and failed to become president three times. Secondly, on his fourth attempt, he emerged president-elect. Thirdly, Buhari is president-elect today by the grace of God and the political sagacity of former Lagos State Governor Bola Tinubu.

“No amount of noise and hyping of the so-called almajiri votes by some people can

change this fact. The almajiris did not just start voting for Gen. Buhari. So what made the difference between Buhari’s past serial failures and his success this time around?

“The only credible explanation, in our view, is the intervention and involvement of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and the Yoruba nation.

“It is not natural to deny Asiwaju and by extension the Yoruba their due and to set them on a collision course with the President-elect by presenting them as a greedy lot bent on controlling the government.”

The group said the task of revamping the economy and setting the country on the right course requires the contributions of those whose vision gave birth to the progressive change across the country.

“We are surprised that the arrowhead of the alliance, Tinubu, is being criticised for seeking to ensure that the Southwest and its allies are adequately compensated for their efforts.

“Our recent collective interest has shown that a single ethnic nationality cannot monopolise government and power in Nigeria. What does this all mean? The Yoruba cannot afford to dismantle their structures of protest and resistance. Sooner than later, those structures will be needed again.”

•Adeyemo flanked by Prof Ojerinde (left) and the Aseyin of Iseyin, Oba Abdul Ganiyu Adekunle... at the weekend.

Oke-Ogun plans to build own varsity

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HE people of OkeOgun in Oyo State have begun moves to establish a university.

The homogenous area, covering 10 local governments in the northern part of the state, does not have a university.

Worried by continued failure to get a government university cited in the area to meet the educational needs of its teeming youth population, the Oke-Ogun Development Council (ODC) set up a committee to facilitate the establishment of the university at the weekend.

The committee is headed by a lecturer at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Prof. Kehinde Yusuf.

The institution is to be sited at Agunrege community.

At the inauguration in Iseyin, Deputy Governor Moses Alake-Adeyemo assured the people of the government’s support for the project.

He also promised the government’s full involvement in the running of the university.

“The government will certainly see to it that Oke Ogun university takes off before the end of its second term.”

A don, Prof Layi Egunjobi, said the university as a growth pole often represents a catalyst for development in

•Committee set up From Bisi Oladele, Ibadan

any area.

He enjoined the committee to be steadfast.

“I like to congratulate the people of Oke-Ogun as it is my belief that this ideawill come to reality.”

The Registrar of the Joint Admission and Matriculations Board (JAMB), Prof Dibu Ojerinde, said setting up a university is not a tea party.

“We need to gird our loins. The National Universities Commission (NUC) has various conditions to be met in establishing a university.

“These conditions will run

into billions of naira. For this reason, everyone must be prepared to contribute fully.”

The Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), Otunba Niyi Otunla, represented by his Special Assistant, Yisau Adepoju, reminded them that university is a capital intensive project.

Other members of the committee drawn from the 10 local governments include Deacon S. A. Oyedemi; Prof D. A. Oyeleye; Matthew M. Ogunjimi; Bayo Toluwalase; Zaccheus Adepoju; Gbade Iyilade; Prof Oladapo Olaniyonu; Dr. Olusegun Olawoyin; Niyi Kehinde; Dr. Olusegun Ajuwon; Prof.

Tunji Akande; Prof A. Odekunle, Princess Oyenike

Ayoola; Kehinde Abioye; Remi Adegbola; Prof Gbemi Remi Adeoti; Mrs. Mary Aboyade and Prof. M. Fasasi.

Others are Prof O. Oladepo; Prof Babayemi; Chief Niran Bioku; Ola Siyanbola; Prof Layi Oladele;Ademola Ojeleye; Dr Femi Dayo Ajayi; Dr Diran Olabisi; Dr Bolanle Wahab; Dr. Seyi Ige; Prof Layi Egunjobi; Prof Dele Layiwola; Dr Bola Olaniyan; Prof A. Ahmad; Dr. Al-Azeez; Dr. Soji Awoyemi; Dr. Ayo I. Tunbosun; Dr. Caleb Aborisade; Dr. Stephen Ogundipe; Dr. Rasaq Adefabi; Muda Ganiyu; Mrs.Ruth Alao, Prof Micheal Ajayi and Prof Tunde Ayeleru.

I’m not a PDP member, says family member

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MEMBER of the Omotoso family of Afao-Ekiti, Mrs. Florence Aduloju, has said she is not a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The Omotoso’s family and the community are embroiled in a dispute over the demolition of its family house.

But the Afao Development Council (ADC) said the building was pulled down to save the lives of pupils of a nearby primary school The ADC, which denied the involvement of Governor Ayo Fayose, also claimed that the land upon which the building stood has not been taken away from the family.

Mrs. Aduloju refuted the claim of the ADC’s spokesman, Tope Anjorin, that she is a PDP Women Leader.

From Odunayo Ogunmola, Ado Ekiti

Mrs. Aduloju, in a statement, said she left the PDP in 2003.

She said: “My attention has been drawn to the allegation made by Mr. Tope Anjorin, Public Relations Officer (PRO) of Afao Development Council (ADC) that I am the PDP Women Leader in Afao Ward.

“To set the records straight, I left Afao PDP since 2003/2004, hence the insinuation that I am a PDP member is not true.

“Furthermore, the Interim Chairman of Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government, Mr. Sunday Olowoyo is not a member of the Omotoso family and hence cannot take any decision on behalf of the family.”

THE NATION MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015

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NEWS •Former Governor of Anambra State Mr. Peter Obi (fourth left); Archbishop Valerian Okeke of Onitsha Diocese (fifth right); Bishop Denis Chidi Isizoh; Rev Fr. Daniel Onuorah (left); Fr. Marius Obiagwu (second left); Prof.

Stella Okunna; Fr. Patrick Omutah (third right); Mrs. Vivian Nwandu and Fr. Boniface Okafor after the inauguration of the ultra-modern building of the School of Nursing at St. Charles Borromeo Hospital, Onitsha...at the weekend.

There’ll be no quick fixes, says Buhari Continued from page 4 “We picked three fundamental problems. The first is security. The country has to be secured before anything can be put in place and then the economy. The fact is that more than 60 per cent of the Nigerian population is youthful and most of them, whether they have been to school or not, are unemployed and this is the biggest danger.

“So, there must be jobs for these people as quickly as possible for us to even enjoy the relative peace. Security, getting jobs for these people and putting the infrastructure in place are important. Power, especially power, is key.

“We have to quickly turn to agriculture and mining because that is where you can do the quickest work and get results. In other areas, you need to study them and dust all the books and studies and get people, experienced people, committed people and technocrats to come and help the government identify priorities so that with what is available to us, we can quickly make our people realise their hope for the government they have elected.”

Gen. Buhari assured the delegation that he will do justice to all Nigerians irrespective of ethinicism or religion, saying: “We all know that whatever you do, without justice it will not endure. It is as simple as that. As human beings, we keep repeating the same mistakes over and over. But that is what makes us human.”

Speaking on his foray into politics, he said: “After retiring as Head of State to prisoner, I went home and thought people would leave me alone, but they didn’t.

“They know I didn’t make money, because I made the stupid mistake of not allocating to myself a block of oil well in spite of being a former minister and former Head of State. I also made the mistake of not giving it to anybody around me. So, I sat quietly with the few cows I have in my farm and was thinking of how to contribute.

“When I was thinking, suddenly, what happened in the Soviet Union happened and an empire of the 20th century collapsed without a shot being fired. Everybody went home and now, there are about 18 republics in the old Soviet Union. Yesterday, they celebrated part of it with nostalgia.

“That was when I came to the conclusion that the best form of government whose time has come is multi party democratic system. The fundamental issue is that election must be free and fair and this is our Achilles heel.

“That was why I lost three consecutive times and went to court, up to Supreme Court up to three times. The issue, for me, is not that I was insisting that I have to succeed under this system.

There is nothing that people have not said about my past even as head of state.

“The other day, one of the journalists I jailed came here and shook hands with me and reminded me that I jailed him. The three people shot for bringing cocaine into the country, some of their relatives said they have forgiven me. That is part of the way we have travelled. “ I have maintained focus because I believe that this system is the best for us. If we can get free and fair election eventually, we will stabilise it and we will be the

better for it. “ Gen. Buhari said after the elections: “One of the reliefs I got was the telephone call I got from the President of the United States (Barack Obama). I could feel the relief in their voices because they are people of conscience. Forget about religion, colour and development. They are people of conscience because they have reached a stage where they have stabilised their society and they are relatively secured both materially, physically and otherwise.

“They know we are in danger. Everybody was saying that Nigeria is going to the dogs in 2015, but even beyond our expectations, we have managed to go through and we thank technology for PVC and card readers because the whole exercise of writing the result, announcing them and asking losers to go to court does not make any difference. Those who defended the PVC and card reader made this change possible.”

The leader of the delegation and Nigeria’s former permanent representative to the United Nations (UN), Alhaji Maitama Sule, told the president-elect to ensure justice and fair play in the discharge of his duties as president.

He said: “You are President of Nigeria. You are not President of Northern Nigeria. We have come to congratulate you. We first of all thank God; what has recently happened to Nigeria is an act of God. Nobody can claim credit for it.

Allah has done it for us, Allah has listened to our prayers and our pleas to bring about this change, a change for the betterment of all.

Continued on page 60

•Akwa Ibom State Governor-elect, Mr. Udom Emmanuel (left) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) member-elect for Urueffong Oruko State Constituency Asuquo Edet Archibong after the latter collected his certificate of return at the INEC office in Uyo.

‘Nsukka zone deserves Enugu ministerial slot’

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HE Nsukka zone in Enugu State deserves to get the ministerial slot for the state, having never had the opportunity since 1999, the Enugu Patriotic Alliance (EPA) has said.

In a statement by Emeka Onuigbo and Joe Onyeabo, President and Secretary, EPA criticised the reported attack on the Enugu State governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Okey Ezea, by the APC Southeast leader, Emma Ezeukwu .

“While we wait for the official reaction of the APC at state and zonal level to Ezeukwu’s aggression against Ezea, we condemn this violent act. We

•Group condemns attack on Ezea as the mouthpiece of the youths in Enugu State view this as an unwarranted act,” EPA said The group described Ezea as ‘a man known by many as humble, who has been in the struggle for a long time through opposition politics in an attempt to enthrone good governance in Enugu state and the country.”

On their backing of Nzukka for a ministerial slot, the group said: “We make bold to say that as a matter of fact, Nsukka zone deserves the ministerial position. Since the emergence of this political dispensation in 1999, no Nsukka person has

held a ministerial position in the state.

“During the tenure of Chimaroke Nnamani as Governor, the then Minister, Frank Nweke Jnr, was from the same zone as the governor.

“When Governor Sullivan Chime took over, the Ministers have been Mrs. Fidelia Njeze, Barth Nnaji and Prof Chinedu Nebo, who are from Enugu East and West Senatorial zones.

“This has been the position and it is expected that the next ministerial slot will be given to Nsukka zone, irrespective of the party in power, for justice and equity’s sake”.

Minority Leader Akume intensifies bid for Senate president

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ENATE Minority Leader George Akume has started lobbying for his Senate presidency bid.

Akume has approached former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Prof Ango Abdulahi and former governor of Osun State, Olagunsoye Oyinlola.

A source in Akume’s camp, who pleaded not to be named, said the lawmaker needed to explore the in-

fluence of political heavyweights he has courted over the years in his bid to clinch the Senate top job.

He said: “The Senate Minority Leader hit the road in what is tagged a ‘strategic cross-country diplomatic shuttle.’

“Senator Akume is a very highly regarded statesman in his own right.

“If the APC is truly about change, that change should reflect in the way we do things, so we send a very

strong message to all Nigerians that they can be assured of a sense of belonging, irrespective of where they come from.

“We have produced a President-elect from a majority ethnic group, we have produced a Vice-President-elect from another majority ethnic group. The APC must be sensitive to the sensitivities of the minorities, across both divides of the Niger.”

“Come to think of it, the

outgoing President, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is from a minority ethnic group. What is in stock for the minorities in the incoming administration?’”.

The source noted that it was in view of that position that the consultations became necessary.

“He was in the Southwest last week, where he met prominent national figures and respected political bulwarks.

“Notable among them

were Obasanjo, APC National Leader, Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Oyinlola.

“He met all the leaders in their homes in Abeokuta, Lagos and Okuku”.

“Akume has also had several engagements with former Vice-President, Abubakar.

“The backstage consultations have also taken him to Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso who has also been elected Senator to represent Kano State, Prof

Ango Abdullahi, ViceChancellor Emeritus of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), former InspectorGeneral of Police, Ibrahim Coomasie and former Kogi State Governor, Prince Abubakar Audu,” he added.

Akume is said to be getting silent endorsements from all the zones. His support, it was learnt cuts across the parties.

“Many believe Akume is mature for the job,” another source said.

THE NATION MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015

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Ikeja Electric explains power outages

Suspected robbery kingpin held

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OPERATIVES of the Lagos State Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) have ended the reign of a suspected car-snatching and armed robbery kingpin in Lagos and Abuja.

Oliver Chukwuemeka a.k.a Mopol, 35, was arrested while on his way to receiving a snatched vehicle from a member of his gang in Lagos.

A source said Oliver had been parading himself as an orderly and driver to some retired senior police officers to evade arrest.

Nemesis caught up with him when he was found with an identity card belonging to a Corporal, following which he confessed that he used the card to beat security checks.

His arrest, it was learnt, followed that of two of his agents, Ogunshina Akinropo, 32, an exconvict, and Hamzat Akeem, 23.

Akeem claimed he was a native doctor before he became a fraudster, receiver and buyer of snatched cars and armed robber "due to financial problems."

Oliver said: "I am from Amaesi, Aguata Local Government Area, Anambra State. I am a driver and Orderly to Deputy Inspector General of Police, Assistant Inspector General of Police and a Commissioner of Police all retired (names withheld). I was arrested at Sagamu (Ogun State) on April 16, 2015 when I went there to collect a snatched vehicle from Hamzat. I also wash and iron clothes for the retired police officers and they used to pay me N25,000."

On how many cars he had snatched, he said: "There is one robber called Danjuma. He gave me one Honda Accord 2003 Model at N280,000 and one jeep for N480,000; I paid N400,000 only."

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By Ebele Boniface

Asked why he was nicknamed Mopol and Deingenpol or Compol, he said: "My neighbours and friends always see me driving retired police officers and I used to wear Mopol uniform or cap at times. I live at 11, Arab Road, Kubwa in Abuja. I used the Corporal’s identity card to beat security agents on the highways and they even give me compliment as a very senior officer. Some policemen never looked at the identity card very well; rather they salute me."

Akeem a.k.a Babalawo, who hails from Iwo in Osun State, said: "I am a native doctor. I inherited the work from my father who died in 2011. I cure general sicknesses. I use oracle, ogun, herbal concoctions and Igbo (Indian hemp) to cure chronic diseases and mental problems. I once had gonorrhea and I cured myself. My house was built to lintel level by my late brother. I was the one that completed it and bought two vehicles - a car and a jeep - from the money I made from fraud and robbery.

"I have a shrine inside my compound at Ajagba in Iwo. I also have an interpreter. I was an armed robber based in Ikorodu but when SARS became a threat to us, I relocated to Iwo and became a native doctor. I read it in a newspaper when the commissioner (Kayode Aderanti) advised all robbers to relocate. I obeyed but Mopol assured me that police wouldn't be a threat to them as he had police identity card and uniform as a senior police officer. I had earlier been arrested and sent to Kirikiri prison for armed robbery twice. It was the third journey to Kirikiri that made me to relocate to my village and I came back because of Mopol to solve my financial problem.

•The suspects

"It was Oliver who called and asked me to go and get a vehicle for him. He bought Toyota Highlander Jeep and Toyota Corolla 2014 Model. It was another Toyota Highlander he wanted for his wife which he wanted to receive that caused his arrest. I am a native doctor and a fraudster (419er). If one wants to do ritual money, I charge him N50,000 to commit him. I also do consultancy for those who seek something from oracles. It is an organised crime. One of our members will represent oracle and talk to the victim when the victim makes the demand. I charged between N500,000 to N700,000. To scare the victim, we tell him what he cannot do, like

‘IGP orders probe of village invasion’

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ESIDENTS of Gerigbe Village in Ikorodu Local Government area of Lagos State have urged Acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to look into the invasion of their land by some policemen and hoodlums.

Their appeal followed another attack on the community last Thursday night by some policemen from the Force Criminal Investigation Bureau (FCIB), Abuja.

In a petition, the community is alleging that five residents were arrested and the home of High Chief Sanyaolu Aina was vandalised.

A source said the police team

By Basirat Braimah

claimed that it acted on orders from above, but the villagers are claiming that "the police deliberately led thugs, hoodlums and cultists to take over their land."

A landlord, Kayode Odunbitan, who is the Secretary of Gerigbe/ Orelade royal family, alleged that the police team came with hoodlums, area boys and cult members about 10pm and sacked the village.

Odunbitan said the police watched as hoodlums looted and raped women and "eventually took over the entire village."

He urged the IGP to ensure that the case is investigated and that those found wanting are brought to book.

Meanwhile, following a petition by the Edem law firm, he alleged, the IGP has instructed his monitoring unit to investigate the matter.

But High Chief Aina is claiming that despite the IGP's orders, the attack on the village have not ceased.

Strange people, he alleged, had been invading his home and his followers' at odd hours, adding that suspected hired killers have also been trailing his vehicles.

bringing ten people to be sacrificed to the oracle and this is done after collecting enough money from him."

Ogunshina, who is from Ilobu in Osun State, added: "I am a tractor driver. I had nothing doing and I joined robbers to survive. It was one Kingsley who gave me Mopol's phone number as the sponsor of our gang. I gave Mopol two vehicles in 2012. I went to Kirikiri prison once."

The command's spokesman, Ken Nwosu, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) confirmed the arrests, adding that sponsors of armed robbers are more heartless and dangerous than the robbers; hence, "he is a major suspect."

HE management of Ikeja Electric (IE) has attributed the current rate of power interruption across its network to low power allocation from the National Grid.

The company made the explanation in a statement signed by Mr Pekun Adeyanju, IE Assistant General Manager, Public Affairs, and issued in Lagos.

It quoted Mr Abiodun Ajifowobaje, the Chief Executive Officer of IE , as saying that the average power allocation to the company was 350 mega watts (MW) as against minimum load demand of 1,250 MW. Ajifowobaje, according to the statement, explained that the huge shortfall had affected the operations of the company, as they had resorted to load-shedding.

Ajifowobaje reassured electricity consumers in its jurisdiction that the company would ensure that the power allocation will be equitably distributed.

He appealed for consumers’ understanding and promised that efforts had been stepped up to ensure repair of electrical faults.

He decried the activities of consumers who connect electricity illegally into their premises without paying electricity bills.

The IE chief said the activities of the vandals had impacted negatively on consumers’ billing system.

“The energy allocated to an area is measured and people may be paying for the power being consumed by the energy thieves.

“We have put a process in place to migrate individuals involved in this practice into our network.

“However, we seek the cooperation of community leaders and consumers in our efforts to eradicate energy theft and ensure quality service delivery for all customers within the IE network,” he said.

Council inaugurates committees

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HE Agege Local Government in Lagos State has inaugurated five committees to assist in making recommendations that would enhance the successful administration of the council.

The committees with various terms of reference are to submit their recommendations this week. They are mandated to evaluate and audit non-pensionable staff and look into areas of revenue leakages and make recommendations on how to block them and improve the council’s revenue.

Mrs Oluwatoyin Okulate, assisted by her husband, Brig. Gen. Gbenga Okulate (rtd) and the children of Modupe Cole Memorial Child Care and School, at St Finbarrs College, Akoka, Lagos to cut her 60th birthday cake.

PHOTO: ABIODUN WILLIAMS

A committee is to look into the different stages of ongoing projects and make recommendations for payment. It will also recommend priority projects.

The fourth committee will look into the state of degradation of local government infrastructure and make recommendations on how to uplift them.

The last committee is to draft a Mission and Vision Statement for the local government.

Inaugurating the committees at the council secretariat, the Executive Secretary, Omofunmilewa Adejombo, a lawyer, said the primary purpose of setting up the committees is to advance the course of governance and move the council forward.

He said it was a joint decision by all stakeholders in the council area and therefore, should not be seen as a means to witchhunt anybody.

Hon. Richard Osayinpeju, who chairs one of the committees, said the responsibility is a call to serve, particularly now when the allocation from the federal coffers is fast dwindling.

He added that all local governments should start to look inwards on how generate funds to provide their people with amenities that will make life more meaningful.

He enjoined members of the committees to work assiduously in their different capacities to ensure the success of the exercise.

THE NATION MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015

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Council chief closes market

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HE Executive Secretary of Amuwo Odofin Local Government in Lagos State, Deaconess Modupe Ajibola-Ojodu, has ordered the closure of Amuwo Odofin Local Government Market Complex.

The market got into the news following the allegation by the traders against one Alhaji Saheed Abiola who they accused of beating them whenever they went against his ‘so-called laid down rules’.

Ajibola-Ojodu also immediately dissolved the

By Kelvin Osa Okunbor

existing executives of the market association.

She called for the appointment of a caretaker committee to steer the leadership of the market pending when all the thorny issues raised by the two warring parties in the market would be resolved.

The Women Leader of the market, Mrs Catherine Omotoyosi had alleged that Abiola, popularly known as ‘Zyad1’ usually engaged in illegal collection of levies from the marketers even when he was not

a member of the executives.

Abiola had debunked most of the accusations.

Speaking at the reconciliation meeting yesterday at the Local Government headquarters in Lagos, Ajibola-Ojodu said that the market would remain shut until all the issues were settled.

She warned the warring parties against flouting her orders, insisting that her administration would not tolerate breakdown of laws and orders within the market.

‘Save my child’s life’ •The suspects

Suspected cable vandals arrested T HREE suspected electricity transformer cable thieves were arrested by community volunteers in Era Town, in the Oto-Awori Local Council Development Area of Lagos State at the weekend.

The suspended vandals were apprehended in the early hours of the day before they could carry out their nefarious act.

The suspects who gave their names as Henry Reuben, Eze Obiesi and Chika Okpara, were with industrial spanners, pliers

and a push-truck with which they planned to loosen and cart away the power connecting cables.

When quizzed, the leader of the gang, Obiesi, confessed that they were the same gang that vandalised and carted away the cables that connected one of the community’s transformers to the power grid a week earlier.

Leader of the watchmen group, Mr Amodu

Saminu, expressed satisfaction that they had got to the bottom of the cable theft in the community, adding that some of the youths earlier accused had been exonerated.

Reuben said the cables stolen from one of the transformers were sold off at N5, 000 per metre, fetching about N300,000 for cables worth almost 700,000 at N10,500 per metre.

“I was shared N40, 000 from a total booty of N130, 000,” he said.

•The rehabilitated road ... yesterday

Road gets facelift ten years after

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SHODI-ISOLO Local Government Area of Lagos has rehabilitated Adekunle Street in Oshodi which had suffered damage for about ten years.

The Nation learnt that motorists, commercial motorcyclists otherwise known as Okada riders and residents go through hardship plying the road especially during the rainy season.

The council’s Executive Secretary Adeola Dawood

Olajobi said the gesture is to ease traffic in Oshodi.

According to him, the road, which is an easy access to Mafoluku and Oshodi road through its link to Daodu Street, would no doubt ease traffic on major roads.

Olajobi said vehicles would not be allowed to be parked or abandoned on the road.

He warned those engaging in mechanical work along the road to desist.

“More link roads,” he

said, “would also be taken into consideration; though we were saddled with the responsibilities of midwifing the affairs of the council till there will be a substantive chairman.”

“But by and large, the welfare of our people matters to us, hence our resolution to also distributed desks, benches and exercise books to all our pupils in the primary schools to enhance teaching and learning process,” he added.

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50-YEAR-OLD helpless father, Isiaka Yusuf, has cried out to kind-hearted Nigerians to assist him in rescuing his ailing son from imminent death.

Yusuf visited the Lagos Headquarters of The Nation last Friday, seeking help for the five-and-a-half-year-old child, Kehinde AbdurRaheem Yusuf, who needs N625,000 for a corrective surgery at the University College hospital (UCH), Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

“I have been running to every direction without any hope and I don’t want this boy to die because he has suffered a lot. I can only look up to God through publicspirited Nigerians,” Yusuf, who resides on Kilometer 2,

Iseyin Road, Moniya, Ibadan, said.

Displaying the boy’s medical records, he added: “My son has an unusually big head bigger than his entire body as a result of which he could not sit, walk or control his head.

His ailment, known as hydrocephalus in medical parlance, started when he was just six months old. Then, he had malaria and a doctor passed a drip through his head. Two weeks after, his head started growing more than his entire body. Since then, we have taken him to about 10 different private, traditional and General Hospitals before we were then referred to the UCH in June 2011. At the UCH, he has undergone tests and now another surgery is being contemplated to save his life.”

•Kehinde

He said donations could be forwarded to a GTBank account, 0151945965, which was opened under the name: Abdur-Raheem Kehinde Yusuf. “My contact number is 08032854784,” he said.

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THE NATION MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015

NEWS

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ODSWILL Jumbo, a former Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to Rivers State Deputy Governor Tele Ikuru, has accused his principal of ordering his (Jumbo’s) kidnap.

Ikuru did not answer the calls to his mobile; neither did he reply to the text messages our reporter sent to his phones yesterday.

The former deputy governor’s aide spoke yesterday from an undisclosed location in Port Harcourt, the state capital.

He urged security agencies to ensure his safety and the Department of State Security (DSS) to sanction two of its operatives who connived with hoodlums to kidnap and attempted to kill him.

Ikuru was deputy to former Governor Celestine Omehia for over five months before he (Omehia) was sacked by the Supreme Court in its landmark judgment on October 25, 2007.

When Rotimi Amaechi was inaugurated as governor the next day, he retained Ikuru as his deputy.

PDP wants to foist opposition on South, says Emerhor From Bolaji Ogundele, Warri

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ELTA State All Progressives Congress (APC) has faulted the sectional victory of its governorship candidate in this year’s election, Olorogun O’tega Emerhor, by leaders of the state Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

APC described the notion as dubious and unfavourable to Nigerians.

Delta State Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, at a recent function at the University of Ibadan (UI) Trenchard Hall, claimed that the Southsouth and Southeast voted against Presidentelect Muhammadu Buhari, APC governorship candidates and legislative candidates as against its massive victory in the North.

Emerhor faulted Uduaghan’s position yesterday.

The APC candidate noted that the PDP, in connivance with some state apparatuses, used “fraudulent means” to foist its will on the people of the two regions.

He said this resulted in the international outcry against the level of unethical practices that occurred during elections in the Southsouth.

Emerhor said this informed the decision of APC candidates to file petitions at the Rivers, Delta and Akwa Ibom election tribunals.

According to him, the people of the Southsouth and Southeast were as tired as the other sections of the country and were ready to key into the change everyone yearned for prior to the elections.

Emerhor said the region was robbed of the change they clamoured for through electoral malpractices.

Disagreeing with Uduaghan, the APC candidate stressed that the people of the two zones were never allowed to vote nor were they allowed to express their preferred candidates.

Ex-Rivers deputy governor’s aide alleges threat to life •Ikuru won’t answer calls, text messages From Bisi Olaniyi, Port Harcourt

On March 22, this year, Ikuru defected from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Jumbo was relieved of his appointment on March 14 for undisclosed reasons.

Jumbo, a stalwart of the APC, attributed his travails to his closeness to the party’s governorship candidate, Dr. Dakuku Adol Peterside.

A text message was sent to Ikuru at 2:08p.m. yesterday to get his reactions to the allegations by his ex-aide, but he did not reply up till press time last night.

He also did not answer his Etisalat line at 2:40p.m.

On his ordeal, Jumbo said:

“At 10p.m. on May 8, some suspected hoodlums, led by the Chief Security Detail to the Deputy Governor, Abu Steve, accompanied by the Security Detail to his wife, Dr. Mina Ikuru, Peter Obidigbo, both operatives of the State Security Service (SSS), stormed my home at Flat 10, Unity Estate, Obi Wali Road, Rumuigbo, in Port Harcourt, and unleashed mayhem on me and my family.

“In a Gestapo type of operation, they barged into my house, dragged me out in my underwear and descended on me with blows, guns and other dangerous weapons.

While his men were dealing with me outside, Abu Steve and others ransacked my house, searching for God-

knows-what.

“In the course of their beating, kicking and hitting me with the butts of their guns, they told me that my political views, expressed in different media platforms, were annoying their boss (Ikuru) and making his new sojourners in the PDP wary of him.

They said they could not understand how his former spokesman could be so outspoken against the party (PDP).

“When they finished, they dumped me in the trunk of their car and drove off into the night, around 10.30p.m.

They took me to an unknown forest, where they brought me out, marched me into the bush and were about to execute me, before a disagreement ensued among them.

Some of the hoodlums opted out of the assassination plan; instead, they insisted that I should be handed over to the police on trumped-up charges.

“After a few minutes of heated argument, they decided for the latter option and threw me back into the car trunk and sped off.

“Around 11p.m., they brought me to the old Government Reservation Area (GRA) Police Station in Port Harcourt and asked that I should be detained on the allegation that I stole a government vehicle, a Toyota Corolla 2008 model, which is my assigned official car. They claimed that I failed to return the car, after I was relieved of my appointment.”

Jumbo added: “By the morning of May 9, 2015, the Rivers State Police Commissioner, having been alerted the previous night of my abduction, demanded to know the details of the matter.”

Police kill six suspected robbers in Delta

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HE police in Ughelli, Delta State has said it killed, last week, six suspected robbers in Ughelli, Ozoro and Abraka communities.

The suspected robbers were reportedly killed in gun battles with combined teams of policemen and vigilantes.

A female member of a suspected robbery gang was shot dead at Alagba-Iyede, in Isoko South Local Government Area.

Valuables, suspected to have been stolen from their victims, were said to have been found in her handbag, besides a locally made gun.

The police said they arrested the suspected leader of the gang during a shootout with the police and vigilantes.

•Suspected leader, others arrested From Polycarp Orosevwotu, Ughelli

The suspected gang leader was said to have confessed to the possession of a cut-to-size double barrelled gun at his Ogborikoko home in Warri.

The suspect was said to have been taken to Asaba, the Delta State capital.

Ughelli Area Commander, Alali Smart Pedro, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), addressed reporters at the weekend on the development.

He said an eyewitness affirmed that a gang of three robbers attacked a security man on his way to work.

The robbers were said to

have stolen his gun and Simba motorcycle.

The police chief said luck ran out on the robbers when they ran into a vigilance group and a police patrol team.

Also, the police in Abraka, Ethiope East Local Government Area, under Ughelli Area Command, have arrested a suspect, Erabor Oghenero, for alleged car snatching.

The police chief for the area, Erabor Oghenero, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), said the suspect was arrested when he attempted to escape with a Toyota Camry he allegedly snatched at gun point.

The police said on May 9,

his men intercepted a robbery gang behind a first generation bank on Isoko Road in Ughelli as they were robbing.

On sighting the police and the vigilantes, it was learnt, the gang members allegedly opened fire on the law enforcement team.

Three of the suspected robbers were reportedly killed in a gun battle while the others “escaped with bullet wounds”.

Oghenero said two other robbery suspects were killed at Afiesere, Ughelli North Local Government Area, during a routine patrol in Ughelli.

He said others escaped with bullet wounds.

The police chief said his men killed seven suspected robbers in the last week.

Excitement as Calabar monorail coaches arrive

From Bolaji Ogundele, Warri

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GBE-Ijoh community leaders in Delta State have urged the government to intervene in the worsening Aladja/OgbeIjoh crisis to avert a bloody intertribal clash.

The community leaders, in a statement yesterday in Warri, alleged that their Aladja neighbours had continued to flout the terms of earlier peace agreements.

The concerned elders, in the statement by three leaders of the Ijaw community Friday Deinghan, Michael Oweikpodor and Comrade Monday Keme - alleged that members of Aladja community prevented materials for construction works to pass through the only access road in Aladja to Ogbe-Ijoh.

They noted that the failure of the government to intervene might result in a bloody clash and a resurgence of the age-long rivalry between the two Urhobo (Aladja) and Ijaw (Ogbe-Ijoh) neighbours.

The statement said: “As a result of these attacks, on the invitation of the Governor of Delta State, there was a meeting between leaders of OgbeIjoh and Aladja communities at the Government House in Asaba. It was presided over

by Deputy Governor Amos Utuama with the Commissioner of Police, the Director of State Security Services (SSS), the Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice and some other commissioners in attendance.

“At that meeting, it was resolved that Aladja indigenes should stop preventing the movement of building materials to Ogbe-Ijoh through Aladja, which is the only access road to Ogbe-Ijoh town. They also agreed that nobody from the two communities should build on the buffer zone between the two communities, as identified by the government.”

Edo workers threaten strike

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HE construction of the Calabar monorail yesterday took a major leap towards completion, with the delivery of the passengers coaches Cross River State Governor Liyel Imoke, who received the coaches, said the project had been finally delivered.

The governor said in the next few weeks, the rails would link the Summit Hills and Tinapa, bringing the business and leisure resort closer to Calabar metropolis.

He said: “The monorail line is a project that has been in the books of Cross River State for many years.

So, it is very gratifying for us to see that the trains are finally delivered to site and work is going on. In a couple of weeks, we will have this train running, linking Tinapa to Calabar and berthing at the Calabar International Convention Centre.

“This is a realisation of a dream and an indication of growth and economic expansion, particularly in tourism, which the state is

Community urges govt to intervene in crisis

From Osemwengie Ben Ogbemudia, Benin

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•Imoke inspecting the monorail coaches...yesterday

known for. This is growth for business and leisure, which should be appreciated by the people.”

Imoke said he was pleased that the vision depicted a good project, adding that the monorail, which will run across an artificial lake separating the two facilities, will be the newest tourism attraction in the state.

He said: “As an administration, we will continue to build and strengthen that

sector. This train will further enhance that because it will be used for business and pleasure. I expect everyone to come and enjoy a ride of this nature that links the two great tourists attractions.

“Though I may not take a ride on the train before my exit, but as we speak, everything has been procured and delivered on site.

It is just waiting to be coupled, and it will be up and running. This will become

the newest tourist attraction in Cross River State.

“If you take an aerial view of these facilities, I don’t think we have any site in Nigeria that can be compared with it, except maybe, the Obudu Mountain Resort.”

The governor added that an agreement had been signed with the technical partners to train Cross River State indigenes to maintain the equipment, when they take over.

DO State workers are poised for a showdown with the government over the planned deductions from their salaries for contributory pensions account as from the end of this month.

They have issued a sevenday ultimatum to the government to withdraw from the planned deductions or face a protest that will cripple activities in the state.

Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) State Chairman Emmanuel Ademokun addressed reporters at the weekend in Benin, the state capital.

The Labour leader expressed surprise at the letter issued by the Head of Service (HOS) to begin the deductions this month.

He described the plan as shocking to workers.

Ademokun cautioned that the Head of Service could not “singlehandedly pick the Pension Fund Administrator (PFA) for Edo workers” but should “allow due process” to take its course in the implementation of the deductions.

THE NATION MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015

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THE NATION MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015

NATION SPORT

PREMIERSHIP... PREMIERSHIP... PREMIERSHIP... PREMIERSHIP...

Hazard: Drogba convinced me to join Chelsea D

ROGBA convinced Eden Hazard to join Chelsea almost three years ago, according to the PFA Player of the Year.

Hazard left Lille for Stamford Bridge in a deal worth £32 million in 2012 and Rudi Garcia coach of the Ligue 1 club at the time - claimed that a phone call from owner Roman Abramovich persuaded the forward to join the Blues.

However, Hazard has now insisted that was not the case, instead revealing that Drogba convinced him to snub rival interest from Manchester United and link up with the Blues.

"I didn't want to go to Chelsea because I wanted to play the Champions League and they were sixth in the league," Hazard told the Daily Mirror.

"I was convinced when they

won the Champions League in 2012.

"At the time, Roberto Di Matteo really wanted me, they had Juan Mata, and Oscar had been bought. I was told: 'You'll see, Chelsea will play football'.

"Gervinho called me and said: 'Someone's on the phone'. I didn't know who it was but it was Drogba, he wanted me to sign.

"I was flattered, he was maybe the best striker in the world. In my head, I wasn't going to sign, but in the end I was very pleased with my choice. I didn't speak to Abramovich.

"I don't know why coach Garcia wrote that in his book."

Hazard has won the Premier League, League Cup and Europa League since arriving at Stamford Bridge.

Van Gaal calm as injury issues resurface

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Everton has moved on from Distin - Martinez

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LAIMS Everton have moved on from Sylvain Distin after the centreback hit out at a lack of match action this term.

The 37-year-old has not played since January's FA Cup third-round draw with West Ham, a team he claimed to

•Distin

have been keen on joining later that month.

"I went to see the coach about the proposal for West Ham who were offering me a transfer until the end of the season," Distin told L'Equipe in the week.

"The next day, he said that he counted on me and that I was part of the team. Since that day I haven't been called up once.

"I have no idea why. We have not spoken since."

Martinez accepts the Frenchman's frustration, but is unlikely to keep the veteran at Goodison Park when his contract expires in June, having seen England international John Stones flourish at the back this term.

"I can understand that completely, Sylvain has been a phenomenal professional and a phenomenal servant to Everton," Martinez explained when asked about Distin's outburst.

"It has been a tough season, but in football it happens - you get a young man like John Stones at the age of 20 that has performed in an incredible manner and developed a strong partnership with Phil Jagielka.

"In January, Sylvain wanted to leave the club. In the end it never materialised, from that point on we need to look to the future.

"We wish Sylvain the best but I don't see anything wrong with that situation. It is natural in football and a natural moment in his career."

ANCHESTER United are not set to endure another injury crisis before the end of the season, despite seeing three players limp out of Saturday's win over Crystal Palace.

All of Louis van Gaal's changes at Selhurst Park were forced upon him as Luke Shaw and Wayne Rooney were withdrawn before the second half with concussion and a thigh issue respectively.

Chris Smalling also hobbled off in the second half after a week that had seen midfielder Michael Carrick ruled out until next season.

But Van Gaal, who has had to juggle his options this term due to a spate of fitness con-

cerns, delivered positive updates on all three after the 2-1 triumph which effectively secured United's top-four spot in the Premier League. "[Shaw] had an elbow in his face and he had a bloody nose," Van Gaal explained. "He was dizzy, so -out of precaution - we took him off.

"He went to hospital but I have a message he will fly with us back so I'm not thinking it's very bad.

"Rooney had a dead leg, that's why I had to change him. "[Smalling] was stumbling and I don't think he played his best match so that's why I changed. He had cramp, you could see it because he was pulling at his toes."

Sherwood: Work still to do

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STON Villa manager Tim Sherwood says his side still have work to do despite moving four points clear of the drop zone thanks to a 1-0 win over West Ham on Saturday.

Villa’s 38 points tally may already be enough to keep them up but one win from their final two games would make it certain.

Sherwood said: “We always just look at the next one, so it is going to be a tough game away at Southampton. We will obviously go there and look to win.

“Nothing is going to be easy, there is still a lot of hard work to be done, but that was a good step towards it.

“Everyone is getting unlikely results. It's in our hands but you will see a few more twists and turns.

"I talked to them about complacency today but I didn't see it, I saw a very open, attacking performance and then I saw a really professional one in the second period.

"They are marrying it all together and there seems to be a real maturity growing. I'm pleased for them.

“We are always up for the fight, I have learned that about the boys, but we are also showing some real quality.”

Tom Cleverley's third goal in three games gave Villa a 1-0 half-time lead but the home fans then had to endure a somewhat nervy second 45 minutes.

Sherwood said: “It is natural to get edgy, we appreciate that.

“It is always nervy when you are in the position we are in but I felt

•Sherwood

Ramsey keen to remain at QPR despite relegation

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HRIS Ramsey has declared his wish to remain as head coach of QPR despite their relegation from the Premier League.

QPR were relegated on Sunday following a 6-0 defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, with a hat-trick from Sergio Aguero and goals from Aleksandar Kolarov, James Milner and David Silva seeing the hosts cruise to victory.

Ramsey took over as interim coach following Harry Redknapp's resignation in February before being given the job until the end of the campaign.

So far, Ramsey has managed just two wins in his time in charge.

But, when asked if he wants to be the man to lead QPR next season, he replied: "Yes. I really do. It's a club I've taken to my heart."

Turning his attention to QPR's sorry performance, Ramsey added:

•Ramsey

•Van Gaal

we limited West Ham to very few shots today.”

Regarding West Ham’s second-half improvement, Sherwood added: “It is impossible to be that dominant in 90 minutes football, we expected West Ham to come out and change it a little bit.

“But it was as comfortable as we could have been. We killed the game off, kept it at the right times.

"We came here with a lot of hope, shot ourselves in the foot and gave away three setpieces which they scored from.

"On the day we didn't really turn up and they are a very good team. The boys will be very disappointed in the way they performed. We are really feel sorry for the travelling fans.

"As you can imagine the dressing room is very, very quiet. I don't think it's a time for post mortems, our fate is what it is.

"The club is in a rebuilding phase now and would have been anyway regardless of [the result] today. There are lots of people at the club who will be extremely disappointed in the way we conducted ourselves."

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THE NATION MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015

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COMMENTARY EDITORIALS

LETTER

Buhari needs our support to succeed

Old habits

•How come the Fed Govt has borrowed N473bn in first quarter?

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UESDAY last week, finance minister and coordinator of the economy Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, gave an overview of the 2015 budget earlier passed into law by the National Assembly. Among other highlights, she disclosed that the outgoing administration has already borrowed N473 billion to fund parts of the 2015 budget. According to the minister, the 50 per cent cut in revenue owing to drop in oil prices, the low revenue receipts from nonoil sources and the fact that most companies had yet to file in their tax returns in the first quarter of the year made it imperative for the Federal Government to resort to borrowing.

She would add that much as the government had tried to reduce the level of borrowing, such could not be achieved this year due to cash flow problems. She provided the summary thus: “In all, the government expects to borrow N882bn. Out of this, N380bn is expected from external sources; the rest – N502 billion would come from domestic borrowing. By way of comparison, the government borrowed N570 billion to fund the 2014 budget”.

Ordinarily, the borrowing plan would seem a pragmatic step given the sustained dip in prices and more so, in the environment of weakening demand for the nation’s crude. If we expected fresh thinking or even a paradigm shift which the current crisis in our public finance dictates, the Jonathan administration, true to its character, has merely opted to plod along the old, easy but short-term route of digging fresh pits to fill extant holes.

What options currently exist given the

dire financial situation? Should we be looking for loans to pay wages and emoluments of public servants? Shouldn’t we be thinking of how to eliminate the innumerable drain pipes to save billions of public revenues routinely frittered away – funds that could go a long way to settle staff liabilities? Wouldn’t that have been a far more sensible thing to do in the circumstance?

Why the rush to borrow considering that the 2015 budget itself has not been signed into law?

Borrowing – if we may put things bluntly – is not the problem. Indeed, when properly deployed, it can help alleviate both short and long-term funding gaps. However, in the hand of a spendthrift administration, it becomes a substitute to good thinking, an avenue for corrupt enrichment by unscrupulous officials, a handy quickfix for an administration ever so eager to kick fundamental problems down the road.

Far more than the cash crunch which the nation currently grapples with is the more fundamental problem of fiscal irresponsibility across the board. It explains the Jonathan administration’s humongous appetite for loans even when oil prices kept at steady highs; it offers explanation for the current situation in which a departing administration would, under four months and in a transition year, spend more than 50 percent of the entire loan sum proposed for the entire budget cycle. In some way, it would partly explain what we saw as the rather thin boundary between the public till and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Federal Government’s war-chest during the last elections.

For an administration known to routinely harangue state governments on fiscal responsibility, going as far as blocking those among them that have sought bank credit to ameliorate the current crisis, its preachment on fiscal responsibility must now be seen for what it is – hollow.

The in-coming administration might want to review some of the existing loans to ensure that they deliver value to Nigerians. As for the challenge of bridging the revenue gaps, one of the more immediate options is to ensure that all revenue-earning agencies and parastatals pay their operating surpluses into the federation account. We have seen too many of them operate outside of the law for far too long.

Aligning their operations with the demands of constitutionalism would not only be a step in the right direction, we see it as offering immense promises in terms of boosting the federation account.

‘Shouldn’t we be thinking of how to eliminate the innumerable drain pipes to save billions of public revenues routinely frittered away – funds that could go a long way to settle staff liabilities? Wouldn’t that have been a far more sensible thing to do in the circumstance?

Why the rush to borrow considering that the 2015 budget itself has not been signed into law?’

Scary verdict • CBN has to be up and doing to prevent any bank from going under

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HE sour experience regarding collapse of banks in the nation’s history demands vigilance at any time issues concerning the welfare of the banking sector come up. Indeed, this was what aroused our curiosity when Allan Gray Group, Africa’s largest privately-owned investment management company, in its recent report titled ‘Gray Issue: The sentiment pendulum’, arrived at an eerie conclusion concerning our banks. The group stated that Nigerian banks lenders’ performance as at the end of March 2015 had ebbed. The unsavoury consequence, as predicted, is that by year 2016, most serious investors would have lost interest in the viability of the banks. The panacea: the affected banks need recapitalisation; to avoid going under.

The outfit, in its precise words stated

‘The banks can still do better if they are more disciplined in granting loans and arresting the trend of non-performing loans, the interest on which could have fetched them good income, amongst other measures. In our view, it is by doing this satisfactorily that their cost structure can be brought down considerably’

that this development creates a situation where “sentiment towards Nigerian banks has gone from positive to outright fear. The fear is not without reason given the falling oil price, likely spike in bad debts, political uncertainty and Boko Haram insurgency. It is indeed likely that there will be a lot of distress in the next year, but it is important to remember that what a company earns in a particular year generally has little bearing on the intrinsic value of the business; what counts is the level of normal earning through the cycle and the ability to grow those earnings. Financial companies are a little different in this regard as they may go bankrupt before achieving normal earnings. A few Nigerian banks may go bust or raise capital, but luckily the share prices are discounting this probability.”

The above indeed calls for concern in view of its dire consequences on the economy, and more importantly, bank customers. The latter had suffered immeasurable hardships in the past when banks failed, which means that a recurrence is better forestalled. We cannot pretend not to be aware that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has taken some regulatory measures in this regard. We must quickly add though that the apex bank has been found wanting in the effective discharge of its supervisory duty over the commercial banks, over time.

We also know that some of the banking regulatory measures put in place to stabilise the economy, that have provided succour to customers, including reduc-

tions in commission on turnover and fee element, in addition to strict foreign exchange control measures, could make it difficult for the banks to make higher profit. Notwithstanding, the banks can still do better if they are more disciplined in granting loans and arresting the trend of non-performing loans, the interest on which could have fetched them good income, amongst other measures. In our view, it is by doing this satisfactorily that their cost structure can be brought down considerably.

So, the CBN should quickly do the needful by devising ways that would put banks that are in dire mess of nonperforming loans (NPLs) on their toes.

Where necessary, severe sanctions should be meted out on negligent or erring banks with absurdly high NPLs. The routine but detrimentally systemic practice of re-financing of debts should be discouraged or stopped forthwith. This bad trend of robbing Peter to pay Paul is not healthy for the sector. Bank debtors that enjoy making debts burdensome rather than deploying such to create wealth should be made to face the full weight of the law.

It should not be lost on us that the last bailout of distressed banks by the CBN cost the nation N620billion. We cannot afford such costly spending because of an avoidable banking problem, especially at this period when infrastructural development should be accorded priority.

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IR: I have no doubt that the President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari will perform better than his predecessors if Nigerians give him full co-operation and support.

What it takes to succeed as a leader in a multi-cultural and ethnic society like ours is honesty and commitment from the part of a leader and support and cooperation from followers.

We should understand that Buhari is eager to fix Nigeria for the betterment of all of us. We should understand that a lot of damage has been done to socioeconomic life of Nigeria.

I know that expectations are very high on the president-elect to lift the country from her present status. Leadership is not an easy thing especially for those like the President-elect, who wants to be remembered as rescuer of the poor masses. Buhari has made of a lot of promises during the period of electioneering hence we expect him live up to expectations. This requires commitment on his part; on our part as followers, we need patience, co-operation and prayers.

We should bear in mind that a lot of things have gone wrong which require fixing. The issue is that there are simply no quick-fixes to a number of the problems. In other words, the results of some of the measures that would be undertaken by his government may not be felt immediately.

One of these critical expectations is for the Chibok girls to be brought back alive to reunite with their families. These unfortunate girls have been in the captivity of Boko Haram for more than a year now. As it is, we do not know if they are still alive although the outgoing government of President Goodluck Jonathan believes that the girls are still alive.

Our education sector is also in shambles and needs to be fixed. We have not talked about the high rate of poverty and unemployment. All these are critical to our country’s socio-economic being and development. We should give him time as he takes over. We can even pray for his success because those are some of things he needs to bring changes that we are clamouring for.

• Fatima Musa Badeggi IBB University, Lapai-Niger State

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THE NATION MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015

CARTOON & LETTERS

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IR: “Buhari has upturned the world, the army has sent Shehu Shagari’s government home and change has come in 1983.

That change involved orderliness and discipline in Nigeria”.

The above were the words of a song titled “Change ‘83" by the talented Ikwerre Eri Uvor musician late James Avunonu Wizor, alias Jimmy Conter, Eze Agala 1 of Ikwerre, released in 1984.

This song succinctly summarized General Mohammadu Buhari’s first coming as the political leader of Nigeria in 1983 through a military coup. The first Buhari’s change was anchored on the ideology of discipline due to the monumental corruption that took place in the Second Republic. His second change is yet to be galvanized into an ideology. Meanwhile, we the ordinary folks are writing to suggest what should be the ingredients of Buhari’s second change.

Many have opined that the second change should be anchored on his election promises. That he must deal decisively with corruption, insecurity and provision of development infrastructure. Nigerians strongly desire that he should deal with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) including the issues of the refineries; fuel scarcity, price, subsidy and importation. The problem of fuel subsidy has become a steady disgrace and embarrassment to Nigeria.

Nigerians have reminded him to bring back his “War Against Indiscipline” (WAI) and that is why many are insisting that NNPC should be probed to determine how $20 billion got missing from its account as alleged by the former CBN Governor, now Emir of Kano.

In fact, Nigerians are asking Buhari to do so many things within a short period because they have become thoroughly impatient with their misery largely due to bad political leadership.

Besides what Nigerians want him to do for them, there are other serious things he must do for himself if he must succeed as president. First, there is a fundamental need for him to consciously re-examine and understand deeply his personality.

Second, he needs to understand and know how to deal with the presidential template and parapherna-

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Again, Buhari goes to school lia.

The Buhari’s personality is like gold in the political firmament of Nigeria. But this gold is so raw and must pass through the crucibles of the furnace fire to bring out its finesse. In some way, that was what Tinubu, Fayemi, etc did to him: to rebrand or refurbish him. That rebranding is not done yet, he needs to re-examine himself more closely and compare who he was under the ANPP/CPC era and now under APC. This is his first school of change.

The second school is how Buhari will handle some socio-political sentiments that invisibly rule the

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Office of the President. For example, should government continue to fund religious pilgrimage?

Should the lazy party/tribal “big boys” continue to have their dubious contracts and political patronages to avoid wrecking the ship of government? How will Buhari handle sycophancy even in his cabinet? In fact, must things continue to be done as usual? These are some of the issues in the template and they can easily make or mar the presidency if not well handled.

In Nigeria’s past, the handling of the template had actually made or marred political regimes. For example, it was the misreading of the

template that made the AzikiweBalewa government to brutally suppress Western Nigeria and allowed the “ten percenters” have their way. This culminated in the military coup of 15th January 1966.

The presidential template and its paraphernalia did not allow Shagari to work as Shagari and this triggered the December 1983 coup that sent him out of office. Under the influence of the template, Babangida arrogantly annulled the June 12, 1993 Presidential Election and stepped aside. The second coming of Obasanjo in 1999 took the template for granted and this led him to mischievously scheme for

the ill-fated Third Term Agenda. It was the template that made late President Umaru Yar’Adua to feel he was stronger than Mike Tyson. I do not think that President Goodluck Jonathan understood the forces of the template when he undermined the zoning ideology of the Peoples Democratic Party.

The other two factors in the template that nailed the PDP in 2015 include the underestimation of Boko Haram and corruption.

Buhari is an inestimable gold God has given to Nigeria for political leadership. To succeed, in the midst of the wide-yawning gap for good civil political leadership in Nigeria, he should go back to self school to study himself very well, study the presidential template and its paraphernalia and adjust himself objectively to the needful. This is a prerequisite for successfully dealing with corruption, insecurity and infrastructure gaps.

•Okachikwu Dibia Abuja.

Re: PDP must not be allowed to die

IR: I read Habib Aruna’s insightful opinion piece with the above title published in The Nation of April 26. There are yet grey areas not covered by his enlightening essay chiefly as it relates to the former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Vincent Ogbulafor.

Why did the former PDP chairman say that the PDP will rule Nigeria for 60 years? And why was he duplicitously divested of his office for challenging the power that be, truthfully as widely reported?

I see Vincent Ogbulafor in my mind’s eye as an unpretentious statesman for recognizing the importance of rotational presidency the same way I respect Ogbonnaya Onu for his loyalty and firm political principles.

Back then the PDP buttressed the principle of rotation of elective office with gusto and Ogbulafor openly defended this principle ( a panacea for peace), and as reported - he even asked, the national leader of his party not to seek election because he reasoned, that his ambition would upstage the zoning for-

mula and leave many people in the party hot under the collar. We heard he was removed for that.

The recent defeat of that party might not have been possible if the leaders had not eschewed party principles to settle for crony democracy and it is not unconnected to the cancellation of rotational presidency.

In Nigeria we look at perfect or near perfect situations and advocate it for our peculiar circumstance.

Rotational presidency is needed today but not forever to keep this nation at peace and united.

Right now we are at, ‘let there be peace, cohesion and unity’ level, and we need to begin from where we are. This isn’t suggesting that we throw up total turkeys for elective office, people who are conflictridden political figures with no history. We seek nationalists who know the challenges of our national statehood and know what it takes to do the ‘will of state.’

The PDP, like Ogbulafor prophesied, might have ruled for so many years even if not up to 60 years had the party not underrated the APC. I watched the national leader prior

to the election say on national television, “after this election you will know that the APC is overrated”.

Had the party patched up the differences with aggrieved governors, avoided nuptials to some people who were only interested in fattening their interests, followed the “the rule of right,” instead of the “rule of might” and reached out to all others to win national goals instead of settling for the “love for power” and not “power to love”, Ogbulafor’s prophesy may have had firm grounds to stand.

Imagine the power sharing arrangement in Delta State where PDP candidates from Urhobo have tasted power (James Ibori), Itsekiri (Emmanuel Uduaghan), and now Delta North (Senator Arthur Okowa). That state with this powersharing arrangement will witness peace. You follow?

Contrast that to Rivers State, where you have an outgoing Ikwerre governor and an in-coming Ikwerre governor and you wonder why the same party as in Delta has different rules of engagement for different states.

Today supporters of the PDP are asking Nigerians to push the boat out to recognize their national leader as an international statesman for conceding victory to the APC in the general elections. What choice does any evenhanded president have other than to concede defeat in a democratic contest?

Shouldn’t that be the standard of civilized democrats. It is time we began to promote the norm instead of the exception in our polity.

How many presidents in the West were hero worshipped just for conceding defeat to the opposition? Do they hero worship democratic leaders in Botswana?

The resignation of Adamu Muazu as Chairman of the PDP as advised

by Habib Aruna is not the answer to the glut of problems facing PDP at the moment. The party members need to work on the philosophy of equity, justice and fairness - they must refrain from the uncontrolled public bickering by top wigs of the party which today make news headline.

• Simon Abah, Port Harcourt.

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THE NATION MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015

COMMENTS

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OR a party that emerged through a marvellous merger just two years ago and on the verge of ruling-party status at the federal level, it may seem premature to contemplate the life expectancy of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the context of power. But such reflection is timely ahead of the inauguration of the incoming Muhammadu Buhari presidency on May 29, particularly because of the pronouncements on the party’s lifespan by political prophets.

In other words, against the background of the 16-year governmental lifespan of the outgoing Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from 1999 to 2015, can the APC rule for a longer period? It is thought-provoking that President Goodluck Jonathan, who is heading for the exit following a stunning electoral defeat, expressed optimism about his party’s chances of regaining power at the centre in 2019. Jonathan said to party members after receiving the report of the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation at Aso Villa, Abuja: “We must continue to be united as a party. And continue to work hard so that as we move towards subsequent elections in 2019 and 2023, PDP will come out stronger.”

Also, PDP National Publicity Secretary Olisa Metuh said: “In this regard, all members who have reports, grievances and suggestions on the way forward should transmit same to the Post-Election Review Committee for an all-inclusive roadmap in the overall effort to regain power in 2019.”

It is possible that Jonathan’s confidence merely reflected ostrichism and a conscious denial of his party’s decline and fall, which is understandable because overexcited stalwarts had predicted 60 years of PDP rule. However, perhaps things are not so simplistic, considering the perspective of the Minister of National Planning, Dr. Abubakar Suleiman. In an interview, Suleiman said of APC: “I give the party just one year, it will fizzle out. APC does not have what it takes to stay in power for 16 years or more

‘Now, given the vigour of APC, contrasted with the PDP’s loss of vitality, it should be easy to guess which of the two parties may slump when the going gets tough. The two parties will be grappling with unfamiliar roles. Federal power is new to APC, just as opposition politics is strange to PDP. Will it be easier for APC to master its new status than for PDP to manage its reduced station?’

I

HAVE always been fascinated by the words ‘youth’ and ‘used’ especially in their onomatopoetic rendition as they relate to the youths of Nigeria and their fathers and grandfathers who still delude themselves that they are young, and have refused to yield grounds for the young ones.

About 25 years ago Afro-Juju superstar Shina Peters crooned that the dawn of the youth had arrived and the old should give way for the new: ‘This is the time of the youth and elders should not begrudge us’, he pleaded in a strong voice.

Twenty-five years down the line, nothing has changed.

If anything, the Nigerian youths had been exposed to the most trying time imaginable. Millions of them have been left wallowing in poverty as they roamed the streets of major cities in search of non-existent jobs and opportunities. Several graduates of tertiary institutions have been forced into crimes and criminality, and those of them who are not very physically daring have taken to frauds and all sorts of shady pre-occupation. The young women in this frustrated class have taken to disguised prostitution or full-blown harlotry.

In jokes with the younger ones, I always teased that they are the youth, and I am the used! Of course at Septuagenarian age one is clearly and definitely used unless one belongs in the school of Enrich Ibsen’s Solness in the Master Builder. But today I am not joking. I am referring to a major issue confronting our country in the face of the Change we clamoured for which is due to take off come May 29.

One of the greatest challenges the Buhari government is bound to confront is the issue of the restless, almost hopeless Nigerian youths and how they will be immediately rehabilitated.

In my article titled The Vote of the Unemployed, I analysed how majority of those who were likely to vote for Buhari and damn Jonathan were the millions of unemployed citizens of this country. Specific reference was made of the teeming youths in their millions and entrepreneurs whose factories and plants have been forced to close shop due to the Federal Government’s failure to provide succour to its citizens.

In a conversation with a younger colleague Dr Akinniyi Sowunmi last week, the highly cerebral communication scholar opined that while he recognized Buhari as the symbol of change, it was the vote AGAINST Jonathan that won the election for him [Buhari]. If Buhari [and the APC] would not like to be voted against in four years time, work must begin from today to prevent such eventuality.

The youth rejected Jonathan and voted against him.

What this means is that the Buhari government about

How long will APC rule? as the PDP did.” He added: “How will Atiku, Tinubu, Obasanjo and others work together for long? It cannot last for long. They do not have anything in common. Many of the people in APC have come together for selfish interests and when the expectations are dashed by Buhari’s government, they will scatter.”

This pessimism is not only projected by PDP hierarchs, it is promoted with curious enthusiasm. However, it is noteworthy that this viewpoint, which predated the general elections and dates back to the merger talks leading to the formation of APC, was flawed by the constitution of the party against all odds as well its triumph at the polls. APC’s record-setting performance has been described as “the first time in Nigeria’s political history that an opposition political party unseated a governing party in a general election and one in which power will transfer peacefully from one political party to another.” Remarkably, APC also won the majority of seats in the Senate and the House of Representatives in the historic 2015 elections. Apart from winning the presidential poll, the APC is in the saddle in 22 states, the PDP in 13 and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in one.

Interestingly, the diversity of forces that formed APC was responsible for the ouster of PDP. It was a demonstration of the potency of collaboration that the product of the combination of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), was sufficiently muscular to overcome the PDP.

However, APC cannot afford the luxury of resting on its laurels; and this is why the party must take the prophecies of doom seriously. The glory of its celebrated election victory will not be sufficient for future feats. For a party that earned the votes of the electorate based on its campaign for change, APC itself will need to change from a vote-seeking party to a vote-attracting party, meaning that being in power will demand a new imagination.

There is no doubt that the end of the PDP era has created great public expectations, and all eyes will be on APC to live up to expectations. When power formally changes hands, it would be expected that the actions of APC will begin to speak louder than its words. Ultimately, that is the challenge of change.

It is interesting to note that the PDP prophets have concentrated on APC’s alleged incapacity to survive, and glossed over the PDP’s sinking ship. One significant voice highlighted the necessity for soul-searching. Senate President David Mark was quoted as saying that the party was “already hemorrhaging.” Mark warned: “Unless we halt the bleeding and find the necessary therapy, we may be heading for the final burial of the party. The party is already comatose and we should do all we can to resuscitate the party rather than this unnecessary rancour and buck passing.”

Now, given the vigour of APC, contrasted with the PDP’s loss of vitality, it should be easy to guess which of the two parties may slump when the going gets tough. The two parties will be grappling with unfamiliar roles. Federal power is new to APC, just as opposition politics is strange to PDP. Will it be easier for APC to master its new status than for PDP to manage its reduced station?

Aware of the picture, APC’s National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, observed that PDP “has neither the capacity nor the commitment to be in the opposition.”

Mohammed declared that an opposition party needs to be “creative, knowledgeable, resourceful and above all credible,” adding, “It is not by cheap blackmail.”

Mohammed was also quoted as saying: “This is why we wish to extend to the National Working Committee of the PDP a free orientation, just as we have offered the party’s spokesman a free crash course on how to be an opposition party spokesman. The theme of the orientation will be ‘transiting from the ruling party to an opposition party’.”

It remains to be seen how 2015 to 2019 will play out, how quickly and effectively APC can deliver the desired change to cement its position, and how speedily PDP can recover from its post-election trauma to renew and reposition itself for the future. How long will APC rule? Or how soon will PDP return?

•This columnist and this column are going on vacation

The youth and the used

By Tola Adeniyi to take off must assign a big role to the youth who believe rightly that this incoming government is their own. Even though we are not particularly good with records and statistics, if proper check is made it will be confirmed that the youths were clearly in the majority of those who took the trouble to vote on March 28.

It is unfortunate that the Nigerian youths have been short-changed for so long and as I lamented in my article titled Nigeria’s Adult Children, 45-year-olds in certain circumstances are still considered as youths in Nigeria. There are hundreds of thousands of 40-year-olds who are yet to find their feet in Nigeria. Many in age bracket 35-40 are still in tertiary institutions, jobless, unmarried and heavily dependent on their parents and guardians!

This is why this article will include 50-year-olds who have never had any opportunity to actualise their dreams amongst the youth-bracket. The youth of Nigeria must be empowered. They must be given a big role in this incoming government of Change.

This is where the Used come in. The Used in Nigeria have made themselves a recurring decimal. Some have served as governor, senator, minister, local government chairperson, chairman of several boards, and yet they simply refuse to go and yield opportunity for the young ones; the youth.

It is gratifying that the President-elect had assured Nigerians that there would be no room for proven corrupt individuals in his administration. But he should go further to ensure that all those who have made a career of politics and political jobbery do not crowd the corridors of power in this government of Change, except in special cases of those who made huge contributions to the emergence of the new government and who in the process have suffered hugely in the hands of the opposition. Without going the whole hog of mentioning names, there are past governors, progressive legal luminaries and other top-class technocrats whose expertise will enrich Buhari’s government even if such individuals had held government positions before.

However, the used should please take a back seat in the

in-coming government. There are hundreds of thousands of top-notch technocrats amongst the Youth of Nigeria and they must be sought out even if they are currently in the Diaspora. Nigeria is blessed. Let us try the untainted youth who are eager to serve their fatherland even at the topmost level of government. We cannot afford to continue to deny our youths opportunities in governance.

Our President will be 73 in December, let the bulk of those who will be in his administration be in age bracket 30-50. Chief Richard Akinjide was Federal Minister of Education in the first Republic at age 27. M T Mbu was Nigeria’s High Commissioner in the UK at around age 25. Bode Thomas was about 30 years old when he held sway as a Leader of the Action Group while Chief Sonibare achieved all his accomplishments before he passed on at 43!

My generation and several generations before mine had continued to deceive the young ones that they were the leaders of tomorrow. The question our restive youth are now asking is ‘When will the tomorrow come?’ For many of them the tomorrow was yet to come even 20 years after graduating from the university!

The Buhari government is believed to want to fix the moment and prepare a greater future for Nigerians. If the future belongs to the youth, they have a right to be involved in that preparation. If the dinner is meant for them, they should be involved in its preparation and even in choice making regarding the kind of meal meant for their throats.

The Youths should be given the opportunity to prove their mettle. The Used should thank God for all that they had had the opportunity to accomplish. And if I want to go with grave yard humour, I would say the Young shall grow and the Old shall die!!!

The question our restive youth are now asking is ‘When will the tomorrow come?’ For many of them the tomorrow was yet to come even 20 years after graduating from the university!

THE NATION MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015

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COMMENTS

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RESIDENT-elect Gen. Muhammad Buhari (rtd.) has been speaking variously on his plans to tackle corruption when sworn-in. This should not be a surprise given that the fight against the malfeasance was a key campaign promise of the All Progressives Congress (APC) under which platform he won the election.

If he is hammering on this battle, it is in part informed by this campaign promise and the fact that corruption stands out as the most singular problem that has overtime, stunted the growth and development of this country. So whatever attention that is given to the imperative of waging a conclusive war against corruption is very well deserved.

Apparently to keep this promise in public domain, Buhari has indicated his intention to probe the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to unravel the circumstances behind the $20 billion oil fund which the corporation allegedly failed to remit into the purse of the federal government. He is also interested in investigating allegations of electoral malpractices by INEC officials and sundry security agencies.

At another level, he has been credited with saying he was going to re-visit reports of panels set up by the National Assembly to investigate allegations of financial scandals in federal government ministries and agencies.

Top among the reports which the Presidentelect intends to re-visit are the fuel subsidy scandal, the N255 million bullet proof cars scam and that of the pensions fund investigated by the senate.

What can be deduced from all these, is that

‘The fight against corruption must be all embracing and far reaching for it to achieve the desired result. It must permeate all strata of the nation’s social fabric. It will not only require very radical measures to discourage the feeling that government business is nobody’s business but the strengthening of all institutions with the duty to bring culprits to book’

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Emeka OMEIHE 08112662675 email: EmekaOmeihe@yahoo.com

Revisiting past probes he does not want to leave anyone with any shred of doubt that he is going to pursue the campaign against corruption with all the seriousness the matter deserves. In the days ahead, we are likely to hear more about these cases.

We are more likely to witness the implementation of aspects of the reports that have hitherto been in the cooler for whatever reasons.

Similarly, more heads of those indicted by these reports are likely to roll.

It is also possible that an entirely new insight may be thrown open in the circumstances surrounding these scandals. If and when these happen, the nation would have commenced the much desired fight against corruption. Without doubt, Nigerians are full of expectations on the renewed interest on the war against all forms of corruption. The general feeling is that Buhari can fight corruption. This has more to do with his personality rather than concrete evidence on the ground that the fight will be that easy. Buhari is seen in many circles as a very disciplined and selfless man. He is reputed to be in a position to fight corruption because he is not corrupt himself. So the renewed optimism on the war against corruption hinges more on his personality and reputation than the campaign promise of his party. How far this can take us, will become self evident in the days ahead.

Re-visiting past probes as desirable as they are, may not produce the kind of results this country direly needs to battle the scourge to the ground. First, it gives the impression that all it takes to commence the huge war against corruption is taking on these probes that were solely recorded during the period of the outgoing administration of Jonathan. That would amount to a very circumscribed and narrow

HE appearance of Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) at the public hearing organised by Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and other Financial Institutions to defend its quest for amendments of its 2006 Act last March has ignited a debate on the pros and cons of the proposed amendment. The debate is welcome in a democratic setup like ours, in that it afforded the Nigerian public the opportunity to know what the amendments were meant to achieve. It is remarkable that the media are playing a very crucial role in providing the public platform to air these relevant arguments.

However, lately, some members of the anti-amendment camps are increasingly employing lots of spins in their narratives that smack of desperation. And, unfortunately, some media are being employed to – unwittingly — advance their evidently unhelpful sophistries.

The issues that compel amendments to the Act are already in the public domain, but since not all members of the public will have the time or access to these amendments some people quickly cash on these weakness to dish out propaganda and twist facts. Therefore, those who believe that depositors need the kind of protection NDIC is proposing have the responsibility to refute the claims and set the facts straight.

Now let us look at some of the areas of misconceptions in the various publications to the proposed amendments.

The power to licence banks in Nigeria is strictly within the purview of the Central Bank. However, the Corporation has observed that banks, particularly microfinance banks (MFBs) and primary mortgage banks (PMBs), have closed shop shortly after being licensed and that some of them whose licences were revoked by the CBN could not even be located at their last known addresses after taking away depositors’ funds. Even the promoters could not be traced by both the NDIC and CBN. In practice, therefore, the Corporation is desirous of being involved in the process of licensing the banks, particularly in the area of carrying out “fit and proper persons test” in order to forestall the reoccurrence of events where promoters disappeared with depositors’money.

On the power to supervise banks by the corporation without reference to the CBN, it should be noted that the existing provisions in the NDIC Act, 2006 gave the corporation powers in Sections 27-31 to examine banks and issue reports and such reports were exchanged between the two institutions. Such was the practice until the assumption of office by the immediate past CBN Governor, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi in 2009, who requested that the NDIC and CBN should jointly examine banks and issue joint reports. However, the NDIC was of the view that it should revert to the status quo to maintain its operational independence. And what’s meaning of its operational independence if it must issue joint report?

On the power to terminate the insurance status of banks, the reality is that the power to terminate the insurance status of any licensed bank has been in NDIC’s Act since 1988 and is therefore not a new proposal. However, due to the observation by the CBN with respect to this clause, the Corporation decided to

perspective that erroneously conveys the impression that corruption is all about the outgoing government. We can start with these.

But corruption is more deep rooted and more entrenched than re-visiting past probes as has been touted. It would therefore amount to scratching the surface of the matter to nurse the feeling that corruption can be conclusively battled through such ad hoc probes.

Yes, the fight can be kick-started by probing allegations of financial impropriety against the Jonathan government. If it takes having another look at some of the probes, so be it. After all, there must be a point at which the battle has to commence. There is no intention here to undermine the heuristic value of such engagements. Neither is the impression being conveyed that the fight can only commence when it is holistic in nature.

But the real fight against corruption goes far beyond such isolated probes or re-visiting of past ones. It goes beyond the impression that it is all about getting even or probing the Jonathan administration. Yes, Jonathan can be probed. It is also not unlikely that his administration could be found wanting in some respects given the way our governments have been run overtime. It may not be a surprise that many of those who worked in his administration may have mismanaged public funds just as those in previous governments both military and civilian.

It is even safer to presume that many of the functionaries past and present would score low when weighed on the corruption index.

After all, we are all privy to the monumental scandals that pervade the oil subsidy regime and the pervasiveness of the scourge in all facets of our public life.

Thus, fighting the scourge would require more than ad hoc measures. It would definitely entail a revolution of sorts. It would require a total overhaul of the way government business is run in this country. It would involve fundamental altering of socialization processes to elicit attitudinal changes that are supportive of civic structures. It would require positive dispositions to things that have to do with the government. Sadly, the way the government is perceived today, cannot conduce for effective battle against corruption. Governments at all levels still compete with primordial groups for the loyalty of the citizens. It is still seen as an avenue that needs to be impoverished for the benefit of the primordial groups.

That is why it is not considered a taboo to steal from the government till. But the same people, who steal the funds of the government, find it difficult to tamper with the funds of their ethnic unions. The amoral relationship between the government and the individuals has to be tackled and redressed for the fight to have real meaning.

It is this amoral relationship that in the main, accounts for the perception that appointment into key positions of government is an invitation to partake in the sharing of the national cake. The general trend in many parts of the country today is to deride anybody who has had the opportunity of occupying key government positions but still unable to make sufficient money to take care of his needs thereafter. Such ruinous dispositions must change.

Since after the just concluded general elections, there have been copious references to the sharing and allocation of juicy government portfolios to sections of the country that massively voted for the incoming federal government. What can be juicy about these portfolios except the undue advantage they will be deployed for personal ends? That is the crux of the problem and the beginning of corruption.

The fight against corruption must be all embracing and far reaching for it to achieve the desired result. It must permeate all strata of the nation’s social fabric. It will not only require very radical measures to discourage the feeling that government business is nobody’s business but the strengthening of all institutions with the duty to bring culprits to book. It will require government by example rather than precepts.

The fight must not discriminate between persons no matter their connection with the powers that be. It is not going to be that easy. If Buhari can win this war, he would have etched his name in the sands of the nation’s history.

Who is afraid of NDIC’s amendments?

By Bashir Ibrahim Hassan amend that section from ‘’Notification’’ to ‘’Consultations’’ whenever such need arises.

On the power to appoint itself as liquidator, it is pertinent to note that both the CBN and NDIC share responsibility for failure resolution. However, with respect to the appointment of the NDIC as liquidator, it was agreed between the CBN and NDIC that the provision be inserted to cater for situations where insured institutions, such as primary mortgage banks (PMBs) and microfinance banks (MFBs), would have closed shop for long periods and the CBN had not revoked their licences of insured institutions.

Although the provision on appointment of NDIC as Provisional Liquidator had already been tested with the revocation of the operating licences of some MFBs, its effectiveness was very much in doubt, given the experience with the cases of the defunct Fortune and Triumph banks. It would be recalled that the NDIC was appointed provisional liquidator for both banks since 2006 but, nine years later, the NDIC has not been able to carry out liquidation activities, such as the realisation of the closed banks’ assets and subsequent payment of liquidation dividends to the uninsured depositors of the banks involved. That was despite the status of the NDIC as a provisional liquidator of the banks. It is in this regard that the proposed amendment provided for the appointment of the NDIC as Liquidator simpli cita in order to ensure effective winding-up of the affairs of failed insured institutions.

Curiously the anti-amendment camp and their mouthpieces are not mentioning the following depositor-focus amendment proposals, which will amount to crass naivety to oppose. i) Expanding Incidence for Payment of Insured Deposits To ensure that deposit pay-out are promptly made to the depositors of insured institutions where the insured institution has suspended payment or is otherwise unable to meet its obligations to depositors rather than wait until the licence of such institution is revoked by the CBN. The aim is to ensure that depositors do not suffer unduly. ii) The Corporation is proposing an amendment to its Act that will empower it to enforce the recommendations contained in its Examination Reports, thereby strengthening its supervisory capacity. This is to prevent a situation where a bank is examined and the same lapses observed in previous examinations report are repeated due to failure of bank management to implement the earlier recommendations as well as to ensure prompt corrective action is taken on problem banks. iii) The NDIC as Conservator - The NDIC is empowered through Section 34(a) of the Banks and Other Financial Institutions (BOFIA) Act 1990 (as amended) to assume control of certain category of failing banks. However, the subsisting NDIC Act has no provision stipulating its status under such circumstances. The experience of

the NDIC in such matters had shown that its status should be likened to that of a Conservator. Accordingly, a problem bank which NDIC has assumed control of should be protected from attachment of its assets and the assets of NDIC against the liability of such distressed bank. The status of Conservator should confer on NDIC powers that would enhance its ability to recover debts owed to the distressed bank, protect its assets and effectively manage the bank for the purpose of restructuring and rehabilitation. iiii) Payment of Insured Deposits even when action Challenging Revocation is pending in Court - The proposed amendment seeks to empower the NDIC to pay insured deposits to depositors of insured institutions whose operating licence has been revoked even when the litigation of the institution’s operating licence or winding up is still pending in court. The proposal aims to reduce the extent to which depositors are subjected to untold hardship anytime erstwhile owners of banks whose operating licences have been revoked take the CBN/NDIC to Court to forestall liquidation of their banks. Section 40(7) of the NDIC Act, meant to address the above problem does not prevent the institution of an application in court from payment of insured deposits. Rather, it regulates the venue for hearing such applications. Accordingly, under the current practice, once an application is filed and pending determination, payment of the insured deposits cannot be done.

The proposed amendments would enable the NDIC to pay insured deposits,irrespective of such an application pending in court, as payment of insured deposits would be statutorily obligatory.

The equitable doctrine of lis pendis would not operate in the face of statutory provisions compelling NDIC to effect such payment.

In the event that the licence of the institution is restored, the NDIC would exercise its right of subrogation. v) Reduction of Pay-out period (Depositors’ Re-imbursement) from 90 days to 30 days. The purpose of this amendment is to guarantee prompt settlement of depositors’ insured sum by reducing the waiting period for payment from 90 days to 30 days. That means that the NDIC is seeking to commence the payment of insured deposits within 30 days.

I cannot see any iota of intent from the foregoing amendment that posits NDIC as seeking to be a parallel or coordinate regulator for banks. Rather these amendments are intended to strengthen the corporation to play its role as a responsible member of the financial safety-net in Nigeria working with the CBN and other critical stakeholders to ensure the safety, stability and soundness of the financial system.

On a final note, one would like to appeal to the out-going 7th National Assembly to be on the side of history and Nigerian depositors by approving these novel and credible amendments that will keep Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation ahead of its peers.

• Hassan is business development executive based in Abuja.

THE NATION MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015

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THE NATION MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015

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THE NATION MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015

BUSINESS THE NATION

E-mail:- bussiness@thenationonlineng.net

ISSUES

THE CEO

Why Commodity Boards may return - P. 29

‘Banks need good risk controls’ - P. 37

News Brief

Ikeja, Ibadan DISCOs’ll boost market liquidity

GTBank, oil firm in $50m financing deal GUARANTY Trust Bank (GTBank) is concluding discussions with an oil firm to advance a $50 million loan to help the firm finance its fabrication yard project, it was learnt.

–Page 26

By Akinola Ajibade

T

NDICisseekingamendment to itsenabling law THE Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) said it is seeking an amendment to its enabling law because the body lacks the powers to enforce some of its decisions.

–Page 26

Buhari urged to revamp agric sector A FORMER chairman, Poultry Association of Nigeria(PAN), Lagos State, Mr Lanre Bello, has called on the incoming government to place farming at the heart of its development plan for the sector to deliver commercially meaningful” trade gains for the country’s economy.

–Page 26

DATA STREAM COMMODITY PRICES Oil Cocoa

$54/barrel $2,686.35/metric ton

Coffee

¢132.70/pound

Cotton

¢95.17pound

Gold

$1,396.9/troy

Sugar

$163/lb RATES

Inflation

8.4%

Treasury Bills 10.58%(91d) Maximum lending 30% Prime lending

15.87%

Savings rate

3%

91-day NTB

15%

Time Deposit

5.49%

MPR

13%

Foreign Reserve

$34.5b

• From left: MD FBN Insurance, Mr Valentine Ojumah; Chairman, FBN Insurance, Mrs Adenrele Kehinde; Head, Financial Advisory FBN Capital, Mr Afolabi Olorode, receiving the award for Africa Deal of the Year at the M&A Atlas Awards for the Acquisition of Oasis Insurance by FBN Insurance.

Banks get deadline to recapitalise

T

HE Central Bank of Ni geria (CBN) has given at least six banks deadline to beef up their capital base in line with the increased capital requirements under Basel II Capital Accord.

Reliable industry sources said many banks have not met the Basel 11 capital requirement and will need to raise additional capital to beef up their capital base within the next 12 months.

According to the sources, the apex bank has mandated the deficient banks to submit a recapitalization plan, outlining the timeline for their capital raising plan, to the apex bank by June 2015. The banks are expected to implement the recapitalization plan and complete their recapitalization plan by the end of June 2016.

A leading global investment and finance firm indicated to The Nation at the weekend that some 10 banks have been confirmed to have met the capital

By Taofik Salako

requirements under the Basel 11. These included Access Bank, Diamond Bank, FBN Holdings, FCMB Group, Fidelity Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank, United Bank for Africa (UBA), Zenith Bank, Wema Bank and Skye Bank Plc. While the capital adequacy ratio of most banks is generally above the minimum regulatory threshold of 15 per cent, the adoption of Basel II implies additional capital as banks grow their risk assets. Besides, banks that are designated as systemically important banks (SIBs) are expected to make provision for additional 100 basis points to increase their minimum capital adequacy ratio to 16 per cent as against the general requirement of 15 per cent.

The Basel II is the second global standards of capital adequacy issued by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision under the auspices of the Basel, Switzerland-based Bank

for International Settlements (BIS), the oldest international financial organisation that coordinates central banks and standards for the international financial markets.

The Basel Committee has issued three sets of the global standards including Basel I, Basel II and Basel III, which increased and stricter capital risks and exposure management requirements from one level to another.

The adoption of Basel II mainly implies additional capital charge for market and operational risks. Basel II seeks to strengthen banks’ risk and capital management through three main areas, otherwise known as pillars. The first pillar deals with minimum capital requirements, the second pillar deals with supervisory review process while the third pillar deals with processes relating to market discipline.

The pillars generally ensure that the greater the risk to which a bank is exposed, the greater the amount of capital

and required supervisory framework.

Market sources said many banks may return to the capital market to source for additional funds in the months ahead to shore up their capital compliance and create headroom for loan growth. Four of the banks that had complied including Diamond Bank, UBA, Access Bank and Wema Bank, had floated supplementary offers to raise funds in recent months. UBA and Access Bank are yet to announce the subscription level for their offers, but most analysts said the offers were successful.

A source in the know said banks may resort to rights issue to existing shareholders given the slowdown in the primary market of the Nigerian capital market. Public offers in recent period have been tempered by the downtrend at the stock market, which has in many instances seen share price at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) lower than the offer price of a primary issue.

Transcorp seeks N2b tax refund from Fed Govt

T

RANSNATIONAL Corporation of Nigeria Plc (Transcorp) is demanding the refund of the N2 billion tax it paid to the Federal Government at its Ughelli Power plant.

Addressing shareholders during the Ninth Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the conglomerate in Abuja at the weekend, its Chairman, Tony Elumelu, said the company had written to the authorities, demanding a refund of the money and hoped the letter would be accorded attention.

He said they were asked to use a Special Purpose Vehi-

From Nduka Chiejina (Asst. Editor), Abuja

cle (SPV) when they were acquiring the power plant to enjoy a tax holiday but they were surprised when they were slammed with N2 billion as tax payable to the government.

He also told the shareholders that Transcorp Ughelli Power Plant would attain 850megawatt (Mw) by December this year, adding that the availability of gas and the transmission network are the mitigating factors to be looked into.

Elumelu said the power

plant was in touch with a Canadian company to explore coal power project to complement its gas activities in the power generation. “It became imperative to look towards coal as the firm realised N2.6 billion profit in its first quarter of this year, a performance which was described as a below what was targeted for the quarter,” he added.

The reason for the first quarter performance was attributed to “blown up gas pipelines’’and lack of gas which affected revenue and profit.

For the second year in a

row, Transcorp paid out dividends to its shareholders in spite of what the conglomerate described as a challenging year.

At the end of the meeting, shareholders approved a dividend of N1.9 billion at six kobo per share as well as the re-appointment of retiring directors.

Elumelu highlighted the operational excellence that has guided the firm’s turnaround from takeover in 2010, into what he called “a super performer in the years following under the current leadership”.

• Continued on page 26

HE admission of Ikeja Electric(IE) formerly Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company(IKEDC) and Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) by the National Association of Security Dealers (NASD) Over-The-Counter( (OTC) for trading, would benefit both the firms and the nation’s capital market, the Managing Director, BGL Securities Limited, Sunday Adebola, has said.

By this, the trading of shares of Ikeja and Ibadan DISCOs on the NASD OTC platform of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) would boost the operational capital of the market and that of the power firms by billions of naira soon, he added.

Adebola said NASD OTC provides opportunities for investors and listed companies to conduct transactions without interfacing with each other since transactions could be conducted on phones, adding that the idea would help in improving the financial status of power firms that were yet to stabilise their operations, two years after they bought the assets of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).

He said: ”Some companies were delisted from the main market for one reason or the other and moved to NASD OTC platform. Also, the firms would have the opportunity to migrate from NASD OTC platform to the main segment of the market.The idea is that it would serve as a window through which many firms would come to the stock market to grow their investments.

“Other power firms are coming to the market, following the admission of Ikeja and Ibadan into the NASD OTC segment of the exchange. The multiplier effects are huge because investors are not only going to have opportunities to choose from, but would make more money. Overall, the market would be better for it; the reason being that there would be more activities in the market. This would impact on market capitalisation and the All Share Index.”

Adebola said avenues had been created for investors in the market, following the provision of more investment windows by the management of the NSE. He said the exchange was making moves to bring more energy firms, especially oil and gas production and exploration outfits to deepen the market.

“Globally, oil companies are regarded as cash crow because they have capacity to undertake bigticket transactions and further deepen the market where they are listed. With the trading of the shares of Ibadan and Ikeja DISCOs on the NASD OTC platform, the dream of bringing in more energy firms into the NSE would be realised soon,” he said.

THE NATION MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015

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BUSINESS NEWS

GTBank, oil firm in $50m financing deal

G

UARANTY Trust Bank (GTBank) is concluding discussions with an oil firm to advance a $50 million loan to help the firm finance its fabrication yard project, it was learnt.

The immediate past Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Ernest Nwapa, who spoke on the sideline of the Nigerian Investment Forum in Houston Texas, United States, said the deal would boost the industry, adding that the details would not be discussed in order not to disrupt the process.

However, he said for a Nigerian bank to give such a loan demonstrates the growing confidence the financial industry has in the Nigerian Content programme and the Nigerian Content Fund.

He said in the past, banks only agreed to deal give out loans of between $3 million and $4 million,

• Nigerian Content Fund hits $540m

By Emeka Ugwuanyi

adding that the highest business done with the local banks since the establishment of the Content Board is $5 million. With the step taken

by GTBank, it shows the Fund has grown and dependable.

He said: “We are saying that the GTBank is interested in giving a $50 million loan to one of the yards that is developing a facility in Nigeria.

When they consummate the deal, it will be a major boost for the Nigerian Content Development Fund.

It means that people now have confidence that the Fund can underpin such a loan facility.

“This fund has been dealing on $3million to $4 million loan. The maximum we have done up to now is the between $3million and $5 million loan. For a Nigerian bank

to agree to give a loan of $50 million on the back of a 30 per cent of the guarantee, it means the Fund has come of age. That is the exciting thing there. We are happy that today the banking industry is confident and trust the structure of the Fund so much that they are able to give a $50 million loan. To have got to that point is a maturity. I cannot disclose the details until the deal is sealed.”

He also said the size of the Nigerian Contenet Development Fund (NCDF) is about $540 million. The Fund was established by the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Act (NOGIC Act), 2010 to address financial and liquidity challenges of the indigenous companies that operate within the Nigerian oil and gas industry. The Fund is built through contribution of one percent from every contract

awarded to any operator, contractor, subcontractor, alliance partner or any other entity involved in any project, operation, activity or transaction in the upstream sector. It is deducted at source by contract awarding entities and paid into designated accounts which are kept with Custodian Banks under the programme.

The Fund is structured in such a way that 30 per cent is meant for direct intervention to identify areas with gaps and plug loopholes through training, technical support, such as research, studies and possible temporary acquisition of stake, and also in critical intervention in infrastructure development, among others.

The other 70 per cent is for commercial intervention. Thirty per cent of it is provided as partial guarantee on bank loans to local operators to grow local capacity and to give 50 per cent interest rebate on performing bank loans under the partial guarantee scheme.

Buhari urged to revamp agric sector

By Daniel Essiet

A

FORMER chairman, Poultry Association of Nigeria(PAN), Lagos State, Mr Lanre Bello, has called on the incoming government to place farming at the heart of its development plan for the sector to deliver commercially meaningful” trade gains for the country’s economy.

In an interview with The Nation, he urged the incoming administration to pursue a shared vision that would positively impact farm sector profitability and the economy.

He recognised the challenges but called for a high level of ambition in the outcomes.

According to him, investing for growth will require ensure food and farming is high up on the Government’s agenda from the start, adding that farmers are up for the challenge, but need the support and commitment of the government to back the industry to meet the challenges of feeding a rising population.

His words: “We have witnessed a lot of pronouncement and government policies about agriculture but implementation has always been the problem. I do not intend to dwell on that went wrong or what ought to have been done in the past. The primary purpose is to suggest the way forward, particularly for the incoming government.

We are naturally endowed as a country to excel in agricultural production. To achieve this feat, certain policies are needed to be put in place.

Transcorp seeks N2b tax refund from Fed Govt • Continued from page 25

• From left: Head, Premium Banking, First City Monument Bank(FCMB), Mr. Aderemi Sanusi; a participant in the Dare2Dream youth empowerment competition, Miss. Onyeka Nwobu; Senior Brand Manager Spice TV, Mrs. Yoanna Chikezie; winner of the competition, Miss. Tolulope Balogun and Chief Executive, Kinabuti Fashion House, Caterina Bortolussi, at a briefing on the competition in Lagos.

Why we are seeking amendment to enabling law, by NDIC

T

HE Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) said it is seeking an amendment to its enabling law because the body lacks the powers to enforce some of its decisions.

NDIC Head of Communication and Public Affairs, Hadi Sule Birchi, said the challenge reached a head, “particularly in the area of bank liquidation and pay out, “ adding that it was the desire to address these issues that prompted the Corporation to send the proposed amendments to the National Assembly, “ to strengthen its capacity to effectively discharge its mandate”.

He told The Nation that the proposed amendments are in line with the International Association of Deposit Insurers’ (IADI) core principles for effective deposit insurance systems.

“It is instructive to note that the Corporation has not made any new proposal on its functions or powers, but simply re-echoed what has been its mandate and powers since its inception in 1988, aimed at ensuring safety, soundness and stability in the banking system,” he stressed.

Bjrchi pointed out that there is nothing in the amendments that portrayed the NDIC as seeking to license banks the same way the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) does.

“It is noteworthy that the proposed amendments do not con-

By Simeon Ebulu

tain such proposal,” he said, stressing: “the power to license banks in Nigeria is strictly within the purview of the Central Bank.”

Birchi, however, expressed NDIC’s frustration in tracing the locations of some CBN licensed Micro Finance Banks, as well as Primary Mortgage Banks, a situation, he said necessitated the Corporation’s request that it be taken into confidence during the registration and licensing of these entities. This is with a view to protecting depositors’ funds, he said.

He continued: “The Corporation had observed that banks, particularly microfinance banks (MFBs) and primary mortgage banks (PMBs) could not even be located at their last known addresses after taking away depositors money. Even the promoters could not be traced by both the NDIC and CBN. In practice, therefore, the Corporation is desirous of being involved in the process of licensing the banks, particularly in the area of carrying out “fit and proper persons test”to forestall the reoccurrence of events where promoters disappeared with depositors money.”

The NDIC spokesman said the NDIC Act, 2006 gave it enough powers in Sections 27-31 to ex-

amine banks and issue reports and such reports are exchanged between the two institutions. He said the Corporation would rather that the independence of both the NDIC and CBN be maintained, as enshrined in its enabling law, as against the practice instituted in 2009, when the the immediate past CBN Governor, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, requested that the NDIC and CBN should jointly examine banks and issue joint reports.

“The NDIC was of the view that we should revert to the status quo to maintain our operational independence,” Birchi said.

He pointed out that insinuations making the rounds that NDIC is seeking amendments to its Act to terminate the insurance status of any licensed bank were not true, adding that the provision is in its 1988 enabling law.

He said the only amendment the Corporation seeks to make on this provision, in the light of the observation by the CBN, is to substitute the word ‘‘notification’’ with ‘‘consultation.’’

He said the power by NDIC to to appoint self as liquidator,was a joint agreement by both the CBN and the Corporation, to cater for situations where insured institutions, such as primary mortgage banks (PMBs)and microfinance banks (MFBs) would have closed shop for long periods and the CBN had not re-

• NDIC Managing Director Umaru Ibrahim

voked their licences.

He said the provision is not misplaced, since both the CBN and NDIC share responsibility for failure resolution.

Birch said it should not be construed that the Corporation through the proposed amendment, among others, is seeking to be a parallel or coordinate regulator for banks.

The Corporation as a responsible member of the financial safety-net in Nigeria, will continue to collaborate with CBN and other critical stakeholders to ensure the safety, stability and soundness of the financial system, he pledged.

He said: “Transcorp’s shareholders are generally long term shareholders and we know that in the past, those shareholders have lost money. We have our work cut out for us to help them recover that money and our focus is on planting seeds to grow the company through re-investment of profits among other measures.”

Transcorp, he said, has achieved consistency in dividend delivery and corporate stability and now “we are turning our focus to growth. This AGM reiterates our commitment to creating sustainable value for all stakeholders”.

The conglomerate’s performance was buoyed by gross earnings, which increased from N18.8 billion to N41.3 billion “a reflection of the first full year of earnings from the power business and the group’s operating profit which also grew from N10.2 billion to N13.6 billion in 2014.”

Its Group President/CEO Emmanuel N. Nnorom told shareholders that “the story of Transcorp is a standout among conglomerates in Nigeria and one that gets better each day. Our focus early on was turnaround and stabilisation and this year’s results reiterate this commitment.”

For the years ahead, Nnorom said the conglomerate’s focus is on growth “from hospitality to power, agribusiness to energy, our ability to deliver in the face of strong economic headwinds, as we witness more stability in the economy, we will be able to perform ever better.”

The company he said has shown it is on track to deliver on its growth and expansion plans, as it achieved N27.6 billion in gross profit and N7.7 billion in profit before tax last year. This is in spite of a sizeable exchange loss on foreign currency loans in the power business, capital market volatility, and lower average occupancy in the hospitality business.

THE NATION MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015

27

MONEYLINK

S

Sterling Bank to raise N20b fresh capital

TERLING Bank has said it plans to raise between $100 million (N20 billion) and $150 million (N30 billion) in Tier 2 capital this year to fund its expansion plans.

The bank’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO)/Executive Director, Mr. Abubakar Suleiman, made this known at an interactive session with the reporters in Lagos.

He explained that the Bank was on track of its expansion targets which it unveiled in 2013 and would soon embark on another phase of its growth strategy.

According to him, the bank has 1.5 million customers and has been able to achieve over three per cent market share from 1 per cent a few years ago. He revealed that from 84 branches in 2006, the lender’s branch network should hit the 200 mark by the end of the year adding that it would increase the number of its Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) to 1000 by the end of this year.

He also said the bank will soon deploy a new core banking application which would significantly boost the quality of its operations and service delivery.

The Executive Director said that the bank’s goal was to be among the top five lenders in the industry not in terms of balance sheet size but in the areas of quality service delivery and compliance to regulations.

He pointed out that there were banks with much bigger balance sheets which were not meeting customers’ expectations in key areas, stressing that as Sterling Bank ex-

Stories by Collins Nweze

pands and becomes a bigger financial institution, it will continue to outperform its peer group.

“We have consistently outperformed our peer group and we will outperform the next group. We want to be there when it comes to service delivery, in terms of compliance to regulations and how we are perceived as good corporate citizens,” he said.

He disclosed that the lender would raise between $100million (N20billion) and $150millon (N30biilion) in Tier 2 capital this year to fund its expansion plans.

The CFO noted that regulatory headwinds, especially the hike in Cash Reserve Requirements (CRR) on public sector deposits had impacted banks’ profitability and restricted their lending capacity to finance economic growth.

He argued that the amount of bank deposits that the CBN had sterilised as a result of the 75 per cent CRR on public sector deposits and 20 per cent CRR on private sector deposit was “unprecedented” and had constrained banks’ capacity to lend.

He pointed out that the deposit with the CBN were non-earning adding that not only does this impact banks’ bottom line but it also prevents lenders from funding businesses.

He however emphasised that despite the tough operating environment Sterling Bank was still committed to meeting its expansion targets.

Suleiman dismissed suggestions

by some analysts that the Bank would not be able to achieve its capital raising targets this year due to regulatory headwinds, recalling that such skepticisms were similarly expressed in 2013 when the bank announced that it plans to raise additional capital via equity issues.

He continued: “They raised doubts in 2013; they raised doubts in 2014. But what happened? We were successful in our capital raising. Their doubts are welcome; it

will spur us to work harder and ensure that we achieve our target.

But we are confident we will do it.

But, of course, until it is done, you cannot say you have succeeded. But we know that we will do it.”

The bank’s Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Yemi Adeola, told reporters last December that the bank would raise capital this year, because, according to him, “Capital is the tool of banking; banks have to continue to raise

capital.”

Sterling Bank’s first quarter results for 2015 show that it recorded a Profit After Tax (PAT) of N3.9 billion for the period, an increase of 25 per cent from the N3.1 billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2014. Profit Before Tax (PBT) also rose by 14.1 per cent from the N3.5 billion recorded in the same period last year to N4.0 billion, while non-interest income grew by 31.9 per cent from N6.1 billion to N8 billion.

•From left: Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Fidelity Bank Plc.,

Nnamdi Okonkwo; Chairman,Chief Christopher Ezeh; and Executive Director, Lagos and Southwest, Ikemuefuna Mbagwu at the signing of the bank’s N30 billion 16.48 per cent fixed rate bond due in 2022 in Lagos ... at the weekend.

Six banks, Unified Payments, inaugurate PayAttitude

A

CONSORTIUM of six banks and Unified Payments has inaugurated PayAttitude, an electronic payment scheme that allows transactions in both online and offline platforms.

Chairman, PayAttitude, Victor Etuoku, announced the participating banks as FirstBank of Nigeria Ltd, Zenith Bank Plc, Access Bank Plc, Diamond Bank, Skye Bank Plc and United Bank for Africa Plc. He assured that the lenders are commitment to making the project succeed.

The collaboration with Unified Payments on PayAttitude is expected to drive innovation in service delivery, convenient mobile payment system and making Nigeria’s financial system the “safest and fastest growing amongst emerging markets.

“PayAttitude guarantees subscribers the confidence and comfort of successful mobile payment for goods and services at merchant locations at all times, notwithstanding the challenges of telecommunication or unavailability of network in the merchant’s bank or the customer’s bank,” he said.

Etuokwu affirmed that the electronic money product would be committed to investing in solutions that meet the needs of emerging markets particularly Africa.”The solutions and products being launched today are testimonies to this commitment, while adopting international best practices, PayAttitude products and solutions have unique features and functionalities that may not be available in mature markets and under existing payments scheme,” he explained.

The offline feature of PayAttitude is developed to address the challenges of credit risk in Debit market, while at the same time addressing the challenges of poor telecommunications infrastructure.

PayAttitude products are also Chip+PIN enabled, thereby supporting transactions of any value as opposed to the use of contact less solutions for only low-value transac-

tions.”

Managing Director/CEO, PayAttitude, Agada Akpochi, said the platform guarantees subscribers the confidence and comfort of successful mobile payment for goods and services at merchant locations at all times.

He reiterated that challenges of telecommunication or unavailability of network in the merchant’s bank or the customer’s bank will no longer delay transactions. “With this solution, transactions are authorised offline up to the value of the customer‘s mobile wallet subscrip-

tion with the bank. To guard against fraud or unauthorised use, PayAttitude transactions are Chip and Pin enabled and holder’s unique Pin must be entered on the acceptance device before transactions are approved. The PayAttitude tag is carried on the mobile phone and suits the lifestyle of mobile phone users, being convenient for retail transactions by tapping the phone against the PoS terminal,” he said.

The Group Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer, FirstBank, Bisi Onasanya, who spoke at the launch of the product, affirmed that

no doubt Unified Payments and PayAttitude would redefine the domestic payments ecosystem that had been plague numerous challenges.

The bank chief, represented by Executive Director, Lagos and Southwest, Francis Shobo, said the lender is working to provide dynamic and relevant solutions that will improve the lifestyle of its customers whilst ensuring the safety and security of their funds.

He noted that with the developments in the electronic money industry, it became imperative for the payments industry to look inward

for a solution that will guarantee successful retail payments of Point of Sale (PoS) terminals without depending where online real-time communication is not required between the acceptance device and the customers’ accounts in the bank.

“This novel solution is consistent with the rich pedigree of Unified Payments in providing leadership and innovation in payments. The PayAttitude tag card is ready to be issued in selected branches and would be deployed in all FirstBank locations in due course,” he further said.

Heritage Bank promotes MSMEs’ development

H

ERITAGE Bank Limited is committed to building a network of Entrepreneurial Leaders necessary to drive the growth of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the country.

Its Managing Director/Chief Executive Ifie Sekibo said the lender developed and introduced wide range of services to address the capacity and financing needs of MSME businesses.

“The goal of Heritage Bank’s MSME offerings is to build a network of entrepreneurial leaders

that will drive the growth of the sector. This would enhance the ability of the MSME sector to effectively play its role as the engine growth of the economy”, he said.

Heritage Bank’s commitment to leadership building in the MSME sector is reflected in the bank’s SME Clinic. “The Heritage Bank SME Clinic is designed to enhance the entrepreneurial capacity of our SME customers. Through the Clinic, Heritage Bank understands the different aspects of the customer’s business in order to identify areas where it can add value. As a result

we are able to develop customised products and services based on the identified needs of each SME customer,” Sekibo said.

This, he added, is complemented with Heritage Governance Model, through which the lender introduces Corporate Governance Framework to its MSME customers. The phase one of the scheme focuses company secretary services; auditing and assurance; accounting services; and tax consultancy. These services, he said, are rendered to SME customers of the bank at subsidised fees by network of con-

sultants.

Heritage Bank also developed the Paris Club Scheme in partnership with RSL Derivatives Limited. This, he explained, is a credit enhancement scheme specially designed for SME’s to collectively help each other create a platform that will accelerate growth and give SME’s easy access to funding.

The solution provides a platform for SMEs to adopt best practices in managing their businesses and also enable them to access loans from Heritage Bank without any hard core collateral.

CITN promotes standard of taxation for members

P

RESIDENT/Chairman of Council, Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN), Chief Mark Anthony Dike, has said the institute will not fail in its commitment to maintaining and sustaining the standard of taxation among its members.

Speaking during the inauguration of the Tax Professionals’House in Lagos, at the weekend, he said the institute is also committed to promoting professional ethics and efficiency in tax administration and practice.

The institute, he said, encourages, promotes and co-ordinates research

for the advancement of taxation practice and administration in the country.

“Right from inception, the Institute had been carrying out its responsibilities and operations from rented offices. No doubt this had affected the expansion capacity of the Institute as we are always constrained to limit our operations within the confines of the available spaces.

“In order to address this issue, successive leadership of the Institute strived as much as they could to secure a permanent secretariat complex for the Institute. I am

pleased to inform you that it was the cumulative results of these efforts that has metamorphosed to this ultra-modern edifice, named “Tax Professionals’ House,” he said.

Speaking further, he said the land upon, which the building is built was acquired in 2011, while construction commenced in the later part of 2011 and was scheduled to be completed within 24 months.

But the set date was delayed by the need to obtain all necessary regulatory approvals for the building project.

The five-storey edifice has a

ground floor that houses the Library, a Hall for Training and other social events; administrative offices; and council chamber, committee room and executive offices. It also has two lifts, smoke detectors and fire alarm system, water treatment plants, sewage plants, one unit 400kva generator, and CCTV Surveillance System among others.

He thanked the members of the Project Committee for a job well done. “It is on record that you selflessly and sacrificially gave your time and energy including your comfort when necessary to ensure that CITN has its own permanent office,” he said.

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THE NATION MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015

EQUITIES NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 24-04-14

DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 24-04-14

THE NATION MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015

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EQUITIES

Auditors worry over Nigerian Ropes’ N360.5m deficit

A

AUDITORS have expressed concerns over the growing negative net capital of Nigerian Ropes Plc as the construction company continued to reel under intense pressure from operating and financing costs.

Audited report and accounts of Nigerian Ropes for the year ended December 31, 2014 showed that the construction company recorded net loss of N204.94 million. It had lost N223.21 million in 2013. This pushed the negative shareholders’ funds to N360.49 million in 2014 as against N155.55 million in 2013.

The latest earnings report obtained

By Taofik Salako Capital Market Editor

at the weekend showed that while the company recorded a healthy top-line with almost 169 per cent growth in gross profit, increased operating and financing expenses reversed the topline gains.

Turnover rose from N340.16 million in 2013 to N374.11 million in 2014. Cost of sales however declined from N292.12 million in 2013 to N244.7 million in 2014. This nudged the gross profit to N129.41 million in 2014 compared with N48.04 million in 2013.

However, administrative expenses

rose from N244.65 million in 2013 to N252.52 million in 2014 while distribution expenses jumped from N2.44 million to N16.02 million. Finance costs doubled from N28.75 million in 2013 to N59.18 million in 2014.

With these, loss before tax stood at N190.64 million in 2014 as against N198.9 million in 2013. After taxes, net loss stood at N204.94 million. Nigerian Ropes’ total assets dropped from N737.09 million in 2013 to N709.02 million in 2014 while total liabilities rose from N892.64 million to N1.07 billion.

The auditors were worried that the negative net capital, which resulted

from accumulated losses in the general reserves, places the company’s survival on the generosity of its financiers. However, the directors of the company have allayed fear over its going concern status. The built-up losses in the general reserves rose from N401.60 million in 2013 to N606.55 million in 2014.

Nigerian Ropes’ short-term loans stood at N311.64 million in 2014 as against N382.25 million in 2013 while long-term borrowings stood at N148.08 million in 2014 compared with N145.5 million in 2013.

Nigerian Ropes was one of the companies that were recently given dead-

lines by the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) to restructure their issued share capital to dilute the existing concentrated shareholdings of the core investors and allow more investments from the general investing public.

The companies were in violation of the listing requirement, which compels companies quoted on the main board of the NSE to ensure that a minimum of 20 per cent of its issued shares is in the hand of the general investing public.

According to the report, Nigerian Ropes had 13.96 per cent float and was given a deadline of January 7, 2015 to complete the capital restructuring. The NSE has not published any new status review on public float of quoted companies.

•From Left: Mrs. Taba Peterside, General Manager and Head, Listings Sales and Retention, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE); Mr. Haruna Jalo-Waziri, Executive Director, Business Development, NSE; Mallam Bello Maccido, Group Chie Executive Officer, FBN Holdings Plc and Mr. Bisi Onasanya, Group Managing Director, First Bank of Nigeria Limited during FBN Holdings' "Facts Behind the Figures" forum at the NSE in Lagos

Nigerian equities lose N109b as investors await new govt

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IGERIAN equities finally relapsed into the negative last week as anxious investors sought to streamline portfolios while awaiting the policy directions of the new government. Quoted equities sustained five consecutive days of decline last week as moderate selling pressure was exacerbated by low investors’ appetite.

Average year-to-date return at the stock market closed weekend negative at -0.78 per cent. It had opened the week with a modest gain of 0.15 per cent. On the heels of the successful conduct of the March 28 presidential and national assembly elections, Nigerian equities had rallied substantially with average gain of more than 9.3 per cent in April.

Month-on-month market analysis had shown that the stock market built on the positive momentum that trailed the successful conduct of the presidential and national assembly elections on March 28 and gubernatorial and state assemblies’ elections on April 11 to regain its upbeat. Aggregate market value of all quoted equities, which opened April at N10.718 trillion, closed the month at N11.787 trillion, representing a gain of N1.07 trillion, about 9.97 per cent. The benchmark index for the Nigerian stock market, the All Share Index (ASI), also indicated a month-on-month average gain of 9.3 per cent during the period, rising from the month’s opening index of 31, 744.82 points to close at 34,708.11 points. The ASI, a value-based index, tracks the prices of all quoted companies and it is thus directly related to market sentiments.

However, the market has shown tepid performance this month as investors worry over mixed earnings reports and policy directions of the new government. Aggregate market value of all quoted equities dropped last week by N109 billion to N11.678 trillion as against its week’s opening value of N11.787 trillion. The ASI also

•FBN Holdings’ shareholders get 3.26b bonus shares indicated a week-on-week decline of 0.92 per cent to close at 34,388.21 points compared with its opening index of 34,708.11 points. The decline was due entirely to depreciation in share prices.

Price analysis showed that 45 stocks depreciated while 32 stocks recorded various gains. A total of 116 stocks closed flat.

Total turnover stood at 1.58 billion shares worth N20.15 billion in 23,279 deals, indicating increased level of activity against total turnover of 1.17 billion shares valued at N11.96 billion that were traded in 17,769 deals two weeks ago.

Financial services sector accounted for about 69 per cent of aggregate turnover volume with a turnover of 1.09 billion shares valued at N8.99 billion in 13,220 deals. Conglomerates sector followed with a turnover of 227.84 million shares worth N920.62 million in 1,082 deals. Consumer goods sector placed third with a turnover of 121.86 million shares worth N7.70 billion in 4,123 deals.

The trio of United Bank for Africa Plc, Transnational Corporation of Nigeria Plc and Access Bank Plc were the most active stocks, jointly accounting for 678.96 million shares worth N3.25 billion in 2,943 deals, representing 42.85 per cent and 16.11 per cent of the total equity turnover volume and value respectively.

Also traded during the week were a total of 1.39 million units of Exchange Traded Products (ETPs) valued at N31.49 million executed in 47 deals compared with a total of 11,737 units valued at N1.799 million traded in 15 deals two weeks ago.

On the debt market, a total of 4,569 units of Federal Government Bonds valued at N4.97 million were traded in two deals last week compared with

a total of 330 units of Federal Government Bonds valued at N370,698.04 traded in two deals two weeks ago.

Meanwhile, a total of 3.26 billion ordinary shares of 50 kobo each were added to the outstanding shares in the name of FBN Holdings last week. The supplementary listing was due to a bonus issue of one for 10 shares declared by the board of the company.

The new listing raised FBN Holdings’ total outstanding shares to about 35.9 billion ordinary shares of 50 kobo each.

“The development in the markets reflects the mixed corporate earnings performance of quoted companies and the conflicting macroeconomic

signals which leave investors at sea regarding market direction and appropriate investment decisions.

Headwind factors of rising consumer prices, fiscal austerity and consequent weaker consumer spending powers, as well as uncertain fiscal direction of political transition have veiled the improving dynamics in the polity and commodity prices,” analysts at Afrinvest Securities stated in their weekly market review.

According to analysts, the modulation the markets await is a successful transition to a new government on May 29 and more importantly, a stable fiscal environment which is consequent on the policy pronounce-

ments of the incoming government.

Analysts noted that while the risk factors are evident, recent positive signals indicate a short to medium term attractive valuations for securities.

However, analysts said the sustained decline last week might give way to a modest rebound this week as bargain-hunters return to take advantage of undervalued stocks.

“We anticipate a likely rebound in the market in the week ahead, albeit marginally, given sustained improvement in global oil prices and relatively cheap valuation of key counters in the market. Therefore, we advise investors to take strategic position in fundamentally sound stocks,” Afrinvest stated.

Union Bank focuses on retail business to drive growth

U

NION Bank of Nigeria (UBN) Plc would focus on growing and optimising its retail banking business in the months ahead in order to sustain overall growth and deliver better return for the current financial year.

In a strategy preview for the remaining three quarters, the management of the bank said the focus going forward will be on retail banking and cost efficiency.

Managing director, Union Bank of Nigeria (UBN) Plc, Mr. Emeka Emuwa, said the bank had focused on delivering critical operational and technology initiatives in the first quarter of this year, including completion of its migration to Oracle Flexcube UBS 12.0.

He noted that the migration to Oracle Flexcube UBS 12.0, the latest version of the Flexcube banking platform, is expected to eliminate previous system redundancies and enable faster customer service and turnaround times in the branches once full integration has been achieved by mid-year.

“Going into the rest of the year, as

our new platform enhances efficiencies, the bank will focus on growing the retail business with a revamped product portfolio, enhanced marketing communication and an evolving branch network, which will include four of our, high-tech, self-service banking centers, Bank of the Future (BOTF). At our BOTF centers, customers can open and fund their accounts instantly using self-service kiosks and ATMs, and also get product information and one-on-one customer service using interactive screens,” Emuwa said.

He pointed out that the bank had started this year on a strong footing with 13 per cent growth in gross earnings and 11 per cent increase in profit before tax.

Chief financial officer, Union Bank of Nigeria (UBN) Plc, Mrs. Oyinkan Adewale said the first quarter performance was a further demonstration that the bank would continue to translate its operational efficiency improvements into strong financial results.

She added that the bank would continue to focus on sustaining the positive trend in its cost to income ratio, while utilizing the balance sheet more efficiently to take advantage of opportunities in defined segments of the economy where it expects to see increased activity this year.

Interim report and accounts of the bank for the first quarter ended March 31, 2015 showed profit before tax of N4.9 billion as against N4.45 billion recorded in comparable period of 2014. Total comprehensive income also rose by 17 per cent from N4.8 billion in first quarter 2014 to N5.6 billion by first quarter 2015.

The bank’s balance sheet size inched up to N957 billion by March 2015 as against N921 billion recorded by the end of the year ended December 31, 2014. Net loans and advances also rose by 16 per cent N350.1 billion by March 2015 as against N302.4 billion in December 2014. Customer deposits grew by six per cent to N539.4 billion in March 2015 as against N507.4 billion by December 2014.

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THE NATION MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015

ISSUES To take storage and marketing burden off farmers, and ensure availability of raw materials for manufacturers, experts are calling for the re-introduction of Commodity Boards. Coming at a time the Federal Government is focusing on the non-oil sector to diversify the economy, this could be the tonic to stimulate the growth of the agricultural and industrial sectors, writes Assistant Editor OKWY IROEGBUCHIKEZIE

F

OR operators in the manufacturing and agricultural sectors, particularly farmers, fear of post-harvest losses is the beginning of wisdom. Many of them have had their fingers burnt after suffering heavy losses as a result of the absence of storage facilities for agricultural products after harvest.

Not a few experts believe that losses recorded by farmers can be greatly minimised if the government can buy the excess farm produce from farmers through the Commodity Board to stabilise prices and also avoid losses due to the absence of storage facilities to store harvest products.

President, Lagos Chamber of commerce and Industry (LCCI), Alhaji Remi Bello, is one of them. While throwing his weight behind the reproduction of Commodity Boards, he recalled that Commodity Board, at the best of times, promoted the production of quality produce to meet with the quality standards of manufacturers and encouraged raw material availability for industries. He said the nation is in the woods because of poor attention paid to agriculture and local food processing due to poor storage and poor quality produce.

To underscore his call for the return of Commodity Board, Bello narrated his experience “When the government encouraged, for instance, the planting of cassava l plunged into it, but because l had no space to store produce, I stopped. If l had a place to store my produce until the selling price is good, I would have continued with the business, but because the Commodity Board regime has been stopped, the business collapsed,” he said.

The LCCI chief argued that glut is not good for any business. “It is only when you have good price that the business will be sustainable,” he emphasised, blaming the discontinuation of the Board on abuse of the process. Besides, the aim of the pro-

•Cocoa House

Why Commodity Boards may return gramme was frustrated by operators, a situation that left government with no option but to suspend it. He recalled that Commodity Board, at its height of glory, regulated the price of produce, ensured quality of products to meet the specification of manufactur-

ers both locally and internationally to get the desired output.

Public Affairs Consultant, A.G. Leventis Group, Mr. Mahmud Othman, also said the Commodity Board recorded some achievements when it was operational. He said, for

instance, that the board as a government agency, had checks and balances; it guaranteed multiple buyers from all over the world and ensured standards and rules of • Continued on page 31

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ISSUES

Why Commodity Boards may return •Continued from page 30

engagement accepted world-wide.

Othman relieved the success of the Northern Nigeria Marketing Board and the Cocoa Board in the Southwest, which helped farmers to produce agricultural products, liaise with foreign buyers and guaranteed standard graded products. He said Commodity Board in its hey days ensured that farmers produced cash crops to standard specification of countries who bought different farm produce according to their needs.

“The boards set prices for the three different grades of produce, grade 1 -3 and there was no case of sub-standardisation of products from the country because from the onset the parameters are set,” he recalled.

Othman further noted that the Commodity Board served both the seller and the buyer. “The seller is exposed to the international market and encouraged to produce to global standards through government assistance in terms of training, ready market, equipment acquisition, quality specifications and standards. On the other hand, the buyer is assured of quality produce and sustainable supply. He is also sure that he will not be cheated by spurious sellers,” he explained.

Othman, who made a case for the return of Commodity Board, pointed out that those who are against its re-introduction citing corruption of the process by the operators, should have a rethink. He said with a focused government determined to deliver on its mandate, the issue of corruption of the system would be eradicated. He cited what happened during the Buhari/Idiagbon military era when price control boards arrested and tried petty traders who sold above the regulated price of milk and other provisions.

He said if the leadership in the centre was sincere there was nothing it set out to achieve that it couldn’t achieve.

A policy and economic analyst, Mr. Bala Zakka, also lend his voice to the call for the return of Commodity Board. According to him, an arrangement that allows the government buy the excess farm produce from farmers through the Commodity Boards to stablise prices and also avoid losses remains a win-win for both government and farmers. He noted that the arrangement would not only move the agricultural sector forward but also encourage the growth of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs).

ductivity of farmers with all the benefits inherent, but also the manufacturing sector to have access to raw materials needed for the industries.

Akande said she is an apostle of buy-Nigeria and that she promoted same as a minister. She, however, said she will prefer new ideas and innovations to move the nation forward without recourse to the past.

For National Vice President, Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Mr. John Udeagbala, the private sector is the engine of every economy and whatever that is needful to create an enabling environment should be done. He advised the government to work with the private sector before coming out with any policy, insisting that without the support of the private sector policies, no matter how attractive, would not work.

He said the poor delivery of the out-going administration and by extension, the manufacturing sector, was largely because the organised private sector was not carried along in most of the policies rolled out for them.

• Bello

Govt muted the idea The renewed clamour for the return of commodities marketing boards enjoys the support of the Federal Government. Recall that Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, earlier hinted that the Federal Government intended to re-introduce commodities marketing boards to ensure that farmers got adequate prices for their products.

At the opening session of the Growth Enhancement Support (GES) for registered cocoa farmers in Ondo State recently, the minister said the board would be private sectordriven and would perform all the functions that the defunct marketing board performed before it was scrapped in 1986, except buying and selling. Adesina said the GES was initiated to remove middlemen from the sale and distribution of fertiliser and chemicals.

The Minister noted with concern that marketing of agricultural produce had become an all comers’ affair since the scrapping of the cocoa marketing board. The development, he said, had left farmers at the mercy of merchants. He said the government would start the programme with two commodities boards of cocoa and cassava, adding that some foreign experts had been invited based on their experiences on the project.

How the boards operated Commodity Marketing Boards were established in 1977 by the Federal Military Government under the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives to take care of specific crops such as cocoa, rubber, roots and tubers, etc Food imports were limited, but crop production for exports was intensified during the period of liberalisation. There were six Commodity Boards. They include Nige-

•Mrs Akande

rian Cocoa Board, Nigerian Groundnut Board, Nigerian Cotton Board, Nigerian Palm Produce Board, Nigerian Rubber Board, and Nigerian Grains Board.Their headquarters were located in Ibadan, Kano, Funtua, Calabar, Benin, and Minna.

These Boards interfaced with farmers and brought stability in their operations and also served as interventionist agencies, especially for cash crop farmers, ensuring that their produce were bought from them by government. This is to control the prices. In some other cases the Board arranged overseas trading partners to buy the produce as they ensured that it is produced to the highest quality and specification of the buyers.

On its part, the government provided necessary tools, such as tractors, scale, jute bags and gamalin to treat pests in the farms to encourage small scale millers to farm and harvest with minimal loses.

Agriculture extension workers were also used and young men and women given el-

•Othman

‘Through the establishment of commodity boards needed infrastructure will also be established in rural areas especially those where the cash crops are grown and packaged. The agricultural sector will thrive more and more jobs created if the sector is made attractive for youngpeople and fresh graduates who see farming as odious and not attractive’ ementary training in the application of pesticides and fertiliser to both cash and arable crops. They were later deployed in the various farm settlements where they assisted rural farmers who largely toiled for subsistence.

The initiative, no doubt, boosted produce and income to the farmers as well as the government, which was able to build infrastructure, such as roads, schools and health care facilities to make the transportation of products easier and ready for either local manufacturing or export.

While these may have prompted renewed calls for the return of Commodity Board, there are those who do not support its reintroduction. For instance, while acknowledging that Commodity Board recorded some measurable success when it was operational, a former Minister of Industry, Chief Nike Akande said she prefers the incoming administration to fashion out a new policy that will not only enhance the pro-

‘The boards set prices for the three different grades of produce, grade 1 -3 and there was no case of sub-standardisation of products from the country because from the onset the parameters are set’

Boards as vehicle to boost industrialisation Since mid-last year when the price of crude oil started tumbling, causing major upsets in the nation’s finances, Federal Government’s new, strategic thinking has been to explore opportunities in the non–oil sector of the economy. The overall objective is to diversify the economy by reducing the country’s heavy dependence on proceeds from oil. To achieve this objective, experts say that agriculture must be accorded priority. Besides, there has to be massive investment in the export sector by ensuring that value is added to raw materials before exportation.

This, The Nation learnt, is part of the planned integrated support for local manufacturing and by extension the agricultural sector. The idea is to stem wastages for farmers occasioned by the lack of storage facilities and also provide ready raw materials for local industries.

To deliver on this overall objective, analysts and experts are now calling for the reintroduction of Commodity Board to serve as safety net where government will take the burden of storage and marketing from farmers while ensuring the steady inflow of locally available raw materials for the manufacturing sector.

For farmers, a Commodity Board, according to experts, is particularly necessary. Their argument is that for the reforms in the agricultural sector to succeed, farmers need to be assured that whatever they produce will be taken up by the government, prices stabilised and wastages eliminated. They noted that the reform and sustenance of the Board is necessary to stimulate the chain of production from the farm to the markets.

Besides, farmers need to be protected by the government against importers who will want to use the country as a dumping ground.

They also need the support of a sophisticated engineering industry to produce the machines and equipment they need to guarantee the crops and livestock they grow to reach the high quality standards.

Incidentally, this is where manufacturing comes in. To achieve all these, experts canvass for a robust policy for the manufacturing sector with strong emphasis on local content. This is why they urge the government to encourage the use of available local products in place of the imported alternatives.

In such a scenario, the agricultural and the real sector will be revamped and the much needed foreign exchange will be earned as the international market would have confidence in dealing with a government agency rather than individuals. They will also be confident that the quality specification on the produce is real and not counterfeits.

Through the establishment of commodity boards needed infrastructure will also be established in rural areas, especially those where the cash crops are grown and packaged. The agricultural sector will thrive more and more jobs created if the sector is made attractive for youngpeople and fresh graduates who see farming as odious and not attractive.

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BUSINESS

MOTORING

The new KIA Sorento assembled in Nigeria, is redesigned with a sleeker, more sculpted exterior; it has a wider stance and longer wheelbase for even more versatile cabin space with available seating for up to seven. Kia Motors Nigeria unveiled the Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) at the just concluded Lagos Motor Show last week. TAJUDEEN ADEBANJO reports

• KIA officials inaugurating vehicle

KIA unveils locally assembled Sorento T

HE 2015 Sorento guarantees comfort.

It has a spacious cabin with clean, modern styling. It is driver-focused, featuring a 14-way power-adjustable driver’s seat. From Nappa leather seat trim to the quality soft-touch materials, the Sorento is premium comfort everywhere you go.

With a different beat, the KIA brand of vehicles has continued to exceed the expectations of customers in the world over, KIA Motors Nigeria has brought to the public and teeming customers the iconic all new 2015 made-in-Nigeria Kia Sorento delivering on its promise to locally produced Kia vehicles in the country.

For over a decade now, Kia has remained the leading Korean brand in Nigeria by offering the best in class cutting-edge technology at an affordable price.

The all-new Sorento, showcased for the first time at the 2014 Paris Motor Show in October, has continued to reel in different awards globally for its outstanding and iconic automotive technology which include the prestigious iF product design award and reddot award 2015. The Sorento unites the classic poise of an SUV with a premium look and feel that is particularly tangible in the cabin. It offers the very highest design quality and excellent value for money.

It is one highly stylised, modern utility vehicle with improved handling and dynamic power.

With the available Dynamax™ All-WheelDrive (AWD) system, the Sorento delivers a smooth, refined drive even on rough roads.

It presents two engine trims to fully customise your experience. Engines range from the fuelefficient 2.4-liter 4-cylinder with its impressive performance to the 3.3-liter V6 AWD which offers 5,000-pound towing capacity.

The third-generation Sorento Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) received the ‘Top Safety Pick’ award by achieving a ‘Good’ rating in every

one of the IIHS’s demanding tests, thanks to an even stronger body shell and a wide array of passive and active safety equipment.

This is the latest accolade from a globallyrespected crash safety organisation – the allnew Sorento has already been awarded the maximum five-star crash safety rating by Euro NCAP. The car’s passenger compartment came in for particular praise for remaining stable in the event of a collision, and offering good protection for passengers of different physiques, no matter where they were seated in the car.

The Sorento is among the safest models in its class and received accolade from IIHS – a highly respected vehicle safety institution.

Comparing the new Sorento to its predecessor, the mid-size SUV improved its ‘Photochemical Oxidants Creation Potential’ (POCP) by nearly 13 per cent. POCP measures the amount of smog created by a vehicle’s manufacturing process and by the vehicle itself throughout its life.

The new Kia Sorento is a stylish and practical SUV with exceptional versatility and practicality. The smoother, swept-back profile and deeply sculpted surfaces give the Kia Sorento a lithe, elegant appearance. The spacious interior follows the horizontal lines of the overall design concept and delivers a luxurious look and feel with top-quality materials throughout the cabin.

The new Kia Sorento, which comes with seven seats, has a longer wheelbase and provides more passenger room than its predecessor. The luggage area is larger, and thanks to the sliding, 60:40-split seat row it is even more versatile, holding up to 1,732 litres.

It has a powerful and efficient 270 ps engine with four-wheel drive fitted with Kia’s new Dynamax™ All-Wheel-Drive system with torque vectoring. High-tech specifications and a range of premium features including the rear camera and smart parking system that makes it easy to manoeuvre and park. Smart

• The Sorento

Key entry with Push Button Start makes it outstandingly easy to get in and drive the sporty Sorento.

Mood lamp, led combination rear lamp and illuminated Door Scuff adds to the interior luxury feel of the SUV. Other unique features that make the Sorento stands out for other SUV in the country with its six speed automatic drive and a touch screen sound system with six premium surrounding speakers. Aligning with Nigeria’s densely populated urban centres that are characterised with traffic logjams; the Sorento Eco Mode helps minimise the fuel consumption.

The structure of the new Sorento is significantly stronger, thanks in large part to the more widespread use of ultra-high tensile steel (UHTS). The previous-

generation model was made up of 24.4 per cent UHTS, while the body shell of the new model consists of 52.7 per cent UHTS, aiding the integrity of the car’s core structure in the event of an impact and also improving torsional rigidity by 14 per cent.

The new Sorento also boasts a range of safety assistance technology. The new model’s standard-fit Vehicle Stability Management (VSM) system ensures the car remains stable when simultaneously braking and cornering, particularly on lowgrip surfaces, by carefully controlling both the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and electric motor-driven power steering. Both systems are activated as soon as the car’s sensors detect a loss in traction, helping the driver to remain safely in control of the vehicle.

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THE NATION MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015

THE NATION

BUSINESS JOBS

+

+QW21J VB NM.

•Farm tractor...needs farm engineers

The renewed focus on the agricultural sector will create job opportunities in various sections of the industry. But with the dearth of agricultural engineers, opportunities abound for this category of people, who are expected to play a pivotal role in the agricultural transformation initiative, writes MUYIWA LUCAS.

Agric revolution opens opportunities T for engineers

HESE are interesting times for agri cultural engineers in the country.

The Agric Transformation Agenda (ATA), an important component of the Transformation Agenda of the outgoing President Goodluck Jonathan’s adminsitration, has given a new drive which has induced a push for modern and mechanised farming to ensure food security.

The push for food security is however being threatened by the dearth of professionals such as agricultural engineers in the value chain.

The engineers work on various areas of the sector, from production, to processing, packaging, land use, equipment construction and maintenance, seed improve-

ment, biofuel development and many others.

An agricultural engineer is involved in the production and processing of food commodities for national and international markets.

He adds value to seeds for the production of goods for export, ensuring that they meet international standards. To achieve optimal performance, farmers acquire purpose-built machines, which can only be maintained by an expert. This equipment are used for canning, freezing and drying. Running these machines to attain the desired efficiencies

requires the competencies of agricultural engineers.

Beyond this, they analyse operations, new technologies and methods to increase yields, improve land use, and conserve resources, such as seed, water, fertilisers, pesticides and fuel amongst others.

To this end, farmers and other stakeholders in the sector agree that more agricultural engineers are needed to help them adopt new farming practices and equipment usage.

Agricultural engineers are useful in sev-

eral aspects of farming and its allied sectors. For instance, in preparing the farmland for planting, soil engineers are useful, while fabrication engineer are required to produce farm tools and implements of the right dimension for harvesting to avoid loss of produce. They are equally an important part of the food industry as some work for processing companies to develop efficient processes for better products.

There are five major areas of specialisation for agricultural engineers: farm structures, mechanical power, electrification, soil and water conservation, and food en•Continued on page 36

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JOBS

Agric revolution opens opportunities for engineers •Continued from page 35

gineering.

The revolution in the sector also comes with huge research works.

Thus, institutions such as the Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi (FIIRO), Lagos employ the services of agricultural engineers in its research and development unit. The institute, it was gathered, however, prefers employing Doctoral Degree (Ph. D) holders because such category of people are expected to provide solutions to a variety of problems through research. While the bulk of their work is in the laboratories, they also do outdoor work at times, visiting farms and rural areas.

The demand for agric engineers is expectedly, encouraging more tertiary institutions to offer courses in the field, thereby trying to bridge the gap in the growing demand for specialists in the field. Most universities run a Bachelor of Science programme in agricultural engineering of five academic sessions during which the students are exposed to industrial training over a 12-month period. The training period is broken into three parts of first and second three months, and six months.

The first industrial attachment is undertaken during the vacation period at the end of the second year. The second training comes during the vacation period at the end of the third year, while the last one is for six months, which starts at the beginning of the second semester of the fourth year and lasts till the beginning of the following academic session when the students return to

school for their final year work.

But stakeholders, experts and curriculum developers, have canvassed that because of the importance of the sector, and the strategic role of agric engineers, the course curriculum needs to be reviewed to expand the entrepreneurial potential of agricultural engineering graduates.

The Managing Director, Beam Support Services, a firm of agricultural and farm input providers, based in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Mr. Morufu Siyanbade, noted that an agricultural engineer is at the heart of farming.

According to him, farmers need the support of a sophisticated engineering industry to produce the machines and equipment they need to guarantee the crops and livestock they grow to reach the high quality standards they must achieve to get top market prices. Also, he said farm machinery and equipment manufacturers require engineers of the highest level with the right skills to deal with structures, mechanisms, control systems, hydraulics and electronics, as well as having an interest and appreciation of farming systems and other relevant industry sectors. This is because the design and operation of manufacturing systems used in

the agricultural industry rely on sound engineering principles.

This is why farm equipment making related firms look for engineers, who specialise in design, production and supply of quality machines and integrated systems processing of agricultural produce and waste materials. Some companies have equally developed systems for food processing, such as drying processes, distillation, or long term storage. In most instances, they work in close collaboration with farmers, visiting their farms, including crops and livestock farms, servicing a wide variety of related industries, as well as manufacturing concerns and governments.

Most tasks of an agricultural engineer are completed outdoors, but there is office work, too. For instance, during the day, time is dedicated to designing projects, such as helping to plan a new type of grain silo, improving existing models of threshing equipment, or creating a new method of grain harvesting.

There are agricultural engineers, who design animal housing units, or might work on bettering a slaughter-slab to make it more hy-

•Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development,Dr.Akinwumi Adesina

• Supervising Minister of Labour and Productivity, Alhaji Kabiru Turaki

gienic. Others test soil for chemicals, improve waste disposal and monitor water quality to ensure that natural resources are protected and not exploited. Some agricultural engineers work in universities, educating newcomers into the field, while others write for farming publications. There are more chances for agricultural engineers to travel to other countries where they can help give advice on farming practices and showcase their equipment.

The Nigerian agricultural sector, Siyanbade said, provides ample op-

portunities for engineers, even though the current system of training agricultural engineers is inadequate for the sector’s potential for revenue creation or development of skills.

And with many states striving towards increased agricultural mechanisation to boost food production, leading to demand for the latest technologies and innovations that improve farm operating efficiencies, the need for better coordination between agricultural engineering education and work cannot be over emphasised.

Now, it is on record that one of the most important technological advances in agricultural engineering has occurred- the use of applied enzymes. Agricultural engineers use applied enzymes to make healthier food products. These are positive trends that are creating job opportunities for agricultural engineers, and which will continue to ensure that there is a huge demand for their services.

‘An agricultural engineer is at the heart of farming. Farmers need the support of a sophisticated engineering industry to produce the machines and equipment they need to guarantee the crops and livestock they grow to reach the high quality standards they must achieve to get top market prices’

MOVERS AND SHAKERS Satcom Direct gets regional director

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• Donahue

atcom Direct, a provider of satellite voice and broadband data solutions for flight deck and cabin communications, has appointed Derek Donahue as Regional Director for Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (EEMEA).

He is based in the Dubai, UAE office, and he assumes his new role immediately.

He is responsible for managing the Satcom Direct offices in Moscow, Dubai, and Cape Town, in addition to marketing, sales, support and opera-

tional activities in the extended region of Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

The Dubai office, which opened in2013, has built an impressive portfolio of elite clients across the Middle East from the VVIP, government and business aviation sectors who are using the full range of Satcom Direct products, technical training, support and satcom system consultation services.

In his new role, Donahue will continue to expand this region’s client base, in addition to strengthening Satcom Direct’s footprint in the emerging markets of Eastern Europe and Africa.

“This is an exciting time for these regions. They each present their own set of opportunities and with Satcom Direct’s extensive product portfolio we can provide definitive solutions for each market. We focus on providing exten-

sive support for our customers, having a local presence to support our global service means we can truly understand the customer’s requirements and meet their needs for airborne connectivity,” said Donahue on working in the region.

Donahue will report into Chris Moore, chief commercial officer for Satcom Direct International, who said, “We are pleased to have a regional director with Derek’s capabilities

leading our EEMEA region. The Middle East has embraced the Satcom Direct presence, and we expect to see exceptional growth with Derek at the helm.”

Donahue was educated at University of Massachusetts, Boston and Eastern Florida State College where he graduated in Electrical Engineering.

His experience supporting Satcom Direct with its international growth means he is well positioned to support Satcom Direct’s development in the EEMEA regions.

CAREER MANAGEMENT

Seven tips on creating workplace self-motivation W ORKPLACE motivation is one of those interesting things. We think it should just drop out of the sky like magic but it never really does. We also don’t really think about how to create motivation for ourselves.

However, we really can create it with the right tools.

First, let’s get on the same page about what motivation is. Motivation is what causes you to take action. Clearly, you’re at work so you do have some motivation because your action is going to work and performing your job. What we are talking about is feeling engaged and inspired about the actions you do take.

Let’s look at some of the tools you can use to get fully engaged and motivated in the workplace:

By Olu Oyeniran

Change

There’s nothing like changing things to really get the juices going. You don’t want to change things just for the sake of changing; however, you want to change things that don’t work well.

With that, you must have a vision of what the right outcome would be and then you apply your steps to create the action for change.

Goals Many times, the lack of motivation is due to a lack of direction or goals. Sit down and figure out what would really get you up in the morning and make that your goal.

Having a goal isn’t enough, though. It has to be a goal that you

yearn for or have some emotions about. Once established, put together a plan for how you will achieve your goals. Keep in mind SMART for goals = Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Resonate, Time bounded if you really are going to shot for something worth having.

Be accountable The vast majority of us want to do things but we’re really lazy about doing them. It’s often easier to diet or workout with someone because we have a person that is looking for us to perform. Find someone to hold you accountable to yourself and be willing to trade off the favor.

Clean up your own internal litter We all have baggage, but some-

times we have so much of it cluttering up our life that it bogs us down and we fail to see what’s possible. Creating a clutter-free physical work environment also gives significant push to get on with work at hand.

Surround yourself with the right people Yes, your mother was right… it is important to hang out with the right people. In this case, hang out with people who are inspired and motivated as it will be contagious.

Research the issue Find out from others what motivates them. In the process, you may hear something that would really be great for you. Don’t be afraid to copy what works.

Cop an attitude

Motivation creates more motivation. Look for it and it will be there.

We often get hung up about our ability to control things in the workplace.

The one thing we can control is our attitude and approach to various workplace challenges. Change your perception or paradgme. You will see how things are different, even with the same facts!

These tools for workplace motivation are simple to do which means there is nothing but you holding you up from trying them.

•Oyeniran is Lead Consultant, EkiniConsult & Associates.

He can be reached on Jobsearchhow.com.ng Tel 08083843230 (SMS Only).

THE NATION MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015

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THE CEO How can banks achieve results and enhance profit? It is by improving their risk management framework, says Taiwo Otiti, Country General Manager for IBM West Africa, covering Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone and other emerging markets in Anglophone West Africa, in this interview with COLLINS NWEZE.

‘Banks need good risk controls’

I

BM recently hosted a ‘Solution Jam in Lagos’, which attracted banks, financial sector regulators and other stakeholders.

What was it all about?

The ‘Solution Jam’ was all about banking in Nigeria. We did a banking day for stakeholders. There were different topics we wanted to bring to bear, especially for risk managers or people in risk control/internal control units in the banking sector, who manage risk basically.

There are different types of risks we manage around the world, such as credit risk, and controls. We are not just managing controls, but having the ability to put processes in place to achieve best results. We are also putting in risk management framework in place in terms of consultancy. When you put that framework in place, then how do you put in tools to manage and control those risks? And then, what are the tools you need to manage these risks going forward, and also ensure that from Basel II and Basel III point of view, which are international standards, and also localising certain things that are our own type of risks? How do you manage systems that monitor it, take data from all works of the organisation from treasury, to operations, to risk management, to general services and assets to Information Technology risk, and to credit risk, like loan defaults, to policies in place. And also how do you monitor those policies?

Now, is it just about guiding the banks or there are technologies, or solutions, that need to be deployed to achieve the best results?

They are. Besides, it is not just about technology, but adding that framework. Otherwise why are you automating, when you don’t have a framework? It means you are saying, in terms of our risk appetite, our default rate on a particular loan type, must not go beyond this point. So, those are framework you have to put in place because, not adhering to them will affect your capital at the end of the day. Again, besides, the fraud happening in your branches, how do you mitigate and put a process around them?

So, we take feeds from everywhere and put thresholds and rules in those systems. Banks are big now, and you cannot throw bodies at them, you have to throw automation. You start with a framework, and based on that framework, you put systems, controls and procedures around it.

What exactly are you doing with the banks?

It is not just banks. Good risks and controls are not just for banks. They are also for regulators that manage their own industries. For instance, we are talking about how does the Central Bank of Nigeria manage risks? How does Nigeria Interbank Settlement System manage risks? Even when you go into manufacturing, they are also risks, they also have their own type of framework based on the kind of business they do.

Are you incorporating risk management frameworks into the concerned companies?

We work with them, because we also have a consulting arm. We look at the automated

• Otiti

tools that will help you do those things and ask what are the business processes reengineering that you might do, that will help the organisation better mitigate some of those risks?

The equipment is basically what you use to do your business. For instance, in a risk policy you might say, you want bulletproof doors in your branches to mitigate against armed robbery. Those are some of the framework we can develop.

What is the feedback from banks, regulators and other stakeholders you are selling

the idea to?

It is part of international standards and rating agencies also look at some of those framework. Where you don’t have a framework, they score you low. Now, lets go to the telecom industry. Are there specific issues you are addressing in that sector? In the sector we do things like revenue assurance, where you just not look at processes, but at how do we get data out of cell sites, switches and co, to see what is going on around people. For instance, if you make a call now, and someone clones same number and starts

getting your calls, we have ability to block such numbers.

Does it mean that when we see such occurrences, it is not system failure but interference with the system?

It is not about interference. There are syndicates whose work is to deploy technology into cloning numbers. So, we used to see that in the era of 090, but the GSM is a bit more sophisticated, but remember you can port the number from one SIM to the other.

•Continued on page 38

THE NATION MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015

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THE CEO

‘Banks need good risk controls’ •Continued from page 37

Sometimes, it is internal fraud. We have the ability to find out who primed or moved that particular SIM. So, we are able to stop that internal fraud emanating from people embedded in the organisation.

Is it similar to what happens when Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cards are cloned?

There is no cloning of ATM cards, most of them are internal fraud that happens when someone primes a card, and attaches it to an account number. That is it. A lot of issues in Nigerian banking are internal. But we can also, based on our analytics and tools, know who did what. Sometimes, they steal people’s identities to do it, but we can also see who primed that card, because the laws are there.

Why do you think that Nigerian companies need IBM? I think we are very different from others, the way we are set up. We do consultancy and IT services management.We can run your hardware, and have a lot of hardware that fit into key sectors of the economy. We run major infrastructure. We have massive knowledge in different matters, and we are much more wider. We also do a lot of research and development. Again, hard ware is jut about 10 per cent of our income now.

We are much wider.

What roles can big data play in the globalised world?

With big data, you can predict if one can default in loans or not based on previous actions. Human beings are always evolving, but based on things you are seeing, you can adjust your risk appetite. Analytics allow you to have a better view of customers and because you can understand this, you can develop a suitable products and services.

Data has always been there, but it has to be well utilised. Data is the next resource that will drive the global economy. The challenge here is that we have not started mining data. IBM’s ambition in Nigeria is to help government to better manage data that will help companies grow. Data storage is also key. Decision should be driven by data. If you don’t have data on how you run your businesses, you are likely to make mistakes.

The ability to access and make sense of huge volumes of information, often in realtime, is fuelling the Big Data phenomenon and transforming every industry, government, profession and society. All kinds of previously unattainable data sources are helping clients transform their operations.

IBM customers can now take advantage of mobile analytics today via the cloud to give front-line employees — who are inundated with information but often lack business insight – the collaborative tools to help them make better decisions.

There is a CBN policy specifying that bank customers travelling abroad should inform their banks, especially when they want to use their electronic cards in those countries. How do you see the policy, and does it intend to check fraud?

Yes. You know that standards for cards in the world are different. For Europe and most of Africa, they are using the chipbased cards. Go to America, it is magstripe which is susceptible to fraud because it can be easily cloned.

So, what they have done is set up security operating centres, saying that if a transaction comes from this region, if I have not told my bank that I am going to that region, block that transaction and contact us.

Basically, it is to mitigate fraud. When Europe was on the magstripe, there was a tremendous amount of fraud in the card sector. Those frauds have moved to America, and America has started to change their system, because it is very expensive for them to change their system.

They have started the process. That is why

• Otiti

the banks are now saying tell us that you are going somewhere. The most intelligent of banks will not bother you when you go into a place where they are using chip and pin. Some banks, once they see it is a magstripe transaction, they will stop it. It is actually to protect you.

There was a customer, who did transaction in the US, and immediately, he made payment, within 24 hours, more than N1 million was taken from his account by fraudsters. What do you think might have happened?

It is because they are using magstripe.

There are many unresolved cases. The magstripe can be easily cloned, but we are using chip and pin. Although Nigeria uses chip and pin, but when you travel to America, you are using magstripe, because you are there. When you do a transaction in Nigeria, it is chip and pin, but when you travel, say to the United States, it is magstripe, because the transaction centre uses magstripe. Magstripe will eventually go away, that is why people are saying,

inaugurate security operating centre, so that you monitor where the cards are used.

If it comes from American geography, or certain geography where they are using magstripe, stop it. Some people say, they don’t care if it is a chip and pin, or magstripe, just tell us you have gone to Dubai, or any country, if you do not tell us, we are not going to approve the transactions you do in those countries.

What do the banks do when you tell them?

They just unlock the block because it is an anti-money laundering software monitoring processes.

Money laundering is rampant in Nigeria because of corruption. Is there something your company is doing to assist the government or other stakeholders put a check on it?

I don’t believe that it is only in Nigeria that money is laundered. I think the issue in Nigeria is that we are just turning a blind eye to it. Look at Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and

‘There is no cloning of ATM cards, most of them are internal fraud that happens when someone primes a card, and attaches it to an account number. That is it. A lot of issues in Nigerian banking are internal. But we can also, based on our analytics and tools, know who did what. Sometimes, they steal people’s identities to do it, but we can also see who primed that card, because the laws are there’

data collection, those data on daily basis go to banks and EFCC. Every bank has a limit and the system downloads all suspicious transactions which are electronically sent to EFCC and CBN. It is just for us to start doing enforcement. It is for us to put analytics on all those data. You can see the trend.

You have to understand that banks are constantly evolving, and we can see a trend in social media, everyone wants to bank online. We need to unify a lot of things like setting of Interswitch. Banks can compete, but need to put achieve system interoperability.

What is IBM’s investment on big data like?

IBM has invested $24 billion to expand its Big Data & Analytics portfolio through R&D and acquisitions, and underscores the vital role that the Big Data phenomenon continues to play in transforming industries and professions.

It’s estimated that 2.5 quintillion bytes of data are created every day from sources such as email, posts to social media sites, digital pictures and videos. At the same time data is exploding, mobile devices have become much more pervasive.

IBM customers are taking advantage of mobile analytics today via the cloud to give front-line employees — who are inundated with information but often lack business insight – the collaborative tools to help them make better decisions. Staying on top of processes, having the relevant information at hand, and soliciting feedback from others are time consuming tasks – and in a traditional environment, this may take days or even weeks to accomplish.

IBM is poised to win in the Emerging Big Data Market even as the market for data and analytics is estimated at $187 billion by 2015. Big data and analytics serves as the “silver lining” of IBM’s core business initiatives today it’s woven throughout our entire portfolio of products, services and industry expertise.

In fact, business analytics is now nearly a $16 billion business for IBM. You may recall that was the original target for 2015, but IBM has already taken our 2015 objective for business analytics revenue up to $20 billion.

More than $24 billion invested to date to build IBM’s capabilities in Big Data and analytics, including $7 billion in organic investments and $17 billion of gross spent on more than 30 acquisitions.

What is IBM’s view on cyber security as it relates to risk management?

Cyber security is just one of the risks that you have to manage. Because if you start having leakages through cyber it will negatively impact on your image, and a reputational risk. We are one of the biggest companies in terms of security in the world.

The explosion of data in the global world is real. To what extent is that happening in Nigeria and are there ways to check it and what measures are needed to address the challenge?

I think it is already happening in Nigeria.

The thing is how do we capture the data and start making sense out of it. The thing is what are they saying about my banks and what do I do about it? Banks can begin to interpret information and make insights out of it will do better. There is need for banks to embrace corporate governance and good internal processes.

Several people still want to do online banking but for the rate of breaches. What do banks need to do to achieve the desired trust?

Education is needed. Some of the banks are using secured token, and you cannot remove money without the secured token.

If you write your password somewhere where people can see it and also place your secured token carelessly, people can take your money and there is nothing any bank can do. You put yourself at risk and not the bank.

So, there are various checkpoints that banks have put in to mitigate fraud. But it is also dependent on their customer to safeguard his information.

But, as I told you, some of the risks you are seeing, are also internally generated from the banks themselves. If a syndicate infiltrate a bank, it is possible that they link your account to someone else’s profile and do the transactions. But if you have the right systems in place, you can mitigate around that. We have solutions that ensure you don’t move money within internal accounts.

THE NATION MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015

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Taxation

Administration of withholding tax (11)

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HE organizations making the payments are required to withhold tax from such payments and pay over the withheld amounts to their respective

relevant Tax Authorities within 30days of receipt of payment or credit by the person or entity suffering the Tax. The relevant tax authorities to receive the WHT tax transactions made by companies is FIRS and for individuals and unincorporated bodies subject to Rules of Residence is SIRS or FIRS. PERSON LIABLE TO DEDUCT WITHHOLDING TAX The payer of withholding tax in respect of any of the activities covered under the withholding tax regime shall include company (Corporate or non-corporate), Government Ministries and Department, Parastatals, Statutory bodies, Institutions and other established organization approved for the operations of Pay As you Earn System.

WHO IS TAXABLE • All Persons, Companies etc. who’s Incomes are liable to income tax, are subject to Withholding Tax. • However, exempt entities like Educational Institutions, Government Ministries, Parastatals and other Agencies of Government, are Agents for the collection of WHT. They are required to deduct WHT on any payment made to a taxable body and remit same to the relevant tax authority.

WITHHOLDING TAX IMPLICATION ON FOREIGN TRANSACTIONS Non Resident Companies/Enterprises The Revenue practice is that non-resident companies are not empowered to deduct any type of WHT. These categories of enterprises are practically outside the regulatory monitoring and control of the FIRS. It will be impracticable for Revenue office to inspect the accounting books of these companies in order to confirm due deduction and remittance of WHT. Double Taxation Agreement (DTA) Transactions that are ordinarily not liable to tax in Nigeria are not liable to WHT in Nigeria. Thus contracts and supplies of goods and services performed entirely outside Nigeria by non-resident individuals are not liable to WHT. Nigeria has treaty agreements with about eight (8) countries and these countries are granted a reduced rate of WHT deduction, usually at 75% of the generally applicable WHT rate. 7.5%. These countries include UK, Northern Ireland, Canada, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Pakistan, and Romania.

PERMANENT ESTABLISHMENT (PE) PRINCIPLE EXISTS UNDER NIGERIA TAXATION The rules construe a PE where: • The company has a ‘‘fixed base’’ in Nigeria.

• The company operates in Nigeria through a dependent agent authorized to conclude contracts or deliver goods on its behalf, • The company is executing a turnkey project in Nigeria, or • The operation between the company and its Nigeria affiliate does not appear to be at arm’s length.

• ‘‘Fixed base’’ implies some degree of permanence and will include: • Facilities, such as a factory, office, branch, mine, oil or gas well • Activities, such as building, construction, assembly or installation • Provision of services in connection with the activities listed above.

PRINCIPLES OF PERMANENT ESTABLISHMENT • The rules construe a Permanent Establishment where: • The company has a ‘‘fixed base’’ in Nigeria.

• The company operate in Nigeria through a dependent agent authorized to conclude contracts or deliver goods on its behalf, • The company is executing a turnkey project in Nigeria,

or • The operation between the company and its Nigeria affiliate does not appear to be at arm’s length. ‘‘Fixed base’’ implies some degree of permanence and will include: Facilities, such as a factory, office, branch, mine, oil or gas well Activities, such as building, construction, assembly or installation Provision of services in connection with the activities listed above.

OTHER TYPES OF INCOME NOT LIABLE TO WHT • Companies operating within the Free Trade Zones/Export Processing Zones • Insurance premium • Turnover/Income from Dealership or Distributive trade • Telephone Bills are not subject to WHT APPLICATION OF WITHHOLDING TAX Sections of CITA and PITA that provides for the deduction of withholding tax at the applicable rates below.

Types of payment Applicable rates Companies Individual Dividends, Interest, Rent 10% 10% Directors Fees 10% 10% Royalties 15% 15% Commission, Consultation, 10% 5% Technical, Service Fees Management fees 10% 5% Construction/Building Contracts 5% 5% Contracts, other than outright sales and purchase of goods in the ordinary course of business 5% 5% Returns & Remittance Tax Returns are filed monthly with evidence of remittance and a detailed schedule of taxable transactions.

Submitted schedule should show the following details: Name of supplier Address Nature of Invoice payment Amount Rate @ Y% Tax Service Date Date • Returns for corporate suppliers should be filed within 21 days from end of month of transactions. · Returns for non –corporate suppliers should be filed within 30 days from end of month of transaction.

• In practice, tax returns are filed in the same month they occur.

• Tax deducted should be remitted to the revenue in exchange for a receipt of payment.

• Tax is payable in the currency of the qualifying transaction.

Following payment and filing of returns, the revenue processes credit notes for the suppliers on whose income tax was deducted.

• Credit notes can be used in applying for tax credit against current and future tax liabilities (i.e. where it is not final tax) • Remittances are due to either federal or state tax authorities.

Remittances due to Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS): • Corporate entities, • Non-resident individuals, • Members of the armed forces and police, • Resident of Abuja, • Foreign officers.

Remittances due to state internal revenue service (SIRS): • All other individuals / partnerships resident in the state.

• PAYMENT ON CURRENCY Section 64B of CITA empowers the tax authority that withheld tax must be remitted to the tax authority in the currency in which the deduction was made. This means that transactions made in foreign currency are to be remitted in the same currency and that the tax so withheld is to be remitted in the same currency. Simultaneously penalty for default would also be calculated in the same currency.

• HOW TO CLAIM WITHHOLDING TAX CREDIT (CREDIT NOTES) A taxpayer from whom tax has been withheld is expected

• Acting Executive Chairman, FIRS, Samuel Ogungbesan to gain withholding tax credit notes from the relevant tax authority via the deducting organization. All withheld taxes are forwarded to the tax authority, which in turn records the credit against the tax payer’s account, with a schedule containing details of the contract or service, on which basis the tax authority issues a credit note. Assessed tax and related charges are usually entered as debits in the taxpayer’s tax account, while he is expected to pay only the difference between his assessed tax and withholding tax credit at the time of filing their own returns.

• It is this credit note that a taxpayer uses as a set off against tax assessed within that year or if unutilized within that year can be applied based on the taxpayer request to transfer the credit balance in that year to offset or reduce debit balance of another year.

• In cases where there is an excess charge of WHT on a taxpayer, the 2007 amendments to CITA (Section 63 (7)) have even further empowered FIRS to refund proven excess withholding tax to any taxpayer within 90 days of filing a claim.

OFFENCES AND PENALTIES OFFENCES • Failure to withhold tax or • Failure to remit or late remittance of the tax withheld • Non remittance of the tax withheld within the time limit stipulated by the Revenue.

PENALTIES a. For Companies A fine of 200 percent of the tax not withheld or withheld but not remitted, plus interest at the prevailing commercial rate. b. For Individuals & other Organizations A fine of the higher of N5,000 or 10% of the amount of tax due, plus the amount of tax deductible , or withheld but not remitted, plus interest at the prevailing commercial rate.

• Interest on Savings Account of less than N50, 000 paid by a Bank, is not subject to WHT. The WHT system has come to stay since it is a veritable source of revenue to Government. It enhances the collection efforts of Tax Authorities and it ensures that revenue is generated in advance. It is therefore imperative that the system should continue to be improved upon in the light of modern tax administration procedure. Usually an advance payment of tax provides information that an income source has been identified through a third party. Such information being provided by the payer should be readily available for use in accessing a potential taxpayer. Field officers should always be ready to follow up on such information.

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MONDAY MAY 11, 2015

POLITICS THE NATION

E-mail:- politics@thenationonlineng.net

Since the beginning of the Fourth Republic, impeachment has been an instrument of political witch-hunt. B ut, the rapidity with which it is occurring as the country marches towards the May 29 handover date is a curious development.

RAYMOND MORDI and LEKE SALAUDEEN chronicle the developments.

Politics of impeachment Enugu

•Aliyu

•Chime

•Dakingari

•Fayose

In Enugu State, 15 members of the House of Assembly, led by the Speaker, Hon. Eugene Odo, commenced impeachment process against Governor Sullivan Chime, alleging financial misconduct.

The 15 members, who convened in the legislative chamber, amid tight security, put forward allegations of forgery, inflation of funds for state project execution and unlawful acquisition of public landed property.

The legislature/executive face-off in Enugu is coming against the background of the refusal of the House to approve the Governor’s request for N11 billion, as contained in the 2014 Supplementary Budget. The Clerk of the House, Christopher Chukwurah, was directed to communicate their resolution to the governor.

However, there was a twist in the drama when eight members of the House loyal to the Governor sat, impeached the Speaker, Hon. Eugene Odoh, and shot down the House indefinitely.

Despite his impeachment by the eight members of the House, the ‘impeached Speaker’, Hon. Odoh, said that the 15 lawmakers would continue with the impeachment process on Tuesday, insisting that the Governor had been duly served.

Meanwhile, the Enugu State Government said it is unaware of any impeachment process against Gov. Chime. The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Chukwudi Achife, described the action the 15-member faction of the assembly as null and void. “No impeachment notice has been served on the governor; we must get that straight,’’ he said.

The Governor-elect, Chief Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, has called on the two factions of the state assembly to sheath their swords and return to status quo for the amicable resolution of the contending issues.

The reconciliatory meeting, which was attended by members of the two groups, as well as a former Senate President, was held behind closed doors on Tuesday. Full details of the meeting were not made public. But, a reliable source said they were asked to follow legal means to settle the dispute.

The drama in Enugu is not coming as a surprise. Governor Sullivan Chime, a second term governor who would be bowing out on May 29, is someone who has been credited with a lot of achievements, particularly in the area of infrastructural development. But, he has always been accused of high handedness.

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HREE weeks to the end of the current dispensation, some governors and Speakers of Houses of Assembly are battling to escape impeachment. From Minna, Katsina, Enugu, Kebbi, Akure and Ado Ekiti, it is a battle of wits between the executive arm of government and the legislature.

According to experts, the framers of the constitution conceived the impeachment weapon as an antidote to check the excesses of welders of political power, particularly those who are entrusted with the people’s mandate. But, the way it is being used, it appears that politicians are eager to settle scores over the recent general elections.

Niger In Niger State, the impeachment drama is still festering. The state has been in political turmoil, following moves by 19 out of the state’s 27 lawmakers to impeach the Governor Babangida Aliyu. The lawmakers are angry because the executive has not released money for overheads since the beginning of the year.

To pave the way for Aliyu’s impeachment, the lawmakers moved a motion for the sacking the Speaker, who is believed to be the governor’s staunch ally in the House. The lawmakers went ahead to impeach Speaker Usman Adamu and three other principal officers, as a precursor to impeaching the governor.

Hon. Jacob Gana, representing Lavun Constituency, who seconded the nomination of Hon. Isah Kawu as the new Speaker, told the House that the refusal of the leadership to show up last Tuesday after it was agreed from its executive meeting on Monday has caused them some embarrassment and therefore, the leadership must be removed.

The members had defied a police barricade to gain entrance into the legislative chamber.

Indication that crisis was in the offing surfaced as early as 7:30am when all roads leading to the Assembly complex were closed to both human and vehicular traffic, with over 200 armed policemen and other security agents keeping vigil and preventing everybody from gaining entrance into the complex.

In a swift reaction, the impeached Speaker, Usman, disclosed that he had obtained a court order restraining the House from taking the action. He said the action was in violation of the court order. According to him, they disobeyed the order to impeach him after 1am against the rules of the House, saying that the target was to serve Governor Aliyu an impeachment notice.

He explained that the lawmakers wanted to remove the governor because they had not been given overhead and constituency allowances since the beginning of this fiscal year. “As far as I am concerned, I am still the Speaker and

the impeachment is null and void. I have not been accused of financial misappropriation; it is because the executive has not released overheads since the beginning of the year. Don’t be surprised that impeachment notice is served on the governor of Niger State tomorrow; the governor should be prepared.”

Meanwhile, the assemblymen are yet to serve Governor Aliyu notice of his impeachment proceedings.

Katsina In Katsina State, an impeachment threat is hanging over Governor Ibrahim Shema’s head.

Fifteen members of the House of Assembly have threatened to commence impeachment proceedings against Governor Ibrahim Shema.

The lawmakers vowed to serve the governor an impeachment notice by next Monday when they resume sitting over his poor handling of state’s finances among other impeachable offences.

Spokesman of the 15 members, Danlami Kurfi told accused Shema of spending public funds without recourse to laid-down procedures.

Kurfi, an All Progressives Congress (APC) member representing Kurfi, said the assembly members were determined to find answers to expenditures that included the N33 billion local government funds, selling of state houses in Katsina and Abuja, and SURE-P vehicles by the state government.

He accused the governor of failing to present audited state finance report to the state assembly as required by law, insisting that the move by the House was to ensure that things are done

Kebbi

‘

‘Three weeks to the end of the current political dispensation, several governors and speakers across the country are battling to save themselves from the impeachment threats before the expiry of their tenure. From Minna, Katsina, Enugu, Kebbi, Akure and Ado Ekiti, it is a battle of wits between the executive arm of government and the legislature

’

in line with the provisions of the constitution.

He stressed that some of the legislators, comprising mostly those that defected to the APC and some others aggrieved within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had met and were set to serve the governor an impeachment notice.

Kurfi, who is also the member-elect for Dutsinma/Kurfi Federal Constituency, said it was only proper to raise the above questions as Katsina is greater than any one individual. “Issues have been raised and questions need answers from the executive arm of government,” he said, adding that it was not out of place to commence impeachment proceedings against Shema over his way of handling the affairs of the state.

Twelve out of the 24 members of the Kebbi State House of Assembly have served a notice of impeachment on Governor Saidu Dakingari for alleged gross misconduct in the performance of his official duties.

The 12 lawmakers had earlier impeached the Speaker, Mohammed Shalla and his deputy, Mohammed Ja’afaru. A former Speaker, Habib Jega, who was impeached in November 2014, was elected as the new Speaker.

Among the six impeachable offences listed against Dakingari are: That the governor violated Section 5(1) (a) of the Kebbi State Budget Monitoring and Price Intelligence Bureau Law, 2006, which stipulates that a retired civil servant should be appointed Chairman of the Bureau. But, the governor appointed a serving permanent secretary.

The lawmakers also accused the governor of obtaining a loan facility to the tune of N2billion from Micro Small and Medium Enterprises support Fund without obtaining approval from the Assembly; and that it continues to work with Local Government Councils whose tenure has expired since September 2014; and that the governor misappropriated the sum of N1, 800, 862,672 state funds.

Analysts observed that Dankigari’s popularity has been on the decline since he was re-elected in 2011. It was learnt that he had stepped on the toes of many prominent politicians on whose back he rode to power in 2007. He has fell out with leaders like Senator Adamu Aliero, Senator Muhammadu Magoro, Barrister Bala Ibn Na’Allah, Senator Atiku Bagudu and many others who had defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to All •Continued on page 44

THE NATION MONDAY MAY 11, 2015

44

The decision to review the unexplained dismissal of my ‘case be done by the first panel dismantled without complaint and/or petition from either of the parties or by another panel of justices who were not in the first or second panel ’ A former Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Hon. Imo Udo, who ran against Governor Godswill Akpabio during the 2011 governorship primaries, has urged the National Judicial Council (NJC) to direct the Supreme Court to re-list his case challenging Apabio’s qualification to participate in the primaries after it was allegedly “dismissed” without being heard. JOSEPH JIBUEZE writes.

Akwa Ibom governorship aspirant raises alarm over ‘dismissed’ case

C

AN the Supreme Court validly dismiss a case when it has not been formerly argued by parties?

A governorship aspirant in Akwa Ibom State, Hon. Imo Udo, has petitioned the National Judicial Council (NJC) praying that his dismissed case be heard on its merit.

He is challenging Governor Godswill Akpabio’s qualification to run for the 2011 governorship primaries.

Udo’s case was “dismissed” on April 20 without parties adopting their written arguments.

The former Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly member served as Commissioner for Youths and Sports and Special Adviser on Political and Legislative Matters to former Governor Victor Attah.

In 2011, he aspired to run for governors. But, his problems began when he was asked by the screen-

ing panel to prove his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

It took the intervention of the PDP Screening Appeal Panel in Abuja to clear him to contest for the primaries.

On the day of the primaries, he was told by the state chapter that only Akpabio was cleared to contest.

He again petitioned the PDP national secretariat, which ordered another primary election, in which Udo scored only one vote.

Udo alleged that Akpabio was not qualified to contest the primary election because he did not pay tax for the three previous years in line with the PDP’s guideline that an aspirant must have paid tax to be qualified to contest, except where exempted.

Udo sued Akpabio at the Federal High Court, claiming that the defendant did not show proof of tax payment, nor was there evidence

that he had been exempted from the payment of personal income tax.

As the case was being heard, the judge withdrew, claiming that he was accused of being Udo’s “friend.” A new judge took over and held that the court had no jurisdiction to determine the case.

Dissatisfied, Udo appealed to the Court of Appeal, Calabar.

But Akpabio raised three grounds of objection: that Udo had no locus standi; that the matter was not justiceable because it was not within the provisions of Section 251(1) of the 1999 Constitution; and that the issues were pre-primary election matters and therefore within the domestic capacity of the party to resolve.

The appeal court resolved two issues in Udo’s favour and one in Akpabio’s.

Resolving one of the issues against Udo, the court held that for his com-

•Udom

plaint to be justiceable, it ought to have occurred the day the primary election was held.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court, in the case of Ukachukwu vs PDP, held last January 31 that the issue of eligibility is justiceable under the Electoral Act 2010, and that the whole exercise of a primary election was

not an event but a process; therefore wherever there was a contentious issue, the court could hear it.

With this precedent in mind, Udo took his case to the Supreme Court last January 24, praying the court to disqualify Akpabio and to overrule the Court of Appeal.

However, the case was not listed for hearing until about a year later despite several requests by Udo’s lawyer that it be listed.

When the case came up last December 17, the court adjourned it till April 20 with parties agreeing that a bench judgment would be delivered that day after arguments by counsel.

Udo said he was shocked when, on April 20, a new panel was set up to hear the case. No reason was given for disbanding of the previous panel.

In the petition to the NJC, which he also copied the President-elect Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, Udo said the new panel allegedly refused to hear the case, but instead dismissed it without arguments being taken.

• Continued on page 45

New wave of impeachment grip states Shittu noted that the Nigerian Constitution needs some of its sec‘tions properly interpreted. He said the constitution needs to clarify what specific actions should amount to gross misconduct as the allegation has been widely used as a tool to settle scores

’

•Olanusi

sembly as illegal and unconstitutional. By this act, the purported members have pre-empted the decision of the Kebbi High State High Court. These members aim to cause disaffection and truncate the smooth transition of government following the recent election. He added that the government would continue to recognise Mr Shallaas Speaker of the Kebbi Assembly.

Ondo

• Omirin

•Continued from page 43 Progressives Congress (APC).

The political leaders in the state had expected the governor to defect to the APC along with them, but he refused to join the ship. His indifference to the political trend in Kebbi State was responsible for his defeat when he contested for Kebbi North senatorial seat on the platform of the PDP at the just concluded general elections.

Dankigari went through a lot of challenges during campaigns, a situation many considered as selfinflicted because of the way he was relating with people. Despite the strong wind of change in the state, Dakingari had refused to toe the popular line.

But, the governor had described the impeachment move by some members of the State House of As-

The fresh wave of impeachments commenced when former Ondo State Deputy Governor Ali Olanusi, was impeached by the state House of Assembly on Monday, April 27, 2015. The Assembly, in the impeachment notice, accused the deputy governor of gross misconduct, including financial misappropriation, absenteeism from official duties and causing disaffection in the state cabinet.

But, Olanusi was obviously paying for his decision to defect from the Peoles Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), two days before the March 28 presidential elections.

In his reaction, the embattled former deputy governor had described the impeachment as a huge joke. Speaking through his lawyer, Oluwole Kayode, hours after the former Commissioner for Agriculture, Lasisi Oluboyo, was sworn in as the new deputy governor, Olanusi reminded the lawmakers of an April 23 court order that the status quo be maintained in respect of his office.

The APC also condemned Olanusi’s impeachment, noting that the process of his removal violated provisions of the impeachment clause in the 1999 Constitution. The party said the decision of the state House of Assembly was a contempt of court that ordered all parties to maintain status quo in a suit the deputy governor filed before he trav-

elled out to challenge the plan to impeach him.

The party’s National Vice Chairman in charge of Southwest, Chief Pius Akinyelure, faulted the impeachment in a statement issued in Lagos, noting that the decision of the state assembly, which acted as Mimiko’s rubber stamp, would not stand.

Meanwhile, the APC has appointed Olanusi as a member of the party’s Board of Trustees (BOT. His appointment as a BOT member took effect from July 4, 2014. According to the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) in a letter signed by its Secretary, Mai Bala Buni, Olanusi’s appointment, which took effect from July 4, 2014, would be for four years.

Ekiti Efforts to impeach Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, have so far not succeeded. But, 19 All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmakers led by factional Speaker Adewale Omirin is not giving up.

Ekiti has not known peace since then, because the APC lawmakers have been making frantic efforts to impeach Fayose, who has been employing one intrigue or the other to avoid being removed. As a result, governance has suffered.

Ekiti has been embroiled in crisis since November 20, 2014, when a seven-member caucus of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Ekiti State House of Assembly impeached the Speaker, Omirin, and his deputy, Tunji Orisalade. The crisis in the assembly has resulted in a running battle between Governor Ayodele Fayose and the 19 lawmakers.

Prior to October 16, 2014, when Fayose was sworn in as governor on the platform of the PDP, the APC had 25 out of the 26-member Assembly, while the remaining one member belonged to the PDP. However,

at Fayose’s inauguration, six APC members announced their defection to the PDP. But, the governor met a legislative brick wall from the remaining 19 APC lawmakers when he sought to dissolve and reconstitute the executives of 16 local councils appointed by his predecessor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, of the APC. The governor also couldn’t get the lawmakers to approve his list of commissionernominees and special advisers, among other requests.

The political face-off took a new twist when the seven PDP legislators announced Omirin’s removal as Speaker. Also removed was Adetunji Orisalade, the deputy Speaker. The seven members have since been making laws for Ekiti after Fayose had succeeded in hounding the 19 APC members out of the state until they returned last week.

Interestingly, after months of challenging the legality of their removal in court, Omirin and Orisalade on April 7, 2015 dropped the suit. The notice of discontinuance coincided with the APC lawmakers’ return to the state to commence the impeachment process against the governor.

But, one stumbling block or the other had prevented Governor Fayose from being impeached so far.

All efforts to resolve the crisis by the Ekiti State Council of Traditional Rulers and the Ekiti Council of Elders had failed. The latest effort by Ekiti leaders, led by Chief Afe Babalola (SAN), to resolve the lingering political crisis between Fayose and the 19 lawmakers suffered a setback, as the lawmakers did not attend the parley.

The APC lawmakers that had served impeachment notice on Fayose stayed away from the meeting citing security reasons and asked Fayose to answer alleged allegations of constitutional breaches already served on him. They also argued that

the issue in contention was more than their salaries and allowances, which Fayose had stopped since last year.

A legal practitioner, Wahab Shittu, said that Nigeria’s democracy cannot grow if the practitioners are not willing to be democrats. He said this when reacting to the impeachment brouhaha in Enugu on a television programme.

Reading from the constitution, Mr Shittu stated that the simple interpretation of the constitution means that both factions of the Enugu House of Assembly have erred in the manner they have gone about their intentions.

While the eight lawmakers trying to protect the Governor by impeaching the Speaker cannot possibly be taken serious because they are not up to two-third of the House members, the 15 trying to impeach the Governor have also acted against the constitution.

According to him, those who have served the Governor an impeachment notice cannot proceed except from the premises of the legislative house and their impeachment notice is not binding if not served to all members of the House.

Having stated few constitutional breaches already noticed, he stated that since the 15 lawmakers have been prevented from convening in the assembly, insisting on impeaching the Governor, if done in another location, would be unconstitutional.

He also berated the Police for preventing lawmakers from gaining access into the assembly premises. He wondered why political officers should be prevented by the Police from performing their duties in a democracy when it is the duty of the Police to protect democratic institutions.

Shittu noted that the Nigerian Constitution needs some of its sections properly interpreted. He said the constitution needs to clarify what specific actions should amount to “gross misconduct” as the allegation has been widely used as a tool to settle scores.

Nigeria needs to strengthen two key institutions; the judiciary and the Police, Mr Shittu said, adding that “if these two institutions are strengthened and act professionally all these impunity will stop”.

45

THE NATION MONDAY MAY 11, 2015

There is what is called Government Magic and that is ex‘ actly what we are witnessing. And what happened on 21st of June, 2014 are in this categories and I am sure you have heard of the Electoral Scandal nicknamed the Ekitigate ‘

The Deputy Speaker of Ekiti State House of Assembly, Adetunji Orisalade, spoke with ODUNAYO OGUNMOLA on the crisis rocking the legislative arm and why the All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmakers shunned a recent peace meeting brokered by Ekiti elders.

My case against Akpabio, by Udo

‘APC legislators can’t trust Fayose‘

W

HAT is your interest in the Ekiti crisis? I’m Rt. Hon. Orisalade Adetunji Taiwo, the Deputy Speaker, Ekiti State House of Assembly and I was constitutionally and unanimously elected on the 6th day of June, 2011 by the whole House of 26 members as no one, including the then two PDP members who were around during the exercise, objected to same.

But, the information in the news is that you have been impeached?

That is sheer bunkum and an illegality par excellence. You see Nigeria is not a jungle but a civilized country operated under prescribed laws and we have a constitutional Democracy. The Legislature which is part of the tripartite constitutional frame – work is under the constitution as well which provides for its existence and operations. Specifically section 92 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as Amended) provides for the offices of the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker of the State House of Assembly and their removal by its sub-section 2 paragraph C which prescribes two – thirds of members of the House of the Assembly and not those present by way of emphasis. So, under no circumstance can a group of seven members remove me or the speaker. It is a nullity ab initio and cannot stand.

In the eyes of the Law of the land as expatiated in the constitution, I still remain the Deputy Speaker and Dr. Adewale Omirin the Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly without a break in service or office.

But, why all these problems in the Ekiti House of Assembly?

Thank you very much. The problem is really unfortunate but it is traceable to Mr Ayo Fayose who have unenviable antecedents as far as governance is concerned. He already had a mindset before coming back to Ekiti and that is to rule the state without being questioned by anybody or cocoordinating Authorities. This is the reason why he wanted both the legislative and judicial Arms emasculated. The present situation of the other two Arms of Government are not mere coincidence or accidents, but were well planned and technically orchestrated. Even the Exco., that he sits over, just a handful of three cronies who cant say a single word or question his impunity. He gave an example of his mission when he invaded the Court even as Governor-elect and so he came heading for the Assembly after being clothed with power.

Why has the problem lingered so long?

Well, we the G-19 as major stakeholders in the Ekiti Project do not want to cause chaos in Ekiti and would rather sacrifice our privileges and comfort to ensure peace and that is why we refrained from using similar tactics as he is using. Nobody has a monopoly of violence you know, but we are interested in the welfare and well-being of our people who are passive players on the political landscape. He is a very good commander of the mob and in a place where the mob rules, the people are coalesced and suborned per force, against their freewill. That is why you equally have an unexplained silence amongst the Elders, Elites Traditional Rulers etc. Most of what is ascribed to them are conjured and prepared from the Governor’s office and they dare not raise a voice.

Why is his high popularity leading to electoral victory?

May Fela Anikulapo-Kuti rest in

•Akpabio • Continued from page 45

•Orisalade

•Fayose

peace. There is what is called Government Magic and that is exactly what we are witnessing. And what happened on 21st of June, 2014 are in this categories and I am sure you have heard of the Electoral Scandal nicknamed the Ekitigate. Fayose and his Co-passengers in that infamy knew what they did to win the Election. The mere fact that there was no proof at the Tribunal does not detract from the fact that election does not represent the will of Ekiti People, irrespective of the verdict of the Supreme Court. With the greatest respect to the jurists, they are men and remains fallible. Their decision is on the Law as it is and as placed before them, but the outcome of that Election may not be right for all purposes and forever.

The Yorubas captured it very well in the saying: “Aje ke lana, Omo ku loni, tani o mo pe Aje to ke lana, lopa omo to ku loni je. (The witch cried yesterday and a child died today and who does not know that it was the witch that cried who was responsible for the Child’s death!!). This is to say that it is not every situational result that is subject to proof. But I know history is being written and one day in history, the electoral mystery would be resolved and clearly revealed by the insiders themselves.

Fayose is a product of political contrivance and would soon expire like all NAFDAC products Your group shunned the peace moves. What is the solution to the crisis?

Yes we shunned it because of our Safety and some of the facilitators may not be impartial and well- meaning. We hinted that we are at IkereEkiti and should be picked by the Security Agents at the Ondo/Ekiti Boundary, but we were advised not to pass through the Streets of Ado

Ekiti which would take us to the Venue in forty minutes, but to go and take some bushy Areas that would take two and half hours to the Venue.

We suspected something fishy along that Route. Why with the 200 Policemen stated to have been arranged for the meeting, can we not transverse through Ado – Ekiti within 40 minutes? Our people whose mandate we still have are not displeased with us, it is only Mr Fayose’s arranged and recruited mob that have been out on rampage in the State and giving a false impression that all Ekitis are with him in this reign of impunity and desecration of the Constitution.

Let me come to the solution. It is very simple. By virtue of the recent decision of the Supreme Court in SC/643/2014 Ifedayo Sunday Abegunde versus Ondo State House of Assembly and others delivered on the 17th day of April, 2015 Fayose’s Agents of disruption in the Ekiti State House of Assembly, that is the six members of the APC who defected to the PDP on the 16th day of October, 2014, are no longer members of the House of Assembly as they have lost their seat automatically on that same day. A fortiori all they had participated in since that day are null, void and of no effect.

The Elders facilitating the peace move are well aware of this judgment and they should be able to tell them pointedly that they are no longer members of the House. That is the plain truth. The Governor should be made reopen the Courts in Ekiti State and to obey and respect the constitution of the country. He must equally be compelled to refrain from using his personal security and the official ones from hounding and intimidating us and other APC Members. These are the solutions to the lingering crisis.

“The case was not heard on merit but was dismissed by coercion,” the petitioner said.

He urged the NJC to cause a review of the Supreme Court decision of April 20 “that dismissed my case through coercion, intimidation, undue interference and without being heard.”

He prayed the NJC to cause his case to be heard and decided on its merit and in the interest of justice.

Udo added: “The decision to review the unexplained dismissal of my case be done by the first panel dismantled without complaint and/ or petition from either of the parties or by another panel of justices who were not in the first or second panel.

“The would-be panel decision should be deemed and relied upon as if it was taken on the 20th day of April 2015 – a decision of the Supreme Court of the 17th December 2014.”

The appellant wondered why the case was delayed from last January till December 17, and why the panel of justices would suddenly be changed on the morning of April 20, a date fixed for adoption of written addresses.

“Was it legally tenable for two pan-

“Was it legally ten‘able for two panels to consider one case, when no petition or protest greeted the first panel by Hon. Justice W. N. Onnogen? What is the remedy for the appellant whose case was dismissed without being heard on merit

’

•Kaduna Central senator-elect Shehu Sani (L), welcoming the Chairman, National Union of Road Transport Workers (NUTRW), Kaduna Branch, Alhaji Alhassan Hamua during the visit of the executive council of the NURTW to the senator-elect in Kaduna.

Right is the Deputy Chairman of the union, Alhaji Ibrahim Bala.

NAN

els to consider one case, when no petition or protest greeted the first panel by Hon. Justice W. N. Onnogen? What is the remedy for the appellant whose case was dismissed without being heard on merit?” Udo asked.

Asking the NJC to revisit the case, he said: “It may be safe to restore the public confidence in judiciary through appropriate steps being taken in the instant injustice inflicted on me, the appellant.”

The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Mahmud Mohammed, in his response to Udom’s request that the case be heard earlier than April 20, expressed his “inability to overrule or otherwise interfere with a determination of any panel sitting at the Supreme Court.”

The letter, signed by the CJN’s Senior Special Assistant Hadiza Sa’eed, urged Udo’s lawyer to apply for an accelerated hearing.

Udo said it came as a surprise to him that a new panel could be set up to hear the same case.

The appellant’s prayers at the Supreme Court were: “A declaration that the First Defendant (Akpabio) is not qualified to contest the re-run primary election of the Second Defendant (PDP) held in Akwa Ibom State on 15th January, 2011 for the purpose of electing the party’s candidate for the office of the Governor of Akwa-Ibom State having regard to the provisions of Article 17.1 of the Constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party and paragraphs 14, 15 and 16 of its Electoral Guidelines for Primary Elections, Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended) and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).

“A declaration that the submission of the name of the first defendant to the third defendant by the second defendant as its candidate for the office of Governor of AkwaIbom State during the gubernatorial election held in April, 2011 is in flagrant violation of Article 17.1 of the Constitution of the PDP and paragraphs 14, 15 and 16 of its Electoral Guidelines for Primary Elections, Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended) and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and is null and void.

“A declaration that the plaintiff is the only candidate validly nominated to contest the governorship election of April, 2011 on the platform of the second defendant for the office of the Governor of AkwaIbom State having regard to the provisions of Article 17.1 of the Constitution of the PDP and paragraphs 14, 15 and 16 of its Electoral Guidelines for Primary Elections, Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended) and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).

“An order declaring/returning the plaintiff as the winner of the January 15th 2011 re-run Akwa Ibom State Primary Election of the Second Defendant, and aforitiori the legitimate candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party for the Governorship election of 26th April, 2011 in Akwa Ibom State having regard to the provisions of Article 17.1 of the Constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party and paragraphs 14, 15 and 16 of its Electoral Guidelines for Primary Elections, Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended) and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).

“An order setting aside the purported nomination of the first defendant by the second defendant and the acceptance of the nomination of the first defendant by the third defendant as governorship candidate of the second defendant for Akwa Ibom State...”

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THE NATION MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015

THE NATION MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015

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THE NATION MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015

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EUROPEAN... EUROPEAN...

NATION SPORT

Inzaghi: I can take Milan to the top

Verratti: I want PSG stay

•Inzaghi

•Verratti

A

C Milan are likely to miss out on European football once again next season but head coach Filippo Inzaghi believes he remains the right man to lead i Rossoneri "back to the top".

That was the opinion he offered after his side's 2-1 win over Roma on Saturday. "I am the first to be disappointed," Inzaghi said on the club's official website. "But if I am given the chance, I will take Milan back to the top. We need consistency and unity. We have taken a bit more time than expected, but if we're able to do this, we will go back to the top."

The Rossoneri won for the first time since April 4 and halted a three-match losing streak with goals from Marco van Ginkel and Mattia Destro,

players on loan from Chelsea and Roma respectively. The win was Milan's 11th of the campaign and lifted the them to tenth in the standings.

"We have a precise identity in our playing style," Inzaghi said. "Against Roma, we weren't just about sitting back and breaking on the counter attack. We played football and deserved to win."

Milan are well adrift of the European places, which means their focus is on finishing the campaign positively in the hope they can carry strong form into next season. Inzaghi's team visit Sassuolo next before hosting UEFA Europa League hopefuls Torino on 24 May. The Rossoneri end the campaign at Atalanta on 31 May.

M

ARCO Verratti says he has no interest in leaving Paris SaintGermain despite being heavily linked with a move away from the French capital this summer.

The Italy international has grown into one of the highestrated central midfielders in world football since signing for the Parisians three years ago for an estimated £8 million from Serie B side Pescara.

His performances this season have garnered rumoured interest from the

B

problems, he could be allowed to leave the Bavarian club. The 44-year-old still has a contract until 2016, but talks over an extension are not due to take place until after the season has ended.

A recent fall-out with the club's long-standing doctor Hans-Wilhelm MullerWohlfahrt, who stepped down from his position as a consequence, has seen Guardiola lose his hitherto untouchable status among club bosses.

•Guardiola

club. To continue growing as a player, this is the place I want to be."

In addition to putting PSG supporters' fears he might depart at ease, Verratti also lauded the quality of star forwards Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani.

"They are fantastic players," the 22-year-old added. "We are fortunate to have players of their ability in our team.

They can score at any time, which is hugely important to our successes."

Lyon's shock 3-0 defeat to Caen on Saturday left Herbert

B

ARCELONA coach Luis Enrique said he is still preparing for a tough 90 minutes, despite his side's significant lead in their UEFA Champions League semifinal with Bayern Munich.

The Bavarian giants are in a rut, going scoreless in their past three fixtures - all losses - heading into their second leg against Barca at the Allianz Arena, a tie in which they trail 3-0.

Bayern lost 1-0 at home to Augsburg in the Bundesliga on Saturday, but Luis Enrique said - despite not watching the match - the German champions still showed their qualities after losing Pepe Reina to an early red card.

"They played more than 70 minutes of the game with one player fewer, but they had the 80 per cent of the possession.

Finally they lost, but I didn't see the game," the Barca boss said, after seeing his side go four points clear in La Liga.

Luis Enrique said Bayern's significant deficit does not ensure Tuesday's fixture will be stress-free for the Catalan club.

"I know we will suffer in Munich," he said.

"I have no doubt about that and neither do my players, because they are a strong rival.

"It looks like it is difficult for them to win the semifinals, but they could do it against Porto in the quarters.

"So we cannot think it will be easy to progress through.

"It is a game we want to win, we will compete, we will have to defend and it will be difficult against Bayern."

Bale not getting passes - agent

G

Matthaus: Players losing belief in Pep AYERN Munich coach Pep Guardiola has been criticised by club favourite Lothar Matthaus as speculation continues to link him with clubs including Manchester City.

Since wrapping up the Bundesliga title, Bayern have lost their Champions League semi-final first leg 3-0 to Barcelona, gone out of the DFB-Pokal on penalties to Borussia Dortmund and lost league games to Bayer Leverkusen and Augsburg.

And Matthaus told Sky Deutschland: "Guardiola has already said that their season is over and he's been rotating his team so much that he's unsettling the team.

"His team no longer has the stability they had for over eight months, enchanting football fans up and down Germany.

"It seems the players are losing a bit of belief in the coach, and he hadn't expected that.''

Given Bayern's recent results and behind-the-scenes

likes of Juventus and Bayern Munich, with the Bundesliga champions alleged to be plotting a big-money move at the end of the season.

However, the PSG star has warned off bidders by insisting he is loving life under Laurent Blanc, with the club needing just one point from their last two games to retain the Ligue 1 title following Friday's 6-0 steamrolling of Guingamp.

"I am very happy here," Verratti told Telefoot. "I have the total confidence of my coach, my team-mates and my

'We will suffer in Munich' - Enrique

•Bale

ARETH Bale's Real Madrid team-mates' refusal to pass to him regularly in games is behind the Welshman's slumping form, according to his agent.

The Wales international has scored in just two of his past 18 Real outings, one of which saw his early strike dwarfed

by Cristiano Ronaldo's fivegoal haul in a 9-1 destruction of Granada.

Bale has come in for criticism from all quarters, with pundits and Real fans alike venting frustration at his recent performances.

Real face a huge uphill battle to overhaul Barcelona at the top of La Liga and need to overturn a first-leg deficit to Juventus in order to reach the UEFA Champions League final.

But Bale's representative Jonathan Barnett said involving the world's most expensive player more in games could be the answer, rather than criticising his lack of impact.

"Real have to work with Gareth and pass the ball to him more," Barnett told The Telegraph. "Give him more of the ball and let him show everybody what he's good at.

"He's going to be the best player at Real Madrid when his team-mates work with him and help him. Hopefully Real will come to terms with this."

•Enrique

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THE NATION MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015

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SHOWBIZ

Remembering Marley, 34 years after

• Bob Marley

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HIRTY four years after his death, the memory of Robert Nester Marley lives on. It has always been that way since the Jamaican born global reggae star succumbed to cancer at a Miami hospital in the USA on May 11, 1981.

Today, rather than dim, Marley in death has assumed legend status.

By Joe Agbro Jr.

May 11 is now globally recognised as Bob Marley’s Day. A day observed by playing the songs of the reggae maestro.

In Effurun, Delta State, RasOrbada Clark, a Brazil-based Nigeria hospitality guru and CEO of BemVindo Hotel and

of life.”

Clips of his life are expected to be featured in a new musical, Marley written and directed by Kwame Kwei-Armah.

Scheduled to premiere on May 13 at Center Stage, Baltimore, US, with a YouTube star in the title role and a large number of seasoned, New York-based cast, Marley which has been planned for over one year is backed by outside investors and the producers are headed by Chris Blackwell, the British founder of Island Records, the dynamic label that signed Marley in 1973.

Born on February 6, 1945 in Nine Mile, Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica, to Norval Sinclair Marley and Cedella Booker, Bob lived there till he was 12. He and his childhood friend, Bunny Wailer, played music at Stepney Primary and Junior High School. At 12, he moved to Trenchtown. In 1963, Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer, Peter Tosh, Junior Braithwaite, Beverley Kelso, and Cherry Smith, now in a musical group, experimented with various names – Teenagers, The Wailing Rudeboys, The Wailing Wailers, and finally The Wailers.

Their single Simmer Down for the Coxsone label became a Jamaican hit in February 1964 and sold an estimated 70,000 copies.

In 1966, Marley married Rita Anderson. He had three children but would have 11 children listed as his on the family website.

Jazzman Olofin has hands full

Bouncer Wale Babalola turns music promoter

By Dupe Ayinla-Olasunkanmi

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By Ovwe Medeme

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IGERIAN born bouncer, Wale Babalola has floated his own music promotion outfit, Fathia Promotion and Entertainment, based in the Washington DC, United States. Wale, who dumped his job as a bouncer and body guard to float the promotional outfit revealed that he has worked for some clubs and some society bigwigs in the US. According to him, his new outfit organises concerts, promotes musicians and provide entertainment consultancy.The Nigerian artistes he had promoted include 9ice, Wasiu Alabi Pasuma, Olamide, K1, Sule Alao Malaika among Others.

He speaks with The Nation on how he discovers the artistes he is promoting. “I always travel to Africa especially Nigeria to scout for good artistes and I arrange their trip to the US for performances. Sometimes I collaborate or arrange with other promoters either in the US or in Nigeria,” Babalola stated.

Meanwhile, his publicist, Wale Adeoba has

Suites is among those out to celebrate 34 years of the legend’s passing in the country. Speaking recently, Clark said the intention is to revive reggae music in Delta State.

Marley’s influence on the black race and Africa is unquestionable. And songs such as Africa United, Exodus, Redemption Song and Zimbabwe bear testimony to that fact.

“Certainly, Marley’s music has potency and a commitment which goes far beyond simple entertainment,” said Fred Zindi, a professor at University of Zimbabwe, in the April edition of Forbes Africa. “He now enjoys a special place in Third World culture; an artist who directly identifies with the black African struggle,” he adds.

Today, would Marley cringe at what Zimbabwe has become? And while his desire to have marijuana legalised is beginning to bear fruit as many western countries are championing decriminalising the drug, with his native Jamaica also having a similar aspiration, his lamentation in So Much Trouble In The World perhaps remains the same.

“There is still so much trouble in the world,” said Los-Angeles based-Neville Garrick, Marley’s friend and art director who created covers for some of Marley’s albums. “If you looked at the footage on CNN of what was happening here, you could say ‘nothing change, nothing strange.’ Bob’s music is as relevant as it was 30 years ago. He never wrote throwaway lyrics; he wrote what I call splices

• Wale Babalola

revealed that Fathia Promotion and Entertainment is planning a big show in Nigerian later this year. He said; “We have started plans to throw a big show in Nigeria come December. Right now, we are reaching out to potential sponsors who might be interested in supporting us.”

LUMUYIWA Olofinkuade Olajide, known as Jazzman Olofin, who recently announced his return to the music scene, has said that he is coming with loads of projects.

The artiste, also the CEO of Jazzman Olofin Entertainment, revealed that he will be dropping an album before the year runs out. He is also said to be presently busy with the development of a new television programme, the content of which he is yet to reveal.

Speaking recently in an interview with HipTV, the artiste said that he is trying to study the trend in the industry at the moment before dropping the album. The album release, he says, will be preceded by the release of his singles.

His new single, OmoAiyee according to the artiste is the first of a series of new songs that will be released.

Jazzman, known for his collaboration with celebrated Juju music star, AdewaleAyuba, on a song titled Raise the Roof, used to be a member of the popular hip hop group, X Appeal along with his former partner, Lexy Doo back in the early 2000s.

• Jazzman Olofin

P.Scholes, Uloma out of Nigerian Idol 5

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WO more contestants, P.Scholes and Uloma, have been evicted out of the fifth season of the ongoing Nigerian Idol TV Reality Show, season five. By their eviction, the two contestants have lost the chance to win the highly coveted N7.5m prize money and other prizes.

Show anchor, Illrhmz announced their names during the weekly eviction show held at the OMG Dream Studios, Lagos at the weekend.

This brings the number of evictees to five after three others namely Prime, Modele and Ayoka were evicted last weekend.

The duo, alongside Sther, polled the least number of votes and were accordingly expected to exit the Show, but the judges threw at Sther a lifeline to stage a comeback to the show.

Sther’s journey on the Show appears to correspond with the proverbial cat with nine lives. The Port Harcourt-based tomboy emerged as the face of the Show’s themed transformation after putting up a

By Joe Agbro Jr.

host of energetic performances to the admiration of the judges and fans alike.

In addition to Sther, six other contestants remain in contention for the top prize.

They include Ogunmoyero Modolowamu (Dolu), Oyinkepreye Deborah Toun (Preye), Godson Goodluck (Classic Tunez), Ogunrombi Kunle (K-Peace), Adigwe Brenda Ada (Brenda), and EseAmadasun Imuetinyan (Nex2).

The seven altogether will face further eviction via public voting process to determine the eventual winner of the N7.5 million cash reward, a brand new car, a recording deal worth N7.5 million with Universal Music label and some high-end devices.

Nigerian Idol season 5 is sponsored by Etisalat Nigeria, Payporte, Cool Fm, Tantalizers, Cadbury Nigeria, Zaron, Dabur Toothpaste, So-Klin, ORS and Ellis Suites. It airs on terrestrial and satellite TV stations on Saturdays and Sundays.

• P.Scholes

• Uloma

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NEWS Five babies delivered in Sokoto IDPs camp

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IVE babies were delivered at the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp at Kalambaina, Sokoto State, last weekend, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said yesterday.

NEMA Assistant Head for Sokoto Zonal Operations Office, Mr Thickman Tanimu, told reporters that they are three girls and two boys.

He said two were delivered on May 7, on transit to Sokoto; two on May 8 and one on May 9. The mothers and children were hale and hearty, he added.

Tanimu said 2,000 IDPs, including the new babies, were evacuated by the agency from Geidam in Yobe State on Wednesday, May 6, to Sokoto State.

He said nearly 80 per cent of the affected people were from Kebbi State while the others were from Sokoto State.

Taminu said: “They were earlier displaced due to insurgent activities in Doron-

Saraki backs Kwara govt to outlaw thuggery From Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

FORMER Kwara State governor, Senator Bukola Saraki, has said he will support the state government to outlaw lawlessness and restore peace to trouble spots.

The senator representing Kwara Central spoke yesterday against the backdrop of the recent fracas in Ilorin, the state capital, when he paid a condolence visit to victims of the street disturbances.

Saraki had donated N3 million to heads of the five families, whose homes were torched during the fracas at Agbarere and Ita-Ajia areas of Ilorin.

At Agbarere Quarters, the heads of the five families said three persons died and several property destroyed.

Saraki gave each affected family N500,000 while the head of the family at Ita-Ajia also got N500,000.

The senator also donated N250,000 to the Magaji-Aare of Ilorin, Alhaji Aremu Subair, whose vehicle was vandalised by the hoodlums.

He said: “On the basis of that, whatever needs to be done - either law or executive action - I am sure the state will do that. We will support anything that will ensure the sustainability of this level of peace and tranquility.

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Baga in Borno State and they fled to Gegeme in Difa State, Niger Republic, as refugees.

“However, they were also unfortunately deported back to Geidam in Yobe State, after an insurgent attack at their IDPs camp in Niger Republic.

“It was from Geidam that the IDPs were screened by NEMA and security agencies, and the agency evacuated them to Sokoto.”

He said the affected persons from Sokoto State had almost been evacuated by the state government to their towns and villages in the 23 local government areas.

Tanimu regretted that the IDPs from Kebbi State were reportedly “disowned” by Governor Saidu Dakingari.

He was quoted as saying that the IDPs from his state were not indigenes of the state and might be insurgents.

The governor had also reportedly set up a committee to screen the IDPs from the state at the Sokoto State camp before evacuating them.

•Some of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) from the Northeast at their camp in Sokoto...yesterday

One killed as Fulani herdsmen invade Benue community O NE person has been confirmed dead and 10 others injured at Ikyoawen’s Moon Ward in Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State, when suspected Fulani herdsmen attacked the village.

An eyewitness told our

From Uja Emmanuel, Makurdi

reporter that the suspected Fulani herdsmen stormed Ikyoawen at 1pm yesterday when most of the villagers

had gone to Jato Aka Market.

Allegedly armed with sophisticated weapons, the invaders set 20 houses ablaze, shot and killed a resident.

Kwara baby’s ‘kidnap’: Police detain 70-year-old woman A -70-YEAR-old woman is in the custody of the Kwara State Police Command for allegedly kidnapping a threeyear-old baby.

The victim, whose name was given as Fatiah Mustapha, was declared missing on March 25.

The police gave the suspected kidnapper’s name as Zenab Alabi.

The command’s spokesperson Ajayi Okesanmi, an Assistant Superintendent of

From Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

Police (ASP), confirmed the arrest of the suspect yesterday in Ilorin, the state capital.

He said the victim had been released to her parents.

Addressing reporters, a relative of the girl’s mother, Mrs. Maryam Abdulganiyu, said the girl was found at a

worship place, popularly called Ori-Oke, at Basin area of the metropolis.

She said the suspect initially claimed that the missing child was her grandchild but later said she found her wandering about and she picked her up, using her to collect alms around town.

Mrs. Abdulganiyu said the

septuagenarian claimed that she used the proceeds from the alms to feed and buy wears for the child.

She added that on Thursday, May 7, Mallam Isa, the grandfather of the victim, saw the 70-year-old woman with the girl.

“He told one elder on the mountain that the girl in the hand of the woman that was coming to the mountain was the cause of his coming to the place to seek spiritual help on how to locate her whereabouts.”

63 unaccompanied kids rescued from Sambisa Forest

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HERE were 63 unaccompanied children and six expectant mothers among the people rescued from the Sambisa Forest in Borno State, who are in camp in Malkohi, Yola, Adamawa State, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), said yesterday.

Most of the children are severely malnourished and have eye infections, NEMA’s Director-General Muhammad Sani Sidi, said.

He assured, during a visit to the camp with the United Nation Resident Coordinator in Nigeria, Mr. Daouda Toure, that the rescued women and chil-

dren would receive social, psychological and health support before they are reintegrated with their families.

Sidi said the agency had engaged tailors to sew at least five sets of clothes for each of the rescued women and children because most of them had only the

Impeachment: Abdulsalami, Emir plead for Aliyu, Speaker

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The Kwande Divisional Police Officer (DPO), who declined to speak on the matter, confirmed the attack.

He said security men had been deployed in the area, adding that normalcy had returned to the village.

MBATTLED Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu and impeached Speaker Adamu Usman have moved to persuade members of the House of Assembly to stop further impeachment in the Assembly.

The duo reportedly sought help from a former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar and a first-class monarch to make the lawmakers drop their impeachment moves.

The face-off between the lawmakers and the former Speaker and other principal officers, on the one hand, is perceived to be a cold war.

Their relationship with the governor had taken a new turn. The governor and the Speaker are now seeking judicial protection to keep their offices.

Our correspondent learnt that the monarch summoned the lawmakers from his zone to his palace to placate them to rescind their decision on the impeached Speaker.

From Jide Orintunsin, Minna

He was also said to have pleaded with them to stop further impeachment moves against the governor.

The royal father pleaded with the six of the nine lawmakers from his zone to forgive Aliyu and Usman.

He reportedly urged them to allow the two men complete their terms.

The first class ruler was said to have begged the lawmakers to note that “to err is human and forgiving, divine”.

The source at the meeting said the Emir was shocked when the lawmakers reeled out their grievances, including non-release of legitimate allowances to the Assembly since January, the inability of the principal to ensure the welfare of members and other workers and the continued occupation of the Assembly complex by armed policemen.

clothes they wore.

He said a mobile clinic had been deployed for medical screening to identify those who need treatment, while the agency, in collaboration with UN agencies, had mobilised a team of experts in psycho trauma counselling and medical doctors to provide medical care to the rescued.

Taure told the rescued women and children that the world and their families had missed them, adding that the UN agencies would support the Nigerian government in providing their needs to facilitate their reintegration with their communities.

He said the UN had directed its relevant agencies to provide the needed assistance and support to them.

Infant feeding, children’s clothes, diapers and sanitation items have also been provided to 21 nursing mothers.

PHOTO: NAN

‘Intervene in Benue/Taraba crisis’ From Blessing Olaifa, Assistant Editor, Abuja

A NON-governmental organisation (NGO), the G20 Club, Abuja, has urged the Federal Government to intervene in the violence between the Tiv of Benue State and the Jukun of Taraba State.

The group also urged Benue and Taraba state governments to reintroduce the Joint Security Task Force (JSTF) to check incessant hostilities in their border communities.

The clashes, which have claimed scores of lives and property worth millions of naira, erupted in the last two weeks, following disagreements between the two major tribes in the two neighbouring states.

In a statement at the end of its emergency meeting in Abuja at the weekend, members of the group condemned the fresh hostilities in the communities.

Tent classes for IDPs kids THE Yobe State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), will set up tent classes for children in Internally Displaced Persons (IDPS) camp.

The SEMA Director of Planning, Relief and Disaster General, Alhaji Bulau Geidam, spoke yesterday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Damaturu, the state capita.

Geidam, who is also the Administrator of IDPs camp, said the measure was part of effort of the state government to ensure that children in the camp acquire basic education.

He said the agency was targeting to enrol 2,600 children in the IDPs camp for the programme, adding that more facilities would be created to accommodate additional children.

THE NATION MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015

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NEWS

•The Sector Commander of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Anambra State, Mr. Sunday Ajayi (middle), Rev. Fr. Patrick Okafor (fourth left) and Rev. Fr. Cajetan Obiekezie (fourth right) and other officials of the FRSC after a thanksgiving mass to mark the end of the United Nations Decade of Action at St. Matthew Catholic Church, Amawbia, Awka... at the weekend

Pipeline vandalised in Arepo, Atlas Cove

Jonathan leaving solid economic legacies, says Okonjo-Iweala

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EARS of worsening fuel crisis were rife yesterday as suspected vandals ruptured pipelines in Arepo, Ogun State, and the Atlas Cove in Lagos.

Detectives on a surveillance mission captured scenes of a tragedy waiting to happen, with scores of suspected vandals scooping petrol gushing out of the ruptured pipelines at Akimbo Village in Atlas Cove, Lagos, and Arepo in Ogun.

A video recording obtained yesterday showed petrol gushing out at the site of a ruptured pipe at Arepo, spreading across a wide expanse of land in streams and gullies.

Past pipeline explosions in the area had claimed hundreds of lives. Long queues remained at many fuel stations at the weekend.

Some were selling petrol at N145 per litre, instead of the official N87. The development has raised questions about the multi-billion naira contract that the Federal Government recently signed with ex-militants and self determination groups to take over the protection of the pipelines from the Police and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) since April 27.

Those in charge of the areas where pipelines were ruptured yesterday were expected to have received a two-month payment of N9.3billion through the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) amid fears that the contract could be terminated by the in-coming government.

Appeal Court overrules order winding-up Afribank

By Precious Igbonwelundu

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HE Court of Appeal in Lagos has nullified an order of a Federal High Court, ordering the winding-up of Afribank Nigeria Plc, saying the case be reassigned to another judge for retrial.

Sequel to a petition by the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) that Afribank be wound-up since its license had been withdrawn by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the trial court on July 2, 2012, issued an order winding-up the bank.

The lower court’s order was issued despite the fact that the case between parties was fixed for mention and there was a pending suit challenging the CBN’s action.

The decision of the trial court did not go down well with Afribank’s shareholders, who instituted an appeal at the appellate court for the setting aside of the lower court’s ruling.

In the appeal filed before the Justice Abimbola Obaseki-Adejumo led panel, the appellants, Igbrude Oke, Rasak Mumini, Akinsanya Sunday, Suleiman Babatunde, Igba Olatomide, for themselves and other Afribank shareholders, averred that the trial court erred in law when it gave the wind-up order, on a day a matter was fixed for mention.

They prayed the appeal court to determine whether it was open to the lower court to strike out the appellants’ hearing notice of preliminary objection to the competency of the suit and/or entertain the petition comprised in the suit without any prior notice to the contrary, on a date in which the suit was expressly and specifically fixed for mention, by the court.

Arguing that the lower court had earlier given a ruling to the effect that: “There are suits that may be prejudiced”, the appellants urged the appellate court to determine if the judgment was valid, since the said ruling was not set aside before the order given.

They argued that they had drawn the court’s attention that there were pending cases against the take over of Afribank, which would be prejudiced if the lower court goes ahead to wind-up the bank.

The appellants averred that on February 2, 2012, the trial court adjourned the case for mention despite being informed of pending applications, including a preliminary objection.

When the matter came up on February 2, the court, the appellant alleged further, adjourned the case for mention to April 2, as well as July 2, 2012. They claimed that in the absence of the shareholders’ lawyer on July 2, 2012, the trial court proceeded to hear the argument on the petition and preliminary objection and wound-up the bank.

The Nation man loses dad

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HE death has been announced of Mr. Frank Esezobor, father of Mr. Godfrey Iriogbe of The Nation’s advertisement department.

The late Esezobor died on April 27. He was 76. He is survived by wife, children and grand children.

Burial arrangements, according to Mr. Iriogbe will be announced later by the family.

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RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan is leaving a solid economic legacy, Minister of Finance Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said yesterday.

According to her, in spite of the various challenges facing the country, the economy will not collapse.

The Minister spoke in an interview according to a statement by her Special Adviser on Communications, Mr. Paul Nwabuikwu.

She said: “Despite the economic challenges the country is facing, the Jonathan administration is leaving some solid

economic legacies for the incoming Buhari government.

“So the allegations that the economy is in ruins are absolutely untrue.

“The significant achievements in several sectors attest to this. We cannot take away the fact that the Jonathan administration, in spite of the challenges caused by 50 per cent decline in the price of oil, has made a clear and measurable difference in many important areas and anyone who says nothing has been done and nothing is being left behind is being very unfair to facts and

to history.

“Attempts to rewrite history will not stand. You cannot just wipe the slate clean for political reasons. We are not perfect but no one can take away the fact that we are leaving some good legacies behind.”

The minister also advised politicians and opinion leaders not to make negative calls on the state of the economy because negative and incorrect comments on the economy can have negative impact on the exchange rate and the stock market in addition to reducing investor confidence.

“These negative and unsubstantiated comments are not wise because they can lead to what we do not want for the economy.

“There is nothing wrong with factual assessments of the economy; I have always told Nigerians the truth about the economy. But sweeping and negative statements are not in the interest of the country.

“The statements being made by some personalities about the economy collapsing are not only incorrect they are also potentially dangerous,” she said.

How I uncovered plot to abduct me, says Kashamu

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CHIEFTAIN of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Buruji Kashamu, hass spoken of how he uncovered alleged plot by the United States (U.S.) to abduct and transfer him to the country for trial over his purported complicity in illicit drug deals.

Kashamu, now a senatorelect, representing Ogun East, said a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (names withheld), who is “very close” to the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Mohammed Adoke (SAN), leaked the plot to his lawyer, Ajibola Oluyede, on a flight from Lagos to Abuja.

He said this in a letter to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), in which he is seeking the commission’s intervention.

Kashamu, in the letter, written for him by Oluyede, also alleged of plot to eliminate him by some political enemies.

He also mentioned the name of the Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP), Solomon Arase, in the alleged plot.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo had, in a December 2013 letter to President Goodluck Jonathan, alleged that Kashamu was wanted in the U.S. for his purported complicity in drug related offences.

Kashamu, who denied the allegation, later initiated a N20 billion libel suit against Obasanjo before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, over the allegation.

The trial judge, Justice Valentine Ashi, on the basis of the suit, stopped Obasanjo from publishing and selling his book - “My Watch,” which Kashamu claimed contained similar allegations.

•Senator-elect petitions NHRC From Eric Ikhilae, Abuja

The court lifted the restraining orders against Obasanjo on April 15, with the substantive case still pending.

Part of the letter by Kashamu reads: “On a flight to the Federal Capital, Abuja from Lagos sometime in October 2014, a colleague and friend of our principal partner, R. A. Oluyede, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), who is also very close to the AGF, informed Mr. Oluyede of the tremendous pressure that Chief (Olusegun) Obasanjo was bringing upon the AGF for the extradition of Prince Kashamu and that, in one discussion between the AGF and Chief Obasanjo, witnessed by him (the SAN), Chief Obasanjo had boasted that he was making arrangements with some U.S. officials in the region to have Prince Kashamu abducted and flown in a private plane to the U.S. “He advised that Mr. Oluyede tell Prince Kashamu, known widely to be his client, to be very careful. Prince Kashamu’s enquiry about this information revealed that indeed, there had been moves made by U.S. officials within the region, to secure the assistance of the head of the INTERPOL division in Nigeria, Mr. Solomon Arase, a Deputy Inspector General of Police, for the arrest and delivery of Kashamu to the U.S. officials for transportation to the U.S. without following the due process required by the Nigeria Extradition Act. “Mr. Kashamu’s informant revealed that Arase has confirmed that one Donna Chabot

approached him in January 2015. The said Ms Chabot is an Attache, Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the American Embassy route Des Almedies BP 49 Dakar Senegal and requested that INTERPOL Nigeria assist in the abduction of Kashamu for the purpose of his forcible transportation to the U.S. to face trial before Judge Norgel.”

“The discussion between Mr. Arase and Ms Chabot revealed that it has become quite clear that the U.S. authorities have no hope of extraditing Prince Kashamu from any country in the world in view of the failure of the identification evidence available to them, which has been discredited and rejected by the English court.

“Prince Kashamu has also revealed that on the 4th of April 2015 at about 2pm, he received a call from a Nigerian security officer, who he had agreed to keep anonymous in any proceedings.

“The said security officer stated that he had called to warn Prince Kashamu that arrangements were almost completed for his abduction and forcible transportation to the U.S. by U.S. security officials in the sub-region under the supervision of the Head of the FBI, West Africa Office, stationed in the U.S. Embassy in Abuja, one Ahamdi Uche.

“The entire operation is being coordinated from the Homeland Security office in Washington DC and they have links with security apparatus in Belgium, Republic of Benin, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Con-

akry, England, Germany, all countries they believe that Prince Kashamu might visit and from where they want to be ready to abduct him.

“The moving minds behind the operation are Stevan Bunnell, the General Counsel of the Department, acting on the instigation and with support of Chief Obasanjo. The two are the approving officers for the project of effecting Prince Kashamu’s abduction, using Ms Chabot of the Homeland Security office in the Dakar, Senegal U.S. Embassy and Mr. Ahamdi Uche of the FBI, West African office in the U.S. Embassy in Abuja.

Funeral for Madam Olubuse

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HE Olubuse royal family of Ile-Ife and the Disu family of Lagos have announced the death of their mother, grandmother, greatgrandmother, great-greatgrandmother, sister, cousin and in-law, Princess Edith Folasade Aina Adefarakan, who died on Friday, April 10 at 90.

There will be a wake and service of songs on Friday May 22 at the family compound, 16–20, Igbo-Agbo Street, Ile-Ife by 5pm.

Funeral service will hold on Saturday, May 23 at The African Church Cathedral, Itakogun, Ile-Ife by 10am.

Interment will be at her residence, Halleluya House, Off Oramfe Road, opposite OAU Teaching Hospital Phase 2, Ilesa Road, Ile-Ife and reception of guests follows at the School of Nursing ground, Teaching Hospital Complex, Ile-Ife.

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FOREIGN NEWS 500 migrants rescued off Indonesia shores

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BOAT carrying about 500 members of Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslim community has been rescued off northern Indonesia.

The boat - with many women and children on board - was stranded in waters off Aceh province when it was rescued.

Myanmar - formerly known as Burma refuses to recognise Rohingya as citizens and hundreds of thousands have fled persecution in recent years.

Their main escape route has been the jungle border with Thailand, but many have also fled by sea.

“We received a report from fishermen this morning that there were boat people stranded,” Aceh provincial rescue chief Budiawan told AFP news agency on Sunday.

“We despatched teams there and evacuated 469 migrants who are Rohingya from Myanmar and Bangladeshis. So far, all of them are safe,” he added.

Rohingya Muslims have been fleeing sectarian violence in Myanmar for many years.

In December, the UN passed a resolution urging Myanmar to give access to citizenship for the Rohingya, many of whom are classed as stateless.

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Taliban downed Pakistan chopper carrying diplomats A MILITANT video purports to show Taliban fighters with a surface-to-air missile, claiming they used a similar one to shoot down a Pakistani helicopter carrying diplomats.The video, obtained by The Associated Press, includes a message from the Pakistani Taliban claiming they fired a missile from a distance of 3 kilometres (1.9 miles) to down the helicopter Friday.”The missile hit the tail rotor,” a written message in Urdu says at the video’s start.The crash killed the ambassadors to Pakistan from the Philippines and Norway and the wives of the ambassadors

from Malaysia and Indonesia, as well as three Pakistani crew members. Twelve passengers, many of them diplomats, were injured.Military officials could not be immediately reached Sunday. Previously, Pakistan said a technical failure caused the crash and dismissed an earlier Taliban claim as opportunistic.However, the surface-to-air missile shown in the video appeared real.

In the video, a masked militant discusses the missile’s parts, while another portion

shows what appears to be a hand-drawn picture of how a missile can strike a helicopter’s tail rotor.The video was released late Saturday via militant websites and corresponded to other messages distributed by the Pakistani Taliban, though the AP could not independently verify it.

Militants in Afghanistan and Pakistan do have access to surface-to-air missiles.A later Taliban statement Sunday said fighters’ missile hit the rotor as the helicopter turned, saving it from being destroyed in mid-air.”No

NEPAL: PICKING UP THE PIECES

•Local residents clear the rubble from the ruins of their home in Bhaktapur, Nepal...at the weekend

U.N. accuses Saudi-led coalition of violating international law

SAUDI-LED coalition rained down missiles in Yemen from Friday into Saturday, an intense attack that a U.N. official called a breach of international humanitarian law.

The Saudis admitted that the latest attack against Houthi rebels in Yemen — 130 airstrikes in a 24-hour period — included the targeting of schools and hospitals.

The hospitals and schools that were hit functioned as weapons storage sites, coalition spokesman Brig. Gen. Ahmed Asiri said in a statement.

The operations were “targeting headquarters of the Houthi leaders,” Asiri said.

Civilians had been warned ahead of time to leave the cities of Sadaa, Maran, Albiqaa and the border area between Saudi Arabia and Yemen, Asiri said.

In addition, the coalition spokesman accused the Houthi rebels of manning checkpoints that prevented civilians from leaving, in effect using them as human shields.

That rationalization for Friday and Saturday airstrikes was rejected by Johannes Van Der Klaauw, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Yemen.

“The indiscriminate bombing of populated areas, with or without prior

warning, is in contravention of international humanitarian law,” Van Der Klaauw said in a statement.

The U.N. official said he was especially concerned about the airstrikes on Saada, “where scores of civilians were reportedly killed and thousands were forced to flee their homes after the coalition declared the entire governorate a military target.”

He also restated that “all parties must avoid using populated areas as launching grounds for attacks.”

The Saudis say they want to restore the Yemeni government, a key U.S. ally in the fight against al Qaeda,

which was kicked out of the capital by the rebels earlier this year.

But behind this explanation lies the influence of Iran in the region. The Saudis see the Iranian-backed Houthis as a threat, analysts say.

The Yemen conflict has claimed more than 1,400 lives since mid-March and nearly 6,000 people have been injured, Van Der Klaauw said.

Before the latest round of airstrikes, two Houthi officials said the coalition dropped leaflets warning that the Saudis would consider the entire governorate of Saada as an enemy military zone starting Friday night.

EU draws up plans for military attacks on migrant boats

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HE European Union has drawn up plans for military attacks in Libya to try to curb the influx of migrants across the Mediterranean by targeting the trafficking networks. It is to launch a bid on Monday to secure a UN mandate for armed action in Libya’s territorial waters.

Britain is drafting the UN security council resolution that would authorise the mis-

matter if the Pakistani government accepts it or not, it doesn’t bother us,” the statement said. “God willing, we will carry out (more) such attacks.”Pakistani security forces have been battling militants in the country’s northwestern tribal regions bordering Afghanistan for the past several years. That fighting took on a new urgency after a Taliban attack in December on a military school killed 150 people, many of them children.The helicopter’s crash site Friday in Naltar is several hundred kilometres (miles) from the North Waziristan tribal area, where fighting recently has been focused.

sion, said senior officials in Brussels. It would come under Italian command, have the participation of around 10 EU countries, including Britain, France, Spain, and Italy, and could also drag in Nato although there are no plans for initial alliance involvement.

On Monday, Federica Mogherini, the EU’s chief foreign and security policy coordinator, is to brief the UN security council in New York on

the plans for a “chapter seven” resolution authorising the use of force. The British draft is believed to call for the “use of all means to destroy the business model of the traffickers”.

This would entail having EU vessels in Libyan territorial waters, including the Royal Navy flagship HMS Bulwark – currently in Malta – and deploying helicopter gunships to “neutralise” identified traffickers’ ships used to send tens of

thousands of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East on the short but highly risky voyage from the Libyan coast to the shores of southern Italy.

An MoD spokesperson said: “Working closely with Italy and EU partners, HMS Bulwark and three Royal Naval Merlin Helicopters are providing wide ranging search and rescue capabilities in the Mediterranean, already rescuing over 100 people.

PHOTO: REUTERS

Poland votes in presidential election

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OLAND is voting for a new head of state, with President Bronislaw Komorowski hoping to win a second term in office.

Opinion polls put him in the lead, but if no candidate wins more than 50% of the vote there will be a second round.

Mr Komorowski took office five years ago after his predecessor, Lech Kaczynski, died in a plane crash.

The president has limited powers, but is head of the armed forces and can veto new laws.

Mr Komorowski, 62, is an independent allied with the centre-right Civic Platform, which has been in government since 2007.

His main challenger is Andrzej Duda, from the right-wing opposition Law and Justice party, which is led by former President Kaczynski’s twin brother, Jaroslaw.

Rock musician Pawel Kukiz looks likely to gather protest votes, but has trailed the leading pair in opinion polls.

During a period of tension with Russia over the unrest in Ukraine, President Komorowski says he has promoted stability.

“Poles have a need for normality, for peace, for security and for order,” he said at his final rally on Friday.

“I hope that accord and security will win.”

The presidential vote comes ahead of parliamentary elections this autumn, and may give pointers to Civic Platform’s chances of retaining power.

If no candidate wins more than 50%, a second round will be held on 24 May. A total of 11 candidates are on the ballot paper

Syrian official lashes out over U.S. training of rebels

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The remarks by Faisal Mekdad were published Saturday in his weekly column for the Lebanon-based AlBinaa newspaper.

U.S. officials say the program is part of a broader effort to build a force capable of fighting Islamic State extremists - not President Bashar Assad’s forces. Officials said Thursday the training started in Jordan with about 90 rebels. The program will expand to training sites in Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, with 400 fighters completing the prescreening process.

Mekdad said Washington is better off helping those who are fighting terrorism, instead of cooperating with what he said were terrorists. His government refers to all armed opposition as “terrorists” and accuses Turkey and Saudi Arabia of aiding them to undermine Assad.

“In doing so, the United States is supporting terrorism, and is complicating conditions for a political solution in Syria,” he wrote. “The United States

should put its hand in the hands of those countries that want to fight terrorism instead of putting its hands in the hands of terrorists and those supporting them.”

Many among the rebels have also criticized the program, calling it a drop in the ocean that would not change realities on the ground.

Syrian rebels have been pleading for international help - particularly weapons - ever since the uprising against Assad’s rule that began in 2011 devolved into an outright civil war. Moderate rebels have long said that the West’s failure to bolster their forces helped fuel the rise of militants like the Islamic State group.

Assad’s forces, backed by Shiite fighters from Lebanon’s Hezbollah and by funding and arms from Iran, have suffered significant recent losses in the south and north. Assad vowed recently to make a push to regain lost territories.

On Saturday, Syrian TV said five civilians were killed when rebels shelled a government-controlled district in the disputed northern city of Aleppo.

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THE NATION MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015

FOREIGN NEWS

Parallelism in Global Focus electoral outcomes: UK, Israel and daborgu@gmail.com even U.S.

DAYO FAKUADE, Foreign Editor sms 08134230367

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FTER all the hooplas and anxiety over last Thursday’s Parliamentary Election 2015 in the United Kingdom, the pollsters must by now still be biting their finger-nails, wondering what really went awry in what they had predicted will be the closest race in the country’s electoral history in many decades.

Conventional wisdom had the political haymakers talking about a ‘hung parliament’, beating their chest again as to the issues on ground and the political exigencies under which they flourish. Most pre-election polls suggested a neck-and-neck at the end of polling, but this did not happen.

Prime Minister David Cameron himself took a well-calculated risk of calling for the general elections under the Fixed-Term Parliament Act of 2010. There is the heavy shadows of lackadaisical support, at worst, suspicion of the European Union’s utility for the greater interest, if not outright threat, for the continued economic development , which according to Cameron, the European Union members pose to the United Kingdom through its liberal employment opportunities for the unemployed across the region. This earned him the X word as in xenophobia from former Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Anyway, the come has now become and Ed Miliband of the Labour Party and Nick Clegg of the Liberal Democratic Party are both licking their wounds as both have quickly resigned their position as leaders of their respective parties.

When the chips finally came down, Cameron –led Conservative Party coasted home with 331 out of the 650 seats in the House of Commons, thereby securing a comfortable parliamentary majority for the party for the first time since 1992, not worrying any more about any unholy alliance with Nick Clegg’s Liberal Democratic Party with which the Tory has been in a political marriage of convenience in the past five years;

call them political strange bed-fellows if you may. The Labour party came up with 232 seats and Scottish National Party winning 56 of the 59 seats is now giving greater impetus to leader Nicola Sturgeon desire for independence referendum for her native Scotland.

Now there is an uneasy calm within the chieftains of the European Union with the resounding victory of Tory and Cameron renewing his lease on 10 Downing Street for the next five years. He has promised to throw his country’s continued membership of the EU to a nation-wide referendum come 2017; saying he is neither necessarily nor adamantly anti-EU but he wants major concessions for the UK which will include exclusion from the currency Euro, not flooding British job market with jobless Eastern European immigrants and many more concessions. On its part the EU seems not so set for any major tinkering with its working constitution right now which might shake its foundation to its very rubric. But time will tell.

For now the outcome of the UK Election 2015 has spared the nation the harrowing horsetradings which generally characterise hung parliaments in that part of parliamentary electoral process with its antecedents for instability in government - forming coalitions.

Still on developments in government formation and political party coalitions, look no any further than to Israel where elections had taken place over seven weeks ago and the business of government formation barely scaled through at the last minute 12 midnight deadline set forth in the Jewish nation’s constitution for last Wednesday.

Israeli news organizations reported last week that ‘Mr. Netanyahu had yielded to a fringe party, Jewish Home’s demand for the Justice Ministry, which the party could use to weaken the Supreme Court, emphasize Israel’s Jewishness and restrict leftist advocacy groups.’

Now there is an uneasy calm within the chieftains of the European Union with the sounding victory of the Labour Party in UK and Cameron renewing his lease on 10 Downing Street for the next five years. He has promised to throw his country’s continued membership of the EU to a nation-wide referendum come 2017; saying he is neither necessarily nor adamantly anti-EU but he wants major concessions for the UK Having won 30 seats out of the 120-seat legislative chamber called Knesset at the March 7 elections, Prime Minister Benjamin ‘Bibi’ Netanyahu’s ruling Likud Party was gloating all over the place then, only to take the full gamut of the constitutionallyallowed six weeks before he can secure a ruling coalition to form a government at the last minute.

Apart from Nigeria’s Governors Forum Presidential election of May 2013, at which forensic and algorithm permutations have to be deployed to determine whether the majority of 19 scored by Rivers Governor Rotimi Amechi is more or less than the Plateau State Jonah Jang’s 16 votes or Ekiti State House of Assembly where presently seven members are legislating for bolekaja Governor Ayodele Fayose’s government, as ‘ majority’ over 19 honourable members, nowhere else can, as in Israel, be chest-beating for winning 30 in 120seat parliament and call itself a majority. Yet

Merkel in Moscow to mark end of WWII

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ERMAN Chancellor Angela Merkel has attended a wreathlaying ceremony in Moscow to commemorate the Russians killed during World War Two. Mrs Merkel and other Western leaders skipped a military parade in Red Square on Saturday over tensions with Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said yesterday that a Ukraine peace deal was progressing, despite problems.

In an apparent conciliatory sign after boycotting the military ceremony on Saturday, the German chancellor flew to the Russian capitalyesterday to lay a wreath at the

grave of the Unknown Soldier, close to the Kremlin.

Mr Putin, in a press conference after talks with Angela Merkel, said that a peace deal agreed in Minsk in February was moving forward.

“Things have become more peaceful but there are still problems,” he added.

Mrs Merkel said Russia’s annexation of the Crimean peninsula had caused “a serious setback in our relations”.

“However history teaches us that we must do anything possible to resolve conflicts, however, difficult they may be, peacefully and through dialogue,” she added.

Germany played a key

role negotiating the Minsk ceasefire agreement, which stipulated an immediate and full bilateral ceasefire and the withdrawal of heavy weapons by both sides.

However, the deal has since been violated many times.

Saturday’s parade was a chance for Russia to show off its military might Russia staged its biggest ever military parade on Saturday, to mark the 70th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany, with thousands of troops marching across Red Square and new armour on display for the first time.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, President Pranab Mukherjee of India and UN

Secretary General Ban Kimoon were among more than 20 world leaders who attended the event.

But most Western leaders stayed away in protest against Russia’s role in eastern Ukraine and its annexation of Crimea last year.

President Putin seemed to shrug off the Western boycott of the military parade.

“Everyone we wanted to see was here,” he said in televised remarks on Saturday.

Relations between Germany and Russia, which share strong economic and trade links, have reached a low point over the Ukraine crisis and subsequent EU sanctions against Moscow.

C

•Mr Castro stopped in Rome to meet the Pope on his way back from Moscow

PHOTO: REUTERS

that is the intricate nature; call it the beauty of coalition building in parliamentary democracy, which is predicated on intense lobbying and jostling for key ministerial positions before the coalition- builder can coalesce fragmented, sometimes ideologically incongruent strange bed-fellows all in an attempt to form a government. It could be tricky and messy; sometimes a game of political chess in which heads of deep party political ideologues could be sacrificed on the platter of negotiating expediency. But at the end of the day, as Niccolo Machiavelli will rightly remind us in his classic The Prince, the end justifies the means.

Attaining the highest office in the land, any land, sometimes have differing intervention modalities that can turn night into nightmares.

We still remember the United States of America’s 2000 Presidential elections between Vice President Al Gore Jr of the Democratic Party and George W. Bush of the Republican Party.

America’s electoral laws require a winner in the Presidential Election, not only to secure the majority of the popular vote but more importantly to secure majority of what is called the electoral vote. Call it the night of the political long-knives. The major news networks kept announcing exit polls and at a time some declared Al Gore Jr winner only for them to denounce such almost immediately. It will eventually end up at the door steps of the Nine Wise Men( and women, of course)-The United States Supreme Courtafter re-counts of the Florida votes were stopped ‘in the interest of the nation’, thereby giving Bush Jr a contentious win with a total popular vote of 50,456,002 and electoral vote of 266 whereas Gore with popular vote of 50, 999,, 897 could not pull through the electoral vote of Florida ending short with 271 electoral votes, thus denied the tenancy to the most powerful address in the world 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue-The White House in Washington D.C. All these are lessons learnt in different societies when it comes to electoral matters and procedures. As Nigeria continues to receive kudos all over the world over the outcome of our Election 2015, it only behoves us to put our experience in perspective by the winners being magnanimous in victory and losers proud and humble, knowing full well that they’ve had a good fight and can come out another day to give another shot at any office they so desire.

See ya.

Taliban downs Pakistan chopper carrying diplomats

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MILITANT video purports to show Taliban fighters with a surface-to-air missile, claiming they used a similar one to shoot down a Pakistani helicopter carrying diplomats.

The video, obtained by The Associated Press, includes a message from the Pakistani Taliban claiming they fired a missile from a distance of 3 kilometres (1.9 miles) to down the helicopter Friday.”

The missile hit the tail rotor,” a written message in Urdu says at the video’s start.The crash killed the ambassadors to Pakistan from the Philippines and Norway

and the wives of the ambassadors from Malaysia and Indonesia, as well as three Pakistani crew members.

Twelve passengers, many of them diplomats, were injured.Military officials could not be immediately reached Sunday. Previously, Pakistan said a technical failure caused the crash and dismissed an earlier Taliban claim as opportunistic.

However, the surface-toair missile shown in the video appeared real. In the video, a masked militant discusses the missile’s parts, while another portion shows what appears to be a hand-drawn picture of how a missile can strike a helicopter’s tail rotor.

Pope Francis inspires Cuba’s Castro towards Church UBAN President Raul

Castro has said he was so impressed by a Vatican audience with Pope Francis that he might return to the faith he was born into.

Mr Castro praised the pontiff’s wisdom, adding: “I will resume praying and turn to the Church again if the Pope continues in this vein.”

He thanked the Pope for brokering a rapprochement between Cuba and the US. The communist leader had stopped at the Vatican after attending Russia’s World War Two Victory Day in Moscow.

The Catholic Church has maintained ties with Havana since the 1959 revolution.

The Pope will visit Cuba on his way to the US in September.

For Pope Francis, the restoration of relations between the US and Cuba agreed during secret talks at the Vatican - has been a major diplomatic achievement, says the BBC’s David Willey in Rome.

The US had imposed a trade embargo after Cuba’s revolution, which it began to lift late last year.

After the 50-minute pri-

vate audience on Sunday, Mr Castro told reporters: “The pontiff is a Jesuit, and I, in some way, am too. I studied at Jesuit schools.”

After suggesting he might turn again to the Church, he added: “I mean what I say.”

Both Mr Castro and his brother, revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, were baptised as Roman Catholics, but most Church activities were suppressed after the revolution.

Francis will be the third Pope to travel to Cuba, following visits there by John Paul II in 1998 and Benedict XVI in 2012.

THE NATION MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015

59

FOREIGN NEWS

Super Typhoon Noul makes landfall in Northeast Philippines S UPER Typhoon Noul roared over the northeastern Philippines yesterday, prompting evacuations and warnings of flooding and landslides in the mountainous region.

The storm, referred to as Dodong in the Philippines, hit land Sunday afternoon at the northeastern tip of the island of Luzon, near the small town of Santa Ana, according to PAGASA, the Philippine government agency that monitors the weather.

Noul’s outer bands had lashed Luzon’s eastern coast through the afternoon as it drew nearer, packing maximum sustained winds of about 260 kph (160 mph) and gusts as strong as 315

kph (195 mph).

“The wind and the rain are just steadily building up and they have been for the last couple of hours,” said storm chaser James Reynolds from Santa Ana as the storm approached.

Authorities said they relocated more than 1,200 residents of vulnerable areas to evacuation centers ahead of the typhoon’s arrival.

PAGASA had issued its highest storm warning for the northeastern part of Cagayan province and islands off its coast, as well as lower level warnings for the wider region. It said the super typhoon could bring flash floods and landslides.

In Santa Ana, a town of about 30,000 people, fishermen brought in their boats earlier in the day, and businesses boarded up their windows, Reynolds told CNN. “People here are taking it very seriously,” he said.

Over roughly two days, Noul could dump as much as half a meter (20 inches) of rain on some areas, almost the same amount that London gets in a year, said meteorologist Pedram Javaheri.

The affected region is far more sparsely populated than urban areas farther south.

The rough seas caused by the storm prompted many

ships to take shelter in ports, leaving more than 5,000 people stranded across the nation, according to the national disaster management agency.

While Noul has been menacing the northeastern Philippines, Mount Bulusan has been spewing ash in southern Luzon.

Farmers in Luzon were hoping the storm would weaken while still providing much needed rains after a dry spell in the region, according to the charity World Vision.

Situated in a vulnerable part of the Pacific, the Philippines experiences an average of 20 typhoons a year, five of them destructive, according to the Asian Disaster Reduction Centre.

Young girls present the Queen with flowers after the service in Westminster Abbey on the final day of 70th anniversary commemorations of VE Day...yesterday PHOTO:AFP

South Africa’s opposition elects first OUTH Africa’s main black leader ing the DA in 2009. opposition party, the Critics say he is too young

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Democratic Alliance (DA), has elected its first black leader.

Mmusi Maimane, 34, succeeds Helen Zille, who resigned unexpectedly last month.

He faced party chairman Wilmot James for the job, and was elected at a party conference in Port Elizabeth.

The DA has long battled perceptions it is a white party representing those who benefited from apartheid, the BBC’s Andrew Harding says.

The party increased its share of the vote in the 2014 elections, but has struggled to present itself as an alternative to the ANC, who have governed South Africa since the end

of apartheid.

Ms Zille herself has suggested the party needs a black leader if it is ever to unseat the ANC, our correspondent adds.

Mr Maimane’s supporters have been dancing and singing praise for him outside the party congress She told the Citizen newspaper she was “relieved” to no longer be leader, but would continue to campaign for the party.

“I will do what the new leadership would like me to do without trying to lead from behind and interfering,” she said.

Mr Maimane has advanced quickly in the party, only join-

and inexperienced to break the ANC’s grip on power.

Who is Mmusi Maimane?

•Born 1980, in the Soweto township of Johannesburg, where Nelson Mandela lived for many years •Studied at universities in South Africa and Wales, holding Masters Degrees in theology and psychology •Met his wife Natalie, a white woman, at church, telling iol.co.za “it took time to accept stereotypical responses” •Speaks six languages •Spends his weekends preaching in a Johannesburg church •Worked in business consultancy before entering politics.

Scotland leader demands more power

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COTTISH First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has called for new tax and welfare powers to be devolved to Scotland as a “priority”.

Ms Sturgeon told the BBC such powers would allow the Scottish government to grow the economy.

She added that she had spoken “briefly” to Prime Minister David Cameron but more discussions were required.

Ms Sturgeon also said her party now provided the main opposition at Westminster.

Labour, with 232 MPs, are the official opposition but Ms Sturgeon claimed her party, which gained 50 MPs on

Thursday, was the one putting pressure on Mr Cameron’s Conservative government.

The SNP is the third largest party in the UK despite only standing in Scotland.

It took 56 of the 59 seats in Scotland, reducing Labour to just one MP when they had previously had 41.

Elsewhere in the interview, Ms Sturgeon was asked whether a UK government offer of full fiscal autonomy the devolution of all tax and spend powers - within two years would be a “good deal” for Scotland.

She replied: “It would be the responsibility of the Scot-

tish government and our MPs down in the House of Commons to make sure we get a good deal.”

She said any move towards full fiscal autonomy created “questions” around issues such as how much Scotland contributed towards reserved areas such as defence, and how much Scotland would pay towards UK debt interest payments.

“We have not got into the details of those discussions,” she added. “My starting point is that Scotland’s voice has to be heard.”

She said any move to full fiscal responsibility would take several years to imple-

Yemen Houthi rebels accept Saudi truce plan

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AUDI Arabia has offered a five-day truce starting on Tuesday, to allow the delivery of humanitarian supplies.

The air raids have killed at least 1,400 people - mostly civilians - in recent weeks, the UN says.

The Shia Houthi rebels from northern Yemen launched an offensive last year and now control much of the country.

The Saudi-led coalition aims to restore the government of exiled President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi who fled the rebel-controlled capital, Sanaa, in February.

On Friday Saudi Arabia offered the five-day truce starting on Tuesday - but warned that it would respond to any violations.

Early yesterday, the rebels’ al-Massirah TV channel said they would “deal positively with any efforts, calls or measures that would help end the suffering”.

A spokesman for renegade Yemeni troops allied to the Houthis has already said they fully accepted the proposal.

On April 21 the Saudi-led coalition announced an end to its bombing campaign in Yemen, but resumed air strikes within hours.

The Saudi-led coalition has been carrying out air strikes for the past six weeks.

60

THE NATION MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015

NEWS Senate Presidency: Mark loyalists back Lawan as Ekweremadu forms alliance with Saraki •Mark, Ekweremadu part ways over Senate Presidency

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HE jostle for Senate Presidency heightened yesterday with many loyalists of the outgoing Senate President David Mark backing the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, Senator Ahmad Lawan.

Also, there were indications that Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu might form an alliance with Senator Bukola Saraki also a strong contender in the race.

The alliance according to sources, is to support Saraki for Senate President with Ekweremadu retaining his seat on the condition that he will deliver the PDP Senate Caucus votes for the ex-Kwara State governor.

The Presidency is however having reservations on the “romance” between Ekweremadu and Saraki.

Investigation by our corre-

From Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation

spondent revealed that some loyalists of the President of the Senate met secretly at the weekend and opted to work for the emergence of Lawan as the head of the eighth Senate.

It was learnt that at the session in Abuja, Mark’s loyalists said Lawan will ensure what they termed “continuity of the legacies of the outgoing Senate President than any other aspirants.

A high-ranking Senator, who spoke with our correspondent, said: “We (loyalists of Mark) met for about three hours and after exhaustive deliberations, we have opted for Lawan for a “seamless transition and continuity of the legacies of the outgoing Senate President.

“We looked at the three candidates and we discovered that Lawan has an edge in all

the criteria we spelt out.

“So, most of us in PDP might vote for Lawan whose loyalty, humility and ability to the system cannot be doubted at any time. Lawan is not perfect, we realised that with the onerous responsibility of the Senate Presidency, he can overcome any leadership challenge.”

The source added: “If you look at the emerging politics, it was the North -West that first endorsed Lawan. This is a signal that the Presidentelect might be disposed to the North-East producing the next President of the Senate.

“When leaders, like Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, Rauf Aregbesola, Ibrahim Gaidam, Abiola Ajimobi, ex-governors Sani Yerima, Bukar Abba Ibrahim, and others are queuing behind Lawan, there must be some merit in the aspirant.

But Saraki camp is giving

Lawan a hard fight following a fresh alliance bewteen the Deputy President of the Senate, Chief Ike Ekweremadu and Saraki.

A reliable source added: “Ekweremadu and Saraki have held talks. From preliminary discussions, the Deputy President of the Senate may part ways with Mark on the choice of the President of the eighth Senate.

“The Saraki camp has offered to retain Ekweremadu as the Deputy President of the Senate if he can deliver the block votes of PDP to the exgovernor.

“The latest alliance may be a replica of the politics of how the outgoing Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal and his deputy, Emeka Ihedioha became the leaders of the House in June 2011.

“One of the reasons

Ekweremadu is tagging along with Saraki is to protect the South-East from being schemed out of power in the new government.

“Ekweremadu believed the Igbo must not play second fiddle despite the fact that they did not vote for APC. Saraki relies on this bait to woo Ekweremadu to his side.

“Another factor goading Ekweremadu into an alliance with Saraki is that if the former governor becomes the Senate President, the PDP may have a pedestal to start its revival agenda.”

A government source said: “The presidency has some reservations about the understanding or alliance between Ekweremadu and Saraki more so when the former had been saddled with a responsibility of managing PostElection Review Committee of the PDP. A close ally of Ekweremadu said: “All I am aware of is that both Lawan and Saraki have had talks with Ekweremadu.

If the Deputy President of the Senate is working out an alliance with Saraki, I will have to find out.”

Constitution amendment: Presidency serves Mark, Tambuwal Supreme Court order

Continued from page 1

to any matter on which a judicial decision is pending in such a way as might in the opinion of the president of the Senate prejudice the interest of parties thereto.”

A Senator said the National Assembly will be guided by national interest and not “judicial ambush”.

The lawmakers, it was learnt, are to meet on options to override the President’s veto “because these amendments are just too fundamental to be halted as a result of judicial process”, he said, adding: “By Tuesday, we will be able to take a decision. We know the National Assembly leadership will guide us accordingly.”

A principal officer of the Senate, who pleaded not to be named because of what he described as the “sensitivity” of the matter, said: “We learnt the ruling of the Supreme Court has been made available to our leadership.

“Since it is a legal matter, we will seek advice on the next line of action.”

Following disagreement on amendments to the Constitution, the Attorney-General of the Federation applied to the Supreme Court for an order of interlocutory injunction restraining the lawmakers from taking any further step towards passing the Constitution of the Federal Republic of

Nigeria (Fourth Alteration) Act, 2015 into law, pending the final determination of the suit earlier filed before the court.

Jonathan vetoed the amendments to the constitution in a seven page letter to the Senate President and the House Speaker.

The President listed some errors noticeable in the amendments. They are: • Non-compliance with the threshold specified in Sec-

tion 9(3) of the 1999 Constitution on amendments; •alteration to constitution cannot be valid with mere voice votes unless supported by the votes of not less than four-fifths majority all members of National Assembly and two-thirds of all the 36 State Houses of Assembly; •right to free basic education and primary and maternal care services imposed on private institutions; •flagrant violation of the

doctrine of separation of powers; •unjustified whittling down of the Executive powers of the Federation vested in the President by virtue of Section 5(1) of the 1999 Constitution; •30 days allowed for assent of the President; and •limiting expenditure in default of appropriation from six months to three months.

The others are: •creation of the Office of Accountant-General of the

•Clan Head of Okpokpo in Igede,Benue State, Chief John Okponyo (right) giving an item of office to the new AD’Igede III in Anambra, Chief Matthew Omenka (left), during his installation as the head of Igede in Onitsha ... at the weekend. With them are PHOTO: NAN members of Igede Development Association, Anambra Chapter.

There’ll be no quick fixes, says Buhari Continued from page 9

“Nobody expected that the elections will be peaceful; nobody expected that the elections will not lead to the disintegration of the country. By the grace of God, the elections were held peacefully. We are living in peace with one another by the grace of God. Power will also be handed over to you by the grace of God and we’ll be living peaceful thereafter by the grace of God. “On many occasions, I’ve called for a revolution but I made it quite clear that I was not calling for a violent or bloody revolution. I wanted

Federation distinct from the Accountant General of the Federal Government; •empowering National Economic Council to appoint the Accountant-General of the Federation instead of the President; •allowing the National Judicial Council (NJC) to appoint the Attorney-General of the Federation rather than the President; and •unwittingly whittling down the discretionary powers of the Attorney-General of the Federation.

a kind of revolution led by Mahatma Gandhi, non-violent bloodless revolution. A revolution is a change of attitude.

“Glory be to God that having listened to our prayers, he gave us somebody who has a good record of being a man of God, truthful, a man of integrity, a man of discipline. I’ve always said that when you were a military leader, you instilled discipline into our society. You fought corruption and you gave Nigeria a sense of direction.

“I am sure you will not compromise your principle but you’ll bring justice, wis-

dom and diplomacy. I’m sure you’ll not compromise your principle, be the same Buhari that gave the country a sense of direction when he was a military leader. This time around, I’m sure, Allah will be with him to correct the ills of the past.

“All we have to do is to pray for him that Allah will give him the courage and knowledge to carry out his responsibility and may Allah give him advisers that will advise him to take right decisions at all time.

“Sir, I know it was easy when you were a military leader and what made it easy was justice. With justice, you

can rule Nigeria well. Justice is the key, irrespective of tribe, religion and race; justice must be done to whosoever deserves it.

“I have always known you to be a man of justice and I ask you to please continue, don’t change or compromise justice for anything.

“Mr President-elect sir, we know what we have gone through, I will ask you not to discriminate against any part of Nigeria but I’ll urge you to do justice to all parts of Nigeria. Justice that will bring about peace and stability that’ll lead to the development of Nigeria.”

Continued from page 4

for the contributions you have made to our development in your tenure. Generations unborn will read about Jonathan.”

“Nigeria will need you. Africa will need you. The international community will need you. You are not expired. The whole of Nigeria is now your political party,” he added.

Former Minister of Information Prof. Jerry Gana, who has served in all governments since the Gen. Babangida administration, also thanked God for what He has done through President Jonathan for Nigeria.

He said: “You have deepened democracy, the trains are moving again and you have brought hope again to Nigerians.”

“Mr. President, you don’t

Why AfDB chair may elude Nigeria, by experts Continued from page 4

Ogunjobi met a brick wall because the Egyptian government complained that Nigeria could not occupy the presidency of the two continental banks at the same time.

According to a source, Nigeria should lobby Egypt more, instead of concentrating attention on South Africa, which may not raise objection to Adesina’s bid.

Said the sourve, who also sought anonymity because he is not permitted to talk to the media: “South Africa is not our problem. Egypt is our challenge. In terms of contributions to the AfDB, Nigeria has the highest share or equity holding, followed by Egypt. When Nigeria and Egypt are not together on a cause, it gives room to smaller countries. Egyptians are not happy with Nigeria, which has been playing domineering role in African Export-Import Bank in the last 20 years.

“The question is: Is Nigeria aware that a Nigerian is contesting for the presidency of the Afrex Bank for the second time in 20 years? Can Nigerians be bidding for the presidency of two African institutions in the same year, despite the strength of Egypt in both institutions? Should we not be talking to Egypt, instead of South Africa?”

Another expert, who gave an insight into the politics of selecting AfDB and Afex Bank presidents, said Egypt may rally some friendly countries to demand for concessions from Nigeria before supporting Adesina’s bid.

He added: “The idea of the African Export-Import Bank took off from Nigeria, which had a Nigerian Export-Import Bank moderated by the Central Bank. Nigeria nominated its first President, Christopher Edordu, a very intelligent technocrat and financial guru.

But, when his term expired, he had wanted to seek for an extension after 10 years. He finally handed over to Mr. JeanLouis Ekra from Ivory Coast.

“Since Egypt felt that Ekra was not properly elected, he was not allowed to operate in Egypt. Therefore, he relocated to Nigeria. The Ministry of Finance was aware of this.

Edordu remained as a consultant. Now, his former Personal Assistant, Oramah, is being sponsored for the Afex President. Do you think Egypt will agree?”

There’ll be no quick fixes, says Buhari know what you did for many Nigerians, for conceding that defeat at that point in time is worth celebrating. You are now a hero for Africa.” He said Minister of Power Prof.

Chinedu Nebo also highlighted the good qualities Jonathan brought to bear during his tenure.

Also at the service were Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, Chief of Staff to the President Jones Arogbofa, Senator Emmanuel Paulker and Senator Hope Uzodinma.

There were also ministers and other top government functionaries.

THE NATION MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015

61

NEWS

EFCC arraigns ex-bank boss, others for alleged N2b fraud A

FORMER Chairman of Wema Bank Plc, Olapade Mohammed, was at the weekend arraigned before a Federal High Court in Lagos for alleged N2 billion fraud.

Mohammed alongside two former senior management staff of AKS Steel Nigeria Limited, Tony Obinwa and Sanni Mohammed, were docked before Justice Okon Abang by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The trio were alleged to have stolen the money belonging to AKS Steel, which Olapade also chaired and laundered same to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and India through various banks, including Diamond Bank, United Bank for Africa (UBA), defunct Spring Bank, Ecobank, Unity Bank, as well as Intercontinental and Equitorial Trust Banks.

They were said to have transferred the money through one company, Three Brothers Concept Nigeria Limited, without AKS Steel’s board resolution.

The trio, who were said to have committed the offence between 2006 and 2009, are facing 32 count charges under the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, Criminal Code Laws of the Federation, and Miscel-

By Precious Igbonwelundu

‘The trio allegedly stole and converted to their use, the company’s N1.2 billion, while Olapade was said to have fraudulently diverted another $500, 000 (USD) for his use’ laneous Offences Act, 2004.

According to the EFCC, the trio allegedly stole and converted to their use, the company’s N1.2 billion, while Olapade was said to have fraudulently diverted another $500, 000 (USD) for his use.

The EFCC also alleged that the accused forged various documents, which they submitted at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) with the aim of committing monumental fraud, including the company’s board resolution dated October 31, 2005, adding that the trio unilaterally increased three 250 thousand shares of AKS Alloy PVT Limited.

It also claimed that the accused by their actions, reduced the status of Shinning Star from majority shareholder in the joint venture company of AKS Steel Nigeria Limited, and filed

the ‘fraudulent’ resolution at the CAC on January 17, 2006.

They however pleaded not guilty to the charges and were admitted to bail in N20 million with two sureties each in like sum.

The sureties, according to the judge, should produce three years tax evidence, must own landed property in Lagos, and should deposit their title documents to the court, which must be confirmed by the Deputy Chief Registrar of the Court.

They were subsequently remanded in custody, pending the fulfillment of their bail conditions. The matter has been adjourned to June 22 for trial.

Efforts by the accused persons to quash the charges against them was foiled by the trial judge who had earlier dismissed two separate applications they

brought to that effect.

They had contended that the charge against them were unknown to the law and sought its dismissal on technical grounds.

The accused persons also alleged that the antigraft agency had exonerated them of the offence through a letter addressed to a former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President, Wole Olanipekun (SAN).

Denying their prayer, Justice Abang ruled that mere typographical error in a criminal charge was not enough to dismiss the charge.

He said: “I disagree with the learned counsel for the accused persons that the counts were unknown to law. They were charged for money laundering and mentioning the wrong section in the charge and year cannot, in my view, invalidate the charge.”

Justice Abang also ruled that the EFCC was empowered to re-investigate an alleged crime that has not been decided in court, adding that he was satisfied with a new report of investigation conducted by the EFCC, which was contained in the further exhibit attached to the charge.

Glo hosts Youth Corps members to party

T

ELECOMS giants Globacom at the weekend hosted members of the Batch ‘A’ of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) posted to Lagos .

They were treated to an evening of fun and entertainment at the party which marked the beginning of the Batch ‘A’ service year.

It was attended by a large number of the corps members at the Orientation Camp at Iyana-Ipaja, Lagos.

The visibly excited corps members were seen arriving at the venue of the party, clad in their white sportswear clinching to cameras and taking photographs with Glo ambassadors. The party which began at 7 p.m. lasted till about 10pm, shortly before the light out.

Music oozed from the line array speakers as the corps members filed into the venue, some of them in pairs.

Globacom Business Director, Kunle Akanmu said Globacom was delighted to be part of the corps members’ orientation camp activities and that the party was aimed at celebrating

the beginning of their service year which it believed, would be successful and rewarding.

“As the 2015 NYSC Batch ‘A’ service year begins, we urge you to be good ambassadors of your various institutions and brace yourselves up for the challenges ahead.

At Globacom, we believe that the youth are the future leaders of this great nation, and we are optimistic that, with the training you have received in your schools, you will make the nation proud in your various places of primary assignment,” Akanmu said.

Glo Ambassador and Nigeria’s biggest comedy export, Basketmouth anchored the event, unleashing ribcracking jokes in his usual characteristic manner, and had the guests roaring with laughter. Hip hop super star, Wande Coal was also on ground to thrill the guests.

He expectedly put up an exhilarating performance to make the evening a memorable one.

62

THE NATION MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015

SPORT EXTRA Grassroots table tennis to debut on Lagos Island

T

HE maiden edition of Oguns Table Tennis Championship for Primary and Junior Secondary schools on Lagos Island has been earmarked for the month of May. Students from 30 primary schools, 10 Junior secondary schools and 20 trainers are expected to participate in the grassroots table tennis championship which has been fixed for Christ School,Lagos Island.

In a chat with the NationSports, Chairman of Oguns Investment Nigeria Limited, Waheeed Usman Ogunbiyi, he stated that sponsoring a table tennis championship on Lagos Island was borne out of a passion to engage the youths resident on the Island in sports in order to gradually eradicate the vices associated with kids living in the area.

Ogunbiyi who is involved in several charitable gestures stated that he derives pleasure in putting smiles on the faces of people especially the less privileged in the society. According to him, he hopes that the kids would take a good advantage of the opportunity to excel in the ping-pong game.

He said: “I am not sponsoring the competition to make money or to become popular but for the love I have for young players and that is why I want to channel my resources to grassroots where young players will engage themselves throughout the period of the competition,” he said.

Ogunbiyi also advised the participating teams to embrace the spirit of sportsmanship throughout the competition.

Jose: I 'll miss Gerrard HELSEA manager Jose Mourinho has said that he will "miss" Steven Gerrard when the Liverpool skipper leaves for Los Angeles at the end of the season.

Gerrard scored the equalising goal on his final appearance at Stamford Bridge on Sunday night before receiving a standing ovation from both sets of fans when being substituted.

Mourinho is known to have been interested in signing Gerrard for Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid, and the Portuguese boss was keen to express the "respect" he has for the former England captain.

"To get an ovation at Stamford Bridge is special for Steven Gerrard, we have lots of respect for the top guys. I will miss him," Mourinho told Sky Sports News.

"I want my league to be always the best league, I want my league to have always the best players."

John Terry got the opening goal at Stamford Bridge in a match that saw Liverpool's Champions League hopes all but ended with two games of the season remaining.

C

El-Kanemi compounds Lobi Stars' woes

L

OBI Stars are still searching for their first win of the season after drawing 0-0 at home to El-Kanemi Warriors.

Lobi gave the duo of Valentine Ifesinachi and Ifeanyi Jonah their debut but it was old boy Douglas Archiv who twice came close to giving Lobi Stars the lead.

In the 15th minute he narrowly missed target and he also had a well struck effort blocked

by El-Kanemi shot stopper George Michael who had little

to do in the first half.

John Huan and Obioma Arinze also came close for the host with Huan particularly proving a handful for the ElKanemi back-line.

Lobi Stars won a penalty three minutes into the second half but Huan stepped up and blazed his effort way over the bar much to the frustration of the home fans.

The bench of Lobi Stars responded by throwing in Barnabas Imenger and immediately he added bite to thee forward line and Moses Bunde narrowly missed a chance after Imenger's good work.

He combined nicely with Ajia but when he got the return ball he failed to beat George Michael before El-Kanemi missed a glorious chance to steal all three point.

Demba Malik could have snatched all three points for the visitors but despite having the goalkeeper at his mercy he surprisingly failed to hit the target.

That miss summed up the most meaningful action of the game as Lobi Stars are left searching for their first win of the season.

Stubborn Giwa frustrates wasteful Enyimba

E

NYIMBA International FC was held to a goalless draw by Giwa FC in the battle of Elephants in Aba on Sunday.

The match between both sides ended 0-0 in the 2013/ 14 Nigeria Professional Football League season.

The Jos based side have now gone six matches without a defeat in the eight-week old elite league.

The People's Elephants went into the week eight match on the back of a two-nil loss to Gabros FC in Nnewi.

The hosts had the chunk of possession but lacked the cutting edge to beat the visitors.

A late miss by Peter Onyekachi summed up a bad afternoon for the six-time league champions.

At the blast of the final whistle, Giwa FC celebrated as if they had won the league.

Enyimba FC have now accumulated 12 points from a possible 24 with Giwa FC claiming 15 from a possible 24 after the end of match day 8 in the NPFL.

• Gerrard celebrates with his team-mates after scoring in his last game against Chelsea before joining LA Galaxy in the summer

Gerrard labels Mourinho the best manager in the world

L

IVERPOOL captain Steven Gerrard has heaped praise on Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho following Sunday night’s 1-1 draw in the Premier League.

On his last appearance as a player at Stamford Bridge, Gerrard scored Liverpool's equaliser, but the Reds couldn't find a second goal that they needed to win and keep alive their hopes of finishing in the top four.

In the build-up to the match, Mourinho described

'Liverpool lacked quality against Chelsea'

L

IVERPOOL boss Brendan Rodgers has admitted that a lack of finishing cost his side during their 1-1 draw with Chelsea.

The Reds saw their hopes of a top-four finish all but ended at Stamford Bridge on Sunday as they shared the spoils with the newly-crowned Premier League champions.

John Terry gave the hosts an early lead before Steven Gerrard got the Merseysiders level towards the end of the first half.

"I think we got off to an awful start. A disappointing goal from our perspective. We got ourselves back into the game, a good header from Stevie was well worked and I thought in the second half we were outstanding, we just lacked that bit of quality in the final third," Rodgers told Sky Sports News.

Liverpool play their final home game of the campaign on Saturday when they welcome Crystal Palace to Anfield.

Gerrard as his favourite enemy and also revealed that he tried to sign the midfielder on several occasions.

When asked about Mourinho, Gerrard told Sky Sports News after yesterday's game: "I have huge respect for him. He's the best manager in the world in my opinion.

"I would have signed for him on three occasions if I wasn't such a big Liverpool fan. He's the reason my head was turned on a couple of occasions but he knew why I couldn't do it, because I love Liverpool Football Club. It always means more when you win for your people."

By scoring yesterday, Gerrard became Liverpool's second-highest scorer in the Premier League with 119 goals and also the club's top scorer this season with eight.

• Mourinho

Joshua beats Zumbano in second round

N

IGERIAN-BORN Anthony Oluwaseni Joshua made it 12 knockouts from 12 fights by beating Raphael Zumbano Love in Birmingham.

Olympic champion Joshua, 25, floored the Brazilian, 34, in front of American heavyweight Kevin Johnson, whom he will fight on 30 May in Lon-

don.

Love failed to beat referee Phil Edwards' count when knocked down one minute and 21 seconds into round two.

"I'm feeling more confident with every fight and looking forward to fighting this man," said Watford-born Joshua.

"I don't mind how many rounds Kevin and I last in Lon-

don as long as we put on a good show for the fight."

Johnson, 35, said he expects an "easy" fight when he faces Joshua at the O2.

Joshua, in his 12th professional bout, made light work of Love, who had been stopped only three times before Saturday, at Birmingham's Barclaycard Arena.

Emeghara out for rest of the season

N • Joshua

NIGERIAN-BORN Switzerland international Innocent Emeghara could be out of action for the remainder of 2015 MLS season following a knee operation.

Emeghara underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus Wednesday and he is now expected to miss four to six months, according to the club.

The San Jose Earthquakes forward got injured last week Friday in a league game against

Real Salt Lake FC. San Jose Earthquake coach Dominic Kinnear said he did not know what really happened to the striker.

“We’re still trying to figure it out ourselves,” Kinnear told MLSsoccer.com.

"There was no contact. He just ran and stopped and felt a pull.

The sad thing is he’s never had surgery. He came here completely healthy and, sadly, we’re going to miss him for a good chunk of the season now.”

63

THE NATION MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015

SPORT EXTRA LEVANTE 2-2 ATLETICO MADRID

Ike Uche hails Kalu’s goal I

KECHUKWU Uche took to Twitter to celebrate with his brother, Kalu Uche, for scoring against Atletico Madrid in the La Liga on Sunday afternoon.

The older of the Uches netted just after the hour mark to give Levante a one - goal lead but ex Liverpool and Chelsea striker Fernando Torres hit the back of the net ten minutes from time to bring the scoreline to 2 - 2.

“Congratulations brother, nice goal! Felicidades hermano, buen gol! #KaluUche,” Ike Uche posted on Twitter.

The Villarreal forward did not make the squad that faced Elche on Sunday evening due to a knee complaint.

Between them, Kalu and Ikechukwu Uche have played 39 games in the Spanish top flight, scoring 11 goals.

Wolves devour Miners

C

AF Confederation Cup campaigners, Warri Wolves were ruthless as they thrashed Nasarawa United 4-1 on Sunday evening.

The Seasiders showed class against the Solid Miners at the Warri City Stadium in the week eight Nigeria Professional Football League match.

As early as the quarter hour mark, Dream Team striker Oghenekaro Etebo was halted when was through on goal in the penalty area, prompting the match referee to point to the spot.

The young forward buried the spot kick with ease in the 17th minute. Five minutes later, Etebo was guilty of a criminal miss with net at his mercy.

Wolves ran rings round

the visitors and increased their tally four minutes before the half hour mark.

Gbolahan Salami finished off a brilliant move after inter-changing passes with Freedom Omofoman.

Joseph Eyimofe then compounded the woes of Baba Ganaru's wards when he scored two minutes to the end of the first half.

Etebo should have had a brace seven minutes after recess, but he was wasteful.

There was hope for the Solid Miners when reliable attacking midfielder Esosa Igbinoba pulled one back for them.

Any hope of a likely comeback was dashed by the excellent Omofoman who also registered his name on the scoresheet in the 81st minute of entertaining football.

•Ike Uche

• Kalu

Pillars back to winning ways ANO Pillars returned to winning ways with a 20 victory over Sharks FC on Sunday.

The champions, suffering an indifferent start to the season unlike previous season, failed to break down a resilient Sharks team with top scorer Moses Ekpai particularly wasteful.

Ekpai wasted a free header off a cross from Azeez Shobowale to give Pillars the lead and will be grateful Daniel Joshua failed to give Sharks the lead when he was through one on one with Mohammed Yusuf in goal for Pillars.

Two minutes after the restart

K

Ekpai thought he has given Pillars the lead only for his effort to be rules out for offside.

Ezekiel Mbah finally gave Pillars the lead this time around correctly so as his connection from a through ball from Shobowale broke the deadlock.

Pillars had to wait till three minutes to the end of the game to score their second and once again the lively Shobowale got the assist for Adamu Hassan to score.

A huge sigh of relief was visible on the face of under fire Pillars manager Okey Emordi after the centre referee brought an end to the proceedings.

Heartland performed well, says Onuh

H RESULTS GLO PREMIER LEAGUE FC Taraba 3-3 Gabros FC Enyimba 0-0 Giwa FC Bayelsa Utd 2-2 Dolphins Lobi Stars 0-0 El-Kanemi Akwa Utd 0-0 Wikki Tourists Sunshine 2-0 Shooting Stars Abia Warriors 2-0 Kwara Utd Kano Pillars 2-0 Sharks Rangers 1-0 Heartland Warri Wolves 4-1 Nasarawa England - Premier League Man City 6 - 0 QPR Chelsea 1 - 1 Liverpool Italy - Serie A Chievo 2 - 2 Hellas Cesena 2 - 3 Sassuolo Palermo 2 - 3 Atalanta Udinese 1 - 4 Sampdoria Empoli 2 - 3 Fiorentina Parma 2 - 2 SSC Napoli Lazio 1 - 2 Inter Spain - Liga BBVA Levante 2 - 2 Atletico Villarreal 1 - 0 Elche Almeria 1 - 2 Malaga Germany - Bundesliga Paderborn 1 - 3 Wolfsburg FC Cologne 2 - 0 Schalke 04 France - Ligue 1 Lens 0 - 1 Montpellier Saint Etienne 5 - 0 Nice Netherlands - Eredivisie Alkmaar 3 - 2 NAC Ajax 3 - 0 Cambuur Groningen 0 - 1 Zwolle

EARTLAND head coach, Erasmus Onuh-Ollotah has declared his players performed creditably well in the defeat at Enugu Rangers.

The Naze Millionaires were piped 0-1 by oriental neighbours, Enugu Rangers in the Glo Premier

Bayelsa held at home

B

AYELSA United twice came from behind to force visiting Dolphins to a 2-2 draw in a Glo NPFL game decided at the Samson Siasia Stadium in Yenegoa.

The first half appeared to be drawing to a 0-0 conclusion until the 33rd minute when Dolphins took the lead following a error by Paul Godwin in goal for Bayelsa United.

The former Enyimba shot stopper flapped at a harmless corner kick from Chidiebere Okoli leaving Emeka Atuloma with the simplest of all tap in to put Dolphins in the lead.

The goal sparked Bayelsa back to life and they almost twice restored parity only to be denied

by Dolphins Godwin Anyalogu.

Both teams had chances in the second half to alter the scoreline but failed to take it with the goalkeepers proving their mettle in both instances.

Godwin gathered Omo Johnson's weak effort for Dolphins, while Anyalogu narrowed the angle forcing substitute Eric Frimpong to shoot wide for Bayelsa United.

Frimpong made atonement for

his loss with a strike in the 56th minute to draw Bayelsa level but a brilliantly taken goal from Chidiebere Okoli put Dolphins 21 ahead 10 minutes later.

The second goal from Dolphins deflated the host as the frustration of going behind for the second time got them throwing rash tackles and picking up cards for the foul.

However just as it appears Dolphins were running away with all three points Uchechukwu Onyedikachi 25 yard effort took a wicked deflection on it's way to goal wrong footing Anyalogu to bring scores to 2-2.

League match day 8 encounter at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu.

Former Sharks’ marksman, Onoriode Odah second half lone goal proved adequate to hand the Flying Antelopes the maximum three points in the hotly contested and hyped clash.

Onuh-Ollotah said his wards gave good account of themselves as the encounter could have been anybody’s day.

“Of course, I’m not disappointed at all in the 0-1 loss to Enugu Rangers, the players adhered strictly to pre-match instructions.

“They played very well, I think they gave good account of themselves. The encounter could have been anybody’s game good for Enugu Rangers it ended in their own favour.

“We’ll go back home to continue the fight to stay afloat, there is absolutely nothing to feel ashamed in this game,” said the former Sunshine Stars coach to supersport.com.

The defeat at neighbours, Enugu Rangers leaves the Owerri outfit total earnings at 12 points from possible 24 in the eight-week old Nigerian top flight.

The former ABS gaffer now has to fight for 10 points in the remaining four matches to keep his job at Heartland as mandated by the management.

Man City’s six goals relegate QPR

A

HAT-TRICK from Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero helped condemn Queens Park Rangers to relegation from the Premier League ton Sunday night.

The West Londoners made the trip to the Etihad Stadium knowing that only a victory would do if they were to avoid suffering the same fate as fellow strugglers Burnley, but they have gone down in disappointing circumstances having shipped six unanswered goals against last season's champions.

The writing was on the wall for Chris Ramsey's side as early as the fourth minute when Aguero broke the deadlock. After he had evaded numerous challenges on his way into the QPR box, the Argentine then lifted the ball over an advancing Robert Green.

A second City goal followed with 32 minutes played when Aguero was fouled on the edge of the area, with the subsequent free kick being converted by left-back Aleksandar Kolarov.

It prompted a positive response from the away side, but their best chance of getting back into the game was spurned eight minutes before the break as Leroy Fer hit the crossbar from close range, before Bobby Zamora headed the rebound into the hands of City goalkeeper Joe Hart.

Coming out for the second half, QPR required three goals to live to fight another day, but the game was put out of reach just four minutes after the restart.

Yun Suk-young failed to cut out David Silva's forward pass which sent Aguero through on goal and, having committed Green off his line, the City striker rolled the ball into the bottom corner of the net.

His hat-trick was completed from the penalty spot in the 64th minute after Silva had been fouled by Matty Phillips.

This strike took his tally in the Premier League this term to 25 goals and was also the former Atletico Madrid player's sixth goal in five outings against the R's.

Five minutes later, he turned provider as James Milner tapped in from inside the six-yard box for his seventh goal of the campaign, the midfielder's best return in a city shirt.

Despite being five goals to the good, City refused to let up in the closing stages and, with three minutes left, they completed the scoring when Silva rounded Green to score after he had been released by a flicked pass from substitute Wilfried Bony.

However, Pellegrini has praised striker Sergio Aguero following his hat-trick in their 6-0 thrashing of relegated Queens Park Rangers.

The hosts were dominant in the first half as goals from the Argentine forward and Aleksandar Kolarov put them in firm control of the match.

Aguero scored twice after the break to seal his treble, while James Milner and David Silva also got on the scoresheet to help City confirm their place in next season's Champions League.

Pellegrini told Sky Sports News after the game: "I think for Sergio Aguero it is really important to score.

"He wants to be the top scorer this season but I think it's also the way he is playing.

He is working a lot more during the game, moving more and receiving more balls."

Aguero's hat-trick at the Etihad means that he has 25 Premier League goals - five ahead of nearest rival Harry Kane.

• Aguero blows kisses towards the Manchester City supporters after scoring his second goal with a low, drilled shot after the interval

Dike gives San Antonio Scorpions first win

N

IGERIA international Bright Dike was the match winner for his USA NASL team San Antonio Scorpions when they beat Carolina Rail Hawks 1-0 on Saturday.

The FC Toronto striker who is on loan at the club gave his team their first victory of the season in his second game for the side and

he told AfricanFootball.com he is looking forward to more goals.

San Antonio Scorpions have four points from five games now.

Dike has endured a torrid time at Toronto after a longterm injury and the move to San Antonio is expected to get him more playing time at least.

TODAY IN THE NATION

MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

VOL 10 NO 3211

The two parties will be grappling with unfamiliar roles. Federal power is new to APC, just as opposition politics is strange to PDP. Will it be easier for APC to master its new status than for PDP to manage its reduced station?’

FEMI MACAULAY

COMMENT & DEB ATE EBA

D

URING the election campaigns, she was in battle gear. Not her ankara dress beneath a head-tie that mocks the humility of a villager. Some may see her dressing as part of her armoury though. But her fiery tongue is her battery of attack. Her opponent is dapper, if not so brilliant. The two hotshots threw potshots at each other.

War is about propaganda, and elections in Nigeria are like going to war. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, with her usual gusto debated former Central Bank governor Chukwuma Soludo on the state of the Nigerian economy.

In spite of his exterior of objectivity, Soludo seized an opportunity not only for redemption but revenge. Since he fell flat as a governor candidate and retreated into oblivion, he had been looking for a chance to bait the PDP brass.

Okonjo-Iweala, on the other hand, wanted a moment not only of triumph but of triumphalism, to give the former vicar of our money the Mayweather treatment. With her vintage scarf and emphatic diction, she wanted to pulp Soludo into a PacMan of finance.

Now we know who packed a punch.

Soludo said things were pretty bad. Ngozi said things were on course, and a rosy horizon emblazoned the future.

Last week, we had our confession. She said we have already borrowed close to half a trillion Naira to fund our recurrent expenses, like salaries, paying rents, etc. This is barely a quarter into the 2015 budget year.

So, we have it. Ngozi lied to Nigerians then. To be charitable, she probably did not know the facts then, or she knew it differently at the time she squared off with the central banker. Even in her vicarious confession, she did not show the humility of contrition. She threw jibes at governors, thereby blaming others for her own inadequacy.

So the scores are in. Soludo won, Ngozi lost the ball. But winning is not what we are about in this matter. We should be bothered about our economy, and where we are headed as a nation.

What has happened to this country in the past half a decade? Not long ago, oil price soared to its acme at about $110 per barrel. We spent a trillion Naira a year on defence when Boko Haram held sway and other trillions went into a number of sectors, including education, works, presidency, payment of bills, etc. We did not save for the rainy day. We did not account for the money that flooded out of our purses.

We expected things to be rosy permanently.

We expected the fat years to burst with juices forever. Suddenly like the prophecy of Joseph that went unheeded, the lean years fell on us.

We had no answers as the oil price fell precipitously.

Some are happy that Jonathan did not win. If he won, Ngozi would not have been forced to

RIPPLES PASTOR ABSCONDS WITH CHURCH MEMBER’S N10MILLION–News

SURE THE PASTOR ‘LL BLAME THE DEVIL WHENEVER HE’S ARRESTED

SAM OMATSEYE

IN TOUCH

intouchnation@gmail.com 08054501081(sms only) Twitter: @samomatseye

•Winner, Informed Commentary (DAME)

Let them pay ‘

•Okonjo-Iweala

•Soludo

make a public confession of her government’s recklessness and profligacy. We would have kept borrowing and burrowing with a good face into a crash. Just like the crash that hit the west when Obama took the sceptre as United States president. That was the case with Greece when the bank Goldman Sachs worked with a consortium of finance houses to manipulate the loans and covered up the dreary situation until all that was left were stiches. The rich do not live on stitches.

Today, Greece is paying for the lies of those years that the locust ate. Many Greeks have left their country and close to a quarter of the population don’t have jobs. They are now cajoling and blackmailing Europe to bail them out of the iniquity of their past.

A big task has fallen on Buhari now. We know that recklessness boils down to corruption. So many sinners have taken part in this party of rapine on our patrimony. They have stolen us dizzy, and some of them are either looking for how to distort the books or flee.

Buhari has assured Jonathan that he has

Our money stolen in the past few years amounts to trillions, given our budgets and work not done. I am not calling for revenge, but restoration. It is about restitution, not retribution.

We should save the nation from the crime more than from the criminal. It is not about saving a brother but about being our brother’s keeper

’

nothing to fear. But I wonder if that statement itself can hold our broken dam. If we have to wage a war on corruption, we have to stop the bleeding. But we cannot close our eyes on the recent past, especially when the government’s recent activities still bear significance on today’s life.

Some people have stolen our money, and so we want our money back. I am not interested in how many years a man goes to jail for stealing our money in the past half-decade. I say past half decade because it will be meaningless to go back indefinitely. But we should address the recent past, partly because we experienced the greatest devastation on our resources under Jonathan.

All we need is to look at the various contracts and see what work was done and not done. We should do the math and ask for the money of

HARDBALL

N

IGERIA’s power sector has gotten more exciting since privatisation even if it may not have become more efficient. Hardball has suddenly learnt that electricity is such a huge subsector complete with its own broad spectrum of lexicon.

For instance, hitherto, I did not know about MYTO: Multi-Year Tariff Order. The way Dr. Sam Amadi (NERC) bandies this MYTO matter about, you would think he speaks about a sacred order of some hooded knights. But it’s all a bogey to increase tariff without commensurate service. You must have heard about NBET: Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading. This is supposed to be a market where electric energy is bought and sold.

Of course you know about GENCOS and DISCOS. These refer to companies that generate and distribute power. There are a fewer other registers emanating from Nigeria’s highly vibrant but ineffectual power sector.

But one concept that has been of eternal fascination to Hardball is “embedded” power.

In the technical sense, this means electricity generated outside the national generation grid which is loaded into the grid.

But today, Hardball speaks of a different kind of embedded power, the kind of power that you never see or know its source yet it

Prof. Nnaji vs.

EEDC: impunity of embedded power is there and you feel its impact daily. Worse, it is a waif of a power; a wicked ghost that is hard on doing you in slowly yet you are helpless. Embedded power is the power of impunity at its most cynical and devious pivot.

It is cruel irony that embedded power is the very undoing of Professor Barth Nnaji, Nigeria’s immediate past Minister of Power.

An engineering scholar of international repute and a laureate of numerous US awards in Design, Engineering and Robotics, Nnaji was invited home to bring his intellect to bear on the growth of his motherland by former President Olusegun Obasanjo. Until he was ignominiously yanked off the cabinet, he was regarded as the best minister of the Goodluck Jonathan administration.

He was said to be the architect of the current power reform which became mired after he was chucked out. But Nnaji was not only disgraced out of office, the Jonathan administration unleashed a vicious kind of

what is not accounted for. If the work is for N2 billion and it is evident that only N200 million work has been done, we should ask that the job be completed at a certain specified period and ask for the accounts and where the balance of the money is. If the contractor cannot account for it, that person must either by cajolery or force of law or plea bargaining made to give us the balance of the money. If it means selling the Dubai mansion or the South African estate or the private jets, they must realise that we want the money.

We are in a bad place as a nation. We don’t want to look like the futile dance of the forest in Wole Soyinka’s play, where the past could not save the future. The past is in our hands, and we need to act with boldness. There are many poor who cannot feed, and many ignorant who want good schools. Many die who could have lived with a little help with this drug or that dialysis machine. We have the Second Niger Bridge to build and many homes that need power at night.

Our money stolen in the past few years amounts to trillions, given our budgets and work not done. I am not calling for revenge, but restoration. It is about restitution, not retribution. We should save the nation from the crime more than from the criminal. It is not about saving a brother but about being our brother’s keeper.

We need systematic approach lenient to those who cooperate and ruthless to those who huff and run.

Getting our money is not about forgiveness.

Getting our money should be a public matter and the stigma and opprobrium should stick to the thief. The word thief is mild. They are robbers. The American outlaw, Jesse James, once caviled at being described as a thief. The offended bandit said he was not a thief but a robber, an armed robber. He belonged to a great class of evil doers rather than the petty aberration of a common criminal. James always came to mind whenever GEJ’s “stealing is not corruption” is referenced. GEJ was dodgy and hypocritical.

Jesse James did not conceal his daredevilry.

We should not forgive. This is no time for Christian mercy. It is a practical way to show mercy for the suffering millions who are victims of corruption.

If we look at it as revenge, we shall miss the point, though. It should not come across as punishing a group, tribe or region, but individuals who violated public trust. After the First World War, the Europeans of the Allied nations called for revenge or what was called reparations. Some yelled that they should bleed the Germans till their children squeaked. It followed a revenge policy that alienated Germany, gave birth to a false prosperity known as the Locarno Honeymoon and later the Great Depression. Ultimately came the revanchist rise of Nazi Germany. The Second World War ended that sanguinary hour.

We need the money not to punish the thief but to save the poor and a crawling nation.

•Hardball is not the opinion of the columnist featured above embedded power on him perhaps with the intent to either drive him out of town or out of his mind – or whichever comes first.

Prof. Nnaji was so traumatised he had to cry out recently. In an article to national newspapers (“Travails of Aba Power Project”) he lamented how the Jonathan administration through Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) unleashed brute power on his project in Aba. In a nutshell, the Federal Government had in 2005 granted him an agreement to build Aba Integrated Power Project (AIPP) to serve Aba metropolis. Working in collaboration with the Aba business community, USAID and banks, Nnaji built world-class power generating, transmitting and distributing facilities in Aba to serve as a model for other cities.

But in repudiation of its agreement with Nnaji, the Federal Government again concessioned Aba to EEDC in a most cruel show of power. Till today, Nnaji has been running from pillar to post, incurring huge bank costs and suffering untold mental torture. Why has the underperforming EEDC concession made under controversial circumstances blocked the Aba Power project? The Southeast must be big enough for one disco.

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