The Nation Sep 25, 2013

Nigeria’s widest circulating newspaper

Senate probes Abuja killings

Battle for Oyo exco seats begins NEWS

Page 9

NEWS Page 5

•Gives panel one week

•Party chief meets governor

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VOL. 8, NO. 2617 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

TR UTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM TRUTH

N150.00

•STATES REJECT N75B NNPC ARREARS P7 •EMENIKE’S FORM WORRIES CLUB P24

2015: Jonathan’s ambition deepens PDP’s trouble Baraje faction: his bid ‘dangerous’ Ex-governors back President

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HEPresident is yet to announce his plan to run for another term, but his perceived ambition is overheating the polity.

Dr. Goodluck Jonathan said in New York on Monday that the constitution provides for “maximum of eight years for anyone who wants to become a president of a governor”.

From Yusuf Alli, Gbade Ogunwale, Abuja

To many, this is an indication that he plans to run – against the stand of some leading lights of his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who believe that such a step will weaken Nigeria’s unity.

The New PDP – a group of seven governors and some party chiefs who are against

CBN worried over high dollar demands

Jonathan’s yet unannounced bid – advised him yesterday to dump the idea.

But a forum of former governors said the President should be allowed to exercise his right to run.

The Abubakar Baraje-led PDP called on Jonathan not to seek re-election in 2015.

The faction said it decided to advise Jonathan not to run, af-

ter reviewing the state of the nation and the pulse of Nigerians on his ambition. Doing so would be against the interest of the country and its people, it said.

In a statement issued yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Chukwuemeka Eze, the party noted that the President has given enough clue of his intention to run, although

he has not declared it openly.

“The latest of such clues came on Sunday in New York, USA. Speaking at a luncheon with Nigerian professionals in the United States, President Jonathan insisted that he is eligible to contest in 2015 as ‘we have a constitution that makes a provision for a maximum of eight years for anyone who wants to become a president or

a governor’, the faction said.

Baraje observed that the President had made a similar statement in April 2012, in an affidavit in response to a suit instituted at an Abuja High Court by a PDP chieftain, Cyriacus Njoku, seeking to stop him from contesting the 2015 presidential election.

Continued on page 4

THE SCENE OF HORROR

From Nduka Chiejina, Abuja

T

HERE is a surge in demand for dollars, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) said yesterday.

This, according to CBN Governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, is linked to political activities ahead of the 2015 elections.

Sanusi spoke after the bank’s twice monthly Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting, which retained the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) at 12 per cent for the 12th time in a row. The CBN said the naira and inflation had stabilised.

Continued on page 4

Nigeria seeks UN Security Council seat From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

P

RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan insisted yesterday that Nigeria deserves a seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in the 2014-2015 session.

He told world leaders and other delegates at the opening of the 68th Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York, United States, that the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU) had already endorsed Nigeria for the position.

According to him, the global community should also be assured of Nigeria’s commendable performance when it held a nonpermanent seat on the Security Council.

Jonathan, in the statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, said: “Our support for the Continued on page 4

•A car being dug out of a riverside bush in Obi Local Government Area of Nasarawa State...last weekend. The driver of the car and two occupants — Managing Director of Police Microfinance Bank Alhaji Hassan Gidado and the Manager of the bank’s Abuja branch, Mr. Tunde Banwo — were killed by people suspected to be members of the Ombatse group and buried with their car.

Shock over car buried with bodies

•PA GE 56 •PAGE

•SPORTS P23 •LIFE P25 •MONEY P30 •INVESTORS P32 •POLITICS P43

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

2

NEWS

Why interest

• Chairman, Honeywell Flour Mills Plc Dr. Oba Otudeko (middle) flanked by Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Mr. Folarin Babatunde Odunayo (left) and Company Secretary Mrs. Oluwayemisi Busari during the company's 4th Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Lagos...yesterday.

For 12 consecutive months, the country’s interest rate has remained 12 per cent. Financial Times reports that inflation, naira and foreign reserves will keep it at that percentage for a long time to come.

Source: Capital IQ

N

•From left: Prof. Nebath Tanglang, Vice-Chancellor, National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) Prof. Vincent Ado Tenebe and Registrar Mrs Josephine Akinyemi during the university’s 4th Inaugural lecture in Lagos... yesterday.

PHOTO: MUYIWA HASSAN

•From left: Managing Director, Ecobank Nigeria Mr. Jibril Aku; Group Executive Director, Domestic Bank, Ecobank Transnational Incorporated Mr. Patrick Akinwuntan; Chief Executive Officer, African Guarantee Fund (AGF) Mr. Felix Bikpo and Director, Business Development, AGF Passwell Shapi during an agreement signing ceremony on SME funding by Ecobank and AGF in Lagos...yesterday.

PHOTO: NIYI ADENIRAN

•From left: Energy Officer, Lagos State Electricity Board (LSEB) Gbolagade Kazeem; Energy Conservation Raffle Draw Winner Olusi Tolulope and Public Relations Officer Abosede Martins at the energy conservation awareness campaign by LSEB held in Lagos.

IGERIA’S Central bank has held its policy interest rate at 12 per cent for the 12th consecutive month. Can anything make it budge?

Analysts seem to think not. There are three factors that will keep rates locked: inflation, the naira and reserves.

First, inflation has fallen from double digits to under 8.2 per cent in August – well below the target limit of 10 per cent and a five-year low.

That gives scope for a cut, surely?

Perhaps, but as Shilan Shah of Capital Economics pointed out: “The big falls in the headline CPI rate now look to have taken place… inflation is more likely to rise than fall in the coming months.”

So that’s one reason to keep rates steady.

The main concern for policy makers, though, is the naira. Like many emerging market currencies, it has lost value since May as investors feared the Fed would – as it suggested – begin tapering its QE programme, and has rallied since that prospect became more distant last week. The naira hit a year-to-date low against the dollar of 164 on September 10, but has since recovered to back under 160. That has eased any pressure for a rate increase.

The central bank has been using its foreign reserves to help keep the naira around or below the 160 mark. Add the consequent depletion in reserves to the possibility of falling oil prices and increased public spending in the run up to elections in 2015, and the budget deficit – of around 3.5 per cent of GDP – starts to become a concern.

As Razia Kahn, Africa economst at Standard Chatered said in a note:” Should the pressures on the FX rate prove excessive, we may yet see other measures aimed at stabilising the FX rate. For Nigeria, the question is about sustainability of this FX policy, given pressures on oil output and the country’s political cycle.

What might those other measures be? Well, back in July the bank hiked its Cash Reserve Requirement for public sector deposits in banks to 50 per cent from 12 per cent, a move aimed at removing excess liquidity and, by putting upward pressure on bond yields, strengthening the naira.” Barclays set out the scale in a note back in July: “Our assessment suggests the government’s (federal, state and local) deposits are substantial, accounting for about 21% (NGN2.5trn or $16bn) of commercial banks’ deposit liabilities as of March 2013. A 50% reserve requirement would imply about $8bn would now need to be held at the central bank, assuming zero holding in these categories currently and little changes from the figures published in March.”

Meanwhile, banks’ deposits at the

•Sanusi

‘

We don’t believe that there’s any country in the world that would allow its currency to be determined by markets

‘

central bank held for reserve requirement purposes totalled NGN1.4trn ($9.1) in March.

And Nigeria continues to make strong statements about the currency.

Here is central bank governor Lamido Sanusi, quoted on Tuesday by Bloomberg: “We don’t believe that there’s any country in the world that would allow its currency to be determined by markets.”

That’s not quite the message of recent currency moves and foreign exchange dealings, as beyondbrics reported on Monday.

But with Nigeria’s central bank mindful of inflation as well as the naira, the scope to cut is limited. Although Capital’s Shah suggested that rates may stay on hold for all of 2013 and beyond, Kahn noted that “the performance of the currency will likely determine what happens next.”

Another round of EM currency selling will put the bank in a tricky position.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

3

NEWS

t rates can’t move, won’t move

Source: Bloomberg

Bids on Chevron’s oil blocks due next week U

.S.-based Chevron Corp (CVX.N) will receive bids on September 30 from

prospective buyers of three oil blocks in the Niger Delta, with several local Nigerian firms in the running, industry sources told Reuters on Tuesday.

Oil industry sources estimate the mean value of the three blocks combined at $500 million to $600 million and anticipate winning bids will be around those levels.

Chevron said in June it would be selling its 40 percent interest in five onshore blocks, joining Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L), Italy’s Eni (ENI.MI) and France’s Total (TOTF.PA) in selling stakes in Niger Delta assets.

U.S. firm ConocoPhillips (COP.N) is also selling its Nigerian assets to Oando Energy (OANDO.LG) for $1.79 billion.

Chevron wants to sell OML 52, 53 and 55 to one buyer and suitors will have to pay 15 percent of bids on September 30, three sources close to the deals told Reuters. The firm will sell two other blocks, OML 82 and

In continuation of its bid to divest from risk-prone zone, Chevron will next week begin to receive bids for some onshore oil blocks, reports Reuters OML 85, in a separate bidding process.

The U.S. firm did not respond to a request for comment.

The three blocks have total oil reserves of around 134 million barrels and 5 trillion cubic feet of gas, two sources said. One company was willing to bid $1.7 billion for the assets but it was unlikely it was a credible buyer, the sources said.

Consortium bidders were more likely to be able to raise the financing necessary, sources said, and as with recent sales of Shell oil blocks, Nigerian firms, many in partnership with foreign companies, are likely to win most bids.

Nigeria’s South Atlantic Petroleum (SAPETRO), which already has joint ventures with Total and China’s CNOOC, is expected to bid, as is First

Hydrocarbon Nigeria, the local-arm of London-listed Afren (AFRE.L), two sources involved in the deals said.

Afren declined to comment and SAPETRO did not respond to a request for comment.

LOCAL BIDDERS Since 2010 Nigeria has had a policy of encouraging more direct ownership of its oil and gas by Nigerians, either through the state oil company or local private firms. That has raised concerns among foreign oil majors they may lose smaller assets if they do not sell now, industry experts say.

Worries over oil theft, fraught relations with communities living around oil fields and uncertainty over a stalled bill to overhaul fiscal terms has also encouraged majors to sell down.

Many Nigerian firms are backed by powerful political or business figures.

The chairman of SAPETRO is General T.Y. Danjuma, a former minister of defense and chief of army staff.

SEPLAT, which is partly owned by French oil explorer Maurel & Prom (MAUP.PA) and Swiss-based commodity trader Mercuria, is expected to submit a bid, the sources said. SEPLAT did not respond to request for comment.

Indigenous Nigerian companies who already manage marginal fields in the delta, including Brittania-U, Vertex, Sogenal and Seven Energy have shown interest in the blocks, they said.

Chevron owns a 40 percent stake in 13 onshore blocks with Nigeria’s state oil firm NNPC and also has deep offshore assets. Its 2012 net daily

production in Nigeria averaged 238,000 barrels of crude oil and 165 million cubic feet of natural gas.

Nigeria’s NNPC, which owns the remaining 60 percent of the blocks Chevron is selling, has warned prospective buyers that although the U.S. firm currently operates production of the blocks, it has the right to hand over the handling of drilling to its subsidiary NPDC. Not having operatorship poses significant risks for would be investors in the fields, not least that NPDC is short on finance and expertise. It has usually had to call in a third-party to operate the blocks, pushing up costs.

Africa’s biggest oil producer usually pumps 2 million to 2.5 million barrels per day of oil, most of which is exported.

Despite the sales of smaller onshore assets, oil majors like Shell, Exxon Mobil (XOM.N) and Chevron remain keen on expanding offshore Nigeria and want to keep hold of the biggest fields onshore, major pipelines and export terminals.

EFCC appeals ruling in UBEC’s N787m contract case ‘ court did not The lower T advert its mind to the

HE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has appealed a Federal High Court, Abuja’s ruling, freeing five people and two companies, charged with N78million fraud. The alledge fruad in related to contract awarded by the Universal Basic Education Board (UBEC) between 2004 and 2005.

The contract was for the supply of 109,400 plastic chairs and tables for public schools.

Those freed include former UBEC’s Executive Secretary Prof Bridget Omotunde Sokan, Molkat Manasseh Mutfwang, Dr. Andrew Ekpunobi and Michael Aule (directors in UBEC).

Also freed is Alexander John Cozman (a foreign contractor) and two of his companies - Intermarkets USA LSC and Intermarkets Nigeria Limited.

They were arraigned in 2009 by the EFCC on a 64-count charge.

Justice Adamu Bello, in the September 19 ruling on a no-case submission by the accused, held that the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case against the on to warrant their being called upon to enter defence.

In a notice of appeal filed on Monday by EFCC’s lawyer, Wahab Shittu, the commission raised two grounds of appeal, urging the appellate court to order the freed accused to enter their defence before the lower court.

From Eric Ikhilae, Abuja

The EFCC urged the court to allow its appeal and set aside the lower court’s order.

In its first ground of appeal, the EFCC argued that the judge erred in law by upholding and granting the respondents (the accused’) application for a no-case submission “in spite of the evidential materials, oral and documentary placed before the lower court at the close of the prosecution’s case.”

It argued that “there are sufficient materials before the lower court entitling the 1st to 7th respondents to offer explanations and enter defence before the lower court.

“The evidence adduced by the prosecution against the 1st to 7th respondents was neither discredited as a result of cross-examination nor manifestly unreliable as erroneously held by the trial court.

“The lower court did not advert its mind to the fact that at the stage of no-case submission, questions do not arise as to whether the court believed the evidence tendered.”

The commission’s second ground of appeal is that the lower court erred in law on the purport and meaning of jurisprudence of prima facie in reaching a decision that the accused had no case to answer.

It argued that it was “a settled law that prima facie case is the minimal incriminating

fact that at the stage of no-case submission, questions do not arise as to whether the court believed the evidence tendered

‘

evidence that must be apparent to the court when the prosecution closes its case in a criminal case.”

The appellant argued that the trial court failed to consider most of its evidence that were sufficient to make the court hold in favour of the prosecution.

EFCC’s Head, Media and Publicity Unit, Wilson Uwujaren, in a statement yesterday confirmed the appeal.

He quoted Shittu as arguing that “the lower court did not give weight to the legally admissible evidence (report) from the

•EFCC chair Ibrahim Lamorde

Auditor-General of the Federation, marked exhibit 6, indicting the accused neither did it weigh in other reports from the State Security Services, (SSS) marked exhibit 10 and the investigative report of EFCC also marked exhibit 59.”

4

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

NEWS •Imo State Governor and chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) Anambra State Governorship Campaign Committee Rochas Okorocha (second left) raising the hand of Chris Ngige during the inauguration of the committee in Awka…yesterday.

With them (from left), are Senator Osita Izunazo, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Chief George Moghalu, Chief Uzoma Igbonwa, Dr. Anyim Nyerere and Mrs. Sharon Okeazor

2015: Jonathan’s ambition deepens PDP’s trouble Continued from page 1

“We are worried that Mr. President is intent on running despite his earlier promise not to do so and in spite of the wise counsel of well-meaning Nigerians, including respected elder statesmen,” it said.

The faction reminded Jonathan of a statement he made in Ankara, Turkey in February 2011, during an interactive session with Nigerians and diplomats working in the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the African Union (AU).

The statement quoted Jonathan as saying: “I would have loved that the Nigerians in the Diaspora vote this year (2011) but to be frank with you, that is going to be difficult now.

At present, the law does not allow the voting outside Nigeria and so this year Nigerians in Diaspora will not vote but I will the work towards it by 2015 even though I will not be running for election.”

It also quoted the President to have said: “Four years is enough for anyone in power to make significant improvement and if I can’t improve on pow-

er within this period, it then means I cannot do anything even if I am there for the next four years.”

The faction said there was no way the President could deny his own statements now, since he failed to deny them over the past two years.

“How does Mr. President want Nigerians and the entire world to see him for this volte face? Why can he not keep his word as a man of honour instead of allowing himself to be misled by selfish advisers to go back on his word, thereby overheating the polity,” the statement added.

The New PDP continued: “Mr. President should heed the advice of well-meaning distinguished personalities, such as constitutional law guru Prof. Ben Nwabueze (SAN) and Archbishop Emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, His Eminence, Anthony Cardinal Olubunmi Okogie, all of whom have advised him to correctly read the handwriting on the wall and stay away from the 2015 presidential race.

“By 2015, President Jonathan would have served our nation for six solid years. This, sure-

ly, is enough time for him to achieve whatever he is capable of doing for Nigeria.

“What else is he looking for that is making him desperate to participate in the 2015 presidential election despite warnings that doing so may spark a chain of events capable of culminating into the country’s disintegration’ thereby bringing to pass the predictions of Lord Lugard that Nigeria as a nation by 2014 may become history, which was later confirmed by the USA Think-Tank that Nigeria may disintegrate by 2015.

“Apart from all these, should President Jonathan contest and win by 2015, it means he would have spent ten years in office and will be sworn in three times as the President of Nigeria against the provisions of the country’s constitution.

“We wish to appeal to Mr. President to abandon this illadvised move and save our nation from catastrophe. God has been merciful to you, Mr. President; lifting you from being a university teacher to President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in so short a time is something you should be grateful for and be content-

ed with.

“We urge you Mr. President to listen to the voice of reason and avoid overstretching your good luck. A word is enough for the wise.”

But the President got the support of a group of former governors and governorship candidates on the platform of the PDP. Former militant Mujahid Asari-Dokubo also supported Jonathan to run in 2015. To him, that Jonathan will run in 2015 is a “forgone conclusion”.

The former governors and candidates said yesterday that it would be unfair to deny the President the right to seek another term.

Speaking under the aegis of G13 Candidates/Former PDP Governors Forum, they said Nigeria’s problem should not be blamed on the Jonathan administration.

They were led by a former governorship candidate of the PDP in Edo State, Major-Gen. Charles Arhiavbere.

Also at yesterday’s meeting in Abuja were a former Minister of Sports, Damishi Sango; former military governor and one-time Chairman of Nigeria Continued on page 57

CBN worried over high dollar demands Continued from page 1

Sanusi said there had been “strong foreign exchange demand pressures, which are not necessarily linked to an increase in the import of goods”.

Elections are scheduled for 2015 and politicians often spend massively on patronage to secure seats or pay off rivals.

At least, some of it is acquired illicitly through corruption or links to criminal rackets, like oil theft or kidnapping.

“This non-import-related demand was linked to the build-up of political activities in the country,” Sanusi said, adding that it was leading to a “dollarisation of the economy by the political class.”

“There is something absolutely wrong with bureaux de changes buying hundreds of millions of dollars and not being able to account for them...

We think these monies are part of a money laundering exercise and we will have to deal with it,” the governor was quoted as saying by Reuters.

Measures to be announced soon could include imposing restrictions on dollar cash withdrawals, he said.

The bank has come under pressure in the past to cut rates

from businesses who say that would stimulate lending. It has resisted, however, arguing that it is only by staying the course, despite such pressure, that the economy has stabilised.

Sanusi said the Monetary Policy Committee voted 11-1 in favour of holding rates where they were. He said the MPC had noted “with satisfaction the stability in the financial system and currency markets”.

He attributed this to a shock tightening at the previous MPC meeting, when the bank slapped a 50 per cent cash reserve requirement on public sector deposits, up from 12 per cent before, in a bid to support the naira.

That was retained, as was a corridor of 200 basis points around the base rate for borrowing or lending from the bank.

He said a stable naira had been “underscored by the policy of intervention to improve supply ... and the very tight monetary conditions maintained since the last MPC meeting”.

He also said those conditions Continued on page 57

Nigeria demands UN Security Council seat Continued from page 1

•Dr. Jonathan addressing the UN ...yesterday

United Nations Security Council in its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security has been total and unwavering.”

“We have, in previous membership of the Council, demonstrated both the political will and capacity to engage in key Council responsibilities.

“I am pleased to state that Nigeria has received the endorsement of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU).

We, therefore, urge this august Assembly to endorse Nigeria’s candidature for a nonpermanent seat on the Security Council,” he added.

Stressing that Nigeria and other developing countries were concerned about the lack of progress in the reformation of the United Nations, Jonathan called for quick action towards the democratisation of the Security Council.

He said: “I believe that I express the concern of many about the slow pace of effort and apparent lack of progress

Sovereign Wealth Fund ‘in nation’s interest’ Shortly after addressing the UN General Assembly yesterday in New York, President Goodluck Jonathan was “ambushed” by The Nation correspondent Adeola Oladele-Fayehun, who interviewed him for about one minute.

D

O you think it’s OK to go ahead with the sovereign fund when the governors are in disagreement?

Sovereign fund is for the interest of the nation, it’s not for the interest of Mr. President. Anybody who is disagreeing with the sovereign fund, doesn’t really appreciate how nations manage their resources. That is one thing we have done that all the professionals at the World Bank, IMF, and other institutions that manage finances appreciate that the government has a focus. And it has helped to give us a better focus in terms of the economic stability.

So if anybody is going against it, it’s quite regrettable.

in the reform of the United Nations, especially the Security Council. We believe strongly, that the call for democratisation worldwide should not be for States only, but also, for International Organisations such as the United Nations.”

“That is why we call for the democratisation of the Security Council.

This is desirable for the enthronement of justice, equity,

But I don’t think the governors are against it anyway.

But that’s why they took the issue to court.

Is it democratic that they’re not for it and you’re going ahead?

We did that with the consent of the states. The federal government did not impose it on the states’ no!

What exactly are you doing to stop Boko Haram?

We’re working very hard on that.

How exactly sir?

We’re working very hard.

And 3,000 people have died?

Maybe you need to update your statistics.

and fairness; and also for the promotion of a sense of inclusiveness and balance in our world,” Jonathan said.

On various global challenges, Jonathan called for a renewed and concerted effort by the international community to effectively resolve all issues that currently impede global peace, stability and progress.

“Our world continues to be Continued on page 57

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

5

NEWS NLC kicks against constitutional conference

Senate orders probe of Apo killings

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HE Senate yesterday ordered investigation into the killings of alleged Boko Haram sect members in Apo in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja.

The upper chamber mandated its Joint Committee on National Security, Intelligence and Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters to probe the circumstances that led to the killings of over eight people at Apo on September 20.

The joint committee was given seven days to submit its report for consideration in plenary.

The committee was also asked to sit in camera because it involves security matters.

This followed a motion by Senator Sahabi Ya’au (Zamfara North) Ya’u noted with dismay the shooting in an uncompleted building on Soji Aderemi Close, Bamanga Tukur Street of Apo Legislative Quarter, Abuja on September, 20.

The lawmaker said that he was disturbed by the various accounts of the unfortunate incident which left eight persons, mostly tri-cycle (commonly called Keke Napep) operators dead.

The Senator added that the incident left about 16 other people with various degree of injuries.

He said that most of the dead were indigenes of Zamfara, Katsina and Kano states.

Ya’u said he was aware that the Department of State Security Services (SSS) claimed that the persons killed were members of the Boko Haram sect who were using the building as a hideout and weapons store, preparatory to a terrorist attack on the Federal Capital City.

The Zamfara State-born lawmaker said the SSS claimed that operatives of the Service were attacked by sympathisers of the sect when the operatives went to exhume weapons buried in the uncompleted building sequel to intelligence report received from some detained Boko Haram elements.

The Senate, Yau claimed should note that survivors and eyewitnesses claimed that the Keke Napep operators and artisans were squatters who pay N200 daily to enable them sleep in the uncompleted building and had been instructed to vacate the property by the owner.

He observed that the deadline given to them (squatters) to vacate had not expired “whereupon the owner of the property, allegedly a high-placed security service official, leveraged the instrumentality of the SSS and

T

•Panel gets seven days to submit report

•Mark urged to face legislative matters

MEND: ship of Nigerian state drifting

A

GROUP, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), yesterday expressed concern over the government’s response to the “Apo killings”.

MEND spoke yesterday in an online statement by its spokesperson, Jomo Gbomo.

The militant group said: “The recent revelation from credible security sources of a plot to plant weapons in the uncompleted building as evidence, confirms the same action carried out by the same spokeswoman, Marylyn Ogar, after October 1, 2010 twin car bomb blasts in Abuja, in which she announced that a thorough investigation revealed that the car From Onyedi Ojiabor, Assistant Editor and Sanni Onogu, Abuja

the army to forcefully eject the squatters.”

According to him, the eyewitnesses claimed that “the midnight operation went wrong when eight of the squatters were shot dead by the combined team of the SSS operatives and the army in an orgy of unrestrained shootings.”

He said that accounts and claims on the incident have raised “serious issues of human rights and the use of security services towards settling personal scores and therefore needed to be investigated by an independent body to unearth the circumstances and facts behind the killings.”

Yau prayed the Senate to accordingly resolve to “condemn the extra judicial killings in the Apo Quarters.” The prayer was not taken.

He also prayed the Senate to mandate its Committees on Judiciary, Human Rights and Le-

T

From Bisi Olaniyi, Port Harcourt

bombs were detonated by mobile phones.

“They later contradicted themselves in a South African High Court, during Henry Okah’s sham trial, when another State Security Service operative testified that the same car bombs were detonated by timing mechanisms supplied by Mr. Charles Okah.

“Other false and misleading statement made

by Ms. Marylyn Ogar, after our October 01, 2010 twin bomb blasts to hoodwink Nigerians and the world was that the perpetrators were captured on Closed Circuit Television (CCTV), which the world is yet to see.

gal Matters, National Security and Intelligence, Defence and Army and Police Affairs to investigate the circumstances that led to the killings and report back in two weeks.

The Senate, he said, should also observe a minute silence in honour of the deceased. The Senate disallowed the prayer until after investigation.

Senator Clever Ikisikpo (Bayelsa East), who seconded the motion noted that his house in Zone E, Apo Legislative Quarters is about 100 meters away from the scene of the shooting.

He said: “Whatever happened, the shooting was uncalled for. We don’t really know whether they are Boko Haram members. The SSS said that they were Boko Haram members, others said no.”

Ikisikpo said that effort should be made to enforce the Federal Territory Capital (FCT) law that stipulates that no house should remain uncompleted for more than two years.

Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu described the issue as “very sensitive” especially when human lives were involved.

He cautioned the senators against going into the merit or demerit of the problem as it would be prejudicial.

“I pray that we refer the matter to the relevant committees.

We should suspend discussion of the matter until we get the report of our committee on the matter,” Ekweremadu said.

Senate Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba (Cross River Central) said that these are very difficult times for the country and the world at large.

He said: “We are living in very perilous time. The killing took place on 20th September.

On Saturday September 21, the Westgate Mall was seized in Kenya. On Sunday Peshawar, a city in Pakistan, a church was bombed and over 60 people died. There was an alert that terrorists were set to strike in different parts of the world. We

•Mark

may have to draw a link with what happened in different parts of the world with what happened in Nigeria.”

Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume (Borno South) also cautioned that the Senate should not draw a pre-emptive conclusion.

He described the incident as unfortunate and prayed the Senate to impress on security agencies to stop prejudicial killing.

Mark noted that while the Senate is totally against terrorism and extra-judicial killing, operational procedure should be left out until after investigation.

He said that nobody in the chamber has details of what happened.

He noted that “what we want is fact and details of what happened before we can draw conclusions. Any thing we say now is based on speculation and what we read on the pages of the newspaper and at this level we should not be operating at that stage. Let us face the facts and once we get the fact we shall work based on fact.”

He said that the two weeks requested by the mover of the motion for the committee to conclude its investigation was too far and said it should be done in one week.

He also told the Senator Mohammed-led Committee on Security and National Intelligent to work in camera.

•From left: Chief Olu Falae; Mrs Tokunbo Awolowo-Dosunmu and author of the book: Post Independence Political Evolution of Western Nigeria, (Chief Obafemi Awolowo Factor), Pa Adio Mosanya, at the book presentation in Lagos...yesterday.

PHOTO: NAN

HE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) yesterday urged Senate President David Mark to focus on his legislative assignments rather than diverting attention to national conference.

The Labour also asked Mark to stop blowing hot and cold on the constitutional conference.

It’s National Vice President Comrade Issa Aremu told reporters yesterday in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital at the sideline of the 25th national education conference of the National Union of Textile Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria.

Aremu added that “this is a Senate president that has presided over constitutional amendment with billions of Naira voted for it, which has not been concluded and mid way he is already singing different song.”

The labour leader said that the NLC is totally opposed to sovereign national conference, arguing that it is diversionary.

Said Aremu: “He was also opposed to any form of conference before, what has changed?

He should preside over a Senate that would pass laws for good governance and there are lots of bills waiting on his table. They should not divert our attention to another wastage of money on national conference.

“The so-called demand for sovereign national conference is more of a diversion and unconstitutional. The take of labour is that we are not a debating society. Nigeria should be functional, we spend all the time agonising and questioning the viability of a country when we should rather organise our thoughts to make the country work.

“Labour is opposed to sovereign national conference. It is moving against the trend of the world and I think it is even wrong to say Nigeria is too big.

Our size is an asset. What we need are leaders to turn these potentials to reality.

“The proposed conference is unconstitutional because with all the imperfections of the existing dispensation whether we like it or not we have elected a president who has specific mandate and he got elected based on certain promises to the nation. We have constituted the National Assembly. We have 36 governors, they are elected, they must deliver on their mandate. Nobody should short change mid-way.”

INEC lists Ukachukwu as Anambra PDP candidate

HE Anambra State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) sank deeper into crisis yesterday in the rundown to the November 16 governorship election.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) last night recognised Nicholas Ukachukwu as the PDP governorship candidate. The electoral umpire based its decision on an order given by the Federal High Court, sitting in Port Harcourt, last week.

In all, 23 political parties nominated governorship candidates and their deputies for the election. INEC, in the statement, by Kayode Idowu, its spokesman, claimed that it had published the full list on its website. But a check

by The Nation revealed that the

By Augustine Avwode, Assistant Editor

list was yet to be published on the website as at 8.40 pm, yesterday.

Dr. Chris Ngige is the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate while Willy Obiano is the All Progressives Grand Alliance candidate.

Part of the statement read: “In line with the provisions of Section 31 (3) of the Electoral Act 2010, as amended, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has today, September 24th, 2013, published the Form CF001 (Personal Particulars of Candidate) of candidates nominated by political parties for the November 16 Governorship Election in Anambra State. The compre-

hensive list as signed by the Secretary to the Commission is attached and has been placed on the Commission’s website.

“A total of 23 political parties nominated candidates for the governorship and deputy governorship slots. Two political parties, namely the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had issues with the candidates they intend to sponsor before the closure of nominations on September 17th, 2013. But the Federal High Court in Awka eased the contention over APGA’s nomination by vacating its order directing the Commission to accept two governorship candidates from the party.

“For the PDP, the Commis-

sion resolved to list Nicholas Chukwuejekwu Ukachukwu as the governorship candidate in accordance with the latest order as delivered by the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, in Suit No. FHC/PH/CS/296/ 2013 – Nicholas Chukwuejekwu Ukachukwu vs. Dr. Tony Nwoye & 3 Ors. “The Commission hereby advises political parties and their members that only those on the list published by it are allowed to conduct electioneering campaigns. Any violation of this rule amounts to an electoral offence and security agencies are urged to intervene as such”.

Justice S A Aliyu of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt had on September 17,

the date for the final submission of the names and particulars of candidates by parties, ruled that Ukachukwu is the bona fide candidate of the PDP in Suit No. FHC/PH/CS/296/ 2013 – Nicholas Chukwuejekwu Ukachukwu vs. Dr. Tony Nwoye & 3 Ors filed by Ukachukwu’s lawyer, Mr Rickey Tafa.

But the party has consistently maintained that Nwoye remains its candidate for the election. Briefing reporters after the party’s weekly National Working Committee meeting, its National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, affirmed the party’s readiness to appeal the decision. It could not be verified last night if it has appealed the ruling.

Before the judgment, the party had been split into two following the emergence of two candidates from the two different primaries conducted by the two factions of the party in the state.

While Nwoye emerged from the primary conducted by Prince Kenneth Emeakayi at the Dr. Alex Ekwueme Square, Senator Andy Uba picked the ticket at the primary held at Emmaus House by the Ejike Oguebego faction.

But all hope is not lost for the party as it still has up to October 2, to effect any change it wants to make on its list. Section 35(1) of the Electoral Act 2010, as amended, gives the parties and candidates opportunity to do so, provided it is not less 45 days to the election.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

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NEWS 2015: Don’t overheat polity, Jega cautions politicians

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HE Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Attahiru Jega, has urged politicians not to overheat the polity.

He was reacting to political developments in the country ahead of the 2015 general elections.

Prof Jega spoke yesterday at the third quarterly consultative meeting between INEC and political parties in Abuja.

He urged politicians to engage in acts that promote peaceful conducts.

The INEC chairman reminded them that the electoral law forbids some of their actions.

He said: “As we inch along towards the 2015 general elections, we have been intensifying efforts to ensure full readiness in all fundamental respects. We, therefore, continue to solicit for your cooperation, partnership and support to ensure that we deliver free, fair and credible elec-

From Vincent Ikuomola and Nike Adebowale, Abuja

tions to Nigerians in 2015.

“In particular, we urge you to do everything possible to sanitise the polity. You must have an enlightened self-interest, because seeping and sustaining our democracy is in the best interest of all politicians, as it is for all citizens.

We must avoid the temptation to throw away the baby with the bath water. You must stop overheating the polity.

You must continue to promote peaceful conduct and civility in political engagements and electioneering.

“You must stop the rising tendency towards thuggery in campaigns and elections. In recent bye-elections, we saw disruptions of the electoral process caused by thuggery.

This must be stopped in order not to undermine our aspirations for credible and peaceful elections in 2015.”

N270m fraud: ‘Ajudua doesn’t deserve fresh bail’

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HE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday filed a notice of appeal against the ruling of a Lagos High Court, which granted bail to suspected fraudster, Fred Ajudua.

Ajudua and Charles Orie are on trial for allegedly defrauding two Dutch businessmen of N270 million.

Worried that Ajudua had frustrated his trial for seven years, the EFCC raised an objection to the defendant’s bail application on the grounds of failing health.

But when the courts were on vacation, Justice Ganiyu Safari granted Ajudua bail for N50 million with two sureties to enable the defendant attend to his health.

Dissatisfied by the ruling, the EFCC, in its notice of appeal, insisted that Ajudua did not deserve to be on bail.

Signed by Oluwafifehan Ogunde, the notice stated that Ajudua, being a socialite, might interfere with prosecution witnesses.

By Precious Igbonwelundu

EFCC argued that the accused did not present any compelling medical report to warrant the decision of the court in his favour.

Also, the substantive case before Justice Joseph Oyewole was yesterday adjourned till October 2, following disagreements between the two parties.

Although Ajudua was absent in court, the second defendant, Orie, was present. But the parties could not reach an amicable agreement.

Counsel to EFCC, Mrs. A. P. Sanusi, reminded the court that there was a pending motion before it went on vacation, adding that the prosecution was served four applications, filed by the first defendant. Ajudua’s lawyer, Richard Omohomreh, who admitted that he has four applications before the court, stated that the life of his client (Ajudua) was still in danger at the hospital.

Navy transfers Ghanaian, 60 others to police for ‘oil theft’ From Mike Odiegwu, Yenagoa

T

HE Central Naval Command of the Nigerian Navy yesterday transferred 61 suspected oil thieves to the Bayelsa State Police Command for further investigation and prosecution.

A Ghanaian and a Cameroonian are among the suspects handed over to the Police Commissioner Hillary Opara, who was represented by Chris Nwaogu, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP).

The navy also transferred a notorious suspect, identified as Abantuwe Potter, who allegedly specialised in protecting illegal refineries in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, with illicit firearms.

Potter was said to be in possession of illegal firearms when he was nabbed by the operatives.

The suspects were said to have been arrested onboard seven different vessels between July and September by the patrol team of the Forward Operating Base (FOB), FORMOSO at Egweama Brass.

But the Flag Officer Commanding Rear Admiral Sidi-Ali Usman said the navy would retain the impounded vessels until the prosecution of the suspects.

Usman who was represented by the Command Operations Officer, Commodore Emmanuel Enemor, listed the arrested vessels as MT WHARF DALE, MV henry, MV Tobiloba, MT Emmanuel, MT Pauline, MV S&T Victoria and a large “Cotonou” boat.

He said the vessels were carrying various quantities of stolen crude oil and illegally refined products when they were rounded up.

For instance, he said MT WHARF DALE was impounded on July 6 with six suspected oil thieves.

He said the vessel was arrested while trying to load stolen crude oil.

“MT Wharf Dale, including the captain had no identification cards at the time of the arrest. She had no ship log thereby making it difficult for her voyage itinerary to be more properly established.

•From right: Supervising Minister for Education, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike; Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Dr MacJohn Nwaobiala and Director/Chief Executive Officer, National Library of Nigeria, Mallam Habib Abba Jato, during the minister’s inspection of the 12-storey National Library Headquarters in Abuja...yesterday.

ASUU: strike will improve education

•Suswam enforces ‘no work, no pay’ on BSU lecturers

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HE President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Dr Nasir Fagge, said yesterday that the ongoing strike by lecturers of public universities is a sacrifice for the nation’s better future.

Fagge told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that unless the deficits in the education sector, especially the university system, were addressed once and for all, there would be no development.

NAN reports that the lecturers, under the aegis of ASUU, on June 30, embarked on what it described as comprehensive, total and indefinite strike in public universities across the country.

The lecturers are asking for the implementation of some aspects of an agreement they jointly entered into with the Federal government in 2009.

Fagge regretted that the strike has dragged on.

According to him, it is worrisome that ASUU has remained adamant because its demands must be met.

He said the industrial action was a sacrifice needed to salvage the nation’s economy.

“I sincerely want to call on all concerned, especially students and parents, to bear with us as well as join hands with us in the struggle to right the wrongs in our education sector once and for all, for the good of us all and that of the

T

NANS threatens protest

HE National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has threatened to shut down the country on October 1 should the Federal Government fail to end the ongoing Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike.

The Chairman of the Joint Campus Committee (JCC), Lagos Axis of NANS, Eleso Arowosola, addressed reporters when he led a protest yesterday at the University of Lagos (UNILAG).

For several hours, vehicular movement on the university’s road and the adjoining streets was halted. About 200 students barricaded the roads leading to the institution.

The university’s security personnel and policemen, however, stopped the protesters from entering the campus.

Arowosola said the rally was meant to compel the government to end the strike.

The students’ leader said Nigeria cannot be celebrating its independence when universities remained shut.

He said: “We are calling on the Federal Government to negotiate with the lecturers and end the strike.

“In our estimation, the demands by ASUU are realistic, especially when we consider the deplorable state of education in the country. I read the NEEDS Assessment report and I wept for the future of this country. How can a nation call itself a giant when its education system is in a shambles?”

From Uja Emmanuel, Makurdi and Gilbert Alasa and Christopher Eboh

country.

“I know it is quite a difficult time for us but I also want to state that what we are doing is for our own good as well as ensure that strikes become rare, as a weapon to get things done in our system.

“We also want to ensure that there is sincerity and respect for mutual agreements by parties in order to attain a common goal for the good of our dear country,” he said.

Fagge, however, hailed the Supervising Minister for Education, Nyesom Wike, for meeting with ASUU Executive Committee to resolve the

protracted strike.

Senate President David Mark yesterday urged the Federal Government, the striking members of the Academic Staff Union of Nigerians Universities (ASUU) and the 36 states to reach an agreement on how to end the strike.

The ASUU strike, Mark regretted, has had a negative impact on the nation’s education sector.

He said it has, therefore, become necessary for legislative solution to be introduced into the lingering crisis.

Mark spoke in Abuja at a two-day conference of National Assembly and 36 States’ Houses of Assembly Committees on Education with the theme: Transforming Nigerian’s

Education Sector.

The government and other stakeholders, he said, must understand that education is among the greatest assets a country can bequeath to Sits people.

Mark said: “We must place proper premium on it by adequately funding it to achieve the desired results.”

Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam has made good his threat that he would enforce the “no work, no pay” policy on the striking lecturers of the Benue State University (BSU).

The governor said any lecturer, who does not resume work next month, would not be paid his or her salary.

Suswam spoke in Makurdi, the state capital, when he hosted the university’s management.

He said the university would reopen as from next month, adding that any lecturer who refuses to return to work would not be paid.

Suswam, who said the state was not owing the lecturers of the university, wondered why they continued to be on a sympathy strike for almost three months.

BSU’s Vice Chancellor, Prof.

Charity Angya, who was represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration), Prof. Nicholas Ada, told the governor that the management had met with ASUU on the need to call off the strike.

He stressed that at the time of meeting with the governor, the management had not heard from ASUU.

APC ‘ll liberate Nigeria, says Okorocha

I

MO State Governor Rochas Okorocha has assured that the All Progressives Congress (APC) would liberate the country, particularly the Southeast, from the shackles of poverty and ignorance caused by ungodly politicians.

The governor spoke in Owerri, the state capital, when members of the Enugu State chapter of the Nigerian Rescue Group (NRG) visited him at the Government House.

He regretted that corrupt politicians, who have ruled the nation, kept it in bondage.

Okorocha noted that the time has come for Ndigbo to know that they have been chosen to contribute to the development of the country.

The governor said the APC is the only party with credible and God-fearing leaders who would transform the nation.

•‘Party here to save Nigerians’

By Innocent Amomoh, Okodili Ndidi, Owerri and Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta

He urged members of the party to shun money politics.

Okorocha assured that the party would take over the Southeast in 2015.

The state Coordinator of the organisation, Peter Okonkwo, explained that the visit was to identify with the governor on his notable achievements, especially massive road construction.

The APC National Organising Secretary Senator Osita Izunaso said Okorocha has contributed immensely towards uplifting the party at the state and national levels.

The Chairman of Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State, Prince Olanrewaju Elegushi, has said the All progressives Congress (APC)

is the party Nigerians need to overcome poverty.

Elegushi said poverty has become a deadly virus which, if not properly tackled, may destroy the nation.

The local government chief said the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has not done anything to show the beauty of democracy.

According to him, the PDP has brought pains and anguish to Nigeria since 1999.

Elegushi said: “The ruling party has done nothing to safeguard the future of this country, hence the birth of the APC with the visionary instinct of the progressives in the country.

“Let me assure Nigerians that the future of this country is bright, if they are ready for the change the APC is bringing into governance.”

•Okorocha

Elegushi is among the 23 local government chairmen in Lagos who Nigeria (Pro) Wrestling Federation (NWF) plans to confer with the Continental Good Governance and Peace awards at the final ceremony of the third edition of BRF Wrestlemania at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

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NEWS PHCN investors to get certificate Oct. 2 •Delta youths decry illegal collections From John Ofikhenua, Sapele

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HE new owners of the Power Holding Com pany (PHCN) Limited entities will assume ownership on October 2, the General Manager, Government and Consumer Affairs, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Dr. Tony Akah, has said.

He spoke yesterday during the NERC Power Consumer Assembly of the Local Government Enlightenment Campaign in Sapele, Delta State.

He said: “On October 2, or thereabout, we are going to handover the certificates of ownership to all the distribution companies to these private people. When we do that, the PHCN will hands off.”

Akah said though challenges in the sector would not disappear overnight upon the emergence of the private owners, there would be improvement in service delivery.

During the question and answer session, a youth, Mr Onasanya Atumu, lamented that PHCN officials collect N2,000 from every compound monthly without supplying power.

He threatened that PHCN and its personnel would be set ablaze should the commission fail to stop them.

His words: “I am for Agazali Communications, a private announcement outfit for the community.

As a matter of fact, the light in this community is not properly arranged. For example, in some areas we don’t have light. But I make announcement for PHCN that people should pay their bills. I receive a hell of insults. They even insult my family.”

NCAA sues AON over foreign jets charges

By Kelvin Osa Okunbor

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HE Nigeria Civil Avia tion Authority (NCAA) has dragged the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) to court for failing to pay its newly introduced charges.

NCAA recently imposed $4000 (N640,000) take off fee for non-scheduled operation of foreign registered aircraft and $3000 (N480,000), for locally registered ones.

NCAA criticised the operators’ refusal to pay the fees, saying such collections are enshrined in the regulations of the authority.

In the summons instituted at the Federal High Court, Lagos, NCAA said it imposed the fees on the operators in line with its mandate as regulatory agency of the aviation industry.

In the summons, NCAA argued that by the “true construction of Section 30 (2) (q) and 30 (5) of the Civil Aviation act of 2006, the plaintiff (NCAA) is empowered to impose fees on all foreign and Nigerian registered aircraft engaged in non-scheduled operation conveyed vide order of August 28, 2013.”

‘Fed Govt saves N530b from inflated contracts’

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HE Federal Govern ment has saved about N530 billion from inflated contracts this year, the Director-General, Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Emeka Eze has said.

Speaking with State House correspondents after a meeting with Vice President Namadi Sambo at the Presidential Villa yesterday, he said the agency through its intervention have been able to increase savings on contracts from N420 billion.

Established by the Public Procurement Act 2007, the agency monitors public procurement, harmonises government policies and practices.

According to Eze, the government is encouraging local production to further re-

From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

duce costs of projects as the economy is still developing and most of the input for projects are from outside.

He said: “Naturally for this year alone, uptill now we have N420 billion; we added another N110 billion for this year. So, we are talking of about N530 billion saved by our interventions.”

On why projects cost more, he said: “We are a market driven economy where you run a business that will require you to pay interest rate of 21 per cent or 18 per cent, and you are doing the business. Are you going to make your business to recover the cost of money or not?”

“Ordinary common sense will tell you that we are a

developing economy and most of the input to our projects are not made in the country. That is why the government is driving on local production. If you are going to use construction equipment, do you make construction equipment in the country? The cost of a car in London, US or where they are made, are they the same?

“The answer is no. Because if you are selling cars, you paid for the car in US and then you add the cost of shipment, clearance, cost of customs before you add your own profit as business men.

By the time you add all those costs if you borrowed money, by the time you add all of them, will the cost in America be the same?”

Since most of the projects

in 2013 budget are on-going, he said that the agency had no problem with procurement plans.

He said: “First of all the project must be appropriated for, which is already in the budget, in November last year Mr President last year ordered that circulars issued for procurement process for 2013 be started and I have a copy of that circular ordering all the MDA’s to start the procurement process. The intention was that by May everything about 2013 will be concluded and luckily for us this year we don’t have too many new projects, most of them are ongoing projects that don’t require new procurement plan. As far as procurement is concerned we don’t have any issues.”

On why execution of projects sometimes do not meet expectation, he said: “We must continue to tell Nigerians about the need to have character, there is no way one person no matter who he is can do nation building alone. If I send you on a job to say this is what is to be done now and you have a specification and somebody receiving salary has a responsibility to say this is ok and the person does the wrong thing, then there is something wrong with us as a people.”

Fashola seeks support for local products

By Miriam Ekene-Okoro

L

• From left: General Manager, Corporate Communication, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Hon. Yakubu Dati; Regional General Manger, SS-SE, Mrs. Ebele Okoye and CCCE, Site Engineer, Lee Chek, during an inspection of the new Port Harcourt International Airport...yesterday.

Again, states reject N75b NNPC arrears

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OR the second time in a week, state govern ments have rejected the Federal Government’s attempt to pay off what is owed them from the Federation Account.

The Nation gathered that the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), Jonah Otunla, called the Chairman of Commissioners Forum to gather his members to Abuja to collect the outstanding N75 billion from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

In a telephone chat with the Chairman of the Commissioners’ Forum, Timothy Odaah, he confirmed that the AGFcalled a meeting with the other state commissioners of finance in Abuja

• Shun meeting with AGF From Nduka Chiejina (Asst.

Editor), Abuja

to share the outstanding N75 billion, but that he rejected the offer, insisting t1hat all the backlog owed the states must be paid.

Odaah said the planned meeting was an attempt to box-in the states, adding that governors were bent on tabling the matter before President Goodluck Jonathan.

He said they were being owed N336 billion, with the N75 billion being the balance of the July 2013 arrears, N121 billion from June augmentation and over N90 billion as July augmentation.

He insisted that the states had already planned for all these monies and entered into financial commitments with contractors, as such the attempt by the Federal Government to offset payments to the states and the local governments in bits was unacceptable to them.

Odaah, who is the Commissioner for Finance, Ebonyi State, said sharing proceeds of the Federation Account demands that all parties must sign off the agreed sum to be shared before it can be disbursed.

He said the N75 billion that the AGF had suddenly retrieved from the NNPC

Manufacturers spend N24b yearly on plants maintenance

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WO thousand and five hundred manufactur ing companies spend N24billion yearly to maintain their generators, diesels and gas turbines, the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has said.

Speaking at the Third WorldStage National Electricity Power Conference, the MAN’s President, Kola Jamodu said the firms spend an average of N1.950billion monthly.

Jamodu, in a paper titled: Electricity power audit con-

By Akinola Ajibade and Ambose Nnaji

ducted on members of MAN in 2012, said the real sector operators spend a lot of money to provide alternative source of energy for their operations.

He said more manufacturers were planning to relocate to neighbouring countries, such as Ghana and Togo, if the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) refused to give them some concessions.

Jamodu, who was represented by Chairman, Infrastructure Committee, MAN, Reginald Odiah, said the number of power plants owned and installed in-house by manufacturers was 4,480 units.

He said the plants include diesel/gas powered turbines, generators, among others.

He said an in-house generator has capacity for 5,150 mega watts, while the supply from the Power Holding Company of Nigeria was 1,018 mega watts.

did not get the blessing of the state governments and cannot be considered legal since the states did not agree to share it at any meeting.

On Monday, the Federal Government, through the AGF, raised N548.393 billion as the Statutory Revenue for the three tiers of government for August after it met tough resistance from the state governments.

The money was rejected, just as yesterday’s.

Attempts to get officials of the AGF to confirm or deny the invitation to the state commissioners for finance proved abortive.

AGOS State Governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola, (SAN) has emphasised the need for Nigeria and Nigerians to looked inward on how to create a sustainable economic model by patronising local production of goods and services.

Governor Fashola made the remark yesterday at the opening of the yearly Eko Expo and exhibitions holding at the Lekki Free Trade Zone.

He said the country’s greatness will depend on the ability to harness its human and material resources towards the promotion of made-in-Nigeria goods that can compete in both local and international markets.

Governor Fashola, who was represented by the state commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Mr Taofiq Tijiani, explained that sustainable development that would guarantee jobs, improve the standard of living as well as security of lives and properties depends on the existence of a robust economic development agenda.

“Our population is a major source of strength and behooves on us as a nation to leverage on this factor to promote the Nigerian brand in terms of products and services as this remains the only means through which sustainable employment can be guaranteed.

“There are so many goods and products that the average Nigerian uses; from cars to tissue paper. Currently, most of these essentials are imported from other countries for different reasons. Some are that made-in-Nigeria goods are not up to standard, or the Nigerians still have the mentality that foreign is better. This is where entrepreneurs come in.”

PUBLIC NOTICE MICCOM CANCER FOUNDATION This is to inform the general public that the trustees of the above named foundation with headquarters in Ada, Osun State wish to apply to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration as a corporate body under part ‘C’ of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1.

Prince Ayatunde Ponnle, OFR - Chairman 2.

Engr. Abiodun Ponnle - General Secretary 3.

Dr. Michael Imevbore - Member 4.

Dr. Yinka Akinwusi - Member 5.

Mrs. Yinka Adebayo - Member 6.

Dr. Adewale Akinsola - Member 7.

Chief Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN - Member 8.

Prof. Olu Aina, OFR - Member 9.

Prof. Okonofia Friday - Member AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1) To promote public awareness and education about cancer in general, specifically breast, cervical and prostate cancer.

2) The provision of screening for early detection and management of the abovementioned cancers.

3) To promote public access to HPV Vaccination for young girls to prevent cervical cancer.

4) To give support for the comprehensive management of men and women who need therapy for breast, cervical and prostate cancers in the early stages of the disease.

5) To invest in the building of both human, infrastructural and institutional capacity to prevent and manage breast cervical and prostate cancers.

Any objection to the registration should be addressed to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420 Tigris Crescent, Off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, P.MB. 198 Maitama Abuja within 28 days from the date of this publication.

JULIUS ADEOSUN (Olaosebikan Adeosun & Co) Barristers, Solicitors and Notary Public, 229, Ikotun Road, Idimu Lagos. 08023176362

THE NATION WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

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NEWS

•Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola (seventh left) with the British High Commissioner, Mr. Andrew Pocock (middle); British Deputy High Commissioner in Lagos Peter Carter (sixth left); Commissioner for Education Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye (fifth left); Commissioner for Budget Ben Akabueze (fourth left) and other British officials after a breakfast meeting at Carter’s home in Lagos...yesterday.

Rain grounds Ekiti courts From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

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AIN yesterday grounded activities at the Ekiti State High and Magistrate’s courts in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.

The rain, which began on Monday, destroyed files and electrical appliances at the judges’ and magistrates’ chambers, court rooms and open registries.

When The Nation visited the Magistrate’s Court yesterday, its lobby was flooded and the roofs of some court rooms were still leaking. The courts did not sit because of the situation.

Some workers, who pleaded for anonymity, said flooding was “a familiar occurrence” at the courts.

One said: “I have seen this kind of situation many times here at the courts. The rains would come and send us out of our offices.”

Another said: “We all left under the rain yesterday and it kept raining till this morning. It was not surprising to us that when we got to our offices this morning around 9am, we could not do anything, as our tables, files and other items in our offiices were soaked.

“Look at that place, that is where I normally sit, but the roof is leaking, so I have to shift here. If you stay longer on the premises and it rains again, you will see how it goes. I was standing there when a ceiling fan fell on the table, causing a panic.”

The workers urged the authorities to intervene.

Efforts to speak to the Chief Registrar and Deputy Registrar were unsuccessful.

P

Battle for Oyo exco seats begins

OLITICAL appointment seekers have besieged the homes of prominent leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State, following Monday’s dissolution of the State Executive Council.

The party’s Yemetu office in Ibadan, the state capital, was not spared.

It was gathered that many politicians had been keeping vigil at the Bashorun home of a prominent businessman and Ibadan chief.

Acting APC State Chairman Chief Akin Oke said the dis-

From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

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Lagos trains civil servants

By Miriam Ekene-Okoro

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HE Lagos State government is training civil servants on public procurement.

At the opening of a three-day training held at the Public Service Staff Development Centre (PSSDC) in Magodo, Lagos, the General Manager of the State Public Procurement Agency, Mr. Akin Onimole, said it would equip officers with the regulations and guidelines to implement the procurement law.

He said: “So far, the agency has converted about 240 officers into the procurement cadre. The objective of this training is to deepen the knowledge of the officers on real life experience in public procurement by sharing case studies and practical exercise with them.”

Chairman, Lagos State House of Assembly Committee on Finance, Mrs Adefumilayo Tejuosho, said the lawmakers would ensure the implementation of the Procurement Law. She urged participants to take the training seriously, saying that it would enhance their efficiency and dedication to their duties.

solution of the executive council was to consolidate on the administration’s achievements in the last two years.

Describing the lobby for political appointment as normal, Oke said: “It is a normal thing all over the world, especially when there is a dissolution of a cabinet. Those who feel they can be reconsidered will be lobbying and those who have worked for the party or who are close to some power brokers will also be

lobbying. Its a normal thin, especially in a setting like ours.”

He said he was disappointed by some of the sacked appointees, who he said were not loyalty to the government and the party.

Oke said: “Some of these appointees did not know that their appointment demand unalloyed commitment and loyalty to the government and the party. “ Maybe it was because of their technocrat background, but a political office is not the same as working for a com-

pany. They did not know that their appointment demanded absolute commitment and loyalty to the government and the party.

“This is politics and in politics, once you are appointed into a political office, absolute loyalty and commitment are required.”

Oke said the governor and some party leaders will meet today to discuss issues relating to the dissolution.

He said Ajimobi was taking his time to ensure that qualified persons are appointed.

SSS quizzes Bamidele’s campaign director

LAUTECH hospital workers urge Osun, Oyo to set up board ORKERS of the Ladoke Akintola University Teaching Hospital in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, under the aegis of the Joint Health Professionals (JHP), have urged the governments of Osun and Oyo states to inaugurate a governing board for the hospital.

They said the inauguration of a board would address workers’ welfare and inprove the hospital.

JHP Chairman Adetunji Adeyeye told reporters yesterday that the Oyo State government “failed to contribute its quota to the hospital”.

He said the workers’ August salary, which was the turn of Oyo State to pay, is yet to be paid.

Adeyeye said: “Of all teaching hospitals, LAUTECH is the only one without a pension scheme. We do not even know where our fate lies when we retire. The two owner states should urgently constitute a governing board for the hospital to forestall further complication in the system. The board must include our members, who are qualified professionals, from both states.”

The workers called for the employment of more professionals in the hospital to boost service delivery, saying there are more administrative workers than medical workers in the hospital.

From Oseheye Okwuofu, Ibadan

•Bamidele

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EN of the State Security Service (SSS) in Ekiti State on Monday arrested Chief Remi Oguntuase, the campaign coordinator for House of Representatives’ member Opeyemi Bamidele (Irepodun/Ifelodun Constituency) in next year’s governorship election.

The arrest of the All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain may not be unconnected with last Thursday’s disruption of

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Bamidele’s rally by the police.

A leader of the Ekiti Bibire Coalition, Bamidele’s political platform, said six SSS officials stormed Oguntuase’s home at Onigari GRA in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, around 11am.

He said the SSS operatives broke the pedestrian gate of Oguntuase’s home and injured his security man.

The source, who pleaded for anonymity, said the SSS held about 10 occupants of the house hostage for nearly 40 minutes, “subjecting them to all manner of interrogation before whisking their target (Oguntuase) away”.

He said: “We were all inside the house when the SSS operatives forced their way

into the building. They seized the mobile telephone sets of all the occupants, including Oguntuase’s children and wife, and ransacked all the rooms. They did not find anything incriminating, except for some cassettes of a Yoruba poet.

“Oguntuase and his wife were later whisked off to the SSS headquarters on the new Iyin road in a white Hilux van. Oguntuase was released around 10pm on Monday, with the directive to report at the SSS office yesterday.

On what they quizzed Oguntuase about at their office, the source said: “Oguntuase told us they did not ask him any question about the rally. He said they only asked him about the cassettes they seized from him.”

When reporters went to the SSS office yesterday, Oguntuase was being interrogated.

Attempts to speak with the SSS State Director, Samuel Tamuno, were unsuccessful.

Meanwhile, Bamidele’s media aide, Ahmed Salami, accused Governor Kayode Fayemi of masterminding Thursday’s disruption of Bamidele’s rally.

In a statement, Salami said: “If the governor says he was not responsible, who is? The governor was alive when some government officials attacked my supporters and me in Iyin and Igede-Ekiti.

“The fact that he kept silent until the issue ballooned is enough reason to conclude that he had a hand in it, because silence means consent.”

In a statement on Monday, Fayemi said he had nothing to do with the disruption of the rally.

He explained that he had no control over the police or any other security agency.

ARG advocates true fiscal federalism

PAN-YORUBA group, the Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG), yesterday said although it is not a political party, it has “sympathy for the progressives” because they subscribed to its push for “true fiscal federalism” in Nigeria.

ARG said it remains an avid advocate of “regional agenda” for the country as espoused by the pantheon of Yoruba politics, the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, saying that would free Nigerians from the “burden of the faulty federal system being practised today”.

Addressing reporters in Abeokuta after inaugurat-

From Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta

ing the steering committee of the Ogun State chapter of the ARG, the group’s National Secretary, Mr. Ayo Afolabi, said it was a good thing that Southwest governors had bought into the regional integration agenda, as evidenced in their support for the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN), which was conceptualised by the ARG. Afolabi said Nigerians should insist on “free, fair and credible elections” in 2015 and urged politicians to play politics “within the confines of the established

‘Politics should be operated within the democratic set up.

We demand free, fair and credible elections in the future. We are not a political party or into partisan politics, but we have sympathy for the progressives’ democratic set up” in the interest of the country.

He said: “Politics should

be operated within the democratic set up. We demand free, fair and credible elections in the future. We are not a political party or into partisan politics, but we have sympathy for the progressives. We want true fiscal federalism to free the people from the burden of the unitary system.”

Afolabi said the group’s aim is to advance Yoruba interest.

On President Goodluck Jonathan’s “second term ambition”, he said Jonathan has a right to contest the poll and it is “up to Nigerians to accept or reject him”.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

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NEWS ‘Pray for Nigeria’s restoration’

‘Tobacco money worse than blood diamonds’

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HE Environmental Rights Action/ Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) and Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) have urged Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola to distance his administration from tobacco giants.

The groups said Fashola’s reception of the management of the British American Tobacco (BAT) should not be repeated.

In a statement in Abuja, the groups said: “This is a major miss-step by Lagos State and we owe it a duty to remind the governor, seen by many as a role model, that tobacco investment is worse than blood diamonds. Fashola should not endorse BAT’s Corporate Social Responsi-

bility (CSR) project.

“We gathered that BAT is making plans to donate Hilux Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) to the Lagos Security Trust Fund (LSTF), just as some corporations did a few weeks ago. This was carefully planned, so that BAT could interfere in the proposed law to prohibit smoking in public places. This is completely unacceptable.

“Tobacco companies have demonstrated beyond reasonable conviction that they are enemies of public health and, therefore, enemies of the public good. Their attempt to tap into Fashola’s profile to secure public acceptance is repulsive.

“We, therefore, plead with Fashola not to taint his political stature with tobacco

money. Any porridge from Big Tobacco will run the stomach! A good research by his aides can reveal how political leaders around the world treat funds.

“What we need in Lagos State is a strong legislation to make corporations accountable for all costs associated with production and profits, and in this case, to make the tobacco industry accountable for the deaths, diseases, environmental, social and other costs associated with smoking.

“Not only is this unholy visit very disturbing, it has confirmed what we have always said that the tobacco industry will never subscribe to any form of regulation. That BAT top echelon is visiting the Lagos State

•From left: Justice Oguntade; Lawal and Justice Phillips...yesterday.

PHOTO: ABIODUN WILLIAMS

Ex-judge canvasses quicker justice

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RETIRED Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, Justice George Oguntade, has urged stakeholders in the Judiciary to ensure a quick dispensation of justice.

Justice Oguntade spoke yesterday at the stakeholders’ summit on the Judiciary Information System (JIS), Introduction of efiling and an appraisal of the Lagos High Court Civil Procedure Rules, 2012.

The sunmmit was organised by the Lagos State Judiciary as part of activities marking the 2013/2014 Legal Year.

He praised the Lagos State Judiciary for constantly reviewing the civil procedures.

Justice Oguntade said: “The problem has not been the rules but the state of mind attached to it. Whether the rule is good or bad, a good judge will see to it that justice is speedily delivered. The rules of court are not totally the problem but the state of mind attached to it.”

He hailed the Lagos Chief Judge, Justice Ayotunde Phillips, for revolutionalising the Judiciary by making it Information Technology (IT)-compliant.

Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice Ade Ipaye said he was looking forward to seeing civil actions dispensed with on time.

He urged judges and lawyers to cooperate to make the system work.

Ipaye, who was represented by the Solicitor-General, Mr. Pedro Lawal (SAN), urged stakeholders to give the new rules a human face.

He said the appraisal of the 2012 Rules

‘The problem has not been the rules but the state of mind attached to it. Whether the rule is good or bad, a good judge will see to it that justice is speedily delivered. The rules of court are not totally the problem but the state of mind attached to it.’

By Adebisi Onanuga

showed that Lagos was leader among state judiciaries, “because while its rules are being copied by others, the state is moving ahead without waiting for others to catch up with it”.

The Head Judge of the Lagos Judiciary, Justice Funmilayo Atilade, said the e-filing system was an indication that the state judiciary would remain in the forefront.

The Chief Executive Officer of First High Tower Infotech Limited, the designer of the e-filing system, Mr. Sanni Eniola, said the system would improve justice dispensation.

He said: “Today, we can gladly demonstrate the product which ensures that practitioners can file cases and make electronic payments from anywhere in the world, so far as he is connected to the Internet. The system works through the creation of e-filing accounts, user registration form, user name, creation of password and security questions, among others.”

government at a time the state is contemplating laws to regulate the marketing and sale of cigarettes is very revealing to the discerning.

“The governor rightly posited that many of the diseases today are caused by the lifestyle choices that people make. We submit that BAT and other tobacco companies, through their misinformation, glamorisation of cigarettes and deceitful marketing strategies, hide vital information on the deadly nature of their products to users to get them hooked on cigarettes.”

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•Fashola

Ekiti gets water sanitation law

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KITI State Governor Kayode Fayemi has signed the Water and Sanitation Bill into law.

Signing the bill in AdoEkiti, the state capital, yesterday, the governor said his administration would increase access to potable water from 40 to 80 per cent next year.

The governor said he would lay a solid foundation for efficient water supply and sanitation.

He said access to potable water was crucial to the wellbeing of the people.

Fayemi said aside building mini water schemes, his administration was rehabilitating old ones.

He said this would ensure regular water supply in the state.

The governor said: “We have repaired two low lift pumps at Ero Dam and installed powerful generators to increase the water production capacities.

“We have upgraded the Aramoko Booster Station with pumps and generators to boost water supply to nearby communities.

“We are doing a feasibility study for the rehabilitation of Ero and Itapaji water schemes to enhance our prospects of receiving support from development partners.

We will put the schemes on a sound footing to meet water supply needs of up to 10 local governments or over

‘We have upgraded the Aramoko Booster Station with pumps and generators to boost water supply to nearby communities.’

From Sulaimon Slawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

60 per cent of the state’s population.”

Fayemi said their efforts to attract development partners and the private sector to build water schemes, rehabilitate existing ones and establish best management practices.

He said Ekiti was one of the three states selected to participate in the third National Urban Water Sector Reform programme of the World Bank and the Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Reform programme of the European Union (EU).

Fayemi said the EU and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) had begun intervention programmes.

He said the law was formulated following extensive consultations with stakeholders.

Ekiti is the second S tate in Nigeria to pass the Water Supply and Sanitation Law.

KITI State Deputy Governor Prof.

Modupe Adelabu has urged religious leaders to pray for Nigeria’s restoration.

Mrs. Adelabu spoke in her office yesterday in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, while hosting clerics from the Cherubim and Seraphim Church Movement in Nigeria (Ayo ni o), led by Superior Apostle Prophet Ayo Fakeye .

She said: “Nigeria needs more prayers from genuine men of God to save it from the myriad of problems plaguing it.”

Mrs. Adelabu said the Governor Kayode Fayemi administration treats all clerics and denominations as one because it believes religious bodies have a vital role to play in the sustenance of peace and development.

She said the administration would implement its Eight-Point Agenda, which was “designed to banish poverty and leave a lasting legacy in terms of infrastructural and human capital development”.

The deputy governor thanked Prophet Fakeye for his prayers for peace in the state.

Prophet Fakeye said Ekiti had developed “amazingly”, compared to what it looked like during his visit two years ago.

He praised the Fayemiled administration for lifting the state to loftier heights.

Prophet Fakeye urged public office holders to always govern with the fear of God, saying even if they are not held accountable by the people, they would render account of their stewardship to God someday.

The cleric said he would continue to pray for and admonish leaders when necessary.

How to grow agric at local level, by don

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CONSULTANT on Fadama, the Federal Government/United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Community-based Action Programme, Prof.

Abel Babalola Ogunwale, has said agricultural development at the rural level is poorly-managed.

Ogunwale spoke with reporters yesterday in Ogbomoso, Oyo State.

He said people’s participation in agricultural extension activities must be encouraged.

Ogunwale identified

From Bode Durojaiye, Ogbomoso

other problems of agricultural development as poor and erratic funding, ineffective extension supervision, much emphasis on export crops and neglect of food crops.

He said: “The consequence is that Nigeria’s huge economic potential, evidenced in the vast unexploited productive capacities, is held down by institutional and infrastructural rigidities, as well as the high capital associated with many of these programmes.

Ogunwale said: “The over N1.1 trillion being spent on the importation of wheat, rice, fish and sugar yearly could have been better invested in local food production.

“A total of $47,930 was spent on animal fats and oils for five years.

These amounts; $4,521,840; $2,802,800; $1,083,176,900; $1,623,520 and $2,182,525 were spent on maize grain, maize flour, rice, vegetable fats and oils and wheat importation between 2000 and 2005. What a shameful development.”

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

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CITYBEATS Gowon, Lemo for T church’s launch MEMBERS and guests will on Sunday gather by 3pm at the First Baptist Church (The Prevailers' Sanctuary), Church Street, off Olowu Street, Ikeja, Lagos, to raise N50 million for the completion of its ongoing construction.

The event, according to a statement jointly signed by Captain Edward Boyo, Chairman, External Fund Raising Committee; Mr Eugene Aligbe, Chairman, Public Relations Committee and Dr. Kayode Opadeji, Host/Senior Pastor, will feature choral ministration and drama among other activities.

"The Choral Night/N50 million fund-raising with the theme: Attempting Great Things with God through Choral Ministration,will be chaired by Mr Tunde Lemo (OFR), Deputy Governor, Operations, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The Father of the Day is former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (GCFR); Mother of the Day is Mrs Pamela Olayinka Adedayo, Managing Director/CEO, De Tastee Fried Chicken; Royal Father of the Day is His Royal Majesty, Oba (Dr) Olusanya Adegboyega Dosunmu, the Olowu of Owu Kingdom, while the Special Guest of Honour is Chief Emeka Wogu, Minister of Labour and Productivity," the statement added.

Abattoir's condition worries lawmakers

By Oziegbe Okoeki

THE Lagos State House of Assembly has condemned the unhealthy environment of the Oko Oba Abattoir in Agege.

Their observation followed the report of the four-man Adhoc Committee set up for the creation of an agency to oversee veterinary services in the state for better service.

Chief Whip, Hon. Abdurrazaq Balogun said the committee discovered that the Animal Hospital in Oko-Oba was underfunded and lacks the necessary equipment.

According to the report, no fewer than 4,000 cattle, 10,000 sheep and goats, 500 pigs and 10 camels are slaughtered daily at the abattoir and other slaughter slabs in the state.

The committee recommended an enabling law to put necessary structure in place for the Animal Health Agency.

The reports recommended a situation whereby only qualified veterinary officers and other qualified Animal Health workers are employed for veterinary services in the state.

The committee sought more enlightenment campaigns on the importance of veterinary services to enhance their service delivery.

The House adopted the recommendations of the report.

HE operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Lagos State Police Command, have arrested two couples and other alleged members of a looting gang, who specialised in using house maids to steal their employers' jewellery and money.

The suspects, who were paraded yesterday at the Police Headquarters, Ikeja, Lagos, are: John Christian, 32; his wife, Gift, 29; Amos Daniel, 30; his wife, Angela Ekere, 28 and two buyers, Useni Garba, 23, and Musa Adamu, 40.

The police alleged that the gang's leader, Christian, specialises in supplying house maids to wealthy people in Lagos with the sole purpose of using them to steal their money, golden jewellery, expensive handsets.

The gang met their waterloo last week when they stole jewellery, money and handset of a woman, Mrs Obase, who has a food canteen at Ido Park, Lagos Mainland.

The matter was said to have reported the matter to the Commissioner of Police, Umar Manko. The jewelry is allegedly worth N16 million.

The SARS operatives, led by Superintendent of Police (SP) Abba Kyari arrested Christian and Angela, leading to the arrest of the other suspects.

Christian, who claimed to hail from Anang in Abi Local Government Area of Cross River State, confessed: "My work is simple. I am an agent who supplies house maids to wealthy people for good salary. A girl I gave to one wealthy woman, Angela, left work just after 24 hours. When the Madam called me to complain, I immediately called her to find out what happened and where she was, she came to my house with a bag

• The suspects. Inset: The alleged buyers

Police smash six-man looting gang

By Ebele Boniface

containing gold, phone set and some money. One Hausa man in my neighbourhood confirmed that gold items were original. He linked me with another Hausa man at Yaba who bought the gold for N590,000. I took N250,000, gave Angela N250,000 and N5,000 for her boy friend. My wife got N30,000 ."

His confessed that she got N250,000 out of which she bought clothes and

shoes from a boutique because she has "high taste."

Amos, who said he works at Apapa, said his wife, Angela, gave him a necklace which he sold for N600,000. "I used the money to buy danfo bus for commercial transport business," he said.

Gift said: "Christian is my husband. I was not around when they discussed the deal. I was only around when they wanted to sell the gold and they gave me N30,000.

Useni, who said he was a mere

buyer, said: "My work is to change money. I used to buy gold from my master's hand. Kazeem sold to Abubakar, who sold to me. I am the third buyer. I bought it N1.03 million from Yaba market and sold it for N1.050 million. My gain was only N20,000.

Adamu, who also said he was a buyer, added that he is based in Agege where he operates a Bureau deChange. "I bought the necklace for N60,000," he confessed.

•Wife of Lagos State Governor, Mrs Abimbola Fashola (third left); representative of Senator Oluremi Tinubu, Hon Toun Adeniran (left); Commissioner for Health, Dr Jide Idris; Special Adviser to the Governor on Public Health, Dr Yewande Adesina (third right); Chairman, Surulere Local Government, Hon Tajudeen Ajide (second right) and Chairman, Itire-Ikate Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Hon Hakeem Bamgbola, at the Lagos Central Senatorial District Town Hall meeting on Maternal and Child Mortality Reduction held in Surulere, Lagos... yesterday PHOTO: NIYI ADENIRAN

Pardon me, fake journalist pleads

By Jude Isiguzo

Unilever's promo thrills customers MORE winners have emerged in the Unilever's Lipton Tea 'Open surPRIZE' National Consumer Promo which began in July. Many consumers have won various instant gifts from redemption centres across the country.

The promo, which will give the grand prize winner a Ford Edge SUV car in October, will also give out 100 Ipads, 50 Iphones, 500 Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini, 4000 TShirts, 2000 Flasks, 8000 Magic Mugs, 4000 Travel Mugs and 4000 Flash Drives.

The Category Manager, Tea & Spreads, Unilever Nigeria Plc, Miss. Vivian Ihaza, said: "This promo is aimed at rewarding loyal consumers of Lipton Yellow Label tea who have remained with the brand consistently over time."

CITYBEATS LINE: 08023247888

• Nick

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N alleged attempt by a suspected fake journalist to blackmail senior officers of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), Lagos State Command, has been foiled.

Armed with a letter, the 48-year-old suspect, Udeh Nick stormed the Alagbon Close, Ikoyi, Lagos office of the command to see an officer over stories that were allegedly false.

Nick, with others at large, who identified themselves as journalists, from different media houses, reportedly wrote the said letter last Thursday to allegedly extort money from the officer, but they were referred to the command's spokesperson for

proper screening.

Unknown to him, calls were reportedly made to management of "his media house", including his scanned photograph, where it was discovered he had never been a staff of the company.

The suspect who spoke with The Nation, said: "I have never been a staff of Newswatch magazine. I know that in the media, some people blackmail. But this one is out of it. We did not blackmail him. The letter we wrote is a friendly one…We only asked for a

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N 18-year-old girl, Chinyere Onorfue, has been found dead in a hotel room at Aduwawa in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of Edo State.

Chinyere's body was found with her throat slashed few hours after she checked into the hotel with a man, Emmanuel Ajayi.

Police said they arrested Ajayi in the room and the victim's phone was found on him.

Ajayi, who was paraded alongside 26 suspects for various crimes, said he was arrested because his missing phone was found on the victim.

friendly meeting with him. We stated in the letter that we came for a seminar and decided to bring this letter since all of us cannot come in group.

"We decided to do something to access him, being a new man there. We just wanted to reach out to him as friends because if you read the letter, there was no place we said we needed anything because there was nothing he had done to warrant press blackmail.

"I agree that the act is criminal and I accept that I am guilty of impersonation and there is no point denying. I regret my action because I probably would not have come out

this way to do what I did. It is not proper. But I am appealing that I should be shown some element of mercy so that I can get out of this place and face what I am doing. This is my first experience."

He said he had concluded plans to travel to the United States of America (USA) in search of greener pastures and pleaded passionately that the case be resolved within the Service to avoid thwarting his travelling plans.

Spokesman of the command, Muyiwa Odunubi, said the suspect would be handed over to the police for further investigation.

Girl found dead in hotel room From Osagie Otabor, Benin

Ten suspected rapists, who allegedly gang-raped their victims at various times, were also paraded.

Five other suspects, Monday Osayande, Eze Ezekiel, Uhunoma Imade, Anthony Akhator and Godspower Ehigie were arrested for allegedly having carnal knowledge of minors whose ages ranged between seven and nine.

Uhunoma was said to have lured his seven-year-old victim with N10

worth of Tom-Tom sweet, while Anthony defiled two minors at the same time.

Other suspects included those that killed two officials of the Nigerian Prison Service at Irrua and two brothers who stole computer monitors and accessories belonging to St Peters Grammer School, Igarra.

State Police Commissioner, Foluso Adebanjo, urged the public to be security-conscious, adding that the suspects would soon be charged to court.

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

CITYBEATS

CITYBEATS LINE: 08023247888

Anger as council seals off homes over levy

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ESIDENTS of Coker/Aguda area of Surulere in Lagos, under the aegis of Olufemi Shokan Residents' Association (OSRA) have expressed anger with authorities of the Coker/Aguga Local Council Area (LCDA) of the state for locking up their homes over levies.

The bone of contention was the sealoff of nearly every home with gates in the neighbourhood by officials of the council over tax issues.

The elders - Pa Olujimi Sokan, 74; Prince J. K. Aroloye, 77, Chairman, OSRA, and Mr Paul O. Ojo, 74, were filled with anger while telling The Nation how the gates to their homes were locked by the council "without prior notice" on September 12.

Prince Aroloye, who said the gate to his home was reopened after he rushed to the council's secretariat to pay his dues, however, said: "My own concern is that the LCDA only comes to collect dues without providing us with basic facilities to make life better for us in our area."

Pa Sokan, who spoke for the association, said: "I think it has to do with the Radio/TV licence fee being demanded by the LCDA. We suddenly saw about seven men. They did not talk to anyone or bother to introduce themselves and in a hushhush kind of a scenario, before we could talk to them, they had placed a chain and lock on the gate and left.

"I am not saying we would not pay the levy, what I am angry at is the fact that, no resident, who exercised his or her electoral franchise, should be locked in his or her home because he owes. And to mitigate the situation, we have gone to the council a number of times; we were never allowed to see the LCDA Chairman,

‘We work in tandem with the Lagos State Government to ensure that all necessary fees are duly paid. So, there is nothing out of order in what we did’

By Joke Kujenya, Assistant Editor

Mrs Omobolanle Akinyemi-Obe. We wrote and delivered letters, signed for by her aides, but we never got any reply. So, they can't say we have not been responsive."

Officials of the council debunked the resident's claims, saying that since May, they had served the houses on the street, "Notice of Intention to Sue/Seal."

They said that there was no house sealed without prior notice including posters and stickers bearing inscriptions such as: "This house has been served Radio/TV Demand," before their eventual "partial sealing."

Akinyemi-Obe insisted that she would lock up all defaulters again if they failed to pay the "meagre" fee of N500 per annum," adding: "We had written to warn them and did all the necessary, still they failed to pay. We work in tandem with the Lagos State Government to ensure that all necessary fees are duly paid. So, there is nothing out of order in what we did. Let them pay and we re-open their gates. That's the deal."

• L-R: Sokan, Aroloye and Ojo ... last week

Fake army officer, nine car snatchers held

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HE Oyo State Police Command has arrested a fake army officer. It also recovered nine stolen cars and arrested nine snatchers after a manhunt for the syndicate.

Parading the suspects yesterday, Commissioner of Police Mohammed Indabawa, said after a protracted investigation into the case of the robbery syndicate, it was smashed.

The commissioner, who was represented by the State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Olabisi Clet-Ilobanafor, a Deputy Superintendent (DSP), said: "Five of the car snatchers were arrested when a complaint was made at the Ashi Police Station by a man on June 14, that a gang of five robbers entered into his house in the night and robbed him of his unregistered Toyota Camry saloon car valued at N1.2

From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

million.

"The Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS), swung into action and arrested Olalekan Olabintan on June 19 at Iyana-Offa with a red Volkswagen golf car marked LSR 63 BG. His confession led to the arrest of Adewale Kazeem, Omoniyi Saheed, Chikodi Henry and Anthony Ugbedi (Bigi Port), but the cars were recovered from Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Lagos, Ebonyi and Abakaliki."

He said the vehicles recovered from them include Golf Volkswagen, 4Matic Benz car, Mazda bus, two Toyota Camry, Toyota Dyna truck and a Lexus Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV).

Indabawa said that another car snatcher, Iyanda Dauda, 32, was

arrested at a liquor joint in Ibadan, after snatching a Toyota Picnic car at gun point.

"His arrest let to the apprehension of the second suspect, Idris Tirimisiyu, 27. Also on September 10 at 9am, a Toyota Camry car was snatched by robber at a fellowship centre in the Kute Wofun Area of Ibadan. Following a distress call, our officers arrested Yinka Oyeniran, 45, and the car was recovered with another unregistered red Honda car, one Nissan Sunny car, a bunch of car keys and a cable wire. Ojo Femi, Bashiru Mujeeb and Bolaji Oladejo were also arrested in Oyo; they specialised in hijacking motorcycles."

The fake army officer, Badmus Rasheed, who specialises in extorting money from people in Oyo with an Army uniform, confessed that he was an engine operator.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

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NEWS Delta sets up committee on trade fair

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HE heavy rain, which fell on Monday, resulted in a massive flood, which submerged homes, schools and other buildings in Benin City, the Edo State capital.

Businesses were paralysed, schools shut and residents remained indoors. Workers and pupils, who went to offices and schools, got there late.

The downpour, which began about 4am and stopped about 10:30pm, caused frustration among residents as the resultant flood resulted in traffic jams with vehicles wading through water.

At 8am, many government offices were yet to open, while workers, who came to work, arrived their offices about 9am.

A visit to primary and secondary schools in the Benin City metropolis showed that many pupils were absent due to the rain.

Roads that experienced heavy traffic included Sapele Road, Airport Road, Ekenwan Road, Ugbowo and Upper Sakpoba, while some adjoining streets were blocked fol-

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Homes, schools submerged in Benin flood •Submerged escort vehicle on Ihama Road, GRA, Benin City after the downpour. Inset: Houses at Azinge Crescent, GRA, Benin City.

From Osemwengie Ben Ogbemudia, Benin

lowing the heavy rain.

Those who defied the downpour and went about their businesses had a hectic time as they

were stranded in the traffic gridlock for hours. Some resorted to trekking to their destinations.

Commercial motorists made brisk business, increasing their fares. Ring Road to Adu-

wawa, whose fare was between N70 and N100 was increased to N200, while Airport Road, which was N50, was increased to between N70 and N100.

Some of the people, who

spoke to our reporter, decried the sudden increase in fares.

They said most commercial motorists even declined to convey people to long distances.

Akpabio inaugurates 22.2 km road, other projects

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KWA Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio yesterday inaugurated developmental projects worth billions of naira as part of the activities marking the 26th anniversary of the state’s creation.

Among the projects inaugurated by the governor are VIP Guest House, Uyo, 8.7 kilometres of internal roads in Akwa Ibom Polytechnic, Ikot Osorua, Cottage Hospital, Urua Inyang in Ika, 13.5 kilometres of roads

From Kazeem Ibrahym, Uyo

in Mkpat Enin and Cottage Hospital, Okoroete in Eastern Obolo Local Government.

The projects were undertaken and completed by the government.

Inaugurating the VIP Guest House, Akpabio said the project, which is a 5-star project, was built by a five-star company, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc. The governor said: “We are building a sustainable develop-

ment because the development of the state starts from infrastructure.”

At the inauguration of internal roads in Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, Akpabio hailed Seyang Company on the handling of the road project, beautifying and controlling the flood in the school.

He also lauded the rector and the students that would benefit from the project.

The Rector, Israel Afia, who also spoke at the event, said he

was grateful to the Akpabio administration for the wonderful transformation of the school.

He described Akpabio as the best education-friendly governor in the country.

The Commissioner for Works, Don Etim, praised the Akpabio administration for developing the state.

He said the school was established in 1992 and was an eyesore before the intervention of Governor Akpabio.

The Managing Director of

Bayelsa to host World Tourism Day

Memorial lecture for slain students

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TWO-day memorial programme has been planned in honour of the four slain students of the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), on October 4 and 5.

They are, Ugonna Obuzor, Lloyd Toku Mike, Tekena Friday Elkanah and Chiadika Biringa.

This was disclosed yesterday at a news briefing in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, by the four parents.

In a statement signed and issued at the conference, the programme, which holds in

From: Rosemary Nwisi, Port Harcourt

Port Harcourt, would begin with a special gospel concert by a yet to be named artist on October 4. It would end with a memorial lecture and unveiling of a foundation in their honour on October 5.

They said the event, besides being a means to honour their late children, would serve as a means to foster their campaign against extra judicial killings in the country, poor security situation and unconducive learning environ-

ment on the campuses, with the aim of preventing a reccurrence of what happened to theirs sons.

To this end, the lecture’s topic would border on effective and innovative on-campus security, affordable oncampus hostel accommodation and societal values/morals, which is part of the objectives of the foundation.

The document, which was signed on behalf of the four parents by Mr. Toku Mike and Chief Friday Elkanah, parents of Lloyd and Tekena, was read

by Mr. Anthony Oguche.

Seyang Limited, Mr. Samuel Inyang (an engineer), said the project was completed in December 2012.

According to him, the completed projects are 8.7km of roads (single and dual carriageways), 12 km of drainages, 7.75 km of service ducts for water and electricity, 7.6 km of walkways, 0.5 km of three major storm water out walls and modern solar-powered street lights.

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AYELSA State has been given the right to host the 36th edition of the World Tourism Day slated for September 27.

Disclosing this to reporters in his office, the Bayelsa State Commissioner for Tourism, Mr. Nelson Belief, said the celebration, which is expected to hold in Yenagoa, the state capital, has as its theme: “Tourism and Water: Protecting Our Future”.

The theme, he said, is geared towards creating the needed awareness on the importance of sustainable water future by spreading the good news of how clean and readily accessible fresh water can be one of tourism’s most precious resources as well as highlight the capacity of tourism to provide environmental solution and political support for the conservation and sustainable use of fresh water.

The commissioner said the celebrations would also be used to formally inaugurate the newly- established Bayelsa State Institute of Tourism, Catering and Hotel Management in Yenagoa.

He said the event would equally feature a mini-carnival float parade with cultural dances and exhibitions by the local governments as well as a gala night where the cultural and tourism potentials of the state would be showcased at the Banquet Hall of Government House, Yenagoa.

According to Mr. Belief, Governor Henry Seriake Dickson is also expected to address a news conference where he will give an insight into some important tourist sites and government’s plans to fully harness the tourism option as a viable means of economic advancement and job creation.

The Tourism Commissioner expressed satisfaction with the governor’s personal commitment to the development of the tourism sub-sector, which has earned the state many accolades and hosting rights of local and international events, including the maiden edition of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Under Water Committee Conference scheduled to hold in the state capital on September 24.

He used the opportunity to call on Bayelsans to participate in events of the World Tourism Day, as it would afford the state and its people another opportunity to showcase their cultural endowments and traditional hospitality.

The World Tourism Day, which was established by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) in 1980, is celebrated globally on September 27 every year to provide a platform that creates worldwide awareness on the importance and contribution of tourism to the socio-economic development of member-countries.

The Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Chief Edem Duke, members of the National Assembly as well as top officials of the Federal Ministry, including the Permanent Secretary, Nkechi Ejele, are expected to be in attendance.

ELTA State Government has reiterated its determination to showcase a trade fair that would impact positively on the economy of the state.

The Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Mr. Kingsley Eze-Emu, said this in Asaba when inaugurating a 13man Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the 2013 Delta State Trade Fair in Warri.

With the theme: “Trade Beyond Oil”, the fair, Emu said, is geared towards advancing the state’s drive towards weaning its economy from dependence on revenue from crude oil.

He said the government partnered the Organised Private Sector in organising the fair so that it would be resultoriented, adding that it was key in realising the Delta beyond oil initiative of Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan in his determination to leave an enduring legacy for the indigenes.

RCCG holds programme

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HE Redeemed Christian Church of God, Jehovah Rapha Area Headquarters, is set to hold a three-day divine encounter, tagged: “Enough is Enough” at 25, Akirinlo Street, Bajulaiye, Somolu,Lagos. It is scheduled to hold todayand tomorrow from 6pm. Friday is Holy Ghost service, starting from 10pm.

The host, Rev. Gabriel Omole, said God is set to give everyone that attends the programme salvation, healing ,break through and fruitfulness.

Other ministers expected at the programme are Pastor Ola Hamzat (P.I.A), Pastor T.A Akinlabi (P.I.Z), Pastor J.O Obayemi (P.I.P),among others.

Workers insist on payment of wages From: Victor Oluwasegun and Dele Anofi, Abuja

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ACKED workers of Mainstreet Bank told federal lawmakers yesterday to assist them in securing their entitlements.

The House of Representatives Committee on Banking and Currency heard yesterday.

Although the bank was represented by Anogwi Anyanwu, its Executive Director, Operations, Committee Chairman Jones Onyereri said the bank’s Managing Director, Mrs Faith Tuedor-Matthews, must appear at the next sitting on October 2.

The bank terminated the appointments of the majority of those who were in the management rank last year, but refused to pay them their terminal benefits.

Mr. Eyo Usanga, who spoke on behalf of the aggrieved workers, told the lawmakers that they were sacked because the bank said it was restructuring.

Police warn vehicle owners

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HE Lagos State Police Command has warned owners of accidented and abandonedvehiclesparkedat the Ojodu Grammar School Division, to remove them or lose them to the public through auction after 14 days of this publication.

They are Volkswagen Golf saloon car marked XB474WDE and Nissan Primera saloon car marked FP177EKY. Also at Zone 2 Onikan, Lagos, is one Man Deisel XH878KRD.

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COMMENTARY EDITORIALS

FROM OTHER LANDS

CBN’s N.5bn donation •Again, should the apex bank continue giving away money like this?

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ENTRAL Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) decision to spend N500million on renovation and infrastructural development of Lisabi Grammar School, Abeokuta, Ogun State, has opened its flank for another round of criticism, Doing good is not inherently bad; but it raises eyebrows when a public institution like the CBN is concerned. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), as they call it, is done by many business concerns as a way of giving back to the society part of what they have taken from it.

But what they spend on CSR is usually taken from their profits. This is one reason many Nigerians believe it should not be the duty of the CBN to embark on such projects because it has no tangible

‘Yes, when a school clocks 70, like Lisabi Grammar School, it calls for celebration and retrospection.

Without doubt, if the donation had come from the old students, no one would have questioned it; irrespective of the amount involved.

Something must be wrong with whatever process that allows the CBN such latitude without appropriation by the National Assembly’

product that it sells.

As a matter of fact, that was one of the reasons many Nigerians asked questions when in February last year the apex bank donated N100million to the Kano State Government, for delivery to victims of the Boko Haram-induced violence in the state. The bank explained then that under its statute, it is empowered to make such donations, provided they are approved by its board. Consequently, there should be no issues on the Kano donation since it was approved by its board; in other words, the bank had fulfilled all righteousness. Not many Nigerians were impressed with this answer, and many people began calling for a tinkering with the autonomy of the bank in a way that would clip its wings for such expenditures.

A raging debate thus ensued, with some former governors of the bank, former finance ministers and other financial experts wading in, in defence of the CBN, to protect it from the undue influence of politicians. Somehow, a middle course was reached with some people suggesting that we should demarcate between the bank’s operational autonomy and its budgeting autonomy.

This seems sensible in that it both protects the apex bank’s autonomy to play its regulatory role in the economy as well as ensure that it submits its budgets to the National Assembly like other government agencies.

However, no further action was taken on the matter ever since. But, the donation to Lisabi Grammar School, as part of the apex bank’s development policy of

intervention in schools, has once again brought to the fore the question of how far the apex bank can go in spending money without appropriation, beyond the approval by its board? No doubt the projects for which the money was donated, which included a 200-seater capacity hall, an ultra modern library, laboratory for Physics, Chemistry and Biology; staff quarters, two boreholes as well as two buses are laudable, but should it be the business of the CBN? Being the alma mater of the bank’s deputy governor (operations), Mr. Tunde Lemo, won’t it raise question of abuse of office? In other words, would such generosity have been the school’s lot if Mr Lemo is not its product?

The fact is, N500million is a lot of money; it will go a long way in putting smiles on the faces of students and staff in some five colleges, at the rate of N100million per school. Yes, when a school clocks 70, like Lisabi Grammar School, it calls for celebration and retrospection. Without doubt, if the donation had come from the old students, no one would have questioned it; irrespective of the amount involved.

Something must be wrong with whatever process that allows the CBN such latitude without appropriation by the National Assembly. Even the government that appoints the CBN governor has oversight done on its budget by the National Assembly. The apex bank is a mere custodian of public wealth; it should not give the impression that it is its owner.

Caught in the act?

• The ICPC sting operation that caught a lowly civil service in alleged receipt of bribe is one up for anti-corruption

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ALES of petty corruption are probably as old as the civil service itself.

But a reported case of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) using a sting operation to apprehend a civil servant allegedly involved in such an act holds the promise of ending the criminal culture of silence that has fuelled that impunity for too long.

According to news reports, one Abbah Adikwu, a Grade Level 07 officer with the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC), Abuja, allegedly kept on demanding bribe before doing his legitimate duty. Another civil servant (names not mentioned) had, according to the report, been visiting the suspect’s office since 2012. His mission was to regularise his appointment. But each time, Adikwu allegedly always stonewalled his efforts, allegedly insisting on gratification before doing his job.

Adikwu’s conduct therefore compelled the unnamed colleague to lodge a complaint with the ICPC. The anti-graft body told him to play along, agree to a bribe sum and gave the complainant marked notes to pay Adikwu. But no sooner had Adikwu collected the marked bribe money than ICPC operatives swooped on him to effect his arrest.

To show Adikwu was probably not alone in his alleged pastime, some of his colleagues tried to obstruct the ICPC agents from arresting the suspect, who had earlier turned violent and tried to bolt for it. These misguided sympathisers (at

best) or accomplices (at worst) even tried to cage the ICPC agents and their quarry, until back-up security foiled their efforts.

It is however gratifying to note that both Adikwu and accomplices are cooling their heels at an ICPC facility.

Corruption often appears a huge and fearsome monster, on which virtually nothing can make a dent. But that is not true.

What appears so mighty and formidable is only an agglomeration of millions of tiny turpitudes. So, if you keep hacking at those tiny misdeeds, the chances are you are attacking the base of the worrisome monster. With persistence and focus, it just might crash.

That the unnamed Abuja civil servant shunned criminal silence and abject submission is a thing of cheer. If many people take after his bold lead, the criminals entrenched in the corrupt practice, from the messenger to the minister, would surely be less brazen. If people had always challenged requests for gratification, corruption would not today have assumed the worrisome guise of the norm, rather than the abnormal it is.

The defiant victim has also earned praise by resorting to the bounds of law and decency to trap the suspect. But he would have got nowhere if the ICPC had not risen to the occasion and supported him. On this score, the ICPC deserves praise. It should do more of that by timely responding to similar requests. To the extent that the ICPC has been perceived as somewhat less vibrant than the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), this is a move really to cheer.

But every action so far taken would amount to nought if the Adikwu matter was not pursued to its logical conclusion.

Even more than punishing the suspect if he is guilty, the innocent civil servant must get his due by getting his service regularised. The FCSC must see to that, if only to publicly demonstrate that it tolerates no bad conduct from bad eggs in its employ.

Then ICPC should bring Adikwu to speedy justice, to serve as example to others. But it must also go after bigger rogues in the civil service. Nigeria has no choice than to win the war against corruption. Otherwise, the future is bleak.

‘That the unnamed Abuja civil servant shunned criminal silence and abject submission is a thing of cheer. If many people take after his bold lead, the criminals entrenched in the corrupt practice, from the messenger to the minister, would surely be less brazen. If people had always challenged requests for gratification, corruption would not today have assumed the worrisome guise of the norm, rather than the abnormal it is’

Kenyan mall attack poses a test for the U.S.

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HE BLOODY assault on a Nairobi shopping mall by a Somali jihadist group is a consequence of Kenya’s

success in fighting Islamic extremism in East Africa. Two years ago, Kenyan troops joined an African Union force that drove the al-Shabab militia, linked to al-Qaeda, out of Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu; last year Kenyan forces joined with a local militia to oust the extremists from the southern port city of Kismayo. The result is that al-Shabab has been greatly weakened in Somalia, and a year-old federal government has the best chance in decades of stabilizing the country.

Al-Shabab has turned to staging terrorist attacks as a way of compensating for its losses.

In 2010 it bombed a soccer stadium in Uganda, another contributor to the African Union force, killing 76; in June it attacked the United Nations compound in Mogadishu, killing 15. Its latest target, an upscale complex favored by the Kenyan elite and expatriates, was well chosen: Among the 62 reported dead Monday, 48 hours into the attack, were the nephew of the Kenyan president, a popular radio host and several Western nationals.

The intent of the attack was clear: Al-Shabab says it wants to force Kenya to withdraw its troops from Somalia. Some in Kenya might sympathize with that demand. In addition to becoming a target for terrorist attacks, Kenya and its African Union partners have paid a high price for their Somalia intervention. According to the United Nations, as many as 3,000 of the African troops have been killed. By comparison, 3,300 U.S. and NATO soldiers have died in Afghanistan since 2001.

Fortunately, Kenya’s new president, Uhuru -Kenyatta, responded strongly on Sunday. “We have ashamed and defeated our attackers,” Mr. Kenyatta said. He vowed not to shrink from the fight against al-Shabab, and the country’s political leaders rallied behind him.

This is a crucial contest — and not just for Kenya. Al-Shabab is one of several al-Qaeda affiliates in an arc that stretches from Yemen to Mali, Algeria and Nigeria. The jihadists threaten to produce a string of failed states, and their transnational ambitions are growing. Al-Shabab has recruited Americans as members.

The United States, which has spent more than $1 billion in the past several years to back security and nation-building efforts in Somalia, has a big stake in Kenya’s continued commitment to counterterrorism. The Obama administration, which has carried out drone strikes and other special forces operations in Somalia, has strongly supported the African Union deployment.

U.S.-Kenya ties were strained by the election in March of Mr. Kenyatta, who has been indicted by the International Criminal Court for his role in violence that followed a 2007 presidential election. But President Obama rightly called Mr. Kenyatta on Sunday to affirm “the strong and historic partnership” between the United States and Kenya. Kenya will need both moral and material U.S. support as it recovers from this horrific event.

– Washington Post

TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief Victor Ifijeh • Editor Gbenga Omotoso •Chairman, Editorial Board Sam Omatseye •General Editor Adekunle Ade-Adeleye •Editor, Online Lekan Otufodunrin •Managing Editor Northern Operation Yusuf Alli •Managing Editor Waheed Odusile

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

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CARTOON & LETTERS

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IR: President Goodluck Jonathan’s recent attempt to shift the blame of the cesspool of corruption that has characterised his administration and the public sector on ordinary Nigerians is a pure demonstration of his administration’s lack of will, focus and sincerity to tackle this menace. It also exposed the Peoples Democratic Party’s hypocritical approach towards the fight against official graft in the country.

This ludicrous accusation by the country’s number one citizen came while making a presentation at the 54th annual conference of the Nigerian Economic Society. He told participants at the forum that Nigerians “reward corrupt practices” through their actions and conducts. According to him “I want a society where all of us will frown upon people who came up with

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Corruption: A President against the people what they are not supposed to have...”

It is unbelievable that the president said this, given his administration’s record of dining and wining with persons of questionable character. It reminds one of the Holy Writ’s admonitions to remove the speck in one’s eyes before venturing o remove the log in another’s. We need to remind the president that he does not have the moral justification to so paint us black whereas his administration

reeks with avarice.

When the president took that infamous decision to grant the excorruption convict and his kinsman, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha and other thieves, presidential pardon, despite the barrage of criticisms and public condemnation that trailed it, did it not occur to him that he was tactically endorsing this cancerous menace in the corridors of power?

Was it not this same president who recently hosted the ex-convict

Olabode George in Aso Rock for God-knows-what mission, that now turns back to accuse Nigerians of encouraging corruption by our conduct?

If, perhaps the president has forgotten so soon that some of his cabinet members are seriously facing integrity question over their alleged involvement in corrupt practices in their various ministries and yet he has refused to bat an eyelid and still keeps them around him, we will remind

Ekiti and Opeyemi’s ambition IR: With the 2014 election year at the corner in Ekiti, it would appear as if the season of hustlers has naturally been here; as if the aggrieved, frustrated, professional blackmailers and outright mischief-makers have found a rallying point in the status and ambition of Hon. Micheal Opeyemi Bamidele, an APC House of Representatives member from Ado/Irepodun/Ifelodun Constituency of Ekiti State.

His obviously legitimate ambition need not cause tension or arouse ill-will towards him and all others unduly. By playing the legitimacy card, he could have simply approached his party with his intention and waited to obtain the nomination form.

It is now known, for example, that it was the mishandling of his own ambition among his Ekiti State caucus members in the House of Reps that had led to his removal as their leader in July before the APC leadership reinstated him.

Since that event, things have not been the same with him, and it was obvious that he did not carry his party along in his ambition as would be expected. It was rather his colleagues who were reflecting the mood of his party that has since

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endorsed the incumbent governor, Kayode Fayemi, for second term at both the state and the national levels.

If Opeyemi had defied the mood of the party and, by extension, the mood of the Ekiti people, at that time and up till now, in spite of the endorsement, should there be any wonder that the man hit the brick wall when he recently sought to launch his campaign at Ado-Ekiti?.

The more disturbing, selfindicting and embarrassing aspect of that disrupted campaign show had been the fact that he was no longer operating on the platform of his political party, APC, but on

an unknown platform, Bibiire Coalition, which might indicate that he was on his way out of APC. Now, worries are that if Opeyemi is on his way out of APC, those who had believed he had destructive motives ab initio would be vindicated, and he would have crossed the Rubicon at that juncture, only to be compelled to go into existing opposition or float a brand new political party to contest against Governor Fayemi and the APC. Would he have compiled enough good reasons to ditch his party and play the spoiler? Would he ever convince the Ekiti people

that he would run a better government than the incumbent in a new political party?

Somebody should advise Opeyemi that he needs to be patient and tactful enough to retrace his steps, bow to his party and guard his political career jealously.

The change he desires is the type that can wait while the achievements of his party in government is being sung and celebrated. He has been part of the success story after all. Hasn’t he?

• Jide Oguntoye Oye-Ekiti.

him. Recall that it took the collective threat of the Senate before the former chairman of Pension Reform Task Force Team, Abdulrasheed Maina, accused of being involved in the N195 billion pension scam, was reluctantly relieved of his job by the same Presidency accusing Nigerians of supporting corruption by their actions and conducts.

One also wonders if it was ordinary Nigerians that squandered the nation’s $67billion of foreign reserves and Excess Crude Account, as recently alleged by ex-Education Minister, Obiageli Ezekwesili, an allegation the presidency is yet to debunk.

To further expose the president’s weakness and his regime’s non preparedness towards the fight against this hydra-headed monster, he also reportedly said at the event that he would not disclose the names of the individuals and private sectors that have been found wanting in this regard on the lame excuse that “ I will not want to be attacked”. This clearly shows that our president sees some individuals as more powerful than this country. Little wonder the anticorruption outfits under his regime have been literally rendered toothless and ineffective.

The president should leave the ordinary Nigerians who have become victims of his inept leadership alone. He should first deal with this malady among his officials before pointing accusing fingers to the Nigerian populace.

• Barrister Okoro Gabriel, Lagos

Police checkpoints back on Aba-Port Harcourt Expressway IR: Barely two years after the Inspector General of Police, Abubakar Mohammed broke the jinx of police obstinacy of extorting money from motorists by dismantling all illegal police checkpoints along the country’s highways and pronouncing strict punitive measures on any police officer who backslides, the practice has since returned to Aba/Port Harcourt expressway.

From Imo River Bridge in Riv-

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ers State to Alaoji in Abia State, over 10 police checkpoints are mounted there. This development would ordinarily not have been abnormal if they are there to oversee the security of life and property of the people, but they compel motorists, especially the commercial ones to dole out cash at every checkpoint.

Over the years, the Nigerian Army has never been involved in this extortion syndrome, but this

time around, the army officers working with these police officers have joined the bandwagon.

Whereas the police officers collect the toll by themselves, the soldiers engage the services of civilians to collect on their behalf.

This return of the practice at this time that the nation is battling hard to forge ahead with advanced climes should not be swept under the carpet by the federal government. There is therefore the urgent

need to nip it on the bud before it spreads over to other parts of the country.

I call on the Inspector General of Police, to detail his men to patrol the Aba/Port Harcourt expressway with a view to arresting these policemen and their military counterparts and mete out adequate disciplinary measures to them to serve as deterrent to any intending defaulters.

• Nkemakolam Gabriel Port Harcourt

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

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COMMENTS

Nigeria of nightmares or dreams; Biometrically over-captured; NEITI; NIMASA Life Jackets

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HE Al Shabaab outrageous attack on the Westgate Mall, Kenya, claiming as many as 60 lives, is a duplication of what is happening daily in Nigeria with Boko Haram and Tony the cattle/Fulani herdMarinho ers-wilful destruction of lives and properties- terrorism. In addition in Nigeria, there is political devilry, death and destruction all around deconstructing the country. The fatally flawed 1999 constitution, the disastrous over-centralisation of the Federal Government and the underdevelopment arising from Corruption, Incompetence, Negligence and Selfishness, CINS, have led us to a serious crossroads- de-amalgamation and de-Nigerianisation. At last even David Mark, longsitting senate president, has mentioned the words ‘National Conference’ without spitting but without the key word ‘Sovereign’. Nigerians need to be treated with more respect than to be thrown a political ‘bone’ when they demand their rights.

The current political restlessness is consequent to an outrageously flamboyant anti-people lifestyle of politicians and top civil servants. It has unpredictable consequences. Over 40 years of political leadership failure created a desperate generation of callous cheats, killers and politicians with mostly dangerous democratic credentials- ‘Winning by buying power’.

We suffer in ‘The Nigeria of Our Nightmares’ with governments robbing the citizens officially. Though many Nigerians of my generation have worked lifelong to help create the ‘Nigeria of Our Dreams’, it escapes us. We are urged to pay more taxes for less service. While Italian engineers are righting wronged giant Costa Concordia ships, Nigerians have deadly bumpy rides on potholed roads neglected by Nigeria’s political class.

Nigerians are slapped and punched repeatedly by the many hands and fists of government. Nigerians have been slapped stupid by poor power supply, roads and services and greedy governance. Are we now to register and tax generators, boreholes, wells and overhead tanks – by which Nigerians ‘manage’ and survive the massive corruption and incompe-

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HERE may not be a robust relationship between Ikenchukwu Aduba, the Delta State police commissioner, and news hunters in the state at the moment. Since Aduba was posted from his last duty post as Commissioner of Police, CP, Bauchi Police Command to Asaba, things seem not to be too rosy between the CP and the media in the state.

Now, the bone of contention between Aduba and the media, this time, is the recent report of the public appearance of Delta’s most wanted kidnap suspect. Recent media reports pointed to the fact that one Kelvin Ibruvwe, a kidnap kingpin who had been declared wanted a long time ago by the police in Delta state, suddenly appeared in Kokori community in Ethiope East Local Government Area of the state, where he addressed residents of the community. The photograph of the event, which was splashed in some dailies, showed the group surrounded by women and children, in a village square setting. Kelvin, who led a group of masked boys who wore military camouflage and carried assault rifles, issued a 60day ultimatum to the government on infrastructural development in his community. He was quoted as saying that they would shut down all oil wells in Urhobo communities if, at the end of the 60 days, the federal government did not grant their request.

Kelvin, who was declared wanted by security agents for allegedly masterminding high-profile kidnappings in Delta State, said his actions were to draw the government’s attention to the poverty level and neglect of the Kokori community, which, according to

tence of government? This is a TAX ON SURVIVAL, A TAX ON EXISTENCE! Nigerians are denied simple fingerprint investigation for want of a computerised Nigerian fingerprint bank. Yet Nigerians have been ‘biometric over-captured’. We have computerised biometric data banks from ID cards x 3, INEC Voter’s Cards X 2, passport registration, phone SIM card registration X each number, bank registration, PIN number, TIN number, FRSC Driver’s Licence X2, FRSC Vehicle Plate Number 2 and the New Police Vehicle Registration?

We are over-registered. The cost to government and citizens’ time and money, totals many billions. Billions will roll into the FRSC and Police but who will account for this money extorted ‘legally illegally’. If this is not 419, what is? Who will unite all biometric data banks?

Does some Nigerian actually say at a government meeting ‘Let us screw Nigerians with yet another scam? Any suggestions?

The same again? Wow, how brilliant. And remember we must not share our registration data bank with any other organisations. Swear!’

Not surprisingly, the NGO Good Governance Initiative Nigerians, GGI, confirms that Nigerians are forced to spend N2,700,000,000,000 /annum on fuelling generators. Which oil marketer will want PHCN to improve? Only a true nationalist presidential leadership will overcome corporate oil power to give us electric power, especially solar power.

Rome’s Emperor Tiberius the Tyrant was followed by the even worse Emperor Caligula the Cruel. What hope for Nigeria where the leadership is self-serving? The crassness of corruption knows no bounds in Nigeria.

But there is hope. Nigerians should send letters of encouragement to the iconic ‘People’s Lawyers’ including Femi Falana for, among other things, fighting for the rights of children to decent education and Akure-based lawyer, Morakinyo Ogele who is suing FRSC over the new number plate. They are fighting for us at their own expense. Do something yourself like fundraising for legal battles.

There is more hope. Under a ‘Safety at Sea Programme’, NIMASA’s distribution of life jackets Nembe Bonny Waterfront is a wonderful demonstration of ‘normal’. 25,000 still needed. The life jacket is to water what the Insecticide Treated Net, ITN, is to malaria.

There is even more hope. A Nigeria Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative, NEITI’s retrospective audit has re-

covered $2billion. The fear of NEITI is the beginning of wisdom. Beyond recovery, NEITI has forced industry players to play it straighter in 2013. The deterrent effect of an independent NEITI, EFCC or ICPC Desk in all top organisation will prevent much corporate and MDA corruption. Yes, it may also promote EFCC and ICPC corruption but we hope not.

We need to institute awards like GCON for NEITI- type organisations.

Stowaway boy, Daniel Oikhena was heading for America.

Unlike Zik of Africa, whose ‘humble beginnings’ led him to stow away on a ship, Daniel chose a ‘ landing gear seat’ and is due for psychiatric tests. Does anyone offer psychiatric tests to those poor youth escaping Nigeria crossing the murderous Sahara and the deadly Mediterranean to camps like Lampedusa, Italy? Does anyone offer psychiatric tests to National Assembly, NASS members voting ‘Life Salaries’ for NASS principle officers, tax exemptions, or voting themselves the highest Salaries and Perks- SAP- and corruption-ridden constitutional projects? With many unemployed psychologists we should demand psychological and psychiatric tests on government ‘uniforms’ who to go berserk daily draining Nigeria’s morale and young life-blood. How many must die to make a nation? How many farmers have been killed by Fulani in Plateau and Iseyin? And we still eat cow meat! Are we a spineless people? Ask the dead ‘Was Nigeria worth dying for?’ Politicians should stop boasting about nothing; look around the world and deliver Nigeria into the 21st Century, mentally, morally and materially!

‘Nigerians are slapped and punched repeatedly by the many hands and fists of government. Nigerians have been slapped stupid by poor power supply, roads and services and greedy governance. Are we now to register and tax generators, boreholes, wells and overhead tanks – by which Nigerians ‘manage’ and survive the massive corruption and incompetence of government?’

Delta CP and the Media him, produces the best oil in the country. He said: “We are giving this ultimatum because the cheating is too much. The federal and state governments had neglected us for so long. Now we want them to hear us because, for over 50 years, they have been drilling oil from our community which is the best oil in this country, yet we have nothing to show for it. There is hunger everywhere; graduates have no jobs. So we want the government to listen to us, and that is why we are giving them 60 days ultimatum to listen to us or else we will shut down all the well heads in the area.

If they like, they should bring soldiers. When we want to strike, no amount of security can stop us because we are not alone, and there are top people in this country and in foreign land backing us… The government must listen to us. Boko Haram will be destroying the northern part of the country while we will be destroying the South-south.

We will destroy all the well heads in Urhobo kingdom”.

A resident of the community who spoke on behalf of the youths at the event corroborated Kelvin and said: “We are here today because Kokori is suffering. There are no jobs for the youths; graduates whom their parents borrowed money to see through their tertiary education roam the streets with nothing to do; and businesses have been very slow for our market women because there is no flow of income. What we want the government to do is to build schools, hospitals, banks and cottage industries

‘Though it is a civic responsibility of citizens to alert security agencies whenever a crime is being committed, the onus is on the security agencies themselves to live up to expectations at all times’

that can employ the men and teeming youths of the community.”

Another indigene of the community, who spoke on behalf of women, said: “We thank God for using our son, Kelvin, to fight for our course. He is not a criminal, as the government of Delta State wants the world to believe.”

In a swift reaction, both the CP and the command’s spokesman, Lucky Uyabeme, debunked the story. While Aduba said the event was stage-managed and urged the public to disregard the report, Uyabeme said, “To believe such a thing is difficult - that a man declared wanted is in the community.

I cannot make any comments on that until it is confirmed”. Aduba further expressed disbelief that an event of such magnitude could hold in a small community like Kokori with the security forces not getting a wind of it. He wondered how such an event could occur without it being stopped. In his words: “Why did the media, who were present at the event, not alert the police of the event. Is it not a criminal offence to aid and abet a criminal?”

Aduba and his men may have been rattled by the report. But the crux of the matter is that the reporters who reported the incident and even backed it up with photographs had done their job creditably well.

If the police and intelligence units of the security agencies failed to live up to expectations, the blame should not be heaped on the media. In this case, the rule of division of labour must come to play.

Though it is a civic responsibility of citizens to alert security agencies whenever a crime is being committed, the onus is on the security agencies themselves to live up to expectations at all times. In this case, Aduba needs to do a thorough investigation on what really occurred in Kokori community on

that day rather than look for scapegoats. By doing that, he would further widen the gulf between the police and the media in the state.

He should look at the media as important stakeholders and partners in the war against crime in the state and the country in general. It is through the cooperation and assistance of all stakeholders that the job of fighting crime in the society can become an easy task.

Aduba, from all indications, appears to be a hardworking, humble and friendly police officer whose competence as a police officer and crime buster is never in doubt. He has matched his professionalism with a human face when dealing with subordinates and other people who have had contacts with him. Oviebo Omolabi, a senior police officer who had worked closely with him in Bauchi, spoke well about him. Omolabi, whom I have known for over two decades, was full of praises for Aduba. As a quiet, humble, decent and unassuming person himself, Omolabi’s account of Aduba’s exploit as a superior officer was very heart-warming to me. This instigated some curiosity and interest in me. My findings about Aduba everywhere I went and the calibre of people I spoke to actually convinced me that he is one of these rare cops who discharges his duties with high sense of professionalism, dedication and compassion.

However, good as Aduba may be, he has always fallen under a barrage of negative media publicity, especially since he assumed office as CP of Delta State. This does not detract from the fact that since his assumption of office in that oil-rich state of the Niger Delta, he had launched an all out war on criminals and criminality which abound in that part of the country. This, no doubt, has led to several accusations of high-handedness and extra-judi-

Dele Agekameh cial killings by a section of the public. Many of these have come in the form of hurriedly conveyed press conferences and the distribution of press releases by various groups and persons who are probably under the intense heat turned on them

by Aduba and his men. I believe the media have always been fair with their reports.

Inasmuch as I am not trying to hold brief for either Aduba, his command or the media, I do not also believe that those who have cried out against his highhandedness in handling perennial issues of criminality, especially kidnappings and armed robberies, in his area of command have been fair to him all the same. As a person who had lived for so many years in Warri, one of the major cities in the state, I have a good idea of the exploits of criminally minded people, whether youths or adults, in that part of the country.

There is no need to expatiate any further. It is a common phenomenon that runs through the entire gamut of the country where all shades of criminality now hold sway, all in the name of making money at all cost. Let us leave that for another day.

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

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COMMENTS ‘The most unfortunate issue about corruption in this great country is that the menace is increasing. The only solution is revolution; people should rise to fight the culprits to the last. Anonymous.

Whatever the messages our leaders are sending across, let us forget the past; they should bring fresh ideas that would move the nation forward. The past is history.

From Gordon Chika Nnorom, Umukabia, Abia State’

•Ribadu

For Olatunji Dare Sir, contempts for law and order, we all know, are most difficult to eradicate from the heart whose soil has not been loosened or fertilised by a sound political education: they grow there, firm as weeds among stones. It is so sad watching the PDP racing on at an everaccelerating pace to maintain peace through mutual terror, peace that is no peace at all. Dr. Goodluck Jonathan stands under a cloud until this is answered: who gave the instruction to block access to Governor Rotimi Amaechi’s fomer campaign headquarters? From O. O. Adegoke Ikhin, Edo State Please, take a look at the banner on the front page of The Nation of Thursday, September 12.

If this is how Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) lecturers ‘toil’ with our children’s education, I wonder what kind of students they are producing. Are they not toying with their own jobs? Anonymous Thanks Prof., for the stuff on PDP (Poverty Delivery People). It was, from the outset, a civillian clone of the military regime that gave birth to it. It was built on fraud. The Holy Book says a good tree does not produce a bad fruit. Only a bad tree does. That the party is self-destruct is like an armageddon foretold. Never mind the elaborate makeover currently going on, it is a house built on sand.

Have a good day. Regards! From Olu PDP is a house of commotion with the symbol of umbrella supervising impunity under its umbrella. Under the umbrella, there is ruin of law, propagation of corruption, muzzling of the opposition, misinformation of the public, and making a winner a losser. Both old and new have the same ideology but different interest. Now, who protects who? The scorpions’ and ‘snakes’ are under the umbrella stinging and biting. From Hamza Ozi Momoh, Apapa, Lagos Re: “Here, there, and yonder.” The rumpus of the umbrella for the covered and those unprotected teaches a lesson that, others in the acclaimed progressives should not slumber as such is rearing its ugly head in Ekiti and Oyo states. What people playing with ‘power’ should remember is that, it is trasient!

However, these factional politicians - new or legitimate - should stop playing with peoples’ lives as the quarrels, protests and rumpus by the legitimate and new umbrella are definitely for a selfish motive. From Lanre Oseni It’s time to realise and accept that nothing lasts forever except the grace of God. It is now time for Nigerians to wake up from sleep and slumber and do away with PDP and its cotravellers. From Aminchi Re: “Here, there, and yonder.” I pity Nigeria, a nation God blessed with abundant human and material resources is still struggling to trim the flabs of political blunders since independence. Nigeria is yet to produce peopleoriented politicians and not the kind of cult men that throng our political arena today.

Until such a time when the people’s mandate will be allowed to hold sway, the politicians, whether APC or the new PDP, will continue to hold this nation to ransome. All of them are of the same bloc. From Pastor Vin Chiagoro, Enugu For Segun Gbadegesin I think what Obasanjo meant to say was that Ibori got Ribadu sacked so Waziri benefited

from Ibori’s power. Anonymous If a woman that is not elected can make a state governed by an elected man ungovernable, what do you expect from an elected woman legislator? From Elvis Ebirim Personally, I do not really have anything against Jonathan per se. A president who is being fought against from all angles should not be expected to fold his hands and watch himself disgraced out of office, no matter what.

So, naturally, like even his accusers in his position would, he has to employ whatever means at his command to fight back, even if it means throwing decency overboard in the process. Of course, he lacked direction from the inception and seemed to realise it only when he has been boxed to a corner. God help Nigeria. From Emmanuel Egwu It is advisable we begin the national conference if it would ever come up. I doubt! We may be biting more than we can chew if we insist on a Sovereign National Conference.

What have been agitating the ethnicities’ mind from 1960 to date will be a good opening.

What should be avoided are combat, quarrel and violence. My candid opinion, however, is that the national or Sovereign National Conference is absolutely unnecessary as that is not our reason we have been dilly-dallying on development! All we need are honest, disciplined leaders, deterrence to violators of laws of the land, no matter whose ‘ox is gored.’

From Lanre Oseni Can’t the lawmakers for once enact a law against corruption, and death penalty for anybody caught enriching themselves in addition to forfeiting their property? Anonymous Let me tell you my brother, the problem of Nigeria is not Jonathan or anybody. If you sense well, you can see that the whole atmosphere is charged with confusion, accusation and counter accusation and if we do not take time, even the national conference may not settle our differences. Let us ask God to help us calm down and reason well because the government of every nation is upon HIM. From Pastor Vincent Chiagoro, Enugu.

Re: An opening. Our elders say that our minds are of three types: one is capable of thinking for itself; another is able to understand the thinking of others; and the third can neither think for itself nor understand the thinking of others. They say, it is the ‘talking drum,’ that can neither think for itself nor understand the thinking of others and a lot of our political leaders find themselves in this category. Now that there is a rethink, one hopes that all necessary machineries will be put in motion to achieve our objectives. We need to come together to discuss our differences and how to leave together in peace and harmony. The issues at stake are the restructuring of the country, and other huge challenges staring at us in the face which have so far retarded our progress and making the unity and cohesion of the country very shaky.

The bell is now ringing. From Prince Adewumi Agunloye “A show of shame”. No other name to call it or adjective to qualify it. I want to propose that, in future such act should go with a penalty on members who are captured by the cameras. The penalty should be withdrawal of such an un-honourable member by his/ her people. That will instill fear in them not to display such shameful act again. From Cornelius, Ilorin.

For Gbenga Omotoso Our politicans do not learn from the past.

What is happening now appears like a case study of First Republic. Yet, politicians would act as if it never happened before. God save us! From Gordon Chika Nnorom, Umukabia, Abia State show of shame in the house. It was caused

by Baraje and his faction they should be charge

for treason, they were inciting the house against the government. Enough is enough for their behaviour. There is law in the land if they are not satisfied with the way their party conducts their affairs they should go to court and not causing confusion here and there.

Bareje’s faction is illegal, they should know that. Anonymous God bless Nigeria. We can watch a VIP’s (very ill-mannered persons) show of shame, free. It shows the level the country has got to.

From Fred Nyananyo It is all about Jonathan’s second term bid.

He must contest and we have the right to vote for him or not at the poll. Nigerians are watching. Anonymous Still on chance meeting sir. The last time the Governor of state of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and his predecessor, Prince Oyinlola met at Ada during the burial of Eng. Mrs. Ponle, it was all smiles and hugging between the duo. Since there is no art to have mind construction in the face one may savely conclude that both of them kept the dregs within their minds. Hostility to one’s sworn enemy in a chance meeting I believe is a sign of immaturity and indication of hollow mind.

From Babatope, F. T., State of Osun Your article should have condemned that show of shame whether from Afees Adelowo or Binta Garba. Anonymous Re: Chance meetings. At no time, at least the next 20 years will they be truthful to us?

They are all the same in partially different degrees. However, they are all more selfish than they care for our welfare. I disagree that you included ex-governor Ladoja as a nonperformer under whom you said Ibadan suffered so much neglect. We all recall his persecution under majority of those partaking in the administration of Governor Ajimobi you gave a song of praise! He was lucky to have survived the acts of the Devils. Let the politicians keep politicking crudely and selfishly.

Me, I do not rely on them. I dey kampe! From Lanre Oseni.

Re: That show in the House. Dog kills dog, no be new thing! All the antics of both the acclaimed PDP and the acclaimed New PDP centred on selfishness and pomposity but not out of love for the Masses.

From Lanre Oseni.

Your write-up on the paliamentary drama is a master-piece. Please help advise the contenders of Delta-central to go back to the gym to avoid defeat especially by female fighters in the NASS. More ink to your pen bros. From Ogochukwu Kwale That show of shame in the House is embarassing. Most of our lawmakers obtained electoral victory through political godfatherism using crude means. They have no focus and nothing to contribute in the floor of the House, but to exhibit behavioural tantrums when oppotunity arises. From Achua Dibang, CRS Our political god fatherisms are worst than armed robbery. A bloody revolution is the only instrument that could restore transparent democractic values. From Akinwumi Dada, Ondo state The fight is not at interest of the masses but for their personal and selfish interest, it is sad there is no casualties. From Niyi Isaac If politics is not a game of lies, played by liars, then tell me if there has been any good luck in this Goodluck government? Though we know that the biblical Jonathan was weak to the extent that he cheaped his family’s royalhood to David. Anonymous When the ex-president desctibed the House members as roques everybody was making noise. The show of shame they displayed last Tuesday shows that they are more than roques. They are no longer doing their official duties assigned to them by their constituencies. From Hamza Ozi Momoh, Apapa, Lagos

•Obasanjo For Tunji Adegboyega God bless you concerning your article of last Sunday, ‘Like father, like son’. I wish you had also mentioned his (president’s) pardon of Alamieyeseigha, his former boss and nonreinstatement of Justice Ayo Salami.

Anonymous.

Re; ‘Like father, like son’. I was at that gathering. The opening declaration on Tuesday Sept. 17 of the Nigerian Economic Society’s 54th Annual Conference at Abuja. Mr. President said what was expected of him based on the opening address by the facilitator from the University of Columbia. Although corruption is a cankerworm here, measures are in place to deal with the perpetrators.

What is lacking is the necessary support required to nip corruption in the bud. The journalists are guilty of the failure of combating corruption. When Nuhu Ribadu was sacked, did you write against the FG? From Lanre Oseni.

Re; The President’s ‘homily’ on corruption.

Sadly, I have come to accept the truth that our President’s understanding of the various problems confronting us lacks depth. He inspires no one with any of his extempore speeches which are, most times, very pedestrian in content and delivery. No quotable quotes, phrases or sentences to remind us of the occasion. I have watched a confident Kenyan President give a short consoling but inspiring address to his people after the unfortunate bombing of a popular shopping mall and I secretly wished ours would do likewise over the incessant Boko Haram massacre and kidnappings! He should make ‘soul-stirring speeches to fellow Nigerians. Is that too difficult? See how President Obama consoles his fellow Americans after each disaster. Here, we do not matter; our intolerant politicians/leaders are only interested in power. Anonymous.

Electoral fraud is not corruption by Nigeria’s President’s definition. GEJ’s sermon is a corrupt attempt to absolve the leadership of responsibility in the festering of corruption in the land. The greater tragedy is that those ganging up to replace him are birds of the same feather. Jumbo pay and the overall conduct of NASS members attest to the fact that corruption cuts across party line. The bastardisation of oversight function, a confirmation of the fact that those in position to curb the menace are more interested in exploiting it. Talk about selfish leadership and a certain OBJ reducing EFCC to a tool of political vendetta. From Kuteyi R.R., Ondo.

Tunji, the ‘father’ and the ‘son’ are like a pastor who, while preaching on a Sunday asks his members to do as he says and not as he does. Nigerians are no fools. From Barr.

Moronkeji.

The most unfortunate issue about corruption in this great country is that the menace is increasing every now and then. The only solution is revolution; people should rise to fight the culprits to the last. Anonymous.

Whatever the messages our leaders are sending across, let us forget the past; they should bring fresh ideas that would move the nation forward. The past is history. From Gordon Chika Nnorom, Umukabia, Abia State.

‘The king’s goats’ (your column of September 15 refers) may really be untouchables to humanity; but there is an unseen hand that can touch all untouchables.

It was the hand that touched Pharaoh and removed Abacha from the throne when all hands could not touch him. From Alhaji Adey Corsim, Oshodi, Lagos.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

23

Life

25

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

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

Text only: 08023058761

Kofi Awoonor: Poet’s pen goes dry

•The late Awoonor

– SEE STORY ON PAGE 27

‘Tears of 2006 have been washed away’ – Page 37

From queen’s land with artworks – Page 39

‘Amalgamation is a blessing’ – Page 40

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

26

The Midweek Magazine

E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

Being a civil servant constrained him but he still found an outlet for the raging voice within. Pa Jacob Adebayo Adesola Mosanya found creative ways of expressing himself. Under the penname ‘Adio Mosanya’, he wrote to his heart’s desire. He did not spare bad leadership. At 84, the commentator, politician, activist, and die-hard loyalist of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, who started writing in his 20s, is still writing. His book in honour of the late sage was presented yesterday in Lagos. In this interview with EVELYN OSAGIE, he shares his life’s experience on nation-building and more.

My education

I

WAS born on March 7, 1929. But I did not start primary school until after 10 years. I was 21 years old when I entered secondary school in 1950 after my primary education at Christ Church School, Ilaro, Ogun State in 1948. This was due to polygamy. My father, who is from Ibara, Ogun State, divorced my mother when I was about four years old and so my pupilage was at the village school and I was nutured by my paternal grandmother and my father’s elder brother.

But I did not allow all that to stop me. I am very passionate about education. I wept bitterly when I could not enter Igbobi College due to late application. And I was then directed to St. Gregory’s College which I later attended. I was led there by the former Surveyor-General of Lagos State, Mr Olukunle Akinola, who was in form three, who then signed as my guardian. When I love something or someone, I write or compose something in honour of such.

My creative inspiration My writings are inspired by events that challenge my political leaning or whatever I am passionate about. I started writing in my 20s and as long as I am alive, I would continue to write. In my younger days, I wrote commentaries/articles on diverse issues in the newspapers such as West African Pilot, The Nigerian Tribune, Daily Service, Daily Times. My first article was published in The Nigerian Tribune in the 60s.

As a civil servant, I was not expected to be in politics or give opinion publicly, so I chose Adio Mosanya, which I came to be known within political and journalism circles, whereas in the Railways and labour, I was known as Jacob Adebayo Mosanya. Writing also helped me when I was into unionism.

I am passionate about the late icon, Chief Obafemi Awolowo because of his contributions to the development of the country. And I have written several books in honour of him. My book, Post-Independence Political Evolution of Western Nigeria (The Obafemi Awolowo Factor) that was launched yesterday is meant to inspire this generation to emulate the good qualities of our past heroes. It is a combination of four of my books published in the 60s and 70s - Martyrdom of Chief Obafemi Awolowo (1963), The Faults of the Yorubas (1965); Awo! The Pacesetter (1965) and Arofo Oriki Obafemi Awolowo (1969). The fifth portion of the book contains newspapers, commentaries on him by me and from newspaper columnists, especially those of The Nation like Sam Omatseye, Steve Osuji, Idowu Akinlotan (Palladium), who wrote the foreword to my book, among others.

My granddaughter, Desola Willie-Desanya, inspired me to put all my books together. She said she saw online that the Martyrdom of Chief Obafemi Awolowo was tagged “out of print”; it dawned on me that the generation for which I wrote the book are now old and others have followed. I thought it would make a good historical material for all; and through the help of Mr Babatunde Scott, formerly of The National Mirror and others, it became a reality after about three years.

My political activism It is a shame that our youths are not concerned about goings on. Unlike our days, we were concerned, politically conscious and active. We were conscious of what the government, especially that of Awolowo, was doing and were in full support. I started to play politics in Action Group (AG) while in secondary school. I was inspired by my father. When I was in secondary school, he told me to emulate two people: Headmaster of St. Pauls Catholic School, Ebute Metta, J.F Odunjo and Awolowo. I knew Awolowo while growing up because he lived in our section of Ibara. He was very brilliant and bold. It is hard to find people who are straightforward.

As I grew up, he did not dwindle.

All my political activism and activities were in Mushin. I became Chairman of the Action Group (AG) Youth Association, Mushin (1963 to 66). When Awolowo travails came in 1962, the elders disappointed. It was us, youths that were running the party at our own expense. One of our greatest motivator then was the father of Senator Ganiyu Solomon.

As a sympathiser with the AG, Lateef Jakande’s writings wre also very encouraging.

The revolution that started from Mushin, known also as Operation Wet E, was part of our contributions. Because the revolutions do not start in one day: it started germinating until it comes to boiling point. Women were also part of the revolution. Two women stood out in the struggle. They are Awolowo’s wife, Chief (Mrs) HID and the late Habibat Asabi Mogaji. Mogaji is a very great icon; the greatest mother of the Action Group. But for this type of woman, Awolowo would not have come out of prison.

She and the market women were the backbone of the party. During the time we were running AG Youth Wing, the market women stood by him and us: we were their children.

Chief HID is a heroine in her own rights. She was his most trusted partner. When her husband was carried to Lekki, she followed the husband there. She supported us too, attending most of our activities whenever she was invited.

•Pa Mosanya

•Pa Mosanya at 53 in Moscow

‘I travelled by plane 24 years after joining Civil Service’ Lamentation for the nation The situation of things in the country is lamentable. The country is not safe anymore. It became sadder and sadder watching the promises we expected when we were leaving secondary school being constantly dashed by those who call themselves politicians. As young grandaunts, then, the firmament was very bright, look at it now - hazy.

In our days, there were lots of scholarships that many like Wole Soyinka and others benefited from; but there are no more scholarships. I feel for parents sending their children to school now. We have brilliant brains but none to sponsor them.

Unemployment rate is terribly high. Then, Nigerian graduates abroad used to run back home because there was something to do at home. These days, there are not enough jobs for the graduates. It is becoming harder for a good boy/girl to get a good wife/husband due to the situation of things. In our time, buying a bike was seen as signing one’s death warrant but since it has become very hard to survive, people no longer care. Yet, they have taken away their livelihood without providing them with a substitute. There are no more government-owned industries; we are basically an importingeconomy.

Our naira has no more value. When I retired in 1987, I could not raise the only house I had into two or three storey-building because they did not pay my gratuity for over two years.

By the time they did, they had rubbished Nigerian currency.

The military boys spoilt the country. Granted there was corruption before, put the corruption then was child’s play com-

‘The situation of things in the country is lamentable. The country is not safe anymore. It became sadder and sadder watching the promises we expected when we were leaving secondary school being constantly dashed by those who call themselves politicians. As young grandaunts, then, the firmament was very bright, look at it now - hazy’

pared to what we have now. I fear if it is not contained, it could degenerate to some tragic. If petroleum dries up, what are we going to use to replace it?

My message We must have a re-think, but how do we do it? If I say prayers, then I am not sincere. True politics is being able to affect the citizenry, positively. Our leaders should emulate the examples of people like Awolowo who serve their countries selflessly and cared about the plight of the people. His book Paths to Nigeria Freedom is a must-read for those seeking to make a great country out of Nigeria. For one to love Nigeria, one must know it. Awolowo prepared himself for the greatness of Nigeria. In his time, he tried greatly to ensure that the masses are adequately catered for through his policies.

There was a wrestling bout in the House of Representatives recently. Let us note and respect other people’s idiosyncrasies and culture. As I said, my book preaches oneness: finding the way forward together with a common purpose.

Civil service years I started working as a civil servant in 1956 and put in 31 years in service. So, I understand the plights of those working as civil servants today. That civil servants are not being paid for three months is wickedness. How much do they earn? But it is not today it started. When I was in the Nigerian Railway Corporation, we were also not paid for three months. It was easy to cope. I was on Level 05 for 24 years and after retirng my pension is N19,000, which is not even up to the newspaper I buy in a month. But for my children who are helping, how would I have been able to cope? Many pensioners have no house. And yet people are constantly stealing the pension funds and nothing happens. What is more heartless? That is why many retirees die shortly after they retire.

I started trade unionism in 1977. The first time I entered the plane was during a strike in 1980. This was 24 years after I joined the Civil Service. Writing also helped me when I was in unionism, especially during the 1977 and 1980 strikes.

I was Station Master at Oshodi and we were struggling for 40 hours per week decreed by General Olusegun Obasanjo government. But the Railway management was using us to do 84 hours with no rest at weekend and did not change.

This led to the strike. I was made Station’s Chairman of the Ad-hoc Committee of Station Staff when it was obvious that our union leaders had sold out. By 1981/82, I won a Labour Scholarship to USSR.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

27

The Midweek Magazine

Kofi Awoonor: Poet’s pen goes dry

E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

KOFI AWOONOR: MARCH 13, 1935 - SEPT 2013

I

IN 2008, when the founder of Rainbow Book Club, Mrs Koko Kalango was scouting for master class facilitators at the maiden edition of Garden City Literary Festival, now Port Harcourt Literary Festival, one name that readily came to her mind was the late renowned Ghanaian poet, Prof Kofi Awoonor. And with less effort, she secured his consent to be one of the facilitators at the creative writing master class. Awoonor was in Port Harcourt on schedule and handled the master class with passion alongside Prof Wole Soyinka. Some of his works such as Songs of Sorrow, This Earth, My Brother were reference materials for participants. Like an elder statesman, he was at the festival throughout the duration providing answers to every question from participants and journalists.

The festival was held between September 24 and 28, 2008. At the University of Port Harcourt, there was excitement in the air among young and aspiring writers who were eagerly waiting to attend their different sessions. In fact, there was clapping and shouting at the English Studies Department, University of Port Harcourt, on September 8, 2008 when Prof. Soyinka’s visit to Port Harcourt for the literary festival was announced. For these young students meeting the author of the The Lion and the Jewel, their current study, was a dream comes true.

On Thursday, September 25, Prof Soyinka had a special session where he taught Drama while on the following day Awoonor taught poetry for which he is well known. Elechi Amadi handled the novel. The ‘classes’ of these master writers were filled to the brim because it was a rare privilege.

Other guest writers were Petrina Crockford, a young American writer; Okey Ndibe, national columnist and author of the bestseller Of Arrows of Rain was also at the writers’ workshop. Kaine Agary author of Yellow Yellow and Ibim Semenitari, publisher of Business Eye were also guest writers at the festival.

Awoonor’s contributions and masterly input to the creative writing workshop during the festival were commended by the organisers and the participants at the workshop. The late Awoonor’s attendance at the festival was not only a motivation for the younger writers, but it was also a reassurance that the festival has kicked off on a strong note.

With barely a month to this year’s Port Harcourt Literary Festival, which has helped Port Harcourt to win the UNESCO World Book Capital for next year, the Nigerian literary community will miss the scholar.

The Ghanaian poet and diplomat, Awoonor, died at the weekend from injuries sustained when terrorists attacked the WestGate Shopping Mall in Nairobi Kenya. Some Nigerian literary giants described the death as demise of a big chunk of humanity. An online publication, Poetry Genius wrote a poem, titled: Harlem on a winter night, as a tribute. .

“Huddled pavements, dark, the lonely wail of a police-siren moving stealthily across grey alleys of anonymity asking for food either as plasma in hospital jars, escaping fires in tenements grown cold and bitter, or seeking food in community garbage cans to escape its eternal nightmare.

Harlem, the dark dirge of America heard at evening mean alleyways of poverty, dispossession, early death in jammed doorways and creaking elevators, glaring defeat in the morning of this beautiful beautiful America.”

Nobel Laureate, Prof Soyinka, who was at the 2008 literary festival in Port Harcourt with the late Awoonor said: “Rage, rage, and rage is

•From left: Soyinka, Kalango, Awoonor and a guest at the 2008 Garden City Literary Festival

By Ozolua Uhakheme, Assistant Editor (Arts)

TRIBUTE all I feel”. A very good friend of Awoonor, it was learnt that he would have been with Awoonor in Nairobi since he was also invited to the Storymoja Hay Festival by Peter Florence. Soyinka couldn’t go to Nairobi because he had to give a lecture in Tunis.

Prof Ahmed Yerima, of the Redeemer University, and former Director-General of the National Theatre and National Trouope, said Awoonor’s death was a great loss to African literature.”He was one of the first generation writers that guided the African literature. He inspired the next generation of writers, people like me. His works in the African Writers’ Series and his poems are what opened our consciousness towards the existence of African literature. He would be greatly missed,” Yerima said.

President, Association of Nigerian Authors, Prof Remi Raji, said: “It is, indeed, sad. He was very influential. Just like Leopold Senghor, he was also a statesman who became a Ghanaian diplomat. He was very influential, especially to students of my generation. He changed his name from George Awoonor Williams to Kofi Awoonor. His novel, The earth is my brother, is known for its poetic style. His poetry was very accessible drawing from his Ewe poetic traditions.”

Poet, playwright and former General Manager, National Theatre, Prof Femi Osofisan, also said he was saddened by Awoonor’s death.

“It’s tooo sad for, as you know, he was already an old man deserving a dignified and glorious exit. But he was in Kenya for a literary event and we take that as a consolation that he fell in the line of action. May his soul rest in peace,” he said.

Former president of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Wale Okediran, said he met Awoonor through his works several years before he actually met him in person in 2008 during one of the Pan African Writers Asociation (PAWA) meeting in Acrra, Ghana.

“I was captivated by his literary dexterity and humility. For more than 30 minutes, he held the audience spellbound with his elegant poetic rendition. That same year, we were to meet again at the Garden Literary Festival in Port

Harcourt where he again gave a good account of himself. Now that he has left us even though in a very tragic circumstances, our solace is that his work wll continue to live after him,” said Okediran.

Prof Adebayo Lamikanra, essayist and poet, said in his tribute: “The violent death of one of Africa’s leading poets, Kofi Awoonor, brings to mind the saying that whilst a leper is not able to milk a cow, he retains the ability to make milk produced by another’s labour through a petulant kick at a vessel containing milk or simply by washing his stump in the milk.

“There is no doubt that the loss of Awoonor has engendered feelings of great silence, frustration and rage in the hearts of those who have had the privilege of partaking of the rich milk of poetry which flowed from the pen of this man of letters. Those responsible for his death must be regarded as lepers who, as was the case in antiquity, should be denied the fellowship of other human beings. Awoonor is dead but his works live on in the hearts of all lovers of the word.”

In his tribute, Festus Iyayi, said: “It’s tragic and sad. The terrorists have crudely torn a most valuable and an illuminating page from Africa’s unfolding book of promise and disappointment. His cruel murder in the Kenyan tragedy is one more reminder about the danger of surrendering our independence to the new slave traders spawning the neoliberal market of greed, profit, clash of civilisations and African among others. Kofi Awoonor stood against these base values in his life and his writings.

“It is ironic that he and others should lose their lives to the authors and practitioners of these base values. His family has lost a son, a father, a brother, an uncle, a husband and will miss him sorely but Africa and her writers have lost as much, if not more. We will miss his warm and his re-assuring laughter.”

Awoonor was a poet whose works combine the poetic traditions of his native Ewe people and contemporary and religious symbolism to depict Africa during the process of decolonisation.

Poet and essayist, Maxim Uzoatu, said Awoonor can never be written about in the past tense. “He is an ever present ancestor. His immortal poem, Songs of Sorrow is a classic in

‘In fact, there was clapping and shouting at the English Studies Department, University of Port Harcourt, on September 8, 2008 when Prof. Soyinka’s visit to Port Harcourt for the literary festival was announced. For these young students meeting the author of the The Lion and the Jewel, their current study, is a dream comes true’

•The late Awoonor excelsis. His novel, This Earth, My Brother, is an existential tour de force. Not even death can kill Kofi Awoonor, let alone the moronic mullahs of terror,” he said.

Writers and poets from around the world also joined in mourning the late Ghanaian poet and diplomat. Prof Awoonor, who was 78, was in the Nairobi to participate in the Storymoja Hay Festival, a celebration of writing and storytelling. He was due to perform last Saturday evening as part of a Pan-African poetry showcase.

A statement by the festival said: “We were honoured to be graced by his appearance at Storymoja Hay Festival, and deeply humbled by his desire to impart knowledge to the young festival audience. Prof Awoonor was one of Africa’s greatest voices and poets and will forever remain a beacon of knowledge and strength and hope.” The festival was brought to an end on Saturday evening “in sympathy with those who have lost their lives or were injured” and for the safety of attendees.

Prof Awoonor was joined by his countrymen at the four-day event, in what he called “the best representation of Ghanaian authors that we have ever had”. Among them were poet Nii Parkes and writer and film-maker Kwame Dawes. Both paid tribute to Prof Awoonor on Twitter, with Parkes writing: “I muse on gifts given and swiftly taken away. I waited my whole life to meet my uncle, Kofi Awoonor, and two days later he is gone.”

Dawes posted: “Kofi Awoonor’s death is a sad sad moment here in Nairobi. We have lost one of the greatest African poets and diplomats.

I’ve lost my uncle.”

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

28

The Midweek Magazine

E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

NAFEST 2013

What Bayelsa State lost in 2006 following the cancellation of that year’s National Festival For Arts and Culture (NAFEST), it regained last week, with a successful hosting of the festival.Assistant Editor Arts OZOLUA UHAKHEME reports.

T

HE festival should have taken place in 2006, but it did seven years after. Last week, Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital finally hosted the nation’s number one cultural feast, the National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFEST).

The yearly festival, which ran from last Tuesday till Saturday, was a celebration of the rich cultural heritage featuring traditional dance, music, cuisine, art and crafts, wrestling, children story-telling, colloquium, book fair and children painting and essay writing competitions.

In fact, the contingents from 23 states of the federation and Abuja displayed uniqueness of their cultural and creative endowment to the delight of distinguished personalities including President Goodluck Jonathan who was represented by Bayelsa State Governor, Henry Seriake Dickson.

Indeed, this year’s festival was unusually gagged by security officials. At every venue of the events, there are armed police, men of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps as well as private security officials with giant fierce looking dogs sniffing every guest at each entrance. Every guest to any of the events is subjected to some form of screening at the entrance to Samson Siasia Stadium, Ijaw House and Glory Land Cultural Centre, Yenagoa, venues of the festival.

Despite the heavy security presence and the early morning rain, the opening of the festival at the Samson Siasia Stadium, Yenagoa was colourful. The stadium pitch, which was covered by blue canvas to allow easy movement of participants on the wet pitch, was filled to near capacity. In particular, the cultural market and the book fair held at Gloryland Cultural Centre premises recorded huge success as exhibitors and art enthusiasts continued to throng the events in hundreds throughtout duration of the festival.

Food and souvenir vendors were not left out in the tourism business as many presented diverse art and crafts, textile materials, leather works and jewellery specially made for the festival.

It will be recalled that in 2006, at the Peace Park, Yenagoa, NAFEST was closed few minutes after it was opened following the plane crash in Makurdi, which claimed the lives of all the top military personnel on board. The plane crash occurred on the eve of the opening ceremony.

Unlike last week, while many contingents were in celebration mood, (and some still on their way to Yenagoa) the federal government through the then Secretary to Government, Rufus Ekaette called off the festival in the presence of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, who was then Governor of Bayelsa State.

Last week, all that was erased as Bayelsa State hosted the nation at the newly renovated and upgraded Samson Siasia Stadium, Gloryland Cultural Centre and the newly constructed Ijaw House.

Little wonder that President Jonathan in his remark said “the clips of what we have seen during the match past constitute an exciting display of our rich cultural heritage in a convivial atmosphere. This is indeed reassuring.”

He urged Nigerians to leverage on the NAFEST platform “in tapping and promoting the virtues of our cultural heritage, which abhors vices such as violence and indolence but encourages hardwork, peaceful co-existence and national integration.”

He used the opportunity to remind the gathering that on January 14, 2014, Nigeria will be 100 years since the amalgamation of the Southern and Northern Protectorate in 1914. “As we move towards the peak of the celebration of the Centenary, it is our collective duty to emphasize those values that bind us together and contribute towards achieving the dreams of our founding fathers,” he said.

He stressed that “a proper grasp of the people’s culture enhances understanding and smooth administration at all levels.

We also believe that for tourism to make significant contribution to the GDP, it must be driven by the people’s culture and heritage. We are happy to note the success of Nollywood that is giving Nigeria a good image in the international arena has also become a potent tool of national rebranding. This is attracting the desired global attention to our culture.”

The President assured the culture and tourism sector of con-

•Niger State’s traditional apartment at the festival

At last, NAFEST berths in Bayelsa Hosting to win

B

AYELSA State emerged overall best at this year’s 27th edition of the National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFEST). It clinched the first position in traditional storytelling, traditional wrestling, and traditional cuisine/ food fair. The festival organised by the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) was held at the Gloryland Cultural Centre, Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital between September 14 and 20.

Bayelsa state also took second position in traditional dance and music, 4thposition in Arts and Crafts, 2nd position in traditional furnished apartment, and 4th position in essay writing.

Niger State emerged the overall second having taken first in three of the competitive events; Cross Rivers State emerged as third overall best; while Ebonyi and Rivers State emerged 4th overall bests.

Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Chief Edem Duke, who was represented by the Bayelsa State Commissioner for Culture and Ijaw National Affairs, Dr. Felix Tuodulo, lauded President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan for his support, as well as government and people of Bayelsa State for successfully hosting the event.

Governor Henry Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State represented by his Deputy, Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah (rtd), while declaring the event closed, thanked the various contingents for participating adding that the annual fiesta is an asset that has contributed greatly to national development and peaceful co-existence.

It will be recalled that the first hosting of NAFEST by Bayelsa State in 2006 was aborted following the ill-fated plane crash that claimed many military officers. The event was opened and closed at the same time. tinuous support as it is recognised as one of the key drivers of “the Transformation Agenda of my administration.”

Culture and Tourism Minister, Chief Edem Duke described the festival as “a melting pot for all states of the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, as well as other stakeholders.” He noted that it is a foremost platform that celebrates the values of our cultural heritage in a uniquely Nigerian way.

The minister expressed satisfaction that steps taken to refocus the sector are yielding fruits as “we have been able to identify and harness those components of the arts and culture industry that will facilitate job creation for our teeming youth and women.

Furthermore, it has become necessary to tap from the background that led to the festival as a unity forum to apply it to our present circumstances as we work towards the total transformation of our society in all sectors.”

According to the minister, the choice of Culture, Peace and National Transformation as theme “is intended to challenge stakeholders in the sector to actively engage themselves in using our various and unique cultural products to build peace and transform our nation politically, economically and socially in the march towards achieving the Vision 20, 2020.”

Duke, however, urged stakeholders to demonstrate the best that “our culture has to offer as we earnestly seek new pathways to attract development and investment to our communities via the sector.”

The minister praised President Jonathan for “his unflinching interest and support for the growth of culture and tourism sector” just as he hailed what he termed “painstaking commitment of the 36 States Governors and the FCT Minister towards supporting cultural activities in their various domains and particularly for facilitating the participation of their contingents at NAFEST 2013.” He also commended was Governor Dickson’s “dexterity and unequalled passion” that, according to Duke, “brought Bayelsa State to national and international prominence by playing the perfect host to landmark events of great economic and cultural significance.”

The minister said: “Since we arrived Yenagoa, we have also noted the governor’s determined efforts to make the glory of Bayelsa shine forth in both human and infrastructural developments. We have also been enjoying the hospitality, industry and harmonious co-3existence of the people of Bayelsa State.”

Governor Dickson canvassed the need to begin to see NAFEST beyond the prism of just a cultural fun-fare, “but a rallying point for us to uphold and propagate our rich arts, aesthetics and cultural values.”

Apart from being instruments for promoting socio-political stability, Arts and Culture, the governor stressed, also generate revenue through tourism, thereby contributing to the nation’s economic growth. He therefore enjoined artists and cultural workers to continue to protect the values and traditions “which give us a unique identity as a people, to boost poverty reduction, wealth creation and value re-orientation in line with the federal government’s transformation agenda.”

The festival Director who is also Chief Executive Officer, National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), the organisers of the yearly culture feast, M.M. Maidugu expressed happiness that NAFEST, in addition to promoting national unity, has over the years developed to becoming an avenue for talent hunt, skill development, job creation and economic empowerment.

Programmes designed for the interrogation of the theme of the festival included traditional dance music, arts and crafts, traditional furnished apartment, traditional cuisine, traditional wrestling, as well as the colloquium component. Children’s participation was also strengthened by the inclusion of traditional storytelling, Essay writing and painting competitions. These are targeted at bringing out the creative qualities and enlightening young Nigerians on the virtues of our cultural heritage.

However, most of the competitive events at the festival are continually being shunned by the states. For example, the traditional furnished apartment attracted only five states of Osun, Niger, Bauchi, Bayelsa and Benue out of 24 states at the festival.

Even at that, many states were still constructing their apartments while the assessors were assessing the structures. Again, Niger and Benue States made use of glass and aluminium frames.

Are these part of traditional furnishing materials?

At the colloquium on Wednesday at the Sani Abacha Hall, Ijaw House discussion was led by keynote speaker, DirectorGeneral, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mike Omeri who spoke on Transforming Nigeria Through Cultural Reawakening: The imperatives of ethics and value.

Moderated by Chairman, Museums and Monuments Board, •Continued on page 37

BUSINESS

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

THE NATION

E-mail:- bussiness@thenationonlineng.net

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

-Minister of Trade and Investment, Dr Olusegun Aganga

Forecasts Niger Insurance Gross Premium - N2.73b Profit after tax - N212.95m Mutual Benefits Gross Premium - N2b Profit - N885.633m Regency Alliance Gross Premium – N812.596m Profit after tax – N256.437m Learn Africa Turnover - N1.06b Profit after tax - N58.336m Total Nigeria Turnover - N46.676 b Profit after tax - N942.1m MRS Oil Nigeria Turnover - N51.20b Profit after tax - N712 m Eterna Turnover - N27.64b Profit after tax - N563.834m Okomu Oil Palm Turnover - N2.667b Profit after tax - N1.044b Stanbic/IBTC Bank Net operating income N16.805b Profit after tax - N2.737b ASL Turnover - N1.084b Profit after tax - N101.355m GT Assurance Gross Premium - N3.892b Profit after tax - N710.62m Cornerstone Insurance Gross Premium - N1.223b Profit after tax - N80.01m Oasis Insurance Gross Premium N562.500m Profit after tax - N79.868m African Alliance INS Gross Premium - N1.215b Profit after tax - N107.213m Berger Paints Turnover - N976.303m Profit after tax - N88.258m SCOA Nigeria Turnover - N835.0m Profit after tax - N18.200m Dangote Sugar Refinery Turnover - N38.251b Profit after tax - N3.49b Studio Press Nig. Turnover - N3.375b Profit after tax - N20.422m Julius Berger Nig. Turnover - N80.125b Profit after tax - N2.55b Intercontinental Wapic Ins Gross Premium - N1.41b Profit after tax - N250.450m Equity Assurance Gross Premium - N2.45b Profit after tax - N287.283m Standard Alliance Insurance Gross Premium - N2.142b Profit after tax - N475.964m Continental Reinsurance Gross Premium - N6.917b Profit after tax - N805m PRESCO Turnover - N2.60b Profit after tax - N800.9m RT Briscoe Turnover - N4.553b

•From left: General Manager, Lagos State Electricity Board (LSEB), Mrs Demilola Ogunbiy; Lagos State Energy Ambassador, Mr MI Jude Abaga; Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Lagos State Hon. Taofiq Tijani and Permanent Secretary Lagos State Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources Mrs Regina Obasa at the briefing to launch the energy month by the Lagos State Government at Ikeja Lagos.

PHOTO: JOHN EBHOTA

CBN probes Consolidated Discount books

T

HE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is checking the books and accounts of Consolidated Discount Limited (CDL) over liquidity challenges being experienced by the company.

In a letter to CDL Interim Administrator obtained by The Nation, CBN Director of Banking Supervision, Tokunbo Martins, informed lenders and unsecured depositors of the discount house of the probe. She said the CBN will pay the principal sums constituting the deposit liabilities of CDL to them after the verification.

“This is to intimate all lenders and unsecured depositors of Consolidated Discount

T

By Collins Nweze

Limited (CDL) of on-going investigation into the books and accounts of the discount house by the CBN. We assure such lenders/unsecured depositors that the CBN shall, without prejudice, pay the principal sums constituting the deposit liabilities of CDL to such lenders / unsecured depositors after the verification expected to be concluded soon,” she said.

Tokunbo advised the lenders not to panic as no funds deposited with the discount house would be lost, adding that the investigation will be accorded ‘speedy conclusion’.

Confirming the development, Head of Research and Corporate Development, Consolidated Discounts Limited (CDL), Jimi Ogbobine, told The Nation on phone that the duration of investigation is not yet known but confirmed that the CBN team is examining the books and accounts of the discount house.

He said CDL Managing Director, Adeleke Shittu has stepped aside to allow the regulators do their work, adding that an acting managing director has been appointed.

CBN had, in July this year, withdrawn the licence of Express Discount Limited for serial abuses and failure to

meet the required minimum capital base. Tokunbo had said the revocation, which took effect from July 19, was in compliance with the provisions of Section 2(d) of the CBN Act 2007 and its mandate under the Banks and other Financial Institutions Act (BOFIA) 2004.

Information from CDL’s website said it was incorporated on November 16, 1995 as a limited liability company, and was licensed by the CBN on August 14, 1996 to carry out the functions of a discount house. CDL claims it ‘parades an array of seasoned and tested professionals to cater for the financial intermediary needs of its clients and target market.’

CDL also said it is wholly

owned by a consortium of five local banks and a leading pension fund management institution.

It said its objectives are to provide safe and secured shelter for surplus short-term funds in the financial system.

The firm said its mandate is to cater for the liquidity needs of the financial community through acceptance of placements, duly secured, and with qualify as liquid assets for statutory reporting purposes in the case of banks.

The company also said it enhances clients’ profitability by facilitating their ability to invest idle overnight balances without compromising on liquidity.

the industry. That is why you have a lot of local blending going on and low quality product circulating in the market. It is affecting the industry,” he said He lamented that many investors had invested on setting up blending plants but were unable to operate up to installed capacity because there were a lot of local blend-

ing going.

He has also stressed the need for the refineries in the country to begin the production of base oil.

Base oil are the components that are removed from crude oil. Others are diesel, kerosene, petrol, aviation fuel, vaseline, coal tar and black oil.

He said his firm provides

lubrication solution to manufacturing industries in Africa, including Dangote and Dantata and Sawoe construction.

He tasked the government to provide infrastructure in the country, adding that a good transport network system including roads, railway will allow operators to move products around at low cost.

Capacity underutilisation hits lubricant industry

HE President and Chief Executive, Bellmari Energy Limited, Wafailu Bello has said most of the lubricant companies in Nigeria have not exceeded 40 per cent of their blending capacity due to harsh operating environment.

Some of these constraints include importation of adulterated product into the country and proliferation of blending plants where people do cheap blending. He lamented that some of the importers of the product are big players who flood the market with the product through unapproved routes.

He identified lack of protection, affordable facilities and enforceable regulation to check the influx of contaminated base oil into the country as other challenges confronting the sector Wafailu has therefore urged the Federal Government to

Banks threatened as AMCON begins levy collection - P 30

By Ambrose Nnaji

ensure that the blending companies get facilities cheaply from the banks so that they can also produce good products at cheap rates that would be affordable to Nigerians.

“Due to the economic situation in the country, a lot of people seem to be tilting towards the low quality oil in

G

Guinness appoints new director

UINNESS Nigeria Plc, a leading beverage manufacturer,has appointed Andy Fennel as a non-executive director with effect from September 12, this year.

The appointment was made at a recent meeting of the company’s Board which also approved the company’s full year results for the period ended June 30, 2013.

During the meeting, the

resignation of Mr Mark Taylor from his position as a nonexecutive director was also ratified.

Guinness Nigeria Plc, Mr Babatunde Savage, Chairman, said: “We are delighted to welcome Andy to the Board and look forward to working together with him to continue to push forward our ambition to be the best performing, most trusted and respected consumer goods

Tourist Company opts to delist shares from NSE

- P32

company in Nigeria.

“Andy Fennel, who holds an honours degree in Psychology from Cardiff University, United Kingdom, was recently appointed as President/Chief Operating Officer of Diageo Africa and joins the Board having held various positions within Guinness Nigeria’s parent company, Diageo.

He joined Guinness GB in 1997 and was appointed Mar-

keting Director, Guinness (seed and developing markets) where he had responsibilityfor Guinness in the USA, Canada, Australia, Japan, Indonesia, France, Italy and Germany.

He subsequently held the roles of Global President (Smirnoff and Rum) and European Marketing Director and was most recently Chief Marketing Officer for Diageo Plc.

Selling recharge cards, making fortune - P35

30

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

MONEY

Banks threatened as AMCON Foreign reserves drop to $46b T begins levy collection B ANKS may face hard times as the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) begins to collect the mandatory 0.5 per cent levy from them.

The sinking fund levy is 0.5 per cent of banks’ total assets. It is in line with the regulatory requirement setting up the corporation.

The fee was increased from 0.3 per cent to 0.5 per cent earlier in the year. The rate hike represents about three to four per cent increase in total operating costs.

According to Renaissance Capital (RenCap), an investment and research firm, the levy’s collection may worsen the liquidity condition in the sector.

Its Associate, Africa Equity International Sales, Akintola, Akinbamidele, said: “AMCON may be looking to collect its annual levies from the banks. To date, the banks have been providing for these, but the cash has not been collected. It now looks as if these funds could be removed from the banking system, placing additional pressure on more illiquid banks.”

• AMCON CEO, Mustafa Chike-Obi Stories by Collins Nweze

He said the liquidity crunch that saw the Nigeria Interbank Offered Rate (NIBOR) climbing to 60 per cent on September 18, was caused by the delayed impact of the

increase in the Cash Reserve Requirement (CRR) for public sector deposits to 50 per cent. The policy was introduced August 7. The CRR is a portion of banks’ deposits kept with the CBN and was at 12 per cent before the present hike.

“On our estimates, that raised the blended CRR for the average Nigerian bank to 17 per cent versus Kenyans at 5.25 per cent and Ghanaians at nine per cent,” he said.

He said efficient and liquid banks, such as, GTBank could adapt and have good balance sheets, while the best in class liquid banks, with high Cash Adequacy Ratios (CAR) like Zenith, United Bank for Africa (UBA) may emerge net placers on the interbank market.

Data obtained from the Financial Market Association of Nigeria (FMDA), showed that as a result of these restrictions, NIBOR call (overnight) tenor rose 3,225 basis points to 60 per cent on September 18. The rate was at 44 per cent on September 16, from 28 per cent the previous day. The NIBOR was at average of 14 per cent before the CRR hike took effect, FMDA said.

HE foreign reserves have declined by $1 billion to $46 billion in one month. The reserves which stood at $46 billion on September 19, was $47 billion in August. It lost $1 billion within the period.

Data obtained from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) website

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Nigeria requires N25tr to fix housing problem A

BOUT N25 trillion is required to fix the country’s housing problem, according to a report by Consolidated Discount Limited (CDL), a discount house also involved in market research.

Banks, the report said, were not ready to lend developers the money, thereby compounding the problem.

The housing gap is said to be 18 million and there are fears that it is growing by two million yearly.

The report obtained by The Nation, tagged: ‘Retrogressive view on the Mortgage Refinance Company (MRC),’ said the company, established by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to assist bridge mortgage funding gap, was expected to issue N60 billion bond, which will also boost the Nigerian bond market.

The report forecast that interest rate on mortgage from lenders to

home owners would be cut by 50 per cent from the present 24 per cent to 12 per cent.

This, it said, may not necessarily translate to affordable housing for the huge low-income population that is the most affected in Nigeria’s housing problems.

The MRC supports mortgage originators, such as, Primary Mortgage Banks (PMBs) and commercial banks to increase mortgage lending by refinancing their mortgage loan portfolios.

A mortgage banker in Lagos, Michael Chinedu, said the funding deficit persists because credit for housing is limited and expensive.

“The response by commercial

banks remains too slow and huge demand for affordable housing credit remains unmet. I would like to see more banks participating in the development of this product both in terms of access and cost effectiveness,” he said.

But Assistant General Manager, Small Business Group, Skye Bank Plc, Wole Aderinkomi, said banks are weary of funding mortgage because in most of the cases, high interest rate creeps in, when sales are delayed. He said many of the homes built with borrowed funds are not sold immediately, with interest accruing to such loan. He said such interest accrual makes mortgage business not so attractive to the builders and banks.

Aderinkomi, who spoke at a Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) workshop in Lagos, said many banks consider where to invest depositors’ funds to reduce loan loss.

Bank unveils index

TANDARD Chartered Bank has launched the Standard Chartered Development Index (SCDI), according to a report titled:Measuring sustainable development.

In a statement, the bank said the report seeks to provide answers for global policy makers who are increasingly looking beyond maximising economic growth and seeking ways to define, quantify and achieve sustainable development even as they try and relate economic development with the quest for

human ‘well-being’ and ‘happiness’.

The report also wants to address issues around distribution of income and meeting the need for environmental sustainability across many of our markets in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

Head of Macroeconomic Research and the author of the report, John Calverley, said: “The idea that GDP growth is not the only thing worth pursuing is far from new but it has become much more widely recognised and researched in recent decades.”

‘How MfBs can survive’ Mr Akintola Sunday Olakunle, Managing Director, Sovereign Microfinance Bank. In this interview with BUKOLA AFOLABI, speaks on the challenges of micro finance institutions. One of such challenges, he says, is the unfavourable working condition.

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• From left: Director, Euromoney Conferences Christopher Garnett; Chief Executive Officer, Chapel Hill Denham Bolaji Balogun; Executive Director, Corporate Banking Group, FirstBank of Nigeria Ltd, Tokunbo Abiru and Chairman, Turkish-Nigerian Business Council Hakan Ozel at the Euromoney conference in Lagos.

showed that the reserves were $47.7 billion on July 1, and dropped to $47 billion on July 15. They also entered August 1 at $47 billion.

The foreign currency reserves, five years ago, in August 2008, peaked at $68 billion beforebeing but by the global financial crises.

HAT are the challenges of the micro finance bank?

The first is overhead, however doing business in Nigeria is very difficult because there is no enabling society. What is this enabling environment,? First, it is power; for instance, we have being on generator since morning and you can’t run a bank without electricity. In a month we spend like N300, 000 on diesel, so all this things added up eat deep into our capital. This things affects all microfinance banks. Overhead, staff salary and at the initial stage they asked us to get a graduate. There is no way a unit microfinance bank can operate with graduates; all we need is two graduates that can coordinate the other workers.

So when Lamido came in, he asked us to go on low key and it has being helping us for instance we have only five graduates and 30 foot soldiers. That is the way it being operated in Indonesia. Let’s say we employ a graduate for N40,000 a month, he won’t want to stoop so low to meet all this petty traders to be collecting N1000 a day daily contribution, he will want to be comparing himself with his counterparts in other commercials banks that being paid higher and are not being stressed. So we were asked to employ school cert holders who will take N20, 000 a month and will be happy to do the field work and appreciate the opportunity and it has also helped us to reduce our expenses.

How many MfBs were there before the CBN intervention and how many do we have now?

Before the intervention we had about 858 microfinance banks but now we have lesser than 300, because when CBN gave us the guidelines, most of the banks that had their license revoked found it very difficult to come back. We have to give kudos to Sanusi. He ensures that we meet once in three months to discus and I believe that by 2014, microfinance banks in Nigeria will be a role model to other countries around the world.

We send periodical report that must get to them on or before the 14th of every month; there is a lot of control and stability for the remaining microfinance banks.

How have you been coping with your primary objectives?

Before the revocation of our licence, we do give loan of N5 to

N10 million to people, but the later made us to realise that is not our primary objective, the primary objective of the microfinance bank is to borrow money out to those small scale marketers who are coming up to introduce banking to them, when Sanusi came on board, he said we can’t be operating like that, if you N1million to an individual or an organisation, they may default, and if they do, it may destabilise the organisation. But if you share that same N1million among 20 marketers, there is no way the 20 of them will default and they will appreciate it. So, microfinance banks are not meant for big players or companies. The CBN has said we should put all these local traders into different groups and that is why we have a loan called the group loan.

Five of them can form an association, after forming the organisation, they can apply for loan, we check the minutes of their meetings and make sure they part payment every week and it has helping us.

Since the restoration of your licence, what has been the impact of your bank on the economy?

When we came back on board, we had a meeting and decided to start with the schools around Mushin. We learnt that most of the parents of the students in private schools pay their ward’s school fees late. So, we sat down most of the principals and told them to arrange a meeting with the those parents so that we can approach them and help them start a small scale business so that it benefit both the parent and the school. We also assisted those private schools to pay their staff salary once they are short of cash. We give them loan of about N400, 000 and we are sure that they are schools that can pay back.

We also sponsor educational programmes. The last was the primary school quiz competition that we conduction here in Mushin and the winner carted home a term scholarship and a bicycle. We also sponsored the last festival that was held in Mushin.

I had a meeting with the Babaloja of Mushin on how we can better the lives of the traders in Mushin and how we can improve their business.

When our licence was returned, people lost the trust they had in us but after most of the offers and sponsorship, we have won their heart back.

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

MONEY

A CBN shocker • Bank moves to stop being lender of last resort The Central Bank’s pronouncement that it will from 2016 no longer be a lender of last resort is causing ripples. But operators believe it is the elixir banks need to sit up, report SIMEON EBULU and COLLINS NWEZE.

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HAT does the Central Bank mean by the statement that it will no longer be a lender of last resort from 2016? This was the poser many are seeking answer to days after the pronouncement since the bank did not say much in its explanation. To The Nation’s enquiry, it said: “What this means is that while the CBN will continue with its explicit role of lender of last resort to Deposit Money Banks, Primary Mortgage Institutions and Microfinance Banks, it will not lend for transactions from December 2016.”

However, a Senior Manager in one of the tier 1 banks, explained that being a lender of last resort means a bank going to the Central Bank to borrow because it has no other place to run, so that it can continue its business. It means that the CBN will stop performing this function for the banks in 2016. The implication is that they are asking banks to sit up.

He said it implies that the banks have to be serious at risk management to be able to see the signals when things go bad. Because if they are able to see the signals, chances are that they will know when there are problems. Since they are doing their normal business, he explained, they will still be able to hold themselves by relying on the interbank. “So, instead of relying on the CBN, they could raise funds from other banks. And they will then raise the ante, in terms of marketing network, or some other ways of sustaining themselves,” the banker said.

Don’t also forget, he stressed, that a month or so ago, the CBN also raised the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) from 12 per cent to 50 per cent. That also is in tandem with this line of thinking. So, what that also called for is creative marketing on the part of the banks so they can get more private deposit from the private sector, rather than folding their arms and waiting for connections in government.

On whether the loans advanced to the MDBs did not amount to another discount window, which the CBN frowned at when the the present leadership came on board, the banker said: “Whether it is called discount window or anything, it simply means borrowing money from the Central Bank and that’s what the apex bank wants to stop, and they are looking at it as a way of spoon feeding the banks.”

“The banks are now entirely on their own. You stand to bear the consequences of whatever calculation or miscalculation you make, because in risk management, you either get over-exposed, because you are giving so much credit that you are not expected to. When you give out so much, what do you have as backup in case anything happens? And who are the characters you are giving the loans and in what volume and into how many places?

he queried. As far as I am concerned, the CBN is trying to make sure that banks don’t get themselves into trouble, he added.

On whether this policy not crowd-out credit to the real sector, he said what is paramount is balancing of risks. His explanation: ”You know this business of banking, the whole idea is money.

Even you as an individual, you know how much effort you put in managing your own finances. Not to talk about a bank which business is all about taking in business and giving out money. So what I am saying is that it is full of challenges. It is full of risks.

“And you are dealing with human beings and you are also dealing with businesses that also have their motives. You give them loans based on certain projections.

Sometimes, they don’t work out.

How do you get back your money? he asked, saying, even if you have houses as collateral, how do you monetise those houses to bring in money within one year! So, these are the challenges that banks face, he added.

He explained the apex bank’s underlying reason for the measure, thus: “The CBN is now saying, yes what they are doing is unprecedented, a lot has happened, within the banking environment.

Having seen what has happened, especially under the current dispensation, they believe that the banks are not managing their risks properly. Risk management is it. They are telling the banks that no matter what you face, don’t come to us to borrow.”

The banker, who asked that his identity be kept out of print, said these pronouncements have implications for cost of funds.

He said since the days of consolidation, banks have attained a certain measure of bigness. “No bank is small, so it is left for the banks to know how to manage their resources,” he said, adding that in their effort to be overly profitable, or be perceived as doing well, some banks tend to be reporting hundreds of billions of profits and overstretching themselves.

He said the CBN was in the best position to monitor these things, and they know that the banks will survive even with those policies the apex bank have put in place.

• CBN Headquarters

•CBN Governor Sanusi Lamido

He agreed that cost of funds, may have gone up because of the increase in CRR, which he said has forced banks to look for deposits in other places, adding that this may have pushed the banks to raise deposit rates.

The bank’s official, said the thrust of the CBN’s pronouncement is a warning that by 2016, you cannot come to us again to borrow, insisting that the essence of it all is to help the banks operate better.

He said: “It’s not good to be spoon feeding any operator, it will make it to sit up, and be professional and ethical. If they are doing this ethically and professionally, adhering to all the tenets of corporate governance, there is no way any bank will collapse overnight.

“What it means is that instead of declaring mouth-watering profit, they will be declaring modest figures. Remember that with this policy overtime, banks will be creative and aggressive in their

marketing. They will be involved in more fund sourcing.”

He said the CBN may have been studying this system for a long period of time to know that if this is done, it will not kill the banks.

It would rather make them to sit up, arguing that the policy is not punitive at all, but that the CBN wants to make the banks to adjust and take proactive measures.

You don’t get performance in the air. The figures are there. 2012 results of the banks are there to celebrate. Soon after consolidation, many Nigerian banks were ranked among the first 1,000. By 2008, 2009 and 2010, they were no longer there, because of the challenges they were going through, but last year and this year, many of them are back on that list. That means things are getting rosy. And if you look at the average profit for all the banks, you may just mention one that did not return profit.

The banker termed the Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation’s report that only about ten Nigerian banks are healthy as a woolly statement, saying that NDIC ought to disclose the indices they used to arrive at such conclusion. “ You are in this system. which bank has collapsed, or shown signs of collapsing. For the NDIC to just say that,, what indicators did it use? Is it in terms of employment, balance sheet size, branch expansion, or what. They should have parameters for measurement,” he stated.

“That report, as you also know is not current. A lot of water may have passed under the bridge.

Now we are talking about use of money. Look at the type of money the banks raised for Dangote?

None of the banks has problem after that funding.”

He banks have become much bigger and banks are supposed to be catalysts in developing any

‘The CBN is now saying, yes what they are doing is unprecedented, a lot has happened, within the banking environment.

Having seen what has happened, especially under the current dispensation, they believe that the banks are not managing their risks properly. Risk management is it. They are telling the banks that no matter what you face, don’t come to us to borrow’

economy globally. Once they perform their intermediation role, meaning they are economic agents, so, the role of banks is to take money from one agent and give to another. The CBN is saying it wants to take government money and keep the money for government.

He said all the banks have said they are global operators and that is why they can get money from international agencies and lend.

They can also get their money outside this system. So, you cannot be waiting for CBN money. The fact that the CBN Governor mentioned it now is a warning, and that warning is positive so that banks are not taken unawares, he said.

He argued that raising the CRR is not denying the banks money per se, saying the thing is that the CBN thinks the banks are being spoonfed by having that public sector fund which the banks turnaround to lend to the various government entities again. So, these are the things the CBN is trying to stop, he said.

Also, Head, Market Risk, Greenwich Trust Limited, Babatunde Obaniyi, said the CBN’s plan to stop lending to the banks is a positive development. He said the policy has more upside than challenges. He said the banks have become lazy, relying more on government funds and using it to buy treasury bills.

He said such action, does not develop any economy and should be checked. He said the banks should go into rural banking and get cheap deposits that they can lend at low interest rate. He said there is so much for the banks to gain by sourcing for cheap funds instead of relying on the CBN credit.

Obaniyi said banks should deepen their retail structure, and support lending to small businesses.

Head of Research and Corporate Development, Consolidated Discounts Limited (CDL), Mr. Jimi Ogbobine, said the financial market thrives on information, adding that once the CBN made the declaration on stopping to lend to banks by 2016, the banks are already analysing the risks involved.

He said the only way to ensure that the policy does not have a damaging effect in the financial system, means all hands must be on deck to support the CBN financial inclusion strategy, adding that the policy will motivate the banks to source for more funds that are cheaper and long-term in nature.

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

THE NATION INVESTORS

Tourist Company opts to delist shares from NSE T OURIST Company of Nigeria (TCN) Plc has opted to delist its shares from the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) instead of issuance of new shares or sale of existing shares to dilute shareholdings of the core investors in the hotel and tourism company and release 20 per cent equity stake to the general investing public.

A status report obtained by The Nation showed that the core investors in TCN, which owns the palatial Federal Palace Hotel & Casino based in Victoria Island, Lagos, have decided to voluntarily delist the company after the Exchange flagged the company for failing to maintain the minimum 20 per cent free float required to sustain its listing at the NSE. The Nation had exclusively reported that Tourist Company, Union Bank of Nigeria (UBN) Plc, Dangote Cement and Studio Press were in default of the listing rule that requires quoted companies on the main board of the NSE to maintain a 20 per cent public free float.

Public float is technically a synonym of public shareholder and it

Stories by Taofik Salako

refers to the shares of a quoted company held by ordinary shareholders other than those directly or indirectly held by its parent, subsidiary or associate companies or any subsidiaries or associates of its parent company; its directors who are holding office as directors of the entity and their close family members and any single individual or institutional shareholder holding a statutorily significant stake, which is five per cent and above in Nigeria.

Thus, public shareholders and public float do not include shareholders or shares held directly or indirectly by any officer, director, controlling shareholder or other concentrated, affiliated or family holdings.

The recently revised listing rules of the NSE stipulates that the public shall hold a minimum of 20 per cent of each class of equity securities of a company quoted on the main board, 15 per cent of each class of equity securities of a company

National Assembly promises to improve business climate

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HE National Assembly has pledged to improve the operating environment for industries.

Chairman, House of Representatives’ Committee on Industries, Hon. Mohammed Onawo, said the National Assembly understands the challenges facing companies in terms of infrastructure and it is working to improve the operating environment for companies.

Speaking during a visit to PZ Cussons Nigeria, Onawo said the legislators were considering appropriate legislative steps to improve operating environment for companies.

The courtesy visit to PZ Cussons Nigeria was part of the Committee’s oversight function on Industrial Training Fund (ITF) and it was specifically meant to appreciate the company’s prompt statutory contribution and support to ITF in human resource training and development.

Onawo commended industries like PZ Cussons, who in spite of these challenges, continue to cre-

ate employment for teeming youth in the country.

He urged the company to provide more support to the Fund through provision of information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure and other equipment to assist ITF in realising its goals of training young graduates.

According to him, the company will benefit from the pool of trained youth.

In her opening remarks, Director, Human Resources, PZ Cussons Nigeria, Ms. Joyce Folake Coker, thanked the Committee for recognising the contribution of PZ Cussons and for finding it worthy of the visit.

She gave an overview of the company’s activities including her new investments and strides in employee engagement and capacity building.

She noted that these investments underscore the commitment of the company to economy.

Executive Director, Corporate Affairs and Administration, Mrs. Yomi Ifaturoti, pointed out that PZ Cussons’ activities have gone beyond production and sales of

quoted on the Alternative Securities Market (ASeM) and 10 per cent of each class of equity securities of a dual-listed company. Prior to the review, the minimum public float for the main board of NSE was 25 per cent.

The Nation had reported that TCN has the highest deficiency rate of 18.69 per cent and the core investors would have to divest some 420 million ordinary shares or issue proportionate supplementary shares to dilute their shareholdings.

The latest NSE report indicated that the core investors in TCN opted not to dilute or sell their shareholdings and have filed for voluntary delisting as a way out of the free float deficiency.

The delisting of TCN will significantly reduce the profile of the hotels and lodging subsector at the NSE. The most capitalised stock in the subsector, TCN opened yesterday with a market capitalisation of N9.17 billion. TCN has 2.246 billion ordinary shares of 50 kobo each with current market consideration

of about N4.08 per share.

However, TCN has struggled with high costs in recent period, although it appears to be on the verge of a breakeven. Third quarter report for the period ended March 31, 2013 showed a net loss of N52.09 million on a turnover of N942.05 million as against net loss of N147.47 million recorded on a turnover of N789.01 million in comparable period of 2012. It had posted a net loss of N522.25 million for the year ended June 30, 2012.

The directors of TCN had initially applied to the NSE for an extended period to comply with the 20 per cent free float. The NSE had given February 28, this year as the deadline for TCN to regularise its public float.

NSE indicated that the timelines for the compliance with the 20 per cent minimum public float were given to the company after it had applied for waivers from the Quotations Committee of the NSE. The company was said to have outlined plans to meet the minimum public float, which the NSE took into consideration in extending the

timeframe for it to comply with the minimum public float.

By the expiration of the deadlines, the core investors were mandatorily required to have completed partial divestments or dilution of their shareholdings to free 20 per cent equity stake for public holding, unless the management of the NSE grants fresh waivers and extensions for the companies. In the extreme instance, a company with deficient public float may opt to delist its shares.

Any company granted a waiver under the free float is however required to provide quarterly disclosure reports to the NSE on the efforts being made to fully comply by the deadlines.

Stock markets maintain minimum public float to prevent undue concentration of securities in the hands of the core investors and related interests, a situation that can make the stock to be susceptible to price manipulation. Besides, it provides the general investing public with opportunity to reasonably partake in the wealth creation by private enterprises.

•From left: Hon. Onawo; Ms. Coker; Mr Goma during the visit.

renown house hold products and payment of statutory dues to encompass the wellbeing of the larger society through impactful corporate social responsibility projects.

According to her, the company undertakes projects in appreciation of her host communities in the areas of education, health,

provision of potable drinking water and road development.

“We are sponsoring PZ Cussons Chemistry Challenge to encourage secondary school students in the study of science education,” Ifaturoti said.

Managing Director, Family Care, PZ Cussons Nigeria, Mr Alex Goma said the Committee to

consider the impassable state of Ikorodu–Shagamu road urging the legislators to take up the matter with Federal Ministry of Works and Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) to improve its condition to enhance productivity.

According to him, the road requires urgent attention.

Securities regulators move to check cross-border crimes

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HE International Organisation of Securities Commissions (IOSCO), the umbrella body for capital market regulators, has strengthened its information-sharing and cooperation framework to curb cross-border financial services misconduct that can weaken global markets and undermine investor confidence.

IOSCO has adopted measures to encourage non-signatory members to sign the IOSCO Multilateral Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation and exchange of information, which was established in 2002, to fight the cross-border financial misdemeanours and encourage cooperation across jurisdictions.

IOSCO approved a resolution that calls for gradually restricting opportunities of non-signatory members to influence key IOSCO decisions due to the limited support they can provide to IOSCO´s enforcement efforts, noting that as long as jurisdictions remain outside the international enforcement regime of the MMoU, they offer potential safe havens for wrong doers and create gaps in IOSCO´s global enforcement net-

work.

According to the resolutions, all outstanding non-signatory members will be restricted from nominating candidates from their organisation for election or appointment to leadership positions as from September 30, this year.

Also, as from March 31, 2014, all outstanding non-signatory members in leadership positions will be asked to step down while the participation of non-signatory members in IOSCO Policy Committees will be suspended as from June 30 2014.

The voting rights of all remaining non-signatory members will be suspended as from September 30, 2014.

Additionally, the resolution suggests that members take precautions when exercising their authorisation or supervisory and enforcement responsibilities in respect of entities or individuals linked to non-signatory jurisdictions.

Some IOSCO members already have measures to that effect in place.

The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission, for example, expects an overseas company seeking a listing on the local exchange to be

incorporated in a jurisdiction where arrangements are in place to ensure reasonable regulatory cooperation.

India requires foreign investors in Indian mutual funds and equity shares to fulfill criteria, including being “resident in a country that is a signatory to IOSCO´s MMoU or a signatory of a bilateral MoU with” the Securities and Exchange Board of India.

The resolution may lead members to think carefully before deciding to cooperate with non MMoU signatories and to consider whether to request additional assurances or conditions before assisting non-signatories or providing information.

IOSCO had in February published a list of members who had not yet signed the MMoU. IOSCO also pledged to provide a comprehensive program of technical assistance and political support to non-signatory members who required it.

The MMoU provides a vehicle through which securities regulators share with each other essential investigative material, such as beneficial ownership information, and securities and derivatives transaction records, including bank and broker-

age records. It sets out specific requirements for the exchange of information, ensuring that no domestic banking secrecy, blocking laws or regulations prevent the provision of enforcement information among securities regulators.

IOSCO stated that the resolution would encourage national governments and parliaments to adopt the measures that support securities commissions in their efforts to comply with the MMoU. Twenty-eight members still need to sign the MMoU, and the list of members who have formally expressed their commitment to seek the legislative and administrative changes necessary for achieving the MMoU compliance is 23.

The Institut Nacional Andorrà de Finances [1] (INAF) and the State Securities Commission of Vietnam (SSC),had last week formally signed the MMoU, bringing the number of signatories to 97 out of a total of 125 eligible IOSCO members.

Nigeria is a member of the board of IOSCO. The board is the governing and standard-setting body of IOSCO and is made up of 32 securities regulators. Other members in-

•DG, SEC, Arunma-Oteh

cluded securities regulatory authorities of Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, the Netherlands, Ontario, Pakistan, Portugal, Quebec, Romania, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom and the United States.

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

MARITIME

How to decongest ports, S by freight forwarders

Dredgers urge govt to enforce regulations

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OW can the ports be decon gested? It is by directing, regulating and advisory agencies to scale up the implementation of sanctions against erring port users, say freight forwarders.

According to the National Association of Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), the congestion at the ports is artificial and caused by human errors. The congestion, it said, was “largely due” to non-compliance with import guidelines and regulations.

The founder, Boniface Aniebonam, said the group supported the discretionary measures taken by operators, including the Customs, which has resorted to physical examination of cargoes in the event of equipment failure. He added that whatever can reduce ports congestion in the interim was acceptable pending when the industry gets the scanning and examination equipment right.

“It is a fact that one of the major problems in our ports’operations is the non-compliant attitude of port users. Nigerian shippers and freight forwarders may be continuously in default of import regulations of Nigeria. In the same vein, government agencies may appear not to have developed the professional and political will to enforce regulations with regard to import guidelines and regulations,” he said, adding that there were clear signs of human element as the

• Aniebonam Stories by Emeka Ugwuanyi, Asst. Editor

cause of problems in our port system, which, in most cases, has resulted in port congestion.

Aniebonam said corruption was another issue that needed to be tackled, as it appeared that every function was being derailed. He urged relevant government organisations and private sector operators to be discrete in the dis-

charge of their duties in the interest of the nation.

He said the ports were witnessing artificial congestion because operators could not apply due discretion in their functions, urging that Customs should continue to exercise and apply discretionary powers in risk management technique with regard to inadequate capacity of the installed hydroscanners. It is obvious that cargo throughput is more than what the scanners could handle and, as such, it shall be a good initiative to re-route cargo to physical examination to facilitate trade, he said.

Insisting that the measures would reduce congestion at the Apapa and Tin Can ports, he urged the various regulatory agencies to imbibe the concept of corrective measures rather than outright seizure of imported items.

On low installed capacity, he urged terminal operators to enter into trade agreement with one another to decongest the ports.

“NAGAFF is of the view that the solution to the various problems in our ports is in people being made to obey and respect our import/export guidelines and regulations, adding that government should be willing to enforce regulations and make the service providers and terminal operators to observe their terms of contract,” Aniebonam said.

From left: National President, Institute of Freight Forwarding of Nigeria, Zeb Ikhokide; National Secretary, Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Emma Okpara; and National President, Prince Olayiwola Shittu at a meeting in Lagos.

Ship owners accuse govt of neglect

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HE Indigenous Shipowners Association of Nigeria (ISAN) has accused the government of neglecting the sector.

The association, which has changed its name to Nigeria Shipowners Association (NISA), lamented the under-exploitation of the industry, saying the development of a virile indigenous maritime industry was capable of conserving the nation’s hard-earned foreign exchange and boosting employment.

They noted that the rapid development of shipowners’ capacities and capabilities was not among the priorities in the national agenda.

In a statement by its spokesman, Kunle Bankole, the Chairman, Chief Isaac Jolapamo, lamented that

the various recommendations designed to turn the industry around remained unrealisable because of lack of approval by President Goodluck Jonathan.

He said: “We have made presentations to the President and the National Economic Management team, through the Presidential Committee on Harnessing the Potential of the Maritime Sector for Sustainable Development. I chaired the Cabotage and Local Content sub-committee in addition to my membership of the Business Support Group representing the maritime sector.

“Our findings and experience in all of these interactions are mixed. On one hand, we have been able to raise the issue of maritime underdevelopment to the highest national gov-

ernance level. However, on the other hand, we have realised that we have a huge task on our hands to ensure we achieve our desired objective,” Jolapamo said The NISA boss said a situation where “those who have sacrificed their all to sustain this industry are now languishing in penury while foreigners and their collaborators with non-industry players continue to dictate the direction of the sector is absolutely intolerable.”

He said the continuous engagement of the highest level of the government by NISA was hinged on the belief that the association’s practical involvement would lead to policies that are beneficial to its members’ operations as maritime entrepreneurs.

TAKEHOLDERS in the dredging industry have urged the government to be committed to regulations enforcement.

After a dredging summit in Lagos, they agreed on the actions that should be taken to make the industry a revenue earner.

The summit agreed that a coastal impact assessment should be conducted before any development is allowed along the shoreline, adding that the government should enforce the regulation of the onekilometre bar against dredging around bridge piers and other public infrastructure.

It said there should be increased coastal surveillance to avoid illegal sand mining and other dangerous activities, such as dumping of toxic wastes.

The government, the stakeholders said, should ensure the inclusion of maintenance dredging as part of public sector contract for capital dredging campaigns around the country, adding that public sector agencies should insist on the inclusion of sand search report in reclamation works to avoid conflicts and losses associated with such issues.

There should be continuous training and re-training for dredging personnel, and a career growth structure and grading systems es-

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tablished as incentives for better performance, they added.

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Executive Director, Maritime Labour and Cabotage Services, Mr Nwabueze Calistus Obi, represented by the Head of Department, Maritime Labour Services, Mrs. Juliana Gunwa, stressed the importance of dredging to the maritime sector and the economy.

She said: “Dredging is the act of removing sediments or mud from the bottom of the sea or river, canals and channels, among others, to make it wider or to provide the required depth of water, by mechanical or hydraulic techniques.

Dredging is used for port developments all over the world and it enhances shipping routes and depth of water for vessels to avoid grounding and accidents.”

She noted that dredging serves as a big employer of skilled and unskilled workers. It also boosts import and export trades, and is used to shorten navigational distances for ships, thereby saving cost and time for ship owners as in Panama Canal, Kiel Canal and Suez Canal, just to mention a few.

Without dredging, this could have been very difficult to achieve, she added.

Terminal operator gets 30-day ultimatum

HE Federal Government has read the riot act to terminal operators. It gave APM Terminal a 30-day ultimatum to finetune its operations and warned others to stop treating port users shabbily.

The warning followed the importers’complaints of poor handling of cargo clearing by the operators.

Speaking during a visit to the APMT and Tin Can Island Container Terminal (TICT), Apapa, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Maritime Issues, Mr Oyewole Leke, expressed shock over the idle scanning machines at the terminal.

Leke noted inadequate equipment as the biggest challenge facing both the TICT and APMT. He said: “APMT is similar to TICT in terms of the issues, mainly the equipment is not adequate. They do not have enough equipment to position cargo for inspection, no adequate equipment to move cargoes for scanning. It surprised me to find out that scanners are virtually idle.

It is not the fault of the people working there, it is not the fault of the Customs officers it is the fault of terminal operators.

“In the cause of the tour of Tin Can, we did not see anybody move trucks to go and scan and they have lot of things waiting to be scanned, that is contrary to what we thought

is happening at the port.”

On APMT, he said: “The 30-day ultimatum became imperative as a result of the fact that Ministers have met and had agreement with them; and all they promised to do, until now they have done none. If they cannot honour the Ministers, how can they honour somebody like me. However, I’m taking this to the President.

“APMT cannot be bigger than Nigeria and the totality of the concessionaires cannot be bigger than Nigeria. We have the masses to protect; it is not their wish, it is not what they desire but it is what Nigerians want.”

Stakeholders, who participated in the tour, including players in the maritime industry, urged terminal operators to put their house in order by reinforcing their operational tools and human capital.

All the stakeholders, including truck owners, shipping agents and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) said the terminal operators should ensure that they come up with a strategy to evacuate goods and return empty containers, without hindrance to free flow of traffic.

The participants promised to come up with their position within 48 hours, which, according to Leke, would be incorporated into the President’s report for further consideration.

Firm deploys equipment for scanning

P

ORTS and Cargo Handling Services Limited (P&CHS), a member of Sifax Group, has deployed one of its 10 new Rubber Tired Gantry (RTG) in the scanning area manned by Cotecna.

The firm’s official, Oliver Omajuwa, said the new installation would enable the terminal to accommodate 400 TEUs daily, aside the 250 TEUs being handled daily at the physical examination bay. He added that the development was a remarkable improvement from the 150 TEUs that were being positioned daily for scanning. The terminal’s extension of working hours to 2200hrs daily made this possible, he said.

He said with the stationing of the RTG at the scanning area, P&CHS could receive up to 400 TEUs in a day and position same for scanning. Customers no longer line up their trucks for the scanning process. P&CHS now provides the trucks at no extra cost to them, thereby reducing, to the barest minimum, vehicular and human traffic in the scanning area of the terminal.

Omajuwa said the development has led to increased productivity by avoiding congestion in the terminals, noting that it has not only saved customers huge transportation costs but has also eliminated excess demurrage charges.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

34

BUSINESS INTERNATIONAL ‘Property boom only for the brave’

Global shares decline on Fed fear, German vote aftermath

O

N one of the most exclusive streets in Abuja sits a crumbling mansion with an unwelcoming message painted at its entrance: Beware! This house is not for sale.

The warning refers to a popular property scam. In the most elaborate version, robbers break into your house while you are away, change the locks, and then produce multiple copies of fake title deeds.

Posing as estate agents, they show buyers around your house and sell as many copies of the deeds as possible. When you get back, your house belongs to six people.

This sort of deception epitomises the tricky nature of Nigeria’s real estate business, but despite the risks, there are huge returns to be had in a market where around 16 million homes are needed just to meet current demand.

Navigating through opaque land laws, corruption, a lack of development expertise and financing, a dearth of mortgages and high building costs will take courage and influential local partners.

“There are sizeable challenges to overcome but in many ways Nigeria represents the perfect storm for real estate investment; huge population, rapid urbanisation and a growing middle-class,” said Michael Chu’di Ejekam, Director of Nigerian Real Estate at Actis, a London-based private equity firm.

Actis has $5.2 billion under management, including two subSaharan Africa real estate equity funds totaling $434 million, which it says are attracting United States and European investors.

The country’s population of nearly 170 million is bigger than Russia’s and its economy is growing at six per cent, a combination which is producing a new wave of property buyers from bankers and airline staff to mobile phone and fast food shop owners.

“I see demand from the middleclass higher than ever before,” said Deolu Dara, Associate Vice President at Nigeria-based Avante Property Asset Management, which manages several multi-million dollar residential projects in Lagos.

A successful real estate investment in Nigeria can earn an returns as high as 30-35 per cent, while rental income yields in cities such as Lagos and Abuja can easily reach 10 percent, developers and estate agents say.

Property in Lagos, a heaving metropolis of around 20 million people, can be among the most expen s i v e i n t h e w o r l d w i t h two-bedroom flats costing more than $1 million in upmarket areas.

However, the top-end range is dominated by well established players and developers should target middleincome workers in major cities, such Lagos, Abuja and the oil-hub Port Harcourt.

The most popular units fall in a p r i c e b r a c k e t o f N2 0 - 3 5 million ($123,000-$214,100), developers and estate agents say.

Nigeria’s middle class make up around 23 per cent of the population and earn around N80,000N100,000 ($490-$610) per month, according to report by investment bank Renaissance Capital.

C

G

• Minister of Transport, Sen. Idris Umar (left) with his Nigerian counterpart, Mr Saley Saidou, during the visit of a delegation from Niger Republic in Abuja ... on Monday.

U.S. to sue JPMorgan over mortgage bonds

T

HE United States Justice De partment is preparing to s u e J P M o r g a n Chase & Co over mortgage bonds it sold in the run-up to the financial crisis, a sign the bank’s legal troubles are not yet over.

A lawsuit, first reported by Reuters, could come as early, people familiar with the matter said.

JPMorgan spokesman Brian Marchiony and Justice Department spokeswoman Adora Andy Jenkins declined to comment.

The bank disclosed in August that federal prosecutors in California were conducting criminal and civil investigations into the bank’s mortgage securities.

In those investigations, government lawyers have concluded that JPMorgan committed civil violations of securities laws in offering mortgage bonds from 2005 to 2007 that were backed by subprime and other risky residential mortgages.

The expected charges come less than one week after the largest U.S. bank paid $1 billion to resolve investigations into its “London Whale” trading scandal and issues surrounding the wrongful

billing of credit-card customers.

It was not immediately clear whether the new charges would be civil, criminal or both.

A source familiar with the cases earlier told Reuters that the probes in the Eastern District of California involve mortgage bonds offered by JPMorgan itself and not those by companies it bought during the crisis such as Washington Mutual or Bear Stearns.

The case underscores the limits on JPMorgan chief executive Jamie Dimon’s ability to draw a line under the bank’s mounting regulatory headaches.

Even as the bank has attempted to move past major liability involving its London Whale trades, it continues to face a criminal probe and a lawsuit from the derivatives regulator over the matter.

The expected DOJ case is not the only U.S. probe involving the bank’s mortgage-backed securities business. Prosecutors in Philadelphia and New Jersey are also working on cases, related in part to the bank’s Bear Stearns

unit, which it acquired in 2008 at the behest of the government.

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman also sued the bank last October over mortgagebacked securities packaged and sold by Bear Stearns.

Task Force Cases This newest case comes almost two years after President Barack Obama announced a task force to probe the misconduct that fueled the 2007-2009 financial crisis, and after Attorney General Eric Holder has promised to bring big cases involving the mortgagebacked securities.

The Justice Department has faced withering criticism for bringing few marquee cases against major financial firms or their executives.

In August, the DOJ and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission sued Bank of America Corp and accused it of investor fraud in the sale of $850 million of residential mortgage-backed securities.

Bank of America is also scheduled to go to court to defend a

Fairfax consortium bids $4.7b for BlackBerry

S

MARTPHONE maker BlackBerry has agreed to go private in a $4.7 billion deal led by its biggest shareholder, allowing the on-the-go email pioneer to regroup away from public scrutiny after years of falling fortunes and slumping market share.

The $9 a share tentative offer, from a consortium led by property and casualty insurer Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd, will set a floor for any counteroffers that might emerge for Blackberry, which has been on the block since August.

As an investor, Fairfax Chief Executive Prem Watsa is often described as the Canadian Warren Buffett because he also takes the long view.

Blackberry shares peaked above $148 in June 2008 when the company’s devices were still the top choice for bankers, politicians and lawyers.

The stock, halted pending the an-

nouncement on Monday, closed below the offer price on Nasdaq, at $8.82, indicating the market’s lack of faith that other bids would emerge.

“I would think a competing buyout offer is quite unlikely,” said Elvis Picardo, strategist at Global Securities in Vancouver. “The miniscule premium, and the muted market reaction, is another indication that the market views the odds of a competing bid as slim.”

BlackBerry, based in Waterloo, Ontario, once dominated the market for secure on-your-hip email. But it introduced consumer-friendly touchscreen smartphones only after it lost the lead to Apple Inc’s iPhone and devices using Google Inc’s Android operating system.

BlackBerry has until November 4 to seek superior offers, which the Fairfax group has the right to match. The group is seeking financing from Bank of America Merrill Lynch and BMO Capi-

tal Markets to complete the deal and has until that November 4 deadline to conduct its due diligence.

A BlackBerry statement did not name members of the consortium, although many in the financial community see Canada’s deep-pocketed and influential pension funds as likely participants.

“We need to be careful given disclosure constraints, but we can say that we are focused on a strong Canadian solution,” said Fairfax spokesman Paul Rivett.

The pension funds, with assets around the world, traditionally take a long-term view in their investment decisions. Officials at the biggest funds either did not reply to requests for comment, said they had no information or declined to comment.

“We never discuss whether or not we plan to enter into any investment,” said Deborah Allan, spokeswoman for Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan.

LOBAL equities markets has declined as nagging uncer tainty over the Federal Reserve’s policy stance offset an election triumph for German leader Angela Merkel and upbeat euro zone and Chinese data.

The euro dropped after European Central Bank President Mario Draghi said euro zone interest rates will remain at current or lower levels for an extended period.

“A combination of hearing lots of Fed presidents, and people from Capitol Hill talking will always put investors in a bad mood,” said Ron Florance, deputy chief investment officer at Wells Fargo Private Bank in Scottsdale, Arizona. “None of them are providing clarity. They are just providing more uncertainty and angst.”

William Dudley, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, said on Monday that the timeline that Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke articulated in June for scaling back the central bank’s stimulus measures is “still very much intact.”

The Fed surprised financial markets last week by deciding to stick with its programme of buying Treasuries and mortgage-backed securities at a monthly pace of $85 billion, as it cited continued risks to the economy.

Two other regional Fed presidents gave speeches on Monday.

Richard Fisher, president of the Dallas Fed and a non-voter on policy this year, said last week’s unexpected decision on bond-buying hurt the central bank’s credibility.

And Dennis Lockhart, president of the Atlanta Fed, warned that America risked “losing its economic mojo” unless lawmakers worked to reverse declines in labor productivity and new job creation.

The Dow Jones industrial average .DJI ended down 49.71 points, or 0.32 per cent, at 15,401.38. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index .SPX finished down 8.07 points, or 0.47 percent, at 1,701.84. The Nasdaq Composite Index .IXIC closed down 9.44 points, or 0.25 per cent, at 3,765.29.

The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 .FTEU3 fell 0.5 percent at 1,256.11 while MSCI’s index of world shares.MIWD00000PUS was down 0.3 per cent.

World and European stock indexes hit a five-year high last week while the S&P 500 and Dow industrials hit record highs after the Fed kept policy unchanged.

Despite the strong showing by Merkel’s conservatives in Germany’s general election on Sunday, the party appeared just short of the votes needed to rule on their own, while current coalition partner the Free Democrats suffered a humiliating exit from parliament.

Stock markets also struggled after Friday’s comments by a top Fed policymaker who hinted the U.S. central bank may not wait too much longer to phase out its huge stimulus program.

Adding to concerns was the approaching October 1 deadline for Congress to avoid a government shutdown as lawmakers negotiate ahead of the end of the fiscal year on Sunday.

World Bank President expects China to hit GDP growth target

HINA should hit its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth target of 7.5 per cent this year, World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim said on Sunday.

But he warned that rising interest rates in emerging markets in response to reports that the U.S. is

preparing to scale back its quantitative easing (QE) programme show that significant risk remains.

“The rise in interest rates as a result of the announcement of the tapering of QE has exposed weaknesses in the economies of emerging markets,” he told reporters.

“Our message is very strong to

those emerging markets: think about those weaknesses and begin to move.”

Several investment banks upgraded near-term forecasts for China’s growth after a run of strong data for August, including factory output and exports, and many now have full-year growth above the

government’s official target of 7.5 per cent.

UBS, Deutsche Bank, CICC and Nomura were among the banks to upgrade their growth forecasts for 2013 after the recent data, and now all have it 7.6 per cent or higher.

Kim was in Shanghai as part of a four-day tour focusing on expand-

ing collaboration with China on climate change.

Power consumption in China, the world’s top energy user, is expected to grow more than nine percent this year, faster than the 5.5per cent growth rate in 2012, the State Electricity Regulatory Commission said in January.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

35

SMALL BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENUERSHIP

As more Nigerians buy mobile phones, the demand for accessories, such as, chargers, earphones and batteries continues to rise, creating opportunities for retailers. DANIEL ESSIET writes on one such retailer Adeoye Adebayo.

B

EFORE Adeoye Adebayo, ChiefExecutive,God’s Time Adepet Enterprise started a phone call business, he had no accommodation. He was sleeping in a make shift with an Hausa night guard at Ajegunle Bus stop, Alapado, Lagos. It was traumatic. That was in 2009. Later,his entrepreneurial spirit led him to inspire others.

He began business out of need. But he encountered several difficulties. He was determined not to end up among the growing number of unemployed young people.He looked for a way out.

He started with N7000, bought an umbrella, a chair, table and Airtel branded phone.

He sees an opportunity in the residents in the neighbourhood who have cell phones and for which they regularly buy recharge cards. He understands that they needed a supplier.

He bought cards and started helping people to make calls. He soon started to win his customers and made some savings to launch himself in telephony business. Soon, he was able to make money to rent a room. He was proud of what he was doing.

Along the line, people were making enquiries about chargers and batteries.

He bought on request.He added other accessories to the business. From his savings, he got himself a shed at the bus stop and displayed his items for sale. The business grew and he got himself a container, but was left with nothing to stock it.

A friend loaned him N50,000.

He was to pay back the money with an interest of N7,000.He couldn’t tell people that he got the money with interest so he wouldn’t be discouraged from

By Edwin Agbaike Projects/ Financial Consultant

S

•A small cell phone shop

Selling recharge cards, others, making fortune taking it. That was a big challenge.

With a brave heart, nothing is impossible, he reasoned.

He was able to repay the money with the interest six months after.

Today, besides owning a big phone store, he has a barbing salon. He has employed four staff.

Adebayo is one of the new generation of homegrown micro entrepreneurs serving the multinaira phone market. When asked about the key to his success, he said: “Adaptability, confidence and courage.”

So, it is not uncommon to see

him encouraging, orientating and advising young entrepreneurs who want to start in business.

Today, he is one of the successful entrepreneurs who inspires the youth who want to go into business and become financially independent.

As more Nigerians own mobile phones, he told them, the demand for accessories such as chargers, earphones (wireless and wired), batteries, phone pouches, USB connectors and memory cards will be on the rise.

•Adebayo

A Lagos entrepreneur, Mrs Blessing Oduopara, defies all odds to grow her business. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

‘Entrepreneurship comes with sacrifice’

•Mrs Oduopara

D

ESPITE many challenges and little support from the financial institutions, a Lagos entrepreneur,MrsBlessing Oduopara, who is Chief Executive, Kenavic Services Limited, has been able to build her own company.

She runs one of the most respected small-sized cleaning firms in Lagos.

She studied Industrial Microbiology at the Federal University of Technology,Owerri (FUTO).

On graduation, she worked in a laboratory service business. She, however, developed a passion for cleaning business. She discovered that the idea was viable and decided to

Investing in soap production

register the company as fast as possible.The business started in 2005.

When Mrs Oduopara started, she didn’t have enough capital. What she did was get the little that she was able to raise and started building. She actually needed a huge amount, considering rentals and salaries and raw materials.

She started from a three-bedroom flat. Her idea was to run a business, which helps people to clean and maintain their domestic properties and provide services to large commercial businesses. When she was not receiving enough patronage, she had to add laundry. Today,she has eight permanent and 12 contract staff.

For her, there is more to it than feeding the machine and pressing the dry clothes. Customers demand more convenience in their already busy lives. With laundry equipment, she can do more laundry in a shorter time.

Mrs Oduopara told The Nation that owners of small businesses are dealing with many challenges to thrive as independent business persons. She had times when she really had go through a difficult period to pay sala-

ries.

Another challenge is power supply to enable her to do a good job and retain clients.

Getting funds to finance the business is one of the struggles.

She said entrepreneurs face difficulties accessing finance from the banks.

Mrs Oduopara said young entrepreneurs desire a robust environment to support new ventures as they grow and develop, with adequate financing instruments specifically during the pre-seed and seed phases.

She urged the government to boost small and medium

enterprises(SMEs) credit, adding that,given the fiscal environment, the impact on SMEs’survival rates should be key issues for policymakers.

She plans to expand the market reach.

Entrepreneurship, Mrs Oduopara said, comes with a price and one must be prepared to make lots of sacrifices.

She encouraged young people to take a leap of faith and be risk takers especially when they have had the advantage of a good academic background.

“You also need to be patient and resilient. Don’t give up,”she added.

Income creation workshop holds Oct. 3

A

WORKSHOPtagged Creating stable income in an unstable economy will hold in Lagos on Thursday, October 3.

In a statement, the organisers, No Limit Team, said it was aimed at reducing unemployment.

The group’s President, Mr Jeff Emalaba said: “Our group No-Limit Team is poised to boosting the economy by bringing the growing

unemployment rate to a reasonable level through effective and practical workshop that will expose existing entrepreneurs and new ones to real life experiences.

“Our proposed workshop will parade renowned Nigerian business tycoons, who have started various businesses in Nigeria and have gone through all the challenges to become recognised brand names today.”

OAP, be it antiseptic, toilet or ordinary is a good business.

Great potential exist for any investor to make money. The major raw materials required for production include caustic soda, sodium silicate, soda ash, PKO or red palm oil, perfume and colorant. These can be sourced from the local market and exist in abundance and at all seasons.

Equipment needed include industrial mixer, sieving machine, weighing scale, measurement utensil and other auxiliaries. The technology for soap production is so simple that a primary knowledge of simple arithmetic would put a promoter through.

To begin, one needs a certain quantity of caustic soda and other chemicals mixed properly.

Added to this, one has to dilute a percentage of perfume to deodorised the odour of the soap.

Deodorant and other ingredients must be added (as percentage) to the finished mixture to produce an antiseptic soap.Those who can afford engage an industrial chemist.

This will help the business to produce the best quality soap, conforming to international standards. This stands out the product from the poorly produced soaps now flooding the market.

A well-prepared soap must be void of palm oil odour, sanities smell, shrinking water shedding, and white substance coverage. It is only on this condition that export sales can be guaranteed.

For infrastructure, a three-bed room flat would be ideal for a start. The site must have water, electricity and good access road.

The capital outlay for soap production is very low. For the project under consideration, N450,000 will be enough for a start. This amount can be scaled down or increased depending on the financial ability of the promoter. Potential investors in need of capital for implementation of this or any of our listed small-scale projects may get in touch for assistance.

A small scale project will cost between N450,000 and N1 million. This amount can be scaled down or increased depending on the financial strength of the promoter. The market includes distributors who are dealers on soap, supermarkets, factories, hotels, schools and the general public.

On the international scene, the Economic Community of West African States(ECOWAS) sub-region, central and East Africa Countries are potential/ready markets. Address of established export markets for these products are obtainable on request. To capture and maintain a fair share of the market, the company must ensure that its product is of high quality. Furthermore, the use of effective pricing, wide distributorship, constant stock and aggressive salesmen are encouraged.

A production capacity of 300 kilogrammes of solid or 2,000 litres liquid soap per day is possible for the project under consideration. This will yield a minimum turnover of N6.5 million per year out of which an after tax profit of 20 per cent N1.3 million is realisable.

For more details contact: krisedbrilliant@yahoo.com or call 08023381900.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

36

EMPOWERMENT CLINIC with

Using blue ocean strategy to make millions BOOK REVIEW Author:

Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne Publisher: Harvard Business School Publishing Reviewer: Goke Ilesanmi

GOKE ILESANMI

I

T has always been a great challenge to corporate organisations to handle competition effectively, get appreciable market share and achieve profitability. This is why I want us to examine this book titled: Blue Ocean Strategy. It is co-authored by Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne. Kim is the Boston Consulting Group Bruce D. Henderson chair professor of Strategy and International Management at INSEAD; while Renee Mauborgne is the INSEAD distinguished fellow and professor of Strategy and Management.

According to Kim and Mauborgne, companies have long engaged in head-to-head competition in search of sustained, profitable growth.

They add that companies have fought for competitive advantage, battled over market share and struggled for differentiation, yet in today’s overcrowded industries, competing head-on results in nothing but a bloody “red ocean” of rivals fighting over a shrinking profit pool. These authors say based on a study of 150 strategic moves spanning more than a hundred and thirty industries, tomorrow’s leading companies will succeed not by battling competitors, but by creating “blue oceans” of uncontested market space ripe for growth.

The text contains three parts of nine chapters.

Part one is titled: Blue ocean strategy and contains two chapters. Chapter one is tagged “Creating blue oceans”. According to Kim and Mauborgne here, it will always be important to

swim successfully in the red ocean by out-competing rivals. They expatiate that red oceans will always matter and will always be a fact of business life. These authors say but with supply exceeding demand in more industries, competing for a share of contracting markets, while necessary, will not be sufficient to sustain high performance.

In their words, “Companies need to go beyond competing. To seize new profit and growth opportunities, they also need to create blue oceans.

Unfortunately, blue oceans are largely uncharted.” These authors say although the term “Blue ocean” is new, its existence is not and it is a feature of business life, past and present. Kim and Mauborgne educate that despite the fact that economic conditions indicate the rising imperative of blue oceans, there is a general belief that the odds of success are lower when companies venture beyond existing industry space. They add that the issue now is how to succeed in blue oceans, stressing that if one lacks understanding of the opportunity-maximising and risk-minimising principles driving the creation and capturing of blue oceans, the odds will be lengthened against one’s blue ocean initiative.

Chapter two is based on the subject matter of analytical tools and frameworks. These authors say we have spent the past decade developing a set of analytical tools and frameworks in an attempt to make the formulation and execution of blue ocean strategy as systematic and actionable as competing in the red waters of known market space. Kim and Mauborgne stress that these analytics fill a central void in the field of strategy, which has developed an impressive array of tools and frameworks to compete in red oceans, such as the five forces for analysing existing industry conditions and three generic strategies, but has remained virtually silent on practical tools to excel in blue oceans.

“Instead, executives have received calls to be brave and entrepreneurial, to learn from failure, and to seek out revolutionaries. Although thought-provoking, these are not substitutes for analytics to navigate successfully in blue waters,” disclose these authors. Kim and Mauborgne add that in the absence of analytics, executives cannot be expected to act on the call to break out of existing competition. They stress that effective blue ocean strategy should be about risk minimisation and not risk-taking.

Part two is summarily tagged Formulating blue ocean strategy and covers four chapters, that is, chapters three to six. Chapter three is entitled “Reconstruct market boundaries”. According to these experts here, the first principle of blue ocean strategy is to reconstruct market boundaries to break from the competition and create blue oceans. Kim and Mauborgne submit that the challenge is to successfully identify, out of the haystack of possibilities that exist, commercially compelling blue ocean opportunities.

In chapters four to six, these authors discuss the concepts of focusing on the big picture, not the numbers; reaching beyond existing demand; and getting the strategic sequence right.

Part three is generically christened: Executing blue ocean strategy and contains three chapters.

According to these authors in chapter seven entitled “Overcome key organisational hurdles”, once a company has developed a blue ocean strategy with a profitable business model, it must execute it. They add that the challenge of execution exists, of course, for any strategy. In their words, “Companies, like individuals, often have a tough time translating thought into action whether in red or blue oceans. But compared with red ocean strategy, blue ocean strategy represents a significant departure from the status quo. It hinges on a shift from convergence in value curves at lower costs. That raises the execution bar. Managers have assured us that the challenge is steep.”

In chapters eight and nine, Kim and Mauborgne analytically X-ray the concepts of building execution into strategy and the sustainability and renewal of blue ocean strategy.

Conceptually, this text scores a pass mark in that it stresses the need to avoid wasting time on unnecessary competition symbolised by the red ocean and create a virgin space of the blue ocean to stay ahead of competition comfortably.

Stylistically, the text is a success. For instance, the choice of words employed in this text is very comprehensible and the well-researched concepts, brilliantly articulated. The creativity of these authors is confirmed by the highly suggestive and visually communicative cover design reinforcing the major subject matter of blue ocean strategy. Kim and Mauborgne meticulously use graphics for the purpose of visually enhancing understanding of readers. The title of the text is metaphoric and appealing. Also worthy of note is the use of paradox in the text.

For instance, these authors say companies must stop competing with each other, especially that the only way to beat competition is to stop trying to beat the competition. However, some ideas seem repetitive in the text. Probably Kim and Mauborgne deliberately employ this style to create emphasis.

On the whole, the text is good for everybody and organisations that are prepared for enduring success through strategic knowledge of how to take extra steps to achieve business growth and profitability.

BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

M

Professional communication and comedy/emcee business

Nigerians are very creative. Some years ago, foreign music held our airwaves hostage. But today, local music has taken over and the industry is growing. The comedy/emcee segment of the entertainment industry is growing too. We now have many “talented” comedians and emcees offering great entertainment. Entertainment is critical to effective communication. As I once said, it is difficult to achieve effective communication without entertainment. Keeping your audience entertained is critical to being able to get their full attention while disseminating your information. This explains why corporate organisations now engage the services of stand-up comedians at their events in Nigeria.

Prudence

To minimise cost in some instances, those who can function as emcee/comedian are often engaged. Today, organisations now need more than just the two-in-one emcee/ comedian, but emcee/motivational/intellectual/comical speaker (four-in-one) to offer audience all-inclusive entertainment. This is because some members of the audience may not be in the mood for conventional humour except by motivational and intellectual entertainment. The emcee/motivational/intellectual/comical speaker is somebody who can professionally coordinate proceedings, tell jokes and psychologically and intellectually motivate the audience, thus carrying everybody along.

Toastmasters International standards

Toastmasters International that trains people on effective public speaking, including coordination of social events says modernday corporate emcees for instance, must be professionals who can offer motivational, intellectual and comical entertainment in addition to the major emcee requirement of oratorical competence. To entrench this all-

By Goke Ilesanmi

round entertainment, Toastmasters International ensures that its certified members go through courses in motivational speech, intellectual development and (corporate) humour delivery guidelines, among others.

Toastmasters International condemns ignorant use of off-colour, intellectually-valueless or abusive jokes in a corporate setting by nonprofessional emcees or comedians, all in a bid to entertain the audience.

Nigeria’s standard assessment

The fact that one has natural ability to speak in public is not enough to just start without learning professional skills that will boost one’s competence. But this is very common here in Nigeria. Against the background of the Toastmasters International requirements for modern-day corporate comedians and emcees, it is a reality that a lot of training still needs to be done by Nigerian corporate comedians and emcees to become not just “talented” but “professional”. Talent alone cannot ensure competence without professional skills of delivery that can be acquired through standard professional training or through reading good books on comedy or event coordination as emcees. The question is, does the fact that one has passion for security matters make one a professional security personnel that automatically carries arms? No. But this is what obtains in the comedy/emcee business here in Nigeria. That is why you see comedians and emcees ignorantly making audience the subject of their offensive jokes. That is why you see them laughing midway into their own jokes even when audience members have not smiled. That is why they ignorantly use highly blasphemous religious jokes or do negative tribal jokes on tribes that they do not belong to. That is why most of them do (satirical) jokes against those that have invited them to perform because they did not do their audience analysis before-

hand. That is why emcees that are supposed to be timekeepers turn themselves to chief or keynote speakers and waste time on frivolities. That is why comedians trade accusations and counter-accusations on theft of jokes.

Accusations and counter-accusations

If you are a trained speaker, there is no way you will steal anybody’s jokes. This is because you will know how to develop jokes in different areas of knowledge through your training’s intellectual development module. I was invited by the Cross River State National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) as joint Keynote Speaker on Friday, May 20, 2011 to address corps members. At the dinner of the programme at Transcorp Metropolitan Hotel, Calabar, one of the comedians invited was asking if the D.J. had the CD of the Single Ladies song. He wanted to reproduce a popular dance-reinforced joke belonging to another comedian.

Comparison

Corporate comedy and emcee business is just like journalism. You need to be versatile in different areas of knowledge. This becomes imperative because your corporate jokes must be appropriate for the occasion and audience. They must be relevant. They must have lessons or be serio-comic in most cases. So, corporate comedy goes beyond JUST making people laugh. For instance, how would a bank invite you as a corporate comedian or emcee and you will start telling an over-used joke about how your parents were poor when you were young or how somebody suffering from diarrhoea rushed to the toilet and started threatening the person inside to come out or be shot? The joke maybe funny to a layman, but a professional speaker will score it zero because it is inappropriate for the occasion and irrelevant to the audience. A serio-comic joke whose lesson stresses importance of banking would have been better for the audience here.

Assessment of experience and skills

Early this year, a highly-respected comedian told a joke on phone during a phone-in programme on a radio station based in Lagos, which confirms that professional skills are critical. The presenter was praying for him on phone for granting him audience. He (the presenter) asked if the comedian was not closing his eyes for the prayer and also driving. Instead of answering Yes or No, the comedian just said “But (name withheld) has a car”. He actually mentioned the name of a popular celebrity that has a natural sight problem. I shook my head in disgust. Later, a man that also has a natural sight problem called from Iyana-Ipaja, Lagos to condemn the disability-mocking joke. The radio station apologised.

Final advice

It is heartwarming that many people are now engaged in the entertainment industry as comedians and emcees instead of being jobless. But there is need for them to undergo professional training so as to get well skilled instead of ignorantly deploying raw talent.

PS: For those making inquiries about our Public Speaking, Business Presentation and Professional Writing Skills programme, please visit the website indicated on this page for details. Till we meet on Monday.

•GOKE ILESANMI, Managing Consultant/CEO of Gokmar Communication Consulting, is an International Platinum Columnist, Certified Public Speaker/MC, Communication Specialist, Motivational Speaker and Career Management Coach.

He is also a Book Reviewer, Biographer and Editorial Consultant.

Tel: 08055068773; 08187499425 Email: gokeiles2010@gmail.com Website: www.gokeilesanmi.com

37

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

The Midweek Magazine

E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

NAFEST 2013 Overall Winners 1st Position- Bayelsa State 2nd Position-Niger State 3rd Position-Cross Rivers State 4th Position-Ebonyi/Rivers State NAFEST Awards and Prizes A. SPECIAL AWARDS Best Costumed State i. Delta State ii. Bayelsa State iii. Benue State iv. Taraba State Largest Contingent Niger State (over 250 strong contingent) Best Behaved States i.Bauchi State

ii. Anambra State iii.Sokoto State iv.Kogi State Most Consistent States at NAFEST I. Ogun State II. Katsina State III. Imo State IV. Yobe State Minister’s Golden Gong Being presented to the most impressive NAFEST Documentary Entry Kaduna State Prize Awards Traditional Dance/Music 1st Position- Imo State 2nd Position-Bayelsa State 3rd Position- Akwa Ibom State

4th Position-Cross River 2. Arts And Crafts 1st Position-Niger State 2nd Position-Benue State 3rd Position- Cross Rivers State 4th Position-Bayelsa State 3. Traditional Wrestling 1st Position- Bayelsa State 2nd Position- Niger State 3rd Position-Rivers State 4th Position- Anambra State 4. Traditional Cuisine (Food Fair) 1st Position- Bayelsa State 2nd Position-Cross Rivers State 3rd Position-Niger/Plateau States 4th Position –Benue State 5. Traditional Furnished Apartment 1st - Niger State 2nd - Bayelsa State

3rd - Osun State 4th - Bauchi State 6. Children Component (Painting, Essay and Story Telling) a. Painting 1st - Cross Rivers State 2nd –Niger State 3rd - Anambra State 4th – Rivers State b. Essay Writing 1st – Niger State 2nd – Ebonyi State 3rd – Cross Rivers State 4th – Bayelsa State c. Traditional Storytelling 1st –Bayelsa State 2nd – Ebonyi State 3rd – Rivers State 4th – Taraba State

National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO) Executive Secretary Dr. Barclays Ayakoroma, who was Executive Director, Bayelsa Arts Council, recalls how Bayelsans felt when the 2006 edition of NAFEST was cancelled following the plane crash in Makurdi that killed all the military officers on board. He spoke with Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME.

‘Tears of 2006 have been washed away’

“T

HE 2006 edition of NAFEST was special in the sense that for the first time when NAFEST was ending, the next host was known. And this was because I had strategised, made budget provision which had been approved by the House of Assembly for our hosting in 2006. NCAC at that time had no stress, they didn’t need to woo any state government to host the festival.

The budget was there and the Glory Land Cultural Centre was there too. No art council can boast of the facilities we have at Glory Land Cultural Centre. The only challenge we had then which we don’t have is the Artistes’Camp, which was over crowded because people were really enthusiastic about visiting Bayelsa. So, it was quite an awesome moment for us as we had prepared a float, which was an attraction we had also prepared to do a host component regatta with every local council in the state.

Bringing three regatta boats, we had 24 boats and the arts council had two, totalling 26 boats regatta. Unfortunately, the festival was cancelled few minutes after it was opened. As at the opening, about 24 states had arrived with about four states on their way. Ogun state contingent was inWarri during the opening ceremony. So, it was quite painful because it was an exercise in futility, all efforts and preparation coming to nothing. The hosting of NAFEST 2013 by Bayelsa is a fall-out from the aborted 2006 edition.

Members of the Culture Executive Council were concerned that they didn’t have the opportunity to enjoy Bayelsa, because that time the news of kidnapping, hostage taking common place.

But they were shocked to find the opposite when they got to Bayelsa.

So, people felt they needed to go back to Bayelsa to enjoy it. I am a fulfilled man because the tears of 2006 have been washed away. It was painful, a sad moment. I remember the debate we had in the Government House when the news of the plane crash reached us. Governor Goodluck Jonathan called Abuja, discussed with the authorities. And the compromise was that the festival should be opened so that people would not go back like that. It was done to honor the dead. It was quite understandable because the country had lost a crop of top military officers. But it was painful and since there was nothing we could do about it,

•Traditional wrestlers at the festival

we just have to live with it.

You know money has been spent before the crash and for us to start to think of hosting the festival following year would be stressful in term of funding. It would not be fair on the state to go through all that. So it was good to allow time to heal the wounded of 2006. For us in the council, wiping away the tears of 2006 came in the sponsorship of the state troupe to Paris, France where we have performed at United Nations Educational, Scientific, Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) headquarters in September 2006, the same.

The Gloryland Cultural Centre is wearing a new look and its artistes and government that will enjoy it. I am happy that a proposal I made for the centre though didn’t concentrate at that time is seen causing to past. It has made the centre more than enough for the hosting of events like this. It will be an impetus for the government to host bigger events at the centre.

With the disposition of the governor to culture, I believe the initial plan for the state to host Bayelsa Festival will now materialise.

People can see how cultural events can stimulate great economic activities. For example, NAFEST cultural markets keep expanding by the day, from the centre’s premises to the judiciary complex. In fact, people are leaving the main markets to sell at the cultural centre.

At the end of the day, the local economy will be better for it.

With adequate planning and publicity future festivals will attract tremendous reception. I thank Governor Seriake Dickson for hosting the festival and we need a Bayelsa Festival and more of it in

future.”

Hosting NAFEST this year, Executive Director, Bayelsa Arts Council, Mr Ineye Johnny Dudafa, said it was a fulfillment.

“From the day the idea was brought before the Governor, he bought the idea of hosting this year’s festival. And that simplified everything. I have attended several NAFEST since 1989, which gave me rich knowledge of experience this year given the reception and attendance. Everything I believe happens according to the will of God. My predecessor, Barclays Ayakoroma did all he could to ensure the state hosted NAFEST in 2006. But for the plane crash, it was put off. Since then we have always looked for opportunity to host the festival. It has always been my dream because the climax of council programme is NAFEST. The turn-out is okay, and I will now describe such attendance as low, it is successful. So far, we had 21 out of 36 states. I am sure every state would have loved to be here but there could be peculiar problem of release of funds. If the roll call of states had been 30, then it would have been better. However, we still worked with what we had.

“The content of the festivals wide, we have competitive and noncompetitive events, because of the number of states showing interest in competitive that has events affected the competitiveness of the events.

And by extension, it affected the contents of the festival. However, there are rooms for improvement; adopt female wrestling to create room for gender equality. I am happy that the state is hosting NAFEST during my time in the council. Grateful to God and government because this has made another statement as far as Bayelsa’s image is concerned. Efforts should be made to encourage Governors to allow their states to participate in future editions. There is much to gain,” he said.

At last, NAFEST berths in Bayelsa

•Continued from page 28

Bayelsa State, Prof. E.J. Alagoa, the discussants included Prof Bakare Ojo-Rasaki, Prof Ben Ekanem of the University of Uyo, Prof Charles Nnulim of the University of Port Harcourt, and Mrs Chinwe Abara of National Council of Art and Culture, among others.

Omeri, who was represented by NOA Director of Policy, Research and Strategy, Bonat Joab Tagwai, underscored the belief that people should be the object and subject of national transformation. “This implies that for transformation to succeed, the people must actively participate in the process. However, for people to drive the transformation process effectively, the right orientation, character and discipline must be in place. Unfortunately, age long and cherished societal values that are needed to move the nation forward have been lost to many years of moral

decadence.”

Omeri stressed that the culture of corruption, violence, and impunity “which have gained stronghold in our national life, must give way to the value system upon which our nation was founded. Culture, which is the vital link between people and their value system must be revitalised to play its crucial role in nation-building.” He solicited the collective support of Nigerians, especially for transformation agenda to achieve its desired results.

“The Transformation agenda is working and succeeding in spite of a number of challenges including insecurity. The campaign to also enthrone ethics and values in our national life is also succeeding.

What is needed at this point is the collective support of Nigerians for the Administration and for every Nigerian to do what is right,” Omeri noted.

Prof Ekanem urged the Federal Government to legalise the ‘bush refineries’ since most of the multimillion naira oil refineries in the

country are not functioning. “We must overcome the colonial mentality of looking down on local technology. When we adopt this policy, we would have avoided the domination of foreign investors in our economy,” he said.

Prof Bakare argued that it is not enough to wish for a change of ethics and values, noting that such wishes must be backed by action.

“So long as elements that engender deviant behaviours exist in the society, our wishes will never be realised, except we back such wishes with actions,” he added.

Mrs Abara drew the attention of discussants to the need for parents to chart the pathway in the reorientation of our children in ethics and values.

The states present at the festival include Akwa Ibom Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross Rivers, Delta, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Imo, Kaduna, Katsina, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe. The FCT was also there.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

38

The Midweek Magazine

E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

A

S we noted in the first part of this piece, Prof Eskor Toyo’s book, ‘Economics of Structural Adjustment’, published in 2002 is still of enduring relevance because the country’s current economic policies are still no different from the neo-liberal components of privatisation, currency devaluation, deregulation, removal of subsidies and restriction of the sphere of the state among others. He identifies three types of critiques of SAP. The first sees the programme as necessary but questions the extent to which some of its components have been carried out. The second associated with the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) is essentially nationalist or post Keynesian and questions the design of SAP and some of its component policies. The third, which Eskor Toyo identifies with, offers a more fundamental critique of SAP as a set of policies designed by western financial institutions supported by neo-liberal western regimes to save capitalism as a global system.

The latter perspective raises questions about the desirability of capitalism as a system of economic management and its inherently limited capacity to promote positive human values such as “freedom, justice, the welfare of the majority, society’s unity, social stability, individual and collective security, social efficiency and progress”.

Of course, critics of Eskor Toyo’s ideological position will contend that the socialist states have collapsed and virtually all transformed into free market economies precisely because of the superiority of capitalism as a system of economic organization.

Yet, the triumphalism in the West attendant on the collapse of communism has ebbed because of the persistent cyclical crises that continue to characterise capitalist economies throwing millions of people into unemployment, poverty and homelessness while increasing social inequality. But whether or not one agrees with Eskor Toyo’s ideological orientation, he raises certain critical questions which must certainly attract the attention and interest of the managers of a neocolonial economy like Nigeria.

For instance, Eskor Toyo raises the key issue of the dichotomy between growth and development. He contends that the two cannot be conflated. The managers of Nigeria’s economy have continuously inundated us with the country’s impressive statistical growth rates which are not reflected either in massive creation of jobs, improvement in infrastructure or the overall well-being of the vast majority of Nigerians. He contends that development means a qualitative

T

Segun Ayobolu sms to 07032777778 segunayobolu2@yahoo.com

Eskor Toyo and the economics of Neo-Liberalism (2) change for the better in the capacity of man to control his environment while growth, by contrast, means mere expansion of scale without necessarily any improvement in the environment.

Unlike members of our current economic management team who uncritically regurgitate International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank ideas, Eskor Toyo argues that “It is the facile focus on GDP growth rate as such that enables the World Bank and the IMF to mislead. A country can, in fact, be developing while the growth in per capita income is zero”. He cites the example of a country that decides to save to build an iron and steel industry and train its own scientists and engineers to man it.

Even if nothing changes in terms of per capita income during the gestation period of this project, he argues, “because of the crucial transformational role of the character of the investment, the country by that investment has made an incalculable leap in development”.

If I read him correctly, Eskor Toyo’s view is that it is the non-pursuit of policies that can promote an autochthonous industrial and technological base that has made it impossible for countries like Nigeria to transcend mere growth and achieve genuine, self-regenerating development. In this regard, he makes a crucial distinction between basic and non-basic industries arguing that the engine for any country’s transformational development are it’s indigenisation of the basic industries such as iron and steel, non-ferrous metallurgy, machinery, chemicals, fuel and power and construction material such as cement and glass among others.

“Each of these industries”, he argues, “produces an indispensable input into the processes of all or most other industries. They con-

stitute the prime movers of industrialisation”.

Consequently, a country’s capacity to develop in any meaningful sense will necessarily be a function of its “ability to build, expand and transform its own basic industries by its own skills”.

To illustrate his thesis, Eskor Toyo cites the example of South Korea and Brazil, two countries that have achieved a commendable level of ‘Dependent Growth’ largely through trade in manufactures. But he points out that the two countries can expand manufactures or increasingly export manufactured capital goods “because there has been built there an industrial base and on the basis of this there is developed a technological base”. In sharp contrast to this, he asserts that Nigeria cannot attain self-sustained growth through current policies that are geared towards expanding trade in light industrial manufactures rather than establishing a solid industrial and technological base for the country.

In the case of China and India, Eskor Toyo states that the secret behind the economic transformation of these countries is that in the 1950s and 1960s their leaders took the deliberate decision to force their countries’ pace of industrialization. This they did by paying primary attention to the basic industries as a basis for technological self-reliance, developing a local raw material base to avoid the huge debt overhang attendant on heavy importation as well as developing their industries primarily to serve their large internal markets.

Thus, contrary to neo-classical economic orthodoxy, he submits that “The rapid development of a complete self-reliant industrial base demands a thoughtful restriction of trade, foreign transnational investment and the mere assembly type plant”. He notes in this respect

FRCN chief praises NICO

HE Zonal Director, Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Southeast zone, Mr Chigozie Obialor, has praised the National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), Executive Secretary, Dr. Barclays Foubiri Ayakoroma, for reshaping the outfit.

At a meeting with the NICO Enugu State team in his office, Obialor identified culture as the vector for information dissemination that ensures social reformation. He appreciated the institute’s management for working towards the fulfilment of its mandate, describing the relationship between NICO and FRCN as necessary for value re-orientation.

Obialor, who also identified culture as a bedrock in information management since every story is hinged on the culture of any organisation or people, praised NICO for their strong presence in the nation, especially the establishment of the Enugu Office, adding that it had spread to all nooks and crannies of the country.

He congratulated the office on the successful outing on long vacation four-week Nigeria Indigenous Language Programme (NILP).

Earlier, the Head, NICO Enugu State office, Mr Nwajagu Nnaemeka, told the media boss that they were in his office to show appreciation on the coverage of the maiden Nigerian Indigenous Language Programme (NILP) organised by the state Office in Enugu, between August 2 and September 6, this year.

Nwajagu identified the electronic media as powerful tool to reach the people, particularly those in the rural areas, hence a sinequa non in the propagation of NICO’s vision and mission.

He said it was up to the owners of any

that while they were industrializing, countries like Japan, the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe practiced autarchy while Germany created a customs union to protect its infant industries. In its case, the United States “erected very high rates of tariff to protect her industries and adopted the Monroe doctrine to preserve the whole of the American sphere for herself”.

Again, contrary to the claim that the economic ‘miracle’ achieved by the so-called Asian Tigers were due to the adoption of neoliberal policies, Eskor Toyo contends that the key distinguishing feature of the Newly Industrialising Countries including India, Pakistan, Mexico and Brazil “is that as a rule they decided to establish the basic industries as a foundation for all-round development”.

Indeed, the High Performing Asian Economies are distinguished by their early decision to break out of the Import-SubstitutionIndustrialization net in which Nigeria is still trapped. They placed their emphasis rather on manufacturing for export.

It is against this background that Eskor Toyo trenchantly condemns the lack of seriousness with which the Nigerian ruling elite treat industrialisation and wonders “how a country that consumes so much foreign exchange on luxury imports or whose citizens keep large fugitive funds in foreign countries cannot find the operational or infrastructural capital for its basic industries”.

One of Prof Toyo’s fundamental disagreements with neo-liberal SAP policies is their assumption that a country like Nigeria can be extricated from poverty, depression and indebtedness without first taking the imperative step towards a real industrialization and modernisation of its industrial base.

This is why, he contends, that despite the achievement of many of SAP’s objectives – a positive growth rate, improved capacity utilisation, increased local raw material sourcing, increase in non-oil exports, rescheduling of debts and lightening of the debt burden, increase in saving, more Naira in the hands of the Federal Government and attaining a ‘realistic’ exchange rate – Nigeria remains as dependent and underdeveloped as ever.

Some would consider Eskor Toyo’s vision and programme for a socialist Nigeria as impracticable and utopian. But then, let us recall the words of the late radical American Political Economist, Paul Baran, “Socialist Europe; there are moments when I ask myself whether it is not a utopia. But each idea not yet realised curiously resembles a utopia; one would never do anything if one thought that nothing is possible except that which already exists”.

By Kingsley Ngoka

CULTURE particular culture to ensure it survived or not, and further pointed out that the media was the major channel the Westerners used to infiltrate into our culture and polluted the minds of the young ones; and that there was urgent need to “chase out the owl from the source it came.”

The NICO Enugu State chief was also said: “We have to let the world know of our culture by introducing new programmes and teaching most of our existing ones in our local dialects, and further observed that culture quiz and essay competitions need to be strengthened through the media to restore our cherished culture.”

Mr Austin Okezie of the Research and Documentation Department enumerated the programmes of NICO and enjoined FRCN to assist in ensuring that our culture does not go into extinction through regular programmes that will showcase our rich culture.

He specifically solicited for partnership between the Igbo Unit of FRCN and NICO, in the realisation of this noble objective, expressing worry that our people have been disconnected from their cultures as a result of negative media influence, hoping that the support of FRCN will go a long way in amel-

•Nnaemeka making a presentation to Obialor

iorating the situation.

The Manager (Programmes), Mr Fidelis Onor, expressed appreciation to NICO for the laudable programmes aimed at bringing back our lost glory and prom-

‘We have to let the world know of our culture by introducing new programmes and teaching most of our existing ones in our local dialects, and further observed that culture quiz and essay competitions need to be strengthened through the media to restore our cherished culture’

ised to feature NICO activities in the FRCN language programme, “Ka oha malu,” and prayed for the continuing relationship.

Other FRCN management staff present at the occasion include Jonas Emechebe Deputy Director, Engineering Services; Dr. Vincent Ekwerike, Deputy Director, Programmes; Mr Anthony Umeh, Deputy Director, Finance and Accounts; Mr Innocent Ekwerike, Assistant Director, Administration and Supplies); Mr Frank Okoli, Assistant Director, Internal Audit; Mr Sunny Ekechukwu, Manager, Marketing and Mr. Nath Obikpo, Head, Igbo Unit.

39

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

The Midweek Magazine

E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

‘Piracy killing Bible production’ The Secretary-General, Bible Society of Nigeria (BSN), Rev Richard Dare Ajiboye, assumed office on August 1. In this interview with JOSEPH ESHANOKPE, he speaks on the problems of the 47-year-old organisation and other issues.

W

HAT is your major challenge?

It is piracy. Pirates are creating problems for our image.

They pirate our bibles with our logos with the same content but poor quality. And people return some of these bibles to us, complaining. But when we look at them, we say sorry, these are pirated copies.

The unsuspecting public does not know which one is pirated or not. We do not know what the government is doing about it. Our laws are not even helping us. When you go to court, a piracy case may take about six years before it is decided. We had a case in Abeokuta some years ago and at the end, what did the judge pronounce, the Bible was written by God. How will somebody say that? Some people wrote the Bible. But God gave them the inspiration.

How are you tackling the problem?

We are tackling it from all directions by partnering with various agencies that are relevant to handle such issues. We are also being careful of our pricing policies. We make it cheap such that an ordinary man can afford a Bible.

There is no reason going for poor quality when you can get an original one for the same price.

With that we have recorded some successes. We believe that God will give us more opportunities to hijack their containers. At a point, we did with the help of the Nigeria Customs Service and whether the person likes it or not, that will be a big loss to him.

Do you have other challenges?

The exchange rate of the naira is a big challenge. It is not steady. About five years ago, it was N124 to $1. Now it is N160-N162. These are added to the cost of production; yet we are not increasing the cost of our bibles. So, what do we do? Again, the purchasing power of the people is not what it used to be? We claim on the pages of newspapers that we have economic growth, but we do not have economic development. If the economic growth is not translating to development, the purchasing power of the people will be very low. People cannot even afford the basic essentials of life, such as good homes, food, jobs etc.

We also have the problem of money. The BSN is not a profit-making organisation. Whether

you like it or not, it is not easy for us, to raise such money from our churches. Some of our bibles are given out free. The ones that are sold are sold at heavily susbsidised prices and when you look at it from that dimension, how do we continue to survive as an organisation? We need more funds.

Another challenge is human capital. We have some graduates who cannot take up employment immediately without being trained. There was a time we wanted a research officer. It took us two years to get a competent person. Those we interviewed could not do the job, so we could not employ them. It took two years before we were able to get one.

At the moment, we trying to get a translation consultant. At a time we needed two, we got one who died in 2009. Since then, we have been looking for one, but we haven’t got. The consultant must have a PhD in Linguistics or Biblical Languages – Hebrew and Greek. If you have a PhD in Linguistics, it means we will train you for about five years in Biblical languages to be useful and vice versa. This takes time. As a result, we lack sufficient and competent manpower to handle some of these jobs. It is a big challenge to us and I want to tell you that we rely on our sister societies to help us in checking our translated books. Consultants from countries such as Cameroun help to go through the drafts.

What about the environmental challenge?

In the past, you can predict when you can import bibles. It took a maximum of two and half to three months to produce, 15 days to ship and three days to clear. One of our containers arrived on July 10 and we cleared it on August 15. That was a challenge. One, you are paying demurrage. The bibles are not being sold for profit. So, you can’t break even.

The economic environment is hostile. You can’t clear your goods at the right time.

You are investing in guest houses. Isn’t that a deviation from your core business?

It is not. It depends on what you call business.

Evangelism is business. It’s God’s business. The word business is relative.

I mean investment.

I know what you mean. We only have two guest houses that are really functional. The reason we invested in them is this: We started with

•Rev Ajiboye

‘In the past, you can predict when you can import bibles. It took a maximum of two and half to three months to produce, 15 days to ship and three days to clear. One of our containers arrived on July 10 and we cleared it on August 19. That was a challenge. One, you are paying demurrage. The bibles are not being sold for profit. So, you can’t break even. The economic environment is hostile’ the idea that we wanted our Board and National Executive Committee members’ meetings to be held in our guest houses to reduce the cost of lodging trustees and others in hotels – most of which are expensive because of the calibre of our people. Then we thought of a place that is not too expensive but acceptable to our people. That is why the cost of lodging in our guest houses is cheap compared to others of less standard.

We are not really out to make profit. But rather to help our members and Christians who will not like to lodge in hotels. Do you know that there are Christians who will not like to lodge in hotels? So, we are providing a place where these people will have their spiritual retreats, and where Christians leaders will hold their workshops.

We do not get money from what we are doing

From queen’s land with artworks

NOA seeks sanction for abuse of national symbols

T

Y

OUTHS have been urged not to wait for the government to provide jobs for them. But rather, they should provide jobs for themselves.

An artist Princess Funmi OpanubiAlasholuyi spoke at a preview session of her exhibition in Lagos.

The theme of the exhibition, which opens on Friday, is My journey from the queen’s land to Daystar.

“If you start somewhere, no matter how little, you will make it at the end of the day”, she said.

Mrs Opanubi-Alasholuyi said the event was not only an exhibition for her artworks, but that she tagged it A motivational and inspirational exhibition.

Explaining the theme, she said it all started when she attended a conference with Pastor Sam Adeyemi of Daystar Christian Centre, Lagos. She also linked it to when she saw artworks by Funsho Omojola, owner of ‘Ekitikete’ who later taught her the process of making artworks.

The exhibition will open on September 28 and end on October 1. The four-day exxhibition will feature works by Funmi Opanubi-Alasholuyi, which include The Aquarium, photodrama, King of the jungle, Day and night, and Flower inside the box. Over 60 works that comprise 30 paintings, 300 prints and 20 patches will be on display.

Dignitaries expected at the exhibition include Senior Pastor of Daystar Christian

to carry out programmes. It is a way of supplementing what we are doing. The little money we get from the guest houses we plough into the system.

What is your reaction to the problems caused

by Boko Haram?

It is an issue I do not really want to talk about?

Not because I am afraid, because I have not really seen much development in nipping the problem in the bud. The question is, why do we have Boko Haram? You are a Christian, ask an educated moslem if he would want his child to die prematurely. Look at those being used by Boko Haram, they either those who are not able to make needs meet in the beginning, they now have hope somewhere, then somebody brainwashes them. We should go to the root of the matter.

•One of Princess work

By Chinasa Ekekwe

VISUAL ART Centre, Pastor Sam Adeyemi and his wife, Nike, Chief and Chief (Mrs.) Rasheed Gbadamosi, Senator Muniru Muse, former Managing Director of Berger Paints, Mr. Adebowale Thompson, Chief and Chief (Mrs.) C. N. Nweke, Aare Kola Oyefeso and Biodun Dabiri.

The event is geared towards creating awareness that there is beauty in arts. She said that she is trying to bring the beauty of

the western world to Nigeria. “I want people to admit during the exhibition that my art works are needed in their homes,” she added.

Princess Opanubi-Alasholuyi is a graduate of Business and Business Information Technology of London Metropolitan University. She had her primary and secondary school education at Lara Nursery and Primary School, Lagos and Ikeja High School, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos. She returned from the Unites States in 2003 to take over the affairs of Ereke Paints Limited as General Manager.

From Bukola Amusan, Abuja

HE Director-General, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mike Omeri, has urged the National Assembly to expedite action on the Ordinance Act expected to proffer stiffer punishment for wrong users of Nigerian national symbols.

The bill have scaled through First Reading at the floor of National Assembly.

The Act, if signed into law, will also encourage all Nigerians to imbibe the culture of celebrating Nigerian uniqueness, identity and accomplishments.

Omeri made this call at the a Patriots’ Assembly to commemorate the second Edition of the National Symbols Day in Abuja.

He described Nigeria’s symbols as antidotes for unity and peaceful coexistence.

Last year, NOA set aside September 16 of every year, as the day for Nigeria to honour Nigerians National Symbols with a view to engraving the consciousness of their citizens’ correct features of their various national symbols and to engender love, acceptance and respect for those symbols.

According to him, the day was set aside as a result of wide spread of misunderstanding and misrepresentation of our various National Symbols, gross disregard, disrespect, abuse and misuse of the symbols to create awareness and to demonstrate our love of country and nationalistic re-awaken spirit.

He said: “We believe that the positive values embodied by our National symbols can naturally evoke certain attitudes and emotions toward our nation. We believe our National core values as enumerated in section 2, sub-section 23 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria are expressed in our National symbols and should further find practical expression in the manifestation of those values

by Nigerians through the inspiration they draw from our National symbols,” he said.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

40

The Midweek Magazine

E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

‘Amalgamation is a blessing’

Ministry, Airforce partner on museum From Bukola Amusan, Abuja

T

•From left: The club's President, Mr Osomo; Deputy British High Commissioner, Mr Carter and Governor Aliyu

N

IGER State Governor Dr Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu has expressed hope over the fate of Nigeria, expressing his wish that the country remains a federation.

He said it was not enough to continue to blame amalgamation or colonialism for Nigeria’s woes, adding that the action and inaction of the citizenry towards the country has its own consequences.

He spoke at the Lagos Country Club’s Business Lecture Series with the theme: The Marriage of 1914: A curse or blessing. He described the Amalgamation of the Southern and Northern Protectorates as “unique”: saying of the 99year-old marriage that has given birth to a major force to be reckoned with Africa and the world.

He praised Miss Flora Shaw’s role in its naming through an essay published in the Times of London where she called it the “Niger Area”, now Nigeria, saying “It was noble service to the country”.

He said: “Our amalgamation was unique because of the challenges that brought the country into being. We have had our problems, which were accentuated by a few others, but we must explore our diversity for unity and progress. Whatever circumstances we find our-

From Paul Liam

LECTURE selves in, we should endeavour to look at the things that unite us.”

While lamenting at the degradation in government, he said making government accountable and less attractive would help curb corruption and reduce discourage people from going into politics or government with mind of stealing the masses’ wealth. “If we want proper living wages, there has to be fewer people in government,” he said.

Speaking on the dilemma confronting of the ruling party, he expressed disaffection over the state of the party, noting that some power-drunk members are mismanaging its affairs, noting that if not curtailed their actions would have negative effects on the nation. Despite its internal crisis, Aliyu, however, observed that the discussions that have engulfed it are sure to make it stronger, adding he has no intention of leaving it anytime soon. “I will not leave PDP unless I am dismissed. Democracy at the party level will transcend to the entire country,” he said.

According to the organisers, Aliyu is the first serving-governor to deliver a paper at the

club’s series held at its Diamond Jubilee Hall”, adding it was inspired by his meteoric journey to political eminence, activism, doggedness and oratory. The Deputy British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr Peter Carter, along with the governor and where he and Niger State PDP Chairman, Dr Abdurrahman Enegi were made honorary members. While reinstating his country’s support to Nigeria’s marriage, Carter praised the organisers, noting that the lecture was apt at this stage of the country’s political history. He congratulated Nigeria for the successes made of the marriage of 1914, saying he “hoped it grows even bigger”.

Dignitaries at the event were the club’s President, Wale Osomo; former Vice-Chancellor of OOU, Prof Wale Are Olaitan; Senator Moshood Abimbola; Mr Wole Sowole; Dr Mariam Wole Sowole; Kayode Akinwowon; Aare Bisi Lawal and Kayode Onanugu.

Others included Secretary to Niger State Government, Idris Ndako Kpaki; Chief of Staff, Dr Joshua Bawa; Commissioner for Information, Prof Muhammad Yahaya Kuta; PDP State Deputy Chairman, Mr Tanko Beji, commissioners, and top government officials.

•Liam is a social critic and author.

Two brothers hold exhibition

HE Nigeria Air Force (NAF) has promised to partner with the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and National Orientation on its proposed building of an Air Force Museum.

The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Alex Badeh, said the partnership would encourage a proper documentation of relics of past experiences.

Speaking when he visited the Culture and Tourism Minister, Chief Edem Duke, he asked for the ministry’s support in helping to provide the resources that would lead to the actualisation of the project.

“In 2010, when reviewing the statutory of the Air Force, we thought it wise to build an air force museum and that this required a symbiotic relationship,’’ the service chief said.

Badeh said having a museum was important as it helps in telling where the organisation was coming from.

“Upon my appointment last year, I was invited to Pakistan and when I saw the museums, I was so impressed.

“Doing such a project requires people of knowledgeable experience about the establishment of such a project.

“Of course, this has prompted the Nigeria’s air force to collaborate with the tourism ministry for the actualisation of this great project,’’ he said.

NAF, he said, would build the museum, regardless of limited resources.

Responding, the Minister said the ministry was irrevocably committed to ensuring that NAF realised its dream.

He said the ministry would also collaborate with the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) to support the Air Force in the project.

The minister called on other bodies like the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Navy to take a cue from the Nigerian Air Force.

“If we can get this done, children in military schools will have the spirit to desire to want to work with the armed forces when they see the history of their parents in the archives,’’ he said.

Duke, however, commended the contribution of the air force in the restoration of peace and stability in the country.

Two brothers Stanley and Emmanuel Dudu have kicked off their arts exhibition at the Alexis Gallery, Victoria Island, Lagos.

T

HEY played, trained and visited art galleries together to improve their skills while growwing up. Today, the two brothers, Stanley and Emmaanuel Dudu, both graduates of Fine Art are showcasing their works at the same art gallery in lagos.

Last Saturday at the Alexis Gallery in Victoria Island, Lagos, the brothers’ joint exhibition, Meet the Dudus, opened with about 41 paintings and drawings.

Stanley deals mainly with charcoal (black and white), Emmanuel uses colours. Twenty-five drawings are being showcased by Stanley, Emmanuel, 16.

Sponsors for the exhibition include Veuve Clicquot the Homestore, Arra Vineyards, Alexis gallery, Cool fm, Wazobia fm, Naija info, and Chocolat Royale.

Stanley’s figurative expressions exude love and life with intimate private lives of women and children in southern interiors. This, according to Stanley, has always provided prolific source of subject material for his art more than any other inspiration. Dexterously, he renders his narrative portrayals chiefly in charcoals, pastels, oils and acrylics, which he employs his inept use of chiaroscuro, lines, and sparing use of colors as an elemental instrument of style in capturing the very essence “inspiring fleeting moments”.

By virtue of his impressionistic manner of rendition in gray scales, his works have found him recognition as they were considered unique and refreshing at a time when coloured paintings became too rampart. In his words, “Being an artist living in Africa, I am inspired more by my immediate environment and cul-

By Chinasa Ekekwe

VISUAL ART ture, however, I do not subscribe to the idea that one’s art must be restrained to some traditional belief or a way of life of a particular region. I want people to appreciate my work generally; I want my audience to see me as an artist, not necessarily as an African artist” he said.

His works, Tending teddies he said was inspired by some kids who came to his home during holidays; ‘Sikiru’ captures the expression of a ‘hustler’ in Lagos and ‘Octogenarian’.

He advises artists who aspire to make it in art that, an artist being good is secondary, but, being consistent is the key. In other words, consistency is primary.

Stanley has participated in one solo exhibition and over 25 group shows with several prizes and awards which include; the 1st prize in Nigerian Undergraduate Art Competition (2006) organised by Pat Kairos Foundation, 2nd prize in “Nigeria’s constitutional Evolution” organised

by Nigerian Institute Of Advanced Legal Studies (2009), 2nd prize “Chronicles of a Great National at 50” organised by Nigerian Breweries/ African Artist Foundation (2010), Grand prize “Celebrating 50-5 Independence & Rapprochement” Spain – Nigeria” organised by Embassy of Spain (2010), and Best drawing prize “Being Young” organised by Life In My City Art Festivals/Rocana Advertising Agencies (2012).

Stanley is an Auchi Polytechnic alumnus. He graduated with Ordinary National Diploma in General Art in 2003, and Higher National Di-

•Stanley (left) and Emmanuel

ploma in painting in 2006. His outstanding performance earned him distinction as the overall best student. After the national youth service scheme, he has been practising as a full-time studio artist in Lagos since 2008.

On the other hand, Emmanuel’s works comprises Pipe dreams, The Wife, The husband and wife.

In these paintings, he captures the aged smoking pipe and he said that when he was a child, he was curious to know the taste of pipe when being smoked. He said that ‘Pipe dreams’ was inspired when he read a book about Ken Sarowewa. His other works includes; Research Methodology, which depicts scholars and their reading habits, Blessings Untold, which talks about the enormous blessings received from the Almighty God and a host of others.

Emmanuel has to his credit, a solo exhibition and over 30 group exhibitions.

He was a major character in the documen-

tary, titled: ‘This is Lagos’, produced by News and Pictures Media and the Commonwealth Broadcast Association. The film was produced

by Tunji Akinsehinwa; directed by Paul Marie Houessou; and Executive Producer, Sally-Ann Wilson. ‘This is Lagos’ was about revealing a side to Lagos that most people would not believe because of its reputation as a dangerous place to be. Part of the Documentary showed a young Nigerian artist, Dudu Emmanuel as he studies and practices his art modestly.

Emmanuel is an Higher National Diploma (HND) graduate of Auchi Polytechnic, Edo State.

He moved over to Lagos for full time studio practice immediately after his national youth service. He later added a Bachelor’s degree in arts from the University of Lagos (UNILAG) in 2008; he is at present a post graduate student of Visual Art history at the same university.

42

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

IN THE HIGH COURT OF LAGOS STATE OF NIGERIA PROBATE REGISTRY, IKEJA DIVISION WHEREAS the person whose names are set-out in the first Column under died intestate on the date and place stated in the said Column. AND WHEREAS the person or persons whose names and addresses and relationship (if any) to the deceased are set out in the second Column here have applied to the High Court of Lagos State for a Grant of Letter of Administration of the Real and Personal Properties of the deceased. NOTICE IS HEREBY given that Letters of Administration will be granted to such persons unless a NOTICE TO PROHIBIT THE GRANT is filed in the registry within (14) days from the date hereof.

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NAMES OF THE DECEASED PERSON:

S/N

Ajayi Olufemi Oladimeji (Otherwise known as Olufemi Oladimeji Ajayi) late of House 2, M Close, 1st Avenue, Festac Town, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 15th day of October, 2012 at Lagos.

Mr Uka Igwe Uka (Otherwise known as Mr Uka U.I.) late of Plot 4, Elede Farm Street, Akute , Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 12th day of June, 2012 at Lagos.

Mr Goodluck Macaulay (Otherwise known as Macaulay Goodluck) late of Elemejeye Street, Etegbin, Ojo, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 5th day of March, 2013 at Badagry General Hospital.

Abigael Oyewunmi (Otherwise known as Oyewunmi Abigeal and Abigael Oluremi Oyewumi) late of 4, Oyewumi Close, Aboru, Iyana Ipaja, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 24th day of December, 2004 at Lagos.

Alonge Segun Sunday ,late of 14, Magbon Street, Alade Ibeju Lekki, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 31st day of March, 2012 at Lagos.

Joseph Bukola Koyi (Otherwise known as Koyi Joseph Bukola) late of 46, Falolu Road, Surulere, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 22nd day of August, 2001 at Lagos.

Mr Okorocha Kenneth, late of 5B, Hassan Street, Chemist Bus Stop, Afromedia, Ajangbadi, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 30th day of October, 2012 at Lagos.

Usikhifo Erale Friday (Otherwise known as Friday Erale Usikhifo) late of 43, Old Akute Road, Iju , Ishaga, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 18th day of October, 2010 at Lagos.

Abegunrin Tajudeen, late of 9, Soetan Street, Onipanu , Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 27th day of July, 2011 at Lagos.

Kayode Adeoti (Otherwise known as Adeoti David) late of 20, Turner Eradiri Street, Ajegunle, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 30th day of November, 2012 at Lagos.

Godwin Uti Omessiah (Otherwise known as Uti Godwin Omessiah and Godwin Efi Uti) late of 18, Akinremi Street, Anifowoshe, Ikeja, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 25th day of August, 2012 at Delta State.

Mrs Ugbebor Joyce Oluwatosin (Otherwise known as Madagwa Joyce Oluwatosin and Joyce Ugbebor) late of 1, Pastor Ugbebor Close, ItaOluwo, Ikorodu, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 24th day of December, 2012 at Lagos.

Paul Ayantunji late of 33 Boardland Street, Akinade Street, Ojodu, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 9th day of September, 2011 at Lagos.

Ibang Bassey late of 16, Folarin Street, Gudugba Bus Stop, Iju Ishaga, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 24th day of March, 2013 at Lagos.

Mrs Risikat Adepeju Animashaun (otherwise known as Animashaun R. Adepeju) late of 9, Alhaji Jimoh Street, Via Iju Ishaga, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 29th day of September, 1998 at Lagos.

Okwoli Peter (Otherwise known as Insp. Peter Okwoli) late of Block A, Flat 24, Mounted Troop Police Barracks, Ikeja, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 14th day of February, 2012 at Lagos.

Ronke Lamina, late of 2nd Avenue, 22nd Road, B Close, Block 6, Flat 6, Festac Town, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 5th day of July, 2009 at Lagos.

Madam Sabitu Adisa (Otherwise known as Adisa Sabitu and Sabitu Adisa) late of 17, Ashipa Street, Orile Agege, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 19th day of June, 2013 at Lasuth Ikeja Samuel Bamidele Joseph (Otherwise known as Samuel Bamidele and Joseph ) late of 50, Gilbert Wusu Street, Ikotun, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 11th day of January , 2013 at Lagos.

Mr Nobert Chidume late of 26, Ikare Street, Aguda Surulere, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 21st day of January, 2007 at Govt.

Hospital, Isolo Mr Sarumi Gbolahan (Otherwise known as Omogbolahan Adewale Abduwasii Ayinde) late of 2, Byron Lane, Off Balogun Street, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 16th day of November, 2009 at Lasuth.

Ogbozor Moses late of Block 88, Plot 43, Iba Housing Estate, Lagos deceased who died intestate on the 15th day of April, 2000 at Anambra State.

Ojugbeli Andrew Ameachi late of Flat 4, Block 7, Island Scoop Estate, Ijede, Ikorodu, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 25th day of April, 2013 at General Hospital Ikorodu.

Idowu Gabriel Owolabi late of 75, Darocha Street, Agege, Lagos deceased who died intestate on the 10th day of July, 2012 at Ade Special Hospital, Sabo Sagamu.

Sanya Lanre (Otherwise known as Lanre Sanya) late of 5, Patient Street, Ebute Metta, West Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 27th day of April, 2007 at Lagos.

Oyefeso Omoladun Alayomide (Mrs) (Otherwise known as Oyefeso Omoladun A.) late of PH4 Habeeb Akinlade Avenue, Owutu, Ikorodu, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 15th day of July, 2013 at Lagos.

Oladeji Raheem Olayiwola late of 14, Kareem Street, Ipaja, Boys-Town, Ipaja Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 5th day of July, 2008 at Lagos.

Oguntibeju Orimisan Aderemi late of Iberu Oluwa Street, Magbon, Alade, Ibeju Lekki, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 24th day of July, 2010 at Lagos.

Mrs Anthonia Alfred late of 17, Montgomary Road, Yaba, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 17th day of January, 2013 at Jaiyeola Hospital, Bariga.

Mr Odulana Ekundayo late of 38, Muritala Street, Igando, Lgos, deceased who died intestate on the 17th day of September, 2008 at Lasuth, Ikeja.

Onuoha Sylvester Uwa (Otherwise known as Onuoha Silvesta) late of 8, Stephen Toba Close, Mafoluku Oshodi, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 22nd day of June, 2012 at Lagos.

Onabanjo Bernice Olushola (otherwise known as Mrs Bernice Olushola Onabanjo) late of 30, Tafawa Balewa Crescent, Surulere, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 29th day of March, 2010 at Lagos.

Okere Livinus Okechukwu(Otherwise known as Livinus Okere and Livinus Okey Okereafor) late of 14, Biliaminu Mustapha Street, By Ikpaye Iba, LGA, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 13th day of Octoebr, 2012 at Lagos.

Jonathan O. Okorie late of 16, Nze Duru Eze Street, Ojo, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 28th day of September, 2012 at Lagos.

Nwaiwu Victoria Adaja (Otherwise known as Nwaiwu Victoria ) late of Plot 395, Odubanjo Street, Federal Site and Scheme Aboru, Ipaja, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 26th day of February, 2013 at Lagos.

Akinade Bayonle Akinkunle (Otherwise known as Bayonle Akinkunle Akinade) late of 1, Ope Epetimehin Street, Akiti Avenue, Okota, Isolo, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 28th day of April, 2013 at U.S.A. Kassim Kolawole Tajudeen (Otherwise known as Tajudeen Kolawole Kassim) late of 24, Onabola Street, Bariga, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 15th day of November, 2012 at Lagos.

Aina Ganiyu Adebayo late of 9, Omolewa Street, Ilado Iworo , Ajido Road, Badagry, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 23rd day of November, 2012 at Lagos.

Mrs Akindejoye Funmilola Esther (Otherwise known as Mrs Akindejoye Funmilola ) late of 25, Oreleye Street, Okoko, Ojo, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 26th day of March, 2008 at Mainland Hospital.

Victoria Ndidi (Otherwise known as Ndidi Victoria O.) late of Mopol 20, Barracks, Block 6, Flat 15, Ikeja, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 25th day of July, 2011 at Lagos.

Cletus Ihueze (otherwise known as Cletone Teletronices Nig. Ltd) late of 8, Ranti Alabi Street, Akowonjo, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 7th day of November, 2012 at Lagos.

Elder Gabriel Adeyemi (Otherwise known as Gabriel Adeyemi) late of 2, Oluoti Close, 42, Akowonjo, Egbeda, lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 7th day of February, 2013 at U.K. Olalekan Raji (Otherwise known as Mr Raji Olalekan) late of 15, Oladimeji Street, Bolaji Bus Stop, Ayobo, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 11th day of August, 2012 at Lagos.

Mr Taofeeq Yisa late of 28, Old Otta Road, 44 Alagbado, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 27th day of May, 2012 at Lagos.

Sarafa Abiola late of 5, Apostolic Church Street, Agege, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 8th day of April, 2012 at Ota, Ogun State.

Egonu Ifeyinwa late of 18, Omobola Street, Lawanson, Surulere, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 3rd day of November, 2011 at Lagos.

Mr Godwin Ojimba, late of 14, Azike Close, Igbede, Ojo, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 9th day of May, 2005 at Lagos.

Osuoha Chinonye Cecilia late of 3, Wilson Emenike Street, Alimosho, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 18th day of March, 2013 at Lagos.

Nurudeen Oluwabunmi Asmau late of 22, Onafuwa Street, Otubu, Agege, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 27th day of March, 2013 at Lagos.

Ayandeji Kamoru Ayantunji late of 21, Obodeh Street, Abaranje, Ikotun, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 3rd day of April, 2013 at London.

Azagba Austin Ifeanyi (Otherwise known as Ifeanyi Austin) late of 19, Afisatu Street, Old Ota Road, Abule Egba, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 29th day of November, 2012 at Mainland Hospital, Yaba.

Ibiwoye Stella Toluwalope late of Block 77, Flat 1, Ijaiye Med. Housing Estate, Ogba, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 12th day of June, 2013 at Lagos.

Mrs Charity Imoh (Otherwise known as Imoh Charity Agwabunma and Mrs Imoh Charity) late of 5th Avenue, 512 Road, C Close, Block 3, Flat 13, Festac Town, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 20th day of June, 2009 at Lagos.

Adenola Aremu Adefuwa late of 7, Elewura Street, Challenge Ibadan, deceased who died intestate on the 1st day of August, 2010 at Ibadan.

Mrs Ugwu Charity Onyemaechi (Otherwise known as Ovaga C.O. and Ovaga Charity Onyemaechi) late of 5, Adamo Motolani Street, Egan, Igando, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 18th day of March, 2010 at Lasuth Ikeja.

Jegede Felicia (Mrs) late of 1, Church Street, Off Pakuro Road, Mowe Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 25th day of December, 2010 at Abeokuta.

Alhaji Salami Laniyan Ali late of S6/601, Oke Ola Ibadan, deceased who died intestate on the 21st day of February, 1989 at Ibadan.

Paul Ofodile Nkoloenyi (Otherwise known as Chief Paul Ofodile Nkolenyi) late of 107, Ogunusi Road, Omole Phase I, Ojodu, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 21st day of July, 2011 at Reddington Hospital, Ms Adetoun Adekemi Adeloye (Otherwise known as Ogunleye Shomuyiwa Ogungbesan) late of 24, Okubanjo Close, Iyana Ipaja, Lagos, who died intestate on the 18th day of August, 2010 at Lasuth .

Mr Mackenzie Adebayo Adeleye (Otherwise known as Mr Adeleye Adebayo ) late of 19, Solo Ogun Street, Aguda , Surulere, Lagos, who died intestate on the 15th day of May, 2004 at Lagos.

Mrs Ogunlana Adebimpe (Otherwise known as Madam Adebimpe Ekine Ogunlana) late of 11, Emmanuel Akanji Egan, Lagos deceased who died intestate on the 14th day of April, 2012 at Lagos.

David Saaleh Npiama (Otherwise known as Mr Npiama David) late of Mopol 22 Barracks Ogudu Ori Oke Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 3rd day of August, 2010 at Benin City ,Edo State.

Mrs Musili Adefuye late of 91, Kujore Street, Ojota, Lagos deceased who died intestate on the 10th day of August, 2008 at Lagos.

Igwe Emmanuel Iruka (otherwise known as Emmanuel Igwe) late of 3, Ajagunbade Street, Ikosi Ketu, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 7th day of December, 2000 at Suleja Abuja.

Mr Akanbi Rasaq Dare (Otherwise known as Akanbi Rasaq Dare) late of 1, Olatunde Oniga Lane, Epe Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 30th day of May, 2012 at Lagos Stephen Adama (otherwise known as Adama Stephten) late of 26, Abioye Street, Egan Igando, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 12th day of June, 2010 at Lagos.

Mr Emmanuel Effiom Okon (Otherwise known as Okon Emmanuel Effiom) late of 4, Ayoruleba Street, Ipaja, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 17th day of February, 2011 at Calabar Mr Idowu Muftau Olasunkanmi late of 1, Idowu Close, Off Omola Road, Odomola Epe , Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 17th day of February, 2011 at General Hospital, Ogun State Udoh Ekanem (Otherwise known as Udo Ekanem Udofia and Engr. Ekanem Udoh) late of 3, Obajimi Street, Off Isuti, Igando, Lagos deceased who died intestate on the 30th day of June, 2013 at Lagos.

Engr. (Chief) E.A.Egbedeyi late of 43, Ogunlowo Street, Ikeja, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 5th day of April, 2003 at Ibadan.

Sunday Charles Atteh late of Hejinana Qrts Ajara, Badagry, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 13th day of October, 2012 at Lagos.

Egwuatu Felix (Otherwise known as Mr Felix Egwuatu) late of 8, Tairu Olubami Street, Ikeja, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 1st day of July, 2012 at Lagos.

Rev. Ogunsanya Amos Adebayo (Otherwise known as Ogunsanya Amos Adebayo) late of 68, Lagos Road, Ikorodu, Lagos deceased who died intestate on the 14th day of October, 2012 at Private Hospital.

Mrs Funmilayo Ogundeji late of 68, Iwamimo Street, Ori Oke Bus Stop, Ejigbo, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 2nd day of December, 2012 at Bola Hospital.

Mr Roland Enofe (otherwise known as Enofe Roland) late of 34, John Ebu Ikorodu, Lagos deceased who died intestate on the 18th day of May, 2011 at Luth.

Abass Ajani Kafaru late of 7, Akinlolu Street, Ebute Metta, Lagos deceased who died intestate on the 18th day of January, 2012 at Akodo General Hospital.

NAMES OF APPLICANT APPLYING FOR THE GRANT

1. Ibijoke Olasunmbo Ajayi and Miss Morenikeji Atinuke Ajayi both of House 2,M Close, 1st Avenue, Festac Town Lagos, widow and sister respectively of the said deceased.

2. Mrs Roselyn Agwu Uka and Mr Kelechi Richard Uka both of Plot 4, Elede Farm Street, Akute, Lagos, widow and one of the chidlren respectively of the said deceased.

3. Famous Macaulay of 1, Orisunbare Street, Shibiri Ojo, Lagos, and Sarah Macaulay of Benin , two of the children of the said deceased.

4. Deacon Samson Kolawole Oyewumi and Mr Bolaji Olubisi Oyewumi both of 4, Oyewumi Close, Aboru, Iyana Ipaja, Lagos, widow and one of the children respectively of the said deceased.

5. Alonge Yetunde and Alonge Odunayo both of 14, Magbon Street, Alade, Ibeju Lekki, Lagos, widow and brother respectively of the said deceased.

6. Olatunde Adeleke Adolphus Koyi and Adeniyi Henry Koyi both of 46, Falolu Road, Surulere, Lagos, two of the children of the said deceased.

7. Okorocha Nkechi and Okorocha Esther both of 5B, Hassan Street, Chemist Bus Stop, Afromedia, Ajangbadi, Lagos, two of the children of the said deceased.

8. Blessing Usikhifo and Peter Usikhifo both of 43, Old Akute Road, Iju Ishaga, Lagos, widow and brother respectively of the said deceased.

9. Abegunrin Dayo and Oluwadamilare Badejo Abegunrin both of 9, Soetan Street, Onipanu, Lagos, widow and one of the children respectively of the said deceased.

10. Folake Adeoti of 20, Turner Eradiri Street, Ajegunle, Lagos and Gbenga Awoyale of 105, Abeokuta Expressway, Iyana Ipaja, Lagos, widow and brother respectively of the said deceased.

11. Tina Uti and Donaldson Uti both of 18, Akinremi Street, Anifowoshe, Ikeja, Lagos, two of the children of the said deceased.

12. Lucky James Ugbebor of 1, Pastor Ugbebor Close, Ita-Oluwo, Ikorodu, Lagos and Mrs Ayodele Mary O. of 13, Sakiru Adeoye Street, Ogudu, Lagos, widower and sister respectively of the said deceased.

13. Olusegun Ayantunji, Olufemi Ayantunji and Temitope Esther Ayantunji all of 14, Ogunwo Street, Agege, Lagos, three children of the said deceased.

14. Cecilia Bassey, Ruth Okon and Uduak Bassey allof 16, Folarin Street, Gudugba Bus Stop, Iju Ishaga, Lagos, widow and two sisters respectively of the said deceased.

15. Miss Azeezat Oluwawemimo Animashaun and Miss Lateefat Segilola Animashaun both of 9, Alh. Jimoh Street, Via Iju Ishaga, Lagos, two of the children of the said deceased.

16. Veronica Okwoli and Albert Okwoli both of Block A, Flat 24, Mounted Troop Police Barracks , Ikeja, Lagos, widow and brother respectively of the said deceased.

17. Lamina Opeyemi Muslihat and Lamina M. Adewale, both of 2nd Avenue, 22 Road, B Close, Block 6, Flat 6, Festac Town, Lagos, two children of the said deceased.

18. Mrs Ominike Maria Balogun and Master Olamilekan Adisa both of 17, Ashipa Street, Orile Agege, Lagos, two children of the said deceased.

19. Feyisayo Agnes Samuel and Damilola Samuel both of 50, Gilbert Wusu Street, Ikotun, Lagos, widow and one of the children respectively of the said deceased.

20. Mrs Princess Ifeyinwa Norbert of 9, Haggai Street, Okota, Lagos and Mr Charles Oduagu of 3, Breadfruit Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, widow and brother respectively of the said deceased.

21. Bukola Sarumi and Olaito Teju both of 2, Byron Lane, Off Balogun Street, Lagos, Island, Lagos, widow and brother respectively of the said deceased 22. Ogbozor Tochukwu Jude and Ogbozor Okwukwe Emmanuel both of Block 88, Plot 43, Iba Housing Estate, Lagos, two of the children of the said deceased 23. Mrs Florence Amaka Ojugbeli and Mr Okechukwu Raymond Olisa both of Flat 4, Block 7, Island Scoop Estate, Ijede, Ikorodu, Lagos, widow and one of the children respectively of the said deceased.

24. Mr Idowu Moses Babatunde and Miss Idowu Mary Bukola both of 75, Drocha Street, Agege, Lagos two of the chidlren of the said deceased.

25. Mrs Iyabo Sanya, Mr Segun Sanya (Snr) and Mr Segun Sanya (Jnr) all of 5, Patient Street, Ebute Metta, Lagos, widow and two of the children respectively of the said deceased.

26. Oyefeso Emmanuel Kolawole and Oyefeso Samuel Oluwaseun both of PH4, Habeeb Akinlade Avenue, Owutu, Ikorodu, Lagos, widower and one of the children respectively of the said deceased.

27. Oladeji Munir Yusuf and Oladeji Mukaila Olajide both of 34, Olaniyi Street, Pedro, Bariga, Lagos, two of the children of the said deceased.

28. Oguntibeju Owolemi Anthony and Oguntibeju Ademola Nelson both of Iberu Oluwa Street, Magbon , Alade, Ibeju Lekki, Lagos , two of the children of the said deceased.

29. Mr Edo Alfred and John Aderinsola Alfred both of 17, Montgomery Road, Yaba, Lagos, widower and one of the children respectively of the said deceased.

30. Mrs Odulana Comfort Mosunlola and Mrs Oniyide Aramile both of 3, Amisu Sule Street, Obadore , Lagos, mother and sister respectively of the said deceased.

31. Onuoha Theresa Chizoma and Onuoha Anthony C. both of 8, Stephen Toba Close, Mafoluku Oshodi, Lagos, widow and one of the children respectively of the said decased.

32. Olatokunbo Olawale Onabanjo and Mr Gbenga Onabanjo both of 69, Akinola Cole Crescent, Adeniyi Jones, Ikeja, two of the children of the said deceased.

33. Mrs Chinyere Okere and Joy Okere both of 14, Biliaminu Mustapha Street, By Ikpaye, Iba, Lagos, widow and one of the children respectively of the said deceased.

34. David Okechukwu Okorie and Rapheal Okorie both of 16, Nze Duru Eze Street, Ojo, Lagos, two children of the said deceased.

35. Engr. Daniel Nwaiwu and Miss Mercy Nwachukwu both of Plot 395, Odubanjo Street, Federal Site and Scheme Aboru Ipaja, Lagos, widower and sister respectively of the said deceased.

36. Akinade Eunice Adedoyin and Akinade Bayonle Ayomide both of 1, Ope Epetimehin Street, Akiti Avenue, Okota Isolo, Lagos, widow and one of the children respectively of the said deceased.

37. Idris Olukayode Kassim and Busurat Bolanle Bello both of 7, Suleiman Dauda Street, Idiroko , Ikorodu, Lagos, two children of the said deceased.

38. Mrs Kehinde Mary Aina and Olumide Micheal Aina both of 9, Omolewa Street, Ilado Iworo Ajido Road, Badagry, Lagos, widow and one of the children respectively of the said deceased.

39. Segun Joseph Akindejoye and Temitope Hannah Akindejoye both of 25, Oreleye Street, Okoko , Ojo, Lagos, two of the children of the said deceased.

40. Elias Glory and Fidelis Chiekezie both of Mopol 20, Barracks, Block 6, Flat 15, Ikeja, Lagos, one of the children and brother respectively of the said deceased.

41. Anita Ihueze of 8, Ranti Alabi Street, Akowonjo, Lagos and Samuel Ihueze of 2, Yaro Street, PPL Okoko, Lagos and widow and brother respectively of the said deceased.

42. Racheal O. Adeyemi and Olukayode Adeyemi both of 2 Oluoti Close, Akowonjo, Egbeda, Lagos, widow and one of the children respectively of the said deceased.

43. Mrs Rashidat Raji of 15, Oladimeji Street, Bolaji Bus Stop, Ayobo, Lagos and Raji Mutiu Babatunde of 12, Ileileri Street, Shagari Estate, Lagos, widow and brother respectively of the said deceased.

44. Yisa Khadijat Salami and Yisa Waliu both of Block R 10, Flat 34, NAF Base Ikeja , Lagos, widow and one of the children respectively of the said deceased.

45. Mrs Monsurat Abiola of 2, Oremeji Street, Agbado, Ogun State and Alh. Dauda Abiola of 31, Rashidi Akotun Street, Bariga, Lagos, widow and father respectively of the said deceased.

46. Mr Egonu Stephen and Mrs Egonu Evelyn both of 18, Omobola Street, Lawanson, Surulere, Lagos, father and mother respectively of the said deceased.

47. Mrs Gloria Ojimba and Nneoma Gloria Ojimba both of 14, Azike Close, Igbede, Ojo, Lagos, widow and one of the children respectively of the said deceased.

48. Osuoha Okey Kingsley of 19, Sherifatu Close, Shasha, Akowonjo, Lagos, and Mr Ndubuisi Okpara of 3, Obadiah Street, Bariga, Lagos, widower and brother respectively of the said deceased.

49. Abdul Hameed Nurudeen, Nurudeen Mudashir Oriyomi and Nurudeen Mariam Iyabo all of 19, Shobowale Street, Egbeda, Lagos, two brothers and sister respectively of the said deceased.

50. Ayandeji Sifau and Ayandeji Qudus both of 21, Obodeh Street, Abaranje , Ikotun, Lagos, widow and one of the children respectively of the said deceased.

51. Azagba Christiana of 19, Afisatu Street, Old Ota Road, Abule Egba, Lagos and Okolie John Ifeanyi of 51B, Police Head Quarters , Ikeja, Lagos widow and cousin respectively of the said deceased.

52. Dr Ibiwoye M. Oyinloye and Mofoluwaso O. Ibiwoye both of Block 77, Flat 1, Ijaiye Med. Housing Estate, Ogba, Lagos, widower and one of the children respectively of the said deceased.

53. Ugochukwu V. Imoh and Miss Chioma Victoria Imoh both of 5th Avenue, 512 Road, C Close, Block 3 , Flat 13, Festac Town, Lagos, two of the chidlren of the said deceased.

54. Adekunle Adefuwa, Mrs Abosede Odelade and Adediran Adefuwa all of c/o Their Solicitor Oluwatoba Akinyele , 205 Lagos Bye Pass, Oke Ado, Ibadan, three children of the said deceased.

55. Ugwu Evaristus Chinweuba , Ugwu Madonna N. and Ugwu Raphael Chukwuka all of 5, Adamo Motolani Street, Egan, Igando, Lagos, widower and two of the children respectively of the said deceased.

56. Jegede David Olukayode and Jegede Adedolapo Oluwaseun both of 1, Church Street, Off Pakuro Road, Mowe Lagos, widower and one of the children respectively of the said deceased.

57. Alhaja Mrs Silifatu Oyewola, Mr Waidi Ali, Mr Wasiu Ali and Alhaji Lasisi Lasupo Ali all of S6/601, Oke Ola Ibadan, Oyo State, three children and brother respectively of the said deceased.

58. Christine Nkoloenyi, Obinna Nkoloenyi and Uchechukwu Nkoloenyi all of 107, Ogunusi Road, Omole Phase I, Ojodu, Lagos, widow and two of the children respectively of the said decased.

59. Bolaji Ogunleye Omololu Shomuyiwa and Olaide Ogungbesan all of 24, Okubanjo Close, Iyana Ipaja, Lagos, three children of the said deceased.

60. Mrs Adetokunbo Ogunyemi, Miss Adeola Aina Adeleye , Mrs Adedotun Eniola Ademosu and Mrs Adenike Omolara Ikutegbe all of 19, Solo-Ogun Street, Aguda, Surulere, Lagos, four children of the said deceased.

61. Prince Adewale Ogunlana and Yetunde Ogunlana both of 11, Emmanuel Akanji Street, Egan, Lagos, widower and one of the children respectively of the said deceased.

62. Mrs Philomena Npiama and Prince Npiama both of Mopol 22 Barrack Ogudu Ori Oke Lagos, widow and one of the chidlren respectively of the said deceased.

63. Adefuye Adeyemi Wakilu and Adefuye Adekunle Moshood both of 91, Kujore Street, Ojota, Lagos, two of the chidlren of the said deceased.

64. Nwachukwu Victor, O. of 21, Oduntan Street, Ketu, Lagos, and Ifeanyichukwu Alo of 26, Idowu Ese Ajelogo, Mile 12, Lagos, two brothers of the said deceased.

65. Akanbi Khadijat of 1, Olatunde Oniga Lane , Epe, Lagos, and Balogun Ridwan of 5, Ikesan Street, Epe, Lagos, widow and brother respectively of the said deceased.

66. Mrs Anna Adama , Gabriel Adama and Michael Adama all of 26, Abioye Street, Egan, Igando, Lagos, widow and two of the children respectively of the said deceased.

67. Glory Effiom Okon and Mary Effiom Okon both of 4, Ayoruleba Street, Ipaja, Lagos, two of the children of the said deceased.

68. Idowu Fatimah Abiodun and Idowu Yusuf Adewale both of 1, Idowu Close, Off Omola Epe Lagos, widow and one of the children respectively of the said deceased.

69. Bassey Ekanem Udoh, Mfon-Obong Paul Ukpabio, Jenny Ekanem Udoh and Emem Udoh all of 3, Obayimi Street, Off Isuti Igando, Lagos, four children of the said deceased.

70. Mrs Abodunde Owolabi and Mrs Oluwaseyi Chiejina both of 43, Ogunlowo Street, Ikeja, Lagos, two children of the said deceased.

71. Mrs Hope Sunday Atteh , Charles Sunday Atteh, Blessing Sunday Atteh and Emmanuel Sunday Atteh all of Hejinana Quarters, Ajara Badagry, Lagos, widow and three of the children respectively of the said deceased.

72. Getrude Nonyelum Egwuatu of 8, Tairu Olubami Street, Ikeja, Lagos, and Dr Alfred Egwuatu of 12, Jogunoshin Street, Lagos, widow 2nd brother respectively of the said deceased.

73. Oluremi Ogunsanya , Taiwo Ogunsanya, Ogunsnya A. Kehinde all of 68, Lagos Road, Ikorodu, Lagos, three children of the said deceased.

74. Abimbola Ogundeji and Micheal Ogundeji both of 68, Iwamimo Street, Ejigbo, Lagos, two children of the said deceased.

75. Mrs Veronica Enofe , Mrs Grace Monyei both of 34, John Ebu Ikorodu, Lagos and Mrs Mary Ogwashi of 27, Olanrewaju Street, Oregun Lagos, widow and two of the chidlren respectively of the said deceased.

76. Lukman Abass, Abdul Raufu Gafar Abass and Mukaila Abass all of 7, Akinlolu Street, Ebute Metta, Lagos, three of the children of the said deceased.

I.O.AKINKUGBE (MRS) PROBATE REGISTRAR

43

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

POLITICS THE NATION

E-mail:- politics@thenationonlineng.net

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) peace talks are expected to resume on October 7. The cracks continue to widen. Assistant Editor, GBADE OGUNWALE reports that it has been a classic case of one week, one trouble for the ruling party.

PDP: Bumpy road to October 7 T

HERE is no evidence that peace will return to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on October 7. The two factions are not yet prepared for a truce. Although a meeting is slated for Abuja on that date, sources said that the two sides are not ready to give concessions.

It does not require any intuition to situate the genesis of the crisis rocking the ruling party. The power struggle started shortly before the 2011 election, when contending interests, conflict of ambitions and clash of egos characterised its nomination. Up in arms against President Goodluck Jonathan, under the cloak of zoning, was a group of Northern elders under the leadership of a former Finance Minister, Mallam Adamu Ciroma. In the group were prominent presidential aspirants, including former military President Ibrahim Babangida and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

The Ciroma group streamlined the list of aspirants and came up with Atiku's name as the consensus choice of the northern establishment. On that platform, Atiku went into the primaries with Jonathan, who had mastered the chessboard, with the active backing of his political godfather, former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Like others before it, the presidential nomination did not come without row. For inexplicable reasons, majority of the northern governors, who had earlier jumped into the zoning train, massed their delegates into voting for Jonathan at the convention. Thus, a supposedly rustic and shoeless boy from the backwaters of Otuoke, Bayelsa State, trounced the politically experienced, urbane and sagacious Atiku to clinch the ticket. The rest, as they say, is history.

It was not until March that the nation was made to understand why the northern governors gave in to the Jonathan candidacy for the 2011 poll. Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu mounted the rooftops to proclaim that he and his fellow governors decided to back the President, based on a mutual agreement that Jonathan would serve for only a single term from 2011 to 2015.

The pronouncement jolted the otherwise phlegmatic President, whose body language had not left anyone in doubt of his desire to seek reelection in 2015. The battle line was drawn, with a flurry of clandestine moves by both parties struggling to outsmart each other, ahead of the 2015 presidential nominations.

The veil was torn to reveal a more determined Jonathan when, on January 1, posters announcing his intention to contest surfaced in strategic locations at the Federal Capital Territory. And the poster war began.

Thereafter, posters of Governor Aliyu, his Jigawa State counterpart, Sule Lamido, and Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi flooded various locations in the North.

While the posters announced Aliyu and Lamido for the presidency, Amaechi was touted as running

mate to Lamido. Kano State Governor Musa Kwankwaso's name also featured as one of the presidential aspirants. The Jonathan camp went on the rampage. The aviation authorities, apparently acting in proxy, started raising prying questions about documentation of a Rivers State-owned aircraft used by the governor for his shuttles. That was after the plane had been grounded for allegedly breaching aviation guidelines. Shortly after, the executive of the Rivers State chapter of the PDP was supplanted by a new team, in deference to a "court ruling".

Then entered a new executive headed by Felix Obuah and the assault on Amaechi went full circle.

The Obuah team, with the active backing of Minister of State for Education Nyesom Wike, went straight for the governor's jugular.

Besides, the heavy hand of the Presidency was stretched to the ranks of the 23 governors elected on the platform of the PDP. This gave birth to the PDP Governors Forum, with Governor Godswill Akpabio as chairman. About 16 of the governors form the actual membership of the Akpabio-led Forum. They were meant to upstage Amaechi in the pending election of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF). Plateau State Governor Jonah Jang was propped up as the Presidency's lackey. But the 12 opposition governors joined forces with Amaechi and six governors of the PDP that are opposed to Jonathan. Ameachi defeated Jang by 19 votes to 16. Jang and his group formed a parallel NGF with him as chairman. But Amaechi's group of 19 is still holding up. The Forum has continued to remain in tatters.

The fight to bring Amaechi to his knees has continued on the upward scale. With a script dripping with ink from the godfathers in Abuja, the governor was asked to reinstate the executive council of the Obior/ Akpor Local Government suspended by the Rivers State House of Assembly a few weeks back. He declined. The Bamanga Tukur-led PDP handed him a suspension. The Rivers State police command, headed by Commissioner Mbu Joseph Mbu, was co-opted into the Amaechi haunt. In the heat of the crisis, five governors from the North, who are sympathetic to the governor's cause, headed to Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, in solidarity with their troubled colleague. On arrival, they were marooned at the airport by hired hoodlums, who held them hostage for hours. When the governors were eventually allowed to venture into the city to meet their host, the mob escorted them out of the precinct of the airport with a hail of missiles, stones, pebbles and all. Next, seven members of the 32-man Rivers Assembly attempted to impeach the Speaker, Dan Amachree and replace him with one of their own.

That would have led to the impeachment of the governor, if they had succeeded in the plot. The contending groups met force for force as the remaining 27 lawmakers loyal to the governor resisted the

• From left: Senator Gemade, Gen. Babangida, Chief Obasanjo and Chief Anenih after a meeting in Abuja.

‘Obviously taking a cue from his combative political mentor, Jonathan has chosen to fight bare knuckles. He sacked nine of his ministers, who had links with Obasanjo and other PDP chieftains, who are believed to be opposed to his reelection bid’ • Tukur

move. It turned out to be a rowdy affair, a bloody one for that matter.

N a show of shame, Michael Chinda, one of the opposing lawmakers, was beaten by the pro-Amaechi legislators. The governor's camp won the round.

The stage moved to Abuja. Deputy National Chairman former Sam Sam Jaja, one of Amaechi's diehard loyalists, became the next target. By virtue of a position paper by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Jaja and others, who were elected into National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP in the party's 2012 convention through an opaque process, were forced to resign.

The 18 affected party officials were given a chance to re-contest for their various positions. But a few days to August 31, 2013 convention date, the Obuah-led Rivers chapter of the PDP announced Jaja's expulsion from the PDP. The reason for the action could not be located anywhere in party's constitution. But that did not stop the plot. The Jonathan camp had already marked another candidate, Uche Secondus, for Jaja's job.

Having seen the handwriting on the wall, PDP governors in the Northwestern states had positioned their delegates to vote for Jaja on the convention ground.

I

• Baraje

Having got a whiff of what was in the offing for the Amaechi camp, the party prevented the pro-Jaja delegates from the Northwest from taking part in the election.

Atiku and six other governors, their delegates and supporters walked out of the convention. In a jiffy, they regrouped at the Yar 'Adua Centre where they were joined by Amaechi.

At the centre were Atiku; a former acting national chairman Alhaji Abubakar Baraje; Governors Amaehi; Musa Kwankwaso (Kano); Murtala Nyako (Adamawa); Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto); Babangida Aliyu (Niger); Sule Lamido (Jigawa); and Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara). Others were Jaja; Senator Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa West); erstwhile national secretary of the PDP, Olagunsoye Oyinlola; deputies to the protesting governors and others.

The group announced the birth of the New PDP, with Baraje as the chairman, Jaja as the deputy chair and Oyinlola as the national secretary.

The protesting chieftains said the group was forced to leave the Tukur-led PDP as a result of arbitrary actions and dangerous permutations by Tukur, with the backing of President Jonathan towards the 2015 presidential race. They also protested against the arbitrary

suspension of notable members. To drive home its point, the Baraje faction wasted no time in getting a national secretariat of its own in Abuja.

The Jonathan camp moved swiftly to seal off the premises before the factional members could move in. The siege is still in force.

Then, the Jonathan camp initiated a series of reconciliatory moves. In the reconciliatory train are prominent elders and leaders of the party.

Chairman of the party's Board of Trustees (BoT) Chief Tony Anenih, two former party chairmen, Ahmadu Ali and Barnabas Gemade, were also on board.

Obasanjo, Babangida and President of the Senate David Mark were also drafted in. But while the reconciliation and peace talks were ongoing, Jonathan, who initiated the talks, was shooting from the hips in ways that suggested that he was fully prepared for a fight, good or bad.

Obviously taking a cue from his combative political mentor, Jonathan has chosen to fight bare knuckles. He sacked nine of his ministers, who had links with Obasanjo and other PDP chieftains, who are believed to be opposed to his re-election bid. Oyinlola had lost his position as the national sec•Continued on page 45

44

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

POLITICS

• Dr Jonathan

•Mark

• Mrs Okonjo-Iweala

•Boyo

• Mrs Alison-Madueke

The implementation of the 2013 budget is being threatened by lack of funds. Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN examines the shortfall in government’s revenue earning and its implications for governance.

Nightmare over 2013 budget THE implementation of the 2013 budget has sparked off a fresh row. The Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) led by Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State has demanded for the resignation of the Minister of Finance and Co-ordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr Ngozi OkonjoIweala, for non-compliance with the revenue projections of the Federal Government’s 2013 budget.

It is not surprising that this year’s budget is not being implemented as stipulated in the Appropriation Act. It was a product of conflicts between the executive and the legislators. The estimates were inflated by the lawmakers without taking into consideration the government’s revenue status.

After the presentation of the budget by the President to the National Assembly in October 2012, a logjam was created by the lawmakers. The increased the oil benchmark from the proposed $75 per barrel to $79; reduced the recurrent expenditure and increased the capital vote; inserted some constituency projects that were not included in the financial estimates proposed by the executive and increased the overall budget by about N63 billion.

When the budget was passed on December 20, 2012, many were excited that, for the first time in many decades, there was a chance of the 2013 budget being implemented from January 1.

That hope was short-lived because the National Assembly did not send the budget to the President for his assent until January 14. It marked the beginning of the waiting game.

The President took exceptions to the changes in the estimate by the lawmakers. He withheld his assent to the Appropriation Bill.

Following public outcry over the delay in signing the budget, the President reluctantly signed the budget on February 26. According to experts, the President signed it for two reasons. The first was that he didn’t want to leave the budget unsigned till March.

Also, he wanted to pre-empt the National Assembly from overriding his presidential veto after 30 days.

In April, the President returned the budget to the National Assembly with a bill seeking to amend it. Initially, the law makers rejected the proposal because the amendment sought by the execu-

tive requested them to rework the budget. It took almost four months before the National Assembly could conclude deliberations on the bill. The country wasted eight months on budget deliberation, leaving virtually four months for implementation.

Shortfall in revenue earning During preparation of the 2013 budget, the Federal Government had targeted an estimated N712.92 billion quarterly. However, data from the Budget Office of the Federation (BOF) indicated that, in the first quarter of 2013, the actual gross non-oil revenue of N448.68 billion was received.

This signifies a shortfall of N264.24 billion or 37.06 per cent below the quarterly estimate of N712.92 billion.

The 2013 Budget Implementation Report (BIR) released recently by the BoF indicated that the Federal Government also contended with revenue shortfall in the oil and gas sector, despite the favourable oil prices at the international market.

According to the report, the actual net oil revenue that accrued to the Federation Account in the first quarter was N967.84 billion, indicating a shortfall of N245.96 billion or 20.26 per cent below the projected quarterly estimate of N1.213 trillion.

The report noted that, in spite of the favourable oil prices at the international market, the lowerthan- projected performance of the net oil revenue in the first quarter of 2013, was due to the fall in oil lifting figures during the period.

The decrease in oil liftingwas attributed to the incessant crude oil theft, bunkering, pipeline vandalisation, which had been on the increase in recent times in the Niger Delta region.

Dr Okonjo-Iweala attributed the slow pace of budget implementation to the shortfall in the rev-

enue earnings.

Renowned economist Henry Boyo disagreed. According to him, the earnings from internally and externally generated revenue sources are more than enough to implement the budget. He said the Federal Internal Revenue Service has generated over N4 trillion this year. Besides, earnings from oil export are higher than what was projected in the budget. The oil benchmark in the budget is $75 per barrel, whereas the type of crude that Nigeria produces has been selling for over $100 per barrel at the international market in the past one year.

So, the price of crude oil is over 33 per cent of the benchmark, he explained.

Boyo said, that “given that the total budget of 2013 is about N5 trillion, I don’t think we should be talking of inadequate revenue to execute the budget. The earnings from internal and external sources are more than enough.”

He added: “What worries me most is the feeling that they (executive) have not been implementing the budget because of lack of funds. We are making money from two sources. From the internal source, FIRS has generated over N4 trillion this year.

If you add income from crude oil export, we have surplus. This year’s budget is about N5trillion.

No way, they can’t tell us that we are not generating enough to implement the budget.

“If the reason is the result of crude oil production, they have not told us that the production falls below 20 per cent. The price of crude oil remains above 33 per cent of the projected price. The benchmark for the 2013 was based at $75. For the past one year the crude particularly Nigerian type sells for over $100 per barrel. We make extra $25 on every barrel sold. Even if we have 20 per cent fall in output, it has been more than compensated.

“If we are not earning enough, how come we are keeping excess crude account. They are taking us

as fools. We should tell them we are not, he concluded.”

An expert in budget analysis, Dr Tunji Ogunyemi of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), said no responsible government would blame its failure to implement budget on the activities of common thieves.

“It sounds ridiculous that oil thieves have prevented a legitimate government from realising its revenue target. It is a vote of no confidence on the security apparatus of the country.

“The primary purpose of government is to ensure security and wellbeing of the people. The oil thieves are not ghosts. They are seen operating $3 million worth of vessel to steal oil. They own refineries all over the Niger-Delta. I have never heard of any government in the world blaming shortfall in revenue earning to oil thieves or common thieves.”

On the performance of the budget, Ogunyemi said the capital project was frustrated in the first quarter because of the delay over the signing of the budget by the President. “The implementation of the budget starts from January 1, but the first three months were wasted as a result of the disagreement between the executive and the legislature on provisions in the budget”.

He noted that, after the signing in February, the President returned the budget to the National Assembly for amendment. This dragged for some months before it was finally resolved in August.

“Nothing was achieved in the second quarter on capital projects because rain has set in.

“Road contractors are prevented by rain from carrying out construction work. I don’t see how the government can achieve much in the execution of capital projects. With three months to the end of the year, may be government may achieve 35 per cent budget implementation”, he added.

A financial consultant, Idris Abubakar, observed that many

‘On the activities of common thieves. It sounds ridiculous that oil thieves have prevented a legitimate government from realising its revenue target. It is a vote of no confidence on the security apparatus of the country’

sectors are not working. He said: “Those who are handling the economy are causing confusion.

They give the impression that economic growth has no relationship with job creation and other concrete indices of development, he said.

Abubakar said that Nigerians are being deceived about the state of the economy.

“How can they say there is economic growth when people cannot feed or get jobs? They said they are creating jobs here and there under the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P). How many people have secured jobs under the SURE-P? You can’t just assemble 30 young unemployed people and pay them N30,000 and repeat that in another three months and you call that job creation”.

Abubakar said the handlers of the economy think that Nigerians are fools. “The people cannot feel the impact of what the handlers of our economy are doing; it is not being felt despite all propaganda. We are in September the executive is yet to release funds for capital projects.

As a result of this, ministries, departments, agencies (MDAs) are crying over non release of funds to them,” he said.

A draw-back for the economy Experts say the backlog of implementation of the 2013 budget is a setback for the economy. They observed that most of the gains that could have accrued to the country, if the budget had taken effect from January 1, have been lost. Many importers were kept in a state of apprehension, due to the logjam. Specifically, they made reference to the original budget proposal submitted to the National Assembly, which contained stimulus packages for investors in the solid minerals, aviation, transport and agriculture sectors. None of the investors, who had envisaged a prompt implementation of these stimulus packages, would be able to access them until now, which is three months into the New Year.

The contractors, who had expected quick payments for work done, or payment of mobilisation fee to the site were disillusioned.

The experts conclude that the polemics that have trailed the 2013 budget is bad for the ailing economy.

45

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

POLITICS All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain Hon Sunny Ajose spoke with MUSA ODOSHIMOKHE on the vision and prospect of the party and other partisan issues.

‘APC membership is open to all’ W

HAT makes the APC different from other parties?

APC was formed by people of like minds, people who be lieve in moving the country forward better than the position it is today. The chances of APC ruling the country is very high. When you talk about development in the country today, the government at the centre has actually lost its vitality. For over 50 years now, we have been groping in the dark because of bad leadership. The PDP government has said it is going to move the country forward but this has not been achieved.

The programmes they put in place have not benefitted the ordinary man on the street. The roads are bad, electricity is not there, the petroleum resources which they claim has improved the economy has been bastardised. Most of the environmental degradations have not been looked into, so, the people have face environmental hazards on daily basis. The problem is there because the ruling party has no clear focus on how to tackle the problems. Those at the centre are running elitist government without minding what happens to the masses. We are being classified at all times as a Third World nation.

When are we going to be Second World or First World? Is it going to be forever that we would be classified as a Third World country? With all the facilities and resources that God has blessed this country, it is still lagging behind, in terms of meeting the need of the people. When you look at Malaysia for instance, they were worse off than Nigeria.

Singapore was worse, than Nigeria. Today, these are the nations we are now running to for help. The Malaysians came to Nigeria to take palm seedlings to be able to develop their own agriculture.

Today, we are running to them to bail us out from our agricultural woes. The APC has come to let the common man know that hope is not lost. We can do it. Nobody in any foreign land can do it for us.

Any foreign country that is offering us anything is equally looking forward to getting something from our own economy in return. We must rise to take our own future and destiny in our own hands and that hope lies in the APC. Some have said that the APC will run into trouble because of vested interests…

There is no crack in the APC. It is just a figment of the imagination of the opposition. The party is looking beyond what the elite at the centre can see. If you look at the areas the Congress of Progressive Change (CPC) is coming from they are in the majority there. The same thing is happening in the All Nigeria People Party (ANPP). But I want to say in the APC, there is no winner takes it all. The leaders of the party are sacrificing themselves for the benefit of the downtrodden. This nation is been called the nation of the beggars because the economy is in the hand of the few and the majority is suffering. The population of the country has skyrocketed. That has led to increase in the rate of crime because the economy is not supporting the increase.

There should be devolution of power, where states an other level of governments can take responsibilities. We are practicing presidential system of government. The Mayor of Chicago has power within the constitutional arrangement, and he has his own police, which he could easily use to effect changes that threaten the security of the state. The city of New York has its police that it controls. It is not just Washington that has the overall dominating power in matters that affect the United States. Why can’t we learn from them and make progress? I think it is time for things to get better.

PDP said the APC lacks presidential material and that it will approach the PDP when the time comes...

That is an overstatement, Nigeria is a country where the freedom of association is allowed. If some of them feel they are not getting result within their party they can join us as long as they abide by the rule.

We can never approach PDP for anything because it lacks the ingredient to make the country better. However, we have not shut our doors as long as they believe in our principles, concept and philosophy.

That does not mean that you should come with the summersault ideology of the PDP. The APC has a principle that is people oriented.

It is not a winner takes all party. Well, if the PDP says they have all the accumulated knowledge and the wherewithal to run the country, why are we having problem in the country? Why the enormous problems in the country? If they have such knowledge, why the carnage on our roads without solution. But I can rightly say that the government is not interested in addressing the challenges facing the country. Anybody that chooses to come into APC will need to have think and learn to obey party rules. That it is not going to be business as usual, if they think that when they come to APC and would bring their own idea, I want to say that they may have to make U-turn.

Will APC allow imposition of candidates?

Honestly, people are not sincere with themselves, in the era of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), because that is the party they had been accusing of imposition all the time ignorantly. The party held congresses were decising were •Ajose taken.

• From right: Former Vice-President Abubakar Atiku, Dr Babangida Aliyu (middle) and Gov. Rotimi Ameachi.

PDP: Bumpy road to October 7 •Continued from page 43

retary of the PDP in what the party leadership ascribed to obedience to a subsisting court order.

There are also ongoing moves to wrest the control of party machinery from the "adversarial" governors. In Kano, a caretaker committee has been set up to run the affairs of the party. Leaders of the Kano chapter had in June, officially informed the national leadership that the tenure of the State Executive Committee would expire on August 15. In the memo to the national chairman, the Kano leaders had implored the national body to commence the process of conducting a valid congress to elect a new leadership to replace the expiring exco.

UT no action was taken till September 16 when Tukur announced the composition of a caretaker committee for the Kano chapter. The appointment of the caretaker committee coincided with a visit to the party's national secretariat by a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Umar Ghali Na 'Abba, and a former ambassador, Aminu Wali.

A few days after Na 'Abba and Wali's visit, Mohammed, the son of the late maximum ruler, Gen. Sani Abacha also came calling.

Abacha had joined the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in 2010. He left the party the same year when he failed in his bid to secure the party's governorship ticket. He announced his return to the PDP during the visit.

The Kwankwaso camp is said to be viewing the development as one of the moves by the Jonathan camp to hand over the state party machinery to forces opposed to the governor.

The Adamawa State chapter has been thrown into crisis as a result of the power tussle between Governor Nyako and Tukur. While Tukur is believed to be positioning his son, Anwal, for the ticket, Nyako also is scheming to have the slot for his preferred candidate. As at now, the chapter is torn between the Joel Madaki and Lawal Mijinjuwa factions, with the former backed by Tukur and the latter, by Nyako. The situation is not different in virtually all the PDP chapters in the Southwest states where various factions have been fighting for the control of the party machinery.

Anambra State presents a different kettle of fish. There is the Ken Emeakayi faction, which is recognised by the national body, while the Ejike Oguebego faction enjoys the recognition of the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC). The two factions had conducted separate governorship primaries on August 24.

While the Emeakayi faction presented Tony Nwoye as candidate,

B

which the national body endorsed, the Oguebego faction elected Senator Andy Uba as its candidate for the same November 16 election. The crisis has earned Uba, his brother, Chris and two others in their camp an indefinite suspension from the Tukur PDP. In Sokoto State, the story is not different. Senator Umar Gada, who is a Political Adviser to Tukur, is being used as a counter force against the governor. It's too early to tell how far Gada and his team could go, but the various permutations indicate that he enjoys the backing of the PDP. Apparently in doubt about Mark's support for the President's re-election bid, the party has enlisted Lawrence Onoja, a PDP chieftain from Mark's Benue South Senatorial District. Onoja contested the Benue South seat with Mark in 2011 on the platform of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), but lost to the President of the Senate. Many view his defection to the ruling party as part of the scheme to whittle down Mark's influence in the Benue chapter of the PDP. Perhaps, the greatest threat to the survival of the PDP is the faction.

The faction has continued to attract members across the states and the National Assembly. This appears to be threatening the peace moves initiated at the instance of the President.

The media war between the two camps has taken a fiercer dimension. The last round of talks did not yield any positive result, forcing the parties to slate the next round of talks for October 7.

Events in the ruling party have continued to take new twists by the day.

The President has been oscillat-

‘Dropping re-election bid may not find any place in the President's mind. On the other hand, the faction considers it politically suicidal to back out on any of its demands, considering the possible backlash on the political careers of the members.

They seem to have crossed the rubicon.

Depending on the initiative of the Obasanjo led peace team, the warring factions may reach a win-some, lose-some compromise’

ing between perceivably phlegmatic and palpably hyperactive reaction to the events in the party.

With his actions since the crisis broke out, he appears to be embracing reconciliation with one hand, and at the same time throwing punches with the other.

Obasanjo, who is one of the prominent members of the reconciliation team, is also having it rubbed in the face.

Apart from having his loyalists thrown out of various positions in the party's national executive, one or two cabinet ministers who got the job through his connection were affected in the last cabinet purge. Despite his role in the peace process, the Jonathan camp does not trust the former President.

ITH regular shots in the arm, the President's foot soldiers have been on the prowl against "disloyal" members of the party. Others are stoking the embers with unguarded utterances and provocative actions.

Chief Edwin Clark, elderstatesman and one of the opinion leaders in the Southsouth zone, decided to join the fray.

Though many say Clark's intervention was unsolicited, he has been persistent in his attacks on real and perceived political foes of the President. Jonathan, he insists, must be allowed to run in 2015. The recent visit to the National Assembly by chieftains of the Baraje faction has opened a new chapter in the crisis. This appears to have brought a schasm between the leadership of the federal legislature and the Jonathan camp.

More troubling to the President's camp is the pacifist role played by the President of the Senate during the faction's visit. Mark received the factional members warmly, but he admonished them to embrace peace .

The Baraje faction has presented a list of demands to the reconciliation team as conditions for peace.

Among others, the group is demanding the removal of Tukur as national chairman; lifting of the suspension order on Amaechi; return of party structures in the states to the governors; resolution of the Anambra PDP imbroglio; and dropping of Jonathan's 2015 re-election bid. But these are pills the Jonathan camp and the Tukur led PDP may find difficult to swallow. With his body language and recent actions, President Jonathan may not be in a hurry to accede to all the demands tabled by the faction.

Dropping re-election bid may not find any place in the President's mind.

On the other hand, the faction considers it politically suicidal to back out on any of its demands, considering the possible backlash on the political careers of the members. They seem to have crossed the rubicon. Depending on the initiative of the Obasanjo led peace team, the warring factions may reach a win-some, losesome compromise.

W

46

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

IN THE HIGH COURT OF LAGOS STATE OF NIGERIA PROBATE REGISTRY, IKEJA DIVISION WHEREAS the person whose names are set-out in the first Column under died intestate on the date and place stated in the said Column. AND WHEREAS the person or persons whose names and addresses and relationship (if any) to the deceased are set out in the second Column here have applied to the High Court of Lagos State for a Grant of Letter of Administration of the Real and Personal Properties of the deceased. NOTICE IS HEREBY given that Letters of Administration will be granted to such persons unless a NOTICE TO PROHIBIT THE GRANT is filed in the registry within (14) days from the date hereof.

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NAMES OF THE DECEASED PERSON:

Ezekiel Olatunji Aremu (Otherwise known as Ezekiel O. Aremu and E.O.Aremu) late of 35, Imam Thanni Street, Ijesha, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 9th day of May, 2012 at Lagos.

Igbin Sabiu, late of 33, Olateju Street, Mushin, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 30th day of June, 1979 at Lagos.

James Opeifa late of 9, Olorunda Street, Ipaja, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 6th day of June, 2011 at Lagos.

Mr Okuro Johnson , late of 32, Segun Street, Igbogbo, Ikorodu, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 6th day of December, 2010 at Ikorodu.

Bekom Samson Ekpang (Otherwise known as Corporal Sampson Ekpang Bekom) late of 52, Igando Road, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 25th day of December, 2011 at Lagos.

Maria Nwaforobi Ojuro, (Otherwise known as Ojuro Maria Nwaforobi) late of 74, Mafoluku Road, Oshodi, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 14th day of April, 1995 at Onitsha, Anambra State.

Ojuro Pius Muo Chikwado,(Otherwise known as Ojuro Pius Mud Chikwado) late of 5, Andy Offor Street, Ajao Estate, deceased who died intestate on the 10th day of September, 2011 at Lagos.

Oluwatoyin Anthony Tomoloju (Otherwise known as Anthony Oluwatoyin Tomoloju Mr ) late of 3, Olaniyi Street, Ikorodu, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 24th day of December, 2010 at Ilaje, Ondo State.

Mr Sonoiki Solomon Kolawole (Otherwise known as Mr Sonoiki Solomon) late of 4, Celestial Close, Igando, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 19th day of October, 2010 at Lagos.

Mr Nurudeen Bello late of 19, Oriola Onalaja Street, Ifako Gbagada, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 15th day of February, 2013 at Lagos.

Mr Michael Igho (Otherwise known as Mr Igho Michael Male) late of 27, Ibrahim Olawale Street, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 4th day of September, 2007 at Lagos.

Olaleye Solomon Olayode (Otherwise known as Solomon Olayode Olaleye) late of 62, Omola Road, Odomola, Epe , Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 11th day of September, 2012 at Lagos.

Madam Susan Adenaike late of 41, Ajose Street, Owutu ,Ikorodu, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 23rd day of August, 2010 at Lagos.

Folawi Mudasiru Aremu late of 24, Fatai Street, Aboru Ipaja, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 19th day of July, 2009 at Oshogbo.

Mr Oseni Olusegun Ganiu(Otherwise known as Mr Oseni Segun) late of 10, Oriola Street, Ori-Okuta, Agric Bus Stop, Ikorodu, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 14th day of August, 2012 at Lagos.

Mr Mosabalaje Murtala Abiodun,(Otherwise known as Mr Mosabalaje Murtala) late of 4, Ogunnusi Road, Ojodu, Berger, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 12th day of November, 2011 at Lagos.

Bosede Michael Tunji (Otherwise known as Mike) late of 17, Segun Awosejo Street, Agbelekale, Abule Egba, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 28th day of June, 2011 at Lagos.

Alhaja Salako Adeola Risikatu (Otherwise known as Mrs Salako Risikat Adeola) late of 10, Adebayo Ogundokun Street, Unity Estate, Zone 2, Idimu, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 21st day of December, 2012 at Lagos.

Miss Ogbeh Uzezi Sophia (Otherwise known as Uzezi Sophia Ogbeh) late of 58, NNPC Pipeline, Baruwa, Ipaja, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 22nd day of October, 2010 at Lagos.

Okwudei Eze late of 6, Liadi Street, Ikorodu, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 1st day of February, 2011 at Lagos.

Madam Nsini Christian (Otherwise known as Madam Odono Nsini Christian) late of 17, Idoani Street, Off Okunola Road, Egbeda, Lagos, decased who died intestate on the 7th day of December, 2004 at Lagos.

Sarah Oluchi Okanmelu (Otherwise known as Sarah O. Okanmelu) late of 4, Akosa Street, Off Osolo Way, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 24th day of April, 2009 at Delta State.

Mrs Bello Omolade Semande (Otherwise known as Bello Omolade Semade) late of 26, Ibiye Road, Ibiye Town, Badagry, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 6th day of September, 2012 at Lagos.

Alhaji Ibrahim Amoo Bolomope late of 10, Sobodu Street, Sari Iganmu, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 22nd day of April, 2012 at Igbaja, Kwara.

Ochiawuma Peter I. late of 9/10 Baruwa 80 Closed , Shasha, Akowonjo, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 11th day of August, 2011 at Lagos.

Ogunsanmi Taiwo, late of Itunlebe Street, Ibowan , Epe, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 18th day of December, 2011 at Lagos.

Agnes Orjiewuru (Otherwise known as Mrs Agnes Nwanyieze Ogbonna) late of 56, Ojokoro Road, Owutu, Ikorodu, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 15th day of November, 2012 at Harvey Road, Health Centre.

Aladejobi Shola (Otherwise known as Shola Aladejobi) late lof 31, Jebba Street, Ebute Meta, Lagos, who died intestate on the 28th day of March, 2012 at Lagos.

Mustapha Abodurin Kazeem (Otherwise known as Mustapha Bodurin) late of BN 14, Federal Low Cost Housing Estate, Ipaja, Lagos, who died instate on the 15th day of October, 2011 at Lagos.

Agbo James (Mr) (Otherwise known as Mr Agbo James) late of Peter King Ilogbo Eremi Lagos, who died intestate on the 14th day of November, 2012 at Lagos.

Alhaji Abdulrasheed Olatunde Ajayi (Otherwise known as Alhaji Rasheed Ajayi) late of 47, Emily Akinola Street, Akoka, Lagos, who died intestate on the 21st day of February, 2011 at Lagos.

Taiwo Julius Oni late of 8, Ajasa Street, Ikeja, Lagos, who died intestate on the 23rd day of March, 2010 at Lagos.

Daniel Joseph (Otherwise known as Daniel Joseph Kuju) late of 9, Gbagada Lane, Bariga, Lagos, who died intestate on the 21st day of November, 2011 at Lagos.

Rashid Taiwo (Otherwise known as Taiwo Rasheed) late of 26, Adefeso Street, Shomolu, Lagos, who died intestate on the 7th day of January, 2012 at Badagry Hospital Bashiru Alabi (Otherwise known as Alabi Bashiru) late of 22, New Era Road, Ipaja, Lagos, who died intestate on the 5th day of February, 2013 at Lagos.

Aluko Sunday Okunola (Otherwise known as Mr Sunday Okunola Aluko) late of 31, Soloki Street, Aguda, Surulere, Lagos, who died intestate on the 28th day of September, 2007 at Lagos.

Peter Enahoro (Otherwise known as Mr Peter Enahoro) late of 26, Duro Olaleru Cresent Egbeda, Lagos, who died intestate on the 18th day of August, 2010 at Lagos.

Mr Salami Kasali (Otherwise known as Mr Salami Kasali Olufemi) late of B16, Faan Quarters Opp. MM 2, Ikeja, Lagos, who died intestate on the 27th day of November, 2012 at Lagos.

Cosmas Onyeka Agbata (Otherwise known as Cosmus Agbata) late of 21, Okomolu Street, Ojo, Lagos, who died intestate on the 12th day of February, 2009 at Lagos.

Inspector Augustine Ingweye late of 4, Oluyomi Close, Ishaga, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 8th day of December, 2011 at Lagos.

Peter Linus Agbasiere (Otherwise known as Agbasiere Peter Linus) late of 7, Fadeyi Street, Aguda, Ogba, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 29th day of Octoebr, 2011 at Lagos.

Akande Bose (Otherwise known as Akande Foluke Abosede) late of 11, Isa Lawal Street, Baruwa Inside Ipaja, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 21st day of October, 2010 at Lagos.

Mr Edward Obiora Egwuatu late of 8, Muyiwa Close, Ogba, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 24th ay of March, 2013 at Anambra State.

Ijabejo Musikiyu Akanni (Otherwise known as Bejo) late of 16, Fakorede Street, Epe, Lagos, deceased who died intestate lon the 28th day of February, 2012 at Lagos.

Eletu Mutalib Ayinde (Otherwise known as Mr Eletu M. A.) late of 19, Adeola Street, Oluti Amuwo , Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 11th day of September, 1995 at Lagos.

Mrs Julia Ekamma Oghogho (Otherwise known as Julia Ekamma Oghogho Nee Eguere) late of 32, Sule Abuka Crescent, Opebi, Ikeja, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 25th day of January, 2012 at Lagos.

Mrs Adesigbin Adebisi (Otherwise known as Mrs Adeshigbin Adebisi ) late of 6, Babatola Drive, Ikeja, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 6th day of April, 2013 at Lagos.

Ogwola Anebi late of 8, Arigbedion Street, Ejigbo, Lagos deceased who died intestate on the 15th day of June, 2012 at Lagos.

Alhaji Alawode Jimoh Lasisi (Otherwise known as Jimoh Alawode Lasisi) late of 5, Durowoju Street, Ilasamaja Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 27th day of May, 2013 at Benin-Warri Expressway.

Alhaji Joseph Adebowale Ogidan (Otherwise known as Joseph Adebowale Ogidan) late of 22, Prince Adewale Ogunleye Street, Owutu Ikorodu, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 20th day of August, 2009 at Hackney London.

Chibuzor Odigbo (Otherwise known as Chibuzo Odigbo) late of 21, Sonola Street, Aguda Titun Ogba, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 25th day of November, 2011 at Ikeja Akanbi Mutiat Adedoyin (Otherwise known as Akanbi Mutiat ) late of 39, Aghaonu Street, Igbo Elerin Okokomaiko, Ojo, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 7th day of September, 2011 at Lagos.

Kelani Abibat Atoke (Otherwise known as Abibat Kelani and Kelani Abibat) late of 8, Ayanwale Street, Oke Koto Agege, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 8th day of December, 2009 at Lagos.

Mr Sanni Wasiu late of 20, Oshikoya Street, Anibaba Ikorodu, Lagos, deceased who deid intestate on the 17th day of February, 2011 at Lagos.

Okwuke Onyema James (Mr) (Otherwise known as Mr Okwuke Onyema) late of 5, Alhaji Bamgboye Street, Iyana Ipaja, Lagos decesed who died intestate on the 21st day of December, 2012 at Lagos.

Malik- Popoola Sherifat Olushola Alake (Otherwise known as Malik Sherifat) late of 7, Yaru Street, Alaba Oro, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 30th day of October, 2012 at Lagos.

Ologun Orioye Mopelola (Otherwise known as Mrs Ologun Orioye Mopelola) late of 2, Adelakun Street, Ipaja, Lagos, deceased died intestate on the 29th day of September, 2009 at Lagos.

Mr Michael Ogundipe (Otherwise known as Micheal Ogundipe) late of 11, Innocent Abaye Ikorodu, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 14th day of September, 2011 at Lagos.

Chief Awobiyi Simeon Adisa (Otherwise known as Mr Awobiyi Simeon Adisa) late of 72, Ailegun Road, Ejigbo, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 24th day of December, 2012 at Ogun State.

Yusuf Esther Omobolanle (Otherwise known as Omobolanle Yesufu ) late of Block 284, Flat 1, Jakande Estate, Isolo, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 7th day of April, 2013 at Gbagada General Hospital.

Mr Mabun Phillip Adekoya late of 11, Silver Street, Olorunshogo Mushin, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 8th day of December, 2010 at Lasuth Mrs Adeyinka Kingsley James (otherwise known as Adeyinka Kingsley- James) late of 6, Dapson Street, Oke-Ira, Ogba, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 8th day of March, 2008 at Lagos.

Adebola Fatai Taiwo late of 2, Ejikeme Street, Ikorodu, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 19th day of March, 2013 at Lagos.

Mrs Christianah Oluwafunmilayo Ajibade (Otherwise known as Mrs Christianah Olufunmilayo Ajibade (Nee Bamgboye) late of 11, Sunmonu Animashaun Street, Ejigbo, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 13th day of March, 2011 at Lagos.

Mr Udeh Clement (Otherwise known as Mr Clement Ude) late of 5, Bamgbose Street, Ilufe, Ojo, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 18th day of June, 2012 at Lagos.

Mokwenye Emmanuel Nnamdi late of 3, Alebiosu Street, Ijegun Sattelite Town, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 7th day of February, 2013 at Lagos.

Mrs Giwa Afusatu Oladunni late of 223, Ojo Road, Ajegunle, Apapa, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 23rd day of July, 2010 at Lagos.

Mr Alakija Adegboyega (Otherwise known as Adegboyega ) late of 1, Itesiwaju Street, Akoka, Yaba, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 12th day of October, 1989 at Ibadan Felix Ekpojie late of 45, Bammeke Road, Shasha, Egbeda, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 9th dayof January, 2008 at Lagos.

Alice Omolabake Sansa (Otherwise known as Sansa Omolabeke Alice) late of 3, Sikiru Adenowo Street, Off Ijale Agric Ikorodu, Lagos, who died intestate on the 22nd day of February, 2011 at Lagos.

Olugbuyi Oluwatoyin Motunrayo (Otherwise known as Olugbuyi Oluwatoyin Samdat) late of 12, Soremekun Street, Olosa, Mushin, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 16th day of February, 2013 at Ibadan.

Omolambe Francis Adebisi late of 57, Temitope Street, Oshodi, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 18th day of April, 2012 at Lasuth, Ikeja.

Adegoke Joel late of 7, Ogbondoroko Street, Powerline Okunola, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 18th day of December, 2011 at Lagos.

Mrs Elizabeth Adetoun Kolawole (Otherwise known as Kolawole Elizabeth Adetoun) late of 5, Olumo Street, Onike Yaba, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 8th day of July, 2009 at Lasuth Amosu Maria Modupe (Mrs) (Otherwise known as Amosu Maria) late of 3, Cinema Street, Soweh Badagry, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 10th day of March, 2010 at Badagry.

Udo Imabong (Otherwise known as Udo Ima-Obong Ekanem , Udo, Ima Obong Ekanem, and Udo Ima Obong Ekanem) late of 3, Obajimi Street, Igando, Lagos deceased who died intestate on the 5th day of September, 2009 at Lagos.

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NAMES OF APPLICANT APPLYING FOR THE GRANT Olusegun Michael Adekeye and Mrs Gbemisola Christiana Adekunle both of 35, Imam Thanni Street, Ijesha, Lagos, two children of the said deceased.

Mr Dayo Igbin, Mr Morufu Balogun -Igbin and Mr Ibrahim Igbin all of 33, Olateju Street, Mushin, Lagos, three of the children of the said deceased.

Miss Funmilola Opeifa and Mr Michael Yemi Opeifa both of 1, Mecco Bus Stop, Powerline, Ikola , Ipaja, Lagos, two chilren of the said deceased.

Okuro Ovie Isaiah of 37, Oba Omolaja Ogunlewe Road, Igbogbo, Ikorodu, Lagos, the only surviving child of the said deceased.

Ekpang Janet and Janet Takim Odap Benku both of 33, Adebiyi Street, Somolu, Lagos, one of the chidlren and sister respectively of the said deceased.

Ojuro Chigozie Kingsley of 74, Mafoluku Road, Oshodi, Lagos and Ifeanyi Ojuro of 5, Andy Offor Street, Ajao Estate, Lagos, two children of the said deceased.

Ojuro Chigozie Kingsley and Ifeanyi Ojuro both of 5, Andy Offor Street, Ajao Estate, Lagos, two children of the said deceased.

Seyi Tomoloju and Oladunni Tomoloju both of 3, Olaniyi Street, Ikorodu, Lagos, two of the children of the said deceased.

Mrs Grace Funmilayo of A5/2 Adegorosen Street, Off Hospital Road, Shagamu and Mr Kayode Samson Sonoiki of 4, Celestial Close, Igando, Lagos widow and one of the children respectively of the said deceased.

Mrs Khadijat Abayomi of 14, Alaba Obe Street, Ajuwon, Lagos, and Mr Abdul Rafiu Bello of 19, Oriola Onalaja Street, Ifako, Gbagada, Lagos, two of the children of the said deceased.

Mrs Rachael Onome Igho of 27, Ibrahim Olawale Street, Lagos and Mr Godfrey Igho of 22, Oyebeji Street, Ajangbadi Road, Okoko, Lagos, widow and brother respectively of the said deceased.

Soyinka Bamidele Maria, Mrs Olaleye Olaniyi Joshua and Olaleye Kolawole Matthew all of 62, Omola Road, Odomola, Epe, Lagos, three of the children of the said deceased.

Abayomi Adenaike of 35, Sultan Bello, Ikorodu, Lagos, and Adesola Aladesanmi (Nee Adenaike) of 41, Ajose Street, Ikorodu, Lagos, two of the children of the said deceased.

Folawi Saheed and Folawi Adetola both of 24, Fatai Street, Aboru Ipaja, Lagos, two of the children of the said deceased.

Funmilayo Bamidele Oseni and Adebayo Segun Balogun both of 10, Oriola Street, Ori-Okuta, Agric Bus Stop, Ikorodu, lLagos, widow and brother respectively of the said deceased.

Mosobalaje Adijat Adebisi and Mosabalaje Quam Adedayo both of 4, Ogunnusi Road, Ojodu Berger, Lagos, widow and one of the children respectively of the said deceased.

Bosede Roselyn Ebunlomo and Bosede Babatunde Olayinka both of 17, Segun Awosejo Street, Agbelekale, Abule Egba, Lagos, widow and one of the children respectively of the said deceased.

Salako Oluwaseun Abdulraheem and Salako Tope Toib both of 10, Adebayo Ogundokun Street, Unity Estate, Zone 2, Idimu, Lagos, two of the chidlren of the said deceased.

Felix Emmanuel and Blessing Agboneboh (Nee Osbeh) both of 58, NNPC Pipeline, Baruwa, Ipaja, Lagos, cousin and sister respectively of the said deceased.

Mr Paul Bayem and Mr Isioma Bayem both of 31, Niyi Ogunleye Street, Ojota, Lagos, two brothers of the said deceased.

Odono Iboroakam Chris and Odono Esang Ubong G. Chris both of 17, Idoani Street, Off Okunola Road, Egbeda, Lagos, two brothers of the said deceased.

Mr Ifeanyi Okanmelu and Ngozi Nwosa both of 4, Asoka Street, Off Osolo Way, Isolo, Lagos, widower and sister respectively of the said deceased.

Mr Babatunde K. Bello and Miss Ganiyat B. Bello both of 26, Ibiye Road, Ibiye Town, Badagry, Lagos, widower and one of the children respectively of the said deceased.

Raufu Ibrahim Bolomope and Kamolideen I. Bolomope both of 10, Sobodu Street, Sari Iganmu, Lagos, two of the children of the said deceased.

Ochiawuma Uchenna Peter and Patrick Nwaobi both of 9/10 Baruwa , 80 Closed , Shasha, Akowonjo, Lagos, one of the children and brother respectively of the said deceased.

Mrs Ogunsanmi Modupe , Miss Taiwo Idiat Oluwaseyi and Miss Taiwo Bilikisu Adesewa all of Itunlebe Street, Ibowan , Epe, Lagos, widow and two of the children respectively of the said deceased.

Mr Mark Ejima Orjiewuru of 56, Ojokoro Road, Owutu, Ikorodu, Lagos, and Mr Innocent Ogbonna of 25, Owodunni Street, Ikosi, Ketu, Lagos , widower and brother respectively of the said deceased.

Mopelola Aladejobi of 31, Jebba Street, Ebute Metta, Lagos and Monsuru Olabisi Idowu of 68, Jebba Street, Ebute Metta, Lagos, widow and sister respectively of the said deceased.

Nurudeen Kazeem of BN 14, F.L.C.H Estate, Ipaja, Alimosho, Lagos, and Ahmed Kareem of 39, Lagos Road, Bewery Lafenwa Abeokuta , Ogun State , two of the children of the said deceased.

Agbo James Joy (Mrs) and Chief Agbo Oboma Akugom Aduma Mk Paruyakur both of Peter King Ilogbo Eremi Lagos , widow and brother respectively of the said deceased.

Mr Omowunmi Olufolake Ajayi , Mohammed Babatunde Ajayi and Saheed Ifedayo Ajayi all of 47, Emily Akinola Street, Akoka, Lagos, widow and two of the children respectively of the said deceased.

Taiwo Folake F. and Elizabeth Taiwo O. (Mrs) both of 6, Atotileto Street, Bammeke Shasha , Lagos, widow and one of the children respectively of the said deceased.

Ola Kuju of 8, Adeleye Street, Sawmill Gbagada, Lagos and Dele Kuju of 3, Sholuade Close Ifako Gbagada, Lagos, the only surviving child and brother respectively of the said deceased.

Hussain Taiwo, Kudus Taiwo and Mrs Rashidat Musiliu both of 26, Adefeso Street, Shomolu, Lagos, father , brother and sister respectively of the said deceased.

Mrs Wosilat Alabi and Kabiru Alabi both of 22, Sediku Street, Ekoro Road, Abule Egbe, Lagos, widow and one of the children respectively of the said deceased.

Aluko Adenrele Regina of 31, Soloki Street, Aguda, Surulere, Lagos, and Rasaki Oyeniyi Oyelade of 12, Niran Oyedele Street, Abule Egba, Lagos, the only surviving child and the solicitor to the family respectively of the said deceased.

Enahoro Anthonia and Enahoro Shittu both of 26, Duro Olaleru Cresent, Egbeda, Lagos, widow and brother respectively of the said deceased.

Salami Babatunde and Salami Oluwabunmi B16, Faan quarters Opp. MM2 Ikeja, Lagos, two of the children of the said deceased.

Mrs Onyinye Agbata of 21, Okomolu Street, Ojo, Lagos, and Mr Ebuka Agbata of 35, Sanusi Street, Iyana Isashi , Ojo, Lagos, widow and brother respectively of the said deceased.

Ruth Augustine Ingweye and Charles Ingweye both of 4, Oluyomi Close, Ishaga, Lagos, widow and one of the children respectively of the said deceased.

Mrs Anthunia Agbasiere of 7, Fadeyi Street, Aguda, Ogba, Lagos, and Mr Richard Anikwe of 5, Ayo Alabi Street,Oke Ira, Ogba, Lagos, widow and brother respectively of the said deceased.

Sakiru Akande and Kehinde Titilope Akande both of 11, Isa Lawal Street, Baruwa, Inside Ipaja, Lagos, widower and one of the chidlren respectively of the said deceased.

Mrs Uju Christy Egwuatu and Testimony Nkechi Egwuatu both of 8, Muyiwa close, Ogba, Lagos, widow and one of the children respectively of the said deceased.

Ijabejo Olayinka Korede and Ijabejo Adeshola Abd' Azeez both of 16, Fakorede Street, Epe, Lagos, two of the children of the said deceased.

Eletu Olatunji Abubakar and Eletu Latifat Adebimpe both of 19, Adeola Street, Oluti Amuwo Lagos, two children of the said deceased.

Mr Isaac Ogheneochukwo Oghogho of 32, Abuka Crescent, Opebi, Ikeja, Lagos,and Godwin Sylvanus Eguere of 9, Ademola Oki Street, Aguda, Surulere, Lagos, widower and brother respectively of the said deceased.

Mrs Oluwadunroti Awobayo and Mrs Alaba Bartels both of 6, Babatola Drive Ikeja, Lagos, one of the children and cousin respectively of the said deceased.

Ogwola Francis and Isaac Adah both of 17, Aranseolu Street, Orile Agege, Lagos, brother and cousin respectively of the said deceased.

Alawode Taiwo Morounmobo of 45, Adeshile Street, Mushin, Lagos, Alawode Rafiu of 21, Ebenezer Ogunsanya Street, Iju-Ishaga, Alawode Abiodun Gafari of 5, Durowoju Street, Ilasamaja Lagos, and Adewode Kabiru Olanrewaju of 19, Oteomi Street, Papa Ajao, Lagos, widow, one of the children and two brothers respectively of the said deceased.

Mrs Abimbola Ogidan Ajose and Miss Aramide Lawal both of 1, Yisa Braimoh Close, Surulere, Lagos, two of the children of the said deceased.

Chinedu Odigbo, David Odigbo and Abadinego Odigbo all of 21, Sonola Street, Aguda Titun, Ogba , Lagos, three brothers of the said deceased.

Akanbi Afeez Tunde of 7, Aremu Sanbe Lalu Street, Ikorodu, Lagos and Akanbi Habibat Adebanke of 39, Aghaonu Street, Igbo, Elerin Okokomaiko, Ojo, Lagos, two of the children of the said deceased.

Fatimo Kelani and Olanrewaju Kelani both of 2, Kasumu Street, Itoki, Ogun State, two of the children of the said deceased.

Risikat Sanni, Dupe Sanni and Sulaimon Sanni all of 20, Oshikoya Street, Anibaba Ikorodu, Lagos, two widows and one of the children respectively of the said deceased.

Kate Okwuke of 5, Alhaji Bamgboye Street, Iyana Ipaja, Lagos , Peter Ogadi Okwuke of 20, Adebimpe Street, Kosofe Mile 12, Lagos, widow and brother respectively of the said deceased.

Alhaji Malik Alabi and Mr Malik Sule Adisa both of 7, Yaru Street, Alaba Oro, Lagos , father and brother respectively of the said deceased.

Felix Ologun and Samuel Kolade Ologun both of 40, Oloshin Road, Ota Ogun State, widower and one of the children respectively of the said deceased.

Mrs Dorcas Ogundipe , Miss Olabisi Ogundipe and Mr Olarale Ogundipe all of 11, Innocent Abaye Street, Ikorodu, Lagos, widow and two chidlren respectively of the said deceased.

Olawale Oluwole Awobiyi and Oluwabusola Nike Awobiyi both of 3, Olaide Street, Sango Ota, Lagos, two of the children of the said deceased.

Mrs Suleiman Adebisi and Mr Yesufu Adedeji both of 284/L.C.H.E. Jakande Isolo, Lagos, two of the children of the said decesed.

Mr Adeniyi Mabun of 5, Olajumoke Mabun Crescent, Akesan, Lagos and Adegboyega Mabun of 11, Silver Street, Olorunshogo Mushin, Lagos, two of the children of the said deceased.

Mr Olusola Kingsley James and Mrs Adenike Adeyemo both of 6, Dapson Street, Oke Ira, Ogba, Lagos, widower and sister respectively of the said deceased.

Mrs Adebola E. Mojisola of 2, Ejikeme Street, Ikorodu, Lagos, and Mr Sanusi A. Ganiyu of 26, Alison Street, Ikorodu, Lagos, widow and brother respectively of the said deceased.

Mrs Abiola Olumide Akinwale, Miss Ololade Elizabeth Ajibade and Miss Oluwamayowa Esther Ajibade all of 11, Sunmonu Animashun Street, Ejigbo, Lagos, three children of the said deceased.

Mrs Josephine Udeh, Master Chidiebere Udeh and Miss Adaobi Udeh all of 5, Bamgbose Street, Ilufe, Ojo, Lagos, widow and two of the children respectively of the said deceased.

Eucharia Ugochukwu Mokwenye and Mrs Hellen Ogadi both of 3, Alebiosu Street, Ijegun Sattelite Town, Lagos, widow and sister respectively of the said deceased.

Mogaji Adebisi Rauph, Emmanuel Olufunmilayo Falohun and Abolanle Giwa all of 223, Ojo Road, Ajegunle, Apapa, Lagos, three of the children of the said deceased.

Arc Ige Fasusi and Mr Abayomi Akinmosa both of 1, Itesiwaju Street, Akoka, Yaba, Lagos, two brothers of the said deceased.

Mr Yakubu Ekpojie and Mrs Abibatu Ekpojie both of 45, Bammeke Road, Shasha,Egbeda, Lagos ,widow and one of the children respectively of the said deceased.

Mrs Ademola Abisola Ademide (Nee Sansa) of 5, Orere Abesan Estate, Bayeku Road, Igbogbo, Ikorodu, Lagos, and Sansa Olakunle Opeyemi of 3, Sikiru Adenowo Street, Ijale Ikorodu, Lagos, two of the children of the said deceased.

Mrs Shakirat Titilola Balogun and Mrs Basirat Olayinka Salami both of 1, Alh. Akeem Salami Close, Off Irepodun Street, Moshalasi, Alagbado, Lagos, two sisters of the said deceased.

Mrs Omolambe Olapeju Eunice and Mr Omolambe Adeyinka Olusegun both of 57, Temitope Street, Ilasamaja, Lagos, widow and one of the children respectively of the said deceased.

Mrs Abosede Adegoke of 12, Okunola Road, Egbeda, lagos, and Mrs Esther Fashola of 65, Abeokuta Street, Egbeda, Lagos, widow and sister respectively of the said deceased.

Titilayo Lanre Kolawole and Adeyinka Adewale Kolawole both of 5, Olumo Street, Onike Yaba, Lagos, two of the children of the said deceased.

Adekunle Francis Amosu, Oluwole Sonayon Amosu and Temitayo Akindele Amosu all of 3, Cinema Street, Soweh Badagry, Lagos, widower and two of the children respectively of the said deceased.

Bassey Ekanem Udo and Emem Ekanem Udo both of 3, Obajimi Street, Igando, Lagos, two of the children of the said deceased.

I.O.AKINKUGBE (MRS) PROBATE REGISTRAR

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

IN THE HIGH COURT OF LAGOS STATE OF NIGERIA PROBATE REGISTRY, IKEJA DIVISION WHEREAS the person whose names are set-out in the first Column under died intestate on the date and place stated in the said Column. AND WHEREAS the person or persons whose names and addresses and relationship (if any) to the deceased are set out in the second Column here have applied to the High Court of Lagos State for a Grant of Letter of Administration of the Real and Personal Properties of the deceased. NOTICE IS HEREBY given that Letters of Administration will be granted to such persons unless a NOTICE TO PROHIBIT THE GRANT is filed in the registry within (14) days from the date hereof.

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NAMES OF THE DECEASED PERSON:

Alhaji Rabiu Akanni Ogundele (Otherwise known as Rabiu and Ogundele Rabiu ) late of 1, Ifelodun Street, Gbagada, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 24th day of June, 1995 at Lagos.

Mmeka Simeon Chukwuka (Mr) (Otherwise known as Mmeka Simeon C.) late of 178, Mushin Road, Itire Surulere, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 7th day of February, 2012 at Lagos.

Muniru Olawale Okunola late of 41, Alawode Street, Surulere, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 8th day of August, 2012 at Lagos.

Mrs Bello Muibat Bolanle (Otherwise known as Mrs Bello Muibat) late of 14, Alhaji Adewale Street, Isheri Olofin Idimu, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 16th dayof November, 2012 at Lagos.

Bakare Ganiyu Olorunfemi late of 6, Sadiku Street, Papa Ajao Mushin, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 21st day of February, 2012 at Lagos.

Alhaji Fasasi Karimu Ayodele (Otherwise known as Haji Kareem Ayodele Fasasi ) late of 37, Adugbangba Street, Lagos, Island, deceased who died intestate on the 2nd day of July, 2012 at Lagos.

Olaleye Oluwashola Esther late of 47, Ondo Street, Ebute Metta, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 24th day of April 2013 at Ebute Metta, Lagos.

Mr Obiwuru Pius late of 71, Idewu Street, Olodi Apapa, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 19th day of December, 2010 at Lagos.

Mr Olugbenga Sunday Adegboyega (Otherwise known as Mr O.S.E.Adegboyega) late of 9, Akinosho Street, Off Afariogun Street, Oshodi, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 10th day of November, 2011 at Lagos.

Mr Felix Osuma Ojeifo late of 139, Brickfield Street, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 10th day of April, 2013 at Lagos.

Adeyi Ajasa Afeez (Otherwise known as Mr Adeyi Ajasa) late of 4, Alaba Wiliams Crescent, Iju Ishaga, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 19th day of December, 2012 at Lagos.

Adebodun Saka Adekunle (Otherwise known as Saka Adekunle Adebodun) late of 15, Shifawu Street, Ojuelegba , Surulere, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 1st day of June, 2000 at Lisbong Hospital and Maternity.

Chief PotBalogun (otherwise known as Potuetho) late of 1, Osewe Cottage Ajara Vetho Badagry, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 21st day of August, 2011 at Lagos.

Mr James Kelechi Ekele (Otherwise known as James Kelechi) late of 3, Iyana Ira Agbara Bdagry, Express Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 10th day of April, 2012 at Lagos.

Mr Odinamba Joseph late of 5, Avenue L Close, House 17, Festac Town, Lagos deceased who died intestate on the 15th day of October, 2009 at Golden Cross Hospital Festac, Lagos.

Mrs Endurance Elo Ajisegiri (Nee Agbobonye) (otherwise known as Endurance Elo Ajisegiri) late of 22 Kwara Street, Akowonjo, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 14th day of April, 2013 at Lagos.

Njoku Ese Oghene Gift (Otherwise known as Njoku Ese Oghene) late of 35, Isikalu Street, Olodi Apapa, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 12th day of November, 2011 at Lagos.

Oluwole Samuel (Otherwise known as Korede) late of 15, Ifedapo Street, Agbado, Lagos deceased who died intestate on the 30th day of November, 2011 at Lagos.

Mr Olumide Ayodeji Akinsanya late ;of 5, Owoeye Close, Iju, Lagos State deceased who died intestate on the 21st day of July, 2012 at Lagos.

Bada Ibrahim Babatunde late of 9, Oluomosaiye Close, New Oko-Oba, Agege, Lagos deceased who died intestate on the 20th day of February, 2013 at Lagos.

Owoyele Nasiru late of 20, Banjo Owoyele Street,Ahmadiya Ojokoro, Lagos deceased who died intestate on the 20th day of February, 2002 at General Hospital, Ikeja.

Mrs Cecilia Enwenwen late of 6, Daniya Street, Oniwaya, Agege, Lagos, deceased who died intestte on the 15th dayof May, 2013 at Lasuth, Ikeja.

Akinyoola Samuel Olaoye late of 10, Apodo Compound, Ibereko, Badagry, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 26th day of May, 2012 at Badagry, Lagos.

Mustapha Muyideen Ishola late of 23, Willoughby Street, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 11th day of January, 2000 at Lagos.

Ntuko Charles Chukwudi late of 5, Grace Ntuko Street, Arowojobe Mende Maryland, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 3rd day of June, 2012 at Lagos.

Mrs Biola Oluwanisola late of 28, Ayinke Street, Ladylack Bariga, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 24th day of November, 2012 at Lagos.

Isa Fulani late of 8, Babayomi Lane, Gbonguleri ,Agege, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 10th day of May, 2012 at Lagos.

Fashola Mathew late of 5, Adebajo Street, Ishaga, Isolo, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 18th day of December, 2011 at Lagos.

Obasi Ntomchukwu Philomena (Otherwise known as Philomena Obasi ) late of 77, Ogunsami Street, Ijesha Surulere, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 20th day of August, 2012 at Lagos.

Alhaji Yisa Ishola Owoso (Otherwise known as Mr Yisa Ishola Owoso) late of 3rd Avenue B Close, House 12, Festac Town, Lagos, deceased who died intestaste on the 24th day of March, 2012 at Lagos.

Mr Alexander Solomon (Otherwise known as Alesol Ventures) late of 4B, Bayo Olagoke Lekki Phase I, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 28th day of November, 2012 at Luth, Lagos.

Amu Sunday Celestine (Otherwise known as Mr Sunday Amu) late of 19, Ogunsola Street, Egbeda, Lagos deceased who died intestate on the 10th day of September, 2011 at Lagos.

Simon Mmerem Nzerem (Otherwise known as Nzerem Simon) late of 2, Ogunbekun Street, Mosalashi Bus Stop Bariga, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 18th day of October, 2012 at Lasuth Adekunle Adesola late of 25, Palace Road, Eyita Ikorodu, Lagos deceased who died intestate on the 26th day of August, 2012 at Ikorodu General Hospital.

Mgbe Millicent Chinelo Obiageri late of 30/32, Jesu Oseun Street, Agbado, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 14th day of February, 2013 at Imo State.

Otobo James late of Alhaji Isa Close, Iba Ojo, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 30th day of December, 2008 at Badagry General Hospital Abiodun Efunnuga (otherwise known as Abiodun Efunuga) late of 17, Ademola Taiwo Crescent, Ketu, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 29th day of December, 2011 at Lagos.

Adeleke Semiu Olusola late of 3, Olanniyi Street, Ajasa, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 7th day of January, 2012 at Lagos.

Ihejirika Vincent (otherwise known as Mr Vincent Ihejirika) late of 39, Emordi Street, Olodi Aopapa, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 1st day of January, 2013 at Lagos.

Bayo Ashaolu late of 9, Victoria Street, Ojota, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 16th day of May, 2011 at Lagos.

Adegeloye Victoria Nkoye (Otherwise known as Adegeloye Victoria) late of 100, Y/S Street, Ilogbo Ajagbadi, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 7th day of October, 2012 at Lagos.

Mr Adegboyega Amos Adebiyi late of 196, Oniru Estate Lekki, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 31st day of July, 2010 at Lagos.

Anebi Susan late of 51, Oyinlola Street, Dopemu Agege, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 20th day of September, 2010 at Otukpo.

Dr Dada Mobolaji Olufemi(otherwise known as Dada mobolaji Olufemi) late of 12B, Saji Ayangade Street, Anthony, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 23rd day of November, 2010 at Lagos.

Okolie Ifeanyi Venatius (Otherwise known as Ifeanyi Basil Okolie) late of 35, Elufe Road, Alaba, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 23rd day of January, 2013 at Lagos.

Mr Moses Sunday Oladele (Otherwise known as Oladele Sunday Moses) late of 2, Omotosho Street, Abule Egba, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 19th day of November, 2006 at Lagos.

Abbah Elizabeth (Otherwise known as Elizabeth Abbah) late of Block Ck 4 , New Captain Quarter, Navy Town, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 1st day of October, 2012 at Navy Town.

Joshua Korede (Otherwise known as Joshua Adegoke Korede) late of 2, Akintan Street, Ogba, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 22nd day of April, 2010 at Lagos.

Alhaja Sidikatu Titilayo Komolafe (Otherwise known as Alhaja Sidikatu Titilayo) late of 52, Agutasolo Street, Aguda, Surulere, Lagos deceased who died intestate on the 4th day of October, 2008 at Lagos.

Madam Jumoke Ajayi (Otherwise known as Ajayi Jumoke) late of 43, Bolaji Omupo Street, Palmgrove Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 24th day of October, 2012 at Luth Yakubu Lezemu (Otherwise known as EX6NA/213830WO Yakubu Lezemu Rtd ) late of 16, Ijaola Street, Maryland Onigbongbo, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 24th day of April,. 2011 Victoria Brunyan (Otherwise known as Mrs Victoria Brunyan) late of 11, Joseph Closed, Off Akerele Aina Street, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 29th day of June, 2012 at Lagos.

Mrs Angela Ngozi Akinsogba (Otherwise known as Akinsogba Angela Ngozi) late of 17, Oladehinde Street, Mafoluku Oshodi, Lagos, deceased died intestate on the 6th day of November, 2011 at Lagos.

Mrs Sokefun Modupeoluwa Abisola (Otherwise known as Mrs Sokefun Modupe Abisola) late of 1, Tunji Sokefun Avenue, Igbogbo, Ikorodu, Lagos deceased who died intestate on the 19th day of August, 2010 at Lagos.

Major (Elder) Airaodion O. Jaiye late of 18, Dozie Okolo Street, Unity Estate, Isiashi, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 11th day of December, 2011 at Owo. Mrs Victoria Ogunkola late of 18, Emmanuel High Street, Ojota, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 15th day of December, 2010 at New Jersey, Beckley Height.

Agwu Onwuka late of Elugwu Nkporo, Ohafia Local Government Area late of deceased who died intestate on 15th day of January, 1991 at Ohafia Ameh John, late of 8, Owoyemi Street, Ojo Road, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 31st day of August, 2001 at Lagos.

Hassan Rasaki Saka (Otherwise known as Hassan Rasaki) late of 67, Salami Street, Mafoluku, Oshodi, Lagos, deceased who died intestate lon the 26th day of August, 2012 at Lagos.

Ogunlana Bilikis Adeola late of 4, Onitire Street, Abaranje, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 1st day of October, 2012 at Monut Pisgah Hospital.

Anko Gladys Asabe (Otherwise known as Anko Gladys) late of 2, Awoseyin Street, Shomolu, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 15th day of May, 2011 at Lagos.

Beatrice Samuel late of 4, Shola Olamide Close, Runsewe Estate, Ahmadiya, Lagos, deceased who died intestate lon the 15th day of February, 2013 at Lagos.

Olukotun Adegboyega Rasaki (Otherwise known as Olukotun Rasaq Adegboyega) late of 17, Gbasemo Street, Aga, Ikorodu, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 28th day of September, 2010 at Lagos.

Akinyemi Kehinde (Otherwise known as Kehinde Akinyemi Ologudu) late of 181, Ipaja Road, Baruwa Estate, Ipaja, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 8th day of February, 2010 at Lagos.

Rtd W.O. Sampson Akpan late of Ikot Unya Mkpat Enin deceased who died intestate on the 1st day of September, 2008 at Lagos.

Mr Umoh Sunday (Otherwise known as Mr Sunday Lazarus Umoh) late of Road 19, Peace Estate, Baruwa Inside, Ipaja, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 30th day of November, 2011 at Ikeja General Hospital.

Mrs Eze Immaculata Obioma (Otherwise known as O.I. Ezseonwurie and Obioma I. Eze) late of 23, Olufemi Shokan Street, Aguda, Surulere, Lagos deceased who died intestate on the 16th day of July, 2012 at Lord Choosen Hospital Omopariola Isaac Adegbite (Otherwise known as Omopariola I. Adegbite) late of 35, Idowu Shogbade Street, Ifako Ijaye, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 8th day of June, 2008 at Lagos.

Mr Akanni Habeeb Adebayo (Otherwise known as Akanni Habeeb) late of 19, Ashipa Street, Iyana Orile, Agege, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 21st day of September, 2012 at Lagos.

Fabian A. Ekwueme (Otherwise known as Anele and Fabian Anele Ekwueme) late of 29, Sadiku Street, Olodi Apapa, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 2nd day of October, 2012 at Raor Hospital Surulere..

Udeogu John Otitochukwu (Otherwise known as Udeogu John) late of 12, Ifodo Street, Alapere, Ketu, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 13th day of August, 2012 at Lagos.

Aduroja Emmanuel Olajire (Otherwise known as Emmanuel Olajire Aduroja and Olajire Emmanuel Aduroja) late of 15, Bello Street, Papa Ajao, Mushin, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 15th day of September, 1997 at Lagos.

John Obi Ezenweani (Otherwise known as Mr John O. Ezenweani) late of 6, Saka Lane, Abule Ijesha, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the on the 25th day of July, 2004 at Lagos.

Mrs Cordelia Olubunmi Irele late of 8, Olatunde Ayoola Ave Obanikoro Anthony Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 28th day of January, 2013 at Lagos.

Mrs Okereke Mabel Nnena late of 6, Otunba Adedeji Close, Isolo, Lagos, deceased who died intestate on the 3rd day of November, 2011 at Lagos.

Kamorudeen Hassan Adetayo (Otherwise known as Kamoru A. Hassan and Kamorudeen Adetayo Hassan) late of 12, Ogo Oluwa Street, Iwaya,Lagos deceased who died intestate on the 29th day of November, 2011 at Total Victory Hospital Iwaya, Lagos.

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NAMES OF APPLICANT APPLYING FOR THE GRANT Olalekan Ismail Ogundele and Nohemot Olajumoke Jimoh both of 1, Ifelodun Street, Gbagada , Lagos, two children of the said deceased.

Mrs Celestina and Mr Peter Mmeka both of 178, Mushin Road, Itire, Surulere, Lagos, widow and brother respectively of the said deceased.

Mrs Bolanle Aminat Okunola and Mojisola Aishat Okunola both of Plot 8, Garuba Mohammed Avenue, Lekki Phase 2, Lagos, widow and one of the children respectively of the said deeceased.

Bello Abdulfatai Oladotun and Saludeen Kabeer both of 14, Alhaji Adewale Street, Isheri, Olofin Idimu, Lagos, widower and brother respectively of the said deceased.

Mrs Bakare Deborah, Mrs Bakare Oluwaseun Victor and Mr Bakare Oluwasegun Ebenezer all of 6, Sadiku Street, Papa Ajao , Mushin, Lagos, widow and two children respectively of the said deceased.

Mrs N. Bisiola Suleiman and Abiodun Hammed Fasasi both of 37, Adugbengba Street, Lagos Island, Lagos two of the children of the said deceased.

Olaleye Henry Folorunsho and Olaleye Mary Oluwabukola both of 47, Ondo Street, Ebute Metta, Lagos, widower and one of the children respectively of the said deceased.

Rechael Obiwuru and Chinonye Obiwuru both of 71, Idewu Street, Olodi Apapa, Lagos, widow and one of the children respectively of the said deceased.

Olufunmilayo Lola Adegboyega of 9, Akinosho Street, Off Afariogun Street, Oshodi, Lagos, widow of the said deceased.

Mrs Julie Ojeifo and Miss Joy Ojeifo both of 139, Brickfield Street, Lagos, widow and one of the children respectively of the said deceased.

Mr Adeyi Babatunde , Mr Adeyi O. Semiu , Miss Adeyi Toyosi and Mr Adeyi Adeniyi all of 4, Alaba Williams Crescent, Iju Ishaga, Lagos, four children of the sai ddeceased.

Mrs Kareemot A. Salako, Alh. Monsuru Adeshina Adebodun and Mr Sulaimon Adedayo Adebodun all of 15, Shifawu Street, Ojuelegba Surulere, Lagos, three of the children of the said deceased.

Mr Sedegla Sunday Balogun Mrs Iyabode Seyido Yahaya, Mr Sesiegbede Pot-Balogun andMr John Balogun all of 1, Osewe Cottage Ajara Vetho Badagry, Lagos, four of the children of the said deceased.

Mrs Nnena Kalu and Mrs Chika Nnachi both of 34, Block C Jakande Estate, Egbeda, Lagos, two sisters of the said deceased.

Mr Chijioke Odinamba of 5th Avenue, L Close, House 17, Festac Town, Lagos, and Dr (Mrs) Eucharia Ezidiegwu of 8, Nteje Street, New Haven, Enugu, Lagos, two of the children of the said deceased.

Mr Agbobonye Johnson and Mr Agbobonye Caleb both of 22, Kwara Street, Akowonjo, Lgos, father and brother respectively of the said deceased.

Njoku Casmir Maduabuchi and Victor Oghene both of 35, Isikalu Street, Olodi Apapa, Lagos, widower and brother respectively of the said deceased.

Omolade Christiana Samuel and Aduke Oluwole Samuel both of Ifedapo Street, Agbado, Lagos, widow and one of the children respectively of the said deceased.

Mrs Kehinde Akinsanya and Mr Oluwole Akinsanya both of 5, Owoeye Close, Iju Lagos, widow and brother respectively of the said deceased.

Modinat Bada of 1, Surulere Street, Egan Ijoko Ota, and Wasiu Oladipo Bada of Lagos State Water Corp. Qrts Adiyan widow and brother respectively of the said deceased.

Adebukola Owoyele of 20, Banjo Owoyele Street, Ahmadiya Ojokoro Lagos, and Alhaji Ibikunle Owoyele of 8, Olaadeshaya Street, Oregun Ikeja, Lagos, widow and brother respectively of the said deceased.

Moses Dan Enwenwen, Daniel Ibanga Enwenwen and Enwenwen Isreal Mbosowo all of 6, Daniya Street, Agege, Lagos, widower and two of the children respectively of the said deceased.

Mrs Akinyoola Alice Omojowo and Akinyoola Samson O. both of 10, Apodo Compound , Ibereko Badagry, Lagos, widow and the only surviving child respectively of the said deceased.

Tajudeen Mustapha of 37, Onitire Road, Ojuelegba Lagos and Adetutu Adewale of 23, Willoughby Street, Lagos, one of the children and grand child of the said deceased.

Mrs Chizoba Ntuko and Mr Eprihraim Ntukokwu both of 5, Grace Ntuko Street, Arowojobe Mende, Maryland, Lagos, widow and brother respectively of the said deceased.

Oluwanisola Saheed Olayinka of 28, Ayinke Street, Ladylack Bariga, Lagos and Olayiwola Aina of 18, Osan-Ogbogun Street, Somolu, Lagos, widower and brother respectively of the said deceased.

Abass Isa and Bukar Isa both of 8, Babayomi Lane, Gbonguleri ,Agege, Lagos, two of the children of the said deceased.

Fashola Samuel Kayode and Fashola Oluwole both of 10, Tunji Akindele Idimu, Lagos, and Fashola Seun of 5, Adebajo Street, Ishaga, Isola Lagos, three of the chidlren o f the said deceased.

Michael Obasi of 77, Ogunsami Street, Ijesha Surulere, Lagos, and Chuks Chukwudi Nwokocha of 18, Akanbi Arimi Street, Aguda, Surulere, Lagos, widower and brother respectively of the said deceased.

Mr Najeem Gbadegesin Owoso and Mr Oladiran Owoso both of 6, Veevee Avenue, Sango Otta, Lagos two brothers of the said deceased.

Mrs Grace Solomon and Mr Solomon Okon Solomon both of 4B, Bayo Okegoke Lekki Phase I Lekki Lagos, widow and brother respectively of the said deceased.

Amu Paulina and Amu Innocent both of 19, Ogunsola Street, Egbeda, Lagos, widow and one of the children respectively of the said deceased.

Iyabo Abigail Nzerem of 2, Ogunbekun Street, Mosalashi Bus Stop, Bariga, Lagos and Anselm Okechukwu Okorowu of 23, Johnson Street, Onilekeri Ikeja, Lagos, widow and brother respectively of the said deceased.

Sikiru Rashidi Adebola and Lateef Rashidi both of 73, Olatunji Street, Ojota, Lagos, father and brother respectively of the said deceased.

Mr Mgbe Johnman and Magaret Akanne both of 30/32, Jesu Oseun Street, Agbado, Lagos, widower and sister respectively of the said deceased.

Atonye Otobo, Timipre Otobo and Preye Otobo all of Alhaji Isa Close Iba Ojo, Lagos, widow and two of the children respectively of the said deceased Iyabo Efunnuga of 106, Ibadan Street, Ebute Metta, Lagos and Ajewole Efunnuga 124, Nnamdi Azikwe Ebute Metta, Lagos widow and brother respectively of the said deceased.

Mr Adeleke Musediq Adebayo and Mr Adelakun Nureni both of 3, Olanniyi Street, Ajasa Lagos, two brothers of the said deceased.

Getrud Vincent Iherijika, Chingere Vincent Ihejirika and Obinna Vincent Iherijika all of 39, Emordi Street, Olodi Apapa Lagos, widow and two of the children respectively of the said deceased.

Christiana Ashaolu, Olushola Ashaolu and Oluwafemi Ashaolu all of 9, Victoria Street, Ojota, Lagos, widow and two children respectively of the said deceased.

Abiodun Adegeloye and Funke Adegeloye both of 100 Y/S Street, Ilogbo, Ajagbdi, Lagos, two of the children of the said deceased.

Adegboyega Florence Temisan and Adegboyega Oluwatobiloba Oriomisan both of 196, Oniru Estate, Lekki, Lagos, widow and the only surviving child respectively of the said deceased.

Anebi Emmanuel , Anebi Rose and Enyigbe Anebi all of 51, Oyinlola Street, Dopemu, Agege, Lagos, brother, sister and father respectively of the said deceased.

Victoria Dada and Fred Ijewere both of 12B, Saji Ayangade Street, Anthony, Lagos, widow and family friend respectively of the said decased.

Okolie Onyebuchi Sylvanus of 3, Folami Street, Shomolu, Lagos, and Mrs Chizoba Okolie of 35, Elufe Road, Alaba, Lagos, widow and brother respectively of the said deceased.

Mrs FunmiOladele and Samuel Oladele both of 2, Omotosho Street, Abule Egba, Lagos widow and one of the children respectively of the said deceased.

Abbah Friday and Abbah Daniel both of Block Ck4 New Captain Quarter, Navy town, Lagos, two brothers of the said deceased.

Mrs Korede Modupe, Barrister Adenike Omitiran, Mrs Oluwatoyin Oshariwa and Dr Oluwatosin Korede all of 2, Akintan Street, Ogba, Lagos, widow and three of the children respectively of the said deceased.

Iyabo Kotun (Abiola O. Kottun), Sean Akapo and Oluwatoyin Komolafe all of 52, Agutasolo Street, Aguda, Surulere, Lagos, three of the children of the said deceased.

Mr Olayiwola Oladipo Aina , Miss Titilola Aina and Miss Abioye Aina all of 43, Bolaji Omupo Street, Palmgrove Lagos, three children of the said deceased.

Mr Abubakar Lezemu and Mr Mauzu Lezemu both of 16th Ijaola Maryland, Onigbogbo, Lagos, two of the chilren of the said deceased.

Okotie Goodluck Anthony and Mrs Patrica E. Cimmings both of 11, Joseph Closed, Off Akerele Aina Street, Ikotun Egbe, Lagos, two children of the said deceased.

Damilola Akinsogba and Oluwatoyin Akinsogba both of 17, Oladehinde Street, Oshodi, Lagos, two children of the said deceased.

Mr Sokefun Sunday Olatunji, Miss Sokefun Temitayo Moninuola and Mr Sokefun Olumide Benson all of 1, Tunji Sokefun Avenue, Igbogbo, Ikorodu, Lagos, three children of the said deceased.

Mrs Anna Airaodion Jaiye, Miss Rebecca Obiobor Jaiye and Miss Maria O. Jaiye all of 18, Dozie Okolo Street, Unity Estate, Isiashi , Lagos, widow and two of the children respectively of the said deceased.

Bisola Elizabeth Ogunkola, Esther Ogunkola and Emmanuel O. Ogunkola all of 18, Emmanuel High Street, Ojota, Lagos, three of the children of the said deceased Ogba Agwu ,Obinna Agwu and Onwuka Jeremiah all of Elugwu Nkporo , Ohafia Local Government Area ,sons and brother respectively of the said deceased.

Mr Martins Ameh and Dr Bartholomew Ameh both of 8, Owoyemi Street, Ojo Road, Lagos, two children of the said deceased.

Comfort Hassan and Ayodele Hassan both of 67, Salami Street, Mafoluku, Oshodi, Lagos, widow and one of the children respectively of the sai ddecased.

Mr Awe Oluwadamilare Samuel and Mr Ogunlana Hassan both of 4, Onitire Street, Abaranje, Lagos, fiance and brother respectively of the said deceased.

Mrs Ayodele Sarah (Nee Emurotu) and Miss Emurotu Jemimah both of 11, Adediran Close, Off Oseni Oyatogun, Oke Ira, Ogba, Lagos, two of the children of the said deceased.

Noah Babatunde and Abraham Babtunde both of 4, Shola Olamide Close, Runsewe Estate, Ahmadiya, Lagos, two brothers of the said deceased.

Olukotun Hakeem Abayomi, Ibraheem Olukotun and Kareem Ayeni all of 17, Gbasemo Street, Aga Ikorodu, Lagos, the only surviving child and two brothers respectively of the said deceased.

Mrs Morenikeji Akinyemi and Samson Akinyemi both of 181, Ipaja Rod, Baruwa Estate, Ipaja, Lagos, widow and one of the children respectively of the said deceased.

Imoh Sampson Akpan and Marshall Samspon Akpan both of Ikoti Unya , Mkpat Enin LGA, sons of the said deceased.

Mrs Nse Sunday Lazarus and Mr Aniekan Lazarus both of Road 19, Peace Estate, Baruwa Inside, Ipaja, Lagos, widow and brother respectively of the said deceased.

Mr Christopher Obi Ezenankor and Mrs Ngozi Rose Ezendiokwere both of 23, Olufemi Shokan Street, Aguda, Surulere, Lagos, brother and sister-in-law respectively of the said deceased.

Bolanle Omopariola and Adedayo Omopariola both of 35, Idowu Shogbade Street, Ifako Ijaye, Lagos, two of the children of the said deceased.

Mrs Akanni Awawu of 19, Ashipa Street, Iyana Orile Agege, Lagos and Mrs Jimoh Dayo of 164, Akilo Road, Agege, Ogba, Lagos, widow and sister respectively of the said deceased.

Lolo Elizabeth Ekwueme, Ifeanyi Ekwueme and Ikechukwu Ekwueme all of 27, Sadiku Street, Olodi Apapa, Lagos, widow and two of the children respectively of the said deceased.

Mrs Amarachi Udeogu and Mr Kingsley Udeogu both of 136, Akowonjo Road, Egbeda, Lagos, widow and brother respectively of the said deceased.

Babatunde Olaore Aduroja, Olanrewaju Philip Aduroja, Oladapo Aduroja and Oluwanisola Aduroja all of 15, Bello Street, Papa Ajao, Mushin, Lagos, four of the children of the said deceased.

Godwin Obi Ezenweani and Mabel Mary Ezenweani both of 15, Osho Street, Bariga, Lagos, two of the children of the said deceased.

Mrs Honoria Olayinka Adeniji and Mrs Victoria Olufunmilayo Ladele both of 8, Olatunde Ayoola Street, Obanikoro, Lagos, two of the children of the said deceased.

Mrs Obiageri Christiana Ndukwe (Nee Okereke) both of 6 , Otunba Adedeji Close, Isolo, Lagos, the only surviving child of the said deceased.

Professional Executors, Trustees and Invest. Ltd of 30, Ibezim Obiajulu Street, Surulere, Lagos, trust company appointed by the beneficiaries of the said deceased.

I.O.AKINKUGBE (MRS) PROBATE REGISTRAR

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NEWS

Robbers kill vigilante in Anambra community A MEMBER of Okpoko Vigilance Group, simply identified as “Stubborn”, was killed yesterday by a gang of robbers operating on motorcycles at Mugambo Market, Okpoko, in Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State.

It was learnt that the robbers trailed the man from Elephant Building to his security post.

When he sighted the motorcyclists, the vigilante reportedly took to his heels.

But the assailants were said to have brought out their AK-47 rifles and started shooting at the vigilante as he ran for safety.

The burglary proof on the window of the house reportedly prevented

From Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, Onitsha

“Stubborn” from passing through.

The robbers entered the compound and shot at the door. The force from the heavy guns detached the door from the wall.

They shot “Stubborn” several times in the head and chest and emptied a magazine of bullets on him before leaving the scene, it was learnt.

An eyewitness said the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in Okpoko, led by Anthony Ogah, a

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), “Stubborn’s” colleagues in the vigilance group and members of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), were still battling to unravel the motive behind the killing.

The eyewitness said a suspect was arrested and handed over to the SARS at the police headquarters in Awkuzu.

He said the suspect has been helping the police with useful information.

A lawyer and resident, Chief S. O. Abuchi, hailed the police, the vigilantes and MASSOB for tightening security in the area.

N1.5m gone as fire razes six shops in Aba

S

HOP owners at 20 Park Road, Aba, Abia State, on Monday night, lost over N1 million when a fire razed the building in which the shops were located.

It was learnt that the timely intervention of fire fighters from the State Fire Service saved the fire from spreading to adjoining buildings.

Eyewitnesses said the fire started from a boutique and spread to the other shops and other parts of the building.

A technician and one of the victims, Mr. Ogbonna Ukwuije, said he lost airconditioners, refrigerators amongst other property said he was alerted to the fire incident around 2am and rushed to the area to see his shop has been reduced to rubbles.

Ukwuije said: “My phone rang around 2am. The caller told me that my shop was on fire. Before I could get

From Sunny Nwankwo, Aba

to the place, everything had been burnt.

The fire was intense. I could not salvage anything.

“The air-conditioners and refrigerators I was repairing as well as those on sale are all gone. I don’t know where to go from here. I’m confused because I don’t know what to tell my customers.

“I am also calling on the state government to equip the fire service because if they had more than one engine, we would not have recorded such a huge loss.”

Ukwuije urged the government and sympathetic individuals to assist him because he lost everything he had “worked for in the fire.”

Another victim, who sells refrigerators, freezers and air-conditioners, Okechukwu Nwakaozo, said he lost

his stock as well as documents.

He appealed to the authorities and individuals to assist to recover parts of his loss.

The Director of the State Fire Service, Victor Gbaruko, said his men noticed the fire from their office and rushed to the scene.

He said the fire fighters stopped the fire from spreading to adjoining buildings.

The fire chief noted that the absence of a supporting fire engine handicapped the fire fighters from easily putting out the inferno.

Gbaruko said: “If we had a supporting fire engine we would not lose any building to the fire, no matter the strength of the fire. Our problem is that by the time we get back to the station to refill and refill, the fire would have wreaked more havoc.”

Lagos APC condemns sponsored attack on Abia members

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HE Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has warned that it would not tolerate further violence against its members in any part of Nigeria.

The party was reacting to the attack on APC members during their journey to a meeting in the Abia Central Senatorial Zone.

The APC members were allegedly attacked by hoodlums suspected to have been sponsored by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the state government.

In a statement yesterday in Lagos by APC’s Interim Publicity Secretary Joe Igbokwe, the party noted that resorting to violence was “the last option for a failed and bankrupt party that has mismanaged the country to a breaking point in 15 years of corrupt and unproductive leadership”.

The Lagos APC said there was no hope in sight for the PDP, having failed Nigerians so woefully.

The statement reads: “We fail to understand what was the crime of Nigerians freely exercising their fundamental political rights to merit the unleashing of well armed thugs and hoodlums on them by a fidgety party and government, if not that it wanted to employ crude force after failing in governance for 15 awful years.

“As nothing will stop an idea, whose time has come, we know that the end has come for the PDP rule in Abia; no primitive deployment of raw terror will stop this. We urge APC members in Abia State to remain committed to this cause, irrespective of the desperation of the PDP in the state.

“We state that it is within the rights of Nigerians to belong to the political party of their choice. We will resist any attempt to visit violence on innocent party members anywhere in Nigeria, just for belonging to a different political party. We state that we will not allow sponsored agents of a failed party to intimidate our members anywhere in Nigeria in a bid to forcefully continue the ruination of Nigeria. We see the attack near Aba as another case of a failed party and its agents to restrict participation in the politics of Abia State...”

NASU threatens strike over unpaid salaries

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HE Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) has threatened to begina nationwide strike next week, if its members’ August and September salaries are not paid at the end of this month.

NASU’s General Secretary, Comrade Peters Adeyemi addressed reporters yesterday in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, at the beginning of the association’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting.

• Anambra State Governor Peter Obi (second left), with Catholic Archbishop of Onitsha, Valarian Okeke (left); Catholic Bishop of Nnewi, Hilary Okeke (second right) and Anglican Bashop of Amichi, Ephraim Ikeakor, after the release of N3 billion by the governor for health-related Milennium Development Goals (MDGs) at the Women Development Centre, Awka...yesterday.

SSS arrests man for alleged N15m swindle

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HE State Security Service (SSS) in Anambra State has arrested a 34-year-old man, Emmanuel Chukwunonso Ajaezu, for allegedly swindling churches, women and institutions of over N15 million.

The suspect, who has allegedly been parading himself as Dr. Emmanuel or Dr. Okoye, said he was working with the Federal Medical Centre, Asaba, Delta State.

Ajaezu also said he has been assisting the Anambra State University Teaching Hospital, Amaku, Awka.

The SSS said all his claims were false.

It was learnt that the suspect was arrested with three nude pictures of a senior civil servant and a laptop with several other nude pictures of his victims.

Parading the suspect before reporters yesterday in Awka, the Anambra State capital, the State SSS Director Alex Okeiyi said Ajaezu had allegedly defrauded several women, churches and institutions.

He said the suspect used to convince his victims that he had connections

From Nwanosike Onu, Awka

with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and that he could assist them to secure the release of their seized goods or drugs in the agencies’ custody in Lagos.

Ajaezu was said to have been arrested last year after allegedly defrauding some churches and institutions.

He was reportedly set free by another security agency.

The suspect, Okeiyi said, impersonated the Principal Secretary to the governor as well as a Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) worker.

The SSS director also said other institutions Ajaezu allegedly defrauded or was planning to defraud before his arrest included St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Ifitedunu in Dunukofia Local Government Area; Visitation Hospital, Umuchu, in Aguata Local Government Area and Immaculate Heart Hospital, Umunze, in Orumba South Local Government Area.

Okeiyi said: “One of his guises,

after establishing a relationship with his victims and their families was that he would claim that either the NAFDAC or the NDLEA had seized his consignments of drugs in Lagos and was demanding huge sums to settle the case.

“The last straw that broke the camel’s back was his blackmail of one of the victims - a female civil servant - by posting her nude picture on the Internet for refusing to part with more money after swindling her of over N700,000 to secure the release of his drugs purportedly seized by the NDLEA in Lagos.”

Minister urges contractor to complete National Library next year

T

HE Supervising Minister for Education, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, has urged the contractor handling the 12-storey library complex of the National Library of Nigeria to ensure that it is completed by the end of next year.

The minister spoke yesterday in Abuja during an inspection visit to the site of the library Complex.

He said the Federal Government was committed to funding the project until it is completed to ensure that Nigerian students, academics and the public have access to library

services of world-class standard.

Wike noted that though the contractor handling the project was internationally recognised, he would still supervise the building work alongside a ministerial committee established to ascertain that the contractor delivers the work on schedule.

He said: “I am satisfied with the pace and quality of work.

We shall, however, continue to monitor the contractor to ensure that he delivers the work on schedule.”

From Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

Adeyemi described strikes as antithetical to socio, political and economic development of the country.

The union leader said he would no longer allow his members to be used as the proverbial sacrificial lambs in a nation said to be flowing with milk and honey.

He said: “We are the ones presently keeping the system running, especially at our universities. But I must tell you that our members have not been paid their August salaries. We are approaching the end of September. NASU will start its own strike next week because we have been working and the government has refused to pay our salary.

“For us, it does not make sense to continue to keep the system running when we are not paid our salaries.

“The reason for this is not known to us. Workers in all federal universities are not paid their salary right now.

That’s a big challenge. The government has not paid our salary for August. As we are talking now (yesterday), they are owing us two months’ salaries. There’s no way we can continue to do this work on empty stomachs while they run around the globe with heavy stomachs.

“We don’t want to ruin the future of our children. But if these salaries are not promptly paid by the end of this month, we may have no option than to embark on a strike. In fact it will form the kernel of our deliberations at this NEC.”

Imo indigenes in Lagos get leader

By Nneka Nwaneri

I

MO Towns Development Association, Lagos (ISTDAL) has nominated Pastor Okey Anuroe, a Lagos-based businessman, as its new helmsman for the next three years.

Anuro emerged winner amongst the five contestants from the three senatorial zones comprising the association.

The election was held last Sunday at the Imo State Liaison Office, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The cleric polled 134 votes to beat his Owerri counterpart, Mr Chioma Obara, who had 50 votes.

He became the first Okigwe man to assume the position.

Anuroe, who is also the Chairman of Yaba Traders’ Union, said his election was a call to serve and provide purposeful leadership to indigenes of the state.

He promised to improve on the achievements of his predecessor, Mazi Tony Ohakwe.

He thanked Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha for his support.

The new leader urged Imo indigenes in Lagos State to join the association, adding that it has several benefits.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

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EQUITIES NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 24-09-13

Honeywell Flour Mills promises better performance

H

ONEYWELL Flour Mills would harness the potential of its newly increased production capacity and other initiatives to deliver better results in the ongoing business year.

Chairman, Honeywell Flour Mills, Dr. Oba Otudeko, gave this assurance yesterday at the annual general meeting of the company in Lagos.

According to him, the company was able to realise expansion project, which increased its production capacity by 1000 metric tonnes per day to 2,610 metric tonnes per day by March 2013, towards the end of the immediate past audited year.

He noted that the full impact of the capacity increase would be felt through increase in production of products such as Semolina, Wheat Meal and Flour and subsequent growth in sales volumes in the financial year ending March 2014.

Honeywell Flour recorded a profit after tax of N2.844 billion for the full year ended March 31, 2013, an increase of six per cent over N2.7 billion recorded in 2012. Also, the company’s turnover rose by 20 per cent to N46 billion in 2013 as against N38 billion recorded in 2012.

Shareholders fund and Total assets increased by 9.0 per cent and 16 per cent to N19 billion and N55 billion respectively.

Shareholders at the meeting approved distribution of N1.3 billion as total dividend, representing a dividend per share of 16 kobo, one kobo higher than the 15 kobo paid in the previous year.

“Since the listing of the company on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), the perfor-

•Equities slip again

By Taofik Salako

mance of Honeywell Flour Mills Plc has been on the ascent in spite of the challenging environment under which we operate,” Otudeko said.

Executive vice chairman and chief executive officer, Honeywell Flour Mills, Mr. Babatunde Odunayo, outlined that the company had carried out an internal restructuring which resulted in the merger by absorption of Honeywell Superfine Foods Limited, formerly a wholly owned subsidiary and manufacturers of pasta and noodles.

He pointed out that the absorption would help to further extract additional value from the already existing forward and vertical integration between the two businesses.

He said the company’s noodles business has witnessed remarkable growth with huge acclaims trailing its hugely successful marketing campaigns.

“The brand’s fortunes made a dramatic turnaround with significant growths in top-ofmind-awareness, trial, preference, usage and market share parameters. By the end of the financial year, our Noodles brand had moved from number five within the Noodles category to number two thereby making the Honeywell Noodles to grow by 47 per cent by the end of the financial year to N4.1 billion when compared to 2012,” Odunayo said.

Shareholders at the meeting commended the board and management team for their ef-

fort and commitment to enhance the company’s market share, visibility and profitability. In a unanimous decision, the shareholders re-elected the board led by Otudeko for another term in office.

Meanwhile, Nigerian equities continued on the downtrend for the second consecutive trading session with average return declining by 0.10 per cent. Average year-to-date return at the stock market dropped to 28.40 per cent yesterday.

Aggregate market capitalisation of all equities dropped from N11.495 trillion to N11.484 trillion, representing a loss of N11 billion.

The All Share Index (ASI), which tracks all equities on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), slipped to 36,056.02 points as against opening index of 36,088.64 points.

With 24 gainers to 20 losers, the decline was orchestrated by losses by some highly capitalised stocks, especially Nigerian Breweries, market’s second most capitalised stock. Total Nigeria topped the losers’ list with a loss of N15 to close at N151. Nigerian Breweries depreciated by N4.91 to close at N160.09 while Unilever Nigeria lost N1 to close at N58.

On the upside, Nestle Nigeria led the bullish stocks with a gain of N41.16 to close at N981.18. GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Nigeria placed second with a gain of N5 to close at N69. University Press rose by 34 kobo to close at N3.74 while Stanbic IBTC Holdings added 30 kobo to close at N19.

Total turnover stood at 251.31 million shares valued at N2.94 billion in 4,719 deals. Banking stocks accounted for 180.81 million shares worth N2.04 billion in 1,851 deals. Unity Bank remained the most active with a turnover of 53.2 million shares valued at N31.36 million in 179 deals.

NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 24-09-13

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

55

MONEY LINK

Ibru: Court urged to return N191b assets to bank

A

Federal High Court in Lagos has been urged to order the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN and Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria, AMCON, to return N191 billion worth of assets forfeited by Cecelia Ibru to Oceanic Bank.

Shareholders of the bank in a fresh suit filed by Chairman, Association of Oceanic Bank Shareholders, Boniface Okezie and Adewale Basirat Abolanle, the plaintiffs are praying for an order declaring that Ibru was liable to make good to them, monies and assets “improperly paid out or converted or otherwise improperly acquired from Oceanic Bank before its merger with Ecobank, arising from Ibru’s self-acknowledged acts of breach of her fiduciary duty to Oceanic Bank and them as shareholders” Joined in the suit are the Attorney

By Precious Igbonwelundu

General and Minister for Justice; the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC and Mrs. Ibru.

Ibru, convicted former Managing Director of Oceanic Bank, had forfeited the assets as part of the plea bargain arrangement between her and the EFCC, which was sanctioned by the former Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Dan Abutu.

The plaintiffs, who are representing all shareholders, prayed for an order vesting them with powers to recover from Ibru and other defendants by way of tracing the assets forfeited by Ibru.

They prayed for an order of court transferring the control of the said assets to them through their solicitor, Indemnity Partners and for an order setting aside the part of the

plea bargain and settlement agreement between Ibru and the EFCC in the proceedings before Justice Abutu where parties agreed that the disputed assets should be forfeited to the Federal Government.

The shareholders, through their lawyer, Chuks Nwachukwu listed four grounds for the originating summons, and argued that the said plea bargain deal constituted an admission by the defendants that the assets forfeited by Ibru represented proceeds of her breach of the fiduciary duty which she owed to the former Oceanic Bank and its shareholders.

In the second ground, the shareholders averred that the settlement part of the agreement where parties agreed that the assets should be forfeited to the Federal Government amounted to breach of the fundamental right of Oceanic Bank and its

shareholders, and also a breach of the right to freedom of property guaranteed under Section 44 of the Constitution.

They further contended that the plea bargain was an unlawful agreement to steal and receive the goods of Oceanic Bank knowing it to have been stolen, and ought to be set aside.

While arguing that the defendants were bound in equity and good conscience to return the disputed assets to the shareholders in the absence of Oceanic Bank, as the disputed assets

Ecobank, African Guarantee Fund sign $50m pact

E

COBANK Transnational Incorporated (ETI) and African Guarantee Fund (AGF) yesterday signed an agreement meant to promote and support small business across Sub-Saharan Africa.

Under the terms of this $50 million agreement, the two institutions will work together to unlock the potential of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya and Nigeria to deliver inclusive growth.

Ecobank Group Chief Executive Officer, Thierry Tanoh said the agreement reaffirms the lender’s commitment to support small and medium-sized businesses. He said the collaboration with AGF will further enable the SMEs play a critical role in the socio-economic development of Africa.

Group Executive Director, Domestic Bank, Patrick Akinwuntan said the bank recognises that the SMEs and medium-sized enterprises sector has significant growth potential, represents Africa’s ‘rising middle’

FirstBank acquires Ghana’s ICB

T

HE Bank of Ghana (BoG) has approved the acquisition of Ghana’s International Commercial Bank (ICB) by First Bank of Nigeria Limited.

Citi Business News of Ghana quoted a statement from the central bank, which said the ICB Financial Group Holdings AG decided to sell its holdings in International Commercial Bank, Ghana Limited (ICB) to First Bank of Nigeria (FBN), which has been approved by the BoG. FirstBank’s acquisition of ICB has been on the news since April 2013.

Also, by the terms of the approval, FirstBank is required to offload at least 40 per cent of the shares to Ghanaians through private placement and/or the Ghana Stock Exchange.

Of this, at least 25 per cent should be offloaded by 31st December, 2014

Stories by Collins Nweze

and the remainder not later than 31st December, 2016. The acquisition will also see FirstBank take subsidiaries of ICB Financial Group Holdings AG in The Gambia, Guinea, Senegal and Sierra-Leone. It however still remains unclear when the bank’s branding will be changed to that of First Bank.

International Commercial Bank Ghana is part of a Group which comprises a network of 12 lenders spread through three continents; Asia, Eastern Europe and Africa. It commenced operations in Ghana in 1996.

The bank’s business focus is on the provision of financial services to small and medium-sized enterprises within the economy. Its acquisition

by FirstBank is expected to lead to the birth of one of the biggest Small

•FirstBank CEO Bisi Onasanya

and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs’) banks in the country.

FirstBank was rated the most valuable Nigerian bank two years ago as well as the best retail bank last year. In 2012, the Brand Finance Banking League tables rated it in the top 500 most valuable banking brands worldwide.

FGN BONDS Amount N

Rate %

M/Date

3-Year 5-Year 5-Year

35m 35m 35m

11.039 12.23 13.19

19-05-2014 18-05-2016 19-05-2016

WHOLESALE DUTCH AUCTION SYSTEM Amount Offered ($) 350m 350m

MANAGED FUNDS

NIDF NESF

Current Market 5495.33 N552.20

Price Loss 2754.67 447.80

350m

INTERBANK RATES 7.9-10% 10-11%

PRIMARY MARKET AUCTION (T-BILLS) Tenor 91-Day 182-Day 1-Year

Amount 30m 46.7m 50m

Rate % 10.96 9.62 12.34

Date 28-04-2012 “ 14-04-2012

GAINERS AS AT 24-09-13

SYMBOL

O/PRICE

C/PRICE

CHANGE

UPL ABCTRANS VONO THOMASWY MAYBAKER GLAXOSMITH NESTLE ROYALEX TRANSEXPR WAPIC

3.40 0.76 1.64 0.96 2.04 64.00 940.02 0.50 1.40 0.78

3.74 0.83 1.78 1.04 2.20 69.00 981.18 0.52 1.45 0.80

0.34 0.07 0.14 0.08 0.16 5.00 41.16 0.02 0.05 0.02

Year Start Offer

Current Before

Current After

O/PRICE

UNITYBNK JOHNHOLT UTC TOTAL INTENEGINS MANSARD UBCAP WEMABANK RTBRISCOE NB

0.64 1.27 0.66 166.00 0.79 2.11 1.40 0.95 1.31 165.00

C/PRICE 0.58 1.15 0.60 151.00 0.72 1.95 1.32 0.90 1.26 160.09

NGN USD NGN GBP

147.6000 239.4810

149.7100 244.0123

150.7100 245.6422

-2.11 -2.57

NGN EUR NIGERIA INTER BANK (S/N) (S/N) Bureau de Change (S/N) Parallel Market

212.4997

207.9023

209.2910

-1.51

149.7450

154.0000

154.3000

-3.04

152.0000

153.0000

155.5000

-2.30

Exchange Rate (N) 155.2 155.8

2-7-12 27-6-12

113m

113m

155.7

22-6-12

153.0000

154.0000

156.0000

-1.96

DISCOUNT WINDOW Feb. ’11

July ’11

July ’12

MPR

6.50%

6.50%

12%

Standing Lending Rate ,, Deposit Rate ,, Liquidity Ratio Cash Return Rate Inflation Rate

8.50% 4.50% 25.00% 1.00% 12.10%

8.50% 4.50% 25.00% 2.00% 12.10%

9.50% 5.50% 30.00% 2.00% 11.8%

NIBOR Tenor 7 Days 30 Days 60 Days 150 Days

NSE CAP Index

19-09-13 11.432.09 35,891.90

23-09-13 11.494.75 36,088.64

Date

Rate (Previous) 4 Mar, 2012 9.0417 9.6667 11.2917 12.1250

Rate (Currency) 6, Mar, 2012 10.17% 11.46% 11.96% 12.54%

Movement

% Change -

MEMORANDUM QUOTATIONS Name

CHANGE 0.06 0.12 0.06 15.00 0.07 0.16 0.08 0.05 0.05 4.91

Amount Sold ($) 150m 138m

CAPITAL MARKET INDEX

CUV Start %

LOSERS AS AT 24-09-13

SYMBOL

Amount Demanded ($) 150m 138m

EXHANGE RATE 6-03-12 Currency

OBB Rate Call Rate

and provides the largest employment pool for our vibrant population. “This agreement leverages our unrivalled pan-African footprint to deepen financial inclusion in Africa,” he said.

Chief Executive Officer of AGF, Felix Bikpo said the partnership with Ecobank provides AGF with a very important Pan-African banking network through which African SMEs will be assisted in getting increased access to financing. “This Partnership is another manifestation of AGF’s role as the missing link to increasing the financing of African SMEs by banks and non-bank financial institutions,” he said.

Access to finance remains a major obstacle to small business growth and development, with only 20 per cent of African SMEs receiving a credit line from a financial institution. Ecobank said the agreement is expected to assist viable SMEs by providing an AGF-backed partial guarantee for 50 per cent of net losses of principal under the loan facilities extended to customers.

DATA BANK

Tenor

Initial Quotation Price N8250.00 N1000.00

represented the equity of the shareholders, the plaintiffs further stressed that the order of Justice Abutu was procured by unlawful agreement, collaboration and conspiracy of the defendants to deprive Oceanic Bank of the said N191 billion worth of assets.

As at the time of filing this report, the fresh suit with reference number FHC/L/CS/1266/13, is yet to be assigned to any judge, while the defendants are also yet to file their defence.

Offer Price

Bid Price

9.17 1.00 141.19 153.18 0.80 1.16 1.18 100.00 1,000.00 1,824.63 13.64 1.39 1.87 11,004.94

9.08 1.00 140.70 152.58 0.78 1.16 1.16 100.00 1,000.00 1,820.08 12.97 1.33 1.80 10,680.29

ARM AGGRESSIVE GROWTH KAKAWA GUARANTEED STANBIC IBTC GUARANTE INVE AFRINVEST W.A. EQUITY FUND LOTUS CAPITAL HALAL BGL SAPPHIRE FUND BGL NUBIAN FUND FBN MONEY MARKET FUND FBN FIXED INCOME FUND NIGERIA INTERNATIONAL DEB. PARAMOUNT EQUITY FUND CONTINENTAL UNIT TRUST CENTRE-POINT UNIT TRUST STANBIC IBTC NIG EQUITY • ARM AGGRESSIVE • KAKAWA GUARANTEED

• STANBIC IBTC GUARANTE • AFRINVEST W.A. EQUITY FUNDARM AGGRESSIVE • OPEN BUY BACK

Bank P/Court

Previous 04 July, 2012

Current 07, Aug, 2012

8.5000 8.0833

8.5000 8.0833

Movement

56

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

57

NEWS 2015: Jonathan’s ambition deepens PDP’s trouble Continued from page 4

•From left: Wife of Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Eyesorun Bosede Adejugbe; Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Adeyemo Adejugbe; and Wife of the Governor of Ekiti State, Erelu Bisi Fayemi, when the governor’s wife visited the palace, where she was conferred with the title of Ajiseye of AdoEkiti, during the ongoing Erelu Be oja Wo (Market Outreach) programme in Ado-Ekiti... on Monday

Artisans, widows donate to Ngige’s campaign

S

ENATOR Chris Nwabueze Ngige yesterday took a giant step in his bid to return to the Anambra State Government House which he vacated in 2006.

Ngige is the governorship candidate of the All progressives Congress (APC) in the November 16 election.

The campaign will kick off on October 3, it was announced yesterday at the Emmaus House in Awka during the Inauguration of Ngige’s Campaign Committee led by Chief George Moghalu.

The ceremony was attended by APC big wigs, including Imo State Governor Owelle Rochas Okorocha and APC National Publicity Secretary Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who were warmly received by traders, artisans and commercial motorcyclists inside the Awka Capital Territory on their way to the venue.

On request, the dignitaries addressed the supporters at the popular Eke-Awka market.

•Okorocha, Mohammed, Izunazo, others in Awka From Nwanosike Onu, Awka

They were surprised by the show of affection and donations by artisans, the less privileged, widows and the needy in support of Ngige.

Other members of the Ngige local campaign team are: former State Chairman of ACN, Chief Amechi Obidike, Hon Gozie Agbakoba, Hon Osita Onyeka, Hon Raph Okeke, Iyom Dozie Ikedife and Hon Callista Nwachukwu among others. APC members in the House of Assembly were also co opted.

Mohammed told the crowd that APC Leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu had promised to be in Anambra State to campaign for Ngige He said that on November 16 Ngige would stand taller than any other person after winning the election.

Mohammed said Okorocha reminded them how in the defunct Unity Party of Nige-

ria (UPN). the needy and the less privileged donated money for candidates’ campaigns.

Okorocha, who spoke so eloquently, said he was in Anambra to ensure that the perpetual bondage of the people of the state is broken by the APC during the election.

He said the governorship battle would be between Ngige and the Abuja forces, adding that the people should not allow the forces of darkness to triumph over light. ”Ngige is a true Igbo man who cannot be shaken by anybody. His only fault he has as a person is because he is short,” Okorocha said. This threw the crowd into a frenzy. ”All the noise by any other political party should not scare you; we are going into this governorship battle with red eyes. I will personally relocate to this state for this

election”, Okorocha said.

Ngige described what is going on in Imo State as a revolution, adding that it will happen in Anambra State from next March.

He said anybody who wants to contest the councillorship, chairmanship and House of Assembly elections should move to the field for the emancipation of the state.

Ngige, who was moved to tears by the donations from widows and the needy, said “what happened today has never happened all my life in politics and this is a sign of good things for the state”.

Others who spoke are Assistant National organising Secretary of APC, Sen Osita Izunaso, the National Vice Chairman South East (APC), Dr. Nyerere Anyim and National Women Leader Madam Sharon Ikeazor, among others.

CBN worried over high dollar demands Continued from page 4

had had an impact on inflation, which fell to another five-year low in August.

The naira has been under regular selling pressure from fleeing hot money and strong dollar demand since June, but has gradually recovered due to frequent Central Bank forex sales.

That has not been without its costs. Nigeria’s foreign exchange reserves declined 2.34 percent month-on-month to $45.95 billion by Sept. 20, their lowest in seven and a half months, the latest Central Bank data shows.

Sanusi acknowledged the fall in reserves but reiterated that the bank would resist pressure to devalue the naira, something it last had to do in November 2011.

“I do not see any benefit in devaluing the currency at this point in time. It will not improve our export earnings, it will not reduce imports that are fundamentally inelastic,” like fuel or food, he said. “We will use the reserves. We will not unless we are forced to allow the naira to weaken.”

He said most of the decisions taken at the meeting were informed by developments in the domestic and global economic environments, particularly to the need to sustain macroeconomic stability in the economy.

In the course of the MPC meeting, “the Committee noted the continued dependence of the banking sector on monetised oil revenues for its liquidity and stressed the need to keep pushing banks into alter-

Makinde gets Leadership Gold Award

P

ROF Moses Makinde has been conferred with the African International leadership Gold Award.

He was selected by the Board of Directors of AfricanAGE International magazine having been found worthy of “emulation and recognition” and for his “role in bringing about changes and development of your institution, your noble values of integrity, hard work and service to humanity.”

The Obafemi Awolowo University Ile Ife don, will be decorated tomorrow at the Abuja International Centre.

Other nominees of the awards are Kwara State University Vice Chancellor Prof Abdulrasheed Na’Allah; Executive Director, Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria Prof. M.O Akoroda and the chair National Hajj Commission Alhaji Muhammadu Musa Bello.

ing their business model to reduce vulnerability”.

Sanusi restated the CBN’s commitment to ensure exchange rate stability by adopting appropriate monetary policies that will protect the currency from the forex market manipulations but that he cautioned that “this agenda would not be pursued at all cost”.

He explained: “If we need to tighten money and use some of our reserves to support the economy, we will; no CBN Governor will say he will support currency at all cost. But we want

to be very clear that there is no country that allows its currency to just be determined by market. We are not looking for a stronger currency, neither are we looking at a weaker one.

People want to pay fees and investors want to know that they will have returns for their investments. We will use reserves, we will use interest rates, we have gone through the difficult months; hopefully the next few months will not be difficult. We will not allow the naira to be weakened and we are committed to that.”

Graceville Chapel celebrates annual convention

G

RACEVILLE Chapel, a fast-growing new generation church in Lagos, will be celebrating the 2013 Festival of the Word conference from Thursday till Sunday. The conference will end with a Thanksgiving Service.

The theme for this year’s festival is, “And God said…”

(Gen.1:3). Four anointed ministers of the gospel have been invited to speak at the conference. Rev Tope Popoola of Heritage in Salvation Ministries and The Business Church, Ibadan will kick off the conference on Thursday.

On Friday Pastor Femi Em-

manuel of Livingspring Chapel International, Lagos will be ministering. Also, on Saturday, Archbishop John Osa-Oni of Vineyard Christian Centre will be the guest minister. On Sunday, which is the Thanksgiving Sunday for the festival, Bishop Tayo Odunuga of Christ Love Evangelical Ministry, IjebuOde will deliver the message.

The chief host of the festival will be the presiding minister of Graceville Chapel, Rev (Mrs.) Tope Ogunnoiki, who would also minister during the conference. The festival promises a wonderful time in the presence of God.

Football Association Col. Abdulmumuni Aminu; former governor of Adamawa State Boni Haruna; former deputy governor of Ogun State Alhaja Salimot Badru; former governorship candidate of PDP in Ondo State Mr. Olusola Oke; former Minister Dauda Birmah, former Military Governor John David Dung and retired Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Donald Iroha After the meeting, they asked the group of seven governors to embrace peace and return to the mainstream of the party under the leadership of Bamanga Tukur.

Gen. Airhiavbere who read the decisions, said: “The constitution provides for eight years for every office and I believe that going by natural justice, if there is a tenant in a house and it is going for sale, the first opportunity of refusal should go to the occupant.

“And I believe that based on the midterm report of the President, we believe that he should be given a second term in office to finish his project.

“President Jonathan has the right. It has not been published anywhere that he signed an agreement to run for one term.

He should be given support and peaceful environment to implement his projects to completion.”

Asari-Dokubo described the G-7 governors and leaders of the Baraje faction as political miscreants who cannot stop Jonathan’s re-election.

Asari-Dokubo, who spoke exclusively with our correspondents in Abuja, said five of the G-7 governors worked against Jonathan in 2011 in their states

and the President still won the poll.

He said: “They (the G-7 governors and those in Baraje’s faction) are political miscreants because there is no faction in PDP. PDP is PDP and there is only one PDP recognised by the law.

What they are doing is illegal and against the law.

“They cannot stop Jonathan in 2015. How? Did the President win in Kano, Sokoto, Niger and Jigawa states?

When reminded that Joanthan won in Kwara and Rivers states, Asari-Dokubo said: “Yes, and Jonathan is going to win in Kwara; he will win in Niger now clearly and he will win more votes in Kano. He will win.

“Did Kwankwaso people not print his poster with Buhari in 2011? Did Kwankwaso support Goodluck?

“If it is Lamido, yes we agree but did the support translate into victory? So all this their bragging is nothing. Did Amaechi bring any vote? I was a chieftain of ACN. All other parties scored zero. Goodluck scored 100% vote in my ward. There were agents for all the parties but in my ward, every party scored zero; they didn’t score one vote. Did Amaechi bring it or did he come near my ward?

Asked why Jonathan had been having peace talks with the governors, Asari-Dokubo said: “That is why we are angry with Jonathan. Why should the President hold meetings with them?

The President should put them where they belong to.

“Where they belong is to be chased from PDP and those of them that do not have immunity, the full weight of the law should be brought against them and they should be dealt with decisively.”

‘Give Nigeria UN Security Council seat’ Continued from page 4

confronted by pressing problems and threats. No statement that will be made during this Session can exhaust the extent of these problems. The world looks to us, as leaders, to provide hope in the midst of crisis, to provide guidance through difficult socio-political divisions, and to ensure that we live in a better world.”

“We have obligations to the present generation, but we have a greater obligation to generations yet unborn who should one day inherit a world of sufficiency irrespective of the circumstances of their birth or where they reside on the globe. We must work to make that world a reality in recognition of our common heritage.”

“We must dedicate ourselves to working together to address global, regional and national challenges and deliver a more peaceful, equitable and prosperous world for all. It is our duty. We must not fail”,” he stated Jonathan also restated his called for the international community to confront the menace of global terrorism with greater resolve and determination.

He said: “Terrorism constitutes a major threat to global peace and security, and undermines the capacity for sustained development. In Nigeria, the threat of terrorism in a few States in the North Eastern part of our country has proven to be a major challenge to national stability. We are therefore confronting it with every resource at our disposal with due regard for funda-

mental human rights and the rule of law.”

“The reign of terror anywhere in the world is an assault on our collective humanity.

Three days ago, the stark reality of this menace was again brought to the fore by the dastardly terrorist attack in Nairobi, Kenya. We must stand together to win this war together,” President Jonathan said.

Commending Nigeria’s selection as co-Chair of the United Nations Expert Committee on Financing Sustainable Development, he said: “The importance of this Committee’s assignment cannot be overstated. For the post-2015 development agenda to be realistic, it must be backed by a robust financing framework which I hope will receive the strong backing of our Organisation’s more endowed members.”

He congratulated UN member-states on the adoption of the Arms Trade Treaty.

“Our hope is that upon its entry into force, the ATT would herald an era of accountable trade in conventional arms which is critical to the security of nations,” the President said.

While condemning the reported use of chemical weapons in the Syrian crisis, he welcomed current diplomatic efforts to avert a further escalation of the crisis in the country.

He also urged world leaders to adopt measures and policies that will promote nuclear disarmament, protect and renew the world’s environment, and push towards an international system that is based on trust, mutual respect and shared goals.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

58

FOREIGN NEWS

‘Kenyans in control of mall after attack’

I

SLAMIC militants who staged a deadly attack on a Kenya mall said Tuesday hostages are alive and their fighters are "still holding their ground," calling into question Kenyan officials' claims that they were in a final push.

Explosions rang from the upscale Westgate Mall in Nairobi throughout the day, and the chatter of gunfire from inside the building could also be heard, despite the Kenyan government assurances of success. Fresh smoke also rose in the afternoon.

As the fighting went on for a fourth day, Nairobi's city morgue braced itself for the arrival of a large number of bodies of people killed, an official said.

Earlier, the Kenyan Red Cross confirmed at least 62 people had been killed, but spokesman Abbas Gullet said PUBLIC NOTICE SHOBUKOLA I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Shobukola Abiodun Afolakemi, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Adeosun Abiodun Afolakemi . All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

• Militants disagree it was still not known how many more may be dead inside the building.

"It is certainly known that there are more casualties," he said.

A government official told The Associated Press that the morgue was preparing for up to an additional 60 bodies, though the official didn't know an exact count. The government official insisted on anonymity so he would not face retribution from government officials.

Three Kenyan soldiers have been killed and eight others injured, the Kenyan Interior Ministry said Tuesday.

A soldier emerging from the mall told the AP "we are finished," but then conceded that government forces were still trying to secure the entire interior.

He said troops were checking for explosives, and to see if they could find any survivors in certain areas including the mall's movie theater and casino. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he said he was under orders

not to speak to media.

The al-Qaida-linked attackers gave a conflicting account of the mall conflict, using social media.

"There are countless number of dead bodies still scattered inside the mall, and the mujahideen are still holding their ground," said the Somali rebel group al-Shabab in a Twitter message considered to be genuine.

It added that the hostages are "still alive looking quite disconcerted but, nevertheless, alive."

But Kenyan police urged people to ignore "enemy... propaganda" and assured that the defense forces were continuing to "neutralize" the terrorist threat.

"Troops now in mop up operations in the building, " the police said on Twitter.

A U.S. Embassy vehicle, identifiable by its numbered diplomatic license plate, arrived at the morgue on Tuesday. American officials have not confirmed the deaths of any U.S. citizens in the mall attack, but it appeared possible the Americans who visited the morgue - likely security officials with an agency like the FBI - could have been seeking information about one of the bodies inside.

Al-Shabab, whose name means "The Youth" in Arabic, said the mall attack was in retribution for Kenyan forces' 2011 push into neighboring Somalia. African Union forces pushed the al-Qaida-affiliated group out of Somalia's capital in 2011.

"You could have avoided all this and lived your lives with relative safety," the group Tweeted Tuesday. "Remove your forces from our country and peace will come."

While the government announced Sunday that "most" hostages had been released, a security expert with contacts inside the mall said at least 10 were still being held by a band of attackers described as "a multinational collection from all over the world."

Kenyan Foreign Minister Amina Mohamed said "two or three Americans" and "one Brit" were among those who attacked the mall.

She said in an interview with the PBS "NewsHour" program that the Americans were 18 to 19 years old, of Somali or Arab origin and lived "in Minnesota and one other place" in the U.S. The attacker from Britain was a woman who has "done this many times before," Mohamed said.

U.S. officials said they were looking into whether any Americans were involved.

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Monday that the department had "no definitive evidence of the nationalities or the identities" of the attackers.

Britain's foreign office said it was aware of the foreign minister's remarks, but would not confirm if a British woman was involved.

But al-Shabab, responding to a request from AP, denied that any women had attacked the mall.

"We have an adequate number of young men who fully committed and ready to sacrifice their lives for the sake of Allah and for the sake of their religion, so there is no need for us to employ our sisters in the battlefield and thereby expose them to unnecessary risk. So these are just baseless rumours that have no substance," said the al-Shabab press office in what is thought to be an authentic email address.

Three attackers were killed in the fighting Monday, Kenyan authorities said, and more than 10 suspects arrested.

Al-Shabab spokesman Sheik Ali Mohamud Rage said in an audio recording posted on a militant website that the attackers had been ordered to "take punitive action against the hostages" if force was used to try to rescue them.

A Western security official in Nairobi who insisted on not being named to share information about the rescue operation said the only reason the siege hadn't yet ended would be because hostages were still inside.

Westgate mall, a vast complex with multiple banks that have secure vaults and bulletproof glass partitions, as well as a casino, is difficult to completely secure, the official said. "They are not made for storming," he said of the labyrinth of shops, restaurants and offices. "They're made to be unstormable."

The attack began on Saturday when some 12 to 15 alShabab militants invaded the mall, wielding grenades and firing on civilians inside the complex, which includes shops for Nike, Adidas and Bose and is popular with foreigners and wealthy Kenyans.

The militants specifically targeted non-Muslims, and at least 18 foreigners were among the dead, including six Britons, as well as citizens from France, Canada, the Netherlands, Australia, Peru, India, Ghana, South Africa and China. Nearly 200 people were wounded, including five Americans.

Death toll in Pakistan quake jumps to 39

A

N official says the death toll has risen to 39 in a major earthquake in southwestern Pakistan.

The chief spokesman for the country's National Disaster Management Authority, Mirza Kamran Zia, says most of the casualties occurred when houses collapsed on people inside.

Tuesday's quake hit a remote area of Baluchistan province. Baluchistan is the country's largest province but also the least populated.

Pakistani officials put the quake size at magnitude 7.7, while the U.S. Geological Survey in Golden, Colo. reported the quake as magnitude 7.8.

The earthquake struck yestersday in southwestern Pakistan, killing two people and sending others fleeing into the streets and praying for their lives as buildings swayed, officials said.

Baluchistan province in southwest Pakistan where the tremor hit is the country's largest but also the least populated. The quake appears to have been centered in one of its more remote areas.

At least two people were killed and five others were injured when more than two dozen houses collapsed in villages of Awaran district where the quake struck, said the district's deputy commissioner Abdur Rasheed. He said rescue teams have been dispatched to the area.

The magnitude 7.7 quake hit in the southern part of the province, said Pakistan's chief meteorologist, Mohammed Riaz. The U.S. Geological Survey in Golden, Colo. reported the quake as magnitude 7.8.

The quake struck in a remote area of Baluchistan with little population, said the head of Pakistan's Earthquake Center, Zahid Rafi. He warned of possible aftershocks.

In the town of Awaran, roughly 50 kilometers (30 miles) south of the epicenter, Khair Mohammed Baluch said his family rushed outside when the quake struck.

"We all ran out for safety in the open field in front of our house. Many other neighbors were also there. Thank God no one was hurt in our area but the walls of four or five house collapsed," he said.

The area where the quake struck is at the center of an insurgency that Baluch separatists have been waging against the Pakistani government for years. The separatists regularly attack Pakistani troops trying to suppress the uprising as well as symbols of the Pakistani state, such as infrastructure projects.

The quake was felt as far away as New Delhi, the Indian capital, but no damage or casualties were immediately reported, said Jai Chandra, a meteorologist with the India Meteorological Department.

The quake was also felt in Pakistan's largest city, Karachi, along the Arabian Sea, roughly 250 kilometers (155 miles) from the epicenter. People in the city's tall office buildings rushed into the streets following the tremor, and Pakistani television showed images of lights swaying as the earth moved.

"I was working on my computer in the office. Suddenly I felt tremors. My table and computer started shaking. I thought I am feeling dizziness but soon realized they were tremors," said one Karachi resident, Mohammad Taimur.

A security guard at a bank in one of the buildings said he locked the doors after everyone left the office and then rushed into the street.

"At the time I felt the strong shock, I went inside the office to watch the TV. Other people were yelling `Earthquake!

Leave the office!" said Muhammad Akhtar.

In Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan, people also fled their homes and offices in panic.

Matiullah Khan, a cell phone vendor in Quetta, said he was in his shop handling a customer when the cabinet and shelves started to shake.

"I along with customers rushed out to the main street ... Thousands of people were standing, many in fear and reciting Quranic verses," he said, referring to Islam's holy book, the Quran.

Baluchistan and neighboring Iran are prone to earthquakes.

A magnitude 7.8, which was centered just across the border in Iran, killed at least 35 people in Pakistan last April.

UN, Obama focus on Syria's chemical weapon

A

RAN and the crisis in Syria is dominating the agenda at the United Nations.

New Iranian president Hasan Rouhani's appearance at the meeting in New York has pushed the country's nuclear issue towards the top of the billing.

This has been helped by the moderate cleric's insistence that Iran does not want to build a nuclear bomb.

US President Barack Obama welcomed Rouhani's comments, saying they were a basis for a future agreement.

He said: "The roadblocks may prove to be too great, but I firmly believe the diplomatic path must be tested.

"Iran's genuine commitment to go down a different path will be good for the re-

gion and the world."

Meanwhile UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon opened the annual meeting of the General Assembly by calling on Syria to "fully and quickly honour" agreements to handover its chemical weapons.

Obama then called on the UN to take strong action over Syria's promise to destroy its chemical weapons.

He said: "If we cannot agree even on this (enforcing Assad's promise) then it will show that the United Nations is incapable of enforcing the most basic of international laws. On the other hand if we succeed, it will send a powerful message that the use of chemical weapons has no place in the 21st century, and that this body means what it says."

THE NATION WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

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NEWS

Crisis hits Kaduna House of Assembly HE leadership crisis in the Kaduna State House of Assembly took a new turn yesterday, with the emergence of two speakers after some members announced the impeachment of Speaker Muazu Gangara and the election of a new speaker.

But, the impeached speaker led 15 other members of the Assembly, including the principal officers, to announce that he remains the substantive speaker, insisting that those who allegedly impeached him did not meet the constitutional provision.

Minority Leader Shehu Adamu said they had what he described as “unconfirmed reports” that Governor Mukthar Ramalan Yero met on Monday with some of the legislators and promised them a reward of N10 million each to impeach the speaker.

The office of the Vice-President and the Kaduna State government denied the involvement of the executive in the impeachment.

Gangara and his deputy were removed from office by 18 members of the House at its plenary, even as the Majority Leader, Usman Gurara, said the house was on break and had been reconvened.

The speaker, the deputy speaker and the principal officers were absent at the sitting where Ishiaku Kantiok (Zonkwa Constituency)

T

•Two speakers emerge •Financial inducement alleged From Tony Akowe, Kaduna

moved the motion for the impeachment of the House leadership after Philemon Usman had been elected Speaker Protempre.

Kantiok was said to have hinged his argument for the impeachment motion on three newspaper reports, which said they visited the vice-president in Abuja and that money exchanged hands during the visit.

He said the speaker failed to defend them against the allegations and, therefore, should be impeached.

Addressing a news conference at the NUJ secretariat, Gangara said he was still in charge.

He said: “We want to inform you that the purported sitting of some members of the Kaduna State House of Assembly is a nullity.

The House has since suspended sitting, until further notice. We, therefore, urge the citizens of Kaduna State, especially our teeming supporters, to remain calm and ignore the impunity going on in the House of Assembly.”

The newly-elected speaker, Shehu Tahir, described the events in the house as a milestone in the history of the assembly, pointing

out that “what transpired in the house was a clear manifestation that democracy is driven by the will and voice of the majority”.

He added: “I have accepted the challenges of the office of the speaker and assure you that with your support, cooperation and understanding, I will not let you down. However, for the house to be focused and vibrant to meet the present day reality, members must resolve to undertake their constitutional mandate with all seriousness it deserves.”

The Majority Leader, Usman Gurara, at the news conference, said the modality for the removal of a speaker is contained in Section 92 of the constitution, which states that two Third of the elected members of the House shall be the one to impeach a speaker and twothird members of the Kaduna State House of Assembly is 23 members.

He said: “We have 34 members in the Kaduna State House of Assembly and if you divide that by two third, you have 22.6. Those who sat today were 16 and so, they don’t have the quorum to impeach a speaker.

“You will recall what happened in Plateau and the ruling of the

Supreme Court is very clear. We in the Kaduna State House of Assembly always follow the path of peace and, as lawmakers, we will continue to uphold the constitution. If we fail to respect the constitution, I don’t know who will defend the constitution.

“As it stands, the house has been adjourned. We have our rules, which state that the chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business shall schedule sittings and he has followed that rule to tell them that all sittings be adjourned till further notice.”

Adamu alleged financial inducement in the impeachment process, saying: “There is another report, which we are yet to confirm that Governor Mukthar Ramalan Yero met with them yesterday (Monday) and made offer of cash of up to N10 million each for them to sign the impeachment document.

“As I said, it is an unconfirmed statement and when we confirm it, we will come here and inform you. Another report is that it is not only him, but his oga (boss) at the top is also interested and may have a hand in what is going on.”

The Director-General, Media and Publicity, Ahmed Maiyaki, described the allegation against

his boss as baseless and untrue.

Maiyaki said: “This is totally untrue. It is the figment of the imagination of those peddling this dangerous rumour. His Excellency is a neutral person, who believes in the independence of the legislative arm of government. As an arm of government, they have the rights as to who leads them.”

The Senior Special Assistant to the Vice-President on Media and Publicity, Umar Sani, described the speaker of the Kaduna House of Assembly as a drowning man.

Sani told The Nation on the phone : “The vice- president has no interest in who becomes speaker of the Kaduna State House of Assembly and does not have any direct dealing with them. He has been there for a long time and nobody has ever made moves to remove him.”

Civil rights activist Shehu Sani said the removal was nothing but an elitist exercise in the game of power.

He said: “The lawmakers have allowed themselves to be hypnotised and intimidated by the executive over the years. The Assembly has been denigrated and degraded to the status of temple of endorsement and compliance.

They have by their ideology of loyalty supervised the fading glory and fortune of the state.”

Nasarawa still in shock over killing of bankers, driver From Johnny Danjuma, Lafia

•Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido (middle) cutting the tape to inaugurate Dange Shuni 5km township road in Dange Shuni Local Government Council of Sokoto State…yesterday.

With him are Governor Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto (right) and others.

R

ESIDENTS of Nasarawa State were still in shock yesterday over the discovery of the bodies of two bankers and their driver.

They were allegedly ambushed by suspected Ombatse boys, who took them to the bush, killed them, set them ablaze with their car and buried them with the car by the riverside.

The incident happened at Tudun Adabu in Obi Local Government.

The Police Command has arrested 14 suspects in connection with the murder.

The deceased bankers are Alhaji Hassan Gidado, who was the managing director of the Police Microfinance Bank, and Mr. Tunde Banwo.

The police, at a news conference on Monday, said after the the bodies were exhumed, they were deposited at the Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital in Lafia.

It was gathered that the two top bankers, who lived in Abuja, were in Lafia for the wedding of a child of the police commissioner-in-charge of Cooperative.

Police Commissioner Umar Shehu said the suspected killers would soon be taken to court. He assured residents that measures had been taken to curb the activities of the outlawed Ombatse group.

Dangote’s new grants empower 65,500 women, youths

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HE Dangote Foundation has extended its grassroots poverty alleviation scheme to Adamawa and Yobe states with the disbursement of N655 million to 65, 000 vulnerable women and youths.

The disbursement is a continuation of its award of special grant to states aimed at alleviating poverty by empowering the grassroots dwellers financially to improve their economy.

In Adamawa, Dangote Foundation distributed grants amounting to N315 million to women and youths numbering 31, 500 across the 21 local governments, while 34, 000 people benefited from the fund disbursement in Yobe State.

In Kano, women especially widows in each of the 44 local governments shared N600 million through a multi-purpose vehicle created by the government to ensure smooth disbursement to the qualified women.

Also, in Jigawa State, where verification of the deserving women is ongoing in the 27 local governments, Dangote has earmarked N270 million to help the state lift the economy of women, most of who bear the brunt of the economic downturn as the closest to the family.

In Adamawa State, not fewer than 21, 000 women in the 21 local governments benefited from the largesse, while 5,250 female youths and another 5, 250 male youths were given a grant of N10, 000 each.

The programme, according to the Chairman of the foundation, Aliko Dangote, would cover at least 1000 women in each of the 774 local governments in a bid to assist the Federal Government to reduce poverty.

Dangote said the foundation’s efforts were meant to support government’s poverty eradication efforts with the earmarked grants in excess of N10 billion.

Air Force, community disagree in Makurdi over land

T

HERE is tension at Akpen, a Makurdi suburb that is the host community of the Nigeria Air Force (NAF) Tactical Air Command (TAC).

A few days ago, NAF personnel marked over 150,000 houses in the community for demolition and threatened to eject the occupants.

They are claiming that the land belongs to them, but the residents told The Nation that they had been occupying the land since 1970 and that the NAF base was built in 1973.

When our reporter visited the community, which is located on the MakurdiGboko Road, youths, women and men gathered in groups, preparing for a showdown with “anyone who would ask us to vacate our land”.

A businessman, who built a filling station at Akpen, Dr. Paul Ubwa, told The Nation that he was given the land by a chief in the area, and there was a demarcation between NAF’s land

From Uja Emmanuel, Makurdi

and the host community’s.

He alleged that Air Force men, a few days ago, stormed the community with guns and harassed women and children.

Ubwa urged the Benue State Government to instruct the commander of the Base Service Group to restrain his men from further harassing innocent people who they are supposed to protect.

The community leader, Chief Clement Chia, alleged that three of the youths had been whisked away to the NAF Base.

He recalled that the youths were cleaning St. Francis Church, Akpen premises when Air Force men stormed the place, bundled them into their van, took them to their base where they tortured them by inflicting injuries on their bodies.

The chairman of the

Church Council, Gabriel Ator, said St. Francis Parish covers 2.6 hectares and the worshippers have been under intimidation and harassment by Air Force men, who had mounted a roadblock opposite the church.

NAF Tactical Air Command spokesman, Squadron Leader Obi Obasi, told our reporter that he was not aware of the incident and declined to comment on the matter.

Police deny report

T

HE Nasarawa State Police Command has denied media report credited to it that three unidentified assailants were killed in the renewed Obi/Assakio clash.

It was also alleged that the suspected leader of the Ombatse militia in the state was killed by the military.

Denying the report in Lafia, the deputy police spokesman Cornelius Ocholi said he neither granted any interview nor told any reporter about what was reported about the three assailants.

He said he only confirmed to The Nation that only three people died in the Assakio crisis, while four others were injured and are

responding to treatment after being taken to the Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital in Lafia.

Ocholi added that about 30 houses were razed on both sides by the warring Alago and their Eggon counterparts.

Wondering why such story he described as false is emanating “this time when the state is seeking to bring about peace,” Ocholi urged reporters to cross- check their reports to presents facts, especially when it has to do with figures.

Ocholi said Police Commissioner Umar Shehu and his men would forestall further crisis, adding that the military were also patrolling and calm had been restored.

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EXTRA SPORT

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

SPORTS...

Armstrong’s investors helped cover up doping as early as 1999: affidavit T

HE cyclist’s massage therapist — who saw evidence of his doping — says she overheard conversations among him, Thom Weisel and Mark Gorski in which they conspired to cover up why the athlete tested positive for a banned substance.

Thom Weisel, director of the U.S. Postal Service Team, allegedly helped Lance Armstrong cover up his doping habits by backdating prescriptions and come up with excuses, according to the woman who massaged the scandal-ridden cyclist.

Thom Weisel, director of the U.S. Postal Service Team,

allegedly helped Lance Armstrong cover up his doping habits by backdating prescriptions and come up with excuses, according to the woman who massaged the scandal-ridden cyclist.

U.S. Department of Justice going after Lance Armstrong as government joins Floyd Landis’ whistleblower lawsuit against disgraced cyclist .

Lance Armstrong's legal team asks to streamline testimony in multiple lawsuits.

Floyd Landis, Jonathan Vaughters, Travis Tygart and Lance Armstrong whistleblowers host Yale panel on fight to expose cycling's doping culture.

Bay Area investment banker Thom Weisel, who financed Lance Armstrong's cycling teams, knew of Armstrong's efforts to cover up his doping as early as 1999, according to a sworn affidavit submitted to a federal court in one of the lawsuits against the fallen cyclist.

Emma O'Reilly, a massage therapist who worked with Armstrong and saw evidence of his doping, says in the affidavit that Weisel was present at a 1999 meeting that followed the discovery that one of Armstrong's urine samples had tested positive for a banned substance and that the media knew about it.

Johnson scandal stunted sport's commercial growth

M

ARKETING experts fondly recall Seoul 1988 as the Games when the Olympic movement put behind it political boycotts and started to develop its true commercial potential.

However, the sensational Ben Johnson drugs bust in Seoul and subsequent failure to stamp out doping has meant that athletics - the centrepiece of the Games - has been left behind by other sports in the wider battle for sponsor dollars.

"It tends to be a struggle to get big brands to support athletics," said sports marketing expert Patrick Nally, contrasting the situation with the 1980s when the sport launched its world championships and enjoyed a higher profile.

"If Usain Bolt didn't exist and wasn't there signing his books and being the superstar, they wouldn't have anything," he added, referring to the charismatic Jamaican sprint champion.

Nally, one of the pioneers of modern sports marketing, argues that athletics in the late 1980s was torn between the need to promote itself by setting world records and a desire to

tackle the doping culture that tarnished these achievements.

Those conflicting pressures culminated in the downfall of Johnson, the Canadian sprinter who tested positive for a banned steroid after beating American Carl Lewis in a world-record 9.79 seconds over 100 metres at the 1988 Games.

Johnson, now 51, returned to Seoul this week to speak out against drugs in sport.

Sports marketing was in its infancy 25 years ago. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) had just set up a new programme granting top corporate sponsors exclusive rights to sell products around the world on the back of the Games.

The swift justice meted out to Johnson, stripped of his medal and sent packing from Seoul, helped to protect the Olympic brand, said former IOC marketing chief Michael Payne.

"Samaranch said that on the one hand it was a dark day but on the other hand it was an opportunity for the IOC to show how it was fighting the drugs issue," he said, referring to then IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch.

"The media saw the IOC was

•Ben Johnson

taking the drugs issue seriously, there was no collateral damage to the sponsor."

The Olympic movement came away from Seoul in good shape after boycotts of the two previous Games had threatened its very existence, according to Payne.

"Ben Johnson notwithstanding, they were successful Games, the Olympics were back. They had solved the political problem."

The Olympics have since gone from strength to strength, regaining their undisputed status as the world's top sports event.

Sponsorship has also taken off, with 10 leading companies such as Coca-Cola and McDonald's paying around $1 billion for four-year global partnership deals.

The drugs issue in sport has not gone away, with cyclist Lance Armstrong cast in the role of modern-day villain after being stripped of his seven Tour de France titles for doping.

Sponsors have remained unsophisticated in their response to doping crises, according to Simon Chadwick, professor of sports business at Coventry University in central England.

"When a doping scandal breaks, rather than take the moral high ground, they wait to see what happens," said Chadwick, saying sponsors often acted only when they felt pressure from public opinion.

Chadwick praised the proactive approach adopted by sportswear group Skins, a cycling sponsor which has been campaigning for the sport to rid itself of doping and clean up its governance.

Skins has adopted an unlikely new ambassador in its latest anti-doping drive Johnson himself.

"Ben personified the modern era of doping but after 25 years he's now in the best position to publicise this campaign," said Skins chairman Jaimie Fuller, stressing that Johnson was not getting paid for his role.

•Armstrong

Tyson brings solo show to the UK

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ONTROVERSIAL former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson is bringing his one man Broadway show to the UK next year.

Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth will run at the Hammersmith Apollo, London (21/22 March),

Clyde Auditorium, Glasgow (25 March) and Manchester O2 Apollo (26 March) as part of a European tour.

"I'm excited to take the show abroad and share it with my fans across the globe," said Tyson.

"Undisputed Truth is my story I'm giving my all and I'm proud

•Mike Tyson

to take the show internationally."

The autobiographical show, which premiered on Broadway last summer, is written by Tyson's third wife Kiki and directed by filmmaker Spike Lee. Billed as a "rare, personal look inside the life and mind of one of the most feared men ever to wear the heavyweight crown", it spans the highs of winning the heavyweight crown to the lows of his conviction for rape in 1992.

Created by Adam Steck, CEO of SPI Entertainment, Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth is presented by James L. Nederlander, directed by Spike Lee, written by Kiki Tyson, executive produced by Mike Tyson, Kiki Tyson, and Adam Steck and originally directed by Randy Johnson.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

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EXTRA SPORT

EUROPEAN FOOTBALL...EUROPEAN FOOTBALL...

Messi refused to shake my hand— Baena

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HE 24-year-old says the Argentine snubbed him prior to the game - despite reports claiming the midfielder was in fact guilty of the same thing Rayo Vallecano's Raul Baena has claimed Lionel Messi refused to shake his hand before his side's clash with Barcelona on Sunday.

Reports have suggested that the midfielder was in fact guilty of rejecting the Argentine ahead of the encounter, which ended 4-0 in the Blaugrana's favour, but Baena claims it was the other way around.

"This is an issue that I would like to clarify, because in the many reports it has been assumed that it was me who refused to greet Messi," the 24year-old was quoted as saying on Rayo’s official website.

"They were the visitors and were passing us by for the greeting. You can clearly see that there is hint from me to shake hands, in seeing him pass by, I retract mine.

"I do not know if he did not notice, but I do not give it any

importance. Nor I do not want to focus much on this, it is an insignificant detail, but I want to clarify and settle the issue now.

"And also the foul I

Balotelli wrong, claims Milan assistant

committed on Messi, which is also being spoken about. It is a foul that is seen in many games with many players and it is not given the slightest attention.

"It is an action that the referee has punished with a yellow card and nothing more. I believe that to dwell on an action of the game is nonsense."

•Raul Baena

•Mario Balotelli

B

AYERN Munich winger Arjen Robben has hailed captain Philipp Lahm’s seamless transition to central midfield.

Lahm, who traditionally plays as a right-back, has been regularly deployed in the middle since the arrival of new boss Pep Guardiola, including most recently in Saturday’s 4-0 away win over Schalke.

And, while Robben has declared himself impressed

by Lahm’s ability to adapt, he insists he is not surprised.

“I like Philipp in midfield.

He’s the kind of player who can play in any position,” the Netherlands international was quoted as saying by TZ. “He’s got excellent technique and is very intelligent. He is a versatile player and has shown this time and time again.”

Vice-captain Bastian Schweinsteiger marked his first start since August with a goal in Bayern’s comfortable win in Gelsenkirchen.

And Robben has welcomed the Germany international’s return from an ankle injury as Bayern look to overtake

Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund.

“Schweinsteiger’s return is very important for us,” he continued.

“We have a number of key players and Bastian is one of them. Plus he’s obviously our vice-skipper. The 1-0 he scored against Schalke was a crucial goal as well.”

•Arjen Robben

Neuer: I didn’t feel compassion for Schalke

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ILAN assistant Mauro Tassotti believes Mario Balotelli fully deserved to be red-carded following Sunday’s 2-1 defeat to Napoli.

After missing a penalty and scoring a brilliant late consolation in the Serie A encounter at San Siro, the controversial striker angrily confronted referee Luca Banti at full-time.

Balotelli was subsequently sent off by Banti for using “insulting” language, with his indiscretion bringing a three-match that will see him miss games against Bologna, Sampdoria and Juventus.

And, after Milan revealed their intention to forgo the right to appeal, Tassotti has admitted Balotelli should have known better.

“What happened after the final whistle counts for nothing. The match was over and you cannot change anything then,” Tassotti told Milan Channel.

“I was there at the meeting with the referees where the captains were also there and the outcome was that the players have to be more educated when they come to confronting the referee.

“You can ask them a question, but you cannot go too far and in this case Mario probably overstepped the mark and was in the wrong.”

Robben hails Lahm´s midfield transition

B

Napoli reveals Higuain not first option

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APOLI chairman Aurelio De Laurentiis has moved to reveal that Argentine forward Gonzalo Higuain was not their first option to replace Edinson Cavani.

The Azzurri ended up signing the striker from Real Madrid, and that proved to be an excellent decision as he immediately hit the ground running at Stadio San Paolo.

However, club chairman has confirmed that they only decided to make a move on Pipita after missing out on Internacional’s Leandro Damiao.

“At the start we were talking to Damiao, but we were unable to come to an agreement with his agent,” De Laurentiis told Canale 21.

“As a result, we then decided to contact Real Madrid for Higuain and we immediately found an agreement.”

Gonzalo Higuain has been in scintillating form ever since he arrived at Stadio San Paolo, netting in four successive games after failing to score on his debut against Bologna.

He has helped Napoli win all five fixtures this season, with last week’s triumphs over Borussia Dortmund and

AC Milan further improving the atmosphere ahead of the midweek clash with Sassuolo.

With the newly promoted

side having conceded seven goals at the weekend, Higuain is 12/5 to score the first goal in the match.

AYERN Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has insisted that he did not feel any sympathy for Schalke during this weekend's 4-0 Bundesliga win over his former team.

The Germany international started his professional career with the Gelsenkirchen side and made over 150 Bundesliga appearances for his boyhood club before leaving for the Allianz Arena in the summer of 2011.

Nevertheless, his warm feelings for his former club did not cause him any problems during Saturday's encounter.

"I did not feel compassion for Schalke, absolutely not," Neuer was quoted as saying

by TZ. "I'm a Bayern player now, so I was obviously only thinking about Bayern. I'm a professional and I play for

Bayern because I take my job seriously and always want to win.

"I wouldn't have mind if we had won by five or six goals."

Bayern climbed to joint first spot in the Bundesliga table following their win over Schalke.

•Manuel Neuer

Cvitanich reveals Roma offer

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•Gonzalo Higuain

ICE forward Dario Cvitanich has revealed that he had an opportunity to join Roma in the summer transfer window.

The Giallorossi boss Rudi Garcia attempted to reinforce his attack with the Argentine forward, only to see his proposal rejected by les Aiglons.

Roma in turn signed Adem Ljajic from Fiorentina, with Cvitanich remaining at Stade Municipal du Ray. The 29-year-old has now confirmed that he could have joined the Italian side at the end of the summer transfer window, while hinting that he could still leave Nice in the near future.

“My future? Next season we will see. I had offers this summer. A club from Qatar came forward,” Cvitanich confessed to Radio Monte Carlo.

“I also had an offer from Roma at the end of the transfer window. It was a good opportunity for me, but Nice rejected (it).”

Cvitanich has been in

excellent form since joining Nice from Ajax last summer, scoring no less than 19 goals in 29 league matches during his first season at the club.

In spite of missing out on a lucrative move to Roma, the experienced forward has this season continued where he left off, notching 4 goals in first 5 league outings.

•Dario Cvitanich

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

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SPORT EXTRA CAPITAL ONE CUP

Torres takes Chelsea through

F

ERNANDO Torres scored one and set up the other as Chelsea saw off Swindon Town 2-0 in the third round of the Capital One Cup. Juan Mata and David Luiz were included from the start by Jose Mourinho, as they look to prove their worth to the Portuguese tactician, but it was Torres who stole the show at the County Ground.

The Spanish striker edged Chelsea in front just before the half-hour mark, tapping home after Wes Foderingham could only parry a Mata effort into his path.

Some nibble footwork from Torres and a perfectly-weighted pass slid into the path of Ramires - who replaced the unfortunate Marco van Ginkel after he fell awkwardly and twisted his knee - allowed the Premier League outfit to double

their lead 10 minutes before the interval, with a clever dinked finish glancing in off the inside of the post.

League One hopefuls Swindon thought they had found a route back into the game early in the second half, as Dany N'Guessan glanced in a Jay McEveley free-kick, but he and the Robins were denied by an offside flag from the assistant referee

RESULTS Man City 5-0 Wigan Swindon 0-2 Chelsea Aston Villa 0 - 4 Tottenham Leicester 2-1 Derby County Southampton 2-0 Bristol Hull City 1 - 0 H’field Burnley 2-1 Nottingham Sunderland 2-0 P’borough West Ham 3-2 Cardiff

Oghara championship ends, as swimmer passes out

P •Enyeama warming up

NIGERIA VS ETHIOPIA CRACKER

Why we didn't invite new goalkeepers –Shorunmu S

UPER Eagles’ Goalkeeper Trainer, Ike Shorunmu has told NationSport that lack of time and the inability to blend on time with the rest of the team before the final phase of the 2014 World Cup qualifier, stopped him from inviting fresh goalkeepers to join the stand-in Captain and Eagles first choice in goal Vincent Enyeama, Austin Ejide and Chigozie Agbim for the prepations for the match against Walyas Antelopes of Ethiopia.

Shorunmu who was in Abuja for the FIFA Member Association Goalkeeping Course currently going on at the FIFA Goal Project Center, Package B ofthe

‘It won't be easy playing Ethiopia’ From Segun Ogunjimi, Abuja Abuja National Stadium, however, promised to invite new goalkeepers to join the team after Nigeria must have qualified for the 2014 World Cup slated for Brazil.

He revealed to NationSport that he has already discovered two top goalkeepers in Europe who he has pencilled down for call up after the Eagles book the qualification ticket for the World Cup in Brazil.

He, however, declined to reveal their names and

clubs for now.

"It is not that I haven't seen any goalkeeper that can break into this team or to join the other three invited for the Ethiopia match. Yes we have gotten new quality ones but we need to be cautious at this particular period of the qualifiers. The two games we are going to play against Ethiopia are very important to our qualification for the next year's World Cup. "So we want to be rest assured on any goalkeeper we call, most especially the ones that have been there before, have the experience

and the knowledge and also know the importance of the game. We don't want to bring anybody now that will be jittery and be thinking that the load on him is heavy. That is why we want to maintain the squad that played against Malawi.

Shorunmu also warned that Ethiopia won't be easy to beat. "Every country wants to play in the World Cup because of the glamour of the tournament. So until we get the final ticket that we will say yes we are there.

But we will wait when we get to Ethiopia and we will then see how the second leg in Nigeria is going to be", he disclosed.

‘Eagles to play friendly before Ethiopia clash in Nigeria’

N

IGERIA Football Federation (NFF) has confirmed that the Super Eagles might play an international friendly immediately after the first leg final round World Cup qualifier against Ethiopia, according to the General Secretary of the NFF, Barr.

Musa Amadu.

The NFF had earlier stated that Eagles will play a warm up game before the 1st leg 2014 World Cup tie against the Walya Antelopes of Ethiopia in Addis Ababa sources form the glass house now says the friendly might now be played after the Ethiopia tie.

“There is always the possibility after the 1st leg in Ethiopia that we can take

advantage of the dates and play a friendly that will serve as a prelude to the all important 2nd leg tie on November 16th here in

Nigeria” The last time the Eagles were involved in a friendly match was on the 10th of September in Kaduna when

they beat a make-shift Burkina Faso team made up of largely home-based players 4-1 at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium in Kaduna.

Ethiopian defender: we’ll win at home

E

THIOPIAN defender Alulu Girma has told MTNFootball.com they hope to beat Nigeria at home and then fight in the return leg World Cup playoffs.

Ethiopia host the Super Eagles on October 12 with the return leg in Calabar on November 16.

“We must make sure that we get a good win in Addis Ababa and go for a fight in Nigeria,” said Saint George defender Girma.

He also warned that the star-studded Super Eagles are wrong to believe it will be an easy game when both teams clash next month.

He said since they lost 2-0 to Nigeria at this year’s Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa, they have continued to improve as a team.

“We have been together for a while now and have played so many games both in the World Cup qualifiers and Africa Nations

Championship qualifiers,” explained the defender.

Ethiopia will take encouragement with their first and only defeat of Nigeria in a 1994 Nations Cup qualifier in Addis Ababa.

They won 1-0 only to be trounced 6-0 in the return leg match in Lagos.

Nigeria have won four other meetings, while two other matches ended in draws.

ANDEMONIUM broke out at the Oghara swimming pool complex venue of the ongoing 5th CNS open swimming championship when Ruth Izenegu of delta state passed out inside the pool.

The day three events which started around 10.05 am could not be completed due to the sudden incident.

Ruth Izenegu is a student in one of the higher institutions in Delta State. She resumed at the Oghara swimming camp of team Delta on Saturday.

Ruth Izenegu according to one of the officials in the call room, said Ruth had a serious quarrel with her coach who said she was not technically fit to compete in the championship.

After a long argument, Ruth Izenegu was said to have been

From Osemwengie Ben Ogbemudia, Benin cleared by her coach to compete for the 200 metres women butterfly breaststroke event final.

The Delta swimmer, Ruth who had not trained for months passed out at the fourth laps of the event .

Ruth situation inside the pool was notice by Faith Edorodion of Edo state who raised alarm that drew the attention of the technical officials.

It took the divine intervention of the Delta medical teams and the Naval medical teams to revived her with oxygen after two and half hours.

The situation brought the events to a sudden end.

Injuries hit Enugu Rangers

E

NUGU Rangers could be without injured Chibuzor Madu, Ousmane Pape Sane and Cyril Oriaku for Wednesday’s league clash at home to ABS. Madu, fresh from a failed move to Turkey, is nursing a muscle sprain; Ousmane has a knock around the ankle and Oriaku is recovering from a muscle sprain.

Meanwhile, Rangers captain Godwin Ayalogu has told MTNFootball.com the team have vowed to win the Week 34 league match against ABS in honour of departed kit manager Segun Martins.

The experienced shot stopper stated that the team are driven to beat ABS for Martins.

“Segun was one of us and we will surely miss him for his jokes, diligence and general approach to life. We have

resolved to ensure that ABS are completely annihilated as a mark of respect for him,” Ayalogu disclosed.

“It is not as if we are underrating our opponents, but we are double charged to do this for our departed friend.

“Segunde or Oshodo as Martins is also known will always want us to win matches both home and away and that is what we want to give to him.”

Martins, who hails from Ogun State and has worked for The Flying Antelopes’ for over 20 years, died of kidneyrelated infections over the weekend in an Enugu hospital.

He is expected to be buried at a later date after due consultation between the club management and family members of the late kit manager, camp commandant and chief store keeper.

Ajagun loses father

P

ANATHINAIKOS of Greece midfielder Abduljaleel Ajagun has lost his father.

Ajagun senior died Monday night in his home in Kaduna, family members informed MTNFootball.com The older Ajagun was 75 years old.

The Flying Eagles skipper is expected back in Nigeria on Tuesday after he was granted compassionate leave by his Greek club.

The 20-year-old former Dolphins star joined

Panathinaikos in the summer after he featured at the 2013 FIFA U20 World Cup in Turkey.

He was Pana’s best player in their 1-0 home win last weekend.

•Ajagun

TODAY IN THE NATION

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

VOL.8 NO.2,617

‘Though it is a civic responsibility of citizens to alert security agencies whenever a crime is being committed, the onus is on the security agencies themselves to live up to expectations at all times’ DELE AGEKAMEH

COMMENT & DEB ATE EBA

L

AST Monday witnessed the colourful climax of the four-day celebration of Alhaji Muhammad Awwal Ibrahim’s ascension to the throne of the historic Suleja Emirate 20 years ago. Suleja, the emirate’s capital, is the biggest satellite town of Abuja, the federal capital, bar possibly Keffi in Nasarawa State.

The emirate was founded in the early 19th century as Abuja by Abu Jatau - Abu Ja, for short - (in English, Abu the fair skinned), the youngest of three sons of Ishaq Jatau, a prince of the Zazzau Habe dynasty ousted from Zaria by Usman Dan Fodio’s jihad. Abu Ja’s formal title as emir was Sarkin Zazzaun Abuja. Makau, the first son had died in a battle near Lapai, a Nupe town in today’s Niger State. Abu Ja, himself, died shortly after founding the emirate and was succeeded by his older brother, Abu Kwaka (Abu, the dark skinned). Since then the emirship of the territory has alternated between the two houses of Abu Ja and Abu Kwaka.

In the old colonial North right up to the end of the First Republic in 1966, the emir was ranked 22nd among the region’s 31 second-class emirs and 38th among all the 119 gazetted emirs and chiefs in the region. It was thus one of the most important emirates and chiefdoms in the region.

In 1944, one of his uncles, Alhaji Suleimanu Barau from the Abu Kwaka ruling house, became the sixth emir. He reigned for 35 years and it was during his time that the regime of General Murtala Muhammed took the momentous decision to move Nigeria’s federal capital from the congested coastal city of Lagos to a virgin territory in the middle of the country.

This so-called virgin territory was in Abuja emirate.

A nation-wide competition to find a name for the new capital ended with a decision by the federal authorities to simply appropriate the existing name of the territory and ask its rulers to find another name. Alhaji Suleimanu Barau, who happened to be emir at the time was, like the founder of Abuja, fair skinned. The emirate simply adopted his abridged name–Suleja.

However, it was not only its original name that Abuja forfeited. About 80 per cent of today’s federal capital was Abuja territory, with the rest coming from neighbouring Nasarawa and Kogi states.

This was the diminished emirate, whose throne Alhaji Muhammad Awwal Ibrahim, CON, ascended exactly 20 years ago last Monday. His ascension is today a classic case of the old saying about a bad beginning making a good ending. It is equally a classic case of how tenacity in the pursuit of one’s objective is more likely than not to pay off.

When Alhaji Suleimanu died in 1979, he was succeeded by Alhaji Ibrahim Dodo Musa from the Abu Ja ruling house. Alhaji Ibrahim, in turn, died in July 1993, thus returning the crown – or, more appropriately, the turban – to Abu

RIPPLES NIGERIA HAS A BRIGHT FUTURE -Cleric

...and what of NIGERIANS?

People and Politics By MOHAMMED H ARUNA ndajika@yahoo.com

Sarkin Zazzaun Suleja, the (almost) rejected stone...

‘As he celebrates 20 years of his controversial ascension as the eighth emir of Suleja, he must be aware that the world is watching to see how he resolves the problem of his emirate’s kingmakers, which has been at the heart of the crisis of his own selection.’

•Awwal Ibrahim Kwaka. Easily the most prominent prince of the House was Alhaji Muhammad Awwal. At that time he had been a university administrator, a permanent secretary in Niger State and had capped his successful public career as a two-time elected governorship of the state between October 1979 and December 1983.

His career apart, he was a superb linguist, who understood and spoke English, a subject he had his first degree in, Arabic and his native Hausa fluently and eloquently. He also had a deep knowledge of Islam, his religion.

As governor he, like so many prominent politicians of the Second Republic, was eventually to fall under the heavy sledgehammer of General Muhammadu Buhari, whose coup truncated the Second Republic three months into its second four years: a military tribunal under General Buhari’s regime found the governor guilty of abuse of power and corruption, sent him to prison practically for life and banned him from ever holding public office.

Twenty months after General Buhari came to power, he was ousted by his army chief, General Ibrahim Babangida, in a bloodless palace coup in August 1985. One of General Babangida’s first acts was to release many of the politicians jailed by his predecessor and grant them amnesty. Alhaji Awwal was a beneficiary of this amnesty.

As the most prominent prince from the Abu Kwaka House, not to mention the fact that he was school mates at Government College, Bida, with some of the most prominent citizens of Niger State, notably Generals Muhammadu Wushishi, one-time army chief, Babangida, Gado Nasko, then FCT minister, and future head-of-state Abdulsalami Abubakar, many Nigerlites thought he was not only the most obvious choice. Many, including this reporter, thought he was the best.

Apparently we couldn’t have been more wrong in our thinking in the eyes of the four kingmakers, led by the Galadima, Alhaji Shu’aibu Barde, who met after the seventh day prayers for the repose of the soul of Alhaji Ibrahim, to choose his successor; Alhaji Awwal did not make the shortlist of three candidates they sent to the civilian governor, Dr Musa Inuwa, to choose from. Top of that list was Alhaji Muhammad Bashir, the chief librarian of the University of Abuja and Alhaji Awwal’s cousin and son of Alhaji Suleiman Barau, the sixth emir.

Alhaji Bashir, it turned out, was also the popular choice. However, for some seemingly inexplicable reason, Governor Inuwa rejected

the kingmakers’ choice under the pretext that they were not properly constituted.

The pretext was not without basis. The emirate’s kingmakers were Madaki as chair, Galadima, Wambai and Dallatu. All four were supposed to be appointed from the emir’s ordinary subjects. However, during his reign Alhaji Suleimanu appointed prominent princes to fill in the titles, except Galadima.

There were widespread suspicions that he did so to eliminate all possible challenges to his son, Bashir, when next it was the turn of his House to produce the emir.

If that was his strategy, it almost worked.

When Alhaji Ibrahim died in 1993, only the Galadima was not a prince. The other three, Alhaji Shuaibu Na’ibi, the octogenarian Madaki, Alhaji Aliyu Bisalla, the equally elderly Wambai and Alhaji Awwal himself as Dallatu were all princes. All three had to step down since, by tradition, they could only be voted for and could not themselves vote.

This meant only the Galadima was left to vote.

Hence, the reconstitution of the kingmakers, which brought in the emirate’s Chief Imam, Salanke, the Friday Mosque Imam and Magajin Malam, who anoints and turbans a new emir.

Under normal circumstances, all three played only spiritual roles in the selection of an emir and had no vote.

The Galadima as the only one with a vote on the panel left no one in doubt that his choice was Alhaji Bashir. But he was not the only obstacle Awwal faced. Others included the emirate’s tradition that only sons of emirs were eligible to contest. Alhaji Awwal was a grandson.

Another formidable obstacle was the state’s council of emirs, headed by the late Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Umar Sanda Ndayako. The council played an advisory but important role in the selection of emirs in the state.

As Niger State’s governor between 1979 and 1983, Alhaji Awwal and the Etsu Nupe became estranged over the politics of the state. It, therefore, did not come as a surprise that the Etsu supported the selection of Alhaji Bashir as emir. In this, however, he was not alone.

Minutes of the meeting of the council on September 14, 1993, which the rested Citizen magazine was in possession of and excerpts of which it published in its cover story of the July 32, 1994 edition, showed that all the other six emirs present – those of Kontagora, Borgu, Agai’e, Lapai, Minna and Kagara unanimously supported the choice of Alhaji Bashir.

Even the governor was said to have been reluctant in his rejection of Alhaji Bashir

and merely bowed to intense pressure from his “ogas at the top”, i.e. friends of Alhaji Awwal in high places, to ask the kingmakers to rethink their choice.

The problem with the governor’s pretext was that the kingmakers he rejected were the same ones that chose Alhaji Ibrahim as Suleja’s seventh emir in 1979, the only difference being Alhaji Awwal’s father as the Dallatu.

Instead of heeding the governor’s instruction for a rethink, the Galadima headed for the courts in October 1993. As if in anticipation of this move, another selection panel was reconstituted at the behest of the state government, this time with Santali replacing Galadima as the chair. Predictably the new panel shortlisted four candidates and put Alhaji Awwal on top and Alhaji Bashir as third.

The governor quickly announced Alhaji Awwal as the new emir on September 23, 1993.

All hell broke loose in Suleja the following day and in the aftermath of the riots that followed it became impossible for months to turban Alhaji Awwal as the emir.

On November 17 1993, General Sani Abacha struck and threw out the civilian governors elected under General Babangida, including, of course, Dr Inuwa. Then, on May 10, 1994, the Niger State High Court sitting in Suleja under Justice Oseni Oyewo ruled in favour of Alhaji Bashir and directed that the state government “appoints him as the emir of Suleja, immediately.” The government did not comply immediately and Alhaji Awwal went to court on appeal and succeeded in getting a stay of execution.

Still the state’s military administrator, Colonel Cletus Emein, who had succeeded Dr Inuwa, seized upon the judgement of the Suleja High Court and immediately deposed Alhaji Awwal as emir and banished him to Rijau in Kontagora emirate. However, instead of Rijau, Alhaji Awwal chose and was allowed to live in Kaduna.

It was from there that he appealed the Suleja High Court judgement all the way to the Supreme Court. There, he finally got a favourable judgment on December 6, 1996 when the court said his selection in 1993 was valid.

However, Suleja remained without an emir until January 2000 when the civilian governor at the time, Abdulkadir Kure, took the bull by the horns and restored him as emir. Again all hell broke loose.

It’s been 13 years since those riots and the people of Suleja have since resigned to their apparent fate. In those 13 years Alhaji Awwal, on his part, has conducted himself in ways that seem to have endeared him to his subjects and eliminated the initial popular opposition he faced. In the simplicity of his lifestyle and in shunning materialism, he seems today to be the nearest replication among all the emirs in the North of the much revered late Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Abubakar III, father of the current Sultan, who reigned for over 50 years.

As he celebrates 20 years of his controversial ascension as the eighth emir of Suleja, he must be aware that the world is watching to see how he resolves the problem of his emirate’s kingmakers, which has been at the heart of the crisis of his own selection. Right now all four – Madaki, Galadima, Wambai and Dallatu – are princes rather than his ordinary subjects.

Were he to pass away today there will be no proper panel to choose a new emir, something that can easily plunge the emirate into a crisis worse than his own.

The emir must also know that there are indeed speculations in town that he is moving quietly to make his ruling house the only one. These speculations may be totally baseless. Even then he should not dismiss them as mere mischief.

Instead he should come out openly to assure his subjects that the speculations are false.

As a deeply religious emir, probably the closest duplication of a scholar-emir in the North since the deposition of Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi in 1963 as one of Kano’s most powerful emirs, he should know from his own experience that men can only propose but it is only God who disposes.

He should therefore focus his mind on leaving behind a praiseworthy legacy and leave the rest to the Almighty God. Allah ja zamanin sarki! Ya sa sarki ya gama lafiya.

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