Police invade G-7 govs meeting in Abuja

...towards a better life for the people VOL. 25: NO. 62006

UNVEILING:From Left: Marketing Manager, Mr. Obinna Anyalebechi; Corporate Relations Director, Mr. Sesan Sobowale; MD/CEO, Mr. Seni Adetu and Marketing & Innovation Director, Mr. Austin Ufomba ,all of Guinness Nigeria Plc, at the unveiling of the Guinness Foreign Extra Stout new label and packaging in Lagos.

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N150

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2013

NPDP—A police DPO from Asokoro, Abuja, informs Gov. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of Kano State (middle) and others to stop the nPDP meeting going on in the Kano State Government Lodge, yesterday.

Police invade G-7 govs meeting in Abuja

BY EMMANUEL AZIKEN, POLITICAL EDITOR

L

AGOS—A MEET ING of the G7 governors in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in the Kano State Governor's Lodge in Asokoro area of Abuja was, yesterday, disrupted after men of the Nigeria Police stormed the venue of the meeting.

The detachment of policemen led by the Divisional Police Officer of the Asokoro Division, who was in mufti, invaded the meeting venue and immediately asked that the meeting be brought to a close.

Continues on Page 15

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COLUMNIST:

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Mr & Mrs

ECLIPSE—Partial solar eclipse as recorded in Calabar, yesterday. INSETS: Left: Children observing the eclipse at the National Space Research and Development Agency(NASRDA)in Abuja. Right: Permanent Secretary,Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, Mrs Rabi Jimeta (l) and Director-General,NASRDA, Prof. Seidu Mohammed observing the eclispe in Abuja, yesterday. Photos: NAN.

ADORATION GROUND TRAGEDY:

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Obi, Ngige, Umeh trade blames C M Y K

2 — Vanguard, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2013

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Vanguard, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2013 — 3

4 — Vanguard, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2013

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POCKET CARTOON

Handover of Ughelli Power Plant to Transcorp Plc : From left: CEO Transcorp Ughelli Power Limited, Mr. Adeoye Fadeyibi; Chairman Heirs Holdings and Transnational Corporation of Nigeria Plc, Mr. Tony O. Elumelu; Minister for Labour and Productivity, Emeka Wogu; and the Okobaro of Ughievwen Kingdom, HRM Matthew Ediri Egbi Ohwahwa II, during the official handover ceremony of Ugheli Power Plant to Transcorp Plc, at Ugheli, Delta State, on Friday.

ADORATION GROUND TRAGEDY:

Obi, Ngige, Umeh trade blames

BY CLIFFORD NDUJIHE & VINCENT UJUMADU

L

A G O S — ANAMBRA State Governor Peter Obi; leaders of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the All Progressives Grand Al-

liance, APGA, yesterday, traded blames over last Saturday’s stampede at the Holy Ghost Adoration Ground at Uke in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State in which about 28 people died.

While APC gubernatorial candidate, Senator Chris Ngige and the party's interim National Publicity Secretary,

LIFEWORDS

BY PASTOR ITUAH

Don’t envy the signs of happiness in any man, because you do not know the secret grief he is experiencing; an average man has a grief unknown to most. Happiness is the capacity to carry life experiences well!

TAKE HEART

I

BY ELLA RANDLE

T isn’t what you have or who you are or where you are or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about it —Dale Carnegie Anthony De Mello wrote that happiness is our natural state. Happiness is the natural state of little children, to whom the kingdom belongs until they have been polluted and contaminated by the follies of society and culture. To acquire happiness you don’t have to do anything, because happiness cannot be acquired. Does anybody know why? Because we have it already. How can you acquire what you already have? Then why don’t you experience it? Because you’ve got to drop something.

You’ve got to drop illusions. You don’t have to add anything in order to be happy; Life is easy, life is delightful. It’s only hard on your illusions, your ambitions, your cravings. Do you know where these things come from? From having identified with all kinds of labels- Abraham Lincoln sums it aptly: “People are just as happy as they make up their minds to be.”

Alhaji Lai Mohammed blamed Obi for the tragedy, the Anambra State Governor and APGA National Chairman, Chief Victor Umeh, said Ngige is responsible and should be arrested.

This came as the Anambra State government, yesterday, declared three days of mourning for those who died in the incident. In a broadcast in Awka, yesterday, Governor Peter Obi also said that he would set up a panel of inquiry to unearth the immediate and remote causes of the tragedy.

The governor, who sympathized with families of the deceased and injured, also directed security agencies to ensure that the culprits were brought to book.

Meanwhile, the Archbishop of Onitsha, Most Reverend Valerian Okeke, yesterday, said the stampede was reportedly caused by a false alarm raised by somebody in the crowd along one of the narrow roads out of the town.

APGA Candidate, Chief Willie Obiano condoled with the bereaved families and urged politicians to shun politics of bitterness.

Why I went to the church and what transpired – Obi

Looking depressed and worried over the tragedy, Obi explained how he was being interrupted when the priest invited him to speak to the congregation.

Wondering why the APC governorship candidate should turn a holy ground into a campaign arena, Obi said that as he stood to speak, some group of people waving brooms and Senator Chris Ngige’s posters started singing Ngige’s name.

Obi’s broadcast read: “With a deep sense of sorrow and sadness, I address you today on the tragedy which befell us yesterday (Saturday) at the Holy Ghost Adoration Ministry, Uke, Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State leading to the death of over 20 persons.

“My heart goes out to the immediate families of the deceased, the presiding priest, Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Obinma, the Catholic Archdiocese of Onitsha and indeed all Anambrarians. I assure you that the Anambra State government in its usual manner will give you all the needed support to comfort you at this painful period.

“It is, however, necessary to state what happened at the vigil at Uke. The host of the Ministry, Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Obinma had personally delivered a written invitation to me, requesting that I attend the All Saints night prayers (November 1, 2013 being All Saints Day).

“In my characteristic manner, I honoured that invitation, arriving the venue at about 10:00 pm when the Mass started with no more than 10 persons including my elder sister, Rev. Sr. Martina Obi, the National Chairman of APGA, Chief Victor Umeh and others as well as less than half of my security details.

“It is worth-mentioning that when I was called upon by the Priest to speak as the governor of the state at about 12 midnight when the Mass ended, a group of people located in three different spots started chanting Ngige slogans and waving the brooms of All Progressives Congress and the pictures of Dr. Chris Ngige, the APC’s flag bearer in the November 16 Governorship election. It took up to 20 minutes for the priest to calm them down.

“I was surprised that some people would turn a prayer ground into a campaign venue. In my

remarks, which lasted no more than five minutes, I promised to sponsor 20 indigent people from among the faithful on pilgrimage, provide access road to the premises and urged all present to pray for Anambra State and Nigeria. The Presiding priest and all present can testify to this, and it is on tape.

“I left the Adoration premises at about 3:00am on Saturday with the persons who came with me and arrived at my Lodge at 3:30 am only to be told after my broadcast, later in the morning where I renamed the Anambra State University (ANSU) to Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu University that a stampede occurred at the place where I had left three hours previously. I quickly cancelled all my engagements on Saturday and Sunday and started visiting relevant places to get first-hand information on the tragedy.

“I appeal to the good people of our dear state to remain calm and prayerful as God who has been with us all this while, will help us to overcome the present sad development so that we can continue the task of turning around our state.

“I have directed all security agencies to do everything possible to unearth the cause of this mayhem. A panel of inquiry will soon be constituted to investigate what happened. Finally, I have declared three days of mourning starting from yesterday in honour of our departed ones.”

Governor Obi is culpable – APC, Ngige

Reacting to the development, the APC said that Governor Obi should be held responsible for the tragedy for allegedly turning a house of prayer into a house of politics.

In a statement issued in

Lagos, yesterday, by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said had Governor Obi and the APGA Governorship Candidate, Willie Obiano, not gone to the praying ground “to engage in wrongful politicking,” the innocent souls who died at the vigil would be alive t o d a y .

Praying that God will grant repose to the souls of the departed and wishing all those injured a speedy recovery and the families of the victims the fortitude to bear their losses, it said while there is nothing wrong in a State Governor going to a vigil, such visit should not be impromptu in order for the organizers to make the necessary security arrangements, and it should also not be a licence to engage in political campaign.

APC condemned the plan by Governor Obi to set up a panel to investigate the stampede, considering that “the Governor himself is at the centre of the whole tragedy.

"Setting up a panel to investigate the cause of the stampede will amount to seeking to be a judge in your own case. The only cause of the stampede is the Governor ’s ill-advised visit to the vigil. Information at our disposal has it that the stampede was triggered by the Governor’s overzealous security details who manhandled congregants as their principal was exiting the venue of the vigil. The security details were said to have been irked by the murmurs of disapproval that greeted the Governor ’s attempt to campaign for his candidate, Mr. O b i a n o .

In like manner, Ngige, yesterday, advised Governor Obi to take re

Continues on page 13

6—Vanguard, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2013

5 brothers docked for fraud

BY OKONKWO EZE

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NITSHA— FIVE brothers have been dragged before an Ogidi Magistrate's Court in Anambra State presided over by Emelda Chukwudebelu, on a fivecount charge of conspiracy, stealing and fraud.

The accused persons are Walter Osefoh (44), Augustine Osefoh (58), Christopher Osefoh (60), Cyril Osefoh (45) and Chidi Osefoh (53).

In the charge, the Police prosecution alleged that the accused persons had sometime in 2012 at Umuoji in Idemili Magisterial District, unlawfully conspired among themselves to commit a felony, to wit stealing.

The prosecution further alleged that the accused persons on the same date and venue, with intent to defraud, obtained N4 million, property of members and beneficiaries of Chief S. N. Osefoh Family Trust by representing themselves as the landlords of 2, Ahaeto Street, D-Line, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The presiding Magistrate, Emelda Chukwudebelu adjourned the matter till today.

Police parades 15 alleged criminals in Abia

BY ANAYO OKOLI

U

MUAHIA— ABIA State Police Command, yesterday, paraded 15 suspects allegedly involved in various crimes, including armed robbery, kidnapping, child trafficking and impersonation, who were arrested by the command in October.

Parading the suspects at the Police Headquarters in Umuahia, the commissioner, Mr. Usman Abubakar, assured residents of the state that the police would ensure that crime is reduced to the barest minimum and that they would have a crime-free Ember months.

MEASLES VACCINATION: Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State flags off the integrated measles campaign

at Freedom Park, Osogbo.

Family of woman allegedly killed for childlessness demands justice

BY ABDULWAHAB ABDULAH

F

AMILY of a housewife, Amaka Okoro, allegedly murdered by her husband, Henry Okoro, over her alleged inability to bear him a child, has cried out to the Lagos State Government to prevent alleged attempt by some powerful persons to cover up the case.

The late Amaka, a masters degree holder from Ladoke Akintola University, LAUTECH, Ogbomosho, and an executive marketer with VDT Communications Limited, was said to have died after a fight with her husband at their Gbagada home in Lagos.

However, in a petition to the Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ade Ipaye, the deceased’s family, through their lawyer, Bamidele Ogundele, claimed that the suspect’s family was in talks with the police to duplicate the case file so that the matter will be discontinued.

To this end the deceased family sent a save our soul message to the AttorneyGeneral to ensure that justice is done in the case.

The petition partly read: “Surprisingly, the defendant’s family members, particularly his uncle and father who came to the Ebute Meta

magistrate’s court when the defendant was charged to court, was seen by our client

discussing with the prosecutor to immediately duplicate the case file to the office of the

Director of Public Prosecutions, DPP, to enable him kill the case file through his contacts.”

Bakassi returnees cry out over oil spill E

KET (AKWA IBOM)— BAKASSI returnees in Eket, Akwa Ibom State, have decried the impact of the November 19, 2012 oil spill from the offshore Idoho platform, belonging to Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited.

Spokesman of the retur nees, Mr. Friday Udohuyo, said in Eket that the oil spill destroyed aquatic life on the shoreline of their

communities and source of livelihood of the fishermen.

He decried the development, pointing out that their members borrowed money to buy fishing equipment.

He said: “We can no longer feed our families. Our children cannot go to schools and our drinking water and farmland have been polluted.”

He said the hazard caused by the oil spill affected their health, adding that many of

their children were suffering from malaria and typhoid.

Udohuyo said several appeals to the oil company had not produced any positive result, stressing that they demanded N732 million as compensation from ExxonMobil.

Speaking on behalf of Bakassi Returnees in Eket Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom, Udohuyo called on Akwa Ibom State and the Federal Government to come to their aid.

Ex-NNPC staff, 3 others nabbed for pipeline vandalisation

BY EVELYN USMAN

O

PERATIVES of the Inspector-General of Police Special Task Force on Anti-Pipeline Vandalism have arrested a former private security personnel attached to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, for allegedly working as a middleman for vandals in

Shagamu area of Ogun State.

The 47-year-old suspect identified as Kehinde Orimade, who admitted culpability, said he was tempted to work for vandals following the money that was offered.

Orimade, according to the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of the Special Task Force, Friday Ibadin, was

arrested while relocating to Benin, Edo State, when he got wind that the operatives were on his trail.

Also arrested were Adewale Saka, Kemi Balogun and Umaru Abudulahi.

A truck, fully-loaded with a petroleum product, was recovered at the point of discharging it to prospective buyers at Ogere, Ogun State.

Vanguard, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2013—7

ASUU warns FG against forced re-opening of varsities

BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME, OLA AJAYI & SIMON EBEGBULEM

A

S the strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities enters the fourth month, the union has flayed alleged plans by the Federal Government to forcefully order the re-opening of the universities today, saying this will only complicate the situation.

Chairperson of the Uniport chapter of ASUU, Professor Anthonia Okerengwo, urged the Federal Government to toe the path of honour in its effort towards resolving the lingering strike.

His University of Benin counterpart, Dr Anthony MoneyEmina, described as laughable, reports that President Goodluck Jonathan will order the union members to go back to work today.

Similarly, ASUU, University of Ibadan chapter, through its Secretary, Dr Ayodeji Omole, said such a report would further dent the image of the government as anti-democratic, cautioning President Jonathan to allow a sleeping dog lie by implementing the 2009 ASUU/FGN agreement which the Federal Government had already signed.

ASUU vowed that it would not be intimidated into going back to the classroom, “unless our demands are met by the Federal Government.”

ASUU Uniben said that the solution to the current industrial action embarked upon by members was for the Federal Government to come up with a clear agenda on how to implement the 2009 agreement and the Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, entered with the union in 2012.

Describing as laughable, reports that government will order the union members to go back to work, ASUU urged government to shun “authoritarian approaches to resolving issues in dispute with the union.”

Money-Emina said, “The attention of our union has been drawn to news report in the media, alleging that the President will direct the re-opening of Nigerian universities with or without ASUU from Monday.”

Professor Okerengwo in a statement said: “Arm twisting has never worked as a dispute resolution strategy. It is unacceptable to the union that while the President has invited the union leadership for a dialogue, some overzealous assistants to the president are clandestinely working to jeopardise the process.

The surest and shortest route to industrial harmony in the university system and the fastest approach to revitalising university education is the implementation of 2009 agreement and the 2012

MOU,” the union said.

UI-ASUU, while welcoming an invitation to ASUU for a meeting today, warned that it would be unacceptable to its members if government failed to come out with a clear agenda for implementing the 2009 agreement.

It said “The attention of our union is drawn to news reports in

the media alleging that President Goodluck Jonathan will direct the re-opening of all Nigerian universities with or without ASUU. "We wish to state that while the President had issued an invitation to the leaders of our union for dialogue, it will be unacceptable to our members

if government fails to come out with a clear agenda for implementing the 2009 agreement.

"Authoritarian posturing has never solved and will not solve the impasse. We are calling on Mr President to tow the path of honour and respect the 2009 Agreement.”

VISIT—From left: MD/CEO Heritage Bank, Ifie Sekibo; CEO, Nigeria Stock Exchange, NSE, Oscar Onyema; Executive Directors, Heritage Bank, Mary Akpobome and Niyi Adeseun, during a courtesy visit by Heritage Bank management to NSE.

Transcorp takes over Ughelli power plant

T

BY PETER EGWUATU

RANSCORP Ughelli Power Limited, TUPL, a subsidiary of Transnational Corporation of Nigeria Plc (Transcorp), weekend, officially took physical ownership of Ughelli Power Plc, the owner and operator of the 1000MW capacity Ughelli Power Plant following a hand over by the Federal Government.

The ceremony was held at the plant located in Ughelli, Delta State with government representatives, community leaders and other stakeholders in attendance.

Vice President Namadi Sambo, who was represented by Mr. Emeka Wogu, Minister for Labour and Productivity said: "This handover ceremony is the culmination of 14 years of painstaking efforts by the NCP and its Secretariat, the Bureau of Public Enterprises, BPE, the Federal Ministry of Power and other stakeholders to reform and liberalize Nigeria’s electricity industry.

"This reform and privatization programme is rightly focused on the big picture, that is, the impact on the economy as a whole and ultimately, the greatest good for the greatest number of Nigerians.

"I congratulate Transcorp for emerging as the successful winner through a very rigorous,

competitive and transparent process. We appreciate your faith in the process and your faith in the Nigerian government and economy."

Ughelli Power Plc, operator of the Ughelli Power Plant is one of the six power generation companies unbundled from the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN.

By August 21, 2013, TUPL had effected full payment of $300million to the BPE representing 100 per cent of TUPL’s bid price for the plant.

Chairman of Transcorp, Tony Elumelu, while commenting on the successful hand over said, "I would like to thank the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan for its diligence towards achieving this significant milestone in the

history of the Nigerian power sector."

He added that Transcorp and its partners Tenoil, Symbion Power, Thomassen and Woodrock Energy are well positioned and have the required expertise to operate a world-class power generation plant that will transform the Nigerian power sector and change the lives of its citizens.

Elumelu re-stated Transcorp’s unflagging commitment to invest in host communities wherever the organisation operates with the aim of creating jobs, providing training and ensuring vital knowledge and skills transfer thus ensuring sustainable contribution to Nigeria’s economic and social development .

NLC yet to implement N18,000 wage for its workforce

BY VICTOR AHIUMAYOUNG

O

VER three years after the National Minimum Wage Act was passed into law, Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, is yet to implement the N18.000 minimum wage for workers of Labour City Transport Service, LCTS. Not only that, Vanguard investigation revealed that NLC has refused to sanction a condition of service for the workers who have been exposed to unfair practices that labour has been waging war against.

Recall that Vanguard in August reported that the workers were being owed seven months (now eight months) salary arrears thereby inflicting untold hardship and suffering on the workers.

Efforts to speak with the management of the company including the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Mr. Kiri Mohammed, yielded no result.

When Vanguard called Mr. Mohammed on his phone, he claimed he did not know anything about the issue, because it was not long he became the Board Chairman, adding that he was making sure that the new buses NLC bought were rolled out.

However, Vanguard gathered that efforts by the workers through the umbrella union, the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, including several letters were rebuffed.

Vanguard findings revealed that a resemblance of a condition of service for the workers prepared in 2009 under the management of LCTS led Owei Lakemfa, now Secretary General of Organisation of African Trade Union Unity, OATUU, was never implemented.

Eclipse witnessed in Nigerian cities

T

HE much-awaited eclipse was yesterday witnessed in some major Nigerian cities and towns, between 1100 and 1600hrs.

Eclipse is a phenomenon that occurs when the moon passes between the sun and the earth, and partially blocks the sun.

An online site had predicted

that partial eclipse will be visible in Lagos by 12:50pm, when the moon would touch the edge of the sun.

It said that by 2:32pm, maximum eclipse would occur and the moon would be seen closest to the centre of the sun, and another partial eclipse by 4:01pm, when the moon would

leave the edge of the sun.

The website also stated other dates when eclipse would be visible from Lagos, including April 15, 2014, (total lunar eclipse), October 8, 2014 (total lunar eclipse), April 4, 2015 (partial lunar eclipse) and September 28, 2015 (total lunar eclipse).

8—Vanguard, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2013

BY OLA AJAYI, OLASUNKANMI AKONI & MONSOOR OLOWOOPEJO

C

HAIRMAN of the Presidential Advisory Committee on National Conference/Dialogue, Dr Femi Okurounmu has said reports on previous National conferences could not be relied on because members of such conferences were handpicked by the government.

Okurounmu who spoke when the committee paid a visit to Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos said, “no previous conference had the features of the present committee. I remember the 2005 conference organised by the Obasanjo administration, which I was privileged to attend as a delegate of the Afenifere, and I can say that from my state, I was the only one who wasn’t nominated by the government.

All others were nominated by the Federal or state governments. So we cannot compare that with this.

“The past reports were not product of Nigerians. It was the product of people who were handpicked by government and they were restricted. They were not free to discuss several issues.

If those conferences were right, there wouldn’t be any need for Nigerians to start agitating for another conference.”

He said the members were committed to conducting a conference with an exception as they are poised to make it a conference of the people and by the people with the agenda being determined by the people and not the government.

He reiterated that the conference would not have “nogo areas” and “for those who are not very comfortable and impressed with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution, the present exercise is an opportunity to right the wrongs.”

During the visit, Fashola, had urged the committee to consider the report submitted by the committee on the 2005 National Political Reform Conference but should remove the tenure elongation.

Meanwhile, Oyo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has said it would be a disservice to future generations of Yoruba for any political party or group to call for the boycott of the national conference as this will automatically shut out people of the South West when critical issues of how to structure the federation are being discussed by various other ethnic groups that make up the Nigerian state.

The party through its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Lukman Agboluaje commended some of the stakeholders in the South West for expressing support and demonstrating willingness to make meaningful contribution to the proposed national conference in Lagos last Friday.

While asking interest groups like traditional rulers, opinion leaders, civil society

Reports of previous conferences can't be relied on — OKUNROUNMU zAs Oyo PDP urges S-West stakeholders to shun APC's planned boycott of confab organisations, labour union and other stakeholders in the zone to join in presenting agenda for the South West as it affects its continued existence in the Nigerian union, the party stated that it was in the best interest of the entire region to take active part and make its feelings known by submitting memoranda to the Senator Femi Okunrounmu-led National Conference Committee to state the demands and interests of the Yoruba nation on issues that may be slated for discussion at the conference.

The party, therefore, called on the people of the South West to ignore calls by the All Progressives Congress and its leaders for the boycott of the conference as this contradicts the political beliefs and philosophy of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo who never shunned any opportunity for dialogue with Nigerians of other ethnic groups or interests on ways of restructuring the country.

The party recalled that individuals and groups including those claiming to be progressives had always advocated national conference as a precondition for addressing the various challenges that confront the Nigerian state, now that President Jonathan has set machinery in motion for dialogue, it is amazing that these same previous advocates of national dialogue are now fighting hard to thwart efforts to bring Nigerians together to a roundtable to discuss and find solutions to their problems.

MUDI OUTLET OPENS IN GHANA— Nigerian Ambassador to Ghana, Oluseyi Onafowokan (middle) and wife (left) and other guests at the opening of the new Mudi outlet in Ghana, weekend.

Nigerian Fashion Designer, Mudi and the Brazilian Ambassador to Ghana, Irene Vida Gala at the opening of Mudi outlet in Ghana, weekend.

UK u-turns, drops visa bond policy against Nigeria, others

F

ACED with global and domestic opposition to the proposed visa bond for some African and Asian countries, Britain has announced plans to scrap the idea.

Under the proposal made by the Home Office, visitors from certain African and Asian countries were to pay a cash bond in return for a visitor’s visa.

Specifically, visitors from Nigeria, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Ghana who apply for a six-month British visa would have been obliged to pay a refundable £3,000-pound ($4,800) cash bond to deter them from overstaying.

A government statement yesterday said a pilot scheme which was due to start this month had been canceled. The proposal spurred global outcry and caused political tension between the coalition partners of David Cameron as its Liberal Democratic

party led by Nick Clegg objected to the proposal.

Clegg had initially said the bond plan was an idea worth exploring, but changed his mind after some members of his party called it discriminatory.

The u-turn on the visa bond underlines deep policy rifts in the alliance between the Conservatives and their junior partner, the centre-left Liberal Democrats.

The pilot scheme was expected to start this month but sources close to the British government said the proposal has been dropped. No reason was given for the cold shoulder given to the proposal which was targeted at those countries with high risk immigration push.

Reports from London yesterday said: “We have decided not to proceed with the policy and the pilot scheme

which was billed to start this November has been halted. The British government was not surefooted on the immigration policy reforms as it was bound to affect British drive for trade and investment.

Opposition parties are also slamming the ruling party that its flagship immigration policy was in disarray. Spokesman for opposition Labour Party David Hanson, issued a statement yesterday criticizing “the ruling Conservative Party on its floundering immigration policy.

Hanson said: “It seems David Cameron’s government can’t get anything right when it comes to dealing with illegal immigration.

“We have decided not to proceed,” the spokesman said, declining to explain why.

Polls show that immigration is one of the most important issues

for voters in Britain, where Cameron’s Conservative Party faces the threat of the UK Independence Party, UKIP, siphoning off support ahead of a parliamentary election in 2015.

Concerns have been fuelled recently by warnings in the rightleaning media about “hordes” of Romanians and Bulgarians moving to Britain next year, when European Union freedom of movement restrictions lapse at a time when Britons face rising competition for jobs.

UKIP, which campaigns for Britain to leave the EU and for a halt to “open door” immigration, made sweeping gains in local elections in May, winning almost one in four votes, mostly at the expense of the Conservatives.

Two weeks ago, the government said it was abandoning an idea for a nationwide advertising campaign urging illegal immigrants to “go home or face arrest”.

Vanguard , MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2013—9

Poison gas: Doctors battle to save pupil zNo fresh cases of cholera in Lagos, says Idris

BY MONSUR (OLOWOOPEJO

A

T least two of the 25 students of Ogba Junior Grammar School hospitalised last Thursday for inhaling poisonous fumes from a photo laboratory close to their school are said to be battling for life at the emergency ward of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH, Ikeja.

According to reliable hospital sources, the students — Gbolahan Lawal and another, a female — are however said to be under close watch by doctors who believe they have good chances of recovering.

Gbolahan’s mother, Mrs. Isiwatu Lawal, who spoke to Vanguard said: “It was one of his friends who told me what happened in their school while I was waiting for him to return. This is because he wasn’t sick before leaving home.

“When I inquired from his friends, they said the chemical released by a photo laboratory behind their school affected all the pupils including him. While some of the pupils affected were rolling, clutching their stomach and screaming, he didn’t.

“So on his way home, he slumped on Ogba Road. It was bystanders who came to his rescue.

They took him to a hospital where first aid was administered on him, before he was transferred to LASUTH, Ikeja.”

She noted that her son complained of chest pain earlier and began vomiting the following day.

“At present, he is about receiving another drip. But the doctors have

assured us that he will be stable in few hours.

She stated that Gbolahan was the only male among the five students critically affected by the chemical, adding, “he is the only one in his ward. I don’t know where others are.”

Meantime, Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris has said that there have not been any new cases of confirmed cholera in the state aside the three earlier confirmed cases reported

since the detection of the epidemic prone disease.

Idris who disclosed this, weekend, while speaking on efforts to curb the spread of the disease, noted that not all diarrheoa cases were cholera, stressing that various organs of government had been working assiduously since the detection of the disease in some parts of the state to contain the spread.

According to him: “Following the notice alerting the public to

the cases of cholera in some parts of the state, various organs of the government like the Ministry of Health, Information and Strategy, Environment, Water Corporation, Waste Water Management Office, Rural Development and Water Regulatory Agency have risen to the occasion, and have been working tirelessly to contain the spread.

Since that time, we have not recorded any new cases of confirmed cholera.”

LAUNCH: First Lady of Lagos State, Dame Emmanuella Abimbola Fashola (2nd right); former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Princess Sarah Adebisi Sosan (right); Secretary to the Lagos State Government, Dr. Oluranti Adebule (left); Book Reviewer and an alumnus of the University of Lagos, Mr. Jimi Disu (2nd left); Author, Mr. Lukman Olaonipekun (3rd left); his wife, Mrs. Remilekun Olaonipekun (middle), and Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Lagos State, Otunba Henry Ajomale, jointly presenting the book entitled, 'Babatunde Fashola: A Story in Photographs,' during book's launch at the City Hall, Lagos.

Another teenager stowaway bid foiled in Lagos

BY LAWANI MIKAIRU

L

AGOS — ANOTHER teen ager yesterday attempted to stow away and was apprehended at the airside of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos. He attempted to stow away on an Allied Air Cargo aircraft that was preparing for take-off.

This came almost one month after the Nigeria Police, Airport Command, paraded three teenagers for attempted stow away at the Murtala Mohammed Airport,

MMA, Lagos.

The incident, according to airport sources, occurred in the early hours of yesterday.

The teenager whose name could not be ascertained at the time of this report was spotted by the airside staff of the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company, NAHCo, who were handling the aircraft.

After his arrest, he was handed over to Aviation Security, AVSEC, of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN.

The sources further said the boy was taken out of the airside by AVSEC officials to an unknown place.

However, coordinating spokesman of the aviation agencies, Mr. Yakubu Dati could not be reached for his comments at the time of this report.

It will be recalled that the Commissioner of Police, Airport Command, Salahu Waheed, said the three stowaway suspects, Lateef Popoola, 13; Amadi Joshua, 14; and Ukpabio Onyedikachi, 14,

were arrested at different times at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja.

Waheed, while handing over the suspects to their mothers, had said there was a need for their respective state governments to rehabilitate them like the Edo State Government did with teenage stowaway, Daniel Ihekina, who was arrested on August 24, 2013 after sneaking into the tyre compartment of a Lagos-bound Arik plane.

35-yr-old man allegedly shot dead by policeman in Lagos

BY IFEANYI OKOLIE

L

AGOS — THERE was pan demonium yesterday in Oshodi area of Lagos, after a 35year-old man, Azeez Omotoso, was shot dead by a Police corporal.

Vanguard gathered that the victim who was also a youth leader in the area met his untimely death when some Policemen from Shogunle Police Station, responding to a fight that started in a party

held in front of the victim's house shot at him.

Eyewitnesses told Vanguard that the victim who did not attend the party, was coming home with his wife and three children when a yet-to-be identified man arrested by Police during the fracas called him for assistance.

The eyewitness told Vanguard that when the victim responded to the call, a police corporal identified as ‘Awilo,’ got infuriated over his presence and challenged the victim for interfering in a matter

that did not concern him. He was said to have shot the victim, leaving him in a pool of his blood.

Meanwhile residents of Aina Street and other adjoining streets protested in front of the victim's family house at No. 28 Aina Street, Oshodi, calling on Police authorities to ensure the trigger-happy policeman is brought to justice.

But news of the killing and subsequent protest in the area swiftly spread as a wide fire causing panic in the area.

Corporal 'Awilo' in police cell

Lagos PDP chides Fashola for boycotting confab session

BY CHARLES KUMOLU

L

AGOS — THE La gos State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has faulted Governor Babatunde Fashola for allegedly boycotting the session of the Presidential Advisory Committee on National Dialogue which held last Friday in Lagos.

The party’s Publicity Secretary, Mr Taofik Gani, who said this, described the governor ’s action as unpatriotic and condemnable.

He argued that Fashola had placed party interest above the the interest of Lagosians.

His words: “Governor’s subsequent but belated contributions from the State House in Marina, amounts to mere talk and indeed another afterthought reflective of the governor ’s style of numerous hasty conclusions in government.”

Airline operators protest; suspend remittances of charges

BY LAWANI MIKAIRU

L

AGOS — LOCAL Air lines operators under the aegis of Airline Operators of Nigeria, AON, have suspended all remittances to aviation agencies because of what they considered excessive charges and have called on the Federal Government to intervene in the astronomical charges imposed by the various aviation agencies.

Spokesman for the group, Mohammed Tukur who said he had been mandated to speak on behalf of the airlines, because of fear of reprisal, said all remittances, both old and new had been stopped.

He said with effect from November 1, 2013, the airlines had stopped all remittances payable to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency ,NAMA, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria ,FAAN, and other relevant aviation bodies.

10—Vanguard, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2013

Confab aimed at elongating Jonathan’s tenure — Ojudu

BY GBENGA ARIYIBI

A

DO EKITI — THE leader of Ekiti State All Progressives Congress, APC, caucus in the National Assembly, Senator Babafemi Ojudu has explained why his party is not in support of the proposed National Conference organised by the Federal Government, saying it is a ploy to extend the tenure of the President Goodluck Jonathan beyond 2015.

Ojodu, described the proposed national confab as a ‘charm and poison,' saying members of his party do not intend to take a dose of poison.

He, however, said his party is only interested in the convocation of Sovereign National Conference

and not a ‘conference of deceit.’

The federal lawmaker made the statement in Ado Ekiti, weekend, while presenting prizes to 19 undergraduates and post graduates students of Ekiti origin, who participated in the 2013 edition of his essay competition.

His words: “What the APC is against is conference of deceit because this proposed confab by President Jonathan is diversionary. They don’t want election in 2015, so they are only hiding under the conference to seek tenure extension.

“Any trick that will extend the tenure of the present government beyond the constitutionally recognised four-year term, APC will go against it. This confab is a poison and APC as a party won’t take

out of it.

“The President is aware that his party is imploding and dying.

They know PDP cannot win election in 2015, they now want to organise a confab that will be rubber-stamped at the National Assembly where they have major-

Court fines Osun commissioner over failure to open defence

BY INNOCENT ANABA

A

LAGOS High Court sitting in Ikeja has awarded N10, 000 cost against Osun State commissioner for Youth, Sports and Special Needs, Mr. Stephen Kola Balogun, for failing to open his defence in the suit against him over alleged refusal to pay his rent

MEETING: From left, Special Adviser, Governor's Office, Mr. Akin Fasae; Governor Kayode Fayemi; Chief of Staff to the Governor, Mr. Yemi Adaramodu, and Commissioner for Rural Development and Community Empowerment, Mr. Folorunso Olabode, during this Year's Town, Villages and Communities meeting, ahead of 2014 Budget, in Ilasa-Ekiti, Ekiti State.

2 arraigned for raping 13-yr-old girl

BY GBENGA OLARINOYE

O

SOGBO — TWO middle aged men have been arraigned before an Osogbo Magistrate's court for allegedly raping a 15-year-old girl in Ikirun, headquarters of Ifelodun Local Government Area of Osun State.

The men, Azeez kehinde, 20, Adeyanju Ismaila, 23, were alleged to have defiled and assaulted the girl simply identified as Pepeye at Igbo-Ile area of Ikirun, mid night.

The police prosecutor, Mirette Wilson, a Police Inspector told the court that the two accused men committed an offence contrary to and punishable under sections 516,358 and 360 of the criminal code, cap 34, vol II, laws of Osun State of Nigeria 2003.

When the plea was taken, both kehinde and Ismaila, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges leveled against them.

Counsel to the accused persons, Mr. Adedokun Tunde applied for the bail of his clients, praying the

court to grant them bail in the most liberal terms as according to him the accused persons were ready to stand their trial before the court.

He also presented an affidavit sworn by a member of the family of the accused persons to the court as evidence that they were willing to stand their trial.

The Police prosecutor who did not oppose the bail application told the court to use its discretion in granting the accused persons bail.

He, however, applied to inves-

tigate the authenticity of the affidavit submitted to the court.

The presiding magistrate, Mr. Olusola Aluko lamented the involvement of young men in criminal activities especially the rate at which females were defiled in the state which he noted had contributed to the congestion of the state prisons.

He granted bail in the sum of N100,000 with two sureties in like sum and adjourned the case till 6th of December, 2013.

Vice-Admiral Akhigbe's body arrives Lagos HE remains of late Vice Admiral Mike Akhigbe, arT rived in Lagos on Sunday from the United States in a British Airways aircraft.Akhigbe, a former Chief of General Staff, died in a U.S hospital at the age of 68.

The remains were received at the international terminal of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos by serving Naval officers, families, friends and Etsako Community resident in Lagos.

A military ambulance branded

ity. They know that whatever they do at the conference will be ratified.

“So, APC as a political party understands all these games and as far as we are concerned, this is a conference of deceit and our party won’t take part in it.”

HQ NAMC, MMIACASEVAC AMBULANCE with registration number NA388E01brought out remains from the terminal before it was transfer to a hearse Mercedes Benz belonging to MIC undertakers.

The Etsako community members entertained those waiting for the arrival of the remains of Akhigbe with traditional dances.The convoy which comprises family members, senior and junior military officers left the airport around 19:15p.m.

and arrears of a rented apartment in Lagos.

The commissioner and his wife were sued by Justice Adeniyi Adetokunbo Ademola, a judge of the Federal High Court over their alleged refusal to pay for the rent of a property located at No. 51C, Oduduwa Crescent in the Government Reserved Area, GRA, Ikeja.

Trial judge in the matter, Justice O.A. Adefope Okojie has, meanwhile adjourned till November 30, 2013 for the defence to open its case, after the claimant had concluded his case against the Commissioner and his wife.

At the last hearing in the matter, the Commissioner failed to open his defence, but wrote a letter to the court asking for an adjournment.

Kola Balogun said the request for adjournment was on the ground that he was billed to attend the Osun State Executive Council meeting on the day of the trial.

Not happy by the development, the claimant’s lawyer, Mrs. Deola Saba lamented that the matter had suffered series of adjournments at the instance of the defendants.

Saba had said: “The defendants are being unfair to us. I had to come to court for the defence despite the fact that my health condition was not that good as well, only to find out that the matter wouldnot be going on as scheduled.”

She urged the court to award cost against the defendant.

In a short ruling, Justice Adefope Okojie granted N10, 000 cost against the defendants and granted the defendants last opportunity to defend the case.

The judge also fixed November 14, 2013 for definite defence.

The claimant (Justice Ademola) had averred in the suit that the Commissioner and his wife refused to vacate the property despite the issuance of quite notice on them.

He lamented that the Commissioner and his wife had been living in the said apartment since August 1, 1997, and that the annual rental value of the property was N2 million.

Out of the N2 million rent for 2007, the claimant averred that the commissioner only paid N1.3 million, and consequently failed to pay the remaining N700, 000, adding that the commissioner had never paid the house rent as at when due since the first payment resulting in substantial rent arrears over the years.

Vanguard Man Wins RIMA’s Best ICT Reporter of the year award

BY IKENNA ASOMBA

V

ANGUARD’S AS SISTANT Hi-Tech Editor, Prince Osuagwu, weekend, won the coveted Records and Information Management Award as Best Information Technology/ management Reporter of the year 2013.

The award in Lagos, was in its 9th edition and the Best Information Technology/ management reporter category debuted for the first time.

Osuagwu was nominated alongside ICT editors of Punch, ThisDay, The Guardian and Compass where he polled the highest votes from readers and ICT industry stakeholders to clinch the award.

The award was preceded by a conference tagged Records and Information Management Awareness, RIMA, Conference, with the theme: “Records and Information Management in the Era of Cloud Computing.”

The conference addressed major issues surrounding legal problems in Records, Information and Archives Management, Records and Information Management Capacity Development in Africa and Electronic Records Management.

Declaring the award open, Dr. Oyewole said the awards were presented only to deserving individuals and corporate organisations for their involvement, activities and achievements in the information management industry in line with the objectives of RIMA Foundation in promoting proper management and security of records and information in the society.

According to him: “RIMA Awards are fiercely contested and highly valued within the IT and business world. They are a showcase for individuals and organisations that have demonstrated the vision and the business skills in implementing new technology that ensures real business benefits.

"The awards clearly demonstrate that the business proposition for deploying new technology is very sound, as evidenced by the number of well-conceived and highly successful products and projects submitted as entries each year.

Vanguard, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2013—11

I’m resolved to keep Nigeria united — JONATHAN

BY SAMUEL OYADONGHA

Y

ENAGOA—PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan, weekend, reaffirmed his resolve to remain focused and keep the country a united and indivisible entity, despite the alleged campaign of calumny against his administration.

President Jonathan, spoke in Yenagoa at the Second Bayelsa Thanksgiving Day anniversary.

Represented by the Minister of Police Affairs, Navy Capt Caleb Olubolade (rtd), the President said that his resolve was based on the belief that his Presidency was under the banner of God and made through a free and fair election.

He said: “On my part as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I will remain committed and focused to keeping Nigeria united and peaceful under the banner of God, who made it possible for me to be here as your elected President in that free and fair election.”

The President said that the people must show gratitude to God for the peace being enjoyed in the country, despite what he described as a few distractions.

Jonathan asked the people to support the successes noticed in the transformation

agenda of the current administration at the state and federal levels.

The President, who hailed the state governor, Mr Seriake Dickson, for his leadership and for instituting a thanksgiving day in the state, emphasised the need to thank God at all levels, for His divine protection and guidance as they strive to bring about peace, development and prosperity.

“With what the state government is doing in terms of projects and programmes, the state government is keying into the transformation agenda of the Federal Government, the benefits of which I believe, will definitely turn things around for the better.”

Earlier in his remark, Governor Dickson called for active participation in the celebration of the Thanksgiving Day, saying that the event

was for every Bayelsan within and outside the country.

Dickson expressed appreciation to the people of the state for their show of support, particularly the youths, whom he observed had not disrupted any on-going project in the state.

According to him, the existing peace was also attributable to the efforts of traditional rulers, security services and the unity among the three arms of government in the state.

GOSPEL CONCERT NIGHT: From left: Governor of Bayelsa State, Hon. Seriake Dickson, Rev. Jesse Jackson, wife of the Governor, Mrs. Rachael Dickson and the American gospel artiste, Dr Juanita Bynum, during the Gospel Concert Night, organised as part of activities marking the 2nd Bayelsa State Annual Thanksgiving Day celebration, at the Glory Land Cultural Centre, in Yenagoa.

Airline operators demand complete probe of aviation sector

BY KENNETH EHIGIATOR

S

TAKEHOLDERS in the aviation industry have called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC, to urgently move into the sector to save it from crippling corruption.

The stakeholders spoke against the backdrop of the N255 million armoured car scam involving the Aviation Minister, Princess Stella Oduah, and Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA. Former National Secretary of Airlines Operators of Nigeria, AON, Alhaji Mohammed Tukur, said that if there was any time the aviation sector needed the intervention of the anti-

graft agencies, it was now.

“It is a sad situation because we have never had this level of corruption in this industry.

The corruption in the Aviation Ministry is huge. It is not only NCAA that bought such vehicles. I can tell you on good authority that the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, and Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, NAMA, also bought some vehicles.

“That is why we are asking the anti-graft agencies to investigate these aviation parastatals. It is not only the minister that is involved. If somebody asked you to do something illegal, why not resign, instead of doing it?” Tukur asked.

Tukur, who said he has faith in the capacity of

President Goodluck Jonathan to address the issue, warned that should he shield those involved from prosecution over the alleged scam, it would rub off negatively on his government.

On its part, the Na-

tional Cabin Crew Association, NACCA, expressed shock over the armoured car scam, saying that even if the minister needed to address the issue of security, the cost of the vehicles was indefensible.

DELSUTH nurses begin strike today

N

URSES in Delta State University Teaching Hospital, DELSUTH, will, today, commence an indefinite strike action to protest the state government’s alleged refusal to pay two months salary arrears owed to 60 of its staff since 2009.

Delta State Chapter of National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, NANNM, in a statement by its Secretary, Mr. Olabode Akinfenwa, said that the association’s position, directing its members in DELSUTH to embark on an indefinite strike from today, was because of the the government’s alleged lip service towards the salary arrears for 60 nurses after their employment in 2009, which the association insisted was a breach of agreement.

The statement alleged that the nurses were asked to buy uniforms provided by management of the hospital, which it noted, was an aberration and against the state employment policy for nurses and midwives, adding that the hospital cannot compel NANNM members to obey such a policy.

12—Vanguard, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2013

Court halts sale of Edo House

BY GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE

B

ENIN—A LAGOS High Court presided over by Justice S. B. Candido-Johnson, has restrained Edo State Government and its agents from the planned sale of Edo House in Lagos, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice by the claimant in the suit.

The court adjourned further hearing till November 20.

The said Edo House is on 1225, Ahmadu Bello Way and 1225 Bishop Oluwole Street, Victoria Island, Lagos. The Edo State governor, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, had announced plans to sell the house and use the proceeds to develop Edo State.

Defendants in the suit are, Governor Oshiomhole, Edo State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Henry Idahagbon, and an estate agent, Mr Segun Asaju.

The order was made in the suit by Ferdinand Orbih & Co., acting for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, which is challenging the plan to sell the Edo House in Lagos.

In a counter-affidavit in opposition to the suit, counsel to the defendants, among other things, averred that the

claimant has no right or interest whatsoever in or over the said property.

He averred that “The Oba of Benin, Oba Erediauwa, who is the representative of Edo people, together with all traditional heads, civil society groups, the Nigeria Bar Association, Benin Branch, and

the market women, supported the decision of Edo State Government at the two town hall meetings.

“The Edo State House of Assembly is also not averse to the sale of the house or the procedure adopted. The Speaker of the House of Assembly gave the position of

the House, when some youths embarked on a rally in favour of the governor’s move to sell the house. The Speaker informed the rallying youths that the sale was the right thing to do and that the House of Assembly was in agreement on the point.”

CONSECRATION SERVICE: Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State, (left) and Bishop Boboye Alonge, during a Consecration service for Bishop Fidelis Ugbong, at Elohim Christian Centre, Gwagwalada, Abuja. Photo: Bripin Enarusai.

IMO to audit NIMASA over certification of MAN graduates

BY GODFREY BIVBERE

T

HE International Maritime Organisation, IMO, is to audit the capacity of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, to certify cadet graduates from the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, MAN, Oron, Akwa Ibom State.

This is part of efforts by the world maritime body to ensure that cadets from the country’s elite maritime institution were recognised globally.

Rector of MAN, Mr Joshua Okpo, who made the disclosure, said that the process had already commenced and will be completed soon.

He said: “The IMO has said that NIMASA will also be audited to ensure that it has the capacity, so that whatever NIMASA does is accepted by member states of IMO.” The Rector frowned at the current situation, where cadets of the academy were subjected to theoretical work without the opportunity to get first hand experience at sea. To this end, he called on the Federal Government to come to the aid of the academy to ensure that the institution does not continue to graduate cadets annually that cannot compete at

the global stage.

Okpo said: “We need to ponder the comparative advantages between training a child properly thus making him useful to the society, and training him half-baked and thereby turning out a miscre-

ant and societal problem. We appeal to the Federal Government to, as a matter of national importance, make provision for sea-time for the present programme we have engaged in.”

He also called on govern-

ment to make budgetary provision for the acquisition of a training vessel for the academy as an alternative means of giving the required sea time training to future graduates and the over 5,000 awaiting that opportunity.

Petitions follow nominations of Edo State representatives on NDDC Board

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM

B

ENIN—PETITIONS have continued to pour in against the names submitted by the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Edo State to the Presidency, as nominees for the state representative on the Board of Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, which is expected to be reconstituted early next year.

Also, ahead the 2015 and 2016 National Assembly and governorship election in the state, a leader of the party in the state, Captain Hosa Okunbor, has donated N40 million to the Edo South PDP with a view to strengthening the par-

ty for the elections. The cash donation will be used to set up offices in all parts of the seven local government areas in Edo South.

Governor Adams Oshiomhole and other opposition governors also have their nominees for the NDDC job, even though the PDP hierarchy is still battling to convince President Goodluck Jonathan not to give the slot to opposition governor, which was what he did last time.

Vanguard learnt, however, that the opposition governors want the President to understand that the PDP members cannot alone give him a return ticket to Aso Rock in 2015, recalling that majority of the governors of the newly

registered All Progressive Congress, APC, including Governor Oshiomhole, gave him the votes of their respective states in the last election.

They argued that it would be suicidal for the President to bow to the pressure of some leaders of PDP as regards the NDDC job.

Three names were submitted by the Edo State PDP for the job. They are Levis Aigbogu, Osahon Ahunwan and Chris Nehikhare, but lately, Monday Osaigbovo, a former chairman of Ovia North-East Local Government Area, was endorsed by some leaders of the PDP in the South, led by the Esama of Benin Kingdom, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion.

Lawmakers insist on financial autonomy for state legislatures

BY FESTUS AHON

U

GHELLI—TO ensure a robust and enduring democracy in the country, the country ’s legislators have adopted a resolution for the inclusion of a nonnegotiable financial autonomy clause for state legislatures in the ongoing constitution amendment exercise.

In a communique at the end of a two-day workshop organised by the National Assembly Joint Committees on Rules and Business in collaboration with the National Institute of Legislative Studies in Abuja, participants, including Principal Officers of the state Houses of Assembly in Nigeria, agreed that the Nigerian legislature should take the challenge of ensuring effective oversight to facilitate proper budget implementation.

NDLEA arrests 21 suspects in Bayelsa over hard drugs

BY SAMUEL OYADONGHA

Y

ENAGOA—THE National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Bayelsa State command, weekend, said that it nabbed 21 suspects and seized a total of 34.648.6 kilogrammes of cannabis in the state in October, 2013.

Commander of the agency, Mr. Frank Hanacho, made the disclosure in Yenagoa, while addressing newsmen.

He decried the menace of hard drugs in the society and stressed the need for all hands to be on deck to check the trend.

Hanacho lamented that the society was in great danger, as according to him, even nursing mothers have taken to the illicit drug business.

“It should give everyone cause for concern.

Each of these suspects was arrested with substances above 4kg, and this has a multiplier effect on the society,” he said.

Vanguard, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2013—13

ADORATION GROUND TRAGEDY:

Obi, Ngige, Umeh trade blames Continues from page 5 sponsibility for the stampede.

Noting that he was not ready to play politics with the lives of Anambra people, Ngige urged Obi to explain to the people of the state why he sneaked into an all night vigil with the full campaign machinery of the APGA governorship candidate.

Ngige observed that Gov. Obi’s statement on Channels Television that: ‘I was trying to speak to the crowd and they were calling a particular name and, we have to find a way to stop that’ clearly indicates that the security aides must have aggravated the worshippers, which eventually led to the stampede.

Ngige whose reaction

was contained in a statement by the Director of Media and Publicity of the Chris Ngige Campaign Organisation, Chief Charles Amilo, noted that “Senator Ngige neither attended the crusade nor knew nothing about it nor received the report of the incident at the crusade in good time. If Ndi Anambra who are not necessarily politicians spontaneously rejected Governor Obi and his h a n d p i c k e d stooge during the night vigil, considering that Obi and his APGA team in uniform barged into their communion with God with fliers and sirens, and tear gas, why should Obi now blame Ngige?

Ngige therefore invited Gov Obi to rise to the responsibility of Governance in the remaining part of his tenure by promptly explaining to

Ndi Anambra what his security details were reported to have done to create a stampede in the place of worship, as further obfuscation of facts from his government may build avoidable tension’

Arrest Ngige now – Umeh

Countering, APGA National cChairman, Chief Victor Umeh called on the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar to arrest Ngige immediately for his alleged role in the disaster.

Addressing newsmen in Awka, Umeh alleged that Ngige’s supporters instigated the pandemonium that started at the end of the crusade.

He wondered what his supporters were doing at the crusade ground with their party symbols consisting of brooms and posters of Ngige if it was

not part of an orchestrated plot to cause confusion at the prayer ground in search of cheap propaganda.

He said: “From what happened at the Holy Ghost Adoration ground, it was obvious that this mayhem and pandemonium were carefully planned and executed by Dr Chris Ngige’s team.

He has been very notorious for this type of antics. Having wasted about 28 human lives, it will be so little to say that police should only come here and ask people questions.

He recalled that Ngige was at the adoration ground the previous day to participate at the Mass without being molested by anybody, but that knowing that Obi would come the next day, he wanted to come but was prevented by the organizers in order to avert a clash of interest.

Umeh regretted, however, that despite being stopped from coming, Ngige had gone ahead to instigate his people to disrupt the Friday night vigil to score cheap political points, noting that he had always displayed

such distractive tendencies in churches by coming in the middle of service where those he planted would hail him.

Obiano condoles with bereaved families

However, Obiano described the incident as “unfortunate and depressing” while commiserating with bereaved families.

Wondering why politics in the state should degenerate to a level where worshippers no longer feel safe to worship their God in a sacred place as an Adoration Ground, Obiano in a statement by Mr. James Eze (Head, Media & Communications Willie Obiano Campaign Organisation), implored the bereaved families to take heart assuring them that his thoughts and those of his family are with them in this moment of grief.

False alarm caused stampede – Archbishop Okeke

Also yesterday, the Archbishop of Onitsha, Most Reverend Valerian Okeke regretted the incident and commiserated with those who lost their dear ones. He also commended those who volunteered in saving lives after the incident.

The Archbishop, who spoke through the Director of Social Communications in the Diocese, Reverend Father Pius Uko said: “In the early hours of Saturday, November 02, 2013, there was a stampede moments after prayers at the Holy Ghost Adoration Centre, Uke, in Idemili South LGA of Anambra State.

"The stampede, which occurred while people were going home, resulted in the loss of some lives. Some are still injured and receiving treatments in some hospitals.

The stampede was reportedly caused by a false alarm raised by somebody in the crowd along one of the narrow roads out of the town.

The crowd was so much that people wanting to leave all at the same time made it very difficult for people to find enough space to move."

14— Vanguard , MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2013

We're more comfortable with APC —G7 govs, nPDP zAtiku, G7 govs are ingrates —PDP

BY HENRY UMORU &

DAUD OLATUNJI

A

BUJA—AMIDST series of ongoing meetings and moves for realignment of forces, the Abubakar Kawu Baraje-led splitter group of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, yesterday, said that it was more comfortable with the leadership and members of All Progressive Congress, APC. The group, meanwhile, added that doors of reconciliation with the National Chairman of PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur and the National Working Committee, NWC were still open.

On Atiku, G7 govs In another development, the PDP has described the former vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the seven rebel governors and other aggrieved members of the party as ingrates.

The party said that their action was synonymous to an act of biting the fingers that fed them, saying that the party was not bothered by the recent intensified efforts being made by APC to woo some of its governors.

6,000 decampees PDP National Secretary, Professor Wale Oladipo, weekend, shortly after he received about 6,000 members of the ruling APC and the Labour Party, who defected to the party at the reunion rally for its members in Ogun West Senatorial District, in Idiroko, Ipokia Local Government Area, Ogun State, said that it took Atiku and his allies only four months to hatch the plot that resulted in the current crisis in PDP. Oladipo argued that the former vice president had bitten the finger that fed him, saying that it was unthinkable that

Abubakar and his allies, who had benefitted so much from their membership of the ruling party would not only turn their back on their benefactor but also plot its downfall.

PDP and S-West “As far as the South West is concerned, you can see that PDP is waxing stronger by the day, particularly since the last mini-convention of the South West that we had in Ibadan. I don’t want to over-dramatize the situation.

"The PDP has not fallen and will not fall, but as for Abubakar, I will still love to believe that he was misquoted. In case he was not misquoted and if we believe what the media reported that the plot to split the PDP was hatched actually four months before our last mini-convention, that will be most unfortunate for someone of his status within the party.”

nPDP's statement However, nPDP in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Chukwuemeka Eze, said: “Even though we remain hopeful that wise counsel would prevail and our demands would be granted by the PDP, we, at the same time, feel comfortable in the company of APC, since we share the same goal of rescuing our dear country, Nigeria, from the edge of the precipice and putting her firmly on the path of sustainable development.

Sokoto Varsity inauguration “The presence of APC and PDP leaders in large numbers at the Sokoto State University inauguration is a positive development, which raises hope for our fledging democracy. It is a good example of politics of tolerance and cooperation which we consider nec-

essary if the country is to experience peace and tranquility, without which there could be no development.

APC, nPDP closeness “The increasing closeness between leaders of nPDP and APC has raised questions in the minds of many Nigerians and fuelled speculations on the possible merger of the two parties. Speculations along this line have heightened since last Tuesday ’s inauguration of the Sokoto State University, where both APC and nPDP put up a strong presence, with our National Chairman, Alhaji Baraje, leading a high-powered team that included former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Governors Murtala Nyako of Adamawa, Musa Kwankwaso of Kano, Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers and Sule Lamido of Jigawa; as well as our National Secretar y, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, former Osun State governor, to the event.

Chemistry between Buhari, Tinubu “The chemistry between the team and that of APC led by General Muhammadu Buhari and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu was indeed unmistakable. The APC leaders have since then intensified the lobby for a marriage between both parties, even visiting some of our governors to directly invite them to join the party.

“All these visits on our state governors simply demonstrates our new status in the politics of Nigeria as the new bride of Nigerian politics and we hope to play the role as expected of us as we hold the key to Aso Rock come 2015.”

Vanguard, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2013—15

Police invade G7 Governors meeting in Abuja Continues from page 1 The arrival of the DPO and his quest to see the Kano State governor, Governor Rabiu Kwankwanso, immediately led to a standoff between him and the ADCs to the five governors present at the meeting. Following the altercation, the DPO was allowed to enter the room where five of the G7 governors were meeting with some other former governors and politicians aligned with them in the Kawu Baraje led faction of the PDP. Present at the meeting, according to Vanguard sources, were Kwankwanso, and his colleagues from Jigawa, Niger, Adamawa and Rivers, Alhaji Sule Lamido, Dr. Babangida Aliyu, Alhaji Murtala Nyako and Mr. Rotimi Amaechi respectively.

Also present were the factional national chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Kawu Baraje and other leaders of the party. Alhaji Kashim Imam, a former Presidential Liaison Officer, PLO to the Senate and one time close confidant of former President Olusegun Obasanjo but now generally known to be in a working relationship with the APC controlled government in Borno State.

Others were Senators Abubakar Saraki and Abdullahi Adamu, Danjuma Goje immediate past governors of Kwara, Nasarawa and Gombe States, former governor of Bayelsa State, Mr. Timipre Sylva, Senator Aisha Alhassan and the factional national secretary of the PDP and former governor of Osun State, Chief Olagunsoye Oyinlola. Also at the meeting were Chief Sam Sam Jaja, the deputy national chairman of the nPDP, former governor of Ekiti State, Chief Segun Oni and the national vice chairman of the PDP, Northwest, Ambassador Ibrahim Kazaure.

Once he entered into the meeting room, the DPO who came with six truck loads of policemen, it was learnt, immediately told Governor Kwankwanso that the meeting be stopped. He claimed he was acting on orders from above, though he allegedly did not say on whose specific orders.

The governors, it was learnt, rebuffed him asking him to produce a search warrant as they alleged that for him to enforce his order he must have a search warrant or court order.

Vanguard learnt further that the governors told him that it was the height of lawlessness

for the DPO to disperse governors meeting as they told him that if he could do that to governors then ordinary men on the streets were not free from intimidation.

Governor Sule Lamido was said to have also quipped to the DPO that his instruction was clearly illegal, telling him that in the early eighties opposition governors belonging to the Progressive Governors Alliance met regularly without harassment from the ruling party or government in power.

Governor Rotimi Amaechi on his part said, “We were in a meeting here when the DPO of Asokoro came to say that he was sent by powers from above to arrest us and he came with troops of mobile policemen in six vehicles. But we refused to go and asked that they should come and take us.”

Yesterday ’s development would be the second time in one week that a meeting of the G7 governors would be disrupted.

A similar meeting of the governors in the Sokoto State Governors Lodge in Asokoro, Abuja was disrupted last week.

One of the governors told Vanguard that it is now feared that authorities of the Federal Capital Territory Administration could now move in to tamper

with the certificate of occupancy of the Kano Governor's Lodge following earlier threats against the Adamawa State Liaison office in Abuja which the FCT authorities alleged is being used for illegal political activities.

We've curbed criminality — Navy

BY EVELYN USMAN

T

HE Nigerian Navy, weekend, claimed that it had been able to curb acts of illegalities in the nation’s territorial waters in spite of its aging fleet.

To this effect, the Flag Officer Commanding, FOC, Western Naval Command, Apapa, Rear Admiral Ibok-Ete, said several vessels involved in illegal activities had been arrested and handed over to prosecuting agencies.

The FOC, who spoke while reviewing a parade marking the end of his second bi-annual inspection of units under the Western Naval Command, attributed the feat to what he described as hard work and responsiveness of personnel in the command.

Emirates, Turkish airlines designation approved for Kano Airport

T

HE Federal Government has approved the designation of Emirates Airlines to Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

The confirmation of this approval was made by the Media Coordinator of aviation agencies, Yakubu Dati. With this approval, Emirates will join Turkish Airlines, which was recently approved to fly to Kano Airport.

The two airlines join others like Middle East Airlines and Egypt Air to airlift passengers from the ancient city.

Dati, however, said though the Federal Government had given approval for the airlines to fly to Kano, Emirates would have to determine when it would start the service based on its own logistics.

He noted, “You can contact Emirates for confirmation. It has been designated to fly to Kano and Abuja, so the delay in starting the routes is not that of the government."

16 — Vanguard, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2013 HE latest round of strikes by the Academic Union of Universities (ASUU), has once again reached a dead end. After protracted negotiations, which ended with the Federal Government offering a concession that totalled N130 billion, which the union rejected insisting on full implementation of the 2009 agreeare looking for outside help. It is time for ment it signed, no further positive a credible, patriotic third party to step in progress has been recorded towards endand moderate the fight to bring it to an ing the stand-off. end.

Rather, both sides are pitched in guerThis is the role required of the Nigerian rilla warfare. While ASUU accuses the Labour Congress (NLC) and its well Federal Government of sponsoring meaning affiliates to play. We are, theregroups, including students, to protest fore, dismayed at the threat by the NLC, against it, it has resorted to city-by-city after its recent meeting in Kaduna, to call protests, which are invariably suppressed a nationwide strike over alleged Federal by the police. Both sides are now engaged Government sponsorship of protests in media exchanges, with propaganda and against ASUU. If they should carry out this political mudslinging freely used. Meanthreat, NLC will definitely not be contribwhile, students have already lost the uting positively to this matter. equivalent of one term sitting at home and Labour should cast aside partisanship waiting in vain for an end to the strike. and wear the matured toga of an unbiased With the tussle now stalemated both sides moderator, even though ASUU is one of are clearly at the end of their wits. They

T

ASUU: How NLC can help

their affiliates. There are times when, even an interest group such as organised Labour, can stand above narrow interests in the overall interest of the nation. This is one such opportunities.

We will recall how in 2011, Labour, including its former President, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, Governor of Edo State, intervened to end that year’s round of bitter strikes to give the nation a twoyear breather. Oshiomhole played that patriotic role in spite of belonging to the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), a strong opposition party. This is the same attitude required to help the nation out of this logjam.

We call on the Federal Government, National Assembly, ASUU, NLC and selected eminent Nigerians to form a new team to mediate the rift and completely overhaul the educational system. They should produce a document that will form a new national roadmap.

Our educational challenges are now too tough to be left to the FG and ASUU alone.

OPINION

BY LABARAN SALEH

I

N a deliberate effort to appeal to religious fanatics and tribal jingoists whose activities and that of their sympathisers create tension and deadly violence, especially in the trouble-prone states, a voluntary radio jingle is being promoted by I-Nigerian Renaissance Initiative, a non-governmental organisation.

It must be admitted that it is quite impossible to gather members of such violent groups or associations to a dialogue on peace-coexistence so that they sheathe their swords, various approaches have been deployed by government and other private initiatives without much success. A number of Nigerians have actually been involved in various coordinated efforts aimed at not just laundering the country’s image positively, but reminding government, citizens and stakeholders of the roles they must play in our quest to put Nigeria on global map of successful and progressive countries.

It was therefore heartwarming, when the National Coordinator, I-Nigeria Renaissance Initiative, disclosed at an interactive seminar in Abuja that her group has devised and sponsored some radio jingles in selected radio stations in the Northern part of the country.

Though as a volunteer in disaster management who had traveled to some states in the North on advocacy, I had listened to a couple of the jingles in Abuja, Kaduna and Yobe, not realising that they were sponsored by an NGO. Ada Stella Apiafi said that I-Nigerian Renaissance Project is a perception transformation initiative intended to reinvigorate the process of building good image for Nigeria, home and abroad. And this mission has been boldly etched in the programmes and activities of the body through its INigerian campaign. The group has been involved in several advocacy campaigns all aimed at mobilising support for strategic national programmes and policies. It is equally C M Y K

Maximizing radio jingle for peaceful co-existence taking advantage of the social media to link up with the youth population with the campaign of catching them young for national service.

Realising the importance of reaching the right public, especially those in environments where there have been communal and religious crises the organisation resolved to engage media and use radio in the dissemination of peace messages with a view to dousing the tension that has, lately, ravaged the Northern part of the country through the activities of Boko Haram insurgents.

The radio jingles which were primarily in Hausa language had been on for several weeks on such FM radio stations as Liberty Radio in Kaduna, FRCN Pyramid Radio in Kano, Companion Radio in Katsina and Rima Radio in Sokoto. Others included the Vision FM Radio in Abuja, Fombina Radio in Adamawa and Peace FM Radio in Borno.

The theme of the jingle, according to Ms Apiafi, is to foster virtues of brotherliness, love and kindness by emphasizing “that violence, bloodshed and destruction do not pay. God, in His wisdom, created us as different people so that we can live peacefully. Promoting unity in diversity.”

An English version of the jingle which was also aired daily on these radio stations goes thus: "Do not carry arms, kill, maim, or destroy!!! Nigerians, we must beware!!!"

The radio campaign should be pan-Nigeria in line with the overall objective of her group to promote positive things about the country. The reach and the role of the radio is unquantifiable, because practically, everyone has access to a radio. The target of most of these peace messages on the radio, are mostly rural people that do not have access to newspapers and online mobility.

Well-conceived, strategic, precise, and eloquently devel-

oped radio messages such as jingle have have great appeal, and a huge capacity to excite their listeners, without losing their very important themes of tolerance and peaceful coexistence and security consciousness.

Such jingles recur on the mind long after they have been aired as children, sometimes, find it easy reciting some of the jingles almost to the point of them becoming ‘personal anthems’ for quite a period of time. Most of the crisesridden areas of today are areas where the radio is a major source of information for them, so that medium alone is quite an effective tool in dousing tension in these areas.

The self-sponsored worthy initiative by the NGO which we later learn is also packaging documentaries which are aired on national TVs, and opinionated articles on pressing national issues in the print media should be encouraged and supported.

That the onerous, but rewarding task of making Nigeria one of the world’s 20 economies by the year 2020, reversing its misfortunes and putting it on the path of economic prosperity, political stability, technological advancement and socio—cultural rejuvenation remains the responsibility of all Nigerians cannot be disputed. The glorious, flourishing and paradise-like Nigeria that we so picture in our minds can only be made a reality if we all put aside personal, ethnic and group considerations in place of national interest.

Building the Nigeria of our dreams will require meaningful harnessing of our talents, coordinated and aggressive exploration and exploitation of our abundant natural resources and faith in our dear country.

•Mr Saleh, a member of Journalists Against Disaster Initiative, wrote from Abuja.

Vanguard, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2013 — 49

50 — Vanguard, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2013

C M Y K

Vanguard, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2013—51

Admiral Mike Okhai Akhigbe and Prof.

Omo Omoruyi: Two deaths too many

Opportunity to address injustices in Mamman Nasir’s boundary adjustment (2) This is the concluding part of this piece which was first published last Friday

F

Prof. Omo Omoruyi

TRIBUTE

BY DR. SAMUEL OGBEMUDIA

T

HE month of October in the year of our Lord 2013, will certainly go down in the annals of history as when heaven gained at the expense of Edo State. First, it was Nigeria’s foremost Professor of Political Science; someone who combined the finest principles of politics with its volatile practices in the management of Nigeria’s public affairs.

Prof. Omo Omoruyi as a scholar sympathized with late Mallam Aminu Kano’s NEPU and Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe’s NCNC in the first republic. As a politician in the second republic, he pitched his tent with Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe’s Nigerian Peoples Party, NPP, and became its gubernatorial candidate for Bendel State in 1983. NPP was a welfarist party, which was in line with Prof. Omoruyi’s inclinations.

Thereafter, Prof. Omoruyi did not fully return to partisan politics as he was appointed Director of the Centre for Democratic Studies, CDS, under the Gen. Ibrahim Babangida’s Transition Programme, in the build-up to the 1993 presidential elections. In the twilight of this national assignment, Prof. Omoruyi suffered a ghastly and near fatal attack which, on hind sight, can be said to be the remote cause of the ailment that crept into his ebullient and buoyant health, which eventually led to his death.

Even with his ill health, Prof. Omoruyi con-

Admiral Mike Akhi

and discipline defined his thoughts and patterned his actions. Thus, it was not difficult for me to tell where Admiral Akhigbe’s loyalty mostly lied between his earlier military profession and his latter political vocation. However, his loyalty to his profession did not subtract from him, the love for his people of Etsako and Edo State, for whom he was very passionate.

That Admiral Akhigbe believed much in the rule of law, civility and democratic ethics was underscored not just by his conduct in office but also by his decision to study law after leaving office. His desire to further exercise this belief as a civilian and extend it to the larger society led to his aspiration to lead Nigeria as a civilian President, which office he vied for. It must be recalled that he was the second in command in Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar’s regime that gave birth to the current civilian government. Therefore, the success of our present democratic dispensation will be to the eternal glory of his memory.

At 68, Mike died two years shy of the biblical three scores and ten. But his activities within those speedy years are worth many generations. When Their deaths, one coming so close to combined with the the other, are too much for us mortals enormous accomplishments of Prof. tinued to bother about his Edo people and the Omoruyi, the contributions of these Nigerian State. In his many publications, writ- two foremost Edo sons become legings and interviews, he pre-occupied himself endary. That is why I agree with the with the progress and stability of Nigeria, and English man, James Bailey, when he the advancement of democracy. He was a con- wrote in 1902 that: “We live in deeds, sistent advocate of two-party system as a ve- not in years; In thoughts, not in hicle for national unity. Yet he remained an breaths; In feelings, not in figures... unrepentant Bini man, carrying aloft our re- He most lives who thinks most, feels vered tradition and culture together with his the noblest and acts the best.” academic scholarship and political activism.

Prof. Omo Omoruyi, the great paHe will be missed by everyone especially triot and nationalist, and Admiral his elitist club of Nigerian Political Science As- Mike Okhai Akhigbe, GCON, mni, sociation, his populist class of Nigerian politi- our gentle General and leader, will cians, his enviable group of prolific writers, in death continue to think, feel and his respected Bini people and his beloved fam- act for their people, state, country and ily. The dust raised by the death of Prof. humanity, through the legacies they Omoruyi had not settled when the news of the left behind. We thank God for the lives passage of Admiral Mike Okhai Akhigbe of these two great sons of Edo and reached me. I have followed Mike’s career both Nigeria. Their deaths, one coming so in the Military where he rose to become an close to the other, are too much for us Admiral and Chief of Naval Staff, as well as in mortals. Our prayer is that they be republic office where he served not only as mili- ceived and given their deserved rest, tary Governor but also as Chief of General Staff, with eternal bliss, by almighty God. number two citizen of our country. But perI send my heartfelt condolences to haps we became much closer after he left of- their immediate families, to the Bini fice and joined politics. As a member and leader and Etsako communities, to the Govof the Peoples Democratic Party, he was a ernment and good people of Edo State trusted ally, dependable friend and worthy and Nigeria, and to all persons who compatriot. their selfless services touched in diAlthough he was a key player in the volatile verse ways. Goodnight, my dear field of politics, his spartan military training brothers.

, C M Y K

,

BY DON UBANI

OR no other reason than economic punishment, deprivation, humiliation and marginalization, the Obasanjo Military Government set up the Justice Mamman Nasir Boundary Commission. General Obasanjo’s targets were the Igbo areas prolific with hydro-carbon and Mamman Nasir Boundary Commission, unjustifiably used the Imo River as boundary between the present Abia State and Rivers State. It has to be stated that both sides of the Imo River, that is Ukwa-west in Abia State and Oyigbo in Rivers State contain many oil-wells.But more oil wells are in Oyigbo area. Let it be said here that the commercial town of Obigbo, which was renamed Oyigbo after the Nasir boundary adjustment, is an Asa town. During the colonial era, Obigbo town and Komkom Village, which are now in Rivers State, were integral parts of Asa county council, with headquarters at Obehie-Asa. After the Nigerian/Biafran War, Oyigbo and Komkom were in Ukwa Division, with the headquarters still at Obehie-Asa. They were in Ukwa Division uptill 1976 when Mamman Nasir

did his abracadabara. The same fate befell Ndoki communities of Afam and Egberu. They were in Ndoki county council long before Nigeria’s Independence and were in Ukwa Division uptill the staid 1976.

The obvious contradiction in Nasir’s assumption that Imo River is the boundary between the present Abia State and Rivers State has continued to be glaring.

This is because Omuma Local Government Area, which is situated on the same side of the Imo River with Ukwa-west Local Government Area which is in Abia State, was deliberately left in Rivers State. Where, therefore, lies the justification on using Imo River as the boundary between the two states?

For Nigeria to prosper and assume its rightful position in the comity of nations, injustices deliberately meted against some sections of the polity should, inevitably, be re-visited. The greatness of Nigeria can never be attained as long as some sections feel they were simply marginalized on grounds of ethnicity. President Goodluck Jonathan’s initiated National Dialogue is a golden and, may be, the only opportunity to correct, once and for all, the structural abnormalities that have obnoxiously constituted a clog on the wheel of Nigeria.

52—V anguard , MOND AY , NO VEMBER 4, 2013 52—Vanguard MONDA NOVEMBER

This dialogue’ll not be like Obasanjo’s conference — Ben Obi SENATOR Ben Ndi Obi is the special adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Inter-Party Affairs. In this interview he speaks to reporters on the gains of the sensitization workshop for political parties and stakeholders on the Anambra Governorship election, ongoing efforts to hold a national conference and why President Jonathan retraced his steps from opposing the confab. Excerpts:

BY CLIFFORD NDUJIHE, DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR

W

HAT is your reaction to the decision of leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) not to be part of President Jonathan’s national conference?

Well, you see, because of one’s long standing in politics, you can always predict what is likely to come from the opposition. I saw that coming, but you and I know that the truth of the matter is that the demand for national conference or national dialogue has been championed over time by my friends and associates who are in the opposition. From my long political career in the opposition, I know how things work there and how they reason.

I’m not surprised that they are giving that as their position.

On August 29, I was instrumental to arranging the visit of The Patriots to Mr. President. And that visit was the first visit The Patriots will pay to any President. I made a lot of facts available to the President that The Patriots are elder statesmen; some of them are 75, 85 and they hold very strong views.

In fact, when I was appointed

by Mr. President, I wrote to him that I am a member of The Patriots and one of the young ones; that The Patriots always have and hold very strong views. I said, ‘may be it will not be necessary to sustain my

•Obi: Jonathan is sincere

with him.’

I told the President, look, ‘The Patriots have never seen any President before and they are saying they want to see you.’

He said, ‘okay, let them come.’

When they came, they demanded and put in a position paper on how to go about a

,

The President in setting up the Senator Femi Okurounmu Committee said clearly, discuss everything. He didn’t say there were no-go areas

membership since you have appointed me as one of your advisers, so that there won’t be any conflict.’

He said ‘it’s not bad to me, continue with your membership.’ So, I called one of the Press conferences organized by The Patriots. One of the members that came confronted the Chairman, Professor Ben Nwabueze (SAN) and said, ‘look, you have President Jonathan’s Special Adviser here and you are discussing very sensitive issues of this nature.’

Professor Nwabueze said, ‘Ben Obi has some antecedents and track records that speak for him. We are very comfortable C M Y K

,

National Conference. When the President looked at it, he said, ‘okay, this issue has been coming up all the time.

I will give you people an answer in two or three weeks.’

Finally, on October 1, on the 53rd Independence anniversary of Nigeria, the President said, ‘okay, let us talk; if Nigerians are ready to talk, the same with me.’

So, it’s not as if President Jonathan sat down and said the national conference, here we come. Last year, we went for Tunji Braithwaite’s book presentation with the President. One of the demands of Dr. Braithwaite is that we

have to hold this national conference before 2015.

The President responded that we will look into it. So, when we now have a team of elder statesmen of that caliber, it will be difficult for a President to meet with them and not concede to their request. Yes, the opposition will always say, ‘do it like this or like that’ but ultimately, I think that the superior argument must prevail.

What do you make of arguments that the President decided to call for a national conference to get the needed support for his second term?

The President in setting up the Senator Femi Okurounmu Committee said clearly, discuss everything. He didn’t say there were no-go areas. He gave them a blank cheque, ‘go and work.

Tell us what to do, tell us what you want us to do.’ How then could one talk of a hidden agenda? I still don’t understand that bit. The President has said, ‘go there; say what you want to say. Put your views across.’

Quite honestly, a lot of them (opposition) were not expecting that President Jonathan would say, ‘go and talk.’ They weren’t

expecting it. But now he has said to them, go and talk, it took some of them unawares.

Like I said, being in this business of opposition, their thinking is: Are you sure this thing will not help Jonathan in 2015? I don’t even see what it stands to do with 2015 for Jonathan because the discussion is going to be conducted by people from all over the country.

So, you are not going to have a Jonathan team discussing the country. If it’s by election, everybody is free to go and contest. So, I don’t see their reasons.

Seriously, we need to talk. I believe it’s time to sit down and talk. It’s time to sit down and discuss this country. Let us know how we want to govern this country?

On controversies trailing President Jonathan’s position that the report of the Conference will be sent the National Assembly for consideration For me, I want to look at it from two angles. One, if the President says it’s going to be handed over to the National Assembly we could then be saying that the views and positions of the conference will be sent to the National Assembly as Executive Bill, coming from the President.

Dominant views The other aspect of it is how do you constitute the body? So, you want to find out, what is the committee going to recommend? We also want to find out what Nigerians are saying because the committee is traveling now, collating views and collecting memoranda from all the zones.

So, it is after all of that, they will now decide and say what the dominant views and positions of Nigerians on how this conference would hold are.

But ordinarily, the way things are is that the entire views of the people is what Mr. President will send as an executive bill to the National Assembly.

On whether the conference will not go like the Obasanjo exercise of 2005 This is the first time you are having a President that is reacting to specific demands.

Before Obasanjo did his 2005 conference, there had been demands. I happened to be in the Senate when they started to hatch the idea of putting the toxic third term agenda into the recommendation; and a lot of people were saying, will people not say why are you throwing away the baby with the bath water?

But most of us knew that the toxin in there was enough to poison the constitutional amendment. Even those of us who are from the South-East, there was one clear statement from the report- create an additional state for the Igbo. It was agreed by all the zones but we knew that that was a big gamble. We were not prepared to go clause by clause. And that was really why we were able to achieve that thing (killing the third term agenda) at that time.

On fears that the confab could dismember Nigeria in line with the American prediction that Nigeria may break up in 2015.

You know when you have a huge country like Nigeria with this massive size and population a lot of things come to play. Fortunately, I was in the Senate when this idea from the CIA Chief came up and it was elaborately discussed.

Devolution of powers In spite of our differences, I’m yet to see any serious-minded Nigerian leader that will come to you and say, ‘damn it, let this country disintegrate, let’s go our different ways.’ You don’t make such comments. They will all say, ‘let us remain one.

Let us ask ourselves how we want to live as one people.’ The problem is that the constitution that we talk about was provided to us by the military.

We had former Military President Ibrahim Babangida talking to the Fiscal Commission few days ago and he was in support of devolution of powers. That is something that needs to be looked into. And everybody is saying the same thing.

A lot of these things have been on, it’s just that we are yet to sit down and say to ourselves look, how do we go?

You have been to Edo, Ondo and then Anambra, organizing Continues on page 53

Vanguard , MOND AY , NO VEMBER 4, 2013 — 53 MONDA NOVEMBER

National dialogue will make our future much better — Sen Adudu LAWYER and politician, Senator Timothy Adudu was recently appointed into the Presidential Advisory Committee on National Dialogue with the expectation of tapping his experience as a former senator and skills as a lawyer to navigate the discordant tunes in the polity on the Nigeria question. Senator Adudu was in the Senate between 2003 and 2007 during which time he was a rallying point for the Digitals as the younger and seemingly more radical senators of that era were known. In this interview, Senator Adudu who has since his exit from the Senate added academic degrees in arbitration responds to questions on the desirability of a national conference and the workings of his committee. Excerpts:

BY EMMANUEL AZIKEN, POLITICAL EDITOR

W

HAT was your reaction to your appointment into this body?

It is something that I am delighted about because I have always believed that since things have gone wrong in the country, we need to dialogue and if the president deemed it fit that I should be one of the personalities to set it rolling, then it is a national call that I am well prepared to do.

Some believe that it is all a trick by the presidency?

If there is anything that tends to suggest that directly or indirectly, I would not be a party to it. I will not participate. I believe that the president is very sincere in his call for a dialogue. I call on Nigerians to come out, believe in it and participate for us to channel a course for the future of our country.

What is your impression from the states you have so far visited?

The turnout has been quite impressive. We started from Akure and the turnout was very, very impressive. We went to Minna it was the same, we

to Mr. President.

Some fear that y o u r recommendations may not be acceptable?

When we get to the bridge we will cross it. But I want you to read the body language of Mr. President. It is about the first time that he has said that there will be no no-go areas; in other words, there will be no barricades.

If you remember at the inauguration he said that he has left even the issue of nomenclature open and that we should decide, we s h o u l d recommend what nomenclature we would be giving to the conference.

If you also consider the time frame he wants us to submit our report, it is expected that he is going to act upon it very

,

Nigerians are ready to make their statements, ready to take their destiny into their own hands and it is the preponderance of what they want done that we are going to reflect in our report

went to Jos it was overwhelming and that tends to suggest that Nigerians are willing to dialogue. So, I believe that as we go round it is going to gather momentum.

So far so good.

What is your expectation from this process?

At this point in time it would be pre-emptive to speculate, but from the response we have seen, Nigerians are ready to make their statements, ready to take their destiny into their own hands and it is the preponderance of what they want done that we are going to reflect in our report as a committee when we are making our recommendations

,

expeditiously. He has not elongated the time and he has given a time frame which I am sure we are likely to meet up with.

If you also look at the personalities that form the committee, you will see that we have men of integrity and you can say to a large extent it is non partisan and each and every member of the committee is an accomplished Nigerian in his own way, men of integrity, men that you can hardly easily question their integrity.

So, I believe that it is a serious business, it is a serious call and we must all respond.

The fact that the outcome of the proposed national

•Adudu: conference would be submitted to the National Assembly has elicited comments that the conference would be a toothless bulldog?

What you have to appreciate is that this is a general motion towards a dialogue and if you are discussing, there are bound to be give and take.

You cannot at this moment say that you foreclose this aspect or that this is how it is going to be. We must appreciate that we

are not acting in vacuum, there are institutional bodies in place which no matter what we do, we cannot lose sight of those institutions.

Having said that, we must appreciate that if two people have agreed to dialogue, there are bound to be give and take in certain ways.

So, what the outcome is going to be I wouldn’t want to say now, it might be, it might not.

Why I say so is that, since it is

dialogue people would come to the negotiating table, dialogue, have a conference and agree on certain parameters.

What are the concessions that are going to be made? I wouldn’t know. What are the proposals that are going to be made? I wouldn’t know.

That it has to go to the National Assembly, yes, I agree with that. But if you sit down with the stakeholders, and don’t forget that we visited the National Assembly and that they are partners with us in this exercise and what I want you to appreciate is that by the time we all sit down, we might agree on certain parameters which I wouldn’t know what that might be. So, it may be, it may be not but at the end of the day, what we want to see is a situation whereby all stakeholders, Nigerians and all stakeholders agree on the way forward.

So, following these consultations what would be the next phase of your assignment?

The next phase of our assignment is for us to draw our conclusions, make our recommendations and submit to the President in accordance to our terms of reference.

So, Nigerians should come out en-masse and participate in the exercise because it is an opportunity that we should take seriously to fashion out our destiny. We must come out to chart a course for our future.

Nigeria is bigger than an individual and we must rally round the President to give him support because this is something that I believe that a cross section of Nigerians have always clamoured for. Inspite of all that have happened, I think we have a future and our future would be much better if we sit down to dialogue.

This dialogue’ll not be like Obasanjo’s conference — Ben Obi Continues on page 52 sensitization workshops ahead of governorship elections, how do you see the Anambra exercise compared to others?

If you recall, in Edo, we had six candidates; in Ondo, we had 13 but in Anambra it is 23. This says only one thing: The exposure of Anambrarians and their interest in the democratic efforts of this country.

In Anambra, you have the good, the bad and the ugly. I led the pack of the

first of electoral victims in 2003. Ever since, Anambrarians have charged up to making democracy work. So, all the parties struggle one way or the other to provide candidates for the election.

In a nutshell, there is awareness. The interest of politicians in Anambra is quite glaring; they want to be part of the unfolding democratic success story.

We try to make them play the game according to the rules and understand that at the end of the day, only one man will emerge victorious.

54—Vanguard, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2013

O

DUAHGATE is the latest public scandal that has seized the public sphere in Nigeria in the past two weeks or so. It concerns an allegation that Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah, colluded with officials of one of the departments in her ministry, the Nigerian Civic Aviation Authority, NCAA, to order from Coscharis Motors, two armoured BMW cars at a cost totaling N255 million (or $1.6) for her use as Minister.

Apart from the stupendous amount involved, the allegation gathers more outrage when additional independent research in some quarters revealed that the kind of car ordered goes for about N64 million apiece at source. The impression this creates is that some inflation of figures took place, which would expose all those involved in the allegation to prosecution by the anti-graft agencies if prima facie cases of culpability are established against them.

This scandal was born when a whistleblower in the Ministry of Aviation alerted Saharareporters, an online news blog with a penchant for exposing criminal and corrupt activities, especially in government. The story made a landfall in the mainstream media, and everybody has been free with their comments, particularly painting Oduah in the garb of a corrupt minister who must be relieved of her job and sent to jail.

Much ado about ‘Oduahgate'

this matter. For avoidance of doubt, the President saddled the panel with the job to (a) investigate whether the procurement of the vehicles at that price followed due process; (b) establish the purpose for which they were procured.

In addition to answering the President’s query, which was published in the media, Oduah submitted a large volume of documents to the House of Representatives which summoned her to explain what happened, backing them up with a 12page defence of herself and the actions she and officials of the NCAA took.

She did not deny complicity in the saga.

Rather, she reiterated that (a) the procurement of the cars followed due process, tendering all relevant documents to support her claim; (b) the armoured BMW cars were We must ensure that the probe will be never meant for her well above politics; it will be a sad day if use but for the use of the NCAA in its Princess Oduah’s hands are clean and national and international bloodthirsty jackals are allowed to operational orchestrate a lynch mob and force the activities. In fact, she (c) pointed out that President to remove her from office the NCAA has not spent such an amount, I have a couple of very simple questions.

Did the Minister actually collude with but rather that, through open, due process, officials of the NCAA to purchase two the cars were procured from Coscharis armoured cars at inflated prices at the through a lease financing by First Bank taxpayers’ expense? Are those cars meant PLC that will be liquidated in three years.

She added that (d) the expenditure was for her official or personal use?

President Goodluck Jonathan responded approved for the NCAA by the National to the uproar by issuing the Minister a Assembly in compliance with the Medium query. He also set up a panel of three Term Expenditure Framework, MTEF. She also pointed out that the purchase headed by the immediate past Head of Federal Civil Service, Alhaji Sali Bello, of these armoured cars and other vehicles with the National Security Adviser, retired listed in the story were part of the overall Col Sambo Dasuki and Air Vice-Marshal modernisation and upgrading of Dik Iruenebere as members. A panel equipment in the Aviation industry, of consisting of a seasoned top bureaucrat like which the remodeling of the 22 airports Bello and the nation’s senior security around the country is already evident to officer, Dasuki, should be able to explore air travellers in the country. According to all the angles to this case and ensure that her, as an industry regulator, NCAA needs the President gets all the right answers to have all the specialised vehicles which with which he will decide what to do about it can deploy when dignitaries from

,

*Princes Stella Oduah international stakeholder groups come calling, particularly at a time when Nigeria is looking forward to being elected President of the International Civil Aviation Organisation, ICAO. Having looked extensively into the cases made by the Minister’s accusers and the defence she has put up, it is my studied opinion that we wait for the presidential panel and the Committee of the House investigating this matter to finish their work.

The reason is simple. Both the accusers and the defendant will (naturally) only present facts and arguments that will advance their interests.

There is clear evidence that some of those hounding the Minister are working for vested interests in the industry and the polity at large. It is also obvious that the

Minister, in her defence, might have dredged up some red herrings to divert attention.

But a thorough investigation will bring out a complete picture. I wish the presidential and House panels make their findings known to the public. If the Minister or any official of the ministry, the NCAA, the bank and the motor dealership companies are found to have engaged in any misconduct or official corruption or intention thereto, the law must take its full course. The case must be established beyond any shadow of doubt because that will make prosecution easier and less expensive.

But if at the end it is established that indeed, nothing unseemly took place and that the purchases complied not only with due process but were essential towards equipping our aviation industry to meet up with normal international requirements, the Federal Government must be unequivocal in commending the Minister and her team for a job well done.

We are living in a highly charged political environment. We must ensure that the probe and actions we will take in this matter will be well above politics. It will be a sad day if Princess Oduah’s hands are clean and bloodthirsty jackals are allowed to orchestrate a lynch mob and force the President to remove her from office. The President must act on this matter with the highest public interest of Nigeria uppermost in his mind. He must never pander to parochial politics, either knuckling down to the pressures of a vocal opposition or bowing to the soft fancies of Princess Oduah’s past contributions to his political fortunes.

Oduah has made a few mistakes as a human being on her duty post, but within two years as Minister of Aviation, she has already left an indelible fingerprint. But it cannot be helped if she soiled her unique transformation of the industry.

Gov Suswam, a chef’s Bestman!

I

READ with great delight how Governor Gabriel Torwua Suswam of Benue State acted as the Bestman to a chef who works for a church in Makurdi. He was simply identified as Peter, who got wedded to his bride, Tabitha. Said Suswam: “Today I am happy to identify with Peter and Tabitha as I march to the Altar as Peter’s Best man. I have known Peter as a dedicated steward/cook in the Parish House any time I came visiting the Church.

Most youths today will rather refuse to

work as stewards and look down on people who do such jobs. It is not what you do that matters but how you affect others in your little position. “It is for these reasons that I am happy to identify with Peter and wife and wish them a happy married life, while I enjoin other youths to emulate humble beginnings in all they do as it attracts blessings from God and before men”. That’s how leaders inspire the people they lead! Cheers Peter, Tabitha and Bestman, Suswam!

OPINION

BY JOHNSON EBIGIDE HEN President Goodluck Ebele W Jonathan was overwhelmingly elected as the president of Nigeria in 2011, the expectations of Nigerians were high and they wanted him to if possible use the magic wand to turn around the fortune of the country for the better. When, therefore, he appeared to be slow in meeting up with the yearnings of the people, some wrote him off as a political non-performer. But those that know him better argued objectively that he should be given enough time to study the political terrain in the country to enable him tackle the various malaises bedevilling the country without putting the country into jeopardy.

Yes, those that pleaded for more time for President Jonathan have won. Having gotten a proper grip with the socio-political and economic structure of the country, President Jonathan, like a sleeping giant, has sprung into action to fulfill the expectations of Nigerians.

Speaking with the National President of

President Jonathan in the eyes of observers the Eagle-Watch for good Governance, a socio-political organisation with a wide national network of operations in Nigeria, at Ughelli after the declaration of the result of the Delta State Central Senatorial by-election occasioned by the death of Senator Pius Ewerido (an election won by the former NDDC Managing Director, Chief Emmanuel Aguariavwodo, on the platform of the PDP), Comrade Cletus Kwalekeme said that President Jonathan is a man of his word. He maintained that President Jonathan deserves the collective support of Nigerians, considering the fact that he had never reneged in his promises to the people. He noted that the outcome of the election which was adjudged to be free and fair is an indication of the untiring efforts of President Jonathan to ensure that elections in the country are conducted in a most free and fair environment.

Comrade Kwalekeme argued that those

that have been faulting every move by Jonathan are mischievous and simply out to distract the President from fulfilling his electioneering campaign promises to Nigerians. Comrade Kwalekeme maintained that the recent approval by President Jonathan for the convocation of a national dialogue is a heart-warming decision which would definitely unite the various ethnic nationalities in the country, adding that government had put necessary machinery in place to ensure that the present dialogue will be a success and far removed from the past ones organised without political will and sincerity.

While appealing to the leadership of the striking ASUU to call off the debilitating strike in the education sector in the country to enable students to go back to school, Comrade Kwalekeme stressed that President Jonathan has a listening ear, saying that ASUU members should give him the benefit of doubt by going back to the class-

room, even as he assured that President Jonathan would not disappoint the warring lecturers.

He appealed to Nigerians to continue to support President Jonathan, whom he said has high sense of political tolerance, saying that not only does the President give the opposition the room to operate constitutionally, but hearkens to reasonable and constructive criticisms from the opposition, just as he commended the untiring efforts of President Jonathan to bring normalcy to the Northern part of the country.

In all, President Jonathan has what it takes to move Nigeria to the next level of development; what he needs urgently now is the collective support of all Nigerians. *Mr Ebigide is the State Publicity Secretary of Eagle Watch For Good Governance, Delta State.

Vanguard, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2013 — 55

56 — Vanguard, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2013

C M Y K

Vanguard, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2013 — 57

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V anguard anguard,, MONDAY NOVEMBER 4, 2013

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VANGUARD'S LAGOS OFFICE YOU CAN B O O K Y O U R A D V E R T S AT OU R L A G O S I S L A N D O F FI C E — VA N G U A R D MEDIA LIMITED (LAGOS OFFICE) K I O S K 4 8 E A S T P AV I L I O N T B S , L A G O S .

Kerry begins M/East shuttle to revive peace talk

U

S Secretary of State John Kerry said his country is committed to working with Egypt’s interim rulers, on his first visit to Cairo since the military ousted President Mohamed Morsi.

“We are committed to work and we will continue our cooperation with the interim government,” Kerry told reporters in a joint news conference on Sunday, calling for “inclusive, free and fair elections.”

Kerry said he wanted to express to the Egyptian people “as clearly and as forcefully as I can in no uncertain terms, that the United States is a friend of the people of Egypt, of the country of Egypt, and we are a partner.”

Egypt’s Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy, who met Kerry earlier in the day,

•John Kerry was present at the news conference and said: “I mentioned before that USEgypt relations is going through turbulent time.

Kerry’s comments today show positive signs.”

Fahmy said that Egypt would look beyond the United States to meet its security needs and warned Washington that it could no longer ignore popular demands in a changed Arab world.

Tunisia extends emergency rule

T

unisia, which is grap pling with a political crisis and violence attribut-

Iran’s supreme leader backs nuclear talks

I

ran’s Supreme Lead er Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has voiced his support for Iran’s talks with world powers over its disputed nuclear programme while expressing pessimism about them.

“No one should see our negotiating team as compromisers,” Khamenei, Iran’s top decisionmaker on its nuclear drive, was quoted as saying on his official website yesterday.

ed to armed groups, has said it is extending by eight months a state of emergency in place since the 2011 uprising.

The presidency made the announcement on Sunday and said the state of emergency would be extended until the end of June 2014.

Tunisia’s authorities have renewed the state of emergency by periods ranging from three months to a year since the 2011 uprising that toppled veteran strongman Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Late on Saturday, Tunisia’s ruling party, Ennahda, and the opposition failed to reach an agreement on appointing a new prime minister, with both sides pledging to continue negotiations.

Syrian army moves into southern Damascus

S

yrian army and Shi’ite Muslim fighters attacked Sunni rebel areas in southern Damascus on Sunday in an offensive aimed at breaking resistance to President Bashar al-Assad around the capital, activists said.

Militia from Iran and Iraq and the Lebanese Shi’ite group Hezbollah, who overran two southern suburbs last month, are looking to build up their advances by capturing opposition districts closer to the center of Damascus, the sources said.

Fighters from the alQaeda linked al-Nusra Front and the Islamic

State for Iraq and the Levant, which is heavily comprised of foreign jihadists, have joined Islamist rebel brigades and Free Syrian Army units in close quarters fighting around the district of Hajar al-Aswad.

Hajar al-Aswad is mainly inhabited by refugees from the Israeli occupied Golan Heights. It is one of a series of Sunni districts on the edge of Damascus at the forefront of the uprising against Assad, who belongs to the Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shi’ite Islam that has dominated Syria since the 1960s.

Vanguard, MONDAY NOVEMBER 4, 2013 — 59

Snowden backs reform of global intelligence system

F

UGITIVE U.S. intel ligence contractor Edward Snowden said calls for more oversight of government intelligence agencies showed he was justified in revealing the methods and targets of the U.S. secret service.

Snowden’s leaks about the National Security Agency (NSA), from its alleged mass scanning of emails to the tapping of world leaders’ phones, have infuriated U.S. allies and placed Washington on the defensive.

In “A Manifesto for the Truth” published in German news magazine Der Spiegel on Sunday, Snowden said current debates about mass surveillance in many countries showed his revelations were helping to bring about change.

“Instead of causing damage, the usefulness of the new public knowledge for society is now clear because reforms to politics, supervision and laws are being suggested,” the 30-year-old exCIA employee and NSA contractor wrote.

DR Congo rebels declare ceasefire

D

EMOCRATIC Re public of Congo’s M23 rebels have declared a ceasefire after a 20-month rebellion in North Kivu province to allow peace talks with the government to advance. Bertrand Bisimwa, leader of the M23 rebel group, urged all fighters yesterday to “immediately end hostilities” with the government troops.

“We call on the facilitator of the Kampala

peace talks to immediately put in place a mechanism to monitor the ceasefire,” Bisimwa said in statement. There was no immediate reaction from the army.

The declaration of the truce came on the day when the government troops said it launched a new offensive against rebel fighters who fled to the hills around Congo’s border with Uganda and Rwanda after being ousted from Bunaguna, their last stronghold.

Two French journalists killed in Mali

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WO French journal ists have been killed in the northern Mali town of Kidal after being abducted by gunmen, French and Malian officials say.

Ghislaine Dupont and Claude Verlon, both journalists with French radio station Radio France Internationale (RFI), were seized on Saturday afternoon after they had finished an interview with a Tuareg rebel leader when several armed men grabbed them, according to a city official.

“A few minutes after a pursuit began for the abductors of the two French,

we were informed that their bodies were found riddled with bullets outside the town,” said P a u l - M a r i e Sidibe, prefect of the town of Tinzawaten, who is based in Kidal.

A senior Tuareg official also said the bodies had been recovered outside Kidal. A Mali security source said the journalists were killed about 12km outside the town.

The executions occured as the government is trying to talk with rebels in the north to prevent a wider conflict in the country.

Niger detains scores of Trans Sahara migrants

N

IGER has rounded up close to 150 migrants crossing the Sahara to Algeria in the past two days, in a crackdown on illegal migration after 92 people died of thirst trying to make the same desert journey.

The grisly discovery last week of the bodies of mostly women and children left stranded in the harsh Sahara desert after their trucks broke down, has prompted Niamey to clamp down on migrant trafficking networks.

Bright future for our football

I

AM one of those who can write authoritatively about our Golden Eaglets. From the very first match they played together as a team in the African Qualifiers in Niger, to their camping in Calabar, African finals in Marakech Morocco……….I have been a disciple of a team I believe promises positive vibes for the future of the game in Nigeria.

Yes, the Nigeria Football Federation and the Cross River State Government should take a bow for investing in these boys over time. The coaches and other back up staff of the team also deserve mention for the work, tireless work they have put in to get the kids to the standard where they have been rated as one of the best, if not the best team in the world, going forward.

I know how difficult it is to coach boys in this age category, boys who enjoy to play their game and believe that the only attribute in football is score goals and in the process shun tactical inputs for their God given techniques. To Manu Garba, Nduka Ugbade and Emmanuel Amuneke, I doff my hat.

Two weeks ago I wrote here that I will be happy if this team gets to the final, but I see already a team that guarantees ten years of our football if well managed. I said this team is one that plays good enough to receive commendation, even if it loses. It appears though that losing is not in the dictionary of these glory boys.

Against Sweden, it was a never say die attitude that brought them from the brinks of defeat to a deserved draw.

Next came Iran and the Eaglets stamped their superiority. Uruguay was the dreaded team, a country that had dealt us severe blows at the senior and Under 20 levels. Saturday, the South Americans came calling and as expected gave us some moments of concern, but the Nigerians took control of the match and by the second half were in charge. But for lack of marksmanship and youthful exuberance the Uruguayans would have fallen by no less than five goals.

I commend these youngsters who have given us cause to be proud at world football stage because like I did say, at knock out level, the best do not normally win. Ask Japan, ask Brazil.

Tomorrow is another day. This time a reenactment of the group match that gave us the biggest scare of our lives. This time a draw will not be okay. An outright

winner will have to emerge. Yes the coaches must have revisited the former match and made amends, just as the Swedes bemoaned the loss of an unprecedented opportunity, first time out.

It will not be easy, but with these boys it may be very easy. It is a team on rampage, one in which only the goalkeeper has not taken a shot at goal. Like a friend said to me, if the Uruguayans were not able to stop us, is it those Swedes that will? According to him the Swedes were lucky first time out. this time, there will be no hiding place. I say AMEN.

BACK TO THE LEAGUE Last week I wrote that I was very happy with the league and the way it ended. I said I was very confident that our representatives in Africa ( Pillars, Enyimba, Warri Wolves and Bayelsa ) will give a good account of themselves…A reader wrote in, very angry with me. Chris Djeniko (cdjeniko@gmail.com) said there was nothing to celebrate about the league. I quote “.

“Sir, I quote you from the above subject of your Monday Vanguard blog:“. . . in all my years I have associated with football, I have never come across a situation where, in any league in the world, over ten teams were available for the drop with just one match to spare. . . In all of these, I feel proud that the days of state hosting AGMs to overturn league tables are over. I am happy that today we have leaders who are honest, disciplined and focused not getting themselves in messy situations that posterity will record negatively against them.. ”If you had read the observations made on the league log table in different websites especially www.kickoffnigeria.com, you wouldn’t have expressed your happiness in this blog. Apparently you were proud.

Perhaps you wouldn’t have submitted it for publication.

The summary of what these websites (I guess you would have read them too) are saying that the home teams were winning almost all their matches and the away teams were losing almost all. Even those that are for the drop!! Not so in Europe and other leagues. They use so many terms to describe our league table- ‘laughable,’ ‘disgrace,’ ‘absurd,’ ‘funny,’ ‘match-fixing table.’ I was ashamed that others are seeing our league in such a light. These websites reproduced the log table from www.fifa.com. So it means fifa is also looking at us with one kind eye like that. I tell you something. This is what our football administrators have turned most of us into. No trust in them. Our administrators must make some changes so that our league will not be ‘laughable’ anymore.”

I promised Chris that I will share his thoughts with us because this page is held in trust. I am not going to join issues with Chris, tell him why he cannot compare our league with Europe, not at this stage, not even issues of security and live telecast of ALL matches that impact directly on the performance of referees.

I swear we will get there. We will.

See you next week

Battle of Legends Ultimate Commander invites Jonathan to come watch him destroy America’s Lashley

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ORLD Heavyweight Wrestling Champion, Osita Offor, popularly known as De Ultimate Commander, is pleading for President Goodluck Jonathan’s presence at the Oriental hotel, Lagos, on December 6 when he defends his title against United States of America’s Bobby Lashley.

Speaking in Lagos at the weekend during a press briefing to herald the fight, Commander disclosed that he already has the backing of four serving governors, the National

Assembly and his spiritual pillar, Prophet T.B. Joshua, stressing that the presence of President Jonathan would serve as the icing on the cake and the real tonic he needs to subdue his American challenger.

“I’ve never lost or drawn any fight in my career. Now that I’ve got enough motivation from the National Assembly,mystateGovernor, Dr. Theodore Orji and Governors Babatunde Fashola, Godswill Akpabio, Issa Yuguda as well as my spirit-

World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion, De Ultimate Commander (left), Promoter, Aghalieaku Arinze and popular musician, Omawumi, during the media briefing on the Battle of Legends in Lagos...at the weekend..

ual pillar, Prophet T.B Joshua.

I am not going to let my promoter and the entire Nigerians down” he assured.

“But I wish to make a passionate appeal to my President, His Excellency, Dr.

Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, to sit by the ringside and watch me package the American wrestler in a crate back to his country,” De Ultimate Commander said.

60 —

Vanguard, MONDAY NOVEMBER 4, 2013

Oliseh prays for Golden Eaglets F

ORMER Super Ea gles captain, Sunday Oliseh proved yet again why he was regarded as a born leader when he strolled into the Golden Eaglets locker room to counsel and pray for the budding youngsters after their 2-0 win over Uruguay on Saturday in Sharjah.

Speaking on the team’s impressive performance at the FIFA U-17 World Cup UAE 2013, Oliseh who is on the TechnicalStudyGroup(TSG) saidtheplayersdeservecommendation but warned them against complacency.

“Working with FIFA, you have made me very proud because of your playing style and overall conduct in this competition,” began Oliseh who cried like a baby when Super Eagles finished runners-up when Ghana-Nigeria co-hosted the 2000 African cup of Nations.”But be that as it may, I don’t want you to start counting because nobody remembers the team that comes second next day except the champions.”

Oliseh said the Golden Eaglets should not regard themselves as favourites yet to lift the trophy despite playing some of the best matches at this championship.

TheformerAjaxandJuventusmidfieldersaid:”Youdon’t start counting until the battle is won and I want you to learn from a team like Brazil who are already out of the competition because they started counting before the job was done.”

The two-time World Cup star further warned the players against complacencyevenas he charged them to pay attention to instruction from ‘the most competent Under-17 coaching crew.’

Swedes, who are making their debut in this tournament, holding out for a thrilling 3-3 draw at the Khalifa Bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain. And as both teams prepare for another heavyweight showdown clash, the Nigerian coach insists that his boys have enough weaponry in their arsenal to defeat their foes.

Having scored 20 goals in five matches, the Golden Eaglets re-

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Bralex Football Managers reality show debuts

BY JACOB AJOM

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Golden Eaglets in jubilant mood

Uruguay cry foul over Eaglets win

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ITTER losers Uruguay are crying foul over their 20 quarter-final loss to the Golden Eaglets, who they insinuate are above the U-17 age of the FIFA World Cup holding in the UAE. After Iran accused the Nigerians of not being teenagers, the current tirade from the Uruguayans is the second stinging attack that the Eaglets were going to get here.

Uruguay players, at the final whistle of their defeat by Nigeria, collapsed to the ground in anguish as if bereaved.

Captain Fabrizio Buschiazzo, who admitted that they were not decisive in attack, questioned the true ages

Eaglets Continues from BP

Results

main the best attacking.

Speaking to reporters, Garba who congratulated his boys for defeating Uruguay 2-0, said “We have learned so much playing against Sweden the last time but we shall be ready for them this time around.

Sweden should be ready for the fireworks which we shall fire on them. ”we are going to fly the flag of the continent since so much would be expected from us ,”added Garba.

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HE first reality football show that will put both players and managers in the run for top prizes and other incentives is underway, organisers have announced.

The show which will come alive in Lagos in January, 2014 is being put together by a Lagos based outfit, Bralex Football Mnagers.

Okpe Emmanue Alexander, the Chief Executive Officer of the company, said forms for the show will soon be on sale and they are expecting about 5,000 applicants but after screening, only 32

contestants will eventually find space for the competition.

He disclosed that his company was planning well for the talents that will be picked after the exercise. He announced a cash prize of $100,000 US Dollars and other incentives.

Apart from the top prize, “ we already have agreements with English Premier League side, Crystal Palace and Coventry in the Nationwide League to enable the talents discovered at the end of the programme to further their careers either as managers or as players,” Alexander said.

Isaac

of the Nigerians, who showed grit and class in their 2-0 victory in Sharjah, “We didn’t punch when we needed to. We could not convert and they scored their first goal early. Out of anxiety we ended up going for the result and they hurt us a lot by using that space.

“I am very angry to think that Nigeria are not 17. We are a under17 team and are better than any other under17s but not against 35 and 40-year-olds, which is how the Nigerians

appeared to be to me”, said Buschiazzo, who added that “this is not an excuse .but it is clear that they don’t have the age to play”.

Also speaking at the mixed zone, Marcio Benitez stressed that Uruguay was confident to get the result but failed despite “doing everything”. “I don’t know what was missing.

I’m very proud but sad not to moved forward.

We are going to have revenge,” he said.

Franco Pizzichillo, one of the outstanding players in the tournament

Idowu Continues from BP encounter, which the Nigerians won 2-0, he was automatically ruled out of the next match.

According statistics obtained by Sports Vanguard from the Federation of International Football

Associations, FIFA, Idowu’s yellow card was among the 145 yellow cards so far issued by referees at the ongoing tournament. It males an average of 3.02 cards per match, below the 172 mark issued at this stage of the tournament in Mexico 2011.

Continues from BP featured for the Golden Eaglets, who are just one match from reaching the final of the FIFA U-17 World Cup in UAE. Speaking to reporters weekend, Garba said that Isaac embodied the spirit of the team, noting that his absence was missed by the entire team. “I miss Isaac a lot. Apart from scoring goals, he also assists others to score goals. He embodies the spirit of the team and his contributions

cannot be overstated.

Before we came here, he had scored in every match that we played and was the top scorer at the African Championship”, said Garba, who added that if Isaac is fit for tomorrow’s match against Sweden that he would start from the bench.“If he is fit, he will start from the bench because he is just coming from an injury break and cannot just be thrown into the action from the start”, said Garba.

Omeruo

Continues from BP

profile friendly in London.

Coach Keshi has recalled brilliant young defender Kenneth Omeruo, a key component of his 2013 Africa Cup of Nations winning squad, as well as the rugged and attackminded midfielder Reuben Gabriel.

Both men were out injured for months. Omeruo dislocated a troubled shoulder at the FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil in the summer while Gabriel would be

happy to be fully fit after sitting on the bench all through the Africa Cup of Nations campaign.

Stand-in skipper Vincent Enyeama is called alongside goalkeepers Austin Ejide and Chigozie Agbim, while South Africa-based defender James Okwuosa and strikers Obinna Nsofor and Uche Nwofor also keep their places. The list also includes Africa Cup of Nations top scorer and two-goal hero in Addis Ababa, Emmanuel Emenike.

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V anguard anguard,, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2013

Eaglets to unleash I miss Isaac — Garba fireworks on Sweden C …says striker to start from bench

OACH Manu Garba has confessed that he was missing the on-field contributions of top

Kick-off: 5 p.m. (tomorrow)

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NO WAY...

Golden Eaglets d e f e n d e r, Akinjide Idowu fights for the ball against Fabrizio Busdicazzo of Uruguay during the quarter final match in Sharjah, UAE on Saturday.

Nigeria won 2-0.

Photo/AFP

OLDEN Eaglets and Sweden will tomorrow battle for a place in the final of the FIFA U-17 World Cup here in Dubai, with the Nigerian coach Manu Garba warning the Scandinavians to prepare for fireworks on the Sheiuk Rashid stadium.

Both sides met in the group stage, with the Continues on Page 60

OLDEN Eaglets midfielder Akinjide Idowu will miss tomorrow’s semi-final showdown against Sweden at the Rashid

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UPER Eagles’ Head Coach, Stephen Keshi, has invited 25 players to execute the two big games against Ethiopia and Italy that the African champions will execute in Calabar and London

Stadium in Dubai.

Idowu went into Saturday’s quarter-final against Uruguay with a yellow card to his name and when he bagged another in the Continues on Page 60

respectively within 48 hours mid-November.

First comes the 2014 FIFA World Cup final qualifying match against the Walya Antelopes of Ethiopia, at the U. J. Esuene Stadium, Calabar on Saturday, 16th November, a fixture the Eagles lead 2-1 from the first leg in Addis Ababa on 13th October.

Two days later, the African champions take on four-time World champions Italy at the Craven Cottage ground of English Premiership club, Fulham FC in a highContinues on Page 60

•Omeruo

QUICK CROSSWORD

Sudoku TODAY'S

Omeruo, Gabriel return for Ethiopia, Italy •Keshi lists 25 for big games

Nigeria VsofUruguay Idowu out Sweden showdown

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striker Success Isaac, who was injured in the match against Sweden and has since not Continues on Page 60

PUZZLE

YESTER DAY'S YESTERDAY'S

ANSWERS

ACROSS 1 Climbed (6) 5 Vessel (4) 8 Fish (5) 9 Lout (3) 10 Sphere (4) 11 Orient (4) 12 Restrict (5) 13 Oozed (6) 16 Lake (4) 18 Damage (4) 20 Finish (3) 22 Devotee (3) 23 Attempt (3) 24 Tardy (4) 25 Pitcher (4) 28 Pattern (6) 30 Cheese (5) 32 Unfortunately (4) 33 Flag (4) 34 Wrath (3) 35 Inclined (5) 36 Expired (4) 37 Coin (6)

DOWN 1 Purloined (6) 2 Rich (8) 3 Badge (6) 4 Animated (9) 5 Dexterity (7) 6 Warmth (4) 7 Compassion (4) 8 Whole (3) 14 Guarding (9) 15 Snoop (3) 17 Uncooked (3) 19 Skill (8) 20 Consume (3) 21 Ousted (7) 26 Cause (6) 27 Introduce (6) 29 Pass (4) 30 Storm (4) 31 Craft (3)

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS ACROSS: 3, Atlas 9, Bridge 10, Bucket 11, Ensure 12, Ogre 15, Else 17, Teasing 20, Lip 21, Tutor 23, Edam 25, Loch 26, Yearn 28, Bad 30, Donated 33, Ilex 35, Nude 36, Topic 38, Turbot 39, Outing 40, Pant.

DOWN: 1, Abbot 12, Tiara 3, Age 4, Tenant 5, Abut 6, Sue 7, Skill 8, Steep 13, General 14, Essay 16, Sighted 18, Guard 19, Col 22, Rowan 24, Men 27, Notion 28, Birth 29, Decry 31, Tunic 32, Deign 34, Rota 36, Top 37, Cut.

How to Play Sudoku

P

lace a number (1-9) in each blank cell. (No line can have two of the same number).

Each row (nine lines from left to right), column, (also nine lines from top to bottom) and 3 X 3 block within a bold block (nine blocks) contains number from 1 through 9. This means that no number can appear twice in any block, column or row.

No mathematics is involved – no adding, subtraction, division or multiplication, just plain logic and your imagination.

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