Buhari to move against pension for ex-governors

...towards a better life for the people

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VOL. 25: NO. 62384

ONLINE | www.vanguardngr.com

N150

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015

Fayose in victory dance as 11 S-Court validates his election

Buhari to move against pension for ex-governors zSays Nigeria can't survive under the pensions zIt's a welcome proposal — Keyamo

By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor & Gbenga Oke

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AGOS — PRESIDENT-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), is to lead a campaign to repeal the pension laws for governors enacted by many states of the federation, Vanguard has learnt.

The proposal by the incoming president is based on what sources close to him affirm as the incongruity of the laws under the country ’s socio-economic

Continues on page 5

ALL FOR CHIBOK GIRLS: Children protesting one-year abduction of Chibok schoolgirls by Boko Haram on April 14, 2014, at the gate of the Federal Ministry of Education, in Abuja, yesterday. Photos: Gbemiga Olamikan. INSET: From left: Guest speaker, Prof. Wole Soyinka; President, Women Arise for Change Initiative, Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin; Prof. Pat Utomi and Nollywood actress, Ms Foluke Daramola, at the oneyear anniversary of the abduction of Chibok girls, in Lagos. Photo: NAN.

See story and more pix on Pages 8 &16.

Military to liberate Sambisa forest before May 29 —DASUKI COLUMNISTS:

Enugu govt abandons judges zSEE PULL-OUT INSIDE C M Y K

Nation building and popular culture: Economic incentives to create the new Nigeria •P.17

PDP defectors will kill Nigerian politics •P.19

9

Ijaw, Itsekiri youths clash again over EPZ site 13

My friend’s boyfriend ‘confessed’ we cheated •P.40

Mr & Mrs

2—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015

C M Y K

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C M Y K

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C M Y K

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POCKET CARTOON

of the house.

States that have passed the law

CERTIFICATE OF RETURN: Independent National Electoral

Commission, INEC, Federal Commissioner, Mr Lawrence Nwuruku (left) presenting Certificate of Return to Senate President David Mark as Senatorelect for Benue South Senatorial District in Abuja, yesterday. With them are, Senator Barnabas Gemade (2nd left) and Senator Andy Uba. Photo: NAN.

Buhari moves against pension for govs, speakers Continues from Page 1 environment and also, as a way of demonstrating moral leadership from the top.

Majority of the nation’s 36 state Houses of Assembly have enacted generous pension entitlements for governors that in many cases provide 100 per cent pay for the incumbent governors buildings, generous medical allowances for them and their family members and annual holiday provisions, all of which are to last for life. Provisions in the pension allowances are also made for staff, security and vehicles that are renewable every three or four years.

Buhari’s inclination towards a review of the

pension for former governors was first publicly declared few days to the presidential election at the All Progressives Congress, APC, retreat in Owerri, Imo State.

It's scandalous

A source conversant with the development disclosed that Buhari told the governors that there was no way Nigeria could survive under the financial weight of the pensions that had been earmarked for governors. He was said to have described the pension laws as enacted by states controlled by APC and PDP governors as scandalous.

According to the source, “he was very blunt about it and said that it was something that was going to be done immediately,

TAKE HEART

BY ELLA RANDLE

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REATE your own reality, rewrite your life’s script through creative imagination and use your mind the way it was meant to be used— Take Heart Quotes The reason so few people ever achieve greatness is simply because so few people actually use their thinking faculty to the best of their ability. But it doesn’t have to be this way!

You, me and everyone else has the same mental imagining ability, or simply put, an imagination!

All we need to do is spend time making use of that incredibly useful mental gift and we can surprise ourselves what we can come up with.

It might be that we simply envisage a better way to live our lives so they don’t seem such a struggle.

It might be that we get some ideas how we can make more money and enjoy financial freedom. Or it could be that we develop a greater personal health strategy that boosts our physical health in all kinds of ways. Or it could be that we create the way to enjoy better and more meaningful and fulfilling relationships.

Being in the moment is like being on holy ground.

Be more aware to recognize life’s blessings. You deserve to be happy!

especially because it is not something that can be sustained.

“The feeling was that not only was it wrong and morally unconscionable, but that it was not something that should be encouraged, and he was appealing to them that it should be changed.”

However, the response of the governors, who were present at the retreat, was not immediately given.

It's a welcome proposal —Keyamo

The development was, yesterday, welcomed by leading Lagos lawyer, Festus Keyamo, who described it as a fantastic proposal but disclosed that it was something that could, however, only be accomplished through moral suasion.

“Fantastic, fantastic. It is a very welcome proposal,” the Lagos lawyer, who backed General Buhari against President Goodluck Jonathan in last month’s presidential election said.

He, however, said the proposal was something that Buhari could only effect through moral suasion as the pension acts were enacted by state Houses of Assembly.

The crave for financial safety out of office was recently also extended to the legislature after the Lagos State House of Assembly passed pension laws to guarantee generous pension entitlements with proposals for former presiding officers

Many states of the federation had steadily been passing the law since return to civil rule. States like Lagos, Edo, Gombe, Oyo, and Rivers have passed the law, through which several former governors are already drawing applicable benefits, which in some cases are 100 per cent of what the incumbent is earning, while in others, some benefits in the pension laws are as high as 300 per cent of what obtains in some states.

100% of basic salary in Kwara

The law stipulated that qualified former governors and their deputies be paid pension for life, without other perks like accommodation, cars, etc.

The law was reviewed in 2010 by Bukola Saraki, a former governor of the state and a serving senator, who with the support of the state House of Assembly imposed outrageous raises on all the benefits.

The 2010 law gives a former governor two cars and a security car, replaceable every three years. The governor is also entitled to a “well-furnished 5-bedroom duplex,” furniture allowance of 300 per cent of his salary (which totals over N6 million).

The law also gives the governor five personal staff paid for by the state, eight policemen, three DSS operatives (of which one must be a female), free medicals for the governor and the deputy.

Other entitlements are 30 per cent of salary for car maintenance, 20 per cent for utility, 10 per cent for entertainment, 10 per cent for house maintenance.

100% of basic salary in Rivers

The Rivers pension law was first approved in 2003 by former governor, Peter Odili, having been passed by a state assembly headed by the present governor, Chibuike Amaechi as speaker.

The 2003 pension law provides pension for life for governors and deputies, defining “pension” as embodying annual terminal basic salary, annual transport allowance, annual rent subsidy, annual utility allowance, entertainment allowance, domestic staff of not more than

four.

Like Lagos, the new law gives the former governor a house in Rivers State and anywhere in Nigeria. The former governor is also entitled to pension for life at the rate of the governor’s basic salary, 300 per cent of salary for furniture paid every four years, three cars every four years, free medical and 10 per cent for house maintenance.

The law gives the former governor a security detail comprising two DSS operatives, four police officers, 30 per cent for car maintenance, 10 per cent entertainment, 20 per cent utility and several domestic staff.

100% of basic salary in Edo

The Edo State House of Assembly on May 16, 2007 passed a law entitled 'Provision for the Pension of Rights of the Governor and Deputy Governor of the state.'

This law was passed few weeks before Governor Lucky Igbinedion left office as Governor of Edo State.

It provides for 100 per cent pension for the governor at a rate similar to the salary of the incumbent office holder and for domestic staff among others for the former governor.

300% of annual salary in Oyo

The Oyo State Pension Law 2004 provides that the Governor and Deputy Governor after leaving office shall be entitled to Pension for life at a rate equivalent to the annual salary of the incumbent Governor or Deputy Governor.

Furniture Allowance of 300 per cent of the annual basic salary, Leave Allowance of 10 per cent of annual basic salary and severance allowance of 300 per cent of the annual basic salary.

Rights groups tasks lawmakers on health

BY EDIRI EJOH & BARTHOLOMEW MADUKWE

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WO groups, the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) and Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) have called on the members of the House of Representatives to ensure a strong and enforceable bill that puts the health of Nigerians first.

The groups also tasked the lawmakers on ensuring that the bill which must conform with the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHOFCTC) gets the Presidential signature before the end of the seventh National Assembly.

In a statement signed by the groups Head of Media, Philip Jakpor, ERA/FoEN Director, Corporate Accountability and

Administration, Akinbode Oluwafemi said: “As members of the House resume seating after the elections to deliberate on key issues bothering on the nation we are renewing our call that they pass the NTCB into law without further delays.”

“We reiterate that the health of our citizens hangs in the balance as our lawmakers delay the passage of the bill. For the tobacco industry this delay is very welcome as it would enable them hook more smokers to their deadly wares.”

CISLAC Executive Director, Auwal Rafsanjani, on his part said: “As the lawmakers deliberate on the bill we also urge them to be on their guard for more misleading articles, and reports by tobacco companies aimed at thwarting a strong and effective law.”

6—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015

Motorists, commuters groan as fuel scarcity bites harder in Abuja

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By Michael Eboh & Grace Udofia

ESPITE seems not to be in sight for motorists in Abuja as the ongoing fuel scarcity in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, worsened yesterday, with motorists spending an average of 12 hours at petrol stations in their quest to purchase the commodity.

Vanguard observed that the Federal Government seems uninterested in the plight of motorists, as authorities in charge of the downstream petroleum sector have kept mute.

The silence of the government and its officials with respect to the fuel crisis, was in contrast to what was obtained in the past, where the Minister of Petroleum Resources and officials of the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency, PPPRA, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC and Pipeline and Products Marketing Company, PPMC, would go round the town to enforce the sale of the product, sanctioning defaulting marketers and addressing the problem.

Apart from a less-thanimpressive visit by Group Managing Director of NNPC, chief executives of PPPRA, DPR and PPMC, to two filling stations just across from the head office of NNPC, where promises were made to address the crisis, nothing had been heard from the authorities in February.

The prolonged scarcity has also brought in its wake a hike in transport fares, commodities and services in FCT. In addition, as a result of the hike in transport fares, large crowd of pedestrians were seen at almost all the bus stops in the FCT, as one of the cab drivers told Vanguard that commercial drivers are left with no other option than to hike their fares, having purchase fuel from the black market at a minimum of N200 per litre.

However, a source in PPPRA blamed the scarcity on apprehensions over the elections, stating that with the conclusion of the elections, supply of fuel will increase significantly.

Pastor docked over N390,000 anointing oil for private parts

By Bartholomew Madukwe & Victor Ogunsola

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self-acclaimed pastor, John Ojebe, 50, has been charged before an Oshodi Magistrate’s Court in Lagos for allegedly obtaining N390,000 from one Hawo Umoru under the pretence of selling her Adonai oil to wash her private parts with.

Ojebe was also said to have conspired with two others, now

at large, to commit felony, to wit obtaining money by false pretence and stealing N390,000 belonging to the victim.

The accused, whose address remains unknown, was said to have committed the offences at Sura Mogaji Street, off Coker Road, Ilupeju, Lagos State.

He was arraigned by the police on a three-count charge of obtaining money by false pretence and stealing.

However, when the charge was read to the accused before

Magistrate Akeem Fashola, he pleaded not guilty.

One of the charges read: “That you John Ojebe, with two others at large, on April 13, 2014, at about 11am along Sura Mogaji Street, off Coker Road, Ilupeju in the Lagos State Magisterial District, did obtain N390,000 from one Hawo Umoru under the pretence of selling to her one Adonai oil for washing of her private part.”

Police prosecutor, Sergeant Kehinde Olatunde, informed

the court that the offence was punishable under Section 410 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2011.

Following the application for the accused’s bail by his counsel, Mr. Michael Olisah, the magistrate granted him bail in the sum of N100,000 with one responsible sureties, who must have paid tax for three years and whose address should be verified.

The matter was adjourned till April 27 for further mention.

I didn't mean to kill my childhood friend, 17-year-old girl laments

By Esther Onyegbula

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IFE for Chiemeriem Benjamin, who had a dream of becoming a banker, has come to a temporary halt as she accidentally killed her childhood friend, Lawrence Oloruntobi, during a minor disagreement.

The incident, which took place at Iba area of Lagos, has opened a scary new phase of life for the teenager, who hails from Abia State.

Chiemeriem told Vanguard: “Lawrence is my friend; we grew up together and have lived in the same environment from as far back as I can remember.

“On that day, I was just not in the mood to talk with him. When I came out in the morning, he tried to make some jokes, which we would ordinarily laughed about. But I told him I was not interested in such.

“I went out later that day and on my way back, I saw him forcing my younger brother to play in a stagnant body of water in front of our compound.

“My brother was crying out for help, because he did not want to be dragged into the water. I quickly walked up to Lawrence to stop him. He took it personal and told me he would slap me.

“Out of anger, I told him that even his mother would not dare slap me. He then went in to get a cane, which has always been his tradition whenever we are having a misunderstanding.

“I also rushed into our room to grab a knife. But my elder brother and a neighbour, called Iya Ayo, intervened and settled the matter.”

According to the 17-year-old, Senior Secondary 1 student, “about two hours later, Lawrence came back to meet me, threatening to deal with me. We started exchanging words, which later culminated in a fight.

“I went in and grabbed another knife just to threaten

him.

“Unfortunately, while my elder brother, who intervened again, was trying to plead with Lawrence not to fight with me because I am a girl, I angrily stabbed Lawrence in the chest with the knife.

“It was only after my action that I realized what I had done.

I started calling out for help because I was very scared.

“Few neighbours, who were around, responded and we quickly rushed him to a nearby hospital, but it was too late. He died.

“Sincerely, I never meant to kill him with the knife. I only wanted to threaten him, but I just do not know how and why I stabbed him.”

Vanguard learned that the case, which is currently being investigated by operatives in the homicide section of Lagos State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, would soon be charged to court.

Chiemeriem Benjamin... Lawrence and I grew up together.

Man gets 18-month jail term for stealing battery

By Bartholomew Madukwe, Victor Ogunsola & Jane Echewodo

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Kirikiri Magistrate’s Court in Lagos has sentenced a bus driver, John Chibuzor, to 18 months in prison with hard labour for stealing one LT vehicle battery valued at N14,000.

The convict was said to have assaulted the owner of the battery, Mr. Emeka Onyekwe.

He was said to have committed the offence on March 30, at 23, Casco Street, Agboju, Lagos.

Chibuzor was arraigned before Magistrate Ademola Adesanya on a two-count charge of stealing and assault, contrary to Sections 285 (1) and 170 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State.

The convict, who had earlier

told the court that he had been in the act for long, begged the court to be compassionate with its judgment.

However, the magistrate declared Chibuzor guilty of the charges and passed the sentence.

Man, 67, charged with theft of N56.2m building materials

By Onozure Dania

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AGOS—67-year-old Albert Oyebade was, yesterday, arraigned before a Lagos Magistrate's Court sitting at Igbosere over alleged theft of building materials worth N56.2 million.

The defendant, who is facing a two-count charge of conspiracy and stealing, was docked before Magistrate Oluwatoyin Fowowe.

The prosecutor, Godwin Oria, told the court that the defendants and others at large,

committed the offence on April 13.

When the charge was read to the defendant, he pleaded not guilty.

According to the prosecutor, the offence is punishable under Sections 409 and 285 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2011.

However, Magistrate Fowowe granted the defendant bail in the sum of N5 million with two responsible sureties in like sum.

The matter was adjourned till May 20, for mention.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015—7

My husband committed suicide, says arrested widow of award-winning pharmacist

By Evelyn Usman

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RS Busayo Olafare, the widow of Paul Olafare, who allegedly committed suicide, weekend, in his Oworonsoki home in Lagos, has denied culpability in his husband’s death, saying he took poison.

News of the death of the father of two filtered in Sunday.

But there were different accounts on the circumstance that led to his demise.

A version of the account had it that he poisoned himself, following an unpaid loan he took to set up his own pharmacy.

It was also reported that late Olafare, who was awarded Lagos State Pharmacist of the Year 2013, had on several occasions attempted to take his life before Sunday. One of the foiled attempts, as gathered, was his intention to jump into the lagoon from the Third Mainland Bridge.

Also, a close friend of late Olafare (names withheld) reportedly disclosed that the deceased had, last Thursday, sent a text message to his wife advising her to remarry and take care of their two children should any harm befall him.

Dissatisfied with claims that their son committed suicide, the bereaved parents were said to have lodged a complaint to the Police at Oworoshoki, following which Mrs Olafare was arrested.

However, in her statement to the Police, she maintained that her husband committed suicide.

Police sources hinted that she claimed to have come out of the bathroom that fateful day, when she met her husband with a liquid substance in a plastic bottle, suspected to be pesticide.

She stated that she wanted to take the bottle from him, and in the process he informed her that there was no need to struggle with him as he had already drank the substance.

She further claimed to have rushed to the kitchen and brought palm oil, which she forced into her husband’s

mouth. But by then it was too late as he reportedly began to writhe in pain before he breathed his last.

Police sources hinted that the remaining content inside the plastic had been taken for forensic examination to determine what it was. Also, an autopsy report, as gathered, would be carried out on the deceased to ascertain the exact cause of his death.

The Police source said: “It is the outcome of the result that will determine our next line of investigation. We cannot say for now if the woman killed her husband as alleged.”

Late Olafare, who was in his 30s, was a graduate of the College of Medicine, University of Lagos.

He was also a leader of the Celestial Church of Christ, Somolu Youth group, and also founded a gospel tract ministry known as The Harvesters.

By Abdulsalam

K

Mr. Paul Olafare. His wife, Busayo (inset).

Two dead, as fire engulfs building in Lagos

The window through which Mrs Oseghale and her children were rescued.

By Evelyn Usman

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storey building located on Authority Avenue, in IleIwe, Ikotun, Lagos, went up in flames in the early hours of yesterday, killing a man and his sister-in-law.

However, his wife and three children were reportedly rescued with mild burns.

This is just as an explosion occurred in a welding workshop yesterday in Festac Town, Lagos, killing a 35-year-old man.

The fire incident, as gathered, occurred at about 2am. At press time, the cause was unknown.

Report said the fire started from the flat on the top floor of the building, while the occupants, identified as the Oseghales, were asleep.

The desperate shout for help from the Oseghales was said to have jolted neighbours from sleep. But help was far from their reach as no one dared go inside the flat owing to thick smoke.

Residents reportedly put up effort to contain the situation to no avail, until the arrival of fire service men.

Mrs Oseghale, as gathered, put up a brave act by pulling off the window net in her bedroom, from where she stuck her children’s head out, to allow them breath in fresh air.

They were reportedly in that

Brazil-based Nigerians caught with 4.19kg narcotics

By Evelyn Usman & Daniel Eteghe

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AGOS—FOUR Brazilbased Nigerians have been arrested with 171 wraps of cocaine, weighing 4.19kg, at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos.

Among the suspects was a 27year-old Accounting Diploma holder from the Institute of Management Technology,

Enugu, Akpa Subuzochukwu, who blamed his indulgence on frustration over his inability to pay his father’s hospital bills back home.

The suspects were reportedly apprehended by officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, during screening of passengers on Emirate and Qatar Airline flights.

NDLEA Commander at Lagos

PDP chieftain abandons agbada, jumps fence evading arrest

Airport, Mr. Hamza Umar, noted that the Brazil-Nigeria route had become notorious for cocaine smuggling, disclosing that the suspects tested positive for cocaine ingestion and were placed under observation until the drugs were egested.

He said: “ Ejiofor Eliezer, 46, ingested 100 wraps of cocaine weighing 2.155kg. This is the highest single ingestion since January.”

position until part of the walls of the window was broken by firemen, from where they were rescued.

However, same could not be said of her husband, a sailor.

It was, however, discovered that only the Oseghales flat located on the front wing of the building and the kitchen of the flat behind it were affected.

Occupant of the flat with the affected kitchen said: “ When I heard the alarm, I ran out of the flat and was calling out to residents to come to our aid.

“By then, Mama Ofure (Mrs Oseghale) was calling out to me to help her and her children from her bedroom. I banged on neighbours gate to come out but nobody came out at first.”

Muhammad

ANO—A chieftain of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Kano State (names withheld) allegedly abandoned his agbada and jumped a fence, while evading arrest over electoral offences.

Kano State Police Command has declared him and four others wanted for electoral offences during the governorship and House of Assembly elections in the state.

Addressing reporters in Kano, the Police Commissioner, Ibrahim Idris, said suspect, a close associate of a minister, was implicated by 14 suspects arrested by security agents for the destruction of sensitive electoral materials at Kauran Mata, Madobi Local Government Area of the state.

He disclosed that when security agents stormed the suspect’s residence to effect his arrest, he jumped a fence and escaped into the bush, abandoning his flowing gown, agbada.

Mr. Idris further said the command recorded 26 electoral offences, in which 76 suspects were arrested and 78 sticks, 16 knives, 32 cutlasses, four swords, two catapults, 15 arrows, one axe, wraps of Indian hemp, among other exhibits, recovered.

He also disclosed that it arrested an INEC ad hoc staff at Bankamawa polling unit 003 in Shanono council for thumb-printing 53 ballot papers for a governorship candidate.

8—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL15, 2015

INEC considers April 18 for run-off elections in Imo, Abia, Taraba

By Jude Opara

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BUJA—THE Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, may have scheduled the run-off governorship elections in three states, Imo, Abia and Taraba, where last Saturday’s elections were declared inconclusive, for next Saturday.

The April 18 proposed date was yet to be officially confirmed as sources in the commission told Vanguard yesterday that senior officials, who should take the decision, were yet to meet on the development.

INEC had declared the Imo State gubernatorial election inconclusive following the cancellation of results from 216 polling units that cut across 23 local governments with about 144 accredited voters.

In Abia State, the polls were declared inconclusive because the state electoral officer was said to have earlier cancelled the results from Obioma Ngwa, Isiala Ngwa and Osisioma Ngwa local government area, only to later authenticate the results, a development that led to protests by members of All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA.

I’m not seeking asylum anywhere, says Alison-Madueke

By Soni Daniel, Regional Editor, North

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ETROLEUM Minister, Mrs. Diezani AlisonMadueke, said last night she was not seeking asylum in any part of the world, as claimed by her traducers.

Madueke, who spoke through the Group Public Affairs General Manager of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Mr. Ohi Alegbe, denied ever contemplating relocating from Nigeria.

An online publication

reported, yesterday, that the minister had been denied asylum by six countries, where she had so far applied, but did not mention the countries involved.

Alegbe said his boss merely went for a short vacation outside Nigeria and would soon return to her job.

He said the claim that the woman had been denied asylum by six countries was not only a fabrication aimed at confusing some gullible persons, but deliberately targeted at smearing the minister and her office.

Alegbe said: “I want to say that the Minister of Petroleum has never contemplated going on asylum in any part of the world and has never applied for any.

“The minister has only gone for a short vacation abroad and will soon return to Nigeria, having no reason to leave her job and country for any other place.”

The online medium, quoting a group known as Business Council for Africa, BCA, had said that no fewer than six countries had already refused an asylum

request by Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke.

The BCA gave the impression that the minister would be investigated under the new administration of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd), even though he had said that he would not probe his predecessors.

“Given her reputation, it comes as no surprise to learn that six countries have already refused to grant her asylum to live in their countries as she now wishes to leave Nigeria at the earliest possible opportunity,” it said.

VISIT: From left— Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State; Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, National Leader of All Progressives Congress, APC, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, Lagos State governor-elect, during a congratulatory visit to the leader in Lagos.

CHIBOK SCHOOLGIRLS: Demonstrations mark first anniversary T

HE whole world stood in unison yesterday, demanding the release of the 219 schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram terrorists exactly one year ago from Chibok, Borno State.

As demonstrations were held in major western cities to mark the anniversary of the abduction, 219 schoolgirls, who called themselves Chibok Ambassadors, staged a protest march in Abuja, while the Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, and the House of Representatives called on the government to reinforce efforts to bring back the missing girls.

At a forum held in Lagos, Professor Soyinka urged Nigerians to join hands with the government to ensure that the children were found.

Soyinka

His words: “We must make sure that such assault on our

humanity does not happen again. The survival of humanity and of the nation must remain paramount.

“Terrorism is not a Nigerian phenomenon alone and may not be going away soon.

However, we must not get used to it. Our children are being dehumanised. I believe that our responsibility is to assist by becoming vigilant.

“We must become policemen/women and vigilante of our communities.

We must encourage others to be protective members of their community.

tolerate. We must confront terror and not sit in our homes complaining.

“We must stand up to enforce what we demand. The measure of the progress of any civilization is how they hold the dignity of the human person.

“It’s not just about rescuing the girls alone but about staying together and fighting for what is right.”

Utomi suggested that plans must be put in place that would help rehabilitate the girls when they eventually return.

Utomi

Okei-Odumakin

Professor Pat Utomi, in his contribution, said humanity, the world over, was a shared one and anything that diminished any human and did not touch others was bad.

He said: “Terror is not something we should

In her speech, Dr. Joe OkeiOdumakin, who is also the President of Campaign for Democracy, CD, said more should be done to enhance security of lives and property in Nigeria.

She said: “The whole world

stood in unison to call for the return of our girls since they were taken.

“We will continue to raise awareness and to insist that our military gets better welfare to boost their morale.

We want to tell the terrorists that we can never give up our girls.

“We also want to challenge the President-elect on seeing that the girls are re-united with their parents.”

Chibok Ambassadors

In Abuja, 219 schoolgirls marched through the streets starting from Unity Fountain to Ministry of Education, chanting and demanding the rescue of the remaining 219 girls, who were yet to be released by the insurgents.

Tears were visible on the faces of the girls as they recounted their grievances to the handful of officials, who

met them outside the ministry building.

They said they will never be tired of fighting for the rights of their kidnapped “sisters” who cannot speak for themselves.

Each girl carried a placard bearing the name of a missing Chibok girls.

“Three-hundred-and-sixtyfive-days and we are still calling out loud and clear, stronger than ever— we will not get tired of calling for the release of our sisters,” said Rebecca Ishaku, one of the girls, who escaped from Boko Haram’s custody.

The ministry initially locked them out. But when the girls continued to sing and demanded to speak with the Minister of Education, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, he sent his Acting Permanent Secretary, Dr. Muhammed Umara to address them.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015 — 9

Military to liberate Sambisa Forest before May 29 — DASUKI A

BUJA—THE National Security Adviser (NSA) retired Col. Sambo Dasuki promised yesterday that Sambisa Forest, the fortress of Boko Haram terrorists and one of their last remaining camps will be stormed and liberated before the May 29, 2015 presidential handover date.

The NSA, in a statement issued on the anniversay of the abduction of over 200 secondary school girls from Chibok, Borno State also gave an assurance that the Federal Government was making every effort to ensure that the girls with every other Nigerian abducted by terrorists are rescued.

“Right now, all Boko Haram camps, except Sambisa Forest have been destroyed,” the NSA said.

According to him, the forest would have since been liberated but for the unfavourable weather condition prevailing in the area as all needed reconnaissance activity and necessary deployment of troops have been made for the operation.

“Every movement of the terrorists is being monitored and every necessary detail is being taken care of to rid the country of the last bastion of terrorists’ infestation”, Sambo Dasuki disclosed.

He insisted that government is concerned about the welfare of every single Nigerian including the girls adding “aside the Chibok girls, other Nigerian girls, boys, men and women were abducted by the terrorists and all efforts are being made to rescue them all.”

While appealing for a little more time to complete the routing of terrorists, Dasuki recalled that before elections were postponed in February, over 20 local governments were occupied by Boko Haram and that most Nigerians were pleasantly surprised that so much was achieved against insurgency within six weeks.

While commending President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan on the successful conduct of the 2015 round of elections, the security adviser however, noted that nobody pressured the President into conceding defeat in the presidential election.

“President Jonathan had already given his words to all the security and service chiefs before the election that he would abide by the decision of Nigerians. At the meeting, he also told them to perform their duties professionally during the polls.

“While we anticipated that he would congratulate his opponent if the result is announced in favour of opposition candidate, he gratuitously without prompting of anyone conceded defeat to the surprise of all.

“By that singular gesture he had saved the security agencies and the nation of unnecessary tension

and stress in maintaining law and order and curtailing excesses of likely protesters.”

While commending the fairness of media in the coverage of elections, he nevertheless urged them to be conscious of malicious reports being sponsored by vested interest.

He denied a report that he was at any polling units during the last governorship election and

was never involved in any meeting with judicial officers to truncate any democratic process.

Immediately after the postponement of elections in February this year, Sambo Dasuki had assured Nigerians and international community that all known terrorists’ camps would be destroyed while most of the occupied communities under Boko Haram in three

states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe would be liberated to allow for peaceful conduct of elections and collection of more voters cards by the electorates.

He said: “All known Boko Haram camps will be taken out.

They won’t be there. They will be dismantled. In addition to the acquisition of more sophisticated armaments and training of our troops in guerrilla warfare the new military co-operation agreed to between Nigeria and its neighbours will prove decisive against Boko Haram.”

CELEBRATIONS: From right; All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; Alhaji Aliko Dangote; Lagos State governor-elect, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode; his running mate, Dr Oluranti Adebule and GMD, Oando Plc, Mr Wale Tinubu celebrating Ambode's victory.

Oando targets 100,000bpd, 500MMboe by 2017

By Clara Nwachukwu

O

ANDO Energy Resources, OER, has expressed optimism of meeting its medium term new production targets of 100,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, boepd, and reserves of 500 million barrels of oil equivalent, MMboe by 2017.

OER, said such high expectations is being driven by its reserves, exploration drive and vision of becoming a leading exploration and production, E&P player in the Nigerian oil and gas sector.

A statement from Oando made available to Vanguard on Tuesday, indicated that the company is well on track to meeting these production targets with its recent announcement of an 82 percent increase in reserves despite the downturn in the sector.

The company’s proved and probable net reserves, 2P reserves were significantly increased from 230.6 million barrels of oil equivalent, MMboe to 420.3 MMboe at an economic value of $545 million to $1.8 billion.

The statement said the reserves

…Justifies ConocoPhillips' acquisition increase “is especially reassuring for our shareholders, as it is likely to have a positive impact on future revenue for the business.”

COP acquisition pays off

Furthermore, it said the quantum leap in reserves now more than justified its July 2014, acquisition of the ConocoPhillips, COP assets in Nigeria, for a whopping $1.5 billion, a transaction many believed was rather ambitious.

But with the increase in reserves, Oando maintained that the acquisition was “a strategically important and timely move.”

It added that “The new reserves figures are based on an annual evaluation report of OER’s reserve and resources conducted by worldwide petroleum independent company, DeGolyer and MacNaughton, D&M.” Commenting on these developments, the Chief Executive Officer OER, Mr. Pade Durotoye, was quoted as sayingd: “We are very pleased

with the new 2014 Reserves numbers which confirms our thesis at the time we embarked on our transformative COP acquisition.

“This large Reserves base gives us a substantial value driver with the opportunity to further enhance production over the coming years, and pursue in-field exploration prospects that will complement our resource base and ensure we are well positioned within the sector.”

Reaps big from oil crash

In the last 10 months, Oando has evolved from an indigenous player producing about 4,500 boepd from three producing assets to being ranked alongside the international majors with a daily production of 53,000 boepd from seven producing assets.

It was also noted that as a result of the slump in oil prices, 2014 ended on a sour note for the petroleum sector. This downward trend has continued in 2015, with speculations that as much as $1.6 trillion will be wiped out in earnings for producing companies and countries.

CBN limits overseas usage of debit cards to $50,000

By Babajide Komolafe

T

HE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) yesterday reduced the limit for usage of naira debit cards for transactions overseas to $50,000 from $150,000 per person, per annum.

The reduction was announced by the Director, Trade and Exchange Department, CBN, Mr. Olakanni Gbadamosi via a circular titled “Usage of Naira Denominated Cards Overseas.

The circular stated, “All authorised dealers and the general public are hereby informed that with effect from the date of this circular (13th April 2015) the existing limit on the usage of the naira denominated cards for transactions overseas has been reviewed downward “Accordingly, the limit has been reduced from $150,000 to $50,000 per person, per annum. In addition, authorised dealers are to ensure that the daily cash withdrawal limit embedded in the cards per person, per day is pegged at $300.

Authorised dealers are to ensure strict compliance with this new limit and render monthly returns of the transactions.”

The decision to reduce the limit was taken at the meeting of the Bankers Committee held last week.

Managing Director/ Chief Executive, Union Bank Mr. Emeka Emuwa, at the post Bankers Committee press briefing said, “We realise that people were using the cards in a manner they were not expected to use them.

There were some arbitrage going on, and in order to continue to support the stability in the foreign exchange market. ''So it was agreed at the committee that the limit would be reduced for the use of the naira debit cards.

You will still have, as a customer, unfettered access to your dollar account (cards) but the naira cards the limit will be reduced to a judicious level.''

10 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015

Ogun SDP congratulates Amosun, studies results zDenies working for presidency

By Daud Olatunji

By Chioma Obinna & Olasunkanmi Akoni

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B E O K U TA — T H E leadership of the Social Democratic Party in Ogun State, Monday, said, it’s governorship candidate in the April 11 election, Senator Akin Odunsi, has sent a congratulatory message to the state governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, who emerged winner in the election.

The party, however, said it was still studying the results of the governorship and state House of Assembly elections, saying, it would come up with its decision after the completion of its scrutiny.

Governor Amosun got re-elected for a second term in office on the platform of the All Progressives Congress having polled 306,988 votes to defeat his rivals from the Peoples Democratic Party, Prince Gboyega Isiaka, who got 201,440 votes and SDP candidate who scored 25,826 votes.

The state chairman of the party, Chief Olu Agemo, while briefing newsmen in Abeokuta about the outcome of the election and activities of the party, thanked the national leader of the party, Chief Olusegun Osoba and his wife for their support during the campaign tours and the elections.

Agemo, who was flanked by the

L

BRIEFING: From left; Ogun State Chairman of the Social Democratic Party, Chief Olu Agemo; the party's governorship candidate, Senator Kamor Akin Odunsi and his running mate, Prince Segun Adesegun at a press conference in Abeokuta. Photo by Daud Olatunji. governorship candidate of the party, Senator Akin Odunsi, his running mate and deputy governor of the state, Prince Segun Adesegun, and state secretary of the party, Chief Abimbola Awofeso, said it was untrue that the SDP was being sponsored by the presidency to destablise the politics of the South West.

He lamented that one of the opposition political parties in the state sent a sinister message on the social media that Odunsi had

withdrawn from the race, which he said had led to the party loss.

He said, “Our candidate has, after the announcement of the result sent a congratulatory message to Governor Amosun.

“It was bad to the extent of attempting to destroy our governorship candidate through SMS, WHATSAPP and Facebook on the day of election that he had withdrawn from the race. This had damaging effect on our members and supporters right at the polling centres.

''Throughout the campaigns, and up till now, we as progressive have maintained decorum and politics of principle by not joining our opponents in mudslinging and blackmail.''

“First was the bombardment of the social media of their destructive mission that we were being sponsored by the Presidency to destabilise the politics of South West. We say unequivocally that at no time did we have anything to do materially or otherwise with the Presidency.''

2015 campaigns almost divided Lagos – FASHOLA

By Olasunkanmi Akoni & Monsur olowoopejo

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AGOS—GOVERNOR Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, yesterday, confessed that

the 2015 general election campaigns almost divided Lagos along ethnic line and civil service administration.

This came even as the Lagos State Governor-elect, Mr.

Make Chibok girls rescue priority, Labour urges Buhari

By Victor Ahiuma-Young

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AGOS—NIGERIA Labour Congress, NLC, yesterday in Lagos, urged the incoming government of General Muhammadu Buhari, retd, to make the rescue of the Chibok girls a top priority from May 29, as the world marked the one year anniversary of the abduction of the girls from their school by Boko Haram insurgents.

Leaders of NLC decried the inability of the outgoing government to free the girls from their abductors, insisting that it was a major failure of the government which had exposed the parents, guardians and loved ones to untold hardship and frustration.

Speaking at the end of its Central Working Committee, CWC, meeting in Lagos, the faction of NLC led by Joe Ajaero , also berated the immediate past leadership of NLC for perceived care free

EBOLA: Lagos dispels rumours of new cases

attitude to the freedom of the girls which led the civil society groups and other concerned to take up the campaigns for the rescue of the girls.

This came as the faction reiterated its commitment to genuine reconciliation in the crisis rocking the Congress, noting that only independent and unbiased committee by the labour veterans progressive civil society allies of labour could set up a machinery for true reconciliation.

Addressing journalists, Comrade Ajaero noted neither his faction nor Ayuba Wabba faction had the moral right to set up a reconciliation committee if the factions truly wanted reconciliation, arguing that pioneer General General of NLC, Aliyu Dangiwa, could not head any reconciliation committee because he was a principal actor in the crisis.

Akinwunmi Ambode, urged the civil servants in the state to give their continue support to him and his incoming team inorder to continue the excellent work in the state saying, “My mission is to make Lagos civil service the best in Africa.”

Fashola and Ambode spoke at a “Thank You” meeting with the state civil servants at LTV ground, Alausa, Ikeja,, organised to show appreciation for voting for All Progressives Congress, APC, candidates in the last Saturday Governorship and House of Assembly elections.

Fashola, who noted that the task ahead is daunting both at the national and state level, noted that 2015 election campaigns recorded an unprecedented hype compared to previous elections i the country.

According to him, “I have been involved in four elections. In 2003, I was the Chief of Staff to Governor Bola Tinubu, 2007 and 2011 as candidate while 2015 as governor. But not in any of those elections have I seen a campaign that tried to divide our public service.”

Explaining the heights attained by the election campaign, Fashola said, “I have never seen posters in front of the state secretariat, Alausa and these posters distorted the reality of our

condition in service.

“The posters alleged that the minimum wage wasn’t paid, that leave bonuses have been withdrawn. That was dangerous for public service. They didn’t reflect the reality.

AGOS State government has shutdown a website where the fake report on new cases of Ebola Virus Disease, EVD, originated even as it has set in motion measures to prosecute originators of the rumours.

Meanwhile, the state government yesterday confirmed that two Nigerian volunteers, returning from Liberia, were taken to the Mainland Hospital in Yaba and had remained negative to the EVD for more than two weeks.

Debunking the claims of new cases of the Ebola Virus Disease in Nigeria at a press conference jointly held by the Commissioners of Health, Information and Strategy and Special Duties in Lagos, the health Commissioner, Dr Jide Idris urged Nigerians to disregard the rumour claiming that three people, who just returned from Liberia, died of the disease and infected 12 others.

His words, “Definitely we will take punitive measures against them. This is against public health law and this is why we have investigated properly before coming up with this press conference.

We are discussing with the State Ministry of Justice on the proper way to go about it.''

PDP protests defeat in Lagos

By Esther Onyegbula

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AGOS—MEMBERS of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Lagos State, on Monday, took to the streets to protest the loss of their candidates in the governorship and state House of Assembly elections that took place, weekend.

Hundreds of party members and supporters carried placards as they marched from the party’s secretariat at Idimu, Alimosho local government council at about 1pm causing gridlock on the LASU-Iba road and major streets calling for the cancellation of the governorship and Assembly elections in Alimosho local government council.

The protesting members of the party said that the election was full of irregularities alleging that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, was compromised and biased

which led to the party’s defeat.

The PDP Chairman in Alimosho area, Prince Ayodele Adelaja said the APC, in connivance with INEC officials, allegedly manipulated the electoral process in the area to favour the APC candidates and therefore urged INEC to cancel the election and organise a re-run.

Mr. Adeleja, who led the protest had earlier during a press conference at the party’s secretariat in Alimosho called on well meaning Nigerians to demand for a probe of the 2015 elections, adding that the party’s votes were rigged to favour APC. He said” Is this change they are calling for? Where at the end of the election, our analysis shows that the numbers of voters in Alimosho are more than the accredited voters. What happened in Alimosho during the presidential and the other elections is a great betrayal of the electoral process.''

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015—11

Fayose in victory dance as S-Court validates his election

By Gbenga Ariyibi & Ikechukwu Nnochiri

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DO EKITI— GOVERNOR Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State, yesterday led a victory dance to celebrate the judgment of the Supreme Court which revalidated his election during the June 21 governorship election in the state Fayose personally led the procession made up of the crowd awaiting his return from Abuja where the judgment was delivered.

Fayose carried a placard bearing the inscription: “God, I thank you, Ekiti people, I thank you for your steadfastness,” leading the carnival-like procession through busy routes such as Fajuyi-OkeshaOkeyinmi-Oba’s market, Old Garage, Ijigbo-Mugbagba and Ajilosun streets among others..

Addressing the crowd, Fayose said he was delighted that all legal tussles weaved around his mandate as governor had died and laid to rest by the Supreme Court.

He expressed gratitude to the judges for keeping sacred, the mandate freely given to him by Ekiti people.

Fayose called on those still nursing the ambition of getting him out of office at all cost, and by all means to have a re-think, as unfolding events had proved that it was God that put him in position of leadership.

During the period the procession lasted, there was traffic gridlock on major streets of AdoEkiti as every available space was occupied by the jubilant residents, thereby preventing free flow of human and vehicular traffic.

Among those who accompanied the governor on the road show were a former Ekiti State deputy governor and senator-elect, Mrs. Abiodun Olujimi; wife of former Lagos governor and SenatorElect, Mrs Fatimah Raji-Rasaki, Senator Bode Ola and all the six newly elected House of Representatives members as well as all the 25 newly elected House of Assembly members Ado Ekiti, the state capital, witnessed an unprecedented crowd immediately the news was relayed to the public as the people trooped out in their thousands to celebrate the victory of Governor Fayose at the apex court.

It was the same story at Ikere Ekiti, home town of the Deputy Governor, Dr Kolapo Olubunmi Olusola, likewise Afao Ekiti, the hometown of Fayose and virtually all the towns and villages of the state.

Some of those who trooped out in Ado Ekiti included traders, Okada riders, students, commercial transporters and party men and women of various political divide abandoned work immediately the judgment was delivered at about 10:am.

The jubilant crowd sang praises

to God in songs like Ose ,ose oo ,ose o ,ose baba, dancing round the town and later meeting the group following the governor at Fajuyi Square.

The Supreme Court, yesterday, dashed the hopes of the All Progressives Congress, APC, to sack Governor Fayose from office.

In a unanimous judgment yesterday, a seven-man panel of Justices of the apex court led by Justice John Fabiyi, held that the appeal which was lodged against Fayose by the APC lacked merit.

The appeal had challenged the outcome of the June 21, 2014, governorship election that saw the re-emergence of Fayose as the governor of Ekiti State.

Fayose polled a total of 203,090 votes to defeat the then incumbent governor of the state and candidate of the APC, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, who garnered a total of 120, 433 votes.

Although Fayemi conceded defeat and congratulated Fayose of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, his party however proceeded to the Ekiti State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, alleging that the election was fraught with manifest irregularities which it said was unprecedented in the annals of the country.

governorship election appeal petition filed by the party.

In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Wole Olujobi, the Speaker said the Supreme Court as the last authority on the matter had spoken and urged the people to respect the verdict.

Noting that the judges are after all human beings who might have erred in the consideration of the petition, he said opportunities still existed that issues of similar nature might arise again in future

Verdict leaves moral questions unanswered — Ekiti APC

to right the wrongs that might have been noticed in the judgment.

“This is an opportunity for Nigerians to ask questions whether it is morally right for a thieving governor to be impeached this month and next month he is recontesting the same position he lost over breach of public trust and alleged stealing.

“It is shocking that the judges could not take into account details of alleged fraud over which

Fayose was indicted, particularly as the EFCC is in court trying the governor over the offence for which Fayose was indicted,” Omirin said, adding: “For ordinary Nigerians, it was believed that the judgment would consider the particulars of the governor’s alleged fraudulent acts as established by the EFCC that necessitated the setting up of the panel which the Supreme Court is now saying was faulty .

VICTORY RALLY: Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State during a victory rally in Ado Ekiti Meantime, the All Progressives yesterday after the Supreme Court affirmed his election.

Congress in Ekiti State has reacted to the Supreme Court judgment saying that the verdict left moral questions unanswered.

The party's Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatubosun, in a statement, said even though the party had accepted the verdict because it had no choice, there were moral issues arising from the judgment.

He said that what flew from the judgment was that citizens can lie with ease under oath and get away with it.

He said: “At the time Mr. Fayose filled his form at INEC and lied that he had never been indicted by any panel, no judgment had been delivered to reverse his impeachment until the Supreme Court verdict of today. ‘’This implies that it is profitable to lie and cheat as the end will always justify the means.

“We had expected that the judgment would serve as a deterrent to the likes of Fayose who believes in impunity and extra-judicial method of doing things. ‘’We are shocked that a man who did not allow a case of eligibility against him to be heard till today at the state High Court after assaulting judges and desecrating the judiciary would come out clean at the topmost temple of justice.

“We accept the judgment of the Supreme Court as a law abiding party even though the moral questions it raised have refused to go.

“We call on our party members to be law abiding and not to despair. The present wind of change which is blowing across the country will soon be felt in Ekiti as there will be an end to impunity, brigandage and gangsterism.”

Respect verdict, Omirin pleads with APC members

The Speaker of Ekiti State House of Assembly, Dr Adewale Omirin, has appealed to the members of the APC and Ekiti people in general to accept the judgment of the Supreme Court on the Ekiti State

12—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015

Uduaghan, Oru, Macaulay others hail Okowa

By Emma Amaize & Festus Ahon

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SABA—GOVERNOR Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State has congratulated the state's governor-elect, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, saying that the victory has affirmed the performance and supremacy of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the state.

Speaking in Asaba when Okowa and party faithful paid him a ‘thank you visit,’ Uduaghan noted that the victory was also traceable to the unity of Deltans, who all participated to ensure that the party triumphed.

Meanwhile, in a statement in Asaba, yesterday by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Sunny Ogefere, the governor commended members of the PDP in the state as well as the electorate for renewing their faith and trust in the PDP to pilot the affairs of the state for the next four years.

Uduaghan thanked Deltans for their peaceful conduct during and after the elections and assured that development strides in the state under Okowa will be rapid, peaceful and progressive.

Reacting to his victory, Senator Okowa said there was no victor no vanquished in the election which he described as peaceful and credible.

Promising to carry everybody along in his government, Okowa said he will build on the legacies of Governor Uduaghan. He added that his election was a victory for all Deltans and commended Deltans for the confidence they reposed in him by electing him as their governor. He also promised to extend hands of fellowship to his opponents.

“We are particularly impressed that you debunked the unholy rumour that was spreading like wild fire concerning your Excellency’s commitment to PDP's victory.

“We will be loyal to you and to our leaders, including Chief James Ibori. Chief Ibori and Dr. Uduaghan remain the real leaders of the PDP in Delta State. We will remain as a family, no matter the issues leading up to the elections. It is time to put those issues behind us and chart a way forward,” he said.

The deputy governor-elect, Mr Kingsley Otuaro, Dr. Joseph Otumara, and Prof. Sam Oyovbaire, Director- General and Chairman, PDP Campaign Organisation respectively, in their addresses commended Governor Uduaghan for his support and co-operation in ensuring the electoral victory of the party, noting that the governor was leaving behind a lot of legacies particularly those of peace and unity for the state.

Also reacting, Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Dr Steve Oru, said that the election of the PDP candidate was a testimony of the party’s good works in the state.

Congratulating Okowa on his electoral victory, Oru thanked Deltans for their overwhelming support for the PDP and restated that the PDP was the only party that could address the needs of the people of the state.

Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Mr Ovuozorie Macaulay, said the election was the most credible in recent times and rejoiced with Senator Okowa on his victory.

On his part, Olorogun John Oguma expressed gratitude to

God for the election of Okowa as governor of the state, describing the election as free and fair.

Candidate of the Advanced Congress of Democrats, ACD, Dr Breakforth Onwubuya, who came fourth in the poll, said the exercise was free, fair and credible.

Saying that the election was transparent and an improvement on previous elections, Onwubuya urged Senator Okowa to be magnanimous in victory and ensure that the confidence reposed in him by the electorate was not misplaced as soon as he is sworn-in as governor. He commended the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for the peaceful conduct

of the election.

Also, Chairman of Isoko South Local Government Area, Mr. Itiako Constantine and the former Chairman of Oshimili North council, Chief Tony Ogbo, congratulateded Senator Okowa on his victory.

While Ogbo also commended the people of Akwukwu-Igbo/ Atuma and the entire people of Oshimili North for supporting the House of Assembly member-elect for Oshimili North Constituency, Pat Ajudua, Mr Ikpokpo, commended Johnson Erijo and Dame Orezi Esievo for their emergence as members-elect of the Delta State House of Assembly in Isoko South constituencies I and II respectively.

TOWN HALL MEETING: From left: Mrs. Folashade Jaji, Lagos State Head of Service; Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, Deputy Governor of Lagos State; Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State; Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, Lagos State governor-elect and Dr. Oluranti Adebule, deputy governor-elect, during an Appreciation Town Hall meeting with Lagos State civil servants, held at LTV-8, Ikeja, Lagos, yesterday. Photo: Bunmi Azeez.

Edo PDP vows to challenge state Assembly poll result

By Gabriel Enogholase

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ENIN—CHAIRMAN of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Edo State, Chief Dan Orbih, has said that the party will challenge some of the results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for weekend’s House of Assembly election in the state at the tribunal over alleged irregularities.

He, however, congratulated the winners of the election in the state, saying that the state required a vibrant Assembly now that it was in a difficult financial position.

He lamented the debt profile of the state which he said was now $124 million external debt, apart from the domestic ones.

Chief Orbih, who addressed journalists in Benin, yesterday, said results of the elections have shown that Edo

people now have faith in the PDP and that the party will not relent in the task of providing a viable alternative as democracy cannot survive without an opposition party.

He said that the time had come for elected political office holders to put the interests of the people of the state ahead of their personal and party interests because the challenges facing the state were enormous.

He insisted that by winning five out of the nine House of Representatives seats and two out of the three Senate positions and three seats in the state House of Assembly, the task of dislodging the All Progressives Congress, APC, from the state had begun.

On the alleged irregularities that characterised the state House of Assembly elections, Chief Orbih said the party had contracted a team of lawyers to look into the reports of the

election and that the reports were being put together to decide whether the party would approach the tribunal or not.

He said: “We will continue with our constructive criticism which will bring the best out of Edo people. The politics of our state is now balanced, there is no longer one dominant party. I congratulate all those elected during the elections, irrespective of their political parties.

“Of course we saw the undercurrent political power play of those who were supposed to conduct the election and the APC government of Adams Oshiomhole.

“Very soon, we will come out with our position, including that of Orhiomwon/ Uhumwonde federal constituency and Orhiomwon state constituency."

APC’s victory nailed coffins of political god fathers in Edo —Oshiomhole

By Simon Ebegbulem

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E N I N — GOVERNOR Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, has said that Saturday’s triumph of his party, the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state House of Assembly elections and the presidential victory of the party, has nailed the coffin of political god fathers in the state.

Oshiomhole said that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP’s plot was to pour “acid on my political life” if they had won the House of Assembly elections“ but as usual, God has disgraced them. Dan Orbih has no answer to that and they are completely dead in Edo State today.”

He spoke when he led thousands of APC faithful on a 10-km road show round major streets of Benin City, to celebrate the victory of the APC at Saturday's poll.

Millions celebrate Udom’s victory in Uyo

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YO, the Akwa Ibom State capital, was in festive mood on Monday, as about two million citizens of the state celebrated the victory of the governorelect, Mr Udom Emmanuel, of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, who won Saturday's governorship poll.

Organised by Akwa Ibom Entertainers Movement, AKEM, led by top actress, Ini Ikpe Etukudoh, the people came resplendent in carnival costumes and paraded through major streets, dancing and hailing the election of Emmanuel as another will of God manifesting in Akwa Ibom State.

Speaking to the crowd of supporters, the state governor, Mr Godswill Akpabio, thanked them for deciding to continue with progress as opposed to retrogression, which the opposition had marketed.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015—13

From left: Chief Isaac Jemide; Pa. J.O.S. Ayomike (celebrator); Chief S. S. Rone and Mr. J.O. Ayomike, during Pa Ayomike's birthday.

A cross section of the Warri Choral Society during their presentation in honour of Pa. J.O.S. Ayomike on his 88th year birthday.

Ijaw, Itsekiri youths clash again over EPZ site, houses razed

By Daniel Gumm & Emma Amaize

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ARRI—IJAW and Itsekiri youths in Delta State fought again, Monday night, over the ownership of the site of the $16 billion Export Processing Zone, EPZ, in Ogidigben, an Itsekiri town in Warri South-West Local Government Area of the state.

Commanding Officer of the Nigerian Navy Ship, NNS, Delta, Captain Musa Gemu, who confirmed the skirmish to Vanguard, said: “The Navy intervened immediately. There is calm, we are maintaining the peace until there is total calm.” He added that the Navy was reaching out to leaders of the two ethnic groups, saying, “The project is going on well and we do not want any crisis and besides, this is a transition period, it is not the time for fighting. We do not want skirmishes in this transition period.” A source said ethnic militia believed to be from Gbaramatu, attacked Madangho, an Itsekiri community in Escravos, Warri South-West council, shooting sporadically and burning several houses as well as household property.

It was not immediately known if any casualty was recorded, but indigenes and residents of the community, who were taken unawares by the shooting scampered for safety, with many running into the bush.

It was gathered that some Ijaw youths from Gbaramatu were allegedly clearing some portion of land in Kpokpo, an Itsekiri community in Ugborodo, when they were stopped by some Ugborodo youths over perceived invasion of their community, which has been labelled part of Gbaramatu land as a result of the deep sea port location. It was as a result of the argument that the Ijaw youths allegedly struck overnight in a bid to overrun their neighbours.

Another source said two houses were razed at Madangho, by the rampaging Ijaw youths, who carried out a revenge attack, while a security guard working for an Ijaw contractor was injured.

Former chairman of Warri South-West

council and Itsekiri leader, Mr. David Tonwe, who gave further insight into the fracas, said it was all about clearing at the EPZ site, saying that members of a particular family from Madangho went to beat up a security man working for an Ijaw contractor.

He stated that clearing work on the EPZ site was actually subdivided into four with Itsekiri handling two, a company, Leviant handling one and Ijaw, one. Tonwe explained that youths from a family in Madangho, without authority from any Itsekiri leader, went to the site on Monday night, where they met the security men guarding the place and started making an issue on the ownership of the land, which resulted in the beating of one of the security guards.

An Itsekiri source, said “The Ijaw boys were clearing land and advanced into Madangho community, near the Export Processing Zone, EPZ, site and Madangho youths approached them to stop clearing because they were trespassing, but they refused. “There was commotion following which the Itsekiri youths drove them away.

Even if they say they are clearing land for the Deep Sea Port, Gbaramatu, government has not acquired land for the project yet, so they should wait for government to acquire land for the project and it will be properly delineated, not for them to be entering our land.”

Itsekiri leader, Chief Ayirimi Emami, who confirmed that two houses were burnt in Madangho, said “Nobody should take the laws into his hands, even though some of us are not comfortable with the manner the government went about the issue of Gbaramatu Deep Sea Port, the people should allow due process of land acquisition to be followed.

“I heard that Madangho youths went to ask them stop clearing on their land and from there, disagreement ensued, the Ijaw boys went home to bring arms, chased away everybody from the place and razed two houses in Madangho,” he said.

14—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015

How we will stop Boko Haram,

by Muhammadu Buhari Being an opinion article by President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari, as published in yesterday's edition of New York Times

A

BUJA— WHEN Boko Haram attacked a school in the town of Chibok, in northeastern Nigeria, kidnapping more than 200 girls, on the night of April 14, 2014, the people of my country were aghast.

Across the world, millions of people joined them in asking: How was it possible for this terrorist group to act with such impunity? It took nearly two weeks before the government Buhari even commented on the crime. This lack of reaction was symptomatic of our African allies, like Chad and Niger, why the administration of President are waging in the struggle against Boko Goodluck Jonathan was swept aside last Haram. But, in the end, the answer to this month - the first time an incumbent threat must come from within Nigeria. president has been successfully voted out We must start by deploying more troops of office in the history of our nation. For to the front and away from civilian areas too long they ruled, not governed, and in in central and southern Nigeria where for doing so had become so focused on their too long they have been used by successive own self-interest and embroiled in governments to quell dissent. We must corruption that the duty to react to the work closer with our neighbors in anguish suffered by their citizens had coordinating our military efforts so an become alien to them. offensive by one army does not see their My administration, which will take office country’s lands rid of Boko Haram only to on May 29, will act differently - indeed it push it across the border onto their is the very reason we have been elected. neighbors’ territory. But as our military This must begin with honesty as to whether pushes Boko Haram back, as it will, we the Chibok girls can be rescued. Currently must be ready to focus on what else must their whereabouts remain unknown. We be done to counter the terrorists. We must do not know the state of their health or address why it is that young people join welfare, or whether they are even still Boko Haram. There are many reasons why together or alive. As much as I wish to, I vulnerable young people join militant cannot promise that we can find them: to groups, but among them are poverty and do so would be to offer unfounded hope, ignorance. Indeed Boko Haram - which only to compound the grief if, later, we translates in English, roughly, as “Western find we cannot match such expectation. Education Is Sinful” - preys on the But I say to every parent, family member perverted belief that the opportunities that and friend of the children that my education brings are sinful. government will do everything in its power to bring them home.

Promise What I can pledge, with absolute of food certainty, is that from the first day of my administration, Boko Haram will know the If you are starving and young, and in strength of our collective will and search of answers as to why your life is so commitment to rid this nation of terror, and difficult, fundamentalism can be alluring. bring back peace and normalcy to all the We know this for a fact because former affected areas. Until now, members of Boko Haram have admitted it: Nigeria has been They offer impressionable young people wanting in its response money and the promise of food, while the to their threat: With our group’s mentors twist their minds with neighbours fighting hard fanaticism. So we must be ready to offer to push the terrorists the parts of our country affected by this south and out of their group an alternative. Boosting education countries, our military will be a direct counterbalance to Boko was not sufficiently Haram’s appeal. In particular we must supported or equipped to educate more young girls, ensuring they push north. As a will grow up to be empowered through consequence, the From the learning to play their full part as citizens outgoing government’s of Nigeria and pull themselves up and out lack of determination was first day of of poverty. Indeed, we owe it to the an accidental enabler of my schoolgirls of Chibok to provide as best an the group, allowing them administration, education as possible for their fellow young to operate with impunity citizens.

Boko in Nigerian territory.

Boko Haram feeds off despair. It feeds That is why the answer Haram will off a lack of hope that things can improve. to defeating Boko Haram By attacking a site of learning, and begins and ends with know the kidnapping more than 200 schoolgirls, it Nigeria. That is not to say strength of sought to strike at the very place where that allies cannot help us. hope for the future is nurtured, and the My administration our promise of a better Nigeria. It is our would welcome the collective intention to show Boko Haram that it will resumption of a military not succeed. My government will first act training agreement with will and to defeat it militarily and then ensure that the United States, which commitment we provide the very education it despises was halted during the to help our people help themselves. Boko previous administration. to rid this Haram will soon learn that, as Nelson We must, of course, have nation of Mandela said, “Education is the most better coordination with powerful weapon which you can use to terror the military campaigns change the world.”

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015—15

Abia APGA, PDP bicker over inconclusive gov election

By Anayo Okoli

U

MUAHIA—THE All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to maintain the cancellation of the three local government areas of the state.

APGA National Chairman, Chief Victor Umeh, who briefed journalists in Umuahia, said the State Returning Officer had to recant after cancelling the results of the three councils on allegation of fraud, claiming to have been intimidated by the ruling PDP. Umeh also called for the prosecution of all the PDP chieftains for allegedly invading the governorship collation centre at INEC office, Umuahia, to put pressure on the Returning Officer to reverse himself on the cancellation of the results.

APGA also called on the President-elect to probe elections in the South East, saying things had been bizarre in the area in the 2015 elections.

Insisting that elections in the three council areas must remain cancelled, Umeh, who was flanked by the governorship candidate in the election, Dr. Alex Otti, described what happened at

the collation centre as bizarre and unacceptable to his party.

He said: “The intrusion of PDP henchmen to the collation centre is not accepted to us. We, therefore, reject the cancellation of the concoction of figures in the three local government areas.

"We call on the Returning Officer to sustain his cancellation of the results. We demand for total repeat of the election in the three local government areas.

“Final results have not been

concluded, it is still an administrative matter, INEC can still sustain a valid action taken by the returning officer. In the three local government areas, card readers were not used we did not see anything wrong for INEC to maintain its rule of where the cards did not work, no election would be held.

“Again, we did not think that the returning officer should be intimidated by a horde of PDP

henchmen who invaded the collation centre. APGA wants the decision of the returning officer in cancelling the three local government areas to stand,” Umeh said.

He questioned the rationale where Obingwa that gave about 16,000 votes at the presidential/ National Assembly election within two weeks, gave over 82,000 votes, describing what transpired as a huge joke and a charade.

ACCEPTANCE SPEECH: Enugu State Governor-elect, Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, flanked, from left by the Director-General, Enugu State PDP Campaign Organisation, C.O.C. Egumgbe; the Secretary, Ms. Rita Mba; Enugu North Senator-elect, Chuka Utazi; Deputy Governor-elect, Hon. Mrs. Cecilia Ezeilo; Enugu East Senator-elect, Prince Gil Nnaji, and Mrs. Fidelia Njeze, as he presents his acceptance and 'thank you' speech for the massive support given him by Enugu people, yesterday.

Ebonyi govt refutes Elechi's fast reconciliation with gov-elect EBONYI STATE government has dismissed reports that Governor Martin Elechi was seeking a rapproachment with the governor-elect of the state, Engr.

Dave Umahi, following the latter’s victory in last Saturday’s elections.

The government in a statement

by Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Dr. Onyekachi Eni, said the report which was published by some national dailies, was a figment of the imagination of the writers.

The statement read: ‘’In spite of the temptation to ignore the report as an amateurish attempt at fiction writing, we are constrained to make the following rebuttal to ensure that the teeming readers of Thisday and the Vanguard are not manipulated into believing the avalanche of falsehood. ‘’Apart from the fact that the

alleged begging exercise did not happen, it is even more important to note that Elechi has no reason to beg Umahi, who has been his political protege over the years. ‘’Regarding the contact between Elechi and Umahi after the April 11 governorship election, we wish

to state that following his victory at the poll, the Governor-elect, Engr. Dave Umahi visited Governor Martin Elechi at the Government House, Abakaliki on April 13, 2015. ‘’He was accompanied on the visit by a number of Ebonyi

leaders and members of the campaign team of the governor-elect including the former governor, Dr. Sam Egwu, Chief Frank Ogbuewu, Engr. Elias Mbam, Dr. Igwe Ajanwachukwu, the Commissioner of Police Alhj. Maigari Dikko, among others.

Police arrest two over bombs

By Chidi Nkwopara

O

WERRI—IMO State police command has arrested two members of a breakaway faction of Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, for allegedly fabricating Improvised Explosive Devices, IEDs. Parading the suspects at the state police headquarters, Owerri, the Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Andrew

Enwerem, said that already, the IEDs had been certified by the Command’s Bomb Disposal Unit.

While the PPRO gave the names of the suspects as Love Davison, who hails from Aboh Mbaise local council area and Charles Eze, the duo were accused of producing the IEDs. “The suspects probably produced the IEDs with a view to disrupting the peace, during he last governorship

and House of Assembly elections in the state,” the PPRO said.

Enwerem, a deputy superintendent of police, DSP, explained that men of the command arrested the suspects, following a credible tip-off.

“Our operatives stormed the hide-out of the suspects at Umuokirika, Ekwereazu, in Ahiazu Mbaise Local Government Area and arrested the two persons,” the PPRO said.

Court of Appeal upholds dismissal of General Superintendent of Assemblies of God Church

T

HE COURT of Appeal in Enugu has upheld the suspension and dismissal of the General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God Church, Rev. Paul Emeka by the church.

In a lead judgment delivered, yesterday in Enugu by Justice Emmanuel Agim, the court held that it was not the fundamental right of any member to be

General Superintendent of the church.

The court voided his application for the protection of his fundamental human rights as General Superintendent.

It said that there was no proper proof of service on the appellants and that the trial court was wrong in deciding that there was proper service.

The court also overruled the order of an Enugu High Court that other members of the church that held various executive offices should vacate them.

It voided the order of the trial court which awarded N30 million against other members of the executive and in favour of Emeka.

The court blamed the respondent for the crisis that had

engulfed the church over the years, adding that the way he approached the misunderstanding in the church heightened the crisis.

Reacting to the court judgment, Mr. Donald Chika (SAN) and counsel to the appellants, hailed the court’s decision to upturn the verdict of the trial court.

Abia State CP refutes connection with recovered election materials

By Anayo Okoli

A

BIA STATE police commissioner, Mr. Habila Joshak, yesterday denied ever signing a document relating to recovered election materials at Osisioma with any person or group.

His refutal came against the backdrop of reports that the commissioner signed a hand written note which indicated that electoral materials recovered from the bush at Osisioma were in the custody of the police.

But a statement signed by the command’s Public Relation Officer, Onyeke Udeviotu, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, DSP, said: “The Commissioner of Police Abia State Command wishes to state in clear terms that he did not at any time sign or issue a signed document relating to recovered election materials at Osisioma to any person or group of persons as purportedly reported.

“The allegation, to say the least, is the handiwork of mischief makers who are hell bent on maliciously maligning the image of the command. ‘’It is the figment of the imagination of the maker and does not not in any way represent the action of the commissioner of police.”

Chikwelugo passes on

C

HIEF CHIKWELUGO BCI of Ububa Nkwelle Uke, in Idemili North Local Government Area, is dead, aged 80.

According to a statement by a son of the deceased, Engr. Iwuchukwu Alex Chikwelugo, Chief Chikwelugo (a.k.a Akubue) will be buried at his home-town in Nkwelle Uke, Idemili North LGA on April 17, 2015.

He is survived by wife, children, grand -children and a host of other relations.

Late Chief Chikwelugo

16—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015

Protests over Chibok Girls' 1 yr abduction, in Lagos, Abuja

From left, Nollywood Star, Foluke Daramola; Singer, Naeto C, Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, and Director, Lagos Business School, Prof. Pat Utomi, during the one year remembrance of Chibok Girls, in Lagos. Photos: Kehinde Gbadamosi

From left, Foluke Daramola; Naeto C, Professor Wole Soyinka, Professor Pat Utomi, President, Arise for Change Initiative, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, and other children.

From left,Yemi Kuti, Naeto C, Professor Soyinka, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, Professor Pat Utomi, Foluke Daramola, Professor Soyinka, nd member, Lagos From left, Professor Soyinka, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, Professor Pat Utomi, State House of Assembly, Hon. Funlayo Tejuosho.

Children protesting one year of Chibok School girls abducted by Boko Haram on April 14, 2013, in Abuja. Photos: Gbemiga Olamikan

A policeman, opening Federal Ministry of Education, Abuja gate, locked by ministry staff, for the children protesting.

Escaped Chibok School girls, Rebecca (right), and Christiana (middle), addressing Acting Permanent Secretary and Director of Human Resources of Ministry of Education, Muhammed Bello.

...Protesters

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015 — 17

D

URING French philosopher and writer, Ernest Renan’s famous 1887 lecture at the Sorbonne, my Alma matter, he asked the question “what is a nation”?

He answered, “a soul”, a “spiritual principle”. What is the “essence” of Nigeria?

What are our common beliefs, principles? Unfortunately, the answer to that veers towards the negative.

Materialism, corruption, insensitivity towards the plight of others, ethnic and religious intolerance, these are the things we share, as displayed most horrendously during these past elections.

Moving forward, not only is a healing process necessary, it is paramount we create new foundations for peaceful cohabitation and lay to rest our ethnic angst and division, so no one can ever find it so easy to stoke the fires of discord and divisiveness which clearly still lay dormant, ready to be reawakened.

Cosmetic, surface measures such as federal character and zoning are out-dated if we are to create a modern Nigeria free of ethno-religious conflict and competition. We need policies that economically bind our identities and communities together and strategies that put Nigeria first by creating a cosmopolitan culture that teaches new values and mindsets.

Right structural wrongs This election is Nigeria’s reset button: we have an incredible opportunity to right the structural wrongs that have held this country back, to create a new identity for ourselves to positively influence our lives and livelihoods. We can transit from one failed social order, a system that benefits only the rich towards another more sustainable, more equitable form of government for the people.

Nigeria can become an industrious society where cultural unity developed by new values taught in schools and exemplified by trade, can develop our workforce, making it dynamic, globalminded and cosmopolitan.

Simply put, Nigeria’s traditional identities in their diversity, as represented by the music, food, history and language of our various ethnic groups can, not only be a force for development, export and job creation, increasing Nigeria’s international prestige, but can also be the basis for lasting peace and understanding by emphasising existing trade networks and therefore creating new opportunities for the idea of one Nigeria to take lasting roots.

Natural resources alone do not make a prosperous country: Nigeria is proof of C M Y K

tprincewill@yahoo.co.uk

Nation building and popular culture:

Economic incentives to create the new Nigeria this. Rather, our culture, i.e. our behavioural patterns, our thinking and modes of self-expression, from the ways in which we communicate to the businesses we pursue should provide opportunities for personal and collective advancement, as only creativity can enable the sort of productivity that would allow Nigeria to compete in a world where economies are knowledge and service based rather than built on extractive industries. Nigeria embraced capitalism and profit making without government and policymakers developing a Nigerian equivalent of the creative spirit and best practices behind Western capitalism, which enables development in the first place. Indeed, we want a modern economy and society but we have not imagined or creatively equipped ourselves with the culture that authorizes it.

Review of educational system We need, for example, to assess the state of our unity schools and federal government colleges and

To truly change Nigeria, perhaps even in the four years allocated to the incoming administration, policies must foster belonging, especially among the poor

more widely, review our educational system. Nigeria will not be truly functional and peaceful as a nation, until our culture consolidates into a model that can give rise to a “new Man” who will create and buy national products to enable the dissemination of local knowledge about the various people and cultures that make Nigeria. Every Nigerian should be raised by the public school system as a manager of diversity, thus reinforcing the idea of citizenship, eschewing ethnic marginalization and embracing critical thinking to create culturally based economic activity to develop communities, local governments and states.

Beyond the mere rhetoric of decentralization, a country must “encounter itself”, find common ground in a plural society and see business and entrepreneurship as a vehicle to change society. Let us take Tony Blair’s “Cool Britannia” concept, which transformed London into a global hub for business, music, fashion, media, art and design. The new global economy is based on “content provision”, which in our country can create wealth and wellbeing using the individual skills, talents and cultural modes of our communities. Indeed, culture, fused with economic development programmes creates local and international tourism opportunities, world-class service industries (our food,

music and ideas can create lifestyle product derivatives which both local and international markets would appreciate), media content (imagine if we invested in Nollywood beyond superficial ceremonies to celebrate actors and actresses). Transportation, hotels, restaurants and more widely, urban development is a product of culture seen as good business to foster understanding.

Inequality efficiently tackled Ethnic, cultural and religious differences need not be a source of instability if inequality is efficiently tackled. Movement of goods and services should be facilitated based on what each part of the country can come to positively represent in both our national ethos and

National Orientation Agency

I

T has been reduced to a paperweight political campaign tool, much like the Nigerian Television Authority. In today’s Nigeria, given our economic objectives and social imperatives, such agencies must be empowered to fully work with the Information and Communications ministries (why these are

Nigerian students and US Ivy league universities

N

economy. If people are busy trading community specific wares and goods with other localities and regions, they come to know each other so well that the prospect of conflict becomes too cumbersome to entertain. A shared lifestyle and value system in Nigeria will perhaps take some time to evolve, but requires conscious planning.

To truly change Nigeria, perhaps even in the four years allocated to the incoming administration, policies must foster belonging, especially among the poor. What better way to do so than to use our traditional culture to help create local businesses, which strengthen communities and create a demand for local products. From community food systems and “civic agriculture”, that is food production linked to a community’s economic and social development, to “farm to school” initiatives where food purchasing and educational practices at schools connect communities, to commercialising traditional arts e.g. cane furniture which many Nigerians go to South Africa to buy, it is possible for Nigeria to be self-sufficient and for this independence to foster togetherness.Why shouldn’t Nigeria clothe Africa and provide it with lifestyle content and consumer goods? What is stopping Nigeria from marketing an “African way of life”, sold internationally? To do this, our policies must support both the use and modernisation of culture to create new cosmopolitan mind-sets and create lasting economic ties between communities.

IGERIANS have lauded, over the past few weeks, the exploits of diaspora students who were admitted into all eight US Ivy league institutions. However, in our usual selfcongratulatory manner, masking the issues at stake, we fail to ask the questions these feats raise: would these success stories have been possible if these children had not emigrated to the US and attended American primary and secondary schools?

How equipped is the average Nigerian primary or secondary school to prepare our children for global competitiveness, especially in low-income areas? If we are to have a fairer, more equal society then educational outcomes at primary level must be a priority. Otherwise we will continue, as we always have, like a ship without a rudder, going against the global current.

separate ministries is puzzling, given the cost of governance in Nigeria) to explain public affairs issues to Nigerians and truly carry them along with government reforms, beyond simplistic press conferences. In fact, NTA could produce, with the depth of artistic talent in Nigeria, modern educating and entertaining series and documentaries to create a new self-image for Nigerians.

Can our society embrace “change” beyond the slogan?

Yes if we give ourselves the means of achieving these objectives by headhunting professionals and thinkers to head these agencies and by working closely with civil society.

Tabia Princewill is a strategic communications consultant and public policy analyst. She is also the co-host and executive producer of a talk show, WALK THE TALK which airs on Channels TV.

18 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015 POLITICIANS live for themselves.

Conviction is not a value to associate with people, whose professed ambition is to access power, and its expansive opportunities, minding neither costs nor consequences.

Nothing is new in the speed with which politicians change camp in their search for relevance in the new governments that would be formed.

What may be new is the excuse that informs their decision. They complain about the absence of democratic culture in their former parties. While they were in-charge and managed the circumscription of the rights of others, there were no issues. Now that they are losers, they seek refuge in new platforms.

Nigerians may be worried about the implications of this habit for the future of our democratic experiment. Politicians only believe in “now”. Their convictions are solely about issues that benefit them, possibly, the only time they are consistent.

Some notice the “belief” of politicians now because for the first time in 16 years, a massive change in control of political power occurred. It left many, who enjoyed the “stability” of being in control, stranded. They

Our All Season Politicians are so used to the “comforts” of power that they cannot contemplate being outsiders in the control of Nigeria’s resources which is their abiding interest in politics.

Mr. John Oyegun, the national chairman of All Progressive Congress, APC, latest target of the political migrants, said the moves were not good for Nigeria’s political development. “ Many opposition party members have defected to APC just because they lost out, that is not good for political development.

Opposition members should stay where they are, and form a formidable opposition,” Mr. Oyegun said.

The APC chairman could be faulted on

several scores. The forte of his party is the ar rival of “defectors” from Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, principally the five governors who left in one day and took their “followers” with them. He could not have forgotten that so quickly. Other defections in quicker successions, including those who left APC, helped in “stabilising” APC as it progressed to national prominence. Defectors would go where the opportunities appear, APC was a major beneficiary of this phenomenon.

Under the freedom of association the 1999 Constitution provides, it would be illegal to deny people party membership, because of their earlier associations. However, our democracy cannot develop without convictions or with politicians who are in pursuit of momentary gains.

Changes of political garbs highlight the greed of parties that want power quickly, even immediately. They have no membership that has imbibed their values. Standards for membership and participation in elective offices, if strengthened, instead of the current short-term criteria, can rescue our fledgling democracy and check the emergence of a oneparty state.

OPINION

By Dan Amor

W

ITH the pendulum of the Nigerian intricate power calculus swinging in favour of the opposition All Progressives Congress,APC following its victory in the March 28, 2015 presidential and National Assembly polls, the question as to who and who would emerge as new leaders of the 8th Senate and the 8th House of Representatives, respectively, remains a matter for grave national concern.

Intrigues, subterfuge, political horse trading, backstabbing, etc, are almost at breaking points. The scrambling has just begun, and yet tension is gathering momentum. Whoever emerges as the Senate President will ultimately become the Chairman of the 8th National Assembly Joint Session in a Presidential system of government in which the Legislature is at the epicentre of our democracy. The position is currently being occupied by Senator David Mark of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from Benue State in the North Central geopolitical zone while the Speaker of the House of Representatives is Rt. Hon. Aminu Tambuwal from Sokoto, North West, who only recently defected from PDP to APC. For the exalted position of Senate President under the APC, a handful of notable political gladiators are jostling for attention. They include Senator Bukola Saraki, incumbent Chairman, Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology, from Kwara State in the North Central; Senator Danjuma Goje, former Governor C M Y K

Senate presidency: Akume as bride of Gombe State, North East; Senator George Akume, currently Senate Minority Leader and former Governor of Benue State, North Central; and, of course, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, former Governor of Nasarawa State, North Central. All of these politicians served as State Governors for two terms,respectively, under PDP and are known to be very wealthy. What this means is that, having made so much money, these parliamentarians need power and influence. But a good number of them have odds against them. From their haunting past records while in office, their lack of decorum and accommodation, their extreme religious sentiments, to the zoning formula of their party, it is certain that the ambition of some of these politicians to preside over the 8th Senate would fall on the rocky ground.

According to analysts, the zero tolerance on corruption mantra of the Muhammadu Buhari presidency as circulated during his presidential campaign is a progressive policy thrust which would ensure that only those with clean hands would go to equity. And so, given the alleged

Akume helped in no mean measure in charting a new course for reviving progressive politics

menacing cloud of sleaze still hanging over some of these gladiators, like the mystical Sword of Damocles, the APC would certainly prefer less corruption-infested elements to lead key positions. First, the party was alleged to have zoned the Senate presidency position to the North Central and Speakership to the North East. This has narrowed the race for the Senate Presidency to the North Central. One is therefore inclined to assume that the three distinguished Senators left to slug out the diadem are Alhaji Abdullahi Adamu, Dr. Bukola Saraki and Dr. George Akume, all from North Central. Again, the policy formulators for the incoming administration must see to it that there is fairness in the distribution of key positions reflecting not only ethnic and geopolitical colouration of the country but also religious affiliations. Since Buhari, a Fulani Muslim from the North West has emerged the President with the glaring possibility of another Muslim from the North East emerging as Speaker, it is only fair for a Christian to head the 8th Senate under an APC-controlled Federal Government.

This, analysts believe, would tilt the balance in a multi-religious society like Nigeria. In the absence of an APC Christian Senator-elect from the South East or South South, and the zoning of the position to the North East, and given the fact that the other two contenders, Saraki and Adamu are Muslims, respectively,

the odds favour Akume as the next Senate President. One other thing that gives every indication that Dr. Akume will emerge President of the 8th Senate is the way and manner he has helped in stabilizing the 7th Senate as the Senate Minority Leader.

While maintaining a fierce radical ideological temperament of the opposition that he led in the Senate for several years, Akume helped in no mean measure in charting a new course for reviving progressive politics in Nigeria culminating in his party’s unprecedented victory in the March 28, 2015 Presidential and National Assembly elections. With his experience as a lawmaker who also doubles as leader of the opposition and stabilizing force in the 7th Senate, Akume, a former governor for eight eventful years, would offer creative ideas for tackling Nigeria’s toughest problems and a new governing philosophy anchored on opportunity, responsibility and community.

Akume is from Christian Tiv, about the fourth largest tribe in Nigeria cutting across four States in the North Central.

This makes him a potential crowd puller in the North Central geopolitical zone.

What affirms his popularity as a politician is the fact that he became the first governor to have completed two terms since the creation of Benue State and won straight to the Senate for eight years.

If given the chance to lead the 8th National Assembly given his academic background, his wealth of experience and patriotic fervour.

•Mr. Amor, a journalist, wrote from Abuja.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015—19 —19

PDP defectors will kill Nigerian politics

E

VEN if nothing else comes out of the defeat of the Peoples Democratic Party in the presidential election of 2015, Nigerians should count themselves lucky once the defeat can lead to the consolidation of our politics by way of giving room for the formation of viable political parties. But this is if our politicians would allow it. From the look of things, however, Nigerian politicians are not prepared to see our so-called nascent democracy grow into something more enduring.

Otherwise, the defeat of the PDP at the presidential polls should not determine the fate of the party in the present or its future survival. Indeed, that the All Progressives Congress won the presidential election should be reason why those still in the PDP ought to be focussed on winning the governorship and other state elections. Rather than this, what Nigerians have witnessed since the declaration of Muhammadu Buhari as winner of the presidential election is a floodgate of defections by many card carrying members of the PDP.

So far the APC has been receiving them with open arms without for once raising questions about the true intentions of the defectors. This surely is a potent recipe for the destruction of the APC, and ultimately, Nigerian politics.

Sooner than later, it would be obvious to the defectors, the APC and the rest of us watching from the sidelines, that we are back where we started from- thewinner-takes-it-all politics that ruined the PDP. Should it not astonish us all how the victory of a party at a national election should cause members of the defeated party to practically close shop and seek to move en masse to populate the victorious party? Where then are the issues animating the professed ideologies of these parties? What are the goals that set them apart from their counterparts? When it comes to party politics and electoral contests, must Nigerians always have to choose between the lesser of two or more evils, the candidate less alienating than the others, and not the best

available at all times? But that is our lot in Nigeria where politicians are not famous for principled pursuit of goals much less class. Muhammadu Buhari has defeated Goodluck Jonathan and henceforth everything he does is right. The APC automatically becomes the only party in town.

Elsewhere, a defeated party takes stock of its performance, assesses the reasons for its failure and goes back to the drawing board to plan for a better performance next time around.

But here in Nigeria, that is never the case. The defeated insists on sharing in its opponent’s success, wants instant gratification and cannot abide to stay out in the cold of ‘opposition’ politics, while working to regain the trust of the people. Everything must be ‘sharp-sharp’, instant and immediate. This is where the Nigerian voter has a job to do.

Since Nigerian politicians cannot

What Nigerians are hoping for with the current, post-March 28 party configuration, is the growth of at least two strong national parties

Time to tame iconoclasts (1)

By Ekanpou Enewaridideke

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CONOCLASTS are fundamentalist jihadists, purists, conservative promoters of intolerance, invasive agents of pulverization who are dismissive and disdainful of the other in any identifiable permutation except their own parochial fanatical beliefs, convictions and theories.

Having built, elevated and transformed pulverization into statecraft, daily drawing thousands into it like a whirlpool, iconoclasts are indeed the canoe for daily haulage of merchandise of calumny and pulverization. Therefore, a celebratory caper would claim the earthly plane if a counter-pulverization force emerges from among intellectuals implacably opposed to all agenda of space-hegemonization in a secular world. This is why I write.

A pen journeys effortlessly when lubricated by knowledge, truth, depth, objectivity and inspiration. When a pen journeys stubbornly away from this rational channel, even supposedly inspiring words disappear in a flight of rebellious indignation. Inspiration, the universally acknowledged POWERHOUSE of writers, also flies leaving the writers to the mercy of ponderous words and non-functional theories that serve no purpose beyond lies-propagation.

Theoretical PONDEROSITY is the latest passionate adventure of Sunny Ikhioya and Josef Omorotionmwan whose bank of essays must have suffered dangerous depletion to the point they now assume the clothes of drowning men who tenaciously hold unto anything within reach, undeterred by the potential danger that inheres there.

To awaken Ikhioya and Omorotionmwan to their misrepresentations and demeaning

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discourses is a cathartic mental engagement preferable to physical confrontation which some benighted people may be tempted to ponder on. This cathartic mental nudging or reawakening has the potential to purge the readers of any move towards indiscriminate consumption of the balderdash regurgitated by these two conspiratorial iconoclastic writers whose writing adventures are animated by TELEGUIDED theories of hate-cultivation and hate-production concerning certain personalities in Nigeria.

I dare hazard that the whole world must have been bamboozled, hypnotized to the extent of applauding Ikhioya when he published his article entitled ‘Ijaws and the rest of Niger Delta’ (Vanguard, January 6, 2015) because in this interesting essay he was categorical that the crisis between the Ijaws and the Itsekiris in Warri South Local Government of Delta State originated from disagreement over the choice of the Local Government Headquarters between Ogidigben and Ogbe-Ijoh. The great writer he is,chosen by Mac Flecknoe over and above the exceptionally gifted Shadwell,

There had never been any crisis in Warri South Council between the Ijaws and the Itsekiris in Delta State over the location of the Headquarters of Local Government

see beyond that which benefits them in the immediate, then Nigerian voters, the very same that terminated the tenancy of the PDP candidate in Aso RockVilla, should be ready to teach defecting members of the party and their overjoyed friends in the APC both the virtue of delayed gratification and the necessity of seeking the common good over and above group interest. It is rare to see either the Democrats or Republicans controlling both the White House as well as Capitol Hill at the same time. The Nigerian electorate must do the same for Nigeria.

If one must judge by the patterns of voting in some of the places where elections have been held in different parts of the country in the last two years or thereabout, Nigerian voters are getting more sophisticated. They have been able to send some politicians home where such politicians had thought they were in control, while retaining others against the wishes of bullying godfathers. But the growing sophistication of the Nigerian voter is being stymied, even sabotaged, by the determination of the Nigerian politician to play politics of self and group interest. They live in the past and continue to operate in a manner that shows that what holds them together in their cult groups misnamed political parties, is their shared interest in the plundering of the country’s resources.

Nigerians have always known that what members of the PDP meant when they described their party as the only national party in the country is that their predation of the country is more ethnically diverse than that of rival parties. At the height of its

he also contended that the Ijaws had claimed all the top government appointments and projects in addition to appropriating the Deputy-Governorship and the Delta South Senatorial District elective seats in Delta State. President Jonathan was portrayed too as being biased in the handling of the EPZ project in Delta State. As a Professor of phonology, Ikhioya equally ridiculed the Ijaws for their inability to pronounce words like ‘John’ and ‘Johnson’ in their correct phonological order.

As an erudite scholar whose academic credentials are so intimidating as to drown any intellectual counter-move, Ikhioya passionately exploded in another article that the Ijaws had always paraded themselves as owners of the resources of Delta State, obsessively waging unnecessary wars against their neighbours while President Jonathan was did nothing to stop this. This explosion found expression in the article ‘Protecting 2015 Elections Cautiously’ (Vanguard, January 13, 2015).

Considering the paragraph composition of the article ‘Protecting 2015 Elections Cautiously’, this passionate explosion is unnecessary because it is not related or connected to either the preceding paragraphs or the following paragraphs in content. It is an illogical, extraneous ideational SUPERIMPOSITION borne out of his ponderous serial theorization.

Perhaps, Ikhioya would have been more intellectually exciting if he had merely embarked on a perambulatory voyage around his proverbial skeletal framework ‘if wishes were horses’, beggars will ride’.

But merely stopping at this proverbappropriation would still have been wrong because the correct words are not captured in quoting the proverb ‘if wishes were horses, beggars would/might ride’.

Water purifies. Water also cures ailments.

Therefore, let a cascade of lustral water chasten the Ikhioyas of this world to the truth that there had never been any crisis

power and even now, Nigerians from the various political and ethnic zones, can be found in the PDP, giving their incompetence a national colouration. It is a well known fact that the APC, even prior to its recent victory in the centre, harbours a large population of disaffected members of the PDP in its fold.

This makes it hardly different from the PDP. But now that Nigerians have made their choice of president at the polls, it would amount to a great betrayal (which is the defining character of Nigerian politics anyway) for the APC to blur the emerging line that the Nigerian electorate are trying to draw between the two parties by carelessly opening its doors in a ‘come-and-chop’ fashion to latter-day defectors from the PDP. What Nigerians are hoping for with the current, post-March 28 party configuration, is the growth of at least two strong national parties in the fashion of the Democrats and Republicans in America or Labour Party and the Conservative Party in Britain. Aside these two parties, Nigerians can hope for several other smaller parties pursuing different agendas while not closing the door against independent candidates. This is the path of growth and consolidation for party politics in Nigeria. Any other thing, especially anything along the line being followed by deserting members of the PDP and their welcoming friends in the APC, can only spell doom for the future. It is the way to a one party state, a civilian dictatorship that was our destination had the PDP won the 2015 presidential election.

in Warri South Council between the Ijaws and the Itsekiris in Delta State over the location of the Headquarters of Local Government and that the top appointments and projects of President Jonathan are not usurped by the Ijaws. Jonathan is also beyond reproach in the handling of the EPZ project in Delta State. However, as an educated man, I do know that phonological problems are not the peculiarities of any particular nationality over which the Ijaws should be singled out for mockery because all the nationalities of Nigeria have their phonological encumbrances or problems.

Would it not also be wise for our erudite scholar and flawless historian to know that Deputy- Governorship and Senatorial seats are democratically won through election, not ‘appropriated’, and so the Ijaws could not have appropriated these seats in Delta State. Besides, where are the so-called top appointments and projects expropriated by the Ijaws?

Because Ikhioya has developed a penchant for Warri issues, two prescriptions offer themselves to him: Relocate to Warri from Lagos or go for a major in Warri Studies as a discipline at the postgraduate level at the Delta State University, Abraka. This would give him the intellectual enablement to invent dependable theories to analyze happenings in Warri and write compellingly to the admiration of even our ancestors who are armed with the authentic account of Warri issues.

The commendable inspiration that drives Ikhioya is the same one that drives Josef Omorotionmwan: they are both gifted writers committed to distortion of even the universally known vibratory frequency of objects using their ponderous analyses.

•Mr. Enewaridideke, a public affairs analyst, wrote from Akparemogbene, Delta State.

20—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015

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Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015

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FG, UNIDO to establish small power plants in 4 states

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MOU: From left: Executive Secretary, Association of Non-Bank Micro Finance Institutions of Nigeria (ANMFIN),

Mr. Godbless Safugha and Director General, National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Mr Chris Onyemenam, after signing MOU on the enrolment of six million ANMFIN members into the National Identity Database (NIBD) at NIMC headquarters, in Abuja

Shareholders differ on payment of dividends in dollars C

APITAL market stakeholders, yesterday, reacted differently to the payment of dividends in foreign currencies by cross-border companies listed listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).

Shareholders alleged in separate interviews in Lagos that companies listed on the NSE and other exchanges are insisting on the payment of dividends in foreign currencies. They said that payment of dividends in foreign currencies and the companies’

$135.25

1.50

$2,827.00

28.00

13.12

CURRENCY

BUYING

0.11

$58.52

0.59

$52.88

0.97

CENTRAL

DOLLA 196 196.5 197 POUNDS 286.4736 287.2044 287.9352 EURO 206.78 207.307 207.835 FRANC 199.2883 199.7966 200.305 YEN 1.6263 1.6304 1.6346 CFA 0.2966 0.3066 0.3166 WAUA 267.9636 268.6472 269.3308 RENMINBI 31.5195 31.6003 32.6812 RIYAL 52.2541 52.3874 52.5207 KRONA 27.6731 27.7437 27.8143 268.0496 268.7334 269. 4172 SDR

CBN Exchange Rate as at 14/4/15

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insistence that Nigerian shareholders must open domiciliary accounts would increase the profile of unclaimed dividends in the market.

Alh.Gbadebo Olatokunbo, founding member, Nigeria Shareholders Solidarity Association (NSSA), said that companies were under obligation to pay dividends in Naira, whether foreign or cross-border. He said that shareholders should not be compelled to open domiciliary accounts because of dividends, noting that many of them would convert the dividends declared and pay to shareholders in naira. “The Nigerian currency is the Naira and not the dollar and shareholders should not be forced to open foreign accounts for dividend payments,” he said.

On his part, Mr. Boniface Okezie, President, Progressive Shareholders Association of Nigeria (PSAN), said

Shareholders should not be forced to open foreign accounts for dividend payments

that companies listed on the NSE must ensure payment of dividends in the country ’s currency. He said that shareholders must not be compelled to open domiciliary accounts for payment of dividends for companies operating in Nigeria.

“Seplat, as a company operating in Nigeria, owned by Nigerians or even if it is foreign-owned, must not dollarise our economy,” he remarked.

Okezie also urged the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to look into the issue, in the interest and growth of the market.

Speaking from a different perspective, Mr. Bayo Adeleke, National Secretary, Independent Shareholders Association of Nigeria (ISAN), noted that companies such as Seplat and ETI, with cross-border listings pay dividends in hard currency. According to him, shareholders were aware of the development before investing in the companies. He recommended that local arrangements should be made to assist shareholders having issues with domiciliary accounts.

Mr Olaleye Williams, Managing Director, GlobalView Investment Ltd, said that the development would enable Nigerian investors to earn their dividends in foreign exchange. He however canvassed that shareholders should be given an option of local or foreign currencies by the registrars. “I wonder what would have been lost if investors are given options on how they want their dividends without necessarily increasing the cost of administration,” he added.

he Energy Commission of Nigeria said the Federal Government, in partnership with United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), plan to establish small power plants in four states, using rice husk to generate electricity.

Prof. Jere Bala, DirectorGeneral of the commission, said this in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Tuesday, in Abuja. He named the states as Niger, Adamawa, Gombe and Bayelsa. According to him, an additional 5 MW pilot power plant would be established in Ebonyi to complement the existing 30 KW bio-mass pilot, using rice husk to generate electricity in the state.

Bala said after the completion of the project in Ebonyi, government would then replicate same in other rice growing states of Niger, Adamawa, Gombe and Bayelsa.

He said the replication was aimed at promoting industrialisation, employment and empowerment of the citizens in the country. He said the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the government and UNIDO had brought about the establishment of small power plant development pilot projects in the country.

The DG said the commission, in collaboration with UNIDO, had already established 150 kw small hydro plants in Waya Dam in Bauchi State, 130 kw in Enugu State and 400 kw in Taraba. He further disclosed that the Federal Government had developed 30 MW small hydroplant in Gurara, noting that many more dams would be built in partnership with private investors. “Many more dams are expected to come now through exploiting the existing dam and realising the potentiality for electricity generation.”

He said UNIDO, through its Regional Centre for Small Hydro-Power Plant and the commission, had developed lots of feasibility studies that would encourage capacity building of the people for the project. He added that issues of renewable energy in terms of power development had come to stay in Nigeria and is expected to provide 20 percent of the country’s power supply going forward.

22 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015

If I am a shareholder and you make me pay N200 million to a regulator as fine and not tax, then there will be trouble

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ASW, pension fund leaders to brainstorm on co-investment opportunity

By Providence Obuh

infrastructure investment sectors will be presented to frica Sovereign Wealth the audience. The Summit and Pension fund leaders will also host Heads of Infrastructure will brainstorm on co- State Working investment opportunities and Investment receive presentations from Lunch, which will also vetted infrastructure project discuss opportunities for developers at the Africa the private sector in the Union’s investor (Ai) CEO African for Infrastructure Investment Programme Infrastructure Summit.

Ai, a leading international Development (PIDA).

Summit partners include: investment and communications group, made Africa investor; the African the announcement stating that Union; the NEPAD the summit is Planning and billed for Cape Coordinating Town, Republic Ai Agency; of South Africa Infrastructure R a n d this year, adding Merchant Summit that the summit Bank; World will bring continues to Pensions together Africa’s provide a Council; leading project unique European developers and platform for Development g o v e r n m e n t infrastructure Finance sponsors to investors to Institute; All e n g a g e engage Africa; Africa i n s t i t u t i o n a l project P L C ; infrastructure developers Quadrant PR. investors, H o w e v e r, pension funds the first day’s and sovereign invitationonly CEOwealth funds on both listed and level Summit, the Ai CEO unlisted infrastructure Infrastructure Project investment opportunities.

CEO/Vice Chairman, Ai, Mr. Developers Summit, will be Hubert Danso, stated; “ Ai dedicated to project developers Infrastructure Summit and will address a range of continues to provide a unique project co- development platform for infrastructure opportunities and industryinvestors to engage project related issues. The second day, developers, financiers and the Ai CEO Infrastructure government leaders on Investment Summit, will transformative infrastructure convene African pension and sovereign wealth funds to investment transactions.” co-investment Vetted investment-ready discuss projects worth over $10 billion opportunities and receive in the energy, rail, ports, presentations from a series of airports and social project developers.

A

INSURAN NAICOM may increase fines to sanitise insurance sector — Daniel NAICOM is strategising on how to effectively deal with insurance operators that are bent on doing business unprofessionally. In this interview, Commissioner for Insurance, Mr. Fola Daniel speaks on this and other issues, excerpts.

By Rosemary Onuoha

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HAT is NAICOM doing to ensure that there are reduced complaints from the general public?

The target of the National Insurance Commission, NAICOM, is to ensure that we receive fewer complaints from the public against non settlement of claims. That is the reason why we set up a claimant centre that enables claimants to directly phone in to us.

Due to this, claimants don’t need to write us. They just have to give us details of their claims and within 48 hours we will be able to give them feedback. That action endeared us to the general public and we got a lot of accolades.

Last year we succeeded in resolving a lot of claims that were subjects of arguments between insurance institutions and claimants and a good number of them sent us written letters of appreciation.

Why is the issue of overriding commission still prevalent in the insurance sector?

The issue of overriding commission is like the Ten Commandments God gave to mankind, in the sense that, no matter how hard one preaches, there are people who will still

want to break the laws. We are experiencing same in the insurance industry but be assured that we are deterring operators from breaking the rule on overriding commission. One of the things you hear operators say is that NAICOM is just pilling up penalties on them. In one of the meetings I had with them I said, ‘though we have been slamming you with penalties but it has not stopped you from misbehaving.’ Since NAICOM became a regulator, it has never fined any insurance

As operators are becoming hardened, we are also re-strategising on how to effectively deal with them

company up to the tune of N10 million, but last year, a company paid N62 million as fine. As operators are becoming hardened, we are also restrategising on how to effectively deal with them. So, insurance companies may be complaining of being fined N500, 000 or N200, 000 now, we have promised them that they could get up to N5 million, N10 million or even multiple of that as fines so much that some managing directors could lose their jobs.

Incessant inspection If I am a shareholder and you make me pay N200 million to a regulator as fine and not tax, then there will be trouble. If any company misbehaves to such an extent that it became castrated that it cannot pay claims, to whose interest? Another major complaint we received from the industry last year was incessant inspection of their books because some significant companies were inspected up to six times and this is because we want to know exactly what they are doing. If we see an expenditure of N5million at a time you got big business, we interrogate to know what you might have done with the money and we will want to

Insurance industry stands to benefit from ASEAN integration

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sia’s insurance industry stands to benefit from the planned integration of countries comprising the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN), a report released by US-based rating agency A.M. Best showed.

Under the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), member nations will allow free flow of services, including those from the financial sector.

This means insurers will also be able to build commercial presence and sell products on a more regional basis as professionals will be allowed to move from one C M Y K

ASEAN country to another, the report said.

The AEC blueprint has identified insurance subsectors for liberalization by 2015. Currently, Indonesia and the Philippines have committed to opening their markets for life, nonlife, reinsurance, intermediation and auxiliary services, the A.M. Best report dubbed “Capitalizing on the Benefit and Opportunity in an ASEAN Open Market,”said.

From left: Uzi, Nedu and Pepsi Brand Ambassador, Lynxxx at the Pepsi co-sponsored Gidi Culture Festival, weekend at Eko Atlantic Beach, Lagos.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015

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Claimants don’t need to write us, they just have to give us details of their claims and within 48 hours we will be able to give them feedback

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Structurally lower cost of reinsurance capital an opportunity —Credit Suisse

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Past Chairman of the Lagos Area Committee (LAC) of the Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers (NCRIB), Mr. Tunde Oguntade (2nd right) presenting a plaque of recognition to a guest lecturer, Mr. Rotimi Aleshinloye at the LAC monthly meeting at Insurance Brokers House, Yaba, Lagos, with them are the Public Relations Officer (LAC), Mr. Femi Oduwole and LAC President, Mr. Ayo Akande.

know the recipient. We are doing our best to ensure we give the best to all our stakeholders.

To what extent is the insurance sector meeting up with claims to Boko Haram victims?

Insurance fund is not a compensation fund. It is not Father Christmas money to be shared when something happens, rather insurance fund is an indemnity fund, and you can only be indemnified if prior to the event you have been insured and has paid your premium.

Insurance policies Unfortunately we have lost brothers and sisters to Boko Haram attacks, however, the military men that had insurance policies will be compensated. We have lost members of the armed forces and policemen to the insurgency but all of them have

been paid.

Insurance companies have been paying these claims and it is creating holes in the pockets of the insurance companies because we have lost a lot of soldiers.

Though money paid as premium is very small in relation to their cover, but be assured that as long as they are insured, insurance companies are meeting their obligations. Unfortunately, the Boko Haram victims do not have insurance.

What are the major challenges confronting the insurance sector?

The biggest challenges to the insurance industry today remain two things and they are trust and awareness. As regards to trust, if the public don’t trust the insurance institutions, the people will be reluctant to buy whatever the institutions offer them and this is a serious problem.

On awareness; a colleague told

me that when they went to Ibadan during the awareness on Market Development and Restructuring Initiative, MDRI, they went to a particular factory owned by an Indian. They wanted him to show evidence of taking insurance, he went into a whole lot of argument but by the time they calmed him down and explained the benefits to him, he was instantly ready to buy the policy.

So, basically, the problem is awareness because if he was aware, there wouldn’t have been any argument because Indians like to protect their property, in fact, the Indians are capitalists.

So, awareness and lack of trust still remain the biggest challenges facing insurance industry today. Meanwhile, NAICOM is still stepping up efforts to address these challenges.

Man gets 2 years in prison for insurance fraud

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Suffolk man was sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to obtaining money by false pretenses for collecting insurance premiums from a Portsmouth woman and keeping them.

From July 2005 to May 2014, Joseph E. Barnes collected the money monthly from Anitra Hawkins in Portsmouth who paid him $30.95 for a term life policy, according to a Virginia State Police news release. The agreement was an older-style industrial policy that is sold by an agent who goes door-todoor. Last year, Hawkins called Columbian Mutual Life with a question about her policy and was told no policy was in effect

in her name, the release says.

The State Corporation Commission’s Bureau of Insurance and state police Insurance Fraud Program investigated the case.

Barnes had not worked for the insurance company since 2009, but continued to collect payments from Hawkins.

The company returned the payments to Hawkins and Barnes began paying restitution to Columbian. He also surrendered his insurance license.

State police reminded the public to periodically check with insurance companies to verify coverage, especially when cash payments are made directly to an agent.

HE structurally lower cost of reinsurance capital presents an opportunity to property & casualty insurers, as innovations in structures and business models prompt a rethink of insurers risk profiles and their role in the value chain, according to analysts at Credit Suisse.

In a latest research note which focuses on property and casualty (P&C) insurance sector coverage, which the Credit Suisse analysts initiated recently, they discuss how the reduction in cost of reinsurance capital and increased efficiency generated by ILS structures and business models can benefit insurers.

The analysts believe that the proliferation of insurance-linked securities (ILS) and alternative reinsurance capital is growing and permanent, providing new pools of efficient capital for primary players to tap into for reinsurance and capital management needs.

Innovations that are being seen such as longer-dated catastrophe bonds and the launch of hybrid reinsurance vehicles, like the ACE and Blackrock start-up ABR Re, are prompting a rethink around the risk profile of some companies, such as homeowners insurers, as well as a rethink of the role of the insurance carrier in the value chain, the analysts explain.

As a result Credit Suisse in initiating analyst coverage on the P&C insurance marketplace, highlights companies which it feels have the opportunity to benefit from a more efficient reinsurance marketplace over the

near to medium term.

Capital in the reinsurance market now has a “structurally lower cost” according to the analysts, who believe that the new lower-cost capital is permanent. The greater efficiency and reduced cost of reinsurance capital may “favorably alter the risk profile of some P&C lines,” the analysts continue.

The insurance companies that are in a position to take advantage of the lower cost of reinsurance capital are the ones that Credit Suisse expects to receive higher valuations, demonstrating the clear importance of leveraging the historic low price of risk capital at this time.

The low-cost of reinsurance capital is set to persist as well, with even a repeat of hurricane Katrina not expected to move rates substantially, the analysts insist.

They cite the “latent pool of ILS capital” that lies ready to replace the existing reinsurance capital base should large catastrophes occur, as well as sidelined traditional reinsurance capital that has not been deployed due to the soft market environment.

In looking ahead and trying to forecast the pricing environment, the analysts note the difficulty in separating the cyclical and structural issues that the insurance and reinsurance industry currently faces. Alternative capital is one factor that is expected to increasingly weigh on primary insurance players and rates.

Send comments & enquiries to insuranceandyou@yahoo.com

24 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015

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Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, ARIL 15, 2015 —25

DIARY z Bluetooth World Silicon Valley, USA April 14-15, 2015 z ICTEL Expo 2015 Lagos, April 15-18, 2015

Preview These rings send you phone notifications

Digital migration:

Is NBC holding back country’s digital dividends?

F

or anyone who has ever missed a phone call because her phone is buried in her bag, or who is sick of checking for texts at the table, Ringly is for you. The connected jewelry combines fashion and technology in a statement ring that will let you get your phone calls, notifications or texts while your phone stays in your bag.

If you have a hard time hearing your phone, have the funds and don’t mind wearing a big ring, then it might be just right for you.

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By Prince Osuagwu

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N about two months away, Nigeria is expected to join many other broadcasting economies of the world that are operating exclusively in the digital transmission space. The country actually has no choice in this, because June 17, 2015 is the deadline, world body and global telecoms regulation arm of the United Nations, the international

I N S I D E

Broadband: We need partnership in funding infrastructure roll out PAGE 26

Telecommunications Union, ITU, set for every country operating in the analogue frequency to migrate to the digital.

Although, the country, in trying to be proactive to this deadline, had set belated deadlines for herself and failed to meet up a couple of government charged with the responsibility of actualizing the migration, the Nigerian Broadcasting

It is expected that the sale of analogue frequencies vacated by the broadcasters could rake in over $2 billion for the government

E-banking: Fresh concern over identity theft by cyber criminals PAGE 27

Commission, NBC, says there is no reason to panic.

However, the challenge of inadequate funding complained by the commission itself and low awareness of the whole fold increase in broadband penetration in the country by 2018, the federal government saw the 700megahertz band, which has been internationally adjudged very useful in Continues on page 28

NITDA commits to 2014 Universal Village report implementation PAGE 28

26 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, ARIL 15, 2015

SOCIETY & SOCIAL MEDIA

By Agbolade Omowole @iamagbolade

10 practical ways to influence people on social media

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CIENTIFIC studies show that the principles of social and interpersonal psychology are often just as relevant to online communication as face-to-face. Here, we will explore principles of influencing people in real life that can be implemented using social media.

Observe the golden rule: The golden rule says you should treat others the way you want them to treat you. If you want people to retweet your content, retweet theirs. By commenting on peoples post on Facebook, they will comment on your post also.

Listen to people: Listen to what your friend and followers are tweeting, sharing, reading, and watching. Post or tweet similar content. Do ask for feedback.

Be real: This is like stating the obvious. Real people use their real picture as profile picture. They interact. Real people put the interests of their fans above theirs. They treat fans and friends with respect. Most people on social networking sites don’t want to have an impression that they are communicating with a robot.

They want to communicate with real people.

Be genuinely interested in people: When you are genuinely interested in what people care about, they will be genuinely interested in you. A recent research revealed that people don’t care how much you know (tweet, post, or share), until they know how much you care.

Be consistent: Once you establish your reputation as a thought leader on a particular field, you have to sustain it. Your posts should convey a consistent message. If people know that you tweet on religion for instance, don’t suddenly change to politics.

Master the Art of Repetition: Marketing teaches that consumers need to hear about your products/ services 27 times before making a purchase decision. Your personal brand must constantly be in the eyes of your fans and followers. You can repeat your tweets late in the evening every day.

Mention names: It has been scientifically proven that a person’s name is, to that person, the sweetest and most important sound in any language. Mention people’s twitter handle/Facebook ID in your posts to get their attention.

Dialogue with friends and fans: Social media, unlike the traditional media, provides us with an advantage for a two-way communication system where the sender and receiver can both exchange ideas.

Ask your fans how they feel. Ask for their suggestions, comments, contributions and suggestions.

Always keep in touch with them.

Broadband: We need partnership in funding infrastructure roll-out — Johnson THE Federal government insists its focus is to achieve target of a five-fold increase in broadband penetration by 2018. The Minister of Communications Technology, Dr. Omobola Johnson, in a recent interview with Hi-Tech also reaffirmed that Nigeria was heading to positive directions in the national broadband plan. However, she hinted that much progress may not be made if the private sector participation in infrastructure roll out is lacking. Excerpts:

By Emeka Aginam

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HE road to an efficient broadband service in Nigeria has been long and arduous?

With the A4AI Report that has just been released, Nigeria ranks among the top two positions among five countries in the overall Index Rankings. This shows that the country is on the right track.

The Nigerian Government is actually working to bring down the cost of access and also connectivity across the country.

The new Ranking shows that we are doing the right thing. Like I said before, there are number of factors that are militating against our connectivitythings like cost of deployment, cost of Right of Way, multiple taxation etc. But we are resolving them already.

The second thing is the need to start to share infrastructure to make it more economically efficient among the operators and this is already happening right now.

Cost of deployment Licensing of more spectrum is going to help a lot in the connectivity agenda that we have. These are the kind of things that we are looking at, to help bring down the cost of deployment.

Connecting next 40 million Nigerians It is a matter of public private partnership and that money is not going to come from government alone. The 3.7billion dollars needed to connect the next 40 million Nigerians could come from the network operators and the Universal Service Provision Fund, USPF- giving subsidy funds to these network operators, some of the infrastructure providers and many more.

We have done a calculation of the estimated cost and that cost is going to come primarily from the private sector but the cost that is going to be subsidized because they are going into areas that don’t have the same commercial value with the urban cities.

It is going to be mixture of private sector and government which would release some intervention fund.

You talked about reduction in the cost of right of way?

A number of state governments are currently partnering with the Federal government on reducing the cost of Right of Way (RoW). We have approached all the state governments through the National Economic Council (NEC) in a presentation made to the 36 states and the FCT and we have got

good responses from about six of them. It’s a work in progress.

So, six of them have committed to the Smart States initiative and have agreed on things like reducing the right of way approval , reducing the cost of taxation on base station and all of that.

But I think what is actually happening which is good is that we do not have to go to every state governor. By the time they see success stories from these states, they will like to be part of Smart State initiative and we can then begin to engage them too.

So, I am hoping that by the end of 2015, we would have all the state governments in the Smart State initiative, and of course the election and the campaign have put some kind of hold on what we are doing right now, but by the end of 2015, l am optimistic every single state and the FCT will be smart and will be committed to bringing down the cost of right of away and reducing the cost of deploying IT infrastructure. By so doing, the industry will be committed to deploy more funds to laying infrastructure in those particular states.

Where is the position of local content?

Local content is very key. This is

By the time they see success stories from these states, they will like to be part of Smart State initiative and we can then begin to engage them too

•Omobola Johnson because, if you think that mobile is important for developing the country, you should also ensure that the right local content are actually delivered to the people.

For example, people who want jobs are not supposed to travel to urban cities to look for jobs. If we have this online recruitment site where people can lookup available jobs -both skilled and unskilled, I think that is a great development. It is about content- having the infrastructure first of all and having the content on that infrastructure, that result to a very good social and economic development outcome.

Catching up with 2020 5G deployment It is not the case of catching up, but I think it is a case of doing what is relevant for our own environment and country.

For me in 2020, I will be happy if we have 4G coverage across the country.

Person to person connectivity Because 5G really talks about the internet of things and we are still talking about person to person connectivity. So, if we have 4G connecting 170million Nigerians in 2020, then we would have done a fantastic job.

State of affairs in the Nigerian IT industry I am satisfied. Clearly, we can do more. When I look at where we are coming from and where we are now, I’m very happy with that progress. We are seeing some key developments and app penetration. We are seeing an increase in global penetration- both mobile and fixed.

We are seeing increased investments coming into the ICT sector. When you look at the indicators, we are seeing an increase and we are contributing to the national GDP of the country. So when you look at the indicators, am very satisfied about what is going on. That is not to say that we are done. Definitely, we have a long way to go and what is important is that we are heading in the right direction and we are seeing the result and that is a good spot.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, ARIL 15, 2015 —27

E-banking: Fresh concern over identity theft by cyber criminals

By Emeka Aginam

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OBILE financial services are still high priority for many mobile operators, financial institutions, technology firms, and governments in most subSaharan African countries, including Nigeria.

However, the growing fear of identity theft has stalled the otherwise progress that should have been recorded in that genre of financial transaction.

Although the adoption of mobile banking has in no small measure made banking easier, identity theft by cyber criminals poses very serious challenges to bank officials and their customers.

Despite series of warnings via Short message Services and hordes of advertisements by banks reminding their various customers of the need to protect their Personal Identification Numbers, PIN, the menace still poses great threat to the growth of the financial sector.

The resultant effect of this is that bank users who should ordinarily embrace cashless initiatives are swinging between card and cash spending.

Apparently innovating to end this trend, one of Nigeria’s new generation banks, Diamond Bank Plc has turned to technology to tackle the issue.

The bank has pioneered an application called Touch ID, a biometric application which provides.

Fingerprint alternative to entering a User ID and Password.

With the mobile app, the bank says that smart phone or smart devices become as good as a customer ’s bank.

What it means is that customers, log in and carry out transactions on their mobile devices in a comfortable and more secure manner than before.

Robert Giles, Head of Transaction Banking of Diamond Bank PLC, while unveiling the application recently in Lagos, said that the app gives customers the opportunity to carry out transaction banking without being in the banking hall.

Security of the app According to him, the app has two layers of security.

“The first level of security is the password people put on their phones. Secondly, the App is tied to a single device.

At the point of download, authentication information is sent to the customer’s number.

The customer has a PIN to make transactions and immediately they log in, they get an e-mail and SMS to show that their account is being accessed on the App”, he explained.

He also said that one of the security features on the Mobile App is the Touch ID which is the finger print specification.

When you are using a PIN there is always the fear of losing it.

However, Touch ID eliminates the fear that someone will see your PIN

Thrilled by the level of ebanking adopting by Nigerians, Giles said that the Touch ID was integrated in response to users’ requests, adding that it is an alternative to PIN. “When you are using a PIN there is always the fear of losing it. However, Touch ID eliminates the fear that someone will see your PIN. It is also faster. In essence, it is an additional feature for users.

“Some of the more recent features on the app address accessibility. It is exciting and more interactive. Given the upsurge in digital business, Diamond bank is also investing in awareness and has trained a lot of dedicated staff who teach customers how to use the app to solve their day-today lifestyle needs rather than coming to the banking hall” he added.

•IT Counterfeits

No more business as usual for IT counterfeiters, ITU takes drastic stand

By Emmanuel Elebeke

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OMBATING counterfeit Information and Communication Technology, ICT, devices in the market could be a tough challenge .

Nigeria has been looking for ways to mitigate but indications are that it may no longer be business as usual in the coming months. This is as the International Telecommunication Union, ITU,says it has taken a step further to address the growing challenge.

ITU says that it plans to address the global challenge through the deployment of Digital Object Architecture, DOA, during the next protocols and test specifications meeting coming up in Geneva, 22 to 29 April 2015.

It says the plan was part of the advancement in ITU discussions towards the event. According to the world body, the mandate was drawn from resolution 188 reached recently on ‘Combating counterfeit telecommunication/information and communication technology devices’ adopted by the ITU Member State at one of its plenaries in Busan, Korea.

Recall that ITU hosted an event on Combating counterfeit and substandard ICT devices at its Geneva Headquarters, in November 2014.

According to the ITU, the meeting was held to take stock of the global challenges posed by counterfeit and substandard ICT products, the role to be taken up by ITU and the way to improve global coordination in this field.

The group at the conference focused on combating counterfeiting in ITU-T “Guidelines for implementations of signalling requirements and protocols, and for addressing counterfeited ICT devices” with a technical report issued at the end of the event.

During its April 2015 meeting, stakeholders are expected to discuss ITU membership contributions to develop a work plan to address combating counterfeiting of ICT equipment.

Meanwhile, the ITU has stated that plans had been concluded to commence a demonstration on “A solution to combat Counterfeiting of ICT products based on the Digital Object Architecture (DOA)” at the April meeting.

The objective of this event, it said is to show how a DOA based solution may be implemented to combat counterfeiting of ICT products.

Using DOA, it is said that the demonstration will showcase features allowing the full supply chain tracking and tracing from the manufacturer to the retailer of mobile devices.

TD to empower more ICT retailers

By Maximilian Anosike

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ECHNOLOGY Distributions, TD, has unveiled plans to boost the operational capacity of Small and Medium ICT enterprises(SMEs) through a partnership programme which will provide access to a suite of business support initiatives for the beneficiaries.

The support initiatives include financial management guide, mentoring sessions, business intelligence and credit facilities, among others.

The initiative is said to be in line with TD’s desire to cushion the harsh effects of the contemporary business environment on SMEs and provide a platform for the sector to thrive and contribute to the growth of the Nigerian economy.

Explaining reasons behind the initiative, Chief Executive Officer of the company, Mrs. Chioma Ekeh said that “these are indeed tough times and the harsh operating environment is likely to impact more on small scale businesses. Access to funding is even more difficult now as banks are more skeptical about granting loans. This is why we have decided to help provide a way out for these businesses.

“The role of small and medium scale businesses in the growth of any economy cannot be overemphasized. This sector holds the key to generating wealth for the greater number of Nigerians and it is in line with these realities that we have decided to partner with them and empower them.

Spectranet partners iROKOtv to offer subscribers free movies

By Maximilian Anosike

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IGERIAN internet service provider, Spectranet 4G LTE, has launched a partnership with internet television provider, iROKOtv.com, to retain the loyalty of its customers.

The internet service provider recently announced a 30- day free iROKOtv.com to its existing customers who renew their Spectranet account.

The partnership will give Spectranet’s customers the opportunity to access a wide variety of movies and TV shows for free, including blockbusters like ‘30 days in Atlanta’, ‘Festac Town’, ‘Poisoned Bait’ and ‘The Antique’.

With iROKOtv.com, customers can instantly watch as many TV programmes and films as they want, as often as they want, and on the move.

Head of Marketing, Spectranet, Mr Mike Ogor, said this is part of company’s value-added-services mapped out to enable subscribers to enjoy its reliable, affordable and high speed internet service.

28—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, ARIL 15, 2015

NITDA commits to 2014 Universal Village report implementation T

By Emmanuel Elebeke

HE National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA has reiterated its readiness to implement the 2014 Universal Village report. The Director General of NITDA, Mr. Peter Jack, told newsmen recently that the agency is determined to implement the report as plans are ongoing to come up with modalities of the implementation.

According to NITDA, the decision was in line with its mandate to network with international organizations to positioning the nation on the threshold of Information Technology development.

The report had recommended for the establishment of Information Technology Innovation Labs (ITLABs) in secondary schools across the country to ensure the ICT gap noticed in tertiary Institutions are eliminated; application of technologies to reshape Nigeria’s communities capacities for global competitiveness, NITDA RITCs should be retooled to serve as ICT Outsourcing Centre and take off

facilities to transform the ICT development Agenda and performance of NITDA to the communities.

Jack also said plans were under way to redefine the concept and broaden the scope of RITCs centre in order to meet with the demand of the 21st century information and communication technology challenges.

He however, disclosed that the agency had set a target of establishing about 200,000 telecentres across the country to cover every ethnic group, adding that the goal would be accomplished through a well thought-out multi stakeholders’ partnership.

He revealed that the agency was considering changing the RITCs model to ‘a triangular business model’ which would consist of telecentres, corner shops and eateries. According to him, the idea would foster community relations and serve as center for integration for all users.

As part of the plan, he explained that the agency is

•NITDA DG, Peter Jack currently collaborating with the Nigerian Postal Service, NIPOST to transform the post offices to digital centers to promote e-posting.

Jack said NITDA is equally partnering with Galaxy Backbones, the Nigeria Communication Satellite, Nigcomsat and other sister agencies to position ICT as a major catalyst for economic development and also engage it as driver to other sector of the economy.

Is NBC holding back country’s digital dividends?

Continues from page 25 deploying high-speed Internet services, as a Digital Dividend Spectrum.

According to the GSM Association, GSMA, if the transition is properly and timely executed, it is expected that the sale of analogue frequencies vacated by the broadcasters could rake in over $2 billion for the government.

Apparently bent on laying claim to that huge fund, the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC had on two occasions in the past slated sales of these spectrums and on those two occasions failed to carry out the licensing rounds.

The reason, according to NCC, was that the spectrums were still locked, in use by broadcasters. A very reliable source at the commission told Hi-Tech that “as at today, none of these frequencies has been released despite the fact that we are on the eve of migration to digital broadcasting.

Besides, we are not sure yet whether any of these broadcast media is ready for digital transmission,” The source also hinted that for the country to increase broadband penetration from its current eight per cent to 30 per cent by 2018, in line with the Federal Government’s target, there would be need for adequate spectrum to deploy broadband services including the Long Term Evolution (LTE).

Earlier, in February 2014, the regulator auctioned the 2.3 Ghz spectrum band to a national player, which is expected to commence commercial service soon.

The ministry of Communications Technology has also come to the

defence of the NCC on the licensing issue. A top Director at the ministry told Hi-Tech that “NCC wants to get it right. Recall that in 2001 after the Digital Mobile Licence (DML) auction, Communication Investment Limited (CIL), one of the winners, did not pay for the licence because the frequency allocated to CIL was believed to be encumbered and it lost the licence and the deposit for same”.

According to the source, “so, the NCC wants to clear any foreseeable bottlenecks before such a major licence round” President, Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Mr. Lanre Ajayi, said that if the NCC does not have the frequencies, it would be difficult to assign what it doesn’t have, adding “it will be an advantage for the country if these spectrum bands are released by the appropriate authority

As at today, none of these frequencies has been released despite the fact that we are on the eve of migration to digital broadcasting

for NCC to allocate to would-be applicants.”

Surprisingly, NCC had before now held several consultative stakeholders fora on the best way to allocate the spectrum bands but on reminder that these spectrums were yet to be free, the commission said it was in its usual proactive manner, ahead of the expected release of the spectrums.

However, the GSMA’s Digital Dividend Toolkit, a study which offers one-stop access to the latest policies, perspectives and best practices in managing the crucial issue of the Digital Dividend, had forewarned that “the process of clearing and awarding the 700MHz and 800MHz bands to achieve the Digital Dividend is not always straightforward. Regulators and government bodies can face a range of obstacles, from how to justify the release of the spectrum for mobile broadband, to how to clear and possibly compensate incumbent users, and how to protect neighbouring spectrum users” Process of spectrum handover Already, stakeholders are waiting patiently for the digital dividend to be released by the necessary authority since frequency allocation in Nigeria has processes.

For instance, if the 700 Mhz frequencies are taken over from the broadcast media by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), they are handed over to the National Frequency Management Commission (NFMC), which is the custodian of all frequencies in Nigeria. The commission is under the authority of the Ministry of Communications Technology.

Etisalat takes Cliqfest to LAUTECH

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TISALAT Nigeria, last week, took its youth-centric education and entertainment initiative, Cliqfest to Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, L AUTECH, Ogbomosho in Oyo State. The event attracted no fewer than 6,000 students of the who witnessed series of activities, including an inspirational session, a five-a-side novelty football match, raffle draw as well as an exciting concert featuring Nigerian hip hop stars such as Jaywon, Reminise and Skales.

While flagging off activities for the two-day event with an inspirational session tagged, “Seizing Opportunities,” renowned motivational speaker, Niyi Adesanya dwelt extensively on talents development.

Adesanya provided insights on sectors where opportunities abound in the country, urging the students to explore their talents and choose careers that suit their skills.

Speaking at the event, Head, Youth Segment, Etisalat Nigeria, Elvis Daniel, said the company was committed to empowering the youth and position them for successful careers in future.

“Cliqfest is an initiative designed to encourage young Nigerians to pursue their dreams. The essence is also to help them identify their passions, have fun and also experience Etisalat’s youth productEasycliq.”

The peak of the event was the raffle draw for the ultimate prize of a brand new Hyundai car, which was won by a 400- Level Civil Engineering student, Olaniyi Oluwaseyi.

Etisalat Cliqfest has been to over 54 tertiary institutions in Nigeria..

IROKOtv, StarTimes sign exclusive channel deal

By Jonah Nwokpoku

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ROKOtv and StarTimes have signed an exclusive deal for two new linear television channels, IROKO Play and IROKO Plus, on the Startimes pay television platform.

In a statement, IROKOtv said, the deal will enable subscribers have unfettered access to the two Nollywood channels.

It said: “IROKO Play will be available in the StarTimes Basic Bouquet, and will showcase classic Nollywood movies from 2007 onwards, with a brand new exclusive movie added to the schedule each month. IROKO Plus, which will be available in the StarTimes Unique Bouquet, will show premium Nollywood movies from 2011 onwards, with the addition of an exclusive brand new movie each week.”

Speaking on the deal, Chief Executive Officer of IROKOtv, Jason Njoku, said: “Launching IROKO Play and IROKO Plus on StarTimes is an exciting milestone for IROKO. We’re known primarily for leading OTT content delivery across Africa through IROKOtv.com, but with digital migration spreading rapidly throughout the continent, now is the right time for us to diversify our distribution model and expand into the Linear TV market. StarTimes are very much focused on bringing the very best entertainment to as many people as possible at an affordable price an ethos that is close to our hearts, which is why this new landmark partnership is so befitting”.

Also speaking, Vice President of StarTimes, Michael Dearham said: “The deal with IROKO is a significant advance in our quest to become the home of premier African film and television content.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015 — 29

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Siasia: F/Eagles, Dream Team stars can resuscitate fallen Super Eagles

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ith the Super Eagles going through a rough patch at the moment, former coach of the team and current Nigeria U-23 coach, Samson Siasia says the current signs show that the former African champions will rise up again.

Siasia, who handled the Super Eagles between 2010 and 2011, says that, with the current crop of players coming through at both the U-20 and his U-23 teams, the signs are good for Nigerian football and predicts that players from both teams will dominate the Super Eagles in the “nearest future”.

“What we have now is good,” he began. “Good for the individual teams (U-20 and U-23) and also good for the country.

“The quality of players coming through now is encouraging and I think it will show in the Super Eagles soon.

“A lot of these boys will make up the Super Eagles team in the nearest future and that is a good thing because it will make our team stronger.

“We just have to be a little patient and give the boys some time and I believe they will get to that level,” he said.

There seems to be a lack of real quality in the present Super Eagles side, which has been attributed to the team’s recent struggles.

Pillars ready for Enyimba – Afelokhai

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ano Pillars captain Theophilus Afelokhai is hopeful the team can put their CAF Champions League heartbreak aside when they come up against Enyimba on Sunday.

The Nigerian Premier League giants were dumped out of the continental showpiece at the beginning of April after going down 5-2 on aggregate to Moghreb Tetouan.

Pillars will now return their focus to the Nigerian top flight, where they take on fellow NPL giants Enyimba at the Sani Abacha Stadium this weekend, and goalkeeper Afelokhai is hoping for a quick turnaround from the team.

“With due respect to other teams in the Glo Premier League, Pillars and Enyimba are the two big clubs in Nigeria and any game between the two sides will always be a cracker,” he told SuperSport.

“My teammates are looking forward to the game because we want to show our fans that they can still believe in us despite the problems of the last two weeks.

“This will be our second game in the league due to the unfortunate robbery incident. We beat Bayelsa United and I believe the same fate awaits Enyimba.

“We are battle ready for them, we won’t give up our title yet, the aim is to win it and get back into the continent so that we can apply the lessons we gained from our failure this year in the Champions League.”

Afcon 2017 qualifier:

Egypt plots Eagle

By Solomon Nwoke

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HILE the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is yet to officially name a coach for the senior national team, the Super Eagles in preparation for Afcon 2017 in Gabon, Egypt, her major foes in the group qualification is not leaving any stone unturned.

NFF president Amaju Pinnick declared two weeks ago that a two-year deal has been approved for out of contract coach of the team, Stephen Keshi to continue but the coach is yet to sign the contract.

Keshi’s contract with the NFF ran out after last year’s World Cup in Brazil, where Nigeria crashed out in the second round and since then, his assistant, Daniel Amokachi has been in charge of the Eagles on a temporary basis. He has been

acting since December, following the protracted contractual talks But, word coming out of Egypt has it that the Pharaohs have already gotten their 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers preparations underway.

The former African champions have been drawn in Group G against Nigeria, Tanzania, and Chad during last week’s draw where the tournament will be hosted by Gabon.

According to the Egyptian Football Association’s Alaa Abdel-Aziz, the announcements included coach Hector Cuper ’s decision to set Saturday, June 13 as the date for the team’s opening qualifier at home against Tanzania.

“Cuper picked June 13 as the date for our first match

against Tanzania, but no venue has been set yet,” said Abdel-Aziz.

“He asked the EFA to hold a camp every month to get to know the players more, and we accepted this idea.

“We will have another camp in May with a friendly match. The last camp will be on June 8, to be followed by the match against Tanzania.”

In his first match in charge of the Pharaohs, Egypt beat Afcon 2015 semi-finalist Equatorial Guinea 2-0

I won’t get carried away by praises – Awoniyi

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ave-of-the-moment, Taiwo Awoniyi, has said he hasn’t allowed his recent exploits get to his head and insists he’s working extremely hard to keep improving himself.

The 17-year old striker netted twice for the Nigerian U-23’s to book Nigeria’s place at the All Africa Games and has seen his stock rise over the last couple of months.

But he says he’s staying hum-

ble and focused and won’t let any of the praises get to his head.

“I just want to keep playing football and keep scoring, that is what I want to do,” he said.

“I am a striker and as a striker I have to keep scoring goals.

“It is my job to score goals and that is what I want to do every time I play and thank God I did that on Sunday.

“I know a lot of people talk about me now and they say good things about me but I’m just focused on my game because I’m still learning.

“I’m working hard to improve myself and I don’t allow any of those things get to my head. I just want to keep doing my best,” he said.

VOL. 1 NO 28

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015

ALSO IN THIS EDITION

More roadside markets springing up in Aba PAGE 3 NUT laments delayed payment of teachers gratuity in Enugu PAGE 5

Hoodlums terrorize teachers, students inside fence less Anambra school PAGE 8

Enugu govt abandons judges •Judges sit in three jurisdictions •Work under horrible conditions •No standard high courts in Nsukka,Oji river, Ezeagu and Aguobuowa •Judges operate in mud houses •No judge appointed by Chime admin in almost 8 yrs •No secretaries, computers for judges

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IGH Court judges in Enugu State are working under horrible conditions, investigations by the South East Voice at Nsukka, have revealed.

It was gathered that apart from dispensing justice under inhuman condition, some of the judges sit at several judicial divisions due to lack of manpower.

For example, Justice Onovo of Nsukka High Court also sits at Enugu Ezike Judicial Division while in Enugu State some judges sits in three divisions. Justice Anthony Onovo sits at Nsukka and Enugu-Ezike; Justice Afam Nwobodo sits at both the Enugu and Oji River Judicial Divisions just as Justice Fidelis Ngwu also sits in Nsukka and

Enugu Ezike on different days.

Under the arrangement, a judge sits at one division on a particular day and travels to another division on another day and returns to his area of primary assignment the day after before going back to his second division the following

day.

Sources told South East Voice that the arrangement was made about three years ago, following vacancies arising from either retirement, elevation to the Court of Appeal or Supreme Court as well as death.

•Enugu State Chief Judge, Justice Innocent Umezulike

It was gathered that only about three new judges had been appointed in Enugu State since the administration of Governor Sullivan Chime came on board about seven and a half years ago. They include one high court judge and two judges of the customary court

•Enugu State Governor, Chime

of appeal.

Apart from lack of judges, investigations showed that none of the judges operating at Nsukka, Enugu Ezike and Obollo Afor Judicial Divisions had secretaries.

A judge who spoke on the condition of anonymity said, ''We work under horrible conditions. Do you know that we still use manual type writers here. There is nowhere you can find any judge or court that has a computer in his court. We have no secretaries. ''Apart from this, we have only a court building at Nsukka while the local government gave us a ramshackle building as the second court about three years ago. In Obollo Afor, the court building was donated to the state government by the Udenu Local Government Council, while the one at Enugu Ezike was a library which was taken away from the Igboeze North Local Government and converted to a high court building. In some of these areas, we still operate from mud houses built by the colonialists for colonial chiefs

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2 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015

Enugu oldest monarch’s love for PDP

BY AUSTIN OGWUDA

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NUGU—THE traditional ruler of Obimo community in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State, Igwe Spencer Ugwoke, noted to be the oldest Igwe in the entire Nsukka and of the state is a man of many parts and blunt to a fault.

In this encounter with our reporter, the Igwe opened up on why he is not hiding his partisanship in determining who becomes the next governor of Enugu State. He was very vociferous when this question was put to him.

The occasion was during the hosting of a group of youths under the aegis of Nsukka Youth Integrity Development Foundation, NYIDF. The group which made Igwe Ugwoke their grand patron is a pressure group rooting for the Peoples Democratic Party PDP governorship candidate, Mr. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi to become the next governor, insisting that it is the turn of Nsukka to produce a governor as they had

been shut out for too long in the political history of Enugu State.

Having fired the first question on why he had to chest out so openly in support of Ugwuanyi on such a partisan pedestal, he reacted, this way “your first question on being partisan is still on the realm of imagination.

“Secondly, I want to remove one thing you said here; that traditional rulers don’t engage in partisan politics. I am the traditional ruler of Obimo. If you are saying that Igwe should no be partisan, it depends on what you mean by partisan.

“My government is restricted within Obimo. I am partisan.

Remove from your mind that Igwes should not be partisan.

I said before that Igwes should be loyal to government in power. That is not partisanship.

Do you want me to criticize everything the government has done when I am part and parcel of it? You can throw that question to those who don’t know their rights.

“I want you to report it clearly in your newspaper that Igwe

•Igwe Ugwuoke explaining a point

My government is restricted within Obimo. I am partisan. Remove from your mind that Igwes should not be partisan. I said before that Igwes should be loyal to government in power. That is not partisanship

of Obimo said he is partisan. I must say the truth even if it means to you that I am partisan. All the Igwes in Nsukka, about 33 of them, including the Igwe in Ayogu Eze’s home endorsed Gburugburu (Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi).

“When the then Head of State came to Enugu and commissioned nine projects, yet none was done at Nsukka zone. He commissioned nine projects. One was in Enugu West and eight were in Enugu East, none in Enugu North. I asked the then Governor Chimaroke Nnamani, why there was none in Enugu North, he told me to have patience, when Nsukka man

comes to power, let him (Nsukka man) develop his area.

“So, I think he has developed his place. Are you bringing development there again? No. The thing shifted to Enugu West and we did not get even one minister. We did not get even one ambassador. We did not even get one federal appointment. Our name is not being mentioned in NNPC. It is not even mentioned anywhere to attract any federal projects.

“There is no federal project in this zone as obtained in other zones. So, I want to use these boys (Nsukka Youth Integrity Development Foundation) to plant this idea for the incoming government in Enugu State.

“We, however, want to embrace the whole state. We have to set an example. We do not want to concentrate everything in our zone because we produced the governor. We must spread them to show example for others to emulate.

We want to use this era to team up and work for PDP. We are all in PDP. Igwes should be loyal to any government in power and the government in power in Enugu State is PDP and we must be loyal to them.

“The dream has come to fruition. Our governor should do whatever he thinks he can do using this opportunity. We are going to ask him to come and develop Nsukka. Look at Nsukka. Look at the roads. So, we want our man to use the opportunity well. It is not the ability. It is opportunity that we are lacking,” he stated.

Obiano’s wife’s lifeline for children with cleft lips

By OBIALUNAMMA NWADIOGBU

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KWULOBIA—THEY are children born with one deformity or the other especially on their lips or palate. These children are born with the congenital abnormality of cleft lips and cleft palates.

Often times, it brings confusion in marriages as accusing fingers go in wrong directions.

Parents of such children are always worried and often times, they would not afford the cost of surgery and the children grow up with such deformity.

However, there is now hope for them as the wife of the Anambra State governor, Chief (Mrs.) Ebelechukwu Obiano has come to their rescue, thereby bringing joy to their faces.

Obiano’s wife called on women whose children have cleft lip and cleft palate deformities to take advantage of the free surgery her pet project, Caring Family Enhancement initiative, CAFÉ, was sponsoring at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, NAUTH, Nnewi, and treat them.

CAFÉ is sponsoring the free surgery in collaboration with Smile Train Nigeria, STN; an off shoot of the Smile Train, an international charity C M Y K

organisation that provides cleft lip and palate surgery to children in need. They also provide cleft-related training for doctors as well as the information, helping victims with free surgeries in 77 countries including Nigeria.

Country Director of Smile Train, in Nigeria, Mr. Remi Adeseun, had said that no fewer than 5,000 children are born with cleft lips and palates in Nigeria annually adding that the only way to save them was through early corrective surgeries.

According to him, children who are affected by the deformity grow up with a stigma that often results in lack of education, poor speech and opportunistic diseases, adding that if all adults with deformity were put together, no fewer than 180,000 Nigerians would be living with the deformity, which could have been corrected with early surgery.

Cleft lip and palate are birth defects that happen while a baby is developing in the womb. Between the sixth to 10th week of pregnancy, the bones and tissues of a baby’s upper jaw, nose, and mouth normally come together (fuse) to form the roof of the mouth and the upper lip. If the tissue

A child with cleft lip (before and after)

They have teeth that are not properly arranged and, in cases of late intervention, the speech is affected

in the developing mouth and the palate do not fuse together, a baby could be born with a condition called cleft lip or cleft palate or both.

The causes included genetic factors due to the absence of a gene or one replaced by another. Environmental causes are attributed to certain drugs such as Thalidomide, anticonvulsant drugs, lack of vitamin B 12, folic acid, hence women need to be careful

during the first trimester of pregnancy.

Children with cleft lip and palate have other congenital abnormality such as club feet and deformed ears due to the opening between the mouth and the nose. The victims are frequently exposed to upper respiratory tract infections.

These children’s aesthetics are also, affected as their appearances are not good, hence the need to seek help instead of hiding them away.

They have teeth that are not properly arranged and, in cases of late intervention, the speech is affected.

The Smile Train is now seven years in Nigeria and the major challenge to the deformity remains poverty. Smile Train is also supporting another Nigerian-based NGO, Grassroots Smile Initiative through Dr. Ademola Adebola , a consultant Maxillo-facial surgeon with the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital Kano as well as one Dr. Ifeanyi Chukwu, a plastic surgeon. They were given $41,000 and $45,380 respectively to purchase vans and outreach equipment.

Smile train is also calling on NonGovernmental Organization working in the area of Club feet, child blindness to come forward for grants.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015 — 3

More roadside markets springing up in Aba

BY FELIX OGBONNA

A

BA—DESPITE the efforts of the Abia State government to check roadside trading in Aba, the commercial hub of the state, roadside and street markets are still springing up daily on major roads and streets of the city.

From Asa road located at the city centre to Ngwa road, School road, Clifford road, Cameroun road, Ehi road, Ikot Ekpene road at Ogbor Hill, Mosque Street among others within the Aba main motor park and General Post Office areas as well as the Osisioma Ngwa, Ariaria and Alaoji flyover junctions on the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway, the story remains the same on how roadside traders have converted major roads to sprawling markets.

South East Voice observed that most of the traders displayed their wares on top of drainages, road medians, beside the gate of public institutions like the Aba Post Office, Abia State Polytechnic, as well as the front side of filling stations, leading to

Enugu govt abandons judges

traffic gridlocks as motorists usually find it difficult to navigate through these areas.

South East Voice visited the area popularly known as ‘Highlife’ spanning Cameroun, Clifford, Ehi and School roads intersection lying along Adazi and York streets, and observed that the booming roadside market had long been developed in the area for dealers in commodities like vegetables, yam, pepper, tomatoes, palm oil, fruits, plantain and clothes.

Even the entrance gate of the Enyimba Stadium along the School Road is not spared the menace of the roadside traders as they have filled every available space with their wares.

The roadside traders at Osisioma Ngwa Junction have also converted the newly built pedestrian walkways to a market where they display all items of trade, mostly blocking the way.

While addressing journalists at the end of a routine inspection in Aba few months ago, the Chairman of the Abia State Environmental and Allied Matters Task Force, Capt. Awa Udonsi Agwu rtd, lamented the attitude of traders who had

•RoadSide market abandoned their shops at government approved markets to display their wares on the roads without considering the glaring risks to their lives and businesses as well as the effects on the environment.

According to the Task Force Chairman, “Most of these traders who displayed their wares on the roads had shops at government designated markets but refused to stay there. Go to Orie Ohabiam Electronics, Ekeoha Shopping Centre, Ariaria, Ehere and other markets in the city;

Many of them use their wares to obstruct free flow of traffic. Others display theirs on drainages, using their improvised stands to block passage of water in the drainages

shops are lying empty. They come to the main road for quicker sales and now used their shops as a packing stores. They should go back to their shops and leave the roads.

“We are not in Aba to victimize anybody, we have been civil in our approach so let us understand why the task force was set up. We want to ensure sanity. Roadside trading constitutes environmental nuisance and also exposes traders to greater danger. Cars can fail break and ram into them.

Many of them use their wares to obstruct free flow of traffic. Others display theirs on drainages, using their improvised stands to block passage of water in the drainages.”

“What we are doing is to open up spaces to ease off traffic on the roads to enable people walk freely and for private vehicle owners to use the open spaces to park their cars while they are in Aba to do their shoppings, instead of parking them along the roads to cause gridlocks or get damaged by other road users

because the vehicles were wrongly parked.

South East Voice’s visits to some markets in the city such as Ehere Modern Market, Orie Ohabiam Electronics Market, Ekeoha Shopping centre, among other markets in the city revealed the existence of fully built up shops yet to be rented by traders.

At the Ehere Modern Market in Obingwa Local Government Area, there were more than 500 open spaces unoccupied by traders.

One of the roadside traders along Asa road, Johnson Kelechi who deals on shoes and clothes, said that they preferred trading on the roads because of lack of finances to rent shops at designated markets as some of them were yet to find their feet financially.

Kelechi added that the cost of shops at the markets were too expensive for beginners like him, adding that they were willing to leave the roads if the state and local governments could reduce the cost of the shops.

Anambra govt, group sign pact to develop health sector

Continued from Page 1 or magistrates. ''We only have high court buildings at Enugu and Agbani. There is no standard high court building in Aguobuowa, Ezeagu Local Government and Oji River among other judicial divisions.

These are the problems which affect judges and impede quick dispensation of justice. ''There are others which do not directly affect us but they lead to congestion of prisons.

For example, we are told that prison inmates contribute money for them to be taken to court because the prison officers are handicapped but if a sitting judge strikes out a case of felony, rape or murder for lack of diligent prosecution, some people will term it that the judge has been bought over.

This is even as Investigating Police Officers, IPOs, are not given any incentive to come to court to testify as witnesses in criminal matters.

An official of the Enugu State Judiciary confirmed the story in Enugu, saying however that arrangements were on to appoint 10 new judges within the next few months.

BY NWABUEZE OKONKWO

O

NITSHA—ACTIVITIES marking this year ’s medical mission being embarked upon on an annual basis, by a team of health professionals from Realizing Inter-Disciplinary System of Excellence, RISE Health Corporation, RHC, a nongovernmental organization, NGO based in the United States of America, USA, kicked off penultimate Tuesday with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, between the corporation and the Anambra State government.

Vice President of the Corporation and Chief Operating Officer of RISE Global Health Initiative, RGHI, Dr. Hien Tran signed on its behalf in the presence of the Chief Executive Officer, CEO of RISE Clinic Nigeria, RCN, Dr. Emeka Okeke, while Governor Willie Obiano, flanked by the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Josephat Akabuike signed on behalf of the government.

After the MoU ceremony, the week-long events continued

with the RISE medical team visiting Orumba General Hospital, Ajalli, followed by a sensitization seminar at the RISE Clinic headquarters, Adazi-Ani and the training of medical personnel at White Castle Hotel, Neni before rounding up with another visit to Ogbaru General Hospital, Ossomala.

Speaking on the occasion, Governor Obiano noted that in rural communities across Anambra State, where over 60 percent of the population resided, the challenges to healthcare delivery were so much that the burden of revamping the health system

cannot be left for the public sector alone, hence the partnership, which would continue to foster vast opportunities for the improvement of healthcare delivery across the state.

Obiano explained that the essence of entering into this Public Private Partnership, PPP, between the state government and RISE Health Corporation, U.S.A was to enable the two partners jointly incorporate and manage a company known as the Anambra Business Coalition, ABC, a health and wellness management and investment group with plans to revamp the health system in a

•Gov. Obiano and RHC team after signing the MoU

number of areas including: management, health information management, value chain management and healthcare financing.

Responding, the CEO of RISE Clinic Nigeria, RCN, Dr. Emeka Okeke explained that RGHI, was a charitable organization which has been working on health systems development in Nigeria since 2011 through its partnership with the Godwin and Patricia Okeke Foundation, GPOF, led

by Chief Godwin Okeke and Lady Patricia Okeke of the GUO Transport company.

He said that since then RCN has created over 100 clinical and sub-clinical jobs in its rural setting, thereby addressing a key factor in healthcare disparity in the rural areas.

He said ABC’s initial efforts would focus primarily on strengthening Anambra’s health system through its hospital re-engineering project, which was a direct effort to scale the existing Integrated Healthcare Delivery model at RCN into two additional health systems in Anambra North and South Senatorial Districts, while RCN continued to serve Anambra Central zone.

4 —Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015

Lamentations of a father whose son was arrested over alleged plot to kidnap Enugu gov

BY AUSTIN OGWUDA

E

NUGU—MISTER Linus Okeke is a retired Assistant Superintendent of Police, ASP. He was once the Enugu State Police command Bandmaster, who played the national anthem at the swearing in of Enugu State governor, Sullivan Chime about eight years ago.

Ironically, barely few weeks to May 29, when the governor would be taking his exit, Okeke and his wife, a teacher at a private primary school are presently in tears.

Their agony followed the incarceration of one of their children in Enugu prisons, over what they described as using a sledge hammer to kill an ant.

He wondered that what could ordinarily at most have attracted warning had been made a capital offence.

According to him, “my son, Anthony Okeke who works as a sound engineer with the Winners Chapel Church headquarters, Presidential Road, Enugu was arrested, beaten to a state of stupour and detained with his vehicle for six days at the Anti-kidnapping Base, Enugu before he was charged for attempting to kidnap the Governor of Enugu State, Sullivan Chime.”

The search for his son took him from one police station to another until they were reliably informed that Anthony was initially detained at the Police Anti Kidnapping Base.

“I then rushed to the Base in Enugu to inquire about him but the Investigating Police Officer, IPO, Sergeant Solomon Jacob informed me that Anthony was brought to them by policemen led by ASP. Nnaedozie, attached to the Enugu State Government House on the allegation that they attempted stopping his car but he overtook the governors convoy and he was arrested.’’

Anthony’s embattled father had also sent a petition to the Civil Rights Realisation and Advancement Network, CRRAN, a rights group based in Enugu, asking for justice.

Investigation by South East Voice showed that, Anthony was arrested by the security details of the governor for breaking into Chime’s convoy with his vehicle around 11.30pm on February 22, 2015.

He was thereafter arraigned before a magistrate court in Enugu on a one-count charge which read: “That you, Anthony Okeke, male, 31, on February 22, 2015 at about 2340 hours, night time along Ogui Road by Fire Service Office, GRA, Enugu, Enugu North magisterial district suspected to be armed with dangerous weapon/ weapons did attempt to kidnap the Governor of Enugu State, His Excellency, Sullivan Iheanacho Chime and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 315 (3) of the Criminal Code, Cap 30 Vol. 11 Laws of Enugu State of Nigeria 2004 as amended in

•Enugu Governor kidnap susupect

We condemn the arrest, torture and continued detention of citizen Anthony Okeke on a frame up charge of attempt to kidnap the Enugu State governor. He has not committed any offence known to the law by overtaking the governors’ convoy at night

2009”.

However, President of the CRRAN, Mr. Olu Omotayo has questioned the rationale behind the alleged kidnap charge.

According to him, “the big question now is who gave the order that Anthony Okeke be charged for attempt to kidnap the governor of Enugu State just because he overtook his convoy at night?

“Our investigation revealed that the governor was just driving around that Sunday night around 11.40 pm, in an unmarked vehicle followed by about four other unmarked vehicles, without the normal siren or fanfare that normally heralded his movement.

“It was reported that Anthony who had just dropped a friend in front of the Fire Service Station, by Otigba Junction, Enugu, entered the road in front of one of the security vehicles following the governor and immediately volleys of gunshots were fired that busted his vehicle tyres.

“We condemn the arrest, torture and continued detention of citizen Anthony Okeke on a frame up charge of attempt to kidnap the Enugu State governor. He has not committed any offence known to the law by overtaking the governors’ convoy at night. This is oppression by those governing the state; it is unacceptable in any decent and normal society. This is the rule of the jungle typified.

“We demand his immediate release and also demand for the release of his personal effects and vehicle lying at the premises of the Nigeria Police, anti Kidnapping Base, Enugu,” Omotayo added.

NUT laments delayed payment of teachers' gratuity in Enugu ...family of deceased teachers owed N90 miilion by government

By FRANCIS IGATA

E

NUGU—OVER 2000 primary school teachers who have retired in Enugu State in the last 13 years are yet to be paid their gratuities.

The Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, Enugu State chapter which made this known in Enugu, also expressed displeasure over the failure of the state government to settle deceased teachers’ entitlements over

the years.

The state Chairman of the NUT, Mr Paul Nnaji told South East Voice, in an interview that families of deceased teachers were being owed over N90 million by the government.

Expressing displeasure over the failure to pay retired teachers their gratuities, Nnaji lamented that the union had on several occasions suggested that government should set up a committee to deal with the problem of nonpayment of gratuities to no

Enugu State NUT Chairman Paul Nnaji while fielding questions in his office.

avail.

He said:”we have two categories of teachers in the state. Those who retired before the harmonized salary structure and those that retired when the Teachers Enhancement Allowance, TEA, was in place.

“However, the state government paid gratuity to primary school teachers in the state last in 2002. The other batch was last paid gratuity in 2004. Between these two categories, pensions are not regular either as the government alternates their pensions payment.

“This group will be paid this month while the other waits for its turn next month. There is delay also in the payment of pensions at the point of retirement. The delay in processing of documents before the teacher starts receiving their pension is enormous (takes over two years).

“We have made representations to the Enugu State Universal Basic Education Board, ENSUBEB, to facilitate the payment. We are yet to see the results. The major problem is that local government councils in Enugu State have failed to remit their 10 percent of funds

for the payment of teachers gratuity.

“The idea of establishing a Pension Pursue which we suggested has not been implemented. This is coupled with the fact that the Enugu State civil servant are yet to key into the Contributory Pension Scheme, CPS. “As at the last time we checked, over N90 million was being owed to deceased teachers in the state. We have equally gone to the Pension Board to complain.

“We are wondering what miracle Anambra State government employed in the payment of its teachers’ gratuities. This problem has been left for the incoming administration and this would be enormous.

Deceased teacher’s son lament Chinedu Ogbe,27,from Aku, Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area regretted that his mother died while waiting for her gratuity.

According to him,”My mother became terminally ill soon after her retirement. We could not cope with the financial encumbrances because her gratuity and pensions were not forthcoming. I believe she could have been alive if we had the financial muscle to shoulder the medical expenses.”

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015 — 5

Anambra community threatens showdown with c’ttee over land scam

By VINCENT UJUMADU

A

WKA—THE people of Ifite Nteje in Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State are threatening a showdown with members of the community ’s land management committee set up in the wake of land dispute between Nteje and Umunya/ Nkwelle, both in the same local government.

The youths of the area had alleged that members of the management committee were helping themselves with the parcels of the disputed land by selling same to interested buyers, even as the matter to determine the rightful owners of the land was still in court.

To express their disgust over the matter, hundreds of youths in the area converged at the Ifite Nteje village square and

cursed those who allegedly turned their common wealth into private pockets.

According to the youths, those put at the helm of affairs embezzled the proceeds and allegedly flogged those identified to be responsible for the embezzlement publicly and dragged them to the frightening Nengo Shrine at Akpakwu village in Ifite Nteje.

An indigene of the community, Mr. Martin Okechukwu told South East Voice that some of the people who went through the ordeal reported the matter to the Criminal Investigation Department, CID, Awka, adding that the matter is still being investigated by the police.

Okechukwu said: “Apart from taking over the local village politics of Ifite Nteje powers, the youths have assumed the political power of the

•Nteje youths protesting over illegal sale of their land by committee members

With some notable indigenes of the area behind them, the youths have been harassing, intimidating and flogging their perceived opponents, forcing them to swear to an oath

community and have been acting with reckless abandon.

“With some notable indigenes of the area behind them, the youths have been harassing, intimidating and flogging their perceived opponents, forcing them to swear to an oath.”

“If the police and other law enforcement agencies fail to intervene immediately to calm frayed nerves in Nteje, there is the likelihood of breakdown of law and order with the attendant consequences.”

He said that sponsors of the youths belong to one of the

political parties in the state, adding that in addition to giving them money, they also supply charms to them to continue to cause confusion in the area.

A prominent indigene of the area, Mr. Odili Obiajulu regretted the development, saying the people concerned were trying to tarnish the image of Nteje by giving the impression that there is trouble in the area.

He warned the people not to do anything that would bring them at loggerheads with law enforcement agencies.

Confusion in Awka over town union election

By VINCENT UJUMADU

A

WKA—THERE is confusion in the Anambra State capital, Awka following an attempt by some titled men in the area to force the incumbent President General of Awka Development Union Nigeria, ADUN, Mr. Tony Okechukwu out of office.

Okechukwu’s three –year tenure expired on March 17, 2015, but because of the general elections, the state government shifted all pending town union elections until the end of the 2015 general elections.

Though Okechukwu and his team had concluded arrangements to conduct the election on March 7, 2015, it had to shelve it following a letter signed by the special adviser to the Anambra State governor on chieftaincy and town union matters, Mr. R.O. Udemba, directing that all town union elections should be put on hold.

The letter from government reads: “Please kindly note that in view of the upcoming general elections in the country, there is the compelling need to maintain peace and order in all the communities in the state. Consequently, all town union elections will be kept on hold until after the conduct of the general elections.

“This policy implies that Awka Development Union election scheduled for March 7, 2015 has been suspended in this circumstance. In the light of the above, the present Awka Development Union executive should hold forth, while the town union election shall be conducted within the first half of the month of May, 2015.”

However, a section of the community, apparently not aware of the government’s directive, held a meeting in Awka during which they accused the PG of trying to perpetuate himself in office after the expiration of his tenure on March 17, 2015.

At the end of the meeting, seven persons, with Chief Chike Obuekwe as chairman, were appointed to represent the seven villages and oversee the affairs of the town, pending the election of new executive for ADUN within six months.

But Okechukwu has insisted that the meeting convened by the group was illegal, null and void, adding that it was only the eldest man in Awka that was authorized to convene such a

meeting.

He called on those interested in the election to be patient until May, 2015 when the election would be held, promising that his executive would conduct free, fair and credible election when the time comes.

However, the secretary of Ozo Awka, a group of titled men in Awka, Dr. Aneze Chinwuba said Awka constitution does not provide for tenure elongation, adding that Okechukwu has ceased to

•Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State

be the PG for Awka since March 17, 2015.

He said: “Our constitution says that election of new PG must be conducted three months to the expiration of the tenure of the incumbent, but Okechukwu started talking about the election after Awka people had started complaining about the sit tight attitude of the PG. “He wanted an extension and was telling people that he needed more time to organize the election, which was why three different groups in Awka wrote the state government to object the suggestion for the extension.”

In the midst of the confusion,

We have written the state governor, notifying him of the decision of Awka people.

Awka is against tenure elongation and if anybody tells Okechukwu that he will stay beyond his tenure

the Izu Awka, an assembly of all Awka people, met and insisted on the appointment of caretaker committee, pending the conduct of the election in May as directed by the state government.

According to Chinwuba, we first visited the eldest man in Awka who blessed everybody before the meeting was held at Obu Awka, with all the branch presidents of Awka Development Union Nigeria in attendance, adding that it was at that meeting that seven persons were selected to serve as members of the caretaker committee.

Chinwuba said further: “We have written the state governor, notifying him of the decision of Awka people. Awka is against tenure elongation and if anybody tells Okechukwu that he will stay beyond his tenure, that person is merely encouraging tenure elongation which is not in our constitution.

“The seven persons that have been selected as caretaker committee members are standing by for the governor to approve their nominations.”

As it stands, everything is quiet for now in Awka, apparently because of the general elections. With the elections over, indications are that the contending parties would begin to press the necessary buttons to achieve their aims.

6 —Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015

27 NAUTH staff win merit award

BY CHIMAOBI NWAIWU

N

NEWI—TWENTY seven staff of Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, NAUTH, Nnewi, have been honoured with Merit Award for distinguishing themselves in the area of their primary assignments in the hospital.

The management of the hospital organised the ceremony through the newly created Corporate Affairs Department in the institution.

Some of the workers honoured were from Accident and Emergency, Accounts, Administration, and Audit Departments.

Others were also from, Anaesthesiology, Chemical Pathology, Community Medicine and the Health Centre in Neni; the Dental Clinic Department; the Guinness Eye Centre, Onitsha; Hematology, Histology, Internal Medicine, Medical Social Service and the Medical Records Departments.

They also came from the NAUTH Annex, Awka; NAUTH

Comprehensive Health Centre, Ukpo and Umunya; NAUTH Trauma Centre, Oba; Nutrition/ Dietetics, Nursing Services, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, Radiology, School of Health Information Management, School of Nursing and the Works Department of the institution.

They recipients included Mrs Scholastica Azubike, David Igbokwe, Dr Cyril Nwachukwu, Dr Okeke Chijioke, Chinwe Nwosu, Okiri Benedict, Dike Michael, Edoga Francis, Okolo Florence, Ezeodili Nkechi, Charity Onyeaso, Albertus Chilaka Isaac Chidi and Leo Maduabu among others.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chairman of the NAUTH Management Board, Dr Sylvan Ebigwei, urged the workers to try and make the difference wherever they found themselves in positions of leadership or follower-ship to impact positively on others.

“Many of you have been in this institution for many years and you must have difficulties being here. Nobody has considered it wise to institute

•From left: Dr Sylvan Ebigwei, Prof Anthony Igwegbe, Dr Anthony Usoro a committee known as Service Delivery Committee here. This is the first board that instituted

Some consultants do not have room enough to describe as their offices. In all the departments many people do not have enough space because this compound is the old Nnewi General Hospital if I am correct, which had been converted to a teaching hospital

it, and the essence of the Service Delivery Committee is to look into the welfare of staff, issues of the workability and functionality of the equipment and various organs of this establishment both within and outside. “Since we came and have the singular honour of chairing this committee, we have gone round, visited every units, giving out data forms for all of you to fill your complaints.

Those who felt cheated in placements, promotions and advancements... Many of you have the capacity...

“When you are happy, you put in your best. This is a medical institution and it is the duty of each and every one of you to deliver the standard that is synonymous with the best practices all over the world. I must say that despite the

constraints here; in terms of infrastructure or otherwise, I think I can rate this hospital as one of the best in this country.

“Some consultants do not have room enough to describe as their offices. In all the departments many people do not have enough space because this compound is the old Nnewi General Hospital if I am correct, which had been converted to a teaching hospital. “The good thing is that if you go to the permanent site you will see the enormous work being done and I pray that very soon most of you will be transferred to the new site where you will have enough space to work. I have to plead and admonish all of you that the country is going through tight financial difficulty...,’’ he said.

Philanthropist bags award

By FELIX OGBONNA

U

MUAHIA — T H E Symbol of Hope Foundation has conferred two awards on the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Ceecon Energy Oil and Gas Limited, Mr. Chimaobi Anyaso for his philanthropic activities and scholarship to over 400 less privileged students in the society.

Speaking at the event held at Hotel Royal Damgrete, Umuahia, the Abia State capital, the National Coordinator of the foundation, Dr. Victor Chibueze, said: ‘’We have observed the philanthropic activities of the Ceecon Energy boss and chose to present the awards to encourage him to do more.’’

Chibueze further said that the Foundation had conducted rural outreaches by providing free health care; donation of equipment to schools, hospitals and orphanages as well as relief materials to prisons and organisation of transformational programmes for ex-convicts.’’

He also said that the Symbol of Hope Foundation was involved in charity organisation

as well as reaching out to the less privileged through various life saving/ humanitarian projects, scholarship for indigent students and empowerment for youths and women through vocational training.

Presenting the awards to the Ceecon Energy boss, Chibueze who was flanked by the South East Coordinator of the Foundation, Mr. Hector Daniel, among other officials, said the oil magnate was chosen for the Distinguished Humanitarian Service and Distinguished Business Personality Awards for his numerous philanthropic activities aimed at improving the welfare of the poor and needy.

“We have heard a lot about your philanthropic activities; the assistance you have been rendering to the less privileged in the society across the state; free medical services, the school you built in your community and about the Ahuoma Educational Foundation, Igbere, Bende Local Government Area, Abia State. We were also told about your free education and scholarship scheme. ‘’We carried out some detailed investigations on your philanthropic activities and

•Mr. Chimaobi Anyaso receiving his award

I am grateful to the Symbol of Hope Foundation for these awards. I have received several awards from several organisations I never knew

were satisfied with what we got, hence, the board of Symbol of Hope Foundation chose to present these awards to encourage you to do more for the society,” Chibueze said.

Receiving the awards, Anyaso said he had dedicated them to the students of his school, Ahuoma Educational Foundation and the less privileged in the society.

“I am grateful to the Symbol of Hope Foundation for these awards.

I have received several awards from several organisations I never knew.

I also never knew that my little efforts to assist the less privileged

in the area of education, health, vocational training and other forms of empowerment are being noticed by people. I am just a small boy from this part of the world doing my little things. Giving is business; it is profitable, very rewarding. I have over 400 students studying at my school, Ahuoma Educational Foundation, Igbere. I will partner with your Foundation to continue and make life more meaning to the less privileged,’’ he added.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015 —7

As part of our intervention and social responsibility, ESUT applied to us requesting for a library and we have granted the request

NDIC donates N40m library to ESUT

By FRANCIS IGATA

E

NUGU—NIGERIA Deposit Insurance Corporation,NDIC, has donated an ultra modern library/bookshop worth about N40 million to the Enugu State University of Science and Technology, ESUT, as part of its efforts to support government programmes in developing the education sector.

Commissioning the bookshop named after the Vice President of Nigeria, Namadi Sambo, the chairman of NDIC, Ambassador Hassan Adamu said that “it was named after Sambo because of his love for education, from his time as governor of Kaduna State. He put education at the forefront and this is making Nigeria great.”

Adamu said that the NDIC has intervened virtually in all federal and state universities adding that ESUT was

probably the last one to benefit from the gesture.

“As part of our intervention and social responsibility, ESUT applied to us requesting for a library and we have granted the

request,” he said.

Adamu who incidentally is the Chancellor of ESUTH urged students to make good use of the library/bookshop as it was built to enhance their learning.

Speaking in an interview with newsmen shortly after the commissioning of the project, the Managing Director, NDIC, Alhaji Umaru Ibrahim said as a matter of policy, NDIC helped in funding various projects in universities and other institutions across the country for those that deserved them.

Umaru noted that apart from helping to fund such projects, the ‘’NDIC does not get involved in maintenance of such structure or facilities.’’

Pix: Vice chancellor of ESUT, Prof. Cyprain Onyeji (12/04/ 2015)

NSE boss lauds local engineers over Aba Mega Mall project

By ANAYO OKOLI

U

MUAHIA—A $300 million (about N60 billion) Aba Mega Mall is now being built by Greenfield Assets Limited- indigenous developers, which engaged Nigerian engineers in all aspects of the job.

President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, NSE, Ademola Olorunfemi who inspected the project commended the quality of work, saying that Nigerian were capable of handling any type of engineering work if given the opportunity.

Olorunfemi spoke in Aba when he led a delegation of the society to inspect the multibillion Naira project in Osisioma Ngwa, near Aba, Abia State, describing it “as a practical demonstration of patriotism.”

He commended and owners of the mall for their initiative as well as for engaging the services of indigenous engineers, pointing out that the mall would engender economic activities in Abia State in particular and the South-East geopolitical zone in general.

Olorunfemi also, challenged other Nigerians with the means to emulate Greenfield Assets by providing similar infrastructure that would create jobs for especially, indigenous engineers, saying that the NSE was interested in engineering developments in the country hence it encouraged projects like the Aba Mega Mall.

“It is part of our responsibility as a professional body to

encourage this kind of development. This is a $300 million project and the implication is huge. It is even good that he engaged largely Nigerian professionals, artisans and all the likes.

“What we are telling government is that they should approach professionals from other countries through our own professionals. We should not just give out our money; give out our jobs to foreigners that would hinder us from developing capacity. Even though engineering has no frontiers, consideration should be given to local and environmental issues,”

• Nigerian Engineers

What we are telling government is that they should approach professionals from other countries through our own professionals.

We should not just give out our money; give out our jobs to foreigners that would hinder us from developing capacity

Olurenfemi argued.

For Mr. Paul Obanua, owner of Greenfield Assets Limited, the company embarked on the project to provide infrastructure, engender renewal of the commercial city and stimulate new culture in Aba. “Singapore is what it is today, because of the infrastructure in the place.

So, if we are also able to stimulate infrastructure development from here, the culture of the city of Aba will also be improved. Starting from this retail infrastructure, called Aba Mega Mall and the connecting road we said

we are going to do as part of our corporate social responsibility to the community, we hope that urban renewal will be engendered in Aba. “We are already done with the first phase and by the end of this year, the second phase would have been completed,” he explained.

Aba Mega Mall, according to him, would be the biggest mall in Africa with a 100,000 square metre shopping space and a dry port, which will be the first of its kind in Africa Another 100-room hotel would be coming up in the second phase of the project.

8 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015

Hoodlums terrorize teachers, students inside fenceless Anambra school

BY NWABUEZE OKONKWO

O

N I T S H A — TEACHERS and students of Community Secondary School, CSS, Uke, in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State are now groaning following the state of insecurity in the institution.

Hoodlums terrorize the staff and students inside their porous and unfenced school compound.

Principal of the school, Hyacinth Mbah who spoke, during the commissioning ceremony of some newly renovated school blocks and staff quarters, said as a result of the porosity of the school, bag snatchers and other criminals were having a field day inside the premises, throwing the teachers into panic.

According to him, apart from the menace of the hoodlums, cattle rearers and their animals usually invade the school

premises destroying most things at will, without any obstruction.

He said that school property like laptops and science equipment, among others worth millions of Naira had been evacuated to other safe places for fear of being stolen by the hoodlums.

Mbah therefore called on the appropriate government agencies to team up with town union leaders in the host community with a view to commencing the erection of a perimeter fence round the school premises.

He also, called for the renovation of the old school staff quarters, dormitories, dinning hall, kitchen facilities and possibly put up new ones for the proposed restoration of the school boarding system to become a reality.

He however commended the state government for caring for the school and called for more assistance in the area of the perimeter fencing to ensure security of lives and property.

The principal further called for the sinking of a borehole and

•Lady Joy Ulasi, commissioning the project toilet facilities to ensure maintenance of good and healthy environment adding that a giant power generating plant for computer studies and a school library had been provided, courtesy of Drs Boniface Agbala and Eddy Emegoakor, two prominent

The board has so far spent about N20 million for the renovation of school blocks in the school

indigenes of the community.

Commissioning the newly renovated school blocks, the Chairman of Anambra State Universal Basic Education Board, ASUBEB, Chief Nzemeka Olisa said that the board has so far spent about N20 million for the renovation of school blocks in the school, adding that the project was part of the state government’s efforts aimed at transforming the state school system.

He however urged host communities and individuals to assist the state government by contributing towards making their various schools citadel of learning.

Also in her own speech while

commissioning a newly completed ultra-modern staff quarters built by the PresidentGeneral of Uke Town Union, Chukwuemeka Enendu, the Chairman of the state Post Primary Schools Services Commission, PPSSC, Lady Joy Ulasi pledged to give the school more teachers at the completion of the on-going rationalization exercise of teachers in the state.

Ulasi who expressed satisfaction that the school has grown from strength to strength in terms of number of students, described education as a partnership venture between the government and host communities.

Foundation holds workshop for rural people on firm, community relationship in Abia

By ANAYO OKOLI

U

MUAHIA—IN an effort to educate oil producing communities on the hazards occasioned by the activities of oil companies, a nongovernmental organization, CLEEN Foundation, recently organized a workshop for the rural people on how to relate with the companies in their areas.

They were also sensitized on the need for the oil companies to maintain good records of human rights in their host communities.

CLEEN Foundation said these could be achieved through the “Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights.”

The Voluntary Principles project essentially states that extractive companies should conduct risk assessments at the locations/areas they intended to carry out operations with a view to mitigating the risk factors. The principles further stated that companies should also, on regular basis, conduct risk assessment to ascertain security risks and likelihood of human rights abuses before commencing operation in such area.

The programme officer,

CLEEN Foundation, Mr. Ifeanyi Anyanwu, who addressed the participants, identified three elements of the project to include ‘’risks assessment, interaction with public security, and interaction with private security.’’

According to him,”Companies must have the interest to ensure that actions taken by security operatives are consistently in line with the protection and promotion of human rights. In order to mitigate risks of human rights abuses and promote respect for human rights, there are certain guidelines expected

One of the guidelines expected of any extractive company to respect is security arrangement.

Extractive companies should consult the host government and communities about the impact of the security arrangements on the host communities

•Cross Session of participants (at the workshop held at Owaza in Ukwa West Council of Abia State.

of any extractive company to follow regarding security provision in the company.

“One of the guidelines expected of any extractive company to respect is security arrangement. Extractive companies should consult the host government and communities about the impact of the security arrangements on the host communities.

“In adhering to the ethical conduct and human rights policies, companies should

communicate their policies to public security and stress the need for the security providers to adhere strictly to the policies; the type and number of public security deployed to the companies/ facilities should be proportional to the threats; companies should organize meetings with public security personnel on regular basis to deliberate on security and human rights”.

Anyanwu also said that companies should facilitate

interface with civil society organizations and host government to discuss human rights issues as it affects the communities just as he said that they should show high level of accountability and transparency by recording and reporting allegations of human rights abuses by public security in their areas of operations to appropriate host government, and monitor to investigate for proper resolution.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015 — 33

Suarez: My job is to help Messi, Neymar L

es fall in a friendly last month.

The seven-time continental champions are looking to end what would be a seven-year drought from African football’s showpiece event.

Egypt failed to reach the previous edition of the continental tournament in Equatorial Guinea earlier this year where Cote D’Ivoire were crowned champions after beating the Black Stars of Ghana.

Kayode happy with match winner in Israel

E

x-Nigeria youth in ternational Olanrewaju Kayode has said that he is very happy to have headed home the match winner for Maccabi Netanya in a 2-1 win at Hapoel Ra’anana in a relegation play-off game in Israel.

He has now scored 11 goals in the league this season Maccabi Netanya now lead relegation play-off with 39 points

from 28 games.

Kayode said it was important they won the game as they have to retain their top-flight league status.

“I am very happy to score the goal which won the game for us. It was a very important goal for me and the team because we need to win to remain in the top flight,” he said.

ther to me.This is a very important person. The person who gave me the chance to play my first match in this club.

“I went to Qatar and when I returned, it was again the same person who gave me the team. What else can I say? He

Porto set for Bayern challenge

F

Ezekiel: I was alone in Qatar Standard Liege striker Imoh Ezekiel, who is back at the club after a six month sojourn in Qatar with Al Arabi, says he failed to settle in the oilrich city despite earning twice his previous salary at the team.

The 21-year-old, while speaking on his fine form since rejoining his former side on loan, said he feels settled at the team and that has played a role in his performances with four goals in six games so far including a brace in the Belgium league title playoffs.

“My life is simple at Standard liege because I know a lot of people. I know the players, but I also know very well the city of Liege! Life here suits me well,” he said “You can not even imagine! In Qatar, I was alone. It was all about football and I went home. There was no communication. I was not able to adapt to the lifestyle. It was really hard for me. “ He revealed that the lure of working again with his coach at Standard Liege, Jose Riga, made it easy for him to make up his mind about rejoining the team on loan from Qatar.

“The coach, José Riga, is like a fa-

uis Suarez says it is a Barcelona player’s duty to help Lionel Messi and Neymar perform to the best of their abilities.

Suarez signed for the Catalans last summer from Liverpool and, after a slow start, has now formed an enviable attacking trio alongside Messi and Neymar.

The 28-year-old is adamant, however, that his and everybody else’s job at Camp Nou is to ensure the Argentine and Brazilian are afforded as much of an opportunity to damage the opposition as possible.

“Life at Barcelona is about adapting to the way Leo and Neymar play and the moves they make, and trying to make things easier for them,” Suarez told Uefa.com.

“They are incredible players, but you work to support the team regardless of who is playing that day. Everybody feels comfortable in their role of helping Messi and Neymar play their best game.

“There are situations where we have maybe two or three players in attack to distract the defence.”

Suarez also suggested part of the reason he chose to leave Liverpool for his “dream” club was that he could not imagine he’d ever win a continental trophy while an Anfield.

“I’ve always wanted to play at Barcelona,” the Uruguayan continued. “It was a dream come true. Everything is fine here now".

has always been there for me good time.

“I am grateful to him for all he has done for me and I will like to say: Dear José, I want to thank you for everything.

Your support, your love. I hope that by working together we will accomplish great things!”

C Porto are perfectly well aware of FC Bayern’s great success in recent years. “We’re talking about one of the best Bayern teams in the history of the club,” declared coach Julen Lopetegui at yesterday’s pre-match press conference ahead of the Champions League quarter-final first leg tie today, “ we’ve got great respect for Bayern.”

Respect indeed, but no fear. The team lying second in the Portuguese top flight have gained a huge amount of confidence in the past few months: Porto are unbeaten in the Champions League this season. “We don’t stand a chance against Bayern? Why not? We’re in with a shout and a good one at that,” declared Dutch defender Bruno Martins Indi.

FC Porto are looking to give as good as they get, even if it is against one of the best teams in Europe. It will be a “tough challenge” according to Lopetegui, “but we intend to come out on top.” The aim will be to prevent Bayern dominating possession. “And when we’ve got the ball we need to make the best use of it.”

Porto are clearly in better shape than Bayern in terms of personnel even though the loss of winger Christian Tello (leg) does hurt. Star striker Jackson Martínez, the top goalscorer in Portugal with 17 goals plus five in the Champions League this term, appears to be fit again after recovering from a groin injury. Lopetegui said Martínez would be in the squad at least.

“He’s not just important because of his goals. Jackson can hold the ball up well, his distribution is good and he’s crucial as an outlet,” said the coach. In addition to Martínez, FC Porto also pose a threat up front through the Algerian Yacine Brahimi, while stalwart Ricardo Quaresma cannot be taken for granted either.

34—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015

Hilary Clinton E

nding two years of speculation, Hillary Rodham Clinton announced on Sunday that she would seek the presidency for a second time, immediately establishing herself as the likely 2016 Democratic nominee. The world is really not surprised.

I’m running for president, she said in a two-minute video. Everyday Americans need a champion. And I want to be that champion, Mrs. Clinton said. So I’m hitting the road to earn your vote — because it’s your time. And I hope you’ll join me on this journey.

The announcement effectively began what could be one of the least contested races, without an incumbent, for the Democratic presidential nomination in recent history — a stark contrast to the 2008 primaries, when Mrs. Clinton, the early front-runner, ended up in a long and expensive battle won by Barack Obama. It could also be the first time a woman captures a major party’s nominee.

Florence Ajimobi T

he Nigerian cyberspace was treated at the weekend to photos of the Oyo state governor, Ajimobi, sharing a victory kiss with his lovely wife, Florence, minutes after making history being elected the second time to the Oyo State house.

This is reminiscent of a similar circulated picture some time back of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed and his dear wife, Oluremi. Commentators would like to see more of these.

Senator Aisha Al-Hassan

H

istory was made weekend as Taraba State gubernatorial poll APC candidate and erstwhile federal lawmaker was rumoured to have won the keenly contested poll in that state. The Blogosphere was agog with support and congratulatory messages from men and women of goodwill alike. However, the election was declared inconclusive by INEC.

Patience Jonathan N

igeria’s current first lady Patience Faka Jonathan will go down in history as the most entertaining first lady and the one with the most views and hits on social media. This last elections week, she trends again as pictures of Mr. President voting alone in Bayelsa raised questions not only on the whereabouts of the Rivers born lady, but also why she chose not to exercise her voting rights. Time will tell…

C M Y K

Abah Folawiyo The Nigerian first lady of fashion Abah Folawiyo has paid a courtesy visit to Nigerian vice president elect Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, and his wife, Dolapo, who happens to be the first cousin of Mrs. Folawiyo’s son, Segun Awolowo.

Awolowo had been under fire to campaign in favour of the incumbent president Goodluck Jonathan, under whose administration he currently has an appointment, but remained mum even after his wife was reportedly sighted at an APC rally in favour of president-elect Buhari.

All that is water under the bridge now, as the polls have been conducted and won. Segun has now proudly posted the picture of his visit with his mother to the Osinbajos, openly on social media.

Omawumi D

iva songstress and recently married mother of one also trended on the Nigerian blogosphere, as pregnant photos of her hit the air as her friends apparently threw her a surprise baby shower.

This is because the lady of songs is expecting baby number two, and speculators suspect it’s a boy. Party throwers include OAP Toke Makinwa, Waje, and an equally heavy Tiwa Savage.

VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015—35

More people are becomig interested in art — Ora Ataguba, Weave & Co Gallery boss RUNNING a business, especially one that pertains to the arts, can be as taxing as any other. Although a lot of people may not be connoisseurs of art, people have begun to sit up and take notice of it so as to improve the growth of the arts in Nigeria.

The Business side of art may have recently been brought into the lime light by a lot of people, one of which is Ora Ataguba who runs Weave & Co gallery in Lagos. Weave & Co is an arts gallery which encompasses a wide range of arts and crafts.

Interestingly enough, 90% of the arts found in this gallery are made in Nigeria even though they stock, produce and collect all kinds of art from different places.

By Anino Aganbi

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HY did you choose to go into arts as a business?

It chose me. As at the time I went to school, I didn’t study a particular course because I wanted to do a certain thing in the future. Somewhere along the line, I discovered I had the flair for arts.

Arts was something I found myself in through the love for it although it wasn’t something I discovered by myself. I was involved in all bits and pieces of things I could lay my hands on to do.

Buiness relationship At some point, I used to design and make clothes. I also did soft furnishing for a while.

I was interested in doing all types of things that are arts related. Somewhere along the line, I got into a business relationship which blossomed into setting up an arts gallery.

How would you say Nigerians react to Arts and galleries as opposed to other countries?

Well, we have been labeled a lot of things. People say galleries are expensive or are for foreigners. In my own opinion, a gallery is a collection of exquisite arts. It’s a collection of things that you won’t C M Y K

necessarily find on the street or in other places.

It is for a select people, it’s a specialized kind of business.

You do not expect the general public to come in here. You are looking for people who appreciate the quaint, that which is different and unusual.

They are looking for something that is special, different, and unusual. Those are the kind of people you find who come in here and have chit chat with us while they are looking around. But then, the gallery also is for the upwardly mobile, if you have travelled a lot, then you would have seen lots of places, homes, different kinds of interior decorations, I want to believe then when you come back home, your taste would have been tweaked.

The reaction of people is kind of growing. You have fewer connoisseurs of art, but when those people come in, it makes a welcome change in the business. More people are getting interested in arts.

Creating awareness to the public…

I have been in this business for quite a while. We reinvented ourselves and started Weave & Co in 2009. I have spent a lot of time trying to perfect what I do by trying to make sure quality speaks for me. I think that when your quality and service speaks for you, there is

Ora Ataguba. no advert that is as good as that.

Advertising costs money, therefore we are working on our brands and products and making sure that we have things in order. A lot of Nigerian businesses have issues. When you get close, you begin to realize that it is not what it looks like from afar.

We have exhibitions on regular basis and we do have events from time to time. I believe that is good enough for now.

Making impact on the lives of youths….

We will have to define art first. Art is a form of expression; it is God inspired and is something we all have in us.

Deeper meaning For the youths, I think that to come to terms with art is like a realization of what the whole earth is really all about. The universe itself and the way it

functions is very artistic When youths come in touch with their artistic side, they begin to realize there is more to life than just making some money.

I have spent a lot of time trying to perfect what I do by trying to make sure quality speaks for me. I think that when your quality and service speaks for you, there is no advert that is as good as that

It gives deeper meaning to life because it is like a creation of your hands. It is like something that was created and because you were gifted to do that, it becomes unique to you.

By having a business like this, it inspires a lot of youths to realize that you can come out of the mold and do some things that inspired from within.

It makes a lot of youths become creative because they see it is possible to make money from stuff like this as against just thinking that we must be in an office to make money. I also think it inspires creativity that may be lying latent within you.

Is arts something the government should take an interest in?

Of course, because it is selling its people. The government should take what interests the people. We need more support in taking the arts out for it to be sold. We have Chinese food in Nigeria and it is so popular.

36—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015

C M Y K

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015—37

back of the area to get his second term as governor of Lagos.

Coming at a time that the PDP electoral tsunami swept away five of the six AD governors, Tinubu’s 2003 victory was not only unique but also consolatory.

Flash back to the open arena of the Birrel Avenue, Yaba Lagos office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Dateline: April 22, 2003.

Journalists, foreign and local observers and agents of the governorship candidates among others waited patiently as results from the 20 local councils trickled in. From the results, Tinubu and late Engr Funsho Williams of the PDP were running a very tight race. It was becoming increasingly difficult to predict where the pendulum of victory would swing. By the time results from 19 councils had come in, Tinubu had won in 14 while Williams won in five(Mainland, Badagry, Ajeromi-Ifelodun, Amuwo-Odofin and Ojo).

Electoral umpire •Agbaje to Ambode: You have done well

LAGOS: How Ambode won LAST Saturday’s election in Lagos was unarguably the toughest governorship poll ever held in the state since the return to democratic rule and proved the sagacity and strength of the political leader of the state, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

By Clifford Ndujihe governorship standard bearer.

I

NDICATIONS that the 2015 governorship election would be tough emerged early. It became very obvious after the March 28 Presidential and National Assembly elections where the PDP gained a lot of electoral mileage in the state.

Though General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), the presidential candidate of the APC won in Lagos, his margin of victory was not very significant.

Indeed, the PDP picked a record five federal constituencies in the House of Representatives in that election provoking recrimination from top APC leaders against some party leaders in the region where the PDP won.

The development also provoked intense campaigns especially from leaders of the APC who were not comfortable with the PDP’s buckling up.

Their efforts were, however, almost derailed after the Oba of Lagos, HRM Oba Rilwanu Akiolu, at a meeting with some Igbo traditional rulers in his palace, admonished Igbo in Lagos over their seeming inclination towards the PDP? The Oba’s comments provoked outrage in the polity especially from Igbo and some nonindigenes, who vowed to vote for Mr Jimi Agbaje, the PDP

Thus, amid fear of violence, the stage was set a very tough duel.

At the end of the day, the elections lived up to the billing and the people voted for the candidates of their choice. The exercise was largely peaceful and credible.

Low voters turnout The only drawbacks were low voters’ turnout and minor hitches in a couple of places.

Aside panning out as the keenest governorship and state legislative polls since 1999, the PDP also won seven seats in the 40-member Lagos State House of Assembly.

The opposition party also narrowed the gap with which the APC beat it in the presidential election with many voters in Amuwo-Odofin, Ojo, AjeromiIfelodun, Oshodi-Isolo and Surulere voting for what they chorused ‘’Lagoon straight,’’ which means Agbaje in reference to Oba Akiolu’s threat.

Prof Isaac Adewole, INEC, returning officer for Lagos State governorship election, announced Ambode as winner having polled 811,994 votes Agbaje’s 659,788 votes.

APC won in 15 local councils while PDP won in five. Ambode

GOVERNORSHIP POLLS SCORE

LAGOS

APC: 811,994 PDP: 659,788

beat Agbaje with a margin of 152,206 votes which is lower than Buhari’s 160,133 votes triumph over Jonathan.

Past polls: The 2015 exercise is the PDP best performance ever.

The 2003 election is only second.

And both polls, the winning party relied on the voting strength of Alimosho Local Council to sail through.

Among the 20 local councils of Lagos State, seven have a pedigree for churning out huge number of votes during elections because they have populations of over million people each.

These councils, according to the Lagos Bureau of Statistics, are Somolu (1,025,123 people), Agege (1,0033,064), OshodiIsolo (1,134,548), Surulere (1,274,362), Mushin (1,321,517), Ajeromi-Ifelodun (1,435,295) and Alimosho (2,495,896) In terms of elections and bloc votes, Mushin, Ajeromi-Ifelodun and Alimosho constitute the three electoral pillars of Lagos of which Alimosho, unarguably, is the election swinger or decider any day. It is difficult to win any election in Lagos without the three councils especially Alimosho.

In fact, considered as a microcosm of Lagos, any governorship candidate that wins in Alimosho is as good as having

won the entire state.

The impact of Alimosho as an electoral warehouse was not very visible in the 1999 governorship election because Tinubu recorded a landslide victory. He polled 841,732 votes while Chief Dapo Sarumi (PDP), his nearest challenger, scored 184,900 votes and Alhaji Nosirudeen KekereEkun of the All Peoples Party (APP) had 122,743 votes.

Its impact in local elections did not become very obvious until in 2003 when Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who contested on the banner of the AD rode on the

Among the 20 local councils of Lagos State, seven have a pedigree for churning out huge number of votes during elections because they have populations of over million people each

In terms of number of votes, Tinubu (801,311 votes) was leading Williams (671,745 votes) but there was anxiety and the fear on the faces of the party agents and stakeholders was palpable.

Tinubu’s 129,566 votes marginal lead could be levelled out as about 200,000 votes were being awaited from Alimosho.

And then it happened! Alimosho electoral officers arrived with the bloc votes. Observers listened with rapt attention as the electoral umpire reeled out the figures. AD supporters erupted in wild jubilation when it was announced that Tinubu polled 110,302 votes in Alimosho, the highest in the state, to PDP’s 68,751 votes.

Tinubu won with 911,613 votes to Williams’ 740,506 votes, a margin of 171,107 votes, in what passed as Tinubu’s most hard-won victory since he bestrode the political landscape of the state in the early 1990s.

Since the 2003 election, Alimosho has remained an electoral world bank, giving bloc votes to its preferred parties and candidates.

In 2007, Alimosho gave Mr Babatunde Fashola of the Action Congress (AC) 207,112 votes (25 per cent) on his way to winning his first term with 828,400 votes. PDP’s Musiliu Obanikoro got 86,096 votes in Alimosho and 389,088 overall. The closest local council to Alimosho in 2007 was Mushin where Fashola had 61,683 votes and Obanikoro scored 21,719 votes.

In 2011, Fashola got 156,384 votes in Alimosho while Ade Dosunmu of the PDP polled 33,750 votes in the area. Once again, Mushin was the next ranking council.

Voters in Mushin gave Fashola 129,655 votes and handed Dosunmu 13,881 votes.

38—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015

Tambuwal’s triumph in Sokoto HON. Aminu Waziri, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, has fought and won many political battles since he was first appointed a legislative aide to the first Senate leader of the Fourth Republic, Senator Abdallah Wali.

His defeat of Wali in last Saturday’s governorship poll was his latest victory.

By Jimoh Babatunde

T

HE man Aminu Waziri Tambuwal was not in the consciousness of Nigerians until 2011 when he was thrown up by circumstances to become the Speaker of the House of Representative against the established zoning formula of his then party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

Tambuwal’s political journey commenced when he was appointed in 1999 as the Senior Legislative Officer to Senator Abdallah Wali, the then Senate Leader. Incidentally, Tambuwal’s former boss was his major opponent who flew the flag of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP last weekend.

He resigned to contest and win the Kebbi/Tambuwal Federal Constituency seat in the House of Representatives on the platform of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in 2003.

Before becoming speaker in June 2011, he was deputy chief whip of the House between 2007 and 2011.

Road to the Lodge Road, the Seat of Sokoto State Government Undoubtedly, the main person behind Tambuwal’s victory is the outgoing governor of the state, Governor Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko who many observers

see as fighting his last battle in the state to consign his predecessor in office Alhaji Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa to political oblivion.

There had been no love lost between both personalities after they both worked together as Governor and Deputy Governor respectively from 1999 to 2006.

As deputy governor, Wamakko was said to have greatly endeared himself to the people of the state and it is believed that his humility made it possible for him to get notable politicians in the state to the side of the APC. Today, almost all members of

Many observers felt Bafarawa orchestrated the emergence of Ambassador Abdullahi Wali as the party’s flag bearer in Saturday’s election

•Aminu Tambuwal: Won the governorship election in Sokoto State GOVERNORSHIP POLLS SCORE Bafarawa’s Executive Council, while he was the SOKO- TAMBUWAL: 647,609 governor of the state are WALI: 269,074 with Wamakko.

TO The Campaign Director of the Tambuwal team, Alhaji of time with Wamakko behind Muhammadu Maigari him and that was what played Dingyadi, was the former out on Saturday.

And the people feel the only Secretary to the State Government under the Bafarawa way to sustainable growth and administration. Others who development track of Governor served under Bafarawa like his Wamakko is to vote for Tambuwal, Special Advisers, members of the who they say will consolidate on State House of Assembly, some all the gains and achievements top shots of his former party and of the Wamakko years.

Buhari factor: Apart from the even a section of his family are said to be with Governor Wamakko factor, the victory of the party’s candidates in both the Wamakko.

Parading such heavy political Presidential election and the weights in the state, many saw National Assembly elections, the chances of Tambuwal where the party won all available becoming governor as a matter seats, prepared the ground for

HOUSE OF REPS: The S-South quest for Speakership

By Emman Ovuakporie

I

T is no longer news that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will produce the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives when 8th Assembly of the National Assembly takes off in June.

What is news is that the South-South and South-East geo-political zones may not produce any of the top leaders on account of their preference for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which will become the leading opposition party in June.

As it is, the North may produce the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives in addition to the presidency it already has through Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (retd).

To address the looming anomaly, the APC has been advised to zone the position of the Speaker to the South South geo-political zone of the country to reflect the principle of federal character required by the 1999

constitution (as amended).

This was contained in a statement issued by a prodemocracy group, Change Vanguard, and signed by its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Tayo Bello,.

The group raised alarm over the possibility of the three northern geo-political zones producing the President, Senate President and Speaker, House of Representatives.

The statement read in part: “Change Vanguard welcomes the positive political revolution brought by the APC and the subsequent election of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari as president-elect on March 28, 2015. However, Hon Pally Iriase Change Vanguard is disturbed by ongoing political the president-elect, Buhari from the developments in the lead-up to the North-west and the vice presidentMay 29, 2015 handover date. As it elect, Prof Yemi Osinbajo from the stands, the incoming All Progressive Continues on page 39 Congress administration already has

Tambuwal victory.

The victory of General Muhammadu Buhari in the presidential election was a contributory factor to Tambuwal’s victory as the generality of the people started mouthing the APC from top to bottom slogan.

The people of the state felt the only way the victory of Buhari could be meaningful is to have an APC led government in the state and this paid off handsomely as Aminu Tambuwal and his deputy Aliyu benefitted from it. The loss of President Goodluck Jonathan at the Presidential polls nailed the hope of the PDP’s stalwart to use the power of the federal might to capture the state as boasted by Bafarawa that they will win the state if it means using force.

Rancour in the PDP: A house divided itself, it is said cannot, stand. The PDP entered the contest as a divided house and paid dearly for it with the defeat of all its candidates.

Many traced the rancour in the party to the defection of Bafarawa into the party when he dumped the APC which he helped to form because Governor Aliyu Wamakko was to join the APC.

Party stakeholders Bafarawa entry into PDP was said to have subsequently relegated the role of those who toiled to keep the party together.

Stakeholders like the deputy governor, Barrister Muktar Shagari and former minister of transport, Alhaji Yusuf Suleiman among others were not too happy as the party became polarised.

Many observers felt Bafarawa orchestrated the emergence of Ambassador Abdullahi Wali as the party ’s flag bearer in Saturday’s election against someone like Shagari. The ripples of the party primaries still reverberated till the Election Day as many of the party stakeholders refused to be part of the campaign team of their candidate.

Traditional institution and Religion: The historical role of the traditional institution in the lives of the people could not be divulged from the outcome of the election in the state. Though without any established basis, there were wild speculations that the emergence of a PDP administration would lead to the deposition of some traditional rulers in the state.

The insurgency in the neigbouring North East also did not help the cause of the PDP in the state as the people saw the party as having failed to manage the crisis.

All these factors played significant role in the outcome of Saturday election where Tambuwal scored 647,609 votes to defect his rival in the Peoples Democratic Party, Sen. Abdullahi Wali, who scored 269,074.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015—39

BAUCHI: How PDP disappeared THE saying that victory is sweet to the one that has once tasted failure reflects the political events that heralded last Saturday’s Governorship and State House Assembly election in Bauchi State.

By Suzan Edeh HE outcome of the election has become the topic of virtually every political discourse in the state as it has proved to political watchers how the mighty can fall while underdogs run the affairs of the state. One question political analysts are still asking is: how did an opposition party has been relegated to the background for many years edge out a ruling party that has held sway for long? Is it miracle, magic or just sheer luck that gave the opposition the advantage this time around?

A critical assessment of the victory of the All Progressive Congress (APC) Governorship Candidate, Barrister Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar over Auwal Jatau, the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) showed that the PDP made some dangerous moves that led to its failure.

T

Pointer of defeat Besides the fact that the calculations of the PDP in Bauchi state went wrong this time around at the governorship and State House Assembly elections, the pointers of defeat were glaring even before the conduct of the election. The mistakes of the party were to grievous that it is now learning it’s lessons through the hard way.

Many factors that shot the PDP down have been identified. They include imposition of unpopular candidate During the conduct of the PDP’s governorship primary, Auwal Jatau contested alongside four prominent politicians in the state which include former Minister of State for Health, Dr Ali Pate; former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Yayale Ahmed; Senator Adamu Gumba and Senator Babayo Gamawa.

The result of the election did not go down well with the people of the state because they felt that Jatau was not only a neophyte in the politics affairs of the state, he had no experience at the national level when compared with other contestants. There were also allegations of rigging of the primaries in favour Jatau, said to be Governor Isa Yuguda’s anointed candidate.

So, the choice of Jatau did not go down well with many PDP stakeholders and heavyweights,

who defected to opposition parties, especially the APC and thereby weakening the ruling party.

Govt’s alleged insensitivity and poor performance Many observers see Governor Yuguda’s performance as poor.

In the last eight years, they said he did not do enough to address a series of economic and social challenges which range from poverty, unemployment, insecurity, poor workers’ salary and deteriorating state of companies. So, the people felt that it was only a change of government that could address their challenges and when they

Many observers see Governor Yuguda’s performance as poor.

In the last eight years, they said he did not do enough to address a series of economic and social challenges

•Yuguda: Also lost his own Senate bid got that opportunity at the polls, they effected the change swiftly.

The Buhari factor The emergence Muhammadu Buhari as the APC presidential candidate and subsequently the president-elect was a major factor that led to the defeat of the PDP at the governorship and State House Assembly election in Bauchi State. During his campaign visits, Buhari urged his supporters to vote out the PDP government and vote for only APC candidates to usher in a new government that will deliver the dividends of democracy to the people. The people obeyed as reflected in the results, where the APC swept the polls.

APC’s credible candidate

The governor-elect completed his law studies in 1978, attended the Nigeria Law School from 1978 to 1979, had his mandatory National Youth Service Corps and joined the services of Bauchi state government as a Pupil State Council, Ministry of Justice. The key positions he held while serving with the state government were Head of Legal Drafting Department, Bauchi State House of Assembly (1983), Director, Public Prosecution, Ministry of Justice (1988) and Commissioner of Justice (1990 to 1993.)He was also the Chairman of Nigeria Bar Association, Bauchi State, from 1996 to 1998.After leaving the services of the state government, Abubakar

was at different times, the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in Kogi, Delta, Plateau and Rivers, and afterwards elevated to the position of National Commissioner in charge of Borno, Jigawa and Yobe.

Jatau on the other hand, was a member of the Zaki Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives. Jatau, with his 16 years experience in politics, has held various positions in the State House of Assembly, including his emergence as the Speaker and served in many committees in the House of Representatives.

A comparison of their portfolios by political pundits in the state showed that Abubakar is more experienced, educated and has held leadership positions in and outside the state. They said he possesses what it takes to lead the state than Jatau.

Fears that Jatau will be another Yuguda One of the greatest fears of people of Bauchi was that if Auwal Jatau emerged as the governor of the state, he will continue with the legacies of Yuguda and the state will be further underdeveloped. With this mind, the people were determined that every trace of PDP must go for change to come.

So, it was not shocking that Jatau lost in his zone, Katagum, which consists of Katagum, Shira, Giade, Jama’are, Itas Gadau, Zaki, Gamawa, Misau, Damba. Some stakeholders have been agitating that the next governor should come from Katagum zone because both Yuguda and Mu’azu are from Bauchi South Zone, making the zone to have had governors of the state since 1999.

HOUSE OF REPS: The S-South quest for Speakership Continues from page 38 South-West.

“Change Vanguard is aware that the position of the Senate President may go to the North Central or North East geopolitical zone since the South East previously touted for the Senate presidency failed to produce any APC senator.

Change Vanguard is disturbed by the reported moves by the APC to zone the position of Speaker, House of Representatives to the North East.

“Change Vanguard reminds the APC that if the House speakership position is zoned to the North East geo-political region, it would be a clean sweep for the country ’s northern region with the President, Senate president and House Speaker coming from there. This will be in breach of the constitution and

a divisive development.

“Change Vanguard recognises the fact that the South-East failed to produce any federal lawmaker in the Senate and House of Representatives. However, th e South-South geo-political zone returned at least three ranking and qualified APC House members. This is a golden opportunity that the APC must not miss to ensure.

In the spirit of fairness and adherence to the federal character principle, the position of Speaker, House of Representatives should be zoned to the South South geopolitical zone.

“Change Vanguard calls on the All Progressive Congress to adhere to the “federal character” principle, which has been enshrined in Nigeria’s Constitution since 1979. The federal character principle

seeks to ensure that appointments to public service institutions fairly reflect the linguistic, ethnic, religious, and geographic diversity of the country.” The incoming 8th Assembly of the National Assembly is due to be inaugurated on June 6, 2015.

Position of speaker Six APC federal lawmakers from five geo-political zones of the country are jostling for the position of Speaker. The current speaker, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, has opted out of the legislature and has been declared governor-elect of his home state, Sokoto.

Battle for speakership: The six federal lawmakers vying for the House speakership position are: Abdulmumin Jibrin from Kano (North-West), Yakubu

Dogara from Bauchi (NorthEast), Femi Gbajabiamila from Lagos (South-West), Mohammed Monguno from Borno (North-East), Pally Iriase from Edo State (South-South) and Israel Ajibola Famurewa from Osun State (South-West).

Gbajabiamila who represents Surulere Federal constituency is presently the minority leader in the lower chamber. Jibrin, on the other hand is chairman, House Committee on Finance.

Dogara is chairman, House Services and Welfare Committee. Monguno is chairman, House Committee on Agriculture. Iriase is deputy chairman, House Committee on Legislative Outreach.

Monguno, like Dogara, has been in the House since 2007, while Iriase, Jibrin and Famurewa first came to the House in 2011.

But Gbajabiamila has been in the House since 2003.

40—V ANGU ARD, WEDNESD A Y, APRIL 15, 2015 40—VANGU ANGUARD, WEDNESDA

At 28, I haven’t slept with a girl yet

My friend’s boyfriend ‘confessed’ we cheated Dear Bunmi, I recently attended my close friend’s birthday party in her house and met her boyfriend.

They had been on for a few months but that was the first time I met him in the flesh.

After a few drinks, I went to use her toilet upstairs and found myself alone with him.

He grabbed and kissed me and we had sex there and then. You can imagine how embarrassed I was a few days later when my friend tonguelashed me for seducing her boyfriend. She said he 'confessed.' Can we ever be friends again? I like her so much and regret what I’ve done.

Amaka, by e-mail.

Dear Amaka, You really have been disloyal to your friend and what happened between you and her boyfriend at the party will probably spell the end of your relationship. On the other hand, it takes two to cheat. So your friend’s man is just as guilty as you are, if not more so.

It’s best to keep out of the way for now while they sort things between them. Then

write an apologetic letter to your friend and wait for a reply. If one arrives, arrange to meet up and do your best to put your friendship back on course. Only, don’t be

surprised if she doesn’t bother getting in touch with you. All I know is that a man who easily sleeps with his girl’s friend would trip up again sooner or later

Now my friend is married, she has no time for me Dear Bunmi, I’ve been close to my best friend from our primary school years and we used to have loads of fun. She got married early this year and had a child shortly after. Now, she hardly ever returns my calls and makes excuses if I suggest coming over or going out together. Can I rekindle our friendship? I kind of miss her.

Marie, by e-mail.

Dear Marie, When one friend goes through a major life change, such as getting married and having a baby, friendship can suffer. Remember that your friend is busy with new responsibility, so try and bring the issue into the open. Ask if she wants to keep in touch

and discuss ways of meeting that might be easier for her.

Perhaps she can’t see you at night because of her new family but would love to meet you at lunchtime. Realise that when you make the same life change, the pair of you will have something in common again and may renew the friendship.

So stop assuming the worst.

Your friend may be backing off because she’s jealous of the freedom you have, so don’t take her action personally. Friendships often fade and it’s no one’s fault.

Don’t overreact because if your friend feels blamed, she’s less likely to want to keep in touch. It’s not the end of the world whatever happens. There are other friendships waiting for you if you’re open to them.

He might eventually choke me to death Dear Bunmi, My boyfriend is in his late thirties, never been married but a single father. We’ve been together for over four years. Towards the end of last year, we separated for four months because of his excessive drinking. More than once, he has pinned me down and put his hand around my throat. He didn’t actually hurt me but I was really frightened. I asked him to leave my flat but he apologised and we ended up together. He continued his excessive drinking but we got along better.

Recently, after a heated argument, I again walked him out of my flat but he came back later, roaring drunk. He forced his way in and grapped at my throat with such a force that I almost blacked out. He suddenly let go and started crying that nobody loved him. Well, I do love him but I can’t live with his problems. He’s not frequent at my flat as before, but I’m worried that he’ll soon

bounce back and the same thing will happen – and I might choke to death! I want to feel happy and safe with him – or get him out of my life and meet someone better. I am 29.

Ngozi, by e-mail.

Asking your boyfriend to leave your flat when you’re dissatisfied with him is a display of power that seems every bit as threatening to him as his display of drunken anger seems to you

Dear Ngozi, Asking your boyfriend to leave your flat when you’re dissatisfied with him is a display of power that seems every bit as threatening to him as his display of drunken anger seems to you. It looks as if neither of you can tolerate the other’s behaviour and the acute insecurity it breeds within you. It is tragic that where there was once a strong attraction in this relationship, there is now mutual fear that will be hard to get rid of.

Each of you has to acknowledge your weakness by doing some serious thinking or seeking the counsel of more experienced people. Your boyfriend’s wounded pride might prevent him from agreeing to serious discussion as this might mean he will have to admit to his chronic abuse of alcohol. If that’s the case, I’m afraid he will remain a chronic alcoholic and, as you suspect, you can have no future together. Be ready to distance yourself and move on.

Dear Bunmi, I’m 28 and I’ve never had a girlfriend. I haven’t even kissed a woman, and now I feel that I never will.

Everybody I know seems to be talking about sex, love and relationships. Television programmes, newspapers, magazines and songs on radio constantly remind me of these things. It makes me feel so inadequate and depressed.

As a result, I don’t feel like going out any more only to watch other people have fun.

Recently, I’ve toyed with the idea of visiting prostitutes just so that I could know what it is like to be close to a woman. I wish I could meet a girl and fall in love but all hope seems to have been lost.

Kingsley, by e-mail.

Dear Kingsley, It’s true that most men need the comfort and intimacy of female companionship and it

is this feelings of yours that you’re inadequate that is preventing you from reaching out for a woman’s love. There are tons of lonely women who want sex and a caring relationship just as much as you do. You need to accept that you are as loveable as the rest of us, and that your desire for sex is nothing to be ashamed of. This will make you feel able to respond to the interest of the women you meet.

You’re not alone as a lot of people have wondered if they would ever find romance, only to find it when they least expected. Instead of secretly aching for love, show some of the women you meet that you’re interested in them.

Men who flirt and express their romantic needs have girlfriends. So go out there and find the love you deserve.

Don’t let one or two rejections put you off, more women are bound to say yes.

He wasn’t the gentleman I thought he was! men no matter how Dear Bunmi, responsible they look.

I attended a friend’s party Thankfully, not all of them recently and accepted and are louts. To help you be on offer of a lift from one of the your guard, here are some guests as it was almost tips experts advise you follow midnight. He’s not a when going to a party or on a boyfriend, though he’s fairly date. well known to me. On the way Always tell someone which home, he started fondling me party you are going to and and putting my hand on his when you expect to be back. crutch. I told him in no Carry a charged mobile and uncertain terms what I money if you are travelling by thought of his action only for public transport. Don’t take him to drive to a drinks from quiet spot and strangers or leave tried to rape me. your drink You can’t I fought him off unattended. Met rule out bad someone new? very violently and escaped into Don’t go home behaviour the night. with them or ask amongst I nearly died of them back. fright as I made Arrange another some men my way back to date. no matter the main road Agree with your how and had to walk mates to look out for a long time each other. responsible for before I arrived at Then if you feel they look another friend’s unsafe or ill, you’ll place who put me have someone to up for the night.

Unfortunately, the man was not sorry for what he did and some of his friends agreed that sometimes, if you accept a lift you must expect to made a pass at. Is this fair?

Susan, by e-mail.

Dear Susan, You can’t rule out bad behaviour amongst some

turn to. Don’t ever walk home on your own. Don’t drink and drive. Take car keys away from your friend who might be tempted. On public transport, sit near the driver with an eye to the exit door. If using a taxi, avoid unlicensed ones (kabukabu) and avoid a taxi that is already occupied.

Lastly, stay alert and aware.

Think ahead, what would you do if something went wrong?

Share your problems and release your burden. Write now to Dear Bunmi, Vanguard Newspapers, P.M.B 1007, Apapa, Lagos, or bunmsof@yahoo.co.uk

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015 — 41

42 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015

GOVERNORSHIP/STATE ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS OF VIOLENCE:

When death, destruction stalk the land FOUR days after, the swirling dust of discontent is gradually settling following the crises generated by last Saturday’s governorship and states assembly elections in Nigeria. At some point while the elections lasted, the confusion engendered by disagreements between major contenders for elective positions threatened to spin out of control and sometimes climaxed into violence and bloodshed in some states.

This is the case in some states where the elections have not only been won and lost, but their outcomes also became instant subjects of heated disputes. The inability of the aggrieved actors in the dispute to rein in their anger only left the affected states having to now count their losses in human and material terms. It is a sadness and joy situation where some are celebrating their disputed victories, while others are sulking impotently in defeat; where others are already meeting and making plans on how to share the spoils of office, others are mourning and making arrangements to bury their loved ones who died during violent clashes between rival political interest groups. There are also several others who are now ruing the loss of their prized possessions and means of livelihood.

This is the sad story being told in Rivers, Ebonyi, Imo, Akwa Ibom, Benue, Plateau, Bauchi and even Lagos where killings and destruction of property featured prominently during the elections.

By Mike Ebonugwo, Jimitota Onoyume, Chidi Nkwopara, Charles Kumolu and Peter Okutu

E

BONYI: Four killed, eight vehicles vandalised The rate of political violence that took place during the last governorship election in the state was indeed unprecedented as about four persons were reportedly killed and over eight vehicles destroyed.

Vanguard Features, VF, could only confirm four deaths but speculations during and after the elections have it that the death

toll arising from last Saturday’s election rose to about seven persons across the state.

The violence recorded in the state occurred before and during the commencement of the election in the 13 local government areas of the state.

They were recorded mainly in the North and Central senatorial districts of the state. None was reported in the south senatorial district of the state because of they were united during the election to ensure that power shifted to their zone.

Meanwhile, violence was recorded in Ishielu, Ezza North,

Ikwo among other parts of the state.

The root cause of the violence has been traced to the alleged resolve of Governor Elechi to use an opposition political party to make good his vow that his Deputy, Dave Umahi, would never emerge victorious at the polls.

There was outrage at Oriuzor in Ezza North Local Government Area of the state as over eight vehicles were destroyed on the eve of the governorship election.

Several supporters of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, sustained both machete and gunshot injuries following attacks by hoodlums, thugs and hired assassins from neighbouring states allegedly sponsored by desperate opposition politicians in the state.

In Ebonyi Central zone a notable senator (names withheld) has been accused of masterminding the shooting and snatching of ballot boxes that took place during the governorship election.

Giving a vivid background of the violence that took place in his community in Oriuzor in Ezza North local government areas, a PDP stalwart in the area, Mr. Chinedu Nwoye explained that: “We were having our stakeholders meeting on Friday by 5pm before the election only to be attacked by gunmen in my compound. Those in attendance were over 500, including women and youths. As the meeting progressed, we saw thugs numbering about 20 approaching

us with cutlasses, AK47 rifle, pump action guns who started shooting sporadically into the place.

Sporadic shootings “My house was torched, many of us sustained both machete and gunshot wounds; about eight vehicles belonging PDP party faithful were vandalised by the hoodlums.

“We call on the IG and the state Commissioner of police to wade into these attacks on us and bring the perpetrators to book”.

Still in a Ezza North, it was learned that during the election, a young man was equally shot dead in Nkomoro leaving community as community members wondering why politicians would want to kill

We call on the IG and the state Commissioner of police to wade into these attacks on us and bring the perpetrators to book

those they plan to govern.

At both Ishileu and Ikwo LGA of the state, two persons were reportedly shot dead in the early hours of saturday by unknown gunmen in the state. The victims included a middle aged man, Mr. Mike Ojor, in Ikwo Nnoyo community in Ikwo local government area and the Chairman of PDP in Ishielu LGA of the state, Mr. Emeka Nworie.

A source close to VF revealed that the late PDP chairman was who was attacked in his house in Ezzagu in Ishielu LGA was not killed by political thugs loyal to any opposition party but that he was killed during a squabble that took place in his house on how to share funds meant for the election.

Violent incidents However, the state Police spokesman, ASP Chris Anyanwu, stated that before killing the PDP stalwart, the assailants asked for money which was generously given to them.

But this obviously was not enough for them as they still went ahead to kill their victim.

The Governor-elect in the state, Dave Umahi, has since condemned the violent incidents.

Speaking with VF, a victim, Mr. Nwoye, who sustained machete cuts on his head and leg, blamed the violence on the activities of desperate politicians in the state.

“My brother, I did know how I survived; these hoodlums shot directly at me but God saved my life. I sustained wounds on my back, head and leg. In fact, we all ran for our lives and thank God we are alive. The government should critically look into the conduct of elections in the state so that the change we desire will come to us”.

Rivers of violence, blood: Continues on page 43

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015 —43

When death, destruction stalk the land Continues from page 42 Although the governorship and House of Assembly elections in Rivers State have come and gone, residents in some areas of the state have continued to relive the violence that marred the exercise in their areas.

President Kalabari Youth, Mr Livingston Memberi, who first raised fears of possible violence in Buguma, headquagers of Asari Toru local government area said there was so much shooting in Buguma. According to him, the Rac centre of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in Kalabari National College, KNC, Buguma was torched by suspected political thugs, adding that they detonated a dynamite in the place.

Detonation of dynamite The house of the Commissioner for Women affairs, Mrs Joeba West, was also razed down in Buguma by political thugs.

VF also gathered that suspected political thugs shot for several hours. “Political thugs were just shooting indiscriminately. Most people had to remain indoors until the military moved in, “ the source said.

Though there were rumours that about two persons lost their lives in the shooting in Buguma, the state Police Commissioner, Hosea Karma, however, dismissed the allegations as untrue. He said he was only aware of exchange of fire allegedly by political thugs in the area.

Governorship candidate of the Labour Party, Prince Tonye Princewill, captured the violence in Buguma thus: “Door campaigning became door to door shooting and everything from dynamite to beheading became the order of the day. The number of bullets expended exceeded the number of voters.

If we seek to govern in peace, we really must sanitise and

demilitarise our political process “.

Meanwhile, CP Karma said peace later returned to the place when his men moved in to calm the situation.

The gun shots were not restricted to only Buguma community. In Ozuoba community, Obio Akpor Local Government Area electorates scampered for safety as the sounds of gun rented the air for several hours.

It was a similar story in Bomu, Gokhana Local Government Area and Biera in Khana local government. The guns boomed, people scampered for safety.

Reporters were on their way to Gokhana and Khana local government areas when good Nigerians advised them to return back to Port Harcourt.

“They are shooting in those areas you want to go to. I advise you people to go back,” a youth in Eleme told the reporters.

The Police is yet to confirm reports of death in Ogba Egbema Ndoni Local Government Area during the election. Community sources said about two persons were shot dead that day by political thugs.

The All Progressive Congress, APC, have in different statements called for cancellation of the election but some residents said they were not ready to go through another round of violence in the state in the name of elections. They pleaded with aggrieved political parties and candidates to take their matter to the election petition tribunal.

•A man who sustained cuts on his body during an attack by political thugs in Ebonyi news. Fierce looking soldiers in the early hours of Sunday, prevented the Commissioner for Commerce and Market Development, Mr. Ogbonna Amadi, from entering INEC office, Umuneke, Ngor Okpala local council area.

Contrary to permutations, the former governor, Chief Achike Udenwa and other top shots of the PDP, barely managed to garner a paltry 4,000 votes for the party in Orlu local council area.

The story was the same at Nkwerre as the State PDP Chairman, Chief Nnamdi Anyaehie, lost to the APC. In the Obowo axis, the likes of Chief Chris Okewulonu and Chief Longers Anyanwu, could not fly the PDP flag above their

Imo: Shocker of an inconclusive election The Imo gubernatorial and House of Assembly elections has become history. Part of the history is that it was declared inconclusive by the electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. Before the guber poll was declared inconclusive, there were some sideline events that made

•One of the eight vehicles vandalised during a clash by political thugs in Ebonyi

heads.

Those who made PDP proud in the state included Chief Ikedi Ohakim in Isiala Mbano, Eugene Dibiagwu, Engr. Gerald Irona and Gideon Nwaeze in Oguta, Chief Goodluck Nanah Opiah, Johnbosco Ben in Ohaji/ Egbema and Oliver Enwerenem in Ezinihitte Mbaise.

In their own reaction, the leadership of APGA not only rejected the results already released by INEC but also demanded fresh election.

According to the State APGA Chairman, Peter Ezeobi, the elections were characterised by ballot box snatching, intimidation and other electoral crimes.

“This election is the worst that has been held in the country. It was marred by arrest of our party agents. Electoral officers were nowhere to be found and man other electoral vices,” Ezeobi said.

Akwa Ibom: Harvest of deaths

My house was torched, many of us sustained both machete and gunshot wounds; about eight vehicles were vandalised by the hoodlums

The Governorship and House of Assembly elections in Akwa Ibom State was marred by violence in the state. No fewer than six people were killed, while eight were injured in Nsit Ibom and Nsit Atai Local Government Areas of the state.

In Ukpum Ete Ward 1, Ikot Abasi Local Government, sensitive and non-sensitive materials were snatched away by thugs.

The situation was the same in Mkpat Enin LGA where two Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, adhoc staff were injured. Election materials were also snatched in Eket and Ibesikpo Asutan local government areas. But they were later recovered by the Police.

Lagos: Two corpses linked to polls found in Oshodi: In Lagos State, two corpses found in Oshodi and along Apapa Oshodi Road were linked to the

polls.

Plateau: Party supporter shot dead: In Plateau State, voting was nearly marred at the Sarkin Arab Ward and environs when a young man at nearby Ali Kazaure Polling Station in Jos North Local Government Area was shot dead by a security operative.

The deceased was said to be a supporter of one of the political parties and was engaging a supporter of another party in a scuffle before the security personnel standing by intervened to end the quarrel.

Intervention of security agents In the course of the scuffle, the deceased allegedly drew out a knife and the soldier tried to take the weapon from him. He was said to have struggled with the soldier and this infuriated the soldier who fired at him.

The timely intervention of other security agents saved the situation and normalcy was restored in the area and elections continued.

Bauchi: Councillor beaten to death: In Bauchi State, the chairperson of Bogoro Local Government Area, Hassana Arkila, confirmed the death of the PDP councilor for Gizaki/ Badagari Ward, Mr Musa Daniel, saying he was beaten to death by angry youths while on electoral duty.

Arkila described the attack on the councillor as unfortunate and linked the incident to saboteurs of democracy.

She said :” I want to confirm the death of a PDP councillor who was beaten to death by irate youths. l am assuring the people of the state that the full wrath of the law will catch up with the attackers”. The chairperson appealed to the perpetrators of the dastardly act to sheathe their sword and embrace peace, saying violence is not the solution to political differences.

44—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015

•Funding of 2nd Line Drugs for MDR-TB treatment from domestic budget is a huge step for people living with TB in Nigeria.

Hope rekindles for 500 MDR-TB patients ...As FG buys US$1.42m 2nd Line Drugs for TB treatment

By Sola Ogundipe

F

IVE hundred patients of Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis, MDR-TB, are to benefit from quality assured 2nd Line Drugs, valued at US$1.42 million being procured by the Federal government of Nigeria.

The 2nd line drugs, will be delivered by Stop TB Partnership’s Global Drug Facility begining June 2015.

Drug resistant tuberculosis, DR-TB, also known as drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a public health threat globally. Drug resistance occurs when drug-susceptible TB patients do not receive the correct treatment regimens or do not complete the full course of treatment.

MDR-TB, which is a strain of TB that cannot be treated with the two most powerful first-line treatment anti-TB drugs, Rifampicin and Isoniazid, is threatening to reverse the global progress made in TB care and control. It represents a serious public health problem, especially among TB patients.

Findings by Good Health Weekly show that the Federal government decided to buy its own drugs with the introduction of new molecular diagnostics tools such as GeneXpert machines in 49 facilities in 30 states and the Federal Capital Territory as of December 2013, that yielded detection of more MDR-TB cases than had been envisaged for treatment under the Global Fund grant.

As a result, the consolidated Round 9 Grant from The Global Fund of US$16 million was not

sufficient to support all MDRTB patients.

Therefore, government had to step in to cover the gap in the number of cases being diagnosed and the number of cases being supported by The Global Fund.

The Federal government decided to buy drugs using funds from the domestic budget in order to avoid waiting lists on account of drugs for MDRTB treatment. The Apex Ministry of Health collaborated with the National TB Programme, NTP, the Federal Executive Council, National Food and Drug Council among others.

The decision to buy the 2nd Line Drugs was taken in December 2012 and the actual purchse was done in February 2015. During this period, patients were treated with drugs bought using the funds from the Global Fund and TB CARE programme (USAID support).

Nigeria’s ambitious targets as reflected in the national strategic plan to address TB, means that Nigeria will likely continue to buy her own drugs.

Procurement from Global Drug Facility The Nigerian government and the NTP decided to use their own funding to carry out direct procurement through GDF - a decisoin that ensures qualityassured drugs will be delivered for people living with MDR-TB in Nigeria. The NTP wanted to ensure that all TB patients whether treated with drugs procured using government funding or Global Fund

financing received medicines of the same quality.

Using GDF as a procurement mechanism allows Nigeria to have access to the same kind of drug formulations, strengths and packaging, as the drugs procured through the Global Fund grant in Nigeria.

Emergence: The prevalence of MDR-TB emerged several years ago in Nigeria and most of sub-Saharan Africa where weak health systems exist. In these countries, diagnostic facilities and drug treatment of MDR-TB are largely unavailable in even in countries, where treatment is available, the treatment outcome has been poor.

A prevalence survey by the Federal Ministry of Health in 2012 showed a doubling of the estimated overall prevalence of TB (the total number of people with TB) and a tripling of the estimated incidence (the total number of new cases), compared to previous estimates by the World Health Organisation, WHO.

The Federal government decided to buy drugs using funds from the domestic budget in order to avoid waiting lists on account of drugs for MDR-TB treatment

In 2013, Nigeria diagnosed and reported 16 percent of the estimated TB cases. In 2010, more than 7, 000 cases were reported with MDR-TB and nearly 17 per cent of TB burden were MDR-TB patients among newly infected and re-treated TB patients.

Nigeria started MDR-TB treatment in 2010 after a successful pilot in drug resistant TB treatment centre at the University College Hospital, UCH, Ibadan, Oyo State. A year later, MDR-TB treatment was scaled up nationwide.

In 2013, 2.9 percent of the TB cases were MDR-TB cases, according to the WHO Global TB Report 2014. About 426 patients were started on MDRTB treatment in 2013.

Control challenge: Nearly 10 percent of the world’s TB patients have MDR-TB. Although all forms of TB are highly contagious, drugresistant TB can be particularly challenging to control due to the longer treatment period and more costly drug regimes.

With increasing TB diagnosis, a growing pool of MDR-TB patients has emerged within the country. Current estimates by the WHO reveal there are at least 8,000 cases of MDR-TB in Nigeria, which, incidentally, has the third highest TB burden in the world.

The WHO estimates that the prevalence of MDR-TB in Nigeria is about 1.7 percent among new TB cases and 7.9 percent among retreatment cases. Despite this high prevalence, facilities for diagnosis of MDR-TB are sparse and treatment largely unavailable.

United against TB: In the views of NTP Manager, Nigeria,Dr Gabriel Akang:, the Federal government is poised to support, reach and treat everyone living with TB and will continue to unite against TB. Further, as a result of dipping into domestic resources to buy 2nd Line Drugs, Nigeria successfully ensures country ownership and fulfills criteria of counterpart financing as required, for example, by donors, including the Global Fund.

Former Health Minister, Prof.

Onyebuchi Chukwu argued that MDR-TB is one of the worst public health threats we are facing and we must ensure that we find, diagnose and treat cases as soon as possible, to avoid the spread.

“Having people on waiting lists for treatment was not an option for us. We hope to give an example to the entire world and to continue investing our own resources in treatment and care of our own people. We thank Stop TB Partnership, the Global Drug Facility, The Global Fund, USAID, WHO and our other partners for their support.”

Domestic investments In 2013, the National TB Programme had a total budget of US$ 139 million of which 9 percent was funded domestically and 38 percent funded internationally according to the WHO World TB Report 2014.

However, more than half was unfunded.

“In the face of rising coinfections and increasing comorbidities, investment by government, independent of donor support, is a huge step for people living with TB in Nigeria,” Chukwu said.

Dr Lucica Ditiu, Executive Secretary, Stop TB Partnership said, remarked: “This is fantastic news! All of us must think about this carefully. It is a great example of leadership by the country’s government to ensure that diagnosed cases of MDR-TB will have access to treatment.

“It also shows clearly that domestic investments are possible, but country stakeholders need time to create or adjust budget lines, follow in-country regulations and procedures in order to make it happen. We must keep this in mind when thinking about countries that have to step in with their domestic resources to ensure sustainability of donors investments and allow enough transition time.”

Joel Keravec, Manager, GDF, said Nigeria’s commitment in taking over the MDR-TB challenge by increasing its own domestic funding for 2nd Line Drugs procurement is an excellent example.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015—45

BONGA OIL SPILL: No pending litigation with SNEPCo, victims insist F

ISHERMEN operating along the Atlantic coastline in Bayelsa and Delta states, affected by the December 2011 Bonga Oil spill have dismissed reports that they had pending litigation on the incident.

The oil spill from an offshore field operated by Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company, SNEPCO, discharged some 40,000 barrels of crude and polluted the Atlantic, compelling fishermen to desert the sea.

The House of Representatives and National Oil Spills Detection and Response Agency, NOSDRA, had in December 2014 recommended a compensation of $3.96 billion for victims of the incident.

Chief Howells Levi, Paramount Ruler of Olobia Community in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, Bayelsa State, said that Shell had remained adamant in spite of directives by regulators.

The monarch noted that refusal by the company to pay the $3.96 billion compensation directed by NOSDRA was unacceptable.

He said that the affected communities had resolved to

Rivers PDP Chairman extends olive branch to opponents

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HAIRMAN of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Rivers State chapter, Mr Felix Obuah, has thanked the people of the state for overwhelmingly voting for the party in last Saturday’s governorship and state House of Assembly elections.

Expressing joy over the party's victory, Obuah, in a statement by his media aide, Jerry Needam, said that the victory was for Rivers people who spoke through their votes.

He enjoined all to team up with the governorelect, Chief Nyesom Wike, to chart a new and more prosperous future for the state.

He said: “With elections now over, all Rivers people should once again begin to see the state as one common constituency that must be collectively built for the overall welfare of our people.

“And for those that could not make it at the concluded polls at all levels, they should take it in good faith, as elections are all about winning and losing sometimes.”

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review strategies in pursuing their claims with the oil firm and would embark on their next line of action following the company’s posture.

He denied allegations that there were pending litigations with SNEPCO on the spill incident.

“Pursuant to SNEPCo’s recent letter to NOSDRA stating that SNEPCo is not ready to settle the

Bonga oil spill compensation amicably because some persons took SNEPCO to court, the claims are untrue and to the best of our knowledge, we all embraced the procedure adopted by the Federal Government's regulatory agencies led by NOSDRA. We are not in court over this incident.

“At the beginning of the House of Reps and NOSDRA’s initiative, we withdrew all cases on Bonga

spill to pave way for settlement by regulators. That claim of litigation is not current as all cases were withdrawn over a year ago,” Howells said.

Mr Precious Okolobo, Head of Media Relations in Shell, declined comments when contacted for reactions on telephone, nor did he respond to enquiries on the Bonga spill incident by email.

VISIT: From right: Delta State governor-elect, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa; Deputy Governor of Delta State, Prof Amos Utuama and wife, Nelly, during a Thank You visit by the governorelect to the Utuamas. Photo: Nath Onojake.

NDDC director urges Peterside to accept Rivers poll result

By Jimitota Onoyume

P

ORT HARCOURT— EXECUTIVE Director Finance and Administration, Niger Delta Development Commission, Dr Henry Ogiri, has called on the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Dr Dakuku Peterside and others who contested the election but lost to accept the outcome of the exercise like every sportsman.

He urged the governor-elect of the state, Nyesom Wike, to give room for all to contribute meaningfully to the state.

“I am sure that Rivers people know that the support they gave to Wike is something that came from their hearts and they are expecting a lot from him because there is a lot of work to be done.

"I also urge him to extend his hand of fellowship to the losers of the election, so that if they are willing, they can also add their own ideas on how to move the state forward.

“There is need for candidates at the state level to show same

spirit of sportsmanship like President Goodluck Jonathan and President-elect, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd). The state and country are bigger than any individual.

“The decisions the leaders make affect the country. There were predictions that Nigeria

would break up by 2015. But

by God’s grace, we have seen that it will not be. Our President has shown an uncommon magnanimity and statesmanship by conceding defeat to Gen. Buhari and urged Nigerians to support him,” he said.

Delta community prays for devt

By Festus Ahon

U

GHELLI—THE people of Ewu Kingdom, Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State, have held a prayer session for progress and unity of the kingdom.

The Ovie of the kingdom, HRM Jabin Okporufuoma I, during the second Ewu Annual Day of Prayers/ Thanksgiving, urged the people to be prayerful despite prevailing odds. He advised them to reconcile their differences with God in all ramifications.

He emphasized that the

fervent prayers offered to God

by Christians in the land had removed many obstacles of the enemies from the kingdom “ which have given a clearer.

The monarch noted that the theme of the event, “No Mountains Shall Stand Before Ewu” was apt, expressing optimism that the prayers would pave way for speedy development of the kingdom and its total liberation.

Also speaking, Chairman of the planning committee, Rev. Peter Onovwede, thanked God for the success of the first annual event as well as His enabling grace for the second edition of 2015.

Edo APC candidate rejects Esan North election result

By Simon Adewale

T

HE candidate of the All Progressive Congress, APC in the just concluded House of Assembly election in Esan North East constituency II, Uromi, Edo State, has rejected the result of the election, alleging large scale rigging and manipulation of the electoral process by agents of Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, working in collusion with stalwarts of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Addressing newsmen at his home, Okpamen, in the company of top APC leaders from his constituency, he identified some units in wards 7, 8, 9 and 11 where he alleged that rigging took place.

He called on his supporters to remain calm as the battle to reclaim his stolen mandate had commenced. He thanked the leadership of his party in the state especially the governor for their support during the election.

Pa Onwuegbute for burial

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Jacob Onwuegbute of Oyede, Isoko North L.G.A. Delta State, is dead, aged 83 years.

He will be buried on May 1, at his family compound, 6, Jaco Street, Ubieni Qtr, Ewhoawha, Oyede, after the funeral service at St. Paul Anglican Church, Oyede.

He is survived by many children, grandchildren and great grand-children.

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Late Pa Onwuegbute

46—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015

Umeh blasts Danjuma over remarks on Ojukwu

Respite in Enugu as govt suspends traffic enforcement company

By Chimaobi Nwaiwu

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NEWI—NATIONAL chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Chief Victor Umeh, has lambasted General Theophilus Danjuma for alleged insult on the former Biafran warlord and Ikemba Nnewi, late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu.

Addressing newsmen at Nnewi, yesterday, Chief Umeh wondered why some Nigerians who could not summon courage to talk ill about late Ojukwu have suddenly woken up from slumber to insult the man who was and is still seen as the symbol of Igbo man.

According to him, any insult on the late Biafran warlord is an insult against Ndigbo which will not be taken from any Nigerian.

“Danjuma displayed cowardice for not talking while Dim Chukwuemeka Ojukwu was alive; of course, how dared he talk before a lion? A strong man is always avoided, and those of them who talk ill of Late Ikemba were in the lower cadre from him in terms of education and wealth.

“As at the time Ojukwu was involved in the Nigerian affairs in the 1960’s he had a Master's Degree from the University of Oxford, those insulting Ojukwu now had no education, they shot themselves into the Nigerian oil and got rich overnight.

“For insulting Ojukwu, who is a symbol of Ndigbo, Danjuma will be judged rashly as one of the people who contributed in marginalisation of Igbo in Nigeria. He has always been a hater of Ndigbo, now that his memory and brain is failing him, he can talk anyhow, people should ignore him, at the end of his journey in Nigeria and on this earth he will be judged very rashly,” he said.

By Francis Igata

E

N U G U — MOTORISTS in Enugu State and beyond muzzled by the activities of traffic e n f o r c e m e n t company,Easi Park, have heaved a sigh of relief over the suspension of their operations.

The company, which was engaged by the former Commissioner for Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority, ECTDA, Mr. Ikechukwu Ugwuegede, had allegedly embarked on illegal extortion of N25,000 from motorists in the metropolis who they apprehend for violating traffic rules.

Vanguard’s investigation at the ECTDA showed that a new outfit,Safe Park, has been contracted to do the job.

The offences range from driving through traffic under amber, parking in unauthorised places, amongst others.

Mr. Okey Agbo, a motorist, who was visibly elated at the non-existence of the men at strategic road junctions, said: “It is only in Enugu, globally that amber means stop. The red light means stop. Amber means, be ready to stop or go. But these people, in connivance with government officials, apprehend people while driving under amber.”

The visibly angry Umeh noted that most Nigerians were having their pastime by insulting prominent and ordinary Igbo men.

He noted that the Igbo had in a recent time become a laughing stock for some irresponsible men, lamenting that if it was not about voting in an election, it was about one nonentity insulting respected Igbo men.

He said: “Well, Ojukwu, our leader, has passed on, so, instead of joining issues with General Danjuma, Ndigbo should rather wait for him to pass on, since he belongs to the generation of late

Ikemba Nnewi; one day he will pass on.

“I believe he is suffering from insomnia, loss of memory, it is a sickness he is actually suffering from. He loses memory intermittently, his brain is no longer connecting well and instead of us joining issues with him, we will wait for him to join his generation that is already exiting. We cannot begin now to bite ourselves because somebody whose time is almost up is talking very irresponsibly.

“Ojukwu from every account of history was a bold man who resisted the injustice being

handed down on his people.

General Danjuma does not belong to that league of strong personalities. He only became relevant after the Nigerian Biafran war which he used the advantage of being on the Nigerian side to amass oil wealth in Nigeria.

“Danjuma is having plenty oil money, he can afford to abuse anybody, including President Jonathan who visited him, but what consoles us is that he is a human being, one day he will also pass on like Ikemba he insulted and history will record him for what he has done."

IMO GOV POLL: No life was lost —Okorocha

By Chidi Nkwopara

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WERRI—Imo State governor, Chief Rochas Okorocha, has expressed happiness that despite the

shortcomings associated with the last general elections, no blood was shed in the state.

Chief Okorocha, who stated this, yesterday, in a state-wide broadcast to the people, also appealed to the citizenry to help

....APC accuses REC of partisanship

By Chidi Nkwopara & Chinonso Alozie

O

WERRI—THE All Progressives Congress, APC, has accused Imo State Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, Dr. Gabriel Adah, of being a card carrying member of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Director General of Rochas Campaign Organisation, ROC, Mr. Iheukwumere Alaribe, stated this, yesterday, in Owerri, Imo State capital, while reacting to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s position that the governorship poll in the state was inconclusive.

“Governor Rochas Okorocha scored 25 per cent of votes required by law for anybody to be

pronounced winner in the election,” Alaribe said.

According to him, of the 27 local government areas of the state, Okorocha won in 20, adding that INEC ought to have considered the stipulation of the law.

Alaribe explained that “because the REC had been Speaker of Cross Rivers State House of Assembly during the administration of Donald Duke, he was working seriously to have the PDP’s candidate win.”

While alleging that the PDP candidate, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, used soldiers and police to intimidate voters, Alaribe also called for the cancellation of the result in Aboh Mbaise, Ezinihitte Mbaise and Oru East Local Government Areas.

in protecting the state, and defending democracy, irrespective of religious or political inclinations.

“We had challenges in some areas and we had intimidation and what I may call outright brutality in other areas, by the opposition party, especially in Aboh Mbaise, Ezinihitte Mbaise and Ahiazu Mbaise, where some of our party members were treated very badly,” Okorocha alleged.

While noting that the people’s will must be allowed to prevail, the governor also took some time to explain his party’s stand on the inconclusive governorship poll.

“Results emanating from Aboh Mbaise, Ahiazu Mbaise and Ezinihitte Mbaise, which were unfortunately accepted by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, gave the opposition a very high margin of almost 110,000 votes,” Okorocha said.

The governor said that while the party was doing everything possible to contest the figures, “we shall not truncate or allow anything that would truncate the process of completing the election as quickly as possible.”

By Bartholomew Madukwe (08102479985) nwamad@yahoo.com

PEOPLE SPEAK

Can Buhari reduce petrol pump price to N40 per litre?

H

e should just do it. Although I will love to see petrol sell at N40/l, it is unrealistic, given that we do not even know the cost of production of a litre of petrol. In fact, it will mean that petrol will be about 20 cents, where it is near 75 cents in developing countries, even inGabon. -Mr. Evans Ike, Commentator C M Y K

G

ood, I like it, if Buhari is going to do it. A holistic approach should be appraised of the entire petroleum industry with a view to sanitising both the ministry and parastatal intoto. The subsidy is a scam used to fleece the country’s treasury. -Mr. Mohd Kwai, Self-employed

B

uhari should engage the services of an external auditors that will conduct a thorough scrutiny of the accounts of NNPC both within and outside Nigerian shores in the past 16 years. Then it will be easier to reduce petrol to N40 per litre. -Miss Alice Udoyoh, Student

T

he same subsidy GEJ wanted to remove and Nigerians protested, which was instigated by APC, now they are singing the same tune. See how personal interest is destroying Nigeria! They can as well release the Chibok girls. -Mr. Innocent Andy, Businessman

D

ividends of democracy can be achieved without being dictatorial. What we need is strong institutions, not iron fist dictators.

Dictatorship should not go with democracy. So we should enjoy the reduction of petrol price, but not dictatorship. -Miss Amamchi Okoji, Banker

I

f really the price of petrol in the country can be reduced to N40 per litre, then cost of living will come down.

I just wish the Presidentelect (Buhari) can help Nigerians by making an average Nigerian to be able to live a standard life. -Mr. Elijah Malgwi, Self-employed

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015 — 47

APC’s total victory won’t make me play God — SHETTIMA ...Says its time to rebuild Borno

By Ndahi Marama

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AIDUGURI— GOVERNOR Kashim Shettima has said that the total victory of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state would never get into his head and make him play God. Shettima spoke in Maiduguri, noting that God intervened to give the party victory, through an overwhelming support of the people of the state.

Addressing stakeholders of the APC yesterday at the Government House, shortly after he was declared re-elected by the INEC, he said, “Let me also say, that for me as leader of the APC and re-elected Governor of Borno State, this victory will not change me from being the Kashim Shettima you all know.

“I am a constant reminder, that power can be very dangerous to the soul of its beneficiary. From my experience, when one is in power and things go his way in highly competitive elections, his first task is to fight his own mentality and resist the slightest element of negative pride.

Pride can be positive when one protects and preserves his own honour and integrity.

“But negative pride is when someone thinks that he is all in all; he is the Almighty and sole fixer within his environment. It is that kind of pride that grows to a level where someone in power, begins to equate himself with God; he begins to think he is the one who determines the

destiny of others and who makes decision as to who is poor, who is rich and who ascends to power. I know and believe that whoever assumes the powers of God, always crashes sooner than he expects or later on, along the ladder. Only God has the power to determine the fate of others.

“That power is absolute to Him and this is why God fights and destroys whoever assumes His powers. I am very excited with the overwhelming victory of the APC in Borno State. God graciously gave us this victory. For me, it is purely an act of God because no one would have thought that the election its self, was going to hold in Borno especially with the intrigues massively deployed by some people to stop the elections from taking place, all in their plot to overthrow an elected government under a constitutional democracy.

“It was simply God that stopped them, made sure that the elections not only held but without wild incidents that were anticipated. Yes, I have been re-elected against too many odds but I won’t play God and I do not wish to be called with names associated with such as a result of this victory.

“I will never play God and I pray to Allah to protect me and all other leaders from negative pride. The people of Borno have made us very proud but their

zSays God gives power to whom He wants

By Marie-Therese Nanlong

J

VISIT: Arik Air Chairman, Sir Joseph Arumemi-Ikhide welcoming the Emir of Kano, HRH Muhammadu Sanusi II on arrival at the Murtala Muhammed Domestic Airport, Ikeja, Lagos during a visit , weekend.

support is also a big reminder to their huge and deserved expectation from us because like Franklin Roosevelt said and I quote, “There is a mysterious cycle in human events. To some generations much is given. Of other generations, much is expected,” Shettima said.

The Governor paid special tributes to displaced persons from 16 local government areas of the state who voted at IDP camps in Maiduguri, describing them as the heroes of democracy given the manner they defied their agony and took active part in the electoral process.

My sister wasn't a mole in PDP, says Bukola Saraki

By Demola Akinyemi

I

LORIN—THE Chairman, Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology- APC, Senator Bukola Saraki has absolved her sister,Senator Gbemisola Saraki of being a mole in PDP before she decamped to join him in the All Progressives Congress, APC, shortly before the general elections describing the accusation as cheap blackmail.

Saraki, who was the former governor of Kwara State spoke in an interview with newsmen in Ilorin on Monday on the landslide victory recorded by his party in the state said that apart from Muhammed Dele Belgore in PDP other members of the party were from Saraki’s political family stressing that the only difference was just that Gbemi was her biological sister.

“It is just a cheap black mail. It means all of them in the PDP are moles. Apart from Dele Belgore, the rest are from Saraki’s political family. The only difference is just C M Y K

that Gbemi is my biological sister.

Anybody can decamp to any other political party as long as it is not for personal and selfish reasonss,’’ he said.

Saraki also said that, the last general elections had put an end, the era of using power of incumbency to win any elections in the country, as they had shown to various political office holders that power resides with the

people rather than them.

Speaking on the electoral victory of APC in all elective positions in the state as well as the re-election of Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, Saraki said that, Nigerians should expect an improved performance from the latest elective office holders across the country because it is now clear that people can vote out any bad

government after one term.

The former governor also noted that the elections had shown the kind of change that Nigerians have been expecting in view of the determination and commitment that the people of the country have showed in the polls.

“Let me tell you that, the Nigerians is now starting to enjoy the kind of leadership they have been expecting,’’ he added.

Police deny arresting Zamfara APGA gov candidate

By Salisu Maradun

G

USAU—THE Zamfara State police command has debunked the speculations making the rounds that it has arrested the governorship candidate of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, in the state, Alhaji Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, saying that it only invited him for explanations following the misunderstanding between his supporters and some voters at his polling unit

Pwajok extends hand of fellowship to gov-elect, Lalong

in Shinkafi town.

The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. David Olufemi Ogunbayode who spoke through the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, DSP. Sanusi Amiru, however, explained that Sani was not in any way found committing any offence in any part of the state.

According to him, it was not something new as anybody could be invited for explanation on an issue that needed clarifications, especially on political matters in

order to nip crises in the bud.

He said the candidate had not committed any offence as far as the command was concerned, pointing out further that the invitation was routine.

His words, “the APGA candidate in this state (Zamfara) has not been found committing any offence as some people may think. We only received a complaint from one polling unit in his home town that there was a problem but later we understood that it was just an allegation.''

O S — T H E governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the just-concluded election, Senator Gyang Pwajok has said he has extended his hand of fellowship to the governor-elect, Mr. Simon Lalong of the All Progressives Congress, APC. In a statement in Jos, the state capital, Pwajok said, “God gives power to whom He wants and the time he chooses. Together we can build a greater Plateau state.”

He also condoled with the family of one his party agents, Salim Nasiru who lost his life on the election day at the Ali Kazaure Ward stressing “he died in the line of duty and in defence of democratic principles.”

Pwajok reminded the people that “real change takes place slowly because instant change is rare as it can be phoney but there is no doubt that Plateau can only be greater if we resolve to work together.”

He commended his supporters for standing by him and giving their support in the face of opposition praying that the testimony arising from the election may be the light for the emerging generation of politicians in the state.

However, the state governor-elect, Mr. Simon Lalong has assured the people of the state that the mandate given to him and his deputy governor -elect, Prof. Sonny Tyoden will not be taken for granted and urged his supporters to celebrate the victory with decorum.

Lalong gave this assurance during his acceptance speech in Jos adding he had extended his hand of friendship to the entire Plateau citizens to assist him in building a virile state which the younger generation will be proud of.

He said that he accepted the responsibility with humility and solicited the cooperation of the people so that he can successfully execute his mandate.

48—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015

WINNER: From left— Mr. Araoyinbo Olugbenga, winner of Akoko North-West House of Assembly seat; Mr. Fatai Adams, Ondo State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Deputy Chairman, and Governor Olusegun Mimiko, at the Governor's Office, Akure.

EBOLA: From left— Dr. Wale Ahmed, Commissioner for Special Duties; Dr. Jide Idris, Commissioner for Health; Mr. Lateef Ibirogba, Commissioner for Information and Strategy, and Dr. Yewande Adesina, Special Adviser to Governor on Public Health, all of Lagos State, at a briefing on Ebola Virus Disease, in Lagos, yesterday. PHOTO: Bunmi Azee.

ROAD SHOW: From left— Mr. Charles Bassey, Head of Commercials, Lagos Region; Mr. Femi Oshinlaja, Regional Operations Director, Lagos Region; Chioma Keke, Area Business Manager, Lagos Central, all of Airtel Nigeria; Mrs Queen Iherobiem; Elder Stanley Iherobiem, MD/CEO, Stanqueen Investments Ltd, Airtel Channel Partner, and Lynda Muibi, Zonal Trade Marketing, Manager, during the Airtel Smartconnect Lagos Central Zone Road Show in Lagos, yesterday. PHOTO: Lamidi Bamidele.

EXHIBITION: From left— Ms. Aderonke Akinyele, Curator, Terra Kulture; Mrs. Bolanle Austen-Peters, Managing Director and Founder, Terra Kulture; Mr. Tunji Lana, Photographer, and Ms. Jennifer Ukoh, Public Relations Practitioner, at the LANABLACK Photography Exhibition at Terra Kulture, Lagos.

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LAUNCH: From left— Fehintola Mustapha, GM Operations, Lagos South-West; Funmi Onajide, GM Corporate Communications, both of MTN; Austin 'Jay Jay' Okocha, former Super Eagles Captain; Bayo Adekanmbi, Chief Marketing Officer, MTN; Kanu Nwankwo, former Super Eagles Captain, and Richard Iweanoge, General Manager, Consumer Marketing, MTN, at the launch of MTN Best 11 Promo in Lagos. PHOTO: Diran Oshe.

AWARD: From left— Mr. Phillip Fothergill, Presenter/Producer, Global Banking and Finance Review, London; Ms Foluke Aboderin, Executive Director, Corporate Banking, Ecobank Nigeria, and Mr. Noel O’Leary, Production Coordinator, Global Banking and Finance Review, London, at the presentation of Best Corporate Bank Nigeria 2015 award to Ecobank in London, UK.

FUNERAL: From left— Ozo Gab Agu, former Commissioner of Police; Mr. Barry Chukwu, former Minister of Information; Mr. John Nwodo, member House of Representatives; Mr. Julius Ofoma and Chief Obum Arum, Executive Chairman, Enugu Sports Club, during the funeral rites of Lady Maria Agumiri at Obinagu, Udi LGA, Enugu State.

AWARD: From left— Chris Okenwa, Silverbird Television, Abuja; Franca Ochigbo, Chairman, Commerce and Industry Correspondence Association of Nigeria, CICAN, Abuja; Hadiza Olaosebikan, Head, Corporate Communications; King Jacks, Head, Regional Office, both of Bank of Industry, and Fred Idehi of LTV, at the presentation of Award of Excellence by CICAN to Hadiza Olaosebikan in Abuja.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015—49

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VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15 , 2015 — 53

East Ukraine: Six servicemen killed as violence escalates conflict zone remains un-

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IX servicemen were killed and 12 wounded

Al-Qaeda leader-killed in Yemen drone strike

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Muslim cleric said to be the religious leader of al-Qaeda in Yemen and who carried a $5m bounty on his head, has been killed allegedly by a US drone strike.

A statement issued by the media arm of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) said that Ibrahim Sulayman Muhammad alRubaish, a former detainee at Guantanamo Bay, was killed in the strike two days ago.

As at press time, it was unclear who launched the air strike. Yemen is one of several countries where the US’s Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has launched drone strikes against alQaeda militants and other extremists and AQAP said he had been killed by a “crusader airstrike”.

The group said Rubaish, a Saudi-national believed to be aged in his 30s, was a religious scholar and combat commander.

There was no immediate comment from either Yemeni or US officials. There was similarly no public from the CIA. Rubaish was released from

writings and sermons were prominent in its publications.

Last year, he welcomed the seizure of large parts of Iraq and Syria by al-

I

Qaeda’s rival, the Islamic n a warning to Iran, State group. “I ask God that U.S. President Barack efforts are united to target Obama yesterday said forthe enemies of the religion,” eign fighters in Iraq must he said in a video recording at the time.

Turkish President criticises Pope over Armenia ‘genocide’ Recep Tayyip Erdogan in which both sides died. at St Peter’s Basilica, at-

T

HE Turkish president has sharply criticised Pope Francis for describing the mass killing of Armenians under Ottoman rule in WW1 as “genocide”.

said he condemned the Pope and warned him to “not repeat this mistake”.

Turkey rejects the use of the term genocide to describe the killings, arguing it was a civil war

stable. Armed attacks by the enemy are taking place in almost all parts (of the frontline),” Ukrainian military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said in a televised briefing.

The most active exchange of fire on Monday was around villages near the rebel-held city of Donetsk, he said.

Lysenko gave no details about the circumstances of the deaths of the six soldiers - the heaviest losses for government forces in more than a month.

Foreign fighters in Iraq must respect its sovereignty — Obama respect its sovereignty

Al-Qaeda militants Guantanamo Bay in 2006, after which he joined alQaeda in Yemen. He was considered the group’s the main ideologue and theological adviser and his

in eastern Ukraine in the past 24 hours despite a ceasefire deal, Ukraine’s military said yesterday , as both sides in the conflict accused the other of increasing attacks and building up weapons on the frontline.

The mutual recriminations have put further strain on a twomonth-old truce between Ukraine’s military and pro-Russian rebels, though it remains technically in force despite almost daily reports of casualties.

“The situation in the

It is calling for a joint study by historians of what happened.

Turkey recalled its envoy to the Vatican after Pope Francis made the comments on Sunday at a Mass

tended by the Armenian president and church leaders.

The Pope said that humanity had lived through “three massive and unprecedented tragedies” in the last century.

when assisting in the fight against Islamic State militants.

Obama, speaking in the Oval Office with Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar alAbadi, said the two men had discussed Iran’s role in Iraq at length.

The president announced $200 million in additional U.S. humanitarian aid to Iraq but declined to say whether Washington would provide Apache helicopters and other arms to Baghdad.

UNHCR warns Kenya over Dadaab refugee camp

T

HE United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has warned

5 die in Xenophobic violence in S/Africa A

T least five people have been killed and hundreds forced to flee their homes in one of South Africa’s worst outbreaks of xenophobic violence in years, authorities said yesterday.

Most of the recent unrest occurred in and around the coastal city of Durban, where police said two foreigners and three South Africans were killed.

The dead included a 14-year-old boy who was allegedly shot during looting on Monday night and died at a hospital, police colonel Jay Naicker said. Some 34 people have been arrested for possession of unlicensed firearms and other crimes in the last two days, he said.

“Police are deployed and in high alert in most of the areas where there are foreign nationals,” Naicker said in a statement emailed to the As-

sociated Press.

Despite the increased police presence, authorities are hard-pressed to stop unrest that recalls similar violence in South Africa in 2008 in which about 60 people died. In January this year, four people died during a week of looting of foreign-owned shops and other violence in Soweto and other areas of Johannesburg.

Some South Africans have accused immigrants of taking jobs and opportunities away from them. The latest violence followed reported comments by Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini, an influential figure among the Zulu ethnic group, that foreigners should “pack their bags” and leave. The king has since appealed for an end to the unrest.

The southern African nation of Malawi plans to repatriate at least 400 of its citizens following

the attacks in South Africa, said Kondwani Nankhumwa, Malawi’s information minister.

Malawi is currently in discussions with South Africa to arrange temporary travel papers for stranded Malawians because most lost their passports in the chaos, Nankhumwa said.

“Most of them fled with literally nothing to safe camps,” the minister said. “The numbers will swell since some Malawians are in hiding.”

Advertisement South Africa president Jacob Zuma condemned the violence and assigned several Cabinet ministers to work on the problem with officials in KwaZulu-Natal province, which includes Durban.

The government is addressing South African citizens’ “complaints about illegal and undocumented migrants, the

takeover of local shops and other businesses by foreign nationals as well as perceptions that foreign nationals perpetrate crime,” Zuma’s office said in a statement.

It quoted the president as saying that many foreign nationals are living legally in South Africa and are contributing to economic development.

Kenya not to expel Somali refugees in response to alShabab’s massacre of students.

Kenya has given UNHCR three months to close the the Dadaab refugee camp, which houses 350,000 Somali refugees.

The Kenyan government believes al-Shabab militants who killed 148 people at Garissa University hid in the camp.

The agency warned that the camp’s closure would have “extreme humanitarian consequences.”

Dadaab is just 100km (62 miles) from Garissa, where the killings earlier this month led to outrage and shock across the

People carry placards as they attend a memorial concert for the Garissa university students who were killed during an attack by gunmen, at the ‘’Freedom Corner’’ in Kenya’s capital Nairobi yesterday.

country.

The government has promised to crackdown on the Somali militant organisation, including those who it with provide support within Kenya.

Kenyan Deputy President William Ruto said on Saturday that unless UNHCR closed Dadaab within three months, Kenya would relocate the refugees.

As well as demanding the expulsion of hundred of thousands of Somalis within the camp, he also announced that Kenya had started building a 700km (440 mile) wall along the entire length of the border with Somalia.

Dadaab was set up in 1991 to house families fleeing conflict in Somalia, and some people have been living there for more than 20 years.

UNHCR says it is not possible for Dadaab residents to return home safely.

The 1951 UN Convention on Refugees, which Kenya ratified in 1966, stipulates that countries must not forcibly return refugees to countries where they may be at risk.

54—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015

Nigerians 'll gain more from Buhari—Tony Momoh T

Alhaji Lai Muhammed, All Progressives Congress, APC, National Publicity Secretary (left) addressing newsmen on election issues in Rivers and Akwa Ibom states, in Lagos, yesterday. PHOTO: Joe Akintola, Photo Editor.

HE President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari (retd) has been described as one of the simplest human beings in the world, who “stands to gain little or nothing by being President of Nigeria, but Nigerians will gain more from him than he will gain from us as President.”

This assessment was made

by Prince Tony Momoh, one

of Buhari’s close associates and former National Chairman of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, under which Buhari contested the 2011 presidential election.

Momoh likened Buhari to a Guinea pig in the mould of Charles De Gaulle of France and Mandela of South Africa.

Reacting to the deluge of

Ibori dedicates victory to Uduaghan, others

M

ISS Erhiatake Ibori, daughter of Delta State’s former governor, Chief James Ibori, who won the state

House of Assembly seat for Ethiope West constituency, has dedicated her victory to the outgoing governor, Dr.

Itsekiri in Lagos elect new exco

T

HE Itsekiri community Ajegunle, Ajeromi Ifelodun LGA, Lagos State, has elected new executives to run its affairs for the next four years.

In his acceptance speech, the newly-elected Chairman, Mr. Lawrence Edema, promised to carry everybody along and asked all to join hands with him to move

the community forward.

Other elected members are Eyewu Opaghoro, Chairperson; Amorighoye Miller, Treasurer; Brown Ulidonjugha, Security; Sunday Madamedon, Financial Secretary; Friday Kuyoma, Vice Chairman, and Bright Wiliki, P.R.O.

Emmanuel Uduaghan, the governor-elect, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, and her father.

According to her, the three persons that she dedicated her victory to are her “three fathers,” who have been her mentors and political bosses.

It will be recalled that during last Saturday ’s House of Assembly polls, Miss Ibori, a Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate, won by polling 32,700 votes to her closest rival, All Progressives Congress, APC’s Edirin Ejideran’s 1,709.

Receiving her Certificate of Return from the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Miss Ibori thanked God who made her victory possible.

In a statement by her Media Assistant, Mr. Tony Eluemunor, she said: “The tremendous goodwill daddy has among the entire people of Delta State was a wind beneath my wings. When added to the support of governor-elect Okowa and Governor Uduaghan, my victory was made easier.”

people rushing to congratulate Buhari on his election and expecting to impress him for appointment, Momoh said Buhari is a man of procedure, who does not believe in breaking rules.

“Nigerians can be assured that he would not be rushed into making decisions without obeying laid down procedures.

Those rushing to him will be disappointed because once you set up a programme with Buhari, he would ensure the rules are adhered to.

“If you do so, you are free with him, but if you deviate, you are in trouble even if you are his wife.”

Momoh, who was also Minister of Information during the military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida(retd), said Buhari would only make appointment based on the best interest of the country, saying only the best hands that will be committed to the task of laying a foundation for a better Nigeria will be appointed.

He said: “As long as you are competent, he would give you appointment without thinking of your party affiliation, tribe or religion.”

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015 — 55

We'll dedicate first 100 days to reconciling Benue people — ORTOM

By Peter Duru

M

AKURDI— BENUE State governor-elect, Dr. Samuel Ortom, has stated that the first 100 days of his administration would be dedicated to reconciling the people of the state.

Ortom who won the election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, spoke yesterday when a group of five former Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship aspirants visited his Makurdi residence to congratulate him on his victory at the polls.

He said that if the people were united for a common purpose, they could do much more than if they went their separate ways.

He said, “ when we assume office, I will dedicate my first 100 days to ensure genuine reconciliation among the people; we would also

tap the talents of all the people of the state irrespective of ethnicity, political and religious affiliations in order to enable us make steady progress and move forward as a people.

“It is a known fact that

you are experienced and patriotic sons and daughters of the state who sought to offer quality service to the people. ''I can assure you that I will rely on everyone of you to deliver and by so doing, I will promote excellence

VER TWO thousand members of Oshimili North chapter of All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, trooped out in a peaceful protest to call on independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to declare APGA candidate, Chief Tony Azuya winner of the Saturday April 11 election.

Speaking to newsmen the Director General of the Azuya campaign organization, Mr. Afam Enemokwu described the election as the worst ever witnessed with massive rigging, manipulation, snatching of ballots boxes and sensitive electoral materials as well as intimidation of electorate by the members of the People Democratic Party, PDP. Enemokwu stated that at Ward 1, Akwukwu-Igbo and all the units of the area witnessed massive thumb printing at Illah, Ebu, Okpanam and Ukala, the home town of the PDP member and chairman of Oshimili North Council Mr. Louis Ndukwe, who also allegedly threatened to shoot them if they refused to vote for PDP. Also speaking, another member of the party and former councilor Mr. Charles

state on the part of sustainable development as well as draw his attention if he went wrong.

Earlier, spokesman of the group, Mr Hingah Biem, had while congratulating Ortom urged him to reconcile the people of the

Sokoto to commence mechanised farming soon

S

O K O T O — GOVERNOR Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto State says the state government will soon introduce machinise farming method to ensure full ultilsation of the multimillion naira Goronyo Dam in the state.

Wamakko stated this when he received the people of Goronyo Local Government Area, who paid him a congratulatory visit.

The community was led on the visit by the Deputy

Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Hon. Bello Goronyo.

Wamakko, a senator-elect, assured that the in-coming administration in the state would continue to initiate people-oriented policies that would enhance the socio-economic and political development of the state.

According to him, the state is blessed with vast agricultural land convenient for the production of assorted food crops for domestic and external consumptions.

DELTA ASSEMBLY POLL: 2,000 protesters urge INEC to declare Azuya winner

O

above mediocrity and syncophancy.”

The governor-elect stated that his doors were open to the former aspirants who he said were free to offer suggestions about what could be done to move the

state and initiate policies that would encourage the people particularly youths to respect constituted authorities to serve as positive role models.

He said the people of the state had spoken and that they had accepted their verdict and resolved to give him the needed support to enable him succeed.

Those who visited Ortom included Dr. Eugene Aliegba, Alex Adum, Ada Chenge, Andy Uwouku and Akange Audu.

Okwali said that other result sheets were mutilitated with false results, adding that in the history of policitics in the area, it has never

recorded above 5,000 voters compared to over 51,000 voters claimed by the PDP in the area during the election.

Borno police boss is dead

M

AIDUGURI— THE Borno State Commissioner of Police, Clement Adoda, is dead.

Adoda passed on Wednesday April 8, 2015 after a brief illness in an Abuja hospital where he was airlifted to for treatment.

Family sources said that Adoda’s sudden demise took his family members by surprise as he was actively involved in the recent presidential election in the country.

Adoda enlisted into the Police Force in 1984.

Deacon Chike Okafor wins

D

EACON Chike Okafor, the All Progressives Congress, APC candidate for Okigwe South Federal Constituency, Imo State, emerged winner of the House of Representatives elections held on March 28, across the country.

In a keenly contested election by candidates from eight political parties, Deacon Okafor pulled 29,431 votes to beat his opponents.

For many observers, Deacon Okafor’s victory did not come as a surprise

because of his reputation as a seasoned professional in the financial industry but most importantly, his humanitarian and philanthropic gestures to all communities within and outside his constituency.

As a one-time commissioner for finance under Governor Rochas Okorocha’s administration, Deacon Okafor was said to have brought financial propriety, fiscal discipline and effective management of the state treasury for the period he served.

AJIMOBI THANKS ELECTORATE: Re-elected Governor of Oyo State, Abiola Ajimobi and his wife, Florence, at a thank-u roadshow in Ibadan yesterday.

56—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015

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60 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015

NOC welcomes D’Tigers, Dream Team, Falcons aboard All Africa Games flight

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RESIDENT of N i g e r i a Olympic Committee, NOC, Engr Habu Gumel has hailed the qualification of three national teams to the 11th All Africa Games holding in CongoBrazzaville from September 4th to September 19th, describing it as a positive sign for Team Nigeria in its quest for medals in the Games coming up in Congo Brazzaville, later in the year.

Nigeria’s national men Basketball team, D’Tigers started the qualification bliss after dumping BurkinaFaso’s national Basketball team.

And the Super Falcons(the female national football team) overwhelmed a hapless Mali 8-0 in the second leg to qualify in flying colours. Also against all permutations, Samson Siasia’s Dream Team restored hope of a fine outing at the Games by beating Zambia 2-1 after a barren draw that made many lose hope of qualification in Abuja. ‘’I’m overjoyed to hear that our teams are qualifying for the All

Africa Games. It is an indication of the good things that will come the way of Team Nigeria in Congo’’, Gumel who is also a member of the International Olympic Committee said.

Secretary General, Hon Tunde Popoola who also saluted the teams, however, assured that the NOC and the NSC are working together to ensure that Team Nigeria get the best of comfort in CongoBrazzaville. ‘’We(NSC/ NOC) had been to Congo and we are determined to ensure that they lack nothing. Registration and all other administrative matters are being sorted out’’, Popoola said.

Ronaldo, Messi Continues from BP They would play for ‘Team South’ - comprised of stars from La Liga, Serie A and Ligue 1 - against a similar ‘North’ dream team from the Premier League, Bundesliga andRussianPremierLeague.

Mundo Deportivo report that a marketing company has approached UEFA and proposed the annual fixture, which is inspired by the NBA All-Star Game between the Western and Eastern Conferences.

Keshi Continues from BP with Coach Stephen Keshi will take place this Friday.

General Secretary of the federation, Dr. Sanusi Mohammed told journalists in Abuja yesterday that the football house was well aware of the need to engage a substantive coach for the national team because of the various international engagements of the Super Eagles.

He said that the leadership of the NFF was eager to return smiles to the faces of Nigerian football fans who are still angry at the failure of the national them to be at the last African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Equatorial Guinea earlier in the year.

“Let me say this, we are all aware of the need to get a substantive coach for the Super Eagles and I want to assure you that by the grace of God, between now and Friday this week you will know who

•Gumel

the Super Eagles coaches are.”

Mohammed who only took over as scribe of the federation late last month also hinted that the Amaju Pinnick led board wanted to develop football in the country but regretted the paucity of funds was slowing them down.

He therefore appealed to Nigerians to rally round the federation to ensure that the beautiful game was properly developed.

The scribe further praised the efforts of the national U-23 team, the Dream Team 6 who have qualified for the football event of the 2015 All Africa Games saying the investment of the NFF in youth development has started paying off.

Recall that the NFF president, Amaju Pinnick had last month said that Coach Keshi had agreed to the contractual proposal but several weeks after that the said contract is yet to be signed by the two parties

The players involved wouldbechosenbyanonline fan poll, with no more than three players from any club side.

But despite such restrictions, the proposed match would throw up the tantalising prospect of Barcelona;s Messi and Neymar joining forces with Real Madrid stars Ronaldo and Gareth Bale.

Meanwhile, UEFA has denied reports emanating from Spain that it is in discussions to launch a USstyle ‘All-Star Game’ which would see Lionel Messi and CristianoRonaldoteamupfor the first time in their careers.

El Mundo Deportivoclaimed that the European governing body has been considering replicating the system used in baseball and basketball which sees the best players from across the competition selected to participate in an annual one-off fixture.

Kanu Continues from BP the African Youth Championship last month.

Taiwo Awoniyi further displayed his skills on Sunday, with his brace helping the Dream Team defeat Zambia 2-1 in an All Africa Games qualifier.

“I watched him play for U17, U20 and talked to him, our hottest kid and if he keeps doing his best he will be a star.

AW O N I Y I , ” K anu Nwankwo tweeted.

Awoniyi began his career at hometown club United Academy, and has been linked with a plethora of teams in Europe in recent weeks.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015—61

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62 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015

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N this interview with Champions Matchday, Luis Suárez discusses his “dream” of playing for FC Barcelona, his street football roots, and his innate will to win.

How do you assess Barcelona’s chances in the UEFA Champions League? Can this team win the final in Berlin?

Playing in a team like this, where all the players want to win every match and everything, that is a sign that it’s all about silverware – whether it’s the Champions League, the Liga or whichever trophy’s available. We have a chance of making the final.

Let’s go back to when you started playing football – how did you get into the sport?

Well, I always wanted to win and to play with my friends and beat them at the age of five or six. I never liked to lose. I’ve been obsessed by football since I was young. I remember I made a lot of

Suarez: I hate losing

Suarez effort to go and train and play matches – that effort I’ve made since I was young, that has made me the person I am today.

As a boy, you played football on the streets of Montevideo. Has that shaped you as a player?

It has definitely shaped me. Playing without shoes on the street, making balls out of paper ... those are things that you learn from, from a young age. They give you something even now, and you try and rise to the occasion.

Benitez set for City job R

AFA Benitez will break his Press silence today, but reports have emerged that the Napoli Coach is set for Manchester City.

Nobody at the club has been allowed to speak to the media since the Coppa Italia semi-final defeat to Lazio last week.

President Aurelio De Laurentiis threw the whole team into a training retreat “indefinitely ” and suspended it for only one night so players could sleep at home after they beat Fiorentina 3-0 on Sunday.

There had been real fears Napoli would boycott tomorrow ’s Press conference ahead of the Europa League quarter-final against Wolfsburg, but Benitez will be ‘allowed’ to speak.

Meanwhile, the Daily Star newspaper claims Benitez is the hot favourite to replace Manuel Pellegrini on the Manchester City bench.

Dante: Porto are dangerous F

C Bayern M ü n c h e n centre-back Dante has not had the smoothest of seasons in the B a v a r i a n capital, but with the 2014/15 campaign now in the home straight the Brazilian is back in Pep Guardiola’s starting lineup and approaching h i s commanding best.

Speaking

exclusively to bundesliga.com, the 31-year-old spoke of how he dealt with setbacks this term, before looking ahead to his side’s UEFA Champions League quarter-final first-leg clash with FC Porto today.

Dante, are you glad you’re not facing the likes of Real Madrid or Barcelona but Porto at this stage of the competition?

Dante: FC Porto and AS Monaco were meant to be the easiest potential opponents ahead of the draw but we shouldn’t take them lightly. Porto are playing well together as a team and they’ll be •Dante giving everything they ’ve got [against us]. I’ve watched them several times, they’re a dangerous side with good individual players such as striker Jackson Martinez or [Ricardo] Quaresma who pulls the strings in midfield and can be decisive at any time. Yacine Brahimi is also very dangerous at setpieces. We’ll need to be very focused against them. Personally, I’m happy with the fact we’re traveling to Portugal as I always enjoy hearing my mother tongue [laughs].

Bayern will be without a number of injured key players such as Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery, Bastian Schweinsteiger and David Alaba.

How will you cope with that?

They’re all unbelievably important players to us but we can only try and compensate for them as a team. Any side in the world would miss players of such quality. Our great

strength is having a squad that has both the quality and the depth to do well even with several players sidelined.

•Benitez

•Pellegrini

Cantona: Pastore better than Ronado, Messi The former Manchester United and France striker Eric Cantona has revealed a surprising choice for the player he rates as the best in the world – Paris SaintGermain’s Javier Pastore.

“For me, the best player in the world is Javier Pastore,” said Cantona. “I watched two PSG games just to see him play. For

Juve ask Monaco for Falcao

me, he is the most creative player at the moment. Pastore is full of surprises. I love this kind of player.”

Pastore, who joined PSG from Palermo in 2011 for a reported €39.8m, is likely to come up against Messi’s Barcelona in Wednesday night’s Champions League quarter-final firtst leg. The 25-yearold has three goals and five assists this season.

J

•Falcao

UVENTUS faced Monaco last night, but have reportedly used a lunch meeting to discuss Radamel Falcao.

The two sides clashed in the Champions League quarter-final and, as is customary, the hosting club took the visiting directors out for lunch.

It is rumoured the Juve chiefs used this opportunity to ask for information about Falcao, who seems unlikely to make his loan permanent at Manchester United.

The Colombian is still owned by Monaco and Juventus have repeatedly been linked with a similar loan deal.

Involved in the talks at lunch were Juventus director general Beppe Marotta, Pavel Nedved and Monaco director of sport Vadim Vasilyev.

•Pastore

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Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015

Kanu tips Awoniyi for stardom R

ETIRED Super Eagles striker Nwankwo Kanu has predicted that Taiwo Awoniyi will become one of the stars of Nigerian football in future.

Messi, Ronaldo to play for same team L

IONEL Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo could play alongside one another in a UEFA All-Star match

showcasing the best of European-based talent, according to reports in Spain.

Continues on Page 60

The Nigeria youth international proved that his performance at the 2013 Fifa Under 17s was not a flash in the pan, scoring three times at Continues on Page 60

•Awoniyi

Afcon 2017 qualifier: Egypt plots Eagles fall Page 32

Keshi to sign contract Friday — NFF

BY JUDE OPARA, Abuja

F

OR the second time in two months, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has re-assured soccer loving Nigerians that the much talked about contract signing Continues on Page 60 FC Porto v Bayern Munich 7.45p.m.

FRIENDS OR FOES: Cristiano Ronaldo (l) in warm handshake with arch rival, Lionel Messi. The two will feature in the same South Europe All Stars team soon.

PSG v Barcelona 7.45p.m.

•ALL SMILES — Keshi

QUICK CROSSWORD

TODAY'S

PUZZLE

FRI DAY'S FRIDAY'S

ANSWERS

ACROSS 1 Beg (6) 5 Obtain (6) 8 Record (8) 9 Responsibility (4) 10 Serpent (3) 12 Shelf (5) 15 Fixed (3) 17 Wonder (3) 18 Tear (3) 19 Loiter (3) 20 House (5) 21 Stretch (3) 22 Imitate (3) 23 Transgress (3) 24 Gain (3) 26 Verse (5) 29 Bird (3) 33 Intend (4) 34 Originate (8) 35 Customer (6) 36 Tolerate (6)

DOWN 2 Squeeze (5) 3 Revise (4) 4 Supple (5) 5 Shoot (5) 6 Curdle (4) 7 Course (5) 10 Permit (5) 11 Heathen (5) 12 Bar (5) 13 Postpone (5) 14 Delete (5) 15 Passed (5) 16 Handle (5) 25 Perfect (5) 27 Lift (5) 28 Corn (5) 30 Bury (5) 31 Formerly (4) 32 Sort (4)

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS ACROSS: 1, Chic 4, Tot 6, Inch 8, Patron 9, Recent 10, Den 12, Debut 14, Greed 15, Petal 18, Guitar 20, Easily 24, Yearn 26, Vital 28, Tempt 30, Aft 32, Follow 33, Hermit 34, Emit 35, Yen 36, Deem.

DOWN: 2, Heave 3, Corrupt 4, Tend 5, Turn 6, Incur 7, Conceal 11, Era 12, Dog 13, Tea 16, Try 17, Lea 19, Uniform 21, Art 22, Sneered 23, Yet 25, Elf 27, Allot 29, Price 30, Awry 31, Thin.

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.

Printed and Published by VANGUARD MEDIA LIMITED, Vanguard Avenue, Kirikiri Canal, P.M.B.1007, Apapa. Phone: Newsroom: 018773962. Deputy Editor: 01-4548355. Advert Dept Hotline: 014544821; Abuja: 09-2341102, 09-2342704. E-mail: editor@vanguardngr.com, news@vanguardngr.com, letters@vanguardngr.com. Advert:advertproduction@yahoo.com Website: www.vanguardngr.com (ISSN 0794-652X) Editor: MIDENO BAYAGBON. Phone: 01-7742861, All correspondence to P.M.B. 1007, Apapa Lagos.

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