EMERGENCY RULE FALLOUT: Soldiers storm Borno,Yobe, Adamawa

...towards a better life for the people

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VOL. 25: NO. 61883

ONLINE | www.vanguardngr.com

N150

THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013

Senate seeks state burial for Achebe •P.15

How political pressure forced Caverton to disown Rivers Govt over aircraft •P.9

EMERGENCY RULE FALLOUT:

Soldiers storm Borno, Yobe, Adamawa

BY SAM EYOBOKA, KINGSLEY OMONOBI,DEMOLA AKINYEMI, NDAHI MARAMA & CALEB AYANSINA

•Scores of armoured personnel carriers move to affected states; Air Force gunships, fighter jets deployed •What I saw this morning scared me, I have never seen soldiers on the move quite like this before — Borno Resident•

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AGOS—TROOPS, yesterday, moved into Yola, Adamawa State capital and Maiduguri, capital of Borno State, barely 24 hours after President Goodluck Jonathan declared a State of Emergency in Continues on Page 5

•P.25

COLUMNISTS:

Is'haq Modibbo Kawu•P.17

OCHEREOME NNANNA •P.19

Josef Omorotionmwan •P.19

Mr & Mrs

FOR AIR FORCE PILOTS—Top left: Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Alex Badeh (L), consoling the mother of

Flying Officer Ayuba Layelmeson, one of the pilots who died in a crash in Niger Republic, during Burial in Abuja, yesterday.

Below left: Minister of State for Defence, Erelu Olusola Obada (L) consoling the wife of Squadron Leader Benjamin Ado. Right: Families of the late pilots at the burial. Photos: NAN.

NASARAWA MASSACRE:

Ombatse not violent — Eggon community

•P.40

NJC probe: Justice Gunmi resigns, becomes Emir of Gunmi —P.9 C M Y K

2—VANGUARD, THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013

C M Y K

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C M Y K

4—VANGUARD, THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013

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Vanguard, THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013 — 5

POCKET CARTOON

ties”.

No time frame for military operation

ACCIDENT—A heavy duty truck with Edo State commercial number plate: GAR-170-XA that rammed into an NDDC Foot Bridge under construction, yesterday, along Aba Road in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. No casualty was recorded. Photo: Nwankpa Chijioke.

Soldiers storm Borno, Yobe Adamawa Continues from page 1 Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states in response to Boko Haram insurgency which has claimed several lives and destroyed many property.

Residents and journal-

ists saw military trucks carrying over 2000 soldiers into Yola and Maiduguri, yesterday, in compliance with the president’s orders. The military launched the first phase of its campaign to secure the

LIFEWORDS

BY PASTOR ITUAH

You cannot claim to be the master of the summit when you have not experienced the valley.

TAKE HEART

BY ELLA RANDLE

Happiness is not a goal...it’s a by-product of a life well lived — Eleanor Roosevelt

I

N many ways, Contentment, which can be de fined as the state of being satisfied, can be closely associated with the concept of happiness.

Positive Psychology finds it very important to study what contributes to people being happy. This contented state of mind is that which psychologist and writer Christopher Petersons calls “savouring”. He refers to it as an understanding, rather than expecting everything to be perfect in our world before being happy; it is best to delve into what you already have and savour it for all its worth with a knowing that you have put yourself in a position that is meaningful to your calling and purpose in life.

In a sense, contentment is said to be the freedom from anxiety, want or need. Contentment is the goal behind all goals. Many people strongly associate money with happiness, and they believe that being rich will contribute greatly to making them happier, and we see that this idea is increasing with people who reflect an unusual intensity in growing materialism. Although wealth is associated with uplifting positive outcomes, the overall relationship between money and happiness is marginal.

country’s borders and flush out all terrorists and insurgents from the northern states.

Vanguard gathered that the entire Northern flank of the armed forces, including the 3rd Armoured Division Jos; the 1st Division Kaduna; Brigade Commands and Components of the Infantry, Artillery, Armoured and Signal Corps have been coopted into the military onslaught.

It was also gathered that Air Force Helicopter Gunships, and fighter jets have been put on standby for air bombardment of mountains and hill tops that adorn the three states, where the terrorists and insurgents run to after causing havoc. Towards this end, the headquarters 75 Strike Group in Yola and the Air Combat Attack Group in Kainji where the fighter jets and helicopter gunships are to take off for sorties, have been activated.

Already, it was gathered that scores of armoured personnel carriers including those for reconnaissance, interjection, long range assault, as well as military vehicles for desert operations, signals and quick intervention action are already on their way

to the three states.

Defence spokesman, Brig. General Chris Olukolade, told Vanguard that the operation which is to be commanded by Major General Jack Enwasiha, Commander of the Joint Task Force in the area, also has Police and DSS contingents.

His words: “The Nigerian Armed Forces, the Nigeria Police and other security agencies have commenced operations to rid the nation’s border territories of terrorist bases and activities.

The military operation will focus on tracking down criminal elements within the vicinity of border communities prone to terrorist activities.

“The operations which will involve massive deployment of men and resources is aimed at asserting the nation’s territorial integrity and enhancing the security of constituted governmental structures in all territories within Nigeria’s borders.

“The operational plans have also briefed participating troops appropriately on arrests, cordon and search especially directed at apprehending those who have been violating sovereignty of Nigeria through terrorist training for insurgency and related activi-

Explaining that there is no time frame for the state of emergency, Olukolade said the operation is expected to put an end to insurgent activities in these parts of the country.

In this regard, he said: “The Defence Headquarters assures law abiding citizens that every effort has been put in place to ensure safety of civilians and noncombatants while the operation lasts.

“All citizens are enjoined to cooperate with troops and supply necessary information on criminal and terrorist activities or movements in their localities as the operation is intended to safeguard the nation’s interests and citizens in all parts of the Federation."

The Defence spokesman said the operation will spread to anywhere terrorists or insurgents can be found in the entire northern flank adding, “that is why President Goodluck Jonathan is appealing to foreign countries to block their borders and stop the terrorists running into their country.

Following the presence of troops in Maiduguri, the mood was tense in the city while shops were mostly shut with very few people on the streets. Schools were also closed. A resident in Maiduguri, Ahmed Mari said: “What I saw this morning scared me, I have never seen soldiers on the move quite like this before”. Another resident, Kabir Laoye who expressed fears that civilians could be caught up in the conflict said, “there is a lot of apprehension about the state of emergency”.

Yobe, Borno govts pledge support Meanwhile, Yobe and Borno states, two of the three states where emergency rule has been declared have pledged support for the president’s action saying they would work with security agencies to restore peace and security in their respective states.

Governor Ibrahim Geidam of Yobe State, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Information, Alhaji Abdullahi Bego said, “as people across our state and the country are aware, the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan had declared a State of Emergency in three states, including Yobe.

"The reasons advanced

by Mr. President in taking this action are clear.

Over the past few years, the problems of insurgency and criminality in Yobe State and other parts of the North have led to many deaths and injuries and caused untold hardship to millions of innocent people.

“The Yobe State Government, has done and continues to do everything within its power to ensure peace and security and support the security agencies in their task of protecting life and property. As everyone knows, there is no alternative to peace. The Yobe State Government therefore agrees with Mr. President on the need to take more effective measures to address the problem of insecurity in the country.

Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State in his reaction urged the people of the state to support and cooperate with all the security Continues on page 8

6—Vanguard, THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013

Police arrest fake lawyer in Warri

BY EMMA AMAIZE

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ARRI— A FAKE lawyer has been arrested by the police in Warri, Delta State, after defrauding the family of a kidnap suspect, Godfrey Marker, of N280,000 and other items yet to be estimated.

The phony attorney, who gave his name at K.C Ikani was arrested by the police from the Area Commander’s Office, Warri, inside a high court in Warri following a tip off.

Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Lucky Uyabeme, confirmed the arrest, saying he was dressed “in all the paraphernalia of a legal practitioner when police arrested him in the open court.”

His words: “He was going by the name and design, K.C Ikani Esq of U. S. Musa and Co Chambers of 1, Alohan Street, Off Dumez Road, Benin City and was arrested while attempting to represent the interest of a kidnapper standing trial, one Marker Godfrey.”

He said the fake lawyer “has already duped the family of N280,000 and other items yet to be estimated and had confessed to engaging in the unlawful act in his bid to eke out a living."

... as bandits batter, disarm police corporal

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SABA — DAREDEVIL bandits have attacked and disarmed a police corporal, Sunday Eboh, in Asaba, Delta State.

The corporal, who is currently receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital, was on patrol within the precincts of the Bridge Head Police Headquarters, Asaba, when the hoodlums assaulted him.

They inflicted multiple machete cuts on him and disappeared with 17 rounds of ammunition found on him.

However, Delta State Public Relations Officer, ASP Lucky Uyabeme, said a detachment of patrol duty police officers reacted swiftly by combing the bush and luckily, sighted the suspected assailants, who engaged them in a gun duel.

In the ensuing battle, he said two of the suspects suffered fatal gunshots. The police also recovered the service pistol and ammunition.

SUBSIDY PROTEST: DPO arraigned, remanded in Kirikiri over murder

BY ABDULWAHAB ABDULAH, ONOZURE DANIA & SAVIOUR UDOFA

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AGOS — THE dismissed i visional Police Officer, DPO, of Yaya-Abatan, Agege Police Station, Lagos, Segun Fabunmi, was yesterday ordered to be remanded in Kirikiri prison by an Ikeja High Court after he was formally arraigned for murder of Adedamola Daramola and causing bodily injury to some protesters against the removal of fuel subD

sidy in January last year.

Fabunmi who was docked before Justice Olabisi Akinlade was charged by the state government.

He, however, pleaded not guilty to the seven-count charge preferred against him.

The state prosecution led by the Director of Public Prosecution, DPP, Mrs Olabisi Ogungbesan, in the charge, alleged that Fabunmi committed the offence of murder, which contravened Section 221 of the Criminal Law, No. 11, 2011, at about 9.30 a.m on January 9, 2012 at Yaya-Abatan area

of Agege, Lagos.

He was also accused of attempted murder and causing grievous bodily harm on some of the protesters in contravention of sections 228 and 243 of the same law.

The prosecution alleged that the ex-police officer murdered Daramola and attempted to murder others, adding that he also caused bodily injury to three others by shooting at them with his AK 47 rifle.

Fabunmi was accused of attempting to kill and inflicting grievous bodily harm on Alimi Abubakar, Egbujor Samuel,

Chizorba Odoh by separately shooting at them with his gun.

He allegedly shot Abubakar and Samuel on their left legs and Odoh on his right index finger.

Subsequently, his plea was taken and his lawyer, Mr. Ike Okafor, prayed the court to move his bail application, which was turned down by the trial judge, who said it was not ripe for hearing.

The judge ordered the accused to be remanded in Kirikiri Maximum Prison, and adjourned the hearing of the application till June 14.

Police re-occupy Obio/ Akpor council secretariat ...as protests continue

BY EGUFE YAFUGBORHI

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ORT HARCOURT— DESPITE Monday’s court order charging the Police to vacate Obio/Akpor council secretariat, the police maintained its presence there, yesterday, as workers remain out of sight.

The security operatives were on guard as defiant protesters demanding reinstatement of the council’s sacked cabinet resumed demonstration at the secretariat as early as 7.30 a.m.

When Vanguard visited the secretariat, one of the security men on guard said council's caretaker chairman, Mr Chikodi Dike, who came to the office was advised to leave the area for security reason.

Chief Christopher Princewill who led yesterday’s protest said his men would continue to besiege the council till Mr Timothy Nsirim and the rest of the displaced cabinet are back in office.

The day before, the protest went wild with the demonstrators burning the council's power generating plant house. The fire was suspected to have been ignited by exploded dynamite before the timely intervention of the Joint Task Force and men of the State Fire Service saved the situation.

Dike said those who started the fire also burgled the main building and made away with vital documents critical to investigation of the allegations of misappropriation of funds levelled against the suspended council chairman.

Meanwhile, President of Ikwerre Democratic Initiative, Mr Chinagorum Nwakwo, has warned Obio/Akpor youths to stop generalising the protest group as an all-Ikwerre struggle.

He said: “We are warning the youths of Obio/Akpor to stop playing politics with the name of Ikwerre youth, because we are not part of their protest.”

Rivers State grassroots women on a protest in support of the state C Chijioke

Family of 3 escapes death

BY VINCENT UJUMADU

A

WKA — A FAMILY of three, a couple and their only daughter, narrowly es-

JTF rescues cleric from abductors

BY GODWIN OGHRE

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APELE— REVEREND Daniel Onotere of Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN, who was abducted by gunmen last week, with a ransom of N100 million for his release was, yesterday, rescued by men of the joint task force, Operation Pulo Shield, in conjunction with 19 Battalion, Nigerian Army, Koko Barracks, Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State.

Also recovered from the kidnappers was Rev. Onotere’s Audi 80 Saloon car. An elated Rev. Onotere who expressed appreciation to JTF said he passed through a deadly ordeal in the hands of his abductors.

Commanding Officer of the 19 Battalion, Lt Col Frank Etim, who briefed newsmen, yesterday, on

the release of Rev. Onotere, also paraded nine suspects who gave their names as Thomas Away, David Maye, Oyighan

The suspected kidnappers.

Nimibor, Beke Robinson, Gift Alex, Odiri Godwin, Felix James, Paul James and Eruwa Godfrey, all of who admitted to the crime.

caped death, Tuesday night, when a communication mast pulled down by rainstorm landed on their house at Udoka Housing Estate in Awka, Anambra State.

The couple, Mr. Joseph Eze, his wife, Veronica and an unnamed daughter, had gone to bed after dinner when the mast still under construction, fell and hit the roof of their bungalow, destroying the house as well as the walls of nearby buildings and some electric poles.

Eze said: “We were sleeping around 10 p.m when the rain started falling with heavy wind and the next thing we heard was a big bang on our building. We ran out of the bed and saw part of the mast resting on our bed."

His wife, Veronica, regretted that the incident had rendered them homeless, adding: “We have no place now to sleep.”

Residents of the area, who gathered at the scene regretted that despite an earlier advice by authorities of the Anambra State Housing Development Corporation, owners of the mast went

Vanguard, THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013—7

Six die, four injured in Bauchi auto crash

BY SUZAN EDEH

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AUCHI — SIX people have been killed while four others sustained injuries in a fatal auto crash that occurred at Badaromo village in Ganjuwa Local Government Area of Bauchi State along the Bauchi-Maiduguri road.

Vanguard gathered that the accident involved a Hilux van belonging to the Nigerian Army and a Golf car.

An eyewitness said the accident happened when the army vehicle which was in a convoy on high speed on its way to Maiduguri, Borno State rammed into the car, leading to the death of five persons while others sustained inju-

ries.

“The vehicle fell under a bridge while the victims were rescued by security operatives and other sympathisers and were taken to the hospital,” the eyewitness said.

Manager of the Trauma Centre

of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Mallam Baba Hamman, said some volunteers brought five dead bodies and five injured victims to the centre.

He said one of the survivors died while receiving treatment

which increased the number of the dead to six.

Contacted, Bauchi State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, Mr Henry Sunday Olatunji said he was not aware of the accident.

Shettima condoles slain Borno CAN scribe’s family

BY NDAHI MARAMA

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AIDUGURI — GOVERNOR Kashim Shettima of Borno State has commiserated with the families and the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN,

over the death of its Secretary, Borno State chapter, Rev. Faye Pama Musa who was assassinated by gunmen, Tuesday.

The gunmen suspected to be members of Boko Haram sect shot dead the cleric at his Government Reservation Area, GRA, residence at about 7.30 p.m. Tuesday.

Shettima while describing the death of Musa as shocking, promised to leave no stone unturned, as his administration would collaborate with the security agencies in order to apprehend the culprits.

He said Musa was a very gentle, humble man with the fear of God, adding that government will ensure that his family is adequately taken care of and prayed that God would grant the soul of the deceased eternal rest.

The gunmen, according to an eyewitness, scaled over the wall and burst into the parlour, before firing several gunshots into his

head and chest. He died in the presence of his wife and children.

According to an eyewitness, “we were sitting under a tree when two gunmen walked to the backyard of our Reverend Father’s house and climbed over the wall. Two minutes latter, we heard four gunshots in the house.

“The soldiers rushed to the scene, 10 minutes after the gunmen had fled towards Polo area of Maiduguri metropolis.”

Our correspondent also learnt that the residence of the slain cleric was cordoned off including the access road to the GRA residence for two hours, before the 9pm curfew by men of Joint Task Force, JTF, to prevent further attacks,.

Confirming the incident yesterday, the Borno State Police Command spokesman, Gideon Jibrin, said there was an attack on a cleric’s residence in the GRA, where one was feared killed by hoodlums.

Court sentences bus driver to death for kidnap ...bricklayer, trader also to die for robbery

Commissioner of Police, in Port Harcourt, yesterday. Photo: Nwankpa

as mast falls on building ahead to convince higher authorities that the mast would not cause any problem in the area.

Vanguard gathered, yesterday, that the state housing corporation had in a letter dated April 9, 2013, directed the media establishment to dismantle the mast, adding that somehow, the company went on with the job.

The letter, which was signed by Mr. P.E. Ozoekwe, a principal architect and head of development control read: “We write to observe with serious concern that the above property allocated to you as a residential property is now being converted into a commer-

The collapsed mast.

cial complex with a mast under installation.

“The corporation is very much shocked when the development control team on routine inspection, saw that a mast is being installed in the area.

“We plead that you will, by this letter, take appropriate steps to dismantle the part of the mast already installed and ensure that no further installation of the mast takes place at the site.”

Chairman of Udoka Housing Estate phase II residents, Rev. Obiora Nwosu, said yesterday that they knew from inception that the installation of the mast was a health hazard.

BY AUSTIN OGWUDA

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SABA — A HIGH court sitting in Warri, Delta State has sentenced a 32-year-old commercial bus driver, Efe Taire, to death by hanging, having found him guilty of a four-count charge of conspiracy, armed robbery, kidnapping and demanding N30 million ransom.

Similarly, a trader and bricklayer were also sentenced to death by the Asaba and Effurun high courts, respectively.

The commercial bus driver along with three others still at large robbed one Tommy Etejire of his RAV 4 SUV on January 21, 2011 at Upper Erejuwa, Warri and attempted to sell the car to a popularly car dealer at Agbor before he was arrested at a Police checkpoint around Ugorhu junction in Okpe.

Prosecution told the court that the convict and his gang members also held the owner of the car hostage and demanded a ransom of N30 million but later reduced it to N1.2 million, which was paid by his family before their victim finally regained his freedom.

Presiding judge, Justice M. Mukoro in sentencing him to

death said the prosecution succeeded in proving its case beyond reasonable doubt.

Also, an Effurun High Court, yesterday, sentenced one Michael Taiye, a bricklayer to death having found him guilty of a three-count charge of conspiracy to commit armed robbery, armed robbery and illegal possession of firearms.

He was arrested by policemen from Ekpan police station after sustaining gunshot injuries during a gun duel between his gang and police patrol team on January 11, 2006 while returning from a robbery operation.

In passing the sentence, the trial judge, Justice G.E. Gbemre said the prosecution left no one in doubt as the essential ingredients of armed robbery against the accused was proved beyond reasonable doubt.

Similarly, one Moses Chukwuemeka, a 25-year-old trader from Ebonyi State was sentenced to death by an Asaba high court.

He has been on trial on a onecount charge of robbery committed behind the Ivories Golf and Country Club, Asaba in 2009 where he robbed an Okada man of his motorcycle while armed with a cutlass.

NSCDC nabs man for allegedly duping facebook friend, Rev Father

BY DAYO JOHNSON

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KURE — MEN of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, in Ondo State have arrested one Arowolo Femi for duping a girl he met on the Facebook of N850,000 and a Reverend Father.

Arowolo, according to the state Command of the NSCDC, duped the cleric of his Honda Accord 2007 model with number plate CU 730RSH under the pretext that he would help him sell the car.

A statement by the imagemaker of the Command, Mr Kayode Balogun in Akure said the suspect was arrested in Akure after duping a girl whom he met on social network.

Balogun said in March 2013, the suspect duped one reverend father (name withheld) of his Honda Accord 2007 model by lying to his younger sister that he would marry her. She then introduced him to the reverend and he prayed for them.

The suspect later told the Reverend Father that he was a car dealer to which the Reverend told him he wanted to sell his Honda Accord car 2007 model. The suspect then collected the car, promising to help him sell it in Lokoja but later ran away with the car in March this year.

Balogun said effort to reach the suspect since then had been futile until he was arrested in Akure.

According to the statement, the suspect was invited to Akure by the girl she met on facebook after they have been friends for a month.

Balogun added that the suspect after meeting the girl passed the night in her house but in the night the suspect checked her phone and found out that she had huge amount of money in her account and pleaded with her to lend him N850,000 to clear some of his goods at the port in Lagos.

When it dawned on the girl that the suspect who came back the second day was about to dupe her she reportedly contacted men of NSCDC who came to invite the suspect for questioning.

8—Vanguard, THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013

Soldiers storm Yola, Yobe, Maiduguri Continues from page 5

SIGNING—From left: Mr. Abdullahi Kundila, Ag. Registrar, representing the VC ABU; Mr. Segun Aina President/Chairman of Council, CIBN; and Mrs Debola Osibogun 1st Vice President, CIBN, during the signing of Memorandum of Understanding, MOU, between CIBN, ABU and others institutions at the Banker house, Lagos. Photo: Diran Oshe.

EFCC secures order to evacuate stolen crude

BY IKECHUKWU NNOCHIRI BUJA—JUSTICE E. S. Chukwu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, yesterday, granted the request of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to evacuate for safe keeping the petroleum products recovered from 14 suspected oil thieves currently facing prosecution for charges bordering on conspiracy and oil bunkering.

At the resumed hearing, the EFCC through an exparte motion brought pursuant to section 26 of the EFCC Act, 2004, prayed the court for an order granting leave to the applicant to evacuate the petroleum products conveyed by the respondents in trucks and vehicles as specified in the schedule attached to the affidavit, for safe keeping.

The recovered petroleum products are currently at the premises of Shittu Alao Barracks of the 177 Battalion, Guards Brigade, Nigerian Army, Keffi, Nasarawa State.

EFCC counsel, Elizabeth Ayodele specifically prayed the court for an order directing the Managing Director of PPMC, the Department of Petroleum Resources or the relevant arm of the NNPC to evacuate and keep in safe custody the crude oil recovered from the trucks and any further order or orders as the court may make in the circumstance.

Justice Chukwu granted the motion as prayed and adjourned the case to May 27 for continuation of hearing.

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It would be recalled that the suspects, Joseph Amaechi, Israel Friday, Ubadia Francis, Abayomi Adebisi, Abdullahi Idris, Samuel Job, Onah Peter Ode, Sabo Tasha Hassan, Abdullahi Moh’d, Abubakar Abdulkadir, Ehiogu Paul, Ib-

rahim Saidu, Garba Mohammed and Bartholomew Onyema were arrested at Toto Military checkpoint, Nasarawa State with 14 trailer load of suspected crude oil after a failed attempt to bribe their way through the checkpoint.

Nigerians dominate Caine prize shortlist

BY UDUMA KALU, WITH AGENCY REPORT OR the first time since its 14 years of existence, Nigerians, this year dominate the Caine prize for African short stories.

The panel of the 2013 Caine prize for African writing in London yesterday announced that the five stories chosen for the shortlist have an unprecedented four Nigerian entries.

The 2013 shortlist comprises: Elnathan John (Nigeria) ‘Bayan Layi’ from Per

F

Contra, Issue 25 (USA, 2012), Tope Folarin (Nigeria) ‘Miracle’ from Transition, Issue 109 (Bloomington, 2012), Pede Hollist (Sierra Leone) ‘Foreign Aid’ from Journal of Progressive Human Services, Vol. 23.3 (Philadelphia, 2012), Abubakar Adam Ibrahim (Nigeria) ‘The Whispering Trees’ from The Whispering Trees, published by Parrésia Publishers (Lagos, 2012), Chinelo Okparanta (Nigeria) ‘America’ from Granta, Issue 118 (London, 2012).

FG appoints new heads for 3 agencies

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RESIDENT Good luck Jonathan yesterday approved the appointments of three new chief executives of federal agencies.

This was contained in a statement by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim.

Those appointed include, Mr. Benjamin Ezra Dikki, as Director

General, Bureau of Public Enterprises, BPE; Gbenga Elegbeyele, as Director General, National Sports Commission and Dr. Oluwole Oluleye, Executive Secretary, Petroleum Technology Development Trust Fund, PTDF. Senator Anyim further stated that all the appointments take immediate effect.

agencies who are charged with the sole responsibility of tackling the Boko Haram insurgency. Shettima in a Live Broadcast to the people of the state said: “It is the constitutional responsibility of the President to take such measures. It is also the duty of any responsible state government, to support lawful efforts that would guarantee the security of lives and property. It can never be the wish of any guarded democratic government to have the military directly involved in the affairs of any federating unit except for unfortunate and painful causes."

CAN calls for dissolution of amnesty committee The declaration of a state of emergency in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe has received the official endorsement of the umbrella body of Christians in the country, Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, even as they called for the dissolution of the amnesty committee saying it was no longer relevant.

CAN president, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, in a statement by his Special Assistant, Media and Public Affairs, Kenny Ashaka, maintained that “ with the declaration of a state of emergency in the three states, the Amnesty Committee was no longer relevant and should be dissolved. According to him, “we are being vindicated that no reasonable agreement can be reached with terrorists. Not dissolving the political structures coupled with the retention of the office of the governors, are signposts that President Goodluck Jonathan is a democrat, and that, the action of the President is also an indication that he is primarily concerned with the issue of human rights abuses and the need to secure the territorial integrity of Nigeria.

The CAN President then called on the three governors to reciprocate the kind gesture by co-

operating with those charged with the responsibility of bringing down the insurgency.

This is a new experiment —Mustapha Akanbi, former ICPC boss In his reaction, the pioneer chairman of Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), Alhaji Mustapha Akanbi, described the declaration of state of emergency in the three states as a new experiment being carried out.

The octogenarian, however, expressed concern about how the military officers and other security agencies deployed to the affected states would work together to achieve the desired result of the state of emergency.

Speaking with journalists in Ilorin, yesterday, Alhaji Akanbi said:”This is not the first step taken on this problem of insecurity, Amnesty Committee has been set up among other steps, so this one may not necessarily provide the ultimate answer. But my major concern is how the civilians and the military deployed to the areas will work together to achieve the desired result."

It's counterproductive —ACN The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has, however, described the declaration of a state of emergency in the three states as lacking in original thinking, and therefore asked the National Assembly to reject it.

In a statement issued in Abuja yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said if the use of force was capable of ending the Boko Haram crisis, it would have ended a long time ago. It said while the President was right in expressing outrage over the mindless killings and wanton destruction

by the insurgents, he was wrong in proposing more of the same measures that have failed to yield results. "If the medicine given to a patient has not cured his or her illness, is it not futile to prescribe more of the same medicine for the patient? If the declaration of a state of emergency in 15 local government areas in four states in 2011 has not curbed the activities of the insurgents, why extend such measure to other areas...?

"Secondly, the President should go ahead and disband the committee he recently inaugurated and saddled with reaching out to the insurgents, because by opting to flood the states with more troops under an illadvised emergency rule, he has succeeded in pulling the carpet from under the Committee’s feet. Who negotiates genuinely with a gun to his head? The committee’s job is over, the members can as well pack up and go home.

"Thirdly, one hopes the President’s action is not linked to the politics of 2015. With the three states militarized, there can neither be electioneering campaign nor voting there. We had warned earlier that as 2015 approaches, the Jonathan Administration will increasingly take measures that will make it impossible to hold election in many states.

The over militarization of some states in the north, the plan to destabilise the South-west using slush funds from the so-called oil pipeline protection contract and the infantile threats from some Niger Delta militants seem to be part of this plan.

"Fourthly, what happens if and when the declaration of emergency rule fails to stem the violence, now that the President has gone for broke and played his last card?

"In view of the reasons stated above, we hereby reject the declaration of emergency rule in the three states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe, and we call on the National Assembly to also reject it and not allow itself to be used to rubber stamp a declaration that is largely cosmetic."

Vanguard, THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013 — 9

BY SONI DANIEL, REGIONAL EDITOR, NORTH NDICATIONS have emerged that undue political pressure being mounted on Caverton Helicopters was behind the attempt by the company to disown its relationship with the Rivers State-owned aircraft, a Bombardier Global Express, currently grounded by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, in Port Harcourt.

Findings by Vanguard revealed that apart from applying to the Aviation Ministry for permit to import and operate the said aircraft, Caverton has been responsible for obtaining most of the operational clearance for the aircraft with call signal N565RS, which the Rivers State government acquired from the United States of America in September 2012.

Documents exclusively obtained by Vanguard from the Aviation Ministry indicated that Caverton came under pressure to deny any business dealings with the Rivers State government, when in reality it has been dealing with several aviation parastatals on behalf of the state government.

It was learnt that following a business relationship with Rivers State Caverton formally applied to the Aviation Minister on August 27, 2012, requesting for approval to bring in the aircraft and operate on behalf of the state.

The receipt of the letter, which was signed by the Executive Vice Chairman of the company, was officially acknowledged by the Minister ’s Office on September 21, 2012.

Findings further revealed that although the ministry appeared to have sat on the request, Caverton has been obtaining flight approvals for the landing and taking off of the aircraft from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, NAMA, and security agencies operating at the nation’s airports.

For instance, between January 4 and March 27, 2013, Caverton applied and got clearance from the NCAA for the operation of the aircraft in and outside the country without any objection from any of the relevant agencies.

In one of the applications dated January 4, 2013, and addressed to the Director General of the NCAA, with the caption ‘Application for Aircraft Clearance’, and signed by Adeniyi Makanjuola, the company wrote, “We hereby apply for aircraft clearance to arrive and depart aircraft No. N565RS for a business flight between January 4 and 8, 2013.”

After examining the request from Caverton, one Mrs. J.O. Wariya, the Director of Air Transport Regulation, who signed on behalf of the DG of NCAA, wrote to the Department of State Service, DSS, intimating them of the application by

I

How political pressure forced Caverton to disown Rivers govt over aircraft •Threat to revoke company's licence behind denials •Reps vow to sanction anyone lying over the matter

MEETING—From left: Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State; Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State; and SGF, Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim, at the South East leaders meeting in Enugu.

Caverton to operate a private flight with the Rivers aircraft on the said dates.

Similar requests were made by Caverton on behalf of the Rivers State Government on January 21, February 8 and March 27, 2013 to the NCAA and prompt approvals given for the aircraft to fly.

In responding to the requests, the Director of Airworthiness wrote back, saying in all the five cases, “No technical objections”.

It was, however, learnt from reliable aviation sources that the helicopter company was made to recant its

business dealings with Rivers State after the government decided to move against Governor Rotimi Amaechi.

In a volte face, on the same day the Amaechi aircraft was delayed in Akure, Caverton wrote a letter dated April 26, 2013 to the Acting DG of the NCAA, denying having anything to do with the Bombardier Aircraft.

In a four-paragraph letter signed by Sola Falola, the Manager of Caverton, the company said, “Pursuant to a review of our aircraft records and airworthiness documentation, it has come to our attention that the above named air-

craft (Bombardier Global Express 5000/Reg No N565RS) has been obtaining flight clearance under the name of Caverton Helicopters without due approval from any of the nominated past holders within our organisation.

“Our only contact with the said aircraft was on August 2012 when the aircraft management company, ACASS of Canada, contacted us to assist with an importation permit to facilitate the delivery of the aircraft into the country to their client.

"We did a letter to the Ministry of Aviation in this regard but did not follow up subse-

quently because ACASS indicated that they were no longer responsible for the management of the said aircraft.

“We have not had any dealings whatsoever with the said aircraft; neither have we given any approvals, tacit or otherwise to any third parties to seek or obtain the NCAR’s and would like to bring this to your attention for necessary action", the company said.

Vanguard learnt that the strident attempt by Caverton to deny its relationship with the aircraft and Rivers State government was borne out of the threat by some powerful aviation officials to revoke its licence if it did not distance itself from the Amaechi aircraft.

However, the House of Representatives Committee on Aviation and Justice, which is investigating the matter, is reportedly angry with the company for trying to deny the letters written by its officials in connection with the aircraft.

A member of the committee, who spotted the correspondences between Caverton and the aviation agencies relating to the aircraft, is said to have descended on the company for trying to twist the facts, during a public hearing on Tuesday.

“We are surprised that a company that has signed several letters in respect of the Rivers aircraft is still trying to deny its actions.

“We are going to get to the bottom of the matter and let Nigerians see who is lying or telling the truth over the aircraft so as to separate politics from business", a member of the National Assembly probing the matter vowed yesterday.

NJC probe: Justice Gunmi resigns, becomes Emir of Gunmi

BY IKECHUKWU NNOCHIRI

A

BUJA—BARELY three weeks after the National Judicial Council, NJC, concluded plans to visit a petition seeking his sack over alleged judicial impropriety, the Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory, Justice Lawal Gunmi, has voluntarily resigned from office.

Investigations by Vanguard revealed that Justice Gunmi who is among the 21 judges currently under probe by the NJC, tendered his resignation letter on Tuesday, a day after he was crowned as the new Emir of Gunmi community in Zamfara State.

Indications further emerged that he has already forwarded his letter of voluntary retirement to both the NJC presided over by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mariam Aloma Muhktar and the Federal Judicial Service Commission, FJSC. He was said to have given the Minister of the FCT, Senator Mohammed Bala, prior notice of his intention to honourably bow out of service, though his appointment is due to elapse in 2015.

The CJ, who was on Sunday turbaned to replace the former Emir of Gunmi town, Alhaji Aliyu Abara who died on May 7, was appointed to pilot the affairs of the high court in 2004.

Specifically, a coalition of over

150 anti-corruption organisations under the aegis of Civil Society Network against Corruption, CSNAC, had in their petition to the CJN, called for an immediate probe of the CJ, who they said had mismanaged funds appropriated to the high court.

They further referred the NJC to the book that was published by former FCT Minister, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, “The Accidental Public Servant” especially on page 202.

According to a petition signed

by Chairman of the group Mr Olanrewaju Suraju, “Mallam Nasir El-Rufai stated in his book that in appreciation of the support offered the FCT judiciary

(under Chief Judge, Justice Lawal Hassan Gummi) during his tenure as Minister of the FCT, he, Mallam el-Rufai decided to budget an annual grant to support the judiciary.

“We are well aware that these grants/allocations were outside the FCT judiciary budget. We are therefore, by this petition demanding that the National Judicial Council, NJC, undertake a thorough investigation into these allocations, their legality and use; and make public the outcome(s) to guarantee the respect for and integrity of the Judiciary. This demand is in line with other investigations of the NJC, under your leadership, to sanitize and reposition the judiciary.”

10—Vanguard, THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013

Fashola advocates energy conservation

BY OLASUNKANMI AKONI

G

O V E R N O R Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, yesterday, urged Nigerians to imbibe the culture of conservation as a way of life, especially in the area of energy.

Fashola spoke at the Lagos State Power Kids Awards 2013 grand finale before pupils from the Power Kids Club in 30 secondary schools across the state, their tutors and other stakeholders.

Master Osadare Gideon of Iju Junior Grammar School, Iju, emerged the Power Kid of the Year, while Aiyedere Ajibola Junior High School emerged as Power School of the Year, while 30 pupils, from each of the participating schools, were also honoured.

... as 13th one-day Lagos Gov emerge

BY DAYO ADESULU

T

HE thirteenth one-day Governor of Lagos State, yesterday, emerged in the person of Master Boadley Afolarin, at the 2013 Spelling Bee Competition held Alausa, Lagos.

Afolarin of Omole Senior Grammar School emerged winner among 52 contestants from 52 public schools in Lagos.

The second position went to Abolaji Abudulraman of Community Junior High School, Ayobo, Ipaja; while Master Bio Ejiwon of Victoria Island Senior High School, came third.

Former deputy governor, Lagos State, Mrs Sarah Sosan, said it was an indication that public school students were doing well.

Afolarin was presented with N250,000, while the second and third winner went home with N150,000 and N100,000, respectively.

Protesting workers disrupt Diamond Bank operations in Lagos

BY VICTOR AHIUMA-YOUNG

L

AGOS—AGGRIEVED workers, yesterday, crippled operations at the corporate office of Diamond Bank in Lagos, over alleged unfair labour practices and poor working conditions.

Over 5,000 outsourced contract staff from various vendors and agencies, who stormed the bank as early as 8.00a.m., also shut down the bank’s operations office at Adeola Hopewell in Victoria Island.

The protesting workers, mainly secretaries, drivers, office assistants, technical crew and front desk staff, lamented alleged poor treatment from the bank.

Chanting war and solidarity songs, they demanded from the bank's management tax clearance card, National Housing Fund, Pension Fund, gratuity and career progression, among others.

Heavily armed Policemen were drafted to ensure security.

The workers accused the management of being selfish and insensitive to their plight.

According to the workers, “we the junior staff in Diamond Bank Plc down tools today (yesterday) to protest the following: tax clearance card, NHF, Pension Fund, gratuity and career progression.”

Bank’s statement

Reacting to the protest, the bank, through an unsigned statement, said: “The bank currently employs about 3,000 fulltime staff and about 5,000 outsourced contract staff from various vendors and agencies.

“These contract staff include secretaries, drivers, office as-

sistants, technical crew, and so on. As a standard practice all over the world, we are not privy to the contract details between outsourced agencies and their staff.

“Development that requires our management intervention, like the current issue, will and is being discussed with the

Lagos introduces technical education in primary schools

BY AMAKA ABAYOMI

L

AGOS—LAGOS State Government, through the State Technical and Vocational Education Board, LASTVEB, is to introduce technical and vocational education to primary and junior secondary schools.

Speaking at the ministerial briefing to mark the second anniversary of the second term in office of Governor Babatunde Fashola, Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye, said the decision was taken to increase the awareness on the importance of technical and vocational education, which she said was the answer to employment challenges.

She said: “We want to provide them with skills that are

relevant and necessary in their future careers and occupations. To this end, an enhanced TVE framework for basic education curriculum will address the critical needs of Lagos State.”

She said five business clinics had been established in each technical college to create competitive business environment and enhance the quality of graduates from the colleges.

Oladunjoye said: “The business clinics diagnose business problems for the students, organise workshops and trainings for intending student entrepreneurs and link them up with micro-finance banks.

“City & Guilds of London has approved GTC Ikorodu to offer City & Guilds international exams in engineering

Ijegun fire victims get N81m

BY MONSUR OLOWOOPEJO

L

management of the outsourced company to resolve their issues in a swift and amicable manner.

“In the interim, we want to emphasise that the day-to-day activities of the bank will not be interrupted by third party persons with whom we do not have any contract or dispute.”

on the degree of lose suffered during the disaster.

He said: “Those in category A will receive more than N1 million from the fund. These were those who died during the disaster.

“B, those who had permanent disability, get over N400,000. C, those that lost their means of livelihood, get over N200,000, while D, those with mild injuries, get over N90,000.”

To have a genuine list, the government asked the community to inaugurate a committee on the disaster, chaired by Rev. Olaseni Shoewu.

AGOS—LAGOS State Gov ernment has commenced the disbursement of N81 million relief fund to the 233 victims of the 2008 Ijegun fire disaster in IkotunIgando Local Council Development Area, LCDA. General Manager of Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, Dr. Femi OkeOsayintolu, said this at the presentation of the list of the affected victims in Alausa, Ikeja.

Oke-Osayintolu said that the entire victims had GREAT ORAIFITE UNITED BROTHER OF NIGERIA been divided into ANAMBRA STATE IN EKWUSIGO L.G.A. NNEWI four categories: A, HEADQUARTER B, C and D based

This is to inform the general public that the above mentioned organization has applied to the Ekwusigo Local Government for registration.

Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to Ekwusigo L.G.A. within 21 days of this publication.

Signed:

Christian Okafor Chairman 08038849610

Nnamdi F. Nnoli Secretary 08032709479

and construction trades. This would afford the students an international certification and further exposure to global employment opportunities.”

Commenting on the enhanced performance of students in public schools, the Commissioner attributed this to the massive improvement of the school system through infrastructural development, which created more conducive teaching and learning environment.

She added: “We witnessed an increase in the performance of students in the 2007/08 and 2009/10 sessions, but there was a sudden decline in the 2010/ 11 session.

“This necessitated a series of reforms, which resulted in the remarkable improvement in 2011/12 WAEC results.”

Vanguard, THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013 — 11

38 die, 206 injured in Ondo road crashes

A

VISIT: From right— Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State; Chief Segun Adegoke, Ondo Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, Chieftain, and Mr. Akin Olowokere, Chairman, Ondo State PDP, during a congratulatory visit of PDP leaders and members to the governor, over his victory at the election petitions tribunal, in Akure, yesterday.

Ogun shuts 66 illegal hospitals, burns fake drugs zPlans mass burial for unclaimed corpses

BY DAUD OLATUNJI

A

BEOKUTA—OGUN State Government, yesterday, disclosed that it had destroyed fake drugs worth N1.5 million and shut down 66 illegal healthcare centres across the state.

The government also revealed that it would soon conduct a mass burial for unclaimed corpses in various public hospitals, which were deposited following roads accidents in various parts of the state.

State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Olaokun Soyinka, stated these while addressing newsmen in Abeokuta during the 2013 ministerial press briefing to mark Governor Ibikunle Amosun’s second year in office.

Soyinka lamented that the menace of under-qualified and fake healthcare practitioners and businesses of all types takes a terrible toll on the health of Ogun indigenes, pledging that the government was going to prosecute offenders.

According to the commissioner, plans are on top gear to prevent proliferation of quacks and illegal health centres in the state, through regular inspection of premises and computerisation of medical and healthrelated business.

He said: “We are in the middle of prosecuting. But, fortunately or unfortunately, they have asked for out-of-court settlement. We are hoping to ensure that we pursue them to a logical conclusion.

“The prosecution is to act as deterrent for others. We are going to prosecute where we feel there is a criminal activity to send a message to others. They are killing people and definitely some people are going to face sanction.

On the planned mass burial

for unclaimed corpses, Soyinka said the exercise was long overdue.

He added that though he

could not give the exact number of unclaimed corpses in various public hospitals in the state.

Soyinka said: “The answer is, yes, we are going to do mass burial, but we are going to do it properly.”

ACN appeals to NLC over Osun striking lecturers T HE leadership of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, in Osun State has been called upon to intervene and appeal to striking lecturers of tertiary institutions in the state to call off their strike in the interest of education and the students.

Acting Chairman of Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, in the state, Elder Adelowo Adebiyi, made the appeal in a statement issued in Osogbo, yesterday, by the

party’s Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy, Mr. Kunle Oyatomi.

He observed that the strike is doing more harm than good to everybody, including the lecturers themselves.

He noted that the interests of the students, the state and the teaching profession are being seriously compromised by the lecturers’ insistence on their demands, which the state government was not in a position to fulfill

at the moment.

The ACN Chairman said: “It is proper and necessary at this juncture for the leadership of NLC in the state to intervene in the industrial crisis because the lecturers are part of organised labour in the state.”

He stressed the need for the labour union to persuade the lecturers to resume work in the interest of the state, the students, and all stakeholders.

... as Ondo Assembly gets lists of Commissioner-nominees

BY DAYO JOHNSON

A

KURE—NAMES of would-be commissioners in Ondo State have been forwarded to the state House of Assembly by Governor Olusegun Mimiko for confirmation.

Sources said the names of the nominees were sent by the governor, yesterday, through the Office of the acting Clerk of the House, Mr. Bode Adeyelu.

The lawmakers are expected to make public the list of nominees today at their plenary, while the invitation for screening will start next week.

Names forwarded, according to sources, included former Commissioners for Information, Kayode Akinmade; Works, Gboye Adegbenro; Justice, Eyitayo Jegede; Community Development, Clement Faboyede; Health, Dr. Dayo Adeyanju and Education, Remi Olatubora.

Others include former Natural Resources Commissioner, Alhaji Lasisi Oluboyo; Tourism, Deji Falae; Environment, Sola Ebiseni; Budget and Physical Planning, Akin Adaramola and Finance, Yele Ogundipe.

The only woman, Mrs Yemi

Mammud, who is the Labour Party Woman Leader in the state, is the new face in the crowd.

Investigation revealed that only two local governments are yet to have representatives on the new list of nominees. They are Odigbo and Okitipupa.

Findings showed that leaders of the two councils are yet to agree on their nominees.

Aides to the governor declined comment on the list.

However, the source said the names of the nominees were sent by the governor, yesterday, and it was with the Acting Clerk of the House of Assembly, Mr. Adeyelu.

KURE—NO fewer than 38 persons died and 206 injured in various accidents in Ondo State in the first quarter of 2013.

Sector Commander of Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, Mrs Mary Wakawa, told newsmen, yesterday, in Akure that incidents occurred between January and March. She said that the number of deaths occurred in 64 accidents.

She said: “This shows a reduction in the number of accidents recorded in the same period in 2012 in the state, when 77 people died and 423 were injured.’’

Wakawa also said that about 275 people had been prosecuted in this first quarter of 2013, who were involved in various traffic offences.

Osun Assembly approves N10bn loan for council roads

O

SOGBO—OSUN State House of Assembly has approved N10 billion loan from Zenith Bank for the construction of 218 kilometre road across the 30 local government areas and Modakeke Area office.

Chairman, House Committee on Finance and Appropriation, Mr. Kamil Oyedele, presented the report of the committee on the approval being sought to obtain loan in Osogbo, Tuesday.

Oyedele said that Governor Rauf Aregbesola forwarded a letter, dated January 7, to the House requesting for approval of the House for the loan.

He told the House: “The total estimated cost of the project is N16.7 billion, out of which N5.5 billion would be made available by the councils through contribution from excess crude oil fund.

"Payment of the credit facility to the bank, which would last for 54 months, would commence after the six-month moratorium period, total tenure is 60 months.”

12—VANGUARD, THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013

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Vanguard, THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013—13

Rivers PDP crisis: Chairmen challenge dissolution of ward, council excos

BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME

P

ORT HARCOURT—THE crisis rocking Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Rivers State, assumed a fresh dimension, yesterday, when elected local government area chairmen of the party challenged the alleged dissolution of the ward and local government executives of the party by the Felix Obuah-led structure at the state level.

The chairmen told newsmen, in Port Harcourt, under the banner of Forum of PDP Local Government Chapters Chairmen, Rivers State, that the Abuja High Court verdict that brought Obuah in as chairman of the party did not in any way affect the local government and ward structures of the party in the state.

Mr. Dare Horsefall, who spoke for the group, said: “Not only that, Obuah and his cohorts purportedly dissolved both the local government and ward executives of the party in the state. It is surprising because he does not have such powers. It is important to note that what was adjudicated upon at the Abuja High Court concerned the congress of March 17, 2012 and no more.”

They pledged their unflinching loyalty to Chief Godspower Ake, describing him as the legitimate chairman of the party in the state.

2011 Bonga oil spill: 80 communities accuse SNEPCo of falsifying result

BY EMMA AMAIZE

W

ARRI—EIGHTY oil producing communities in Warri North and Warri South-West Local Government Areas of Delta State, yesterday, alleged that Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited, SNPECo, fabricated the result of samples of oil, soil and surface water collected from a few communities impacted by 2011 Bonga crude oil spillage.

The communities made the accusation at a meeting in Warri with the zonal coordinator, Central zone, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Mr. Akin Akinyosoyo, and officials of the Nigerian Naval Service, NNS Delta, to drum home their grievances against Shell, Nigeria.

National leader/coordinator of the affected communities, Mr. F. A. Monday, said Shell denied responsibility for the controversial spill that damaged the ecology and means of livelihood of the people, whereas investigations showed that the company was inciting the

communities against NIMASA and other government agencies.

He said information received by the communities was to the effect that because of the renewed agitation by the communities, Shell recently requested “security agents and gun boats to force themselves into our communities for the purpose of sample collection to falsify another result with respect to the said crude oil spillage.

“We discovered that Shell merely invited some government officials to observe soil, surface water and oil samples collected in few villages in Bayelsa State and Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State and these villages are outside our areas in 2011.

“It is our submission that SNPECo only tried to doctor the facts by embarking on

BRIEFING: From left: Mr. Yele Adewole, Project Director, PPM; Mr. Ghandi Olaoye, Chief Executive Officer, PPM, and Mr. Kolawole Oyeyemi, General Manager, Consumer Marketing, MTN, during a media briefing, to kick-off MTN Football Scholar, Season 3, in Lagos.

Photo: Diran Oshe.

Oshiomhole denies PDP's allegation on missing funds

BY SIMON BULEM

EBEG-

know when to make that change.

Let me clear the air that no money is missing. If money is missing, we will find it because money doesn’t have legs.

“It is only in societies where public authority is dead that you talk of money being missing. If money is stolen, we will find it. Money doesn’t simply get missing, not in our government. The challenge of running an efficient system is not just about money missing or not missing, it is about how money is applied and there are all sorts of procedures that the public service is obliged to follow. There are all sorts of rules, regulations and laws that govern our actions.

“In this business, the end does not always justify the means. The means must be apENIN—GOVERNOR propriate. My reply to the PeoAdams Oshiomhole of ples Democratic Party, PDP, is Edo State has denied allegathat their name in this state is tions that money was missing synonymous with the theft of from the State Universal Basic public recourses and Edo Education Board, SUBEB. people agree with that. I ask The governor, during the them to explain to Edo people, swearing-in of Mr. Washington while they were in power for Osifo as the Commissioner for 11 years, where is the money Secondary and Tertiary voted in the budget for schools?

Education, at the Government Were the schools built with House in Benin City, said: those funds?

“There are speculations as to “I am happy that there is nowhy we made changes. The body in the state who cannot only thing that is constant in life, point to what this government in public service, is change. has done in his or her area. I What matters, therefore, is to will appeal to Action Congress of Nigeria BRIGHT STARS GOOD FELLOWS CLUB OF NIGERIA UNITED GOSPEL MUSIC SUPER STARS KINGDOM leaders not to be distracted by those tiny The general public is hereby notified that the above named club, INTERNATIONAL MINISTRY- CAC/IT/N0.5999 minds. What you BRIGHT STARS GOOD FELLOWS CLUB OF NIGERIA has applied to REPLACEMENT OF A TRUSTEE the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under part C of the must spend your time Companies and Allied Matters Act, 1990.

This is to inform the general public that the General National thinking about is fresh THE TRUSTEES ARE: Secretary of the above ministry has resigned and new initiatives that you 1. Okechukwu Udeogu 5. Collins Nweke National Secretary has been duly elected as shown below; need to bring on 2. Ahanna Okereke 6. Nonso Onyeje 1. Rev. Paul Emoghene - Resigned board in our determi3. Iheanacho Eze 7. Ifeanyi Nnoruka 2. Rev. Albert Oyakhire Esemuze – Newly elected nation to improve the 4. Uche Anyanwu RETAINED quality of public eduAIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1. Rev. Abel Okah Ejefiavwo – Governor-General a. To promote unity and understanding among members of the club in cation in this state, to 2. Rev. Dr. Luke Berekurah – National Treasurer Nigeria. sustain the fight Any objection to this publication should be forwarded to the b. To embark on charity works and render sundry services to the against miracle cenRegistrar General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Needy. tres, ensure that those Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, P.M.B. 198 Maitama Any objection to this registration should be forwarded to the schools recognised by Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420 Tigris District Abuja, within 28 days of this publication. government either Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama Abuja within 28 days of this publication. private or public, if it Signed: GEOPET & CO. Signed: BASIL EGBUKICHI ESQ doesn’t meet the 08036073167 (SOLICITOR TO THE APPLICANT) basic requirement."

B

a kangaroo samples collection and thereafter, presented suspected falsified result of same to some government agencies. Also, it was inciting us against government authorities that participated in observing the said samples collection and SNPECo’s actions was a calculated attempt to pervert justice, misinform, mislead and equivocate the Bonga oil spillage incident."

IPP: Onokpasa faults Clark on Ochei

BY FESTUS AHON

U

GHELLI—MR. Jesutega Onokpasa, a social critic in Delta State, has faulted Chief Edwin Clark’s call for the probe of the Speaker of Delta State House of Assembly, Mr. Victor Ochei, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, over the Independent Power Plant, IPP, project.

Onokpasa, in a statement, yesterday, said: “Our respected leader, Chief Edwin Clark, is mistaken about his son, Mr. Victor Ochei, Speaker of Delta State House of Assembly.

The components of power plants require several years to construct and cannot just be bought off the counter. As such, constructing a power plant could actually have reached an advanced stage even when little is visible on ground at the plant site.

“While our illustrious leader, Chief Clark was urging our party members to rally round Governor Uduaghan, he forgot that by casting aspersion on the power plant, he was inadvertently questioning the competence of the governor to deliver on the plant."

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14—VANGUARD, THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013

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Vanguard, THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013 — 15

Senate urges FG to grant Achebe state burial zSends high-powered delegation to commiserate with family, Anambra govt

BY HENRY UMORU &

JOSEPH ERUNKE

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BUJA—THE Senate yes terday urged the Federal Government to grant the late novelist, Professor Chinua Achebe, a state burial and name a major federal highway or street in Abuja after him.

It also urged the government to name a national monument after him to portray the fact that Nigeria, as a country, and Nigerians appreciated his positive contributions to the country and world through his literary works.

As part of honour for the literary giant, the Senate announced a high-powered delegation, led

by Senate Leader, Victor NdomaEgba, to commiserate with the family, people and government of Anambra State on the demise of Professor Achebe, as a minute silence was observed for him.

Resolutions of the Senate came after deliberations on the death of the literary icon, on a motion, titled “Death of Professor Chinualumogu Albert Achebe”, sponsored by Senator Chris Ngige, ACN, Anambra Central, and other senators, during yesterday’s plenary.

In the motion,read by the lead sponsor, Senator Ngige, the Senate said it was saddened by the death of Professor Achebe whose “glorious exit occurred on Thursday, March 21, 2013, in Massachusetts, USA, after a brief illness at the age of 82 years.”

Of the six prayers listed in the motion, only the call for a posthumous award of the Grand Commander of the Niger, GCON on him was rejected on grounds that he had rejected several of such honours while alive, in spite of efforts by some senators to push for that.

In his presentation of the mo-

tion, Senator Ngige noted that the late Achebe was a world figure and personality who brought fame and prestige to Nigeria and humanity through his literary talents and works, having written several novels and essays, some of which became instruments for his dogged and dynamic activism ultimately seeking a better life for all Nigerians.

He said: “The Senate observed that he was also a social critique, an activist-poet, a principled personae, who denied himself several personal accolades while he marketed and exported Nigerian and African cultures to several other continents.”

He said Achebe’s life had been exemplary and worthy of

emulation and, therefore, needed immortalization, having made Nigeria proud by bringing honour and prestige to the country, regretting that his demise was a monumental loss to his family, people of Anambra State, Nigeria, Africa and the world over.

“Achebe was a patriot who loved his country. He criticized governments when they had not done well. He was an activist of prodigious intensity, very courageous and spoke truth to power. He refused national honours in 2005 and recently on another occasion because, according to him,he did not believe things were good enough as to dine with the governments that offered such honours,” Ngige said After various contributions from senators to the motion, Senate Pres-

ident, David Mark, who presided over the plenary, said given the mood of the people on the issue, everybody was delighted to talk.

Mark said: “This is a motion that all of us were very delighted in moving today and it is a motion that all of us would have contributed if I had allowed everybody to contribute. For those who did their West African School Certificate Examination after 1966, they will remember Chinua Achebe very well because I think 1966 was the first year that Things Fall Apart was used for WASCE. “I recalled that before then, it was Shakespeare and the whole lot and nobody believed because at that time, we didn’t think that Chinua Achebe was a human being.

ROUND TABLE: From left: President, Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria, ATCON, Mr. Lanre Ajayi; guest speaker and former Minister of FCT, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai; President, Joint Action Committee on Information Technology Awareness and Development, JACITAD, Mr. Shina Badru, and Chairman, ALTON, Mr. Gbenga Adebanjo, during a roundtable breakfast on Policy Review of Draft Lawful Interception Regulation by JACITAD in Lagos.

ALPHA JET CRASH: Air Force pilots given national burial

BY KINGSLEY OMONOBI

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BUJA—THE two Nigeri an Air Force Alpha jet pilots who lost their lives May 6 2013, in an air crash while serving with the African-led intervention Force in Mali, AFISMA, Squadron Leader Benjamin Ben Ado and Flying Officer Ayuba Layelmenson, were, yesterday, given a national burial at the Military Cemetery in Abuja.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister of State for Defence, Erelu Olusola Obada, enjoined serving members of the armed forces to see the unfortunate demise of the officers as a call to service to the nation and, indeed, Africa.

The minister said: “Though the dreams of a promising and fulfilling career of these young

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officers have been cut short, the present security challenges we face demand of us courage, selflessness and great commitment.

“As we continue to confront the present security challenges in some parts of the continent and at home, we must

emulate the selflessness, courage and commitment exhibited by the late officers.

“Their death, though in the line of duty, was a gallant sacrifice for peace to reign on the African continent. As members of the Armed Forces and the Nigerian nation, we must be proud of the gallant ef-

forts of these young gentlemen who proudly showcased the great spirit and tenacity of the Nigerian far away from home.

“We must see their deaths as a call to duty to serve humanity.

We must not let the sacrifice they have paid with their lives to be in vain.”

State of emergency: Urhobo royal father calls for holistic approach to insecurity

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BY BEN AGANDE

B U J A — THE Ovie of Umiaghwa-Abraka Kingdom, His Royal Majesty, Air Vice Marshal Lucky Ochuko Ararile (rtd), has called on the Federal Government to take a holistic approach to address the prevailing security challenges in the country once and for all.

In a statement made available to Vanguard in Abuja, the monarch, who was the pioneer coordinator of amnesty for Niger-Delta militants, said except this was done, the planned amnesty for Boko Haram and declaration of a state of emergency in some states of the federation were bound to fail.

The monarch said: “We should look into insecurity generally and

not on zonal level; if the government must grant amnesty to Boko Haram, it must be within the framework of an all embracing agreement that addresses the security issues in all zones. ”Any zonal solution to insecurity by any government is bound to fail because such a solution in one zone may encourage crises in another, and if all the geo-political zones are involved, a long term solution can be achieved.”

Another S-East road fails standard test

BY EMMAN OVUAKPO-

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RIE

BA—MEMBERS of the House of Representatives on a nationwide inspection tour of federal roads, yesterday, mandated the Federal Ministry of Works to produce the road design for Owerri-Aba road or face legislative sanctions.

Also, another scientific test conducted by the Reps on Olokoro-Ahiakwu-Itaja-Obuohia-Ikwuano road woefully failed the standard test.

Chairman House Committee on Works, Ogbuefi Ozomgbachi, had insisted at the Aba-Owerri road site that all necessary documents pertaining to the road must be produced by the Ministry of Works, as they could not afford to toy with the road considered very important.

He however demanded to know why the contractor just moved to site as what had been done was less than 1km.

Site engineer of Arab Contractors, Mr. Ahmed Salah, could not give Ozomgbachi a satisfactory answer on why they just moved to site.

FG adopts Debt Management Strategy

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BY BEN AGANDE

BUJA—THE Feder al Executive Council yesterday, approved a Medium Term Debt Management Strategy aimed at reducing federal government’s internal borrowing to allow the private sector access loan facilities from banks to finance their projects for development.

Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Yarima Ngama, who addressed State House correspondents after the weekly meeting of the council, stated that though the country’s domestic debt profile stood at N6 trillion, the country was not borrowing enough, especially from external sources to finance its developmental projects.

He, however, admitted that the local debt profile and high interest rate that accrued to it had made its servicing difficult, a situation that had made the approved debt management strategy imperative.

16—VANGUARD, THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013

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Vanguard, THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013— 17

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T has been the worst of times in Nigeria; this past month. The harvest of deaths has troubled Nigerians in ways that hack back to the frightening days of the civil war. There are very few places in Nigeria today that do not have the re-inforced presence of security forces. There is a lot that is wrong in the land! From Baga through to Bama, and other places in-between, Nigerians are caught up in an orgy of death and destruction which questions the efficacy of the state, as is presently constituted. Something just had to give. It seemed that the Nigerian state has just woken from a slumber as its hegemony collapses all around it, in practically every corner of the country.

A troubling variety of anti-state actors have become emboldened by the manner that the state has operated.

Citizens don’t feel safe at home, work, leisure or at prayer. And the constitutional provision that emphasizes the central place of security of person and property, to the purpose of governance, has become very hollow in Nigeria. Citizens don’t have a strong state to run to for cover.

Self-help has become so central to the survival of people in communities.

It was against this background, that President Goodluck Jonathan took his decision to impose a state of emergency. The military will get a free reign while the institutions of governance in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa will continue to function.

This was the only victory for reason in a process which seemed to have alarmed Nigerians from all walks of life, when the rumour first emerged a couple of days ago. People seemed to have recognized that the central government has a challenge to get to the roots of the insurgency, but they would not brook the suspension of lawfully constituted governmental authorities in the states concerned.

That is fine in itself but fundamentally, what does the declaration mean? How are the troops to operate and what will be the rules of engagement that one will hold the Nigerian security forces to strictly adhere to? What are they going to do differently from what they did in the recent past, which has led to accusations that the military inadvertently became recruiting sergeants for the insurgency? The challenge of enforcing the emergency is not going to be a tea party. The troops must be as compassionate as they possibly could be in the circumstance; unfortunately, that so far, is not the practice. But more central is how the sphere of authority of the governments in the states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa will be protected from erosion by rampaging troops that feel loyalty to their field commanders or the security hierarchy in Abuja.

But we will not tire to state that there are underlining socio-economic as well religious/ideological issues that must be creatively deconstructed if there is a desire to find the lasting peace which our society deserves. There are deepseated manifestations of injustice in the land that revolt the heart of the patriot. The ruling class continues to maintain its inordinate privileges to the detriment of the basic needs of the majority of the people of Nigeria. And today, 75 percent of the population is now under the age of 35. It is an embittered generation, with few positive options to live a decent livelihood; they make up the gang of robbers and kidnappers; are the main components of the ideologically-driven members of Boko Haram and they are the cultists prowling the universities, raping their classmates and

State of emergency and national matters arising while its legitimacy means very little to those who have openly challenged its monopoly of violence and are willing to duel to the death, to harm it to the point of dissembling. The declaration of a state of emergency is a show of teeth and the beginning of the extra projection of the coercive arm of state power. But the issue is whether it can lead us to a favourable outcome.

Just the day before the emergency was declared, Imam Abubakar Shekau released a new video. He claimed responsibility for Baga and Bama; reiterated that Boko Haram now

Governor Kashim Shettima, Borno State. contemporaries; they are the yahooyahoo boys extracting money from people around the world to finance unearned but lavish lifestyles of the best cars and the most beautiful girls.

In all these anti-state activities, they mirror the brazen manner of ruling class irresponsibility at the heart of the dysfunctional state that our country has increasingly become. The Borno governor, Kashim Shettima was very right when he warned last week, that Nigeria is peeping down the barrel of revolutionary upheaval. But it seems that we are much closer to an anarchic deluge; unfortunately, the ruling class only serves more of the same: their privileges above everything else.

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lot of these problems need to be resolved in the realm of political struggle. For most of the period since 1999, the form and content of politics have merely reinforced a piratical propensity of the ruling class in our country. Those with access to the levers of power indulge in the most criminal prebendalism that has morphed into the state of crises which engulfs the nation today. In all that we are grappling with, the state itself has eroded in competence and ability

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captures women and children in retaliation for their own detained by the state and he will not touch amnesty by a long pole. We are caught up in a logjam from hell and we will need more than Solomon’s wisdom to beak the tragic and violent impasse.

Anyiam Nnaemeka's, the NYSC, Zamfara State and I

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N Tuesday, this week, THE GUARDIAN newspaper ’s YOUTHSPEAK backpage column, carried a piece by a youth corps member, Anyiam Nnaemeka, serving in Zamfara state. It is a very instructive read. At a time when dead-ender, old ethnic chauvinists never cease to threaten us with warfare; breakup of our country and worse; old people who enjoyed the best the nation ever could have given, but who are no longer relevant in the scheme of things. The young man serving in Zamfara state kept an open mind about his posting, after the initial scare, constructed out of ignorance and prejudice, to discover the humanity of the people of the community within which he has been posted to serve. Not for him the crude prejudices that reign all over our country today; the posturing for advantage across vicious divides and the profiling of the OTHER; Anyiam experienced and connected with the humanity of the people of Zamfara state.

I will like to quote this young Nigerian extensively because he was really so honest in his observation:

PDP and the invigorated opposition: The Fixer-In-Chief's cross

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Just the day before the emergency was declared, Imam Abubakar Shekau released a new video. He claimed responsibility for Baga and Bama; we are caught up in a logjam from hell and we will need more than Solomon’s wisdom to beak the tragic and violent impasse

T is often said in political circles that the fear of Chief Tony Anenih is the beginning of political wisdom. The old colonial-era policeman, by dint of hard work; a dollop of cunning and unbridled viciousness, has become the eminence grise of ruling party politics in our country. There’s just something that makes the chief tick and that is the uncommon loyalty to leaders of his party and the willingness to carry out dirty jobs to enhance the survival of the ruling class project. In recent weeks, the old cop has been up and about, shoring up relations within the PDP and building bridges to the aggrieved within the party. More than any other party leader, Tony Anenih knows things are in a bad way for the vote-rigging contraption called the PDP and he is alerting: “We must not live under the illusion that our party is invulnerable. Although, the existing opposition parties are still too small, fragile and sectional, we must not ignore the possibility that a merger of these parties may constitute a threat to our dominance of the political terrain”. Tony Anenih has spoken. Those who do not listen to the colonial-era policeman will lose out in the race for 2015, because even the party’s suzerainty is being closely questioned by Nigerians and the re-invigorated opposition. Tony Anenih is in his best elements at the moment.

“serving in Zamfara has afforded me a lot of opportunities I would not have had if I remained down South in the East. At least I have experienced Zamfara for myself and can now separate fact from fiction. Zamfara is peaceful and friendly. You’re appreciated as a corper. Living here is affordable, food is abundant, the sharia is not harmful, there’s fun in Zamfara…I’ve seen their religious practice and I can compare with mine.

I’ve seen their flaws and I now know how I can help. I’ve understood that you don’t stand far off and make up convoluted stories about people. Come closer, live among them and friends, you’ll be amazed at how much you did not know. But more importantly, I’ve seen that we are all the same Nigerians and can exist as one; you as a Christian, I as a Muslim and life will go on. Our cultural and religious differences are simply variety which we all know is the spice of life. There’s really no need for the hate”.

For Zamfara, you could substitute with any other Nigerian state, North or South, and Anyiam Nnaemeka, could very well be Bashar or Adeleye or Bassey. Young people are posted around the country, away from their homes, and in the process discover the shared citizenship and humanity upon which we can build our country. These young people defeat the concerted effort by many elements to delegitimise our country, using the “tribal warfare” mindset that belong in Antiquity. The din of this effort at delegitimisation was very high in the wake of the killings which followed the April 2011 elections when some youth corps members were tragically killed in Bauchi state. They agitated for weeks to end national service but two years down the line, Anyiam Nnaemeka and other young people are defeating the forces of national disintegration. Nigeria is going through a lot of crises today, but it is a nation with tremendous possibilities for development and liberation.

18 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013 FEW believed the Vision 202020 plan of the Federal Government would be different from earlier development plans. It was. It cost billions of Naira, more than 5000 Nigerians, experts, consultants worked on it over nine months.

The scope of the final document concluded in August 2009 was vast, covering 29 themes identified as encasing Nigeria’s opportunities for growth – Agriculture & Food Security; Business Environment & Competitiveness; Corporate Governance; Culture, Tourism & National Re-Orientation; Education; Employment; Environment & Sustainable Development; Finance, Foreign Policy; Health; Housing; Human Development; Information Communication Technology, Judiciary & Rule Of Law; Manufacturing; Media & Communication; Niger Delta & Regional Development; Political System; Science, Technology & Innovation; Security; SMEs; Mining & Steel Development; Sports Development; Trade & Commerce; Transport; Urban & Rural Development; Water & Sanitation.

President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua who promoted it wanted a document that would articulate and focus Nigeria’s development.

The vision died with his demise. Dr Shamsuddeen Usman, Minister of National Plan-

202020: W or se Than Wor orse Blur Vision ning Commission supervised the vision project. Then Vice President Goodluck Jonathan on 3 August 2009, presided over the final meeting of the Vision 202020 Committee at State House Abuja.

Director General of Nigeria Economic Summit Group, Mr Frank Nweke Jnr, last December ruled out Nigeria’s chances of being the world 20 th largest economy by 2020. “Based on our projections, using the IMF World Economic Outlook database, our findings are that: Saudi Arabia will be the 20th largest economy in the world by 2020, with a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $1.2 trillion in Purchasing Power Parity (PPP),” said he at the NESG in Abuja. “Ac-

cording to the projections, Nigeria, would be the 27th largest economy in the world by 2020, with a GDP of US$864 billion in PPP; - US$316 billion short of the Saudis GDP, and may be the 20 th largest economy by 2035.”

Nigerians had doubted availability of political will to implement the report. Other plans suffered similar fate.

“The commission and the minister have continued to repose hope in the vision, as a realistic long-term growth and development roadmap for the country, in line with this administration’s demonstrated determination, disposition and capacity to do things differently. Power and agriculture are for instance, two areas that are undergoing a total revolution,” Shamsuddeen said in reply to media reports that he had rated Nigeria’s 202020 ambitions unattainable.

It is unfortunate that the erudite Shamsuddeen has fallen into the vicarious liability trap. He knows that government has not made the investments in attention, infrastructure, and legislation that Vision 202020 demands. He knows too time frame of the 202020 vision has been mismanaged. Why is he equivocal on the matter?

Vision 202020 died with Yar ’Adua, worse still, nothing replaced it.

OPINION

BY EDDIE MBADIWE

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HIS is a season of local government elections, boycott of them, election petitions and court cases. We are in a season of anomie.

The people watch helplessly as this legalised fraud called local government elections continues to generate killings, murder and mayhem in the land.

Our leaders continue to speak with tongue in cheek of free and fair local government elections. Every Nigerian knows these elections are neither free nor fair. How can they be when state electoral commissioners are good boys of their respective governors. The government in every state wins all (or nearly all) the local government seats and the opposition heads for the courts - another season of harvest for lawyers. Let us remind ourselves that those who make legitimate change impossible make violent change inevitable, and hence the violence. In some states, for instance Kogi, the opposition wisely decided to boycott the polls. Can anyone blame them for refusing to use good money to chase an exercise in futility?

In all the states that have so far conducted local government elections, it is a fact that the governor delivers between 80% - 90% of all the seats to his cronies. What a huge joke? This sadly look like a replication of preJega INEC when election results were written on a day before polling and C M Y K

LG elections: Time to address this charade election day became a mere formality to announce the previous night’s work. Everyone was aware of this and when some of us decided to contest election, we were advised not to waste hard earned money on what was a scam.

One active participant in this monumental election rigging narrated to me how the governorship of Imo State in 2007 was decided and awarded to someone – a decision taken in Ogun State. Martin Agbaso was the victim of that robbery. The question that bogs the mind is whether Nigerians are prepared to make the necessary sacrifice to keep our fledgling democracy alive.

“Democracy”, Sir Winston Churchill told the House of Commons in 1947, “is the worst form of government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time”. Let us pause and ponder the alternatives - God forbid – a reversal to despotism.

There cannot be a struggle for true freedom without a general national resurgence. The people must actively be involved in shaping our nation.

Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty as Americans learnt at great cost.

What currently goes on in all the states under the guise of local government elections is for use of a mild term a CHARADE. As long as the state

electoral commissions conduct this farcical exercise, the outcome will continue to be predictable.

In this period when parliament is set to again amend the 1999 (as amended) Constitution, it is time for concerned Nigerians to get involved and ensure that conduct of all elections is domiciled in INEC. This will also give INEC enough work to do all year round. The governors who perpetrate these crimes against democracy (for crimes are exactly what they are) know they are slowly but systematically destroying the founding fabrics of our existence as a nation. As Martin Luther King Jr. said: “It is not so much when bad people speak as when good people fail to speak out that the cause of evil advances”.

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he question of fair and free elections at the local government level is also inextricably linked with autonomy for local governments in terms of fiscal allocation. That, of course, has its pros and cons and whenever it is raised in the corridors of parliament one is confronted with the argument that the governors will kill such an amendment at the state level. Local government autonomy is a loaded gun which one will defer for another occasion.

Each day before commencement of

proceedings in the House of Representatives there is a prayer the second paragraph of which requests God to “Help us with thy grace to do only those things that will promote the unity, happiness and prosperity of Nigeria”. This is a prayer which I believe every Nigerian should say before the start of the day’s job. If I had been involved in drafting that prayer, I would have requested the insertion: “Help us with thy grace and grant us courage”. Courage is in short supply in Nigeria.

Every society gets the government it deserves; so if the people are passive and spineless, the government will continue to wobble and flounder. It is against this backdrop that it becomes incumbent on all of us, but more especially the elected representatives in the National Assembly, to muster the courage and amend the Constitution and domicile all elections at the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. The National Orientation Agency and civil society groups must get involved in people sensitisation. This writer is under no illusion that inappropriate action or inaction on our part could crash the very edifice we are trying to build.

There is a popular saying that unless we get to the root, we will never be able to change the fruit. *Dr. Mbadiwe, a public affairs analyst, wrote from Lagos.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013—19

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NREPENTANT Niger Delta militant, Asari Dokubo, said there will be no peace in Nigeria if President Goodluck Jonathan is not re-elected in 2015. I want to put my mouth in this matter before it dies down.

Yes indeed, Dokubo is an unrepentant activist for resource control in the Niger Delta. He did not accept the amnesty offered the militants by the late President Umaru Musa Yar’ Adua. His Niger Delta Volunteers Force, NDVF, to the best of my knowledge, did not surrender arms as other “generals” and “commanders” did (even if they only brought out just a few to give the impression of arms surrender). However, Dokubo and his forces are no longer in the creeks fighting.

According to him in his numerous interviews, they have only voluntarily ceased fire because an Ijaw man, President Jonathan, is on the presidential throne.

As soon as he climbs down, the struggle for total resource control will resume. And if anyone,

especially the power-famished North, decides to truncate the President’s obvious intentions to get re-elected, the doomsday will be fast-forwarded. This time, the ex-militants have tasted power at the highest level. They have won multi-billion naira contracts. They have been able to pick up the phone and call the President, or been woken up at night or called out from dance parties by the President. They are bigger boys than ever before and more able to play the game of power.

Now, let me make it abundantly clear. What Dokubo said, about no peace in Nigeria unless the President is re-elected, is what I call “enemy language”. I am not saying that Dokubo, as a fighter for social justice, is an enemy of Nigeria. Far from it. In fact, I stand on the same page with him. He is not asking to be given what does not belong to him. He is not like some Nigerians whose only reason for remaining in the country is the oil resources in the Niger Delta. It is the wealth of the nation, but there are people

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who are the landlords of the area where it is exploited. But it is people from another area who roguishly claim it as their booty.

It is this claim that Dokubo fights. To me it is the right cause.

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ut saying there will be no peace if Jonathan is not reelected is unacceptable to me. That is putting a gun to our heads. I won’t have anyone put a gun to my head over my democratic rights to choose who leads me. Not Atiku Abubakar. No Adamu Ciroma.

Not Lawal Kaita. Not Ango Abdullahi. Not Muhammadu Buhari. Not even Asari Dokubo.

These are people who have, at one time or the other, threatened this nation with violence and lawlessness unless their political

After the Edo LG elections (2)

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E still wonder why the PDP expected the results to be otherwise. Of what stuff did they prepare their porridge that they expected it to come out thick? We kept reminding them that the best manure in any farm is the farm owner’s footprints.

In due season, this column advised them to go and canvass for votes so that they could win a few councillorship seats but, nay, they would rather remain in the comfort of hotel rooms, issuing frivolous press statements on the age of a man who was not even contesting the particular elections. They should count themselves lucky that they have one or two councilors produced through stray and protest votes.

We have said, often enough, that government is about human need, the satisfaction of which is the sole justification for government. It will take a height of ingratitude, for which Edo people are not known, to drive on those township and fantastic inter-city roads, go to the polling stations in those red roof school buildings and vote against the administration that provided those facilities.

And we are dealing with the same generation – the generation that witnessed the rot and infrastructural decay to which the PDP sentenced everybody for more than 12 years. This same generation is seeing a local government election for the first time. Hitherto, this generation never knew the colour of any ballot paper at a local government election. Without going back to ancient history, in the particular case of the December 2007 PDP charade, four days to the election, election officials had been summoned to a hotel in Benin City to sign the election results. Those were the results announced on the election day.

Evidently, every beginning is difficult.

This time around, the Edo State Independent Electoral Commission, EDSIEC, was honest enough to

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acknowledge that it had a few initial hitches, for which it has duly apologised to the people.

For the first time, we are seeing an EDSIEC that means business; an EDSIEC built on integrity. Unknown to the fraudsters, this EDSIEC had gone the extra-mile to produce different colours of ballot papers for the different local government areas. So, when they were busy stuffing the ballot boxes at the “Oriemarule Republic”, little did they know that they were stuffing counterfeits.

Perhaps, a clear case of “cunny man die, cunny man bury am.”

They must cry blood. It is not as if they are oblivious of the fact that if the elections were re-run a dozen times, the ACN would win 12 times - the only difference, being that the winning gap would be incrementally wider. Let’s not keep wasting time, talking about the forest.

Rather, we must now focus on what to do with the woods.

With monotonous regularity, this column has quoted Adlai Stevenson (1900-1965): “Even more important than winning the election is governing the nation. That is the test of a political party – the acid final test.

When the tumult and the shouting die, when the bands are gone and the lights are dimmed, there is the stark reality of responsibility”.

In Edo State, we see a new dawn in local government administration. We see a regime in which the peer review mechanism will stand out tall. Invariably, during their campaigns, all the chairmen pointed at the direction of “The Oga at the top” for their pilot light. That pilot light is still burning at the top. Anyone who extinguishes it at his local government level stands the risk of being lynched. It is no longer business as usual. Luckily, we now have an electorate that is well

demands were met.

When Nigerians ignored the Northern leaders and gave President Jonathan a resounding mandate in April 2011, Boko Haram was unleashed upon this nation, though the truth is that it is the North that has largely remained ungovernable and without peace. It is North that is the theatre of war. They are the ones suffering the direct hits and collateral damages. It is their economy that is being ruined and it is from there that people who would otherwise play roles in its development are fleeing.

If Dokubo and his cohorts should ever find the opportunity to implement their threat, it is the Niger Delta, especially the oilbearing communities, that would be turned into a theatre of war. You can be sure that, just as our armed forces are in the North fighting to restore the territorial integrity of Nigeria, they will be in the Niger Delta to engage Dokubo and his militants. Lives will be lost.

Communities will be sacked.

Crude oil will run in the gutters and flow into rivers and further pollute the creeks. Those who will deprive this nation of its peace will bear the direct brunt of their acts of sabotage. They will feel the pain.

And yet they will not achieve their purpose because no one will use violence and threats to force his will upon Nigeria.

It is very possible for President Jonathan not to be re-elected in 2015. But it will not be because his Northern enemies fund and support terrorists, destabilise the North and blackmail him. If President Jonathan’s performance in his first term justifies his reelection he will be re-elected.

informed.

Governor Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole means business when he says, repeatedly, that the residency requirement for l o c a l government functionaries will be religiously enforced.

This rule requires that the people must live

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Dokubo said nothing new

If President Jonathan’s performance in his first term justifies his reelection, he will be reelected; disgruntled elements will not be able to stop that; but if Nigerians think otherwise, not even Dokubo’s threat will stop them from voting him out

We are seeing an EDSIEC that means business; an EDSIEC built on integrity; this EDSIEC had gone the extra-mile to produce different colours of ballot papers for the different LGAs

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where they work. We have written extensively on this issue (see The Nigerian Observer, 27 May 2010, page 32 and Thisday, 03 June 2010, Page 18). Five major reasons have been advanced in favour of the residency rule:

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irst, it ensures that the employees take pride in their work. This assumes that employees who live where they work have a greater interest in the quality of the services they render. If important government officials live within the communities where they work, they will ensure that public utilities – light, water supply, sanitation equipment, etc., function more efficiently.

Second, there is no better way to promote understanding of local customs and habits on the part of the employees, thereby

Disgruntled elements will not be able to stop that. But if Nigerians think otherwise, not even Dokubo’s threat will stop them from voting him out.

There is only one person who will determine whether President Jonathan will be re-elected in 2015: Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. Nigerians are standing by, ready to mark his test papers. Let Dokubo and all lovers of the President channel their energies towards helping him succeed in the mandate he is serving.

But I know the game that Dokubo is up to. It is said that Nigerians only understand the language of force. Dokubo is fluent in that language. Perhaps he wants to show that if speaking the language is an art, the North does not have a preserve of the talent.

Enough of sabre-rattling.

Enough of public display of mutual hatred. Let us cooperate with the people we elected into office to succeed. If we eventually find them not up to the task let us try new hands. But if they succeed let us re-elect them because a lot can be said for continuity of performance.

If we hate each other that much, then why don’t we go our separate ways? Between now and December 2013 is the best time to decide what to do with the union called Nigeria. By December we will be preparing to celebrate our Centenary.

Let us not go into the new century hating one another. Let us stay together as one happy, united family. Or go our separate ways.

I like it either way.

ensuring that the employees relate better to, and identify with, those they serve and vice versa. This, in turn, promotes confidence in the local government by showing the citizens that those who work in the local government also find it a suitable place to live in.

Third, the residency requirement protects the public coffer in the sense that those who reside in the immediate area must necessarily spend their salaries there and consequently keep the tax money circulating within the local government area. Again, this makes sound economic sense because it keeps people in the area meaningfully busy and gainfully employed.

Fourth, the residency requirement enhances emergency manpower pool by ensuring that off-duty employees will be readily available for call-in and able to respond quickly when contacted. This aspect is particularly pertinent to police, fire, health care and other key personnel.

Fifth, perhaps most importantly, our present system, which is akin to an army of occupation, encourages absenteeism and tardiness. The importance of this issue can be better appreciated in the elegant declaration of the Third Enogie of Oghada, Prince Ewaensefe IyiewuaefoEweka at his installation on Saturday, 11 May 2013: “I will live with my people.

That’s the only way to feel their pains and enjoy their gains”.

The Edo State House of Assembly will do well to lift this important issue beyond the level of abstraction to the level of reality by enacting relevant laws to give it strong biting teeth.

20—Vanguard , THURSDAY THURSDAY,, MAY 16 , 2013

For 2000 widows, 100 orphans, a reason to smile again

BY CHIOMA OBINNA

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RS. Stella Eze of Iha-Akpu Village in Obolo-Afor Nsukka in Enugu State almost cried her heart out as she thought all hope was lost. She needed N1.5 million to fix her problem but help was not forthcoming from any quarters, hence her resort to tears.

But the good news is that Madam Eze is no longer crying, courtesy of the Sir Emeka Offor Foundation, SEOF, based in Oraifite, Anambra State, Nigeria.

The Foundation, which seeks to alleviate the suffering of the lessprivileged through philanthropy, and focuses primarily on giving support and hope to those in need irrespective of tribe, creed and religion, recently demonstrated this uncommon love to many helpless Nigerians. The gesture, according to SEOF Coordinator, Dr. Anthony Obi, was a part of the Foundation’s corporate social responsibilities, CSR. The Foundation provided succour to more than 2000 widows,

outstanding in their various fields of study and rewarded the overall best student with automatic job, a car and house not only to encourage education among the youth but to restore morals in the society.

Many of those present attested to these gestures; they testified that SEOF, on the principle that the very poor and needy can become active and productive members of society, has been committed to human and material capacity development, skills acquisition and transfer at the grassroots level, leading to the establishment of small and medium enterprises, SMEs, and cooperative societies for the less privileged.

The business mogul is also said to have been concerned about the plight of the downtrodden.

According to the founder: “There is a need for all to realise the realities in which a lot of people live. Poverty is a reality. People are hungry, people are suffering.

We have to focus more on

,

Poverty is a reality; people are hungry, people are suffering; we have to focus more on reaching out directly to the grassroots; so, we try to reach out, listen and connect with them

over 100 orphans as well as empowering the youth in Anambra State and beyond by donating cash and other gift materials to them.

The widows got a bag of rice and undisclosed sums of money each to empower them for medium scale enterprises within the state.

The orphans got various levels of scholarship, while the youth got varying sums of money for both small and medium scale businesses to enable them sustain themselves as well as create the needed employment by employing others.

Renal failure patient Yet, what many considered the high point of the occasion was the donation to a renal failure patient, who seems to have lost hope.

The foundation had listened to the cries of Mrs. Eze and promptly responded to her pleas by providing the needed N1.5 million.

The lady actually needed N6.5 million to go to India for a Kidney transplant. The chairman of the foundation, Sir Emeka Offor, showed an uncommon compassion by offseting the entire bill to the delight of many present at the event. He also gave scholarship to intelligent but indigent youths who were C M Y K

,

reaching out directly to the grassroots. So, we try to reach out, listen and connect with them and introduce sustainable and direct projects that will develop and improve their lives.

The Group Managing Director, OCI International Ltd, Sir Sunny Igboanuzue, says that what the Foundation did was not the first of its kind. “This is not our first time of touching lives. We have done so many charitable donations to other groups in Nigeria,” said Igboanuzua, adding: “SEOF expects no financial or material returns from the enormous donations made to the people who have benefitted from the Foundation’s corporate social responsibility. It was so painful seeing children who are homeless and are, indeed, orphans. Apart from that, a lot of people are living in harsh conditions. They need our help.”

Before this, about 230 Nigerian schools had, in July 2011, benefitted from the act of benevolence of SEOF. The organisation had donated over a million tonnes of books for distribution to schools comprising 100 primaries, 100 secondary and 30 tertiary institutions. The schools were picked randomly from the six geo-political zones of the country.

Sir Emeka Offor, Founder of SEOF and the widows during one of the events recently.

Also in December 2012, his Foundation sent a delegation of Widows Cooperative Societies Limited to the State of Karnataka, India. The delegation, which comprised 16 members of the eight Widows Cooperatives Groups of SEOF and a Consultant in cooperative studies, Sir Henry Enekebe, was on a three weeks study visit on the invitation of Talent Research Foundation, TRF, Mangalore of the Karnataka

State, India. During their stay in India, the widows interacted with others on their various activities, which had enhanced economic, social and political lives of the rural populace of Indian people. Such areas of interest included skills acquisition centers, small holder farms, orphanages, Cheshire Home, destitute and rehabilitation Centres and Designated Rural Health Centres.

Perhaps, this may have

motivated the Centre for Moral Mentorship, championed by its Executive Director, Maureen Chima, to seek partnership with SEOF for the restoration of moral values to the Nigerian state. “We have discovered that one of the major problems that keep setting Nigeria backwards is the lack of moral values and ethics. This has given way to all forms of corruption taking its root in almost all the spheres of Nigerian affairs.

For the Police, a friend indeed

BY ONOZURE DANIA

A

businessman and politician, Abimbola Yusuf, had always made bold to declare that he is indeed a friend of the much vilified Nigeria Police. And to demonstrate that action speaks louder than words, he recently donated a block of toilets and bathrooms to the Bode Thomas Police Division, Surulere, as part of his humanitarian service.

Yusuf, who is the Managing Director of Mellogs Global Manor limited and also a member of the Police Community Relations Committee, PCRC, said that he had lived in that area for 35 years, adding that in one of the meetings of the PCRC, he learnt of the things needed by the police in the station and decided to take action. ”The police have their shortcomings because they are not comfortable. Things are really changing and we need to provide for the Police to cope with the challenges these changes bring,” he said.

Also speaking at the event, the Minority Leader in the House of Representatives, representing Surulere constituency, Femi Gbajabiamila, said that if the police are comfortable, they would be happy and the citizens will be safer.

Gbajabiamila, who was the chairman at the commissioning of the toilets and bathrooms, said police men and women risk their lives everyday under drenching rain or blistering sunshine to protect the lives and properties of the citizens. “In

spite of all the hardship they go through, the police are always there for us,” he said, adding that the police also need encouragement and the right equipment to discharge their duties more effectively.

While appreciating Yusuf for his kind gesture towards the police, he advised that people should emulate him instead of always asking for what the country can do for them.

The Vice Chairman of PCRC, Bode Thomas divisional headquarters, Joseph Aladesuyi, who represented the chairman, said the police in the area need more patrol vehicles, repairs and maintenance of the ones they have, a big generating set to serve the station whenever there is power failure, fueling of the patrol vehicles that are always on the road 24 hours.

Expressing his appreciation to Yusuf, he said since the establishment of the PCRC, the police at the Bode Thomas Division has been able to do the following: intelligence gathering, improvement on community and public support for men and women, guarding families and properties.

The DPO of the Bode Thomas division Mr Iyunade Lasisi, who was recently transferred to the area, thanked Mr Yusuf for his kind gesture, adding that the police still need the support of the public in getting information on happenings in their areas as “the police cannot be everywhere”.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013 — 21

Private jet owners fault FG’s move to curb operations

BY LAWANI MIKAIRU

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From left: Executive Director, Lagos and South-West Bank, IK Mbagwu; Managing Director/CEO, Fidelity Bank Plc, Reginald Ihejiahi; Anchor, Fidelity SME Focused Radio Programme, “The Fidelity SME Forum”, Martin Udogie and Division Head, Managed SMEs & Consumer Sales Force, Ken Opara at the official launch of the Fidelity Managed SMEs Business and Fidelity SME Focused Radio Programme, in Lagos.

LCCI laments state of insecurity

BY NAOMI UZOR

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HE Lagos Chamber of Com merce and Industry, LCCI, has lamented the worsening state of insecurity in the country, saying it is already taking a severe toll on investors’ confidence.

Speaking at the presentation of the 2013 Lagos International Trade Fair prospectus, (LITF), Tuesday, the President of LCCI, Mr. Goodie Ibru, said the situation has continued to aggravate investment risks and virtually all aspect of businesses is on the decline, while access to markets is becoming difficult; the risk to profitability and

143.7

-0.85

2,324.00 9.00 17.01

-0.24

102.51

-0.31

94.12

-1.05

CURRENCY BUYING CENTRAL DOLLAR POUNDS EURO FRANC YEN CFA WAUA RENMINBI RIYA KRONA SDR

154.74 237.4176 200.7752 161.5409 1.5199 0.287 231.1982 24.9411 41.2552 26.9314 231.6303

155.24 238.1847 201.4239 162.0628 1.5248 0.297 231.9452 25.0221 41.3885 27.0185 232.3788

SELLING 155.74 238.9519 202.0727 162.5848 1.5297 0.307 232.6923 25.1032 41.5218 27.1055 233.1272

CBN Exchange rate as at 15/05/2013

business sustainability heightened.

“The risks to lives and property are at an all time high. Unless something is done very urgently to reverse this state of affairs, the benefits of the recent reforms and macro-economic management might be completely eroded,” he said.

According to him, it is regrettable as well that the incidence of kidnapping has become wide spread with a profound negative impact on the psyche of investors and the citizens as a whole. “We urge the security agencies to scale up their rescue efforts to salvage this and some similar situation.

Generally the confidence of investors, the perception and image of the country are gradually being undermined as a result of these unfortunate developments. No doubt the country has tremendous potentials to be one of the leading economies in the world, but without security, not much would happen towards the realisation of these

potentials,” he added.

According to him, the theme of the 2013 Lagos International Trade Fair is “Harnessing Trade Potentials for an Inclusive Economy” and that one of the major shortcomings of the Nigerian economy is the disconnect between economic growth and the welfare of citizens. He added that the import of an inclusive economy is the value of indigenous participation and sectoral linkages. These, he said, are the channels through which the benefits of growth could be transmitted to improve the well being of the citizens.

The Chairman, trade promotion board, Mr. Babatunde Ruwase, said the 2013 LITF, will hold in November. “We returned to the Tafawa Balewa Square last year, and I am glad to let you know that the 2013 edition of the Fair will still hold at the Tafawa Balewa Square. Returning to the Tafawa Balewa Square last year, after more than ten-years of hosting the Fair at that venue presented us with many challenges.

EACTIONS have started trailing the move by the Federal government to check the use of private jets in Nigeria.

Reacting to the government’s policy on the declaration of manifest by private jet operators, a former member of House of Representatives, Ibn Na’allah, who owns a private jet, said the new policy is too restrictive and International Civil Aviation Organisation, ICAO, detests bureaucracy, which is detrimental to seamless air operation.

The Federal Government had said it is set to check the use of private jet by individuals and organisations in the country. It said the current security situation in the country necessitated the move as these individuals and organisations have been abusing the use of these private jets.

This new position of government was made known in Lagos by the Coordinating Manager of Information and Communications for Aviation Parastatals, Mr. Yakubu Dati. He said security operatives have disclosed that many wanted persons in Nigeria were smuggled out of the country with private jets and others sneaked into the country without check as many private jets take off from private facilities at the airports.

According to Dati, “Illegal consignments, including cash and personalities, who may constitute security threat to the country are airlifted daily in and out of the country with private jets.” He said pilots flying such jets must now declare the manifest of the aircraft. And that what government wants to do is to monitor the operations of unscheduled flights and the manifests of these flights because of the security situation in the country.

Lagos plans insurance scheme for 7, 000 artisans

By MONSUR OLOWOOPEJO

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HE Lagos State Government has concluded plans to establish an insurance welfare scheme for over 7, 000 artisans in the state. It also said that the ongoing construction of the three Enterprise zones tagged E-zones would be completed very soon to accommodate the artisans.

Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor on Commerce and Industry, Mr. Oluseye Oladejo, disclosed this at a press briefing on the upcoming Grand Finale of the 4th Tradesmen and Artisans week, with the theme, ‘Sustain-

ing the Growth of the Informal Sector: The Lagos Model.’

Oladejo added that in a few weeks, government would commence sensitisation workshop to further enlighten the artisans on the importance of the scheme. He explained that the insurance scheme covers loss of property, life assurance, health, pension and others. “We know that their earning isn’t huge, that is why the state government is providing this medium.

And the scheme will help the artisan who may be incapacitated due to old age and others to still have fund at his disposal,” he said.

The governor’s aide said that ahead of the scheme, the state government has commenced training programme to build the capacity of the artisans.

According to him, “A total of 2, 780 artisans have been trained since the commencement of the programme, while another 1, 000 artisans have been enlisted for another round of training. This training is expected to equip the participants with technical and entrepreneurial skill with a view to enhance their efficiency, productivity and competitiveness with their pairs from other parts of the country.”

22—Vanguard, THURSDAY , MAY 16, 2013

Outsourcing is different from contracting — Awonaike O

NE of the fall-outs of globalization is the rising status of Outsourcing. It is a business practice whereby a company contracts out an internal business process to a third-party organization. In Nigeria, though not yet as prominent as in other countries, more companies are embracing the practice in their bid to cut cost and focus operations on their core objectives. Outsourcing Professionals Association of Nigeria (AOPN), the umbrella body of outsourcing practitioners in its bid to promote the practice and correct misconceptions, decided to organize an annually event tagged ‘Outsourcing Expo’. The second edition is scheduled to hold next month. In this interview, Mr. Ade Awonaike, Chairman Organizing Committee for the Expo, explains the rationale for the event, and other related issues. Excerpts What is the difference between outsourcing and contracting?

Contracting is a totally deferent phenomenon from management practice of outsourcing.

When you are a contractor, your engagement is limited and restricted meaning when you are given an employment it will be said in your letter that you have been engaged to work for a particular number of months, and after the end of the period, your relationship with the organization comes to an end.

But in outsourcing, your engagement with an organization is not fixed, even though the outsourcing company engaged you fully as their staff, they will attach you to a client and when you are with a client and the client needs to downsize, you will not lose your job the client will only have to send you back to your outsourcing company, who is your employer and with whom as an outsourcing staff, you enjoy all the benefits that staff enjoys. You pay tax, you have health

BY FRANKLIN ALLI

insurance, your personal accident insurance, life insurance policy and every other service that a company staff enjoys, you have the company ID card, and you also go for training. So outsourcing management practices is very different from what contracting is.

Outsourcing is perceived in some quarters as an exploitative practice?

I will not agree with that because outsourcing really is meant for none core staff of an organization. Ask people that work in the HR department about the categories of workers outsourced. They are factory workers, drivers, cleaners etc. those are the people that are none core to you. And mainly in Nigeria these categories of people are usually hired on contract basis but we are promoting it as a management practice.

We have quite a large number of staff in the bank today who are bank tellers.

So you see a bank teller that is a graduate, you see

,

BY BABAJIDE KOMOLAFE & WILLIAM JIMOH

S

•Ade Awonaike many people usually mixed-up what outsourcing is to what contracting is. So the company thought of a way to come up with a programme that will bring the different participants in the outsourcing arrangement who are the providers, the users and the advisors together to brainstorm on a yearly

We are telling you that you don’t need to employ graduates to handle those kind of jobs, graduates should be more challenged with other things than tellering functions

a bank teller that has a master degree doing bank tellering and by the way what is bank tellering? It is something an OND or a school certificate holder can do if well trained.

So we are telling you that you don’t need to employ graduates to handle those kinds of jobs, graduates should be more challenged with other things. Most banks are realizing this right now and they are outsourcing their tellering functions.

What is the outsourcing expo all about?

Outsourcing Expo is an initiative of Resource Intermediaries Limited.

The company was founded in Nigeria in 2006 and after few years of operation, it discovered that outsourcing companies are not together, the outsourcing profession was not know as it should be and that

SON seals cottage firm for producing fake batteries

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basis to fine tune what outsourcing should be, what are the new trends in outsourcing, what does the global practices of outsourcing entails?

The first programme like that which was spearheaded by Resource Intermediaries Limited came up last year June, 27. The keynote address was delivered by the MD/ CEO of The Coca Cola Company and after that it was decided that umbrella body of Outsourcing Professionals Association of Nigeria (AOPN) should anchor subsequent events. So this year, the (AOPN) in partnership with Resource Intermediaries are putting the programme together and the programme will be coming up on June 19 in Lagos.

The keynote address for this year will be delivered

by Seni Adetu the MD/ CEO of Guinness Nigeria

Plc and the Special Guest of Honour is Professor Pat Utomi and he will be declaring the exhibition open. The theme for this year is “Outsourcing and the need for the o u t s o u r c i n g professionals.”

It is going to be an all day event which will attract 200 attendees from all walks of life majorly providers and users of outsourcing as a management practice and also advisors with new trend in outsourcing. All participants will divided into smaller groups where they are going to brainstorm on the theme, and the speech delivered by the keynote speaker, and there will be a communiqué.

After the seminar, we are going to have an exhibition that will feature providers, users and advisors of outsourcing management.

Do we have this kind of initiative outside Nigeria ?

Outside Nigeria we have this kind of initiative and in fact, Resource Intermediaries Limited, which is partner with the AOPN in this year ’s event, is a corporate member of the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals (IAOP), which is a US based organization.

The organization controls outsourcing world-wide, vis-à-vis new trends and what outsourcing practitioners should be doing.

TANDARDS Organization of Nigeria (SON) has discovered and sealed off Xingfa Manufacturing Company Limited, a cottage industry, for producing fake batteries.

SON evacuated 685 cartons of unbranded R6 batteries and touch light worth N200 million from the company; it is owned by Chinese nationals, and is located in a residential building at Olive Estate, Amuwo- Odofin in Lagos State.

“SON is not against establishing production outfits in Nigeria. But there are processes and there are standards. You don’t site a factory in a residential area. I wonder how the people here are able to sleep at night when production is on,” said Samuel Ayuba, Principal Standards Engineer SON. According to him, the affected company emanated from another location (Suru-Alaba at Orile, Lagos) where the entire building gutted fire.

“See some of the pictures of the building in flames.

Manufacturing in residential houses is a very dangerous project. I advise landlords that have this kind of unwholesome outfits in their buildings and neignbourhoods to report same to SON,” he said.

On the evacuated items, he noted: “Any label can be placed on them to fake them. You can see labels of Tiger, Tudor and other batteries; so, anyone that is moving in the market is what they package and throw to the market.”

Emmanuel Madueke, one of the landlords in the Estate, told journalists that they decided to petition SON and sought their intervention on the matter when the quit notice issued to the tenant expired more than five months ago.

“What SON did this morning is very good. Manufacturing such as this is not supposed to happen within residential. Landlords should not allow this kind of thing to happen; if anything happen here, the owner is likely to lose the whole of the property to inferno; if you are a landlord, whether you reside in the premise or not, check on the activity of your tenants because if you do that, you will be saving yourself, other lives and the country,” he said.

NACCIMA changes leadership next week

BY NAOMI UZOR

L

EADERSHIP baton at the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) will change hands next week as the tenure of the current President, Dr. Ademola Ajayi ends.

He will be succeeded by Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, as the incoming President at their forth coming 53rd Annual General Meeting scheduled to hold in Kano next week.

A statement by the Director General of NACCIMA, Dr. John O. Isemede, listed the achievements of the outgoing President, as follows: “Improved public-private partnership in policy formulation through consistent advocacy, enhanced bilateral/multilateral economic cooperation.” “Under this administration, NACCIMA spearheaded the establishment of D-8 Business Council, a multilateral Business Council and other bilateral Councils and Chambers of Commerce like the Nigerian-Turkish Business Council and Nigeria-Niger Chambers of Commerce. NACCIMA achieved enhanced business/investment cooperation and increased trade volume through various trade missions abroad,” he said. “The AGM will be climaxed on Thursday May 23, 2013 by the Association’s Annual Conference with the Theme: Development Financial Institutions: “Key Partners for Economic Prosperity.” It would be declared open by the President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, after which the formal investiture of the new President follows.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, MAY 16 , 2013—23

Globalscan has failed to deliver on destination inspection —Customs STORIES BY GODWIN ORITSE

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HE Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) said that Global Scansystems, one of the Destination Inspection agencies, has failed to deliver on its contract with the Federal Government.

In a statement made available to newsmen in Lagos recently, the Public Relations

Officer of Customs, Mr. Wale Adeniyi stated that Globalscan commenced the construction of the Seme border site only last year when the contract was supposed to be terminated.

It would be recalled that the Federal Government had, in 2005, engaged four companies on destination inspection programme on Build-Own- Operate and Transfer, BOOT, basis.

The contract was for seven

years to provide the required infrastructure The contract expired in December 2012 and was extended for six months to end in June.

Under the current arrangement, the NCS is to take over the destination inspection from July 1.

Adeniyi recalled that Globalscan was allotted Seme Border, Ports of Calabar, Warri

and Port Harcourt as well as International Airports in Lagos and Port Harcourt.

He said that one of the obligations of Global Scansystems was the installation of fixed scanner in Seme Border and mobile ones at the other sites.

Adeniyi said, in addition to this, customs officers were to be trained on operation and maintenance of the scanners during the contract period.

He alleged that Global Scansystems did not start construction at Seme border

Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar (third left);Senior Special Assistant to the President on Maritime Matters, Mr. Leke Oyewole (second left) and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transport, Engr. Nebolisa Emordi, being conducted round port facility by the General Manager, Public Affairs,Nigerian Ports Authority, Capt Ebubeogu Ihenacho.

MAAN appeals for release of kidnapped member

M

ARITIME Arbitrators Association of Nigeria, MAAN, has demanded for the immediate release of its member and immediate past President,Mrs Doyin Rhodes-Vivour, and her daughter who were kidnapped last weekend.

Speaking to Vanguard in Lagos, President of the group Mr. Gbola Akinola, said that the association feels the pain the Vivour family is currently going through and appealed to her captors to release her and her daughter as every body has been apprehensive since the incident.

Akinola said the incident had kept every member of the association on their toes.

site until about two years ago and that nearly all the mobile scanners supplied had serious operations and maintenance issues.

According to him, “several audit and assessment reports from Accenture, World Bank and Oversight Committees of the National Assembly were unsparing in their indictment of Globalscan’s shoddy handling of its sites.

“In 2012, NCS carried out its own audit supported by a team of consultants.

“The exercise showed a pitiful state of equipment performance, availability, safety and maintenance compounded by very poor facilities for staff.

“The fixed scanner expected to have been delivered half way into the contract period is still under construction, seven years after,” he said.

Adeniyi said that there was no documented case of cancer caused by the use of these scanners anywhere in the World.

He said that the scanners had multiple fail-safe systems to ensure that it could not be operated in an unsafe environment.

He said that Globalscan would have safety questions to answer before handing over if the scanners sited at PTML, Warri and Calabar Customs Command were declared unsafe for any scanning activity.

Adeniyi said that customs service had developed its own sustainable scanner training capability and expert trainers.

He said that the NCS officers had undergone training courses in scanning and specific training for each functional role.

$10.23bn lost globally to illegal fishing —Report

F

ISH piracy— seafood caught illegally, not reported to authorities or outside environmental and catch regulations — represents as much as US$10.23 in global losses each year, a nonprofit conservation group estimated Wednesday.

Because pirated fish is sold on black markets, specifics of the economic impact are tough to decipher, but Oceana, a Washington-based organisation, looked at the records of fish catches by country as reported to the United Nations, then compared those statistics to seafood sales in various world markets. When these numbers didn’t match up, the group estimated the amount lost through fish piracy, a practice that U.S. National

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration administrator Jane Lubchenco has called “one of the most serious threats to American fishing jobs and fishing communities.”

The report said illegal trade could account for 11 million to 25 million metric tons of seafood, a minimum of 20 percent of seafood worldwide.

Illegal fishing targets some of the most expensive species, including shrimp, fugu pufferfish, lobster, whole abalone and sea urchin uni.

Penalties are often a fraction of potential profit, the report found. In one U.S. case, an illegal catch worth up to US$1 million brought a US$3,5000 penalty. The report estimated that illegal trade threatens 260 million jobs dependant on marine fisheries.

For example, the shark fin trade in Hong Kong suggests that three to four times more sharks are being killed than official reports say, with US$292 million to US$476 worth of shark fins sold.

Oceana said that Florida law enforcement agents’ estimates showed that one illegal operator stole US$1,400 a week from legal operators by exceeding the catch limit on king mackerel.

Fishermen who comply with legal standards can also lose business when they sell in the same market as illegal operators who don’t follow environmental or sanitary standards, the report found.

In addition, adults and children have been trafficked into service on illegal fishing ships, making a catch more lucrative, the report said.

Illegally caught Russian sockeye salmon is estimated to be 60 to 90 percent above reported levels, a loss of US$40 million to US$74 million, according to Oceana.

Annual black market sales of bluefin tuna may reach US$4 billion, with the amount of illegally caught fish five - to ten-times higher than the official catch, the report said.

“I don’t think people think of fish as valuable, and when they think of crime, I don’t think they think about seafood,” Oceana senior scientist Margot Stiles said in a telephone interview.

“But behind closed doors and out at sea, there’s all this money made by stealing fish.”

In the past, governments have stepped up enforcement to combat the problem, but that approach was limited.

24—Vanguard, THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013

Energy resource mgt in a federal system: Challenges, constraints and strategies (2) In this second instalment of his paper at the international conference of the Nigerian Association for Energy economics , Chief Philip Asiodu, CON, explains government's intention with the Petroleum Industry Bill

BY PHILIP ASIODU

T

Concession to private interests

Source: How Petroleum Wealth Shapes The Development of Nations, Michael Ross

price regime which encourages wholesale trafficking along Nigeria’s borders and even fraudulent diversion of product tankers probably results in our subsidising without acknowledgement products consumed by our neighbours of up to 100,000 barrels a day or 25 per cent of our total imports. Again, I cannot help recalling with much regret that this issue was all but practically settled in 1993. After a great deal of public education and campaigns on the need for appropriate pricing of petroleum and successful negotiations with the Trade Union and other stakeholders, the Government approved in March 1993, a programme for the removal of oil subsidies.

Under the programme, subsidies were removed in April on non-pump products like Aviation Fuel. Lubricants had never enjoyed subsidies.

Subsidies on motor spirit and diesel were to be removed starting from June 1, in a phased CHIEF PHILIP ASIODU process. There were to policy should override any be two sets of pumps in any filling resistance or obstruction from station. On one side, there were vested interests. to be pumps to sell newly Appropriate pricing of introduced super premium motor petroleum products and spirit which would have no petroleum subsidy: It is not subsidy at all from day one. On difficult to show with clearly set the other side, would be pumps out data how wasteful, selling subsidized products – unproductive and distorting is regular motor spirit and diesel but the present policy on pricing of the subsidies would be reduced motor spirit and the management progressively a few percentage of petroleum subsidy. The present points at a time until the subsidies would be completely phased out

C M Y K

at the end of 24 months. Subsidies were to be kept on domestic kerosene which would be coloured deep purple to discourage its being used for adulterating aviation kerosene or diesel. The consumer would have a choice - either the nonsubsidy line where he would be most probably served within three minutes, or the subsidy queue where he might spend hours before buying his fuel. He can make his calculations.

Everything was set. All the

,

HE three international oil companies were: Mobil Oil for Port Harcourt, ELF (now Total) for Kaduna, and Fineste for Warri.

All that was left was to execute the Agreements and kick off the process by September 1993.

However, I refused to serve on the Interim Government.

Unfortunately for the industry, the agreements were not executed and things continued to deteriorate. Regarding the transportation of petroleum products, there is no reason why the very hazardous jostling of road tankers along Badagry Expressway, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and all the trunk routes of Nigeria should continue beyond the current Jonathan Transformation Agenda. Products pipelines should be extended to all the depots of NNPC which are widespread all over the country or even to all state capitals. Road tanker journeys can then be restricted to a radius no more than 100kms from the depots, and to driving during safer hours. This will reduce the differential costs of delivering products to remoter parts of the country and the need for bridging finance. Appropriate tariffs will make the construction and operation of the product pipelines profitable. National

stakeholders is necessary to ensure that the stipulations in the Bill actually promote the stated objectives one by one. We are about to enter a situation in the world oil industry which is more fiercely competitive. One of the provisions of the Bill is to transform the NNPC into an independent commercially oriented national oil company.

Again, one would recall that, that was the original intention when NNOC was established in 1971.

It was charged with all upstream and downstream activities. It was to be business oriented. The participation interests acquired in the oil producing companies – Shell, Mobil, Gulf (later Chevron) etc. were vested in NNOC. It was also decided early in 1971 to grant no further concessions to private interests, indigenous or foreign but to vest all available future acreage in NNOC.

Stated Objectives Of PIB The stated objectives of PIB are very good: •To create a conducive business environment; •Enhance exploration and production of petroleum resources in Nigeria; • Optimize domestic gas supply for power and industrial development; •Establish a progressive fiscal

,

Now under PIB, the emphasis is to recreate a National Oil Company more like Brazil’s Petrobras or Malaysia’s Petronas or even Algeria’s Sonatrach

marketers were involved. Sale pumps had been recalibrated and marked. Then unfortunately at the instance of Gen. Abacha, Chief Shonekan, the Head of the Transitional Council and I were summoned by Gen. Babaginda, the Military President to Abuja.

Gen. Abacha had thought I was acting without Government approval. He was shown the Council Memoranda and conclusions. Unfortunately, with the excuse that the subsidy removal might lead to protests which might affect the then forthcoming June 23 National Election, we were directed to stop the process. But for that, subsidy removal, total deregulation, incentives for investment in refineries, more rational and efficient use of products would have been achieved by the end of 1995... nearly 20 years ago!

framework that encourages further investment while optimizing Government Revenues; •Establish commercially oriented and profit driven oil and gas entities; •Deregulate the downstream petroleum sector; •Create efficient and effective regulatory agencies; •Promote transparency and openness in the administration of petroleum resources; •Promote the development of Nigerian content; •Protect health, safety and the environment in the course of petroleum operations.

Constructive dialogue with the operating companies and informed local experts and other

Following the 1975 overthrow of Gen. Gowon’s Administration, the Obasanjo Administration in 1977 merged the Ministry of Petroleum and NNOC to create NNPC, both to explore and produce oil and to regulate the industry through its Inspectorate Division. It also set aside policy of not giving oil concession to private interests. NNPC began to assume more the character of a Government Department. This situation did not last very long.

In 1983, the Ministry of Petroleum was re-established. It took over the Inspectorate Division of NNPC, renaming it Department of Petroleum Resources.

Now under PIB, the emphasis is to re-create a National Oil Company more like Brazil’s Petrobras or Malaysia’s Petronas or even Algeria’s Sonatrach. Here again, there is a provision which may conflict with the stated intention which is the proposal to make the Minister of Petroleum, who regulates the entire industry, the Chairman of the Board of the new National Company. I remember the Presidential Advisory Council advised against this in 2011, and I am surprised to see it again.

The Power Sector: This critical sector has suffered from more than 30 years of neglect. Today, I am very sad to hear any public official say aloud approvingly that a country of 170 million people has succeeded in generating from a capacity of 4,000 megawatts where we should be talking of 10 times that. I recall that in 1973, Motor Columbus of Switzerland and Shawmont Engineering of Canada were commissioned to produce a Report on Power Requirements of Nigeria from 1975 to 2000 AD, and recommend a Programme.

To be concluded

VANGUARD, THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013 — 25

learning@vanguardngr.com

UTME Aftermath: Candidates charge institutions to admit on merit

BY LAJU ARENYEKA & IKENNA ASOMBA

T

HOUGH the 2013 edition of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) has partially come and gone, with about 91,610 candidates yet to sit for the Computer Based Test (CBT) billed to hold from Saturday, May 18 to June 1, 2013, candidates have charged government, school authorities and other stakeholders to regulate the 2013/2014 admission season to ensure that qualified candidates gain admission. Meanwhile recent reports indicate that 103, 000 candidates will be posted to the newly established Vocational and Innovative Enterprise Institutions.

In an exclusive interview with Vanguard Learning, the President, Association of Proprietors of Enterprise Institutions, Dr. Andrews Jegede, corrected claims that only 25 candidates would get into such institutions this year. “We have spaces for 103,000 students in this 2013/ 2014 academic session, and we have already written a letter to JAMB to that effect.” said Jegede.

•103, 000 candidates will get into IEIs and VEIs •Students may choose eight institutions from next year vocational institutions.”

Be that as it may, focus still remains on the 520,000 admission spaces available across the over 128 federal, state and private universities; 76 federal, state and private polytechnics; and the over 63 federal Colleges of Education, the one question that pops in the minds of many, especially the teeming 2013/2014 admission seekers who scored 160 and above is- would this edition be based on merit?

Sadly enough, it is no longer news that admission racketeering has taken centre stage in most higher institutions, with admis-

sion now being sold to the highest bidder. It is also a known fact that parents pay from N50, 000 to as much as N500,000 to highly connected students who are close to lecturers and some academic and non-academic staff to secure admission for their wards.

Also, other hydra-headed issues such as federal character, tribalism, quota system, catchment area amongst others have, over the years, been a clog in the wheel of a credible admission system in the country, especially as some qualified candidates, who come tops in the UTME and

Post-UTME conducted by individual schools fail to be admitted.

Faced with these challenges, prospective under-graduates have appealed to government, school authorities and other stakeholders to regulate the admission process to enable qualified candidates gain admission on merit.

Candidates share experiences: Ebere Onyema graduated from secondary school in 2007.

Though she has sat for and passed the UTME for five conContinues on pg 26

C M Y K

Page 26

How we escaped death

– OAU Students Page 27

Water treatment device:

Analysis of the results It would be recalled that Prof.

Dibu Ojerinde, the JAMB Registrar while speaking to newsmen recently said that the analysis of the results released showed that 1,670,833 candidates applied to universities, 28,977 candidates applied to polytechnics, 28,445 candidates applied to colleges of education while only 25 candidates applied to innovative enterprise institutions. I do not know where the figure ’25’ was got from, but even if that is the case, it is not the students’ choice to be posted to either Vocational Enterprise Institutions or Innovative Enterprise Institutions.

JAMB will do the posting. As an association, we have already asked JAMB for 103,000 students, and I can assure you that we will get them. I can tell you authoritatively that from next year, candidates would have to choose eight institutions when applying for admission. That will include: two universities, two polytechnics, two colleges of education, and two innovative or

Educators tasked to equip students for 21st century challenges

From left: Deputy National Chairman Association of Industrial Pharmacists of Nigeria Mr Charles Akinsete,Lecturer Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Lagos Dr Emnanuel Anyika, National Chairman Association of Industrail Pharmacists of Nigeria Dr Lolu Ojo and Former National President of Pharmaceutical Association of Nigerian Students University of Lagos Mr Azeez Owolabi Ifemiju during a Multivational Seminar with Pharmacy Students of University of Lagos, UNILAG in Lagos

A weapon to control water-borne diseases

Page 38

Students produce transistor tester

By EBELE ORAKPO

M

OST students run away from science and technology class es because they find it difficult to use some of the complex devices during practicals. To help this set of students, three students of St Luke’s College Jos, Plateau State, Ishaku Yohanna, Shutt Noro and Olawuyi Toyin have come up with a transistor tester which they say is very easy to use and does not require a lot of technical know-how. They spoke with Vanguard Learning in Lagos. Excerpts: “A transistor tester is an instrument

used for testing the electrical behaviour of transistors and solid-state diodes. This device which is powered by 12-volts battery, gives the precise and accurate reading of an electronic component,” said the students.

Components: “The components are diodes, resistor and transformer. The resistor limits the flow of current in the circuit. Most students find it very difficult to use digital multi-metre to test the resistor, most especially the transistor because the transistor has three terminals - emitter, collector and base,” said Shutt Noro.

Construction: Explaining how the transistor tester

was made, Olawuyi Toyin said; “We first smoothened the surface of the plywood with glass-paper (sandpaper) so that when you are drawing your schematic diagram, you will find it very easy. After drawing your schematic diagram, you shade the points where you are going to drive in your nails. You use these nails because they are conductors, so passing your wires will be easy.

When you are driving the nails in, you must ensure that they do not touch each other.”

On why they embarked on the project, Ishaku Yohanna said that most students find it very difficult to determine

Continues on page 32

26 — VANGUARD, THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013

Educators asked to equip students for 21st century challenges

BY DAYO ADESULU

E

DUCATORS in this twenty first century have been urged to adapt new methods of teaching to cultivate the minds of students in order to equip them for the challenges of the modern world.

This was posited by the Director of Maribet School, Lekki, Mrs. Kobune Ben-Uponi during a media parley in Lagos. She stated that in response to present economic knowledge, schools from nursery to higher education must provide future oriented education to enable “our children” understand and solve real world problems.

According to her, the need for creativity and innovation are paramount in attaining a step by step realisation of inculcating a synthesized knowledge of outside the box of specific disciplines. Citing instances of medical and educational arena, Ben-Uponi pointed out that complex syndromes such as autism which

demand the need for interdisciplinary expertise and problem-centered teams of people working together on common goals.

She insisted that teachers ought to be reflective educators to be able to cultivate the minds of the students intellectually and in personal char-

•Mrs. Kobune Ben-Uponi

acters, beckoning them to know their contents and how to pass the contents to their students effectively since one cannot give what he or she does not have.

She said that our modern day youth especially our teenagers have been found wanting in morals and common ethics that portrays respects for self and elders. To arrest the trend, she tasked educationist to cultivation emotional and interpersonal intelligence among students, teachers, and the greater school community that is essential in achieving goals in a world of diversity of perspectives.

But while all these are important to consider, Ben-Uponi maintained that the question lies on “how” educators can adjust to the already existing system of education in the country in cultivating the minds of our children intellectually and in character development.

According to the director, rather than dishing out assignments as starters, teachers should assist the students

to mastering some bodies of knowledge, synthesize it and consider ways of expanding and using it to accomplish out-of-thebox ways.

The education consultant who lamented the teaching style of many teachers enjoined them to go to the use of history, science and maybe arts which she noted can be effectively for children.

“Teachers should go back to history or current occurrences of prominent relevance, which are capable of capturing these young minds.”

She said, “instances of those found wanting in areas where they ought not to, should be emphasized, not forgetting the consequences of their behaviours.

These are practical examples to tackle real life questions that may border on the minds of these children. Schools of the 21st century are to respond to the students’ changing needs. ”

UTME Aftermath: Candidates charge institutions to admit on merit Continued from page 25 secutive times, but the admission is not forth coming. She sat for this year’s UTME and scored 187. “I checked my results and it was 187. I chose UNILAG as my first and second choice institution, but now, it’s obvious my score doesn’t qualify me for their Post-UTME. I’m sick and tired of this whole situation and I have sworn that this is the last UTME I will sit for.

“Over the years, I have scored 250 in my UTME, but I wasn’t admitted. Well, my cousin told me that 187 qualifies me admission into the Polytechnic and I pray it comes to pass.”

For Kehinde Babatunde who left secondary school in 2006, he is yet to gain admission despite sitting for UTME since 2006.

“In 2009, I scored 230 in my UTME and sat for the Lagos State University (LASU), postUTME, where I scored 87, beating the 55 cut-off mark for nonLagosians. I wasn’t giving admission that year, for reasons beyond my imagination. I was shattered and almost gave up on my academic pursuit, especially as a friend of mine who scored 45 in the Post-UTME was admitted that year.

“This year, I scored 210 in the UTME and I chose the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, and I pray God favours me this time.”

Precious Chijioke is a two-timer. He graduated from secondC M Y K

ary school in 2010 and sat for the 2012 UTME, though he couldn’t meet the 200 cut-off mark required to sit for the Post-UTME of Abia State University.

“I registered for this year’s UTME and, unfortunately, my centre was in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State where the biometric capturing machine could not capture my thumbprint. After some delay, I was allowed to sit for the examination, only for me to check my result and saw ‘no biometric verification’. I am appealing to JAMB to please release my result to enable me gain admission this year in Imo State University.”

In an emotion-laden voice, Innocent Esele, a diploma graduate, said his hope of gaining admission into Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, Edo State, was dashed in 2011.

“After passing the 2011 UTME, I scored 55 in AAU Post-UTME to study Law After my efforts studying I wasn’t admitted, but a friend that scored 48 was given admission.

This shows the level of rot in our admission system as qualified candidates can hardly gain admission on merit. I sat for this year’s UTME and I put in University of Benin, as my most preferred institution, I pray the admission comes this time around.”

Meanwhile, statistics made available by JAMB’s Registrar showed that of the 1,735,720 candidates who registered for this year’s UTME, 1,540,179 candidates had their results released with only 10 candidates scoring above 300 marks; 628 others scored between 270 –299; 33,115 scored 250 – 269; 704,622 scored 200 and above, while 801,804

scored below 200.

Even though Computer Based tests have not been conducted, 738, 375 candidates have already crossed the 200 marks bar. Even if the Vocational and Innovative Enterprise Institutions absorb about 103,000, there would still be over 115, 000 qualified candidates left hanging. Naturally, the race is on for A level programmes by different educational service providers, as well as diploma programmes in different Nigerian universities.

Attention has also begun to shift to online learning.

South East students make move for peace

S

OUTH East students under the aegis of National Association of South Eastern Nigerian Students (NASENS) have waded into action to address some issues in the Federal College of Agriculture, Ishiagu, Ebonyi State.

According to the erstwhile President of the Association, Comr. Kingsley Chigozie who led a delegation to the institution recently, the essence of the movement was to ensure that

there is peace in all the campuses in Eastern Nigeria. Comr.

Chigozie said that “the crisis in the collage is seriously affecting us as an association because our students are suffering.”

The FCAI was last year shut down due to internal crisis which according to reports were related to administrative misunderstanding. The students were sent packing and this resulted to a break in academic calendar.

In the visit to the school, Comr.

Chigozie thanked the Provost of the collage, Dr. Paul Ajah for standing his ground and maintain honesty and peace in spite of the litigations and challenges he faced as a leader.

He warned that “the decedent group should desist from causing an administrative hoopla in institution.

Eminent Nigerians honoured by Denmark University

By VERA SAMUEL ANYAGAFU

F

IVE eminent Nigerians have been awarded with doctorate degrees by Green Hills University (GHU) Denmark, Africa Campus, for outstanding accomplishments in their respective disciplines.

The award ceremony which took place recently at the University of Lagos, Akoka, presented the awardees with befitting certificates at the completion of a full course studies at the University’s Africa Campus.

In a welcome address by the International President of GHU Denmark, Prof. Nancy Walsh, read by the African Regional Chancellor Dr. Austin Modungwo, Walsh described the awardees as deserving ambassadors who have worked hard to earn the honor done them.

Professor Walsh noted that “the country has people whose achievements, research works, philanthropy, good works as well as educational attainments and recognition in life have impacted positively on humanity.”

On his part, the President of GHU, (Africa Campus) His Royal Highness (Prof.) Agumba Nwajei Chuks Nwajei, described the awardees as worthy ambassadors of the nation.

The five doctorate degree recipients are Dr. Victor Adimufene Nwaokobia, who was awarded a Ph.D in Leadership and Community Development; Dr. Anthony Osita Onwuka, a Ph.D in Management and Business Administration; Dr. Nnamdi Ilodiuba, a Ph.D in Safety Management and Administration; Dr. Wilson Chidozie Nwankwo, a Ph.D in Leadership, Community Development and International Relations; and Dr. John Chuks Obusom who got a Ph. D in Political Science.

Sokoto sponsors 100 students to Canadian varsity

By ABDALLAH EL-KUREBE

S

OKOTO State is to sponsor 100 students to the Canadian University in Dubai for various degree programmes.

Following Governor Aliyu Wamakko’s one-week visit to Dubai, officials of the varsity are expected in the state in the next two weeks.

Special Assistant on Media to the Governor, Malam Sani Umar, in a statement said that the officials would conclude arrangements for the admission.. According to the statement, Wamakko also attended a 3-day International Conference on Arabic Language which took place between 7th and 10th May 2013 on the invitation of the Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Muhammad Bin Rashid.

Vanguard recalls that 150 students, on May 12 left Sokoto for Master ’s degrees courses in Educational Management at the International Islamic University, Mbale -Uganda.

VANGUARD, THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013—27

Unionist charges Students’ leaders on selfless service

BY HAMEED OPEYEMI, UNILORIN

UNIMAID celebrates Nativity night

BY ISOLA TAIWO & JOSIAH DAVID, UNIMAID

T

HE Nativity night is an annual cultural event at the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID), Borno State. It is usually organised by the Redeemed Christian Fellowship and is reputed to be the biggest cultural event in the university. It brings together students from all ethnic backgrounds in Nigeria in order to display and celebrate their cultural heritage.

Before the event, though the sky threatened a heavy downpour, the students were not deterred as they trooped out en masse to the Ecumenical Centre of the university for the much anticipated nativity night. Each ethnic group dresses in their cultural attire after which they are called to showcase their cultural heritage. What makes the event more interesting is the sharing of native foods prepared by each ethnic group.

This year ’s event commenced with the exhibition by each ethnic group. The organisers of the event, Redeemed Christian fellowship(RCF) accompanied by the students, toured the site of the exhibition and asked questions regarding the origin and nature of the heritage. The highlight of the event was the procession of the various ethnic

groups which featured the Arewa group, the Tiv, Idoma, Igbo, Ijaw, Calabar, Yoruba, Niger-Delta among others.

Beauty was added to the event by the drama group of the RCF which reflected on the dire need for unity, peace and love.

A participant at the event, Deborah Moses said; “First, the event added value to my life by helping me learn how to relate with people of different cultural background. I saw and ate about three dishes from three ethnic groups. It was really enlightening.”

The event peaked when each ethnic group was called for their cultural display.

There were performances in native songs, dances and lifestyles. The All Talented Christian Club were not left out.

The guest artiste of the event, Adams Amik performed wonderfully at the event in different native languages. Students were thrilled as they went wild with applause while he sang. He encouraged the students to “maximize their potentials and impact their world.”

While speaking with Quadlife, the President of The Redeemed Christian Fellowship, Bethel Patrick who was dressed in Igbo attire said; “the purpose of the event is to foster unity irrespective of our cultural background. As you can see, all ethnic groups represented here were al-

lowed to display their heritage. I want to encourage the youths to discover their uniqueness and be a blessing to others.” He conveyed the message of the General Overseer of the Church, Pastor E. A Adeboye to the students. He further said that despite the disappointment they encountered, the event was a huge success as people were blessed.

A student who couldn’t hide his excitement during the Arewa cultural presentation said; “I am very happy today. I feel at home. I interacted freely and saw how other different ethnic groups celebrate their culture.”

T

HE immediate past Vice President of the National Association of Science Students (NASS), University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) chapter, Comrade Nimota Anaseku has urged students’ unionists in the country to see their emergence as students’ leaders as a call to serve their fellow students and not their pockets.

She said this at the inauguration of the Independent Students Electoral Committee (ISEC) that will conduct the forthcoming Students Union elections in the school.

Anaseku, who is fondly called Ara by her colleagues, said: “It is quite unfortunate that we have lazy and selfish students today, who pretend to be true students unionists.

This has brought about poor representation of the students.

I would advise students’ leaders to always use their position to serve selflessly and effect positive changes with, which they shall be remembered for.”

2nd Indian Education expo 2013 begins

T

HE Indian High Com missioner in Nigeria, His Excellency, Mr.Shri Mahesh Sachdev will on Thursday 16th May, 2013 declare open, the Second “Indian Education Expo 2013”. The event, which takes place at the Indian Embassy, Walter Carrington Crescent, Victoria Island will parade quite a number of colleges and Universities that offer various programmes and courses in Engineering, Medicine, Management and Health Science at degree and post degree levels.

The organiser, Chartered Exhibition and Media (P) Limited is encouraged by the fact that, quality education in India is more affordable than what is obtainable in Europe and America, making it more accessible to

(of something)’ means “from the beginning of something”. ‘The onset of something’ is ‘the beginning of something, especially something bad or unpleasant’. Onset has the additional meaning ‘... especially of something bad/ unpleasant’ such as the onset of war, disease/ old age/ winter. Note also that it is acceptable to say ‘the onset of something’ but it is wrong to say ‘from the onset’. The correct idiom is ‘from/at the outset’ NOT ‘from the onset’. Be careful not to confuse outset with onset in usage.

Frequently Confused Words OUTSET – ONSET

Many words share a similar general meaning but it is very rare for two words to have exactly the same meaning.

Their meanings are always slightly different in one way or the other. Both outset and onset mean ‘the beginning of something’ but be careful to note the slight difference between this pair of words. The idiom ‘at/from the outset C M Y K

She exhorted the students representatives to embrace the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) ‘’Rebirth Agenda” of the National President, Com. Yinka Gbadebo, as a way of repositioning students unionism in the country.

The 300level Physics student confessed that the experience she had gained so far in students’ unionism and as the VP of NASS, Unilorin chapter, would prepare her for future leadership challenges, adding that, ‘’students unionism is one of the avenues a student can learn and showcase his/her leadership abilities.”

She also advised students to shun radicalism and vandalism as means of agitating their interests and registering their grievances, stressing that unionism has gone beyond radicalism. ‘’Lets engage in dialogue and probably peaceful rally in fighting for our rights and interests, because radicalism and vandalism will only disrupt academic activities in the school,” she enthused.

Examples: Aina knew from the outset that Ojo was not sincere.

Ife has been brilliant from the outset.

She made it clear right from the outset that she was not going to marry him.

The man had participated from the outset of the event.

It’s better to get his commitment in writing right at the outset.

many Nigerians. Some schools also offer scholarships.

Because of the support for educating Nigerian children, the Indian Embassy has promised ease of VISA processing to prospective and bonafide students. The biggest advantage of Education in Indian is that for the International students they don’t have to appear or pass out the Foundation Course kind of an Examination. Students can seek On the Spot Admissions as well offered by the Various Universities and Institutions directly during the Expo. One should not miss such a chance to directly interact with the Universities and Institutes right at your door step.

The exhibition opens at 10 am and closes at 6 pm each day.

EFFECTIVE – EFFICIENT Effective and efficient are adjectives.

Effective means ‘producing the result that is wanted or intended’; efficient,’ doing something well and thoroughly without waste of time, money or energy’. Something that is effective solves a particular problem or produces the intended result. Something or someone that is efficient works well and successfully without wasting time, money or energy.

Examples: Some pesticides are not effective at all.

A good leader is efficient.

The Bank needs an efficient Branch Manager One of the effective ways to succeed as a student is to ‘leave Facebook and face your book’.

zCONTINUES NEXT WEEK. Send requests/problems to Gabriel Osoba, Ph.D, Department of English, Lagos State University, Ojo, through Editor, Teach Yourself English, Vanguard Newspapers, PMB. 1007, Apapa, Lagos, or email: editor@vanguardngr.com & gabosoba002@yahoo.co

28—VANGUARD, THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013

C M Y K

Vanguard, THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013—29

How we escaped death —OAU Students J

OHNSON Olawale Iku dayisi and Temitope Orebe are student leaders from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. When they set out to their home state, Ekiti to sort things out concerning their colleagues’ bursary and scholarship scheme, they had no idea that they would be involved in an accident that would nearly claim

level law student, is the number one Ekiti State student on OAU campus.

Three weeks into the new session, they duo embarked on a journey to Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital to meet officials of the State Scholarship Board and the State Governor. They had no premonition of the accident. Upon the successful meeting with their hosts, they boarded a commercial bus at Ado enroute Ife.

E

MO-efe’rotu Founda tion, an NGO aimed at giving hope to disadvantaged children in rural areas is set to award scholarship to ten disadvantaged orphans in the rural area to mark its sixth anniversary.

The event which will take on Thursday, May 23rd at the Abuja Hilton Hotel is expected to attract dignitaries from far and near. Emoefe’rotu, “meaning children are the wealth of the society, “is known for providing quality education and strengthening capacity of families and communities to address the physical, social, economic and emotional needs of disadvantaged children.

Executive Director, Pamela Esiri said: “The aim of our ann i v e r s a r y celebration is to showcase the Foundation’s activities and programmes over the past 6 years as well as our accomplishments as a charitable organisation aimed at giving quality

educational opportunities to less privileged children in rural Nigeria and launch the future.

It is also a significant opportunity to strengthen the support of donors and increase visibility among the surrounding communities in our areas of operation including the Federal Capital Territory” .

She urged private organisations to take an interest in the education of lessprivileged children.”

According to Pamela Esiri, the event will include a lecture titled “Education and The Plight of Internally Displaced Children in Governance.”

Her words: “We are looking forward to celebrating our success with all the people who have supported us over the last six years. We hope the event will be a good avenue to raise enough money to enable us help thousands more children and young adults in the future.”

At this event, she noted that the Foundation will launch its new logo and a Children Refinery Fund to expand the foundation’s programme to the FCT/suburbia and contiguous states to strategically increase child benefactors, improve lives, broaden horizons thus complement Government efforts.

By EKEMINI EYOH

A

SENIOR lecturer at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Dr Kehinde Ayoola, has blamed desperate parents for the increasing rate of examination malpractice.

Speaking to Vanguard Learning, Ayoola said students misuse their leisure time with distraction like play stations, facebook, among others leaving their parents, who are desperate for their ward to be admitted into institutions of higher learning no choice but to engage in the act.

“Despite security and punitive measures put in place to check the act, exam malpractice has continued to thrive in every national and internal exams in our

nrhe ry uor, er-

ato ng pal er d

to ve as

their lives.

Johnson, popularly called ‘Ekiti’ is always interested in anything that concerns his state and had, in the past, held many positions in the Federation of Ekiti State Students Union, FESSU, and was two term SRC members in the OAU Students’ Representatives Council. The 500 level Dentistry student is the chairman of FESSU electoral committee.

Orebe, on the other hand, a 400

Parents responsible for exam malpractice — Expert

nt nor n rd he he

ed ol re ous el nt-

BY DHIKRU AKINOLA, OAU

NGO set to award scholarship to 10 orphans

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schools. The withholding of 12,110 results for the year’s UTME proves that more still needs to be done to stem the tide.

“Students have wrong notions of examinations and, as a result, they don’t adequately prepare which inadvertently leads to their failure.”

Proffering solutions, Ayoola called for a nation wide campaign on the dangers of engaging in the act. He also tasked the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) and other concerned NGOs to work with the public and the government to rid the system of this act.

Advising students to be more studious and build their future on honesty and sincerity, Ayoola said “when the foundation is faulty, the building is sure to collapse.”

30—Vanguard, THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013

Akunyili laments dearth of infrastructure in South-east education

BY DAYO ADESULU

F

ORMER Minister of In formation and Communications, Professor Dora Akunyili has lamented the dearth of infrastructures in the country education especially in the south east even as Universal Basic Education Commission UBEC rated Rivers State high in Best Performing State in the implementation of UBEC programmes in the country.

Akunyili, represented by her husban, Dr Chike Akunyili decried the high rate of male school dropout in the region stated that the get rich syndrome among the youth is one of the factors leading to this trend.

Akunyili maintained that the region cannot make any progress until they start honouring people who have made great contributions to educational development in the region. She, however charged the five South East Governors to invest massively in education. Nevertheless, Professor Akunyili, chairman of the occasion commended the

Rivers State government for its vision and implementation on education.

Meanwhile, UBEC has rated Rivers State aas the Best Performing State in the implementation of UBEC programmes in the country. The Director of Quality Assurance UBEC Dr.

Dame Alice Lawrence Nemi

Chukwuma Agomoh stated this at the just concluded South East Education Summit held at Concorde Hotel, Owerri, Imo State.

Dr Chukwuma Agomoh commended Rivers State Government for their investment in the education sector. He also noted that Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi is determined to retain the trophy he won in 2010 because of his passion for education.

The Director Quality Assurance of UBEC who laments the lip service paid to education by the political office holders in the five South Eastern States noted that the South Eastern States are nowhere to be found in the UBEC rankings, both in the good performance and teacher training. He however charged the South East Governors to rise to the challenge of taking education serious in the geopolitical zone by increasing the budget in education. Agomoh said, most Commissioners’ of Education in the South East do not implement the amount they

budgeted to education. He noted that two states in the south east Imo and Ebonyi are currently number 36 and 37, in the whole country.

Delivering the lecture at the programme, Commissioner for Education, Rivers State, Dame Alice Lawrence-Nemi called for increase funding in the South East Education sector. Alice Lawrence-Nemi in her paper presentation titled: “Funding, a Vital Tool for Educational Development in South East Geopolitical Region’ said that the much needed transformation in the sector can only be achieved through adequate funding. The Commissioner, represented by the Director Higher Education, Mae Solomon advised the region to seek partnership from corporate institutions in order to revive the education sector of the zone. She said: “Education is the only channel we can use to transform the South East geopolitical zone. Through the provision of qualitative and sound education, the zone can take back its true position in the country.

UNESCO trains 50 female student journalists

T

BY DAUD OLATUNJI

HE United Nations Ed ucation, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO, has trained no fewer than 50 female student-journalists in 11 tertiary institutions in the SouthWest on investigative journalism.

The Officer-in-charge, UNESCO Abuja, Prof. Hassana Alidou, stated this in Abeokuta, while addressing the studentjournalists at the opening ceremony of the two-day capacity building workshop on investigative journalism for female student-journalists held at Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta.

The students were drawn from Lagos State Polytechnic, Lagos State University, Caleb University, Yaba College of Technology, Covenant University, The Polytechnic, Ibadan, and Babcock University, Ilishan. Others were Redeemer ’s University, Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Olabisi Onabanjo University, University of Lagos and University of Ibadan.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013—31

S

AMSUNG Elec tronics West Africa has re-affirmed its commitment to facilitating youth empowerment and leadership in Africa, through its African Youth Leadership Programme (AYLP). The capacity building and leadership training programme is an integral part of the company’s goal of positively impacting the lives of five million African youths by 2015.

The first edition of the programme took place in 2012, with participation by 12 youths from across the continent, including two from Nigeria. It comprises an internship at Samsung in each participant’s home-country, followed by another at Samsung Global Headquarters in South Korea. Upon completion of the internship and having gained working experience of the company’s business, the participants will spend one year working for Samsung in their respective countries, to augment their global business understanding with local experience.

Speaking at a media briefing in Lagos, Samsung Electronics West Africa’s Head of Human

Firm targets 5million youths for capacity building, leadership training Resources, Mr. Kunle Olaifa, said that the programme is one of several corporate social responsibility initiatives being undertaken by Samsung in

Africa, to fast-track the development of leadership skills among youths on the continent.

“At Samsung, we have a particular focus on de-

veloping and empowering people, both within and outside the organisation. This is especially because the future of an organization is dependent

on the type of leaders that it is able to build.

Also, we believe that our business goals are inalienable from our corporate social responsibility and developmental goals. It is for this reason that we introduced the African Young Leaders Programme. By supporting this initiative, we believe that we are laying a strong foundation for sustainability on the continent,” Olaifa said.

Participants in the programme are selected by Samsung based on their possession of requisite qualifications and potential for deriving value from the initiative.

Selected individuals spend six months at Samsung Global Headquarters in Korea where they are provided with the opportunity to work

Nigerian varsities compared to A’ levels overseas

By FAVOUR NNABUGWU

F

OR as much as some Nigerian universities are recognised and well known abroad, some others are reduced to A’ levels overseas.

Chief Executive Officer of Kiara Group, Mr Endi Ezengwa at a media chat with journalists in Abuja, regretted that some of the universities certificates are graded as A’ level over in the United Kingdom by the National Recognition Information Centre, Naric in Cheltenham.

Naric, Ezengwa described advises universities and employers on the rigour of lesserknown qualifications, rates most Nigerian universities to be at par with international A-levels He said, “The comparability information supplied by UK NARIC is expected to assist candidates when applying for jobs or courses in the UK hence the Statement of comparability can be C M Y K

presented to employers or institutions as supporting information, together with candidates CVs or application forms, as confirmation of the comparable level of qualifications in the UK. This will enable potential employers or admitting institutions to make informed decisions about the suitability of candidates’ qualification(s) for the job or course for which they are applying”.

Kiara Group which includes Kiara College, the CEO elucidated primarily trains health care workers and also people in other sectors; such as customer service, business administration, retail skills, Information Technology and child care. The college also supports teaching and learning in schools, gives counselling and guidance and other support services including adult literacy, adult numeracy and basic IT trainings.

He further revealed that the College is contracted and funded by the UK Skills Funding

Agency to enhance the skills of their workforce.

“Employability skills for the unemployed are also offered. The College is licensed by the UK Border Agency to recruit and train international students in the United Kingdom. They will use this opportunity to offer training primarily not only for health care managers but also managers from other sector skills mentioned above.

Aside that he said Nigerian graduates do go come with disciplines that are relevant to the need of employment in the labour market adding the universities themselves do not have link with the number of jobs available in a particular sector.

He said because of the falling standard of the country’s education, a good number of graduates cannot match up to the certificates they flaunt.

“In Nigeria, everybody must go to the university and you have lots of university graduates who are not employable.

We are putting unneces-

sary emphasis on university degrees. A good plumber could earn more than a university professor in the UK. The plumber is trained in the technical college and is happy to be a plumber.

Here everybody is running after university de-

grees. Government has to fundamentally develop a policy on education and be determined to provide the proper level of funding needed to execute the policy. The private sector should also be encouraged to play a key role”.

and experience every aspect of the company’s business, before deciding on which department they would like to be involved in. While in Korea, the participants receive a salary and housing allowance. Upon return to their home countries, they are hired to work at Samsung for a minimum of one year.

AYLP beneficiary and current Product Manager (Washing Machines), Samsung Electronics West Africa, Ms. Taiwo Baju said: “Very few graduates at my level have had the opportunity to work at the headquarters of a global company like Samsung. The entire programme was exciting and also challenging. Using the African Young Leaders Programme as a platform to develop young graduates like myself is rewarding not just for me, but for the people around me – my community, Nigeria and Africa as a whole.”

The African Young Leaders Programme is one of several projects undertaken

by Samsung Electronics over the past few years, as part of its corporate social investment initiatives. Other projects include the Samsung-Chelsea FC ‘Dream the Blues’ Youth Football Clinic, an expansion of Samsung - Chelsea FC Youth Football Camp programme, which has already benefitted more than 5,000 children across the world; the company’s construction of its Engineering Academy in Lagos and Ekiti States, with a view to raising 10,000 electronics engineers across the continent by 2015 and its Galaxy S4 Design for Life Initiative for the empowerment of young designers in Nigeria’s fashion industry.

Effortswill School holds maiden health walk

By AMAKA ABAYOMI

I

T was fun and ex citement all the way as parents and staffs of Effortswill School, Ejigbo, Lagos, last Saturday, took to the street to mark the maiden health walk organized by the school’s Parents Teachers Association.

Led by the Proprietress, Mrs. Bosede Adeyemi, and the PTA chairman, Obafemi Alonge, the participants with support from LASTMA and Lagos State

ambulance unit set off from the school premises at Ejigbo and moved along the Ikotun Isolo road before commencing the return journey at hostel bus-stop, Egbe.

Speaking at the end of the walk, Chairman of the PTA, Alonge, said the health week will be an annual event in the school’s calendar, as the essence of the walk is to enable parents and teachers to stay fit while having fun.

“We have been focusing on our children through inter house sports and other invita-

tional school sports. This walk is to boost our mental state of health.”

Also speaking, the guest speaker, Dr. Jonathan Esegine, blamed several factors like sickness, mental problems, government policies, natural disasters, crime, traffic and poor business performances as some factors responsible for the high stress levels among Nigerians.

He enjoined Nigerians to adopt a healthy lifestyle, eat healthy and create time for relaxation.

32—Vanguard, THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

By EBELE ORAKPO ‘Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink’ is a common saying which holds true in most parts of the world because although the earth is covered by 70 per cent water, most of it is not potable and therefore needs to be treated.

In finding a cost-effective solution to the problem, some students of TCNN Staff Secondary School, Jos, Plateau State, came up with a water treatment device.

They spoke with Vanguard Learning at the University of Lagos during the 9th edition of the annual Nigerian Secondary Schools Science Fair and Quiz Competition organised by Genius Illumina where they exhibited the device. Excerpts According to the students Benjamin Yusuf, Ivoren Iyuwa and Joy Anum, they came up with the device to help meet the needs of the poor majority who have no access to potable water.

“You discover that although water covers about 70 per cent of the earth but it rarely occurs in pure form, it has impurities like minerals, salt, bacteria, dissolved air and organic remains, therefore, it has to be properly purified before use. That was why we constructed this water treatment device made by assembling materials like the galvanized can coated with zinc, so it hardly rusts, the valves that permit water flow,” said Yusuf.

How it works: Explaining how it works, Ivoren Iyuwa said; “The device is divided into four chambers – reservoir, second cham-

Water treatment device:

A weapon to control water-borne diseases

•From left: Ivoren Iyuwa, Joy Anum and Benjamin Yusuf ber contains alum, the third one contains activated carbon and the fourth contains single filter device. The reservoir holds untreated water from sources like sea, dam, river, well etc. From the reservoir, the water passes through the valves to the second chamber which is the first stage of purification. The second compartment contains alum and that is where the water is chemically treated to stop bac-

,

With this device, we hope to bridge the gap between the millions taking untreated water and the few that take treated water

,

•The water treatment device

teria from going into the next compartment through the use of alum (hydrated potassium aluminum sulfate). The alum coagulates the organic impurities like dust particles, increasing the density of the suspension to make it sediment.

“It is not advisable to use chlorine here because it reacts with organic materials to form very harmful products. From the second compartment, the water then passes through the open valve to the third compartment which contains activated carbon. The activated carbon is an absorbent material so it absorbs the odour and taste in the water. It also gets rid of dust particles and organisms that must have escaped the second compartment.

The last compartment contains a single filter device which filters the finest particles that must have escaped the previous stages. It filters it and provides clean treated water for domestic purposes like cooking and washing and industrial purposes like drug and soft drinks production.”

Uses: “The device can be used in military establishments to provide sufficient treated water to prevent dehydration. The water can be used in car engines, in rearing fishes, etc.

“With this device, we hope to bridge the gap between the millions taking untreated water and the few that take treated water. According to research, about 40,000 Nigerians take treated water out of over 140 million according to the 2006 census. So this is a weapon to control waterborne diseases like typhoid, hepatitis. We want to bring about a change with this device,” said Joy Anum.

They appealed to government to provide this device in urban and rural areas, noting that it can also work manually. On the cost, they said it cost them about N135,000.

Students produce transistor tester Continues from page 25 whether a transistor is PNP or NPN “but with this transistor tester, there is no need for you to start exchanging terminals, you just pick your transistor and place it on one of the terminals and when you do that, it will indicate the green light if it is PNP but if it is NPN, it will indicate the red light. The diode shows you the direction of the flow of current because diode moves in only one direction and it rectifies signals.”

“With this, we believe that stuC M Y K

dents who have lost much interest in technology, will do more than we have done because this is just a stepping stone. Most students run away from technology because they find it difficult to use complex devices but with this, it becomes easier for them and they will have more interest in technology. We believe we have written some students’ happiness and have erased their sorrows. If we cannot be the pencil to write people’s happiness, we should at least be the eraser to erase their sorrows,” said Noro.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013—33

C M Y K

34—VANGUARD, THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013

PDP killed powershift in Delta —DPP chieftain

A

CHIEFTAIN of Democratic Peoples Party, DPP, in Delta State, Chief Okiemute OviriOkwagbe, yesterday, said that Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, had killed power-shift in the state, a long tine ago.

Oviri-Okwagbe, in a chat with journalists at his Ekiugbo-Ughelli office, in Ughelli North Local Government Area, Delta State, said those advocating powershift were mischief makers that were wasting their time on what was no longer existing in the state.

He said: “Power shift is a word manufactured by PDP cabals to manipulate other political parties. As far as we (DPP) members are concerned, we are not aware that power will shift to Delta North senatorial district come 2015. According to the Nigeria constitution, anyone qualified is eligible and free to contest for the governorship of a state.

“The PDP cabals that are campaigning for power shift are very much aware that PDP chairman cannot come from the same senatorial district as the governor."

NDLM lauds Tambuwal

N

IGER Delta Liberty Movement, NDLM, has hailed the Speaker, of the House of Representatives, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal, for investing Mr. Nicholas Mutu, representing Bomadi/Patani Federal Constituency, with responsibilities that enabled him deliver democracy dividends to his people.

Mr. Ebiyekefe Stow, NDLM President, said: “Our mission is to encourage continuity in office or higher responsibilities for political office holders, who have delivered democratic dividends.

“In our assessment, the numerous development and human empowerment projects embarked upon by Mutu inspire faith and justify support for higher mandate.”

He said that some of the notable personalities had seen the strides and were already considering Mutu worthy of higher political patronage.

C M Y K

Keyamo, Ikimi, Ekiyor back Jonathan on emergency rule

BY EMMA AMAIZE

W

ARRI—CHAIRMAN, Transition Committee, Patani Local Government Council, Delta State, Dr. Chris Ekiyor; Lagos lawyer, Mr. Festus Keyamo and Warri-based activist, Mr. Oghenjabor Ikimi, have called on Nigerians, especially Northern leaders, to support President Goodluck Jonathan in his battle against Boko Haram insurgents.

Reacting to the declaration of emergency rule in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states by President Jonathan, they said it was long overdue and a step in the right direction.

Ekiyor said: “The decision to declare a state of emergency in the North has been long overdue, and is a step in the right direction. This has confirmed my insistence on no amnesty for Boko Haram. The terrorist group is bent on creating their own enclave and no amount of kid gloves approach will deter them.

“This group has no legitimate issue to pursue for anybody, let alone the North,

and I think the earlier the Northern leaders throw their weight behind Mr. President in dealing with the menace, the better, else the North would soon be a land deserted by even the northerners."

Coordinator of Forum for Justice and Human Rights Defence, FJHD, Warri, Mr. Ikimi, on his part, said: “I make bold to say that the proclamation by Mr . Presi-

dent falls short of all the attributes of a state of emergency in the real sense of its constitutional meaning. I think Mr. President is either playing to the gallery or in fact playing politics with the state of insecurity in the above states as shown in his address to the nation.”

Keyamo said: “The declaration of a state of emergency by President as a result

From left: Elder Statesman, Chief Edwin Clark; Governor Liyel Imoke of Cross River State and Chairman, South-South Governors' Forum; Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State; Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State and Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State, during a meeting of PDP South-South Leaders and Stakeholders Zonal meeting, in Asaba, Delta State. Photo: Henry Unini.

FG to train 700 N-Delta youths in ICT, others

BY ACHRIS OCHAYI

O

TUOKE—DETERMINED to confront the high rate of joblessness in the Niger Delta region, the Federal Government has concluded arrangements to train over 700 youths in various fields of endeavour at the skill acquisition centre in Otuoke, Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

The Federal Government is also collaborating with an Irish company with a view to training 200 of the youths in as-

sembling of I-pad and other telephone accessories and offer them automatic employment.

Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe, while on a tour of the N3.4 billion Otuoke Skill Acquisition Centre, said construction works at the centre would be completed by June and the campus put to use in July, 2013.

Orubebe said: “This centre is going to train our youths in oil and gas, maritime studies and information and com-

munications technology, ICT. A company is also coming here to train our youths in assembling of I-pad and telephones.”

The company, he said was working with GSM providers, MTN, Etisalat, Airtel, and Glo, adding, “200 of the youths will automatically be employed by the company. I just come back from Ireland. I went there for a meeting with the company owners and that also is on course. We are going to start the programme in this campus.”

FG urged to fund adult education in S-South region

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM

B

ENIN—THE Forum of Facilitators of Adult and Non-formal Education in the South-South, has lamented that lack of funds was militating against adult education in the zone and appealed to the Federal Government to find solution to the problem.

President of the Forum in the South-South, Mrs. Patience Adamu, who com-

of months of ceaseless bloodshed and carnage by insurgents is a step that has long been overdue.

“The bloodletting in these states left the President with no other option than to take this extraordinary step. This step must be appreciated in the light of the refusal of the insurgents to even dialogue with the Federal Government.”

mended the efforts of the Federal Government in resuscitating adult education in the country, said proper funding will enhance productivity in the sector, regretting that the forum lacked the resources to promote adult education in the region.

She spoke in Benin City, Edo State, during a SouthSouth zonal literacy programme for youths and women, organised by United Nations Educational, Sci-

entific and Cultural Organisation, UNESCO, in conjunction with National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-Formal Education, Head of Department, Adult and Non-Formal Education, University of Benin, Dr Francis Omoruyi, stressed the need to fight illiteracy in the country, noting that the economic policies of the Federal Government would be difficult to implement to the letter in a predominantly illiterate society.

Urhobo urged to shun politics of greed, selfishness

BY FESTUS AHON

U

GHELLI—AS all ethnic groups in Delta State jostle for the state governorship seat come 2015, a grossroots politician of Urhobo extraction, Chief Samuel Oyivwaro, yesterday, advised the Urhobo political class to shun politics of greed and selfishness.

Oyivwaro, told Vanguard in Ughelli that the Urhobo had Chief James Ibori as governor for eight years, noting that they were not giving the state deputy governor, Prof. Amos Utuama, enough support.

He decried that Peoples Democratic Party, PDP lost the last governorship election in Delta central senatorial district despite the fact that their son, Prof. Utuama was running mate to Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, who was the party’s governorship candidate in that election.

Urging the Urhobo to give Utuama the needed support as deputy governor of the state, he said, “ with Utuama as deputy governor, the Urhobo are automatically in government."

Vanguard Vanguard,,

THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013

— 35

YOUR LUCK TODAY

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

By Joshua Adeyemo Phone 08056180139 SAGITTARIUS: You will need to re-examine both your personal ideas and advice given to you by other people. Be family minded.

CAPRICORN: Avoided you don’t allow others to mislead you, things will not go wrong. The more willing you are to take the initiative the better for you. Take your love life more seriously.

AQUARIUS: Although you will need to be as secretive as you can, your success will attract others’ attention to you to the betterment of your cause.

Be ambitious.

PISCES: People who more influential than you will be willing to support your cause but you will need to make the necessary move. The more self assertive you are the better.

ARIES: Challenges of yesterday will today bring you good opportunities along your career/business lines to the betterment of your finances seek supporters of powerful ones.

By Richard Eromosele

W

HEN you wake up in the morning what is the first thing you do? Do you gather together every member of your family in order to give praises and thanks to the

Of family prayer – 1 Almighty God? And at the end of the day ’s activities, when you get back home, before you go to sleep, do you also remember to thank Him for a day well spent and

successful, for His protection and provisions?

Some of us see waking up daily every morning as a matter of course, so we do not deem it necessary to thank

TERROR MUDA in “Never say goodbye”

Him. But let me ask you this question: supposing your child wakes up in the morning and just pass you by without greeting you, how would you feel? Will you be happy with such a child?...

By Lanre Kehinde

TAURUS: Think of the best way to improve on your working pattern in order to enhance your career prospects if you listen to your creative self, things will work out fine for you. Be more loving.

GEMINI: Success is boldly printed on your cards today.

Think of both immediate and far future while you are savouring goodies offered you but mother nature.

CANCER: You should not have it tough while trying to win the needed supports of others. Take good advice from some of your friends who are creatively gifted.

LEO: Your creativity ...... is enhanced today and if you demonstrating this within your working arena, you’ll earn success and consolidate on your recent progress.

VIRGO: As mercury prepares to go on backward motion it is important you don’t take things for granted. Watch carefully what you agree to do.

KAPTAIN AFRIKA

in

“Princess Shii’

By Andy Akman

LIBRA: Better than yesterday. Others will be willing to give you the needed co-operation both at home and within your working arena. This is a good day for lovers.

SCORPIO: Those of you who are more enterprising will have much to show for your efforts. The more cooperative you. Don’t neglect love.

ASTROLOGICAL COUNSELLING Send yyour our dat th ttoo the As tr ological datee and place of bir birth Astr trological Counselling, PP.M.B .M.B 1100 00 7, Apapa, Lagos 007,

What does future have for me Dear Joshua, I don’t want you to publish my data. However, I want to know how the planets lined up when I was born.

And which day of the week was I born, would I recordsuccess in life ? When would my success come?

Doyin, Lagos.

Dear Doyin, You were born on a Jupiter ruled day - Thursday. You’ll succeeded earlier than you think.

Your Horoscope Data DAY OF BIRTH: THURSDAY SUN SIGN = PISCES: SUN IN 25TH DEGREE OF PISCES MOON SIGN: PISCES: MOON IN 21ST DEGREE OF PISCES MERCURY IN 28TH DEGREE OF AQUARIUS VENUS IN 28TH DEGREE OF ARIES MARS IN 7TH DEGREE OF CANCER JUPITER IN ZERO DEGREE OF AQUARIUS SATURN IN 27TH DEGREE OF CAPRICORN URANUS IN 22ND DEGREE OF LEO NEPTUNE IN 11TH DECREE OF SCORPIO PLUTO IN 6TH DEGREE OF VIRGO NORTH NODE IN 6TH DEGREE OF PISCES CARDINAL AND MUTABLE STAR SIGN HOSTED THREE PLANETS EACH, FIXED AND WATER FOUR EACH, FIRE EARTH AND AIR HOSTED TWO EACH. PUSHFUL INFLUENCE = 40% NON-PUSHFUL INFLUENCE = 60% HIGHLY HIGHLIGHTED STAR SIGN = AQUARIUS FINAL DISPOSITOR = SATURN ANALYSIS OF THE HOROSCOPE DATA Saturn as the final dispositor-the most influential planet at home when you were born, pointed to you as an ambitious person who must have a well developed career. You are a disciplined person with higher degree of leadership quality in yourself. Although, you can be emotional, you are stable and reliable. Less than 50 per cent of push-full influence in you is an indication of your being an amiable person.

VIRGINIA

Commen3

dadadekola@yahoo.com

by Lawrence Akapa

36—Vanguard, THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013

Group decries divine messianic title on Oshiomhole

US plans $250m fertiliser plant in Edo SIMON EBEGBULEM

BENIN CITY — CONSULGENERAL of the United States of America to Nigeria, Mr. Jeffry Hawkins, has disclosed plans by the United States Government to establish a $250 million fertiliser plant in Edo State.

Hawkins, who described Edo State governor, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, as one of the most effective governors in Nigeria, during a courtesy call and inspection of projects in the state, said that the $250 million fertiliser plant was being planned by the Overseas Private Investment Corporation of the United State Government.

“We are here because we are proud that the Overseas Private Investment Corporation of the US Government is involved with the Green Petrochemical Company,

National Movement for Justice and Peace has condemned the conferment of “Ohiosimua of Afemailand” (Divine Messiah of Afemailand) on Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, saying the governor that “had failed to explain the real position of his alleged certificate forgery, who does not know when he was born, coupled with his inability to conduct a free and credible local government election cannot be bestowed with such a title.”

National Publicity Secretary of the movement, Mr. Okharedia Ihimekpen in a statement, said though such titles do not exist and had never existed in the history of Afemai people, but a political creation of some self serving traditional rulers, Oshiomhole is the least person to be bequeathed with such title.

Lamenting the rate at which traditional institutions are being bastardised by the traditional rulers at the banner of political banditry, Ihimekpen advised Oshiomhole to “take the part of honour of rejecting the title and learn from history that, those that are hailing and calling him Hossanah today, will be the first and the same people that will vilify him when the time comes, and the time is near.”

which is making a $250 million investment and we are happy that this important fertiliser plant will have the support of the United States government. It will create about 1,500 jobs. That is something we are hoping to take a look at when we are here.

“The United States have had a long relationship with you, Oshiomhole, way back before your time in politics and your activities as one of Nigeria’s premier labour

B

ENIN —NO fewer than 100 casual workers with the Edo State media houses have been laid off by the state government.

The affected media houses include Bendel Newspaper Company Limited, BCNL, publisher of the Nigerian Observer group; Edo Broadcasting Services, EBS, which is made up of radio and television stations as well as the State Ministry of Information.

It was gathered that about 50 staff were affected at Nigerian Observer Newspapers, while over 50 in EBS and 20 in the Ministry of Information respectively.

The sack of the staff came on the heels of calls by Ni-

BY FESTUS AHON

U

GHELLI—TRADI TIONAL ruler of Utagba-Ogbe Community, Ndokwa West Local Government Area, Delta State,

geria Labour Congress, NLC, and Trade Union Congress, TUC, on the state government during the last May Day celebration to confirm the appointment of all casual staff in the state establishments, ministries, agencies and parastatal.

HRM Isaac Obi, has charged oil companies operating in the country to make meaningful contributions to the development of their host communities.

Speaking during the inauguration of UmusadegeOgbe Community Development Committee, CDC, at Kwale, Obi said “the oil companies are taking undue advantage of the poverty in the land and failing to do what they are supposed to do for their host communities.”

Urging members of the CDC to be selfless in their dealings, he said; “it is wrong for oil companies to capitalise on the poverty of

the people to deny them developmental projects despite the huge revenue they generate from the communities.”

He said that members of CDC would be assisted by different community fora to enable them succeed in the task of attracting development to the community.

Chairman of the CDC, Dr. Chris Edeme in his response, thanked the people of the community for the opportunity given to them to serve.

He promised that “the CDC will foster peaceful coexistence among the people of Umusadege. I solicit for the cooperation of members of the community and the oil companies to enable us succeed."

Dickson’s aide tasks head teachers, others on national school census exercise

Y

ENAGOA — BAYELSA State Commissioner for Education, Chief Salo Adikumo, has called on school heads as well as enumerators that will conduct the 2012/3013 National School Census exercise to see data collection, processing and analysis as vital tools for effective planning.

Adikumo, addressing re-

source persons and participants at a one-day training workshop organised for enumerators of the 2012 -2013 National School Census held in Yenagoa, said that the exercise was an annual event, directed by the Federal Government for the purpose of obtaining timely and reliable data for policies.

The exercise, he said, will

ultimately help in planning, monitoring and evaluating the performance of the system for effective management.

Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Mr. Durban Whyte, Adikumo regretted that despite the importance of data, it had been very difficult obtaining accurate data in the country.

By Bartholomew Madukwe

PEOPLE SPEAK

08102479985

thanked the United States Government for the planned investment in the state.

“I am happy for the good news, that a US agency is supporting a fertiliser plant here and we are happy about that.

We were also able to attract one of Nigeria’s foremost investors, Dangote Group, and they are constructing a factory somewhere in Edo North behind the bank of River Niger.

That is the largest fertiliser plant in this part of the continent."

Oil companies tasked on development of host communities

100 casual workers laid off by Edo media houses

BY GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE

leaders and we are very happy to continue with that relationship.

“We are happy that people of your state obviously think highly of you and your reelection is what we in America call landslide. You are someone many people point to when answering the question who is the most effective governor in Nigeria, often the answer is Oshiomhole,”Oshiomhole added.

Governor Oshiomhole

(nwamad@yahoo.com)

On Okiro's appointment as PSC boss

A

S IG, he worked at building bridges with the Armed Forces. This is good for a good relationship between all security agencies, which could mean security. So as the Chairman of Police Service Commission, PSC, he should do well.—Mrs. Williams Titilola, Civil Servant.

T

HERE might be some very strong political gimmicks involved. Well, he might actually have been considered the best among some potential appointees on their list, especially as he was former police boss. If so, he should do well.— Mr. Segun Moses, Student.

A

S a former Police IG, he is conversant with the inner workings of the Police Force. My only fear is if politics will let him do a good job. Corruption and the need to repair the force’s battered image are key areas that need to be addressed.—Mr. Aroyole Osbert, Civil Servant.

H

E is a man of the people and is experienced. With this appointment he will be empowered to do what he may not have been able to achieve as an IG in terms of welfare, professionalism, public image and might solve the corruption riddle.— Mr. Yusuf Busari, Student.

B

Y this appointment, President Jonathan has made a bold statement on the preparedness of his administration to tackle insecurity. It is a good and timely choice. Okiro’s experience will come to bear in terms of administrative support.— Mr. Amusa Lawrence, Student.

I

T bodes well for Nigeria Police. I expect a very good working relationship between the current IG, Mohammed Abubakar, and Mike Okiro, as both had worked closely, when Okiro was CP of Lagos State and, later, IGP, I hope so, anyway. — Miss Ennie Sophia, Student.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013—37

C M Y K

38—Vanguard, THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013

Empowerment: Abia govt warns against defacing vehicles

Unpaid salaries: Labour petitions Imo govt

BY VICTOR AHIUMA-YOUNG

BY ANAYO OKOLI

U

MUAHIA—ABIA State government has warned beneficiaries of its youth empowerment programme against defacing the branded vehicles given to them.

The government also warned them against using the vehicles as private property, stressing that the vehicles must be used for commercial purposes.

According to the government, the warning became necessary following reports that some beneficiaries have defaced the branded vehicles and turned them into private uses.

The government, which spoke through the Chief of Staff to the governor, Mr. Cosmos Ndukwe, said none of the vehicles should be used for private purposes but strictly for commercial to enable the beneficiaries eke out living.

Flood: Poultry farmer seeks govt's compensation

BY OKONKWO EZE

N

NEWI—OWNERS of St. Patrick Farms Limited, Osomala in Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State, have cried out over failure of government to pay it compensation of N270 million, being money lost to flooding which led to the destruction of goods and livestock.

General Manager of the farm, Dr. Emeka Uzoukwu, who disclosed this to executive members of Ogbaru Stakeholders Forum, said they had written severally to the appropriate authorities to inform them of the enormous damage recorded by the farm during the flood disaster to no avail.

Flanked by Managing Director of the farm, Sir Osita Nwadei, and Works Manager, Mr. Nzefili Ugboma, Uzoukwu complained that the enormous losses incurred during the flood disaster could lead to an outright closure of the multi-billion naira farm, if urgent measures were not taken by the appropriate authorities.

He added that such a situation could send over 110 staff of the farm back to the unemployment market.

C M Y K

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From left: Acting Director General, NCAA, Mr. Joyce Nkemakolam; Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah and Managing Director, NAMA, Mazi Nnamdi Udo, addressing House Committee on Justice and Aviation on the controversial grounding of Rivers State Government's Bombardier B700 Global Express Aircraft in Abuja. Photo: Gbemiga Olamikan.

Murder of ex-cop: Court sentences 8 to death in Imo

BY CHIDI NKWOPARA

O

WERRI—IMO State High Court, presided over by Justice C.M.I. Egole, yesterday sentenced eight persons to death by hanging for their alleged involvement in the brutal murder of an ex-police officer, Nze Dominic Ohamadiaku Duru, from Izombe, Oguta local council area of the state.

Those waiting for the hangman include James Ugwuoha Duru, Fester Nuforo, Alexander Nnadi alias Apollo, Friday Nuforo and Jonathan Chuddy Nnadi, a staff of Imo Broadcasting Corporation, IBC, Owerri.

Others are Chifoanu Okorie, Matthias Ohazurike and Evans Egbujor, while the ninth accused person, Mrs. Sussana James

Duru, was, however, discharged and acquitted for not participating actively in the dastardly act.

Delivering judgment after analyzing critically the evidence before him in suit number HOW/4C/2007, Justice Egole pronounced the eight persons guilty of conspiracy and murder.

Justice Egole said: “You are to be hanged on your neck until you be dead and may God have mercy on your souls”.

In exonerating the woman, Egole said she was only linked to one of the convicts, James Ugwuoha Duru, by marriage, adding that although she accompanied her husband to the house of the deceased on that

fateful day, she never participated in the heinous act.

Pleading for leniency, the convicts took turns to shower encomium on the deceased and even went further to describe him as “our father and benefactor” and appealed to the court to temper justice with mercy.

Evans Egbujor expressed worry over the uncertainty that now enveloped his immediate family, especially as his wife was currently lying in the morgue, awaiting burial.

Vanguard recalls that the convicted persons and others at large, had on that fateful day, lured the deceased to his farmland in Okpuzi in the village, where they laid siege for him and snuffed life out of him.

Community raises alarm over alleged imposition of Bishop

BY CHIDI NKWOPARA

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WERRI—THE people of Nnarambia, Mbiase, Imo State, have raised alarm over alleged plot to use security personnel to install new Bishop of Ahiara Catholic Diocese, Monsignor Peter Okpaleke, whose appointment as priest was rejected on the grounds that the appointee was not of their ethnic stock.

They are also canvassing dialogue as the rift between the Papacy and priests of Ahiara Catholic Diocese takes a dangerous dimension.

Although the people said at press time they had no concrete evidence to back the alleged engagement of security personnel

for the installation, they, however, cautioned against adopting such a dangerous option.

“We have decided to speak out so that whosoever is contemplating such a dangerous action will understand the consequences and give it up,” the people said in a statement signed by Chairman of the community, Aladinma Nnarambia, and three others.

Reminding the feuding parties that Nnarambia was playing host to the Cathedral of Ahiara Diocese, the people also reasoned that any confrontation between security forces and demonstrators will take place on their soil.

Vanguard recalls that barring

any unforeseen circumstance, priests and laity faithful will today embark on a peaceful demonstration against what they described as imposition of Monsignor Peter Okpalaeke on the people as Bishop of Ahiara Diocese.

“We are Christians and peace loving community and abhor the use of force in solving family disputes. There is no alternative to dialogue. The God we serve preaches peace and not war,” Nnarambia people advised.

They said the church and its priests at Ahiara Diocese should continue to explore dialogue and other peaceful means until a solution was found to the selection of a bishop for the Diocese.

RGANISED labour in public service has petitioned Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, urging him to positively engage labour leaders in the state to resolve ongoing industrial dispute over nonpayment of six months salaries .

Acting under the umbrella of Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees, AUPCTRE, labour listed other grievances to include alleged unconstitutional creation of an amorphous body designated as Community Government Council, CGC, which contraction or structure entailed the migration of most public servants to their respective communities, embargo on promotions and advancements.

Others include outright sale of some public agencies to vested interests in disregard to existing legislation and Articles of Association and unilateral deduction of one percent from salaries of public servants to assist government fund its free education programme.

5 Anambra LGs to benefit from poverty alleviation project

BY VINCENT UJUMADU WKA—FIVE local government areas in Anambra State have been selected for a pilot programme for the conditional cash transfer project targeted at the poor in the affected areas.

The selected local government areas are Anambra West, Anaocha, Ihiala, Ogbaru and Orumba North.

Anambra State Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Professor Chinyere Okunna, who is also the chairman of the implementation committee of the Millennium Development Goals, MDGs, said that 90 poorest of the poor persons would benefit from the programme from each of the five local government areas.

A

Vanguard, THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013—39

SWEARING IN: Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State (left), WORKSHOP: From left: Osun State Attorney General, Wale Afolabi; guest speaker, congratulates Mr. Washington Osifo, after his swearing-in as CommisGovernor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State; Ms. Funke Adekoga, SAN and former sioner for Secondary and Tertiary Education, at the Government House, Attorney General of the Fedration, Chief Richard Akinjide, during the Rule of Benin City, yesterday.

Law Action Group workshop, at City Hall, Lagos.

THANKSGIVING: Commissioner Mfon Akpan, Territorial Commander, Salvation Army (2nd right); his wife, Ime, Territorial President of Women Ministries (right); Lt Col. Godfrey Payne, Chief Secretary (2nd left) and his wife, Diane, Territorial Secretary for Women Ministries, during the 2013 Territorial awards and thanksgiving service, in Lagos.

FORUM: From left: Country Manager, Intel West Africa, Olubunmi Ekundare; Ms. Epebiyi Idowu, Market Development Manager, Intel West Africa, Olasimbo Olatoregun; Nigerian R&B Artiste, Banky W, and Marketing & Public Relations Manager, Intel West Africa, Isiakpona Adim, at the Intel Create Your Tomorrow Campus forum, at the University of Lagos. Photo: Akeem Salau.

From left: Head, Business Segment, Etisalat Nigeria, Mr. Bidemi Ladipo; Deputy Director, Strategic Planning, Policy and Coordination, SMEDAN, Mr. Monday Ewans; and Head, Regional Sales, South-South/SouthEast, Etisalat Nigeria, Mr. Enekwachi Aja, at the 2013 Etisalat sponsored Market Access, in Calabar.

PRESENTATION: From left: Mrs. Rafatu Arowolo, a beneficiary; Dr. Jide Idris, Lagos State Commissioner for Health; Mrs. Rafatu Oyelakin, another beneficiary; Prof. Wale Oke, Chief Medical Director, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH, and Dr. Dolapo Fasawe, coordinator, Limb Deformity Corrective Surgery Programme, during the presentation of gifts to some beneficiaries of the Total Knee Replacement Surgery Exercise, at LASUTH, Ikeja, Lagos. Photo: Bunmi Azeez.

Women-in-PENGASSAN, during a visit to SOS Children’s Village, Isolo, Lagos, where they donated LG chest freezer and other items to the centre.

VISIT: From left: Commander, Emmanuel Edeh, Unit Commander, FRSC Apapa; Mr. Hassan Balogun, Deputy Admin Manager, Vanguard Media Ltd, and Mr. Samuel Iroegbulam, Accountant, Vanguard, during a visit to Vanguard Newspapers, Apapa, Lagos. Photo: Shola Oyelese.

LAUNCHING: From right: Mrs. Modupe Oyekunle, CEO, Masterpiece Resource Development Centre; Mr. Abiola Popoola, Chairman, MRDC, and Mrs. Abosede Alimi, Head, Marketing and Communications, First Bank Plc, at the launch of Community Driven Enterprise Initiative, CDEI, in Lagos. Photo: Kehinde Gbadamosi.

40—Vanguard, THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013

Lamido asks UK-DFID to provide medical doctors for Jigawa

Shuluwa, PDP chieftain slams emergency rule

BY PETER DURU

BY ALIYU DANGIDA

M

AKURDI—ELDER statesmen and Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, stalwart, Chief Abu King Shuluwa has described Tuesday ’s declaration of state of emergency in Yobe, Bornu and Adamawa States

by President Goodluck Jonathan as an exercise in futility.

According to Shuluwa, it was a "meaningless exercise that would serve no useful purpose."

Speaking in an interview with Vanguard in Makurdi, Shuluwa further queried the Federal Government’s decision to declare emergency in only three states, wondering why several other states like Bauchi, Kaduna, Kano among other hotbeds of the Boko Haram insurgency were left out.

His words, "Jonathan has been deploying troops to these states in the past without declaring a state of emergency, of what purpose is the declaration now?"

ECWA kicks against amnesty for Boko Haram

BY OLAYINKA LATONA

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AGOS—PRESIDENT of Evangelical Church Winning All, ECWA, Rev. Jeremiah Gado has opposed the proposed amnesty for members of Boko Haram sect, saying the Federal Government was playing with fire with the proposal.

Speaking at the official dedication of an ultra-modern auditorium for ECWA Mushin English church, Gado described the move as an “insult to the sensibilities of Nigerians and a great betrayal of our trust.”

Rev. Gado said instead of granting amnesty to the sect, the Federal Government should compensate all victims of Boko Haram attacks, stating that justice must never be sacrificed on the altar of forgiveness.

In his words: “The church reaffirms her support for the earlier position of President Goodluck Jonathan not to grant amnesty to “ghosts” and advises him not to succumb to pressure from any group."

C M Y K

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WORKSHOP—Prof David Elaturoti, representing the VC and Chairman of the occasion (left); Dr Victoria Okojie, Registrar Librarian's Registration Council of Nigeria, LRCN, (Right) and Pastor Moses Adigun, representing Oyo State Commissioner for Education, during the National Workshop for Librarians and Information Managers, organised by LRCN at the University of Ibadan on Tuesday. Photo: Dare Fasube.

NASARAWA MASSACRE:

UTSE—GOVER NOR Sule Lamido of Jigawa State has asked the UK-DFID to provide qualified doctors to manage the ultra modern health institutions across the state.

The governor made the appeal while receiving some hospital equipment valued at N500 million from the DFID. The equipment would be distributed across the existing hospitals in the state.

According to Lamido, it had become imperative for the state government to make the request because it had established modern health centres but lacked qualified doctors to man such health institutions.

Ombatse not violent — Eggon community

zAbsolves worshippers from killing of Police, DSS officers

BY ABEL DANIEL

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AFIA— THE Eggon Cultural and Development Association, ECDA, the umbrella body of all Eggon people in Nasararwa State has questioned the rationale behind the decision of both the police and the Nasararwa State government in sending a large contingent of security men to arrest the 76- year old chief priest of Ombatse, resulting to the killing of scores of police men and 10 other officials of the Department of State Service, DSS, at Alakyo, in Lafia, the state capital.

National President of the association, Mr Chris Mamman who raised this query, however, denied that the 46 police men and the DSS officials who were officially said to have died were killed in an ambush by Ombatse worshippers, saying that the adherents of the religion believed in peace, even as they abhorred immorality among other social vices.

Unofficial sources however, put the number of police men killed at 93.

Addressing newsmen, Tuesday, at the palace of the traditional ruler of Eggon (Aren of Eggon), Mamman further expressed concern over the growing state of uncertainty and tension arising from the unfortunate incident on May 7 .

“While we condemn the killing, we equally condemn the sending of such number of security personnel on an operation that could have been handled by few people without loss of lives. We roundly condemn the incident that led to the mindless destruction of lives at Alakyo in this age when there are better opportunities and institutions for crisis resolution.

“We condemn the untimely death of policemen and other villagers and commiserate with all who lost their loved ones and property. There is no justification whatsoever for the barbaric killing and wanton destruction that have set Alakyo, in Lafia Local Government of Nasarawa State, and the state backward.

'Ombatse not violent' "Ombatse is not a violent movement, and was not involved in the encounter with security operators that went to Alakyo on Tuesday, May 7. I will say it with a louder voice so that those who have phobia problem will understand.

"Ombatse is not responsible for the crisis or killing in Alakyo village. Let me clarify this issue because this is

great injustice and conspiracy against the Eggon nation; for one to say it was the Ombatse that carried out the killing of the policemen in Nasarawa State.

"When crisis erupted in Asakio, they said it was Ombatse; when it happened at Agyaragu, they said it was ombatse; at Angwan Alaku, it was also Ombatse.

What is Ombatse?

"What is Ombatse? It is a spiritual movement that holds to a basic tenet of Christianity, Islam, Hinduism or any of those religions. It preaches peace, against violence and immorality. You cannot go and commit adultery with your neighbour’s or brother’s wife.

You cannot engage in witchcraft, secret society or anything that involves human blood. For God’s sake, if these are the basic tenets of Ombatse, why is it so easy for educated elite of the fourth estate of the realm to be bought over, instead of going into investigative journalism to unravel the truth. But they have chosen to make demonic, a religious group which is out for peace within Eggon and beyond.

“We also lament that this unpleasant and unfortunate incident happened when far reaching measures are being taken by the people to put an

end to the long-drawn crisis that has been witnessed in this part of the state since the past two years. It should be stated here that the Fulani and Eggon have since worked out measures aimed at finding lasting peace and the measures are yielding the desired results.

“We call on both the Nasarawa and Federal Governments to urgently take more and far-reaching measures to restore normalcy. We call on the Federal Government to set up a high-powered commission of inquiry to establish the remote and immediate causes of factors that culminated into that unfortunate episode of Tuesday, May 7,” he added.

Mamman, however, appealed to everyone to remain lawabiding and allow peace to reign even as the state government has taken comprehensive and long-term solutions.

“We also caution against criminalizing every Eggon person. We have noticed a situation where every Eggon person is targeted for attack.

We hasten to condemn the selective ill-treatment of policemen of Eggon extraction by the Nasarawa State police command. We are not against prosecution of anybody found culpable in the matter but this should not be on the basis that simply because a person is Eggon, he or she is not merely held as a suspect but pronounced guilty."

VANGUARD, THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013—41

I N S I D E

State of emergency: Jonathan is right, no he's not — Page 43

The Supreme Court's approach to exemplary damages (4) — Page 43

Kidnappers versus Judicial officers?

BY AWA KALU, SAN

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AST weekend (week ending 11th May, 2013) the nation woke up with rude shock-arising from the abduction by gunmen, of the wife, daughter and driver of an eminent judicial officer, a Justice of the Supreme Court. Most men and women of goodwill including Dame Carol Ajie, Festus Kayamo and Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, the ‘Akpakpa VighiVighi’ of a famous kingdom and human rights crusader, issued a statement condemning in very strong terms, the brazen challenge to the security of Justice Rhodes-Vivour’s family. I too must lend my voice to the rising threat to the security of judicial officers. To mention but a few incidents, a well respected Judge of the Imo State Judiciary was kidnapped on his way to work a few years ago.

Subsequently, a Judge of the Delta State Judiciary suffered the same ignominy. Now, an eminent Justice of the highest court in the land must be going through an experience that anyone who has worked so hard should not be compelled to endurethe ordeal of not knowing the condition of a loving wife and a doting daughter together with a dutiful

•CJN Mariam Aloma Mukhtar

adorning the toga of one of the most insecure places on planet earth.

We are becoming the laughing stock of the international community. For God’s sake, kidnappers, or whoever you are, release immediately and unhurt, Justice Rhodes-Vivour’s lovely wife, daughter and driver”. It does not appear useful to belabour the Ozekhome angle in that at the time of preparing this piece, neither a demand for ransom nor an explanation for the dastardly act has been offered.

Whatever angle we view it from, the fact remains that Nigeria is fast descending into the abyss of systematic annihilation

,

Driver. Something must be done about our collective security.

Of this incident, Chief Ozekhome, had this to say: Justice RhodesVivour, a well-acclaimed jurist, is merely a judicial officer, not an entrepreneur. His wife is a legal practitioner, not a business woman.

Only on September 13, 2012, his son, Rotimi, was also abducted with a N30 million Naira ransom demand.

Why is this madness targeted at a peace-loving and hardworking jurist who has served Nigeria meritoriously? Is this persecution by faceless merchants and buccaneers masterminded by politicians who have vowed to make Nigeria ungovernable? Or is it by mere kidnappers for the sake of ransom money alone? If so, where do they expect a serving justice of the apex court to cough out ransom money?

Whatever angle we view it from, the fact remains that Nigeria is fast descending in to the abyss of systematic annihilation. It is more and more C M Y K

•President Jonathan

,

It would therefore serve no useful purpose to speculate on the reasons for this latest assault on judicial independence.

In 2009, in this column, I noted that: Like darkness, the sad upsurge of kidnapping has enveloped with ease, certain parts of this country.

According to H. Loewy (Criminal Law in a Nutshell (2nd ed.1987), ‘at early common law, kidnapping required asportation of the victim to another country. Under modern statutes, the asportation need not be this extensive’. Asportation is simply the act of carrying away or removing (property or person).

The crime consists of seizing and carrying away a person by force or fraud. The offence may also be aggravated by some other factors such as a demand for ransom or causing injury to the victim. At the moment, the offence is prevalent in the southern parts of the country. To that extent, it appears that it is covered by the provisions of section

364 of the Criminal Code.

The offence may be committed either by unlawfully imprisoning any person, and taking him out of Nigeria without his consent, or unlawfully imprisoning any person within Nigeria in such a manner as to prevent him from applying to a court for his release or from disclosing to any other person the place where he is imprisoned or in such a manner as to prevent any person entitled to have access to him from discovering the places where he is imprisoned. The penalty is a term of imprisonment for ten years.

As things stand, there is no doubt that there are many Nigerians who would not mind if they slept and woke up in the United States of America or the United Kingdom even without their consent.

The vagaries and vicissitudes of life in our dear country has raised frustration levels to an all time high but what is self evident is that the perpetrators of the now notorious offence of kidnapping have neither the means nor the desire to take any person out of Nigeria with or without the person’s consent.

Rather, where they take you to, from available evidence, usually depends on those who snatch you either from the highway, a church, or even a gathering.

In some cases, you may be snatched from your bedroom. It does not matter what your age is, whether you are old, young, very young, or quite aged. There is also no discrimination as to gender-men and women are all eligible provided you look like you can bleed in Naira or any other currency when you are kept away from home for a few days or even weeks .

There are variants of the offence

now and the prevalence is leading to a modification, no matter how subtle in our culture. In the South-East for instance, there are indications that Masters of Ceremony no longer announce the names of persons required to be at the High Table.

Anonymity is the beginning of wisdom.

In addition, prolonged social gatherings no longer seem to be the norm just as presentation of invitation cards appears to be a vanishing act.

All you need do these days is to send text messages via mobile phones or emails to your prospective invitees to inform them about your occasions or parties unless you have the ‘ where-with-all’ to flood the venue of your social event with security operatives.

It is also thought to be the practice to refuse to advertise your movement. Those who were caught and carried to hideous places have narrated their ordeals particularly when you are given an opportunity to bargain for your freedom. Any offer sounding in ‘thousands’ is considered an affront and is usually taken as an indication that you are either stingy or unserious or worse still, not ready to be set free.

The repercussion is that your trauma level is increased and more threats are offered. Yet another angle relates to the payment of the agreed ransom. In some simple cases, you may pay to an account nominated by your tormentor provided you promise that there will be no hanky- panky.

In other cases, the ransom must come through an identifiable personname and colour of dress for instance, must be known. The ‘deliverer’ is then given a run-around until you come to a point where it is believed that you are not up to any prank and you drop the stuff and

Continues on page 42

EDITORIAL TEAM Dayo Benson (Editor) Innocent Anaba Wahab Abdulah Ikechukwu Nnochiri

42—VANGUARD, THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013

Kidnappers versus Judicial officers? leave the area. Thereafter, the waiting game begins. Most victims had been blindfolded for several days and had no idea of their location. You are then dropped off, at times late in the night, and told to find your way.

According to someone who has experience in these matters, there is no history of anyone who has been kidnapped twice. You are snatched only once and you have an unofficial immunity. Whether this is one of the ‘fables’ of our present times is difficult to say.

What is instructive is that some of the victims truly believe that those who now ply the art of kidnapping have their own logic. Their belief is that the national cake is being sliced unlawfully by persons who do not deserve to do so.

The echoes of Billions of Naira that have been misappropriated, embezzled, converted, hidden or stolen and reported loudly in the mass media is often cited as justification for a thriving practicekidnapping of hapless Nigerians. Were this to be taken as correct, would it seem to be plain to kidnap persons who have no causal connection or any nexus whatever with the alleged looters of public funds? It has also been said that unemployment and under –employment, so all pervading as to be suffocating- is cited as another reason for this flourishing offence.

C M Y K

•Mrs. Adedoyin Rhodes-Vivour Well, it is difficult to deny that the indices of unemployment are quite obvious but it is also obvious that some unemployable persons are partaking in the offence of kidnapping and abduction. If a student who has not as yet graduated snatches a person and keeps him against his wish and asks for a ransom, can such an act be justified by unemployment? The answer seems obvious.

The right to make ends meet is often cited as another excuse.

Again this excuse can easily be pulverized. If a group of five successfully kidnap five persons in a month and extract a ransom of two million Naira from each of the victims, that means a return of two million Naira to each member of the group

for the month. Even after making a reasonable allowance for ‘expenses’, the ‘return on investment’ is far beyond what market forces would ordinarily allow for fair trading. To that extent, it seems unarguable that the time for a dialogue between the levels of government that can redeem the situation and the masses (including those who seem thoroughly disconnected from the system) has come.

What we have not seen, is any massive result from the efforts of different levels of government to deliver the proverbial dividends of democracy. Further, we need to witness a bolder inclination towards a diligent effort aimed at either redressing the shortcomings of the economy

at this stage, or in ameliorating those obstacles that ridicule the quality of life that an average Nigerian richly deserves. As the Chinese philosopher Confucius urged us so many centuries ago, ‘recompense injury with justice, and recompense kindness with kindness’. What seems obvious at this time is that some State Governments do not want to take any prisoners. The attitude seems to be that a person found guilty of the offence of kidnapping should be subjected to the ultimate punishment- the death penalty. What is the philosophy behind this position? It may seem to lie in the advice of W. Somerset Maughan (1874-1965). The British novelist said that ‘Dying is a very dull, dreary affair. And my advice to you is to have nothing whatever to do with it! It could also be rationalized on the basis of what the French philosopher, Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-78) said several years ago-‘He who pretends to look on death without fear lies.

All men are afraid of dying, this is the great law of sentient beings, without which the entire human species would soon be destroyed’.

Whatever the underpinning may be for increasing the punishment from a term of imprisonment to the death penalty is really not the issue, in my humble view. The debate about why

people commit offences is quite ancient just as the flip side, which is what punishment fits which offence.

What seems obvious is that the law reports reveal several cases in which the death sentence has been imposed for such crimes as murder and robbery with offensive weapons (a.k.a. armed robbery).

Were we to favour the use of statistics to measure the success of any given endeavour as in other places, it would have been put beyond doubt that the efficacy of the death penalty is to say the least, arguable. Several factors contribute to this sorry pass.

Firstly, a good number of our modern Governors unabashedly, refuse to sign the warrants that constitute the instrument authorizing the Hangman to execute a condemned prisoner. The other consideration is that no

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Continues from page 41

state of the Criminal law and justice administration? Notwithstanding government enthusiasm for proliferation in classes of offences, the rate of success of public prosecution seems at best, pedestrian.

What would seem recommendable at the moment is that the economy should receive very urgent attention and all hands must be on deck to provide immediate and appropriate stimulus to empower many more Nigerians to be what they can be within the law.

Again, job creation should equally be on the front burner so that those who are willing and are qualified should be absorbed into the cadre of employed persons. Once there are reasonable and obvious employment opportunities, those who refuse to engage themselves in lawful endeavours can

The echoes of billions of Naira that have been misappropriated, embezzled, converted, hidden or stolen and reported loudly in the mass media is often cited as justification for a thriving practicekidnapping of hapless Nigerians

one seems to know whether the Hangman’s job is still ‘’appetising” or inviting. It is within the public domain that that class of worker now belongs to the past and l am yet to see an advertisement for any vacancies to be filled.

What about the general

,

then be hit with a sledge hammer provided the deterrent effect can be justified.

Other commentators have also dealt with the easily noticeable lapses in our security situation nationwide and it would seem that an emergency of some sort presently exists.

Perhaps, a convergence of efforts is needed to address the multifarious implications of this matter.

Meanwhile, should Hon. Justice RhodesVivour ’s wife, daughter and Driver still remain in the clutches of their abductors, the Inspector-General’s directives for a swift operation to release them, would seem to have been ineffectual. However, should they be free, it would be congratulations to all lovers of freedom.

VANGUARD, THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013—43

State of emergency: Jonathan is right, no he's not — SANS

BY DAYO BENSON, WAHAB ABDULLAH BARTHOLOMEW MADUKWE

&

T

UESDAY declaration of State of Emergency by President Goodluck Jonathan in three northern states namely Bornu, Yoba and Adamawa, following escalating insurgency, has elicited mixed reactions from Senior Advocates of Nigeria. Below are some of the views expressed on the issue:

I entirely agree with the President. That is a right step, in my view, that should have happened long ago. You don’t use soft tactics with terrorists, people who have no human feelings. With impunity they have sent thousands of people to eternity. So the security will now be controlled by the security agencies and they can take measures to eradicate this insurgency.

With the way they were going, they were declaring a state within a state. Not only physical terror, but they were controlling the population. In the end, we will have another state within Nigeria, controlled by terrorists. So he took the right step.

Second, I agree entirely with him that the State of Emergency does not affect the tenure of the Governor or the right of the House of Assembly to seat. What Obasanjo used to do was illegal and a breach of the constitution. And it is a shame that the Supreme Court did nothing about it.

So what President Jonathan has done now is the correct thing. The Constitution states clearly in section 11 (4) (5) that the tenure of the governor and the right of the House of Assembly to seat are not affected by the declaration of State of Emergency. We must now vigorously exterminate the terrible scourge on our hands for further existing.

An award of £1,000 as exemplary damages for trespass.

In the above case, the court gave no guiding rules as to the measure of exemplary damages.

The primary justification for the award of exemplary damages is that compensatory damages are insufficient to secure a stable and law abiding society. This argument is based on

Emeka Ngige

tackle the issue and fight the battle frontally. When the government is taking step to restore law and order or facing any security challenge, I think the rule of law should not suffer, it should be done under the umbrella of the rule of law. There shouldn’t be extra judicial killings in any form.

Anybody who does this must be ready to face the dictates of the law.

Its half declaration of State of Emergency —Mike Ozekholome SAN

of the former president Olusegun Obasanjo. He has followed the path of constitutionality, unlike the ex-president Obasanjo who hid under the state of emergency to remove democratically elected governors; he has deviated from impunity by following the provisions of the law.

No reasonable government will fold its hands and allow insanity to reign supreme in the country.? However, our argument is that every step taken by the government must be in line with the constitution and the rule of law.

It is clear that by virtue of section 305 of the constitution, a? state of emergency exists when the President adopts extra-ordinary measures to restore law and order.

I submit, without any fear of contradicction, that the president has no power whatsoever?to remove an elected governor under the pretext of imposing a state of emergency in any part of the country.

President Jonathan has had cause to impose a state of emergency in some local governments in Borno and Plateau states.

On those occasions, the elected chairmen and councilors were not removed from office. It is specifically stated in section 11(4) of the constitution that a governor shall not be removed because the National Assembly has

It is a welcome I commend the development efforts of the FG —Yusuf Ali, SAN This is a state of — Emeka Ngige emergency with a SAN difference, in that the president has left all the democratic structures intact, unlike what we were used to before, when sole administrator will be appointed in place of the democratic structures.

I think that it is a positive development but we all have to agree that the government has to be decisive in the event of the onslaughts by the disparaging groups, that has put fear in every Nigerian and expose them to danger. No nation can make progress when people are living under fear.

It is a welcome development that the government sees it as a challenge that it must

The Supreme Court's approach to exemplary damages (4) •Continued from last week

Yusuf Ali,

the deterrence theory.

However, this theory also supports the award of damages.

Consequently, the deterrence theory cannot be a useful justification for the award of exemplary damages. All in all, there is a no case submission for the award of exemplary damages in civil law.

*Professor Lawrence Atsegbua , Dean, Faculty of Law, University of Benin.

I think the speech by Mr President is okay. Unlike the state of emergencies declared during Obasanjo’s regime which were made in bad faith and used to remove

,

E m e r g e n c y declaration doesn’t affect Governor, Assembly —Prof Itse Sagay SAN

Prof Itse Sagay

The truth is that it is the civilian, the half innocent populace that will suffer it because the Boko Haram people who are few in number will simply try to be hiding.

So what the president has done now is to dance to the tune of former President Obasanjo who had prescribed the same in Odi and Zakibiam. He has criticized that step by the former president, who went demolishing villages and towns. It is not the best way of handling security situation. But he has unwittingly fallen into that same trap by doing what he has done.

I agree entirely with him that the State of emergency does not affect the tenure of the Governor or the right of the House of Assembly to seat

Governors who were in the bad books of the federal government, the present declaration was made with the best of intentions. No political appointee or political institution was removed.To that extent, I commend the efforts of the Federal Government in stepping up its war against terrorism in parts of the North East zone.

From the action of the FGN, it would seem that the amnesty offer to Boko Haram has been withdrawn. It’s now full scale war against the terrorists. I fully endorse the action of the federal government and suggest that the state of emergency declared to fight terrorism should also be extended in the fight against corruption.

Corruption is choking the citizenry and the earlier the government declares a state of emergency in that area the better for this country.

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My only window of happiness is that he did not remove the Governor or the House of Assembly which are structures set up by the constitution and erected by the people.

So what Mr President has done therefore is not a full declaration of State of Emergency in the way that we know it. It is a half declaration of State of Emergency. I think the right word should not have been a State of Emergency; it should have been that he has taken extra strong step to treat the security situation in those states. A full declaration of State of Emergency also envisages the removal of elected structures such as Obasanjo did in Plateau State.

Mike Ozekhome

Femi Falana taken over the legislative powers of a state during a state of emergency. ?A governor can only be removed by impeachment, resignation or infirmity of body or mind and not through the imposition of a state of emergency.

There is no provision of the constitution that empowers the President to remove a governor and replace him with a sole administrator.

So, the removal of governors? by President Olusegun Obasanjo? was part of the culture of?executive lawlessness and impunity that characterised his tenure.

The constitutional anomaly of removing elected governors by the President should not be accepted by Nigerians under any guise. After all, the President is not removed whenever the country is involved in the prosecution of a civil or external war. As the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, he remains in office to prosecute the war in collaboration with the National Assembly.”

Jonathan’s action is commendable —Femi Falana, SAN President Goodluck Jonathan’s action is commendable for not following the antecedent

From left— Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) of Lagos State; Justice Aloma Mukhtar, Chief Justice of Nigeria and Mr. Oke Wali, SAN, NBA President.

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44—VANGUARD, THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013

An emergency without emergency governors THE proclamation of state of emergency in three states without the removal of the governors of the affected states is a break from the tradition of the past.

BY CHARLES KUMOLU UESDAY’S declaration of a state of emergency in three states was not a surprise given the descent to anarchy in the affected sections of the northeast.

What has surprised some is the decision to allow the executive governors of the affected states of Bornu, Yobe and Adamawa remain in their respective positions as chief executives.

This development is currently generating mixed feelings in the polity, given that not a few had wanted the governors replaced by Sole Administrators.

While some have argued that the President deserves commendation for acting within the ambit of the constitution by not removing the elected governors, others believe that allowing the chief executives to remain, has made mockery of the move.

goes on suspension as the formal legislative body of the state, with immediate effect.

Having a State Assembly in position under a state of emergency is incongruous and may not allow for the expeditious actions that the administrator will need to put the state back into a situation of peace, harmony, security for all, and maintenance of law and order throughout the state.

Elected officials below the state level are not suspended. The federal gazette containing the declaration has been forwarded to the National Assembly in accordance with the constitution.’’

Ekiti was the next state to experience emergency rule.

Obasanjo on October 19, 2006 declared a state of emergency in the state in order to “ensure that peace and orderliness returned to the state,” following a power tussle in the state triggered by the impeachment of the state governor, Mr. Ayo Fayose.

Emergency period

Constitutional authority

In fact, it is the belief of the antagonists of the decision, that allowing the governors to stay during the emergency period, would be counter productive.

This is predicated on the arguments that the affected states, easily transformed into theatres of war in the presence of the governors, who were supposed to be the chief security officers of the states.

Guidelines for the removal of govs: That section 305 of the 1999 constitution where Jonathan derived his powers from, is silent on the removal of elected state governors, does not seem to make any sense to a large section of the county that wanted a change of baton within the emergency period.

Same as the fact that Section 188 and 189 of the constitution, provided guidelines for the removal of governors, which include impeachment due to gross misconduct; incapacitation as a result of illness and death.

Findings however, revealed that the historical precedents of removing state governors any time a state of emergency is declared, might have informed the divided opinion trailing the president’s refusal to follow the

Like Plateau, the governor or acting governor in that case was removed while the State House of Assembly was also suspended and appointed a retired Major General, Tunji Olurin as administrator of the state.

The twin actions by the President triggered off criticisms particularly from those, who argued that Obasanjo lacked the constitutional authority to do so. For instance, Chief F.R.A Williams while lampooning Obasanjo on the Plateau matter on May 22, 2004, said, ‘’The major topic upon which I intend to address is the unconstitutionality and illegality of suspending the office of the Governor of a State or of suspending the House of Assembly of the State. There is no provision contained in any part of our Constitution which confers such a power on the President,’’ the legal luminary stated.

He also said, ‘’ It is a contradiction of all known principles of true federation operating in a democratic society. The Governor is elected

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•Nyako

•Geidam

precedent set by President Olusegun Obasanjo.

For instance, the first time the nation experienced a state of emergency was in 1962 when the then prime minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa proclaimed emergency rule in the troubled Western Region.

When he declared the proclamation, he ordered the removal of the then premier of the Western Region, Chief Samuel Akintola and the appointment of Dr. Moses Majekodunmi, then the Federal Minister of Health as Sole Administrator.

Chief Obafemi Awolowo the leader of the Action Group and of the opposition in the federal parliament railed against the decision, describing it as a dangerous precedent.

had on May 18, 2004, declared a state of emergency in Plateau State following sectarian crisis that claimed hundreds of lives and left many homeless.

Awolowo’s warning/ historical precedent The highpoint of that move, was the suspension of the state governor and other democratic institutions.

"The Governor and his deputy, by this declaration will go on suspension and cease to be in charge of the affairs of Plateau State for six months in the first instance. An administrator to manage the affairs of Plateau State in the person of retired General Chris Ali is hereby nominated," Obasanjo said in his broadcast.

He also said, "The Plateau State House of Assembly also

•Shetima “A dangerous precedent is being set in this country. I warn the prime minister, who has been a faithful custodian of our constitution, to see that the precedence is not allowed to be created,’’ Awolowo said on the floor of the House of Representatives on May 29, 1969. Relatedly, former President Olusegun Obasanjo

Continues on page 45

VANGUARD, THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013 —45

State of Emergency:

The tell-tale signs in the Senate A blow-by-blow account of activities in the Senate before the proclamation of state of emergency by President Goodluck Jonathan.

BY JOSEPH ERUNKE

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HERE was no doubt that the Senate President, David Mark and other principal members of the Senate in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, were privy to the decision to proclaim state of emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states before the commencement of last Tuesday’s plenary. Any doubt was betrayed by the mood of the affected officers in the chamber while deliberation on issues of the day lasted on Tuesday.

A day before the proclamation, President Goodluck Jonathan met with the National Assembly leadership during which the issue was extensively raised. The legislators were not opposed to the move, but they raised issues on the sustenance or otherwise of democratic structures in the states.

The president, it was learnt, told Senator Mark, Speaker Tambuwal and the other officers that he would not remove the governors and state legislators but that drastic limitations in personal liberty would be done in the affected states.

The development created distraction in the chamber for over three or four minutes as there was general laughter by senators including those in the opposition political parties. The mutterings were followed with shouts of “This is majority tyranny, this is majority tyranny”, albeit, jokingly!

In seconding the motion after calm had returned, Deputy Minority Whip, Senator Ganiyu Solomon, ACN, Lagos West, said: “Mr President, I rise to say that due to the meeting senators under the most disorganized and confused party in Africa are attending, there is need for all other items for deliberation today to be deferred to another legislative day, so as to enable them go and put their house in order, so, I so second!”.

This again, threw the chamber into another round of laughter before calm could return for closing prayer to be made.

Shortly, after being led by mace bearers to his office, the Senate President led a group of the PDP senators to the closed door meeting in Hearing Room 1.

The meeting lasted for about

,

The president it was learnt, told Senator Mark, Speaker Tambuwal and the other officers that he would not remove the governors and state legislators but that drastic limitations in personal liberty would be done in the affected states

So, when the senate sat the following day, Tuesday, only a handful of senators, notably PDP principal officers were in the know. However, before the commencement of the day’s proceedings, Senate Leader, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, SAN, announced a meeting of the PDP Senate caucus immediately after the day’s session.

Of the three items on the order paper of the day, only the motion on the Lake Chad was treated, others were deferred to another legislative day on account of the PDP senate caucus that was to follow.

“Mr President, I rise to say that due to the meeting the Distinguished senators elected under the biggest political party in Africa, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, are attending, all other items for consideration today be deferred to the next legislative day”, Ndoma-Egba had moved after the consideration of the motion on Lake Chad.

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two hours and the whiff of something strange was given by the unusual reticence of even normally friendly senators. The PDP members, it seemed had been warned not to talk to reporters as the senators all kept sealed lips on the issues that transpired in the meeting, leaving only the senate leader, Ndoma-Egba with the duty of briefing reporters.

In briefing newsmen, NdomaEgba said the meeting was anchored on crisis confronting the PDP in some states of the federation especially Rivers and Akwa Ibom states, with emphasis on the feud involving Governor Rotimi Amaechi, Governor Godswill Akpabio and Senator Aloysius Etok.

He said a committee was set up to mediate in the political feuds among the politicians but was evasive on members of the committee saddled with the task.\ “We looked essentially at challenges our party was facing in some states. We looked especially at the situation in

•Ndoma-Egba: Rivers state and Akwa Ibom state between the governor, Godswill Akpabio and our colleague, Aloysius Etok.

It was decided that there was need for the Senate PDP caucus to intervene with a view to seeing how we can return the two states to cordiality and normalcy.

And to that effect we have set up committees to engage the dramatis personae in the two states, and those committees will get to work immediately”, he hinted.

He was however, evasive on the discussion of the meeting on security issues in the country as well as the speculated plan of

President Goodluck Jonathan to declare state of emergency in some parts of Nigeria to arrest insecurity until when reporters asked questions bothering on whether they did touch on recent increase in the activities of Boko Haram and cult groups and also whether President Goodluck Jonathan had formally written the Senate on the rumoured declaration of state of emergency in some states, given the latest killings of security personnel by the dreaded groups.

At this point, Egba said: “We briefed our colleagues on the engagements we had with Mr. President on the security

situation in the country. They are security matters so I won’t go into any details, but the leadership of the National Assembly has been engaging with the President on the state of insecurity and I believe that very decisive and clear measure will be in place sooner than later”.

He continued: “We haven’t received any request from Mr. President, but one thing is certain; everybody has agreed that a state of emergency as envisaged under our constitution does not contemplate the dissolution of elected structures.

So we agreed on the import, but we haven’t received any request from the President on a state of emergency. When we receive request, if it does come at all, then we will treat it on its merit”.

With the response of Senator Ndoma-Egba, it became obvious that President Goodluck Jonathan had communicated the upper chamber of the National Assembly through its head, the Senate President and that the issue was essentially what formed the convention of the PDP Senators’ meeting.

He used the occasion to comment on agitation by lawmakers of the National Assembly that they be included in the National Executive Council arm of the Peoples Democratic Party. But said the leadership of the National Assembly was still holding talk with the leadership of the party on the matter.

“Yes, there has been the clamour by the National Assembly for increased membership of it members in NEC; that has been ongoing as we are fully aware, and we are still pressing that we want greater representation of the National Assembly in the National Executive Committee of PDP”, he said.

An emergency without emergency govs Continues from page 44 by the people of the state. So are the members of the House of Assembly. It was a recognition of these facts that informed the provisions inserted in our Constitution relating to the exercise of emergency powers.’’

Till this moment, analysts have not stopped describing the replacement of the elected legislative houses and executive authorities in those states as an infamous move.

That explains why the President’s decision to allow

the governors remain, seems to be attracting kudos even from his critics, despite the growing discontent over the matter.

Speaking in that regard, Human rights activist Mr. Femi Falana ,SAN, said, ‘’ President Jonathan deserves commendation for acting within the ambit of the constitution.

Unlike President Olusegun Obasanjo who illegally removed elected governors under the guise of a state of emergency, President Jonathan has not dissolved democratic structures in the affected states.

That is in order because an

elected governor can only be removed by impeachment, resignation or on ground of infirmity of body or mind and NOT through a state of emergency.’’

What the constitution says 305(1) Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, the President may by instrument published in the Official Gazette of the Government of the Federation issue a Proclamation of a state of emergency in the Federation or any part thereof.

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46 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013

By TAM FIOFORI

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HE Asaba ‘Mandela Garden of 95 Trees’ project is part of a multi-country multievent celebration to be staged in Johannesburg, London and New York as well; to acknowledge the United Nations’ decision to designate the birthday; July 18, of this great icon of leadership and racial tolerance, as an annual World Mandela Day! This development was an added incentive for Dr Jibunoh who admits that since his youth he had been inspired by Nelson Mandela.

The first phase of the project will involve the landscaping of the site using trees to contour recognisable geographical areas.

“We are going to start with 95 trees to celebrate Mandela’s birthday,” says Jibunoh. “There will be trees that will be relevant to the environment because we don’t want to import trees. It will be trees that we know will nurture well considering the kind of soil condition we have. There are some trees already in the land we are using. We have identified them and we are going to introduce similar trees to make up the initial 95 trees to be used to celebrate Mandela’s birthday.”

Explaining the further use of trees to create recognisable structures, he says that, “we are going to use trees to create the map of Africa so that when one is flying you can look down and see a map of Africa which is going to be called the Mandela Garden of 95 Trees. And within that map we are going to have South Africa decorated with trees; we are going to have Nigeria

•Jibunoh Smiles

•Mandela

Fade plants 95 trees for Mandela in Asaba because of the role Nigeria played in liberating South Africa and, then, we are going to have Robben Island.

Of course there will be bars, children’s playgrounds and a keeper’s lodge. We are going to introduce fishes into the river that runs across the site and other game that will not interfere with the airport operations since this project is within the Asaba Inter-

national Airport complex.”

The Garden project is a mix of history, the environment and tourism come together on one location. Eventually, there is going to be a giant statue of Nelson Mandela located within the site. In the second phase of a four-phase development plan, FADE in conjunction with the South African embassy in Nigeria and the South African govern-

ment intends to build a library where historical information and historical artefacts to do with Mandela will be on display!

Dr Jibunoh has suggested to Governor Uduaghan the idea of visiting Heads of State and dignitaries being taken to the Mandela Garden to perform the historical ceremony of planting a tree. “That aspect too will add to the connotation usually given

to most tourism initiatives around the world. In doing so, one would be establishing a carbon footprint in terms of adding to the environmental initiatives that we as FADE believe in,” he says.

There is justifiable hope that tourism will thrive at the Mandel Garden. “For people landing and taking off from Asaba International Airport it will be a place of entertainment for them.

It will be a place for them to go when they are waiting for their flights or when flights are delayed; where they can go and relax. And if they have children; a place where their children can play,” he points out.

And as part of a world-wide celebration, Jibunoh is confident that the Asaba Mandela Garden will be used in remembering and recalling that role Nigeria played towards the liberation of the African continent. FADE has requested the partnership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs because South Africans, the Mandela family and other countries who would be invited by the Delta State government and the Federal Ministry of Tourism are expected for the commissioning.

A giant billboard strategicallylocated in Asaba has officially announced the Nelson Mandela Garden of 95 Trees. The first phase will be ready; with restrooms, snack bars and a few playgrounds for children, for th commissioning between the 15 and the end of August 2013; depending on when all protocol arrangements have been aligned.

How show business can re-brand Nigeria

By LARI WILLIAMS

S

TAGE and Screen can spearhead the campaign of Re-Branding Nigeria but should be keenly guarded by the knowledge and wisdom of active Censors Board.

Also reviewing, reconstructing the Arts and Culture ministry will ginger fresh interest in Arts and give the Industry the credibility and vitality it needs to invite Government and Private Sector support in giving the necessary service to ReBranding Nigeria.

It is not all about cultural dances to welcome guests and dignitaries at air terminals; or home movies recycling stories of fallen Pastors preaching ‘Christ is the answer’ to the converted, Home video traders have overtaken the Entertainment Market. Now we have film makers without Film Industry, in fact most of our indigenous and pioneer film makers have been forced to retire to other forms of art.

Thanks to Ben Bruce for keeping the cinema culture going, with the showing of foreign films, which seem to be exempted from Nigeria’s Films Censoring.

The Ministry of Arts and Culture, the Censors board, Nigeria Film Corporation

and all the Stake Holders of the Nigerian Entertainment Industry, should find out and be in compromise about the existence of this one tribe Home Video click named Nollywood, Branding Half Baked actresses “Nollywood Actresses” as Nigerian Movie Stars. I have never heard of “Hollywood actresses,” nor Elstree or Pine Wood Actress, yet those places exist in America and England as studios, but here we don’t have studios or reserved areas called Nollywood yet we name exposed bossom displayed on newspaper spread “Nollywood Actress”.

Impressive camera shots Most of such characters on set, take ten shots before we get a good one. They piece them together to a make a movie and they become stars. None of such girls have the nerve or voice to project on stage through a 500 capacity auditorium. How do we build an Industry with no good stories, no impressive camera shots and no good actors. Our Universities are churning out unemployable graduates. They should be advised to train more actors, not just

theatre historians who end up looking for the Nation. This is one Industry that is so bank jobs and ‘Personal Assistant’ jobs or disorganized, it has no rules. It is free to increasing the queues of jobless gradu- admit all, touts or traders, no quality ates. The industry needs them for controls, no endowment funds, and no production. Every Stage Production needs retirement benefit. Yet the Minister find a good number of Actors, Stage Managers, time to propose five star hotels. It is now Directors, Producers, Prop. Managers, more than any other time in history of Lights, Sound Men, etc, To every movie Nigeria for the Government to mobilize Production, but where do we get them the Entertainment Industry to render this from, if they tell you they are majoring in all time service to the Nation. Yes, Nigeria Arts Criticism, Script Writing, Theatre His- needs re-branding and it could best be tory Etc. The Arts Ministry needs to turn done through Stage. attention to some of these tips to build a force that can serve this nation in producing movies of our Universities Theatre Art’s departments. Films like Oyenusi, Cry Freedom, Aiye etc. have more meaning and make more meaning to our History and Society.

The Government should support the •Artists on location Industry to serve

Vanguard, THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013 — 47

It was highly reassuring for her fans, during the book presentation, to hear her declare her love for Nigeria as she indicated that ‘Ours is ours and mine is mine’, a statement by a character in Chinua Achebe’s No Longer at Ease. According to her, “I have been published outside the country.

But it is good to be home. The readership that matters most to me is the Nigerian readers h i p . ” The simple but brilliant writer also explained that Americanah is about some factors that define the existence of so many young Nigerians who have left the country in search of greener pastures in forunlesi eign lands only to come Og lu To th wi a nd ma •Chima back several years later. Though it was not easy getting past Tolu Ogunlesi’s prying questions in relation to her personality, ideology and vision, Adiche smartly gave a befitting

By PRISCA SAM-DURU answer to them all.

“I am interested in ideas. I borrow a lot from my life. But to be a novelist S based Nigeria born writer, Chi and write good fiction, you have to mamanda Ngozi-Adichie, defended her intelligence and how well stand one step away, you are not parinformed she is about her home coun- ticipating fully,” was her modest antry, despite residing abroad, during the swer to the question of whether she is unveiling of her new novel, Ameri- not in any way, exploiting a character canah, in the presence of her fans and in Americana, Ifemelu, in her narrabook lovers, weekend, at Terra Kulture, tive of her own ‘exile’ story. The use of the word exile, did not go down well Lagos.

For the celebrated writer, life outside as she protested each time it came up Nigeria has helped her a great deal during the course of conversation with but surprisingly, she has refused to be the anchor, Tolu Ogunlesi. She, howcarried away by westernisation just as ever, explained that there is usually a some of her colleagues have. While semblance between her and her charChimamanda continues to dole out best acters but maintained that there is a selling works from the States, nothing “meaningful and professional distance seems to be separating her from iden- between her and Ifemelu”.

The manner in which Chimamanda tifying herself with African cultures, be it in her manner of dressing and speak- made her explanations which were ing. She earned for herself, additional ad- It was highly reassuring for Chimamirers as she fielded manda's fans, during the book prequestions from the audience during the sentation, to hear her declare her event.

Americanah, pub- love for Nigeria as she indicated lished by Farafina, is that ‘Ours is ours and mine is mine’ coming shortly after the release of her collection of short stories, titled, The Thing spiced several times with humour, Around Your Neck, which comes as a earned her deafening applause from bridge between Americana and her the enthusiastic audience. The show, award-winning Half of a Yellow Sun. however, took another turn when the The title Americanah, “ comes from the winner of Big Brother Africa, Ebuka, word Nigerians use for those who have who could not hide his love for Adichleft the country for the US and become ie’s works, after commending her, “Americanised” - a borderline insult. asked if she could write in her mother Adichie’s heroine Ifemelu is surprised tongue, Igbo.

Chimamanda at this juncture, could to find the term applied to her when she returns home after 15 years in the not help throwing back the same quesUS. Especially since she always felt tion to Ebuka, though humourously. ambivalent about America: the coun- She further pointed out that books writtry not only separated her from her ten in indeigenous languages may end teenage love, Obinze, who had his visa up being read by no one or very few denied, it also made her truly conscious people, due to the fact that the numof race for the first time. But upon her ber of individuals who speak these lanreturn, she and Obinze are reunited guages have drastically reduced. She and must see how their very different stressed that the Nigeria education sysexpatriate pasts affect both their rela- tem which upholds the don’t-speaktionship and their lives in a newly in- vernacular syndrome, has made matters worse. dependent Nigeria.”

Chimamanda’s Americanah

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48 — Vanguard, THURSDAY,

MAY 16 , 2013

Bits Jonathan protests marginalization by labour

Workers on Labour day

Labour laments unending misery ahead of centenary celebration

BY VICTOR AHIUMA-YOUNG

W

EDNESDAY, May 1, Nigerian workers celebrated the Workers' Day like their counterparts across the globe, besides the United States of America, USA. For Nigerian workers, this year ’s celebration was very significant because it was the last before the centenary celebration of Nigeria’s nationhood.

With the theme; “One Hundred Years of Nationhood: The Challenges of National Development”, Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and its Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, counterpart, used the occasion to reflect on the socio-economic and political developments in the country and lamented the misery workers and the masses have been subjected to.

The national addresses by NLC and TUC at the Eagle Square in Abuja, were dominated by issues of unemployment, poverty, ethnicity, corruption, insecurity, declining standard of education, decayed infrastructure, rights abuse, deprivations, erratic power, leadership failure among others that have characterized the Nigerian state.

Addressing workers and other guests including President Goodluck Jonathan, President of TUC, Peter Esele, praised Nigerian workers for enduring the vagaries and vicissitudes of national development, lamenting that the nation’s economy had impacted negatively on ordinary Nigerian in the past 100 years of nationhood.

He argued that the economic indicators as presented by government had not translated into better living standards for majority of Nigerians, but created few super rich.

According to Esele: “Since the beginning of this year, the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has repeatedly told us that Nigeria’s nominal Gross Domestic Product ,GDP, is to reach $300 billion within the year, with an annual GDP growth rate of 7.03 percent mainly driven by the non-oil sector. This is very good news. But one cannot help but ask some pertinent questions. Which are the non-oil sectors that have purportedly contributed so much to our economy? We are now in the second

quarter of the year.

“How far has the economic growth postulated by the CBN reflected in the life of the average Nigerian? How much extra naira has it put in our pockets? Has it provided more food on the table? How much impact has it had on housing, education, job creation, basic infrastructure, etc? Is it real or superficial? Is it the kind of growth that makes the rich richer and the poor poorer? “For instance, we are yet to see the return of the companies that have divested from the Nigerian economy in recent years. When shall we attract them back? Is the government doing anything or enough in this direction?

Our economy has not come to grips with the common man. It has defied all logic. Does it mean that the hallowed developmental strategies that turned the Asians countries into economic tiger nations have no relevance in this country? For hundred years we have transformed virtually nothing.

Struggling to break even “Over the years much of our infrastructure have collapsed. Many industries and business enterprises still struggle to break even due to the overly high overhead costs they incur on transportation, power generation, exorbitant demurrage at the ports, high exchange rate of the naira, multiple taxation, etc. The manufacturing sector is worst hit by these negative factors which have resulted in capacity utilisation remaining abysmally low.

Owing to these, the domestic economy has witnessed an unprecedented closure of factories and the unemployment profile has continued to rise. “The relocation of several companies from Nigeria to Ghana and other countries is indicative that all is

not well with our economy. The Bank of Ghana recently released a report that lists Nigeria as the 9th leading source of foreign direct investment in Ghana.

The list of companies that relocated include Dunlop Nigeria Plc, Michelin, etc. And as they shut down their plants, they invariably laid off hundreds of their workers and put some on half pay.

Unemployment crisis On his part, President of NLC, Abdulwaheed Omar, warned that the high rate of unemployment in the country posed serious danger to Nigeria’s stability and demanded decisive and immediate action to address it.

He said: “Official statistics put the national unemployment rate at approximately 24 per cent. As high as this rate is, it nevertheless camouflages the enormity of the unemployment crisis in the country. If unemployment and disguised unemployment were to be added to the figure, the monumental crisis will become more glaring. With an estimated 80 million youths in the total population,30 to 40 million unemployed youths constitute a veritable army of the hungry, disillusioned and an angry that can undermine the stability, security and peace of any nation if left unattended.

There is an urgent need for decisive intervention to rein in the unemployment problem. The signal of strife and insecurity today are warning banners we cannot afford to ignore.

“To overcome the problem of unemployment, Nigeria must promote strong industrial policies that recognize manufacturing as a key engine of growth and decent mass employment for the national economy. The federal government must urgently initiate a range of measures to revive and project labour-intensive industries like textiles, food and beverages, construction, iron and steel sectors, and others.”

Outgoing FES Resident Representative speaks with Vanguard THOMAS Matting, the outgoing Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, FES, Country Representative in Nigeria, is leaving the country after about four years. During his stay, he interacted with organized labour, civil society groups, politicians among others. Read about his revealing experience in Nigeria this Saturday in Saturday Vanguard.

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan did not hide his ill-feelings towards organized labour during the national May Day celebration at the Eagle Square. His grouse was the failure of labour to present him with the usual May Day uniform and described this as marginalization.

The President therefore threatened to write a strongly worded petition against the President of Nigeria Labour Congress NLC, Abdulwaheed Omar for marginalizing him. All government officials present at the May Day, including Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Chief Anyim Pius Anyim and Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, all adorned the labour May Day dress with the exception of President Jonathan.

Complaining about this development before his speech, President Jonathan said “Comrade Omar refused to give me the appropriate dress for today, Comrade Omar has therefore marginalized me.

He has repressed me and even depressed me. Since morning I have been looking for the appropriate dress for the occasion. So, I am personally going to write a big petition against him.”

Esele bids workers farewell PRESIDENT of Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, Peter Esele, has bade farewell to Nigerian workers as he prepares to step down as the President of TUC after a successful two terms Speaking at the May Day, Esele said “May I humbly inform you that this shall be my last appearance as President of the TUC at the annual May Day celebration. We are going to our national delegates’ conference in June this year, and by the grace of God, a new President of the TUC shall emerge.”

“I therefore, on behalf of my family, sincerely thank you all for your excellent co-operation in the last six years. It has been the most exciting time of my life, having to lead a labour centre in the most populous black nation on earth. On this note, I humbly say that service to my fatherland has been my life.

Certainly I shall miss the scene, but I have played my part. Others will continue the good work.”

Words on placards INCREASINGLY, placards are disappearing at May Day celebrations in Nigeria even though the needs for them are increasing by the day.

However, the National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria, NUTGTWN, has continued to keep up with the placards tradition.

Below are some of the placards displayed by members during the May Day celebration at the Eagle Square.

“We proudly produced the centenary May-Day cloth.Buy made in Nigeria.

No development without peace, no peace without development. Re-open closed factories, create millions of jobs.

Textile revival forward ever. Long live democracy no to dictatorship. Labour creates wealth not poverty. Women issues are labour issues."

For Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, women commission, issues canvassed throughthe placards were “We shall shine, gender gaining momentum. Say no to violence against women and girl child. Make ending violence against women stay on top of every one’s mind.

VANGUARD, THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013—49

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50—Vanguard , THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013

Emergency rule: Textile workers commend President Jonathan

BY EMEKA MAMAH

L

AGOS — THE National Union of Textile Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria, NUTGTWN, has commended President Goodluck Jonathan for declaring a state of emergency in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states following the worsening state of insecurity in the north.

The NUTGTWN’s commendation was contained in a statement signed by the General Secretary of the union and Vice Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Con-

gress, NLC, Comrade Issa Aremu, yesterday.

The statement read: ‘’It is reassuring that the President is on duty and shares the general feelings of Nigerians on the intolerable state of insecurity in some parts of the country. ’’Indeed the presidential move only legitimises the obvious, precisely because some of these states are already in emergency given the scourge of serial violence and indiscriminate wastage of human lives there.

’’We are even inspired and reassured that the President reaffirms his abiding faith in the unity of Nigeria when he stressed that “ we have a duty to stand firm against those who threaten the sovereign integrity of the Nigerian state.

"Our will is strong, because our faith lies in the indivisibility of Nigeria”.

This reassurance rightly shuts out some emergency opportunistic warlords who verbally balkanised the republic with their divisive violent rhetoric."

....Exercise in futility— PDP chieftain

BY PETER DURU

M

AKURDI — ELDER statesman and Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, stalwart, Chief Abu King Shuluwa has described Tuesday’s declaration of state of emergency in Yobe, Borno and Adamawa states by President Goodluck Jonathan as an exercise in futility.

According to Shuluwa, it was a ‘’meaningless exercise that would serve no useful purpose.’’

Speaking in an interview with Vanguard in Makurdi, Shuluwa further queried the Federal Government’s decision to declare emergency in only three states, wondering why several other states like Bauchi, Kaduna, Kano among other hotbeds of the Boko Haram insurgency, were left out.

His words: “Jonathan

has been deploying troops to these states in the past without declaring a state of emergency, of what purpose is the declaration now when the political leaders are still in charge. ”Moreover, he mentioned several states that had problems and he did not tell us why he picked only three states and left out the others. So as it is, what happens to Bauchi, Kaduna, Kano

We lost 3 indigenes in Nasarawa — Plateau govt

BY TAYE OBATERU & HOPE OFOBIKE

J

OS —THE Plateau State Government says three indigenes of the state were among the security men who lost their lives in Nasarawa State last week.

This was even as it urged the people to remain vigilant and maintain the current peace in the state because crisis mongers unhappy that a state of emergency was not declared in the state might want to stir fresh trouble.

The Commissioner for Information, Mr. Yiljap Abraham, who briefed journalists at the end of Prof.Etinagbedia who a State Security Council led a team of “the Re- meeting, yesterday, said searchers”, the technical the three were officials of and intellectual publica- the Department of State tion of the institute to the Service,DSS, adding minister of works, Arc. that only one body had Mike Onolememen, ad- been identified and vised the minister and buried. his monitoring team to He expressed regrets always pay unscheduled over the killing of inpsection visits to en- security personnel in sure the right jobs were different parts of the done. country, saying, “ we He also urged trans- condemn the attack on port companies to always security agencies and we train their drivers before think it is disastrous to entrusting the lives of the nation if all we have passengers into their to do is to target security hands. agencies."

FG commended for near completion of Benin/Ore road

T

HE FEDERAL Government has been commended for bringing the impassable Benin Ore express road to near completion.

Director General of the Institute of Chartered Administrators and Researchers of Nigeria, Prof. Jacob Etinagbedia, who gave the commendation, yesterday, said “the road was more than 70 per cent completed and we are impressed with the finishing of the completed part on the surface.”

and the rest of them? ”The deployment of troops had been going on in these states, including Bayelsa where the Joint Task Force, JTF, has been operating without a state of emergency being declared. ”As far as I am concerned what he did has no meaning at all because it will serve no useful purpose given the nature of the declaration."

T

HE UN General Assembly has voted to pass a resolution condemning the Syrian government for human rights violations, eve as it called for a transitional government.

The measure was approved by a vote of 107 to 12, with 59 member states abstaining. That was a tighter margin than in August of last year, when 133 states voted to approve a similar resolution. Russia fiercely opposed the resolution as a potential obstacle to peace talks.

The resolution strongly condemns the government of Syrian president Bashar alAssad on two points: the escalation of heavy weapons on civilian areas, and what Qatar, which drafted the statement, calls systematic violations of human rights.

Thursday’s resolution expresses grave concern that the Syrian government is using chemical weapons, calls for unfettered access to UN investigators, and pushes again for a Syrian-led political transition, with the opposition Syrian National Coalition as the representatives of the Syrian people.

The vote came just after an announcement by Vuk Jeremic, the General Assembly president, that the death toll from Syria’s two-year civil war is at least 80,000, an increase of about 20,000 since the

UN condemns Syrian government over violence start of the year.

Navi Pillay, the UN human rights chief, said on January 2 that more than 60,000 people had been killed during the revolt against President Bashar al-Assad, which began with peaceful protests but turned violent when

government forces cracked down.

“At least 80,000 have perished since the start of the hostilities, with most of those casualties believed to be civilians,” Jeremic told the 193 members of the General Assembly before Thursday’s vote.

...France suggests EU link easing arms embargo to peace talks a

F

RANCE is floating

proposal that the European Union ease an arms embargo for Syrian rebels but delay acting on the decision to intensify pressure on Damascus to negotiate an end to Syria’s civil war, a French diplomat said yesterday.

Sweden, Austria and some other EU member states are resisting efforts by France and Britain to modify the ban to strengthen rebels fighting Syrian President Bashar alAssad.

The embargo is part of a package of EU sanctions on Syria that expires on June 1. EU

foreign ministers will discuss the issue on May 27 and it could come up at an EU summit on May 22.

The French diplomat’s suggestion that the arms embargo could be linked to the outcome of a new initiative from the United States and Russia for a diplomatic solution in Syria appears designed to win support for the FrenchBritish proposal.

It would effectively introduce a brake on the lifting of the arms embargo, allowing for it to take effect only if the proposed peace conference in Geneva next month fails.

Palestinians mark 65 years of displacement

P

ALESTINIANS clashed with Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank yesterday during demonstrations to mark 65 years since what

they call the Nakba (Catastrophe) when Israel’s creation caused many to lose their homes and become refugees.

A shell fired from Gaza,

Bombs, shooting kill 15 across Iraq

A

T least 15 people w e r e killed in bomb blasts and a shooting in Iraq yesterday, police and hospital sources said.

Ten people were killed when two car bombs exploded near government buildings in the ethnically mixed, oil-rich city of Kirkuk. Relations between Iraq’s Shi’ite, Sunni and ethnic Kurdish communities have come

under growing strain since U.S. troops left the country in December 2011.

The conflict in neighboring Syria has also put pressure on Iraq’s delicate intercommunal balance.“There were two bodies on the ground outside the building, people were shouting and mess was everywhere,” said Rawaa Rahman, a government employee in Kirkuk who was wounded in the hand.

which is ruled by the Islamist movement Hamas, exploded in an open area of Israel but caused no injuries, according to an Israeli military spokesman.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility from militants in Gaza.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is to return to the region on Tuesday in another bid to revive peace talks frozen since 2010.

But a resolution remains elusive and many Palestinians cling to a desire for refugees and descendants to return to ancestral lands now in Israel - an idea Israel rejects, saying it would spell the end of the Jewish state.

Vanguard, THURSD AY, MAY 16, 2013 — 51 THURSDA

Beware of these 12 libido killers !

Alcohol

A drink may bring about openness to sex, but too much alcohol numbs sex drive. Being drunk can be a turn-off.

Too little sleep

Fatigue and anything that messes with a good night's rest can mess with sexy feelings.

Stress

T

HIS is the No 1 culprit. Feeling sexy usually isn't on mind when coping with stress at any point in life.

Parenting

You don't lose your sex drive once you're a parent. You do lose some time to be close, though, with kids under foot. New

baby? Try sex during nap time.

sexual desire.

Medication

Poor body image

Some drugs turn down desire. Antidepressants, blood pressure medications, birth control pills, chemotherapy, antiHIV driugs

Hormone problems

Sometimes, where there is hormonal imbalance one can go through lower sex drive. The "T" hormone, testosterone, fuels male sex drive. As men age, their T levels may drop a bit,but not all lose

Kidney infection: Iyke Osuji at death’s door

BY CHARLYNE IKPE

I

YKE Osuji, who hails from Emekuku in Owerri North Local Government Area of Imo State is battling kidney infection. Since he fell ill suddenly about three months ago, his health has gradually deteriorated o the extent that only a kidney transplant estimated to cost N10 million can guarantee his survival.

A medical report signed by Dr. D.C Nwaise from the Nigerian Naval Medical Centre, Lagos, confimed the diagnosis of chronic kidney disease precipitated by sepsis and requirement of a kidnet transplant surgery.

Worse still, Iyke, a graduate of the Institute of Management Technology, IMT, Enugu was his family’s bread winner before he lost his job with the banking industry.

• Iyke Osuji undergoing dialysis.

In the last three years, he had been confronted with the ordeal of burying his father, mother, younger brother and three relatives, a development that completely cleaned out his little savings, until his sudden predicament. With no help at hand and no one to turn to for any help or assistance, Iyke’s life hangs in the balance.

He is right now appealing to public spirited Nigerians to come to his aid and give him the reason to live healthily like again.

Already, a committee of friends and members of the Emekuku Town Union have opened an account on his behalf for donations to be credited on behalf of ailing Iyke. If you are moved to assist, kindly donate to Ikechukwu Franklin Osuji, 0018942937, Sterling Bank Plc., or call 08054728847, 08034501295.

Feeling sexy is easier if you like your looks. Low esteem dampens sex drive.

Obesity

When you're overweight or obese, desire often dims because you don't enjoy sex, can't perform like you want to, or are held back by low self-esteem.

Erectile dysfunction

Men often worry about how they will be able to perform sexually and that worry can drain their desire. But ED can be treated.

Depression

Being depressed can shut off pleasure in many things, including sex. Worse still,some depression drugs lower sex drive.

Menopause

For many women, sex drive dims around menopause, but it's possible to have a great sex life after menopause by tending to relationship, self esteem, and overall health.

Lack of closeness

Feeling close is a major part of desire.

Fallout from fights, poor communication, feeling betrayed, or other trust issues kill desire. Intimacy, generally, is more than just sex. Getting closer can rebuild sex drive.

COMMON SEXUAL PROBLEMS AND THEIR NOVELTY BASED SOLUTIONS (ADVERTORIAL)

W

HEN you are in a relationship, sometimes your partner will say something or behave in a manner that criticises your sexual performance or hygiene.

It could range from an observation about your mouth odour, body odour or genital odour to the way you kiss or perform in bed. When you hear such comments, does it make you mad or does it inspire you to do something about your problem? I ask you this question because your answer will determine the future of your relationship.

Sometimes relationships break up because we fail to listen when our partners make vital observations.

Men and women in relationships get so comfortable sometimes that they stop caring about the way they look, the way they dress, their hygiene and the way they perform in bed.

That is bad. The fact that a man or woman loves you does not mean that you can do whatever you want. If you want your relationship to succeed, you must be mindful of the way you act and respond to vital issues. When your partner makes an observation, take it seriously and do something about it. That is one of the best things you can do to maintain your marriage or relationship. Let us now answer a few questions from our readers.

I am using the Adam & Eve vagina tightening cream and I am tighter during intercourse. But I have another problem that maybe you can help. My husband and I have been trying for a child. It has been four years now without issue. God bless you – Ifeyinwa Hello Ifeyinwa. I am glad you like the tightening gel. it also helps with vaginal dryness. As for your fertility problems, you and your husband can start taking Repro Aid supplement. Repro Aid is a fertility supplement with complete vitamin and anti-oxidant support that promotes hormonal balance, reproductive wellness, vitality and fertility. In men, Repro Aid also improves sperm count and motility, all of which helps increase your chances of pregnancy. There is Repro Aid for Men and Repro Aid for women. So you can try it. Best wishes – Uche

I heard so much about Sex Voltz last year that I had to try it. Everywhere I go, all my friends were talking about it. I don’t have erection problems but when I took it, I sexed like a monster all night and I was easily aroused. I am impressed – Orji Yes Sex Voltz is very popular now. It is good for people with erection problems and even for people without problems who just want to improve their performance – Uche How good are penile sleeves in preventing premature ejaculation? I have tried the delay Creams (Marathon Delay Spray) for example and even though it worked, sometimes I don’t have the time to apply the cream and start waiting for some minutes before action – Roger Dear Roger, the penile sleeves are effective too. Try the Stud Extension or Mega Stretch Extension. In addition to helping you last longer, they will make your penis feel bigger and longer with pleasure nubs for female arousal – Uche I have been to your site and I like your products.

But I don’t live in Lagos. How do I shop with you? I want three feature films and two educational films.

Anyone you recommend is fine. Thanks – Amos Dear Amos, you can shop from wherever you are in Nigeria. Order online or over the phone and we will deliver to you anywhere in Nigeria. Here are movies you will enjoy. For the feature films, get Friday the 13th, Twisted Tales and Retro Lust and for the educational films, get Expanding Sexual Boundaries and The G Spot and Female Ejaculation – Uche I want a husband. Can you help – Anne Anne we have an online dating site. Register at www.zeevirtualmedia.com and you may meet someone – Uche That’s it for today. Adults in need of these treatments/ novelties can reach us on 08191978308 or 08027901621 to order or they can order online at www.zeevirtualmedia.com. Zee Virtual Media delivers to you wherever you are in Nigeria. For enquiries email us at custserv@zeevirtualmedia.com. Happy holidays - Uche Edochie, MD, Zee Virtual Media.

52—VANGUARD, THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013

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Vanguard, THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013 — 53

AFN moves golden league to P/H

T

HE Athletics Feder ation of Nigeria (AFN) on Wednesday announced the shifting of its Golden League third leg, originally scheduled for Ilorin, to the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT).

Navy Commodore Omatseye Nesiama, AFN’s Technical Director, told the News Agency of Nigeria on that the league would still hold on May 18.

Nesiama said that the shift was to allow the African Junior Championship athletes in camp at UNIPORT to participate in the league.

“The league will now hold in Port Harcourt and no longer in Ilorin because we want to give opportunity to qualified athletes at the UNIPORT camp to participate.

“We also have to consider the athletes in camp and besides, it will also contribute to their training,” he said.

He also said that any athlete caught with the performance enhancing substance at the league would be sanctioned.

According to him, the AFN was determined to get it right and ensure

that athletes achieved their best without enhancing substances.

The director, however, advised athletes participating at the league to strictly abide by the AFN code of conduct.

Nesiama said that the AFN gave the advice as a result of the boycott that occurred at the second leg of the league which failed to hold at Benin in April.

MasterCard to take 4 Nigerians to Wembley

C

ARD holders of MasterCard, official sponsor of the UEFA Champions League, will have the rare opportunity of watching the 2013 final live at the legendary Wembley.

Mastercard is running a spectacular promotion that will bring offer cardholders an opportunity to win the four tickets to the 2013 UEFA Champions League Final, in London.

Announcing the promotion, Omokehinde Ojomuyide, Market Manager, West Africa, MasterCard revealed that in addition to the four tickets to watch the Final, there are an additional 500 double tickets to watch the game at the exclusive UEFA Champions League Fan

viewing event in Lagos.

“To enter the competition, all a cardholder has to do is use his or her Debit MasterCard, the more they use their Debit MasterCard card, the more chances they have of winning,” she said.

Explaining the purpose for building exciting experiences around the football contest for Nigerians, Ojomuyide said ‘’Nigeria is very important to MasterCard and is the hub for MasterCard in Sub-Sahara Africa”, furthermore the Nigerian Government has taken bold and progressive steps to encourage cashless transactions, which aligns with our vision of a ‘World Beyond Cash’.

My election is victory for wrestling — Igali

BY SOLOMON NWOKE

T

HE newly elected President of the Nigeria Amateur Wrestling Federation (NAWF), Dr Daniel Igali has described his victory in

Tuesday’s sports federations’ election as a victory for wrestling.

Dr Igali who was, until his election two days ago, the Technical Adviser of the Wrestling Federation defeated the incumbent, Chief Austin Edeze by 7-3 polls.

MTN Football Scholarship: Nigerian Kids to enjoy scholarship abroad

BY SOLOMON NWOKE

T

ELECOMMUNICA TION giants MTN Nigeria are offering about 20 school kids between the ages of 15 and 18 scholarship opportunity of combining education and football career in its season three of MTN Football scholar tournament.

According to the organisers, the kids would be selected after weeks of rigorous training and tests in Six zones which are Port Harcourt, Lagos, Be-

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nin, Akure, Abuja and Enugu.

Ex Eagles International Segun Odegbami said yesterday at a media briefing heralding the event that the tournament would give the children an opportunity to become successful in their educational pursuit and chosen career in football.

He said also that the programme was designed in such a way that young Nigerians will develop their skills through education abroad

Appraising the conduct of the election, he said it was free and fair as he expressed gratitude to his former boss in the federation, Chief Edeze, other board members and the entire wrestling family.

He said, “the elections were very peaceful. The former president of the wrestling federation, Chief Edeze was the first to congratulate me.

I am glad because there was no rancour or bad blood. I am confident that we will work together to achieve the goals we have set for wrestling in the next four years.

“It is a victory for wrestling. I will merely continue from where chief Edeze stopped. The board has already agreed in principle that chief Edeze will remain a patron of the Nigeria Wrestling federation.''

54—VANGUARD, THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013

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Vanguard,THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013 — 55

Davis Cup: Nigeria wins

BY JOHN EGBOKHAN

N

IGERIA yesterday began its quest to gain promotion to the Davis Cup Euro-Africa Zone Group II, with a 21 victory over Botswana in Cairo, Egypt.

In yesterday’s Group D rround of matches, being played at the Smash Tennis Academy, the Nigerian team, spearheaded by Davis Cup veteran, Abdulmumuni Babalola, h ad its hands full against the Botswana team, who fought till the very last game, before losing by the odd score.

In the first singles of the day, beaten finalist at

•Atseye

the Central Bank Open, Clifford Enosoregbe won his match but in the second singles, CBN champion, Henry Atsaye was beaten by his Namibian foe, leaving scores tied at 1-1.

With the prospect of losing out on the opening day of the competition increasingly looking imminent, the duo of Babalola and Lawal Shehu salvaged the situation for the Nigerian team, with a victory over their Namibian opponents in the doubles. Their victory was enough to guarantee Nigeria a 2-1 victory over the Namibians, who are now in danger of not qualifying for the next round.

Nigeria’s second match will be against Zambia today while its squares up against Egypt in the final group match tomorrow.

The winner of the group will battle the winner of Group C for a qualification ticket to play in the 2014 Davis Cup Euro-Africa Zone Group II.

Kenya Continues from BP reports that the Nigerian football governing body, the NFF are troubled over ‘possible retaliation’ for the poor treatment they accorded the Kenyan team in March when the Eagles hosted Harambee Stars in Calabar But FKF CEO, Micheal Esakwa, while rubbishing the reports, said: “I will be writing to my counterparts in Nigeria because they need to inform us of their plans well in advance. We are not planning anything fishy.

Kenyans are hospitable people and the only method we will use to exact revenge for the treatment our team received in Lagos is on the pitch.”

Unconfirmed reports in Kenya quoted the scribe of the Nigerian Football Federation,

Musa Amadu as saying the Nigeria national football team will arrive in Nairobi hours before the highly-billed 2014 World Cup qualifier against Kenya “On June 3rd they (Super Eagles) will leave Frankfurt Germany via Amsterdam to arrive in Nairobi, Kenya on June 4th so they can have training session later that day and get ready for the June 5th qualifier against Kenya at the Kasarani Stadium,” Amadu told a local radio station.

The NFF has, however, kept its counterpart, the Football Kenya Federation (FKF), in the dark regarding this development.

M e a n w h i l e , Harambee Stars’ planned friendly match against Ghana’s Black Stars ahead of the Nigeria tie has been cancelled.

Heartland stun 3SC 2-0 in Ibadan H

EARTLAND stunned 3SC 2-0 at the Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan.

It has taken the Naze Millionaires around 1,529 days to get their first win in the Nigeria top flight.

The last time Heartland won on the road in the league was on March 7, 2009 at Enugu Rangers.

They won 3-1 on that occasion.

Heartland petite winger, Jolly Osas, netted just inside three minutes of the kick off.

3SC then huffed and puffed but the Cup holders put the chink in their armour through an insurance goal from Ebere Odiche with just 20 minutes left to play.

Heartland are now second on the log with 20 points, two behind tabletoppers, Kano Pillars.

Kano Pillars kept their spot at the summit of the standings with a 3-1 win over Nembe City.

Rabiu Ali, Nasiru Ali and Buhari Musa were among the goals in Kano as the champions moved two points clear at the top.

In the early kickoff of the day, Reuben Ogbonna struck late from a direct free kick to give ElKanemi Warriors a 1-0 win over Sunshine Stars.

Heartland defender, Olowo in action

Navy football competition ends in said the Oghara Commanding, Oghara closed, championship was aimed

T

HE Nigerian Navy Logistics Command Oghara Football team at the weekend defeated their counterparts from the Headquarters, Logistics Command Port Harcourt 3-1 in one of the matches in the Intra-Command football competition held at the Oghara Township Stadium, Oghara.

Flag Officer

Mikel, Moses

Continues from BP preparing for two 2014 Fifa World Cup Qualifying matches in June before travelling to Brazil to participate in the 2013 Fifa Confederations Cup. The Super Eagles will count on its English Premier League stars to lead the way, including Chelsea midfielders John Obi Mikel, and Victor Moses, one of the top wingers in European soccer.

The duo will lead a contingent of nine players from the Nigeria Professional Football League called up for the game. Three of the players are picked from Sunshine Stars.

In addition, Keshi called in two players based in the German Bundesliga, two from Serie A in Italy, two from the Scottish Premier League and two from the Portuguese Liga.

Mexico is expected to release its roster in the coming days.

Mexico and Nigeria have met three times with a 1-0-2 record in favor of Mexico. The two teams last met in October of 2007 in an international friendly, with the match ending in a 2-2 tie at the Estadio Olimpico Benito Juarez in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua.

Headquarter Logistics Command, Rear Admiral Abdu Shettima, who declared the competition

at bringing together all the units under the Headquarters.

Delta FA honours Ecobank with Platinum Award bril Aku, who received the

E

COBANK Nigeria Limited has been awarded the Delta State Football Association’s Platinum Award for Excellence. The award is in recognition of the bank’s constant support and contribution to the development of grass root football in the state.

Managing Director of Ecobank Nigeria, Mr. Ji-

award on behalf of the bank, said he was happy to partner with the state in the hosting of the Delta State Football Association tournament. He recalled that the tourney has produced several African Cup of Nations (AFCON) Champions like -Sunday Mba, who scored Nigeria’s winning goal at the last Cup of Nations.

F/Eagles Continues from BP champions Brazil, who incidentally failed to qualify for the FIFA U20 World Cup in Turkey next month, on June 4.

Their final group game is against Portugal on June 6.

Interestingly, the Flying Eagles will open their 2013 World Cup quest on June 21 in Kayseri against the Portuguese.

In 2011, Nigeria held Portugal to a goalless draw in Lisbon, before

they lost to the same team 2-0 in a pre-World Cup tournament in Panama.

Portugal will go on to reach the World Cup final, where they lost to Brazil.

The Flying Eagles will also face Belgium on June 2.

Group A has United States of America, Colombia, Congo DR, France and South Korea, who are also in the same World Cup group with Nigeria.

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VANGUARD, THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013

F/Eagles draw Brazil, Portugal N

We’ll punish Eagles — Kenya F

OOTBALL Kenya Federation is worried over Nigeria’s continued silence on Super Eagles’ itinerary for the return leg of the 2014 World Cup qualifier between the Harambee Stars of Kenya and the Super Eagles.

More worrisome to the Kenyan authorities are Continues on Page 55

IGERIA U20 team have been drawn against Brazil and 2013 World Cup rivals Portugal in this year ’s Toulon International tournament, which kicks off May 28.

The Flying •Obuh Eagles are in Group B of the 10-team in Panama preparatory tournament and kick off to the 2011 World Cup in their campaign on May Colombia, where the 29 against defending Flying Eagles reached champions Mexico. the quarterfinals.

Nigeria lost 4-1 to They battle world Mexico in another Continues on Page 55 invitational tournament

Chelsea win Europa Cup C

•Keshi

Mikel, Moses to lead Eagles against Mexico

N

IGERIA coach Stephen Keshi has announced his 25-man team for the May 31 international match against the Mexican

•Mikel

national team at the Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas.

Nigeria, the current African champions, are Continues on Page 55

QUICK CROSSWORD

Sudoku TODAY'S

PUZZLE

Chelsea players celebrating after their victory last night.

HELSEA FC of En gland last night beat Benfica of Portugal 2-1 to win this year ’s Europa Cup. Torres scored in the 59th minutes but Benfica levelled through a penalty taken by Oscar Cardozo.

A stoppage time header by Ivanovic won Chelsea the cup at the Arena in Amsterdam.

It was a memorable moment for their interim manager, Rafa Banitez who is giving way to Mourinho to return to Stamford Bridge.

He was jeered when he was appointed but he said results would speak for him.

YESTER DAY'S YESTERDAY'S

ANSWERS

ACROSS 4 Nativity (5) 7 Meal (6) 9 Vase (3) 10 Fellow (3) 12 Expiate (5) 13 Dregs (4) 15 Shelf (5) 17 Maintain (6) 19 Stagger (4) 20 Skirmish (5) 22 Youth (3) 24 Wished (7) 27 Gear (3) 28 Wear (5) 31 Clutch (4) 33 Poured (6) 35 Correct (5) 37 Fly (4) 38 Strand (5) 39 Gratuity (3) 41 Breach (3) 42 Uproar (6) 43 Seraph (5)

DOWN 1 Refuge (6) 2 Beg (6) 3 Marry (3) 4 Boast (4) 5 Bury (5) 6 Offered (8) 8 Part (4) 11 Careless (9) 14 Toboggan (4) 16 Expensive (4) 18 Ogle (4) 21 Effort (8) 23 Consider (4) 25 Location (4) 26 Sketched (4) 29 Loathsome (6) 30 Fourscore (6) 32 Canal-boat (5) 34 Revise (4) 36 Repast (4) 40 Whelp (3)

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS ACROSS: 1, Sham 4, Off 6, Grip 9, Lad 10, Invented 11, Apex 14, Bad 16, Realm 19, Mediated 21, Refer 23, Detested 24, Stuck 27, Rod 31, Wile 33, Practice 24 Tee 35, Seep 36, Due 37, Pump.

How to Play Sudoku

THE VIGILANTE

DOWN: 2, Hand 3, Mien 4, Outdated 5, Fade 6, Glade 7, Rap 8, Ideal 12, Amass 13, Adieu 14, Bar 15, Defer 17, Acute 18, Moody 20, Detonate 22, Red 25, Trite 26, Creep 28, Sped 29, Step 30, Scum 32, Lee.

e-mail: rowolove@yahoo.co.uk

P

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

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

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

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