BOKO HARAM: Senate angry, sends Mark to Jonathan

...towards a better life for the people

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VOL. 25: NO. 62233

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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014

SYNAGOGUE: 67 S/Africans died — Zuma

>>9

BOKO HARAM:

Senate angry, sends Mark to Jonathan

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru & Joseph Erunke

A

BUJA— THE Sen ate, yesterday, canvassed tougher and full scale measures to end the Boko Haram insurgency. It said that the sect has declared war on Nigeria.

The senators, who resumed from their twomonth vacation, expressed dissatisfaction with how the war was being prosecuted and mandated the Senate leadership to meet with President Goodluck Jonathan and service chiefs to hammer out better strategies Continues on Page 5

•Says Nigerians are frustrated, helpless •Wants tougher sanctions against insurgents •Boko Haram installs new Emir in Bama

COLUMNISTS:

A tale of two nations

•P.17

MUTINY: Jonathan's non-negotiator •P.19 and...

Security operatives with a sniffer dog at the Synagogue Church of All Nations in Lagos, yesterday.

Fighting Ebola: Between irrational fear and...

•P.19

This serial adulterer won’t leave me alone•P.39

Building collapse, regulation and •P.24 control

TUC, NBA decry death sentence on soldiers >>13

FG defends $9.3m cash seized in S-Africa

Mr & Mrs

•Opens diplomatic talks on seizure •Jet back in Nigeria as FG releases data •No hands in arms deal — Oritsejafor

See story on Page 8

UNEP REPORT ON OGONI:

It's time for action — FG >>55

Tension mounts over sale of Greater Nsukka Water pipes See 8-page Pull-out Inside

2 — V ANGU ARD, WEDNESD AY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014 VANGU ANGUARD, WEDNESDA

C M Y K

VANGU ARD, WEDNESD AY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014 — 3 ANGUARD, WEDNESDA

4 — V ANGU ARD, WEDNESD AY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014 VANGU ANGUARD, WEDNESDA

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014 —5

POCKET CARTOON

AGM—From left: Managing Director, Olanrewaju Jaiyeola, Chairman of Board, Dr. Oba Otudeko, Company Secretary; Oluwayemisi Busari and NonExecutive Director, Obafemi Otudeko, all of Honeywell Flour Mills Plc at the Fifth Annual General Meeting of the company at the Civic Centre in Lagos, yesterday.

Senate angry, sends Mark to Jonathan BOKO HARAM:

Continues from Page 1 to checkmate the insurgents.

Senator Mark, in his welcome speech said actions of the Boko Haram sect are a complete declaration of war geared towards undermining the nation's sovereignty.

Meantime, the Senate has referred President Jonathan’s $1 billion loan request to fight insurgency to its committees on Foreign, Finance, and Local Debt to report back within one week.

Senator Mark in his speech also said the Senate was waiting for Mr. President’s action on the

report of the just concluded National Conference which was convoked to discuss and suggest ways of resolving perceived structural defects in the polity.

The Senate President further tasked the President to ensure the 2015 Appropriation Bill gets to the legislative chamber before the end of the month to enable the lawmakers pass it into law before January 2015.

He noted that the escalation of violence and the heinous crimes being carried out on daily basis by the insurgents including the declaration of a caliphate had reached alarming pro-

LIFEWORDS

BY PASTOR ITUAH

It is the well doing of a thing that attracts a well done. Do things well and they will be well done!

TAKE HEART

BY ELLA RANDLE

You can clutch the past so tightly to your chest that it leaves your arms too full to embrace the present —Jan Glidewell To live in the moment means being conscious, being aware in the present with all of your senses. It means not dwelling on the past, nor being anxious or worrying about the future.

When we concentrate our attention on the present we focus on the task at hand. We give our full attention to what we are doing and we let go of outcomes.

Seizing each moment in life allows us to prolong its value and make it more meaningful. Rather than seeking quantity of time, when we live in the moment we enjoy and savor every minute. We don’t sacrifice quality for quantity.

Of course, this doesn’t mean we don’t need to plan, set goals or prepare for the future. We can do all of these things and still enjoy each moment as it unfolds.

portions.

Meeting president, service chiefs Dissatisfied with the strategy being adopted in prosecuting the war against the terrorists, the Senate in a resolution sequel to the motion sponsored by Senate Leader, Chief Victor Ndoma-Egba, SAN, and 107 other senators, had after critically examining the ongoing onslaught against the people of the North-East by Boko Haram, mandated the Senate President to meet with President Jonathan to discus better tactics on how to tackle the insurgency.

In the motion tagged: Threat to National Sovereignty and Territorial integrity of Nigeria by insurgents, the senators expressed worry that the security situation in the North East states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa had continued to deteriorate despite the imposition of state of emergency in the said states.

The Senate had equally observed that in the last two months while the National Assembly was on its annual recess, the nation witnessed unabated loss of lives and damage to property in what it noted was increasingly challenging the security agencies in the affected states.

The Senate expressed concern that the insurgents purportedly carved out some local govern-

ment areas in Borno and Adamawa states and declared same as Caliphate under their control just as it expressed concern that the level of regrouping of the insurgence was becoming alarming.

The Senate President, while reacting to the concern of senators said: “We have to find a solution to it, back the military, mobilize as much as we can, bring back all our war resources together so that we can prosecute this war. There is no way in which we are just going to say that this is exclusively to one section of this country.

No, and I don’t think that is the thinking in any quarter.

“Unfortunately, we are not satisfied with the way the war has been prosecuted so far. We want a better strategy, we want a very concise, very precise statement that can give directions on how we are going to prosecute this war and end it as quickly as possible.

“It is not the question of election. Election is not even on the table now. So I agree that what is happening now is a challenge even to our legitimacy in this chamber because if they have gone far by saying that they have declared a caliphate, then any senator or member who is from there is no more entitled to be in this chamber.

“And these people can forcefully begin to take some people out of this chamber, and then the legitimacy of our own existence here is seriously challenged. There are so many issues that will arise as a result of what Boko Haram is doing. It started like a joke but it has gone far beyond that now.

“All of us here cannot go and wear uniform and take rifle and fight. It is the Armed Forces that are going to do the fighting for us but all of us here have roles to play in executing this war. Let me say without any doubt at all, that the nation is at war, that is the issue.

So it is not about whether it is Boko Haram or not Boko Haram. There is no difference between the situation in the North East now and if any other country had declared war on Nigeria.

“My suggestion here is: How do we prosecute this war because there is a real war for us, whether it is on one section of the country or it’s covering the whole country. So, once a nation is at war, the entire nation will have to move all its resources and war efforts, whether it is refugee, whether it is medical or anything at all.

“So, indeed, there is no

doubt in my mind that what the Boko Haram is doing now is that they have declared war on Nigerians. It is true we didn’t recall the Senate but you are aware that we directed the Senate Committee on Defence to meet with Service Chiefs when we were on recess so that we can get a proper briefing.

“We have a dilemma on our hands here because there is a limit to what we can say here in plenary and what we can discuss in a closed-door session.

So, we have to be a bit careful.”

Insurgency in North East can affect 2015 elections Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu warned that if drastic action was not taken to tackle headlong the activities of Boko Haram, it would derail the 2015 elections.

Senator Ekweremadu stated that Section 180 of the constitution provides that “if the Federation is at war in which the territory of Nigeria is physically involved and the President considers that it is not practicable to hold elections, the National Assembly may by resolution extend the period of four years mentioned in Sub-section 2 of this Section from time to time, but no such extension shall exceed a period of six months at any one time.”

Furthermore, Ekweremadu said: “If we don’t resolve the problem in the Northeast, we may not have elections in 2015 because Section 180(3) of the Constitution says if the country is at war, there may not be elections. Of course, the country is at war now.

Democracy is being rolled back in Northeast. It is very important as the Senate to take a firm stance to resolve this problem.”

Also supporting Ekweremadu’s position, the Deputy Senate Leader, Senator Abdul Ningi wondered why the

country would be facing serious security threat from the Boko Haram sect and some people were going on with political activities.

In apparent reference to the ongoing rally by the Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria, TAN, Senator Ningi, who represents Bauchi Central on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP said, “Section 2 of the Constitution says Nigeria shall be one indivisible nation. Many houses and villages are no longer parts of this country. Fighting this war is more important than any other thing.

There should be suspension of electioneering activities until these wars are over. People are so disturbed and have been disenfranchised and some areas are no longer part of this country...All electioneering activities should be suspended until this war is over.”

Senator Bello Tukur representing Adamawa Central said: “It took Boko Haram less than 10 days to move into five local governments. The problem we have now I believe is the lack of understanding of security agencies on how Boko Haram is operating. I have interacted with some people and they said the number of Boko Haram people operating in that area is not more than 100 and yet they are able to chase the military away.”

Boko Haram installs new Emir in Bama Senator Ali Ndume representing Borno North disclosed that the sect, on Monday, installed another Emir in Bama, a development he said was an affront on the sovereignty of the country.

Senator Ndume noted that when the Boko Haram sect started its operation, the number of members was not up to

Continues on Page 6

6—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014

AFDB & CME TOUR ABIA—From left: Country Director, African Development Bank, Mr Ousmane Dore, The Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi OkonjoIweala; Abia State Commissioner for Land, Mr. Eboh Ihekwereme Okorie; Commissioner for Works, Emeka Longman Nwachukwu and Commissioner for Environment, Chinwe Nwanganga briefing the press after the AFDB team and Minister of Finance tour of Abia State erosion sites

BOKO HARAM: Senate angry sends Mark to Jonathan Continues from Page 5 100 and the members did not have AK47 that was available to the Nigeria’s security forces with many battalions but the country was not serious in fighting the insurgents.

He said: “Yesterday in Bama, a new emir was installed by the Boko Haram. Recently, we reluctantly under your leadership (Mark's)and I will say maybe, under your influence or instruction, conceded to the third or fourth state of emergency. The reason then was that if we didn’t approve the state of emergency, the situation then would get out of hand. Would it get out of hand than what it is today? In those days, when we approved the first and second state of emergency, our soldiers were not running away, but the story before us today is that our soldiers are forced to abandon their duty posts not only to run back to their headquarters, but to move in to another countryCameroon.

“We all know that Cameroon, as a country is not more than Lagos and Ogun states combined. So that means their strength cannot be more than Lagos and Ogun. And we have the army strength of more than 100,000 and I strongly believe that these Boko Haram members, even with the conscripted ones cannot be more than 10,000. But if you see the things that they did when they took

over Gwoza, from the report I received, you would not imagine that the act was perpetrated by such insignificant number of insurgents.

“These Boko Haram boys, initially, many of them didn’t have even guns. I know you don’t send a soldier to any assignment without at least an AK-47. So if less than 100 people with less than 100 AK-47 would chase away 500 soldiers with AK-47, abandoning their APC, ammunition and everything, then you should know that something is wrong.”

Mark’s speech

In his speech, Mark said among others: “The escalation of violence and the heinous crimes daily perpetrated by insurgents and terrorists including the declaration of a Caliphate has reached alarming proportions. Regrettably, the Boko Haram sect, these harbingers of death have become more emboldened and daring, killing innocent Nigerians and destroying property at will.

“From abductions, kidnappings and bombings, the situation has now degenerated to capturing and occupying some parts of Nigeria. In what is obviously intended to humiliate us as a sovereign nation and test our resolve, the terrorists have brazenly hoisted their flags to confirm their assault and affront on our collective will as a nation.

“My dear colleagues, to put it otherwise is to shy away from the truth. In my candid opinion, the Boko Haram sect has in no unmistakable terms declared a total war on Nigeria and Nigerians.

Their ideology is alien to our culture. We must as a people and nation handle this situation with all the seriousness it deserves.

“I have consistently advocated dialogue as the needed panacea to this malaise. Sure, dialogue must not be ruled out but this time around, with this scale of warfare, we must first demonstrate our strength, confront and defeat these terrorists and insurgents before we resort to dialogue.

“I am yet to come to terms with what the Boko Haram Sect actually wants. And I dare ask: What offence has the Chibok girls or any other school child, a market woman or artisan struggling to earn a living committed that he or she deserves to be felled and decimated daily by the bombs and arsenals of these insurgents?

“This war has certainly come to our door-steps. As Senators of the Federal Republic, destiny has entrusted us to be at the helm of affairs today. We must all rise to the current challenge. The government must be supported fully by this Senate to confront the challenge head-long.

“Therefore, we must devise a better strategy to win this war at the earliest possible time. We must come out with clear, concise and unequivocal mis-

sion statement on how to win this war.

“As I have repeatedly said, we must as a matter of urgency, fish out the financiers of these terrorists and all collaborators wherever they are, and bring them to book. My appeal to you, my bosses, is to continue to provide the necessary legislative framework that is needed to win this war.

“Except to pretend and say otherwise, Nigerians are frustrated and presently appear helpless over the unfolding events.

They watch in total disbelief and shock at the activities of the Boko Haram.

“But we must reassure them that they are not alone in this. We are indeed doing all we can to protect and secure their lives and property. As a responsible government, we will not tolerate this subversion of our sovereignty.

“It is reprehensible and totally unacceptable. The life of every Nigerian is very important to us and must be held sacrosanct.

Total security is sine qua non to our existence.

“Obviously, these are trying times. We must not, under any circumstances, play politics with our collective security. This is not the time to wilfully castigate or criticize our armed forces and security operatives. We must not trade blames or pass the buck.

“We must not stand divided along any real or perceived fault lines. We must not abandon the dreams of our founding fathers and their belief in one united, indivisible

and indissoluble democratic nation. We must not condone religious intolerance.

“We must not cave in to the rigid and bigoted views espoused by these terrorists. We must not succumb to intimidation, blackmail and threat under any extremist ideology.

“This is the time to stand united, rally round and encourage our armed forces and security operatives. They are our dear compatriots who have chosen to lay down their lives so that we all may live in peace.

“This is the time to give them maximum support so that they will be motivated to prosecute and win this needless war in the shortest possible time.

We must also mobilize all our war efforts and resources. This nation is greater than these evil merchants.”

On Ebola The Senate President further said that another issue that was of great national importance was the outbreak of the deadly Ebola Virus Disease, EVD. He said: “Another issue of grave national and international concern is the unfortunate outbreak of the deadly Ebola Virus. As if the man-made peril posed by insurgency and terrorism was not terrible enough, a new molecular peril with a potentially more profound lethality arrived from neighbouring Liberia in July.

stitutions to make adequate arrangement to ensure that the Ebola Virus does not in any way spread within the precincts of their schools and put the lives of our children in danger.

“Our hearts go out to the valiant health workers and caregivers who are consistently battling to contain the spread of this disease. We commend the Federal and State governments for the prompt and decisive actions they have so far instituted to stem the spread.

“It is imperative to commend the late Dr. Stella Ameyo Adadevoh, Consultant Physician, for her bravery. But for her being proactive, the late Patrick Sawyer would have spread the virus beyond our imaginations.

“She is indeed a heroine. She deserves a national posthumous honour, and should be duly recognized and honoured by this nation. I pray that God Almighty grants her soul, and those of other caregivers who paid the supreme prize, eternal rest.

“We commend the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) for calling off its strike action. I did intervene on your behalf, my distinguished colleagues, while you were on recess.”

Senator Mark said there was an opportunity beckoning on the 7th Senate to make history and keep a date with destiny, adding that the current legislative agenda contained so many crucial items which could fundamentally reshape our country.”

Sawyer was irresponsible — Mark

Legislative calendar

“Although our customs forbid us from speaking ill of the dead, I must say, I deplore the conduct of this vile and irresponsible visitor, Patrick Sawyer. His condemnable action has left a huge burden and everlasting scar on the nation.

“However, what is reassuring is that government has been able to contain further spread of the epidemic. One useful lesson from the outbreak of the Ebola Virus is that Nigerians are now more conscious of their personal hygiene.

“This notwithstanding, Government at all levels must now leverage on this preventive measure to check further spread.

What this ultimately calls for is good and implementable health care delivery system in Nigeria.

“As schools resume for the new academic session, it is incumbent on all heads of educational in-

He also spoke on other tasks before the legislators.

“We have on our legislative calendar the Petroleum Industry Bill, Pensions Reforms (Amendment) Bill, Customs (Amendment) Bill, Immigration Repeal & Re-enactment) Bill, Public Procurement Act (Amendment) Bill, Proceeds Of Crimes Bill, National Automotive Industry Development Plan (Fiscal Incentives and Assurances), FCT. “Area Council (Political Structural) Bill, National Health Bill, Labour Institutions Bill, Bio-Safety Management Bill, Agricultural Processing Zones Bill, further review of the Electoral Act, harmonization of the Senate and House positions on the proposals for the further amendment of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), and consideration of the 2015 budget estimates, amongst others."

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014—7

How I abandoned my husband, 3 children and ended up a robber — Suspect

By Esther Onyegbula

L

AGOS— OPERATIVES of the Special Anti Robbery Squad, SARS, Ikeja, Lagos have smashed a syndicate, arresting a woman and a man that specialised in robbing unsuspecting passengers who board commercial cab along Badagry-Mile 2 route.

According to Police sources, the suspects identified as Ahmed Isiaka and Victoria Amodu are part of five-man robbery gang operating along Seme-BadagryMile 2 route.

One of the apprehended robbers, 27-year-old Victoria, while narrating her story said: “I was arrested last Wednesday at Dakar Hotel in Seme where I used to work as a prostitute.

"I am from Edo State. I came to Lagos last February to look for greener pastures when my husband was constantly beating me. We were married for eight years.

"I abandoned my husband and three children and came to Lagos with the intention of living under the bridge until I found a place to lay my head. Fortunately for me, I didn’t have to sleep under the bridge as I met a lady in a commercial bus I boarded who had compassion on me when she saw me crying in the bus.

"She took me to the hotel where she was working as a prostitute and introduced me into the league of prostitutes.

"Everything was going on well until Okanlawon patronised me in the hotel. The first time we spent the night together. After that night I didn’t see him again untill three weeks later.

"Weeks later, someone stole my N100,000 from my room in the hotel while I was asleep. While I was still lamenting the loss, the collector of our Esusu contribution disappeared with my N150,000.

"As I was still grieving over the loss, Okanlawon came to the hotel to see me. He told me to accompany him to a night club.

Initially I declined but after much persuasion I followed him.

"Instead of going to the club, he took me to his place where we spent the night together. In the morning, he asked me to enter the front seat of his vehicle and he started picking passengers and I asked him why he was carrying passengers but he didn’t respond.

"It was when he and his gang members attacked the passengers that I knew what he was into. I told him I didn’t want to take part in their operations. But he threatened to deal with me, saying nobody would know my whereabouts if I didn’t co-operate with the gang.

"That was why I had a rethink and continued to participate in robbery operations. The first time I participated, I wasn’t given anything while at two other times I was given N15,000 and N10,000

Calabar market women protest multiple taxation

By Emma Una

C

The suspects, Ahmed Isiaka and Victoria Amodu. respectively.”

Trouble for the gang

Vanguard learnt that trouble started for the gang after a victim whom they robbed reported the incident at the Ojo Police Division which began investigating the activities of the gang.

Ironically, the female police officer investigating the case at the division was also robbed by the gang when she boarded their vehicle while in mufti.

She was able to get details of the vehicle during the attack.

The cab was later traced to Iyana-Iba the next day when unsuspecting passengers were already boarding it.

Ahmed was then arrested while the other members escaped. The case was later transferred to SARS for further investigation which eventually led to the arrest of Victoria.

Mode of operation

The gang had two operational styles. First, they could use two operational vehicles.

One of the suspects, Ahmed would occupy the driver’s seat while Victoria, the only female suspect in the gang sits in front and another gang member at the back as unsuspecting passengers board the cab.

The other two members would sit in the back-up vehicle.

Immediately they get to a lonely place along the road, the gang members in the back-up cab would signal the driver with the passenger to stop by flashing his phone.

The driver would then pretend to be fixing his vehicle that would have suddenly become faulty. This will allow those in

the back-up vehicle to launch an attack. That way the passengers won’t suspect any foul play.

The second mode of operation is that they use one vehicle with Victoria sitting beside the driver to pick passengers without the backup vehicle.

Ahmed’s account

During interrogation, 33-year-old Ahmed Isiaka from Kwara State told Vanguard: “I was introduced to the gang by Okanlawon last November.

Other members of the gang are Nuru, Victoria and Isiaka.

"I am the driver of the operational vehicle, a Honda Accord, while Nuru used to drive the back-up vehicle, a Mazda.

"We used to operate along IyanaIba-Badagry expressway. Usually, Victoria sits at the front while another member sits at the back. I take passengers from Iyana-Iba bus stop going to Badagry. Before we get to a lonely area between Agbara and Oko-Afo the other members of the gang in the back-up vehicle would

signal me to stop.

"Immediately, I receive the signal, I would pretend like the vehicle was faulty then park and pretended to be fixing the vehicle. While this was going on, the other members would strike.

"We don’t use guns or juju to rob passengers, instead we use wheel spanner. We don’t even make them unconscious during operation. Usually we operate in the night.

Sometimes we operate in broad daylight.

"Depending on our loot, I could get as much as N10,000 from one operation. And I have participated in about four robbery operations.

"Okanlawon used to take all the phones we get from operations. Before I joined the gang I was a commercial bus driver.

"I am married with a child. I used to live at Ibafo before my rent expired and I moved to 1, Denton Street in Oyingbo.

Football coach docked for stealing

By Onozure Dania

L

AGOS—A 54-year-old football coach, Akinremi Francis, was yesterday arraigned before an Ebute-Metta magistrate’s court, sitting at Oyingbo over alleged stealing and false pretence.

The football coach, who resides at Room 120, National Institute of Sports, National Stadium, Lagos, was alleged to have sometimes in 2004, stolen the International passport of one Tobechukwu Chikezie.

The defendant, who was docked before Magistrate K.O. Ogundare, is facing a two-count charge bordering on stealing and false pretence.

The prosecutor, Cousin Adam, told the court that the defendant, who claimed to be the President of Association of Proprietors of Football Academy of Nigeria, was also alleged to have fraudulently obtained the sum of N50, 000, from Tobechukwu’s father, Emmanuel, under the pretence that he is in position to use the money to send Tobechukwu to Spain with others.

According to Adam, the offences are punishable under Sections 285 and 312 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2011.

ALABAR — NO fewer than 30 women in the Watt Market, Calabar besieged the premises of Cross River House of Assembly, yesterday, protesting against multiple taxation.

The women, who wore black clothes, carried placards with inscriptions: “Don’t use union to oppress us; Stop exploiting us” and “Women don’t pay tax”, among others.

Speaking on their behalf, Mrs Eno Ekpenyong alleged that they were paying too many taxes to agents of Calabar South Local Government Area and those of Cross River State Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Ekpeyong said the aim of their peaceful protest was to appeal to lawmakers to come to their aid.

According to her, they are paying N80 for ticket and sanitation levy daily.

She also alleged that some agents of the IRS had sealed their market premises because they refused to pay additional monthly levy of N1,120.

“We are market women, we don’t have lock-up shops, we keep our goods in the open table and sell; we are not supposed to pay tax.

“It is only those people that have lock-up shops that pay taxes; we don’t have lock-up shops and yet tax collectors won’t allow us to do our business,” she said.

Ekpeyong appealed to the state government to look into their plight to enable them return to their business.

Addressing the women on behalf of members of the state House of Assembly, Mr Alex Irek, who represents Obubra State Constituency (APC), lauded the market women for the peaceful protest.

Irek, who is the Minority Leader in the House, said that a bill to harmonise multiple taxation in the state was already on the floor of the assembly.

He said that as their representative, the assembly would do whatever was right to ensure that they paid the right taxes.

A bill to harmonise local government taxes, charges, duties and levies have already gone through first reading in the assembly.

8— Vanguard, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014

By Sam Eyoboka & Kingsley Omonobi

T

HE Federal Government yesterday opened diplomatic discussions with South African authorities on the seizure of $9.3m illegally imported by two Nigerians and an Israeli citizen to purchase arms on behalf of Nigerian security services. The Nigerian government insisted that the deal was legal.

This is just as National President of Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, whose private jet, a Bombadier Challenger 600 marked N808HG, was used to convey the money has denied any involvement in the alleged deal.

It was gathered that the Federal Government has released data and documents on the transaction process to South Africa, thereby confirming that the entire operation involving the aircraft was ‘genuine’.

Vanguard further learnt that as a result of the preliminary diplomatic talks which were convincing to the South African authorities, the private jet may have been released to the Nigerian government pending the conclusion of a comprehensive investigation

by South Africa.

According to findings, the BiFocal diplomatic talks with South Africa were both at governmental level and exchanges by intelligence services of the two nations.

Sources said the diplomacy also covered sharing of vital security information to prove that the deal was necessary.

It was gathered that the South African Government only faulted “non-declaration” of the cash by the delegation from Nigeria.

The source said: “Nigeria and South Africa are getting closer to diplomatic resolution of the row over the $9.3m transaction.

The two nations have opened discussions.

“The Federal Government has submitted relevant data and documents on the transaction to South Africa and insisted that the transaction was legitimate.

“It also clarified that the funds were neither laundered nor smuggled for any covert manoeuvres. No launderer will be audacious to fly into a country in a chartered jet with such huge cash.

“The technical details on security matters, which necessitated the deal had been availed South Africa for screening.

“Based on initial scrutiny of the documents, the Challenger Jet has been released pending conclusion of a full-scale investigation by South Africa.”

Asked why South Africa impounded the cash, the source added: “There was procedural

FG defends $9.3m cash seized in S-Africa, releases data on transaction zGovt opens talks with S-Africa on seizure zNo hand in arms deal — ORITSEJAFOR error at the airport, the team did not declare the $9.3million contrary to the aviation and Customs laws of South Africa. So, there was an oversight on the part of the delegation that went to complete the transaction.

“Nigeria is trying to complete the formality and we are confident that the cash will be released for the purpose it was meant for.”

The source added that, “Movement of cash for strategic purchase of security equipment by intelligence services is not new; it is a global trend.

The FBI, KGB, MOSSAD and others do it.”

I have no hand in arms deal —Oritsejafor Meanwhile, the National President of Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, whose private jet, a Bombadier Challenger 600 marked N808HG, was used to smuggle $9.3m into South Africa for alleged purchase of arms for the security services has denied any involvement in the alleged deal.

Denying any involvement in the use of the aircraft to smuggle money into South Africa, Pastor Oritsejafor in a statement yesterday, said the private jet has been on lease to another company, Green Coast Produce Limited since August 2 this year.

The statement signed by one Bayo Adewoye on behalf of Pastor Oritsejafor said, “the Word of Life Bible Church has been made aware of the recent media interest regarding an aircraft (Bombardier Challenger 600, Registration No N808HG) owned by Eagle Air Company in which our Pastor, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, holds a residual interest. On behalf of Pastor Oritsejafor, we can confirm that although he holds an interest in Eagle Air, the aircraft in question is not operated by Pastor Oritsejafor. The aircraft owned by Eagle Air Company, has confirmed that since 2nd August 2014, the aircraft has been leased to and is operated by Green Coast Produce Limited. This

VISIT: From left; Chairman, United Democratic Party, UDP, Osun State chapter, Prince Adesoji Adeleke; Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State; Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State; Chairman National Conscience Party, NCP, Osun State chapter, Alhaji Waheed Lawal (right) and others, during a solidarity visit to Aregbesola at the Government House. is a standard practice in the industry. Any and all enquiries in respect of the day-to-day operations of this aircraft are properly directed to the management of Green Coast Produce Limited.

A separate statement issued

by Eagle Air Company signed

by Mr Emmanuel Ohaeri also directed all enquiries in respect of the day-to-day operations of the aircraft to the management of Green Coast Produce Limited.

How plane was chartered, by Green Coast Produce In its own response, Green Coast Produce Company Limited, in a statement signed

by Dr Shima Adun said, “A Bombardier Challenger 600 aircraft Registration No N808HG was leased to us, Green Coast Produce Company Limited, on the 2nd of August 2014. We have since that time been running and managing charter services with the aircraft in accordance and compliance with global best practices. On the 5th of September 2014 the aircraft was hired from us by a John Ishyaku. The charter to John Ishyaku was upon the following documented terms: z Depart AbujaJohannesburg on the 5th of

September 2014; zReturn to Abuja on the 6th of September 2014; zTo wait and return with the passengers.

“The said terms are normative within the industry.

“As with every other aircraft charter company, our knowledge of the cargo carried on the aircraft was in accordance with the information provided by ABC Limited. All cargo were accompanied by passengers who could readily defend the contents. We are not and can not be privy to any alleged extraneous cargo transported on the aircraft other than that declared in the agreed terms of hire. We are not liable and cannot be construed as a party to any alleged infractions, either in Nigeria or South Africa as the case may be, after the hire of the aircraft.

“We issue this statement without prejudice to any statutory or commissioned investigation being conducted or to be conducted in South Africa or Nigeria.

Plane left Abuja Sep 5 According to reports, the jet departed Abuja on Sept 5th and when it arrived South

Africa, Customs officers became suspicious when the passengers’ luggage was unloaded and put through the scanners. The officers then investigated and found three suitcases full of cash.

The passengers then told Custom officials that they were acting on behalf of the Nigerian intelligence service and provided documentation confirming they had come to South Africa to buy weapons for the Nigerian Security Services.

Spokesperson of the South African Revenue Service (SARS), Marika Muller in a statement said the money was seized at Lanseria airport, north-west of Johannesburg.

The statement said “the passengers’ luggage was searched after Customs officials detected irregularities. The money was detained as it was undisclosed/undeclared and above the prescribed legal limit”.

The funds are being held at the central bank as police investigate, SARS spokeswoman, Marika Muller said.

Also, South African airport security spokesman Solomon Makgale confirmed that a police investigation was going on but declined to give further details.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014 —9

EBOLA: NAFDAC to prosecute Ewedu cure claimer

By Chioma Obinna

L

AGOS—The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, yesterday said it will arrest and prosecute a Nigerian Professor of Ophthalmology at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, for what it described as unverified cure claim for Ebola Virus Disease, EVD, using native vegetable, Ewedu.

Meanwhile, the Agency has quarantined over 104 brands of sanitisers even as it arrested three Nigerian businessmen for alleged importation of expired hand sanitizers and fake Ebola test kits into the country.

Making these revelations in Lagos, the Director General of NAFDAC, Dr. Paul Orhii said the various pronouncements by some medical and pharmaceutical professors at these precarious times in the history of the country were more dangerous.

Orhii, who lamented the psychological trauma Nigerians have gone through in the last couple of weeks warned that the case of the professor at LUTH will serve as a serious warning to other Nigerians intending to mislead or cause panic through such bogus claims.

“One consequence of these unsupported and possibly fraudulent claims is that people may be misled into a false sense of invincibility on account of eating Ewedu or bitter kola and drop their guards. This is a national embarrassment and the Agency will not take such uncorroborated claims by supposedly learned people lightly,” he stated.

“These professors should not be patronised by Nigerians. Anybody who claims to have a cure for Ebola should come to NAFDAC, the Ethics Committee or the Treatment Research Group set up by the Federal government than causing more panic in the country. ''NAFDAC will immediately arrest and prosecute any Nigerian making such unverified claims as that could mislead the public.''

SYNAGOGUE: 67 S/Africans died, says Zuma ...Woman ‘resurrects', walks out of debris

By Adekunle Aliyu & Evelyn Usman with Agency Report

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OUTH Africa’s President announced Tuesday that 67 of his compatriots were among scores of worshippers killed in the collapse of a popular and controversial Nigerian megachurch.

Declaring his nation in grief, Jacob Zuma said he was “greatly saddened to announce that 67 South Africans died and scores of others sustained injuries,” when a church hostel building collapsed in Lagos on Friday.

The tally of South African dead exceeds the previous toll of 62 thought dead in the disaster, a grim signal that the number of fatalities is likely to rise.

Rescuers say the church’s hostel — which housed Nigerian and foreign followers of a preacher and televangelist, T.B. Joshua — had been overburdened by the construction of additional floors.

The goateed preacher initially claimed that only a few people were injured and then suggested that a low-flying aircraft was responsible for the collapse.

On Tuesday he tweeted: “Hard times may test me, they cannot destroy me.”

Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency’s Ibrahim Farinloye said that much about the incident remained unclear.

The church known as The Synagogue “hid so much information from us, and (this is) the cause of frustration for rescuers,” he said.

Dubbed “The Prophet”, Joshua claims to have foreseen the Malaysian Airlines MH17 plane crash, the Boston marathon bombings and the results of Nigerian football matches.

He counts presidents and prime ministers among his flock, giving him considerable political clout.

Former Malawian head of state Joyce Banda, who has described Joshua as her “spiritual father,” said Tuesday she was “deeply shocked” by the accident “It’s unfortunate that people lost their lives while praying,” she told AFP. According to Joshua’s website, three of the church’s previous buildings were also destroyed.

“The roof of the first church was blown off by a storm, the second church was washed away by a flood while the third church also collapsed due to severe weather conditions.”

- A nation grieving Late Tuesday rescue workers

Prophet T.B. Joshua were still sifting through the rubble of the church’s hostel, hoping against hope to find survivors.

Their prayers were answered earlier in the day when a woman was rescued and was able to walk away with just a broken wrist.

The discovery prompted emergency workers to slow down their digging in the wreckage of the guesthouse.

But for many others, there will be no dramatic and happy exit.

Rescue efforts that have so far saved the lives of 133 victims are scheduled to end on Wednesday.

“We have reached a critical stage now and more survivors are likely to be brought out of the rubble,” Farinloye said.

At least five South African church tour groups were at The Synagogue at the time of the collapse, according to South African officials.

“Not in the recent history of our country have we had this large number of our people die in one incident outside the country,” Zuma said in a statement to the nation.

“The whole nation shares the pain of the mothers, fathers, daughters and sons who have lost their loved ones. We are all in grief.”

Zuma said he had ordered government departments to help family members get to Nigeria to identify the bodies of their loved ones and repatriate the remains as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, disclosed that the death toll hit 63 yesterday with the recovery of additional 14 corpses, even as relations of victims were barred from entering the Isolo General Hospital wards to ascertain whether their loved ones were on admission. The relations were asked by health workers to

South African President, Zuma obtain clearance from SCOAN before they could be allowed in.

The National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, said yesterday that the 63rd body was recovered at 8.15pm adding that sniffer dogs aided yesterday’s recoveries.

However, in a clear case of providence at play, a woman reportedly walked out of the debris of the collapsed building all by herself at about 2 am yesterday, with only a broken wrist. This brings the total number of survivors to 131. Besides, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, SON, yesterday said it had commenced investigation into the quality of the materials used for the collapsed building. The organisation said it had been able to identify manufacturers of the building materials used for the construction, adding that the next step would be to ascertain whether they were of approved specification or not.

The dark complexioned woman, with an undisclosed identity, that walked out of the debris, was said to have been heard shouting in a faint voice; ‘’Thank you Jesus’’ before she was carried by some rescuers on standby into a waiting ambulance.

When Vanguard arrived the scene yesterday, members of SCOAN were seen discussing the woman’s miraculous escape from the claws of death.

The South West spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency, Ibrahim Farinloye, said the woman was the only living person among those recovered yesterday.

He said: “A woman of about 45 years old walked out of the rubble on her own around 2am today (yesterday). This brings the total of persons rescued alive from the debris to 131,while we have 62 persons dead” A breakdown of the figure so far, showed that three dead

bodies were recovered on the first day (Friday), of the collapse, with 15 persons rescued alive. Next day, Saturday, the number of those rescued rose to 124, while the dead was put at 17.

On Sunday, September 15, six persons were rescued alive, thereby increasing the number of those rescued to 130 while the death toll rose to 45.

As at the time of this report, excavation work was said to have reached the first floor, believed to have been occupied by visitors.

When Vanguard visited Isolo General Hospital, three women who claimed to have travelled all the way from Ghana, Rivers and Imo states, respectively, said they were there to ascertain whether their relatives were among those hospitalised.

According to one of the women who gave her name as Mrs Kwabena: ‘’My niece, Mrs Frimpong Komla, told us she was travelling to Nigeria to attend a healing programme at SCOAN which we usually watch on television. ‘’Since she left, nothing has been heard from her . When news of the collapse filtered in Sunday, I decided to come and check for myself because my niece is a widow and also childless. ‘’I came into Lagos yesterday (Monday) but could not locate the church until this morning. I joined some people who said they were coming to this hospital to check if their missing loved ones are here. But to my surprise, we were asked to go and get a letter from the church before we would be allowed to go inside the ward.''

SON begins investigation

Meanwhile, SON yesterday said it had begun investigation into the immediate cause of the collapsed five-storey building.

Part of the investigation, according to the organisation’s Head, Inspectorate and Compliance, Engr. Bede Obaye, was to ascertain whether the building materials used for the construction were within the standard specification.

Obaye, who made this disclosure during a visit to the scene yesterday, revealed that the organisation had been able to identify manufacturers of the materials used.

According to him: “We have come here to see exactly what happened. We have watched the clip of what happened. But beyond that, we are here to investigate the remote causes of the collapse, to look at the materials and to ask questions about the engineers and contractors that handled the project.

10 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014

Strikes cripples NNPC operations

By Victor AhiumaYoung & Michael Eboh

WORKERS of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, yesterday, made good their threat to down tools crippling operations of the corporations and its subsidiaries nationwide.

Reports across the country said the strike also affected Petroleum Products Marketing Company, PPMC, Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company, Port Harcourt Refining Company, PHRC, and Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company, WRPC, NETCO, Nigeria Gas Company, NGC, Hyson, Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, NPDC, National Petroleum Investment Management Services, NAPIMS, Integrated Data Services Limited, IDSL, and Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR. However, the management of the NNPC said it was meeting with the union leaders to resolve the pending issues.

In an interview with Vanguard, spokesperson for the NNPC, Mr. Ohi Alegbe, said negotiations were ongoing, while he expressed confidence that the issue would be resolved soonest.

He however assured Nigerians that the strike would not affect the supply of petroleum products in the country, as the corporation had huge reserve to meet the demands.

Mr. Alegbe warned against panic buying, saying “the NNPC has put in place measures to ensure steady of petroleum products, while concentrating on resolving the impasse.”

How we contained Ebola Virus — Fashola .Says Nigeria should help neighbouring countries

By Olasunkanmi Akoni & Monsur Olowoopejo

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OVERNOR BABATUNDE Fashola of Lagos State, yesterday, gave insight into how the government was able to contain the out-break of Ebola Virus Disease, EVD, even as he said Nigeria needed to assist neighbouring countries still battling to contain the EVD pandemic..

The governor spoke at the fourth Lagos Corporate Assembly tagged; ‘BRF meets Business’ at the Lekki Free Zone, Ibeju-Lekki Local Government.

He said “They (Nigeria's EVD victims) would have died in vain if we surrender to the virus. They are heroes and they must be appropriately recognised. We must continue to push forward in the fight against it. There is still problem in Liberia, Sierra Leone and others. Their population is not what we have in Nigeria especially in Lagos State. For Lagos alone, the capacity of the

state encompasses many of those countries affected by the virus.”

The governor noted that the country should be considering how it would assist the countries still battling with the virus, noting “to help them solve their crisis using the method that we have applied here. That is the leadership role Nigeria should be playing on EVD at the moment.”

According to him, this should be part of the post Ebola activities because “we have the fifth largest economy in Africa.”

On the strategy used by the state, the governor said “Without the Public health law which was passed in 2002, we would have been in trouble.

This was one of the things our partners asked immediately they arrived. The law gives the state the opportunity to arrest anyone whose health constitutes danger to others.

When we said yes, they were happy and they said that was where they started their work.

Without the law, we could not have achieved what we did.

“When cremation law was passed few years ago, some residents kicked against it. We said it was not compulsory. But if Lagos wants to retain its status and achieve more, the law is needed. The law caters for foreigners that cremating is part of their life style. We did not foresee Ebola but the laws became a veritable tool for us to curtail the spread of the virus because corpses are more dangerous than the carrier of the virus. Other states are now going to the parliament to seek the passage of the law.”

Schools resumption Meanwhile as part of measures for protection of pupils, the state government has stressed the need for stakeholders in the education sector to be knowledgeable on management of the risks associated with EVD and apply it accordingly when schools resumes next week Monday.

Commissioner for Education,

VISIT: Unilever Global Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Paul Polman (left), on a courtesy visit to Lagos State governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), during his business visit to Nigeria.

$9.3M LAUNDERING: NCAA to sanction crew over

South African arrest By awani Mikairu & Daniel Eteghe

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HE NIGERIAN Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, yesterday said that the authority would sanction any of the crew member found culpable of the $9.3 million laundered from Nigeria to South Africa.

Disclosing this to newsmen, Deputy General Manager, Public Affairs of NCAA, Mr. Sam Adurogbeye while reacting to the two Nigerians and one Isreali arrested in South Africa in connection with money laundering to the tune of

$9.3million said the matter was already under investigation by the government.

According to him, if the crew members were found culpable of the offence, they would be adequately sanctioned.

Mr. Adorogbeye said “What I can tell you now as NCAA position is that money laundering is a criminal offence. The matter is being handled at the two government levels. If at the end of investigation and the crew are found culpable, we will sanction them appropriately” A Nigerian Private Jet, a Bombardier Challenger 600, was

seized in South Africa with $9.3 million linked to the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Paster Ayo Oritsejafor.

Reuters previously claimed that South Africa police had started investigating the two Nigerians and an Israeli contractor, who were on board trying to illegally bring cash into the country, in what might have been part of an arms deal.

According to the three passengers, the money was meant for buying arms for the Nigerian security.

According to Sahara Reporters,

information allegedly provided by the Nigerian aviation authorities said one of the jets belonged to Pastor Oritsejafor while the second one was registered in the name of Felix Idiga, the owner of Jafac Aviation Limited.

It was disclosed by the South African source that Oritsejafor’s jet was released after some highranked Nigerian officials insisted that the money was approved by the government for purchase of weapons.

It was further revealed that only the Israeli contractor knew the combination locks to all the cases, which were on board.

Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye, at a sensitization meeting yesterday, with Tutors-General/Permanent Secretaries of all the six education districts in the state, the Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), and Permanent Secretary, Teachers’ Establishment and Pensions Office, TEPO, explained that the sensitization meeting was in furtherance of measures to curtail the spread of EVD among pupils and students in the state.

She said principals of public schools from the six education districts as well as education secretaries and head teachers of public schools in the state would be sensitized on the management of the risks associated with the disease today at the NUT Pavilion, Central Business Districts, CBD, Alausa, while private schools’ proprietors would also be sensitized tomorrow, also at the NUT Pavilion, Ikeja.

According to Oladunjoye, environmental and personal hygiene measures such as the training and sensitization of students, vendors, teachers and non academic staff on the virus and how to avoid it would be reemphasized for compliance.

She said “We shall also tell them to identify an EVD Focal Officer in each of the school who will be responsible for surveillance and health monitoring as well as the provision of adequate environmental sanitation, including clean toilets and premises in their school.”

The meeting, the commissioner said, would also dwell on the provision of running water and soap and the encouragement of frequent hand washing among students and pupils and the arrangement of prompt referral of any sick person to the nearest health institution for treatment.

Pyrates Confraternity cautions Meantime, National Association of Seadogs, a.k.a Pyrates Confraternity has called on the Federal Government to rethink its decision to reopen schools earlier than the initially scheduled date of late October.

NAS’ leader worldwide, Prince Ifeanyi Onochie, in a statement said: “The association regretted the decision by the Federal Government of Nigeria to reopen all schools in the country by September 22nd, 2014 as that which amounts to throwing caution to the winds in the face of the good efforts that have hitherto gone into the containment of the EVD outbreak in Nigeria.”

The association while commending the roles played by the federal government and Lagos State government in trying to contain the virus, wondered why after the federal government’s commendable reaction to the danger posed by EVD, after the meeting of the National Council on Health, announced the closure of all public and private schools until October 13th, would now want to reverse itself.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014—11

Osun Assembly passes bill for compulsory teaching of Yoruba in schools

By Gbenga Olarinoye

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SOGBO — OSUN State House of Assembly has passed a bill for the compulsory teaching of Yoruba language, Culture and Tradition in both public and private schools in the state.

Other subjects made compulsory in the new bill are; Civic Education, Physical and Health Education.

The bill was passed following a motion by the Deputy Leader of the House, Mr. Afolabi Atolagbe

and seconded by the member representing Egbedore state constituency, Mr. Abiodun Awolola.

On the policy trust of the bill tagged “Osun State Education Amendment bill 2014”, Mr. Atolagbe explained that the it was meant to promote the use of Yoruba language, culture and tradition among students.

In their separate submissions, members of the House unanimously consented to the passage of the bill, saying it would help to prevent the

language from going into extinction.

They averred that the Physical and Health Education was included among the subjects that must be compulsorily taught in schools to enhance the physical and mental alertness of the students.

In his remarks, the Speaker, Mr. Najeem Salaam, said the bill was not to discriminate against any religious practice but to promote, Culture, Tradition and Yoruba language.

While positing that the Assembly would set aside a day of its plenary that Yoruba language would be used for its proceedings and conduct of its business, Salem said it was part of measures promoting the language.

Section 18 sub section 2 of the bill states that any person being the proprietor of a public or private schools, who fails to comply with the directive shall be liable to a fine of ten thousand naira.

INEC plans to reduce our electoral inspectors —Osun PDP

By Gbenga Olarinoye

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SOGBO — OSUN State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, yesterday, accused the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, plans to reduce the number of hands engaged by the party to inspect materials used in the August 9 governorship election in the state.

Besides, the party also alleged that the order, by the Resident Electoral Commissioner of INEC, in Osun State, Ambassador Rufus Akeju, that only two wards would be checked daily by the

PDP inspection team was meant to delay the inspection exercise.

The PDP in a statement by its Chairman, Alhaji Ganiyu Olaoluwa, said the party had written a petition to INEC chairman, Professor Attaihru Jega and relevant security agencies over perceived deliberate effort by Akeju, in connivance with the All Progressives Congress, APC, to prolong or outrightly frustrate the inspection as ordered by the tribunal.

According to him, INEC reduction of the number of the workforce to 10, a far cry from the number originally agreed upon, was an intent to drastically slow down the inspection and frustrate PDP. Alhaji Olaoluwa said henceforth the

party would not take instructions from INEC, but from the Tribunal, claiming the REC was partisan, stressing that with the pace at which the inspection was currently going, it would take three years to inspect the election materials, as only eight out of the 2,000 units had so far been inspected.

The statement reads: “We said it when Akeju was brought in on the eve the inspection of election materials by our party would begin that the partisan REC came in to act the script of the APC. "He has started manifesting this with order he handed down that the number of our workforce doing the inspection be reduced to ten. He has also ordered that only two wards would be checked in a day."

Aregbesola's aide lauds women's roles in democracy

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ENIOR SPECIAL Assistant to Osun State Governor on Community Forum, Mr. Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, has commended the positive roles of women in the sustenance of democracy and deepening of electioneering process in Osun and Nigeria.

Oyintiloye spoke at the 2014 Women League Anniversary of the St Mark’s African Church, Diocese of Ijesa, Esa-Oke, Obokun Local Government.

While acknowledging that women constituted largest percentage of voters, Oyintiloye said the voting strength of women, especially in Osun played a very significant role in the re-election of Governor Rauf Aregbesola during the August 9 governorship election in the state.

Also highlighting the support of women for the administration, the governor’s aide said this had further encouraged the administration to do more in developing the state and empowering women in particular.

Describing women and children as vulnerable in the society, he noted that this was part of the reason the present administration established Ministry of Women and Children Affairs to efficiently handle issues relating to women and children.

Oyintiloye reiterated that aside their political value, women remained the cornerstone of economic development in trade and agriculture.

A.S. Sulaimon is dead

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LHAJI A.S. Sulaimon of Sulaimon family, in Mushin Local Government Area, Lagos, is dead.

According to the family, late Sulaimon's Fidau prayer and final burial will hold at his residence, No. 13, Cadoso street, Baba Olosha Bus-stop, Mushin, Lagos, on Thursday, September 18, 2014

Honeywell Flour pays N1.34bn dividend

By William Jimoh & Paul Nwankwo

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HAREHOLDERS OF Honeywell Flour approved a total dividend payout of N1.34 billion, representing 17kobo per share as proposed by the board of the company at its 5th Annual General Meeting in Lagos.

In his welcome address, the Chairman of the company, Dr. Ayoola Oba Otudeko, said Honeywell Flour Mills "remains committed to providing superior quality products for the complete satisfaction of its customers."

Otudeko said in spite of the challenging operating environment, "Honeywell Flour Mills will continuously improve shareholders value and return on investment.

He revealed that improvement in efficiency due to automation of several operational processes and better treasury management resulted in 18 per cent growth in Profit After Tax, PAT, from N2.8 billion to N3.5 billion.

The company also increased its Shareholders’ Fund and Total Assets by 11 per cent and 15 per cent to N20.6 billion and N63.8 billion respectively.

Speaking further on the company’s performance, the Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Lanre Jaiyeola, said the company was able to pay shareholders such level of dividend because of the company’s increased output and aggressive push to meet rising demand across its product categories.

He noted that despite the challenge of input cost pressure, caused by increase in wheat price, the company was able to achieve a 32 per cent increase in gross profit from the N8 billion recorded last year to N10.4 billion in the period under review, due to deft management of raw material sourcing and efficient control of production cost. He assured the shareholders of management’s commitment to sustain the company’s superior earnings.

Commenting on the company’s performance, Chief Timothy Adesiyan, President, Nigeria Shareholders S o l i d a r i t y Association,NSSA, commended the management for its efforts to increase the value of shareholders’ investments through the expansion initiative and for proposing N1.34 billion dividend payout.

12—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014

Delta Beyond Oil, a legacy project, says Uduaghan

By Godwin Oghre

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A P E L E — GOVERNOR Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State, yesterday in Amukpe, Sapele Local Government Area, said the government’s Delta Beyond Oil initiative was a legacy project that will stand the test of time even after his exit from Government House.

The governor, who paid an unscheduled visit to the revamped Songhai Delta Farm, in Ovwore Community, Amukpe, Sapele Local Government Area, also said the farm was revamped to play a major role towards the actualisation of the initiative, noting that revamping the farm was a major success of his administration that will stand the test of time.

He said: “As part of the success we have achieved so far in our Delta Beyond Oil initiative, we thought it wise to revamp this farm and today we have successfully done that.

“Let me quickly add that the benefits of this farm are enormous. Apart from the production of several classes of food stuff for Deltans, Nigerians and in fact, foreigners, this farm is also serving as a training ground for agricultural sciences students across various academic institutions.”

Transition

Oshiomhole describes PDP's boast of winning Edo as laughable

By Simon Ebegbulem

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ENIN— AHEAD the 2015 national and state assembly elections in Edo State, Governor Adams Oshiomhole, yesterday, said it was laughable to hear Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, boast of winning the elections, noting that the people of the state have not forgotten so soon what he described as the 10 years misrule of PDP in the state.

The governor, who said that even though traditional rulers were meant to maintain their neutrality, “I do not think they should be neutral in appreciating progress in their respective domains because we have to compare the performance of PDP and All Progressives Congress, APC, in our different communities.”

Oshiomhole spoke at Uneme-Nekhua, Akoko-Edo Local Government Area of the state, when the member representing Akoko-Edo

federal constituency in the House of Representatives, Mr. Peter Akpatason, distributed empowerment items worth over N20 million to members of his constituency.

The governor said: “Our democracy is about 16 years old. Edo State has been governed by PDP for 10 years and everywhere I went,

Lawmaker cautions Rivers govt on FG's school project

By Jimitota Onoyume

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ORT HARCOURT—A lawmaker in Rivers State, Mr. Evans Bipi, has cautioned the state government against stopping Federal Government from going ahead with its plan to construct a model school in Ogu community, Ogu/Bolo Local Government Area.

Reacting to a call by the state on the Federal Government to stay off schools in the state, Bipi, who spoke yesterday in Port Harcourt, said the people of Ogu/Bolo will not hesitate to come out to protest against the state government if it stops the project.

ADAM Lydia Tucker, 78, of Ugbuwangue town, Warri, Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State is dead.

Service of songs holds at her residence at Reyenieju Close, Ugbuwangue on Thursday, September 25. Interment follows next day.

She is survived by many children, grand-children and relations.

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OVERNOR Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State, yesterday, said his administration has sent a bill to the state House of Assembly for deliberation and passage into law to forestall spread of diseases, especially Ebola Viral Disease, EVD, in the state.

He has, meanwhile, directed members of the police force to stop the movement of corpses without proper medical and police reports into the state to check the spread of EVD.

progress. You can be neutral to politicians, but definitely not to progress.

“Several years of misrule by PDP must not be allowed to come back again. They must be able to distinguish what works and what does not work. We will continue to redefine governance; we will continue to work.”

R A L LY : Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State (left) addressing All Progressives Congress, APC, supporters and decampees from P e o p l e s Democratic Party, PDP, during a rally at Igueben, Igueben Local Government Area.

With him is Mr. Sam Oboh, Chairman, Esan North-East Local Government Area.

Evans, who is a factional Speaker and represents Ogu/ Bolo in the state House of Assembly, said the community had not been lucky to have a federal project, so it will resist any attempt by the state government to stop the Federal Government project in the area.

He said: “This is the first time

in history that Ogu/Bolo will be remembered by any government at the centre and the state government cannot deny us of this opportunity.”

The Minister of State for Education, Mr. Nyesom Wike, had said Federal Government will reconstruct some secondary schools in the state.

Delta LP members fault inauguration of council exco

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G H E L L I — MEMBERS of Labour Party, LP, in Ughelli South Local Government Area, Delta State,

A'Ibom sponsors bill on Ebola

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nobody has shown me any school that was built by PDP. “I begin to ask, what happened to the money voted for education? The days are gone when you talk of earmark, we believe in eye mark.

“I need you royal fathers to continue to play your roles, but you cannot be neutral to

Akpabio, who spoke when the state’s new Commissioner of Police, Mr. Gabriel Achong, paid him a courtesy visit at the Governor’s Office, Uyo, said since no one was safe with the deadly Ebola virus, it was necessary to take measures to stop its spread.

On the forthcoming PDP governorship primaries in the state, the governor pledged to provide a level-playing ground for all aspirants and urged more persons to aspire for the office of governor to showcase the beauty of democracy.

have described as null and void, the alleged ‘unilateral’ inauguration of the party’s executive in the council by Elders/Leaders Council led by Col. M. Ideh (rtd.).

The party members, in a letter addressed to the state party Chairman, Chief Tony Ezeagwu, said Ideh, by his action, “held the party in the state and Ughelli South Local Government Area in captivity,” arguing that the inauguration does not represent the wish of majority members of the Elders/Leaders Council.

The letter, signed by Mr. David Umukoro, Chairman of Ekakpamre ward and Mr. Wisdom Tefue from Olomu ward 3, said Ideh “breached all civilised democratic principles of the constitution of Labour Party.”

Adigwe assures constituents of more dividends of democracy

By Tommy Anaduaka

A

Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Delta North senatorial aspirant in the 2015 general election, Mr. Pascal Adigwe, has reassured the people of the district that he will attract more dividends of democracy and ensure even distribution of basic infrastructure in the area if he is elected.

Adigwe, who spoke during a consultation visit to some stakeholders, leaders and party chairmen and ward executives of PDP in Oshimili South, Aniocha South and Ndokwa Local Government areas, said his visit was to interact with the party leaders and solicit their support.

Speaking in OgwashiUku, Aniocha South, he listed the attraction of link road from the state through Edo, Kogi up to Abuja; completion of the federal prisons, Ogwashi-Uku; scholarship for students in higher institutions, and empowerment programmes among others, as his achievements.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014—13

Mbu lacks a lion's attributes— AMAECHI G

OVERNOR Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State has dismissed comments by the former state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Joseph Mbu, who described himself as a lion that tamed the governor in Port Harcourt.

Mbu, who was recently promoted Assistant InspectorGeneral of Police, spoke while handing over to the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Commissioner of Police, Mr. Wilson Inalegwu, on Monday in Abuja.

However, Governor Amaechi, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. David Iyofor in Port Harcourt, described Mbu as a puppet, who lacks the steel and strength of a lion.

He said: “It is very sad, pathetic and ironic that Mbu called himself a lion. Which lion? This character called Joseph Mbu completely lacks the courage, steel and strength of a lion. Rather he is a puppet.

“This is a man paid by taxpayers to protect, secure and serve the interests of the people, but, when he was in Rivers State, he spurned the people, trampled on the masses and rather elected to be the partisan servant of one person, in causing disaffection, confusion

and crises in Rivers State.

“Mbu shamelessly and corruptly turned himself into a toothless attack dog to fight the government and people of Rivers State.

“How can a man who has no strength of character; a man who willingly submits himself to serve as a puppet call himself a lion? How ironic.

“Mr. Mbu, no lion behaves like that. You are a disgrace and shame to the Nigerian Police Force.”

Governor Amaechi insisted that Mbu epitomises everything that was wrong with the police in Nigeria.

He said Mbu not only disobeyed the Inspector General of Police during his

time in Rivers State, but also clearly acted lawlessly, like a man who was above the law and in fact, turned himself into the law.”

He said Mbu can neither tame him nor the people of Rivers State to surrender their constitutionally-guaranteed democratic rights to anyone, no matter how highly placed.

MUTINY: TUC, NBA decry death sentence on soldiers to temper justice with mercy and revolt or disobedience to military

By Victor Ahiumayoung, Ikechukwu Nnochiri & Monsuru Olowoopejo

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RADE Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, yesterday in Lagos, condemned the death sentence passed by the General Court-martial on 12 soldiers who protested alleged internal sabotage of the military in the ongoing war against Boko Haram sect in the NorthEastern part of the country.

The Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, on its part, urged the Federal Government

save the lives of the 12 soldiers.

TUC, while applauding the efforts of the military to retain the discipline in the force as exemplified in a military court that sat in Abuja, Monday, insisted death sentence was off the mark.

A statement by its President and Secretary General Bobboi Kaigama and Musa Lawal, respectively, said: “We appreciate the court’s judgment because apart from bringing to the fore the constitutional role and code of conduct of our military, it will check the excesses of some security operatives who betray their oath of allegiance to the c o u n t r y through sabotage.

“While we applaud these laudable efforts, we would also want to r e m i n d government and the military leadership that in as much the Congress will not encourage

authorities, we will also not fail to reject and condemn the death sentence passed by the General Court-martial on 12 soldiers protesting perceived internal sabotage in the ongoing war against Boko Haram.

“We wonder why and how such a protest against sabotage could suddenly be termed criminal conspiracy, mutiny, attempt to commit murder, insubordination to a particular order and false accusation, by the President of the Court Martial, Maj. Gen. C. C. Okonkwo.”

Meanwhile, NBA, through its National President, Mr. Austin Alegeh (SAN), yesterday, stressed that though the soldiers acted wrongly, Federal Government should find another way of punishing them.

He said: “There is no doubt that the military law is also a part of our body of laws which anyone who decided to join the military must subscribe to.

“However, the security situation we are confronted with as a nation today is not such that we should start killing our soldiers. We are losing so many of our soldiers to Boko Haram.

Why should we kill some by ourselves?”

NANS backs Ochei

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HEAD 2015 gubernatorial contest in Delta State, Nigerian students have been urged to support candidates with track record and will have positive impact on the electorate.

The call was made by Mr. Victor Ochei, when the Zone B (South-East and South-South) of the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, paid him a solidarity visit in Asaba.

He said as the future leaders of the country, it behoves them to always ensure that they support candidates with the people's interest at heart.

The zone's coordinator, Mr. Ifeanyi Chukwu, said the visit stemmed from the need to encourage an aspirant that can add value to the lives of Deltans.

Oshiomhole spent N428m on foreign trips—PDP

By Simon Ebegbulem & Gabriel Enogholase

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ENIN—PEOPLES Democratic Party, PDP, in Edo State, yesterday, promised to organise a transparent and fair primaries to pick its candidates for elective political positions in the 2015 general elections, just as it accused the state governor of spending over N428 million during his visit to the United States of America, USA, last month.

State Chairman of the party, Chief Dan Orbih, spoke at the party ’s secretariat where he also received Mr. Richard Lamai, an aspirant in Edo North senatorial district, who was at the secretariat to submit his letter of intent.

Chief Orbih also tendered documentary evidence to support his claims that Governor Oshiomhole spent over N428 million during his recent trip to Chicago and Miami in USA, a report already denied by the state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Louis Odion and Special Adviser to the Governor on Political Matters, Chief Charles Idahosa.

Giving a breakdown on how the money was spent, Chief Orbih said N26 million was for each of the 13 APC legislator; N17 million for seven traditional rulers from Edo Central senatorial zone; approval of N22.4 million for the Chief of Staff and two other aides and N2 million for APC state Chairman.

Others are N17 million himself and the chairman of the state economic team; N17million for himself to travel to Miami, Florida, N3.6 million for Ms. Jemitola Anenna, Commissioner for Arts and Culture to travel to Paris to treat headache; additional N7 million and N5 million for the Speaker and Majority Leader, among other expenditure.

Meanwhile, Odion in a statement on Monday said Oshiomhole’s visit to the US was on invitation and that “the governor travelled by commercial airline and not a hired private jet that costs N18 million as alleged

by Chief Orbih.”

14 — V ANGU ARD, WEDNESD AY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014 VANGU ANGUARD, WEDNESDA

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VANGU ARD, WEDNESD AY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014 — 15 ANGUARD, WEDNESDA

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16— Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014

GUBER APPEAL: S'Court to determine Obiano's fate Monday

By Ikechukwu Nnochiri

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BUJA—THE Supreme Court, yesterday, adjourned till Monday to deliver judgment in an appeal seeking the removal of Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State from office, following his alleged involvement in multiple voters’ registration.

A seven-man panel of Justices of the apex court okayed the matter for judgment after they listened to legal arguments from both the embattled governor and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, on why the outcome of the November 16, 2013, gubernatorial election in Anambra State should not be voided.

Waste agents, revenue officials in free-for-all over sanitation levy E

By Austin Ogwuda

NUGU—THERE was commotion in Enugu yesterday as agents of the State Waste Management Authority, ESWAMA, and officials of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, engaged themselves in a free-for-all over alleged refusal of the latter to pay sanitation levy.

The confusion degenerated to the point where the administration officer of the Federal Inland Revenue, Mr. Patrick Okpala, was bundled away to the office of the Waste Management Authority after a heated argument.

Apart from arrest of the FIRS officer, several business operators and residents in Enugu metropolis were also arrested at about noon for a similar offence.

During the scuffle, the operational vehicle of the waste management agents, a commercial bus with number plate, Abuja; XK788 AS, had

its windscreen smashed in the process.

Our reporter gathered that many officials of the FIRS in efforts to resist arrest of their boss, stormed the head office of ESWAMA, near the state’s secretariat complex, ostensibly to get him out but

that led to the arrest of the invading FIRS officials.

As at the time of this report, Mr. Okpala and other offenders were still being held.

The altercation between other senior officials of the FIRS and some waste

management authority agents got messier as both parties got involved in fisticuffs.

Managing Director of ESWAMA, Thelma Ogakwu, was saddled with containing the situation and could not be reached for comments.

Reps protest tributes to late Gen Adekunle A

By Emman Ovuakporie

BUJA—A House of Representatives special session in honour of late Nigerian civil war hero, Brigadier-General Benjamin Adekunle (rtd), a.k.a Black Scorpion, was momentarily disrupted as some legislators of Igbo extraction protested tributes to the late general.

Gen. Adekunle (June 26, 1936- September 13, 2014), played a major role in the

Nigerian Army defeat and recapture of breakaway Republic of Biafra in 1970.

Arua Arunsi and Udo Oluchi Ibeji, lawmakers from Abia State sat down in defiance as House members rose at plenary to observe a minute silence for the late general.

Majority Leader, Mulikat Adeola-Akande, had officially reported Gen. Adekunle’s death at yesterday’s plenary and went

ahead to eulogise the wartime exploits of the late general who hailed from Ogbomosho, Oyo State, her constituency.

Ibeji in protest to the one minute silence for the late general, shouted severally “I don’t care if he (Adekunle) is dead or alive.”

The lawmaker was eventually called to order by the presiding speaker, Aminu Tambuwal, paving way for the one minute silence.

What is not good for the beehive cannot be good for the bees—African proverb.

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Crashed spirits and morale Borno State governor ’s recent broadcast to the people, in which he attempted to shore up crashed spirits and morale while commending efforts to make this living nightmare of the people all go away woyld have sounded surreal to most of the people who had electricity, tv set, radio, the time or the peace of mind to listen to him. Dignity of elders and leaders is be difficult to preserve in the face of traumatized populations streaming into towns as refugees, adding to the fear and desperation of those already resigned to being taken over any day now.

The enemy crawls nearer with certainty and confidence by the day, while those who can afford contact with the rest of Nigeria hear of another country where life is normal; economies grow, children

A tale of two nations go to school, and young people look towards a bright future.

A few weeks ago, people in the north east would have heard that over N58b was pledged as Terror Victims Fund. If they expected that they would receive immediate relief from those pledged amounts, all of them being victims, their expectations would have taken a further dip, and their feelings of alienation from a nation they used to feel proud to be a part of would have been heightened.

This is a part of Nigeria where refugees flee along with the military when towns or villages are lost. The refugees stop briefly to count their losses in young men conscripted on pain of death or slaughtered to serve as incentives to the conscripts, or as suspected volunteers in Civilian JTF, or in young girls and women selected for abduction.

They squeeze into schools and government offices, at the mercy of all the elements and the stretched resources of state governments and relief agencies.

Nigeria now has well over one million internally displaced persons (IDPs).

These are people who, a few weeks ago, were farmers, workers, housewives or school children in towns and villages only a few kilometres away. No one is sure how long they will stay in camps, but they are grateful that they are not in those towns and villages where terrorists have total control over who lives or dies the next minute.

A few months ago, most of these refugees shared the outrage of the nation and the world over the abduction of the Chibok girls. Now many of them have lost many more daughters and wives, while hope dims by the day that the Chibok girls will be found and freed.

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N an interview with Daily Trust newspaper last week, spokesman of Borno Elders Forum, Dr Bulama Gubio lamented that the people of the north east feel as if they are not Nigerians.

That plaintively revealing statement captures a lot more than what appears to be a successful takeover of the towns and villages they live in by an insurgency that has now declared many of them captive subjects of a separate caliphate.

The complaints over being neglected, ignored or abandoned have been heard countless times from Borno Elders, and from a thousand other sources since the murder of Muhammad Yusuf triggered the growth of a vicious group motivated by bitterness, fuelled by the zeal to fight the Nigerian state’s entire ideological and structural underpinnings, and emboldened by successes in that direction.

Dr. Gubio is one of the very few members of the elite who have chosen to remain behind, or who are unable to leave. The region has bled away most of its affluent and influential citizens.

Those like him who stayed behind have seen an already backward economy destroyed; a community traumatized beyond words; social structures crumble and land and populations brought under occupation of terror.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014 —17 strongly worded statements lampooning the President for turning his back on the people of the North.These groups must be wondering what else to say, and who to say it to, going by their widelypublicised tearful lamentations. Perhaps they count on the fact that the Vice President, Minister of Defence, NSA, Inspector-General of Police and a few other influential political office holders are northerners, and they may feel their pain.

Or they remember that the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives are both northerners,and they could leverage on the superiority in numbers of northern legislators to engineer a more robust In another part of the same nation, life response from the federal government. goes on normally. The main They could be hoping that the intimate preoccupation is for current leaders to relationship which our president enjoys get re-elected. Once in a while, leaders with some northerners will make him and citizens get all worked up over more amenable to showing a firmer resolve and stronger political will to fight events such as the importation of a disease such as Ebola, but federal the insurgency eating up their lives, or government doles out N1.9b to fight it, showing more compassion towards and state governments take victims.Even more improbable,they extraordinary measures to forestall an could be desperate enough to think epidemic.Nigeria’s rich and priveleged northern governors will spare five are saved from being temporarily minutes to read their pleas for attention prevented from flying around the world, and action.

The two parts of the Nigerian nation spending their wealth.

Sometimes quarrels break out between will drift further apart as our leaders fail politicians over who to blame over the to accord the defeat of this insurgency plight of citizens in the north-east, or the highest priority. The enemy will win the next elections because the when the president hobnobs with

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The two parts of the Nigerian nation will drift further apart as our leaders fail to accord the defeat of this insurgency the highest priority

politicians from the region accused of being pillars of support for the terrorists, but they are soon forgotten, until the next one breaks out. Soldiers and policemen find comfort in creating the facade of normalcy around places where the powerful and the wealthy live. The most impressive outings of the Nigerian state are seen when elections are being organized. On these occasions, thousands of soldiers and security personnel are sent to keep voters in queues, and to remind the citizenry that Nigerian democracy flows from the barrel of the gun.

Voices of people like Dr Gubio and Borno Elders are becoming fainter. In the same week they wrote their open letter to President Jonathan,Northern Elders Forum and the more circumspect Arewa Consultative Forum also released

government will predicate its campaign strategy on the need for four more years to defeat it, and the opposition will insist that only its government will defeat it.

While they argue and campaign, the government will not fight it because that will deprive it of a major campaign asset, and the opposition’s criticism of government’s response to terror will be a double-edged sword, at best. The people of the north east, or even much of the North will be further exposed to a war against them; a war which is neither declared or acknowledged as one. By the time some Nigerians go to the polls, if indeed there are elections early next year, many of their fellow citizens would have been under effective occupation by terrorists for months. There will be many Nigerians who will wonder if they will ever be Nigerians again.

OPINION

By Sina Odewale ATCHING the Scotland debate:On Thursday September 18, 2014, Scottish group in the United Kingdom will be forming single files to the ballot box, to cast one-person one-vote in an historic referendum. The purpose of the referendum is for the Scottish people to decide, whether or not to remain part of United Kingdom or move on to form a separate (independent) nation.

Despite the fact that Britain disliked the idea, yet there is no threat of violence. That means no blood will be spilled, irrespective of the outcome of the referendum. In fact, UK’s only way of discouraging Scotland from this move is the threat of depriving them of ‘British Pound’.

Ordinarily, one would think that Britain will fight dirty to keep their union intact. But for them to now follow a peaceful means in settling their internal differences seems a difficult lesson that others should learn. The proponents of UK have come to realise that maintaining internal unity under force is a waste of not only human life, resources, and energy but also time. You wonder why Nigeria should not apply similar methods in advancing peace in that part of the world!

Applying the Scotland-UK method will lessen not only the major ethnic differences, but will also reduce the intractable violence. But then, should that be the case, Britain would be the first to discourage it and might go to any length to sabotage it or encourage unity even under brutality.

Let's face the fact that majority of the violence in Nigeria

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Nigeria: Need for tolerance is created by ethnic divergence. In Nigeria, blazing ethnic differences created stiffer internal strife. Internal strife in turn, breeds not just stark corruption, gross impunity and underdevelopment but continuous chaos and further chaos in the broader view. Nigeria, as always, is soaked with blood; with crisis rocking from coast to coast. In essence, Nigerians are slaughtering Nigerians. While the country’s military in its normal reaction (with the help of foreign power) is unleashing terror on the crisis-torn zone to maintain the difficult task of keeping the country together. Perhaps the blazing truth is that the crisis in Nigeria exists with Nigeria.

If the crisis is not rooted in religious ideology, it will be political and economic in nature. Or if it is not, it will be inter-ethnic crisis with unimaginable bloodshed as product of one Nigeria. The continuous violence calls into question the legitimacy of the Nigeria project. Despite the unwavering violence, Nigerian rulers are feasting on conferences behaving as if everything is normal, thereby repeating old mistakes.

Another conference referred to as economic forum on Africa took place in Abuja amidst bombs going off; traders, marketers, and other dwellers set ablaze by an Islamic sect. Is that the normalcy of Nigeria going forward? The recent abduction of school girls has once again brought the Boko Haram’s menace on international radar.

The level of craziness in Nigeria must have confirmed

the idea that the country is a gigantic, modern day prison, where everyone appears to be on death row awaiting execution. An execution they said manifests in different forms. Yet most of the peoples knowingly or unknowingly are in denial of this problem of self-imprisonment. The country is so dysfunctional that comparably, animal life is more important and highly valued in stable countries than is human life in Nigeria. The reality, however, is that no society had ever succeeded with violence as a way of life.

Nigerians, more than ever, deserve to be free from what is now self-imprisonment based on misguided expectations.

If there’s any group seeking to form a United States type of country out of Nigeria, it will require they relocate the country to a neutral land away from their origins at the minimum. But until then, the country will only spare itself the carnage and destructions that defined the Nigeria project by embracing what’s true and just. Nigerians should not wait until the country degenerates once more to Ukraine or Syria types of crises, or another civil war before applying the common sense approach. This is the time to act decisively. Now is the time to use Scotland-UK approach in resolving the irreconcilable differences and intractable violence that define one Nigeria.

Mr Odewale wrote from Westminister in London .

18 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014 THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Director of Voter Registry, Mr. Emmanuel Akem, recently said potential voters who failed to obtain their permanent voters’ cards (PVCs) by December 2014 would not be allowed to vote in the 2015 general elections.

The Commission recently organised the distribution of the PVCs and CVR in 21 of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Ter ritory, Abuja in the first and second phases of the exercises. No date has been fixed for the exercises in the remaining 15 states.

The distribution of the PVCs in the affected states was characterised by a deluge of criticisms. Many could not find their names in the voters register. Some found their names but their PVCs were missing. INEC officials were not available in some polling units to distribute the cards. Frustrated by the cumbersome process of obtaining the cards they described as elusive, some political parties and stakeholders accused the electoral umpire of hoarding the voter ’s cards with the alleged plan of rigging the election in

20 15: V oting 201 Voting without voters favour of certain political parties.

The CVR’s meant for those who are 18 years and above were held at electoral wards and collation centres in the 21 states. It also had its hitches, which included malfunctioning data capturing machines and inability of many people to be registered during the registration period.

Given these challenges the INEC must ensure that the permanent voters’ cards get to the voters if they must be used for the 2015 election. Nigeria can ill-afford anything that will hurt the integrity of the 2015 polls. The elections must be free and fair and seen to be so. Disenfranchising a

sizeable proportion of the nation’s 73 million voters must not be allowed.

Since 2011, the INEC has been working on the PVC and the cards were to be ready for distribution as of December 2012. But two years after and less than six months to the election, INEC is still struggling with it. Major stakeholders fear that the Commission may not complete the distribution of the cards before the elections in spite of its claims that it recorded 71 per cent success in the distribution of the PVCs in the 21 states.

There have been low voter turnouts in the series of governorship elections held recently. They include Anambra (25 per cent), Ondo (40.1 per cent), Edo State (42 per cent), Ekiti (50.32 per cent) and Osun State (54.17 per cent). Incidentally, the elections in Ekiti and Osun were conducted with the PVCs with many people complaining that they could not get the cards. This should not be allowed to recur in 2015.

INEC must ensure that all registered voters get the permanent voters card or holders of any voters’ card-permanent or temporary, should be allowed to vote.

OPINION

By Francis Ehigiator

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HE Online dictionary - dictionary.com describes hemorrhage as a profuse discharge of blood, as from a ruptured blood vessel. In looking for a word to best describe the ongoing exodus from the All Progressives Congress (APC) of its leading lights, I could not find a better word than hemorrhage.

With the recent decision of Chief Tom Ikimi to quit the party -an event that prompted this analysis in the first place - the party has bled out most of its life wires, losing its vigour through chronic anemia.

In the past few weeks, the party’s presidential candidate in the 2011 elections, Nuhu Ribadu had waved it goodbye, just like former Governors Ibrahim Shekarau and Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, as well as former military governor of Lagos and Borno States, Brig-Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.) and former Minister Femi Fani-Kayode. The departure of the former Economic and Financial Crimes Commission chairman (EFCC), Nuhu Ribadu, dealt a huge psychological blow on the party that has, since its discredited national convention, been sliding down the precipice. The situation in a party must be of the worst kind to make its presidential torch-bearer in as recent as the 2011 elections to jump ship.

Just when the party was trying to come to terms with Ribadu’s departure, Ikimi, announced that he was dumping the party too. Unlike Ribadu who spared Nigerians the gory details of the deceit that went for party politics in the APC, Ikimi could not hold his bitterness. The former National C M Y K

From Ribadu to Ikimi: APC hemorrhage continues Chairman of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC) in the aborted Third Republic made it clear his decision was largely influenced by the domineering influence of former Lagos Governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who has turned the party into an instrument for “reckless self-aggrandizement”.

Ikimi may not be the first to have been hounded out of the party by Tinubu and his cohorts, but he is easily the most embittered.

Shekarau, Bafarawa, and Marwa may have taken their humiliation with stoic equanimity, but Ikimi was not simply a number in the APC. For a man who played a central role in the formation of the APC by managing the tricky merger of four legacy parties, Tinubu had craftily sidelined him in the subsequent affairs of the party and used his cohorts to obliterate Ikimi’s contributions. An instance is the party’s National Summit on the 7th of March 2014 in Abuja which was an elaborate event to officially unveil the new party. At the presentation, those in attendance were shocked to observe that not even a word was mentioned of Ikimi as one of those who contributed to the creation of the APC. If that was not callous enough, the rudeness with which the man was forcibly prevailed upon to abandon his quest to lead the party at the June national convention was most uncharitable. Ikimi who has clashed severally with Tinubu since their ACN days

was particularly targeted with the propaganda that he was too high-handed to lead the party. The attack was so ferocious that the Tinubu camp had threatened to quit the APC if Ikimi emerged the party’s new chairman. With that blackmail, Ikimi was pressured to submission; the ex-Foreign Minister walked away from the contest when it became apparent that Chief John OdigieOyegun had emerged as Tinubu’s anointed candidate.

To add to the insult, other leaders in the party watched in amazement as one man foisted on the whole, a weak leadership that he has been manipulating for the advancement of his personal agenda. The most worrisome of that agenda is the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket which Tinubu has sworn to foist on the party, in the belief that the Northwest and Southwest could, through their population, muster the electoral votes to win the 2015 presidential election.

But the myth of Tinubu’s infallibility in the Southwest has long been punctured in Ekiti; and, before it was Ondo. Ekiti people, like most other enlightened race like the Yoruba Southwest geopolitical zone, are discontented with his party and the manner in which its affairs are being conducted at his whims and caprices. Tinubu has run affairs in the APC like one would a fiefdom, playing the sole king-maker and ramming his choice candidates down everyone's throats. Well known for his habit of talking down at people

-supposed allies and political opponents alike - he has since extended it to other leaders of the race, including -of all people - the Yoruba traditional rulers who have not been spared from the man’s insults and uncouth language.

The North has not fared any better either.

While Muhammadu Buhari, an Army General and undoubted leader of the Northern wing of the party, has quietly accepted his imposed role as Tinubu’s alterego without any whimper, another presidential aspirant, Abubakar Atiku, has been severally humiliated by Tinubu. While Buhari lives on the delusion that Tinubu will deliver the party’s presidential ticket to him on a platter of gold, Atiku and his allies have systematically been edged out from the calculations for the party’s 2015 presidential ticket, and made to play spectators to Tinubu.

How one man was able to bring a whole region to its knees remains a surprise. Never before has the fate of a region been put in the hands of one man. Never since Sardauna has one unpredictable man played the North’s kingmaker. The question is: did Ikimi actually say something new? Of course, not!

The surprise is that other leading lights in Nigeria’s major opposition party have, by their acts of commission or omission, surrendered to the whims of one dictatorship.

Like Ribadu and Ikimi, the exodus in the APC will continue and like a bleeding dog, the hemorrhage will ultimately lead it from the present comatose position, to eventual death.

Mr. Ehigiator, a public affairs analyst, wrote from Benin City, Edo State.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014— —19

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It may be

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HE last time I checked which was about ten hours before I started writing this on the night of Thursday September 11, the news out there was that the Federal Government had decided to stick to its decision to move the resumption date of schools forward. As I write this at the Casablanca Airport in Morocco waiting for a connecting flight back to Lagos, I have no internet access to enable me see if there has been any change in the situation.

It would in fact have no material effect on what I have to say now on the matter should it turn out that Abuja decided to maintain the status quo ante by upholding the October 13 date before it got swayed, yet again, in the fashion of Shakespeare's Roman mob, in the direction of those who had criticized its plan to go back on its earlier decision to keep our schools shut until October. That is until it can assure Nigerians that the decision, prompted by the urgency to contain the spread of the Ebola Virus Disease among school pupils, was well thought through rather than a panicky, knee-jerk, reaction of a confused administration. I say it

would not matter what government does should it uphold the October date because by even contemplating a date change it has shown itself no less unprincipled than it is irresponsible.

The matter bears reminding.

At the height of the Ebola virus outbreak in the country, government extended the resumption date of all primary and secondary schools in the country while ordering the immediate closure of all summer schools in order to stem the tide of the Ebola virus. But shortly after this announcement, private school owners went to town criticizing the decision and calling for it to be rescinded. The criticism stemmed mainly from economic consideration more than anything else. It was an understandable reaction for nobody would be happy to see their means of livelihood put in danger. But there was the greater danger of opening the schools and risking the spread of Ebola among the very vulnerable demographic of children who could not be trusted to maintain the same high level

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of hygiene or precaution as adults would in these Ebola circumstances . This much one would expect of anyone still able to remember their name after a long sleep, not least of all the officials who had of their own accord announced the extension in resumption date in the first place.

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fter the initial confusion finding out the extent and spread of the EVD in the wake of Patrick Sawyer's entry into the country, Abuja had rallied into action, mobilizing health and material resources to respond to the emergency. Its effort, including its sincerity, would in the few weeks following this be recognised and praised. It was as part of measures to consolidate on the modest achievement made in creating awareness among the public, tracking and quarantining infected persons in special centres, that the government went ahead to announce the extension

Jonathan’s Non-Negotiator and the moral black hole threatening our govt

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N my last column entitled “Jonathan’s Hostage Negotiator Puts Him in a Tight Corner” (3 September 2014), I argued that Australian hostage negotiator Dr Stephen Davis did Nigeria a favour by daring to call by name two persons (whether or not the evidence against one seems sketchy) alleged to be sponsors of Boko Haram, and by pointing to an unnamed person purported to be the evil sect’s banker ensconced in our Central Bank. A premise of my argument was that Davis played his generally acknowledged role of negotiator for the release of the over 200 Chibok girls kidnapped by Boko Haram 154 days ago on behalf of the Federal Government. But Davis, it emerges, was a freelancer. It is unclear to me if Davis, a man of the cloth,intended to mislead the world or was merely unable to resist a bit of self-inflation once faced with television cameras, but no matter. It seems clear, nonetheless, that Davis has had an informal but close relationship with the Federal Government dating back to his role as a hostage negotiator in the Niger Delta when General Olusegun Obasanjo was president.

My argument does not depend on Davis’ true status. His prime suspect, the untouchable former governor of Borno State, Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff, remains, despite his staunch denials and the presidential protection he currently enjoys, under the darkest cloud of suspicion. In any case, I did allow enough room for doubt up to the possibility that Davis could be a “rabble rouser,” insisting only that President Goodluck Jonathan put personal interest

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and petty party politics aside to move decisively against anyone regarding whom a prima facie case of aiding and abetting the terrorist group threatening to destroy Nigeria can be established. By the evidence that has filtered into the public domain, a prima facie case against Sheriff can be made. This is what gives Femi Falana the confidence to beg Sheriff to sue him for defamation. And to threaten to seek an order of mandamus to compel Jonathan, through his Attorney-General, to act or, failing to act, allow him to initiate proceedings, thereby separating fact from fiction to vindicate or convict Sheriff.

B

UT far from invoking the law, Jonathan contrived to be seen with Sheriff holding bilateral talks with the president of another country, General Idriss Déby of Chad! Without any foreknowledge on the President’s part, we are told, Sheriff appeared at the airport in N’Djamena to welcome his president to another country and to later on share his jolly company in the same room with the host. How well this speaks of our protocol and intelligence services that they do not vet the list of persons who would be in close contact with our president, especially in a foreign land!We know that to this government, everyone who is not a member or cheerleader of the shameless political hucksters called Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria — yes, those who say Jonathan is a co-equal of Ghandi, Mandela and Martin Luther King —and Bring Back Jonathan 2015 is an enemy. You know, the likes of those who were

bribed with pure water, a luxury not to be found in Otuoke, to protest their f u r t h e r pauperisation through the withdrawal of a corruption s u b s i d y , deceptively named fuel subsidy, in January 2012. Or who believe that no president can fight a war against corruption if he doesn’t give a damn about personal example through the public declaration of his assets. Or that it smacks of moral bankruptcy to pardon a convicted

,

Fighting Ebola: Between ‘irrational fear’ and irresponsible capitulation

convenient for government to start talking in false selfconfidence all because it wants to do the bidding of private business people whose stake in the rest of the country may not extend beyond their investment

of school resumption date. But as I said earlier on, this did not enjoy the support of private school owners. They mounted media campaign and soon it was being mooted around that government was about doing what the school proprietors wanted- go back on its earlier decision to keep schools under lock. I had reflected on this in this space last week, hoping the government would be a little more far-sighted in its handling of the matter.

What started as mere rumour was lent strong credence last week when Onyebuchi Chukwu, the Health Minister, unleashed verbal ammunition in the direction of critics of government's decision to move school resumption date forwards.

Onyebuchi could not see the reason why Nigerians should worry that school resumption date would be brought forward.

He called opponents of Abuja's latest move people worried by 'irrational fear'. Well, we have to thank the Health Minister, for suddenly finding his tongue now that the disease that seemed to be walking insidiously on all fours leaving many in the health sector, including care givers, literally taking to their heals on encountering patients who displayed symptoms of EVD. It is not difficult to see that |Prof. Chukwu is wallowing in self-adulation and congratulations. He does not have to rub his hand together while he dances to songs of his victory over Ebola before we know this. His action says it all.

He certainly feels this is his time in the sun and he is determined to bring the house down in celebration. What he seems to be forgetting, however, is that he risks sudden reversal of what he sees as a major accomplishment.

With Nigerians still being

If you will not have Sheriff prosecuted, you are obliged at the very least to tell him to go and clear his name. And that until then you will not be seen in his company

,

former governor when the wound is still open and bleeding. But with friends like Sheriff and Déby, it is clear why those I have just described must be enemies.

But watch out, my President! First, it would seem you are your own worst enemy for always acting contrary to your best interest by scorning the general good. Second,those you call your friends are, really,your mortal enemies. See how your latest bosom friend,

huddled aside at foreign airports while quick tests are run on them to determine their Ebola virus status, I wonder what there is for this government to celebrate yet.

That Nigerians are allowed into foreign countries in line with WHO advice that international borders be kept open- that we have not been turned into international pariahs overnight is one reason we should be thankful. It is however foolish for anyone or ministry to go about feeding greedily on the praises heaped in the direction of the Health Ministry and the government generally or to attempt backhanded declaration of victory in a medical war in which the enemy is yet to be identified and annihilated.

It may be convenient for the government to start talking in false self-confidence all because it wants to do the bidding of private business people whose stake in the rest of the country may not extend beyond their investment. It indeed speaks to the irresponsibility of our public officials that they would quickly give up what should be principled pursuit of goals for very sentimental reasons. Now that Prof. Chukwu can afford to talk down at the rest of Nigerians, including his professional colleagues in the Nigerian Medical Association who have advised against the planned reopening of schools- now the Minister can talk at everybody else in the spirit of rational irresponsibility, official dereliction and capitulation as opposed to irrational fear, he may wish to tell us why he never thought a change in the resumption date necessary until school owners raised it.

By putting commerce and

Sheriff, connived — since you had no knowledge of it — with your brother president in Chad to embarrass you! Perhaps you are not embarrassed? That would be yours and Nigeria’s great pity. Why Davis still has you in a tight corner and Boko Haram, so far,is winning the war against Nigeria. Sir, you must do better than tell us that Sheriff did not travel with you to N’Djamena. The point is that you did not protest his presence, shockingly failing to see the moral implication of having him within arm’s length at this very time. If you will not have Sheriff prosecuted, you are obliged at the very least to tell him to go and clear his name. And that until then you would not be seen in his company.

For the trouble, sir, is that as with Sheriff, so with many a minister, governor or close associate who has been accused of serious wrong-wrongdoing, even of crime. Thus, one might say that with you integrity comes with a bad reputation. That your best political friends are precisely those under suspicion, the more foreboding the cumulus cloud of suspicion the better. Making me wonder if Sheriff, like Mr Ayodele Fayose and Senator Iyiola Omisore, will not emerge as your party’s governorship candidate in Borno State before long. A moral black hole threatens your government and my worry is that you don’t give a damn about that either.

20 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014

Another look at TV game shows

W

C M Y K

BY EBELE ORAKPO is wrong with us as a people? Why “WHAT don’t we like investing in things that will

*Ijeh Police Barracks after a recent fire incident.

Ijeh Police Barracks: Endless wait for govt intervention

BY BOSE ADELAJA cause many of them, obviously, could not afford renting houses outside the barracks.

But this depressing state of things was not enough to stop some indecently dressed youths from parading around the place, while the elderly among the occupants were seen

,

ITHIN a space of eight months, the popular Ijeh Police Barracks on Lagos Island, had twice been gutted by fire.

In fact, it is said the place is no stranger to frequent fire outbreaks with the residents there always the worse for it given the untold hardship they suffer as a result, with many them rendered homeless.

A ‘lucky’ few usually ended up in makeshift apartments that offer little or no comfort.

Often blamed for the fire incidents is the seeming ever-present problem of shortage of accommodation that families struggled to cope with. At some point most families could only make do with their sitting room, which was not convenient at all. The problem is no less so for the corps members also living the barracks.

In December 2013, the barracks was gutted by an inferno which destroyed personal effects and valuables worth millions of Naira. Such was the loss suffered by the occupants that the compensation offered them by the Lagos State Commissioner of Police could barely assuage their pain. Not even the promised rehabilitation of the place by the CP was considered hope-inspiring by the victims.

After the visit, life continued despite the difficulties associated with living in the barracks. The environment looked filthy and unkempt, with the paintings on buildings washed away, some pillars broken, the verandas congested, while clothes were hung on every available space. The situation was made worse by some wives of the policemen who erected kiosks, tables and make shift structures for petty trading at very spot in the barracks.

During a recent visit to the barracks, Vanguard Metro was assaulted by an offensive smell from blocked water channels coupled with burst pipes of soak-away, while some naked children played, unconcerned, near them.

It was obvious that the barracks is presently a far cry to what it used to be.

For instance, due to the prevailing congestion, some occupants there used planks for demarcation so as to enable them manage the little space provided for a living home. This is be-

squatting in the homes of those not affected. A week after the incident, those affected are either sleeping in open spaces or makeshift shelters.

The fire was said to have engulfed a set of apartments situated in one bungalow made up of 24 self- contained rooms which were all partitioned with woods which readily

The barracks is not conducive for us; we are not safe in this place, if epidemics breaks out here today, nobody is safe

playing indoor games like ludo, draughts and ayo.

This reporter’s visit came a day before the second fire outbreak in the barracks which occurred on the midnight of Wednesday September 3, 2014. The fire was said to have been aggravated by the lingering accommodation problem there. It will be recalled that the same problem was cited as the cause of the earlier fire incident there which prompted the visit of the Commissioner of Police about eight months ago.

Indeed residents were full of appreciation to God Almighty for saving their lives after the inferno raged and consumed about 24 self-contained apartments.

Many families were rendered homeless; a few of them only succeeded in

,

served as fuel for the inferno which raged for a while before it was finally contained by fire fighters.

In a chat with some of the victims, they called on government to provide succour to them and to take immediate steps to restore the lost glory of the barracks. According to Mrs Joy Ibeh: ‘’We need government’s assistance, especially now that the Ebola disease is ravaging the country. Help us so that we don’t become victims”.

A wife to one of the policemen, Madam Esther Obiora, said: ”Is it a crime for our husbands to serve the nation? Look at where we were living. Is that how to pay us back? May God help us since we don’t

have anybody. All what I and my husband had laboured for had been consumed by the inferno.”

She however, called on the Inspector General of Police to come to their aid in the barrack, adding: ‘’We are suffering here; look at where human beings are sleeping, we want better welfare package for our husbands.’’

Another victim of the incident, Mr David Ofrie said: “We have lost all our house hold appliances to the inferno, where do we start from now? The Police authorities should come to our aid in this barracks.

What my mother is earning as a police woman cannot take her anywhere, that was why we still remain in this place.”

Ofrie added: “The environment of the barracks is not conducive for us; we are not safe in this place, if epidemics breaks out here today, nobody is safe.”

Another victim who did not want his name in print also said: “As we speak, we are still in shock, because we were fast sleep when we heard the shout of fire, and before we knew what was happening, the building was on fire”.

One of the victims of December 2013 incident who also spoke on condition of anonymity said: ‘’After we have waited endlessly without response from the police authorities, we decided to rebuild the house by ourselves”.

favour us in the long run instead of seeking instant gratification always to the detriment of our future?” asked John in the CMS-bound commuter vehicle this Monday morning. He continued: “Multinationals and other private sector operators are busy falling over themselves to sponsor shows while the education sector suffers.”

“Very good observation! Multinationals are sponsoring shows, paying millions of dollars and naira to get the best out of our people in terms of entertainment. I wish that could be done in science, technology, engineering and mathematics,” said Tim. Said Mary: “You know, I have often wondered why these companies prefer to spend millions of dollars on beauty pageants and show business without looking the way of more serious business; things that will help our nation be more productive and more competitive. We have Gulder Ultimate Search with N10 million grand prize; Maltina Dance All - N6 million; Nigeria Got Talent – N10 million; West Africa Idol - N7.5 million plus an SUV; Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria pageant - N3 million plus brand new car; MTN Project Fame – N5 million; Big Brother Africa $200,000 and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire N10 million. Now, compare all these with Cowbell Mathematics competition with about N300,000 grand prize! I feel they are simply unwilling to spend on the things that will make a difference in our life as a nation.”

“God bless you! You have hit the nail on the head. Just compare these figures and tell me why our students will do well in exams,” said Lucky.

Replied Tim: “Why would they spend on your education so that you will be better than them?

From time immemorial, it has been the pattern.

During the slave trade, African slaves were meant to entertain the slave owners while the slave owners studied mathematics, science and technology to develop their land.”

“So are you saying that entertainment is not good? No matter what anyone says, they have helped to change so many lives. Through those competitions, some young people have made money to go into business or boost an existing business,” said John.

“In as much as entertainment is good, it will not develop our nation technologically. There must be a balance. They should show some interest in other fields as well. For instance, they could get young people with great ideas into a house for a period of time. Let them carry out scientific experiments and come up with some scientific innovations. And then, let there be prizes attached to them. I bet you, young people will fall over themselves to come up with innovative ideas and products that will move our nation forward and reward them financially, solve our everyday problems and make life easier for the people. That will be a good investment,” said Tim. “The truth is that most of our young people are not really interested in science and technology.

Show business, glamour and fashion resonate more with them and because these sponsors are business people, they would put their money into something that will yield more in a short period of time,” said Lucky.

“I think that is where our government should come in. For instance, a country like Canada invites professionals to come live and work in Canada; people that can contribute to their development not just every Tom, Dick and Harry. That is what I think our government must do. Invite companies that will agree to invest in the technological advancement of our people; don’t just tell them to carry out corporate social responsibility, tell them exactly what you want them to do,” said Mark.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014 — 21

NIIMP: FG targets 30m jobs, 70% GDP by 2043

BY EMMANUEL ELEBEKE

T

he Minister of National Planning Commission, NPC, Dr. Abubakar Sulaiman says the proposed implementation of the newly approved National Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan, NIIMP would generate about 30 million jobs in 30 years across all sectors of the economy.

The Minister disclosed this in Abuja at a briefing on the 2014 summit on partnership for implementation of the National Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan, NIIMP. The Minister explained that the implementation of the NIIMP will not only deliver quality infrastructure to the country but also create millions of jobs for unemployed Nigerians.

He said an estimated 600,000 additional construction workers will be required to maintain and

expand the existing infrastructure in the next five years. He added that about eight million people will be required to operate expanding infrastructure, during the same period.

In the agriculture and

mining sectors, Sulaiman said implementation of the NIIMP will create additional 20 million and five million jobs respectively over the next 30 years. For sustainable implementation of the plan, the Minister said, the

document would be sent to the National Assembly as an executive bill for the draft to be translated into a legal framework.

“The NIIMP does not only provide opportunities for deep-pocket infrastructure

Mr Dominic Ichaba, Director; Jane Anyaehie, Company Secretary; Mr Adedotun Sulaiman, Group Chairman and Mr Ganiyu Musa, General Managing Director /Chief Executive Officer, all of Cornerstone Insurance Plc during the 22nd Annual General Meeting of the company in Lagos. Photo: Lamidi Bamidele.

investors and developer, it also holds promises for all Nigerians. With improved infrastructure services, our economic growth will be accelerated and the standard of living on Nigerians will improve significantly.

“It will create millions of jobs.

An estimated 600,000 additional construction workers will be required to maintain and expand existing infrastructure in the next five years. Also, eight million people will be required to operate expanding infrastructure, during the same period, while additional 20 million and five million jobs respectively would be created over the next 30 years from the agriculture and mining sectors,” he stated.

Suleiman also stated that the NIIMP would raise Nigeria’s stock of infrastructure from the current 20-25 per cent of the GDP to at least 70 per cent of GDP by 2043.

Power: NACCIMA calls for cancellation of fixed electricity charge

BY NAOMI UZOR

T

he Nigerian Association of Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) has called for the cancellation of electricity tariff fixed charge to consumers in the country. The National President of NACCIMA, Alhaji Badaru Abubakar, made this call in a

parley with newsmen on the review of the state of the nation in the year 2014, saying, in the face of present epileptic power supply in the country, the chamber consider the electricity tariff fixed charge of between

N750 and N1, 500 based on Multi Year Tariff Order (MYTO)2 Retail Tariffs (Residential) to be too high for the average Nigerians who earn very low income and therefore urged that there should be no

NIM to deepen entrepreneurial, innovative skills

By Michael Eboh

177.50

-2.1

3,093.00 53.00 13.64

-0.14

96.63

-0.48

92.78

0.51

CURRENCY BUYING CENTRAL SELLING DOLLAR 154.74 155.24 STERLING 251.1894 252.0011 EURO 200.2026 200.8495 FRANC 165.5504 166.0854 YEN 1.4425 1.4472 CFA 0.2859 0.2959 WAUA 231.2774 232.0247 RENMINBI 25.222 25.304 RIYAL 41.2552 41.3885 KRONA 26.8903 26.9771 SDR 232.11 232.86

155.74 252.8127 201.4964 166.6203 1.4519 0.3059 232.772 25.3859 41.5218 27.064 233.61

CBN Exchange Rate as 15 /09 / 2014

fixed charge to consumers.

“Similarly, the average fixed charge of between N90, 000 and N200,000, based on MYTO2 Retail Tariffs (Commercial/Industrial), is considered too high for MSMEs

N

IGERIAN Institute of Manage ment, NIM, has announced plans to promote entrepreneurial and innovative skills among youths in the country, with its proposed industrial park.

Speaking at a press briefing to announce its forthcoming Annual Management Conference, Mr. Nelson Uwaga, President and Chairman of Council, NIM, said the park will be fashioned after the University of Cambridge model and will lead to the empowerment of large number of youths.

He explained that government at all levels would be required to send youths from all parts of the country to the park to imbibe skills that will make them contribute meaningfully to job creation and national development.

He said, “The Institute decided to lead the way in getting the nation out of the quagmire it has found itself because it believes that the task of getting the country up and running should not be left to government alone; it is a collective responsibility that can only be achieved with com-

mitment, attitudinal change and redefinition of our national ethos and values.

“All hands must, therefore, be on deck if Nigeria must rise and shine again. I therefore, want to seize this opportunity to call on other well meaning corporate organisation and individuals to take a cue from the initiative of the institute and join the battle to salvage the country.

“It is by synergizing with government in our individual and several capacities that we can all help to forge the Nigeria of our dreams.

He further stated that the institute will not relent in its quest to bequeath a well-trained and productive workforce on the nation.

“We will not be tired until mismanagement, maladministration, corruption and other social vices which have hampered Nigeria’s development are completely exterminated from our body polity,” he explained.

Uwaga said the conference, scheduled to hold between the September 21 and 23, 2014, in Warri, Delta State, has as its theme: ‘Strengthening the institutions of nationhood: The challenges of management.’

in the country and therefore urged that there should be no fixed charge to businesses/ industries” he said.

He said the chamber is still worried that the policy of 24 hours cargo clearance promised

by Government is yet to become a reality as the issue of cargo congestion has continued unabated at the Nigerian ports.

“This has been compounded with the concerns of Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR), issuance and wrong computation, huge demurrage to shipping companies, gridlock on the access roads to the Ports, amongst others.

Indeed this development does not portend the country as becoming a preferred Trade Hub for cargo destination; hence, we urge government and its agencies to continue to make efforts to find lasting solution to this problem through the option of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement” he stated.

Abubakar noted that the chamber have continued to observe that in spite of the enormous spending by governments on transportation infrastructure (roads, railway, waterways and airways) nationwide, the desired positive impact is yet to be felt by the business community and citizens.

22 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014

Government contributes less than 25 per cent to the premium income of the insurance sector, which is very poor

, INSURAN

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Air mishaps will lead to premium increase — Adeda

F

ollowing series of international air mishaps that have happened this year, aviation insurance premium could edge higher during business renewals.

Former President of Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria, CIIN, Mr. Sunny Adeda, stated this at the joint media retreat for insurance correspondents in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

According to Adeda, aviation insurance is an international business, and following the air disasters which have happened this year, especially the Malaysian airlines, insurance operators should be gearing up for higher renewals.

It will be recalled that 537 lives were lost on two of Malaysian Boeing 777. In March, MH370 disappeared on the way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in a mystery that may never be completely solved.

Just four months later, on July 17, MH17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine by a surfaceto-air missile thought to have been fired by pro-Russian rebels. According to Adeda, as

part of the recovery process, premium will go up and will rob off on Nigerian insurance industry.

He said that there is a huge burden on lead insurers because premium rate is determined by lead insurers and the aviation insurance is not a business where managing directors are begged to pay their own portion of claims because they have no option but to pay.

“In aviation because of high value, you can’t afford to cut corners. The major part of the risk has to be ceded abroad because Nigerians cannot take up to 60 per cent of aviation risk,” Adeda said.

According to Adeda, various countries have set minimum limit for aircraft that would overfly their air space. This type of insurance is sometimes referred to as public legal liability insurance, he said.

He said that for third party legal liability claims, the carrier is indemnified against liability incurred by him for any sums he is held liable to pay as compensation for bodily injury or damage to property of a third party.

Health Insurance: Unilever promotes hygiene through Sunlight Community Wash

U

NILEVER Plc has en gaged various communities across the country with the Sunlight Community Wash Campaign even as it promises consumers a clean and fresh wash experience with its 2-in1 Sunlight Detergent.

The Community Wash Train, according to a statement by the company, started at Ehanlen community,in Uhele-Ekpoma, Edo State; and then moved to Udoko community,Ondo Town, Ondo State; Oba-Oke communty in Olorunda, Osun State; Okeho community, Kajola Oyo State and, Owu Community in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

The company stated that residents thronged out to have a feel of the event which had in attendance key personalities from the communities. Having used different detergents, they acknowledged Sunlight detergent’s attribute of sensational cleaning and all day fragrance.

In Udoko community, Ondo South West LGA, the company explained,the playground of Saint Peters Primary School played host to many residents of the area who participated in

the community wash. The residents who defied the early morning rain joyfully took part in the various activities that made up the show.

The market women’s leader in the area, Mrs Adeyemi Christiana commended Unilever for the quality products produced by the company, especially the Sunlight Detergent. “We appreciate Sunlight Detergent because as market women, we are prone to dirt and sunlight detergent is readily available to help us with its 2-in-1 cleaning and freshening ability. This is why we called on all our women to be part of the community wash and they were so excited about it.”

Speaking on behalf of his people who have had a first-hand experience of Sunlight Detergent during the community wash in Osun State, the traditional ruler of Oba-Oke, Osun state, Oba Adam Iyiola Bamidele Yusuff in a statement said, “my people have really embraced the product and vowed to henceforth use Sunlight Detergent for all their household washing.”

Ogun State Commissioner for Education, Mr. John Odubela and Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria, CIIN, President, Mr. Bola Temowo during the donation of insurance textbooks for senior secondary schools to the Ogun State government by the CIIN, in Abeokuta.

Insurance growth:

Making govt play its part Stories by ROSEMARY ONUOHA

I

n developed countries, insurance is the backbone of the economy.

However, in Nigeria, the story is different.

Sadly, the rebasing of the economy further worsened the case, as the contribution of the insurance sector to the Gross Domestic Product, GDP, inched down to 0.6 per cent from its previous position of 0.7 per cent.

Although, the insurance sector cannot be totally absolved from blames for this poor showing, government at all levels is also a culprit in the blame game.

Lamenting the inaction of government towards making insurance the backbone of the economy, Director General of the Nigerian Insurers Association, NIA, Mr. Sunday Thomas said that government contributes less than 25 per cent to the premium income of the insurance sector, which is very poor.

According to Thomas, government patronage to the banks is very significant and this has made the banks maintain a strong standing in the economy.

Thomas said that the banking sector and insurance sector should not be compared because their operations are different, he however said that

government should begin to inculcate the insurance sector in its scheme of things.

“If the level of patronage in the banks were so in insurance, then likely, insurance will be the backbone of the economy.

There is unpatronising comparison of the industry with the banking sector. It is always the norm to compare the insurance industry with its twin brother- the banking industry, with a conclusion that the latter has continued to fare better in terms of public image and perception,” Thomas said.

The NIA DG said that aside from government indifference, the insurance industry has continued to be bedeviled by several challenges relating to image and public perception.

He mentioned these challenges to include poor public perception occasioned by several factors including what many term the conservative nature of insurance and its operators; as well as relative absence from public consciousness as the public most often do not conceive insurance services as being as fundamental to their existence as banking services.

Commissioner for Insurance, Mr. Fola Daniel, said that the rebasing which consequently caused the contribution of the sector to GDP to drop to 0.6 per cent,

there is need for more dynamic strategies to deepen insurance reach amongst the vast populace.

Daniel said, “The recent rebasing of the economy now makes the Nigerian economy the largest in Africa and 26th largest economy in the world.

This has however, placed enormous wake-up call on the insurance industry.

“We must as a matter of deliberate policy come up with new ways of doing the business in order to achieve

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Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014 —

better result. Our marketing strategy must change; our product design and packaging must change; our approach to policyholders and their complaints must change and all hands must be on deck to ensure that the message of insurance is taken to the grassroots.”

According to Daniel, if the insurance market must move from its present level to an optimal pedestal within the financial services sector, then there must also be a consensus on how best to tackle the challenges. “We have a lot to offer but we seem not to be taking advantage of the huge potential before us. The fundamentals for thriving insurance industry are there in the country - a vast population, an active economy and a wellcapitalised industry,” Daniel said.

However, Thomas cited some threat the industry survival to include poor standard of living of Nigerians and their low disposable income; poor attitude to savings and risk management unlike what we have in other developed jurisdictions; increasing environment of uncertainty and crimes (Boko Haram, kidnapping etc. issues of underwriting of emerging risks).

Others are faking of insurance certificates; industry practices that are not consistent with sustainability; cut-throat competition; poor industry database; skills gap in highly technical areas of insurance operations e.g. marine and aviation, oil and gas etc; poor attitude to training and human capital development; as well as less than optimal financial literacy.

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CE & YOU

There is unpatronising comparison of the industry with the banking sector

23

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Cornerstone Insurance grows GPI by 15%

By WILLIAM JIMOH

C

ornerstone Insurance Plc said Gross Premium Income for the 2013 financial year went up by 15 per cent from N4.6 billion in 2012 to N5.3 billion.

The analysis of the financial statement presented during the 22nd Annual General Meeting of the company held in Lagos showed that underwriting result dipped by 30 per cent from N1.2 billion in 2012 to N866 million in 2013. This is due to a 15 per cent increase in reinsurance expenses which grew from N1.6 billion in 2012 to N1.9 billion in 2013 and net claim expenses that went up by 18 per cent from N985 million in 2012 to N1.1 billion in 2013.

A combination of robust investment performance and disciplined control of operating expenses resulted in an increase in profit after tax from N544 million to N870 million. On the back of this

performance, Cornerstone recorded 16 per cent growth in total asset from N12 billion to N14 billion.

In his comment, Group Managing Director of the company, Ganiyu Musa stated that “Cornerstone Insurance Plc will continue to build on the strength of the Cornerstone people and the commitment to her core values including strong ethics and innovation to make Cornerstone the insurance of choice in Nigeria.”

In line with the Company’s commitment to providing industry transforming solutions, Cornerstone, in partnership with Airtel Nigeria recently launched her flagship micro insurance product tagged Airtel Insurance – covered

by Cornerstone. This is a truly innovative suite of products that provide life and hospitalization insurance cover to all Airtel

Insurance operators Nollywood

T

he immediate past President of the National Association of Insurance Correspondents (NAICO), Mr. Nnamdi Duru has advised insurance operators to partner the Nigerian entertainment industry codenamed, Nollywood.

The Insurance Correspondent of THISDAY Newspaper said this partnership could drive the desired insurance culture and deepen insurance penetration in the country.

He gave this advise when he shared his thoughts on “The Media and the Promotion of Insurance Culture in Nigeria” at the maiden Insurance Industry Joint Media Retreat for Journalists covering the insurance beat in Abeokuta, Ogun State recently.

He said the media, broadly classified into print and electonic, could be further classified into books, magazines, newspapers, recording, radio, television, online, social media as well as the new and emerging information and communication platforms.

The music and entertainment industry in Nigeria falls into recording, television and radio conveniently, he posited.

According to him, since the traditional media including

advised

print, television and radio have not taken the industry where it should be, the industry should engage other media to drive the desired change in culture in favour of insurance.

Duru, who is also a qualified insurance professional, stated his conviction that Nollywood could fill the media gap and bring back insurance to the consciousness of Nigerians generally.

He noted that members of Nollywood have the greatest followership in the country today, saying they could be mobilised to work

subscribers for free just at the dial of *259#.

Meanwhile, shareholders of the company unanimously authorised the Board of Directors to acquire 3,300,000,000 billion ordinary shares of FIN Insurance Company Limited in exchange for 6,112,429,926 ordinary shares of the company.

With the approval by the shareholders, the authorised share capital of the company has increased from N5 billion to N7.5 divided into 15 billion ordinary shares of 50 kobo

each by the creation of additional 15 billion ordinary shares of 50 kobo each, such shares ranking pari pasu in all respect with the existing ordinary shares in the capital of the company.

Speaking in support of the shareholders, President, Solidarity Shareholders Association of Nigeria, Chief Timothy Adesiyan described the move as a welcome development, adding that they are ever willing to give the board adequate resources to enhance efforts in growing the company profitably.

STI establishes new department

T

he Management of Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc has announced the establishment of a new department to be known as the Strategy & Corporate Planning Department under the leadership of the hitherto Head of Business Development, Mr. Lanre Ojuola.

to

partner

for the industry.

“The insurance industry should partner Nollywood to drive the dersired insurance culture in Nigeria.

Entertainers have great number of fans among Nigerian children, youths, middle class and the elite.

These are the target groups for the insurance industry,” he said.

According to him, operators in the insurance industry should start imagining the level of insurance awareness, acceptance and penetration they could achieve with little sponsorship of Nollywood works and programmes.

According to a statement released by the underwriting firm, the development is in line with the maximisation of human resources policy of the company aimed at utilising the potentials of its dynamic workforce in delivering optimal value to all stakeholders of the company. Until recently, the strategy component of the company was under the watch of the Head of ICT & Strategy, Mr. Lekan Oguntunde, who now has the sole responsibility of discharging Information Communication Technology solutions for the company’s operations.

With the recent addition, the organisation now has six strategic departments reporting directly to the Managing Director/CEO namely: Internal Audit, Risk Management & Compliance, Corporate Communications & Brand Management, Information & Communications Technology, Human Resources and Strategy & Corporate Planning Departments respectively.

From left: President of the Institute of Loss Adjusters of Nigeria (ILAN), Lebi Omoboyowa; President of the Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers (NCRIB), Ayodapo Shoderu, and President of the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN), Bola Temowo, at a joint media retreat in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

24 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014

Building collapse, regulation and control M

Investors’ rally raises Guinness share price amidst income decline

By PETER EGWUATU

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hare price of Guinness Nigeria Plc was on the upbeat last week, despite decline in the bottom line recorded by the company to underscore investors’ confidence.

On a day the local unit of London based Diageo announced missing profit expectations with net income falling to N9.57 billion ($48.3 million) in the nine months through March, compared with N11.86 billion a year earlier, its share price stayed rooted on N180 at 12:03 p.m. in Lagos trading. The stock made further gains the day after, opening at N180.50.

Thus despite missing profit target for the year, investors are rallying behind the company conscious of it’s ability to wring long term value for shareholders.

Some shareholders say the reasons are not farfetched as they are looking at the company’s trajectory in the long run while noting that the fourth quarter performance is better than previous quarters.

One shareholder highlighted the Brewer ’s consistency in dividend payout as a strong reason for their clinging on the stock despite the company halving payouts to N3.2 from N7.

“Shareholders are pleased,”

Asseco software enters Nigerian market

BY JONAH NWOKPOKU

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HE Nigerian technology market added a new global or ganization into its realms with the entry of Asseco Nigeria, a subsidiary of the Asseco Group with a promise to build a strong local expertise in four primary sectors including financial services, power, health, defense and social services.

Asseco Group, is among the leading software company in Central and Eastern Europe and the 6th largest technology company in Europe.

Simon Melchior , Chief Executive Officer, Asseco Nigeria and its West African representative in a press conference last week in Lagos told Technology Journalists that the Asseco had ventured into Nigeria approximately 18 months ago, following the visit to Nigeria of the Prime Minister of Poland in April 2013.

According to him, the company’s solution will address many areas in the Nigerian market especially in the power with automated billing solution.

“Our Prime Minister’s visit to Nigeria was his first visit to Africa and similarly to him, we couldn’t envision having a presence in Africa without being established here in Nigeria. Following several subsequent visits and meetings with public and private sector officials, we decided to invest in setting up a subsidiary in Nigeria”, he said.

Also speaking, Adefolu Majekodunmi, Managing Director of Asseco Nigeria emphasized that the focus of the Nigerian entity was to build a strong local expertise in four primary sectors including financial services (banking, insurance, capital markets), FMCG, utilities (power, water, gas) and public sector (health, defense, and social services).

says Boniface Okezie, who is President of the Progressive Shareholders Association.

“This is because it (dividend payment) ranks Guinness among the companies with consistent dividend payout.” Growth rate analysts put it at 3.13 percent in the last five years.

“There is also renewed optimism amongst shareholders as they notice that the strongest showing of the company came in the last quarter of the year under review.” This, Okezie attributed to ‘the company’s aggressive marketing strategies that have seen it introduce new brands and rev up advertisement spend in the bid to win more market share. “We must commend the efforts of the management of the company for turning around the financial fortunes of the company under very difficult economic conditions,” he said. The payout, analyst Exotix Frontier Equities, says “is positive for the business as it can reserve cash and reduce the need for additional debt financing”.

Although the analyst projected that “the market will likely respond negatively due to the sensitivity of shareholders to the annual dividend”, the overwhelming shareholder optimism indicates the contrary.

Technically, with a beta of 0.5863 (according to the Financial Times),which indicates that the stock is less likely to swing with market vagaries; and a solid historical performance, the stock remains a darling of Portfolio managers and Brokers who cling to it in their managed portfolios.

The stock has experienced significant pullback since last July when the stock had a Relative Stock Index (RSI) of over 70 (when the stock was overvalued.

,

From left : First Vice President, Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS), Mr. 0luwaseyi Abe; Group Head, Operations, Nigeria Commodity Exchange, Mr. Benson Lawal and Past President, CIS, Mr Mike Itegboje during courtesy visit of CIS team to Nigeria Commodity Exchange in Abuja.

y intention was to continue in the vein of the past few weeks and move from the consideration of Governor Tinubu’s time in office to the period of the current Executive Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN. However, the unfortunate incident of a building collapse in the Ikotun area and the resultant loss of lives require that there is a pause in our discourse on social engineering through Lagos State civilian governors.

In a way, we would be directing our attention towards Governor Fashola as whatever steps he and his Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Tpl Olutoyin Ayinde, take would determine whether the building regulation and control authorities are in a position to reduce the incidence of building collapses in the years

the complaints of the Omole Phase II Estate Residents and Landlords. I also note that recent press reports would suggest that the LASG and Omole Phase II Estate Residents and Landlords are not the best of friends. In the circumstances, the LASG may ignore that Court of Appeal ruling if there has been a further appeal to the Supreme Court. However, I believe that the threats to public safety from building collapses cannot be denied.

Unfortunately, I have not seen in the public record any report of investigations into specific building collapses. To my knowledge, sometime in the 1980s, there was the collapse during construction of part of a residential building on two floors in the Victoria Island Extension area. A panel of experts was set up to look into this building collapse and neither the Architect-

Put simply, the building regulations suggest that it is only the Lagos State Government, LASG, that has an interest in any approvals granted for the construction of a building.

ahead. As a Senior Advocate, Governor Fashola has a clear understanding of the requirements of the Coroner’s law and the laws relating to building regulation and control as the most recent amendments to the building regulations were concluded during Governor Fashola’s administration. Tpl. Ayinde came into government from being a practice professional and I would want to believe that he accepts that things go wrong with building projects and that these things can and should be investigated.

Put simply, the building regulations suggest that it is only the Lagos State Government, LASG, that has an interest in any approvals granted for the construction of a building. Thus, it is only the LASG that can complain if there is anything considered improper about the construction of a building.

However, in the case of Chijuka and others against Maduewesi and LASG, 2011 16 NWLR pt. 1272 181, the Court of Appeal has indicated that there is a constitutional right to life, safety and security of persons and their properties. I note that the above cited case arises from

,

owner of the building nor the government authorities presented any drawings to the panel with the result that the panel could not proceed with its work. The collapse in more recent times of a building that had been in use for a number of years in the Maryland area has not been investigated. The site was cleared of all debris by the authorities and there the matter rested. Why should a building that has been in use for several years collapse suddenly and how many more of such buildings are in our midst?

I therefore wish to appeal to Governor Fashola to seek all legal, professional and necessary advice towards using either the Coroner’s law or a judicial panel to unravel the mysteries surrounding the latest building collapse at Ikotun. We must be given an opportunity to learn from our mistakes and this can only be achieved if the reports of investigations into building collapses are made available to the public. One expects that the Standards Organisation of Nigeria and the cement manufacturers would give their support for a full public enquiry.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014—25

DIARY zAdvanced Networking, Internet Tech and Administration Workshop Lagos Sep 8-12, 2014

z Cisco Connect Sun City, South Africa Nov. 2 - 4, 2014

Preview

New inventions shaping life and living

Seen the Inflatable incubator?

African technologists write Nigeria on Ebola *Commend containment efforts *Suggest three ways to TECH Ebola out of Africa

By PRINCE OSUAGWU

Incubators seem like fairly innocuous tech to many of us, but they cost upwards of $50,000.

In refugee camps all over the world, they just aren’t plausible—either from a financial or functional perspective.

Instead, the MOM incubator can actually be flattened for transport, then expanded and reinflated for use.

It’s easy to assemble, and can run on nearly any available power source. Like car batteries, according to designer James Roberts.

C M Y K

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igeria and indeed all African nations have been put to task on three possible ways technology can be used to stamp out the dreaded Ebola disease currently ravaging the people and economies of the continent.

These tasks including stronger political commitment, establishment of a critical national database centre and establishment of National Health Emergencies News & Information Radio Station, are contained in a letter written by the Africa Emergency Technology Response Forum, AETRF, to the African Union, AU, all African Heads of state and Governments, including Nigeria.

The technologists are part of the over 65 African Tech experts worldwide, divided into two groups which meet via

I N S I D E

One iPhone6, different prices

teleconferencing in two separate locations of South Africa and Ghana, just for the purpose of proffering technology solutions to arrest the Ebola pandemic.

For them, Information and Communications Technology, ICT, must be at the centre and in critical terms, the backbone of Sustainable solution, to the Ebola spread in Africa.

In the letter made available to Hi-Tech, dated September 1, 2014 and titled: Africa Ebola Virus Crisis: African Technologists Urge More Robust Technology Based Response Strategy, the technology experts said they were alarmed and spurred into action by the declaration of the World Health Organisation, WHO, that “the 2014 Ebola Virus disease outbreak continues to evolve in alarming ways, with the severely affected countries struggling to

control the escalating outbreak.”

The group reasoned that since information technology is exploding throughout the continent and even the most remote areas have tremendous mobile technology coverage, there is need for greater attention to technology as a means of controlling the outbreak.

The AETRF said in the letter, that it also believed that the expertise of technology professionals, practitioners and volunteers can be more effectively harnessed to curtail the monster virus and save lives.

The letter spelt it out, point blank, that, “the Ebola Virus disease outbreak cannot be effectively controlled without the critical inclusion, deployment, application and use of Information Technology infrastructure, tools and

Continues on pg 28

WhatsApp tops social media engagement among Nigerian professionals

26 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014

Microsoft Mobile opens care centres in Port Harcourt, Aba

By FAVOUR ANTHONY

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icrosoft recently opened two after sales service centers in Port Harcourt, Rivers State and Aba, Abia State.

The company said the move was a way to bring best after-sales services closer to its consumers in the states and its environs.

The Centers are located along Okpororo Road, off Artillery Junction, Port Harcourt and 31 saint Michaels Road, Aba. The two outlets, known as Nokia Care Centers are said to be staffed by well trained and competent personnel.

The centers which formally commenced operations at the weekend will render inwarranty and out-of-warranty repairs services. The new Nokia Care Centers, it was gathered have personnel that can repair faulty devices, offer technical advice on how to handle devices in order to get the best out of it. The shops will also handle device swaps among other services.

Some of the guests who spoke at the media launch of the centers commended Microsoft for opening the outlets in the two cities. They noted that it was a welcome development adding that with the opening of the shops they will no longer patronize ill-trained artisans who handle device repairs.

Before the media launch, Nokia Care Channel Manager, Nokia West and Central Africa, David Efanga explained that extending the Nokia Care Centers to the two locations was in response to the yearnings of Nokia users in the areas and its environs. He said, “It is our delight to bring our premium after sales services to our customers in Port Harcourt and Aba. This will help to solve customers’ challenges because going forward, they can enjoy after sales services easily and faster as against what formally obtained when they have to send their devices all the way to Lagos which is a long process.”

Wiko smartphones for launch in Nigeria

By CYNTHIA OKERE

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iko, the No. 2 Smartphone vendor in France, well-known by its variety of high-tech, high performance and attractively designed products is set to launch in Nigeria soon.

Wiko announced its next wave of expansion at the Consumer Electronics Show, Internationale Funkausstellung, IFA, in Berlin recently. The brand will also launch in Poland and Kenya. Making its debut in the Gulf region, the United Arab Emirates is slated for end of the month launch, followed by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in mid-October.

At Wiko’s IFA pavilion, David Garcia, International Business Development Director, Wiko Global, said: Wiko delivers style and quality at the best price. We are excited about entering our new markets like Nigeria, Kenya, Poland, the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and are confident of repeating our success story in these markets. We take pride in that Wiko is now setting a new direction for the Smartphone market.”

Continuing, Garcia said that: “IFA is a great opportunity for Wiko to demonstrate our complete 3G and 4G Smartphone line up. Tech lovers will have the chance to discover the Wiko’s innovative products that have made us successful in Europe so far.”

One iPhone6, different prices

By PRINCE OSUAGWU

T

here is arguably nowhere in the world that new mobile phones penetrate the market faster than Nigeria. The news of a new mobile phone is received with exhilaration which eventually spark off acquisition competition.

Nigerians buy phones for fun. While many enjoy the features and functionalities of latest innovations, others buy for fashion and style, or even status symbol.

Device makers may have noticed this and apparently tilt prices depending on the level of ‘craze’ users in different regions show towards the devices.

When the news filtered in that the just released Apple iPhone 6 was in the making, many Nigerians had already started saving for it. This was irrespective of having almost all the different series of the iPhone smartphone in their possessions.

Nobody wants to be with the outdated!

Incidentally, Nigerians were not the only iPhone users anticipating the release of the device or showing 'craze' for it. Across Europe, Asia, Africa and even the Americas, the iPhone frenzy was rife.

And boom! Last week, Apple not only released the much awaited iPhone 6, but added a plus specification, the iphone6+. The devices are larger than the regular iphone. They are also embedded with near field communications, NFC, which Apple says offer a more secure and fingerprint-based way to pay for goods and services.

Apple’s claim of superior security features with the NFC threatens the credit and debit cards and may render

t h e m redundant, if proven worthwhile.

According to Apple, with the NFC, users will be able to hold their phone on a standard credit card reader, and the payment will be processed only when a fingerprint is used to verify their identity. The company claims that, for the first time, vendors will not see any details about the customer, such as their name, address or credit card number.

However, a peep into Apple’s online shop in US, lists the iPhone 6 at between $199 and $399 and the Plus at $299-499. Of course those are carrier subsidised prices, anyway.

But a close look reveals a fairly significant price differentiation in a number of markets.

Apple’s online store in Hong Kong only lists “prices starting at”, presumably for the 16GB versions.

But both the 6 and 6 Plus – at HKD5,588 ($720) and HKD6,388 ($825) – are $90-107 cheaper than in Australia, $70-95 lower than in Singapore and $30-40 less than in Taiwan.

The iPhone 6 128GB version in Taiwan is $100 less than in Australia and $80 less than Singapore. For the 16GB model, the difference narrows to $60-40. For the top 6 Plus handset, which is going for at least $1,100 in the three markets, prices in Australia and Singapore are almost the same but still about $60

Ericsson develops live captioning platform *Plans showcase at IBC 2014

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ricsson has unveiled its real-time platform that supports live captioning in various languages for broadcasters around the world. Ericsson via the technology, uses speech-to-text, newsroom integration, and rapid offline content preparation.

The live platform makes its IBC debut this year, and is a key part of Ericsson’s Broadcast and Media Services portfolio following the acquisition of leading media services company Red Bee Media in July.

The enterprise-level, schedule-driven software platform, which was developed in-house, uses the best possible speech recognition and stenography technologies to power Ericsson’s live captioning services. It allows multiple captioners to prepare and deliver real-time services for clients while maximizing re-use of the caption data after it has been broadcast – for example, by helping to power content discovery and enrich archive search.

more than Taiwan. On the 16GB 6 Plus, the gap narrows to $65-55.

The Sydney Morning Herald lists the 6 at AUD869-1,129 ($810-1,050) and the 6 Plus goes for AUD9991,249. Three memory options are offered: 16GB, 64GB and 128GB for the first time.

In Taiwan the Taipei Times reports the iPhone will be priced at TWD22,500-29,500 ($750-950) while the 6 Plus will go for between TWD25,900 and TWD32,900.

The Straits Times in Singapore compiled a fantastic graphic comparing the 6 and 6 Plus and Apple Watch to four or five competitive offerings. Another page lists prices at SGD988-1,288 ($7901,030) for the 6 and SGD1,288-1,448 for the 6 Plus.

These are just a few tips to the price variations that users' craze for newer versions of strong mobile brands can bring about.

Right now, pricing has not been released in Nigeria, where Apple has one of its strongest authorised resellers, Core Group Africa. But the truth is that Nigerian iPhone lovers wishing to have this new beaut, may just prepare to cough out between N120,000 to 200,000 or even much more.

The platform is currently being used to deliver live captioning services for major broadcast clients, including the BBC. Ericsson quoted Head of Broadcast & Publication Operations at BBC Television, Simon Smith, as saying that “the drive for technical innovation and operational efficiency has underpinned Ericsson’s approach to the design and development of this platform from the outset. They have delivered a system that is uniquely tailored to meeting our demanding requirements. We are already seeing a step change in live subtitling accuracy as a result of using this platform, and we view its ongoing development as a vital tool in delivering ever-greater access to live programs for the BBC’s deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers.”

Meanwhile, Director of Access Services at Ericsson Broadcast and Media Services, David Padmore, says: “Our ongoing investment in technology and innovation really demonstrates our commitment to delivering the highest levels of service and quality to both our customers and their audiences. We’ve received really positive feedback so far from all areas – viewers, deaf and hard-of-hearing groups, captioners and broadcasters.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014—27

Only e-learning can make education competitive —Stakeholders

By Emmanuel Elebeke

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TAKEHOLDERs at oneday meeting of stakeholders in the Science and Engineering sector have said that efforts should be made to introduce elearning in all higher institutions, so as to create a more interactive and participatory learning environment.

The meeting, being the second in the series, was organised by Science, Engineering and Technology Network, SciEtech, in collaboration with the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, COREN, and was aimed at building the next generation of engineers in Nigeria.

The stakeholders said it has become imperative for government to consider as a priority the issue of elearning in Nigerian higher institutions to ensure that undergraduates are kept abreast of the present realities and compete favourably with their peers in other climes. They also expressed the view that more emphasis should be placed on skills in the application of software in engineering, both for training and industry applications.

According to them, teamwork in engineering should be encouraged as this will facilitate participation of all team members, while building their trust and confidence.

They also added that the student-equipment ratio in

Digital classroom the universities should be controlled through synergy of all admission Stakeholders: the Universities, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, the National Universities Commission, NUC and COREN.This they said, will ensure a more effective training of students and accessibility of practical equipment for improved practical knowledge.

They also advanced the opinion that all stakeholders must collaborate to provide better ICT facilities in teaching and improved internet access in universities, especially for the purpose of research.

Meanwhile, the participants observed that a gap exists between the global practice in

Jumia Nigeria introduces Express Delivery

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igeria’s online retailer, Jumia.com.ng has introduced one day express delivery to its customers in Lagos.

Jumia said it introduced this service to enhance its customers’ shopping experience and drive convenience with online shopping.

It said however that the current service comes with N750 charge and that it will soon be extended to most of the country.

Recently, Jumia expanded to creating new categories with more assortments available for customers to shop from.

It further noted that, “This exclusive delivery expansion offered as Express Delivery gives all Jumia customers in Lagos the opportunity to

receive their order the same day they place the order. It is same day delivery that is not being offered by any other retailer in Nigeria.”

Managing Director of Jumia Nigeria, Nicolas Martin speaking on the delivery innovation said, ”This level of convenience is what we aim to provide for our customers. We always make sure we are giving our customers the best of online retail experience with our service delivery and express delivery is a game changer for e-commerce operations in Nigeria” The retailer said, “Customers in Lagos can enjoy same day delivery on most of the items listed on Jumia’s website, if they place their order before 1:00 pm during the day.”

engineering training and what is in practice in Nigeria and therefore, stressed the need to internationalize Nigerian institutions. They also observed that the level of

research and development in Nigerian universities in relation to industry needs is presently low for the development desired by Nigeria. Their argument was that there is very high degree of engineering capacity in Nigeria, but the enabling environment for development is lacking.

Availability of internet facilities in the universities and the efficiency level of internet provision according to them is below expectation and very inadequate.

In his remarks, the President of the Association of Telecommunication companies of Nigeria, ATCON, Engr. Lanre Ajayi, said ATCON was willing to work with SCITECH/ COREN to achieve the set goals.

He said all avenues for funding must be explored to support research and d e v e l o p m e n t , commercialize inventions,

promote and support new findings.

He also expressed the view that consideration should be given to setting up of a Graduate Engineering School with the engineering industry experts’ support.

According to Ajayi, industries within engineering disciplines should be reached in collaborating with the aim of addressing young engineers’ development in their careers.

While promising to deepen the linkage between ATCON and SCITECH, he emphasised the need for strategic partnership between industries in Nigeria and the academia especially in funding.

Earlier in her remarks, the Executive Director, SciEtech, Engr. Mrs. Valerie Agberagba said the objective of the meeting was to gather stakeholders in the science and technology sector to discuss and profer solutions to the challenges of building the next generation of engineers in Nigeria.

WhatsApp tops social media engagement among Nigerian professionals

BY JONAH NWOKPOKU

WhatsApp messaging app recently acquired by Facebook Inc. seems to have become the preferred social media application among Nigerian professionals at least, a survey conducted by Nigeria’s social innovation centre, Co-creation Hub, CcHUB says so.

The survey which was conducted to determine what Nigerian professionals do with their mobile phones and released last week, showed that of the 1, 552 professionals surveyed, 489 representing 31.5 percent, rely on the messaging app for their social media engagements. This is followed by blackberry messenger with 20.9 percent and Facebook with 15.7 percent.

The social networking app, Twitter come distant fourth with low patronage of 6.9 percent.

The survey further surprisingly however showed that the short messaging service, SMS is becoming unpopular with Nigerian professionals as most of those surveyed either only surf the internet or make voice calls most of the time with their mobiles.

According to the survey, 39.3 percent of Nigerian professionals spend their time browsing the internet while 36.1 percent make calls with

their mobiles. Chatting, messaging and gaming stood at 15.3, 7.4 and 1.6 percents respectively.

Phone brands The survey also looked at phone brands mostly favoured by Nigerian professionals. It shows Microsoft’s Lumia 625 emerge as the preferred mobile device among Nigeria’s professionals with 27.2 percent. This is followed

by Blackberry Q10 with 22 percent and Samsung Galaxy S4 which polled 17.5 percent.

Others include Tecno M7 with 15 percent, iPhone 5, 8 percent and LG mobile, 3.7 percent.

There are however other categories of mobile devices which were quite unpopular with Nigerian professionals as they are preferred by less than 2 percent. These include: HTC, Sony, Infinix and Nexus which were favoured by 1.8, 1.4, 1.1 and 0.6 percents respectively.

Mobile network The survey also throws light on the preferred mobile network and shows that most Nigerian professionals, 38.5 percent still subscribe to MTN Nigeria. This is followed by Etisalat with 25.1 percent while Airtel and Globacom are subscribed to by 23.3 and 13.2 percents respectively. The survey was conducted among professionals cutting across several sectors including Transport, Telecoms, Banking and Finance, Armed Forces, Education, Consulting, Engineering/Manufacturing and Health care. Others include,Information Technology, Law, Media and Marketing, Public sector, Retail and Sales, Science, etc. The survey also showed that most Nigerian professionals do not use more than one phone as according to the survey, only 37.9 percent use more than one phone as against 56.1 percent who do not. Recall that CCHub conducted similar survey recently on how local traders use their mobile .

28—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014

African technologists write Nigeria on Ebola Continues from page 25 enabling resources.”

Part of the letter reads: “While we commend the constructive interventions already in place, we recognize that more needs to be done.

The AETRF calls on all African Heads of State and governments to endorse and approve the following recommendations aimed at combating the Ebola outbreak while also helping to build the infrastructure to avoid future catastrophes and save lives: * “Increase the political commitment to stop the Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak by immediately designating a technology leader on the National task force to coordinate the government’s technology initiatives in response to the Ebola outbreak.

This leader should have the government’s full mandate to l e v e r a g e government resources, private sector or NGO efforts in fulfilling any relevant Ebola response communications, data gathering, contact mapping and analysis of efforts; * “Encourage all African Countries to, each, establish a National Data Center to host the National Call Center for Ebola. This platform will provide the flexibility for countries to access on-demand cloud based technology solutions in response to public safety emergencies and postcrisis analysis; * “Encourage all African countries to, each, establish a National Health Emergencies News & Information Radio Station that compiles, vets and disseminates accurate health information including preventive measures related to hygiene, health education and emergency information. In addition to the radio station, we recommend the use of all available communications platforms including and not limited to television, SMS messaging and social media.

These healthcare communications should be available in local languages and should address all diseases that impact the lives of Africans including Ebola, Cholera and Malaria.

“With these recommendations, we wish to reaffirm our commitment to global efforts to halt the spread of the Ebola virus on the African continent”.

The letter was signed by twelve designated African tech experts both in the continent and in diaspora. They include, the Co-Founder/Business Development Manager, iSpace Foundation, Ghana, Kwesi Eyison; Nigeria’s Dr Chris Uwaje, who is Chairman Mobile Software Solutions Nigeria and immideate PastPresident, Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON).

Others are Wilmot J Gibson,

Principal Engagement Manager Microsoft Services Americas, New England Division; Clement K. Tay, Webmaster at the Ministry of Health & Social Welfare, Government of the Republic of Liberia; Kevin Schuster, Director of Partnerships, North America, VOTO Mobile, United States; Pearlyn Budu, Director of Partnerships, West Africa, VOTO Mobile, Ghana.

There are also Siafa Sherman of Synogy Consulting, Nigeria; Emira Woods, Director of Social

Encourage all African Countries to, each, establish a National Data Centre to host the National Call Centre for Ebola

EXPANDING GAINS OF ICT IN NIGERIA:From left: Ericsson Country Manager, Nigeria, Mr. Kamar Abass; Chairman, Skye Bank Plc, Dr. Olatunde Ayeni; Minister of Communications Technology, Nigeria, Mrs. Omobola Johnson; Ericsson’s Global CEO, Hans Vestberg and CEO, MTN Nigeria, Mike Ikpoki at a dinner organised by Ericsson where key industry leaders discussed the future of the telecom sector, in Lagos.

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Impact, ThoughtWorks, United States; Prieska Villily Buthelezi, ThoughtWorks South Africa; Wahne Tubman, Director, Enwah Interactive, South Africa; Evelyn A. Lewis, CEO SBTS Group, Sierra Leone and Cecil John, Chief Executive Architect, virtualdeveloper.com Corp, United States.

Recall that sequel to this letter, the group had earlier declared its findings that there was inadequate real-time GIS mapping of information to indicate statistics related to the Ebola spread, coupled with inadequate service delivery and prevention efforts for the disease.

It also berated limited internet connectivity, especially in rural areas and urban centres, making case that this should be addressed.

Other facilities it identified to be lacking in the Ebola fight, included essential health facilities with strong internet access, real time information, adequate tools for pulling information from affected members of the public into Systems at Ministries of Health, effective contacting, tracing and follow-up for those ill or quarantined.

They also contended that insufficient attention to remote areas, minimal collaboration amongst different impacted countries, lack of collaboration between governments and nongovernmental organizations, can never allow the fight to stamp out Ebola to be result oriented.

From left: Special Guest, Osolo of Isolo Kingdom, Oba Kabiru Agbabiaka; Zonal Business Manager, Airtel, Lagos, Olawale Alao and Lagos-based entrepreneur, Mr. Samson Adele, during the tour of the newly commissioned Express Shop at Okota-Isolo, Lagos on Wednesday.

From left: Yele Okeremi; 2nd Vice President, ISPON, Pius Okigbo, Jr.;President, ISPON, Kabelo Makwane - Country Managing Director, Microsoft Nigeria, Awawu Olumide-Sojinrin - Director, Marketing & Operations, Microsoft Nigeria, Chris Uwaje; Immediate Past President, ISPON, Titus Olowokere; Chairman, Policy & Strategy Committee, ISPON during the partnership agreement between ISPON and Microsoft Nigeria held in Lagos last week.

Nigeria’s Dr Eugene Juwah, new Chairman, Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO), makes his acceptance speech after the election while former Chairman, Juma Kandie and Tim Unwin, CTO Secretary General (right), and Cris Seecheran of Trinidad and Tobago listen.

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VANGU ARD, WEDNESD AY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014 — 29 ANGUARD, WEDNESDA

30—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMPER 17, 2014

PENULTIMATE Friday witnessed a grand reception in honour of a former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Obong Victor Attah, organized by the Ibibio people.

Akwa Ibom 2015: Day Ibibio land stood still for Attah

By Chioma Onuegbu

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HE event was momentous and historic It was well attended by hundreds of Ibibio sons and daughters of Akwa Ibom State.

Also, the political class, traditional and religious leaders, youths and women groups and invited guests from all walks of life stormed the Asan Ibibio ground to honour Obong Attah, one of their own.

Although the event was officially scheduled for 10 am, the venue was filled before 9 am.

Dignitaries at the occasion included the class of ’99 governors, Chief Lucky Igbinedion of Edo State and DSP Alamieyeseigha of Bayelsa State; the Obong of Calabar, former Minister of Petroleum, Chief Don Etiebet, Dr. Ime Umanah,

•Obong Victor Attah at Asan Ibibio, Akwa Ibom State on Friday at a reception in his honour “I started to admire Victor Attah Some came as political contribution to the national colleagues, business associates, conference but contribution in ever before I had the opportunity totality to the corporate world.” to serve with him in the professionals etc.”

Speaking on behalf of the class Devolution Committee of the In his remarks, chairman of the occasion, former Pro- Chancellor of 99 (elected governors in 1999) 2014 National Conference. How Chief Igbinedion said that he had lucky the Ibibio are to produce a to honour the invitation because man like Attah. When he invited it was an honour well deserved. me that his people were going He was quick to point out that to honour him, I did not expect Attah’s zeal to fight for his people this crowd. I did not expect the was why we have a President type of comments I have been from the South-South. hearing because I almost came Chief Ayo Adebanjo, who to the conclusion that Nigerians served on the Committee on don’t appreciate good people but and Chairman governing Devolution of power at the just I came here to see that Ibibio council, Federal University of concluded National Conference people are very appreciative,” he Technology Yola, General Edet described Attah as a said.

Akpan (rtd) said even though it distinguished Nigerian and Also, former Chief Whip of was coming seven years late humble administrator.

Akwa Ibom State House of fbecause of Attah's refusal to accept the honour after the successful completion of his tenure in 2007, the Ibibios have enough reason to honour and celebrate Attah. themselves ahead of the

By Clifford Ndujihe He identified Attah’s fight for primaries. I encourage aspirants resource control and HE assurance of the to reach out to one another, contributions to national issues Peoples Democratic Party discuss, reach agreements and among other cogent reasons he (PDP) leadership in Anambra reconcile positions. Where they deserved the honour given to State that it will conduct can’t reach an agreement, then him. transparent congresses and they will go for the primaries.”

Akpan said “for him (Attah) primaries at all levels and Commenting on the issue, a there is nothing spectacular to be ensure non-imposition of member of the House of honoured. He completed his candidates in the 2015 general Representatives (Nnewi North/ tenure as a duty and not a favour polls has been hailed by South Ekwusiugo) Chris to his people like what is aspirants and stakeholders.

Azubuogu, said “this meeting happening in Nigeria where Anambra State PDP is timely. It has come at a time many even pay to be honoured Chairman, Chief Ken when there are already rumours and celebrated. This time we Emekaiye, at a meeting of of people who are claiming that approached him for him to come party stakeholders in Akwa, they have been given tickets.” back for us to thank him for his said: “The primaries will be Also, a PDP senatorial aspiran contribution towards the Nigeria peaceful and transparent. in Anambra Central, Dr. Obiora project.

Everything will be done to Okonkwo said: “It is reassuring "That is why we are gathered erase acrimony.

In the interest and heart-warming that the to celebrate him and this adds of the party, we will want the party has taken this stand. It is a another laurel to his rich aspirants to talk among welcome development that the portfolio, apart from his

,

I am sure that many of our guests here are not Akwa Ibom people by origin, but friends and acquaintances of Obong Attah

Senator Ita Enang, and Senator Aloysius Etok, Chief Ayo Adebanjo and Kanu Agabi (SAN) among others.

Attah lauded Speaker after speaker poured praises on Obong Attah and enumerated reasons they had to honour the PDP bigwig.

In his opening prayer, the Archbishop of Calabar Archdiocese, Archbishop Joseph Effiong Ekuwem, stated that one of the virtues that endeared Attah to him was his principles.

“I am Akwa Ibom indigene and I am here on the platform of Akwa Ibom. I am not here as an Ibibio son. There is excellence in this Akwa Ibom son, who is an Ibibio man. I will do the same for anyone, be he from Eket, Oron, Annang, or anywhere in Akwa Ibom. I will adore him for his principles. It is this family oneness that I want to stress, the honour given to any member is an honour given to all from Akwa Ibom. I am sure that many of our guests here are not Akwa Ibom people by origin, but friends and acquaintances of Obong Attah.

,

Assembly, Chief Ukata Akpan said the honour would not have come at a better time than now considering Attah’s recent stride at the National Conference, which has further projected him as a dependable leader, not just for Akwa Ibom people but also the South-South in general."

The guest speaker, Mr Kanu Agabi (SAN) in his presentation, described the former governor as an ornament of not only Akwa Ibom state but also Nigeria.

Agabi said Attah deserved the honour done to him “not because there is a shortage of good people but for the fact that out of many good people he truly distinguished himself.”

The legal luminary noted that “whenever there is a cause to be pleaded, there is somebody to plead that cause, Victor Attah is such a person. Obong Attah is the man who knows how to bring together all the necessary schemes or ideas. His name, Victor, is suggestive of victory.

Fearless, rigid, unbending and modest, he is a worthy example in this age of opulence.”

Besides, he said Attah’s achievement coupled with his humility has made him become the property of all. "Some men are honoured only after they die you have been honored again and again in your life time. You have been outspoken in your condemnation of the ills of our society We celebrate your life because you work for peace and justice. He is a man who made success of his chosen career.

Anambra: PDP’s no imposition or

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party has come out to spell this out. It will encourage all aspirants and put the party in a good stead in terms of morals in the 2015 election.

Okonkwo also commended the party for its efforts at reconciliation because “it is a way of eliminating acrimony and unnecessary spending of money. We can succeed if we tell ourselves the truth and elect people based on their capabilities and strengths.

The delegates will know who is good enough for which position.”

Dr. Okonkwo urged politicians to take serious the sacred mandate of voters and the charter of contract between them and their constituents to deepen the democracy at the grass roots.

In his declaration speech, “We

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMPER 17, 2014—31

By Charles Kumolu

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HAT is your vision for Delta State and what inspired it?

My vision is inspired by the passion to serve and uplift the people of Delta State to greater height. It is a clear goal that seeks to harness the huge potentials and capabilities in human and material resources available in the state and ensure all inclusive development, job creation, poverty reduction and to reorientate the mind-set of our people, creating conducive environment for industry and commerce to thrive, huge investment in agriculture, education, health and creating opportunity for the youths and ensure a decent and quality life for all.

Our actions will be guided by total commitment to the will of God and service to our people.

The pursuit of this goal requires clear strategy and vision, and we are certain that we have the requisite experience, zeal and commitment to actualize these set objectives. We understand the magnitude of the work to be done and are sufficiently equipped to take Delta to the next level. A lot of grounds need to be covered, we need to catch up and excel in a very short time.

We recognise government as a continuum and therefore intend to consolidate on the efforts of the previous and present administrations in the state. I have offered myself for service and will provide the model of governance that will be people centred.

Can you expatiate on the concept of people centered

governance that you are passionate about?

If elected to serve, our government shall be a government of equal opportunity for all Delta citizens. Our programmes and policies will be people-centered and will be anchored on the concept of mass participation, accountability, community development and values built on hard work, integrity and private enterprise, setting the bench mark for transparency and accountability in governance.

We shall promote effective grassroots administration at local government level and ensure that government presence is felt in every community. A new framework for Local government partnership in service delivery shall be evolved where every town union will be required to prepare annual budgets and government will provide matching grants to fund part of the town’s budget to execute major developmental projects/ social services and ensure security.

We shall encourage the participation of traditional rulers in governance by constituting Traditional Rulers Advisory Council whose duty shall be to advise government on matters bordering on community security, development and culture.

The Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan administration’s key programme has been Delta Beyond Oil. Does that strike you as a good policy worth sustaining?

Delta beyond oil is a programme that must of necessity be encouraged and

2015: Sustaining Delta beyond

oil is my priority — Olejeme

•Olejeme sustained for the good of our state. One way to do this is to embark on large scale agricultural farms to employ thousands of workers directly and create thousands of jobs indirectly. This will be achieved by training and facilitating youths Agricultural Entrepreneurial Model, which will encourage the youths to invest in agriculture as a business.

We shall also provide agricultural credit support schemes to farmers as well as provide agricultural credit, farm tools, fertilizers and improved seedlings. We shall also empower our farmers’ cooperative societies through facilitation of sustainable food

rder excites aspirants Believe We Can Make This Change”, Okonkwo stated that “it is the poor attitude of politicians to those who elected them into office that is breeding this culture of distrust and acrimony, which manifests at every election.

“We believe that the power of the people is stronger than the power of the people in power.

In pushing ourselves on the need for change, we have drawn up a shared vision with the people. It is a bond between the led and the leaders; a charter of trust, a platform to rebuild confidence. It is a bond built on the absolute needs of developmental politics, morality, credibility and humility in service to God and humanity. We

want to restore pride in the people, rebuild their confidence and make them believe again that power resides in them.”

Okonkwo bemoaned how voters have been shortchanged in their ability to effect change only during elections and said that in this election we must “significantly alter the way leaders see those, who put them in power. We insist that without these people, there would be no leaders. A leader is a servant of those who handed over power to him.

That power is the power to serve the people and not the power to dominate them.

Today, these leaders

•Mu'azu visualize themselves as kings, emperors, tingods who should be served while they drive their people off the roads, into poverty, distrust and hopelessness.”

production and processing, support for strategic food preservation and farm settlement development. Under our Agricultural Master Plan, we will

,

NGOZI Olejeme, Chairperson Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Fund, NSITF, and governorship aspirant in Delta State, in a chat with Vanguard acticulates why she wants to govern Delta and her vision for the state.

performed creditably well in the health sector, how would you sustain the gains he recorded?

We will pursue a public healthcare system that will cater

Delta beyond oil is a programme that must of necessity be encouraged and sustained for the good of our state. One way to do this is to embark on large scale agricultural farms

divide our state into three agricultural zones each producing products it has comparative advantage. We will as a matter of fact invest in aquaculture because we are upbeat on making Delta State the highest fish producing state in the country.

What is your plan for education?

Education is very strategic to the overall development of any state, and building sustainable education requires aggressive investment. We will establish model schools in all local government councils; refurbish primary schools; rehabilitate and maintain existing schools and libraries; provide school furniture/equipment, teaching materials, curriculum review/ entrepreneurial and vocational training, functional scholarship system; and enhanced tertiary education.

We will improve the welfare of our teachers by providing incentives and training to encourage productivity while setting performance assessment method to entrench effective service delivery.

The incumbent governor has

,

for the health needs of every Delta State indigene. This will be achieved by widening access, equipping and training healthcare providers in our primary health care facilities in every community in the state.

We will also embark on expansion of primary health-care programmes; improvement of secondary health-care; strengthening of the marine ambulance and emergency medical services; and improvement of medical personnel welfare. We will introduce comprehensive health insurance cover for every Deltan.

This will be achieved by the introduction of community based health insurance that will cater for the healthcare need of the rural poor. We will build and equip at least two international hospitals in partnership with the private sector, which will be centres of excellence in medicine.

To ensure that we promote medical tourism, we will strengthen our healthcare system by ensuring enforcement of health care delivery standards at all times.

32 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014

Stories By Tony Ubani

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he most flavorful bluered derby of the Champions League kicks off another group stage The most flavorful blue-red derby of the Champions League kicks off another group stage Manchester City comes to Allianz Arena for the third time in four years, a bout that has become more enticing with every passing group-stage fixture. Bayern Munich’s rivalry with the Citizens is not as storied as others (AC Milan, Arsenal, Manchester United, or Real Madrid), but with six meetings on the docket, it is quickly becoming one.

Both teams come into this tournament after Spanish giants flushed them out. They each have something to prove in Europe – Manchester City trying to prove that they belong with Europe’s elite and Bayern trying to prove that they still are one of Europe’s elite. It will no doubt be one of the biggest matches in Europe, all eyes pondering what the next chapter in this budding rivalry will be.

The Squad In his quest to find the perfect formational formula, Pep Guardiola continues to have new variables that he has to balance. The latest of which is Holger Badstuber, whose thigh tear will keep him out for an extended period of time.

He now has only three center backs to concoct with.

The prevailing assumption now is that the tactical drawings involving a three back system will be tucked away for now, but a restoration of the traditional four-back set

Bayern, City resume rivalry

will not be a big transition. In every Bundesliga match thus far, Bayern has shifted to a back four at one point or another.

Mehdi Benatia has yet to feature, making Jérôme Boateng and Dante the likely starters in defense. However, with Guardiola throwing Xabi Alonso into his debut upon his arrival, it would not be a surprise if Guardiola made the Champions League Benatia debut.

Regardless of the setup, the catalyst to Bayern’s continuity

Bayern need to step up to beat City – Lahm

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hilipp Lahm has warned his Bayern Munich teammates that they must be at their very best to beat Manchester City in the Champions League today.

The two sides have been drawn into Group E along with Roma and CSKA Moscow and face each other at the Allianz Arena.

Ahead of the clash, Bayern

captain Lahm insists his side must to up their game when they take on the Premier League champions.

“We’ll need to find another gear on Wednesday (today),”Lahm told the club’s official website.

“Manchester City are an absolute top team, but obviously, when FC Bayern play at home, we expect to

win.”

Thomas Muller echoed the former G e r m a n y international’s remarks, stating: “We want to make a good start, [but we need] an excellent team performance.”

Roma ready to tackle CSKA

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fter beating Empoli at the weekend Roma can finally turn their attentions to the Champions League today as they host CSKA Moscow in the opening game of Group E. Roma have waited for three years to return to the Champions League after being knocked out of the 2010/11 edition

by Shakhtar Donetsk, and Rudi Garcia’s side go into today ’s game knowing that three points will be essential if they want to get out of the group as Bayern Munich and Manchester City also lie in wait. The tough group has not intimidated Roma though; CEO Italo Zanzi and Gervinho are among those who, when asked about the

difficulty of their draw, simply commented that facing Europe’s best “is why we’re in the Champions League”.

There had been some doubt about whether Kostas Manolas would be available for the Giallorossi but reports that he still needed to serve a one-match ban following an accumulation of yellow cards for Olympiacos last season turned out to be unfounded. Although Manolas is available, Daniele De Rossi is suspended after he elbowed Darijo Srna in the second leg against Shakhtar; two matches of a threematch ban were served against Slovan Bratislava in 2011/12.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014 — 33

MATCHES TODAY Ajax

v

PSG

7:45pm

A/Bilbao

v

S/Donetsk

7:45pm

Barcelona

v

APOEL/N

7:45pm

B/Munich

v

Man City

7:45pm

Chelsea

v

Schalke

7:45pm

FC Porto

v

BATE/B

7:45pm

Maribor

v

Sporting/L 7:45pm

Roma

v

CSKA

Drogba tips Chelsea for C/L title this season

D

idier Drogba says the current Chelsea squad is good enough to win the Champions League this season.

Chelsea begin their group campaign at home against German side, Schalke.

“Now we have a Champions League title at this club I think expectation is a bit higher because everybody wants us to do it again — so let’s go for it,” said the 36-yearold striker.

“During the first few weeks I was here, of course you look back and think ‘it was like this and that before’ but I came back because I want to make history again. That’s what I said the first time I was here and nothing has changed.

7:45pm

Chelsea start as big favourites to win

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he start of the season could not have gone any better for Chelsea — four straight Premier League wins, the emergence of a striker who can’t stop scoring and a spot into one of the easiest groups of the Champions League.

Chelsea, which won the Champions League in 2012, appears to be the English team most likely to go far in Europe’s top competition this season after being selected with Schalke, Sporting Lisbon and Slovenian club NK Maribor in Group G. In the first round of matches, Chelsea hosts Schalke and Sporting travels to Maribor.

Here are some things to know about today’s games:

BREAKING RECORDS Chelsea beat Schalke 3-0 at home and away in the Champions League last season on its way to reaching the semifinals.

Imagine what Jose Mourinho’s team can do to the German side now that it has a top striker?

In Spain international Diego Costa, Chelsea has the form player in England with seven goals in his first four games in the Premier League. No other player has scored so many. Costa is also only the second player to score in each of his first four Premier League games.

“He is one of the best strikers at this moment in

football,” Mourinho said. “He is a special player.”

The game against Schalke could also see Didier Drogba play in the Champions League for Chelsea for the first time since he scored the winning penalty in a shootout against Bayern Munich in the 2012 final.

To those who believe Chelsea is a shoo-in for the knockout stage, Mourinho says: “The group is more difficult than people think.”

A/Bilbao in high confidence against Donetsk

Barca counting on Messi, Neymar to click

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ne of the most disappointing aspects of Barcelona’s failure to win major silverware last season was the lack of on-field chemistry between Lionel Messi and Neymar.

Four-times World Player of the Year Messi and Brazil forward Neymar had injury troubles during 2013/14 but when they were fit, Barca fans, expecting

the emergence of a lethal partnership scoring entertaining goals at will, were largely disappointed.

On the evidence of Saturday’s 2-0 La Liga win at home to Athletic Bilbao, however, this season may be a different story.

Neymar came off the bench for the final half hour at the Camp Nou and netted a c l i n i c a l double from a pair of superb Messi assists to preserve B a r c a ’ s perfect start to the season with three wins in three matches and no goals conceded.

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thletic Bilbao’s confidence remains high ahead of today’s Champions League Group H opener a g a i n s t S h a k h t a r Donetsk despite their defeat to Barcelona at the weekend.

The Basque side are in the group stages of Europe’s elite club competition for the first time since the 1998-99 campaign and they know they cannot afford to drop points at home if they wish to advance.

“To start and finish the group stages at home is always positive,” Athletic winger Iker Muniain said to marca.com. “Despite the loss at Barcelona, there is

a positive atmosphere in the group and more so considering that we are playing our first group game at the San Mames stadium.

“To play at home will help us to be ready and clinch three points against Shakhtar, which is vital.”

Schalke skipper misses Chelsea trip

S

chalke captain Benedikt Hoewedes has not travelled with the team to London for their Champions League opener against Chelsea today, staying behind for further tests regarding a hip injury, the German club said.

Defender Hoewedes, who was injured in their 4-1 defeat by Borussia Moenchengladbach on Saturday and partially tore a hip tendon, could travel later to London to join the team, the club informed.

“More tests will follow,” club officials said regarding Hoewedes’ injury.

Schalke, who have had a bad start to the season having lost two of their three league games, are already without injured defenders Felipe Santana and Joel Matip.

They also play Sporting and Maribor in the Champions League Group G.

34 — VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014

Serena Williams

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HE may have been humiliated at Wimbledon earlier this year, but giving up is not in Serena Williams’ dictionary. So she has clinched a record-equalling sixth US Open title and an 18th major championship after beating Caroline Wozniacki in the women’s singles final.

Williams won 6-3, 6-3 in an hour and 15 minutes to go fourth on the all-time grand slam singles titles list for women.

Congratulations to Caroline, she gushes. She knows the struggles I have had. She’s a real nice person, a great friend. We text each other all the time. You will win a grand slam title soon. She also walks home with the biggest paycheck ever for a single tennis tournament of $4 million. Blogosphere is buzzing in congratulations.

Zain Asher

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part from Chimamanda Adichie, another Nigerian woman has been slated to speak at a TEDxEuston event, and blogosphere is loving it. Zain Asher was born and raised in London to Nigerian parents. Asher is a business and personal finance correspondent for CNN, where she appears across platforms covering the latest news on money and the economy. She often reports from the New York Stock Exchange, covering equities and IPOs and interviewing entrepreneurs and dignitaries.

She served as a contributing reporter for Forbes where she covered business trend and consumer stories. She has lived and worked in Mexico, France and Nigeria. Asher is fluent in French, Spanish and Igbo. Who knows what language she will use for her TEDxEuston talk!

•Serena Williams

Zain Asher

eh Patricia Ett Etteh T

Funke Akindele

here are indications on the cyber rumour mill that the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Patricia Olubunmi Etteh, is considering a return She said yes! to politics.

Screen diva and popular Nollywood actress, Funke This is coming years after she was Akindele a.k.a Jenifa is finally set to give marriage disgraced out of office over allegations of another chance. misappropriation of tax payers’ money.

Funke who has been in blossoming romantic affair The hair dresser turned politician is said with her new heartthrob for quite some time now, to be aiming higher as she is mapping has finally accepted his proposal to take the out all strategies to return to the union to the next level, according to National Assembly come 2015 on the blogosphere. platform of the Peoples Democratic Top cyberspace commentators are afraid Party and to the Senate. the new marriage might go the way of the From all indications, for Etteh to first, given Funke’s antecedence as an get the ticket, she will have to slug Funke assertive career woman, despite the fact it out with the likes of Akogun Akindele that the beau is head over heels with Lere Oyewunmi; the Funke and shows her a lot of affection.

Minister of Police Affairs, Jelili Adesiyan; and few others from the Osun West Senatorial District of the PDP. No surprises here, it Y far the most talked about ladies on alike paid homage every step of the way, would appear. blogosphere last week has been the displaying pure fascination at the whole bevy of queens of the Oyo kingdom, who spectacle, and admiration for the beauty of with their septuagenarian beau has the oloris, who wore matching outfits with painted the town of London red. They their 76 year old king. were spotted at the famous Westfield mall Blogosphere is awash with both criticism amongst others. and admiration for the controversy-prone Later, they were also spotted taking famous Oyo mornach but one thing is clearpictures in front of Buckingham Palace like the oloris of Oyo kingdom and their elegant ordinary tourists, but that is as ordinary conduct brings a new outlook to the concept as it would get. Nigerians and foreigners of modern mornachy.

o Kingdom The Queens of Oy Oyo

•Patricia Etteh

Sharon Oyakhilome

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n the other hand, the impending divorce of Pastor Chris & Anita Oyakhilome has thrust their children, Charlene & Sharon into the limelight.

While mum and dad are busy bickering over who is right and who is wrong; who wore miniskirts and who is not respectful to her ‘lord’, Sharon, the older daughter, recently turned 21, and celebrated it with a late night pool party.

Apparently, Sharon is also into music, and goes by CSO – Carissa Sharon Oyakhilome- but cyberspace commentators appear to be more interested in sharing her pictures clad in a bikini.

Smoking hot, as can be expected.

B

•Sharon

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014 —35 knowledgeable of event safety.

What would you say motivates you as a business woman?

I like informing and educating people by keeping people enlightened, thereby imparting knowledge. I love to see an idea blossom and become a global concept. These are things that motivate me. I am not so driven by money although every business is set up to make profits. I find fulfillment in visualizing an idea and seeing it come alive.

When I talk to people about safety, it re-orientates them and they begin to see things from a different perspective. You don’t execute an event without having a risk assessment and this has to do with preventive measures.

What challenges have you encountered. How did you overcome them?

Lack of positive response, especially from stakeholders has been a major challenge especially in the events industry.

You cannot separate safety from law —Teni Eboda, MD/CEO, Event Basics Ltd

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close to their hearts. You owe that duty of care. It is part of the law and not something that lacks structure. It has substance which can be found in the legal system. It is a duty of care and the law says that duty of care is that substance you owe to a person. When preparing your mind to execute an idea, you must contemplate the safety of the other person. It’s not just about your own idea because

,

Oluwakemi Teni Eboda Barrister Mrs Oluwakemi Teni Eboda, MD/CEO of Event Basics kept where they belonged, it is a graduate of Ogun State University where she minimized my falls. It was the studied law. In addition, she is a certified safety same notion I carried into event planning, even at events which professional who studied at the Nigerian Institute of I manage. Upon graduating Safety Practitioners, the University of Las Vegas, from the University, I Nevada, Event Solutions Institute, USA and also the discovered I wasn’t interested Facility Management Law School, Dallas, USA. in the catering and decorating She has been able to combine her legal knowledge with the aspect of event planning. I was basic application of the principle of duty of care, a the more of an intellectual being, spring board of safety and as such is qualified to so I took a step further in render professional service in the area of hazard achieving this. I went to the identification, control and action plan to mitigate United States in 2008 to obtain outcomes of occurrence. In this interview, she tells the prerequisite knowledge. more For every event that I One thing that was unique to decorated, it seemed like I was

By ANINO AGANBI me was the fact that for every complaining a lot. I noticed a HAT exactly do you do? event I planned then, I was a lot of things were out of place Event Basics ensures very meticulous person. My and realized that emphasis was that events are produced in a slogan was a place for more on beautifying a place responsible and safe manner. everything and every thing in than the logical or realistic As a U.S certified event safety its place. I always like places approach.

I am the kind of person who professional, I attended a being clog free with no form of encumbrance.

While growing would not get involved in a program at the facility law up, I used to be very clumsy, profession without being well school management, Dallas, which had to do with safety tripping over things every now informed. That training in 2008, and then. As I grew older, I made me realize the aspect of evaluation of facilities.

I became certified as a facility realized that if the items were event planning I wanted to carve a niche for access, where you evaluate and myself in. Without identify risk and dangers safety, we cannot associated with facilities and achieve much. thereby proffering control How do you relate measures and making being a lawyer with necessary recommendations in being a safety order to avoid accidents. manager which is There are inherent dangers basically what your that come with every job that company does? you do. You cannot really Law is a dynamic eradicate such dangers neither course and it cuts can you substitute it but the best across board, which is thing you can do is provide why we are referred to control measures that will as learned people. mitigate the effect of their Law involves every consequences if they do aspect of life. Law talks happen. about safety of care Can you give us an insight which safety is all into your business and also tell about. You cannot us how you started? really separate safety (Chuckles). I started planning from law, I find the events right from my need to enlighten University days. Back then, I people on why they used to cater for parties, need to perform and especially end of year activities hold the duty of care held by school associations.

Eboda

Events industry It has been tough getting them to align their thoughts towards you because of the God forbid syndrome that’s rampant in Nigeria. People are not receptive and do not see the essence for safety. And also, there isn’t a reason for firm liability for negligent acts. We do not have stern measure ensuring that you comply with duty of care in Nigeria. When you are passionate about something, you have your vision and know where you are coming from, you would definitely encounter

Do not make an excuse of just having a baby to avoid working, likewise, do not allow the determination to see your business succeed overshadow your responsibility to your children and home

your idea must not infringe on another person’s safety. Safety is proactive. I am interested in the well being of people and that is freedom from harm.

You had a vision of what you wanted your business to be. How were you able to make it a reality?

I would say that took determination. When you are passionate about a thing, that passion drives it. Especially when you are tired and it seems like you aren’t making headway, or it seems nobody is listening to you or buying into your idea or that most people castigate you as a pessimist. We have the God forbid syndrome in Nigeria and it is so rampant. Nobody wants anything bad to happen but the fact that this is planet earth and it filled with the good, bad and ugly. You cannot determine which would happen first, but you can prepare for the best or worst case scenario. The passion I have for it has been my driving force. Very few people in Nigeria are conscious and

,

challenges. You should be able to improvise to enable you overcome these challenges.

Would you say running your business has been a piece of cake?

Wow. I wish running a business was a piece of cake but it isn’t. As a married woman, you have lots of responsibilities added to it. With determination and support from your family, and also with focus, you would be able to make head ways. It’s a tedious affair for a woman to run a business and run it successfully. It takes only the strong and the grace of God to be able to succeed.

What's your advice to upcomingbusiness women?

To young married women starting up a business, I say you can do it. Do not make an excuse of just having a baby to avoid working, like wise do not allow the determination to see your business succeed overshadow your responsibility to your children and home.

36 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014 — 37

The Nigerian equation and the imperative of national ideology (4)

By Yusufu Ameh Obajei

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O have political power is to guarantee the empowerment of the people for leadership position. Certainly, we failed to use it to train others within and outside the region to acquire and profitably use political power for holistic development of the entire country.

We should have used our political power to identify, recruit and empower the powerless Nigerians in any part of the Country for political leadership.

Map of Nigeria It is the people that we make politically powerful and politically relevant in Nigeria as a whole that confirms our strong hold on political power in the Nigerian equation. The failure is a major contributory factor to the current tears of p o l i t i c a l President Goodluck Jonathan marginalization seen on our faces today. similar tears of marginalization The same mistake was also should wipe away their tears and made in the Eastern region let us join hands together to where the gift of material wealth overcome the challenges of nation was not seen as stewardship building. responsibility. The material wealth Furthermore, the West must was hoarded and business also see education as a God-given protectionism became the order instrument of stewardship of the day. Whatever the business responsibility for Nigeria’s class discovered as the gold mine educational transformation. There remained exclusive to the is a mandate inherent in the businessman or woman of the education ideology of the West as region, even if such persons were identified in the Nigerian operating in any other parts of the equation. By that experience, the country.

West is entrusted with the task of carrying the torch of education to all other regions of Nigeria. This Material is what sets her apart as the wealth education centre or citadel of They too forgot that the real learning for the rest of the country. value of material wealth is found In fact, one is not surprised that in the act of making the poor to the seat of the first public become rich and not in the self- university in Nigeria is located at centred accumulation of the Ibadan in the Western region.

However, what remains to be wealth by the materially wealthy people to the detriment of other seen is how the West makes a deliberate effort to ensure that less privileged citizens.

As a fact, it is virtually becoming Nigerians in all regions of the an acceptable business practice in country experience quality Nigeria today that where certain education. As long as the whole ethnic groups discover how best country is not growing to make so much money from a qualitatively in education, the specific trade, others are denied West remains a failure in her deliberately or indirectly stewardship responsibility as the persecuted under hidden agenda fountain of Nigeria’s living spring of education. of protectionism.

It is a fundamental truth that no The irony of it all is that, even the accumulated material wealth one is considered educated if the of the East could not stop them knowledge acquired in education from shedding tears of political is not passed on to others. After marginalization, which all, the evidence of being an eventually led to the tragic event educated person is in the act of of our national history, the civil making others drink from the war. In this case, those shedding wells of knowledge and

understanding created for life and societal transformation.

Of course, we do not intend to forget the enormous contributions of certain individuals from the Western region to the educational development of Nigeria and the rest of the world. However, it remains to be seen as to how the West will champion the promotion of transformatory education of the rest of Nigeria.

Today, the West appears to present an attitude of unexamined fulfilment or satisfaction that she has arrived educationally and it is now left for the rest of the country to catch up with her. It is difficult to deny the fact that the West is more educationally sophiscated than the rest of the regions today but her inability to provide leadership in spreading the gospel of quality education for all Nigerians remains a failure in the manner that the other two regions, North and East, equally failed in their own stewardship of responsibility.

Enormous advancement It is interesting to note, that in spite of the enormous advancement made in the West in the area of education, Western region also sheds tears of marginalization. Thus, the marginalization theory or experience has gone round the whole country and it is time we put all that behind us and let us join hands together in order to rebuild Nigeria of our collective dream.

We have come to realize the bitter truth, namely that political power without material wealth and education is a colossal tragedy or at best, totally incomplete and grossly inadequate. Similarly, material wealth without political power and education is a disaster as well as a bad dream. At the same time, education without political power and material wealth is an unfulfilled dream, a nightmare and a bundle of frustration.

Consequently, we are all victims

of unrealized regional ideological dreams and it is only our combined genuine and realistic joint efforts as one family, one people, one common destiny, under one God,that can guarantee our individual and collective holistic success.

The challenge of rising voices of ethnic minorities and clannists within major tribes The emergence of the regional ideologies of political power for the North, material wealth for the East and education for the West, within the context of the Nigerian equation, were originally, widely and generally acknowledged as well as celebrated by the people of the regions. But the enthusiasm did not persist fully to our generation as voices of discontent and resentment began to spread from one region to another, particularly by ethnic minority groups and other clannists within dominant tribes.

The voices emanating from these groups are usually voices of rights and privileges, justice and equity, recognition and empowerment, allocation and responsibility, equal opportunity and well-spread development.

Any control from the centre or from the major ethnic group is viewed with suspicion and apathy. Regional leadership is sometimes identified with ethnic domination.

In the three regions today, there is hardly any single Elder Statesman or woman whose voice

,

This is the fourth part of this discourse. The third part was published last Wednesday

existence has not been fulfilled.

One of the problems within this challenge is that many Nigerians are still not conscious of who they are; where they are coming from; what they are living for; where they are going from here and what they are expecting out of life ultimately. Many of us have remained unfulfilled with regards to our perception of our personal identity as Nigerians.

We can hardly define ourselves within the context of our Nigerianness and consequently, we live on a borrowed existence.

For instance, our yardstick for selfexamination or self-evaluation is pathetically foreign, devoid of our cultural background.

Yardstick for self examination Our reforms are nothing more than rehabilitation and freshingup of whatever we were able to copy from the left-overs of Asian and Euro-American civilization, without the raw materials of our own authentic indigenous culture.

Our transformation agenda is not always informed by the nature of our individual and collective identity as Nigerians but by whatever we admire from certain foreign cultures that are increasingly becoming godless, devoid of genuine fear of God and love for all humans, regardless of ethnicity, race and religion.

The Nigeria of our collective dream has remained a partial mirage, characterized by endless struggle of one step forward and two steps backward. It has been a Country of wasted natural and human endowments, unimaginable corruption, shattered hopes of largely confused citizenry, who are generally lavishing in abject poverty in an atmosphere of selfinflicted insecurity, and in the

Political power without material wealth and education is a colossal tragedy or at best, totally incomplete and grossly inadequate

can be accepted wholeheartedly as the voice of the people of the region. It is a generation of we have come of age and must all be heard and decision made by all accordingly. This is a big challenge to the survival of regional ideologies and promotion of National Unity.

The challenge of unfulfilled ideological dreams We have already observed the fact that in spite of the many positive efforts of the three regions, the ideological dreams of the Nigerian equation remained largely unfulfilled. The Northern ideological dream to use political power to ensure true greatness for the North and the country as a whole has not seen the light of the day.

Likewise, the ideological dream of the Eastern region to guarantee personal, regional and nationwide true greatness for all in all areas of life through material wealth, has not been realized. At the same time, the ideology of the Western region to use education as a tool for achieving true greatness for the region and all Nigerians at all levels of human

,

midst of overwhelming Godgiven resources.

Our response to this challenge must include the development of a most viable National ideology that will serve as the springboard for all regional ideologies to take off from and assist in fulfilling the goals of the region and the entire Country as a whole. In this case, we must advance our reflection on the subject matter of the ongoing presentation to the examination of the imperativeness of National ideology.

The categorical imperativeness of national ideology •Its Divine Nature National ideology is categorically imperative because of its divine nature. It is a product of divine initiative. God himself takes the first step to create ideas in all creatures ultimately and that all actions of all creatures must be predicated on ideas which inspires and drives their activities.

The foundation of any Nation is rooted on divine ideology or an idea which informs its creation.

To be continued

38—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014

doctor@lagospainclinic.com

What causes lower back pain?

•The female condom

Why women prefer male condom

A

S the world marked the third annual Global Female Condom Day on September 16, 2014, more facts emerged as to why the female condom is yet to gain popularity comparable to the long existing male condom.

With the theme "Dance4Demand" as coined by the Global Female Condom Coalition, the day was marked by dancing to call for and creation of awareness for the demand of female condoms.

To date, the global distribution of female condoms is still far less than that of male condoms as the former remains a less popular, with only 13 percent of persons having heard of the female condom, and much fewer having ever used one.

Since it was approved by the FDA in 1993, the female condom has slowly grown in popularity but continues to lag behind its male version in terms of acceptance.

A variation of the male condom, the female condom has many of the same attributes and advantages the male condom is famous for.

Essentially, female condoms are sheaths, or linings that fit loosely inside a woman's vagina made of thin, transparent, soft plastic. They work by forming a barrier that keeps sperm out to prevent pregnancy.

They also keep infections from infecting one or the other partner.

They have flexible rings at both ends.

One ring at the closed end helps to insert the condom. The ring at the open end holds part of the condom outside the vagina. The condom is lubricated on the inside and on the outside.

Made for women

According to findings, although female condoms play a vital role in improving reproductive health, and are the only method designed to offer woman dual protection from pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, the average woman still prefers the far more simplistic but relatively more efficacious male condom.

Although simple to use, a number of women find the female condom irritating to insert and bothersome during sex. But experts say through practice and experience, such concerns soon disappear.

Several women told Health & Living that

male condoms give superioir sensation of pleasure than female condoms, in addition to enabling a more tension-free intercourse.

On the average, women describe female condom as "intrusive" and "difficult to use", arguing that correct use needs to be learned before use. " You need to put it on long before intercourse, and that could be a big turnoff," a young woman related. Others said the female condom is noisy, messy, more expensive and less convenient to use than the male condom.

But in its favour, the experts say if correctly used during every act of sexual intercourse, in the course of a year, the female condom could be up to 95 percent effective in preventing pregnancy and in reducing the risk of sexually transmitted infections.

Preference

Nevertheless, quite a number of women (and men) prefer male condoms to female condoms, even though the female condom is more practical and empowering for the woman. With the female condom, women can initiate their use, they can be inserted ahead of time and so do not interrupt sexual intercourse, and the outer ring provides added sexual stimulation for some women.

Additionally, female condoms have a soft moist texture that feels more natural than male latex condoms. For men, unlike male condoms, they are not constricting, they do not dull the sensation of sex, and they do not have to be removed immediately after ejaculation.

Like the male condom, the female condom is very effective when used correctly and consistently. Experts say female condoms are 79 to 95 percent effective in preventing pregnancy, only slightly less effective than male condoms.

On the whole, findings reveal that the female condom has similar benefits as the male condom, including convenience, affordability, STD protection, and lack of side effects. One potential benefit of the female condom compared to the male version is that women can take independent, more active responsibility in preventing pregnancy.

The Americans have a saying : “I’ve got your back”.

This usually refers to an assurance that you are protected , covered or shielded from some negative effect yet unseen. When it comes to back pain, you actually “have your back” yourself!

The causes and prevention of low back pain is mostly under YOUR control.

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S people age, bone strength and muscle elasticity and tone tend to decrease. The discs begin to lose fluid and flexibility, which decreases their ability to cushion the vertebrae.

Pain can occur when, for example, someone lifts something too heavy or over-stretches, causing a sprain, strain, or spasm in one of the muscles or ligaments in the back. If the spine becomes overly strained or compressed, a disc may rupture or bulge outward. This rupture may put pressure on one of the more than 50 nerves rooted to the spinal cord that control body movements and transmit signals from the body to the brain. When these nerve roots become compressed or irritated, back pain results.

Causes

Low back pain may reflect nerve or muscle irritation or bone lesions. Most low back pain follows injury or trauma to the back, but pain may also be caused by degenerative conditions such as arthritis or disc disease, osteoporosis or other bone diseases, viral infections, irritation to joints and discs, or congenital abnormalities in the spine.

Obesity, smoking, weight gain during pregnancy, stress, poor physical condition, posture inappropriate for the activity being performed, and poor sleeping position

also may contribute to low back pain. Additionally, scar tissue created when the injured back heals itself does not have the strength or flexibility of normal tissue. Buildup of scar tissue from repeated injuries eventually weakens the back and can lead to more serious injury.

Signs

Occasionally, low back pain may indicate a more serious medical problem. Pain accompanied by fever or loss of bowel or bladder control, pain when coughing, and progressive weakness in the legs may indicate a pinched nerve or other serious condition.

People with diabetes may have severe back pain or pain radiating down the leg related to neuropathy.

People with these

Don’t try to lift objects too heavy for you; lift with your knees, pull in your stomach muscles, and keep your head down and in line with your straight back symptoms should contact a doctor immediately to help prevent permanent damage.

Healthier back After prolonged inactivity, a program of regular lowimpact exercises like speed walking, swimming, or stationary bike riding 30 minutes a day can increase muscle strength and flexibility. Yoga can also help. Ask your doctor for a list of low-impact exercises appropriate for your age and designed to strengthen lower back and abdominal muscles.

Always stretch before exercise or other strenuous physical activity.

Don’t slouch when standing or sitting. When standing, keep your weight balanced on your feet. Your back supports weight most easily when curvature is reduced.

Make sure any work surface is at a comfortable height for you.

Sit in a chair with good lumbar support and proper position and height for the task. Keep your shoulders back. Switch sitting positions often and periodically walk around the office or gently stretch muscles to relieve tension.

Cautions

A pillow or rolled-up towel placed behind the small of your back can provide some lumbar support. If you must sit for a long period of time, rest your feet on a low stool or a stack of books.

Wear comfortable, lowheeled shoes.

Sleep on your side to reduce any curve in your spine.

Always sleep on a firm surface.

Ask for help when transferring an ill or injured family member from a reclining to a sitting position or when moving the patient from a chair to a bed.

Don’t try to lift objects too heavy for you. Lift with your knees, pull in your stomach muscles, and keep your head down and in line with your straight back. Keep the object close to your body.

Do not twist when lifting.

Maintain proper nutrition and diet to reduce and prevent excessive weight, especially weight around the waistline that taxes lower back muscles.

A diet with sufficient daily intake of calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D helps to promote new bone growth.

Smoking reduces blood flow to the lower spine and causes the spinal discs to degenerate. Stop smoking.

VANGU ARD, WEDNESD AY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014 ANGUARD, WEDNESDA

— 39

Can I improve how I look down below?

Dear Bunmi, have long flap of skin hanging down from my vagina and I hate them. My boyfriends have not complained so far, even when I have oral sex.

But I just find them too embarrassing whenever I’m having sex. Can I have them removed surgically?

Priscilla, By e-mail.

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This serial adulterer won’t leave me alone Dear Bunmi, ’M 46 and a divorced mother of two teenage children. Three years ago, I met this man at a wedding and he told me straightaway he was a married man.

Despite this we carried on seeing each other as I felt safe with him knowing the relationship wouldn’t go anywhere. He confided in me about his problems at

I

home, saying the spark had gone out of his marriage and that he and his wife only had sex once in a blue moon.

Later, however, I discovered that they ’ve had another baby.

We still carried on seeing each other because the sex was great. He then started going out with another single mother and that was when I put a stop to his

Tempted by my first love Dear Bunmi, was in love with a man all through my teens and 20s, we never had sex but a deep commitment towards each other.

In the end, I got married to someone else and we lost touch. I ran into him recently at a friend’s office only to discover my feelings for him haven’t changed.

He’s asked me to get in touch by giving me his mobile number. Should I, just to find out how it could be with him?

Mary By e-mail

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Dear Mary,

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t’s been said that never quite getting together with someone you’re in love with is a bit like a halffinished story. Now you want to see more of this man in order to finish the story.

But be warned. If you find out love is impossible, you may gain inner peace, and be also able to live your future life happily.

But if you discover this man still wants you too, the chances are high you will end up risking your marriage and your happiness.

Is it worth it? I don’t think so — but it is you who will have to make the decision.

fleet-footing. But he won’t leave me alone. He phones me all the time and tells me if he were to leave his wife for anyone, I would be the one. Quite frankly, he’s getting on my nerves. What should I do?

Jumai, By e-mail.

Dear Jumai, our ex-lover was looking for a bit of fun initially and was unprepared for the fact that: he’d ended up having real feelings for you. But that doesn’t alter the fact that he is a liar and a cheat. And while he may have two lovers on the go, there’s only one person who really matters to him — himself and his big ego.

Well done for having the courage to end the relationship and for no crumbling under pressure. If you’re to have any hope on future happiness with a new partner, you must continue to be strong. You deserve better than to be strung along by a man who is nothing but an adventurer.

Tell him you’ve really no feelings for him anymore and if possible invent a new lover!

Y

Back to the scene of the crime?!

Dear Bunmi, AST year, a friend’s daughter got married in Dubai. My husband hates travelling abroad so I went with my friend who’s a divorcee and we shared a room. She had some Nigerian contacts there and on our first night, we met up to have dinner.

One of them started paying me a lot of attention and my friend encouraged me to flirt back and after a few drinks, I did. One thing led to another and we had a fling. My friend had one too with my lover’s friend.

When we got back home, I felt like a new woman and everyone, including my husband, said I looked great.

My friend is now planning to return to Dubai for a close relative’s wedding and wants me to go with her. I know what’s on the cards and I’m tempted.

My husband will never find out and our relationship since I

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came back from the first trip is the best it’s ever been. Should I go for one last fling?

Bridget, By e-mail.

Dear Bridget, nstead of going away to have sex with a stranger, I suggest you book a holiday to a neighbouring country where your husband needs not fly to

I

and invest some time, money and energy in your marriage.

Your friend, a divorcee, is footloose and fancy free and it’s fine for her to go back — not you. You are a married woman and you have a responsibility to your husband. And who says your friend wouldn’t let it slip in future and the gossip gets to your husband? Where would you put your face?!

Instead of going away to have sex with a stranger, I suggest you book a holiday to a neighbouring country where your husband needs not fly to and invest some time, money and energy in your marriage.

Dear Priscilla, hese flaps are called the labia minora and are quite normal. The front of the labia minora helps pull your clitoris towards the penis during intercourse. Other than this, the flaps serve no real purpose, so you could have them removed — but I doubt you’d find a surgeon to do it. Lots of women dislike parts of their bodies, but not to the extent that they resort to surgery. If you feel this strongly, talk to your doctor for reassurance.

T

He has no enthusiasm Dear Bunmi, SUALLY, it’s a girl saying no to sex to a new date but my new man seriously seems as if he’s avoiding sex. For the few months we’ve dated, he hasn’t shown much enthusiasm.

It’s just occurred to me that he might still be a virgin. Is there a way I could find out?

Christy, By e-mail.

U

Dear Christy, here’s no real way to tell if a woman has had sex, let alone a man! Despite those stories of finding evidence on the sheets; exercise, gymnastics, tampons and natural erosion tend to do a very effective job of damaging the hymen before D-day. But there are lots of clues he’s not led a wild existence.

First-time-ever men tend to ejaculate quicker in seconds! He’s likely to leave it up to you to initiate sex and will often opt for the missionary position. If he confessed he was a virgin afterward act surprised. Ply on the compliments and if he was awful in bed, remember practice makes perfect!

T

Should I betray my son?

Dear Bunmi, A few weeks ago my daughter-in-law confided in me that she suspected her husband, my son, of having an affair. I tried to put her mind at rest but in fact I’ve had my suspicion about him for some time. A few months ago, he came to visit me with a woman who he claimed was a friend from his office. When they left, I looked out of the window and saw them kissing in his car.

I didn’t say anything to my son at the time but now I wonder if I should have. I don’t want to be an interfering mother-inlaw or break up my son’s marriage, but I don’t think it’s fair that he should treat his wife this way. She’s been a wonderful wife and a good mother. Is there a way of tackling this problem so nobody is hurt?

Dorcas By e-mail.

Dear Dorcas, would stay out of this particular problem if I were you. Tell your daughter-in-law and she would use it as an ammunition against your son and you may end up being caught in the crossfire. Your daughter-in-law came to you seeking advice and support but your best bet here is to have a word with your son. Tell him what you saw and warn him what he stands to lose if his wife finds out.

I

Share your problems and release your burden. Write now to Dear Bunmi, Vanguard Newspapers, P.M.B 1007, Apapa, Lagos. or bunmsof@yahoo.co.uk

40 —Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014

By CHARLES KUMOLU& BOSE ADELAJA

L

OCATED in the heart of Ikotun Egbe, a popular suburb in Lagos, this building stands out not only in the area but the entire Africa. Its architectural design and finishing is such that would leave the masters of architecture marvelling.

Being super aesthetic could make it pass for a 21 century castle, but that mistake should not be made. The cynosure is the church auditorium of the Synagogue Church of All Nations,SCOAN, —a pentecostal church of international repute, famed for the healing miracles recorded there under its founder Snr. Prophet Temitope Joshua.

Beside the auditorium on Segun Irefin Street, are other adjoining buildings owned by SCOAN which are also architectural spectacles.

These structures serve different purposes for the multitude of worshippers, who daily troop into the church for miracles.

Until September 12, 2014, all that the five-storey edifice, sited immediately after the SCOAN auditorium, was known for was that it served as a guest house for foreign miracle seekers, who come from all corners of the globe.

Sadly, that could not be said of the structure any more, following its sudden collapse that fateful day, leaving many in tears, sorrow and agony.

There were different accounts as to why the building located at the New Land area of the church caved in.

Tears, sorrow and agony Va n g u a r d Fe a t u re s , V F, gathered that the structure was initially a two storey building before it was converted to a five storey edifice. It was being raised to a five-storey building before it collapsed killing at least 45 people as at Monday morning.

Those who were trapped under the debris included foreigners, some kitchen staff and construction workers.

The SCOAN incident has once again brought to the fore, the rising incidence of building collapse in Lagos.

Whenever any structure goes down, there are usually doubts as to the quality of construction materials used, and questions on whether the developer adhered to the original building plan approved by the state government.

And a similar situation played out in the case of SCOAN, as people are in a hurry to know whether the Lagos State

SYNAGOGUE CHURCH COLLAPSE:

Questions over non-comp with housing laws government approved the construction of the ill-fated structure.

On hand to respond to that poser, was a saddened state Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr. Olutoyin Ayinde, who said that though investigation is still on-going, there is no proof that the church obtained a permit to add additional structures.

“We have no proof that there is a permit,” he said, adding thus: ‘’We have asked the engineering team to meet us because we have questions to

ask,”.

For Olutoyin, the building was not professionally constructed.

“Even if the building doesn’t have approval, it ought to be built professionally,” he added.

Olutoyin’s damning verdict has prompted more questions regarding the government’s regulatory role in that respect.

Approval questions Particularly, many want to know why the addition of additional floors to an existing

building, has become a trend when there is a government that is statutorily mandated to prevent such occurrence.

Further investigations however, revealed that the laws of the state are not silent on the matter, just as it is not ignorant of it.

In fact, it was gathered that the state government had come out with a strategy to stem the tide, but the workability of that framework remains a headache.

Speaking to VF in that respect, President of Building Collapse Prevention Guild,

BCPG, Mr. Kunle Awobodu said: ‘’It is not that the government is not aware of it.’’

Continuing, he said: ‘’ To checkmate this unprofessional manner of erecting buildings, the Lagos State Government in 2010 enacted a law. The Urban and Regional Planning development Law 2010 was signed top prevent what happened recently at Synagogue.

For it to be workable, the law was divided into three. The plan has to be studied and approval given if is suitable.

Another agency is also

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014 — 41

official hours, especially in the evenings, during the night or weekends when professionals are not in sight. Anyway, I am happy that there are laws to handle this type of situation so that we don’t continue to endanger lives of our people.’’

On the way out, OkeOsanyintolu suggested thus: ‘’The way out is community policing. Residents should be vigilant and be at alert at all times. Also, they should report to appropriate authorities, especially to their local government. Lagosians should be vigilant and report this type of atrocity in their environment, they should not keep quiet when things are not done the right way because if something harzardous happens, definitely it will affect those living in such environment.’’

Building control agency

•Governor Babatunde Fashola (middle)arriving the SCOAN following the collapse of a five-storey building. Right: Prophet Temitope Joshua.

expected to come to the site to ensure that the builder conforms with the law. It is important to checkmate those who will raise their buildings.’’

While insisting that the practice is an aberration, Awobodu explained thus: ‘’When you add another structure to an existing one, you are adding another load to the building.

The structure will start experiencing deformity as a result of that. What we are saying is that it is unacceptable. In this case we

unprofessional manner of constructing buildings in Lagos.

Observation of the laws

Accordingly, the law which was signed by the state governor, Babatunde Fashola in 2010, is a fallout of frequent building collapses recorded across the state.

The law requires that landlords with buildings above two floors must obtain certificates of fitness from the Building Control Board, and it harmonises agencies such as the Lagos State Physical Planning and Development Authority ,LASPHDA, the Lagos State Building Control and the Lagos State Urban and Rural Agency, LASURA. It also also provides that all buildings being constructed in the state must take cognizance of the physically challenged, while provision for the role of insurance firms in the construction of buildings right from the outset by visiting construction sites, was also accentuated in the law.

Though Awobodu had explained the constraints in making the law workable, VF gathered that concerned authorities had not done much in the area of enforcement.

In addition, he said: ‘’It is because of this trend that the building control agency was formed. But it is a new agency.

It will not be easy to cover the whole Lagos. Synagogue is secluded and they live in a world of their own where they can do and undo. I am not sure they got the approval of the state government.’’

Perhaps the total disregard for the laws by property owners, informed the the birth of a coalition aimed towards supporting the existing legislation.

Expatiating on that, the BCPG boss added thus: ‘’For the laws to be observed, we established the Building Collapse Prevention Guild.

People asked us how we can make our objectives work. We brought the primary stakeholders together and divided ourselves to ensure that we cover the 57 councils in the state.

We also tried to bring in artisans to ensure that they start paying attention to what the law says. It is important that we realise that the situation requires that we do this for it to be effectively checkmated.’’

Further findings also confirmed the existence of legislation against

Fallout of frequent building collapses

Constraints in making the law workable ‘’When the state government came out with the law, we were relived. Unfortunately, the law only exist in the statute books

of the state. Enforcement has not been done properly. I am not saying that they don’t do anything in that line, my concern is that they can make the law work effectively,’’ Mr. Erasmus Badmus a property developer, told VF. But the General Manager

,

pliance

learnt that construction was ongoing. We are all aware that there is a law that regulates construction of houses in Lagos, the major challenge is observation of the laws.’’

VF recalls that the Lagos State Building Control Agency, LASBCA, was established to ensure standard in the industry and called for an interministerial collaboration between ministries of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Housing and Environment on measures that will curb the unfortunate incidence of building collapse.

The functions of LASBCA include inspection of building works and the certification of various stages of building construction and keeping of such records, removal of illegal and non-conforming

Unfortunately, the law only exists in the statute books of the state; enforcement has not been done properly; I am not saying that they don’t do anything in that line, my concern is that they can make the law work effectively

Lagos State Emergency Management Agency LASEMA, Femi OkeOsanyintolu would not accept that.

Oke-Osanyintolu said: ‘’Though we have been going round to sensitise residents, we need encouragement from them to report hazardous cases before they get out of hand.

There are agencies that are monitoring this. And we are always calling on the people to cry out and report such cases to the government.’’

In addition, he said: ‘’People should do the right thing by being empirical. They should invite professionals to ascertain whether any structure is viable or not but the problem is that our people have been cutting corners. Take for instance, many people usually handle building projects outside

,

developments, identification and removal of distressed buildings to prevent collapse and the issuance of Certificate of Completion and Fitness for Habitation.

Others are provision of building services such as material evaluation and testing, fire and public health control; establishment of District Development Control Offices for the discharge of these functions; conducting research in building construction and control; cooperating with the Development Permit Authority to achieve zero tolerance of illegal developments; enforcing the provisions of the new law and any regulations that may be made under the law for inspection of building, verification and certification of building insurance, among others.

42 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014

Edited by: Emma Nnadozie emmadozie@hotmail.com 08023145281, 08111813021

LAMENTATIONS OF ROBBERY SUSPECT:

‘Bad luck trailed my efforts to succeed in life’ A

SUSPECTED robber identified as James Olanrewaju said to be terrorizing residents of Ijora, Yaba, and it’s environs, has been arrested by operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, Ikeja, Lagos.

Police sources said the suspect was arrested by men of the Ijora Police Division after a tip-off by a resident before the case was transferred to the Special AntiRobbery Squad, Ikeja, for further investigation. It was gathered that the 19-year-old school drop out specialised in using his commercial motorcycle to rob people of their hard earned money and valuables, using a toy gun.

Suspect’s account: During interrogation, the 19-year-old indigene of Kwara State told Crime Alert: “The story of my life is a long tale of frustration and troubles, nothing good ever comes my way. It has been from one trouble to another. No matter how hard I try to make ends meet, nothing seems to work out for me. I am a secondary school dropout. I dropped out of school because my parents couldn’t afford the cost of further education. That same year, my father passed on.

Before I was arrested, I learnt how to buy motor scrap which I convert to motor parts and resell.

Search for greener pastures “I came to Lagos a few years back in search of greener pastures and I started living with a friend calledTaiwo, he lives in Oyingbo area. He then took me to a business woman who purchased a motorcycle and sold to me at higher purchase.

She bought the motorcycle for N110, 000 and paid N15, 000 for the number. A few months later, I was able to pay N180, 000 for the motor bike and had started saving money to purchase another motorcycle, before Lagos state restricted the use of commercial bike operators in Lagos.

“Fashola enacted the law and banned the use of Okada and they seized my motorcycle. I had no job so, I used the N30, 000 left with me to rent a makeshift apartment in Ijora which was burnt down during a fire

outbreak. As a result of the inferno that consumed the make-shift building where I was living, I had no place to stay, which was how I started living under the bridge.

“Later, I became a commercial bus driver but bad luck seems to be trailing me everywhere I went. Every day I went to work with the bus, police would arrest me, if Police officers didn’t arrest me, LASTMA or VIO officials will arrest me.

Every day it was one problem or the other, till the owner of the bus got tired of my predicament after the bus was seized by Police and taken to Alausa.

Immediately they released the bus, he disengaged me from service and I became jobless again. Nobody agreed to give me their commercial bus, I was jobless and roaming the streets for a while before the same woman who helped me with the previous hire purchase commercial motorcycle sold another one to me.

“It was as if luck had smiled on me again. I was using the bike for commercial purposes and paying her till I encountered two passengers who boarded my bike from Idumota to Maryland. When

,

By ESTHER ONYEGBULA

Apart from robbing unsuspecting victims at the bus stop, we also rob mini cold rooms in Ijora, we steal cartons of frozen chicken, turkey and fish which we sell to people at a reduced price

,

*The suspect James we got to Maryland, the two passengers forcefully took the bike from me and told me that they wanted to use the bike to rob and that I should come back to Idumota to retrieve my bike.

I waited at Idumota for two days but I didn’t see them, that was how the bike went missing. When I told the woman who sold the bike to me on hire purchase, she called the police who arrested me, and detained me a week. Later, she asked them to release me because I owed her N60, 000.

She told me that she can’t assist me again and that my bad luck is affecting her business negatively.

“Fortunately for me, Taiwo gave me an old bike which he was using before he bought another one. He told me that the motorbike didn’t have documents because they were burnt during the fire outbreak that consumed the make-shift building. I was using the bike to work in the evenings because it didn’t have documents and I sleep under the bridge at Ijora, at night. “ At the bridge, I met Ramoni a.k.a Agbara, a young man who introduced me into armed robbery using a fake rubber gun. In the night, I will give

him a ride with my bike to AbuleOja around UNILAG gate, where we will rob people. I have participated in three robbery operations.

“Before I started robbing, Agbara told me to sell the bike I was using to him for N20,000and tell the owner that it has been stolen, but I refused, because the funds I needed was to do my freedom so that I can start practising the job I learnt.

He then stole the bike while I was sleeping. He called members of Odua Peoples Congress, OPC, to arrest me; that I am an armed robber, after I confronted him about the bike; unknown to me that he hid the fake gun where I keep my belongings under the bridge.

When they searched, they found the gun and they started beating me up till I admitted that the gun was mine and then Police arrested me.

How we operate “I have participated in about three robbery operations, I am not the owner of the gun but I accompanied him to each robbery operation. I began to rob with him after he threatened to kill me if I refused to join him.

“Apart from robbing unsuspecting victims at the bus stop, we also rob mini cold rooms in Ijora, we steal cartons of frozen chicken, turkey and fish which we sell to people at a reduced price. We go to such mini cold rooms at night and we use truck to pack cartons of frozen foods. We usually pack about five to eight cartons which we sell between N4000 to N5000 per carton and we share the loot equally,”he stated.

UNLAWFUL TRANSFER OF $180,000

Interpol probes bank officials, Bankers Committee alerted

By KINGSLEY NDIMELE

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ETECTIVES attached to the International Criminal Police, INTERPOL, of the Nigeria Police have commenced investigation into circumstances surrounding the unlawful transfer of the sum of $180,000 at the Festac branch of Keystone bank in Lagos to a

Chinese firm in spite of express instructions to halt the transfer of the funds.

Crime Alert learnt that the unlawful transaction took place in February, 2014, after a Lagos based business man, Lucky Admike of Lucky Accessories directed that the sum of money be transferred to the Chinese firm through the bank accounts of Ogechukwu Adaku, Chinyere

Gracelyn, Oguejiofor Ifeyinwa and Esther Uchenna through their accounts with the bank at Festac branch.

It was learnt that the transfer was effected through an e-mail received on February 25, 2014 from the business man where he (the business man) instructed that the sum of $230,000 be transferred into the accounts of the Chinese firm and upon

effecting the transfer, his partners telephoned to inform that they had complied with the instruction to the tune of $180,000.

The story took a different dimension after the business man reportedly called later to deny giving instructions for the transfer either through mail or by any other mode of communication thus forcing those that carried out the transfer to quickly alert the bank calling

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014

— 43

Edited by: Emma Nnadozie emmadozie@hotmail.com 08023145281, 08111813021

34 suspected criminals arrested in Akure

BY DAYO JOHNSON

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HE Police in Akure, Ondo state, recently made a breakthrough by arresting 34 suspected criminals involved in various misdemeanors in and around the state. Among those arrested were suspected cultists,internet/cyber fraudsters, armed robbers and receivers of stolen vehicles.

The state police boss, Isaac Eke who paraded the suspects said the cultists were students of tertiary institutions across the state, artisans and street urchins.

He pointed out that two suspected internet fraudsters, Jolly Obasohan and Tochukwu Augustine Ibuzute from Edo state, withdrew N460,000 from the First bank Plc on line banking account of the Chief Medical Director of the state Specialist Hospital Akure.

The suspects confessed they were initiated at different Primary and tertiary Institutions namely; the Ekiti State University, LA Primary School, Ilesha, Osun State, Federal University of Technology, FUTA, Akure,Osun State Polytechnic, Saint Matins CAC Primary School, High School Akure and the Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo

*Some of the suspects

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Internet banking transfer CP Eke added that three other cyber crime suspects, Babalola Akinyele, Olusesi Samson and Adenekan Adeola, stole N5m through internet banking transfer from a customer ’s bank account at Enterprise Bank, Lagos to First bank account belonging to Olusesi Samson. Two of the suspects, according to him, were arrested while attempting to withdraw N2.5m at the first bank, Sabo, Ondo town.

The suspected cultists, he said, usually hold their meetings at Iro in Akure and Odopetu streets in Ondo town where they smoke Indian hemp, rape, rob people, engage in murder and attack rival groups.

The Commissioner said the suspects have confessed to

*IGP Suileman Abba

*Some of the suspects having dispossessed their victims of valuable properties.

According to him, the secret cult members belong to the

AYEE cult, AVE SK cult, EYE Fraternity and the Black Axe.

for stoppage of the transfer. The bank, on receiving the alert, allegedly advised that a written instruction be submitted to that effect for the funds to be retrieved back and also sent an e-mail to their correspondent bank instructing them to halt further transactions.

Sources at the bank said three days later, the bank manager called to inform that the transfer of funds has been stopped and a “Red Flag” placed on the account in China. However, the source said that while the issue was still in progress, the business man petitioned the police at the

Federal Anti-Robbery squad at Adeniji-Adele, Lagos for proper investigation leading to the arrest of those that handled the transaction.

Solicitors to those that transferred the money, Dickson Yakubu and Associates said in a strongly worded petition to the Nigeria Bankers Committee that upon being granted bail, all the parties involved in the transaction were invited at the FEDSARS where the Deputy Commissioner of Police incharge promised to get to the root of the matter after listening to both parties.

“At FEDSARS, the bank accepted responsibility for its

negligence and indolence and agreed to pay back the sum of $180,000. The curious angle to this matter is that, immediately after the transfer was effected by the bank, the accounts officer that was involved in the transaction resigned her job and the bank had not made her available to the police for questioning.

Relevant parties “It is well over five months since the matter was reported to the police and of all the relevant parties involved, it is only our clients who is made to report to FEDSARS while the bank which

Eke noted that the suspects confessed they were initiated at different Primary and tertiary Institutions namely; the Ekiti State University, LA Primary School, Ilesha, Osun State, Federal University of Technology, FUTA, Akure,Osun State Polytechnic, Saint Matins CAC Primary School, High School Akure and the Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo. He added that seven armed robbery suspects were arrested within the last three weeks,four vehicles recovered and five suspected receiver of stolen goods including two middle aged women were also arrested.

has the instrumentality of transfer of funds is suddenly out of the picture. Most importantly, it is our opinion that a matter which involves international banking fraud, particularly transfer of fund is a matter that falls squarely within the ambit of INTERPOL and not a Federal Unit of the Nigeria Police Force structured for combating robbery and allied crime.

“In view of this, we are requesting the immediate transfer of the case to the Bankers Committee to enable it conduct proper investigation through its global affiliate in tracking the perpetrators of this international fraud,” he stated.

44 — V ANGU ARD, WEDNESD AY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014 VANGU ANGUARD, WEDNESDA

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014—45

APGA founding member decamps to PDP

By Vincent Ujumadu

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WKA — ONE of the founding members of All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, in Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra State, Chief Uzochukwu Okafor, has defected to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Okafor, who contested for the House of Representatives ticket

of APGA in 2011, has already submitted his letter of resignation to APGA chairman in his Adazi Ani Ward 11.

Okafor said he decided to resign from APGA because the interest of his constituency would be better served and fulfilled under a different political platform.

He said: “In politics, what matters most is the interest of the people. I have weighed the

political situation in my area and had come to the conclusion that their interest would better be served in PDP. “Our people are happy with the performance of the President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan and have asked me to join the PDP if I am desirous of continued effective participation in politics and I have obliged them.

“My main concern now is to work for the success of President

Jonathan in the 2015 election and I am also happy that the entire people of South East have decided to support him.”

Reacting to Okafor’s defection, an APGA chieftain in the area, Chief Ambrose Aforekelu said the party had lost one of its pillars in the area.

Aforekelu, who was a factional chairman of the party, wished Okafor well in his new political party.

Tinubu tasks govts, politicians to take youths off streets

By Olasunkanmi Akoni

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AGOS — Senator Oluremi Tinubu, who is representing Lagos Central senatorial district, has stressed the need for governments and other political office holders to develop long-term youth programmes to remove children from the streets.

Tinubu gave the charge at the 4th edition of the Muniru Muse Soccer Cup competition, held at the Campus mini stadium, Ajele, Lagos.

“With the programmes, we will be able to remove more children from the streets and nurture them to become future leaders,” Senator Tinubu said.

She lamented that when youths were on the streets, they did not add any value to the country’s economy.

On my own part, she said: “We have decided to create and

support existing long-term programmes in the state, saying “one of the long-term existing programmes I have supported was the Muniru Muse Soccer Cup for U-12 and U-15 for male and female respectively.

“I expect that whoever comes after me, should also continue the programmes I inherited and those that I created. And that was why I didn’t say Tinubu is the sponsor of this football tourney, but the Lagos-Central senatorial district.

“The competition is meant to discover and harness the potentials of future football stars through the staging of various football tourneys for the under

age categories.

“Since inception, it has also developed the skills of many budding young ones and offered them opportunities never before thought possible.

“This initiative is to expose the boys and girls to the spirit of sportsmanship. Add to this, it gives the boys and girls the benefit of having a well rounded education since extra-curricula activities are an integral part of a complete education.

“This competition is also well timed as it engages the youth when schools are on holiday, thereby keeping them away from the streets and immoral activities.

We are committed to seeing the

survival of the competition for as long as it takes.

“That is why today, the initiator of the programme, Senator Muniru Muse, my predecessor, and I can look back with pride at the achievement so far recorded.

What begins with the boys' competition when I inherited this initiative has now been expanded to include the girl’s category since the second edition.

“Today, one of the players discovered at the previous edition has been signed by Manchester Football Club, that is the talent we want to grow. And when we discover them, we encourage them to ensure that they continue in their chosen career.”

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WO GROUPS, Tunde Tejuoso Tejman, TTT, and Agege Youths, have called on Lagos Commissioner for Transportation, Kayode Opeifa to contest for Lagos State governorship election under the All Progressives Congress, APC, platform.

The groups rose from their weekly meetings, to say Kayode Opeifa was automatically qualified to vie for the race, adding that the youths, community, top politicians and senior workers, traders had given him to nod to contest the governorship election in the state.

One of the chairmen, Mr. Tunde Tejuosho, said: “We are in total support of Kayode because of his sterling quality as a commissioner without blemish. He had served the state meritoriously under Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu and also serving Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola administration with track records.

"His experience in democratic process in Lagos State had shown that if given a chance as governor, he will perform creditably in Lagos State.”

By Chidi Nkwopara

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By Chidi Nkwopara

WERRI — IMO State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Dr. Theodore Ekechi, has described the opposition parties and their numerous governorship aspirants as lazy people whose arguments had no content.”

Ekechi, who made his feelings known when he fielded questions from journalists at a function in Owerri, also said that all the opponents of Governor Rochas Okorocha were predictable politicians.

“What exists in Imo State are lazy, boring and predictable opposition parties and aspirants.

The rescue mission government does not believe in sharing money to politicians and godfathers.

“We believe in laying strong economic base that will redistribute wealth to Imolites,” Dr. Ekechi reasoned.

According to him, “the lazy opponents have only succeeded in making my job as Information Commissioner so boring,

Groups want Opeifa to run

Don unhappy with poverty level

Information Commissioner lashes Okorocha’s critics

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GUBER RACE:

PRESENTATION: From left, Ebonyi State Commissioner for Works, Engr. Chukwuma Nwandugo; MTN Regional Sales Manager, South-East, Ms. Ifeanyi Udom; Ebonyi State governor, Chief Martin Elechi; Director, MTN Foundation, Mr. Dennis Okoro, and MTN trade partner for Ebonyi State, Sir Dennis Agbo, during presentation of security vehicles by MTNF to the state government, at Government House, Ebonyi State.

3 INEC staff arraigned over alleged theft of voters cards in Anambra

By Vincent Ujumadu

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WKA — THREE members of staff of Anambra State headquarters of Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Awka, have been charged to court over alleged theft of permanent voters’ cards, PVCs, for some communities in Ogbaru Local Government Area of the state.

The suspects, who were the security staff of the commission on duty on the night of the incident, include Anene Nwokedi, 46; Victor Okei, 38, and Fredrick Ijoma, 43.

Vanguard gathered that all

the PVCs for Akili-Ogidi/ Obeagwe ward and few other communities in the local government were cleverly removed.

Curiously, Akili-Ogidi/ Obeagwe is the political ward of Chief Afam Ogene, a member of the House of Representatives, who is the deputy chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs.

Ogene is also seeking reelection into the House of Representatives in next year’s general elections.

The accused persons were arraigned at Atani Magistrate

Court 2.

According to reports, the suspects, in the wee hours of September 2, 2014, broke into the INEC office at Atani, headquarters of Ogbaru Local Government Area and carted away the PVCs of the communities.

According to the charge sheet No.MGB/140/2014, they were arraigned for office breaking and stealing, thereby committing an offence punishable under section 495(a) of Criminal Code Cap.36, Vol.1, revised law of Anambra state, 1991 as amended.

The case was adjourned to November 5, 2014, for hearing.

WERRI — THE little percentage assigned to the capital component of the nation’s yearly budget has been linked to the wide gap between a few rich individuals and the poor masses.

Professor Gibson Francis Okorafor of the Department of Project Management, Federal University of Technology, FUTO, Owerri, stated this when he delivered the 26th Inaugural Lecture of the institution.

“The little percentage assigned to the capital component can provide an insight into the wide gap between a few rich individuals and the poor masses of the country,” the don said.

He said the improvement of the welfare of Nigerians will, to a large extent, depend on the share of the capital component of the budget and its efficient management.

46 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014

EBOLA: Plateau govt trains 8,000 teachers

Bauchi govt donates food items to physically challenged persons

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By Marie-Therese Nanlong

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OS—AS primary and secondary schools in Plateau State set to resume on the 22nd September, 2014, the State Government plans to train over 8,000 Primary and Secondary School teachers in both public and private schools on prevention, control and containment of the Ebola Virus Disease, EVD. Commissioner for Health, Dr. Fom Dakwak, announced this yesterday at the opening ceremony of a two-day training workshop organised for health workers in the State.

Dakwak said though the State had not recorded any case of the EVD, the State Government had released funds for life support ambulance, utility vehicles, personal protective equipment, among others to ensure a timely intervention in case of any eventuality.

The commissioner, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr. Elias Pede, said: “We are also in collaboration with Ministry of Education to stamp out any case of the disease in the

By Suzan Edeh

AUCHI—BAUCHI state government has donated over 10,000 assorted food items to scores of physically challenged persons in the state as part of efforts to alleviate their sufferings.

Governor Yuguda who flagged off the distribution of the food items in Bauchi, said since the inception of his administration, the government had been given special attention to physically challenged persons in the state because many of them did not have means of livelihood.

The governor who was represented by one of his aides, Alhaji Salisu Mai Sugar, said the gesture was targeted at the vulnerable groups in the society, without any political motive.

The food items distributed include; 4,400 bags of maize, 2,300 bags of millet and sugar, 2,300 bags of rice and 1000 bags of sugar.

Yuguda said: “The items are meant to be distributed to blind persons, lepers, cripple, deaf and dumb in all the twenty local government areas of the state. One of the priorities of the state government is to alleviate the sufferings of disabled persons in the state and discourage street begging."

08102479985

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have never heard anything more ridiculous in recent times with T.B. Joshua saying that an aircraft that allegedly hovered around his church two days ago was responsible for the collapse of his church Guest House. Mr. Richard AkinnolaActivist

State, though there is no such case in the State. Ours is to put adequate preventive measures in place.”

Also speaking, a Facilitator at the training and Head of the Team, Ebola Virus Disease Training,

Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Ilori, said the training would equip the participants with knowledge and technical knowhow about the disease.

DONATION: From left: Head, Ilado community, Eti Osa Local Government Area, Lagos State, Chief Rasheed Afolabi, MD, St. Kizito Clinic, Lagos, Dr. Alda Gemmani, and Head, Project Relations, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company, SNEPCo, Mr. Tunji Oni, at the donation of dental and X-ray equipment by SNEPCo and its partners to the clinic in Lagos

Ex-officio declares IPMAN's western zone exco illegal

By Demola Akinyemi

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LORIN—THE National Ex-officio of Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, Alhaji Kolawole Musapha, has described the purported inauguration of the western zone executive of the association in ilorin by factional members of the association as illegal.

He said the clarification

became necessary because of a pending suit in court by the national executives which stated that status quo must retain in all matter of inauguration of executives until the case was disposed off.

Mustapha, one of the representatives of western zone in the national executive, spoke in Ilorin.

He explained that by the constitutional guidelines of

the association which every member was aware of, all status quo must remain since a matter concerning the national executive was still in court.

The national officer also contended that no inauguration of new executive from his zone could take place without his consent and that the rumours of plan for the illegal inauguration of the

executive by some factional members prompted him to report the matter on behalf of the chairman and secretary of Ilorin branch of the association to the security agency in Ilorin.

He also said consequently, security operatives took over to ensure that the planned illegality did not take place and even invited one of the members for interrogation before he was released.

By Bartholomew Madukwe

PEOPLE SPEAK On Synagogue building collapse

(nwamad@yahoo.com)

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his is a very sad incident. May God have mercy on the souls of the victims. Adequate Housing safety measures and building controls must be put in place and enforced by appropriate authorities to forestall future occurrence.

Mr. Asuquo BasseyBusinessman

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hile our thoughts and prayers are with the dead and injured, I was surprised I did not hear Fashola say that those responsible would be brought to Justice. Who should be answering questions by now?

Mr. Martin DicksonStudent

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t is only in Nigeria that you can find somebody convert a foundation for twostorey building to a tenstorey building with or without the permits to back-up such.

Mr. Jonathan AdichiePensioner

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keenly followed all the stories concerning the carving of this building and I find it very funny. If the claim of a chemical weapon is true, then how come only the church building collapsed?

Mr. Chinedu C h i n w e o d a Businessman

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here are just too many structures that are out of Lagos State building plan, and I wonder who monitors such or brings perpetrators to book. If a government says a particular land should accommodate a storey building, some people do the negative.

Miss Nenye AnyambubaBusinesswoman

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014 —47

‘99% of today's graduates are not employable’

ACHRH decries massive influx of refugees to Maiduguri

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By Ndahi Marama

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AIDUGURI— AFRICAN Centre for Human Rights and Humanitarian Services, ACHRH, yesterday, lamented the “massive displacement” of people from towns and villages in Borno State into Maiduguri, for safety and accommodation, urging the Federal Government to urgently address the humanitarian crises at resettlement camps.

A source from the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, yesterday in Maiduguri, said the Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, were the result of the attack on towns and villages of Bama, Konduga, Gwoza, Marte, Damboa, Kauwuri, and nine other villages and communities.

At a briefing in Maiduguri, Chairman of ACHRH, Saina Buba, said the recent happenings in the North-East sub-region of the country had compounded human right abuses, poverty, starvation and breakdown of unity among families in the state.

According to him, “I wonder why the committee set up by President Goodluck Jonathan to raise fund is yet to visit Borno, even as many families have been displaced from their homes and communities.

"Some of the problems afflicting our people are directly attributable to terrorists while others are caused by bad government measures. The reign of terror in the North-East has negatively impacted on agriculture and feeding.

“In fact, we are now facing food emergency.

Our people are not even asking for good roads, electricity or a befitting house to live in. They are only asking for right to life and live in their villages.

But from all indications, these simple rights are no longer possible.”

Buba said until the Federal Government equipped the Nigerian Armed Forces and motivated them to confront the Boko Haram insurgents in their enclaves, the insurgency problem would continue.

From left: Ambassador Bashir Yuguda, Minister of State, Ministry of Finance; Mr Rasheed Olaoluwa, MD/CEO, Bank of Industry; Chief Kola Jamodu, former President, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, MAN, and Alhaji Aliko Dangote, President, Dangote Group at the 42nd Annual General Meeting of MAN, in Lagos.

EBOLA: Private school proprietors back Sept 22 resumption date •Say schools should adopt preventive measures

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By Suzan Edeh

AUCHI — As the new resumption date by the Federal Government for the nation’s public and private schools continues to generate controversy, the National Association Proprietors of Private Schools, NAPS, in Bauchi State has thrown its weight behind the new resumption date, saying schools should adopt preventive measures against the Ebola Virus Disease, EVD, instead keeping students at home.

President of the association, Mr. Austin Losa, while reacting to threat by the Nigerian Union of Teachers, NUT, to embark on strike over the resumption date, said: “I see no basis why students should continue to remain at home because of the selfish interest of some unions who are using this resumption date saga to achieve their aims.

"What people do not know about the EVD is that there is no community risk of the virus in Nigeria. It is only when there are migrations from Ebola affected countries and primary contacts, that there is a reason for concern.

For now, Nigeria has been able to contain the spread of the virus by strictly monitoring such migrations. So, there is no reason to panic.”

He claimed private schools in the state had procured infra-red thermometers as part of preventive measures to contain the EVD and safeguard the health of students in private schools.

According to him, "apart from measuring the body temperature of the students before entry the school premises; they will also wash their hands at the gate of their schools to promote hygiene culture among the students. The federal government earlier promised to donate the Ebola testing kits to schools, but it is yet to deliver the testing items. So, as a preventive measure, the association decided to buy only

the infra-red thermometers for distribution to all private schools in the state “The Federal Ministry of Education has also directed that all state ministries of health should

collaborate with the state ministry of education to organise workshop whereby two teachers from each school will undergo training on the Ebola virus."

No going back on Computer Based Test —JAMB

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By Wole Mosadomi

INNA— THE Registrar/ Chief Executive of Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, Professor Dibu Ojerinde, has said there is no going back on the use of Computer Based Test, CBT, by JAMB’s candidates with effect from next year.

The registrar, who was answering questions from journalists in Minna, Niger State, yesterday, said the board had been sensitising all stakeholders since 2007 on going digital, saying students concerned and government were already aware of the move and thus, the pronouncement could not be new to them.

He said even with the epileptic power supply in the country, the new policy could not be faulted because power supply could not hinder the implementation of the policy.

He said: “Power is not a problem. If you want to take part in this process, you must have all the facilities including adequate power supply. You must have an inverter."

Ojerinde, who was in Minna for the second technical committee meeting on 2014/2015 admission to degree, Nigeria Certificate in Education, NCE, and National Diploma, ND, and awarding institutions said 617,000 candidates sat for CBT while many others opted for the paper and pencil test, adding that with effect from next year, the examination would go full blown CBT.

He called on the state government to build and operate computer centres in at least the three senatorial districts of the state for use by candidates.

Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu of Niger State, who was represented by Commissioner of Education, Alhaji Danladi Abdulhameed, commended the registrar for his consistency in initiating efforts aimed at curbing examination malpractices, improving processes of examination administration and overall development of the educational sector.

O R M E R Kokodiagbene youth leader and the Director, Brakins Resources, Mr Kennedy Brake, has called on all Nigerian youths to imbibe the culture of what he terms “employability development.”

He spoke in Warri, Delta State, while addressing some graduate youths who paid him a courtesy visit in his office at Ekpan.

According to him, “the core problem of the rising unemployment crisis in Nigeria is not solely caused by lack of employment opportunities but lack of employability development by 99 per cent of today's graduates.

"What is employability development? It is development of soft generic skills that are necessary for getting, keeping and being successful in any employment sector. These skills and attitudes enable the prospective employee to get along with their colleagues, to make critical decisions, solve problem, develop respect and ultimately become a strong representative for an organisation.

“99 per cent of today graduates are not employable in any industry because they completely lack employability skills and these skills are frequently mentioned in the media that are lacking in graduates. And graduates take cognizance of this problem to refine themselves to be employable."

Visafone rolls out Android, Feature smartphones for customers

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OMMITTED to introducing innovative solutions to support its growing customers, Visafone has offered its customers affordable and convenient Android smartphones and features phones loaded with extra benefits.

With this initiative, existing and new customers can now enjoy the quality and reliable voice and data experience of the network while still retaining any other subsisting line on the same phone.

Speaking at the unveiling of the new set of Android and Feature phones recently in Lagos, Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Srinivasa Venkatappa, said:

“We are responding to market needs for dual SIM phones with capability to use both CDMA and GSM networks in the same device.

“In taking this initiative, we aim to offer the convenience to our customers who hitherto were saddled with carrying two phones”.

According to him, "the Uniscope M558B, M11B and D260 are popular feature phones that offer customers the convenience to enjoy dual technology of CDMA & GSM networks," adding that other features include data access, Facebook, Yahoo, Twitter, Google, Dual camera (front & rear), Bluetooth, FM and unique multimedia function, long talk time, excellent standby time, micro SD support, torch and much more.

48—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014

VISIT: From right; Ondo State Commissioner for Health, Dr Dayo Adeyanju; Governor Olusegun Mimiko; Emeritus Professor of Public Health, Adetokunbo Lucas, and Director of the Institute of Public Health, Obafemi Awolowo University, Dr Akintunde Abioye-Kuteyi, during a visit to the Governor's office, in Akure, on Monday.

MEETING: Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun (right) with Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Federal Republic of Germany, Mr. Gerd Muller after a meeting of representatives of the German and the Ogun State governments in Berlin, Germany.

BRIEFING: From left; Engr. Mohammed Kudu Sulaiman, Registrar/Chief Executive, Nigerian Institute of Management, NIM: Dr. Nelson Uwaga, President and Chairman of Council, NIM and Mr. Tony Fadaka, Deputy Registrar at a press conference on 2014 Annual Management Conference held at NIM Head office, Victoria Island. Photo by Oscar Ochiogu.

VISIT: Mrs. Omawumi Udoh, Chief Whip, Delta State House of Assembly, with Chief Otimeyin Adams, Special Project Director, when the former went to seek the blessing of His Majesty, Ogiame VISIT: Mr Gbenga Adefaye, Editor-in-Chief/GM Atuwatse II, the Olu of Warri recently in Warri Publication, Vanguard newspaper (left) welcoming former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Edo State, Chief Charles Edosomwan (SAN) to Vanguard's Apapa, Lagos head office. Photo by Diran Oshe.

MEETING: From left; Prince Tunde Adele, General Secretary, Eko Club; Mr Babatunde Faruk-Grillo, President; Mrs Rashidat Alayaki, wife of a deceased member receiving insurance claim of her husband; her daughter, Kemi and Mr Wasiu Alli Balogun, Vice President during the 2014 half yearly General Meeting of Eko Club and presentation of cheque for insurance claims for some relations of deceased members held in Lagos. Photo by Lamidi Bamidele.

LAUNCH: From left: Simon Melchior, CEO, Asseco Software Nigeria Ltd; Emilomo Ogunboye, Representative of the Federal Ministry of Power; Adefolu Majekodunmi, MD, Asseco Software Nig Ltd; Tobi Akinwande, Head of Communications, Asseco and Friday Odionye, Representative of the Federal Ministry of Power at the media launch of Asseco Software Nigeria Limited in Lagos.

CONFERENCE: Prof Adebiyi Daramola, Vice-Chancellor, Federal University of Technology, Akure, FUTA; Professor Tolulope Akinbogun, National President of Ceramic Researchers Association of Nigeria, CeRAN, and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Devt, FUTA; and Prof Abbas Ahuwan, a founding member of CeRAN during the association's annual conference in FUTA. (RIGHT) SUMMIT: From right; Secretary to Government of Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Udom Emmanuel; Commissioner for Information, Mr. Aniekan Umanah; Chancellor, Akpabio Centre for Leadership Development, Pastor Bassey Jame; Mr. Ime Ikon and Akwa Ibom Liaison Officer in Lagos, Mr. Joseph Etem, exchanging pleasantries during the 2014 Akpabioism Economic Summit, organised at Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Lagos.

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52—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

Grenadian embassy possible in Nigeria if...— Richard Hallam

By VERA SAMUEL ANYAGAFU & PRISCA SAM-DURU

S

PECIAL Advisor to Ambassador Peter De-ary of Inward Investment, Grenada, Richard Hallam, has disclosed that an increase in the number of Nigerians willing to do business with Grenadians and a vibrant chamber of commerce, are determinants of the establishment of a Grenadian embassy in Nigeria.

Speaking at the Grenada Citizenship by Investment summit organised by Monarch & Co in Lagos, Hallam who said

he was not competent to speak on when a Grenada embassy would be established in Nigeria, noted, however, that having an embassy in Nigeria would benefit investors both from the country and Grenada willing to be part of a mutual trade ties with each other.

His words, “It’s not in my department to comment on establishing an embassy here in Nigeria. But then imagine, with a chamber of commerce and good relationship with Nigeria, I do not see why it should not be set up. Usually countries set up embassies where they already

have trade agreements or whereby the population of the citizens is high. So if we can start having quite a good number of Nigerians who would start enjoying the programmes of Grenada, absolutely, why won’t there be a need for establishment of an embassy here in Nigeria.

Its certainly a possibility in the future. If the relationship is a successful one.”

On why his country was targeting Nigerians through the visa free programme, Hallam said “the way the citizenship programme works, people are

looking for a second passport that allows them to travel. You are not tied down to only one passport.

This gives interested investors opportunities to explore business opportunities not only with Grenada but other selected countries. The whole idea of a chamber of commerce is to share business interest between Grenada and Nigeria. I don’t know what they are right now, they could be many, its something we’re exploring, its something that’s currently being set up and I’m hoping it’s something very productive.”

Explaining why it took this long to show interest to do business with Nigeria, Hallam said, “there are several countries in the world where Grenada has not gone. Its just a small Caribbean country so, its not so very easy for our ministers to be everywhere all the time. Grenada has long been having excellent relationship with some Asia countries, UK, USA so, I think things will change. The new government we have now is very progressive, its a forward thinking development friendly government. Its through them that this scholarship investment programme is taking place to enable us come to Nigeria and showcase the Grenada to West Africa.”

Hallam, however, expressed optimism that the programme will not jeopardise the peace, low crime rate and other positive attributes of his country, adding “we are not anticipating any increase in crime or disruption of the peaceful coexistence of Grenadians. If 500 Nigerians for instance, participate in the programme, we do not anticipate that the whole 500 people will be coming to live in Grenada. 50 or 30 per cent will definitely set up their business but we still don’t believe that all of them will set up primary residence in Grenada.

Primary residence We encourage people to invest but we do not believe it will add to the population of Grenada. Understand also that there are more Grenadians living outside the country at the moment.”

The Grenada Citizenshipby-Investment Programme which was established in 2013, makes it one of the most recently established Citizenship-by-Investment Programme according to the CEO, Monarch & Co, James Bowling, allows qualified investors and their family members to apply for citizenship and benefit from facilitation of visa free travel to Grenada and approximately 115 countries worldwide including the UK and 34 European countries without having to visit, also investors enjoy preferred access in some cases grants to many top schools and universities.

The Grenadian Citizenship by Investment programme according to Bowling, provides some prime benefits such as fast processing within 3 months with inclusion of dependent children below 26 years of age. No physical residency requirements in Grenada, no requirement to travel to Grenada during the application process, no interview, education or management experience required, investors would obtain visa-free travel to 115 countries including UK and Schengen countries and no tax on worldwide income.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014 — 53

BRIEFS

Ukraine ratifies key EU association deal

Ebola outbreak: UN calls for $1bn to fight virus M ORE than $1bn is needed to fight the West Africa Ebola outbreak , a tenfold increase in the past month, the UN’s Ebola coordinator has said.

David Nabarro made the announcement as the World Health Organization (WHO) described the health crisis as “unparalleled in modern times”.

It has killed 2,461 people this year, half of the 4,985 infected by the virus, the global health body said.

There has been criticism of the slow international response to the epidemic.

Highly infectious people are forced to return home, only to infect others and continue the spread of this deadly virus” Later, the US president is to announce plans to send 3,000 troops to Liberia, one of countries worst-affected by the outbreak, to help fight the

M

EMBERS of the Ukrainian parliament have ratified an agreement with the EU, moving their country towards the West over half a year after its pro-Russian leader was overthrown from power as a result of mass anti-government protests.

Parliament has also passed a law that will give “special status” to the separatist eastern regions, including a degree of self-governance for a three-year period, parliamentary deputies who attended yesterday’s closed session told the Reuters news agency.

A second law that was passed would grant an amnesty to separatists who were involved in recent fighting with government forces, the deputies reportedly said.

The development comes as a ceasefire agreement with pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine, signed earlier this month in the Belarusian capital Minsk, has been riddled with violations from the start.

Kabul: Soldiers killed in suicide bombing •At least 2,400 people have died from the Ebola virus, with Liberia bearing the brunt of the fatalities. virus.

It is understood the US military will oversee building new treatment centres and help train medical staff.

Medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) called on other countries to follow the US lead as the response to

outbreak continued to fall “dangerously behind”.

The outbreak began in Guinea before spreading to its neighbours Sierra Leone and Liberia.

Nigeria and Senegal have reported some cases, but seem to have contained the transmission of the virus.

“We requested about $100m a month ago and now it is $1bn, so our ask has gone up 10 times in a month,” Mr Nabarro told a briefing in Geneva.

“Because of the way the outbreak is advancing, the level of surge we need to do is unprecedented, it is massive.”

Scottish election: Britain pledges state funding RITAIN promised to funding, granting Scots last-ditch attempt to shore Thursday ’s vote on B guarantee Scotland greater control over up support for the United independence. high levels of state healthcare spending in a Kingdom

before

With polls showing the decision on the fate of the United Kingdom is too close to call, welfare spending and the future of the revered National Health System have formed a central part of nationalist Alex Salmond’s case for secession.

In a deal brokered by former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown, the leaders of Britain’s three main political parties said they would retain the funding equation that sustains a higher level of public spending north of the border.

“People want to see change,” said the agreement, published in Scotland’s Daily Record newspaper and signed by Prime Minister David Cameron, Labour leader Ed Miliband and Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg.

“A no vote will deliver faster, safer and better change than separation,” the agreement said.

Cameron, whose job is on the line if Scots vote to break the United Kingdom, warned on his last visit to Scotland before Thursday’s vote that there would be no going back and that any separation could be painful.

British leaders accept that even if Scotland votes to keep the 307-year union, the United Kingdom’s structure will have to change as the rush to grant so many powers to Scotland will provoke calls for a less centralised state from voters in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

A

Taliban suicide bombing has killed at least six soldiers, including three members of the NATO force ISAF, and wounded more than 25 others near the US embassy in Kabul, according to police sources in Afghanistan’s capital.

The car bomber attacked a military convoy just a couple of hundred yards from the embassy compound at about 8am (0330 GMT) on Tuesday, causing a huge blast that rattled the neighbourhood, the police said.

Faird Afzalai, chief of criminal investigations for Kabul’s police, confirmed reports that the bomber targeted a foreign convoy. Three of the victims were Afghan soldiers.

The blast happened near the country’s Supreme Court on a busy road that runs from the heavily fortified US embassy to Kabul airport.

In the aftermath of the explosion, which occurred during heavy rush-hour traffic, Afghan and foreign troops secured the area as fire and rescue vehicles moved in.

Iraq parliament rejects PM security nominees

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RAQ’S parliament has failed to approve Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s candidates for the sensitive posts of defence and interior ministers, state television has reported.

The men - Riad al-Ghareeb nominated for the post of interior minister and Jaber al-Jaberi as defence minister - did not win the needed majority vote, state television said.

Lawmakers convened as US jets carried out an airstrike near Baghdad for the first time since launching an aerial campaign in early August, and French warplanes flying from the United Arab Emirates began reconnaissance missions over Iraq.

Prime Minister al-Abadi put forward Sunni lawmaker Jaber al-Jabberi as his candidate for defence minister, and Shia lawmaker Riyad Ghareeb as his pick for interior minister.

Parliament, which could confirm the nominees with a simple majority, voted 118-117 against Ghareeb, and 131-108 against al-Jabberi.

Ebola: US to send 3,000 troops to West Africa

T

HE United States has pledged to send 3,000 troops to West Africa, using its military muscle to battle the biggest ever outbreak of Ebola by building treatment clinics and training health workers to halt the spread of the deadly virus.

President Barack Obama is expected to outline the action later on Tuesday, his second announcement of a major military operation in two weeks after his declaration that Washington would bomb Islamic State fighters in the Middle East.

The U.S. action, which goes far further than previous offers of aid, won praise from aid workers and officials in the region, but health experts said it was still not enough to contain the fast-spreading epidemic.

The death toll from the fever, which spreads rapidly, causes uncontrolled bleeding and fever and typically kills more than half of its victims, has doubled in the past month to 2,461, mostly in three countries in West Africa. The World Health Organization said a "much faster" response was needed to limit the number of cases to the tens of thousands.

54—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014

Jesse seeks compensation, 16 yrs after pipeline explosion

By Brisibe Perez

S

APELE—SIXTEEN years after the biggest pipeline explosion in the country rocked Jesse community in Ethiope West Local Government Area of Delta State, the community is still seeking compensation for the death of its people and destruction of property.

Speaking to newsmen at his palace in Jesse, the Monarch of Idjerhe Kingdom, HRM Otadaverua Edward, Erhriekevwe I, in company of other leaders of the kingdom, lamented the neglect and stigmatisation that had befallen the community as a result of the explosion, which occurred on October 17, 1998.

According to the monarch, his kingdom suffered huge losses as a result of the explosion which led to the death of over a thousand innocent people and destruction of farm products within and around the scene of the

incident.

He said: “Owing to the scarcity of fuel and ignorance, there was high traffic of persons at the scene when the explosion occurred.

“We have tried to reach the Federal Government on numerous occasions, explaining to them that

findings have shown that the course of the incident was as a result of a rupture from the pipeline, but our appeal has not been heeded.

“While, foreign countries sympathised with us, our government failed to do same or do anything to ameliorate our pains.”

We didn't endorse Wike —OPOBO PATRIOTS

By Gbenga Oke

O

POBO Patriots, a non-political group in Rivers State, has denied the endorsement of Minister of Education, Mr. Nyesom Wike for the governorship race in the state.

Speaking on behalf of the group, Mr. Charles Jaja, in a statement, said: “We will like to clearly state that as a policy, the Opobo Patriots had never in its many years of existence delved into the arena of politics and that remains the position of the club till date.

“However, should the

need arise for us to consider endorsing anyone for the 2015 governorship election in Rivers State, such a decision will be guided by principles such as character, capacity, consistency, equity, justice, fairness, loyalty and patriotism.

“We call on our numerous members and the general public, who hold the Opobo Patriots in high esteem, to disregard the purported endorsement of the Minister, as such endorsement is only a figment of some people’s imagination.”

NDDC, Niger Delta Ministry have failed, says Briggs

By Jimitota Onoyume

P

ORT HARCOURT— A Niger Delta activist, Miss Annkio Briggs, has said that the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, and Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs have failed to achieve the essence for which they were established.

Briggs, in a statement yesterday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, said the number of abandoned

NDDC projects speaks of the failure of the commission.

The activist, who is President, Agape Birthrights Foundation and National Convener, Niger Delta Self Determination Movement, called on the Federal Government to pay money owed NDDC into a special intervention fund for the region, stressing that NDDC and the Ministry of Niger Delta had failed to justify billions of naira

given to them for the development of the region.

She said: “I moved a motion at the just-concluded national conference calling for the payment of all monies owed NDDC by the Federal Government, which motion succeeded in the affirmative.

“Whereas the said money is long overdue, it must not be paid directly to NDDC, but put in a special intervention fund to be created for the people.”

Itsekiri youth council rejects 500 amnesty slots

W

ARRI—THE Itsekiri National Youth Council, INYC, has rejected the 500 slots awarded the Itsekiri ethnic nationality by the Presidential Amnesty Office, claiming that less than 100 Itsekiri actually benefited from it.

Addressing hundreds of Itsekiri youths at Olu Palace in Warri, Delta State, Mr. Esimaje Awani, accused those behind the slots of favouring non-Itsekiri and also refusing to

honour the invitation from Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Amnesty Programme, Mr. Kingsley Kuku, over alleged ghost names forwarded to the amnesty office.

He vowed to stop the deduction of N15,000 from the beneficiaries’ allowan-ces, adding that 500 slots were not enough for Itsekiri compared to 32,000 allotted to Ijaw ethnic nationality.

Other Itsekiri youth leaders from different communities, such as Joseph Ugburo, Emiko Oghomienor and Helen Oritseweyinmi, who addressed the protesters, vowed to continue the struggle until the Amnesty Office gives Itsekiri nation their due, adding that they will no longer allow a few people, who they said were no longer youths, to hijack the amnesty programme meant for Itsekiri youths.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014—55

UNEP REPORT ON OGONI: The time for

decisive action's now — FG …As MOSOP demands full implementation

By Chris Ochayi

A

BUJA — THE Federal Government, yesterday, established a multi-stakeholders committee to commence implementation of United Nations Environment Programme, UNEP, report on Ogoliland, declaring that the time to take decisive actions to restore Ogoniland was now.

The Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alision Madueke, disclosed this in Abuja at the Stakeholders' Forum on Environmental Restoration of Ogoniland.

This came as President of Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People, MOSOP, Mr. Legborsi Saro Pyagbara, demanded full implementation of the report.

It would be recalled that the Federal Government, in 2005 commissioned UNEP to conduct an independent assessment of the environment and public health impacts of oil contamination in Ogoniland, in the Niger Delta.

But since the submission of the report, no concrete step was taken by the government to implement the recommendations of the reports.

Stakeholders at the forum organised by the Ministry of Petroleum Resources include, the Minister of Environment, Mrs. Laurentia Malam, UNEP Special Envoy, Mr. Erik Solhem, Country Representative of UNEP, King Gbenemene of Bangha, HRH, Baridam Suanu, representative of NOSDRA, United Nations , UN, Representative in Nigeria, Dauda Toure, Managing Directors of Shell and Total Nigeria Plc, respectively, among others.

Mrs. Alison-Madueke noted that, “upon consultations with the people of Ogoni land, it has become clear that stakeholders have not been properly consulted

or incorporated into the implementation processes of the UNEP report.

“Accordingly, government has been deliberately cautious by carefully reviewing the HYPRP structure to determine the best way to rejuvenate the programme to really restore Ogoni land as envisioned in the report.”

She said: "I would also like to point out that as a result of the discussions on the 8th of August that MOSOP very kindly facilitated in Ogoni land with various stakeholders, one of the resolutions of course, which was adopted into the discourse here today, was the creation of a multistakeholder committee or group out of the five or so entities or bodies that are represented here today.

“Again, this would be put forward in the discourse later today and it is expected that the representatives of each of those

bodies, should be put forward and we will take a date for the formal inauguration meeting of that MSC group.

“Let me also make it very clear that despite the setbacks we have encountered and we have encountered quite a few with HYPRP over the last one and a half year, we have focused on this mission with every ounce of decisive determination.

“I think it bears repeating here that, as we all know, I am a daughter of the old River State. I was born in Port Harcourt in 1960, before River State was split into Rivers and Bayelsa.

“Therefore, I will not rest as an individual until this effort is decisively delineated and implemented to the benefits of the people of Ogoni land and by implication to the benefit of the entire nation of Nigeria.

“So ladies and gentle men, I do believe that the time for decisive

action is now. Hence we have asked all of you, multi-lateral stakeholders across the board, to join us today to have a very open and inclusive discourse.

“I am expecting that in due course the learnings from the Ogoni restoration work can be applied to other parts of Nigeria facing similar environmental degradation problems.”

In his remarks, the President of MOSOP, Mr. Legborsi Saro Pyagbara recalled the Ogoni people have suffered for a very long time from the impact of environmental degradation as results of oil exploration.

Pyagbara who said that the struggle for the restoration of Ogoni land which commenced over 25 years ago is now receiving the government attention, however, demanded that the UNEP report should be fully implemented.

BUJA — THE Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, yesterday, directed it members to ignore the September 22, 2014, resumption date for primary and secondary schools in Nigeria.

This came as the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria, AMLSN, advised the Federal Government to reconsider its decision to re-open schools on September 22.

National President of NUT,

A

BUJA — PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday, forwarded the name of Captain Mukhtar Usman to the Senate for approval as the Director General of Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, as well as the appointment of Justice Chima Centus Nweze for confirmation as Supreme Court Justice.

This came on a day, Mr. Zagbayi Nuhu, was swornin as the Senator representing Niger East on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP following the death of the former Senator, Awaisu Kuta.

In the letter read by the Senate President, Senator David Mark, President Jonathan also sought the confirmation of Dr. Jonah Madugu as the Commissioner, Federal Civil Service Commission, representing Benue, Nasarawa and Benue states for a tenure of five years.

By Caleb Ayansina

FORUM: From left, His Majesty, King Gbenemene Giniwa, discussing with Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke; UN Special Envoy, Mr. Erik Solheim, and President of MOSOP, Mr. Legborsi Saro Pyagbara, during Stakeholders' Forum on Environmental Restoration of Ogoniland, in Abuja. Photo: Gbemiga Olamikan

...As laboratory scientists kick against Sept 22 resumption date

A

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru

NYSC: Digitalization'll eliminate mobilization problem — DG

EBOLA: Don't resume on Sept 22, until — NUT

By Laide Akinboade & Favour Nnabugwu

Jonathan appoints Usman as NCAA DG, Justice Nweze for Supreme Court

Michael Olukoya, gave the directive while briefing journalists in Abuja.

He said the teachers should only resume if the Federal Government sufficiently trained and provided them with necessary preventive and protective gadgets on Ebola virus.

It would be recalled that the Federal Government changed the resumption date from September 8, 2014, to October 13, 2014, over the out-break of Ebola virus in the country.

The date was reviewed from October 13 to September 22, 2014, based on the advice of the

Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, who said based on the progress made so far that over 98 per cent success had been recorded across the nation.

Olukoya said: “But where the Federal Government insists on September 22, 2014, date, in spite of wise counsel, the union will rather direct teachers to resume schools whenever they are sufficiently trained and their schools have been provided with the necessary preventive and protective gadgets.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the teachers have this day, resolved

to resume classes in obedience to the Federal Government directive, in states where teachers have been trained to handle any out-break and all the required preventive and protective gadgets such as hand gloves, sanitizers, infra-red thermometers, running water and soaps have been provided as directed by Federal Government of Nigeria.

“In states where the training has not been done and necessary safeguarding gadgets not provided, teachers shall continue to remain at home until their state governments respond positively or the union directs them to the contrary.”

A

BUJA — THE Director General of National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, BrigGeneral Johnson Olawumi, has disclosed that the computerization process of mobilization of corps members for the one year national youth service would address all the irregularities associated with analogue method.

Olawumi, who stated this in an interview with newsmen in Abuja, alleged that students’ affairs officers of some corps producing institutions were involved in mobilizing students for the national youth service illegally.

He said; “One thing we do not anticipate before and which this online mobilization process has brought out clearly is the fact that we are now going to eliminate all those sharp practices by some corps producing institutions that forward names of those who are not legible.

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62 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014

Pele wants me to be next FIFA President — Champagne

•Champagne

F

IFA presidency candidate Jerome Champagne insists he has the support of Brazilian soccer legend, Pele in his bid to unseat incumbent FIFA President, Sepp Blatter in next year’s elections.

Champagne added that the governing body must look to be more progressive with its outlook.

“We need to make FIFA and football enter the 21st century,” he continued. “It must become more modern, transparent and we must explore video

refereeing.

“We need to change our style. I am supported by Pele and that is a good stamp I think.”

Champagne added that it will be impossible to run football unless the governing body and English football can be reconciled.

Rodgers backs Balotelli to shine L

IVERPOOL manager Brendan Rodgers is confident Mario Balotelli will thrive as the club’s number one striker in the absence of the injured Daniel Sturridge.

“Time will tell. The boy is only just in the door,” said the Reds boss.

“The best players enjoy that responsibility and I am sure it is one he is relishing but on the training field he is going to work hard to accept that responsibility knowing he has been brought in here to do a job which is to create and score goals and work hard.

“He was unfortunate he was ill last week and it was only on the morning of the game [Saturday ’s defeat to Aston Villa] he declared himself fit to play, which shows he really wanted to get out and play here.

“He is also experienced as well. He is arguably one of the most experienced players we have in terms of this competition and international calibre and at club level.”

CONTEST....... Mario Balotelli of Liverpool and Tom Cleverley of Aston Villa compete during the EPL match at Anfield on September 13. Villa won 10.

Mourinho goes on the attack Man U can’t pay for my stars — Guardiola

P

Liverpool fans mock Man U

L

IVERPOOL have had no Champions League football since 2009, while Man United had taken part in the competition every year since 1996 until the current campaign.

Some Liverpool fans couldn’t help but mention Man United’s absence from the competition.

•Van Gaal

•Mourinho

J

OSÉ Mourinho has a reputation for a stingy, defensive approach to football tactics. Despite that, the Chelsea side he has put together this season combines class, goals and entertaining football. The system is the same (4-2-3-1) and he still fields two holding midfielders, but these fit a very different profile: Nemanja Matic and Cesc

Fàbregas.

Matic acts as an anchorman. He is the team’s lynchpin both in defence and attack. He never leaves his post, he is always there, but it is Cesc’s movement and attacking prowess that are changing the team’s game. The Catalan has six assists to his name and four of them were for Diego Costa, the striker who has set the

Premier League alight with seven goals in four games.

None of the teams that Mourinho has managed, since he led Porto to the Champions League, have played such attacking football, not even his Real Madrid side which broke the record for the highest number of goals scored in a single season: 121 during the 2011-12 campaign.

EP Guardiola says Manchester United cannot afford to buy Bayern Munich’s star players and believes their decline should serve as a lesson to other clubs in Europe. “[United] didn’t have enough money,” he told reporters. “I saw they spent a lot of money. It’s good for my friend Louis.

It’s part of the game.

“All of the clubs in the world want the players of another club. It depends on the player.

•Guardiola

If the player wants to play he will play. If he wants to stay he will stay.” “[Their decline] is a good lesson for the big clubs. They think: ‘We are unbeatable and strong’ and they are not here. Maybe the next season they are out.

“That’s why football is magnificent: every single week you have to be ready. Every week you have got to show you are ready.”

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014 — 63

Barca to tackle Stores in Copa All set for Akpabio scrabble classics Lagos 2014 O

K

INETIC Sports, organizers of Copa Lagos - the first ever international beach soccer event in Nigeria have announced plans for its 4th edition which will hold from December 12th to 14th, 2014 at the dynamic Eko Atlantic City, Victoria Island, Lagos – Nigeria.

Founded in 2011, Copa Lagos is organized under the scope of Beach Soccer Worldwide (BSWW) World Tour – the FIFA-recognized entity behind the creation and growth of Beach Soccer, and aims to have a strategic role in development of beach soccer in Nigeria.

Kinetic sport announced the participation of FC Barcelona Beach Soccer team at this year’s event in a conference in Lagos yesterday. The famous Spanish giant will play three of the biggest Nigerian clubs including Stationary Stores in a game tagged FC Barcelona Challenge.

The Super Sand Eagles will be defending their title against some of the best beach soccer National teams in the world in a tournament that will feature Switzerland, Cote D’ivore and final surprise team we would be announcing later.

The competition will be played in a RoundRobin format (League Format), allowing in this way the opportunity for each team to prove themselves against all participants during the three days of competition.

The competition’s venue will be the centre of attention in Lagos during the event dates.

Beach soccer fans will be offered a varied range of activities, fashion shows and music concerts, which will bring rhythm and passion to one of the most populous cities in Africa.

Copa Lagos: (L-R) Tilewa Adebajo, Chairman, Stationery Stores; presenting his club jersey to Samson Adamu, CEO, Kinetic Sports; (2nd from right) and Kunle Shin-aba, Head, Corporate Affairs, 1960Bet; and Uche Mojekwu, Head, Corporate Communications, FCMB; (1st right) during Media parley to announce activities for the 2014 Copa Lagos, international beach soccer event held at Eko Hotels and Suites, Lagos yesterday.

NFF fire: House Committee awaits report — Gaiya

BY JUDE OPARA, Abuja More than three weeks after an early morning fire gutted the accounts section and office of the general secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), the

House of Representatives Committee on Sports said it was still awaiting the report of the Federal Fire Service and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) before it could take any further action on the matter.

Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Godfrey Gaiya told journalists in Abuja that the mysterious fire affected the workings of his committee adversely because just a few days to the incident his committee forwarded a letter to the NFF demanding a

•Gaiya

comprehensive explanation concerning the financial dealings of the federation from January to July, 2014.

“We all know that the investigation of a fire incident to find out whether it was arson or any other thing is the responsibility of the fire service and the police and that is why my committee is still waiting for the outcome of that investigation being carried out by the fire service and the Nigeria Police Force. Once we are served with that report we can now move from that level to ask questions.

ITF West & Central Africa Junior Circuit

Unseeded Nigerian upsets sixth-seeded Thai the medals table of first- action.

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IGERIA’S good showing at the ongoing ITF West and Central Africa Junior Circuit continued at the Stade Omnisport, Lome yesterday with Ahmed Alamu’s shock 2-6, 7-6(5), 6-0 win over sixth-seeded Itchya Meesommon of Thailand one of the eyecatching performances of the day in the tournament which will end this weekend.

Nigeria bagged 3 gold, 2, silver and a bronze to top

phase of the point-winning tournament which is featuring over 20 countries among which are USA, Germany, France, India Turkey, Britain and Thailand.

Also, Nigeria’s Joseph Ubon, who was the boy’s singles champion in the first phase, sustained his great form with a comprehensive 6-0, 6-0 win over Yayra Pedanou of Togo to spearhead the winning outings for most of the country’s players in

Ubon’s compatriot Mohammed Mohammed, who the former defeated in the final of the first phase also progressed to the next round with a 6-4, 6-1 triumph over Togolese Jean Kadangah-Kili Another Nigeria-Togo clash saw Tochukwu Ezeh triumphed with a 7-5, 62 against Abdel Razak Ouro-Gnao just as Martins Abamu also made Nigeria proud as he defeated Amadou Diarra of Mali 6-3,6-1.

NE of the biggest S c r a b b l e Competitions in the world, the Godswill Akpabio International Scrabble Classics is set to kick off with World Champion Nigel Richards confirming participation.

The President of the Nigeria Scrabble Federation, Suleiman Gora said in Uyo that all is set for the event that will, as usual attract the best of world class scrabble players from all over the world.

Mr Gora who was in Uyo to hold “crucial talks” talks on the classics with the chairman of Akwa Ibom State Scrabble Association Mr Ufot Edem, said every effort has been intensified to make this 8th edition the “……biggest yet” even as he assured on the participation of the world champion Nigel Richards

and 50 other foreign players who have written in to confirm their participation.

On whether the Ebola scourge will affect foreign participation, the nation’s Scrabble boss said “ in as much as we are not expecting our brothers from Sierra Leone and Liberia, the effort put in by the Federal Government to manage the spread of the virus here in Nigeria has received commendation world wide, making Nigeria a very safe country to visit.

•Akpabio

CAF Continues from BP Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia from hosting games because of the deadly virus outbreak. It said it would reassess the situation in midSeptember.

CAF said on Tuesday that the new assessment would be done in consultation with the

World Health Organization.

Guinea and Sierra Leone are competing in the final round of qualifiers for next year’s African Cup of Nations.

Sierra Leone has decided to play all of its scheduled home games in Congo, but Guinea wants to host matches.

NPL

Continues from BP the football house, Week 26 matches of the premier league would be played at all the centres today.

“The league will resume on September 17 with Week 26 ties and the rest subsequently as we have it in our programme,” he said.

“We are happy that peace is returning to Nigerian football and we don’t have any reason to starve Nigerians of premier league matches.

“The referees have stated their resolve to honour league matches again and that is a good news,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, the

President of the Nigeria Referees Association (NRA) Ahmed Maude said it was his joy to see the end of the crisis adding that the renewed peace in the football house should be dedicated to Nigerians who are lovers of due process.

FIXTURES Abia Warriors vs Giwa Akwa Utd vs Enyimba Bayelsa Utd vs Nembe Crown vs Nasarawa Rangers vs Dolphins Heartland vs KadUtd Lobi vs El Kanemi Sharks vs Gombe Utd Taraba vs Pillars Wolves vs Sunshine

VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014

CAF denies lifting ban on games in Ebola-hit Guinea

T

HE Confederation of African Football has denied claims by the Guinea Football Federation that the temporary ban on games in the Ebola-hit country has been lifted.

CAF says no decision will be taken until its executive committee meets on Friday and Saturday in Ethiopia.

CAF last month banned the West Africa nations of Continues on page 63

•Hayatou

Rangers, Dolphin set Enugu alight as NPL resumes A

CTION-starved Nigerian football fans will heave a huge sigh of relief as the Nigeria Premier League matches resume today

•Irabo

after the crisis rocking Nigerian football has experienced relative peace.

Aminu Maigari returned to office following the vacation of Chris Giwa from office on the insistence of the world football governing body, FIFA. The star match of the day features Rangers International of Enugu entertaining Dolphins Football Club of Port Harcourt in what promises to be a thriller.

A top official of the LMC said that with an end to the imbroglio in Continues on page 63

SCRAMBLE.......Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez (C) battles for the ball with Neven Subotic of Dortmund during yesterday’s Champions League game at Signal Iduna Park.

QUICK CROSSWORD

TODAY'S

PUZZLE

YESTER DAY'S YESTERDAY'S

ANSWERS

ACROSS 1 Agitate (4) 4 Cushion (3) 6 Stunt (4) 8 Emergency (6) 9 Despot (6) 10 Beverage (3) 12 Grown-up (5) 14 Untidy (5) 15 Obscure (5) 18 Respect (6) 20 Brawl (6) 24 Sum (5) 26 Abrupt (5) 28 Jam (5) 30 Firmament (3) 32 Forthcoming (6) 33 Whole (6) 34 Observed (4) 35 Immerse (3) 36 Sketched (4)

DOWN 2 Weary (5) 3 Determine (7) 4 Plague (4) 5 Facts (4) 6 Compel (5) 7 Memory-loss (7) 11 Bird (3) 12 Tune (3) 13 Sailor (3) 16 Obtain (3) 17 Newt (3) 19 Perform (7) 21 Uncooked (3) 22 Warned (7) 23 Prosecute (3) 25 Tree (3) 27 Reject (5) 29 Furze (5) 30 Pip (4) 31 Yap (4)

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS ACROSS: 2, Steer 7, Bathe 8, Aspen 10, Enter 12, Cow 13, Doped 15, Receded 17, Reared 19, Cot 20, Deposit 23, Meet 25, Cosh 26, Deposed 30, Tot 31, Refine 34, Related 37, Macon 38, Son 39, Debut 40, Bogus 41, Raged 42, Creel.

DOWN: 1, Canoe 2, Sheer 3, Tended 4, Ever 5, Ascetic 6, Sewer 9, Pod 11, Recover 13, Drama 14, Paced 16, Cos 18, Devoted 21, Tonic 22, Sheen 24, Tetanus 27, Pot 28, Demure 29, Besom 32, Fatal 33, Noted 35, Log 36, Dear.

How to Play Sudoku

P

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

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

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

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