Naira in free fall against dollar

...towards a better life for the people VOL. 25: NO. 62280

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ONLINE | www.vanguardngr.com

N150

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014

STRIKE: Health workers withdraw >>9 emergency services, as patients groan

Naira in free fall against dollar •Exchanges N180 to a dollar, as free fall may continue •Why CBN imposed restrictions •Scarcity of dollars behind Naira's free fall— ABCON

By Babajide Komolafe

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AGOS—THE fortunes of the national currency, the Naira took a sharp turn downwards yesterday as it fell by 270 kobo, with the parallel market exchange rate rising to N180 per dollar from N177.3 on Monday.

Since the beginning of the month, the Naira has fallen against the US dollar by N7.9 at the interbank market, and N10 at the parallel market.

Interbank and parallel market operators attributed this sharp depreciation to restrictions introduced by the CBN to curb foreign exchange demand at the official

Continues on Page 5

COLUMNISTS:

Goodluck Jonathan’s military, local militia and the security of Nigeria •P.19

What the next governor of Lagos State should do for •P.24 us (6)

Mr & Mrs HUNTING FOR BOKO HARAM—Local hunters assisting in the fight against Boko Haram in Adamawa, leaving

Yola for operations , yesterday. Photo: NAN.

Drama in Ogun as 13 lawmakers shun Amosun

EMERGENCY RULE EXTENSION:

House of Reps reconvenes tomorrow as >>8 >>11 Senators oppose

C M Y K

Delay in rehabilitation of eastern rail lines worries residents, stakeholders

See pull-out inside

2 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014

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4 —Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014

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POCKET CARTOON against the Euro and Pound Sterling in recent times too. He said the exchange rate of the Euro has risen to N220 from N117 last week. Owoh said that the market is overwhelmed with uncertainty about the exchange rate.

“In fact, we don’t know what the rate of the dollar is now”, he said.

Hoarding

DINNER—From left: Chief Raymond Ihyembe, Vice Chairman, ICC Nigeria; Chief Anthony Idigbe, SAN; Gen. Yakubu Gowon, Chairman of the occasion; Mr. Babatunde Savage; Chairman, ICC Nigeria and Mrs. Dorothy Ufot, at the International Chamber of Commerce Nigeria’s Annual Dinner & Dance in Lagos.

Naira in free fall against dollar Continues from Page 1 market. Falling crude oil prices, coupled with depleting Excess Crude Account has triggered palpable anxiety about the value of the Naira. Stocks have also been hit as a result.

On October 28, in addition to a 10-kobo margin limit imposed on intervention dollars, the CBN banned banks from selling dollars to Bureaux de Change (BDCs).

Furthermore, on November 6, the CBN excluded importation of six items from official foreign exchange, saying it would no longer sell official forex for their importation. The items included electronics, finished products, information technology, g e n e r a t o r s , telecommunication equipment and invisible transactions. According to the apex bank, the items would henceforth be funded from the interbank foreign exchange market only.

Thus, the apex bank

unwittingly shifted forex demand for importation of the six items from the official market to the interbank market.

The two restrictions combined triggered sharp increase in demand for forex in the interbank market, and scarcity of dollars in the parallel market. Though the CBN was selling intervention dollars to banks, banks could trade with the dollars because of the 10 kobo limit.

This, according to a foreign exchange dealer created a scarcity situation in interbank and the subsequent steady depreciation of the naira.

crude oil prices occasioned apprehension among foreign investors, who believe that with decline in revenue from crude oil, and the CBN using the reserves to defend the Naira, it would not be long before the Naira suffered sharp depreciation. Hence they moved their money out of the country by divesting from the nation’s stock market and FGN bonds.

Scarcity of dollars behind Naira’s fall

However, Vanguard investigations reveal that increasing scarcity in the market has prompted operators to resort to hoarding whatever foreign currency in their possession. It was gathered that BDCs that bought dollars from the CBN at N157 per dollar last week hoarded them, only to sell this week at N179/N180 per dollar.

CBN bows to banks

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) yesterday bowed to banks’ demand for the removal of the 10 kobo margin limit imposed on intervention dollars.

Meanwhile, the Naira depreciated to N180 to the dollar at the parallel market in response to scarcity of dollars in the market.

Intervention dollars

President,

Further probes by Vanguard reveal that at a

Association of Bureaux De Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON), Alhaji Aminu Gwadabe in a conversation with Vanguard said the depreciation was due to scarcity of dollars in the market. He said most of the banks are not selling dollars to BDCs, thus worsening scarcity in the market.

This was corroborated by Managing Director/Chief Executive, HJ Trust BDC, Mr. Harrison Owoh. He said that parallel market rate rose from N177.3 to N180 per dollar because there is no dollar in the market. He said the banks are not selling to BDCs, and the two banks that sold, sold at N179 per dollar and N178.4 per dollar respectively. He added that depreciation of the Naira is not limited to the dollar, adding that it has been depreciating

meeting between the CBN and chief executives of banks yesterday, the CBN agreed to remove the 10 kobo margin limit imposed three weeks ago on intervention dollars.

Intervention dollars are dollars sold directly to banks by the CBN to stabilise the exchange rate of the Naira in the interbank market.

“Funds purchased through the CBN interventions should be utilised within two working days of delivery at a rate not more than 10 kobo above purchase rate.

C o n s e q u e n t l y, intervention funds not utilised within two working days of delivery should be returned to CBN at the original purchase rate”, the CBN said in a circular signed

by Mr. I.O Gbadamosi, Director, Trade and Exchange Department.

Acting

The limit however made the intervention dollars unattractive to banks and as a result they stopped purchasing the dollars from the CBN. Investigation further revealed that the banks deliberately shunned CBN’s request for the foreign exchange quotes or offer to sell intervention dollars.

This however frustrated efforts of the apex bank to curtail depreciation of the Naira in the interbank foreign exchange market, leading to N7.45 depreciation of the national currency last week.

To arrest this development, the apex bank called a meeting of chief executives of banks yesterday to discuss recent developments in

Why CBN imposed restrictions

The restrictions were imposed to stem the persistent decline in the nation’s external reserves following continued decline in price of crude oil. Within three months, the price of crude oil fell from $100 per barrel to $78 per barrel.

The sharp decline in

LIFEWORDS

BY PASTOR ITUAH

Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it to someone else, you are the one who gets burned – Budha. Be careful lest what you intended for others becomes that which consumes you.

TAKE HEART

BY ELLA RANDLE

“To be beautiful means to be yourself….You do not need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.”

ACH of us is so different and unique, with gifts and talents. We have been created with certain gifts and purpose in life. Always be true to yourself without trying to be like someone else. Accept the things that have happened in your life, learn from it and allow this to make you better in every way.

Sometimes, we get so caught up in the little things that really don’t matter, that we can’t enjoy the moment. Sometimes these little things that we worry about rob us of the joy of the moment.

Every day, try and write down a few things you are grateful for, just like the rose gives out its fragrance simply because there is nothing else it can be, whether there is someone to enjoy the fragrance or not; a lamp shines with no thought of whether someone gets its luminescence, the light always shines, the tree does not withdraw its shade, because no one is there. The art of practicing gratitude multiplies what you have even more abundantly.

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the foreign exchange market and its effort to stabilise the exchange rate.

Vanguard reliably gathered that the bank CEOs made it clear to the apex bank the 10 kobo margin limit has to go for banks to purchase the intervention dollars.

While the meeting was in progress, the Naira continued to fall at the interbank market, with the interbank exchange rate rising to N177.3 per dollar by mid-day. It was gathered that this development and fears that the interbank exchange rate could hit N180 per dollar before the close of business yesterday prompted the CBN to accede to the request of the banks for the removal of the 10 kobo limit.

A senior foreign exchange dealer, who con-

firmed this development to Vanguard, said the decision to remove the limit was communicated to banks via the Reuters trading platform. In addition, the CBN and the bank captains agreed that the apex bank would continue to intervene in the interbank market.

Furthermore, the apex bank hurriedly sold intervention dollars to the banks, to arrest the free fall of the Naira in the interbank market. The move proved effective, as the interbank rate dropped sharply to N170 per dollar, before rising to close at N173.25.

Naira would continue free fall

According to Harrison Owoh, except the CBN increases dollar sale to BDCs, or allow banks to sell intervention dollars to them, the Naira would continue to depreciate in the parallel market.

“The $15,000 sold to each BDCs is inadequate to address the scarcity in the market. Once the CBN increases dollar supply to BDCs, the parallel market rate would fall significantly”, he said.

A senior foreign exchange dealer who spoke on anonymity however said the though the CBN would try to manage the situation, it is obvious that it would have to devalue the Naira very soon. He said there are increasing fears among foreign exchange dealers that the CBN surprise the market with a N15 depreciation of the naira at the official market. He said banks are already advising their customers who have dollar liabilities to move them into Naira to avoid the severe impact of a sharp devaluation of the naira.

But a former CBN Director who confided in Vanguard said that the CBN can avoid a sharp devaluation by adopting some measures. “To put a small halt to the sliding Naira, CBN should allow the market operate, since it operates RDAS, which is a post mortem fixing rate process. Secondly it should use moral suasion to manage supply by encouraging dollar earning parastatals to support the market."

6—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014

Man, 42, docked for Kazakhstan visa fraud

By Bartholomew Madukwe

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42-year-old man, Felix Ossai, has been charged before an Ikeja Magistrate’s Court in Lagos for fraudulently obtaining over N2 million from five persons, with pretence to secure Kazakhstan visa for them.

The accused, whose address is unknown, was arraigned by the police on an 11-count charge of obtaining money by false pretence.

According to the prosecutor, Inspector Eranus Nnamonu, the offence is punishable under Section 312 (a) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria 2011.

However, when the charge was read to the accused before Magistrate Abimbola Komolafe, he pleaded not guilty.

Magistrate Komolafe granted the accused persons bail in the sum of N100,000 and adjourned the case to January 29, 2015.

4 in court over land deal

By Austin Ogwuda

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NUGU—FOUR persons were, yesterday, arraigned before the Federal High Court, Umuahia, Abia State, on a three-count charge of conspiracy and obtaining money under false pretence by operatives of Enugu zonal command of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. The money is in connection to land allegedly located at IsiOkata, Ihie Ndume Ibeku, Umuahia in Umuahia North Local Government Area, Abia State.

Docked were Johnny Nwabuisi, Nelson Dike, Emmanuel Okiyi and John Nwakama.

The presiding judge, Justice F. A. Olubanjo, however, in granting the accused persons bail in the sum of N1.5 million each, with two sureties in like sum, insisted that the sureties must be reliable.

Further hearing was adjourned to February 11, 2015.

Two children burnt to death, as jilted mother goes after lover

By Marie-Therese Nanlong

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OS—TWO children, aged four and two, lost their lives in a fire that gutted their apartment at Kabong area of Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State.

The kids were said to have

been locked in a room by their mother, Talatu, a local beer seller in the area, who allegedly left them for an unknown destination till 2a.m. on Monday, when she returned to find her apartment burnt.

The mother of the deceased children could not be reached

at press time, but a neighbour who did not want to be named, described the incident as sad.

The neighbour said: “Talatu abandoned the children in her room and went to confront her fiance, who had suddenly picked another lady to marry.

“She lit a candle before

leaving. But before she returned, the candle had burnt low and lit the mattress. The children got burnt without anyone knowing.”

One of the children died in the inferno, while the other who was rushed to the hospital also gave up the ghost.

Government officials at t h e internally displaced persons camp in Y o l a , M o n d a y.

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UNIBEN VC, Oshodin alleges threat to life

By Simon Ebegbulem

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ENIN—BARELY two weeks to the end of his tenure as Vice Chancellor of the University of Benin, UNIBEN, Professor Osayuki Oshodin, yesterday, alleged fresh threat to his life and an attempt by some persons, who were dismissed from the university, to incite students against the management of the institution.

Oshodin, who briefed newsmen in Benin yesterday, said: “These groups of disgruntled persons have also hired the services of thugs and hoodlums to attack and cause mayhem on my person and the incoming Vice Chancellor, Professor Faraday Orumwense, because their choice of candidate did not emerge as the VC. “The people plotting these evil against the management are people who have been dismissed from the university for offences ranging from financial fraud to forgery and students admission and examination racketeering.”

He further displayed text messages threatening him and

other principal officers of the university, adding, however, that he had informed the police and other law enforcement agents about the activities of the people whose identities he did not disclose.

He said: “They have opened an account where money is being paid in for them to fight the university management and

to kill.

“One of the leaders of this group is being investigated by the Defence Military Intelligence in Abuja after his driver was arrested.

“Two of the drivers are currently with the Defence Intelligence people in Abuja.

We all must be vigilant because these people are evil. They

want to plunge the university into crisis, but we will resist them. Our children must be allowed to attend lectures peacefully without any form of distraction.”

Oshodin further expressed his gratitude to the Governing Council and management staff of the university for their support throughout his tenure.

Police nab Beninoise, 2 others for robbery

By Daud Olatunji

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B E O K U TA — O G U N State Police Command has arrested a suspected crossborder armed robber, 17-yearold Beninoise, Wilben Kende.

The Police also arrested two friends, Fidelis Sunday and Okechukwu Ibie, who were alleged to have robbed one Eghosa Omofonmuvan, a driver of a truck loaded with electronics headed for Onitsha at J4 Area of Ore-Lagos Expressway, Ogbere, and diverted the goods worth N3.1 million elsewhere.

The Commissioner of Police in

the state, Ikemefuna Okoye, stated this while parading the suspects at the state police command headquarters, Eleweran, Abeokuta.

The Police said the Beninoise had confessed to the crime, but quoted the suspect as saying the pistol found on him belonged to his accomplice.

The Police said Kende, whose accomplice, Woti Usa, was still at large, specialised in snatching motorcycles from their owners at Owode Egbado, and taking them across to Republic of Benin.

Okoye said he was arrested on November 5 at Oke Irinja

area, Owode Egbado, after snatching a motorcycle from one Gbadebo Taiwo, a commercial motorcycle rider, at gunpoint.

He said: “Taiwo was hired by Kende and his accomplice to take them to Ago Baba, but on the way, he (Kende) deliberately dropped off one of his slippers.

“He then told Taiwo to stop. It was at this point Kende brought a loaded locally-made pistol, pointed it at Taiwo and snatched his motorcycle.”

Okoye said they committed the crime on September 26.

However, Sunday and Ibie denied robbing anyone.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014—7

Police begin investigation into alleged N594m subsidy fraud

By Evelyn Usman

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NO ELECTRICITY: Protesters at the Emir of Gwandu, Alhaji Muhammadu Bashir's palace over two weeks power outage in Birnin Kebbi, yesterday. NAN PHOTO.

Oil producing communities' youths barricade Owerri Government House

By Chidi Nkwopara

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WERRI—YOUTHS from oil-producing communities of Imo State, yesterday, barricaded Government House, Owerri, to protest alleged marginalization of their communities.

The angry youths, who ferried themselves to Owerri in more than 25 buses, told Vanguard that their mission was very peaceful, but noted that government stretched their patience to a breaking point, when no official thought it worthwhile to address their grievances.

“We did not mean to disrupt government activities today (yesterday) until it became very clear to us that government was taking us for a ride,” one of the protesters, who identified himself as Chukwu, said.

According to the angry youths, when they stayed for several hours with neither Governor Rochas Okorocha, his Deputy, Prince Eze Madumere, nor any government official coming to address them, they took the final option of barricading the gate.

The placard-carrying youths not only sang several unprintable songs, but were also found struggling with some security men attached to Government House, who wanted to dislodge the barricade.

One female protester said: “We are prepared to die here today (yesterday). We have been told that Government House has more than enough cells to accommodate us all.

z“We hear they have enough cells to accommodate us” “We would not go until the governor comes to address our complaints.”

Although the scene became so

rowdy that no one was prepared to give details of their grouse, no government official equally addressed them, while the

queue of vehicles waiting to enter or leave the premises grew into the adjoining Okigwe Road.

Residents flee Lafia over Fulani attack

By Abel Daniel

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AFIA—AS anarchy continues to reign in Nasarawa State, with more houses being burnt, people have continued to troop out with their luggage and wards to neighbouring states and Abuja for safety.

It was observed that the Eggon-dominated settlements were deserted over alleged threats by Fulani mercenaries to attack places as Bukan Sidi, Ombi 1 and 11.

Lafia town is gradually turning to a ghost town as the crisis entered its third day. The fear of reprisal attack by Fulani has left the people with no options than to flee.

Vanguard observed that most of the people running away are the ones that had been attacked by mercenaries and are taking refuge in Lafia with their relations.

The busy areas of Bukan Sidi and 16 mangos are being deserted as shops and offices remain shut.

Children, women and some helpless old men and women who cannot even walk,

except with help of relations, were stranded along the expressway, waiting for vehicles at stadium junction.

One of the fleeing men, Mr. Akulo Joseph, told Vanguard that they had to run for their lives because the Fulani herdsmen informed them that they were coming to attack Bukan Sidi area where the Eggons are hugely domiciled.

Meanwhile Governor Tanko Al-Makura, through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Yakubu Lamai, has in a statement, asked people to remain calm and avoid rumour-mongering, saying government was on top of the situation.

He urged people to go about their normal business, as security agents were doing everything to restore peace.

HE Police Special Fraud Unit, SFU, has begun investigation into a case of N594 million fraud allegedly committed by an oil marketer.

The investigation, according to spokesperson for the unit, Ngozi Insintume-Agu, was based on a petition by Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, CACOL, a civil society group.

She did not give further details on the investigation, but simply stated that operatives were looking into the matter.

However, the Executive Chairman of CACOL, Mr. Debo Adeniran, told journalists yesterday that the group had been monitoring the fuel subsidy fraud since 2012 and observed with dismay that out of the 25 oil marketers indicted by the Federal Government, the said oil marketing firm had not refunded N594 million it was alleged to have fraudulently received from government.

He said: “It is against this backdrop that we draw your attention to and call for your urgent investigation of a N594 million fraud allegedly perpetrated by the firm.

“From the information available to us, the firm committed the fraud under the controversial fuel subsidy regime of the Federal Government.”

OKO COMMUNITY CRISIS: Court fines Ekwueme

By Vincent Ujumadu

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NAMBRA State High Court sitting at Aguata and presided over by Justice Peter Obiora, yesterday, fined the traditional ruler of Oko, Igwe Laz Ekwueme and PresidentGeneral of the town union, Mr.

Cyprian Nwamuo, N200,000 for allegedly ostracizing a high chief in the community, Chief Ephraim Offorma.

Justice Obiora also nullified the banishment of Offormah by the monarch and the PresidentGeneral at a meeting held at the residence of the traditional ruler

on March 31.

It will be recalled that Chief Offorma and 12 other indigenes of Oko had, since march this year, been banished for asking the Federal Government to renew the tenure of the rector of Federal Polytechnic, Oko, Professor Godwin Onu

8 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014

By Emma Ovuakporie, Johnbosco Agbakwuru, Joseph Erunke & Levinus Nwabughiogu

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BUJA—STIFF opposition from most senators greeted the fresh request by President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday for an extension of state of emergency in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states and had to defer further debate on the request till today. The House of Representatives, on its part will reconvene tomorrow to deliberate on the president’s request.

President Jonathan, in his letter to the National Assembly had sought the approval of the lawmakers for an extension of the emergency rule for the third time, saying that the security challenges that necessitated the proclamation are yet to abate.

The Senate, had after majority of members had rejected discussion on the emergency rule extension in their voice vote, embarked on a close-door meeting that lasted for about two hours to take a common position.

On resumption, the Senate President, David Mark stated that “The senate had entered into a close-door meeting to debate the letter from Mr. President for extension of the state of emergency, we have a very extensive debate on it and we will continue with the debate tomorrow (today).”

The President, in his letter, which was read by Senator Mark stated, “May I respectfully draw your attention to the state of emergency proclamation 2013 in respect of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states, which was approved by the National Assembly and extended for a further period of six months by the National Assembly as conveyed by the Clerk of the National Assembly dated 21st of May, 2014.

“By virtue of provisions of Sections 305, Subsection 6 (C) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended, the proclamation aforementioned will elapse after a period of six months from the date of approval of the National Assembly except the period is extended by the National Assembly.

“It is important to state that despite concerted efforts by this administration to stem the tide of terrorism and insurgency in the affected states, the security challenges that necessitated the proclamation are yet to abate.

“Consequently, it has become imperative to request the approval of the senate for extension of the period for the state of emergency for a further period of six months.

“In view of the foregoing, I most respectfully request distinguished senators to consider and approve by resolution the extension of the proclamation of the state of emergency by a further period of six months from the date of expiration of the current period.

“I look forward distinguished Senate President to the usual kind expeditious consideration of the

EMERGENCY RULE EXTENSION: Reps resume tomorrow, as senators oppose above request by the senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

To consider the President’s request, the Senate Leader, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba had, while relying on Order 40, moved motion for the consideration of the letter and he was supported by the Minority Leader, Senator George Akume.

But during the voice vote, voices of those who opposed consideration were louder, but Senate President ruled in favour of those in support of the consideration.

However, Senator Kabiru Marafa, representing Zamfara Central, who opposed the extension said, “Even if you are a student and you sit for the same examination three times, people need to ask question, it is either the teacher is bad, or the student is bad. But as the senate we can’t say we won’t approve it. We have to come up with something in its place.

Senator Ahmed Lawan, APC, who stoutly opposed the President’s request said, “We have no reason today to doubt their capacity except that so many things are fundamentally wrong and it is not in state of emergency or lack of it. The discussion about this and the debate will continue tomorrow (today), but I am totally opposed to it. I believe that after 18 months operation of the same emergency, we should look at another avenue because if you have tried something for 18 months and you are not getting results, each time you try a dosage of your medication, it gets worse, it will be stupid of you to continue to take the

MEETING: Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Lamorde (right) exchanging pleasantries with the Senate President, Senator David Mark, who led the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu (l) and the leadership of the Upper Chamber on a closed-door meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan on matters of national importance at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja. Photo by Abayomi Adeshida. same dosage of medication.

Also speaking, Senator Ali Ndume, representing Borno North said instead of the situation to improve, it just appeared the emergency rule had made it to be worse.

According to him, “All Nigerians know what is happening. The state of emergency three times that was granted have taken us from bad to worse. As the representative of my people, my entire constituents are clearly against the extension of the emergency rule because it restricts civilian movements and allows the

insurgents to move freely and have a field day. When people are sleeping in the night, insurgents are freely moving around. By 6pm, the whole towns are closed, civilians cannot move but the insurgents do. What is on ground that will change the situation, that did not happen before.

Reps hold special session tomorrow

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives will cut short its break and resume tomorrow to deliberate on the president’s request for an extension of

emergency rule in the three north east states.

The House had on October 28 taken a recess and fixed December 3, 2014 as its resumption date.

A statement by the Speaker of the House, Aminu Tambuwal confirming the new resumption date said, “On Tuesday, 18th November 2014, I received a communication from President Goodluck Jonathan requesting for the extension of the existing State of Emergency in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states by the House of Representatives.

Tambuwal backs out of APC presidential contest ByEmmanuel Aziken, Political Editor, Emma Ovuakporie & Levinus Nwabughiogu

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BUJA—AFFIRMING his determination not to upset already set political arrangements and upon the counsel of party elders, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal yesterday suspended his participation in the All Progressives Congress, APC presidential contest.

A statement on his political future personally signed by the speaker was, however, quiet on his political future.

Vanguard nevertheless gathered that Tambuwal would in the next days formally affirm his entry into the governorship contest in his native Sokoto State.

The APC governorship ticket in the state has been zoned to his senatorial district.

Tambuwal’s decision to pull out

of the contest was upon high level politicking and followed serious pressures after about 80 members of the House of Representatives purchased the expression of interest and nomination forms for him to contest the presidential election.

Yesterday, the speaker commended all those who contributed the N27.5 million for the purchase of the forms which party sources disclosed would not be refunded.

He said: “A few days ago, precisely on Friday, the 14th of November, 2014, a group of friends, associates, colleagues and admirers cutting across all ages, ethnic, social, religious, political and geographical divides presented to me the Expression of Interest and Nomination forms for me to participate in the presidential primaries of the All Progressives Congress ( APC ) for the 2015 Presidential Election.”

“On that auspicious occasion, being profoundly humbled, I requested for a little more time to conclude my last round of the series of nationwide consultations which indeed I was just about to conclude.”

While commending those who purchased the forms, he said the bid was not to actualise a personal ambition but to address the monumental challenges that have stifled growth, nurtured institutionalised corruption, gross incompetence among others, he said: “I am convinced that with the progressive spirit and teamwork these objectives are attainable under an APC administration.”

“I have carefully considered the concerns expressed by some of our leaders, whom I deeply respect and whose support and counsel I enjoy,to the effect that my entry into the presidential race at this point may necessitate having to rework some equations on the

political chessboard of the party.”

“Having consulted widely, taking into consideration the concerns of some elders of the party, I have decided to suspend my participation in the presidential contest for now. I have done so as a sacrifice for the cohesion and unity of the APC. I am suspending my participation in the presidential race for now because I do not have any inordinate ambition to occupy any office.

“I pledge my loyalty to our party, the APC and cooperation with my uncles and senior brothers and colleagues, who are already in the race for the APC presidential ticket: I refer to; General Muhamadu Buhari, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Governor Rochas Okorocha and Mr Sam Ndah-Isaiah. There is no doubt that they are all eminently qualified.”

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014—9

By Chioma Obinna, Gabriel

Olawale & Gloria Sunday

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AGOS—RIPPLE effects of the indefinite strike embarked upon by health workers under the auspices of Joint Health Sector Union, JOHESU, took its toll on Federal Government-owned healthcare institutions in Lagos yesterday, as several patients including the ones in critical conditions were forced to discharge themselves following paralysis of medical and clinical services.

Meanwhile, the Federal Government team and leaders of JOHESU will today meet in Abuja over the ongoing strike.

Also, the Vice President, Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Issa Aremu, has urged the Federal Government to dialogue with officials of Joint Health Sector Union, JOHESU, to end the ongoing strike by its members.

As early as 8:30am when Vanguard visited the hospitals, the only olive branch, which is the emergency services rendered yesterday, (Monday) by the striking health workers were withdrawn even as patronage from patients dipped significantly.

From the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, Idiaraba, to the Federal NeuroPsychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Federal Medical Centre, FMC, Ebute Meta, National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, among others, patients were left unattended.

In the various hospitals visited, all Accident and Emergency, A&E, departments were under lock and key. At the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH and Psychiatric hospital, the security men strategically took up position within the immediate vicinity of the medical emergency ward of the health institutions.

Findings by our reporters, who went round the facilities revealed that all the wards in the hospitals were almost deserted, except for few patients on admission.

At LUTH, both the female medical, male surgical wards and post natal paediatric department were devoid of activities. All the entrances to the wards were guarded by security personnel. A few patients who were still in the wards were seen discharging themselves.

A relation of one of the patients, who identified herself as Mrs. Ibikunle Idowu narrated to Vanguard the hardship she had been through as a result of the ongoing strike.

According to her, if not for God’s intervention, she wouldn’t know what would have happened to her three-year-old child.

Idowu, who spoke in Yoruba said: “My baby always cry all night before we brought her here. I don’t know the name of what she is suffering from since they called it in English language and I did not understand it. But all I know is that since they started attending to her we have noticed an improvement.

But I don’t know our fate now they are on strike.”

The situation was more pathetic at the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi. Right from the

STRIKE: Health workers withdraw emergency services ...Patients discharge selves ...FG, JOHESU meet today emergency ward, all offices remained under lock and key since Monday.

When our reporter arrived at the Male Ward G, out of the 28 beds in the Ward, only eight patients remained. Further investigations by Vanguard revealed that most of the patients left on their own.

In a chat with some of the remaining patients, they claimed they had no money to go to private hospitals which is why they are still in the hospital.

One of the patients, who spoke in anonymity told Vanguard that since the strike started, no single doctor has entered the ward.

He said he has already made an arrangement with a relation who comes to the hospital to dress the wound on his leg.

“I would have preferred to go for treatment in another hospital but since I did not have enough money, I have made arrangement with a relative who comes here to assist me with the dressing of the wound.''

Another patient, who refused to give his name for fear of being victimised said: “I have decided to do the dressing of my leg myself. Although, I will admit I am not doing the dressing the way it supposed to be done, but I am left with no choice.”

He further lamented lack of portable water to drink and take their bath. “To get mere sachet water to buy had become difficult, so we have to task ourselves and raise money to buy buckets that our relatives use in fetching water for us.”

Another patient, whose left leg and right hand was seriously injured said after waiting for some days now, he had resolved with his family member to leave the hospital today.

Asked what the hospital management is doing about their various complaints, he said: “They came this morning and said that if we did not leave the ward they will force us to leave because the hospital rule do not permit any patient to stay in the hospital once there is strike.”

Also at the Federal NeuroPsychiatric Hospital, Yaba, the skeletal services put in place at the emergency department yesterday (Monday) was completely withdrawn. Both the out-patient and medical laboratory departments were shadow of themselves.

Although the entrance to each of the departments was opened but no single staff was on sight except the security personnel.

Meanwhile, the striking

health workers have vowed continued the strike until their demands are met.

The Federal Government team and the leadership of the Joint Health Sector Union, JOHESU will tomorrow meet in Abuja over the ongoing nationwide strike.

Disclosing this in a telephone chat with Vanguard yesterday, Chairman, LUTH chapter of Senior Staff Association of Universities Teaching Hospitals, Research and Allied Institutes, SSAUTHRAI, Kehinde Adegoke, said the meeting will have in attendance officials of the Federal Ministry of Health and Labour and Productivity, Accountant General of the Federation, Head of Services and executive members of the Joint Health Sector Union, JOHESU. Adegoke, who was optimistic that the meeting would produce a better outcome said the outcome

of the meeting will determine the shape of the strike.

According to him, workers are ready to return to work if the government should do the needful.

“We hope that the meeting will be favourable to the Union. If it is favourable we will assess it and get back to the government. If the government is reasonable enough and show political will and do the needful, we will go back to the hospital and take care of our patients.''

In a related development, the Vice President, Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Issa Aremu, has urged the Federal Government to dialogue with officials of Joint Health Sector Union, JOHESU. Addressing a press conference yesterday in Ilorin, Aremu urged the Federal Government to respect labour laws.

He warned the government not to carry out its threat of no work, no pay against the workers, adding that it could instigate them to prolong the strike.

Aremu identified lack of respect for collective agreement on the part of the government as a major problem in the public sector.

Aremu noted that the diligence of workers in the health sector played a pivotal role in making Nigeria being declared Ebola free by the World Health Organisation, WHO. He said the diligence of workers in the sector saved Nigeria from being stigmatized globally, adding “Government should stop chasing the shadows by saying it will not pay the striking workers. Rather it should assure the union to return back to dialogue and respect the agreement it had entered into with the union.

“The solution to the strike is for government to withdraw the threat of no work, no pay and return to the path of collective agreement to resolve the ongoing strike and other industrial crises,” Aremu said.

RETREAT: From left; Director of Operation, Directorate of State Security, DSS, Mr. Raymond Nkemdirim; Director General, National Orientation Agency, NOA, Mr. Mike Omeri and former Commonwealth Secretary General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku sharing a joke at the National Retreat on Human Security held in Abuja, yesterday.

FG to privatize TCN, says Power Minister

By Sebastine Obasi

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BUJA—MINISTER OF Power, Professor Chinedu Nebo, yesterday gave hint that the Federal Government would privatize the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN. Addressing journalists at the West African Power Industry Convention, in Lagos, the minister said the government was trying to formulate a framework for the privatization. of demographics that we have

in Nigeria. Then compare this with other practices we have in the Western part of the world and Eastern as well, and see whether we can come up, having looked at the entire buffet of what is in technology, we now choose what we want to do.

“But we cannot just jump into that without learning, because we do not want to rediscover the wheel, which will be trial and error and include more errors than trial. We would rather study the entire framework before we choose

what we want to do. Time frame can be a couple of years from now.”

As regards the gas sector, Nebo said “there has been unprecedented synergy between the Minister of Petroleum Resources and Minister of Power. That has really helped us to come to a place where for the first time in the history of Nigeria, for the past two months we have been generating about 4,200 megawatts, for the first time consistently for two months."

10— Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014

SUBSIDY TRIAL:

My staff signed empty tank certificate —Witness

By AbdulwahabAbdulah

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AGOS—A prosecution witness in the ongoing N1.1 billion subsidy fraud against an oil marketer, Opeyemi Ajuwah has told an Ikeja High Court that a staff from his company signed the Empty Tank Certificate, ETC, issued by a vessel, MT Brave.

Ajuyah, and her company, Majope Investment Limited, are answering charges filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC before Justice Lateefat Okunnu.

They are standing trial with Abdullahi Alao, son of the late Ibadan based business mogul, Alhaji Arisekola Alao, his company, Ax-energy Limited and Olanrewaju Olalusi.

At the resumed hearing, the witness, Yayah Zon Kassim, who is the Company Secretary and Legal Adviser of General Marine and Oil Services Limited, GMO, revealed to the court that Okechukwu Opo, one of the surveyors that signed the document works with the company.

The witness made the disclosure under cross examination by counsel to Ajuwah, Olanrewaju Ajanaku.

2015: Lagos PDP patriots endorse Obanikoro

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AGOS—AHEAD of the governorship primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Lagos State, a pressure group, the Lagos PDP Patriots, has endorsed the candidature of the immediate past Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro.

At a press conference in Lagos, leaders and members of the group gathered to take a stand on what they said was the need for a strong and electable candidate to match the strength of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC and boost the chances to win the state in the next elections.

LASU FEES: Lecturers complain of

victimization L

By Monsuru Olowoopejo

AGOS—THREE months and six days after Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State reverted the Lagos State University, LASU fee from N350,000 to the old rate of N25,000 across board, the Academic Staff Union of University, ASUU, LASU chapter, yesterday, alleged that lecturers who participated in the agitation against increase in school fees were being victimized by the institution management.

The reversal of the tuition to N25, 000 by Fashola at the 19th convocation of the institution ended several months of agitation from the lecturers and the students.

The allegation by the lecturers followed the claim made by the students under the aegis of National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, South West on August 25th, 2014 at a courtesy visit to Fashola, led by their chairman, Lagos State, Mr. Yakub Eletu, saying; “Some of the students have been asked to face the senate while some are being denied the opportunity to go for their National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, because they protested over the increase in school fees.”

Speaking exclusively to Vanguard, Chairman of LASUASUU, Dr. Idris Adekunle, said “We are victimized because we

zIt's not true— Lagos Govt

championed the ASUU-LASU strike which was embarked upon to demand for the reversal to the old school fees and other issues affecting the institution. Aside other lecturers, I, the chairman of LASU-ASUU was also not spared by the institution management.

“And that was why we have scheduled a press briefing for tomorrow to reveal how the institution has victimized the lecturers who participated in the industrial action,” Adekunle added.

It's not true —LASG

Reacting to the allegations by the lecturers, Special Adviser to the Governor on Education, Otunba Fatai Olukoga debunked the allegation, saying “It is not true. The state government and the institution are not victimizing any of those who participated in the protest.

Such allegation, Olukoga said were excuse from the lecturers.

They are all fallacy. No one is doing that. The state government cannot single out

anyone among the thousands of students and lecturers who agitated for the reversal of the school fees.

“The only person that was in forefront of the agitation was Dr. Adekunle Idris and he was not victimized.

“Even recently when NUC visited the institution and claimed that some of the lecturers could not present accurate documents that would certify their new education title.

And they were not victimized for this,” he added.

VISIT: Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (right) and Election Commissioner of India, Mr Harishankar Brahma, during the governor’s fact finding visit to the Election Commission of India, at Nirvachan Sadan, Ashoka Road, New Delhi, India.

NHIS introduces N2,000 health insurance for undergraduates

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By Sola Ogundipe

AGOS—IN line with its mandate to expand health insurance services to all Nigerians, the National Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS, has introduced the Tertiary Institution Social Health Insurance Programme, and the Public Primary School Mobile Health Insurance, both of which are estimated to provide insurance coverage for additional 30 million lives in the country.

Disclosing this in Lagos, Executive Secretary, NHIS, Dr Femi Thomas said the Scheme flagged the very cheap programme for those in the tertiary institutions nationwide, as part of the National advocacy programme on tertiary school social health insurance programme.

“All that anyone in a tertiary institution needs to pay is N2,000 per year and will be covered while in school and during the

holidays. The package even covers two live deliveries for the ladies while in school so there will be no case of dropping out of school.

“The National Universities Commission, NUC, has

directed all universities in the country to log in and we are working with the National Board for Technical Education, NBTE, and the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria for us to have that same directive so

that all tertiary institutions nationwide will key in to the programme.

“We are expecting three of four million lives from this sector alone, and with this, we believe we should be able to get the 30 percent Mr President has mandated us to attain,” Thomas explained.

APC commiserates with Nda-Isaiah

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BUJA—THE National Working Committee, NWC, of the All progressives Congress, APC, yesterday, paid one of the party’s presidential aspirants, Mr. Sam Nda-Isaiah, a condolence over the death of his father, Pa Clement Ndanusa Isaiah.

Led by the National Auditor, Chief George Moghalu, the delegation included the National Vice Chairman, South East and the National Vice Chairman, North Central.

Moghalu said although they were saddened by the loss, they were also comforted by the fact that as human beings, we are all mortal.

The national auditor further said the APC holds Mr. Sam

Nda-Isaiah in the highest esteem and therefore convened an emergency meeting to discuss the loss and an appropriate way to condole him.

He also presented him with a condolence letter from the NWC. In his response, Nda-Isaiah

said the National Chairman of the Party, Chief John Oyegun was among the first people to call him and condole him immediately the death of his father was announced. He said he deeply appreciated the APC as it is not just a political party but has become a family for him.

UPP holds parley in Lagos

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By Jacob Ajom

AGOS—Ahead of the 2015 general elections, the United Progressive Party of Nigeria, UPP, has mapped out plans to give the ruling All Progressives Congress in Lagos a run for their money in the race for government house in Alausa.

Chairman of the party in Ojo

Local Government Area, Joe Neke said that the party hierarchy led by its national chairman, Chief Chekwas Okorie will be holding a Town Hall meeting on November 23, with the Ibo community in Lagos. This, he said was a step towards popularising the party ’s programmes among the people.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014 —11

Drama in Ogun Assembly as 13 lawmakers shun Amosun zAs gov presents N210.354bn budget for 2015

By Daud Olatunji BEOKUTA—THERE was a mild drama yesterday, at the Ogun State House of Assembly when 13 lawmakers shunned the state g o v e r n o r, S e n a t o r Ibikunle Amosun after he presented the 2015 appropriation bill to the assembly.

The 13 lawmakers who stayed put at the hallow chamber shortly after the presentation of N210.354 billion as the 2015 budget tagged “Budget of Continuity,” did not join other 13 lawmakers for traditional group photograph with the governor.

The assembly is divided into two factions of 13 members each.

Those who were at the chamber during the presentation but refused to join the governor to pose for photograph include Job Akintan from Yew North II; John Obafemi, representing Remo North; Abiodun Akovoyon, from Ipokia/Idiroko and Adegbesan Joseph, from Ijebu North.

Others were Adeleke Salmon, Imeko-Afon; Adijat Adeleye-Oladapo; Allen-Taylor Olufemi, Abeokuta South; Anifowose Elizabeth, ObafemiOwode; Elemide Daisi, Odeda; Harinson Adeyemi, Ogun Waterside; Remmy Hassan, Odogbolu; Adegboyega OlowoOloja, Ijebu-East; Onademuren Samson , Ijebu North-East and Solaja Bowale from Ijebu North 1.

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Presenting the budget

Earlier, the governor presented N210.354 billion 2015 appropriation bill before the State House of Assembly, disclosing that the 47.23 per cent of the budget would be funded through Internally Generated Revenue which he said is currently fluctuating between N5 and 6 billion monthly.

He said despite the fall in the money accruing to the state from the Federation Account, the budget size is N326 million, over N100 billion above the 2014 approved budget of N210.28 billion.

According to the governor; ”The rationale for this is that the macro-economic outlook driven by the global oil prices suggests a contraction in the national economy. I have always maintained that Ogun State is not immune to the wider economy."

Disruption of the bill presentation

Meanwhile, the presentation of the bill was disrupted for a short moment when one of the governor's supporters slumped

at the gallery of the Assembly but was quickly revived.

The situation almost degenerated to a chaos when one of the governor’s allies said the people reviving the victim should not distract the governor, a statement found offensive by the audience.

However, after the victim was revived, the mess he threw up on the leather sofa remained uncleared.

It was gathered that the

cleaners at the Assembly were contacted by a senior officer to mop the mess but they refused on the grounds that the victim might have Ebola Virus Disease, EVD. As at the time of filing this report, the mess was still on the sofa.

Reacting to the proposed budget, one of the opposition lawmakers, Remmy Hassan said it was unrealistic and unrealisable.

Hassan who has just defected to the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, said the proposed budget is like an attempt to build castles in the air.

Another lawmaker, Adijat Adeleye-Oladapo said all of them in the opposition camp would subject the appropriation bill to a thorough verification.

Adeleye-Oladapo, however, said, the failure of the house to hold budget performance sitting made it difficult to know the budget performance for this year.

APC CONVENTION: From left: National Chairman of All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief John Oyegun, Chairman, National Convention Committee and former Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi and APC National Organizing Secretary, Senator Osita Izunas, during the inauguration of the convention committee in Abuja. Photo: Gbemiga Olamikan.

Osun Tribunal

Voters were accredited and voted —PDP scribe

By Gbenga Olarinoye

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SOGBO—OSUN State Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP, Mr Bola Ajao yesterday told the Election Petition Tribunal in Osogbo that voters were allowed to be accredited and voted freely in the August 9 governorship election.

He stated this before the tribunal while giving evidence at the continued hearing of the petition filed by Senator Iyiola Omisore and his party, PDP, against the re-election of Governor Rauf Aregbesola and the All Progressives Congress APC. Under cross examination by Aregbesola's counsel, Chief Charles Edosonwan, the APC Counsel, Chief Yomi Aliu and the INEC counsel, Mr Ayotunde Ogunleye, Ajao who was the petitioners’ first witness, said his claim as to the alleged rigging of the election were not witnessed by him, adding, “I was told by my party agents”.

Ekiti govt, APC biker over PDP lawmakers' sitting zAs Fayose allegedly seals Speaker's office

By GbengaAriyibi

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DO EKITI—THE All Progressives Congress, APC, and Ekiti State Government yesterday disagreed over the controversial ratification of the three commissioner-nominees sent to the House by the state governor, Mr Ayo Fayose.

While the APC said only seven PDP lawmakers sat in the chamber for the ratification, the state government insisted that 10 lawmakers from both the APC and PDP did the job.

The APC is therefore challenging Governor Fayose to mention the names of the 10 lawmakers and the constituencies they represent.

According to the statement signed by the APC image maker in the state, Mr Taiwo Olatubosun, in Ado Ekiti yesterday, only seven PDP members of the house sat and ratified the list of the commissioner-nominees.

However, the Special Assistant to the governor, Mr Lanre Ogunsuyi at a press briefing in Ado Ekiti yesterday insisted that 10 lawmakers ratified the list.

Ogunsuyi further denied the allegation raised by the APC that Mr Fayose was at the Assembly premises with some thugs,saying the governor had no reason to dabble into the affairs of another arm of government.

Fayose allegedly seals Speaker’s office

Governor Ayodele Fayose was yesterday said to have ordered sealing off of the office of the Speaker of Ekiti State House of Assembly, Dr Adewale Omirin.

A statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Wole Olujobi, said, "the governor had earlier employed threats and coercion, including freezing the accounts of the Assembly, cutting of

zIt's a lie—Govt electricity supply from the Speaker ’s Lodge and stopping statutory votes for the Speaker ’s upkeep and protocol to intimidate in his bid to take firm control of the House,” Olujobi explained.

He added that only yesterday, the governor announced the sack of the Speaker ’s aides, including that of the Deputy Speaker and Majority Leader. It is believed that the Speaker ’s vehicles have been demobilised because their keys have been taken to the office of the governor.

It's a lie—Govt

In a response to the allegation, the Special Assistant to Governor Fayose on Public Communications and New Media, Mr Lere Olayinka said; ‘’These people just keep lying from all sides of their mouths. ‘’Yesterday, they went to town with story that the

Speaker was impeached and today, they are talking about sealing off of the speaker ’s office. If we may ask, is it the office of the Speaker they claimed had been impeached yesterday that was sealed off today? ‘’The truth is that the office of the Speaker of Ekiti State House of Assembly is opened.

It has not been sealed off by anyone. ‘’Our advise is that Dr Adewale Omirin should return to Ekiti with his less than 15 APC lawmakers because the 19 he is claiming are not totally with him. Five of them nominated one member each into the Local Government Caretaker Committee. ‘’Omirin and his cotravellers that are being remote-controlled from Lagos should know that they are members of Ekiti State House of Assembly.’’

12—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014

Uduaghan condemns kidnap of Vanguard regional editor, 13 others by ex-militants

By Festus Ahon

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SABA—GOVERNOR Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State, yesterday, condemned the kidnap of South-South Regional Editor of Vanguard Newspapers, Mr. Emma Amaize and 13 other journalists by ex-militants in Oproza, Gbaramatu Kingdom, Warri South-West Local Government Area of the state.

Uduaghan, who spoke during the 2014 press week of the state council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, described the incident as unfortunate.

Disclosing that President Goodluck Jonathan had ordered full investigation into the kidnap incident, the governor added that those found guilty would be punished.

Saying that President Jonathan meant well for the state by approving the $16 billion project to be sited in the state despite the agitation of other states, he noted that it was

unfortunate for the President to be accused of hating the people of the state and asking him to resign.

According to Uduaghan, the project was enough to absorb many Nigerians if allowed to

kick off.

He thanked the leadership of the NUJ in the state for the way they have piloted the affairs of the union, noting that the unity of members was of positive benefit to all.

CONVENTION: From left: Sola David-Borha CEO, Stanbic IBTC Nigeria; Tony Elumelu, Chairman, Heirs Holdings; Minister of Power, Chinedu Nebo, and Kunle Elebute, Head of Advisory Services, KPMG Nigeria, at the West African Power Industry Convention (WAPIC) yesterday at Eko Hotel in Lagos.

Dickson presents N321bn 2015 budget estimate to Bayelsa Assembly

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By Samuel Oyadongha

E N A G O A — GOVERNOR Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State has presented the state’s 2015 budget estimate of N320,621,216.641 to the state House of Assembly for consideration.

Presenting the budget tagged Budget of Completion, Dickson explained that the amount comprised N175, 776, 828, 076 or 54 per cent for recurrent expenditure, while N144, 844, 388, 565 or 45.2 per cent represents capital expenditure.

He said that the 2015 budget was expected to be financed from a revenue projection of N231.317 billion and capital receipts of N89, 304, 216, 641.

Giving a sectoral breakdown of the 2015 fiscal budget, he noted that the sum of N65. 935 billion was allocated to the works and infrastructure sub sector, while N20. 960 billion was earmarked for education.

Dickson, who assured that ongoing projects in the health sector would be completed, particularly the five new

referral hospitals under construction, Melford Okilo Memorial Hospital, rehabilitation

work on over 30 health centres in the state and allotted N7,151,258,665 to the sector.

Delta PDP chieftain hails DESOPADEC commisioners on awards

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Stressing the need for the union to check quackery in the profession, the governor urged journalists to report the 2015 elections responsibly, adding that a word from journalists could change the whole state.

PEOPLES Democratic Party, PDP, chieftain in Delta State, Mr. Peter Idion, has congratulated Sir Ken Okolugbo and Mr. Ominimini Obiuwevbi, both commissioners of Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development C o m m i s s i o n , DESOPADEC, on their Nigeria Union of

Journalists, NUJ, distinguished service awards for their contributions to community development and social empowerment in Delta State.

Idion said he was proud of the commissioners for the wonderful work and projects they were executing in their communities.

EPZ crisis: Ijaw, Itsekiri urged to embrace peace

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R. Jude Ukori, Executive Secretary, Egbema Gbaramatu Communities Development Foundation, EGCDF, has appealed to warring Ijaw and Itsekiri people to embrace peace and resolve the lingering land dispute over the Export Processing Zone, EPZ, project amicably.

Ukori, who spoke yesterday, in Warri, Delta State, stressed the need for both Ijaw of Gbaramatu, Ogulagha and Itsekiri of Ogidigben to coperate with the state governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, to find a lasting solution to the dispute.

He noted that Governor Uduaghan had done a lot to achieve the prevailing peace and security on the waterways which should be sustained by both parties.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014—13

Ward congress results intact, says Rivers PDP

By Jimitota Onoyume

aspirants should take advantage of the prevailing peaceful atmosphere in the party across the state and the level playing ground promised by the leadership of the party

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to reach out to delegates with a view to gaining their support,” the party said.

It will be recalled that about 16 governorship aspirants on the platform of the party

boycotted the ward congress with their supporters, alleging that it was programmed to achieve an end in favour of a guber aspirant of the party.

ORT HARCOURT— RIVERS State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, yesterday, described as untrue, rumours that its last ward congress results had been cancelled.

State Chairman of the party, Mr. Felix Obua, who spoke through his media aide, Mr. Jerry Needam, said there was no time the national leadership of the party thought of canceling the exercise.

He said that the party would not reverse itself on the congress.

“The results of the Ward congresses remain sacrosanct and irreversible because all due processes and decorum were followed in conducting the election. The PDP takes exception to deliberate falsehood and calculated attempts by self-centered aspirants to deceive party members in order to create non-existent friction in the party.

Delta State PDP governorship aspirant, Mr. Peter Eloka Okocha, explaining a point during “Rather than waste time and energy in wishing that the his visit to Vanguard Newspapers headquarters in Lagos, yesterday. congresses be cancelled, all

Oshiomhole commissions classroom blocks

By Simon Ebegbulem

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E N I N — GOVERNOR Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, yesterday, commissioned three blocks of 18 classrooms at Ekiuwah Primary School, Uteh, Ivbiyeneva Primary School and Idogbo Primary School, all in Ikpoba/Okha Local Government Area of the state.

Commissioning the projects, Oshiomhole, said: “I am excited to be here. I remember very well, during my campaigns, I visited Uteh and I stopped at this school. I saw children sitting on the floor of a classroom with dust all over the place. I also saw a female teacher who came to class with a plastic chair and I asked the young lady, ‘Why have you brought a plastic chair to the school?' She said, ‘As you can see, there are no chairs or tables even for the teachers and there is no need to talk of bench for the pupils, and the classrooms are leaking everywhere.'

“That is what the

previous party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, left behind after 10 years. What PDP left behind could not be renovated. They had to be demolished and rebuilt. When I came into office, at the Executive Council meeting, we decided we were going to build beautiful schools. We would use aluminum roofs and we would use red and that red is a symbol of the

quiet revolution that is going on in Edo State; bloodless revolution.

“And I said, we will ensure that we are going to use aluminum windows with glass and we are going to put modern furniture in our classrooms. One pupil, one desk. We put ceiling fans so that when it is hot, you can put on the ceiling fan and the children will have some comfort.”

Harmony Life holds save a child seminar

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ARMONY Life F a m i l y Magazine, a magazine dedicated to helping African families by proffering solutions to their challenges and upholding eroding societal values, is to hold its second “Save a Child” seminar with the theme: Child Sexual Abuse And Trafficking Its Implication On The Society, on November 24, in Lagos. Chairman of the occasion is Professor

Pat Utomi.

Partnering the magazine for the event are NIIA, Arco Group Plc, National Agency for Prohibition of Traffic in Persons NAPTIP, Chi Ltd, Veleta Wine, HiMalt, DaViva, Mimee Noodles, Haansbro Ltd., Hip TV, City People Magazine and 97.3 Classic FM.experts in different fields of endeavour are also expected.

Group lauds DSIEC on LG polls

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HE Political Credibility Network, a political think-tank, has commended Delta State Independent Electoral Commission, DSIEC, on its management of the recently concluded local government elections in the state.

In a statement in Warri by its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Lucky Eguonorimoni, the group lauded the commission for conducting a credible poll.

It said: “We had written off statements credited to the commission’s chairman, Mr. Moses Ogbe, that DSIEC would conduct credible elections as empty promises.

To our amazement, election materials were actually distributed across the state with people being able to vote even in very remote areas of the state for the first time.”

14— Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014

Jonathan, catalyst in transformation

of oil & gas industry —NCDMB boss

By Samuel Oyadongha

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ENAGOA — THE fourth Practical Nigerian Content Conference, yesterday, began in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State with the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, NCDMB, Engr. Ernest Nwapa describing President Goodluck Jonathan’s as a catalyst in the nation's oil and gas industry.

Speaking in Yenagoa, Nwapa said that the President through the introduction of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act 2010 has boosted local participation in the hitherto foreign dominated industry.

The country, he added, was working with key international players in the development of the oil and gas sector and transformation of the country’s economy.

Burial

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ATE ALHAJA Juwerat Oladejo, will be given final burial ceremony on November 22, 2014, at Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba Gate, Ibadan, Oyo State.

She is survived by children, grand-children and great grand-children, among whom is Semiu Oladejo.

Late Alhaja Oladejo

Coordinator, Glo World, Mr. Dimeji Amao; Argentina’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Gustavo Dzugala; Head of Sales, Vrainzcom, Mr. Juan Dell’era, and Mr. Steve Stretch, Head, Glo Gateway, during a courtesy visit by the ambassador to Glo Headquarters in Lagos.

EPZ CRISIS: Ugborodo urges Jonathan

to fix new date for ground-breaking It said that Ugborodo was not surprised that the Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison Madueke was yet to visit the EPZ site even when the project was directly under her ministry.

“Mr. President, for the avoidance of doubt, Ugborodo community and the entire Warri South-West is in absolute peace. We are bemused that our President appeared to have listened to the threats by his Gbaramnatu brothers barely 24 hours to the eagerly anticipated ground-breaking after openly telling the world during his re-election speech at Abuja that he was coming for the ceremony at Ogidigben.

“Even when Boko Haram threatened to burn down the Eagles Square, the presidential declaration took place successfully and was

well attended by all of us. How come the threats from Gbaramatu stopped the much desired EPZ ceremony that will guarantee economic growth?”

Denying Gbaramatu’s claim of being oppressed over the EPZ, the Ugborodo people said: “They are, in fact, the real oppressors when you consider the fact that the Nigerian maritime University, NIMASA Dockyard and Yokri Flow Station are all located on Itsekiri lands, but renamed by the Ijaws and forcefully taken over.

“All contracts and employments are done by the Ijaws alone without any Itsekiri benefitting even when those places are very close to us. The Ijaws benefitted from EGTL located in Ugborodo and the preliminary work so far in the EPZ through Julius Berger.”

ARRI — UGBORODO community in Warri South West Local Government Area, Delta State, has called on President Goodluck Jonathan to fix a new date to perform the ground-breaking for the $16billion Export Processing Zone, EPZ, in Ogidigben.

The community made the call in a communiqué by Chief Ayirin Emami, John Anderson, Mercy Odogwu and two others, comprising indigenes of Ajudaibo, Madangho, Ogidigben, Ijaghala and Ode-Ugborodo after an extensive deliberation following the call-off of the groundbreaking fixed for last Friday due to alleged threats by Ijaw of Gbaramatu Kingdom.

The people expressed shock at the President’s U-turn on the ceremony, saying: “Ugborodo owns the entire land for the EPZ covering 2,560 hectares.

This is clearly evident in the revocation notices by the Delta State Government, court judgments, the EPZ project map and preliminary ongoing work at the project site.

“The Gbaramatu settlement on the flanks of the EPZ site (Ogidigben) is more than 14 kilometres away. We have cause to believe that President Jonathan is getting wrong briefing on the true security situation in Warri South-West, particularly Ugborodo which is host to the EPZ. Perhaps it is the same incorrect briefing by the military authorities in the North East of Nigeria that has made Boko Haram insurgency to continually soar.”

GAS TO POWER:

CBN offsets PHCN N36.9bn legacy debt

By Egufe Yafugborhi

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A

BUJA — THE Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, yesterday, offset the N36.9 billon legacy debt owed to gas suppliers by the power sector under the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, over the last few years.

This debt settled through the CBN was part of the N213 billion intervention funds

initiated by the Federal Government to address the hiccups which characterised the posts-privatisastion of the power sector of the economy.

The Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison Madueke, who disclosed this during the signing of the stakeholders’ Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, with the

Federal Government in Abuja, explained the intervention was initiated to move the sector forward.

According to her: “In the last few weeks, the CBN, NERC and Federal Ministries of Petroleum as well as Power, have been collaborating to develop lasting solutions to the challenge of gas supply.

The interventions started with an increase in gas to power price to levels considered more commercial than before and at par with export

parity. Gas transmission tariff for gas supplied to power was also increased to reflect commercial rates and enable private investment in infrastructure Alison Madueke recalled that, “in our last press engagement, a further intervention aimed at addressing legacy debt owed to the gas sector was also announced

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014 — 15

PIB passage likely to wait till after elections — Okonjo-Iweala L

AGOS — NIGERIA’S long-awaited Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB, is unlikely to be voted on by parliament before general elections due in Febr uary, the Finance Minister, Ngoazi OkonjoIweala said on Tuesday.

It has taken more than five years to bring the bill, which is expected to reform Nigeria’s oil taxes and licences and to overhaul the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, to a vote due to political wrangling over its many clauses.

The Minister said the oil sector had seen low foreign

direct investment, FDI, due to the delay.

“We are not going to see, I don’t think, any action before the elections in terms of passage (of the bill) "But after the elections I think the petroleum sector will have more certainty and we will see FDI go up in that sector,” she told investors on a conference call.

Okonjo-Iweala held the call after announcing a raft of budget-tightening measures weekend, following the fall in oil prices, the country’s major revenue earner.

The fall in crude prices has

triggered a sell-off in Nigerian bond and stock markets, hurting the naira which is down almost 8.4 per cent this year despite the Central Bank of Nigeria

spending billions of dollars to defend it.

“We feel if we put all these measures in place, we can still withstand even though the Naira has come under

pressure recently.

"With the measures we have put in place, and supporting monetary policy, we think we can weather this storm,” Okonjo-Iweala said.

Eschew partisan approach to nation building, leaders warned ...as Maduekwe, Abe, others honour Amuta

By Charles Kumolu

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AGOS—EMINENT Nigerians were yesterday unanimous in their calls on leaders to shun partisan approach to national issues, in order to avert the likely

consequences of the multifaceted challenges currently holding the country down.

They also posited that it is the responsibility of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party ,PDP, to reposition the country on the path of greatness.

Chidi Amuta's book presentation in Lagos

From left, Aremo Olusegun Osoba, former Governor of Ogun State; Mr. Lateef Ibirogba, Lagos State Commissioner for Information; Dr. Chidi Amuta, author of the book, his wife, Jane; Mr. Wihioka Chidi, representing the Governor of Rivers State; Mrs. Koko Kalango, UNESCO World Book Capital, and Chief Ojo Madueke, guest lecturer, during the presentation of book, entitled, 'Writing the Wrong,' by Dr. Chidi Amuta, at Southern Sun Hotel, Alfred Rewane, Ikoyi, Lagos, yesterday. Photos: Kehinde Gbadamosi

This position was taken in Lagos at the launch of a book titled: Writing the Wrong, written by Dr. Chidi Amuta.

Those at the event include: Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Canada; Chief Ojo Maduekwe,former governor of Ogun State; Chief Segun Osoba, Senator Magnus Abe, Dr. Doyin Abiola, Editor of Vanguard Newspapers; Mr. Mideno Bayagbon, Managing Director of Thisday newspapers; Mr. Eniola Bello, Deputy Managing Director of Thisday Newspapers; Mr. Kayode Komolafe, former Special Adviser on Media to President Umaru Yar Ádua; Mr. Segun Adeniyi, among others.

In his address, titled: The Bipartisan Imperative; Leading From The Future:

Maduekwe, who was the guest speaker, stressed the need for leaders at all levels of government to always seek for a common ground on national issues.

His words: ‘’A common thread running through my remarks will be that, in a fragile democratic state like Nigeria, if we as leaders cannot diligently and consistently push for a common ground that can inspire national unity, we could inadvertently end up with the unintended consequence of a killing ground that can consume all. History is full of examples of how nations that were determined to commit national suicide by failing to locate a common ground.

“We must begin to address the wide disconnect between the conduct of politics and the goals of governance. No one party can do it alone.

We critically need a common ground, indeed a covenant of decent and civil behaviour that will inspire style and substance across the aisle."

Akwa Ibom, not Akpabio, endorsed Emmanuel — Anietie Okon

A

From left, Dr. Chidi Amuta, Author of the Book; his wife, Jane; Mr. Lateef Ibirogba, Lagos State Commissioner for Information,and Dr. Doyin Abiola, former Managing Director of Concord Newspaper.

From left, Alhaji Baba Muhammed, Special Adviser to General Babangida; Chief Love Ezema, Senator Abe Magnus.

From left, Mr. Ray Ekpu, Dr. Yemi Ogunbiyi, Hon. Dakuku Peterside.

CHIEFTAIN of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Akwa Ibom State, Senator Anietie Okon, yesterday, said the entire people of the state endorsed Gabriel Udom Emmanuel as the governorship candidate and not by Governor Godswill Akpabio as alleged by some members of the party.

He said the correct position was that the people of the state, and the entire Akwa Ibom PDP endorsed the aspirant and the leader of the people and the party in the state just did the bidding of the people.”

Okon said notwithstanding the pronouncement and the backing given to it by the national leadership of the party, there was no proclamation shutting out

other aspirants from the contest.

“The true position is that about 18 aspirants have picked forms to contest, and on the day of the primary election, it will be an open contest. All we insist on is that every aspirant must come from the Eket Federal Constituency.”

He also defended the position of Akpabio as speaking for the party and not implying predetermination of the outcome of the party primaries.

He said: “In 2007, over 57 aspirants contested for the ticket. And prior to that, the governor, Obong Victor Attah, had endorsed a candidate as his successor, but when they went for the contest, Akpabio, who wasn’t the endorsed one emerged."

16 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014

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Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014 — 17

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18 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014 NIGERIA cannot survive on partial implementation of promised policies.The foresights on which planning of the country were based at independence have been jettisoned for measures that sustain impressions that Nigeria exists for the moment. A simple example is the infrastructure used in distributing fuel, when it is available.

The railways distributed fuel for more than 15 years after independence. The facilities for fuel distribution are evident at the ports where the rails criss-crossed into the fuel depots, whether they were imported or blended locally. The same rail system runs through most of the industrial estates that the regional governments established.

At Ikeja Industrial Estate, disused rail lines are still visible in the compounds of most of the industries. The same applied to industrial estates elsewhere. Most of the manufacturing hubs were located by the rails for easy movements of their finished goods to the markets and transportation of raw materials from the ports.

The madness in Lagos, when fuel tankers load from facilities in Apapa, indicates blindness to planning. How does anyone

Where Are The Ports, Rails? expect that tanks bearing only 33,000 litres of products would cover the country especially now that professional pipeline breakers have defeated that once economic means of moving products?

Daily, fuel tankers block the ApapaOshodi Expressway, Nigeria’s main access to her busiest ports, waiting for their turn to load products. Where there is product scarcity, the lines of trucks, heading to the ports, and tankers waiting petroleum products can stretch for kilometres.

The situation exacerbates security issues on the route. Additionally, the pressure from the huge trucks is already damaging

the road that is under re-construction. The bridges on the route are at greater risks.

Most of them have become the parking lots of the heavy vehicles. The dangers the practice pose to the health of the bridges are merely discussed. If the rails worked, they would have been evacuating goods from the ports and the fuel terminals with better efficiency. There is also need to improve ports outside Lagos.

Congestions at the Lagos ports make it imperative for government to hasten the re-development of the ports in Calabar, Port Harcourt, Warri, and the inland ports that have been promoted for Onitsha and Lokoja. The neglect visited on them hugely accounts for the chaos at the Lagos ports.

Experts posit that if the other ports were working, Apapa- Oshodi Expressway, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Benin-Shagamu Expressway, and the nation’s other highways, which frequently decay from the weight of the imports from Lagos ports, would have longer life spans. The enormous savings could be invested in other infrastructure.

The rails and more ports are the solutions to longer life span of our over-burdened roads.

OPINION

NYSC and safety of corps members

By James Mancha

S

INCE the inception of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, 41 years ago, a lot has happened to make people argue for and against its relevance and benefits to the Nigerian youth. The history of the NYSC is indeed replete with momentous events. For some of us, commenting on issues like this is more than just writing.

It’s a way to wake up, to calm down, to spark an idea, and to share a story. And this is the story of the transformation going on right now in the NYSC. I recall when the present Director General of the NYSC, Brigadier-General Johnson Olawumi, assumed office, he clearly highlighted the path he wanted his administration to take. He gave a very brilliant four-point agenda aimed at increasing the impact and relevance of NYSC by improving the service content of the scheme, enhancing the welfare and safety of corps members and staff; expanding partnerships for greater impact, funding and support for the scheme; and increasing the visibility and relevance of the scheme.

Pursuant to the second agenda, which is ensuring the welfare and safety of corps members, the DG recently paid a visit to Corps Member Babatunde Oluwagbenga, with Call-up Number: NYSC/LUT/2014/ 246634. According to news reports, Babatunde was involved in an auto

accident alongside five of his colleagues on their way to the NYSC orientation camp in Bayelsa State. The visit by the DG showed the premium placed on the lives of corps members.

I gathered that the DG was in Benin on his nationwide tour of orientation camps when he heard about the unfortunate incident. News reports said he made a detour to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital where the injured corps member was being treated. But that is not all there is to it. He actually ordered the payment of the victim’s medical bills, which he could have done by instruction and not necessarily visiting physically. He could have sent the Edo State Coordinator of the NYSC to monitor the situation and report back to him. But no, he visited himself, which I think was exemplary. That in itself was a statement of two uncommon folds: translating words to action.

S

till on the issue of enhancing the wel fare and safety of corps members and staff, I have it on good report that the DG on numerous occasions has stated that the safety of corps members is paramount and non-negotiable. He has also said that the NYSC will continue to do everything to keep corps members safe and secure and to respond promptly to anyone of them who is in distress in any form.

We were all witnesses to the unfortunate events of 2011 where some corps members

in the North lost their lives in the post-election violence of that year. The memory isn’t something we can wish away easily. The nation mourned. And questions were asked.

Answers were provided, though not satisfactorily. I think the NYSC has realised that corps members are vulnerable to attacks, hence the premium placed on their safety and welfare at all times. And the visit of the DG to the injured corps member consolidates this view.

I also understand that during the orientation exercise, all camps have had security personnel doubled with the military, police, SSS, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps collaborating to provide adequate security for corps members. In addition, after the orientation exercise, the NYSC provided the various state police commands and the state security service commands with the location of lodges of corps members in case of emergencies.

There is also the distress call centre that was established for corps members to use in times of distress. This should be good news for parents and guardians, especially given the security situation in the country.

The distress call centre can best be described as innovative. I gather it works this way: when corps members are deployed to their places of primary assignment, their full data such as names, phone number, states code and places of primary assignment, and addresses of security agencies within that area are sent by the state coor-

dinators to the NYSC headquarters. The information is then uploaded into the scheme’s database. In times of distress, when a corps member calls with the registered phone number, his or her data page will appear on the screen. Security operatives within the vicinity would then be notified immediately.

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hat can be more reassuring than this? Play back this scenario to the 2011 post-election violence. Imagine the number of lives that would have been saved by a mere phone call before evil befell them.

And the nation would have been saved the agony of the bizarre event. But there is no point agonising over what cannot be undone.

However, it is comforting to know that more than ever before, the lives of corps members are more secured, and that their welfare is being given the utmost attention it deserves. By building on what he met on the ground and adding his own thrust and touch, the NYSC boss has started well. We can only wish he sustains the tempo and continues to introduce cutting-edge innovations to make the NYSC a more responsive organisation.

*Mr Mancha, a commentator on national issues, wrote from Jalingo, Taraba State

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014 —19

Goodluck Jonathan’s military, local militias and the security of Nigeria

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HE United State’s government once more showed its disdain for the Goodluck Jonathan administration and by extension our so-called fight against terror by its last week insistence that it would not sell fighter helicopters to Nigeria. The US government spokesperson was reacting to the claim by the Nigerian Ambassador to the US, Ade Adefuye, that the US had refused to sell fighter aircraft to Nigeria. The refusal of US followed on the heels of its earlier accusation of human rights violation against Nigeria in its fight against the Northern insurgents. It should come to many Nigerians and others around the world as an irony that the US that had deployed experts to assist Nigeria in tracking down the insurgents keeping the kidnapped girls of Chibok captive would turn around to say it would not sell us fighter aircraft that could strengthen our effort.

The US is doing this after it had made it clear that its assistance to Nigeria in the face of terror would be purely technical, without deployment of ground troops. Even then, units of American soldiers were reportedly seen on ground in parts

of the North shortly after the US and other Western countries showed their readiness to support our fight against the marauders up the North East several months back.

There is surely more to the cold shoulder from America than the Nigerian government is willing to acknowledge. Nigeria continues to pretend that its relationship with America is as warm as ever even when America’s body language tells everyone that is far from being the case. America has, if any, very little respect for Nigeria’s military hierarchy. That disdain might really be for the Jonathan administration as a whole. It may not have used as many words but America does see members of this administration as corrupt destroyers of the Nigerian state and is only being careful, it would seem, not to be viewed as being directly against Nigeria in this period of grave insecurity in the land.

Otherwise, it is clear Obama wants no truck with Jonathan whose deluded supporters never cease to compare him and other American leaders with. And to rub home the fact that America would rather dine with the devil than with the Jonathan administration, it has advised the latter to look for sellers elsewhere in

By Law Mefor

T

HE war against insurgency in Ni geria has sadly been reduced to President Goodluck Jonathan’s war. Those who could command public opinion to weigh in against the spread of the Boko Haram sect and terrorism in Northern Nigeria have ostensibly kept mute or talking in a manner deriding President Jonathan and his government; some are even out-rightly making encouraging remarks to create inertia of social forces that have continued to reinforce the insurgency in the parts of the country. This explains the growing lack of synergy amongst the political class in the fight against insurgency in Nigeria.

Rather than pull together to defeat insurgency in the land, some sections are directly and indirectly promoting it for political gains.

Many political actors in the current dispensation come across as mere cartoon characters. They live under the illusion that once President Jonathan is forced out, Boko Haram insurgents would leave the Sambisa Forest and climb down from the Adamawa mountains and embrace peace and reintegrate into the society, like the Niger Delta militants. While this assumption remains to be seen and most unlikely, it is safer to treat Boko Haram as a terrorist organisation that it is, and not as political wing of some power mongers.

Insurgencies all over the world follow a pattern that can no longer be subjected to normal logic. The psychology of terrorism is clear: those who go through its tutelage and brainwashing, are radicalised to give up normal life and form a subculture, which can no longer mesh with the main stream it left. This basic truth vitiates the thinking of those who believe the coming to power of somebody other than President Jonathan (perhaps a Muslim Northerner)

its business of buying fighter are being told. The question that choppers. In refusing to sell military immediately follows is how ready or hardware to Nigeria, America says able are we to carry our security it has not stopped us from buying luggage. Are we able to do this with elsewhere. It simply does not want our ill-equipped, demoralised and our patronage- finish! So we can deserting soldiers that take to their take our tainted money that even heels at merely sniffing the approach South Africa with its brutal record of the insurgents? of human rights violation under These soldiers have been losing apartheid is not keen on taking, territories and retreating in very returning it to us after initially unseemly way. Even our most senior seizing it- America is telling us to soldier, the Chairman of the Joint take our corrupt blood money Military Chiefs, Alex Badeh’s town, elsewhere. The blood here, for me, was taken over by insurgents. Mubi could only be that of ill-equipped was overrun by the hordes from soldiers sent to the battle front by Sambisa forest and was only retaken thieving desk-bound Generals by local militias. Which brings me turned contractors and their civilian to the role of militias in the ongoing counterparts. war against terror.

Now America has washed its Without any doubt, these groups hands off our case, its Western allies of Nigerians have been leading the would follow suit, with or without battle against terror groups of armed America’s prompting. Canada has robbers, pipe line vandals, and more been saying more or less dangerous bands the same thing as like those from America. The UK Sambisa forest that government with its have taken over and siddon-look posture is renamed many saying nothing different. towns in the North Where does this leave or East. The local take us? Nowhere but the militias with their firm embrace of China, crude weaponry of our good old friend in the bows and arrows, days of Sani Abacha. and dane guns have Without being told in been succeeding such clear terms, we are where our so-called back to our pariah status national soldiers of the mid-1990s. This have been failing. may not be too bad for a Coming from the president like Goodluck same background as Jonathan who is The time most of the bastards determined to follow now terrorising the A b a c h a ’ s might be right North East, their transformational script on us to get knowledge of their to retain power in terrain of operation the militias February 2015. appears to be With nowhere to turn in standing them in properly the West, we must with good stead. It is the our own hand carry our equipped and logic that makes it luggage of trouble- eleru possible for these gberu e. That’s what we into uniform militias to succeed

Boko Haram and those curious calls for president’s resignation would stop insurgency. This is an empty flict - the extra-judicial killing of M. Yusuf, dream if the anti-social and anarchistic its leader - also happened long before nature of terrorism is fully considered.

Jonathan.

Also, from the deep divisions in the What this points out is that Boko Haram fighting ranks of the Nigerian military, it was not precipitated by the Jonathan does appear these selfish politicians have Presidency. This does not, however, mean reached out to their contacts in the that he should allow it to fester, and he military and convinced many of them not hasn’t. The presidential will to combat to fight and to sabotage the operations of Boko Haram insurgencies and defeat it is the Nigerian military. This has led to too evidently there also; the military is being many desertions and cowardly actions, equipped and reinforced in manpower and which have paved the way for the Boko otherwise, to adequately rise to the Haram to make frightful occasion. If the Nigerian progress to the point of esmilitary, once reputed as one tablishing caliphates here of the greatest in Africa, has and there. The sect renamed fallen short of expectations Gwoza in Borno State, in this all-important fight, it which it captured in July to is not because President Darul Hikma or “House of Jonathan has denied them Wisdom”. Mubi became any vital political will or Nadinatul Islam, which cover. means the City of Islam and The reason the fight peace. One wonders what is against insurgency in Those who are Nigeria is witnessing all wise or peaceful about their violent takeover of Gwoza orchestrating manner of surprises and and Mubi or the sorrow, reversals is the said tears and blood they have insurgency in sabotage, which may have left in their trails all over inspired by politicians Nigeria do not been Northern Nigeria. who want the insurgency to One question is pertinent understand persist as a proof that here: Is President Jonathan Jonathan is incapable of the problem as some some of the vio- managing the affairs of opposition politicians want Nigeria and by those who the world to believe? Let us lent dynamics of promised to make Nigeria recall that Boko Haram terrorism, which ungovernable for reasons we was incubated by some of all know. Such actors have these politicians long before does not reverse made quite some impression President Jonathan came to on the international power at the centre. What once on course community, where vested triggered the current escainterests may be denying the lation of the terrorist conPresident the assistance he

where so-called professional soldiers have failed that informed the call for state police- better knowledge of their community. But as usual the unitarists masquerading as patriotic federalists in Abuja, the very same people that created groups like those from Sambisa forest for very selfish ends, would be the first to croak about the possible abuse of local police.

But without admitting it, the Nigerian state has for long privatised the security of the country to the extent that many of these local militias have been enlisted in its security operations and have moved from being mere neigbourhood watch to carrying out actual policing duties. Militias led by Frederick Fasehun, Gani Adams and Asari Dokubo, among others, have been employed in these roles. What then is the pretence by the Nigerian state that these militias have no role to play?

As the situation of the North East is increasingly showing, the safety of Nigerians in our different communities may in the end be in the hands of these militias. They have been doing a lot for Nigerians, sustaining the security of life and property where people can no longer rely on the state. Indeed the state has failed serially in protecting Nigerians in many parts of this country. The number of people left destitute in the North East, to take an immediate example among many, has increased exponentially since the latest surge in insurgent activities. Their saviours are the militias who are only different from the rest of our conventional security personnel for their lack of uniforms.

But as Fela told us all, uniform na cloth and na tailor dey sew am. The time might be right on us to get the militias properly equipped and into uniform.

naturally deserves to pull the country out of the dilemma.

Curiously, the US of all nations are officially not selling arms to Nigeria and the US Nigerian Ambassador gave the reason to be that Nigeria’s military has an awful record of human rights abuses. This has forced Nigeria to purchase arms even from black market out of frustration and desperation. More curious is America’s insistence on dialogue with Boko Haram, a brutal sect it has officially criminalised and designated a terrorist organisation, even after that country, as a matter of policy, has refused to negotiate with Al Qaeda and other terrorist organisations.

Those who are orchestrating insurgency in Nigeria therefore do not understand some of the violent dynamics of terrorism, which does not reverse once on course.

Fact is: No matter who is in power in Nigeria, even if it is the head of Islam in the country, Sultan of Sokoto himself, insurgency cannot die away. It may even get worse. The reason is also simple: Even though Boko Haram claims to be Islamic, it does not share the same ideology with the main stream Islam and unless the Muslim in power kow-tows to their warped ideology, he will receive the same treatment as a Christian President Jonathan.

The solution does not lie in asking President Jonathan to resign. What is lacking is synergy and the lack of it is made so by those who are now screaming that President Jonathan should resign for not standing up to Boko Haram.

Boko Haram is simply an insurrectionary and social anarchism rooted in an Islamic ideology gone awry. Mad dogs cannot be treated; they are destroyed the world over and so shall be Boko Haram.

•Mr. Mefor is the National Coordinator, Transform Nigeria Movement, TNM.

20 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014

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Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014 — 21

From left: Mr. Sunday Adeyemi , Registrar/Chief Executive Officer, Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria (CIPM); Professor Kayode Taiwo, Chairman, Education Committee; Mr Abiola Popoola, Immediate Past President, CIPM; Mr Victor Famuyibo, President/ Chairman of Council, CIPM and Mr Anthony Arabome, Vice President, CIPM, during the 18th Induction of CIPM members in Lagos. Photo by Diran Oshe.

Ghana indicts Nigeria for breach of gas supply contract …Calls for stiffer sanctions against Nigeria

By Michael Eboh, with Agency Report

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HANA, yesterday, accused Nigeria of breaching the agreement between both countries to supply gas to Ghana, a situation that has worsened the country’s power supply.

Mr. Edward Bawa, Communications Consultant at Ghana’s Energy Ministry told a Ghanaian news medium that since the inception of the West African Gas Pipeline Project, Nigeria, which is responsible for supplying Ghana, Togo and Benin with natural gas, has proven to be unreliable.

“Since gas started flowing through the West African Gas Pipeline, Nigeria has

$190.5

-$1.50

$2,863.00

$16.00

$15.74

-$0.16

$78.38

-$1.03

$74.96

-$0.86

CURRENCY BUYING

CENTRAL

SELLING

DOLLAR POUNDS EURO FRANC YEN CFA WAUA YUAN RIYAL

155.89 244.0458 194.0207 161.4269 1.3388 0.286 227.8988 25.4302 41.543

156.39 244.8285 194.643 161.9447 1.3431 0.296 228.6298 25.5122 41.6762

155.39 243.263 193.3984 160.9092 1.3345 0.276 227.1679 25.3482 41.4097

CBN Exchange Rate as 18 /11 / 2014

demonstrated that they can’t be relied upon to give us gas,” he maintained.

According to him, Nigeria was supposed to send 123 million cubic feet of gas to Ghana but was only able to supply around 49 cubic feet, saying the quantity is “woefully inadequate to enable us to power our generating plants.”

Bawa called for an increase in the sanctions to be meted out to Nigeria for breaching the contractual agreement,

noting that only this will serve to deter Nigeria from continually breaching the terms of the contract.

He said, “The penalty, for the entire contractual period, if Nigeria fails to meet the supply requirement is $20 million dollars. That is peanut to them so they do not have incentive to supply Ghana the required quantities of gas, especially when they have other thermal plants that are asking for gas. Simply they

are just not respecting the contract.”

To this end, Ghana’s load shedding exercise took a worsening turn as the Ghana Grid Company, (GRIDCO) says it will have to reduce power supply to consumers further if Nigeria’s gas supply to the country continues to dwindle.

However, Bawa disclosed that the country is currently looking for alternatives to gas supply from Nigeria, as the Volta River Authority (VRA) is talking with other suppliers who will over the period see how they can give gas to Ghana, as the country awaits its own gas.

He urged electricity consumers in the country to be patient with the power firms, saying that it will take a while to solve the electricity problem.

To address the challenges facing the country, the Volta River Authority (VRA), has projected that about $1.5 billion is needed to improve the country’s power generation and put an end to the power crisis the country is facing.

Mr Samuel Fletcher, Head of Corporate Communications, VRA, told the news medium that while there are currently investments in the sector, those investments should have started several years ago.

“Today various stakeholders, various partners including governments are helping us invest in a number of projects for the future, which will come to fruition in about two years’ time,” he said.

Fletcher lamented that investments in the power sector should have been done more 20 years ago. Continuing, he said, “Kwame Nkrumah had a vision that is so wonderful. We needed only 10 per cent of Akosombo’s capacity at that time as a country. We needed 60 megawatts; he built 600 megawatts.”

He explained that one megawatt of power generated costs about one million dollars, adding that with a deficit of about 500 megawatts, the country needs about $500 million to fix it.

NSE signs MOU with London Stock Exchange I

N the wake of volatile global mar ket, Nigeria continues to attract significant foreign investors interest, the recent being from United Kingdom who sent delegates to Nigeria.

Shortly after an MOU was signed by the London Stock Exchange Group and Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Sir Roger Gifford, former Lord Mayor of London and Co-Chairman of the UK Government’s Nigeria Emerging Capital Markets Task Force led a team of high profile delegates who visited Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, president Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).

Gifford said: “Nigeria is probably the most exciting opportunity for capital markets development in the world. We in London have seen clearly how an effective, transparent and well-governed capital market –for bonds as well as stocks –can transform a country’s fortunes for the better, reducing dependence on bank capital and making investment securities available to a much broader range of individuals and institutions. I am greatly looking forward to being part of this project,”

Aig-Imoukhuede told the UK delegate that, “Nigeria continues to attract significant foreign interest even during periods of global market volatility. We welcome initiatives that will further develop investor confidence and complement our bold financial market transformation agenda”.

He said: “I like UK enthusiasm for the opportunities in Nigeria. We always believe that Nigeria development will come from investors (foreign and local) who have long term views in their investment in Nigeria. The interesting thing is that UK interest in Nigeria economy is coming despite a fall in oil prices. This proves that Nigeria is more than oil prices.”

“I commend the UK government and all other stakeholders for this initiative.

We have always said that our success depends on starting right. We recognized the need to dimension Nigeria financial system. For every nation, trade is necessary for growth and development.

“The greater the velocity of trade, the better the growth of an economy. The infrastructure that facilitates trade is key.

In that same way, capital market whether by product or same infrastructure can have that same effect. We recognise that more knowledge is beneficial for growth.

The most important is that the end goal is the development of the market. I guess it is in that regard that the UK feels it can benefit from Nigeria,” the NSE president said.

Mike Purves, UK Acting Deputy High Commissioner/Director Trade & Investment, said, “This is the start of the conversation that we want.We are delighted to have Aig-Imoukhuede on board to lead the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

This is not a talking show but to get real deliverables and kick-off evidenced in the agreement we signed with the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).”

The UK delegates visit to the NSE president offered them opportunity to interact with other capital market stakeholders like president Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS), Albert Okumagba; chairman Association of Issuing Houses of Nigeria (AIHN), Victor Ogiemwonyi, and chairman Association of Stockbroking Houses of Nigeria (ASHON), Emeka Madubuike.

22 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014

The onus should now rest on all operators to embark on aggressive public awareness, both to inform current and potential buyers of insurance

INSURAN

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,

NIA chairman promises to enforce market discipline Stories by ROSEMARY ONUOHA

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HE new Chairman of the Nigerian Insurers Association, NIA, Mr. Gus Wiggle has said that the Association under his leadership will enforce market discipline by encouraging peer review among member companies with a view to aligning the market practice with international best practices.

Wiggle who stated this at his investiture ceremony in Lagos, noted that they will sustain the current effort at addressing those laws that are militating against the growth of the market such as the Companies Income Tax Amendment Act (CITA) 2007.

The new Chairman also said that they will sustain and improve on the good relationship that already exists with the regulator, the National Insurance Commission, NAICOM; as well as reach out to other regulators in the financial services sector whose oversight functions impact on their business.

He said, “We will strengthen the cordial relationship that exists with other arms of the industry such as Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers, NCRIB; Institute of Loss Adjusters of Nigeria, ILAN; Association of Registered Insurance Agents of Nigeria, ARIAN; as well as the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria, CIIN etc. We will increase the support for the Technical Committees of the Association with a view to realizing their potential which will be harnessed for the achievement of the overall goals of the Associations.

“The Association is appreciative of the efforts of NAICOM in Promoting microinsurance to deepen insurance penetration in Nigeria. Our administration will take up the challenge by encouraging member companies to institute corporate structures that will ensure the success of the initiative.

“I want to restate that the NIA has remained true to its legacy as an institution that exists to champion the cause of the insurance industry and we will ensure that the founders sense of purpose will be upheld by us at all times.”

Wiggle who restated his commitment to the ideals of the Association, asked for support, encouragement, advice and prayers from operators and stakeholders in the sector.

Lasaco introduces online payment

Do you know your right as an insurance consumer?

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resident John Kennedy in 1962 when moving the Bill of Consumer Rights in the US Congresss said, “If a consumer is offered inferior products, if prices are exorbitant, if drugs are unsafe or worthless, if the consumer is unable to choose on an informed basis, then his dollar is wasted, his health and safety may be threatened, and national interest suffers” This is what seem to be lacking in the Nigerian insurance today.

The Nigerian insurance industry experience Despite the fact that the insurance industry can not succeed without the patronage of policy holders, the industry has carried on without sufficient regards for policy holders rights for which they had not received concomitant responsibilities. Investigation shows that operators flagrantly ignore their responsibilities to insurance clients, especially if they are

the small policy holders.

Insurance is a contract by nature and it imposes certain duties on the providers of the services as well as a commensurate exercise of rights and responsibilities on the part of the clients.

documents is antithetical to this right.

The onus should now rest on all operators to embark on aggressive public awareness, both to inform current and potential buyers of insurance and while doing that, make full disclosures about the insurance products being sold.

Rights of insurance consumers: Insurance operators should realise the universal expectation of consumers from producers of goods and services, as such the insurance industry should, or better put, must begin to key into them.

Right to quality service This implies that insurance consumers must be availed the most quality value in exchange for their money. Insurance companies and brokers must continually create environments as well as procure tools and acquire orientation that are geared towards rendition of quality insurance services to clients. One cannot talk enough about the need for all operators to be more ingenious in customer relations skills as well as acquisition of modern IT tools that would enhance service delivery.

Right to be informed The insured have rights to sufficient information about the nature of risks and how they can maximise their benefits. This right also provides them opportunity to make intelligent and informed choices about insurance products they want to purchase. The idea of supplying paucity of information on policy

Right to be heard It is the right of every insurance customer to be heard. This has actuated the need for insurance operators to provide platforms of engagement and dialogue with clients on a regular basis. The era should be

Reinsurance industry needs sha S

OME reinsurance bosses believe the industry needs a major catastrophe to

thin out a crowded marketplace and to reverse the ongoing trend of falling

reinsurance prices.

That is something that industry analyst Taoufik Gharib, of Standard

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asaco Assurance Plc has introduced online payment through Quickteller.

In a statement, the company said the move is part of efforts to give a boost to the cashless policy of the federal government through the enthronement of online payment for its product and services as well as being positioned to further endear itself to its numerous and potential customers.

Managing Director of the company, Mr. Olusola Ladipo-Ajayi, explained the new payment regime is simplified as it entails customers logging on to www.quickteller.com/lasaco and follow through a simple process to effect payment.

He stated that the new payment method is one of the strategies being put in place to ensure customers’ convenience thereby deepening the bond between the brand and its customers. “In line with the company’s desire to build on the achievement recorded in 2013 business, our customers are going to be greatly focused on. The new goals outlined in raising the bar of performance for the new business year cannot be achieved without customers being given all the necessary comfort that would make them stay with the brand. And that is why we want to reduce the stress customers have to go through in dealing with us”, he added.

C M Y K

From left: Wale Onaolapo, MD/CEO of Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc; Tae Joong Lim, Managing Director of KDB Securities and Amirsha Hameed, Chief Investment Officer, Daewoo Securities, (Europe) Limited during a recent visit to the London office of KDB Daewoo Securities.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014,

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CE & YOU

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It is the right of every insurance customer to be heard. This has actuated the need for insurance operators to provide platforms of engagement and dialogue with clients on a regular basis.

,

Prepare on time and retire with ease M

From left, Chief Marketing Officer, Mrs. Alero Ladipo, Senior Manager, Legal and Regulatory, Mr. Gbolahan Thomas both of Smile Communications Nigeria Limited; Commissioner for Education, Oyo State, Prof. Solomon Olaniyonu and Principal, Wesley College of Science, Elekuro, Ibadan, Mrs. Adenike Okunade during the donation of Internet Access Connectivity Facilities to Wesley College of Science, Elekuro, Ibadan by Smile Communications Nigeria Limited which is part of the Company’s Corporate Social Responsibility held at Wesley College of Science, Elekuro, Ibadan, Oyo State. past for good when insurance operators preoccupy themselves with selling insurance, rather insurance should be bought.

Every insurance institution should henceforth begin to see to it that they create suggestions boxes and online feedback mechanisms for customers, to ventilate their views about their insurance products and services.

Right to redress Insurance operators in Nigerian must begin to come to terms with the fact that insurance consumers should have the right to seek redress in the law courts or in established extra legal institutions against unsatisfactory conduct of operators in the implementation of the insurance contract.

Responsibilities of consumers Since the flip side of rights is responsibility, the insurance consumers must begin to come to terms with the fact that they are also obligated to pay claims before commencement of an insurance contract (as now underscored by the ‘no premium, no cover ’ policy); as well as disclosure of material facts at the commencement of insurance contract.

akeup -Experts & Poor ’s Rating Services, has heard in his conversations with executives of some Bermuda reinsurance companies.

Reinsurance rates have been tumbling in recent times, driven by a lack of catastrophes and an influx of third-party capital, and Gharib expects to see them continue to fall, albeit at a slower rate of decline.

“Some people are looking for a ‘big one’,” Gharib said in an interview with The Royal Gazette.

“It would harden the market and differentiate between winners and losers. Right now it seems like it’s a crowded market.”

A

major catastrophe would expose those with lower underwriting standards, notably those which have priced risk too cheaply in the pursuit of market share, he added.

New York-based Gharib, who is the rating agency ’s director, financial services ratings, North American insurance, covers the Bermuda market.

Gharib expects to see rate reductions of five to ten percent at January 1 renewals next year — particularly in property catastrophe business — based on

his conversations with industry participants.

Pricing is one of the key points S&P looks at when evaluating the health of the industry and the trend of decreasing prices was a major factor in the rating agency’s decision to give the reinsurance industry a “negative” rating outlook for 2014 back in January this year.

The burgeoning supply of capital from institutional investors in the form of insurance-linked securities such as catastrophe bonds has accelerated the fall in rates and “alternative capital” now has a market share of more than 15 percent, according to broker commentaries.

Gharib believes this is much more than a passing phase, basing that view on the profile of the investors.

“The way we see it, there are strategic investors and opportunistic investors,” Gharib said. “The strategic investors include pension funds. They enter the market after doing 12 to 18 months of research and allocate one percent or less of their assets to it. They are here for the long term.”

Strategic investors understood

the risks of losing capital and would not be so quick to pull their money out in the event of rising interest rates making other assets more attractive, he added.

“The opportunistic investors include hedge funds looking for higher returns — but even if interest rates go up, some of them will stick around,” Gharib said. “Alternative capital is here to stay.”

The glut of money pouring into catastrophe bonds has resulted in lower returns for investors and cheaper reinsurance for cedants. S&P views this influx as a negative for the reinsurers it rates.

“Some reinsurers are driving prices lower to match what the cat bonds are offering and to maintain their market share,” Gharib said. “It is impacting pricing in this way and reinsurers’ margins are declining.”

In recent years, reserve releases have been significant contributors to the profits of Bermuda reinsurers, but Gharib has seen a trend of declining releases and expects it to continue as reinsurers become less conservative in making loss estimates.

any contributors under the Contributory Pension Scheme, CPS, expect that when they retire, their Pension Fund Administrators, PFAs, will automatically begin to pay them their retirement benefits. However, these contributors fail to realise that they need to inform their PFAs six months to their retirement so that the necessary verification exercise will be carried out on them to enable them access their retirement benefits on time and retire with ease.

However, instances have proved that many contributors are not aware of this fact; consequently, they wait till after retirement only to be told that they should have done verification six months before.

The necessary steps to take before retirement are: •Liaise with PFA within six months to retirement.

•Supply PFA with official notice of retirement from employer.

•Provide other documents required by the PFA. •Re-introduce/confirm Next of Kin to PFA before/at retirement.

•Provide details of bank account for receiving retirement benefits.

•Provide contact address after retirement.

Negotiate mode of withdrawal of benefits with PFA (programmed withdrawal or annuity).

Objectives of the CPS The Contributory Pension Scheme, CPS, seeks to, amongst others, ensure that every worker receives his retirement benefits as and when due.

The scheme is contributory and mandatory.

Employer contributes 10%, while employee contributes 8% of employee’s annual emolument into the Retirement Savings Account (RSA) opened by the employee.

An employer may however elect to contribute the entire 18% on behalf of its employees.

In addition, voluntary contributions are allowed.

Scheme is mandatory for employees of the Federal Government, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and private sector organizations with three or more employees.

Contributions are remitted into individual Retirement Savings Account (RSA) & fully funded (100% asset backing).

RSAs are privately managed by Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) and custody of assets is maintained by Pension Fund Custodians (PFCs).

24 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014

What the next governor of Lagos State should do for us (6)

W From left: Vincent Adubor, member, Organising Committee of the 4th Capital Market Committee Retreat; Mrs. Toyin Sanni, Chairperson and Mr. Emeka Madubuike, Vice Chairman, during a press briefing on the forthcoming retreat in Lagos.

Flour Mills eyes growth with Unicem’s divestment proceeds Stories By NKIRUKA NNOROM

F

lour Mills of Nigeria Plc (FMN) has disclosed that proceeds from its ongoing divestment from United Cement Company of Nigeria Limited, Unicem, will be utilized towards funding the rapid growth in its core food and agro-allied businesses.

The company, in a statement by its Group Managing Director, Mr. Paul Gbededo, said the transaction, comprising the sale of shares and the repayment of loans is structured in two tranches — with the first tranche payable during first quarter of 2015 and the second tranche due no later than 29th February, 2016, and expected to generate a total net cash inflow into the company’s operations ranging between N47 billion and N55 billion in the next 15 months, depending mainly on the effective dates of payment and the prevailing dollar/naira exchange rate at that time.

He stated that the valuation agreed for Unicem as the basis for the transaction was consistent with its fair market value and the valuation achieved for Unicem in a previous transaction this year.

NASD approves Dufil Prima, Accorn Petroleum for trading

N

ASD OTC Plc, the promot er of a trading network that eases secondary market trading of all securities of unquoted public companies in Nigeria, has approved the admission of ordinary shares of Dufil Prima and Accorn Petroleum for trading on its platform.

The admission of both companies has brought the number of unquoted securities tradable on the NASD OTC platform to 19 (nineteen).

Dufil Prima Foods Plc is the owner of the Indomie Noodles brand and possibly holds over 50 per cent of the noodles market.

Unilever launches new product

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S part of its commitment to improving the quality of life, Unilever Nigeria Plc has launched its Sunlight Dish Washing Liquid into the Nigerian market.

According to a statement by the company, the product which is available in four pack sizes, provides superior degreasing benefits even for the toughest oil stains and is also affordable for households where cheap proxy products like sand, ash and detergent powder are used for dish washing.

Globally, the company said, the product ranks among the number one dish washing liquid, known for its superior benefits, adding that it aims to continue that tradition with this launch. The company also stated that it has built and recently commissioned a liquids factory in Agbara, Ogun State, to support the launch of this product C M Y K

He added that the valuation was also in keeping with multiples achieved in the cement industry in other recent precedent transactions taking place in Africa in 2014.

and is looking to expand its footprint in the household care category in the nearest future.

Speaking on the development, Osato Evbuomwan, Category Manager, Household Care, Unilever Nigeria Plc, said, “Sunlight Dish Washing Liquid has been introduced to make dish washing for women less stressful and time consuming, giving them more time for the things that really matter, like family.

“As a business, we are also committed to developing the market which is why we have introduced pouches, an innovative and more affordable option for those families who may not be able to buy the large bottles.

This will drive conversion of low income consumers from proxy products like sand, ash, bar soap and even detergent powder to a specialised dish washing product that gives much better results.”

The company has 6.75 billion ordinary shares and will open to trade at N9.00 per share.

The company’s shares were introduced by Anchora Investment & Securities Limited.

Accorn Petroleum Plc, on the other hand, is an oil and gas company that trades refined petroleum products in and outside Nigeria.

The company has 2 billion shares and will open for trading at N2.80 per share. The shares were introduced by Meristem Securities Limited.

“By this introduction, shareholders of either company can now trade their holdings in an open, transparent market and can discover market price for their shares. Shareholders of either of these companies can now dematerialize their physical certificates and trade through the NASD OTC platform,” NASD OTC said in a statement.

The intension of the NASD OTC Plc is to stimulate growth in the capital market by easing the capital raising process. It brings together all stakeholders in capital flows to a common environment where interactions are safe, efficient, transparent and appropriately priced.

Operators in the environment include issuers of equity and fixed income instruments, institutional and individual investors, a growing pool of accredited authorised traders and their participating institutions, settlement banks, clearing systems, private equity and venture capital firms with a view to increasing liquidity.

e return to the heading road if consultations had been we used for the first two carried out before the parts of this series so as to concession law was passed by remind us of what we want to the House of Assembly? achieve with the series. Probably not. Do the residents Governor Fashola once consider the current traffic flow indicated that he had any better than the flow before concerns that legal actions the reconstruction? Road from affected property owners construction costs in Nigeria would stop the execution of plus bank interest charges on loans in the region the reof 20% per annum construction of essentially result in the Ozumba road toll charges M b a d i w e , considered to be on Victoria Island to the high side by the Lekki to Epe public. expressway.

The Federal T h i s Government of expressway and Nigeria, FGN, has a the Lekki Phase 4 - y e a r I to Ikoyi link The next reconstruction bridge are the governor programme for the two items of Lagos to Ibadan t r a n s p o r t should expressway to be infrastructure on initiate financed by the FGN which the Lagos designs and S t a t e consultations p r o v i d i n g N50billion in its Government, budgets and with LASG, collects on this loans of N120billion tolls. There have project and put together by the been protests on projects Infrastructure Bank. from residents of for the This arrangement the Lekki peninsula about improvement implies that tolls would be charged these tolls. The of traffic on the Lagos to reconstruction of flows Ibadan expressway the expressway in the not too distant future. started as a concession financed through bank loans Lagos State residents who be using the but during 2014, the LASG has would had to acquire the concession. expressway between Ojota Is the acquisition of the and Ojodu Berger would concession by the LASG not probably have to pay as much influenced largely by the as someone going as far as unfavourable toll levels into Sagamu.

Two weeks ago, this column the future? If Governor Fashola had anticipated public recommended the construction opposition to the tolls, would of the Isheri North River Ogun the project have been started crossing as a toll bridge. The and carried through to where next governor should initiate designs and consultations on it is today?

One bright Saturday this project and on projects for afternoon in May 2014, I the improvement of traffic made a return journey flows in the Lekki Peninsula. between Iponri and a point on We must begin to take into the Lekki expressway about consideration that fact that 8km from the Ajah roundabout there is a price we pay when travelling towards Epe. I spent we fail to execute in good time 5 hours on this journey. My projects that would bring primary impression was that substantial benefits to us.

This past week, there was an traffic flow on this expressway could be improved if bridges announcement on the public were provided to take traffic display of the Environmental above the roundabouts. The Impact Assessment report for question is whether the the construction of buildings, residents of the Lekki bridges, roads, utilities peninsula would be willing to infrastructure on reclaimed pay additional tolls to have land adjacent to Bar Beach, these bridges built or they Lagos otherwise called the would protest that the tolls are Eko Atlantic City. We may have suffocating as they are already. an opportunity to consider this It all comes down to report in the weeks ahead. consultations with the affected Next week, we shall start with residents. Would the residents housing in Lagos State, 2015 have been in favour of a toll and beyond.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014—25

DIARY z Cyber Forensics 2014 Holds in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Nov 17-19, 2014.

z EMC Forum 2014 Eko Hotel, Lagos Nigeria Nov 25, 2014

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Bright lights or dim lights. Tricky scenes are no match for the GALAXY Camera which instantly turns memories into award-winning photography. Just tap Smart Pro Mode and unleash your artistic side.

NITMA AWARDS: From left: Collins Onuegbu, Chief Executive Officer, Signal Alliance, Peter Jack, Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA, Mrs. Karin Uwaje, Chris Uwaje , Founder and Chairman Mobile Software Solutions, receiving software entrepreneur of the 2014 award promoted by the Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria, ISPON, in memory of late Engr Simon Agu from Chairman, House Committee on Information and Communications Technology, Ibrahim Shehu-Gusau at the weekend during the National Information Technology Merit Award organized by the Nigerian Computer Society, NCS. Photo By EMEKA AGINAM

NYSC: How automated registration makes orientation stress-free

BY ADEKUNLE ADEKOYA, General Editor

youths.

The digitalization of registration IGERIA definitely is moving, even process in NYSC orientation camps if it seems that there is no nationwide has brought relief to many movement. It is believed it seems there is corps members who can now register no movement simply because substantial within minutes of entering the camps. and critical operators and institutions in Abiodun Lawal, son of a retired the country are yet to properly key-in to policeman was initially apprehensive the use of ICT as an enabler in whatever that he would “suffer”on a long queue their business is. after a fairly long journey from Lagos Several institutions of higher learning to the camp in Benin City, Edo State. in the country have already With a scowl on his face, he used and are using ICT to trudged with his luggage to manage things; one very good the registration centre at the example is the Rivers State camp, where what turned University of Science & The new out to be a pleasant surprise, Technology under the process allows to his eternal gratitude leadership of Professor awaited him.

Barineme Fakae as vice- corps “I thought I would I would chancellor (see his story in members to spend hours on the Vanguard Learning tomorrow). queue,”Abiodun narrated, Another institution that has be swiftly “but I was surprised because digitalized operations is the processed, registration and allocation of National Youth Service Corps; bed space lasted less than confirmed which leaves one wondering thirty minutes. It was so whether these institutions are and certified easy!” succeeding with ICT because in seconds Abiodun’s experience, their core population are including that of his peers

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I N S I D E C M Y K

Galaxy Note 4: Samsung raises bar in smart phone ecosystem

IT sector grows economy by 11.6% in Q3 of 2014

in orientation camps nationwide indicate how far the use of ICT has helped the NYSC to achieve this time around. Gone are the days of corps members struggling in camps to register and then get their kits before settling to life inside the camp.

An NYSC official of the NYSC at the Kubwa Orientation Camp in Abuja disclosed that many corps members usually fall sick immediately they finish their registration because of the stress they go through.

“Don’t forget that most of them are coming into the camp as freshers and they are exposed to what they were not really used to before. Therefore, the stress of analog registration usually takes its toll on some of them and the next place they visit after registration is the camp clinic because they usually fall sick immediately after. We have seen many cases like that.”

If the NYSC has successfully used ICT to eliminate the stress and difficulties corps members go through while registering at the camps, it is clear that more could be achieved if institutions embrace ICT in managing their operations. Few institutions, relative to the population in Nigeria have so far successfully keyed into this trend, while confirming the appropriateness of such technological advancement in aiding their organizational activities.

The new process allows corps members to be swiftly processed, confirmed and certified in seconds as opposed to the tedious processes of Continues on page 27

26 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014

BY EMEKA AGINAM

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ROM dropped calls, unsolicited commercial text messages to undelivered text messages, poor data service delivery in the country has remained unabated among service providers despite policies and regulations put in place by the regulator.

Just last week during the 76th edition of the Telecom Consumer Parliament held in Lagos with the theme: ‘Data Service Delivery: The Way Forward’., the issue of data was in the front burner.

But for the parliamentarians and the regulatory authorities, except issues affecting improved data service delivery by service providers in the Nigerian information communication technology ecosystem. were resolved urgently, the country’s quest for digital and financial inclusion may be derailed.

In technical parlance, data service is referred to the distribution of internet service on demand to the user regardless of geographic or organizational separation.

At the TCP, the telecoms regulatory authority had summoned all the operators to present to the parliamentarians details of what they have been doing to improve data service delivery.

Meanwhile, the operators shared with the ‘parliamentarians’ their strategies towards solving the issues raised such as consumer education on data usage, engagement of services of more customer care agents, rolling-out consumerfriendly data plan, among others.

But NCC insisted that they must come up with statistics to back up their claims.

Complaint Management Database Already, the NCC’s Complaint Management Database (CMD) showed that the prevalent consumer complaints on Data Service Delivery included inability to browse; abnormal depletion of data; unsuccessful data renewal and unauthorized service renewal.

During the period of July to October 2014, figures recorded on data service delivery complaints show that only Airtel recorded zero customer complaints in the month of July with MTN, Etisalat, and Glo recording 41.47%, 41.67 and 8.33% respectively.

For the month of August, according to the Commission, the telecos recorded the following percentage of complaints; MTN (63%), Etisalat (9.09%), Airtel (9.09%) and Glo (9.09%), while in September they recorded MTN (10%), Etisalat (40%), Airtel (10%) and Glo (30%).

Also in October, the operators recorded complaints as MTN led with (42.86%), Etisalat (14.28%), Airtel (21.43%) and Glo (14.25).

Concerns mount over poor data service delivery by operators zAs NCC harps on 3G-enabled devices for financial inclusion Although service providers at the forum assured parliamentarians on improved quality of service, the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Dr. Eugene Juwah expressed dissatisfaction on the level of data service delivery by the operators.

He said that it has become more worrisome the kind of services most service providers sell to their subscribers, all in the name of 3G. Pay more attention to data Urging the operators to promote the use of data by encouraging the use of smart phones, he told the gathering that improved data delivery owing to the auctioning of more spectrum to telecommunications’ companies would soon result to shrinking of many bank branches across the nation.

3G devices for financial inclusion While harping on the use 3G enabled devices for financial inclusion, Juwah disclosed that there would be more financial inclusion if more Nigerians embrace smart phones .

According to NCC EVC, with the improvement in data services from the telecoms service providers as well as the effort of the NCC in enhancing broadband penetration,

consumer complaints on Data Service Delivery. These include:Inability to Browse, Abnormal Depletion of Data, Unsuccessful Data Renewal and Unauthorized Service renewal,”.

•Juwah university students will soon be taking lectures from their mobile phones rather than from the traditional classroom.

He also said that the mechanic on the road would be able to make transaction through a smart phone without having to go the banking hall if data service was improved among service providers. Mrs. Maryam Bayi, Director, Consumer Affairs Bureau of the NCC, while

urging the operators to improve on data delivery said that, “Data Services are able to eliminate redundancy and streamline costs. This is because critical data is housed in one location, enabling data to be accessed and/ or updated by multiple users. while ensuring a single point of reference for updates.

“Sourcing from our Complaint Management Database, we have compiled the most prevalent

Operators speak Meanwhile, service providers at the forum including MTN Airtel, Globacom, Etisalat and Visaphone assured that they were working actively to improve on consumers complaints. The Consumer Manager, Airtel, Mr Ibe Nwandu while speaking before the parliamentarians on their effort to improve quality of service said that their network had established an anti-spam network with which customers could activate the do-not-disturb option and consequently receive no message.

For Mr Wale Goodluck, MTN’s Corporate Service Executive, MTN had introduced a data fair where customers were educated on switching off data that they did not subscribe to, thereby saving their credit.

On unsolicited text messages, he said that MTN has been able to tackle the issue of customers receiving messages at ungodly hours. “MTN has put in place measures to tackle unsolicited messages at an ungodly hour,” he said.

PAN AFRICAN PRIZE FOR INNOVATION:

Etisalat supports two innovative Nigerian youths with $35,000

By PRINCE OSUAGWU (Just back from Cape Town, South Africa)

T

WO Nigerian youths, Messrs Anthony Oniwon and Abdulganiyu Onabanjo were the cynosure of all eyes, Wednesday week, Night in Cape Town as they carted away a whopping $35, 000, approximately, N6 million, as winners of Etisalat Pan-African Prize for Innovation 2014.

Etisalat used the opportunity of the AfricaCom Awards Gala Dinner which rounded off this year ’s AfricaCom Conference, at the Cape Town International Conference Centre Nov 11-13 to present the prizes.

Oniwon created and developed Exam mate solution, an Exam preparatory programme for JAMB candidates, designed to reduce the failure rate in JAMB examinations. The application, according to Etisalat, rated highest among others considered in the Most Innovative Product or Service category of the award and therefore merited the coveted Prize of $25,000- over N4million, while Onabanjo’s Interactive Media Interface Design (IMID), a remote communication interface for GPRS-enabled pre-paid meters, ranked top in the Most Innovative Idea

encouraging and celebrating valuable innovation in the African market. The Award is in its third edition.

Rawa expressed pleasure that the competition was beginning to inspire local software developers and ingenious people to create innovative and relevant mobile broadband products and services that can make a positive impact on the aggregate African economy. “At Etisalat, we see ourselves as a young and innovative company, setting the pace for others in the telecommunications industry.

Therefore we are glad to see that the Etisalat Pan-African Prize for Innovation is spurring young people across Africa to be creative” he said. Beneficiaries of the Prize, The Anthony Oniwon and Abdulganiyu Onabanjo both commended Etisalat for introducing the award. They expressed confidence that the Prize will not only empower them to accomplish their dreams and Africa Prize for Innovation Winners: From left, bring their ideas to life but will Anthony Oniwon, left, winner of $25,000 and also inspire other companies to Abdulganiyu Onabanjo, winner of $10,000 show off their reach out to young entrepreneurs awards at the event. and innovators. category and also deserved the top prize of N$10,000 – approximately N1.7 million. Presenting the Awards, Etisalat Nigeria’s Director, Consumer Segment, Oluwole Rawa and his colleague Adia Sowho, Head Digital Media, described the award initiative as Etisalat’s way of

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014 — 27

More states to hook on SMILE broadband services

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mile Communications, the 4G/LTE broadband service provider, said it is targeting many other states of the federation other than the four, Oyo, Lagos, Portharcourt and Abuja where its services are available at the moment.

Chief Marketing Officer of the company, Mrs. Alero Ladipo hinted this at a recent press parley in Lagos. Ladipo revealed that the next phase of rollout will cover Benin City, Abeokuta, Enugu, Owerri, Kaduna, Kano and Jos. According to her, the company would be able to cover 13 states and 60 communities by the end of 2015. She expressed hope that the most important thing is to rollout in strategic states, from where other states could be connected to the service.

While thanking customers for believing in Smile Communications because of its rich potentials in delivering fast internet service, Ladipo assured Nigerian customers of better customer experience always. She said the company would continue to drive its corporate social responsibility programmes in every community where it operates, because of its passion for customer satisfaction.

According to her, the company has 50 public schools on its network in Ibadan and Lagos, that it supplies free internet service to boost education in the communities.

Micro Station opens retail outlet in Sango-Ota

P

hones and telecommunication trading company, Micro Station, has attributed its recent expansion drive to the quest to serve its numerous customers better. The company recently opened a retail outlet at Sango-Ota area of Ogun state, saying it was to properly capture the needs of its growing customers in the area.

The company, said that the Sango-Ota outlet, would be unveiled to the public in a matter of weeks.

The company, has embarked on an aggressive branch network expansion, which will take it to as close as the doorstep of every discerning individual that desires quality mobile devices at a time when Nigeria’s mobile telecoms industry is awash with fake and substandard products.

Managing Director, Micro Station, Mrs. Tinuola Coutroupis, said “the choice of Ota was because of its sprawled space road network with ample parking space for our customer’s convenience.

By Prince Osuagwu

D

ifferent reports have indicated that Nigeria’s trust on the security of public cloud, rates far lower than countries such as South Africa and Kenya which benchmarks Nigeria in technological growth.

What this means is that even the impressive penetration of cloudbased businesses in the country, only probably rests on private cloud.

The danger however is that private clouds lie in silos and may not provide the solid ratings that can propel an economy to take advantage of the much anticipated Internet of Everything, IoE, expected to drive economies of great nations, just a few years away.

Internet of everything refers to a technology regime when machines could not only connect machines, but connect to people and people to things. It will be a time when machines will interact with each other and take decisions,

Or acle ffinger inger oadband in Oracle ingerss cos costt of br broadband Nigeria’s low trust on public cloud

… as Accenture advances cause for digital transformation cars, gates and things like flowers, in order to enhance living.

Internet of Everything has been predicted to generate revenue over $19 trillion to the world economy in 2020 from about the 50 billion things it is capable of connecting within that same time.

Those who play catch up to this regime may lose out in that juicy pie and public cloud has been described as direct link to connecting CELEBRATING CENTENARY OF ICT: Chairman into this new OpenMedia, Dr. Ernest Ndukwe presenting the dawn.

Meanwhile, award “Premier ICT Officer of the Federation” to Nigeria’s Minister of Communications C o u n t r y Technology, Dr. Omobola Johnson at the ICT D i r e c t o r , O r a c l e Centenary Awards in Abuja, recently.

Nigeria,

interact with people in order to improve services and cause the interaction of people with their televisions, refrigerators,

NYSC: Automated registration makes orientation stress-free Continues from page 25 filling multiple registration forms and standing on queues for hours. In many instances in the past, not all corps members are able to complete registration the day they arrive camp.

NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Johnson Olawumi, during a visit to the camp in Kubwa, Abuja expressed satisfaction at the clockwork easy with which registration was proceeding, while commending the registration team at the camp. General Olawumi, started a nationwide tour of NYSC camps with the Kubwa camp to ensure effectiveness of the automated registration process was impressed that it was going very well, fast and convenient for corps members and staff of the scheme as well.

“This digital registration is going very well. It is fast and convenient for staff and corps members. This is the first time the hall will be empty by the second day. But we will continue to modernize and improve our processes.

Registration used to take two days with a lot of stress. Now it is a matter of seconds. My dream is to improve further so that when corps members arrive camps, their rooms and kits are already assigned based on prior information.”

He also added that this is the first time the registration hall will be empty by the second day of camp resumption, while also assuring Nigerians that the NYSC would continue to modernize and improve the processes.

As at the time of his visit to the Kubwa camp on Monday, more than 2,500 of the expected 2.700 corps members for the November batch had already completed their registration process and settled into their accommodation.

FCT coordinator of the NYSC, Alao Olanipekun, also attested to the goal of the NYSC towards ensuring convenience for the corps members and allowing for efficiency in such activities. He added that even pregnant

corps members are also benefiting from the new system as it allows them a shorter period to go through the registration process while they can now wait to receive a short message prompt confirming the status of their registration.

“When I served in the 83/84 service year, it used to be excruciating and stressful. But now registration is seamless, fast and enjoyable.

Let me also inform you that there is adequate security at the camp with fully-armed soldiers and checkpoints.”

The digitalization of the registration process at NYSC camps across the country was one move that was long overdue. A couple of months back, the scheme announced that it would be charging a sum of N4,000 for prospective corps members that would like to download their call-up letters online. Before, prospective corps awaiting mobilization always had to go to schools where they finished to pick up their call-up letters there.

However, the NYSC devised a means whereby the call-up letters could be downloaded online where the prospective corps member could register, complete with biometrics.

However, this idea met with considerable criticism as many Nigerians felt the N4,000 fee being charged for the service was on the high side even if majority of them agreed that it was a brilliant idea on its own. The speed with which registration is being done at various camps across the country has vindicated the NYSC concerning its decision to digitise its operations. While those who did not take the option of downloading their callup letters online still registered online, the digitilisation idea has benefitted every corps member that reported for camping. And that is why the fears of the likes of Kehinde Oladele turned out to be unfounded.

Adebayo Sanni has fingered high cost of broadband, low resources, poor skill and security as part of reasons why organizations seem to rely more on private cloud than public which has the potential of aggregating businesses and expose them for global access.

Sanni at this year ’s Oracle day with the theme “Digital Disruption, How Successful Organisations will Transform and Thrive” at Eko Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, said that having discovered this huge gap, his company has designed a more flexible payment plan for organizations in private cloud but wishing to integrate into the public cloud.

He revealed that Oracle has partnered many state governments in Nigeria and are working towards using technology to support some of their infrastructure and policy making machineries to enable them have a proper egovernment outlook.

In same vein Oracles pledges to help telecom operators in Nigeria know how to properly analyse their data to be able to remain afloat now that voice revenue drops.

Accenture preaches digital transformation Also at the event, Oracle Alliance Lead, Accenture, Mr. Olatunde Olajide, noted that in any given revolution enabled by technology socio-economic, political and business life of a nation advance .

Olajide said that technology has engendered a new thinking where emphasis lies on data, new sources of value: attention, identity, reputation, social graph, machine intelligence, robots, genetic modeling, new buyer values, change in control points and a winner takes all phenomena. For him, the digital disruption has led to new types of competition among countries, changes in concepts of employment, approaches to work, privacy and identity concerns as well as educational learning pattern with the help of the Internet.

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No egos in Bafana squad – Tefu T

efu Mashamaite says that Bafana Bafana’s turn around in fortunes is down to the camaraderie that has been fostered in team by coach “Shakes” Mashaba.

The team is preparing to take on African champions Nigeria in their final 2015 Afcon qualifier. South Africa have already qualified for the tournament but Mashamaite says that Mashaba will not allow his side to be complacent in the match.

“Coach Shakes won’t let us be lackadaisical or relax,” Mashamaite told The Star. “We still have a job to do and he will want us to do it professionally, that’s the kind of coach he is.”

Mashamaite, well aware of the side’s underperformance in recent years, attributed the turn around to team unity.

“Ours has always been about team unity. I don’t know if this is the right thing to say, but this is a group of no-name players. There are no egos in this squad.”

Tefu Mashamaite says that Bafana Bafana’s turn around in fortunes is down to the camaraderie that has been fostered in team by coach “Shakes” Mashaba.

The team is preparing to take on African champions Nigeria in their final 2015 Afcon qualifier. South Africa have already qualified for the tournament but Mashamaite says that Mashaba will not allow his side to be complacent in the match.

•Keshi

Akanni charges Eagles to ‘kill’ Bafana Bafana ormer Nigeria international F Waidi Akanni has charge , for their 2-0 defeat of the Red d Devils the Super of Co

Eagles to rem ngo in Point focused and deliver the ain Noire last Saturday and said Af co n tic ke t to the 2015 the de cis ion to rei ns tat e tee mi ng fan s wh o ir Ste ph en Ke sh i ha s ha ve rem ain ed yielded positive result. steadfast in their “With this victory over belief in the team.

Congo, the Nigerian Akanni expressed team has showed it confidence in the has the pedigree to tea m to be at compete with the Group A leaders, be st on the So uth Afr ica in continent. Though tod ay ’s the qualifying series fin al qualifying match in has not gone the Uyo, saying, “It is wa y ev ery on e tim e for the expected, Nigerian team making it to show that to the •Akanni the y are f i n a l African woul eventually make everyo d champions by delivering ne the ha pp y at the en d.” He AF CO N tic ke t be ca us e we com cannot afford to be specta mended the Stephen tors Keshi when the tournament holds -led technical crew for Equatorial Guinea next yea in also bringing out a winning Akanni commended the Ea r.” formula against the boastful gles Cong olese.

‘We must do everything’ t qualify – Kes qualify D

efending champions Nigeria will lead several top teams today including four-time winners Ghana and the Ivory Coast in a final bid to qualify for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea. The Super Eagles got their tottering campaign back on track at the weekend in Pointe-Noire, beating hosts Republic of Congo to cancel out a 3-2 shock home loss in

September.

Nigeria, second in Group A with seven poi will bid to beat group winners South Afr Akwa Ibom International Stadium in Uyo next year’s continental showpiece. “It w against a very determined Congo side, bu

Anambra’s disabled peoples’ home begs for support VOL. 1 NO 12

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014

PAGE 3

A railway bridge undergoing rehabilitation.

BY FRANCIS IGATA

E

NUGU—THE people of the south east are worried over the delay in the completion of the Eastern rail line in spite of several promises by the ruling federal administration that the project would be completed to fasttrack economic growth within the region.

Successive administrations in the country since independence had made futile efforts to revamp the ailing rail sector and place the country ’s economy on the road map of growth, which had remained largely a bottomless-pit that had guzzled billions of tax-payers fund.

President Goodluck Jonathan had in 2010, awarded contract for the rehabilitation of the eastern line to ESER West Africa with a completion period of 12 months.

However, four years after, the story has not changed as work on the rail line was still progressing at snail speed.

Only last week, the Chairman of Nigeria Railway Corporation, NRC, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, was in Enugu State, headquarters of

the eastern district of the NRC, on an inspection tour of of rail lines in the district.

South East Voice was also present on the occasion and discovered that the railway workers had lost confidence

Chairman of Nigeria Railway Corporation, NRC, Alhaji Bamanga Turkur (left), during the facility tour.

Delay in rehabilitation of eastern rail lines worries residents, stakeholders in the ability of ESER West Africa’s to deliver the project on schedule and to their satisfaction.

Union leader laments The Chairman, Nigeria Union of Railwaymen, NUR, Innocent Orji-Kalu told Tukur who was accompanied on the visit by the NRC Managing Director, Mr. Adeseyi Sijiwuade that, “the inability of the Federal Government to complete the rehabilitation of

the rail line which started from Port-Harcourt to Igede in Benue State has brought untold hardship to the people, wondering why the contractor handling the project had been unable to complete the job.

His words: “It is quite disheartening to note that the contractor was yet to complete the job having been on it in the last three years.

“Without question, the work is at snail speed, most of the areas claimed to have been

ALSO IN THIS EDITION Motorists, commuters groan over failed federal roads in S-East C M Y K

— PAGE 2

When kidnappers went ‘nuclear' in Imo

— PAGE 5

President Goodluck Jonathan had in 2010, awarded contract for the rehabilitation of the eastern line to ESER West Africa with a completion period of 12 months

done were shabbily executed.

Examples abound at Ameke and Port Harcourt. We are calling for total revocation of this contract. ‘’There is urgent need to employ new workers in large scale in the eastern district. Other districts such as Ibadan, Zaria, Minna and Lagos have employed over 500 workers each.

The teeming unemployed youths should be engaged in the services of the corporation to drive home the transformation agenda of President Jonathan.

Other facilities

“We want our clinic at Port Harcourt to be fully equipped and upgraded.

Continues on page 3

2— Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014

ANAMBRA

South East ginger growers storm Anambra, canvass increased productivity

BY NWABUEZE OKONKWO NITSHA—IN line with its avowed determination to increase ginger production as a potential money yielding cash crop and at the same time, create awareness on its medicinal value, ginger producers, under the platform of South East Ginger Growers Union, have stormed Amaeze square, Mgbakwu, Awka North Local Government Area, Anambra State to brainstorm on the way forward.

Speaking at the square where rural women gathered for a one-day seminar on ginger value and need for increased productivity entitled: “Empowering Rural Women For Better Tomorrow”, organized by Women Academics In Agriculture Multipurpose Cooperation Society Limited, Awka North branch, the South East president of the growers, Udoka Anosike vowed that with the concerted efforts of the cooperative society led by Dr. Ebenebe Cordelia, Sub-dean, Faculty of Agriculture, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, UNIZIK, Awka, a demonstration ginger farm would be established in Mgbakwu by next year.

According to him, the Federal Government would be made to sponsor two hectares of land for such a project, hinting that already ginger milling/smashing machines have been installed at Mbaitoli Imo State with the hope that such would be installed at the Mgbakwu farm.

In his lecture, the secretary of the South East Growers, Darieponary Okwaji, hinted that because of the increased demand and its financial value, growers of Indian hemp in Abie in Delta State, have changed produce from Indian hemp to ginger.

His words: “You know that it is in Delta State that you have the largest Indian hemp farms in Nigeria, they produce it because of the huge money value but today they have left it for ginger production which gives more money.”

He urged participants to embark on massive ginger production for both medicinal and financial gain, adding that out of the two ginger species, G.U one which is yellow in

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colour and G.U two which is black in colour, the yellow one promotes the market more by yielding more profit.

He said: “Ginger grows anywhere and takes care of itself even if you don’t want to take care of it. But for better growth, just add waste materials from animals to the soil where you cultivate it and you see it grow fine.

“It can be used as spice, for pharmaceutical, tea, beer, juice among others. It was founded in South East Asia, grown in South Africa and now more prominently produced in South East Nigeria.”

Earlier, the President of the

From left: Members of the South East Ginger Growers Union with Secretary and President of Women Academics Cooperative Society.

Woman Academics Cooperative Society, Dr. Cordelia, revealed that a large expanse of land has been procured at Mbaukwu to help rural women in agricultural produce especially ginger, stating that they promised the seller of the land that it would be used for such a purpose.

In his remark, the director of cooperative society in the state, Mr. Thankgod Okoli, said that government wanted to use cooperative societies to boost the economy and urged the organizers of the seminar not to relent in their efforts.

Contributing, the Chief Executive Officer of the

cooperative society, Mrs. Ifeoma Nwankwo, Felicia Nwankwo, Mrs. Okeke E.C. President of Abia Growers Association, Ezinna Damian, Ohamuo Nwoke and Dr. Ogbunugafor Henrietta, stressed the need for massive production to help the economy grow.

Motorists, commuters groan over failed federal roads in S-East

By ANAYO OKOLI

U

MUAHIA—THE lamentations by motorists and road users plying the Umuahia-Ikot Ekpene federal road have continued as the condition of the road is worsening by the day.

Also the fate of users of the Okigwe-Umuahia portion of the Enugu-Port Harcourt

Road is not better as one lane of the road has completely been abandoned.

Though some work is ongoing on one of the lanes by Setraco, a construction firm, the other lane has been completely abandoned as it is full of craters. The Aba-Ikot Ekpene Road is also in very deplorable condition even as nothing is being done on it.

An Uyo-based trader, John

A failed federal road among many others in South East.

Okorie, who comes to Aba regularly to purchase his wares, said: “Our business has gone down. It is difficult for us to come to Aba these days to purchase goods because of the bad road and when our customers come and don’t see these things they leave.”

For the Umuahia-Ikot Ekpene Road, life has been very rough for the communi-

ties who live along the route as some of them now lose some portions of their land to motorists who create artificial routes to continue their journey.

The entire stretch of the road, from Ndioru to Ariam, a neighbouring community in Akwa Ibom State can best be described as full of death traps. The measures taken by the Abia State government few months ago to ameliorate the suffering of the people have since collapsed.

FERMA, a Federal Government owned agency charged with the maintenance of roads is absent on these roads.

Worried by the level of deplorable condition of federal roads in the South East, particularly those that transverse Abia State, the Chief Olisa Metu-led Publicity and Evaluation Committee set up by the ruling PDP recently threatened to invite the WorkS Minster, Mike Onolememen to see what can be done urgently to save the people of the zone.

The committee lamented the condition of roads in the zone, saying that they deserve urgent attention as the people of the South East deserved good roads.

According to Metu, though some of the federal roads in the zone were under reconstruction, there were still more work to be done in that sector.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014—3

Anambra’s disabled peoples’ home begs for support

Inmates of the rehabilitation centre.

BY VINCENT UJUMADU

A

W K A — T H E Rehabilitation Centre for the Disabled, Old and Tramps, RECDOT, Ozubulu in Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State is one place that requires the attention of good spirited Nigerians to ensure the sustenance of the physically challenged people whose lives depend on the mercy of donors.

RECDOT was established on December 27, 1999 and commissioned by Most Rev. Martin Igwemezie Uzochukwu, the Catholic Bishop of Minna Diocese and Mrs. Nnenne Mbadinuju, the wife of the then governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chinwoke Mbadinuju that same year.

The centre presently has 160 inmates who, by the nature of their ailments, cannot ordinarily fend for themselves.

Though the director of the centre, Mrs. Rosemary Odunukwe has devoted her life to see that the inmates were fed three times a day, it is still difficult to have enough

Another physically challenged person at the centre. food items there. There is also the problem of taking care of the medical needs of the inmates and providing facilities for those who could learn some trades to enable them fend for themselves and contribute to the sustenance of the centre.

Essentially, the centre is

targeted at bringing God’s love to the needy by not only providing them with basic needs of life, but to also give them formal and vocational training as their abilities permit because of the belief that there is ability in disability.

According to Odunukwe,

the desire to remove children from the streets so as to give them the love of a mother was what motivated the founding fathers of the centre.

She said: “We began with the adoption of an abandoned child who was left in a refuse dump.

“Touched by what might be

Delay in rehabilitation of eastern...

Continues from page 1 It is quite disheartening to note that railway workers at Port Harcourt do not enjoy the benefits of the National Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS. “It has come to the knowledge of the union that there is yearly budgetary allocation for training and re-training of workers, but surprisingly, workers have not benefitted from this exercise in the last four years and even those who attended the last one four years ago were not paid their entitlements.”

Giving credence to the union leader ’s position, the Chairman, Senior Staff Association, Communication, Transport and

Corporations, SSACTAC, Mr Ralph Ochubelu said: “It has been observed with dismay, the long awaited track rehabilitation going on in the eastern district. The work has lasted beyond its expectation. We therefore implore the management of NRC to show concern in the ongoing track rehabilitation in eastern line as the workers and entire good people of South-South and South-East are eagerly waiting for the commencement of train services in the eastern district.”

Bamanga Tukur responds

Reacting to an emotionally charged audience, the board chairman, Alhaji

Turkur said: “Your concerns have been noted. I will redouble efforts to ensure that the issues you raised are looked into in a timely manner. “

District Manager speaks

The Railway District Manager, RDM, Mr. Donatus Ogbodo later told South East Voice in his office that, the bane of the project was the bureaucratic nature of administration in the country. “If funds are not released on time due to office protocol, it will definitely delay a contract which was signed for 12 months to this period,” he said.

the cause of such inhumanity, we gathered a team of likeminded persons and together we commenced what many initially considered the impossible by taking children and youths off the streets and accepting those whose cases were considered extremely bad or abnormal so as to carter for them through proper reorientation and re-integrating them into the society that originally had no place for persons with such disability.”

She said the mission of the centre is basically to give meaning to the physically challenged and vulnerable orphans by creating a new environment and a fulfilled life for the street beggars in the society in such a way that they would have self confidence, believe in themselves and their ability to contribute positively to the growth and development of the society.

South East Voice recalls that when the centre took off 15 years ago, many parents and guardians took their wards to the place and abandoned them. Initially, the habit led to the stretching of the facilities, necessitating an appeal by the management for people to assist in expanding the facilities.

Luckily, many people responded such that the centre has put in place workshops for skills acquisition of various kinds.

A board member of the centre, Professor Amobi Ilika, who was a former commissioner for health in Anambra State, expressed happiness that the problems were gradually being overcome.

Many Nigerians had indeed written their names in gold in an effort to upgrade the facilities at the centre, though Ilika added that there is still so much to be done and called on Nigerians to continue to come to the aid of the centre.

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ANAMBRA

SON sets March 2015 date for markets, factories' raids over substandard products

SON Director General, Dr. Joseph Odumodu, during a briefing.

... storms Onitsha, Awka to sensitize traders, manufacturers

BY NWABUEZE OKONKWO

O

NITSHA—AFTERMATH of forthnight’s clamping down on some factories suspected to be producing substandard goods in various parts of Anambra State, the Standard Organization of Nigeria, SON, for two consecutive days stormed Onitsha, the commercial nerve centre of the state and Awka, the state capital to sensitize the residents and traders at a workshop on the need to avoid producing and selling substandard products.

The sensitization campaign tagged, “Save the Nation, Shun Substandard Products”, attracted traders from the various markets in the state, including Electrical market, New tyres market, Electronics market, Onitsha Main market, Building materials market, block industries and cement dealers for both the Onitsha and Awka seminars.

Addressing participants, Dr. Joseph Odumodu, President, African Regional Organization for Standardization/DirectorGeneral of SON, said it was a national sensitization workshop for National Association of Nigeria Traders and block moulders.

Odumodu who warned that dealers when caught would be prosecuted and their shops/companies sealed, disclosed that SON would commence raids and clampdown on substandard products by March 2015.

He therefore urged the traders and manufacturers to always avoid substandard products because of its negative effect, adding that the sensitization was also to stress the need to report dealers on fake products to SON to help move the country forward.

Commending SON on the exercise, Chief Sunday Ezenwobi, who is the C M Y K

Chairman of New tyres market, Nkpor, said that SON has come to sanitize Nigerian markets and urged the people

to abide by what SON said.

He said: “In India, for instance, you cannot find a foreigner selling products but

here in Nigeria it happens.

What SON is doing through this kind of dialogue is good and that is why they are

achieving what other organizations like them were not able to achieve.”

FRSC turns out first graduates at Udi Academy U

DI—UDI, the hometown of Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State, was last week agog as the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, Academy located in the copmmunity made history by turning out the first batch of graduates.

It was the graduation ceremony of course participants of the World Bank sponsored capacity development programme for middle class officers of the FRSC Academy at Udi, Enugu State.

The symbolic occasion which attracted top brass from sister paramilitary agencies

like, Civil Defence Corps, Prisons etc, was well celebrated by the south east governors especially that of Anambra and Enugu states.

Although the host governor, Chime was absent but the state deputy governor, Reverend Raphael Nwoye, was on hand to actually express the feeling of the state government in seeing to the success recorded by the Academy, which dream was mooted over 19 years ago.

On his part, the Secretary to the Anambra State Government, Mr. Oseloka Obaze, who stood in for Gov-

Cross section of FRSC officials and others at the event.

ernor Willie Obiano expressed his joy this way, “I wish to acknowledge that the establishment of the FRSC Academy within the SouthEast automatically gives states of this zone the advantage of being within the Academy’s catchment area.

“The Corps Marshal and Chief Executive, it is with high sense of honour that I received the invitation to attend this programme. I wish to convey to you the best wishes of our government and the good people of Anambra State.

“As you are aware, Anambra

is a road traffic friendly state that appreciates the subregional and global efforts at curbing the senseless mayhem witnessed on world’s roads especially in the underdeveloped parts of the world.

We are not perfect, but we are working very hard to curb the accident mortality rate on the roads.

“The performance of FRSC has encouraged many states including ours to buy into the national road safety project through the establishment of state road traffic agencies to complement the efforts of the FRSC as the lead agency.

“As a government, we have gone a step further to be the first state government to send the staff of its road traffic agency to the FRSC Academy for professional training. This is a demonstration of our confidence in the professional disposition of the Corps. Similarly, we have partnered with FRSC state command and provided funding for in-house training of government drivers.

So far we have held two such courses, and the training for the third stream of drivers is being planned.”

The Corps Marshal and Chief Executive of the FRSC, Boboye Oyeyemi noted that the “moral and logistics and strategic support of the Enugu State Gover nor, Sullivan Chime remain outstanding.”

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014—5

EBONYI

When kidnappers went ‘nuclear' in Imo The rockets and dynamites recovered by the police.

BY CHIDI NKWOPARA

O

WERRI—NOVEMBER 12, 2014, was like any other work day in the life of judiciary workers in Imo State. The prison authorities brought remanded suspects in the usual manner. Lawyers and their clients were equally seen in the High Court premises in their numbers.

The scenario changed when Justice Paschal Nnadi arrived. He quickly sent for the Court Clerk. The message he passed through the Court Clerk was that all matters slated for the day stood adjourned, except two. While one of the matters was fixed for ruling, the other was the continuation of hearing in a criminal matter, registered as suit number HOW/58c/2012.

This raised some level of curiosity among those present.

Not long after, a police patrol vehicle drove into the court premises. The man that led the team was the head of the Surveillance Squad, Owerri Urban Police Division, Mr. Cyprian Obu, who was corporately dressed.

It was not unusual to see armed policemen being ferried in their patrol vans, even into court premises.

Their presence did not quite strike the right chord until they opened the tail board of their vehicle and offloaded

some of the lethal content of the vehicle. This quickly attracted the attention of people but nobody could place the story behind the huge armament, until Mr. Obu, an assistant superintendent of police, ASP, started giving evidence in a kidnap case.

Obu started by stunning the Imo State High Court presided over by Justice Paschal Nnadi, as he narrated how a defence lawyer (names withheld) in the kidnap case wanted to kill the case.

He also told the court that the lawyer promised to give him whatever he wanted, if only he would play a role in scuttling the efforts of the prosecution.

“A defence lawyer in this matter (names withheld) traced me to my office, promising to pay anything, if I help to free his client. My life is threatened. I have been receiving funny visits and calls. I am here to tell the court all I know in this matter. I will be forced to defend myself if any lawyer ever makes the mistake of visiting me again in connection with the matter”, Obu told the court.

Reacting to the report, an obviously stunned Justice Nnadi described the report as “shocking”, adding that the lawyer knows he would be in trouble if the matter gets to the appropriate quarters.

When the hearing resumed, Mr. Obu, who doubled as the second prosecution witness, PW2, gave the names of the suspected kidnappers as Gift Jaja, 19, Amaefule Martins, 38, Chigozie Nwanguma, 28, Frankline Maduforo, 22, Chidi Obiajunwa, 28, and Young Chidiadi Anyatonwu, 35.

Led in evidence by Assistant Director of Public Prosecution, Mr. Kevin Nwokorie, the PW2,

I have been getting funny visits and calls. I am here to tell the court all I know in this matter.

gave a list of items recovered from the home of Martin Amaefule.

“These included one AK 47 rifle number 8260 with its double, fully loaded magazines of live ammunition, 47 fully loaded magazine of live amunition, two fully loaded assault rifle magazines of live ammunition, eight empty AK 47 rifle magazines, one rocket launcher gun, 10-charm bullet proof vests, five dynamites with its 10 propellers, a vehicle number plate AE 802 SSM, two Zenith Bank Plc cheques, 53664625 and 52664627, as well as 131 AK 47 rounds of ammunition”, Obu recounted.

Answering a question, the ASP told the court that the suspects kidnapped one Chidiebere Ude and collected N4.7 million ransom, as well as stole his vehicle.

He also gave a graphic account of how the suspects were arrested and how their statements were recorded. Obu equally narrated how one of the suspects led the police to where guns, dynamites, rockets, rocket launchers and the other lethal weapons were kept. All the exhibits were properly marked by the court.

Justice Nnadi also ordered the police to detonate the live bombs, as well as keep in their custody, all the other exhibits.

Hearing continues.

REACH US DO you have any news of neglect or abandoned projects or your representative at the local, state or federal governments are not representing you well?

Do you have unique cultural activities coming up or any community news to tell us?

Emeka Mamah (Co-ordinator): 08033218645 Austin Ogwuda(Enugu): 08037136440 Francis Igata 08033387069 Vincent Ujumadu(Awka): 08035804090 Anayo Okoli(Umuahia): 08034046839 Chidi Nkwopara(Imo): 08033391108 Peter Okutu (Abakaliki): 08032680756 Chinenyeh Ozor (Nsukka): 08185664011 Nwabueze Okonkwo (Nnewi): 08037794782 Enyim Enyim (Onitsha): 08169297179 Or: e-mail us: easternvoice@yahoo.com C M Y K

6 —Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014

ENUGU

BY FRANCIS IGATA ENUGU

E

NUGU—THE prevailing unemployment situation in Enugu State has primed the teeming unemployed youths in the state as willing tools for thuggery and political praisesinging ahead of the 2015 general elections.

Enugu State is not known to have any functional industry where most of its youths are meaningfully employed even as most of them are graduates of tertiary institutions with several of them available in the state.

Investigation by South East Voice showed that the handful of Small Medium Enterprises, SMEs, struggling to spring up in the state were grappling with double taxation from the various tax agencies in the state just even as electricity and good roads among amenities were lacking.

A visit to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, secretariat in the metropolis revealed that most of these youths in their mid twenties, clad mostly in customized Tshirts, lay siege on politicians who visit the party office for one business or the other to sing their praises and collect stipends from them.

Armed with trumpets, wooden gongs and other musical instruments, the youths swoop on anybody coming into the secretariat calling them all sorts names flattery names. Well known faces are prayed for by the youths who ask God to remove anything that would block their ways including their opponents.

Politicians who mostly visit the secretariat either to purchase or return their nomination and interest forms are subjected to so much stress that they end up parting with some money to free themselves from the crowd.

However, each time such politicians or government officials throw some cash at the crowd, they abandon them and start fighting over the money.

The youths have no treasurer as they share the money each time they get same. It is also the survival of the fittest as those who are physically strong (akpobi) take the lion’s share, leaving the rest with crumbs or whatever pleased them.

Apart from those staying inside the secretariat to sing praises, the bouncers among them block the entrance with street urchins where they make brisk businesses extorting money from anybody entering or going out of the secretariat.

C M Y K

Some of the unemployed youths signing praises for politicians in Enugu.

Unemployed Enugu youths embrace political praise singing, thuggery The tough looking youths create difficulties for such visitors which include journalists, asking them for their own democracy dividends.

A youth weeps

In a chat with one of the youths who simply identified himself as Uche, he said,”I graduated from the Enugu State University of Science

and Technology, ESUT, in 2008. I was one of the Songhai trainees that went for six months course on modern agriculture at Benin Republic.

“We were promised automatic employment at the end of the exercise but here we are; nothing. We waited with baited breath for enrollment in the Enugu State agricultural sector until it dawned on us that the

scheme was a hoax.

“I formed the band group with four of my friends to cash-in on the political activities at the moment to make brisk money. That’s why we anchor here daily waiting for them. The praises we sing to them is to get them drop money for us. Everything here is make believe. We do not know many of them, so the praises are not genuine at all.

“Politicians love praises and that’s the only way you can get something from them. I have submitted my CV’s to uncountable organizations in the state but if you do not have strong politicians to back you, you will not get any job.

“The state has no functional industry. The industry here is politics and rumour. That is why you see everybody falling over themselves to join the band wagon.”

My greatest problem is dealing with Osu caste system —Commissioner

BY AUSTIN OGWUDA

E

NUGU—AS several communities strive over stranger elements in their midst, Pastor Emeka Abugu, Enugu State Commissioner for Chieftaincy Matters said that one of his greatest challenges is how to deal with the age-long nagging issue of ‘osu’ (outcast) syndrome with utmost caution in order not to set the state ablaze.

Speaking in Enugu yesterday, Abugu said, “I have challenges here and there but the most critical ones are the ones that bother on culture and tradition of some of the communities. Some of the communities have outdated cultures that are still prevailing.

“Some of them have cultures that are very questionable if you begin to look at it from the national perspective. But you know that culture is not all the time rationale and tradition sometimes may actually be challenging what is happening.

“Some of them”, he went on, “are not surmountable even as I am talking to you, I'm still thinking of a way of surmounting them. If you go to some communities they will still be having the issue of the free born and the osus and all the rest. And when we talk about the issue of traditional institution they will tell you, oh, that you don’t have to talk about these people (osu) they are not qualified that our constitution said that they are

not qualified and you find out that from such communities those who are qualified, in the component of the population may be two hundred persons while the other people saying that they are not qualified are up to one thousand and the two hundred are saying by our culture and by our tradition, we are supposed to be producing traditional rulers because the other people are visitors.

“So these are very sensitive cultural issues that you have just to be careful the way you take your decisions because outright decision in the side of a particular group may cause violence that the State may not be happy to take so when you are challenged like that you see yourself on cross-

road. These are some of the crosses I am carrying in the ministry”, he lamented. ….. explains how an autonomous community can be created On how his ministry is coping on the issue of creation of autonomous communities, he said, “the creation of autonomous community is designed to serve particular needs, it is designed to solve particular problems, it is designed to bring government closer to the people and where an existing community has the potential of satisfying the needs for creation of autonomous community then creating one out of it will amount to waste of resources and energy. So we have a well defined way of determining whether it is ripe for creation or not."

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014—7

Njikoka people showcase culture in a fiesta

BY VINCENT UJUMADU

A

WKA—AT a period politicians were jostling from one community to the other mobilizing people for the forthcoming 2015 general elections, the people of Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra State made out time to showcase their rich cultural heritage at the local government headquarters, Abagana.

The impressive ceremony titled Njiko Nwanne Festival, attracted who-is-who in the area, including the state deputy governor, Dr. Nkem Okeke, as well as the traditional rulers in all the communities in the local government.

Masquerades from the six communities, including the famous Ijele Masquerade, thrilled the audience and expectedly, political aspirants used the occasion to sell their programmes to the electorate.

Njikoka local government was created in 1976 following the unified local government system.

Two clans namely, Umuowele and Umunri make up Njikoka. Three communities, Abagana, Nimo and Abba, make up Umuowele, while Umunri clan is made up of Enukwu Ukwu, Nawfia and Enugwu Agidi.

Apart from farming, the people of the area engage in commercial activities, such as trading, contract jobs, transport business, among others.

They are also found in major professions.

The people also used the occasion of the cultural fiesta to honour three notable Igbos.

Business magnet, Prince Arthur Eze was honoured for representing the interest of Igbos well in the country, former vice chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Professor Peter Ejiofor was honoured for spearheading the promotion of Igbo language and culture, while

the industrialist, Chief Innocent Chukwuma was honoured for pioneering vehicle manufacturing in Igbo land.

Chairman of Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission, ANSIEC, Mr. Sylvester Okonkwo, who hails from the area commended the youths of the local government for organizing the fiesta and being able to mobilize all the prominent people in the area to identify with the programme.

Okonkwo explained that

Masquerades perfoming at the event. one unique feature of the people of Njikoka is that they have laid down procedure for sharing political offices such that there had never been any

rancor in the area between the two clans over allocation of offices in the area.

He described culture as the pride of the people, stressing

that there is need for every community to uphold its cultural values so that the younger generation would continue to know their origin.

Abia govt, health workers fight over pay

BY ANAYO OKOLI

U

MUAHIA—THE standoff between the ABIA State government and the state Council of Medical Health Workers Union may ground health facilities in rural communities in the state if both sides stick to their guns.

The health workers called on the state government to fully implement the CONHESS salary scale to all categories of health workers in the state, saying that the government had nothing more to hold on since the Arbitration Court had ruled in favour of the present leadership.

According to the Secretary of the health workers, Omini Ojeh, it was wrong for the government to withold the check-off dues of the workers.

Ojeh also called for the payment of outstanding salary of some of its members in some Local government areas, particularly, Bende.

According to the union, the scale as was being presently implemented in the state was partial as only health workers in the Ministry of Health that were benefitting.

The union specifically accused the government of also not paying the enhanced salary scale to health workers in the rural areas of the state.

Ojeh noted that no health worker at the local government level is currently enjoying the CONHESS salary scale, but commended Governor Theodore Orji for his interest in the health sector.

He, however , noted that if the workers who drive the sector

were not happy they may not be able to give their best for the full benefit of the huge investment the government had made in the sector.

The union secretary further called on the governor to wade into what he called “the diversion of our check-off dues,” saying

that the union has no leadership crisis.

“Governor Orji may not be aware of the problems we are passing through. We are there calling on him to intervene in line with his workers’ friendly nature”, Ojeh said.

Suspended MASSOB members form parallel body BY NWABUEZE OKONKWO NITSHA—SUSPENDED members of the Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, may have resigned their membership of the movement in its entirety and formed an alliance as a parallel organ which has its name as Progressives Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra, PMASSOB. In a press statement issued to newsmen in Onitsha, Anambra State yesterday. PMASSOB accused Uwazurike of abandoning their brothers who died and others who were dislodged as a result of MASSOB activities, adding that they have now realized that they were being deceived

by Uwazuruike and his false

O

propagation of Biafra actualization using Ojukwu’s name to gain personal wealth and enhancing his political ambition.

P-MASSOB therefore drew the attention of Anambra State Government over the plight of 22 members of MASSOB detained in Awka and Onitsha prisons since April 2007, about seven years ago on frivolous charge of treasonable felony and who are still rotting away in the prison custody because of Uwazuruike’s MASSOB. Mentioning the 22 detained MASSOB members at Awka prisons as Sabastine Amadi, Ikechukwu Chikwem, Peter Igbokwe, Uchenna Nicholas, Uche Idika, Casmir Odokara, Eni Kalu, Chidiebere Ezekwem, Chima Asoh (cripple), Ojimba Anyanwu, Ndubuisi Okam, Emmanuel Orji, Michael Okezie, Ikechukwu Aghari, Mmaduabuchi Asika, Chinwike

Irondi, Chukwuma Kalu, while those at Onitsha prison are Innocent Orji, Chukwuebuka Ikenwa, Amah Onu, Okwudiri Basil and Onyekachi Orji (females), P-MASSOB regretted that they have been abandoned in the prison yard to rot away for being MASSOB members, even as about 15 of them, including the female ones needed serious medical attention.

Identifying one of them as a crippled man, P-MASSOB in the statement signed on their behalf

by Comrade Uchenna Madu National Director of Information, former MASSOB Director of Information, lamented that several Court adjournments and transfer of judges who attempted to establish justice, as well as systematic delay of their trials have become a calculated method to frustrate their release at Federal High Court, Awka and the State High Court, Ogidi.

C M Y K

8 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014

ANAMBRAANAMBRA

Group moves against 'baby factories'

BY VINCENT UJUMADU

A

WKA—A non governmental organization, NGO, the Oneness Foundations Diaspora, says it is putting in place measures aimed at stopping what it called illegal baby factories popularly known as orpharnages in Nigeria. To the group, keeping babies in orpharnage home creates a kind of stigmatization on the part of the affected babies.

Chief Obi Anoliefo, who is the national chairman of the NGO said at a meeting attended by coordinators of the group from the South East and South South geo political zones in Awka that they were worried about the growing incidence of such baby factories, human trafficking, child abuse , neglect of orphanage children and violation of teenage girls

and their rights.

According to him, Nigerians have seriously abused child adoption, noting that most times, the adopted children were stigmatized,

while unscrupulous people make money through the orphanages by reducing human being to buying and selling commodity.

He said: “We do not accept

Members of Oneness Foundations Diaspora.

that there is any baby who is motherless because that baby was born by a woman. In the past, there were organized processes for the adoption of babies, but today, we hear

unpalatable stories of illegal adoption and how people engage teenage girls to become pregnant and quarantine them until they are delivered of their babies and are paid off without the baby.

“To discourage the operation of the orphanages, our group intends to sponsor a bill to the national assembly to make a law that can abolish the operation of motherless babies’ homes in the country.

“What we advocate is the foster care system in which such babies are kept in a warm and small family- oriented environments where they grow up as members of such families.

“Our worry is that nobody monitors the development of the children in the motherless babies’ homes and such children usually do not fit into the society properly.

“Our legal team will look at the existing laws and determine areas that require inputs and amendments before sending the bill to the national assembly.”

How Oko poly rector revived exam standard through CBTE

BY BY ENYIM ENYIM

O

NITSHA—THE Federal Polytechnic, Oko, Anambra State for quite some time now has been a trailblazer in innovative studies and in reviving the standard of education.

With the school’s introduction of some novel courses to improve access to education as directed by the Education ministry, the polytechnic which has been prided as the polytechnic of the moment has etched its name on gold.

Courses

Among the courses are Mechatronics Engineering Technology, which is a melting point between mechanical, electrical and electronics engineering; Industrial Maintenance and Safety Engineering Technology, Aeronautics Science Technology, Aviation and Transport Management, Marine Science Technology, Nano Science Technology, Fisheries Technology, Agricultural Science Technology, Solar Power Technology, Bio -Energy C M Y K

Technology and Forensic Science Technology among others.

These courses are awaiting resource inspection by the National Board for Technical Education, NBTE. The school also introduced the Computer Based Test Examination, CBTE, with the approval of the Academic Board and the governing council of the polytechnic.

Earlier, it had adopted the CBTE just like the Joint Admission Matriculation Board, JAMB, as mode of its examination. This facilitated the choice of the school, by JAMB as one of its centres for its CBTE. To ensure the high standard of education and examination ethics, the Rector of the Polytechnic, Prof. Godwin Onu said he had not rested in his oars in making the institution the envy of all and one of the best polytechnics in the world.

According to Onu: the CBTE guarantees efficiency in examination deliver y, administration and scoring. It far surpasses the traditional manual paper based assessments as the manual efforts of human hands are

replaced by the many times more efficient processing power of the computer.”.

“It also reduces the need for resources for many elements of the testing lifecycle such as printing and storing of paper, requirements of more invigilators to distribute and collect question papers and answer sheets. Also, CBT ensures that results are released almost immediately as students receive Short Message Services, SMS, with their scores. No room for lecturers who use results as tools of witch hunting, money making machines and or exploitation of varied forms.”

In one of the papers the rector presented at the last Nigeria Economic Summit, he noted that; “Studies have shown that large class size in various higher institutions is inimical to learning but with constant continuous assessments and feedback better learning outcomes will be achieved. The problem is that it is difficult to have constant continuous assessments in large classes under PPT. CBT makes assessment and instant feedback possible and delivers better learning

outcomes” “It will eliminate examination m a l practices a n d maladministration and engender a sense of m e r i t o c r a c y, responsibility and transparency. These are some of the benefits that CBT will bring to our Rector, OkoPoly, Prof. Godwin Onu h i g h e r institutions when this innovation related activities that interact with is introduced. the assessment such as test administration, setting questions and automated marking.

Discoveries "Examination malpractices, low “Discoveries reveal that CBT and its related forms of capacity examination venues, invigilators, digitalization of teaching and inadequate examination learning is capable of facilitating inadequate dedication and effective teaching materials, omission of students and learning since the lecturers results and human error(s) will invariably be compelled to during the marking/grading teaching the entire contents of their process will be automatically course requirements in order to eliminated following the generate the required number of adoption of this e- examination questions especially in objective system. The cost implication of oriented CBT question format conducting a mass-driven while students on their own will examination will become read in-between-the lines to scale drastically and significantly reduced as there will be through.

“In addition to the examination no need to print questions itself, CBT takes care of other or answer booklets anymore."

o to shi

ints from five matches, rica in the brand-new o to book their place in was not an easy game ut luck was on our side.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014 — 33

Zambia, Cape V erde se Verde sett grudge showdown Z

ambia seek retribution against Cape Verde when the two sides clash in a final round 2015 Africa Cup Group F qualifier today at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola.

Cape Verde are the only side to have beaten Zambia in Group F after stunning Chipolopolo 2-1 in the two sides debut meeting on September 10 in Praia.

“It is important that we approach the last game seriously because we still have to uphold our status. It will be good to collect some more points,” Zambia coach Honour Janza said.

“We need to show that we are existing by winning games.”

Meanwhile, both Cape Verde and Zambia have already booked their places at next January’s finals in Equatorial Guinea.

•Stopilla Sunzu

Romao boosts TTogo ogo for Ghana clash

T •Romao

ogo have been boosted by the available of midfielder Alaixys Romao for today’s crucial 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Ghana. The Olympique Marseille player missed the weekend’s 4-1 defeat to Guinea in Lome due to suspension.

Romao picked up two yellow cards from the previous qualifiers and had to serve a one-match ban. Togo were expected in Tamale yesterday morning and will train at the Tamale Sports Stadium in the evening per the FIFA/CAF regulations. The Hawks must win against the Black Stars to secure qualification to 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier Equatorial Guinea.

Museveni wishes Uganda Cranes good luck

L We took a big step forward (by this win),” said coach Stephen Keshi, who will be without Reading midfielder Hope Akpan who dislocated his shoulder in Congo. “Now we must do everything to get the three points and qualify for the Nations Cup.” Winners in 1996, South Africa are unbeaten in five qualifying matches under coach Ephraim Mashaba but head to the southern town of Uyo with a poor record of just one win in 10 matches against Nigeria. And both Nigeria and South Africa played out a goalless draw in Cape Town in September. “Going back to Nigeria will be war, it won’t be just an ordinary football match,” admitted Mashaba. “Nigeria never expected to draw with us, and we should’ve beaten them, on the day luck was just not on our side.”

Third-placed Congo are hoping South Africa can do them a big favour by not losing in Nigeria and they win in Sudan today.

Congo, who last featured at the Nations Cup 14 years ago, could also qualify as third-best losers if they beat Sudan and Guinea fail to beat Uganda at home. The Black Stars of Ghana stumbled to a 1-0 loss in Uganda on Saturday, but they are still top of Group E with eight points and will only need to draw with visiting Togo in Tamale to advance. “We have to go all out in that game and I am sure we will qualify for the Nations Cup,” said Everton forward Christian Atsu.

Suspended Jordan Ayew will return, but older brother Andre Ayew suffered a thigh injury in Uganda and is now a major injury doubt.

Guinea blew open Group E after they trounced Togo 4-1 in Lome at the weekend, and now have to beat Uganda by more than 2-0 in their final match at home to book their ticket to the final.

ike any true General, President Yoweri Museveni is not about to send his troops into battle without a few tips. Museveni took some time off his busy schedule to tell the Cranes to make the best of set pieces. Uganda faces Guinea tonight in a decisive encounter to determine whether Uganda can end a 36 absence from the final tournament of Africa’s biggest competition. “Our boys need to position well during corner kicks because in the games against Ethiopia and Ghana, we got two goals from such set pieces,” Museveni told Coach Milutin Sredojevich on phone yesterday morning.

Babatunde:

Eagles ‘ll destr oy destro Bafana

•Babatunde

I

•Museveni

njured Super Eagles ace Babatunde Michael has said that Nigeria are firedup to thrash Bafana Bafana today to advance to AFCON 2015.

The Volyn of Ukraine player said the Eagles have done the more difficult job in Congo and he is sure Nigeria will thrash South Africa today with the likes of Emmanuel Emenike, Ahmed Musa and Mikel Obi on top form.

“It is going to be a tough game no doubt, because even though South Africa are through to the Nations Cup, they will want to prove a point against Nigeria and they will be relaxed while doing so,” said Babatunde, who is ruled out of this match after he underwent a knee surgery.

“My colleagues are aware of that but no matter what, Eagles will fly past South Africa in flying colours.

“With the likes of Emenike, Mikel, Musa and others in top shape, we have all the weapons to destroy the Bafana Bafana in Uyo on Wednesday.”

34 — VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014

Omowunmi Akinnifesi

A

Sally Mbanefo

Y

et another woman in the Jonathan administration appears to have stepped on the infamous banana peel, and blogosphere is having none of it.

Embattled incumbent Minister of Tourism Sally Mbanefo has seemingly

Rihanna

A

nd who visited the White House but international pop superstar Rihanna, rocking a beautiful Ankara dress. She took a tour through the official residence and workplace of the US president and when she and her crew got to the White House briefing room, Rihanna climbed the podium and fielded mock questions from her crew. She looked like she had a lot of fun and redefined Ankara.

Cyberspace is drooling!

s news hit blogosphere of the death of another young Nigerian lady from trying to get buttocks implants, our own former Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria Omowunmi akinnifesi is being accused of getting implants. This she denies on twitter.

Relax, geeez, the butt has always been there; now they saying I got butt never been accepted by the powers implants (sic). that be in her constituency, who Hahahaha…When you get always seem to find something yours, I’ll get mine. Yikes! wrong she has done.

Tongue-in-cheek, one This time, it is The Nigerian observer writes: Of course Tourism Development Corporate she didn’t get butt implants.

(NTDC) branch of Amalgamated She’s always been well Union of Public Corporations, Civil endowed, y’all just didn’t Service Technical and Recreational notice until now.

Services Employees (AUPCTRE) No thanks to the plastic which has called on the federal Kim K, and her viral butt government to sack the Director display last week.

General of NTDC, Ms Sally Mbanefo for an act of fraudulent practices and incompetence.

This was contained in a 12-page petition dated 22 October 2014 and addressed to the federal minister of culture and tourism, High Chief Edem Duke.

The workers lamented that Mbanefo has demonstrated some high-level of incompetence in handling the job she was brought to improve upon and consequently she has given a very clear impression that she does not know what she was meant to do in that office.

And as in other cases, large amounts of money was mentioned.

While social media activists have scar winner and Kenyan American actress risen on her behalf however, the Lupita Nyong’o has shown up on the quiet lady has remained mum, as Nigerian cyberspace again last week, on usual. account of her winning The Oscar winner showed up at the Carnegie Hall venue of the Glamour Awards in New York City. As well as being currently Glamour’s December cover girl, she walked away with the magazine’s top honour, and as she accepted the “Woman Of The Year” award, she delivered some food for thought: I am still a work in progress and hope to always be…To be woman is to be human. And to be human is to seek perfection and to find joy in never obtaining it.

One commentator writes, it’s great that a black woman is getting praise; but I need her accomplishments to match all of the praises she’s getting. I’ve only seen her in 12 yrs of slave, and that one airplane movie Non-Stop; both of which left much to be desired. Where is this stand out, talented actress that everyone is talking about? Hollywood need to stop using her and actually give her some roles.

Lupita Nyong’O O

Adaeze Yobo

A

nother beauty queen Adaeze Yobo hit blogosphere again last week.

The super hot WAG was ranked 92nd on Bleacher Report’s 101 Sexiest Soccer Wives and Girlfriends in 2011. Adaeze is married to Nigerian footballer Joseph Yobo who plays for Turkish club Fenerbahçe (loan: Norwich FC).

The Nigerian couple tied the knot in 2009 and welcomed a baby boy, Joey Yobo, in April 2010.

Nigerian fans on social media think she should have made first 10, at least.

C M Y K

Kate Henshaw-Nuttal

W

e have become accustomed to Nigerian celebs using their positions in the limelight as stepping stones to political careers. Actress Kate Henshaw was one of the ‘innovators of this trend, but has been bashed left, right and center in the cyberspace as she has been accused of entering into partisan politics for personal gains.

It is no wonder then that the mother of the actress is being discussed on social media as being against kate’s political ambitions.

Meanwhile the Nollywood star has released her campaign poster and is set to contest for the Federal House of Representatives for Calabar Munical/Odukpani Federal Constituency under the platform of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP. Mum knows best, Kate

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 19, 2014 — 35

You must be capable of giving adequate care

—Igbokwe s of of Bale O E C e is th he bokwe ome. S gozi Ig rphanage H iversity of O Mercy lish at the Un ned her n E g obtai ation studied sukka and lic Administr agos. ,N b L Nigeria degree in Pu niversity of urage s ,U o r s c e e t i d s d n a u a M gee St with grace u f e , R an eless and a wom ry hom eal to it takes e pain of eve t child. The z as •Igbokwe h h t c to feel d and dereli ren is what e d a e ld m t i c s negle s to ch dge.She ha ppines ri give ha r cross the b ope to e h n e e d giv h ma rk and n. a m r e o h n.Read not take off till 2011. Right now, childre the vision speaks for itself.

BY ANINO AGANBI What amazes you about Why did you choose to run these children you take care of? an orphanage home? s a child, my mum It is the miracle of used to be a nursing transformation. Most of sister in Abia state. these children when From my early age, I was brought were dumped in surrounded by women who lost polythene bags after birth. either their lives or babies at When you take them to the chilbirth. My mother would to hospital, they could be in take care of the babies until the intensity for weeks. There is next available family member just a thin line between life and came for them. I never knew death. I have seen miracles in those were seeds that were my time. The children you see implanted in me at an early age. in Aso rock are not much It started when I was working. different from those you see I had a very good job with a around. The only difference is the red tapes and the length of multinational organization the care. If every child gets the time it takes to adopt a child, which gave me time for my care, nutrition, support, love how true is that? family.

Adopting a child, even by they need; they I discovered I was will all turn out international increasingly getting frustrated well. You see a standard is not and unfulfilled on the job and malnourished easy. Lagos state kept wondering why. Every child has the best with body on the outside loved my scabies and adoption life because I looked blessed k w a s h i o r k o r process for Lagos state is outwardly. I finally got a clue ,within weeks of now.

The very thorough. on what to do to quench that proper adoption process care nagging hunger inside of me. I there Lagos can be is a The incumbent in embarked on a forty days fast, transformation matched with governor after which I hadclarity on what in them. The any adoption I was meant to do. While I was miracle of these brought in a lot process any asleep, I heard a voice ask me transformations where in the of people that why do you cry when you see keeps world. For the me broken children? That question going.We have government to had brought me to a place of deep adopted entrust a life into so international thinking. your hands, you many children I found out that I am drawn to across the nation exposure when must be capable abused and destitute children; and of giving even it comes to this I can’t drive past when I see beyond. These adequate care. them on the roadside without children having In Lagos state, work. They are doing something. I never knew hope for a better the adoption able to discern that was what a calling was;I was future is truly process takes those who have place between finally able to figure it out. I amazing. knew that I had to start doing nine months and A lot of the heart for something about it. Though I p e o p l e a year. Adoption the job had that vision in 2004, we did complain about in Lagos is free;

N

A

all you need do is go through the right channel. If after going through the test, you are certified for adoption, they will give you a clearance letter. It is with that letter you can go to any registered orphanage home. I am classically into adoption. I do not want to institutionalize any child. Poverty is hitting women and children so bad.

If we keep pretending that poverty is not there, the vices in the community will keep growing, but if you take a child and do something positive in the life of the child, you have saved the country from one rapist, murderer or kidnapper.

What was it like getting approval from the government before you could start the orphanage home?

Lagos state is very thorough.

The incumbent governor brought in a lot of people that had international exposure when it comes to this work.

They are able to discern those who have the heart for the job.

The process is quite tedious.

There are so many agencies that will put you through in terms of clearance. In the bid to sanitize this sector, there has been a clamp down on illegal orphanages. The process might be tedious but at the end it is worth it. In the past, some orphanages were being used as getaways for child trafficking, baby factories and lots of others.

In Lagos state, it is difficult to do that because there are too many monitoring agencies you have to pass through.

Challenges?

My challenges were from inception. My slogan is “My children are royals and ought to be treated as royals”. Being able to capture my dreams, I had challenges with the issue of staff but I thank God for today. The ones that have been with me have come so far in understanding and they have caught the dream that the children must be given utmost care without sparing anything.

The best is good enough for them. If Aso rock can afford it, I trust God we can afford it as well.

When you place these children with families, do you do follow up to make sure they are properly taken care of?

There is a relationship between myself and the parents of every child that leaves my home. I do not give my children to every Tom, Dick and Harry.

When I talk to parents, there are indicators I am looking for. You must really need a child and be ready to love that child. We have done about 12-15 adoptions since inception and all the children are doing exceptionally well. They are in homes where they are answers to prayers.

Lagos state being very organized has put in place a follow up even if you live outside the state to find out about the welfare of a child that has been adopted from the state.

After the final procedure and the child is given out, the home does not have any legal right on the child , all you do is base it on friendship and relationship.

36 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014

C M Y K

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014—37

The many good things about Buhari — Capt. Ewang (rtd) •My plans for Akwa Ibom Group Capt Sam Ewang served as a military administrator for three years in Ogun State and another one year in Rivers State all during the regime of Gen. Sanni Abacha. Now a member of the Board of Trustees BoT, of the All Progressives Congress, APC, he is also aspiring to govern his native Akwa Ibom State on the platform of the party. In this interview ,he speaks on his aspiration and highlights the positive sides of one of his party’s leading presidential aspirants, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari. Excerpts:

By Chioma Onuegbu

W

HAT is your inspiration for this contest?

Yes I looked at the fact that people who have shown interest in becoming governor have not really said things I want to hear. One is about Akwa Ibom and its problems and what solutions they are ready to apply to the problems . Some six, seven years ago when this government came into power and Barr Assam Assam walked into my house and requested for my manifesto and he told me the government wanted my manifesto and I gave my manifesto to him. I gave a carton full.

Today, not even one has been implemented. It is not enough to talk about Independent Power Plant, this and that.

Eight years is gone, we are still lighting our streets with generators, we are lighting Uyo with generators.

No jobs have been given to people, no wealth has been created and distributed, whereas in my manifesto the first thing in that manifesto is that I am going to create wealth and distribute same wealth to enhance life and sustain life within three months of my entering office and I am still saying so today.

Why are you throwing your weight behind past Military Head of State, General Buhari?

You see there have been a lot of sentiments, there have been a lot of funny statements and positions by people who are not very interested in Nigeria but themselves. When you are truly interested in Nigeria you look at the problem of Nigeria and truly tell yourself who can now solve these problems. The basic thing is corruption and it is the basis of all our problems. If you look at the oil companies in Nigeria, no president has been able to tell an oil company this

is what has to happen, and we are still refining our oil outside.

I believe if a man like Buhari is voted into power he should be able to say this is what is going to happen and you cannot bribe him. What do we want for our future generation, our children? I get worried about my future generation and that is why probably I am in politics, I would have packed my bag and baggage and gone to sleep.

But my wish is to see that things improve. Look at the issue of the Chibok girls. How can we play politics with that kind of thing? Please anybody, any sane man should tell me that if you kill one American anywhere in the world, one person, even a mad American, America will go all out. But over 200 future mothers and we are p l a y i n g politics with that and people are still laughing and smiling, sometimes I can’t sleep when I listen to this and that is why most times I don’t listen to Nigerian news.

And you believe Gen Buhari has answer to Nigeria’s problems?

I just told you that he will earnestly develop Nigeria; he will earnestly put Nigeria on the map, because I know him, I am not assuming and

•Sam Ewang

I don’t believe in talks like that he is a religious bigot, that is a lie. And one thing I must tell you is this if anybody will call me tribal, then that person should be sick.

My reason is this. I was a military man, I was trained as a military officer, I was exposed to commanding Nigerians, not my person.

And I know that I commanded and was able to manage Nigerians and make them something.

Boys I managed b e c a m e generals and they are all To change Nigeria over the country, not you must discipline from my tribe Nigerians and he and that is the situation of did that, so Buhari. If he whosoever did not were tribal there is no how see him good then, Buhari would definitely has no have been able to manage, to good thing for command

Nigeria

from here because in the military you are not commanding your townsmen, you have range of Nigerians and you look at them as one person and you bring them up as such, so when did they find Buhari to be tribal, what did he do that he is now branded a tribal man.

But the opinion of many Nigerians is that he has been there before and he was not able to change Nigeria situation, so why is it that he wants to come back?

He changed Nigeria but there were people who were not happy with what he was doing, for one, about indiscipline.

Changing Nigerians To change Nigeria you must discipline Nigerians and he did that, so whosoever did not see him good then, definitely has no good thing for Nigeria.

The fact that in Akwa Ibom state, PDP is considered the predominant party what is APC chances of occupying the number one seat in 2015?

I disagree that PDP has been the dominant party and my reason is very simple. I am a scientist and that fact has not been tested and proved. Like I said before there has never

been election in Akwa Ibom State and of course once somebody is in an office everybody rushes because there is no industry in Akwa Ibom State, everybody is a politician, so they rush to where things are and they begin to clap hands. And it is only when you have left office then you now know that you are not popular. Now the whole world is saying Akpabio is very popular, isn’t it? I was called, I was a military governor in Ogun State and when I was there I was not too popular because I worked on principles. It was years after I had left (I left in 1999), but in 2005 I was called back and honoured in Ogun State.

Could the internal wrangling in the state chapter of APC not affect your party’s chances in 2015?

I agree with you completely and that is why we are calling on the national body to come in. There is no wrangling the only thing we want is open up the party, restructure the funny structure that is on ground. We know what happened, how it came to be and that is why till today despite all that happened many people come to this house and I beg them please go into the party, it will open up, but they have refused.

38—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014

When last July the members of the Ebonyi House of Assembly impeached Chukwuma Nwazunku as speaker, Governor Martins Elechi led stakeholders in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP to resist the action and eventually, the woman who was elected speaker in the place of Nwazunku was forced to step down.

Now, after the speaker changed political camp, the governor has changed his tune and tone on the independence of the legislature.

2015: Swinging chairs in Ebonyi House

BY PETER OKUTU

T

HE impeachment of the former Speaker of Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Chukwuma Nwazunku on Monday November 10, 2014 was the second time he would be removed from office. In the first removal done last July, he was saved by the governor and his henchmen who compelled the House members to reverse the action.

But he is not saying so for the second impeachment effected penultimate Monday.

The impeachment which was meticulously plotted and executed at about 2:30 pm that day had been described as done in order to put a round peg in a round hole.

Nwazunku who represents Ebonyi North East State constituency and had been loyal to Governor Martin Elechi allegedly changed camp to side those against the 2015 consensus gubernatorial candidate of Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu adopted by the governor and his associates in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

Aggrieved members The House had accused the former Speaker of gross misconduct, corruption and large scale embezzlement of funds meant for members and staff of the State House of Assembly.

However, Nwazunku having heard of the grand plot for his impeachment by some aggrieved members, on the same day moved ahead of them by convening the House and suspending two members he believed were in the forefront of the move against him.

They include the Chief Whip and member representing Afikpo North West state constituency, Hon. Ogbonnaya Ikoro and the member representing Abakaliki North, Hon. Oliver Nwachukwu.

Not long after the Nwanzuku House finished its business, the House under the leadership of the new Speaker, Rt. Hon. Blaise Orji convened in the afternoon and impeached

•Gov Elechi Nwazunku for alleged gross misconduct and embezzlement.

At a press conference immediately after the exercise, the member representing Afikpo South West state constituency and spokesman for the House, Hon. Eni Iduma Chima described the suspension of the two members as an effort in futility noting that it was carried out against the provisions of the House rules.

He said: “The former Speaker on discovering that impeachment was also on the order paper, hurriedly convened a plenary of the House and purportedly suspended two members namely the chief Whip, Hon. Kingsley Ikoro Ogbonna and Hon. Oliver Chukwuka Nwachukwu, thereafter, the plenary of 8 members present declared recess which was expected to last till 15th of December 2014.

“By Order 68 rule i and ii, a member can only be suspended in the plenary by 2/3 majority of the members of the House. 2/3 of a House of 24 members is 16.

“The earlier sitting of the House on Monday was attended by just 8 members and you cannot meet the requirements for 2/3 with that number.

In a chat with news men immediately after an audience with Governor Elechi, the new Speaker, Blaise Orji

questioned the propriety of his ‘predecessor’, Nwazunku to occupy any elective position.

Orji was reacting to a petition by Nwazunku where he urged President Goodluck

Jonathan to withhold approval of the N15 bn bond, applied by the state government pending when the House would be properly briefed on the use and performance of the earlier 16.5 naira billion bond.

He had urged the President to withhold the approval of the second bond which he (Nwazunku) had approved during plenary when he was Speaker of the State House of Assembly.

“It does not appear as if the first bond has been properly used in view of the fact that the target projects the bond was meant for was scarcely attended to, to the extent that even in the next one year, the projects will never be completed”.

Many political observers have described the move by the ousted Speaker as the last kick of a drowning horse.

Barrister Eni Uduma Chima further described the speaker’s reaction as a sing song of a dying bird and urged the President to disregard the petition.

Nwazunku who is still battling to be recognized as

Speaker has been reported to have gotten an interim injunction from an Abakaliki High Court restraining the new speaker from parading himself as speaker of the State House of Assembly pending the determination of the motion on notice.

Justice Anslem Nwaigwe gave the order following an application brought before the court by the embattled Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Chief Chukwuma Nwazunku against thirteen members of the House challenging his purported removal from office.

However, Governor Elechi at the weekend stated that it was the right and prerogative of the House members to effect a change of leadership whenever it deemed necessary. He added that it was inappropriate for anybody to impose a leadership on the House when members are not in support of it.

However, few months ago when the House members in an early morning operation ousted Nwanzuku, it was Governor Elechi who led stakeholders to reverse the impeachment.

Orji’s legacies in Aba are not Project Monitoring

SIR Pat Mgbemena has been the Special Adviser to Governor Theodore Orji on Project Monitoring and Implementation since the inception of the regime in 2007.

In this interview in Umuahia, Mgbemena responded to issues raised about the administration’s achievements in Aba among other matters.

BY ANAYO OKOLI

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OVERNOR Orji has been flayed by several persons including the traditional ruler of Eziama Aba, Eze Isaac Ikonne, of doing nothing in Aba. What is your reaction?

Well, I am happy that you mentioned Eze Ikonne, let me start with Eze Ikonne. If you could remember when we came on board in 2007, Eze Ikonne was not living in his palace. Eze Ikonne relocated to another place because flood took over his palace, Faulks Road where his palace is located was impassable; there was almost a lake in front of the palace by the time we came on board.

The governor saw that as a

slight on the government that such a paramount ruler would abandon his palace and run away because of flood, and he swung into action. Contract for the road was awarded and Faulks Road was rehabilitated which made Eze Ikonne to return to his palace. In fact I doubt if Eze Ikonne really said what he was reported to have said about this administration because he is a major beneficiary of this administration.

Beneficiary of administration When his son was the commissioner of works, he reconstructed a lot of roads within Eze Ikonne’s axis. Eze Ikonne cannot say that this administration has not done anything.

But it is not only Eze Ikonne, many others also say you have done nothing in Aba? You know the issue of the problem of Aba has been there, remember that during Sam Mbakwe regime, the Aba problem was also a major issue. Because of Aba, Mbakwe was then nicknamed a weeping governor.

Even other administrations after him, the issue of the problems of Aba kept reoccurring. So it did not start with Governor T. A. Orji and we have done a lot to tackle the problems of Aba, which are mostly roads and sanitation. There are three major problems militating against road construction in Aba. One is that the topography and soil texture of Aba are difficult, they are not the same thing with that of Umuahia, let me use that as an example. Aba is a table land; water does not flow out of the city whenever it rains.

Again, the areas where water

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014—39

Automatic tickets for failed senators 'll cause PDP failure — Edionwele, ex-PDP zonal scribe CHIEF Joe Edionwele is the immediate past Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Secretary (South- South). A House of Representatives aspirant on the party’s ticket for Esan-West/Esan Central/Igueben Federal Constituency, Edionwele in this interview challenges proposals for automatic ticket for members of the National Assembly saying it is only the will of the people that will prevail. Excerpts:

O

n the decision of the President to give automatic tickets to Senators It will not stand the test of time because it is the will of the people that will prevail, it is the electorate that will decide who will go back to the National Assembly.

And it is going to be based on your performance and not by arrangement with anybody. And of course, if the President was going to do such a thing, he would have done it in consultations with the elders of the party in their various constituencies.

But as long as that did not take place, I don’t think it will stand the test of time and nobody is going to accept it.

It is not just enough to say that you are a candidate and at the

end of the day, you may end up not winning.

But if you are a performer, you don’t need to be afraid because your constituencies will on its own elect you.

I think that it is a wrong decision if at all it took place and I can tell you that nobody is going to accept that because, at the end of the day, it is not to be a candidate, you also have to win election. So, we must take our best, the First eleven to contest; people that have character, people that have honour.

And if you are a senator and you performed very well, you don’t know need anybody to give you a former ticket; you will face the electorate and they will decide and I can tell you that the decision is the will of the people, and not

anybody awarding or allocating any ticket to anybody.

And I can tell you that if such is going to take place at all, the leaders of that various constituencies and the National Working Committee (NWC) would agree before it could hold.

Is such decision not capable of causing confusion within the party?

Of course it will cause disharmony, fight and rancour within the party. I can tell you the mere fact that someone is a senator and even did not perform and he is given automatic ticket it would not work.

He must show cause why he needs to go back through his

hidden — Mgbemena, SA should flow out are blocked by buildings.

Apart from roads, what of the projects in the health sector 100-bed hospital nearing completion in Aba, Diagnostic Centre at ABSUTH, High Court complex, pedestrian bridge, among others, all in Aba. Other legacy project of this government are also scattered in Umuahia and other places.

They are not hidden, they are there for every body to see; they don’t need to be advertised. Let those who are playing politics go and there and they will be ashamed of themselves.

Besides these projects, those talking about Aba, let them cast their minds back to three, four years back when some of them ran out of the city and abandoned their whatever they have their due to the menace of criminals, especially kidnapping. It was this same administration that rescued them and they returned back to their base.

This Government spent and is still spending huge sum of

•Mgbemena money to fight and maintain crime free environment. The Government spent N1.2 billion to rehabilitate the Ohafia Barracks in a bid to enhance security in the state

and we are happy that Abians are enjoying it. So this Government has done a lot.

Those criticizing us are not sincere but are just playing politics.

•Muazu:PDP Chairman

level of performance. So, nobody is going to accept this.

I say it again that some constituencies will return performing Senators and not based on an Abuja arrangement.

Do you agree with the argument of the Senators Against this background, that new Senators in the National Assembly will not will it surprise you if members the House of be in the interest of the of Representatives demand for president?

You must understand that such automatic allocation?

I will not be surprised if they there are performing senators and the are going to make such constituencies know the demand, but returning to the performing senators and House of Reps will be based on whether you like it or not, performance. I don’t think they are going to return anybody is going to return you them. You don’t need and misrepresent us.

You must have a voice and anybody to return a Senator like David Mark; you don’t must have done very well and know need to tell anybody the scale of the measurement to return of your such a performances person who is going to be h a s from your performed so constituency well. and the But there electorate. If are some you are giving Some of with no the ticket and voice, some you don’t win, them did of them did you are going not even not even to make the understand understand party to suffer. what is what is So, it is going happening to be the will of happening there and the people that there and you think is going to you think that in the prevail, not an name of individual that in the being a arrangement name of senator, you just for the being a must be sake of giving s e n a t o r, returned somebody back. It is ticket that will you must be never done, make us fail an returned it is based on election. back performance.

40—V ANGU ARD, WEDNESD A Y, NO VEMBER 19, 2014 40—VANGU ANGUARD, WEDNESDA NOVEMBER

My husband’s second wife doesn’t know I exist Dear Bunmi, Y HUSBAND took a second wife without my knowledge.

We’ve been married for seven years and still remain childless due to his own fault (doctor’s report). I heard from the grapevine that he took a second wife over a year ago. The irony of it all is that he claimed to be single, so the other woman doesn’t know of my existence. What do I do? Does he still deserve my love? At times, I feel like running away. I hurt and stay awake every night he stays away. I am dying in silence.

Bola by e-mail.

Dear Bola, Have you really confirmed that your husband has a second wife by asking him?

It’s amazing the unnecessary pain we put ourselves through because of lack of dialogue. Men could be as emotionally strung as women. The fact that your husband can’t give you a child must be devastating to him and some men in his shoes have happily accepted other men’s pregnancies to save face.

You obviously still love your husband and you need to seek urgent medical solutions to your childless state. Lastly, you too have to decide if you love your husband enough to stay married to him without the prospect of a child. The longer you leave these soulsearching questions without seeking answers, the more frustrated you’ll become.

M

Pregnant for my best friend’s brother Dear Bunmi, FEW months ago, my best friend’s brother paid a visit to one of the top managers in the office I worked for. He didn’t know I worked there and was actually glad to see me.

He offered me lunch and we had a lovely time. When he asked where I stayed, I told him. I thought he was just being polite but you can imagine how surprised I was when I saw him at my doorsteps a few days later.

He said he was in the neighbourhood to see a friend.

I invited him in and we ended up sleeping together. Afterwards we both regretted it because he’s married and has two young children, and we agreed not to say a word to anyone.

The trouble is, I think I might be pregnant - and he’s the father.

I don’t know what to do or where to turn. I can’t tell my friend as she’d never spoken to me again.

I haven’t told her brother either.

Susanna, by email.

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Dear Susanna, You have some very tough choices to make. Tell your friend or her brother and chances are you would break up young family and most of the people connected to this problem would turn you into the enemy. As hard as the fact is, you’re on your own. If you

decide to keep the pregnancy, then you would have to raise the baby alone. Even if you decide on a termination, you would be on your own, so to speak.

You need to go for counselling

and consult wildly with close friends to arrive at a solution that will cause you less emotional stress. In the meantime, take a pregnancy test before you take the next step.

Help me get my life back Dear Bunmi, AST YEAR, I had a reasonably comfortable life.

I went to work and had a boyfriend and a good group of friends. Then I became ill and was hospitalised. When I came out, 1 discovered my boyfriend’s moved on to a new girlfriend.

Weeks later, my landlord threw me out when I couldn’t afford the rent.

“Now my boss seems to be fed up with me because I’m always on sick leave. Now I have a lot of bills I’m worried about and I feel depressed.

I used to be strong, but now I feel week and I’m tired of fighting life’s problems. Please, help me find my way back before I give up.

Shade, by e-mail.

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Dear Shola, Most of us get out of life precisely what we expect from it.

To expect more from life requires expecting more from yourself, and expectations of the self are

the basis of confidence.

Imagine your self-confidence as a muscle that needs regular stretching and exercise. Start slowly; go to the cinema on your own; take up a sport or join a gym. Change your hair-style or make-up for a while, just because you can. Or wear bright colours you’ve never worn before.

“If your professional life is going nowhere, then give it a push.

Think about your dream career and educate yourself about necessary qualifications - and find out where you can start training - while you’re still young to go for it. Increase your knowledge, increase your confidence.

Remember, education doesn’t stop with childhood. Sooner than you think, your health issues will be behind you. When you meet new people after you’re back on your feet, concentrate on them and ask questions about what they do - it will stop the paralysing anxiety you feel about your state of health.

He threatens me with violence Dear Bunmi, Y HUSBAND and I have been married for close to 15 years and I love him.

He loves me too in his own way and is a good father to the children. .

Recently, his love has turned to vicious jealousy. He believes I’ve always indulged in secret affairs and has compiled a list of suspects which includes my former boss, a friend’s husband and my new boss! ‘ Now he’s resorting to violence. He’s threatening he would maim me if I don’t confess to all these drummed up affairs and the children are getting a bit frightened of him.

The last straw was when he recently grabbed me by the throat because I was dancing so seductively at an outdoor party.

I’m thinking of leaving him as I don’t want to lose my life or limbs because of a crime I’m not guilty of, but he said he would kill the two of us if I tried to leave. Should I go to the

M

police?

Awawu, by e-mail.

Dear Awawu, Jealousy in small doses is fine, but your husband is paranoid and needs help. Is he happy in his job? Why should he start exhibiting insane jealous traits all of a sudden?

Unfortunately, jealous people are dangerous people and if your husband does not want to seek medical help, I’m afraid

you have to find another accommodation away from him. You are right, your children need you alive- than maimed or dead.

Have a word with him and show him you’re prepared to help him treat his illness if he would seek help. If possible, involve his close friends.

You’ll also discover that most often, the type of threats he issues have no bite to them once you top up his confidence.

Your husband is paranoid and needs help. Is he happy in his job?

Why should he start exhibiting insane jealous traits all of a sudden?... if your husband does not want to seek medical help, I’m afraid you have to find another accommodation away from him.

Have a word with him and show him you’re prepared to help him treat his illness if he would seek help.

My husband's love-making irritates me DearBunmi, Y PROBLEM is my husband. Before we got married, he was very descent and a gentleman. Since we got married, however, he has turned into what can best be described as an animal.

He likes to have sexual intercourse in unusual and perverted ways.

Although we have a comfortable bed, he likes to lay me on a hard floor. He asked me to suck him. I want to please him in this, but the thing is so large, it always makes me choky. I never asked him to do anything abnormal so why has he turned into someone I now fear?

It has got to a point where I hate making love to him. I have even thought of running away.

Uche, by e-mail.

Dear Uche, Why don’t you tell your husband how you feel about his sexual demands? They are not as abnormal as you think, but you have to enjoy doing them together to make it fulfilling.

Discuss the techniques you particularly fancy with him and try and meet his needs half-way too.

Now that you are married, you don’t expect him to be as cautious as when you were courting.

But he needs to ease you into demands you both feel comfortable with. Don’t run away from perceived problems only to be confronted by real sexual perverts!

M

Mum wants a big wedding, but I don’t

I

’M GETTING married to my boyfriend of two years in a couple of months’ time, but I’m dreading it. We both wanted a simple wedding with close families and friends, but my mother wouldn’t hear of it. I’m the only girl of the family and she’s really pushing out the boat for this wedding, picking aso-ebi and arranging a lavish reception. In short, she has taken over the whole day and I have hardly been involved at all.

My fiance says we should let her get on with it if it would really make her happy as she is paying, but I feel resentful that she has hijacked my day in this way.

I feel like running off to have a quiet wedding!

Balimat, by e-mail.

Dear Halimat, You’re likely to cause a lot of upset if you run away to get married! Really, there is no need for you to resent your mother for trying to control your life. As it’s only one day, does it really matter? All that’s important is that you and your fiance are happy together. He’s not complaining; all you need to do is relax, humour your mum who’s happy to be the ‘mother-ofthe-bride’ and enjoy all the fuss! You might even look back at your wedding day in future and feel a lot of gratitude for your mum for being in control of such a memorable day!

Share your problems and release your burden. Write now to Dear Bunmi, Vanguard Newspapers, P.M.B 1007, Apapa, Lagos, or bunmsof@yahoo.co.uk

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014—41

World Toilet Day: 54m women lack adequate sanitation

By Chioma Obinna

U

NDOUBTEDLY, bodily waste is one of the most fundamental things that we all have in common. How its disposal is managed is an issue that has modestly attracted global attention. In 2013, the UN officially named November 19 as World Toilet Day to recognise the importance of sanitation.

Unfortunately, reports have shown that the ‘silent’ sanitation crisis is a ticking time bomb which affects over 2.5 billion people - one in three of the world’s population – who do not have access to safe, clean or private toilet.

Ironically, more people in the world have access to a mobile phone than a toilet. Many are left with no choice but to face the indignity of going to defecate in the open, where they are exposed to disease and vulnerable to harassment and even attack. These gender sensitive sanitation issues fuelled the theme for 2014 World Toilet Day- “Equality and Dignity.”

According to a joint UNICEF and World Health Organisation’s report released during the 2013 World Toilet Day, Nigeria was amongst the top five countries in the world with the largest number of

people defecating in the open.

Nearly 7 in 10 women in Nigeria have no access to a safe toilet, threatening their health and exposing them to shame, fear and even violence.

This means that on this year’s World Toilet Day, holding today, 19 November, 54 million Nigerian women and girls lack safe and adequate sanitation and 17 million of those do not have a toilet at all. Experts say lack of decent sanitation also affects productivity and

livelihoods. Figures released by WaterAid showed that women and girls living in Nigeria without toilet facilities spend 3.1 billion hours each year finding a place to go to toilet in the open. Poor hygiene has serious implications on health. Every year, over 85,000 mothers in Nigeria lose a child to diarrhoea diseases caused by a lack of adequate sanitation and clean water. However, in a bid to end open defecation which is no joke and must be taken with all

• Nigerians without toilet facilities spend 3.1 billion hours each year finding a place to go to toilet in the open.

the seriousness it deserves, IL Bagno has enjoined corporate bodies and well meaning individuals to help solve sanitation issues in Nigeria. In a message to mark this year’s World Toilet Day, IL Bagno noted that everybody can make

a difference if they decide to renovate or build toilet facilities in public schools, health care facilities, NYSC camps, market places and even public toilets in residential locations where not available. IL Bagno has donated toilet facilities to Red Cross Society, Public primary schools, a public club and a federal university in Nigeria all within the last three years.

LCCI lauds NAFDAC achievements

T

HE Lagos State Chamber of Commerce and Industry, LCCI, at the opening ceremony of the Lagos State International Trade Fair lauded the National Agency for Food Administration and Control, NAFDAC, for its giant strides in the promotion of standards amongst manufactures of foods and drugs in Nigeria.

Speaking at the Trade Fair, the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Babatunde Osuolale Aremu Akiolu 1, applauded the Agency for its unrelenting efforts in tackling the menace of fake and counterfeit drug and unwholesome products in the country.

The Agency’s Public Relation Officer, Lagos, Mrs Christy Obiazikwor also disclosed that NAFDAC is currently carrying out its product monitoring and surveillance activities at the Fair. She explained that the

participation of NAFDAC at the Fair was to put the Agency’s regulatory functions at the disposal of organisers, manufacturers, marketers, importers, exporters of foods, drugs and other regulated products.

“Apart from creating awareness that would enhance public understanding of registration processes needed for regulated products, NAFDAC participation is to also ensure that no unregistered product is exhibited at the fair,” she added.

“We have deployed our cutting edge technology (Truscan equipment, SMS messaging, Mini lab) to instantly determine the status of regulated products being exhibited at the Lagos fair.”

NAFDAC presence will therefore impact on the general fair activities.

Men-all-pause T

HIS article is for men only. But if you have a brother, uncle, friend, father or husband.....of any age, you may want to read as well.

Things like adolescence, puberty, menarche, and menopause are predetermined, natural and unavoidable.

Grown men undergo hormonal turmoil too.

When that super male hormone testosterone starts to take a tumble it produces symptoms that some men, and their spouses, can find bewildering.

Testosterone is produced in the testicles primarily for stimulating sperm production and sex drive, but it also builds muscles and strengthens bone mass.

Signs of low levels are very subtle: These are low sex drive, difficulty in achieving erection, and low semen volume, loss of muscle and hair, fatigue and loss of energy, increase in body fat and decrease in bone mass, depression, irritability and a lack of focus Unlike in women where the menopausal drop in estrogen hormone is sudden and drastic, men lose testosterone very slowly starting from their late twenties. By the late forties and beyond, the drop is significant. At this time, coupled with general degenerative changes, many present to us in the Chronic Pain Clinic. The symptoms listed above can accentuate complaints of, or emotive reactions to, pain. "Low T" can be confirmed by a simple blood test. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is often the first request or first line of treatment by the Doctor to increase energy levels, muscle mass and sex drive.

Caution.....

High testosterone levels have been linked to prostate cancer! If you have a family history you may want to stay away from HRT.

Studies have also shown other serious risks. Men over 65yrs. old and younger men with undiagnosed heart disease double their risk of a heart attack after 3 months of testosterone therapy.

Men on testosterone were also 30 per cent more likely to suffer from strokes, mini strokes and transient ischemic attacks. Breast enlargement, skin irritations, acne, oily skin and changes in hair pattern and growth, and testicular shrinkage may also occur.

When testosterone gel is applied to exposed areas and comes into contact with women, children, or even pets, they may develop side effects too.

Women can get acne, hair growth or harm an unborn baby. Enlarged, abnormal genitalia and aggressive behaviour may occur in children, and in pets.

Doctors are now pushing for guidelines to use HRT only when it's medically needed, not as a pharmaceutical fountain of youth.

Aside from HRT, smart exercise and smart nutrition also boosts testosterone.

Smart exercise: Increased testosterone is associated with short, high intensity exercise (no more than 60 minutes)-not with long endurance work. So, to increase your testosterone levels, you want to work the largest muscles in the body to the highest tolerable levels of intensity.

Work several and large muscle groups especially waist downwards. Exercise to intensity and add a burst of intense cardiovascular exercise.

Smart nutrition: The objective is to reduce estrogen (female) and thereby boost testosterone (male) hormones in the body.

doctor@lagospainclinic.com Zinc-most concentrated in oysters, red meat (beef, pork, lamb), chicken, turkey and other fowl (especially wild game), beans, dairy products, onions, and garlic. Lower-fat protein - boneless/ skinless breasts of chicken; red meats with the "loin" suffix; filet mignon; and seafood.

Smart (unprocessed) carbs-wild and brown rice, whole grain pastas and breads, sweet potatoes, corn or fruit.

Nuts, fish, and eggs: Limit saturated fats, but don't cut out the fat completely. "Fats without feet"-from cold-water fish (salmon, king mackerel, sardines, anchovies), avocados, olive and canola oil, and certain nuts (almonds, pistachios and cashews)-are monounsaturated and heart-healthy, and they contain Omega 9 fatty acids that support the production of testosterone. And the cholesterol in egg yolks-yes, the fatty yolk-also contributes to testosterone levels.

Cruciferous vegetables-cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, bok choi, radishes, turnips, collard greens, and kale-provide indole-3-carbinol, a phytochemical that reduces estrogen. Again, estrogen tends to dampen available testosterone, so to boost testosterone, you need to fight estrogen.

Finally lose body fat and cut down alcohol.

Diminishing testosterone happens to every man eventually, but there are non medicinal steps that can slow that decline and even reverse it.

42—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014

The local vigilante groups in Mubi

RECAPTURE OF MUBI, CHIBOK:

How military/vigilante alliance worked magic to flush out Boko Haram

By Jude Njoku, Kingsley Omonobi, Charles Kumolu & Umar Yusuf

T

HEY realised that they had be come endangered species in their own fatherland and if nothing was done urgently to flush out the insurgents, their huge investments would be destroyed, political ambitions thwarted and their relevance called to question.

That was the quagmire some concerned elites and business tycoons from the Boko Haram- ravaged Adamawa State and other parts of the North East found themselves in.

These elites and business icons who had before now, laid all the blame for the rising occurrence of insurgency in their geo-political zone on the Federal Government, apparently realised that if urgent actions were not taken, their investments and political bases would be lost to the diehard terrorists.

Vanguard Features, VF, learnt that it was against this backdrop that these prominent indigenes mobilised the local warlords who are not sympathetic to the cause Boko Haram is fighting, to take up arms and defend their homeland from being overrun by the overzealous insurgents.

The need to mobilise the local vigilante groups, hunters, ex-servicemen and able-bodied youths to defend their communities from Boko Haram occupation, became imperative following the

failure of the military to contain the dissidents.

Collaboration that worked magic This failure on the part of the military was attributed in part to their unfamiliarity with the terrain, the use of substandard weapons when compared with those being used by the insurgents and the leakage of security information to members of the dreaded sect. But a recent collaboration between the military and the local vigilante groups, seems to be the magic wand needed to flush out the insurgents. It worked in Mubi and Chibok, hence the clamour for this mode of operation in the war

The need to mobilise the local vigilante groups, hunters, ex-servicemen and able-bodied youths to defend their communities from Boko Haram occupation, became imperative following the failure of the military to contain the dissidents

against terrorism in the country.

A prominent indigene of the zone and former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar is one of those calling for self- defence against the insurgents. The APC presidential hopeful who faulted the handling of insurgency by the Federal Government, posited that “sometimes selfdefense is the only option”. He did not stop there.

“I mean, if somebody else cannot defend you, you have to defend yourself .

I must confess that I am extremely frustrated with the Federal Government because this insurgency has lasted for more than five years. Nigeria has all it takes to have eradicated it in a couple of weeks, but we allowed it to fester,” he said.

A university don and Vanguard columnist, Dr Rotimi Fasan, observed that Nigerians have been leading the battle against terror groups of armed robbers, pipe line vandals and more dangerous bands like those from Sambisa forest that have taken over and renamed many towns in the North East.

“The local militias with their crude weaponry of bows and arrows, and dane guns have been succeeding where our so-called national soldiers have been failing,” he said. He attributed their success to the fact that they come “from the same background as most of the

bastards now terrorising the North East”.

Creation of community police Calling for the creation of State Police, Dr Fasan posited that local vigilante’s knowledge of their terrain of operation appears to be standing them in good stead. “It is the logic that makes it possible for these militias to succeed where so-called professional soldiers have failed that informed the call for state police- better knowledge of their community. But as usual the unitarists masquerading as patriotic federalists in Abuja, the very same people that created groups like those from Sambisa forest for very selfish ends, would be the first to croak about the possible abuse of local police.

Possible abuse of local police But without admitting it, the Nigerian state has for long privatised the security of the country to the extent that many of these local militias have been enlisted in its security operations and have moved from being mere neigbourhood watch to carrying out actual policing duties,” he argued. He noted that militias led by Frederick Fasehun, Gani Adams and Asari Dokubo, among others, had in the past been employed in these roles.

The don further noted that the situation in the North East shows that the safety of Nigerians in our different communities may in the end be in the hands of these militias.

“They have been doing a lot for Nigerians, sustaining the security of life and property where people can no longer rely on the state. Indeed the state has

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014 —43

Nigerian troops in action failed serially in protecting Nigerians in many parts of this country. The number of people left destitute in the North East, to take an immediate example among many, has increased exponentially since the latest surge in insurgent activities. Their saviours are the militias who are only different from the rest of our conventional security personnel for their lack of uniforms. The time might be right on us to get the militias properly equipped and into uniform,” he contended.

Militia used by defunct Biafra Chairman Federation of Ethnic Peace and Conflict Resolution, FEPCR, Dr. Harry Peterside, told VF that the Federal Government should consider conscripting the youths to fight the insurgents.

Manhunt of the insurgents ‘’It is is not a bad idea. The youths, whose ages range from 15 and 30 years, were left with no choice than join in the manhunt of the insurgents. If that is the case, they should be supported. The matter should be taken seriously because of the seizure of territories that we have witnessed lately. Militiamen were used by Biafran troops. In war times, militiamen are used to boost the efforts of the conventional soldiers,’’ he noted.

VF checks show that a few victories recorded against the insurgents by the youths, make arming them imperative.

For instance, local hunters and juju men were used to recapture Mubi, the second largest town and commercial engine-room, from Boko Haram insurgents.

Adamawa State governor, Mr. Bala Ngilari confirmed that the locals were used to recapture the town, a feat he attributed to God’s intervention. ”The insurgents have been flushed out of Mubi and are on the run, God is in this business of security in Adamawa State. You know in the last one week or so, the government has decided to be working with the vigilante group “Yan Baka”. Local hunters and vigilantes have been working hand in

hand,” he said.

Military perspective These are indeed not the best of times for the Nigerian military which have been charged with the task of flushing out Boko Haram insurgents from their strongholds. The job of the soldiers is made more difficult by the reoccupation of the captured territories shortly after they (army) might have moved to another war theatre.

Before now, whenever the Nigerian troops flushed out Boko Haram terrorists from a community, going by the arrangement of the Joint Task Force, the Mobile Police Squadron took over such a town to ensure that the terrorists don’t come back. But that arrangement has not worked perfectly, hence the new collaborative arrangement between the military and the local vigilante groups, which appears to be working magic.

Vanguard Features, VF learnt that the new strategy was At Mubi, the forged when the new Gen- joint operation eral Officers was necessiCommanding 7 Divi- tated by the s i o n fact that the Maiduguri and the 3rd people needed A r m o u r e d to know that it Division, Jos, observed that is their home as soon as town and that the military the army alone left a community, the in- cannot succeed surgents will in putting a recapture it.

T h e final stop to the reoccupation rascals unless gave grey hairs to the the people are m i l i t a r y involved

Nigerian troops marching to oust Boko Haram chiefs. Intelligence findings however showed that although the soldiers sacrificed their lives and comfort to dislodge the insurgents, they did not carry the indigenes of the various communities along.

The terrorists were said to have got wind of this lacuna which they exploited. Reports indicate that they (insurgents) always arrive these communities with highly sophisticated weapons. The locals, VF learnt, usually take to their heels on hearing the deafening sounds of such heavy duty weapons, thereby paving the way for the insurgents to recapture the towns which they were dislodged from.

How new strategy works Under the new strategy, soldiers now mobilise vigilante groups, local hunters and ex-security personnel. They (soldiers) usually educate them on the dangers of rumour mongering, panic and fear which are responsible for the apparent invincibility of the insurgents.

These civilian vigilante groups are made to know that Boko Haram terrorists are human, just like any of them.

The troops further demystify the terrorists by letting the vigilante groups know that they would be allowed to fight alongside the military and see things for themselves.

During such counter-attacks, the vigi-

lantes and civilian JTF under the supervision of the army, usually inflicted defeat on the terrorists who run for their lives. The local hunters and vigilante groups usually become emboldened on realising that the Boko Haram militants are not invincible after all. They (civilian JTF) are now better equipped with the knowledge that they can hold their own against the Islamists.

A senior military officer told VF that unlike in the past when the terrorists had the opportunity to regroup and carry out reprisal attacks, the present offensive would be continuous until the objectives are attained.

The recapture of Mubi and Chibok are cases in point. At Mubi, the joint operation was necessitated by the fact that the people needed to know that it is their home town and that the army alone cannot succeed in putting a final stop to the rascals unless the people are personally involved.

“That was why they felt the excitement of victory and danced around the town,” he said.

Alleging that it was the group of terrorists that were flushed out of Mubi that relocated to Chibok through Askira Uba and Maraba Mubi, the officer said the same strategy was employed. According to him, some vigilante groups having seen the success of Mubi, volunteered to join the Army.

44—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014

Slum In Oil Prices: A Progressive Way Out (2) The first part of this piece which noted that the vast majority of the nation's claimed GDP growth has fallen into the laps of those already enjoying obvious luxury was published yesterday. This is the concluding part.

A

By Bola Tinubu

USTERITY weakens aggregate demand, deflating an economy already fatigued and against the ropes.

Those with hefty portfolios, profit as the value of their holdings appreciates by the very dynamics of deflation. Those who don’t have, find money even dearer to come by. Jobs and commerce disappear. Debt climbs. Deflation turns a noble but poor household into a committee of beggars and street urchins. The austerity that the current Administration offers is an insensitive, myopic policy that lends primacy of favor to meaningless accounting figures instead of to the material wellbeing of the people. Austerity undermines our economic pillars and breaks the spirit of the people. Austerity is the merchant of pessimism and hopeless futility. If you desire a nation of thralls, by all means continue this bleak path. If we want a nation of prosperity and economic justice, a different course is our due.

Listen carefully to the position of the Jonathan Administration as articulated by the finance minister and you shall collide into the barricades of illogic and its weighty consequences. The claim is that government is low on funds because the lower price of oil means fewer dollars are being collected from oil sales.

This sounds logical but for one fundamental point. The dollar intake is basically irrelevant to determining the amount of naira the government commands and places into the political economy.

This fundamental point reveals the government’s position to be the antiquated relic of a past era.

It is the way of the gold standard which ceased to exist over forty years ago. As such, government’s

BOLA TINUBU stance is based more on superstition than on the actual functioning of modern economy with a sovereign fiat currency of its own.

The last I looked, Nigeria operates a Naira-based economy not a dollar-based one. There is no legal or moral restriction strictly limiting the amount of

Map of Nigeria

Naira in the system to match the amount of dollars collected via oil sales. More importantly, there is no economic justification for the close linkage implied by the government. If we take its position at face value, the Jonathan Administration is advocating that we effectively place the Naira and thus our fiscal policy on a “dollar standard.” The world jettisoned the gold standard in 1971 because it proved unworkable, reducing the policy space in which governments could pursue fiscal programs promoting full employment and social welfare.

We should likewise reject this government’s imposition of a dollar standard on our nation’s fiscal operations.

Under the gold standard, a national government took pains not to incur budgetary deficits that exceeded the dimensions of its gold reserves. This was because the currency had no value by itself. Its value was based on the convention that the currency was backed by the nation’s gold holdings. Those governments that ran deficits had to pay those debts in gold. Given that gold supplies were always and everywhere finite and exhaustible, a nation had to keep its deficits within the confines of its ability to pay debts in gold.

Because of this straitjacketing effect, nations would abandon the gold standard during harsh economic times in order to give them the fiscal freedom to rejuvenate their economies. This was the case during the Great Depression with the major economic powers. This should be the case with Nigeria today since the bulk of our people live in conditions redolent of the Great Depression or any other depression for that matter.

Our government persists that it must limit fiscal outlays to the amount of dollars the nation holds. Similar to the operation of the discarded gold standard, following this path is to strap ourselves to austerity and the chronic deflation austerity

produces. Worse, it serves to enthrall the fiscal policy of our sovereign nation to the monetary policy of another country. That nation plies monetary policy to serve its interests and not the economic interests of Nigeria. I am baffled why this government would give such power over the fate of our economic wellbeing to another nation that does not incorporate our interests into its decisional processes. This government makes our nation the economic servant of another so that government may turn about to make the Nigerian people its economic servant. While there is a certain logic to this dynamic, it is a perverse and debilitating one.

Because we operate a sovereign fiat currency the federal government issues at its sole discretion, the federal government can never be rendered insolvent in Naira. This means it can run Naira fiscal deficits indefinitely. The only outer bound is to ensure the fiscal expansion does not incur damaging inflation rates. There is no logical reason to peg the flow of Naira into the economy to the flow of dollars received. The correct perspective is not to mechanistically restrict Naira expenditure to dollar intake. This would be tantamount to those crippled with economic blinders

Regardless of our partisan affiliations, let us consecrate this land by dedicating ourselves to the betterment of the poor, weak, and needy members of our national family

forcefully leading those who can see we are heading for disaster.

It points to deflation, recession and worse. The better methodology is to ascertain, then achieve, the level of Naira expenditure needed to expand the economy and create jobs without causing inflation to rise to dangerous levels. This is how broadly-shared prosperity is generated in a sustainable manner.

In this way, the nation’s economic engineers should focus primarily on allocating value and opportunity to our underutilized labor force and our idle, yet potentially productive capital in a way that promotes wealth creation and expansion of aggregate demand. It is this sustainment of aggregate demand that empowers the nation to rescue itself from the whirlpool of economic contraction. This avenue is more benign than the one the federal administration now advocates.

Their way calls for us to forget growth and for government to preoccupy itself with allocating economic misery among those segments of the population too poor and weak to contest the immiserating actions of government against them.

Recessionary headwinds In the face of recessionary headwinds, government should run countercyclical fiscal policy by using its Naira sovereignty to fund fiscal deficits. The deficit is not simply for the sake of running a deficit; the funds cannot be spent on nonproductive matters.

It must be used to fuel infrastructural and other projects that not only employ great numbers of people but enhance the overall productivity of the economy. The funds must be used to backstop state governments in a nonpartisan manner so that each state government may continue to pay salaries and pursue projects essential to that state’s economic critical path.

To accomplish this, the federal government needs to reverse the inimical “dollarization” of the national economy in two ways.

First and most importantly, it must abandon the outdated peg of fiscal policy and expenditures to the dollar intake. The one actually has no correspondent nexus to the other. Any commanding connection we give it is an artifice not an economic necessity. Related to this, we must reverse a trend that has gained momentum under this government.

Among government-aligned elites, the fad has been to conduct domestic business transactions in dollars.

Policy must “nairasize” the economy by requiring all domestic transactions occur in our legal tender. As this is done, the government’s infinite ability to issue Naira will come to outweigh

the limitations inherent in the overuse of the finite supply of another nation’s currency for transactions wholly internal to our domestic economy.

Inflation is the major risk of running budget deficits to spur growth. We can contain inflation to acceptable levels by ensuring additional government expenditures are for items that can be supplied domestically, particularly labor. Naira paid to poor and working class people mostly circulates in the domestic economy, spurring additional local commerce and production.

This is because their consumption patterns do not approach the level of import expenditures associated with their wealthier compatriots.

Related to this, we must decrease our level of superfluous imports.

Superfluous imports These measures will place downward pressure on the Naira.

Devaluation will not be destructive but it will be noticeable. For most nations, such devaluation would be welcomed as it would make export industries more competitive, thus creating jobs and export earnings in the process. However, this will not be the case initially for us because of the moribund state of our industrial sector.

Here, government would need to initiate crash programs aimed at enhancing those domestic industries perched on the borderline of international competitiveness.

In the end, the policy I propose is not without risks, inflation being the chief concern. Yet, if wisely prosecuted, the rewards of job creation and economic growth allocated among the bulk of the populace outweigh the inflationary risk. More to the point, the policy now pursued bears no risks at all. It is certain to toss the average man’s economy into a stagnation that will resemble the onset of a major recession. Saving the people from this unnecessary plight is sufficient imperative to eschew the policies of old and embrace the progressive course.

I offer this advice, this warning, because the people have suffered enough hardship. I offer this advice in the slim hope that those in power will ignore the messenger and objectively weight the quality and humane nature of the message. If so, they will spare the people the grief visited upon a vulnerable people when their government blindly imposes last century’s policies in a modern setting inappropriate to the old strictures.

Regardless of our partisan affiliations, let us consecrate this land by dedicating ourselves to the betterment of the poor, weak, and needy members of our national family. Let this moment not pass like so many others where we have demanded that the most vulnerable among us bear the greatest weight of the national burden. Let us give them the hope, change and dignity they deserve and human decency demands. This is how we make the nation great. When I speak of a common sense revolution, this is what I mean.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014—45

Ika South swears in 18 councillors

By Festus Ahon

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S A B A — CHAIRMAN of Ika South Local Government Area, Delta State, Mr. Fred Ofume, has sworn in the newly elected 18 councillors with a charge to be diligent in their duties.

Those sworn in include Williams Eluma, Blessing Nwaogbein, Charles Aliagwu, Lucky Onyeukpere, Okafor Omorojie, Celestine Onyibo, Grace Aghaulor, Samson Okoh and Joseph Enuma.

Others are Mr. Onyeka Nwagbogwu, Pauline Ayogbe, Sunday Iyeke, Raymond Okocha, Frank Owoyi, Emmanuel Orubor, Ignatius Agboile, Kenneth Idiaru, and Ndidi Onotor.

Ofume, while addressing the councillors at the ceremony held in Agbor, headquarters of Ika South, stressed the need for all to work for the growth and development of the council.

... Warri North, too

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ARRI—THE 4th Assembly of the Warri North Local Government Area legislature, Delta State, has been inaugurated at Koko, its administrative headquarters.

The event also witnessed the election of principal officers to steer the affairs of the House in its legislative business.

The new principal officers elected include Oritsejafor Solomon from Ebrohimi Ward as Leader; Tiemo Israel of Tsekelewu Ward 14, as Deputy Leader; while Mr. Marshall Ekpe is Majority Leader from Ogbudugbudu I Ward 18.

Others include Joel Akiri of Ogheye Ward 1, as Deputy Majority Leader; Chief Whip went to Sylvester Aduwenye of Jakpa Ward 3.

Mr. Oloma Eyewuoma, Clerk of the Warri North Legislature, who conducted the inauguration, also administered the Oath of Office on the leader, Oritsejafor, who later did same on his other colleagues.

C M Y K

Ijaw youths threaten to invade Kokori over spiritual leader's kidnap

By Samuel Oyadongha

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ENAGOA—IJAW youths, under the aegis of Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, have threatened to invade Kokori community in Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State over the abduction of HRM, Augustine Ebikeme, Pere Ekere, the Pere of Oporomor Kingdom in Bayelsa State.

King Ekere, according to Ijaw, is the spiritual leader for the worshipers of Ijaw traditional deity, Egbesu.

The kidnap of the royal

father, allegedly carried out by armed men at Kokori community on Sunday, had provoked indigenes of Ijaw communities in the Niger Delta region.

IYC, in a statement in Yenagoa through its spokesman, Mr. Eric Omare, condemned the kidnap of the monarch, describing it as a joke taken too far that would not be tolerated.

IYC said it would hold an emergency national congress on Friday at Olabrakopre, Ogbe-Ijoh, Warri, Delta State, for all Ijaw youths, where

decisions would be taken to ensure his release.

It said: “We condemn and demand the immediate release of His Royal Majesty, Augustine Ebikeme, who was kidnapped at Kokori community in Ethiope East, while returning from a function.

“We regard the kidnap of Pere Ekere, who is not just a traditional ruler but a spiritual leader of Ijaw, as an attack on the Ijaw nation.

“If he is not released with immediate effect, Ijaw youths would be forced to storm Kokori to effect his release.”

NUJ

WEEK : From left— Mr. Ovuzourie Macaulay, Secretary to Delta State Government; Mr. Femi Adesina, President, Nigeria Guild of Editors; Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State (middle), and other dignitaries, at the foundation laying ceremony of Delta State Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Secretariat complex, during the 2014 Delta NUJ Press Week in Asaba, yesterday. PHOTO: Henry Unini.

We won't tolerate further delay in EPZ ground-breaking— NAIG

By Daniel Gumm

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ARRI—ANGERED by the aborted groundbreaking ceremony of the Export Processing Zone, EPZ, in Ogidigben, by President Goodluck Jonathan, National Association of Itsekiri Graduates, NAIG, has vowed to employ no Retreat, no Reserve and no Regret philosophy if the continuous postponement of the ceremony was not stopped.

NAIG, in a statement by its President, Ajagbe Oritsegbegbemi, said the decision by President Jonathan to call off the ground-breaking ceremony of EPZ as a result of threats from the people of Gbaramatu in Warri SouthWest Local Government Area, Delta State, undermines the territorial integrity of Nigeria and shows a government that is weak from sentiments.

According to the Itsekiri graduates’ association, Federal Government’s action was an indication that violence, and not the rule of

law, should be encouraged in a supposedly sovereign state, where all inhabitants ought to have equal rights.

Ajagbe posited that the Federal Government should not take the Itsekiri of Delta State for granted, stressing that no ethnic group has the monopoly of violence.

He said the land ownership claim by Gbaramatu people of where EPZ is situated is “falsehood driven by greed and Federal Government connection,” which Itsekiri people “who made elaborate preparation for the groundbreaking ceremony will no longer tolerate.”

FG to engage 2,000 Rivers graduates through SURE-P

By Jimitota Onoyume

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ORT HARCOURT— FEDERAL Government is to engage 2,000 graduates in Rivers State in its Graduate Internship Scheme, GIS, under the Subsidy Re-Investment and Empowerment Programme, SURE-P. Director, SURE-P GIS, Mr. Peter Papka, who spoke yesterday in Port Harcourt at the opening of the Graduate Internship Opportunities Fair, said about 2000 graduates from the state would be placed in the scheme from among participants at the three-day exercise.

He said the GIS was one of the units in SURE-P aimed at creating job opportunities for unemployed graduates in the country, adding that the internship fair was a forum for firms and graduates to interact.

Papka said: “We are doing this internship fair to create an avenue for firms to meet the graduates directly. This will afford the firms an opportunity to assess the graduates before employment.”

He enjoined the graduates, who appeared yesterday at the fair, to use the opportunity of the forum to prove their worth before would be employers.

Esan Coalition raises alarm over Ekpoma-Benin Road

By Simon Adewale

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social political organisation in Edo State, Esan Coalition, has bemoaned the deplorable state of Ekpoma-Benin Road, which it said was turning into a death trap for motorist and travellers.

The leader of the group, Prince Henry Okpamen, called on the Federal Government to urgently deplore more effective and enduring palliative measures towards rehabilitating the road.

He urged the people of Edo Central to vote out Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidates, as, according to him, their representation over the past eight years had not brought any physical and meaningful changes to Esan people.

Traditional ruler tasks politicians on dialogue, sacrifice

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OLLOWING the lingering crisis rocking Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Enugu State, a patron of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Igwe Patrick Eze, Waziri, has called for dialogue, understating and truce among politicians to avoid generating tension in the polity ahead of the 2015 general elections.

Eze, who is the traditional ruler of Egali Amalla community in Udenu Local Government Area of the state, urged aspirants on the platform of PDP to employ dialogue as alternative means to resolve the lingering crisis trailing the resignation of Vita Abba as Chairman and the ward congress election ahead of the party primaries.

He said: “Two people cannot be governor at the same time. I appeal to all the aspirants who are entangled by the crises to go for a roundtable and sort out all issues. Power sharing and harmonization, as I know, originated from them who are in politics and thus they have to apply it in this instance and avoid heating up the polity.”

46 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014

11BN LOAN TO GOV CHIME: Enugu Assembly

Otti joins APGA

justifies approval

By Anayo Okoli

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MUAHIA—ALL Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, in Abia State, yesterday welcomed Dr. Alex Otti into its fold, saying it would win the governorship and other elections in 2015.

The party said the entrance of Dr. Otti into its fold signified the death of the ruling Peoples Democratic, PDP, in the state.

State chairman of the party, Prince Nnanna Ukaegbu, noted that Dr. Otti was a big asset to the party and that the party was preparing hard for the 2015 governorship election in the state. He expressed the hope that it would win and take over the state from the PDP.

By Austin Ogwuda

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NUGU—MEMBERS of Enugu State House of Assembly yesterday defended the controversial approval of N11 billion loan facility requested by the outgoing governor, Sullivan Chime, saying it was justified and not ill-timed as claimed by opposition parties and other concerned individuals in the state.

Defending the approval, Chairman of House Committee on Information, Chief John Ukuta, said: “It is not ill-timed because government is a continuous process. Timing really has nothing to do with it.

This particular government has said, look at the projects we are going to do and in fact government should be applauded because governor wants to complete the projects before he leaves office. I am sure you are aware that most governments in Nigeria at this particular point in time are locked up with partisan politics, government is already shut down. It's good to know that one particular government (Enugu) is not being shut down for political reasons.”

Asked if there was no budgetary allocation that necessitated the governor to seek for the loan, he said: “If there was no budgetary allocation you will not seek for loan to execute a project that was not budgeted for; that will definitely be untenable. But we are all aware about the shortfall in the Federal revenue. It affects everywhere so once that shortfall the price of crude oil has now gone down which means that Enugu State government like other state governments have had a short fall of revenue from

Passage

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R. EMMANUEL A k i n t o l a Akinsunmi, 63, is dead.

Service of songs holds today at his Lagos residence in Oke-Ira, Ogba, Ikeja, while the wake keep will hold on tomorrow at his Road 9, Fagun Estate, Ondo residence. He will be buried on Friday at his Ondo residence.

He is survived by his widowe, Abike, children and many relations.

Late Emmanue Akinsumi

zSays govt should be lauded not castigated

the federation account.

“In other to make that up, facilities have to be obtained by government and there is nowhere in the world government does not obtain facilities. The loan, he explained is for the completion of ongoing infrastructure of some ongoing

projects like the federal secretariat among others so as to keep the incoming administration a better working environment to settle in."

Meanwhile, Governor Chime’s cabinet has kept mute over the issue since the loan was approved last week during

the secret sitting of the House at the hallowed chambers in which journalists were barred from giving coverage.

All efforts to get comment from the official spokesman of the state government, Mr. Chuks Ugwoke remained abortive as text messages and phone calls were ignored.

...as APC gov aspirant plans court action

By Austin Ogwuda

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NUGU—A chieftain of All Progressives Congress, APC, and governorship aspirant in Enugu State, Okechukwu Ezea, yesterday declared that if Governor Sullivan Chime went ahead to obtain the controversial N11 billion loan facility from the bank, it would be

challenged in the law court to determine the legality.

At a briefing in Enugu, Ezea said: “It is unfortunate that in spite of all the billions that came into Enugu State in the last seven and half years , they still have the temerity to go out to obtain loans and impoverish the people more and in the circumstance,

encumber the incoming administration.

"That approval is null and void and of no effect and if the banks go ahead to advance that money, such banks will be doing so at their own risk because the court of law may declare it null and void and of no effect. The incoming government may not be bound to repay that loan.”

FG moving out of resource-based economy —Minister move Nigeria from a resourceThe minister stated this while

A

BUJA—MINISTER of Science and Technology, Dr. Abdu Bulama, has said that the Federal Government was moving Nigeria from a resourcebased to a diversified, knowledge-based economy as 21st century vision of development was no longer anchored on the nation’s resources but the knowledge and talents/skill of its citizens.

declaring open the Nigerian Invention and Innovation Techmart/exhibition for jobs and wealth creation organized by National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion, NOTAP in Abuja.

As a major thrust of the transformation agenda of the present administration, Bulama said the Federal Government, through his ministry, was determined to

based economy to a diversified knowledge-based economy in order to guarantee sustainable growth of the nation.

The minister, who expressed satisfaction at the arrays of inventions and innovations assembled on the occasion, said it was gladdening to witness them as products of Nigerian knowledge system and manifestation of the inherent innovative acumen in Nigerians that could catapult the country into economic prosperity.

Retired bank staff allege unfair treatment

By JohnboscoAgbakwuru

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BUJA—RETIRED staff of First Bank of Nigeria Plc, have decried what they described as unfair treatment from the management of the bank, lamenting payment of meager benefit.

The Pensioners said in

Abuja, said that they were strategizing to join Nigeria Union of Pensioners, NUP, to better fight for their rights.

The pensioners decried perceived poor attitude of management of the bank to its former staff.

Speaking to journalists, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, BoT, of the association who retired as a General Manager with the bank, Mr. Bulus Dareng, said issues affecting pensioners of the bank included meager salaries being paid to them as pension.

On INEC’s readiness for 2015 general election

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pposition parties should go and find out what was responsible for the delay of the exercise before making an irresponsible comments.

APC has concluded that it is a conspiracy with the Presidency to rig 2015 election. Miss Tina BenStudent C M Y K

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NEC , please live up to expectations and do not fail Nigerian voters again.

This is highly suspicious, against the background of available information that the PDP-led Federal Government is working to disenfranchise voters. Miss Chika Dike- Graduate

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have been chasing registration all day.

Shame on the Nigerian political elites and bureaucrats. Since the days of Babangida, Nigeria has not been able to conduct a national exercise, be it census, national identity or voter registration. Mr Okie Darlington- Businessman

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rof.Attahiru Jega has lost every credibility to conduct free and fair elections. He should either resign or be forced to do so.

Come to think about it,how on earth can elections be held in Adamawa, Borno and other States in the North east? Mr Imanuel JannahStudent

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ould it be that the whole act is deliberately geared at skewing the forthcoming elections in favour of the PDP? Even when INEC admitted to performing below expectations. A lot of questions begging for answers. Miss Okoye Precious- Clerk

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t is too late to remove Jega but once the election is complete, Jonathan should do the needful and appoint someone competent. Jega cannot even organize a drinking session in a brewery. This is my view of the whole preparation.

Miss Nwafor ChinaenyeStudent

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014 — 47

Tsav blames FG over renewed violence in Nasarawa

CBN pledges to integrate 80% of Jigawa youths into NFIS project by 2020

By Peter Duru

By Aliyu Dangida

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D

UTSE—THE Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has pledged to integrate 80 percent of Jigawa youths into the National Finance Inclusive Strategy, NFIS, project by 2020 A representative of the bank, Mr. J.A Attah made this known while delivering his speech at a one-day sensitization workshop on NFIS organised

by CBN at Dutse, the state capital, adding that, the strategy was adopted by the CBN in October 2012 with the aim of integrating 80 percent of Nigerian adults into formal financial system.

Attah stated that as at 2012, about 46.3 percent of the adult population could not access formal financial services across the country, pointing out that currently, over 70 percent of Jigawa State population amounting to about five million people had no access to financial services.

According to Attah, the CBN programme was set to create awareness on the importance of national financial inclusion strategy towards creating job opportunities and economic growth in the state.

ROUNDTABLE: From left; Neo Mathe, Industry Value Engineer, Insurance, SAP Africa; Aderinola Oloruntoye, Presales Senior Specialist, BI & EPM, SAP West Africa; Olu Familusi, Head of Business Operations, SAP West Africa; Mrs Odukale Adebola, CEO, Capital Express Assurance; Mr Olorundare Thomas, D-G, Nigerian Insurers Association; Mr Gus Wiggle, MD, Linkage Assurance; Salman Akorede, Governance, Risks and Compliance Presales, SAP West Africa at the CEO's breakfast roundtable for Insurance sector, organised by SAP recently in Lagos.

Yero spends N1.99bn on erosion control, inspects project site K

ADUNA—KADUNA State government has awarded contracts for the construction of erosion control projects in six locations spread across the state at the cost of N1.99 billion with a completion period of 36 weeks.

Governor Ramalan Yero made this known while inspecting the Rigasa erosion control site in Igabi Local Government, being executed under the 2013 ecological fund projects.

Similar projects are ongoing in five other locations including, Fatswam in Jema’a Local Government, Likirba in Kauru Local Government, Kakuri/ Nasarawa in Kaduna South Local Government, Kusallo in Ikara Local Government and Bakin Kasuwa/Kakaki/Kaura in Zaria Local Government Areas.

Speaking at the Rigasa site, Yero said the projects were aimed ‘’at land reclamation and prevention of land degradation.’’

He said that the government was committed to completing the projects in order to protect people from the negative impacts of erosion.

Yero assured the people of Rigasa community of his administration’s readiness to provide them with basic amenities while also calling on them to remain peaceful and supportive of government programmes and policies targeted at improving their living conditions.

KWACCIMA boss bemoans dwindling economic growth of members

By Demola Akinyemi

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LORIN—PRESIDENT, Kwara State Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, KWACCIMA, Chief Hezekiah Adediji, has bemoaned

the dwindling economic growth of his members occasioned by poor security, finances and infrastructure dilapidation in the country.

Adediji spoke yesterday in Ilorin, the state capital, at the

ANLCA decries excessive charges at Apapa port

By Ediri Ejoh & Gabriel Olawole

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HILE calling for the division of port operations to fast track the process of service delivery in handling of cargoes, Coordinator, Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents, ANLCA, Task Force, Apapa Chapter, Abidemi Aberejo has decried exorbitant charges in the cargo clearance in Apapa port terminal.

Aberejo, who stated this yesterday in an interview with Vanguard said the port generates a lot of revenue to the government, adding that government should ensure that port operators adhere

to international best practices.

As a result of the exorbitant port charges, he said their customer were diverting their cargoes to Cotonou. “There is nothing they are doing in Cotonou that we cannot do here. Government should intervene. The foreign operators at the port don’t have regard for us,” he noted.

According to him, “The Federal Government should divide their operation and give room for other investor to operator with the aim of fast tracking the process of service delivery. ''At times in the course of discharging their duty, they belief nobody can check-mate them. So we are now resisting them that is why we are not going to accept all what they have being doing.''

opening ceremony of the 47th Annual General Meeting, AGM, KWACCIMA and urged government at all levels to brace up for the challenges so as to rescue the organised private sector.

This was even as the state Commissioner for Industry and Solid Minerals in Kwara State, Alhaji Aliyu Lade has said that given the challenges of the nation’s dwindling revenue base due to the falling prices of oil at the world market, the need to increasingly gear efforts towards the expansion of non oil exports cannot be over emphasised.

Lade spoke yesterday in Ilorin, the state capital, while addressing government officials, business leaders and other stakeholders at the 2014 Annual General Meeting of the Kwara Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, KWACCIMA. However, Adeniji said, “the year 2013 was challenging not only to many businesses in Nigeria but to all the chambers across the country. Poor economic enabling environment characterised the economy and this coupled with poor security dealt negatively to the economic drives and

employment generation.

“The absence of necessary infrastructure and little or no access to finance were also

AKURDI— FORMER Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav has attributed the renewed bloody violence in Nasarawa State to the failure of the Federal Government to take action against the murderers of 74 security operatives at Alaikyo, in 2013.

Tsav was reacting to the outbreak of fresh clashes in the state yesterday, in a telephone interview.

He lamented that the crisis persisted because the government failed to take decisive steps to arrest the sponsors of the killings in the state.

His words, “The renewed violence in Nasarawa State resulting in the death of many people is caused by the refusal of the Federal Government to take action on previous attacks by Ombatse militia in Alaikyo in 2013, in which 74 security operatives were ambushed and killed in cold blood.

“The government did nothing to bring the perpetrators of the heinous crimes and their sponsors to justice.

“The unfortunate policy in Nigeria today under the Jonathan administration is that, no one commits a crime, no matter how serious if the perpetrator is of the PDP stock.''

NUC to integrate entrepreneurship program into varsity curriculum

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HERE are strong indications that graduate unemployment in Nigeria would soon be over as the Nigerian University Commission, NUC, has approved the integration of comprehensive end-to-end Entrepreneurship curriculum into the Nigeria university academic curricula.

With this development, universities graduates coming out from 2015 would have acquired vital entrepreneurship skills regardless of his or her discipline, which would make them become job creators rather than job seekers Accordingly, students will be expected to undergo relevant general and specific program in Entrepreneurship which would help them in setting up profitable business ventures along their professional line after graduation.

Similarly, undergraduates would acquire, in addition to their university academic qualification skills like: developing new ventures or start-ups, innovation and creativity and business planning, among others.

In a letter dated October 2, 2014, Professor Julius Okojie, executive secretary, NUC and addressed to the chief executive officer of Association of Business Executives, ABE, Mr. John Goldup, conveyed the endorsement and formal approval of the Commission to ABE’s request to partner with NUC to promote entrepreneurial education in Nigerian universities.

The MoU signing will hold at the Annual Nigerian Universities Entrepreneurship Week (ANUEW) holding next month.

48—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014

DINNER: From left, Vice President Systems, MEA, ORACLE, Tom Pegrume; Managing Director, ORACLE Nigeria, Adebayo Sanni, and Country Managing Director, ACCENTURE, Niyi Yusuf, during ACCENTURE/ORACLE customer appreciation and award dinner, at EKO Hotels and Suites Victoria Island, Lagos. Photo: Kehinde Gbadamosi

AWARD: From left, Kola Oyeyemi, General Manager, MTN Nigeria, and recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award in Marketing; Chiemezie Osuorah, Head, Talent and Office Resources, Terragon Group; Ibiyinka Dada, Account Executive, Terragon Media Services, and Obinna Anyanwu, Account Executive, Twinpine Limited, while receiving the Award for 'Mobile Advertising Company of the Year,' at the recent 4th Marketing World Awards 2014.

CONFERENCE: Dr. Martins Oni, director –general (2nd from left ), Police Assistance Committee, PAC, Mr. Nwafor Timothy (3rd from right ), a member of PAC both nigeria delegates with other police chiefs, during the 121st conference of International Association of Chiefs of Police, IACP, in Florida,USA.

CONFERENCE: From left, Ibrahim Tanko, Apapa Chairman of NCMDLCA; Fred Ajuzie, Apapa Chairman of NAGAFF, and Olumide Fakanlu, Apapa Chairman of ANLCA, at the press conference to announce the handing over of the struggle for the reduction of charges by APM Terminal to their national bodies, in Lagos.

LAUNCH: From left, Peter Zhou, head of Marketing Infinix Mobility; Adebayo Shobanjo, head of PR & Online, Infinix Mobility; Bruno Lee, Country Manager, Nigeria Infinix Mobility, and Mark Russel, Chief Commercial Officer, konga.com, at the launch/unveiling of new Infinix Hot, in lagos.

TRADE FAIR: From left, Alhaji Remi Bello, President, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (middle), flanked by Mr. Waheed Olagunju, Executive Director, Small and Medium Enterprises, Bank of Industry BOI, (left), and Mr. Joseph Babatunde, Large Scale Enterprises, during the Bank of Industry Day at the just concluded Lagos International Trade Fair 2014.

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PRESENTATION: Lagos State Commissioner for Rural Development, Mr. Cornelius Ojelabi,(right) Special Adviser to Governor Fashola on Rural development, Mr. Babatunde Hunpe, (2nd right), during the presentation of farm implements to beneficiaries, in commemoration of 2014 Community Day celebration, at Ese-Ofin, Oto-Awori Local Council Development Area.

ORACLE DAY: From Left, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Tenece, Mr. Kingsley Eze; Lead, Accenture Oracle Alliance, Mr. Olatunde Olajide, and CEO, GV Alliance Partners Limited, Mr. Ephraim Umo, during the Oracle Day 2014, in Lagos. Photo: Kehinde Gbadamosi

LECTURE: From left, Widower and Doyen of Accountant in Nigeria, Mr. Akintola Williams; Chairman, Oye Williams Biennial Lecture, and former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Odein Ajumogbobia (SAN); wife of Lagos State governor, Mrs. Abimbola Fashola, and Guest Lecturer and Founder, Fight Against Desert Encroachment, FADE, Dr. Newton Jibunoh, during 2nd Oye Williams Biennial Lecture, entitled: ‘The Planet Earth,’ organized by the Nigerian-Spanish Association, at Muson Centre, Onikan Lagos, yesterday.

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54—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014

2015: Police 'll be guided by constitution, says IG

MEETING : From left— Alexandra Sheppard of Foreign and Commonwealth Office; Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imokhuede, President, Nigerian Stock Exchange; Mr. Mike Purves, Acting Deputy High Commissioner/Director, Trade and Investment, UK, and Mr. Keith Hammond, Infrastr ucture Adviser, DFID, during a meeting between the UK government's emerging/ capital markets project with stakeholders in the Nigerian capital market, led by Mr. Aig-Imokhuede, in Lagos, yesterday.

By Kingsley Omonobi

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BUJA—THE Police High Command has said that the constitution, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, timetable and lessons from previous elections will guide the force in the 2015 general election.

Inspector General of Police, Suleiman Abba, made the disclosure in Abuja when he received the Commonwealth Election Monitoring Team, led by its Adviser and Head of Electoral Support Political Division, Martin Kasirye.

Abba assured the committee of preparedness through continuous training and re-training of its personnel to ensure hitch-free elections in 2015.

Earlier, Kasirye intimated the IG of an invitation by INEC to the Commonwealth to serve as observers during the elections.

FG releases N16bn for Green Well project

By Funmi Olasupo

T

HE Minister of Environment, Mrs. Lawrentia Mallam, yesterday disclosed that N16 billion had been released for the Great Green Wall, GGW, programme.

The programme, which is expected to run for three years, is directed towards providing environmental

shelter for affected communities and creation of an ozone-friendly environment in the region.

The Minister made this known in Abuja, at a briefing preceding the flag-off of the project by President Goodluck Jonathan next week.

Mallam said: “The President provided N16 billion for the project and the money has been released to us. So we do not

Senate confirms Justice Mohammed as new CJN

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru & Joseph Erunke

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BUJA—THE Senate, yesterday, confirmed the nomination of Justice Mahmud Mohammed for appointment as Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, as requested by President Goodluck Jonathan last week.

The confirmation came, following the successful screening of the nominee by the Senate during plenary.

The President had, last week, forwarded the name of Justice Mohammed to the Red Chamber for confirmation as the nation’s new CJN, after nominating him for the position.

Jonathan, in a letter to the Senate, said his action was in accordance with Section 231 (1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).

zRejects special court for corruption cases Earlier, Justice Mohammed, who was accompanied to the Senate chamber by the outgoing CJN, Justice Aloma Mukhtar, while answering questions from some senators during the screening, blamed the delay in the dispensation of justice in the country on judges, just as he opposed the establishment of special court to handle corruption cases.

He said: “I do not support the creation of special courts to specifically deal with cases of corruption and so on. It is human beings who are managing the courts. It is not the court itself.

“No matter who you put there, if his integrity is not in

FG incorporates lottery agents as trade union

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HE Ministry of Labour and Productivity, yesterday, in Abuja granted the National Union of Lottery Agents and Employees the certificate of registration, COR, to now operate as an

independent trade union.

At the presentation of certificate, Permanent Secretary, Dr. Clement Iloh, said the union satisfied the requirements for registration.

good shape, you will see that the matters will not move. ”The name of the court does not matter. It is the personnel in the court that counts.”

have to go back to him again for any reason, because the money is there and we are fully prepared.

“Mr. President has, therefore, asked me to inform you that because of the significance of this programme, as national, regional and continental one, and its expected positive impact on our national economy and environment, he had decided to personally flagoff the implementation of the programme to underscore the premium he attaches to environmental transformation and job creation.”

She urged the host communities of the programme in the front line states to realize that whatever was planted on their land belonged to them, and that they should maintain it.

Senate not for amateurs—AJIBOSO

By Monsur Olowoopejo

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HEAD of All Progressives Congress, APC, primaries in Lagos, former Commissioner for Agriculture and Cooperatives, and Lagos West senatorial district aspirant, Mr. Enoch Ajiboso, has said that the Senate was not meant for amateurs, but for experienced politicians who understood the act of lawmaking.

Ajiboso, who made the statement at a briefing, said: “Senate, as it was constituted, is expected to be occupied by the elderly. It is not meant for youth. The Senate needs someone who has experience.

“It is meant for those who have passed through different stages of government in their states. That stage is meant to

moderate.”

Other contenders for the senatorial seat are current Deputy Governor of the state, Mrs. Adejoke OrelopeAdefulire; former Minister of State for Interior, Mr. Ademola Seriki, and the immediate past council chairman of AjeromiIfelodun Local Government council, Mr. Kamal Bayewu.

On the other aspirants, the former chairman of Agege Local Government said: “They are also qualified for the post; we are all members of the same party. But in politics, just like the military, we have our own ranks.”

He lamented that the Senate had not been functioning effectively because it lacked experienced professionals and politicians with good records.

FG rejects foreign participation in Abuja carnival over Ebola, insecurity

By Caleb Ayansina

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BUJA—THE Federal Government, yesterday, said it had rejected foreign participation in the forthcoming Abuja carnival due to the outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease, EVD, in some parts of the world and insecurity in the northern part of the country.

It maintained that the carnival would be low key due to the current mood of the people, adding that about 20 states had indicated interest to participate.

The Artistic Director of Abuja National Carnival, Mr. Abiodun Abe, disclosed this to newsmen on the activities lined up for the seven days’ carnival to be declared open in Abuja on November 25.

He explained that Nigeria was not really expecting any international participation not because the carnival was not popular or not an important event, adding that foreign contingents would be accommodated in subsequent editions.

When asked if the government could cancel the carnival due to the current security challenges, Abe said: “We cannot shelve the carnival because there must be continuity; all we need to do is to ensure the security of lives and property.”

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014 — 55

Court declares Elder Aja authentic Enugu PDP Chairman A

BUJA—A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja presided over by Justice E. S. Chukwu, yesterday declared Elder David Aja as the authentic Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Enugu State chapter, pending the appointment of another chairman from the area where the immediate past chairman of the party hails from.

This came as PDP confirmed that its nationwide November 1, 2014 ward congresses to elect 3man ad-hoc delegates, indeed, validly held in Enugu State.

Counsel to the national leadership of the PDP, Frederick Olisa, stated this in an amended affidavit to override his earlier submission in a different suit in line with emerging facts.

Justice Chukwu, while delivering judgment in the suit filed by Elder Aja on October 27, 2014, granted all the reliefs sought by the plaintiff.

The defendants in the suit were Peoples Democratic Party, its chairman, Alhaji Adamu Muazu, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Chief Ikeje Asogwa and Steve Oruruo.

The court declared that following the resignation of Vita Abba as the chairman of the Enugu State chapter of the 1st Defendant, (PDP), the plaintiff as the Vice Chairman of the said the chapter was entitled to act as chairman of the said chapter of the 1st Defendant pending the appointment of another Chairman from the area Abba hails from.”

Aja had among other reliefs, asked the court to determine “whether having regard to the provisions of Sections 35, 45(2) and (4), and 47(5) and (6) of the

Constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party 2012 following the resignation of Engr. Vita Abba as the Chairman of the Enugu State Chapter of the 1st Defendant, the Plaintiff (who is the Vice Chairman) is entitled to act as Chairman pending the appointment of another Chairman from the area Engr. Vita Abba hails from.''

Ruling, Justice Chukwu ordered that “the 4th Defendant (Ikeje Asogwa) is not entitled to hold himself out or perform the function of the Chairman of the Enugu State chapter of the 1st Defendant not having been validly appointed.

He also ordered the setting aside of all acts performed by the 4th Defendant purporting to act or carry out the functions of the Chairman of the Enugu State chapter of the party.

Meanwhile, in an amended affidavit in response to the originating summons in the case

filed in a Federal High Court, Abuja, by the delegates elected at that congress, to safeguard the result of the congress, the PDP counsel, Olisa overrode his earlier submission and held that there was congress in Enugu State as reported by the Electoral Panel sent to conduct the congress.

He said as of November 12, 2014, when he filed his earlier claim that there was no congress in Enugu State, he was not properly briefed partly because the report of the congress was still being compiled and analysed by the Office of the National Organising Secretary.

He explained that he was misled at the time of filing his earlier affidavit by a supervisor in the department of Organisation and Mobilization into believing that there was no congress, but who as it had turned out did not have credible information.

In a table attached to the amended affidavit showing states

where congresses held to elect the ad-hoc delegates on November 1, 2014, Enugu was featured as number 19.

Titled, “Ward Congresses for 3 Ad-Hoc Delegates: Analysis of Reports/results Sheets” and signed by the National Organising Secretary, Abubakar Mustafa, the table provides the analysis of congresses in 34 states including Enugu.

“In compliance with the timeline (time-table) for Congresses/Primaries leading to the 2015 General Elections, Ward Congresses for the election of 3 Ad-Hoc Delegates were conducted in 34 States and the FCT on Nov. 1, 2014 “, the National Organising Secretary said in the table.

The table itself is an attachment to a detailed report of the November 1, 2014 congresses addressed to the National Working Committee, NWC on November 12, 2014, giving the NWC members the benefit of information on how the elections were conducted in the 34 States featured in the report.

ASSEMBLY: Chairman, Igbo Leaders of Thought, Prof. Ben Nwabueze (sitting middle) with other members during the 9th Assembly of Igbo Leaders of Thought in Enugu.

Chime spits fire, says nobody can stop PDP victory in Enugu

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NUGU—GOVERNOR Sullivan Chime of Enugu State, yesterday said the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the state would not be intimidated into abandoning the implementation of zoning policy in the distribution of elective positions in the state, insisting that it was the party to beat in the 2015 general elections.

The governor, who spoke while addressing a crowd of stakeholders in Enugu, reiterated that the party remained the only viable vehicle to elective offices in the state, arguing that anyone who chose to leave the party was seeking his own retirement from politics.

He stressed that zoning and consensus-building were entrenched in the party ’s constitution and had been successfully practised in the state since the inception of

his administration.

He noted that the seeming crisis within the party in the state was rooted in the refusal of some prominent members of the party seeking elective offices to comply with earlier agreements reached, merely for their own selfish ends.

“What guides us in Enugu State is that we’ve discarded the idea of godfatherism and of imposing candidates on our people. We have always, through consultation, chosen those to fly our flags at elections. And because we’ve always consulted widely, we usually triumphed. I want to reassure all our people that PDP Enugu State chapter will triumph again in the 2015 general elections.

“The PDP in Enugu state has remained strong and united despite the current challenges because of your commitment,

your discipline and determination to ensure full compliance with our rules. You are all witnesses to the abuses and insults I have been personally subjected to because of our insistence that our brothers and sisters should do the right thing by complying with agreements long reached. But I’m not deterred. That will not change my ways because nobody can intimidate us to abandon what is right. ''I have no personal squabbles with anyone contrary to the impression our detractors tried to use the media to create. My crime is just that I am insisting that people respect decisions and agreements reached. We had this understanding of live and let live and we will do all we can to sustain it, no amount of intimidation can change it” Referring to the controversy surrounding the deadlocked ward

congresses of the party in the state, Chime noted that the PDP in the State stood in unison against the attempt by some people to fake the exercise and will continue to insist that the proper thing be done.

“We must be allowed to choose our leaders. In the face of unwarranted provocation and abuses from these persons, all we offer them are our prayers. Our collective decision as you have amply demonstrated today is that the right thing be done and I will take this decision to wherever we are called. This is not the time for anyone to intimidate or cow our people” Governor Chime thanked the party faithful for their continued support and belief in the system, assuring them that “the spirit we started with cannot be diminished by the desperate antics of some people”.

Abia NULGE tasks Orji over unresolved issues with govt

By Anayo Okoli

U

MUAHIA—ABIA State Chapter of Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE, has called on Governor Theodore Orji, to intervene and resolve all outstanding issues between the government and the union “to avert unnecessary looming crisis in the local government system of Abia State.”

State President of the union, Ijoma Onyenaucheya, who decried what he called alleged growing insensitivity of the state government to the plight of local government worker, called on the governor to save the council workers from hardship.

He warned the government not “to take for granted the patience and endurance of the union leaders and council workers to inflict more pains and agony on them.”

The outstanding issues, according to the union, included lifting the implementation of the suspended 2012, 2013 and 2014 promotion exercises; payment of outstanding October salary to all council worker, and many others.

Madam Oladapo is dead

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ADAM Abike Mobolanle Oladapo is dead.

According to the son, Mr. Siyanbola Oladapo, who is the President of Association of Nigeria Courier Operators (ANCO) and GMD/CEO of Bowill Group, Madam Abike died on Saturday, November 8, 2014 at the age of 86.

The ANCO chief said funeral arrangements would be decided after a family meeting.

.Late Mrs Oladapo

56 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014

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Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014—57

Insecurity in Nigeria: The legal challenge (2) Being the second instalment of the paper delivered by Femi Falana SAN at the seventh annual Emeritus Professor D.A. Ijalaiye SAN Distinguished Personality Lecture at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State. The first part was published in yesterday's edition sect. For instance, 60 women were

By Femi Falana abducted when the sect members invaded LTHOUGH the recommendation Waga Mangoro and Garba villages in was accepted in May 2012 by the Adamawa State last month. (See Punch, Federal Government the suspects have October 22, 2014). When Mubi in been treated like sacred cows as they are Adamawa State was attacked about 350 said to be highly connected to the powers children were declared missing. that be. Recently, a former Borno State (Leadership, November 2, 2014). Bomb governor, Alhaji Modu Ali Sheriff was attacks launched by the sect have killed named as one of the sponsors of the Boko hundreds of people in Niger, Bauchi, Haram sect by a Reverend Stephen Davies, Gombe, Kano, Kaduna, Nassarawa, the negotiator recruited by the Federal Plateau States and the Federal Capital Government to dialogue with the terrorists. Territory.

In his reaction to the disclosure the exBut despite the increasing deadly attacks governor threatened to sue Rev. Davies of the sect the National Assembly has not for defamation in Australia . deemed it fit to hold a special joint sitting Unlike the negotiator whose indictment on the threat to the corporate existence of was not substantiated I issued a press the nation. On its own part, the Council statement wherein I provided detailed of State which met in Abuja on November evidence of Alhaji Sheriff’s links with the 4, 2014 commended President Jonathan’s dreaded Boko Haram sect. In particular, I handling of the war on terror. According stated that the ex-governor appointed to Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Alhaji Buji Foi, a leading Boko Haram Ibom State “Council was satisfied that the member, as the Borno State Commissioner Defence Ministry and all the other for Religious Affairs to compensate the sect agencies have taken the right steps and for supporting his re-election in 2003. My the President is on course and we are very press statement was supported by the hopeful that sooner or later Nigerians will Maiduguri branch of the Nigerian Bar hear good news.” (Premium Times Association which threatened to drag the November 5, 2014). ex-governor to the Special Prosecutor of Meanwhile, the genuine demand of the the International Criminal Court. members of the armed forces for equipment and payment of salaries and Special operational allowances is considered prosecutor treasonable by the military authorities.

Twelve out of the soldiers who took part in As the Federal Government was the protest against the General Officer disturbed by the revelations of Rev. Davies Commanding have been tried for mutiny the State Security Service announced that and sentenced to death. Scores of others the ex-governor was under investigation are currently undergoing trial for mutiny for his alleged links with the Boko Haram before courts-martial. The concerned sect . But a few days later, the suspect wives of soldiers who decried the was a member of the delegation of the deployment of their husbands on suicidal Federal Government to Chad when missions have been President Jonathan met with his Chadian threatened with ejection counterpart, Mr. Idriss Derby to review the from military barracks by war on terror in the north east region. the Chief of Army Staff.

Insurgency and the threat to National The Legal Challenge Security The arrogance of the Notwithstanding the sacrifice of the illruling class enshrined in equipped members of the armed forces ,the section 2 of the Boko Haram sect appears to have gained Constitution to the effect upper hand in the war on terror. Large that Nigeria is “one towns like Bama, Gwoza, Mubi and indivisible and Michika and hundreds of villages have indissoluble sovereign been captured by the terrorists. Hundreds state” has been exposed to of thousands of people have been ridicule by the terrorists. displaced while not less than 13,000 have However, in exercise of his powers under section 305 of the Constitution Out of President Goodluck Jonathan imposed a state the 276 of emergency on girls Adamawa, Borno and Yobe abducted State to restore law and in the north east from the order region. The implication of Government emergency rule is that the FEMI FALANA rights of College in fundamental privacy of homes and been killed by the criminal gang. Not less Chibok, correspondence, religion, than 16 local governments in Borno, Yobe thought and conscience, Borno and Adamawa States have been annexed freedom of expression, while the combined land mass of the State, six assembly and movement occupied areas is said to be 21,545 square months enshrined in sections 37, kilometers of territory. The terrorists have 38, 39, 40 and 41 of the hoisted their flags in the occupied territory ago, 57 Constitution may be which has been named the “Caliphate escaped justifiably encroached Republic”. upon in the interest of Out of the 276 girls abducted from the while 219 defence, public safety and Government College in Chibok, Borno remain public order. (Section 45 of State, six months ago, 57 escaped while the Constitution).

219 remain captive. More women and captive school girls have been kidnapped by the To be concluded

A

58—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014

Untold story of how 14 journalists were abducted •Tompolo’s action; Intervention of security agents

By Emma Amaize, Regional Editor, South-South

W

ARRI— THE accepted rule of engagement between journalists in the Warri flank of Niger-Delta and exmilitants in Gbaramatu Kingdom, Warri South-West Local Government Area, Delta State, was shattered, Sunday, when the violent youths abducted 14 journalists and six other persons, including Itsekiri youth leaders.

The journalists, among them, this reporter, Sola Adebayo, Regional Editor, Leadership, Shola O’Neil, Regional Editor, Niger-Delta, The Nation and Olu Philips, Energy Reporter, Channels Television, were ambushed on the waterways at 1.p.m. while returning from a press conference, addressed by the Itsekiri community of Ugborodo, moments after they left Ogidigben. Other newshounds were Publisher of Warri-based Fresh Angle Newspaper, Anthony Ebule, Bolaji Ogundele, Reporter, The Nation, Warri, Emma Arubi, Senior Correspondent, Daily Independent Newspaper, Warri, and Awoso Harry, Delta Broadcasting Service, DBS, Warri, Paulinus Odedey, Camera man, Channels, Omoniyi Alex and Osaro Sado, AIT.

Groundbreaking of $16bn Delta gas city project Journalists in Warri, Delta State and the country at large are seething with rage over the treatment meted to their colleagues. At the press conference by Itsekiri leaders, led

by Chief Ayiri Emami, Pa Maku Uteyin, John Anderson, Madam Mercy Olowu and Itse Wilkie, who read the communique, the Ogidigben people called on President Goodluck Jonathan to fix a new date for the groundbreaking of the $16 billion Delta Gas City project, saying the facility was on their land.

Ambush: From nowhere, the speedboat conveying them and six other persons, including an Itsekiri youth leader, Kiki, whose father was understood to be an Ijaw chief in Oporoza, was double-crossed by Ijaw youths in about six speedboats. They demanded for the video cameras of the journalists, saying they had been monitoring them since Sunday morning while they went around with Chief Emami, videotaping their community.

As expected, no journalist would willingly surrender his working tools to hooligans, which was the picture the Ijaw youths presented of themselves. They kept quiet and were praying for

Map of Delta State

the intervention of security agents since the point of ambush was not too far from an oil installation with military presence, but no help came. The fierce youths hopped into the journalists speedboat uninvited and started ransacking their belongings. They saw the cameras and pounced on the cameramen, especially on Paulinus Odedey of Channels for refusing to admit that he was with a camera when he was initially asked. Harry of DBS was also dealt some blows for the same offence.

There was hot argument with Kiky, the Itsekiri youth leader who was with the journalists for between five to 10 minutes. He was asked to leave the boat and enter another, which he objected to. But he was eventually overpowered and everybody was shepherded like captured hostages to their den in Oporoza.

The journalists' boat was earlier demobilized in a struggle between the ex-militants and the driver and this led to the whisking away of the journalists in one of the ex-militants’speedboats.

Agony in the lion’s den At the lair where we were held for approximately six hours, one of the journalists, Emma Arubi, and six other community guides, including the boat driver, was brutalized. Arubi’s case was special and that is because he is of the Itsekiri ethnic stock. It was apparent from the outburst of the Ijaw youths that there was no a no-love lost between them and Itsekiri. They said the land the project is sited belongs to the Gbaramatu-Ijaw and Ayiri Emami had brought the press to film the community and twist the truth.

Immediately the journalists stepped into their den, they forcefully collected the cameras, telephones, tape recorders; communique issued at the press conference, wristwatches and every other thing, except money

Delta State governor, Uduaghan...intervened

and took them somewhere to delete the recordings. Though some of the items were later handed over after the memory cards were removed, my digital tape recorder and that of Arubi were intentionally withheld.

Thirty minutes after we were whisked to their hideaway, the ex-militants, who were cheered by some local chiefs and villagers, claimed that a pistol was found in one of the bags they seized. In their den, their word is law; you cannot argue or contest their allegation and untruth can be made to be real under such circumstance.

Warri South-West chairman’s intervention: The newly-elected chairman of Warri South-West Local Government Area, Mr. George Ekpemupolo, called our abductors and asked the chairman on ground to hand over his phone to me about 40 minutes or so into our ordeal. This was after an Ijaw youth leader had spoken to one of the journalists, Shola O’Neil, who told him the names of the prominent journalists that were abducted, including me, thinking that that could elicit an immediate order for release.

The Warri South-West chair assured me that everything was being done to secure the journalists freedom and that they would be handed over to the military. The driver of the boat and the Itsekiri youths denied knowledge of the weapons alleged to have been found in the boat.

But after they were brutally tortured, the boat driver said one of occupants was the person that brought a wrapped object, which he did not know the content into the boat. It was at this point that ex-militant leader, Chief Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, who spoke to the leader on ground, also asked to speak to this reporter and I explained what happened. I told him we were abducted and our working tools and phones confiscated. He said his information was that guns were found in our boat. I told him we are journalists and not gunrunners. But that as he was speaking, the driver of the boat had already said that he saw somebody put a wrapped object inside his boat.

He assured that everybody would be handed over to the army, but there was need for us to tell the security operatives the whole truth about what transpired. On our confiscated phones, he said he would ask and find out who collected them. Tompolo also repeated that we would all be handed over to the army and I handed the phone back to the ‘leader’.

Punishment continues: Despite what I thought was his intervention, the ex-militants continued drubbing the Itsekiri indigenes among the six that were asked to lie face down. It was not the entire six, however, that were Itsekiri. One said he was a staff of the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, DESOPADEC, while the other said he was Urhobo from Agbasa.

One of the ex-militants took delight in flogging those lying on the ground, including an Itsekiri chief. If there was any reservation that the episode was a setup, the decision of the ex-militants to force Arubi, the Independent Correspondent, to hold the AK 47, which they alleged was found in our boat and took photograph of him, then uploaded it on the social media, while we were still in their custody, gave them away.

You‘re all criminals –

It is unfortunate that you (journalists) were in that very boat. But from the way things are going, the Ijaw and Itsekiri are going to fight again, if it is not now, it will be tomorrow

Abductors They abused the journalists and accused them of promoting the Itsekiri agenda with their writings, maintaining that we were all lawbreakers since the weapons with which the Itsekiri want to kill them was found in our boat.

Enemy within: From what transpired within the six hours we were held against our will in the den, it was evident that the Itsekiri ethnic group has saboteurs in their midst, who were giving information to the Ijaw on the movement of Chief Ayiri Emami, who was the main target. One of the ex-militants, who said he knew this reporter, described vividly to me how many of them wore life-jackets in our speedboats, how they monitored our movement that Sunday morning and when we took off for the return journey back to Warri. In fact, the ex-militants swore that if Chief Emami was caught with us that Sunday, he would have been dismembered.

They said the Itsekiri ethnic group was too small to drag land with Ijaw people and vowed to deal with them sooner or later.

Back to Warri: We arrived Naval Base, Warri, the next day, Monday, at about 11.00 am due to some mechanical problem with the gunboats that escorted the journalists, one of which was towed by our speedboat to Warri.

The other could not make the journey.

Uduaghan’s negotiation It was understood that the governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, made efforts to free us on the day of the incident, but it was on Monday that he spoke severally with this reporter, asking what the true situation was on ground. And from the point he established contact; he was in constant communication until our eventual release from naval custody at 4.00 pm. The navy officials in Warri said they had to clear from their superiors in Abuja after obtaining statements from the journalists due to the dimension the matter had taken.

Preliminary investigations obviously indicated that the journalists were not gunrunners and that the six persons held with them could be innocent of the allegation from available information, hence all of them were also released. But, some Ijaw youth leaders, who called to apologize for the nightmare this writer and others went through in the hands of the youths, maintained that the whole thing was ill-fated. One, however, said, “Truly, our boys did not plant the weapons; we got information that there is weapon in one of the boats from our Itsekiri informant, who is not in Chief Ayiri Emami camp.

It is unfortunate that you (journalists) were in that very boat.

But from the way things are going, the Ijaw and Itsekiri are going to fight again, if it is not now, it will be tomorrow, but quote me, the Ijaw will never leave that EPZ land for the Itsekri, it is not for them, they should stop parading fraudulent court papers to say that we are their tenants, we are not their tenants.”

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014 —59

We don’t have creative midfielders — Okocha • Insists on quality education for youths

AIPS to hold historic meeting in Addis Ababa

BY TONY UBANI

A

FRICAN football legend, Austin Jay Jay Okocha has given the greatest hints that he may soon bounce back to the sport that brought him fame and fortune to help in discovering young creative midfielders.

Okocha whose magical displays gladdened many souls has decried the lack of creative midfielders as presently obtained in the Super Eagles and promised to offer his wealth of experience to the nation in discovering such talents “when the time is right”.

The ex Super Eagles captain who is an Ambassador to Western Union as a way to help vulnerable children get the education they deserve, however, said that he would wait until such a time that Nigerian football administration is “clean” before he ventures into discovering gifted players in mould.

“It’s a gradual thing. I hope you know that I am the Vice Chairman of Delta State Football Association”, he reminded the Reporter stressing that by the virtue of the Chairman’s election as President of Nigeria F o o t b a l l Federation(Pinnick), he now assumes the responsibility of running the sport.

“It’s a gradual process.

For now, I’m working in the state until such a time that I’ll step up into the national scene”, he volunteered.

With his now famous toothpaste smile, Okocha who played for a catalogue of teams like Borussia Neunkirchen, Eintracht Frankfurt, Bolton Wanderers, Fernabache, Paris St Germain refused to entertain questions on the national team and coach Stephen Keshi but preferred to focus on his Ambassadorial works with Wester Union on the PASSproject that has supported UNICEF secondary education programmes in Jamaica, Nigeria and Turkey.

“It’s a laudable programme that has opened the window of opportunities for young people around the world

Kenenisa Bekele, holder of the world record and Olympic record in both the 5,000 and 10,000 and compatriot Haile Gebrselassie, the Ethiopian longdistance track and road running legend will attend the AIPS Executive opening on November 19 in Addis Ababa

BY MITCHELL OBI, AIPS Africa President

K

•Okocha into support for access for quality education. One needs to help the younger ones carve a niche in education. That is a sure way of producing better youths who indeed will be leaders of tomorrow”.

The midfield maestro whose dribbles and sublime passes and free kicks set apart as a genius

confessed that life outside the game has not been that easy.

“Initially, it’s like a fish out of water situation. But one has integrated well”.

However, if there is one thing that Okocha would not find a solution to is the massive fans who still flock around him.

“It’s amazing”, he said

and has cut out certain areas as no-go areas.

“There are so many ares that as a matter of fact that I cannot go to because of the massive scramble of fans”.

And how rich is the former mercurial player?

He smiled and said “I’m good like every other person”.

ENENISA Bekele, holder of the world record and Olympic record in both the 5,000 and 10,000 and compatriot Haile Gebrselassie, the Ethiopian long-distance track and road running legend will attend the AIPS Executive opening on November 19 in Addis Ababa We have to go to the days of little beginnings. When the love to share what we have in common was overwhelming and our unity of purpose was so distinctive.

It was also the era of innocence from which pure thoughts flowed and it was said in all corners that a little sport was good for the heart.

Indeed the passion to celebrate the heroics from the sporting theatre was so strong it was easy for sports journalists to free their minds and give the public a heavy dose of enriching information.

For goodness sake the Olympic spirit was all encompassing and it was

inevitable that our founding colleagues latched on to it in Paris to give us this cherished baby. 90 years on from that landmark rendezvous inside a boxing ring we have an association that has gone beyond its limited scope to make an impact not only as fighter for the independence of thought and its expression but also as a support companion for the values that lift humanity.

From November 19 to 24 the Executive Committee of AIPS will hold its first ever meeting in Africa and appropriately so in a city that has not lost its innocence.

No doubt Addis is also the city of marvelous athletics endeavor and talents. And who else will open his doors for this unforgettable insight than the great Haile Gebrselassie, the Ethiopian long-distance track and road running legend who will also be holding the annual 14th Great Ethiopian Run International 10km, Africa’s premier race on November 23.

US embassy ruins Okagbare’s honeymoon

BY BEN EFE

T

•Okagbare

HE US embassy in Abuja has rocked the boat for African sprint queen, Blessing Okagbare who recently got married to her heart-throb Igho Otegheri.

Okagbare and her footballer husband, planned to travel to Los Angeles where the double sprint 2014 Commonwealth Games gold medallist is based.

But Otegheri was denied a visa, something that left Okagbare distraught and confused. Okagbare trains with American coach, John Smith in Los Angles and was hoping that her husband who won four caps with the Super Eagles will be around at her weakest moments.

Okabgare is billed to resume training for the next years World Championships in Beijing China.

“I feel so bad that America Embassy would turn down the visa request by my husband to travel with me to Los Angeles.

“I have resumed training for the season and I have to go back to my base (Los Angeles) with my husband so that I can concentrate.

“I have sent copies of my documents, including my Resident Permit in Los Angeles to them so as to facilitate my husband’s traveling with me to the

States, but they refused.

Help me appeal to them to grant him visa because it won’t be easy for me to shuttle between Nigeria and the States every time.

“I have to concentrate on my training and the only way to do so is to have my husband with me in the States. I have been so sad since my husband returned from Abuja with this bad news. They have to do something about it,” she lamented

60 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014

We cannot afford to be over-confident — Pinnick N

FF President, Amaju Melvin Pinnick, observed on Tuesday that the Super Eagles cannot afford to be over –confident going into Wednesday’s crucial Cup of Nations qualifier against South Africa’s Bafana Bafana.

“Pointe Noire was a bright point for us, no doubt. We went there with a strong mind to turn the campaign around and we did just that. But there are still 90 minutes to go in the qualifying race and it is critical that we maintain focus.

“The wise guys tell you that it is when a guy gets too confident that he is wide open for a sucker punch. I am a strong optimist and I know that we are as good as being in the Draw for the final tournament. But we must keep a level head for those 90 minutes, maintain focus and clinically take our chances.”

The two –goal win in Pointe Noire on Saturday means that the African champions will be eligible to defend their title in Equatorial Guinea early next year once they achieve any margin of victory against group winners South Africa at the Akwa Ibom International Stadium.

“I have been speaking with the Head Coach and some of the players and I know that they are determined that nothing will go wrong. We have a way with South Africa but we will not under –rate them.”

Remi Olukoya last weekend won the 2014 edition of the Southern Sun Ikoyi Hotel Golf Day on count-back. The event which was held at the Prestigious Ikoyi Club 1938 Lagos was the fourth edition with over 180 golfers on parade. The quartet involving Omini Ofem and Tony Okwoju came second after a grueling round on the course.

The 18-hole tourney, which employed foursome format of play with the best three scores

of activities with business associates, friends of the hotel, sponsors, golfers and invited guests networking with pleasure. At a post tournament prize giving cocktail held after the competition winners were also announced in various categories including winning female team for the nearest to the pin and winning team longest drive hole with plaques and various prizes awarded to the excited winning teams.

Glo to Eagles: 170 M Nigerians are behind you

N

Super Eagles forward Gbolahan Salami (l) controls the ball away from S.Africa's Eric Mathoho.

AT I O N A L telecommunications operator, Globacom, has declared support for the Super

Furman: It’ll be tough playing Nigeria B

•Furman

Bafana coach Continues from B/P AFCON qualifiers.

“Nigerians don’t want to lose against South Africa. That alone will make this match a tough one and we also have the assignment to break the hoodoo that we always lose when we play against them,” Mashaba said before the Bafana Bafana left South Africa.

2014 Southern Sun Golf tournament ends HE quartet of Ted per hole counting, T Iwere, Tim Ayonmike, witnessed a whole gamut Engr. Esosa Ojomo and

“We have to go out there positive and believe we will do well.

We are defending well but there are still some things we need to do, especially in the middle of the park where we are not picking opponents tight and that will cause us problems especially against a team like Nigeria which is very good in that area.”

AFANA Bafana have their eyes solely fixed on a victory against their arch nemesis, Nigeria, when the two nations battle in the final qualification rounds of the 2015 CAF African Cup of Nations today.

Bafana arrived in Uyo on Monday night and had their first training session at the playing venue yesterday evening ahead of Wednesday night’s clash.

Despite having secured qualification this past Saturday against Sudan, new Bafana captain, Dean Furman, insists his teammates still remain highly charged and motivated going into their game against the Super Eagles.

“It’s a huge game; having qualified doesn’t

change anything for us.

It has major significance every time we go play Nigeria,” said the Furman in a statement from the South African Football Association.

“It’s going to be a tough game; they will fight for their lives in an

Real Madrid , Microsoft to create digital accessible anywhere, for a number of different platform and anytime and on a host of initiatives

BY EMEKA AGNAM

R

EAL Madrid C.F and Microsoft have signed a landmark agreement accelerating the digital transformation of the club through technology.

This alliance, through which Microsoft becomes the strategic technological partner of Real Madrid, will revolutionize the experience enjoyed bymembers and supporters of the club by providing digital services that are

Watch Eagles Continues from B/P International Stadium, Uyo, with Nigeria would be hoping to make it three wins in a row, having defeated Sudan in Abuja and Congo Brazzaville two-nil in Pointe Noire on

effort to qualify. But we want to fight for our nation, for fans, and for ourselves, beyond that we want to maintain our unbeaten record in this group and it’s important that we finish in a positive way.”

Eagles ahead of the crucial last qualifying match of 2015 African Cup of Nations against Bafana Bafana of South Africa in Uyo on Wednesday.

In a press statement released in Lagos on Tuesday, Globacom stated that the Eagles need maximum support from 170 Million Nigerians in their quest to win the match and pick the second Group A ticket to 2015 African Cup of Nations’ in Equatorial Guinea.

Saturday.

Eagles have seven points from five games, and will be without the services of Chigozie Agbim, Ogenyi Onazi and Hope Akpan.

The fierce encounter is expected to get underway by 6 pm today.

devices such as PCs, tablets, smartphones and wearables.

The agreement provides

technological developments that will be unveiled in the upcoming months.

Mark Continues from B/P Guinea.

The Senate President said, “They (Super Eagles) certainly have to beat them (Bafana Bafana), we don’t have a choice and our prayers will be for them. We will give them all our support.”

He told the Chairman, Senate Committee on Sports, Senator Adamu Gumba to transmit the message to the team loud and clear that, “defeat is not an option at all in tomorrow ’s (today’s) match. They must bring us victory.”

Commending the Stephen Keshi’s team

for beating Congo Brazzaville 2-0 on Saturday, Senator Mark said, “May I on behalf of all of us congratulate the Super Eagles for their victory in Congo.

“Their next match is tomorrow (today). We had almost given up but somehow, I think they managed to show the light at the end of the tunnel. Very deem light at the end of the tunnel.”

He called on the prayer warriors in the senate to embark on intensive prayers to ensure that the Super Eagles defeat the Bafana Bafana.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014 — 61

C M Y K

62 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014

C M Y K

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014,

C M Y K

— 63

VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014

Bafana coach vows to end Nigerian jinx S

OUTH African coach, Ephraim ‘Shakes’ Mashaba, said his team has one aim at the Nest of Champions in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State and that is to break the jinx of not beating Nigeria in any competitive match.

•Mashaba

Watch Eagles for N500

T

ICKET prices for the 2015 African Cup of Nations qualifier between Super and Bafana Bafana of South Africa have been released.

Tickets for the match will be sold for N500 (popular side), N1,000 (VIP) and N3,000 (VVIP).he match will take place at the 30,000 capacity Akwa Ibom Continues on page 60

South Africa have already qualified and Nigeria need to win to book their place in the 2015 African Cup of Nations. But Mashaba indicated that they will not hand Nigeria any favour in the crucial

Continues on page 60

WIN OR BURST CLASH IN UYO:

TUSSLE: John Obi Mikel in a midfield tussle with S/Africa's Jali Andile in the first leg in Cape Town. The match ended 0-0.

Defeat not an option, Mark tells Eagles KICK OFF: 6 P.M.

See more stories on pages 32 & 33

BY JOHNBOSCO AGBAKWURU, Abuja

A •Keshi

S the Super Eagles of Nigeria confront national team of South Africa the Bafana Bafana

in the last qualification stage of African Cup of Nations, AFCON, today, the Senate President, David Mark has told the players and technical crew of the national team that a defeat of the

South African team is not an option but a must.

Senator Mark who stated this yesterday during the senate plenary commended the Super Eagles for

reviving the hope Nigerians have for the qualification of the national team for the 2015 AFCON to be hosted by Equatorial

Continues on page 60

QUICK CROSSWORD

TODAY'S

PUZZLE

YESTER DAY'S YESTERDAY'S

ANSWERS

ACROSS 3 Throw (5) 9 Aviators (6) 10 Sturdy (6) 11 Advantage (5) 12 Sea-eagle (4) 15 Shortage (4) 17 Diminish (7) 20 Fish-eggs (3) 21 Sum (5) 23 Calm (4) 25 Ballad (4) 26 Swift (5) 28 Finish (3) 30 In the middle (7) 33 Paradise (4) 35 Aperture (4) 36 Change (5) 38 Introduce (6) 39 Fight (6) 40 Symbol (5)

DOWN 1 Confronted (5) 2 Allow (5) 3 Vegetable (3) 4 Bug (6) 5 Gang (4) 6 Heated (3) 7 Sweetener (5) 8 Wager (5) 13 Revoke (7) 14 Mistake (5) 16 Curdle (7) 18 Subject (5) 19 Owns (3) 22 Unwilling (5) 24 Circuit (3) 27 Erase (6) 28 Weird (5) 29 Thick (5) 31 Waken (5) 32 Flat (5) 34 Singer (4) 36 Skill (3) 37 Manage (3)

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS ACROSS: 1, Doctor 5, Scrape 9, Pinch 10, Rusted 11, Rattle 12, Never 14, Sped 17, Row 18, None 20, Sewer 22, Dared 23, Tetanus 24, Acted 26, Based 29, Seer 30, Led 32, Lore 33, Forum 35, Untold 36, Palate 37, Ogled 38, Enrage 39, Depend.

DOWN: 1, Duress 2, Cashew 3, Open 4, Rider 5, Screw 6, Char 7, Author 8, Evened 13, Voyager 15, Peace 16, Deter 18, Nasal 19, Newer 21, Red 22, Dub 24, Astute 25, Tester 27, Solace 28, Defend 30, Lodge 31, Duped 33, Flog 34, Made.

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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