Senate set tobattle Jonathan

...towards a better life for the people VOL. 25: NO. 61760

COLLAPSED BUILDING:

Mother of dead sisters recounts ordeal •P.24

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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012

16 killed in Kano, Plateau, Borno as cars plunge into river in Lagos •P.15

Senate set to battle Jonathan •Wants him to sign bill on State of the Nation Address

•Threatens to override President if...

From left: Alex Kyriakidis, President, Middle East & Africa, Marriot Hotels; Jim Ovia, Chairman Quantum Luxury Properties Ltd. and Paul Ansah, Vice President International Hotel Development, Marriot Hotels; at the signing ceremony, yesterday, between Marriot and Quantum to establish Marriot Hotel in Lagos.

BY HENRY UMORU

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BUJA — THE Sen ate, yesterday, drew the battle line when it threatened to over rule the President should he not assent to a bill asking him to make the State of the Nation Address annually.

The bill requires the President to address the National Assembly on the affairs of the nation annually.

In an apparent reaction to President Goodluck Jonathan’s rebuff of an earlier version of the bill

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South Africa in recent times•P.19

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OIL SUBSIDY MUST GO: Yes, but...•P.54 DONU KOGBARA: •P. 17

Mr & Mrs

RECONCILIATION—From left: Bishop Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury Designate; the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar; former British Prime Minister Tony Blair; President, Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor and Estu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar at the launching of Tony Blair Foundation Led-work in Nigeria, yesterday in Abuja, to encourage reconcillation between Christian and Moslem communities. AFP PHOTO.

MONEY LAUNDERING: C M Y K

Babalakin risks five years jail •P.5

2 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012

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POCKET CARTOON

Senate set to battle Jonathan Continues from page 1 forwarded to him two years ago, the Senate vowed yesterday to override him should he again veto the bill.

The bill on the State of the Nation Address which was forwarded from the House of Representatives was presented to the Senate by the Senate Leader, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba.

In his lead debate, Senator Ndoma-Egba, noted that the bill would neither foreclose presentation of annual budgets nor duplicate its functions, adding, that ‘’the idea of the Bill is to take stock of the nation, its condition, the governments and its performance; the people and their well being”.

Contributing to the debate on the bill, Senators said the bill would give legal muscle to the crave by lawmakers for the president to brief the legislative arm on the affairs of government, even as they submitted that specific details on what steps the National Assembly would take should be included in the bill.

In his remarks, Senator Uche Chukwumerije, PDP, Abia North, however, cautioned that the address should have thematic guidelines

which should cover the economy and social stability.

For Senator Magnus Abe, PDP, Rivers South East, ‘’we should not look at this bill for just for today. I don’t see any challenges in the implementation of this, it would give Nigerians an opportunity to hear directly from the president.” He however said that he has an issue with the article that says the National Assembly may summon the president using two thirds if he doesn’t address the nation.

Opposition derserves right to react On his part, Senator Olusola Adeyeye, ACN, Osun Central, advocated that in the aftermath of the president’s speech, the opposition should be given an opportunity to react to some of the issues that would be raised by the president.”

The Bill, which scaled the second reading was referred to the Senate Committee on Federal Character and Intergovernmental Affairs to look at and report to the entire house in the next two weeks.

Speaking after discus-

LIFEWORDS

BY PASTOR ITUAH

Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage —Anais Nin. Take courage and expand your life.

TAKE HEART

BY ELLA RANDLE

Until you make peace with who you are, you’ll never be content with what you have — Doris Mortman Ann Brashares shared her thoughts on the state of happiness being just the ability in recognising the small moments in our lives; it did not have to be about the big, sweeping circumstances, or about having everything in your life in place. Maybe it was about stringing together a bunch of small pleasures. Wearing slippers and reading your favourite book.

Eating a brownie with vanilla ice cream, although I would apply caution with the latter, the most important thing is doing whatever catches your fancy.

Maybe happiness was just a matter of the little upticks- the traffic signal that said “Walk” the second you go there and downticks- the itch tag at the back of your collar- that happened to every person in the course of the day. Maybe everybody had the same allotted measure of happiness within each day.

Maybe it didn’t matter if you were a world-famous personality or a geek. Maybe it didn’t matter if you are facing challenges. I have learnt this too, maybe we just have to come to a better knowing of being, and be grateful for every moment when the clouds give way for the rainbows in our lives to shine.

sions on the Bill by senators, Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over yesterday’s plenary, said the National Assembly would heed the advice of the President’s Special Adviser on Political Matters, Alhaji Ahmed Gulak who had earlier dared the National Assembly to invoke its powers if the President refuses to assent to the Bill.

Ekweremadu said: "We decided that there is need for us to make it compulsory for the President to appear before the National Assembly and present a state of the Nation Address. When that did not happen, we again introduced it in 2008.

"To make sure that the Bill sails through, I discussed with President

Umaru Yar’Adua the difference between the Bill and what the Constitution says and Yar ’Adua was excited and looked forward to being the first President to present the State of Nation Address.

“Unfortunately by the time the Bill was passed he had died. It was then President Goodluck Jonathan who had the opportunity to preside over the issue of signing the Bill. He did not sign the Bill. It happened during the closing days of the last Senate. We didn’t have the opportunity of bringing the Bill back to over ride the veto of Mr. President.

"We would have overridden the veto if we had enough time to do so. But technically, at the end of the session, the Bill lapsed and we needed to start afresh. It was not as

if we did not know what to do with the Bill.

"We believe that this time the president will sign it but if it is not signed, you know the Presidential Adviser on Political Affairs, Ahmed Gulak, advised us that if the President refuses to sign our Bill, we know what to do. So that might be the first time we heed the advice of the Political

Adviser to the President.

This Bill will be considered by the appropriate committee and returned in good time so that the country will begin to benefit from the very important provisions of the Bill in line with the practice in most other countries including our own subregion. Even in Ghana there is a provision for State of the Nation Address.”

MONEY LAUNDERING:

Babalakin risks five years jail

BY SONI DANIEL, REGIONAL EDITOR, NORTH

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A G O S— C H I E F Executive Officer of Bi-Courtney Limited, Dr. Wale Babalakin, may spend up to five years in prison, if convicted over money laundering charges being pressed against him by the Federal Government.

This emerged, as the details of the 27-count charge, which the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, filed at the Lagos High Court against the businessman and four others, were unfolded, yesterday.

A copy of the Information Sheet obtained by Vanguard last night indicated that Babalakin, was being charged along Bi-Courtney Limited, Stabilini Visioni Limited, Renix Nigeria Limited and one Alex Okoh for laundering over N1. 3 billion of Delta State funds and conferring corrupt benefits on the former Governor of Delta State, James Ibori.

The offence, according to the charge sheet, is punishable under Section 516 of the Criminal Code Law, Cap.C17, laws of Lagos State, 2003, which carries a minimum prison term of five years.

Specifically, Babalakin and the other persons were alleged to have assisted Ibori to transfer the various sums of money between May and December, 2006 through third parties to Erin Aviation in Mauritius for the purchase of a Challenger Aircraft for the former governor.

According to the document, the accused had at various times pretended to be doing some spurious contracts for the Delta State Government and were duly paid various sums of money within the period which they promptly remitted the sums to Erin Aviation in Mauritius for the purpose of purchasing the aircraft for the politician.

The EFCC document showed that the least amount collected by the alleged from the state government for purported contract execution, which they immediately transferred to the Mauritius company was N35 million on May 26, 2006 while the highest collected by them from the same government was N260 million on June 2, 2006.

Babalakin and the others were also being charged under Section 17 (a) of the EFCC Act, 2004, which punishes offenders of retention of proceeds of a criminal

conduct and Section 98A (1) (a) of the Criminal Code Law Cap.C17,Laws of Lagos State, 2003.

At certain times during the period of the massive transfers allegedly effected by the them to the Mauritius aviation firm, they allegedly remitted $10.3 million between May 15 and December 2006 through Interactive Technologies Limited/ TN Focus, Sopetrol Oil and Gas Limited, Casaka Nigeria Company Limited, GeoFluids Limited and Hyundai Heavy Industries Nigeria Co. Limited.

Some of the charges read: “That you, Dr. Bolanle Olawale Babalakin, Alex Okoh, Stabilini Visioni Limited, Bi-Courtney Limited and Renix Nigeria Ltd on or about 17 November 2006 within the jurisdiction of this honourable court did retain the control of proceeds of financial crime to wit: the sum of $2,000,000.00 on behalf of James Onanefe Ibori by transferring the said sum to Erin Aviation account in Mauritius through Hyundai Heavy Industries Nig Ltd and which sum you knew was as a result of criminal conduct by the said James Ibori.

“That you, Dr. Bolanle Olawale Babalakin, Alex

Okoh, Stabilini Visioni Limited, Bi-Courtney Limited and Renix Nigeria Ltd on or about October 30, 2006 within the jurisdiction of this honourable court did retain the control of proceeds of financial crime to wit: the sum of $500,000.00 on behalf of James Onanefe Ibori by transferring the said sum to Erin Aviation account in Mauritius through Casaka Nig Co. Ltd and which sum you knew was as a result of criminal conduct by the said James Ibori.

But the anti-graft agency slammed Alex Okoh and Renix Nigeria Ltd with a different charge for concealing the various sums of money which were transferred and used in buying the aircraft for Ibori.

One of the charges preferred against the two accused persons, reads: “That you, Alex Okoh and Renix Nigeria Ltd on or about September 21, 2006 within the jurisdiction of this honourable court did by concealment, retain the control of the sum of N250 million which sum was the proceeds of an economic crime (funds illegally withdrawn from the account of Delta State Government) and which sum you knew was as a result of criminal conduct by the said James Ibori."

6—Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012

Why EFCC can't convict big thieves —Lamorde zSenate queries N500m spent on cases zAsks EFCC to produce receipts

BY HENRY UMORU

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President Goodluck Jonathan (left) and Egyptian Vice President, Mahmoud Mekky (right) during a bilateral meeing in Islamabad, Pakistan, yesterday: Photo: State House.

SWF: Out of court settlement deal crumbles z36 states govs stick to fresh conditions zS-Court sets up panel to hear suit May 9

BY IKECHUKWU NNOCHIRI

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BUJA — AFTER months of intense horse-trading between the Federal Government and governors of the 36 states of the federation on the possibility of reaching a consensus over plans by the Federal Government to transfer $1 billion from the Excess Crude Account to a new account to be known as the “Sovereign Wealth Fund,” the parties, yesterday, told the Supreme Court that the out-of-court settlement option failed to yield any dividend.

Consequently, a sevenman panel of Justices of the apex court, presided by Justice Chukwuma Eneh, yesterday, slated May 9, 2013, to commence definite hearing on the constitutional issues raised against the proposed new account, by the 36 states governors.

The governors had in a suit they filed before the apex court on October 23, 2011, sought an order declaring the planned creation of the “Sovereign Wealth Fund”, as illegal and unconstitutional.

They are praying the court to issue an order to the effect that all sums standing to the credit of the said “Excess Crude Account” (or any account replacing same by any name howsoever) be paid into court or be otherwise secured as the court may deem fit pending the hearing and determination

of the substantive suit.

The governors maintained that unless the order of injunction was granted, the Federal Government would continue to disregard, disrespect and ignore the pending suits before the Supreme Court.

It would be recalled that though the Federal Government earlier expressed its readiness to join issues with the governors, having failed to persuade them to sheath their legal sword, however, on March 26, it reapproached the Supreme Court and pleaded it to suspend hearing on the case to enable the parties to reach consensus on perceived grey areas in the out-of-court terms of settlement it said was presented to it by the litigants.

The Federal Government had through its lead counsel then, Mr Austin Alegeh, SAN, accused the state governors of mischief, insisting that they equally took part in the deliberation of the National Economic Council where the decision to transfer the $1 billion from the Excess Crude Account to the SWF was taken.

It stressed that the states had been receiving their shares from the money, saying their decision to frustrate the planned creation of the SWF was borne out of insincerity.

While asking the Supreme Court to refuse the application by the states to

stop the Federal Government from transferring $1 billion from the Excess Crude Account to the SWF, counsel to the Federal Government, said his client would run into problem if the application was granted as prayed by the governors.

FG contended that the day-to-day running of the nation’s economy would be put in danger if the application was granted as sought by the plaintiffs.

However, lead counsel to the governors, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, noted that his clients were forced to approach the apex court for redress in view of the fact that the Federal Government and its officers had consistently and in total disregard for the pending suit, withdrawn, utilised, disbursed and allocated funds from the account.

He alleged that the Federal Government had nearly depleted N5.51 trillion being the balance on the account as at 2008 when the case was instituted.

At the resumed sitting yesterday, the Federal Government, through its new counsel, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, insisted that the case had a political undertone, saying it ordinarily ought not to have been brought to court in the first place.

Even though he sought for more time to enable the parties to explore further possibility of settling amicably, counsel to the

plaintiffs, Awomolo, objected, contending that the Federal Government exhibited its insincerity by labelling a matter he said was highly constitutional, as “political.”

After listening to arguments from both parties, the adjudicating panel decided to adjourn the case for hearing, adding that on that date, it would not hesitate to admit any report of settlement presented before it.

BUJA — CHAIRMAN, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Lamorde, yesterday, told the Senate that the commission finds it difficult to convict those it termed high profile thieves who have looted the nation’s wealth because they have huge sums of money and resources to delay court processes.

Speaking when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Drugs, Narcotics and Financial Crimes to defend the 2013 budget, Lamorde, who expressed dismay with the development, said it was against this backdrop that the commission established a strong assets forfeiture unit that would seize their property leaving those arrested with no money to spend.

Lamorde said: "Unfortunately, these are people who have the resources to drag these cases indefinitely and perpetually. That is why we have established a very strong assets forfeiture unit.

"The first thing we do now is that we try to recover and confiscate the assets of individuals that we are investigating because it is only when you deprive

them of their resources that you will be able to force them to stand trial. Once they have access to their resources and assets, they will use it to continue to delay and drag some of these trials.”

Senate queries N500m spent on cases Meanwhile, the Senate Committee Chairman, Senator Victor Lar, Plateau South having x-rayed the 2013 budget and what has been spent this year, however queried why the EFCC had to spend N500 million to prosecute cases, just as Lamorde was asked to go and return today with receipts of how the money was spent.

Speaking further, the EFCC boss who noted that the commission recorded no less than 200 convictions this year alone, however, admitted that most of the convicts were advance fee fraudsters, adding: “The truth is no case has been concluded. I don’t think it is correct to say that whether the charges framed are not properly done or the prosecution is not putting the case properly. Of course the fact on ground is that no case has been concluded."

Tambuwal, Farouk ask court to dismiss Otedola’s N250bn suit

BY IKECHUKWU NNOCHIRI

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BUJA — SPEAKER of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal and the embattled erstwhile Chairman of the House of Representatives ad-hoc committee on fuel subsidy probe, Farouk Lawan, yesterday, urged an Abuja High Court sitting at Apo, to dismiss the N250 billion suit slammed against them by oil mogul, Mr Femi Otedola.

The two lawmakers, while challenging the competence of the suit which they said was grossly lacking in merit, further relied on section 251 of the 1999 constitution, to insist that the high court was bereft of the requisite jurisdiction to entertain the case.

Arguing through their counsel, Chief Mike Ahamba, SAN, and Mr

Kehinde Ogunwumiju, respectively, Tambuwal and Farouk, maintained that only a Federal High Court has the jurisdiction to adjudicate on such issues as were raised against them by Otedola.

Besides, it was their contention that under section 3 of the House of Representatives Power and Privileges Act, Cap L-12, Laws of the Federation, neither Farouk nor any other member of the fuel subsidy probe panel, could be subjected to any form of litigation in respect of the delegated duties they performed on behalf of the lower chamber of the Nigerian legislature.

The Speaker and Farouk said they were imbued with absolute legislative immunity for words spoken on the floor of the House as well as any function carried out on the behest of the

House.

More so, they argued that the failure of the plaintiff to join the National Assembly to the suit rendered it incompetent, insisting that the appropriate party was not brought to court to defend the mandate given to the Farouk-led committee.

Likewise, Tambuwal, through his counsel, urged the court to strike out his name from the suit, arguing that his office and person were not involved in the complaint of the plaintiffs.

Meanwhile, Otedola, through his lawyer, Chief Babajide Koku, SAN, pleaded the court to dismiss the preliminary objection and grant his substantive reliefs as contained in the suit.

After listening to all the parties yesterday, Justice Peter Kekemeke adjourned the case till January 30, 2013, for ruling.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012—7

CBN recovers N6bn excess charges from banks —Sanusi zE-payment transactions hit N4bn per month zFramework for agency banking coming in Dec

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BY BABAJIDE KOMOLAFE

AGOS — Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, said, yesterday, that the apex bank recovered N6 billion from banks as excess charges deducted from customers within the last one year.

Speaking in Lagos at the Enhancing Financial Innovation and Access (EFInA) forum, Sanusi said consumer protection was critical to attracting the unbanked into the banking system.

He said: “We set up consumer protection in CBN in 2010. In the last one year, we recovered about N6 billion unjustified charges by banks on their customers. And that is a small percentage of excess charges. We are requiring every bank to invest in consumer protection because it is very critical.

Until there is consumer protection, there would not be financial inclusion. “ On the implementation of the cashless policy, Sanusi said though there were still challenges, significant progress had been made.

He said, for example, average electronic payment transaction had risen to N4 billion per month from N120 million He said: “A lot of progress has been made. At the beginning of this year, Lagos had about 11,000 POS terminals. Now we have about 150,000 with about 25,000 being active.

Even recent initiatives like mobile banking have led to upspring in electronic bank transactions. Before we used to have about N20 million transaction monthly, now it is about N4 billion through the electronic platforms.

"The progress between January and December 2012 has been commendable. Though we still have a long way to go.

We have power, infrastructure issues, among others to tackle. This is critical not only for financial inclusion but also critical to tackling money laundering.”

New framework comming

Sanusi disclosed that as part of measures to attract

the unbanked through agency banking, the apex bank would introduce the framework that would define the mode of operation for agency banking He said the draft exposure of the framework was ready and it was being fined-tuned by the CBN Committee of Governors.

He said issues relating to number of agents, type and nature of agents including considerations for super agents were critical areas being considered in the draft exposure, adding that all the processes for this line of banking to become

functional in the country would be finalised this yearend.

On the benefits of agency banking, Sanusi said: “Agency banking provides financial services to the widely dispersed population at affordable prices and has assisted some countries in decongesting existing customers from crowded branches and will equally serve same purpose in Nigeria.

“Agency banking provides financial services by a third-party agent to customers on behalf of a licenced , prudentiallyregulated financial institution."

Chairman, ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State, President Ouattara Alassene (right); Speaker of ECOWAS Parliament, Senator Ike Ekweremadu (middle) and Second Deputy Speaker, Hon. Saran Sere-Sereme (left) during a working visit by the Bureau of Community Parliament to Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.

Religious tensions in Nigeria politically motivated — Jonathan zAs Blair tasks Nigerian politicians on integrity

BY IKECHUKWU NNOCHIRI

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BUJA — President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday, said his administration would continue to embrace interreligious dialogue with a view to assuaging the mounting level of insecurity in the country, saying “it must be pointed out that some of the religious tensions in the country are politically motivated.”

Jonathan who made the declaration in a speech he presented at the official launch of a Faith Foundation-led Work in Nigeria, championed by the erstwhile British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair and the Archbishop of Cantebury, Bishop Justin Welby, in Abuja, yesterday, blamed the current security situation on the handiwork of “false prophets.”

He said: “It is my pleasure to warmly welcome you all, honoured friends of Nigeria, former Prime Minister Tony Blair and Archbishop of Cantebury designate, Justin Welby, to Abuja for the launch of the Faith Foundation-led work to encourage religious harmony between Christian and Muslim communities in Nigeria.

“I commend you for this

singular and timely joint initiative. The idea is not only creative, it is also consistent with our efforts to promote inter-religious dialogue and harmony.

“Our country, Nigeria, is blessed by the Almighty God with two of the world’s great religions which honour Him in their different ways. For generations, the two religions have co-existed and their proponents have lived side by side, in peace and harmony, knowing that both religions espouse the universal values of peace, freedom, human rights, dignity, and the oneness of humanity.

False prophets

“Our young people can easily be seduced by false prophets who take them down the path of violence and hatred. It is very important that religion is neither misused nor abused to justify violence.

“Inter-religious dialogue is already playing an important role in our society. The Federal Government continues to promote religious harmony by constantly engaging the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council, jointly chaired by the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, and the Sultan of Sokoto. While progress on this front is

satisfactory, it must be pointed that some of the religious tensions in the country are politically motivated.

“We must now use both platforms to call on all believers to reject religiously anchored violence, advance tolerance, and promote mutual understanding. We must emphasize the imperatives of dialogue as part of our efforts to create peace and advance development.”

Jonathan, who was represented by Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Ama Pepple.

Blair tasks politicians on integrity

Meantime, in his speech, Mr Blair tasked Nigerian politicians on integrity, saying there was need for them to really imbibe the true qualities of leaders and not just politicians.

He stressed that genuine leadership was what

Nigerians needed to surmount the myriad of challenges bedevilling it.

He said: "My foundation and I are deeply committed to addressing the challenges of religious reconciliation in Nigeria.”

According to him, understanding and respecting different faiths is central to securing sustainable peace, particularly where those who seek to misuse religion for violent ends aim to destroy it.”

NJC replaces Adamu as acting PCA zOrders Bulkachua to take over

BY IKECHUKWU NNOCHIRI

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BUJA — THE National Judicial Council, NJC, yesterday, gave the Acting President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Dalhatu Adamu, till today, to vacate the office.

The council, via a statement in Abuja, maintained that President Goodluck Jonathan had already approved the appointment of Justice Zainab Bulkachua to take over the affairs of the appellate court.

It noted that the tenure of Adamu, whose appointment has been

renewed by President Jonathan for five consecutive times, expires today, stressing that the new PCA, will be sworn in immediately by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Maryam Aloma Muktar, who doubles as Chairman of the NJC. It would be recalled that the NJC had on October 2, declared the successive reappointment of Justice Adamu as Acting PCA by President Jonathan as unconstitutional and illegal.

In a written address it filed before a Federal High Court in Abuja, NJC, argued that by virtue of section 238(5) of the 1999

Constitution, Jonathan lacked the powers to reappoint Justice Adamu as Acting PCA after the expiration of three months from the day the embattled PCA, Justice Isa Ayo Salami, was ousted from office, saying the action amounted to an act of illegality since such recommendation never emanated from the council as required by the law.

President Jonathan had ordered Justice Adamu to take over the position of Justice Salami who was on August 18, 2011, axed from office by the NJC over alleged “judicial misconduct.”

8 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012

Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012—9

Lagos N80bn infrastructure bond agreement signed

BY OLASUNKANMI AKONI

LAGOS — THE Lagos Sate government, yesterday, signed an agreement with consortium of capital market operators to raise N80 billion bond aimed at financing infrastructure renewal in the state.

The bond represents the first tranche of N167. 5 billion expected to be raised by the state through the process.

While speaking after the signing of the agreement at the State House in Ikeja, Governor Babatunde Fashola said the choice of the bond was due to lower interest offered compared to borrowing directly from the bank.

He said the money expected to be repaid in seven years will be deducted from the monthly statutory contributions of the state.

It is also the fourth time

the state is raising funds via bond issuance to drive its infrastructure development.

The total sum is to be invested in infrastructure development which remains the thrust of Fashola led administration.

At the completion board meeting for the deal at Lagos House, Ikeja, which attracted all participating financial houses and stock broking firms, Fashola assured them that the money would be tied to specific projects that add value to the state economy.

To benefit from the fund are such ongoing projects like expansion and reconstruction of the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, Blue line rail corridor, ferry terminals, construction and completion of health institutions.

You can’t try us, subsidy suspects tell Lagos court

BY ABDULWAHAB ABDULAH

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AGOS — TWO oil marketers, Samuel Bamidele Aro and Abiodun Bankole yesterday asked an Ikeja High court to wash its hands off the alleged N1.3 billion oil subsidy fraud charge levelled against them on the ground that the court lacks power to entertain the case.

In a preliminary

objection filed by Chief Anthony Idigbe, SAN, on their behalf which was briefly argued before Justice Lateefa Okunnu, the marketers challenged the ability of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to arraign them.

The marketers who were charged by the EFCC alongside their company, A.B.S Investment Company Limited said the charges

were grossly defective.

However, counsel to EFCC, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, who told the court to give him short date to file his response, prayed the court to discountenance the motion.

According to the defendants' counsel, Idigbe, “The court does not have jurisdiction to entertain the charges.

The entire charge is grossly defective and incurably bad since no

fiat was obtained from the attorney general of Lagos State.

The prosecution counsel have no competence to prosecute the defendants before this court.”

EFCC lawyer, Mr. Jacobs, SAN, said he was just being served with the process and needed time to file his response.

Further hearing was adjourned to December 21 for mention.

SANITATION EXERCISE:

Lagos suspends restriction tomorrow

BY OLASUNKANMI AKONI

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AGOS

STATE

government has suspended the order restricting movement of people during the November monthly Environmental Sanitation exercise stated for tomorrow, Saturday, November 24, 2012.

According to Commissioner for the Environment, Tunji Bello, the suspension was to allow easy movement for students and invigilator, who will

write and supervise the state-wide Senior Secondary School Examination across the nation, with no exception to Lagos State.

He added that it was also to ensure hitch-free movement of examination materials to examination centres.

Bello, therefore, urged everyone to observe the environmental sanitation day exercise, by ensuring the cleaning of their immediate environment, frontage drains and bag their refuse properly, in spite of the lift on the order restricting movement.

From left: Mr. Ade Ipaye, Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice; Gov. Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State; Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, Deputy Governor and Mr. Adetokunbo Abiru, Commissioner for Finance, during the Completion Meeting on the Offer for Subscription for the state's N80 billion bond, at the Banquet Hall, Lagos House, Ikeja, yesterday. Photo: Bunmi Azeez

APAPA-OSHODI ROAD:

Lagos attributes traffic gridlock to fuel scarcity

BY OLASUNKANMI AKONI

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AGOS — MOTORists along OshodiApapa Expressway, particularly between

Mile2 and Apapa Port, have been having difficulties getting to their destinations as a result of terrible traffic, no thanks to

NDLEA arrests suspected drug dealer with 584kg cannabis

BY DANIEL ETEGHE

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AGOS — OPERAtives of the Lagos State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, yesterday arrested a major drug dealer, Mr. Dada Etop Ejalonibu with 584 kilogrammes of cannabis at Olosha, Mushin area of the state.

The 38 year old suspect was apprehended during raids on selected volatile areas used as hide-outs

by drug trafficking gangs in the state where the Command seized dried weeds suspected to be cannabis weighing a total of 584 kilogrammes.

Speaking on the arrest, the Lagos State Commander of the antidrug agency, Mr. Aliyu Sule said that the drug suspect has been on the Command’s list of wanted drug dealers for a very long time.

“We carried out two separate raid operations

on their hideouts where the suspect who has been on our wanted list was arrested.

"In the first operation, 475.6kg of dried weeds of cannabis was seized while another 108.4kg was recovered in another operation bringing the total quantity of cannabis to 584kg,”Sule said.

Narrating his position, the suspect, Mr. Ejalonibu, who accepted ownership of the drugs, lamented that he was forced into trafficking

drugs because of his joblessness.

The suspect who hails from Osun State said: “I have been dealing in drugs for the past three years. At the time of my arrest my partner had gone out. I dropped out of the University in 200 levels due to lack of sponsorship.

"The cannabis trade enabled me to take care of my wife and three children. I had wanted to quit but the high profit kept me procrastinating.

indiscriminate parking by fuel tanker drivers on the road.

Most residents and motorists who daily ply the road complained of spending at least three hours, along the axis with traffic officers watching helplessly as the tanker drivers ignore their directives.

It was gathered that the situation was mainly due to long queues of fuel tankers that have taken over the major parts of the state as they await their turn to load at Folawiyo loading bay, being the only tank farm with fuel supply throughout the country.

Effort to reach the state Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Kayode Opeifa, was unsuccessful as he was not available for

comment at press time.

However, the General Manager, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, L ASTMA, Babatunde Edu, through the Public Relations Officer, PRO, Mamud Taiwon explained that the situation was being put under control through efforts of LASTMA officials and the Presidency’s special Joint Task-force.

He said: “According to reports, Folawiyo bay is the only loading bay with fuel supply, hence the rush along the axis.

Nevertheless, our men are on ground with a joint taskforce to control the situation.

“As a result of this development, we have additional LASTMA personnel on ground to ato manage the situation.

10—Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012

IG justifies introduction of vehicle biometrics by police

I

BY OLA AJAYI

BADAN — THE Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar has said 1,157 duplicated vehicle chassis numbers, 33, 000 duplicated number plates and 3,585 duplicated vehicle engine numbers are in circulation in the country.

Abubakar, who spoke through his Deputy, Abdelrahman Akano at the annual press week of the Oyo State council of the Nigeria Union of

A dawn fire on Wednesday night razed The News/ PMNews corporate office in Ikeja, Lagos.

Ondo guber tribunal warns parties at inaugural sitting .Says, don’t send anybody to us

BY DAYO JOHNSON

A

KURE—THE Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Ondo State over the October 20 governorship election yesterday held its inaugural sitting with a stern warning to all political parties in the dispute not to try to influence any of the three members of the tribunal.

Chairman of the three member tribunal is Justice A Kaka’an, while other members include Justices H.S Mohammed and Kadi. M. Alkali.

Speaking at the inaugural sitting, Kaka’an said “as judges, we took oath to discharge our duties and perform our function, honestly to the best of our ability and faithfully in accordance with the constitution of the Federal Republic of

Nigeria and the law.

“We also swore to abide by the code of conduct, not to allow our personal interests to influence our official conduct or official decisions, to do justice to all manners of persons without fear or favour, affection or ill will, promising not to be corrupt or aid or abate corruption.

“We shall not send anyone to anybody for any reason whatsoever in connection with the hearing of these petitions and nobody

should send anyone to us.

“All transactions with this tribunal shall only be officially carried out and through the same medium.”

Kaka’an added that by section 285(6) of the 1999 Constitution, the tribunal has only 180 days within which to sit, asking all counsels in the matter to cooperate with them to discharge the duties effectively Meantime, a drama ensued yesterday over allegation and counter-

allegation of evading of service of the election petition filed against the outcome of the election of October 20.

While the counsel to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peoples Democratic Change (PDC), Mr. Yinka Orokoto said the governor had been evading service, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr, Eyitayo Jegede, SAN, denied such allegation.

60 Diaspora groups to participate in Oronna Ilaro

A

BEOKUTA — AS the week long Oronna Ilaro Festival of Ilaro people in Ogun State kicks off tommorow.

A total of 60 groups made up of clubs, trade associations, societies and Ilaro sons and daughters abroad, particularly from United Kingdom and USA, have registered to participate in the rebranded festival.

The chairman of the Oronna Ilaro Festival Central Planning Committee, OIFCPC,,

A

DO EKITI —The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, yesterday made a futile bid to convince the Federal High Court

sitting in Ado Ekiti to confiscate the international passport of the former Governor Ayodele Fayose.

The former governor is facing the criminal charge of alleged misappropriation of the

sum of N1.2billion being the sum of money earmarked for the state’s integrated poultry project while he was in the office.

When the matter came up for hearing, the anti graft prosecution

PUBLIC NOTICE

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THE CLEM AGBA FOUNDATION

The general public is hereby notified that the above named organization has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja for registration under Part C of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 1990.

The Trustees Are: 1. Lady Elizabeth E. Omosun 2. Rabi Menyei 3. Okhuelegbe Omose

The general public is hereby notified that the above named foundation has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under part “C” of the Company and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) 1990.

The TrusteesAre: 1. ClemAgba 2. Orobosa CatherineAgba 3. Alh. Idris Seidu 4. Solomon IkanadeAgba 5. Baba Clement Ikanade-Agba 6. Omonelume Bennet Ikanade-Agba 7. Kabiru Idris AimsAnd Objectives: 1) To sensitize, inform and educate the general populace values that positively impact the society.

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5) Give humanitarian support and promote Philanthropy in crisis situations.

6) Act as the watchdog to guard, promote and advance key moral principles and societal values for the youth.

Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar General Corporate Affairs Commission, Maitama,Abuja.

The Aims And Objectives Of The Organization Are As Follows:

1. To help, support and provide for the poor, helpless and the disadvantaged in the local community 2. To provide scholarship at all levels for indigent students 3. To provide support and care for widows and aged people in the community 4. To help provide and pay for medicines for the sick Any Objection to the said registration should be forwarded to the Registrar - General Corporate Affairs Commission, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

Reliance Partners Legal Practitioners 25, Warehouse Road, Apapa, Lagos

Signed: Barr. Emma Ajegba, Solicitor

Chief Kayode Odunaro confirmed that preparations have been concluded to hold a model festival following the endorsement by the Federal Government tourism parastatal, Nigeria Tourism D e v e l o p m e n t Corporation.

He added that this is the first time that Ilaro sons and daughters overseas are participating in the festival under Ilaro Descendants Union in United Kingdom and Ireland.

Ogun embargoes stations construction

BY DAUD OLATUNJI

A

BEOKUTA—THE Ogun State government yesterday

Court turns down EFCC’s plea to seize Fayose’s passport

BY GBENGA ARIYIBI

Journalists, NUJ, said it was as a result of this that the police came up with the idea of Police Biometrics Central Motor Registry, BCMR. He explained that the police had discovered that most stolen vehicles are first smuggled out of the country and later sold in Benin Republic as second hand.

Abubakar noted that the BCMR is customized and would make it difficult for such criminal transactions.

counsel, Mr. Adeniyi Adebisi from Rotimi Jacobs Chambers, had raised the objection before Justice Adamu Hobon over the former governor's consistent holding of international passport, despite court’s pronouncement that the passport be deposited in its custody.

According to the counsel, one of the major conditions reached to secure bail for Fayose at EFCC office in Lagos was that, his international passport should be in the court’s custody pending the determination of the case.

In his ruling, Justice Hobon averred that the status quo should be maintained since no reported case of abuse had been reported against the former Governor by EFCC.

filling

disclosed that it had put an embargo on the construction of filling stations across the state in order to reduce the effects of the proliferation of petrol stations and as well avoid what it described as preventable accidents which had led to the loss of lives in the state.

Addressing newsmen yesterday in Abeokuta, the state Commissioner for the newly created Ministry of Physical Planning, Mr. Adebayo Fari, in his address, stated that the government took the step to check the excesses of the oil dealers.

He said: “The state government has put an embargo on the construction of filling stations in the state. If there is any reason for anyone to build it later, such a person has to convince the government before such approval can be given. “ The decision was takento forestall fire disaster, in the state."

Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012—11

Delta ACN Chair warns against anti-party activities

BY FESTUS AHON

U

CONDOLENCE VISIT: Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State (left) and his Kwara State counterpart, Dr. Abdulfatah Ahmed, during a condolence visit to the latter on the death of former Senate Leader, Dr. Olusola Saraki, at Government House, Ilorin.

Pandemonium as man slumps at Edo Election Petition Tribunal

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM

B

ENIN—THERE was pandemonium at the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Edo State yesterday, as a man simply identified as Israel slumped during the sitting of the tribunal.

Lawyers and supporters of both the petitioner, Gen. Charles Airhiavbere and Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, fled the tribunal hall, while the visibly shocked chairman of the Tribunal, Justice Mu’azu Pindinga, immediately adjourned sitting for an hour.

Reports from Central Hospital Benin City indicated that the man is an epileptic patient and currently at the intensive care unit of the hospital.

The incident occurred

when a second witness called by Airhiavbere was about to testify.

There was a loud cry from the victim before he slumped, hitting his head on the floor.

There was a deep cut on his head which bled profusely.

He was immediately rushed to Benin Central

Hospital by armed mobile policemen who were outside the court hall but immediately rushed inside when lawyers took to their heels.

However, when hearing resumed one hour later, Airhiavbere presented four witnesses who were cross examined

by Mike Ozekhome

Why absorption of casual workers was delayed —Delta SSG

BY AUSTIN OGWUDA

A

SABA—SECRE TARY to Delta State Government, SSG, Comrade Ovuozourie Macaulay, has attributed the delay in the complete absorption of casual workers in various ministries and parastatals in the state to bloated fig-

ures presented by officers who compiled the list.

Speaking while declaring open a two-day conference of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions, NASU, in Asaba, Macaulay expressed sadness over the insincerity of those who

8,863 students to graduate in UNIBEN's 38th convocation Others includes 721 in

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM

B

ENIN—A TOTAL of 8,863 students of University of Benin, UNIBEN, will be graduating from the institution in its 38th convocation scheduled for tomorrow.

This is coming at a time the university is also raising an alarm over the erosion menace in the institution and appealed to the Federal Government, the Niger Delta Develop-

(SAN) and Adetunji Oyeyepo (SAN), counsel to Governor Adams Oshiomhole.

The witnesses alleged that Action Congress of Nigeria rigged the election in their various areas. Airhiavbere is expected to present more witnesses today at the Tribunal.

ment Commission and others for help.

Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Osayuki Oshodin, who disclosed this to newsmen during a press briefing heralding the school’s Convocation and 42nd founders day ceremonies, said of the 8,863 students, 57 made First Class, 1,502 Second Class Upper, 3,765, Second Class Lower, 838, Third Class, Five with Pass and 599 with Diplomas.

unclassified degrees, 226, Post Graduate, 1080; Masters and 72 students would bag their Doctorate Degrees.

As part of the efforts to reposition the institution, Prof. Oshodin disclosed that the management of the university had established partnership with tertiary institutions in five foreign countries and credible local institutions to enable it maintain its leading position in the country and African continent.

were asked to compile the names of casual workers in the state.

He specifically noted the directive of Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan to get all casual workers absorbed.

He, however, lamented that where a credible list of casual staff was submitted, such workers had since been absorbed, citing Delta State Broadcasting Service, DBS, Asaba, and Warri as a clear example.

The SSG also called for a collaborative effort between labour and all Nigerians alike, noting that government alone could not provide employment for everybody.

He said: “You must play a role to assist government to actualize your goals. If you enhance your salary in an insecure environment, it will amount to nothing. This is why we must assist government to fight insecurity in this country.”

GHELLI—DELTA State chairman of Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, Chief Adolo Okotie-Eboh, has warned members of the party against anti-party activities.

He also warned that anyone found in acts capable of ruining the integrity of the party in the state would be dealt with accordingly.

Okotie-Eboh, who handed down the warning during the official opening of the party’s secretariat at Otorho-Ag-

bon, headquarters of Ethiope East Local Government Area of the state, said the leadership of the party would no longer tolerate any act of indiscipline.

Advising members of the party to remain steadfast and committed to the ideals of the party, Okotie-Eboh restated his readiness to reposition the party in the state to win in all elections.

He said the party had nothing to do with those that left, adding that they would be considered for re-admission, if they repented.

Dickson describes Saraki as political colossus

BY SAMUEL OYADONGHA

Y

E N A G O A — BAYELSA State governor, Seriake Dickson, has said that the death of foremost politician, Dr. Olusola Saraki, has created a big vacuum that would be difficult to fill in the nation's polity.

This is just as he commiserated with President

Goodluck Jonathan over the demise of his brother, Meni Jonathan.

Leading the state's top government functionaries and political leaders on a condolence visit to Aso Rock Villa and Ilorin, Kwara State, Dickson described the late politician, Alhaji Olusola Saraki, as an icon who gave the nation leadership and direction and would be missed by all.

Urhobo group donates to flood victims in Delta

BY FESTUS AHON

U

GHELLI—WOR RIED by the hardship posed by the recent ravaging flood, Urhobo Leadership Forum, has donated food items and other relief materials worth several thousands of naira to flood victims at Oleh, Isoko South Local Government Area, Delta State.

Presenting the items on

behalf of the group’s President, Dr. Ramsey Mowoe, its national secretary, Prince Igho Majemite, said the items were meant to cushion the devastating effects of the flood on the victims.

Urging the victims not to lose faith in God as a result of the havoc wreaked on them by the flood, Majemite said it was time for them to renew their faith and confidence in God.

Madam Agbatutu for burial Dec 14

T

HE burial of late Mrs. Kpekpeye Agbatutu, nee Orevonyevwen (Onosigho) of OtorEdo in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State and Ohwogbaudu of Ovwodokpokpo-Olomu, also in Ughelli South Local Government Area, comes up December 14, at Otu-Jeremi.

A statement by Mr. Lawrence Agbatutu for the family, said service of songs will take place at 15, Metronex Road, Effurun onThursday, December 13.

Funeral service will hold at St Paul's Anglican Church, Otu-jeremi, on Friday, December 14, followed by internment at her compound in Avworho quarters.

She is survived by several children, including Mr. Lawrence Agbatutu and Andrew Agbatutu.

Late Madam Agbatutu

12—Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012

Realnews Magazine Debuts

R

EALNEWS , an on line weekly general interest newsmagazine, goes live on Monday, November 19, 2012.

A publication of Realnews Magazine and Publications Limited, Realnews, is the first online weekly newsmagazine in Nigeria.

Realnews will thrive on investigative journalism and aims to unearth exclusive stories about people and the challenges they face in their day-today activities. It will do this bearing in mind that governments can only DEDICATION: From left: Samuel Akunna, Elder Emmanuel Obuh, Mr. Bosun Oladejo and his wife, Temitope; Mr. Sunny Awevia and Elder Joe Akintola, Photo Editor, during the dedication of the son of Mr. Sunny Awevia, Operations Manager, Vanguard Newspaper, at Pentecostal Congregation Church, Ilupeju, Lagos.

Bakassi: UN suspends Nigeria, Cameroon maritime boundary demarcation

BY JOHNBOSCO AGBAKWURU

C

ALABAR—FOL LOWING protests embarked upon by the displaced people of Bakassi on Wednesday and Thursday, the Joint Technical Team, comprising the United Nations, Nigerian and Cameroonian officials, have announced the suspension of the demarcation of the maritime boundary between Nigeria and Cameroon.

Meanwhile, the presence of three ships with Cameroonian gendarmes at the Ikang beach, which falls into Nigerian territory, caused a stir as some of the Bakassi youths were said to have come out to confront them before their leaders told them to watch out events first.

The UN team had, on Wednesday, paid a courtesy visit to the Chairman of Bakassi Local Government Area, Dr. Ekpo Bassey, at the council’s temporary headquarters, Ikang, to intimate him of their mission before they could move to the Peninsula to carry out their assignment.

But youths, numbering over 300, had stopped them at Ikang, protesting that they had suffered human rights violation which the UN should first look into and that as they were talking, they were still homeless as a result of the International Court of Justice’s ruling

that ceded their territory to Cameroon.

This development made the UN team to stop the exercise and go back to Calabar, the Cross River State capital.

However, representatives of Bakassi, also numbering about 50, yesterday morning, carried placards to the Pyramids Hotel where the delegation lodged, to register their grievances and demands.

Some of the placards had different inscriptions such as, “We say it clearly, we are Nigerians, here we belong,” "UN demarcation team, leave Bakassi alone”; “We ask

again, why do you not condemn human rights abuse against the people?”; “The judgment of the ICJ is unacceptable to our people,” and “You must hear us and we have the right to choose where to belong,” among others.

After an indoor meeting between the leaders of the displaced Bakassi people, Chief Maurice Ekong and Chief Ani Esin and the UN team, it was resolved that the demarcation exercise would be suspended while the people were told to put down their grievances in paper to be given to the team for on-

PIB: Reps move to accelerate passage, hold one-day summit

BY YEMIE ADEOYE

F

OLLOWING the controversy surrounding the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB, currently before the National Assembly, and in a move to accelerate passage of the bill, the House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream) has concluded plans to hold a o n e - d a y stakeholders summit to discuss the bill and controversy around it with the aim of identifying grey areas to eliminate delays.

Stakeholders in the oil and gas sector will again

take centre stage as the summit is also aimed at examining the likely effect of the Petroleum Industry Bill on the downstream sector of the oil and gas industry.

The summit has the theme: The Downstream Regime in the Petroleum Industry Bill: Stakeholders Perspective, and the topic is a bolster to the bill which recently passed through its second reading in the House of Representatives. The stakeholder ’ s f o r um which holds November 26 at Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, is a direct fallout of the Nigerian Refining Capacity Summit which held earlier in March this year.

ward transition to the UN.

act to influence the lives of people positively if they are aware of their plight. Hence, its objective is to use its reporters’ investigative skills to ferret out information in the sectors it focuses on and produce unbiased reports which will actually influence government policies and decisions that will make the society better.

The vision of Realnews is to build a reputable and world class media institution whose watchword is professionalism and integrity.

Pa Oviri for burial Nov 30

T

HE families of Kuololo of Okwagbe-Inland and Maghowe of Oginibo community both in Ughievwen Kingdom, Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State will on Friday November 30, lay their patriarch, Olorogun Abraham Oviri, Atuyota of Olomu Kingdom, to rest at Okwagbe-Inland.

Olorogun Oviri, who died at the ripe age of

120, was until his death the Okpako-Orere (oldest man) of both Okwagbe-Inland and OkwagbeWaterside communities.

Late Pa Abraham Oviri

Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012 — 13

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14—Vanguard , FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012

Okpe monarch to be installed ANSU pro-chancellor

BY VINCENT UJUMADU

A

Mr. Peter Obi, Governor, Anambra State (left), presenting a souvenir (photo book of the key projects executed by his administration) to Mr. Segun Aina, President/Chairman of Council, Chartered Institute of Bankers, CIBN, during the Institute’s stakeholders engagement with Anambra State Government, at Government House, Awka.

$12.4bn oil windfall: Court gives judgment on Okigbo's report today

BY IKECHUKWU NNOCHIRI

A

BUJA—AFTER six successive adjournments, the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, will today, deliver judgment on the suit seeking to compel the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, and the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, to disclose how the $12.4 billion oil windfall money that accrued to the Federal Government between 1988 and 1994, was spent.

The suit was filed before the High Court by six civil society groups led by Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, under the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules 2009.

Though the verdict was stalled since October 2011, when hearing was concluded on the matter, however, Justice Gabriel Kolawole fixed the matter for judgment after all the parties, re-adopted the processes they filed

before the court on September 26.

On six successive occasions that the trial Judge invited parties in the suit to appear in court for the judgment, he subsequently adjourned on excuse that there were minor typographic errors that needed correction.

Some of the dates the judgment suffered sudden adjournments included October 20, 2011, April 27, 2012 and July 27.

It would be recalled

that in 1994, the Federal Government constituted the Pius Okigbo Panel with a mandate to investigate the activities of the CBN and recommend measures for the re-organisation of the apex bank.

In the course of its assignment, the Okigbo Panel reportedly uncovered that about $12.4 billion that was reserved in the ‘Dedicated and Special Accounts,’ was depleted to $200 million by June 1994.

Why Boko Haram persists —Ofonagoro

BY DOTUN IBIWOYE

L

AGOS—FORMER Minister of Information, Dr. Walter Ofonagoro, has said that the successive growth of the Islamic sect, Boko Haram, was a result of the fundamental issues that had not been addressed since the 60’s.

Speaking at the Peace Poster Contest of Lions Clubs Multiple District 404, with theme: ‘Imagine Peace’ in Lagos, he said the failure to issue a peace treaty after the end of the Nigerian civil war was also a factor that had disturbed peace in the country.

The annual Peace Poster Contest of the Club, which is open to children all over the world from 11 to 13 years old, will require them to draw or paint, depicting the theme which will be taken to the United States..

According to Ofonagoro, “Boko Haram sect gained more prominence and strength over the years beC M Y K

cause a peace treaty has not been formally addressed, starting from the Igbo massace of the 1960s, the Maitatsine killings during President Shagari’s administration and other successive governments.

“Boko Haram sect has

grown and has continued to terrorise us because the issues of peace have not been discussed thoroughly.

The massacre of Igbo in the 1960s has not been addressed, a peace treaty was never signed after the civil war, so killings continued

till now.

“Fifty two years after independence, we are still talking about these issues of peace. Just because the issue of peace has not been addressed, reconstruction can never bring back what is lost."

GAT: We're yet to see tech drawings, cost analysis —Uzodinma

BY BY LAWANI MUKAIRU & DANIEL ETEGHEYE

L

A G O S — CHAIRMANof Senate Committee on Aviation, Senator Hope Uzodimma, yesterday, said the members of the senate committee on aviation are yet to see the technical drawings and cost analysis of the remodelled General Aviation Terminal, GAT, building to enable the committee assess the quality of job done and to know if

the job was properly valued.

Speaking with aviation correspondents during the tour of some facilities at the airport, the chairman said the visit by the committee was to know the financial needs of the aviation ministry for the coming year and to also ascertain whether the budgetory provision for the out going year was properly utilised.

“Well we are still seeing and at the end of the

day we will put together all that we have seen and look at every project based on project by project basic to ascertain the extend of project executed and also to know the challenges of the contractors and the ministry and the parastatats,” he said.

During the inspection of the remodelled GAT terminal the committee members pointed out some structural defect they noticed in the terminal building.

WKA—THE Orodje of Okpe kingdom, Orhue 1, in Delta State, will be installed prochancellor of Anambra State University, ANSU, Uli in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State, today.

The Okpe monarch, who is already in Anambra State for the installation ceremony, yesterday, paid a courtesy call on the traditional ruler of Awka, Obi Gibson Nwosu, the Eze Uzu 11, with members of his cabinet.

Obi Nwosu, who congratulated the Orodje for his appointment, said he shared a lot of things in common with the Orodje, adding that apart from both being retired military officers, they were pro-chancellors of universities.

Nwosu is the pro-chancellor of Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto, and was a retired Air Force officer, while the Orodje was a retired Army Gen-

eral and is now the prochancellor of ANSU. In his speech, the Orodje informed the Eze Uzu Awka that he decided to pay him the visit to inform him of his presence in his kingdom and urged him to participate at the ceremony.

He also commended the government of Anambra State and authorities of ANSU for the honour of naming him the pro-chancellor of the university.

Apart from the installation of the Okpe monarch as pro-chancellor of ANSU today, two prominent Nigerians, namely Professor Chukwuemeka Ike, a foremost author and traditional ruler of Ndikelionwu in Anambra State and Prof. Sylvanus Cookie, former ViceChancellor of University of Port Harcourt, would be awarded honorary doctorate degrees of the university during the fourth convocation ceremony at the main campus of the university at Uli.

2014: Forum lauds Obi on zoning

A

WKA—AS the 2014 governorship election in Anambra State draws nearer, a pressure group, the Forum 99, consisting of members and supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has commended the recent pronouncement by Governor Peter Obi that the next governor of the state would come from Anambra North senato-

rial zone.

In a statement in Onitsha yesterday, the group said it was also delighted that most of the people in the state supported the rotation of the office of governor amongst the three senatorial zones at the just concluded public sessions on the review of the 1999 constitution organised by members of the National Assembly.

Monarch warns oil firm over siting of flow station

B

ENIN CITY—THE Obi of Abavo kingdom in Delta State, HRM, Uche Irenuma 11, has warned the management of Pan Ocean Oil Corporation, not to cause crisis in the 56 oil producing communities in Delta North Senatorial District of the state by ensuring that the proposed flow station is sited in Obiayima community as earlier agreed.

In a letter addressed to the Managing Director of the company signed by the monarch,

he expressed shock that despite the agreement reached with all the stakeholders in OPL275, that the flow station will be sited in Obiayima community “it is now being moved to Owa Alidinma, a neighboring community which has no oil and gas deposit”.

The letter explained that “removing the flow station from Obiayima a community with numerous oil wells to Owa Alidinma a community without a single drop of oil is still very difficult to believe.“

Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012—15

16 killed in Kano, Plateau, Borno as cars plunge into river in Lagos

BY TAYE OBATERU, ABDULSALAM MUHAMMAD, MONSUR OLOWOOPEJO & NDAHI MARAMA

A

RMED soldiers, yesterday, took over security in Bichi town near Kano, following a sectarian violence that rocked the town, leading to the death of no fewer than five persons, just as reports said that 16 people were altogether killed in Kano, Plateau and Borno states.

In Lagos State, two vehicles, a commercial bus and a Toyota Camry car, plunged into the Majidun River, along Lagos-Ikorodu Road. However, the number of casualties were yet to be ascertained at press time.

In Borno and Plateau states, 11 people, including three children aged between five and 12, were allegedly killed by some unidentified gunmen in separate incidents.

The children, out of the eight people in Maiduguri,

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Borno State capital, were killed in the presence of their mother in Sulimanti ward of the metropolis, when their father, Aduju Zubairu, an SSS personnel could not be located.

Five other persons were shot dead during a night attack.

Three people were shot dead on Wednesday night when unknown gunmen also attacked two villages in Barkin Ladi and Riyom Local Government Areas of Plateau State.

Some armed men were said to have opened fire on a group of people at Sho village in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area at about 7pm, killing two of them instantly.

Kano killings, curfew

Kano residents confirmed that religious worship centres and stalls were burnt during the violence believed to have been sparked off over alleged blasphemy against Prophet Mohammed.

Security personnel were drafted to the area located at Kilometre 27, along Kano-Katsina Federal Highway to contain the situation and stop its spread to other places, even as curfew was imposed on the town following the activities of vandals, who had taken advantage of the crises to loot.

Authorities have restricted the movements of motorcycle riders from 6pm to 6am in Kano metropolis to check rising cases of serial killings by unknown gunmen on motorcycles.

Police story

However Kano Police Commissioner, Ibrahim Idris told newsmen in Kano that the crisis was triggered by “misinformation” that somebody blasphemed the Prophet of Islam by referring to a style of dress designed for his friend by a popular tailor in the town during an interaction.

He added that those who got the message wrongly spread the rumour and made trouble out of it.

Idris, however, said that no life was lost in the violence, adding that the security situation in the troubled city had been brought under “total control.”

He said: “We used the local Imams and opinion leaders in the town to quench the riot. Details of the casualties and property lost are still sketchy and the security operation is still on.”

Crimes in the regions have been attributed to gunmen on motorcycles in recent months.

Idris said: “What we have done is a gradual process to control their activities.”

Media Officer of the Special Task Force, STF, maintaining security in the state confirmed the incident, disclosing that two people have been arrested in connection with the killing at Barkin Ladi.

Earlier on Monday, gunmen shot into a herd of cows in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area, killing 12 and injuring another 12.

It took the prompt intervention of the Commander of the Special Task Force in the state, Major General Henry Ayoola, who held a meeting with local government and community leaders to save the situation from deteriorating.

In the Plateau

In Plateau State a farmer was earlier shot dead, while working on his farm at Rankebot Village in neighboring Riyom Local Government Area.

The incident occurred at 5.30pm and he died before medical help could get to him, while the assailants escaped into the bush before security men got to the scene.

Maiduguri

However, in Maiduguri it was learnt that the three children were killed at Sulimanti, yesterday, morning when their assailants stormed the residence of the victims at exactly 1:55am and forcefully broke the main gate where they violently woke up the three children and slaughtered them.

Sources said that when the assailants combed the house and could not find any adult since the mother went into hiding, they killed the children.

The gunmen thereafter went to a nearby house belonging to one Mr. Joel Temai a retired nurse, and then set it ablaze when they did not find anybody at home.

In a related development, five people were also killed in Lawan Bukar ward of Maiduguri metropolis.

Family members of Governor Kashim Shettima were residing in the Lawan Bukar Ward, where the incident occurred, until it was identified as one of the black spots where members of the Boko Haram operated.

It was learnt that the gunmen were on revenge mission as they believed that their victims had revealed the identity of two of their members, who were killed

by JTF on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, no group has yet claimed responsibility for the separate attacks.

16 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012

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Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012 — 17

N Tuesday, the Church of England’s General Synod said “no” to women bishops. Even though the modernisers were only narrowly beaten – by a mere six votes – the traditionalists’ victory is immensely significant, not least because this matter cannot be voted upon again until a new Synod is elected in 2015.

According to the Rev Prebendary Rod Thomas, Chairman of Reform, an evangelical Anglican group that is against the idea of female bishops: “We are required to accept something that we don’t believe the Bible teaches. The [proposed] legislation requires us...to accept women as bishops when the Bible says they should not be in that position.”

But many Britons – and not just Anglicans either disagree with Thomas’s position and are very upset about this development (which few anticipated).

Clergywomen openly shed tears of frustration. The Rev Rachel Weir, who runs a

Members of the Church of England General Synod vote on whether women can be bishops or not.

Traditionalists triumph the 20 years since the Synod overcame its objections to their

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campaign group called Women And The Church said: “We are absolutely devastated.

Not just devastated on behalf of clergywomen – it’s awful for their morale – but [because the outcome of this vote is] a disaster for the Church of England. There is something badly wrong with the system.”

Surprisingly perhaps, most Anglican clergymen – the Archbishop of Canterbury included – are on the same page as Rev Weir, support the idea that women should enjoy identical promotion prospects and are describing the result as “gravely damaging”, “a crushing blow ” and “a national embarrassment”.

The Bishop of Chelmsford, the Right Reverend Stephen Cottrell said: “This [refusal to permit women to become bishops] is going to be very hard to sell to the People.”

Even the habitually reactionary British Daily Mail

Female clergy members wait for the Church of England vote. newspaper regards last Tuesday as “a sad day that leaves the Church in chaos” and went on to say that while it respects the theological objections of those who obstructed the move, “this vote has condemned the Church to years of infighting over a

It is utterly weird, in the 21st century, for women who choose to serve the Anglican church to be deprived of equality; folks like Rev Thomas should abandon their belief in female subservience

question which most of the nation finds abstruse or simply bewildering... “...After all,” asks the Daily Mail, echoing the views of millions of perplexed and irritated onlookers, “haven’t women priests more than amply proved their worth in

ordination? Why, then, this civil war over their appointment as bishops –

RECENTLY read a ThisDay newspaper report in which Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari, the Governor of Zamfara State, was said to have strongly condemned Nigeria’s heavy reliance on oil and failure to develop alternative sources of revenue.

Yari apparently expressed the view that the “easy money” that is being generated by the sale of crude oil has turned us into a nation of “lazy rentseekers”. And he was, according to his interviewer, especially scathing about policy-makers and both the Federal and state levels, whom he accused of not Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari, Zamfara State Governor. shortcomings of a leadership coming up with sustainable solutions to economic problems.

Bravo to Yari for being so courageously blunt about the class to which he belongs. It

is indeed true that most Nigerian government folks are indolently unwilling to deliver creative dynamism. And it’s about time they started to think outside the box and do their jobs properly.

In the meantime, let’s hope that His Excellency is able to practise what he preaches.

Zamfara is one of the poorest states in Nigeria. I have been there and it’s a pretty depressing place. But, like every corner of this country, it has tremendous potential.

If Yari can transform it into a highly productive success story and liberate it from its current dependence on petrodollars, I will become his biggest fan.

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Home truth

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which will surely come one day – in a church noted for its flexibility on almost every issue?”

The Daily Mail editorial concludes by wishing that the Anglican church would focus more on the need to provide moral guidance in a United Kingdom that is plagued by ills such as casual abortion, family breakdown and greed.

I couldn’t have put it better myself.

As far as I’m concerned, it is utterly weird, in the twentyfirst century, for women who choose to serve the Anglican church to be deprived of equality.

As far as I’m concerned, folks like Rev Thomas should abandon their belief in female subservience.

Male dominance was a social norm when the Bible was written, so I really don’t blame Biblical scribes for carrying on as if men were superior. The fact is that men were in charge of pretty well everything then.

But things have changed. A lot. Women have now proved that they can play leadership roles and be Heads of State, nuclear physicists, breadwinners, soldiers, etc.

And while Rev Thomas and his ilk clearly find the New Reality hard to swallow, they really need to Get Over It and quit being enemies of progress!

Responses to: donzol2002@yahoo.co.uk or to 0802 747 6458 (texts only). PLEASE KINDLY NOTE THAT UNLESS YOU SPECIFICALLY REQUEST ANONYMITY, YOUR COMMENTS MAY BE PUBLISHED IN VANGUARD, WITH YOUR NAMES AND NUMBERS OR EMAIL ADDRESSES ATTACHED.

18 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012 INCIDENTS of collapsed buildings have become daily items in the news. It has long been established that most buildings, especially multifloor and high-rise ones, collapse as a result of poor adherence to safety regulations for modern edifices.

Developers of such buildings often cut corners, avoid the employment of qualified building professionals and connive with regulatory authorities to subvert the law. Most collapsed buildings were either not certified by relevant government agencies or fraudulently approved.

What does one say of government-erected buildings collapsing? That was exactly the tragic incident in Jakande Estate, in Ejigbo, Lagos. A two-storey house built by the Lagos State Development and Property Company, LSDPC, collapsed on Wednesday, killing (as at press time) three people, injuring many others and extensively damaging private property.

Ironically, the LSDPC in its website claims the following in its mission statement: “To provide excellent houses and related services with utmost maintenance culture with a view to satisfying customer needs; to engender the highest standard of professional (practice)

BY JESUTEGA ONOKPASA

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HILE President Goodluck Jonathan may see himself as the most criticized president in the world, Delta State’s Emmanuel Uduaghan is probably the most criticized governor in Nigeria. The Governor draws flak from a multiplicity of directions over a variety of transgressions ranging from underperformance to plain simple stinginess. Besides this remarkable plethora of disaffections, many of Dr. Uduaghan’s critics even go so far as to point to the Governor ’s medical background and explain his disposition as that of a doctor indifferent to his patients’ pain while maintaining that compared to his predecessor and cousin, James Ibori, he is a failure with nothing to show for achievements. Defending him in certain parts of Delta is to invite hostility, solicit derision and procure vehement contradiction. Indeed, so passionately is he vilified that it is very tempting to come to the suspicion that there just has to be something significantly untoward about him by which is inspired the unyielding antagonism of a section of his constituents.

All that overwhelmingly negative assessment of the Governor notwithstanding, it is difficult to factually come to a sustainable conclusion that Uduaghan is the write-off he is made out to be. Quite apart from the fact that some of the anger at him arises from tribalism, the proofs necessary to making the case that he has failed appear not to be as evident as the allegations they are required to establish. For instance,

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Collapsed LSDPC Building among staff, make returns to shareholders and be socially responsible”.

The collapse of a government-owned structure is a serious indictment on government’s ability to perform its services to the people in a manner that elicits confidence in the consuming public.

If government agency’s buildings also collapse, what sort of example is the state setting for the citizens whose properties are confiscated by law when they collapse? Are there no safety regulations for government owned buildings?

In some societies, someone would have resigned as a result of this barefaced failure of LSDPC to live up to its mandate. The “Jakande

Estates”, as the massive housing estates former State governor Lateef Jakande built about 30 years ago, are known, are long overdue for maintenance.

Government buildings, even in countries where wood is the mainframe materials of housing construction, use reinforced concrete or brick, thus ensuring they would last even for centuries.

With government-owned houses collapsing, where will people turn to for safety?

Someone must be held responsible for the loss of lives and property. Officials responsible for the disaster, even if they are retired, should be asked to account for their actions.

Lagos State Government must not sit idly and pretend that this incident is just another usual occurrence. The integrity of its housing has been called to question. It must swing into action to sanction wrongdoers, ensure it does not recur in future and lavishly compensate those deprived of their lives, safety and property.

It is also time government inspectors made regular checks on houses in the old estates, to ensure they meet safety standards. Most of those houses have become weak over the years. More could collapse if not checked.

OPINION Deconstructing Uduaghan regarding accusations of underperformance, those projects he has to show include landmark, large-scale infrastructural works projected to positively impact on the state in time to come. Some of these projects are unprecedented and it is rather perplexing how someone responsible for some of the biggest public works the state has ever seen can be subjected to so much umbrage. It is, thus, baffling that the first governor in the state’s entire history – going back to the days of the Mid-Western Region – to build an airport could be so thoroughly castigated and that numerous Deltans availing themselves of the Governor’s ‘City Bus’ scheme with its brand new airconditioned buses and rock bottom fares, routinely travel in these vehicles accusing him of one infraction or the other.

Regarding perceptions of the Governor as a tight-fisted and greedy man, I simply lack the requisite facts to come to a conclusion whether or not they are true. However, most of these complaints do emanate mainly from daily bread politicians who apparently having had a field day with easy money in the previous dispensation, have not found it funny adjusting to a regime of financial discipline of a medical doctor turned politician. Needless to say, it is difficult to see how the case can be made that sharing the money amongst a privileged few is better than allocating funds to Uduaghan’s much acclaimed micro-credit programme, for instance.

Similar to the above allegation is one to the

effect that the Governor being a medical doctor is characteristically immune to the pain of his patients and correspondingly indifferent to the suffering of Deltans. It is true that doctors develop a thick skin to pain both because they get so used to seeing it on a regular basis but more importantly so as to be detached enough to professionally handle the patient. Regarding Uduaghan specifically, it does appear rather difficult to come to a tenable conclusion that a governor ready to paddle a canoe to check up on flood-ravaged Deltans, is at the same time sadistically unconcerned for their welfare.

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he Governor’s camp has often written off criticisms of its principal as mere orchestrations of the opposition led by the likes of Great Ogboru and Ovie Omo-Agege.

Whatever be the truth of this, it is nevertheless difficult to see how a man whose sole claims to distinction are that his father happened to name him ‘Great’, is associated with a bloody coup that led scores of young officers to an untimely death and his younger brother to a 10-year stint in jail – is somehow better qualified to be governor than a medical doctor. Similarly it should take some convincing to sell to a critically-minded person, the proposition that Omo-Agege, a man who was made by the Ibori-Uduaghan political family can possibly represent a credible alternative to his former patrons.

At any rate, hearing personally from insiders like Festus Okubor, Uduaghan’s Chief of

Staff, and Chike Ogeah, his Commissioner for Information – two decent gentlemen who were colleagues when I served at the Delta PDP Campaign Council – one is strongly persuaded to take another look at the Governor and be inclined to come to the conclusion that it may well be that he has indeed performed and is nothing like the failure or miser his detractors would have us believe he is.

Nevertheless, Governor Uduaghan may well be inadvertently responsible for some of the attacks, as they appear to flow from a section of the public’s apprehension of his body language. The Governor should not sit back and allow others to define and interpret him to Deltans as someone who doesn’t give a damn what they think of him because, since he can’t run for another term he will not be needing their votes anymore. Being state governor is not the end of the road for him and he must come to the realisation that he indeed has genuine supporters who have long stood by him and whom he ought to carry along. Difficult as it may be to cater for everyone, he should nevertheless not allow those who work for him to feel used and dumped. Uduaghan has projects he can be proud of and acknowledged for, and at the end of the day, history may well come to judge him positively based on his achievements and not from the negative standpoint of his critics.

•Mr. Onokpasa, a public affairs analyst, wrote from Abuja.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012 — 19

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FRIEND in Nigeria asked recently if the present spate of strikes and mayhem on the streets of the cities of South Africa and in the townships and the mining single hostel places would lead to a declaration of a state of emergency. After all, the police had been shooting at striking miners at Marikana, and 44 people had lost their lives over a three-day period. The mines were losing money and the miners were not being paid since they were on unprotected strikes. Not only these.

In Kwa-Zulu-Natal, political assassinations were occurring virtually everyday. In Limpopo Province, inquiries on-going by many state institutions, including the Public Protector, the Hawks (corruption and financial crime investigators) and the South African Revenue Services, were exposing the negative effects of tenderpreneurs. These are politically connected individuals

who benefit from government tenders. In most cases, they take the money and do not deliver the services for which they tendered.

From the Constitutional Court it was decided that the appointment of the Director of National Prosecution was invalid because of the fact that the person appointed had been indicted for perjury. In the midst of all these happenings, and perhaps as a result of them, the country ’s rating was downgraded, causing national and international questioning of South Africa as a fit destination for direct investment.

No. There would be no state of emergency, thank you. Crisis?

What crisis? Another five or so years, the African National Congress will continue to win elections and govern South Africa, never mind the quality of its leadership. It is a matter of numbers. And as far as numbers

are concerned the ANC has the numbers. Two pillars form the base of ANC election victories for now.

The one is the Congress of South African Trade Unions, COSATU, which is a member of the tripartite alliance that rules the country.

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he other partner is the South African Communist Party, SACP. Through these two organisations, especially COSATU, the government is sure of having the numbers every time the country goes to the polls. The other pillar of support for the ANC is the social grant that has been extended for some 11 million people. On the basis of a five million tax paying public, many

Captain Hosa and the UNIBEN honour

BY SUFUYAN OJEIFO

H

E is arguably the Nigerian equivalence of Midas-a Phrygian King who turned objects, everything he touched, to gold in Greek mythology. But this is where the similarity ends. The sources of this phenomenal ability certainly differ. Midas touch was a gift from Dionysus, the Greek god of wine, identified with Bacchus.

But in the “emergent Nigerian sociopolitical and economic mythology,” the touch of Captain Idahosa Wells Okunbo, aka Captain Hosa, is a gift from the Almighty God that is continuously bolstered by bowels of humanity from people and elements on whom he has leveraged for outstanding successes in his various endeavours.

This explains his meteoric rise to the top of his chosen profession: His first forte-the aviation industry-from where he retired as a commercial pilot at the age of 30 in 1988, having logged over 7,000 hours in flying time, most of which were jet time. It is remarkable that he graduated from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Training Centre, Zaria, as a professional commercial pilot in 1979 at the age of 21.

That was after the successful completion of his elementary education at Government Primary School, Benin City, and secondary education at the prestigious Federal Government College, Warri in 1971 where he sat for his West African School Certificate Examination and passed in flying colours in 1975.

In a deliberate bid to sharpen his flying skills, he had attended ACME School of Aeronautics, Fort Worth Texas in 1983 where he obtained his Airline Transport Pilot Licence and was made a Captain in the same year at the age of 25. He was a flight Captain with the Intercontinental Airlines; and, in 1985, he joined the services of Okada Airlines from where he retired. These are facts not known to many people who have just had the opportunity of relating with him.

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Indeed, his upbringing must have shaped his quiet, unassuming disposition. Born on January 7, 1958 into the family of a respectable community leader, teacher and clergy, the late Reverend Robert Amos Okunbo, Captain Hosa, benefitted immensely from the prayers and mentorship of a God-fearing father who taught him the ways of the Lord. And he obeyed and took after his father. Little wonder, he has a compassionate and man-caring heart: a heart of gold.

If all he touched in the aviation world as a pilot turned to gold, it is in the challenging world of business into which he ventured upon his retirement that the golden touch has become much more manifest. For instance, the Hoslyn Ventures Nigeria Limited, his first company that was into procurement in the oil and gas sector, has been a huge success story.

The shrewd businessman has expanded his business interests such that, today, he is chairman and director of many viable companies that have provided jobs for thousands of Nigerians. He is chairman of Ocean Marine Security Limited, a company responsible for offshore asset protection for major oil companies in Nigeria, including the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC. He is chairman of PPP Fluid Mechanics Limited, a crude oil logistics company.

He is a major shareholder in Westminster Group Plc, United Kingdom, and also the Chairman of Westminster Security Solutions Limited, a franchise of Westminster Group Plc UK. He is chairman of Wells Dredging Limited, involved in dredging, sand filling and shore protection in the Niger Delta region. He is Chairman of Wells Habitat Limited, a company partnering the Abuja Environmental Protection Agency in the area of waste management. He is a Director in Integrated Energy Distribution and Marketing Limited, a company that just won the bid for Ibadan and Yola Power Distribution Companies, Discos.

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South Africa in recent times

It is not necessary to panic and lose sleep that South Africa is going the ways of other so-called African or Third World countries; far from it

tax payers are beginning to groan and moan about the burden that they carry. Be that as it may, unemployment is rife, especially among the young. Infrastructure is poor or non-existent in many areas especially in the townships and villages around the country.

Those who know the figures will tell you that there have been hundreds of goods and services delivery protests in the last few months alone. These protests take the form of township and shack dwellers blocking highways with burning tyres, wood and stones and pelting commuters with stones.

When they can be identified, houses of councillors have been torched and lives threatened. The police have had to be called to deal with these protesters through arrest, water bombing and sometimes the use of live bullets.

Arrests have always been difficult because they simply lead to more protests demanding the release of those arrested.

The violence that accompanies protests in South Africa might be unacceptable but it is understandable. Protesters usually carry knobkerries, sticks, machetes and any handy instrument. All these have been described as traditional weapons and are carried as of right by Africans. This was an issue during the apartheid years and carrying traditional weapons became acceptable. The ANC government has not been bold enough to ask protesters, members of COSATU to stop carrying these provocative weapons. Demonstrators in cities

The touch of Captain Hosa is a gift from the Almighty God that is continuously bolstered by bowels of humanity and elements on whom he has leveraged for outstanding successes in his various endeavours

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He is chairman of Hoslyn Habitat Limited, a foremost Design, Construction and Landscaping company. He is chairman of Wells Property Development Company Limited, involved in the development of affordable properties for low-income earners, high net-worth individuals and office development. As the Chief Executive Officer of Wells Property, he has been able to syndicate a portfolio worth billions of naira for the company.

He is chairman of Wells and Jeta Entertainments Limited, involved in movie production. He is a Director in Global Scan Systems Limited, a company responsible for the destination inspection of cargoes at the ports. He is a Director in Phil Nugent Nigeria Limited, involved in gas processing; and a Director in Oil Offshore Combination, among many other successful companies operating in Nigeria and abroad.

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n 1997, under the military regime of the late General Sani Abacha, Captain Hosa was the leader of the team that nurtured the idea that led to the introduction of transparent ballot boxes for use in the nation’s elections. This is a landmark contribution to the electoral process in Nigeria. In 2007, this illustrious son of Bini Kingdom was honoured with the Justice of the Peace, JP, in recognition of his astounding contributions to the promotion of peace and good governance as well as

such as Johannesburg and Cape Town routinely empty refuse bins on the streets to express their anger.

A year or so ago, the City of Cape Town sued the organisers of a demonstration for damages to city property. With a President whose signature tune is entitled ‘Bring me my Machine Gun’ there is no end to the carrying of these traditional weapons.

It is not necessary to panic and lose sleep that South Africa is going the ways of other so-called African or Third World countries. Far from it. In the first place, South Africa is working hard to ensure that corruption is punished. A former Commissioner of Police is in prison. The one after him was sacked for dishonesty. The wife of a minister is in prison for recruiting drug mules. When she appealed against her 12-year sentence, the appeal court not only confirmed her sentence but added eight years to the sentence!

Infrastructure, at least in the cities, are not only maintained but updated continuously. In Joburg, motorists have been known to sue the City for damaged tyres caused by pot holes! Imagine if you could sue the City of Lagos for damages to your tyres caused by pot holes!!!

Perhaps the most hopefully and healthy evidence that South Africa is not going the way of other careless countries is the fact that not everybody belongs to the ANC, the ruling party and nobody is insisting that everybody and every province must belong to the ANC before goods and services can be delivered to the people.

development of his constituency. Again in 2012, the American Congress honoured him with the “African Titans” Award for being a voice of the Niger Delta people through his movie: “Black November”.

He has empowered many people in his place to be self-dependent. For instance, in 2005, he assisted over 774 Oba Market women who suffered various degrees of losses as a result of the Oba Market inferno with a multi-million naira intervention to keep their various trading activities afloat.

He has financed youth empowerment programmes with a view to uplifting the quality of life of his people as a service to humanity.

It was against the backdrop of these great accomplishments and testimonies of a great majority of people that had benefitted from his eleemosynary that overtures were made to him to take a shot at the governorship of Edo State in the July 14, 2012 election. He rebuffed the overtures, insisting he would rather focus on his thriving multi-billion naira business empire with global networks.

Nevertheless, he has continued to take very deep interest in politics. He is a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Edo State where he has been eminently positioned to emerge as a godfather and kingmaker of Edo South Senatorial zone, certainly after the Esama of Benin, Chief Gabriel Osawaru Igbinedion, must have quit the political stage.

When that happens, what will become of his inscrutability which is due to his humble nature that does not compel him to make noise or throw his weight around? For instance, if he decides to contest, he would deploy his massive material and financial resources to push through the venture. He will campaign. He will articulate his programmes and visions for the state. The great expectation is that he should be able to replicate his golden touch on statecraft.

It is against the backdrop of these huge accomplishments and bright political prospects that the honourary Doctorate of Science (D.Sc) degree being conferred on him by the University of Benin on November 24, 2012 should be viewed as well deserved.

It is certainly recognition of a man who does

*Mr. Ojeifo, a journalist, wrote from Abuja.

20 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012

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Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012 — 21

NIM boosts managerial competence of industry chiefs

BY CHINEDU IBEABUCHI

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L-R: Femi Soremekun, MD- BIOFEM Group; Dr. Karim Bendhaou, MD, Merck N/WA; Dr. Frank StragenbergHaverkam, Chairman, Board of Partners of E.Merck and Robert Blum, President, Cercle Diplomatique, Geneve) at the recent donation of the 20 million doses of Cesol [Praziquantel] tablets to the FGN by Pharmaceuticals giantMerck:

APMT to build mega por t, FTZ in Badagr y

BY PROVIDENCE OBUH

A

PM Terminals and its consortium of partners have announced plans to develop a new mega-port project and Free Trade Zone at Badagry in Lagos State.

The first phase of the project is scheduled to open in 2016.

Also Plans for the adjoining Badagry Free Trade Zone will include a power plant, oil refinery, industrial park and warehousing and Inland Container Deport functions.

On completion, the deep-water fullservice port will be one of the largest in Africa with seven km of quay and 1,000 hectares (2,470 acres) of dedicated yard, and will include

144.85

+ 1.1

2,525.00

+19.00

19.61

-0.29

110.76 87.51 CURRENCY BUYING CENTRAL DOLLAR STERLING EURO FRANC YEN CFA WAUA RENMINBI RIYAL KRONA SDR

154.76 246.5636 198.2166 164.6033 1.8786 0.2797 233.5372 24.837 41.266 26.5755 237.3619

155.26 247.3602 198.857 165.1351 1.8847 0.2897 234.2917 24.9177 41.3994 26.6614 237.1286

+0.93 +0.76 SELLING 155.76 248.1568 199.4974 165.6669 1.8908 0.2997 235.0462 24.9984 41.5327 26.7473 237.8922

CBN Exchange rate as at 22/11/20127

state-of the art facilities for container, bulk, liquid bulk, Ro/Ro and general cargo as well as oil and gas operations support and a barge terminal.

CEO, APM Terminals Africa-Middle East Regional, Peder Sondergaard, said that the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Lagos State and the Federal Government have been supportive and positive, saying, “We are actively working with the Federal and State Government on the permission process.”

It would be recalled that in his keynote address at the 12th Maritime Seminar for Judges in Abuja in June this year, Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar, alluded to the proposed Badagry Port project as significant of a publicprivate partnership development which would help to address congestion and establish Nigeria as a maritime trading hub for West and Central Africa.

Accordingly, the Benin-Lagos Expressway is currently being upgraded to a 10-lane highway which will

facilitate cargo movements to and from inland destinations in the region.

Sondergaard stated, “APM Terminals is currently one of the largest port and terminal operators in Africa, and in West Africa in particular, where APM Terminals Global Terminal Network include nine facilities in eight West African nations, including Apapa Container Terminal, and West Africa Container Terminal in Onne, Nigeria.

APM Terminals Apapa, which assumed operations at Lagos’ Apapa Container Terminal in 2006 is now the busiest container terminal in West Africa, handling 600,000 TEUs in 2011 with through-put for 2012 projected to be 720,000 TEUs. “Industry analysts have predicted that Nigerian container volume, which totaled 1.4 million TEUs in 2011, will outstrip existing port capacity by 2017, presently, about 85 percent of all Nigerian non-oil cargo passes through the Port of Lagos”.

HE Nigerian Institute of Management, NIM, said it has concluded its international training programme aimed at improving the managerial competence of top executives of both private and public organisations.

According to a statement signed by the President and Chairman of Council of the Institute, Dr. Michael Olawale-Cole, who was also the leader of the delegation to the training, “The programme was designed to enable executives and all those in top decision making positions not just to keep abreast of international best practices in leadership and management but also to imbibe the needed qualities and capabilities of managing their organisations better during these uncertain economic times.”

Speaking further, he revealed that the programme equally provided the participants insight to managing change and leadership abilities and exposed them to real world and world class learning experience.

“The participants were equally exposed to functional knowledge and intellectual skills to manage and lead their organisations with insight and success”, he added.

According to the statement, the programme which had ‘Managing Change During Uncertain Economic Times’ as its theme was held in collaboration with McDonough Business School, Georgetown University, Washington DC, USA under the Top Executive Leadership Programme of the Institute.

Leadership and Accountability; Managing risk; Global Economics and Nigeria’s Position; Corporate Governance; Strategic Performance Management; The New Shape of Global Fraud and Communicating your position were some of the subthemes covered by the programme.

Bulk Electricity Trading Company assures IPPs on safety of their investments

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HE Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Company Plc (NBET) has assured all Independent Power Producers (IPPs) operating in the nation’s power industry of the safety of their investments. Mr Rumundaka Wonodi, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of NBET, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

“The NBET is the bulk trader, and its role is primarily to enter into power purchase agreement with the power generation companies and sell the

power purchased from these generators to the distribution companies through the vesting contracts. That is the primary role, but the more fundamental strong role is the fact that we are a confidence booster for the electricity industry.

“NBET enters into bilateral Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) with IPPs and this is backed by a payment security package that allows investors to actually make investments,” he said.

Wonodi said that NBET was established due to inability of PHCN

to deliver on gas purchase agreements with the Nigerian Gas Company. He explained that it was as a result of this inability that the Federal Government established a guarantor in form of NBET to fulfill this obligation. Wonodi said that to ensure that NBET was financially viable, the federal governments entered into an arrangement with the World Bank to provide the partial risk guarantee required to strengthen the organisation to work effectively.

22 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012

NSE moves to join WFE to boost foreign investors’ confidence

BY PETER EGWUATU

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HE Nigerian Stock Ex change (NSE) has commenced move toward joining World Federation of Exchanges (WFE) as part of its effort to boost its international status and attract more foreign companies to list on the local bourse.

Executive Director, NSE, Mr. Haruna Jalo-Waziri, who disclosed this while answering questions at the third capital market workshop, an annual event hosted by Thomson Reuters, J.P. Morgan, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) and London Stock Exchange, held in Lagos on Wednesday, said, “ The NSE is preparing to join

WFE where standards are the same. We are working towards being admitted by the Federation. Right now, we are building our market surveillance to checkmate abuses and malpractices. We are working on adjudication process so that contract not executed could be addressed.

Even the NSE has commenced the upgrade of its trading system platform and by next year we would be completing the whole process. So by the time we finished all this transformation, we will then invite the WFE to come for inspection and see how far we have gone and then register us as member.”

The WFE are the trade association of 52 publicly

regulated stock, futures and options exchanges. Their market operators are responsible for the functioning of key components in the financial world. World Federation of Exchanges is home of about 45,800 listed companies (as at December 2009), registering a slight drop for the first time since 2003. The total market capitalisation of listed companies was approximately USD 46.5 trillion, a surge of 43 percent at the end of 2009 compared to 2008.

Meanwhile, giving the opening address at the event, Mr. Tosin Adewuyi, Managing Director and Senior Country Officer for Nigeria, spoke about J.P. Morgan’s commitment to Nigeria and the continued development of Nigeria’s capital markets. He noted the very high level of interest in the Nigerian capital market by foreign investors and the associated positive impact on the economic development of Nigeria.

……….BRIEFS…………

‘Investor education on dematerialisation kicks off January’

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RESIDENT, Association of Stockbroking Houses of Nigeria,ASHON, Mr. Emeka Madubuike, has said that operators in the capital market would commence nationwide investor education on dematerialisation in January.

Madubuike told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the sensitisation programme would cover all the regions in the country.

NAN reports that dematerialisation is the elimination of physical certificates or documents on ownership of securities through conversion to electronic ownership mode domiciled with the Central Securities Clearing System.

Madubuike, who is also the Chairman of the Committee on Dematerialisation of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), said that the project was aimed at ensuring that investors bought into the electronic type of share certificates. He said that the operators would also educate investors on the rudiments of the market to increase their participation in the market.

According to him, the capital market operators will use the project to reach out to as many investors as possible to boost their confidence in the market.

Madubuike said that the project, which would be first launched in Lagos, would bring the 12- year old dematerialisation policy to fruition.

FirstBank rewards young savers with N12m

BY CHINEDU IBEABUCHI FROM LEFT: Marketing Director, Cadbury Nigeria Plc, Mr. Dele Anifowose; Sales Director, Mr. Paul Udoehi and Managing Director, Mr. Emil Maskofian, at the 14 draw of the ongoing Bournvita Yummy Life promo in Lagos. PHOTO: JOE AKINTOLA, PHOTO, EDITOR.

Oando’s LPG initiative targets 36,000 jobs

BY KUNLE KALEJAYE

A

S part of its corporate so cial responsibility, Oando Plc has revealed that Oando OGAS 3kg cooking stove initiative has the potential to create a minimum 36,000 jobs in the country.

The cooking stove which is a three-in-one bundle that comes with burner, cylinder and gas was introduced by Oando Marketing Plc to ease the

Headline Error: The story ‘Poly Products to pay shareholders N10.39m dividends’ published on Wednesday November, 21, 2012, was wrongly captioned.

The N10.39m is unclaimed dividend for 2010/11 financial year. The error is thereby regretted.

-Editor

challenges associated with using unwholesome fuels such as firewood, charcoal etc. for cooking. They also plan to switch five million homes from the use of cooking fuels to LPG, a clean, safe, convenient, environmentally healthy, and affordable cooking fuel through its OGAS 3kg initiative to address the perennial problem associated with the use of cooking with unwholesome fuels.

This disclosure was made during the Oando/ACCESS AFRICA (Agriculture, Climate Change and Entrepreneurship Support Services) summit held in Abuja recently with the theme “LPG as a climate control tool in Africa: The Sustainability Agenda.”

During his presentation at the summit, CEO, Onado Marketing, Mr. Abayomi Awobokun, explained that the company ’s objectives is to

successfully switch up five million homes to cooking gas from kerosene in the next three to five years.

“Our goal is to successfully switch up to five million households to cooking gas from Kerosene and other dirty fuels over the next 3-5 years. We believe this effort will not only boost the lives of millions of Nigerians, but will also create up to 36,000 jobs across the value chain,” he said. He noted that the 36,000 jobs will be in the retail, distribution and Manpower development sectors as the LPG value chain grows and develops.

Speaking on the relevance of the summit and the switch initiative, President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Abdulwahed Omar, said the initiative is something that is long overdue for Nigerians to have.

“It is long overdue for Nigerians to have something like this; so I want to thank and congratulate Access Nigeria and Oando Marketing PLC for the partnership to ensure that Nigerians will be able to get something in terms of facilitating cooking that is going to be very simple, and above all, safe.

T

WELVE winners have emerged in the First Bank of Nigeria Plc Hi Fi Young Savers promo, with each winning N1 million.

According to the Head, Liability Products Consumer and Retail Product of the bank, Mr. Chike Ezeagabu, the promo is a special account designed for children from age 0 – 18 years to sensitise and cultivate savings culture within this age bracket and to help parents plan towards the future of their children and wards.

For an account holder to be qualified for the annual draw, he said the saver needs to have a minimum of N50,000 in his account.

He said the reward would be credited to the child’s account for educational purposes. The draw was held in Lagos and produced two winners each from the six geo-political zones.

Explaining the feature of the account, he said, “The minimum opening/operating balance is N5,000; the saver would provide a standing order for payment of children’s school fees. This qualifies the savers for raffle draw on balances from N750,000.00 and above to win N1million tuition fee. The raffle draw will produce six winners from six locations across the country.

“There is free customized welcome pack when the child has saved a minimum of N50,000.00 and free birthday gift to the child. Withdrawal is limited to once per month or else interest accrued is forfeited for the month. Account can be converted to current account with the young saver as signatory, after attaining the age of 18 years. It allows easy remittance of child’s tuition fees to schools abroad and cash collaterised loan up to 80 percent of account balance,” said.

Vanguard, FRDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012 — 23

Interest rate should decline and exchange rate depreciate — FDC

BY BABAJIDE KOMOLAFE

A

NALYSTS at the Fi nancial Derivatives Company Limited have called on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to end its tight money supply policy in 2013 by allowing interest rate to decline and the exchange rate depreciate.

“In 2013, the CBN will have to moderate its stance to allow the interest rate decline and exchange rate depreciate, “they said in the company’s monthly economic publication released Tuesday night.

On Tuesday the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the CBN in a bid to maintain effort to tighten money supply, decided to leave the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) rate at 12 per cent, in spite of calls for a downward review of the benchmark interest rate.

Responding to the decision, FDC analysts said the apex bank is

over relying on interest rate to curb inflation, and this is affecting economic growth.

They said, “The Monetary Policy Committee, as anticipated, left its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 12% p.a during its last meeting for this year. The decision was based on inflationary risks and uncertainties surrounding the weak global economy.

Other policy instruments such as the Cash Reserve Ratio and Net Open Position were left unchanged at 12% and 1% respectively.

“Nigeria’s annual inflation rate increased by 0.4% to 11.7% in October, primarily as a result of exceptional factors such as the flooding which resulted in an increase in food inflation to 11.1%. The impact of the flooding in 12 states of the country was immediate but was not as severe as expected.

Core inflation declined for the 4th consecutive

By CHINEDU IBEABUCHI & WILLIAM JIMOH

F

From left: Dayo Babatunde, Financial Services Leader for West Africa, Ernst & Young; Henry Egbiki, Regional Managing Partner for West Africa, Ernst & Young; Omolola Abiola-Edewor, Executive Director, Corporate Services, NDIC, and Emilio Pera, Financial Services Leader for Africa, Ernst & Young, at the the Strategic Financial Sector Event, by Ernst & Young, in Lagos.

month to 12.4%. This according to the MPC has created some uncertainty as to the appropriate policy stance to apply. The fact that leading economic indicators have remained positive for two months and the GDP growth figure for Q3 came in low-

er than the previous year at 6.48%, sends mixed signals on the direction of the Nigerian economy. In addition to this, the government is resolute in its pursuit for fiscal prudence as reiterated by the Federal Minister of Finance.

“All pointers are in

favour of an end to the CBN’s tight monetary policy stance and the need to boost growth and lending to the real sector. The current contractionary policy stance has been in play since October 2011 when the MPR was raised by 275bps.

Participants task ICAN to create Whistle-Blower Trust Fund

BY NKIRUKA NNOROM

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ARTICIPANTS at the just concluded 42nd annual accountants’ conference of the Chattered Institute of Accountants of Nigeria, ICAN, have unanimously agreed that there is need for the institute to set up Whistle-Blowers’ Trust Fund to hedge against risks involved in whistle blowing.

In a communiqué issued at the end of the conference, participants said that while the plan

by ICAN to sponsor a whistle-blower’s protection Act is desirable, they however, agreed that whistle-blowing will not happen just because a law protecting whistle-blowers has been enacted.

They observed that there is need to put in place the right kind of incentives to encourage whistle-blowing, since it comes with a lot of risks.

“Since whistle-blowing comes with a lot of personal and financial risks, the incentives

must be considerably higher than the risks for the system to work.

Thus, The Institute was advised to set up a Whistle-Blower Trust Fund.

It was further noted that chartered accountants and other stakeholders have not fully explored the available legal instruments like the Freedom of Information, FoI, Act, 2011 for managing the incidence of corruption.

Accordingly, the Conference urged all professionals, including chartered accountants to familiarise themselves with the provisions of the FoI Act with a view to making persons in fiduciary positions accountable for their actions or inactions.

The conference noted the prime role of the public sector in creating an enabling environment for the private sector to thrive and create value, saying that the services provided by public sector agencies must make economic sense and be value-driv-

Fidelity Bank donates to deaf school, orphanage home

en irrespective of the traits of their leadership.

To achieve this, the participants recommended that public sector financial management systems must provide reliable information to decision-makers for good governance and

accountability.

While welcoming the move by the government to adopt International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) as a basis for financial reporting in the Public Sector.

Also, to ensure that the

goal is achieved, the conference urged the government to create the enabling legislative framework required for the adoption of IPSAS for the public sector and employ professionals to drive the process.

Unity Bank gives N5m scholarship to five kids, three win cars

BY PROVIDENCE OBUH

U

NITY Bank Plc has given out the sum of one million naira each (N1, 000, 000) to five children, (adding up to five million) who emerged winners of the N1 million scholarships from the bank.

Also three of the bank’s customer emerged winner of a brand new Hyundai Verna Sedan cars each in the bank’s third national draw of its Aim, Save and Win Promotion held in Abuja weekend.

In his welcome address, Managing

Director of Unity Bank, Ado Yakubu Wanka affirmed that an average Nigerian has a special need on education, capital for business, spiritual well being, among others.

Wanka, represented by the Executive Director Information Technology and Operations, Mr. Ahmed Yusuf said, “We want to see that a child of two years old has a plan by his/her parents that will take him to the university, the businessman who wants to grow his business can start thinking on time.

We assure all Nigerians

that we will be there to guide and support them to reach their objectives.“We threw options open and we are pleased that this promo was very successful as we have been able to reach out to every nook and cranny of Nigeria.

Also, our customer base is growing and we are pleased about that.”

He said the promo serves as an opportunity to reward its customers for loyalty and to showcase its beneficial savings products which cater to all class of people in the society.

IDELITY Bank Plc has donated academic and other relief materials to Wesley Deaf School and Sought After Orphanage, both in Lagos, as part of its corporate social responsibility to the communities where it operates.

The Executive Director, Risk Management, Fidelity Bank Plc, Mrs. Onome Olaolu, said the donations were borne out of generous and voluntary initiatives of its staff to improve the lives of their communities.

Olaolu maintained that the progarmme is an opportunity to give a helping hand to Wesley School for the hearing impaired in a bid to support the school’s efforts in giving hope to deaf children, adding that as ‘Fidelity Bank has grown greatly and become prosperous, they too can grow and be prosperous against all odds.

She said, “We desire to raise a crop of young executives who believe in doing good; men and women who are not too busy to hear the cry of the needy around them. People who will be brave enough to step up and make a difference in their community.”

“We also stir a social revolution which will encourage all citizens and stakeholders - public and private - to become more interested in the challenges and needs of their immediate community.”

Speaking further, Olaolu noted that Fidelity Bank believed strongly in giving back to the communities where it does business as it is the right thing to do because in nourishing that community and paying attention to its needs, the bank becomes a member of the community.

The items donated at Wesley Deaf School, Surelere, Lagos, included ten desktop computer systems for the establishment of the school’s computer center, 1000 exercise books, a motor bike for dispatch of materials, and a canopy with 60 plastic chairs for outdoor events.

At Sought After Orphanage, the bank renovated the building and donated two gas cookers, one 50kg gas cylinder, three window air conditioners and other items.

24—Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012

Mrs. Christiana Coker...denies ever being told to vacate the collapsed building Sympathisers at the venue of the collapsed building

COLLAPSED BUILDING:

Mother of dead sisters pleaded ‘blood of Jesus,' then fainted •Discharged from hospital, debunks insensitivity claim •Recounts experience •Oblivious of daughters’ death •Survivors reveal relocation plans •We’ll start demolition after ultimatum – Govt •Residents of marked buildings protest extortion ByEVELYN USMAN & BOSE ADELAJA

I

F only Madam Coker had heeded her neighbours pleas to vacate her apartment before the midnight of last Wednesday, perhaps she would have saved her two daughters from untimely death.

The family of three occupied Flat 6, Block M20 of Jakande Estate, Oke-Afa, Isolo in Ejigbo Local Council Development Area of Lagos State. The two sisters, in their 20s, were sent to their early grave when the two-storey building caved in around 12 midnight.

The building was part of a block of six flats which residents of the area claimed had shown signs of distress. Moreover, it was marked for demolition in February following a rainstorm that led to the collapse of several buildings in the area, including the biggest public school in the estate. Before that fateful day, Madam Coker was said to have acquired another flat at Oja Bus-stop which was undergoing repairs.

Neighbours warned the Cokers Around 11pm of Tuesday November 20, one of the occupants of Flat 1, 24 year-old Niyi Amodu, a native of Kwara State,

had the premonition that the building may soon collapse.

He immediately alerted his younger brother Mayowa and some squatters to vacate the apartment and seek refuge outside. Once outside, they noticed that the building had cracked in several parts and they decided to alert other neighbours of impending danger.

They immediately raised alarm which attracted occupants of the remaining flats who then ran outside, except the Cokers who were not seen.

They, therefore, went to knock on the door of the Cokers’ apartment around 11.30pm to inform them of the situation. By this time, the two sisters Toyin and her younger sister Bukola, who returned home that day after her National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, were fast asleep but their mother was awake and was told of the impending danger.

According to Mayowa, a former head boy of Oke-Afa Senior Comprehensive High School, the woman did not see any reason to vacate her apartment. Rather, she started pleading "the blood of Jesus", saying she was not ready to disrupt her daughters’ sleep.

He said: "We knew her action

was dangerous but we could not force her and all of us stayed far from the building leaving our belongings in the house.

F

ew minutes later, parts of the building collapsed and we still tried to persuade this woman but she refused, saying God would preserve them till the following day and they would make a move. Suddenly around 12 midnight, the entire building collapsed and the Cokers started shouting for help but it was too late as they were already trapped inside."

Cracks in the collapsed building

We rescued them alive – Eye witness: According to residents of the area, Mr. and Mrs. Sam Olanrewaju, the Cokers were rescued alive by sympathisers around 2.30am but the sisters could not survive the shock and died few hours later, while their mother was in coma and receiving treatment in the hospital. Mayowa told Vanguard that Niyi was half naked until their parents came to clothe him the following day. He said: "My brother was in boxers until our parents brought clothes for him few hours ago." He lamented that several items were lost to the disaster, adding: "My brother is an Industrial Technology person who lost several laptops

Sympathisers at the scene of the collapsed structure

to the disaster. The laptops were brought for repairs and I don’t know what becomes of the situation now.”

Help came late, six hours after: One of the sympathisers, a Sudanese, Mohammed Ahmed, who rushed to the scene after hearing the alarm raised by his neighbours said the victims might have escaped death if rescue agencies had arrived early. He said: "The incident happened at midnight and we called the Police immediately. The Cokers were rescued alive around 2.30am but help did not come until 6am."

What is left of the building has since been demolished by the Continues on page 25

Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012—25

Mother of dead sisters pleaded ‘blood of Jesus,' then fainted

State government while the occupants have sought refuge elsewhere.

Mass relocation of residents Sequel to the collapse of a two storey building that claimed two sisters and left their mother injured which left to the 48 hours ultimatum issued to occupants of eight buildings marked for demolition on Church Street, Jakande Estate Oke-Afa, Lagos, occupants of the affected buildings have been moving out their property from the area. Some of the residents were, yesterday, seen bringing in trucks, pick up vans to evacuate their property while others were ruminating on how to relocate.

Already, about 48 families were affected as each building comprises of a block of six flats.

Some of the occupants of the collapsed building have taken refuge with either relations, religious organisations and neighbours.

I have moved to Ayobo, may go to my village soon – Survivor: A survivor, Mudasiru Adepegba, told Vanguard that he has relocated his family to Ipaja-Ayobo to squat with an old friend. He said: "The incident was sudden and my state of origin is far from Lagos. Already, my wife has lost her job due to proximity but I want to see how we can cope, else, we shall relocate to Ondo State before the Yuletide."

I am going to my parents at Sango – Survivor: Another survivor who claimed anonymity said he will go back to his parents at Sango, noting "but I shall miss my friends at the Estate."

We have rented another apartment – Residents of marked building: Some of the

affected families at Block M19 who pleaded anonymity told Vanguard they have rented another apartment at Bucknor Estate. They said: "My sister, it is expensive to rent an apartment around here. We had foreseen this occurrence and rented an apartment at Bucknor while waiting for our rent to expire in this place. This quit notice by the government has geared us up." The affected structures were constructed 30 years ago during the era of one time Lagos State governor Alhaji Lateef Jakande.

We will demolish after ultimatum – Govt Meantime, Lagos State Emergency Management Authority, LASEMA, boss, Dr. Femi Osanyintolu has said there is no going back on the demolition exercise. He said: "We have issued them ultimatum since Wednesday and the buildings will be demolished as soon as the ultimatum expires.

Since February, the owners of the structures have been asked to take up insurance scheme to avoid being stranded when cases like this occur but they were adamant. The administration of Governor Babatunde Fashola does not want loss of lives and property and we are trying our best to adhere to this."

Widow discharged, debunks claim of knowledge about building collapsing: Mrs. Christiana Coker, the 68-yearold widow whose two daughters died after a two-storey building located in Low Cost Housing estate otherwise called Jakande estate, in OkeAfa Isolo area of Lagos, collapsed at the early hours of Wednesday morning, was yesterday discharged from the hospital, with bruises at her back, right hand and knees.

The widow who is still in the dark about the demise of her

Caterpillar demolishing remains of the two storey that collapsed in Jakande Estate Extension, Oke-Afa, Isolo, Lagos State.

Photo: Bunmi Azeez

children, described as a lie claims that she was alerted before the building caved in. She could, however, not give a detailed account of how the incident which has plunged her into a second phase of mourning occurred but simply stated that she only woke up next day to find herself in the hospital The Ogun State born Shell Petroleum retiree in this brief interview with journalists shortly after she was discharged, said: “I can not tell what happened. I just met myself in the hospital. I slept overnight, only to wake up next day to see myself in the hospital with bruises. I was shocked at first. I looked round and thought I was dreaming because I slept on my bed the previous night. In fact it was just like a dream.”

Asked why she did not vacate the building when she was alerted of imminent collapse as claimed by one of the occupants, she exclaimed, “it is a lie! How can he tell me that and I will still remain in the building with my children? What happened was that I protested against a wire that was always bringing spark of light downstairs. It was disconnected by officials of the Power Holdings Company of Nigeria from the flat downstairs, only for them

to get a local electrician to fix it. I told them to go call PHCN officials to fix it. That was all.

Why would they say they told me and I said blood of Jesus, it is a lie.”

Also asked if she did not notice signs of cracks before the building caved in, she responded, “Yes, there were signs of cracks on the wall but it was on the other wing. When I saw it, I went to the tenants and alerted them. When they did not heed, I went to report at the Lagos Building Investment Company LBIC”.

Residents protest extortion by LSBCA: Residents of the zone

,

Continues from page 24

,

It is a lie! How can he tell me that and I will still remain in the building with my children? What happened was that I protested against a wire that was always bringing spark of light downstairs

whose buildings were marked for demolition protested alleged extortion by officials of the Lagos State Building Control Agency, LSBCA. The officials, as gathered, are demanding a fee of N25,000 from each of the marked buildings before a test to ascertain the condition of their buildings would be conducted.

Conducting of test

The collapsed two storey structure

ercise” They also protested the short notice given to them to vacate the marked buildings, accusing the state government of being insensitive to the plight of the common man. One of them, a widow who identified herself as Mrs Nkechi Egwuonwu, lamented: “They just came and started marking our buildings without even carrying test on them. As if that was not enough, they gave us 48 hours to vacate. I am a widow, I do not know where to go from here with my children. This is happening barely one year after my house was gutted by fire. I lost everything in that fire. Just

One of the residents who spoke on condition of anonymity said: “When they came they started marking the buildings without first conducting a test to ascertain the state. When we first protested, they said we should pay N25,000 for them to conduct the test. But we argued that since it is a state government exercise why should we pay. The amount was later reduced to N2,000 per flat. Our question is, what are they going to use the money for? Is it going to the state government’s coffers? We were told some of the staff said the money is for them to buy soft drinks in the process of carrying out the ex-

when I am trying to pick up the pieces of my life, this has happened”.

Expert faults govt’s quit order: Mr. Kunle Awobodu, past chairman of the Lagos branch of Nigerian Institute of Building, NIOB, and current national publicity secretary of the institute has noted that the decision of the state government that buildings around the collapsed building should be vacated must have been informed by evidence of structural defects in the buildings. The building expert said the decision was in order as the purpose is to prevent further calamity or tragedy.

According to him, the government must have carried out integrity test on the buildings to ascertain their stability or otherwise before the decision that the affected buildings should be vacated. “Some buildings show signs of dilapidation from outside, which can inform the government to carry out integrity test on them to ascertain their stability to further determine whether they are still habitable or not.

26—Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012

cyclists recently, there was no rampage.

Okada riders should request farmland from the Governor and alleviate hunger with mass production of food items. We can never have too much food for our teeming population.

J.E Jones, Lagos

Citizen Abana and UBA

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Ribadu report on oil industry fraud THE Federal Government is deliberately sabotaging the Petroleum Revenue Special Task Force, headed by the former EFCC boss, Nuhu Ribadu, following the controversy that marred the presentation of the task force’s report recently and the decision to appoint two members of the committee, Mr. Steve Oronsaye and Mr. Bernard Otti, as NNPC board member while Mr. Otti, as Director of Finance of the same body to positions in the NNPC while the task force was still working on its assignment was a deliberate cover up by the Federal Government. Shame to our corrupt leaders who have made corruption their second name.

Onoriode,F.C.T, Abuja

Still on Ribadu report

Like the beleaguered report before it, government has enough information in the

occurred in 2007. The case was tried at an Ikeja High Court presided over by Justice A.A. Philips, Chief Judge of Ikeja Judicial Division and on 17th October, 2012, i.e. after a five years the Chief judge gave judgement in favour of Mr. Abana and ordered that UBA should refund the sum of Two million Naira, being the cost of the car to Mr. Abana, in addition to special damages of N966,000.00 and a further sum of N430,000.00 cost of medical treatment of Mr. Abana and his driver, bringing total payments due to Citizen Abana from UBA to Three Million, Three Hundred and Ninety Six Thousand Naira (N3,396,000.00).

This judgement is based on, among other issues of law, the statement of the law on this issue as laid down by the Supreme Court in IBEANU Vs OGBEDE, 1998, 12 NWLR (PT. 576) 1 at 12 as follows; Normally where the vehicle which is involved in accident through the negligence of another is a total loss or ‘writeoff, the plaintiff is entitled to damages only to the preaccident market value of the vehicle, less the value of the vehicle as scrap (if any), plus damages for loss of earnings, apart from any specific items of special damage proved”.

One considers the total costs awarded to Citizen Abana as very reasonable but UBA does not think so since the bank has now hired a senior SAN to

Mallam Nuhu Ribadu report to act fast, if it wants to salvage the Oil and gas sector.

President Jonathan should act fast, because information has

appeal the case. UBA is prepared to spend much more than this amount to engage the services of lawyers and prolong the suffering of Citizen Abana.

Haba UBA.

it that most major oil marketers are parleying with the presidency and his aides to rubbish the report such that nothing would came out of it.

Anonymous 08026810105

Mubi massacre

Now that the dreaded Boko Haram sect has claimed its members were not responsible for the massacre of over 40 students of the Federal Polytechnic, Mubi, it is only proper to point accusing fingers at the institution’s cultists. It is indeed saddening that young men and probably women, who are supposed to

Management of UBA, please be humane and show sympathy for the down trodden.

Chike Okeke,Lagos

Dear Sir, HE Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola SAN is a politician who cares deeply about the health of all citizens of the State.

It is common knowledge that Okada riders are the cause of the largest number of road accidents in the metropolis. They kill and maim without caring who is involved, old, young, pregnant women and especially old people are killed and maimed daily. The daughter of an elderly man (aged 79) told me that her father was standing on a pavement walking to his house a few yards away when an okada rider mounted the pavement and knocked down the old man. The old man fell and by the time he reached the hospital, he had fallen into a coma and never recovered consciousness till he was pronounced dead.

Every time I see three school children or a pregnant woman and another child on okada, I die

a thousand deaths.

What manner of people are okada riders when banned, went on rampage destroying buses purchased with millions of Naira.

These actions portray them as common criminals. Do we need criminals on the roads? People without any knowledge of road signs and no respect whatsoever of traffic lights? or other people’s properties? They smash into cars, demolish side mirrors as if it is a game.

A group of okada riders can club together and buy a taxi or bus and take turns driving them not to engage in wanton destruction that only portrays them either as criminals or lunatics. All well meaning citizens of Lagos State should congratulate the Governor for his love of Lagos State citizens, his courage and pray for him to resolutely carry out the enforcement of the Law for all our well being. The Delta State enacted a law banning okada

be more interested in pursing their academic programmes, could become so inhuman to the extent of cutting short the lives of their fellow students. I refuse to believe this set of people are among the leaders of tomorrow.

Charles 08035982210

The Federal Government should not attempt a dialogue with the sect. Why demand for negotiation when so many lives and properties have been lost due to their terrorist acts? The Federal Government should urgently make a serious arrangement to safe guard citizens.

Ayinla Sulaimon 08181493141

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Arise and fight by Atiku Abubakar

Atiku Abubakar is not qualified to tell Nigerians to

,

rise and fight for their rights as he is part of the people who turned Nigeria into what it is today. If he does not know by now, Nigerians are wiser than they were when he was in government, therefore , nobody will listen to him.

Joy, Ibadan, Oyo State.

No dialogue with Boko Haram

Having a dialogue with the Boko Haram sect cannot solved the problem of bombing in the country. We all know the problem the sect has caused us, damaging all properties and lives of innocent people.

Deplorable Sapele roads Dear Sir, F there is one thing Sapele, is famous for, is it’s road network. It’s major and adjoining roads are well connected that motorists enjoy the luxury of alternative routes in getting to their destination. Thus, the town hardly experience traffic gridlock.

However, over the last few years the state of roads has continued to depreciate with each passing raining season with no intervention from the appropriate authorities.

Presently, the situation of some major and sensitive roads in the town is such that if nothing is done about them before the next raining season, which is just about 5 months from now, they will become completely impassable. Roads in this regard are Adeola, Gana/Ugberikoko Road, Mission, Commercial Avenue, Owumi and Akintola Roads. Akpoaisi Road is already impassable, as it is completely cut-off from the rest of Ugbeyiyi.

The state government should act fast fast.

Ohwevwo Ufuoma Eugene, 08127029122

I

Lagos ban on Okada

The Federal Government should not attempt a dialogue with the sect. Why demand for negotiation when so many lives and properties have been lost due to their terrorist acts?

,

Dear Sir, IG organisations owe a duty of care and attention to the communities where they operate. So do banks and other financial institutions. It is definitely not the duty of a bank to cause agony, misery or even avoidable death to a law-abiding citizen.

One such Nigerian citizen who is suffering injustice and pain caused by a reputed Nigeria bank, the United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA) is Mr. Samuel Chinedu Abana.

On January 17 2007, as he was driving his Toyota Camry car from ASPAMDA Complex in Trade Fair site, Badagry Road, Lagos a bullion van which belongs to the bank , driving against traffic and in very high speed, ran into him. In the process the windscreen of the vehicle was shattered, the airbag deflated, and radiator, bumper and the engine destroyed. In fact, the vehicle was a write-off. Mr. Abana and his driver sustained serious injuries.

Mr. Abana duly reported the accident at the Trade Fair Police Station and after detailed investigation, the Police submitted a report which found the bullion van driver liable for negligent driving and concluded that he was the cause of the accident. Citizen Abana took the bank to court and claimed damages for the loss of use of his vehicle and replacement of the car. He suffered the inconvenience of hiring a car daily since the date the accident

Still on FG's dialogue with Boko Haram

The presidency should be wary over the mention of Gen. Buhari in the negotiation.

Buhari will not represent the interest of the government and Nigerians well in the negotiating team because he has a grouse with the federal government over his defeat by President Jonathan in the 2011 presidential elections.

Secondly, why the choice of Saudi Arabia as suggested venue and an all muslim negotiating team? It does seem as though the sect is not ready for genuine peace.

Alhaji Musa 08036713309

DANA Air resumption

Why would the Federal government allow DANA Air resume flight operations barely months when the report of investigations into the cause of the crash was yet to be made public?. The two Aviation committees of the National Assembly working on the incident were yet to summit their report when the DANA Air was asked to resumed operations. This does speak well of the country?

Joy 08036158031

SAYINGS OF OUR ELDERS 1.If you do not want lizards to visit you, do not bring home firewood that contain ants.

Francis Uzoaru(07025716475), Nitel Headquarter, Abuja, FCT Send us your Sayings of Our Elders. They must be African sayings or proverbs. Biblical or English proverbs are unacceptable. You will be paid N100.00 for every saying published. Address your sayings to: The Co-ordinator, Sayings of Our Elders,Vanguard Media Ltd., PMB 1007, Apapa,

Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012—27

Nollywood industry confirmed as leading promoter of Nigeria tourism ... as NTDC shines at WTM

By JIMOH BABATUNDE with agency reports

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BOUT 48,000 senior travel industry professionals, government ministers and international journalists from all over the world gathered last week in Custom House, ExCel, and London for the biggest travel and tourism event, the World Travel Market (WTM).

The WTM, now in its 33rd year last year generated £1,653 million of travel industry contracts and provided tourism professionals’ opportunities to network, negotiate and discover the latest industry opinion.

Countries, airlines, international hospitality chains, IT solution providers in the tourism industry, resorts, top travel agencies, tour operators all come together under one roof to do business. That is why it is catastrophic for any country interested in its tourism growth to miss this annual event.

For a country like Nigeria seeking to create an identity for itself and build its profile as an emerging destination, the need to put up a very strong presence and also articulate and market its products was imperative.

Slowly over the last few years, due to Nigeria’s strong presence and visibility in WTM and some other key travel fairs, the travel world is now conscious of the country as an emerging destination in Africa and is also taking a look at some of the things that are making Nigeria tick.

The African Section of the fair came to a standstill as people trooped to listen to Nigerian music, watch dancers and have a

thirst of the nation’s cuisines. They had it so good that most refused to go and had to when the music stopped.

The high point of this year ’s event was the Nigeria Day. The Nigerian tourism drive was given a boost by the 2012 Industry Report of the WTM which in addition to steady progress the country is making stated that: “The Nigerian film industry dubbed Nollywood has made the country the highlight of the African tourist industry with Africans making use of the increase no-frills airline routes to visit the country made famous in the movies.”

Commenting on the WTM Global Trends report, Runswe said: “The report we are getting from the WTM is the sixth in the world in the recent past. That means Nigeria is making major impact in terms of tourism development. I want to be very grateful to the organizers for bringing out the real fact that Nigeria has made concerted efforts and still making until tourism becomes a major income earner for the country.”

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he Nigerian T o u r i s m D e v e l o p m e n t Corporation (NTDC) boss, Otunba Segun Runsewe, assessed the impact of Nigeria at the this year WTM: “Nigeria had its bold and imposing stand at the African section of the market, showing remarkable improvement in not articulating its presence in the market, but being able to create a platform for states and private sector operators to showcase what Nigeria has to offer in tourism.

While the Nigerian Tourism Development

Corporation (NTDC) cocoordinated the Nigeria’s participation, key private sector operators in the tourism industry had the opportunity to market and network with their counterparts from all over the world. It was an e n c o u r a g i n g participation by the Nigerian private sector practitioners.

States like Cross River State, Rivers and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) had a strong presence. The umbrella tourism body for Nigeria, the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (F TAN), led by its President, Chief Samuel Alabi, led the private sector operators, including the National Association of Nigerian

•Nigeria’s stand at the fair Travel Agencies (NANTA), National Association of Tour Operators (NATOP), and Arik Airline, Remlord Group, Eko Hotel and Suites, Tarzan Balogun Marine Services Limited

and many others.

Runsewe said “In the 2012 World Travel market, we have seen that more countries are coming to the WTM and with the World Travel and Tourism Council

(WT TC) also opening their windows and bringing in their members, we have seen that it is an opportunity to bring very strong inbound tourists traffic to Nigeria.

ICPT admits Nigeria into its board T

HE innovations and aggressive promotion of Nigeria’s tourist destinations have earned the country a place on the International Council for the Promotion of Tourism (ICPT).

President of the ICTP, Professor Geoffrey Lipman, who conducted the ceremony at the Seychelles’ stand at the just concluded World Travel Market in London, disclosed that the council’s search for right-minded members led it to Nigeria and her apex tourism promotion agency, the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation.

Nigeria, according to Lipman, “has huge tourism potential, and we on the council know how lucky we are to have the NTDC DG Otunba Segun Runsewe as a council member.”

He said the plan of the ICTP is to put the tourism sector of its over 500 member countries on the path of growth.

In his acceptance speech, Runsewe expressed his gratitude to the council for noticing the humble work the

agency was doing in Nigeria and pledged his commitment to the goals of the council.

Issues discussed at the ICTP meeting were the improvement of services to help members strengthen their own commitment to Green Growth and Quality,

rebranding the organisation as a “coalition” supporting grassroots engagement in the sector’s contribution to a low carbon inclusive and environmentally-responsible world with a proactive leadership council.

CARNIRIV 2012 to celebrate Port Harcourt’s centenary

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HIS year ’s edition of the Rivers State carnival, CARNIRIV, will be a commemorative edition, and it has been titled CARNIRIV 2012 Port Harcourt 100 Edition in celebration of the centenary anniversary of the existence of Port Harcourt.

This was disclosed recently by Dr. Sam Dede, the Rivers State Tourism Development Agency (RSTDA) Director-General, while revealing the activities lined up for this year ’s edition of the carnival which started in 2008.

He said the carnival will be

celebrated with its unique blends of culture, music and entertainment as well as the participation of international stars, thereby underlining the distinctiveness and multifaceted character of CARNIRIV as a global carnival brand compared to any similar carnival held elsewhere.

Dede also promised that local and international tourists that will attend the carnival will savour the full bouquet of A-list events already packaged to make CARNIRIV 2012 an unforgettable experience.

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30 — VANGUARD, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012

70-yr-old makes N2m annually from maize farming STORIES BY FRANKLIN ALLI

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70 years old mech anised farmer in the country has called on Nigerians to take farming seriously, saying he makes N2 million annually from maize farming alone.

“I have seven children who are all graduates and I catered for them through farming. One of my sons has joined me in farming and we make an average of N2 million annually from maize farming alone,” said Pa. Isaiah Oladejo, whose farm is based in Osogbo, Osun State.

He enjoined the youths to stop considering themselves as unemployed and waiting endlessly for

white collar jobs that may never come, stressing: “Through farming, you will feed yourself, family and Nigeria.”

Pa Oladejo explained that farming requires passion and good sense of planning as a profession and encouraged the youths to come into it as most of the present farmers are growing old and becoming weak to actively continue.

According to him, the notion that agriculture does not sustain your livelihood is untrue. “Do you know the impact on food production if 10,000 Nigerian graduates engage in agriculture?”

Oladejo, recalled that he first came to the Osun Farm Settlement in 1963, and said since then farm-

Lagos govt focuses on agric to boost food security

BY NAOMI UZOR

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HE Lagos State Government said it will be focusing on agriculture and the agricultural value chain to promote food security in the State.

The Deputy Governor, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope, who disclosed this, said the State Government has recognized the need to focus on agriculture and the agricultural value chain to promote food security and also encourage investments in the sector.

“Lagos on account of its population size provides a ready market for national agricultural production and as such a substantial percentage of agricultural produce from all over the country ends up in the State. This creates investment opportunities in the agricultural value chain and little wonder why over 60 per cent of the country’s agroallied businesses are located in the State. It is thus not a coincidence that Lagos records a heavy presence of agro-allied industries in wheat milling, sugar production, fruit juice production, brewery, food and snacks production amongst others and to consolidate investments in this sector, the State Government has established two Agro-Allied Parks in Imota Ikorodu and Ilara - Igbonla Epe. The coastal nature of the state equally endows her

with a comparative advantage in fish production and abundant investment opportunities in marine agriculture and aquaculture,” he said.

According to him, the status of Lagos as a rapidly growing megacity projected to be the third largest by the year 2015 comes with a lot of development planning challenges and opportunities.

Buoyed by this realization, the present administration is determined to deliver an efficient intermodal and well integrated transportation system to create a model and smart megacity of our dreams.

“Considering the importance of transport in supporting job creation, we are also promoting investments in the sector to help address the pressing structural problem of youth unemployment in the State. Akin to this is the need to ensure a better and more efficient traffic management system in the State.

Driven by the compelling urge to stem the seeming lawlessness and chaotic traffic situation in the state, the administration recently enacted the Lagos State Road Traffic Law to provide for traffic administration and restore sanity back to our roads.

This law is aimed at completing government ongoing efforts to develop a well integrated and intermodal transportation system in the state,” he stated.

ing has become a way of life for him, and he now manages 50 acres of farmland, where he cultivates different food crops.

The farmer of over 50 years experience identified access to fertilizer and

tractors as a major challenge facing the farmers in increasing their yield.

He praised the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo whose leadership as the Governor of the Old Western Region led to the cre-

ation of Farm Settlements across the region.

He also charged those in leadership position to initiate projects that would impact on the lives of their electorates. He called for issue-based and

people-focused leadership which he said would position the country on the right direction.

Focus on people if you must succeed, expert tells public analysts

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•Food stuffs seller attending to a customer at the busy Orile-market in Lagos.

Photo: Toheeb Idris.

IITA, development partners to boost poor farm families’ income

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HE International In stitute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, is working with development partners to boost farm families’ income under a programme tagged “Humid tropics” At an inception meeting, Dr. Ylva Hillbur, Deputy Director General (Research) IITA, said that the partners collaborating with IITA in the implementation of the Humid tropics include the International Center for Tropi-

cal Agriculture (CIAT), the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), the International Potato Center (CIP), Bioversity International, the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), AVRDC – The World Vegetable Center, and the Wageningen

•Food price index: Source FAO

University.

“Humid tropics would help to boost incomes of poor farm families, mostly led by women, from agriculture in the humid tropics while preserving the land for future generations.

“Humid tropics help farm families to make better decisions about making their living and living their lives while caring for the environment they cultivate,” he said.

He stated that home to the bulk of the rural poor, the humid and sub humid tropics are the vast hot and wet areas around the equator that are associated with poor household nutrition and soil fertility depletion.

“More than 2.9 billion people in this region— humid lowlands, moist savannas, and tropical highlands in the tropical Americas, Asia, and Africa—depend on about 3 billion hectares of land for their livelihoods.

“The humid tropics span agricultural systems from the integrated tree crops-based systems such as cocoa in West Africa, banana-based systems in East and Central Africa to intensivemixed systems in Asia and vulnerable integrated crop-livestock systems in Central America and the Caribbean.

AGOS — DIRECTOR, Onshore Services, Fugro Nigeria Ltd, Port Harcourt, Mr Adindu Ogamba, yesterday said that a successful analytical laboratory must be preoccupied with people rather than profit.

He said this during a pre-induction lecture he delivered on “Making a Success of Laboratory Business” at the 2012 Induction and Annual Luncheon of the Institute of Public Analysts of Nigeria (IPAN) in Lagos.

Adindu said when a business shows care for its customers, it has better prospects than one which has its focus on profit and fleecing people.

He said: “Major more on customers and not on profit if you want to succeed. Give away more of your profit rather than lose customers.

Look at what the competition is doing and improve on it; engage your team in the process of mind-mapping and set goals for you and your staff,” he said.

He urged public analysts to ensure they employ people with requisite knowledge of the discipline and to apply adequate quality control needed for daily monitoring of batch to batch analysis performance for effective practice.

He said that since inception, laboratory practice had played a vital role in human development, noting that its usefulness in the Nigerian environment was yet to be fully explored.

Earlier, the President of IPAN, Mr Ganiyu Sanni, urged the inductees to conduct themselves as true professionals worthy of membership of the institute.

Registrar and CEO of IPAN, Prof. David Oluleye congratulated the inductees and called on them to ensure they know their rights, privileges and obligations as they go into practice.

He urged them to be very careful and to adhere strictly to the code of ethics of the profession as “the lives of many people depend on what you certify as fit for people to consume.”

Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012 — 31

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34 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012

From left: Mr. Adegbayi Kehinde, South West Coordinator, Coalition of of Nigerian Civil Rights Groups; Mr. Sunday Akinmoye, Coalition of Oodua Self Determination Group; Mr. Sunday Agbana, member, Publicity Committee and Mr. Olorunwa Samuel, during a press conference by the Oodua Nationalists Coalition (ONAG) to commend the Government's From left: Mr. Joseph Ukpokodu, Director, Edo State Emergency Management Agency; decision on the restriction of Okada in Lagos. Photo: Lamidi Hajia Maimuna Momodu, Chairperson, Relief Management Committee, Benin and Mr. Bamidele Cephas Afebuameh,Supply Chain Director, Guinness Nigeria Plc, with other members of the committee, during the presentation of relief materials donated by Guinness to the flood victims in Edo State, at the state capital, Benin.

From left: Mr. Sanjeev Chetiv, Group Technical Director, LaCasera; Mr. Emmanuel Adeku, Mr. Narendra Somani, MD, Jofna International and Mr. Prahlad Gangad Avan,Chief OperFrom left: Hon. Funkekeme Solomon, Commissioner for Works; Dr.Emmanuel Uduaghan,Delta State Governor, Engr. Adel Zgheib and Engr. Jonny Yreye, both of NigerCat ating Officer, LaCasera,at the presentation of the ISO NIS 2000, Construction Company,during the Governor's inspection of the ongoing dualisation of 2005 Certification to LaCasera Company Plc, in Lagos. Photo: Joe Akintola, Photo Editor Okumagba Avenue, in Warri. Photo: Henry Unini

Mr. Patrick Doyle, seasoned actor presenting car key to Mr. Niyi Agboola, one of the winners of the 6th Star Time to Shine promo, in Lagos. Photo: Lamidi

From left: Mr. Dare Kafar; Marketing Manager, GOtv Nigeria; Mrs. Susan Obi, Chief Broadcast Content Officer (NBC); Mrs. Elizabeth Amkpa, General Manager, GOtv Nigeria and Mr. Segun Fayose, Head of Public Relations, MultiChoice Nigeria, during the press launch of GOtv in Enugu State, at the Golden Royal Hotel, Enugu.

From left: Otunba Taofeek Oyesiji; Erelu Adekemi Olagunju, Otunba Mojibayo Olagunju, Governor-General of High Society Club of Nigeria and Alhaja Taofikat Oyesiji, at the 16th anniversary of City People magazine, in Lagos

Fromleft: Mr. Moses Umuwe, MD, Mosad Marine and Engineering Services Ltd; Engr. Bawa M. A., rep of Vice Chancellor, ATBU, Bauchi; Prof. B. O. Adewiyi and Chief Solomon Edebiri, President, Nigerian Institute of welding, at the Nigerian Intitute of Welding opening ceremony of 3rd ECOWAS Welding Technical Exhibition —Ecoweld 2012— at Lagoon Restaurant, V.I. Lagos. Photo: Shola Oyelese

Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23 , 2012—35

By BENJAMIN NJOKU

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INNER of the Gatekeeper ’s Fortune, the symbol of this year’s edition of the popular reality TV show, Guilder Ultimate Search (GUS 9), which rounded off last weekend, in Uyo, AkwaIbom State capital, Paschal Eromosele is still engrossed in the euphoria of his victory.

The new champion has attributed his victory to his ‘calm and unassuming disposition, adding that these attributes gave him an edge over other contestants.

Pascal narrowly edged out 23-year old Onyinye Udodi who would have been the first female contestant to win the Gulder Ultimate search since its began in 2004.

The hunt for the treasure started in the morning of the last day of the competition with the last four finalists, Paschal, Onyinye, James Adah and Nuhu Zigwayi.

At the end of that final phase, only Pascal and Onyinye were left to slug it out,marking the end of the four weeks fun, thrill, anxiety, excitement on national television stations and cable TV across Africa.

Pascal’s victory was, however, a twist of fate as his close rival, Onyinye got there before him but too anxious to find the treasure.

Speaking shortly after exchanging the treasure for a whopping N9 million, a brand new SUV and N500,000 wardrobe allowance at the reveal party held at the Le Meridien Hotel, Uyo, last weekend, 24 year-old Edo State born Pascal Eromosele said, the strategy he adopted while in the jungle was to act as an ‘underdog’ who was never perceived as a threat by anybody ’, and yet, emerged from nowhere to grab the mouth-watering prize.

“My strategy was to come to the jungle like an underdog, someone nobody would see as a threat.Obviously, it

•Gov. Godswill Akpabio presenting a cheque and congratulating the winner of the Gulder Ultimate Search 9, Paschal Eromose, after emerging the winner while Chairman of Nigeria Breweries Plc, Mr. Nicholas Veveldi watches.

GUS 9: Paschal Eromosele reveals winning strategy ... As Gov Akpabio woos organisers worked for me because nobody really saw me as a threat, yet, I went home with the crown,” Paschal said.

With his victory, the new

millionaire has joined the Guilder Ultimate Man hall of fame, which includes Ezeugo Egwuagu, Lucan Chamblis, Hector Jobarteh and Dominic

Mudabai, Christopher Okagbue who had recorded similar feats in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2011 in that order.

•Continues on page 37

Tiwa Savage, Basketmouth to host NMVA

BY OPEOLUWANI OGUNJIMI

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he anticipation is very high in different quarters in the Nigerian entertainment industry as the sixth edition of the Nigeria Music Video Awards, NMVA which prides itself as the most credible, attractive and highly respected awards in Africa draws near.

The iconic event which ranks as one of the most consistent in the Nigerian entertainment calendar, holds December 20, 2012 at the Exhibition Hall of Eko Hotel & Suites in Lagos. Already two frontline entertainers, Basketmouth and Tiwa Savage have been pencilled down to host this year’s award ceremony.

The NMVA is Nigeria’s premier music video awards with the sole aim of rewarding

outstanding creators and contributors to music videos production. It was instituted on December 2, 2007. Prior to this time, awards of this magnitude were mostly organised by foreign organisations like; MTV and Channel O. The NMVA, a wholly Nigerian initiative represents our cultural ideals. Since 2007, five successful editions have held consecutively at the prestigious Expo Hall of Eko Hotel & Suites in Victoria Island Lagos. The NMVA has established benchmarks against mediocrity as well as rewarding excellence over the years.

Rhythms & Sounds brings to you exclusively what to expect from this year’s award

INSIDE

D’banj, PSquare, others rule at Channel O awards Doris Simeon’s ex-hubby tango with Stella Damasus Love in the air for Iyanya, Yvonne Nelson

36—Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012

D’banj, PSquare,the others shine Who emerges Gulder atUltimate Channelchampion?

O awards

By CHARLES MGBOLU

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HIRTEEN Nigerian acts walked into the Walter Sisulu Square in Kliptown, Soweto, South Africa, venue of the 2012 Channel O Music Video Awards with their heads held high; hours later, six of them emerged winners.

D’banj cut the tape with the ‘Most Gifted Male Video of the Year’ award and also the ‘Special Recognition’ award which he missed last year as he had not been able to attend.

Pop giants P-square won the ‘Most Gifted Group/Duo’ award for their collaboration with May D on the hit single ‘Chop my money,’ while highlife crooner Flavour won the ‘Most Gifted R&B Music Video of the year’ award for his collaboration with Tiwa Savage on ‘Oyi’ remix.

The awards however came with shockers for singing sensation Wizkid who fell in the Most Gifted African West Video category where his hit single Pakurumo had been nominated.

2Face, Naeto C and Mo’Cheddah also fell at their own nominations; Most Gifted R&B Video, Most Gifted African West Video and Most Gifted Female Video for songs Be there, I Gentle and See me respectively.

However, Chocolate City act BrymO, won the ‘Most Gifted Pop’ for his hit song ‘Ara‘ and the award show’s co-host Ice Prince, won the award for ‘Most Gifted Hip Hop Video of the Year.’

New hit wonder; Davido also walked away with the ‘Most Gifted New Comer of the Year ’ award, beating Kenya’s Camp Mulla and Ghana’s E.L, among others.

•D’banj

N5.2bn copyright suit: MCSN floors Multichoice

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HE bid of Multichoice Nigeria Limited to stop the trial of copyright infringement counterclaim of N5.2 Billion brought against it by Musical Copyright Society Nigeria (MCSN) collapsed at the Federal High Court penultimate Friday.

Honourable Justice Mohammed Idris dismissed the motion of Multichoice seeking to stop further proceedings in the suit pending the determination of its appeal to the Court of Appeal.

Following an earlier ruling in which the court dismissed a preliminary objection brought by Multichoice against MCSN, Multichoice filed a motion for stay of further proceedings exhibiting a notice of appeal to the Court of Appeal.

When the motion came up for hearing

two weeks ago. Multichoice lawyer, Mr. Efere Ozako, argued that having filed a notice of appeal the court should halt further proceedings in the matter to allow the Court of Appeal determine the issue upon which it has appealed, particularly based on the contention that the judgment of the Court of Appeal in the Compact Disc Technologies vs.

MCSN case is in issue. He also asked for an adjournment to allow MCSN file a reply since MCSN’s lawyers were served with the motion only that morning when they got to the court.

GUS 9 winner,Paschal Eromosele reveals winning strategy Continued from page 35

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owever, Onyinye smiled home with the sum of N4 million as total prize money – made up of N3 million for emerging second placed contestant and N1 million for emerging Gulder Ultimate Search last female contestant.

Other contestants who had earlier been evicted from the show, Uzor Osimpka Ifet Iniobong, Priscillia Ezeh, Michael Ogbuefi, Patience Bornford, Ujam Emmanuel, Ayo Ojueromi and KofyaBrown respectively went home with sums ranging from N1 million to N2.5million.

At the reveal party, which had in attendance three former military administrators of the State, including Colonel Yakubu Bako, Group Captain, John Ebige and C M Y K

Navy Captain, Joseph Adewusi,Governor Godswill Akpabio who was the special guest of honour remarked that deceptively-fragile-looking Pascal demonstrated every confidence from the beginning that he was going to win the show.

Noting that the decision of the organisers to host the reality show in his state clearly testified that the light of God is shining in the state, Akpabio proposed the need for the organisers to use AkwaIbom State as the permanent host of the reality show.

The reveal party which was marked under serene atmosphere had 2face Idibia thrilled the contestants in a performance that saw the audience taking to the floor to dig it out.

THE TEAM BENJAMIN NJOKU njokujamin@yahoo.com AYO ONIKOYI OPEOLUWANI OGUNJIMI

Synopsis

Movie of the week

Doctor Bello comes to town

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t has now been confirmed that the long awaited Tony Abulu film, Doctor Bello will premiere on Sunday, November 25, at the Genesis Deluxe Cinema, The Palms, Victoria Island, Lagos. Parading both Hollywood and Nollywood stars, the premiere, which will open with a special yellow carpet reception at 4pm, has the strong backing of MTN Nigeria, with support from M n e t , AfricaMagic, StanbicIBTC Bank and Sovereign Trust Insurance.

Aside top celebrities and stakeholder in the showbiz industry billed for the evening, delectable Nollywood queens, Genevieve Nnaji and Stephanie Okereke-Linus, who featured in the movie, are expected to grace the yellow carpet in style, alongside other cast. For now, it has not been confirmed it their Hollywood counterparts in the

movie such as Isaiah Washington, Vivica A. Fox, Jimmy Jean Louis, Victor Browne, Ebby Bassey, Bern Cohen and others will be at the Lagos event.

The Nigeria screening is a follow up to the star-studded première at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, Washington DC, United States, where movie freaks got the opportunity to be among the first set of audience to see the movie.

“This is Nollywood, which is basically Nigerian film m a k i n g combined with Hollywood. It’s important for us to reach across the pond to combine our two talents together because I have a feeling that Hollywood doesn’t allow African-American actors and actresses the roles that we should be playing. I play Isaiah Washington’s wife, and we lost our daughter to cancer in the film, which then sends him out on a crusade to cure cancer. I’ve known Isaiah for over 25 years and we had never gotten an opportunity to work together,” star actress Vivica Fox said at the Washington DC premiere.

Movie Schedule

November 23rd – 29th

SILVERBIRD CINEMAS, LAGOS Premium Rush: 5:10pm, 7:05pm, 8:40pm The Meeting: 1;20pm, 8:30pm Jab TAK Hain Jaan: 3;10pm, 5:30pm Twilight Saga: Breaking dawn part2: 11:15am, 1:25pm, 6:20pm, 10: 30pm Sparkles: 11:00am, 3:40pm, 8:35pm, 10:30pm.

Bond23: Skyfall: 10:40am, 1:30pm, 3:35pm, 4:20pm, 7:10pm, 9:50pm (Fri – Sun only)

Bond23: Skyfall: 12:00pm, 3:00pm, 6:00pm,8:40pm( MON- THURS) Bourne legacy: 3:50pm, 10:10pm.

SILVERBIRD CINEMAS, ABUJA

Twilight Saga: Breaking dawnpart2: 12:00pm, 2:20pm, 4:50pm, 7:10pm,9:30pm

Sparkles: 11:20am, 1:40pm, 4:00pm, 6:30pm, 8:50pm.

Bond23; Skyfall: 12;40pm, 3;30pm, 6:20pm, 9;10pm Ted : 6:00pm, 8:20pm.

Resident Evil: Retribution 2:40pm, ;6;40pm.

Savages 12:20pm, 3:00pm, 5:40pm, 8:30pm.

Bourne legacy: 11: 50am, 2:50pm,5:30pm, 8:10pm The Dictator: 12:50pm, 4:40pm,8:40pm, .

Single & married: 11;10am, 4;10pm,98:00pm Mirror Mirror: 2;00pm, 6:50pm.

SILVERBIRD CINEMAS CEDDI PLAZA , ABUJA Premium Rush: 12;10pm, 4:30pm, 8:40pm.

The Meeting: 12:00pm, 4:20pm, 6:20pm Sparkle: 2:10pm, 6;20pm.

Bond23:Skyfall: 12;50pm, 3:30pm, 6;10pm, 8:50pm Safe: 2:20pm

SILVERBIRD CINEMAS PORT HARCOURT Premium Rush: 1;10pm, 3;20pm, 5:20pm, 7:30pm.

The Meeting: 12:10pm, 3:00pm, 5:40pm, 8:20pm.

Twilight Saga: Breaking dawn part 2: 12:50pm, 3:10pm, 5:30pm, 8:00pm Okon goes to school: 3:40pm, 8:30pm.

Sparkles: 12;00pm, 2;40pm, 5:10pm, 7:40pm.

Bond23 Skyfall: 11:10am, 2;00pm, 5;00pm, 7:50pm.

English Vinglish( bollywood) : 12:40pm, 8:30pm.

SILVERBIRD CINEMAS UYO Premium Rush: 11:40am, 1:30pm, 3;20pm, 5:10pm, 7:00pm The Meeting: 11:55am, 4:30pm Okon Goes to School: 11:30am, 1:30pm, 3;20pm, 5:20pm, 7:10pm, Sparkles : 2:30pm, 7:05pm Bond23: Skyfall: 3:45pm, 6:30pm Stepup4: 12:05pm, 2:05pm.

OZONE CINEMAS LAGOS Premium Rush: 3:00pm, 4:55pm, 6:55pm The Meeting: 10:45am, 5:30pm Twilight Saga: Breaking dawnpart2: 1;45pm,4;10pm, 6;35pm, 9:00pm.

Okon goes to school: 12:40pm Sparkles : 12:35pm, 8:500pm Skyfall : 2.45pm, 8:00p Stepup4: 11:50pm Madagascar 10:00am.

VANGUARD, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012—37

Off-Camera

Doris Simeon’s ex-hubby, Stella Damasus acquire new property in Abuja

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EMEMBER Doris Simeon’s ex-hubby, Daniel Ademinokan, whose crashed marriage made headlines early this year? The popular Nollywood director, Daniel who relocated to Abuja with David, the only product of the marriage, is in a happy mood at the moment.

In recent times, Daniel has had a lot going for him. The dude who recently got back from summer trip to Dubai with his son has acquired yet another property in the heart of Abuja which will house his company, Index Two Studios and a Boutique called Code 55.

Meanwhile, Daniel is not alone in the merriment. It may interest you to know that Stella Damsus and Daniel are partners and co-owner of Index Two Studios, a production company and more recently Code 55.

According to close sources, November has been slated for the official opening of Code 55.

Sources also disclosed that though acquiring the property may appear a herculean task for the Director, it wasn’t as Daniel recently landed a few deals to write for some production companies in the US and was handsomely paid.

“He frequents yankee a lot and has been shuttling California and New York, meeting with some top Hollywood pro-

•Stella Damasus

ducers,” the source said.

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or doubting Thomas’, who refuse to believe that Daniel has moved on with agelong friend, Stella Damasus, their partnership is the birth of Unspoken, their first co-produced movie on the stable of Index Two Studios.

“Stella and I jointly own a production company called Index Two Studios. This is our

•Daniel Ademinokan

Still on Iyanya, Yvonne Nelson love tango

By AYO ONIKOYI

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t is not strange to see celebrities fall over heels in love withone other and it is not out of place too for them to come into the open to profess it. We have seen too many often to really knock over anything or take it too seriously. But the case of MTN Project Fame graduate, Iyanya and Ghanaian actress , Yvonne Nelson, seems to be growing into something.

At least, the past few months have shown the duo may have more than a crush on each other. A couple of weeks ago, Yvonne, came public to tell the world she is not dating Iyanya. She made a good case of pointing out that what she loves about Iyanya is just the beautiful music the hunky fellow makes. “ I am not dating Iyanya, I just love his music” she declared.

Meanwhile, few weeks after , she made a contradictory statement which very well unveiled what true feelings this beautiful Ghanaian damsel may be harbouring in her heart for Iyanya when she told a soft-sell magazine in an interview that she could accept a marriage proposal from Iyanya. “You never know. Yeah. I will accept if he proposes. I mean, he’s good, a nice guy” Of course, no gentleman would brush off such open-invitation from a woman, a drop-dead gorgeous one at that but Iyanya’s reply to Yvonne has a little of red-carpet-openarms reception touch to it: “Ghanaian girls are cool: If God says yes*** I can marry Yvonne Nelson” he tweeted

first work together professionally but we’ve been friends like forever. We shot it in Douala.

Meanwhile, it was a great and interesting experience but you know, it’s never easy producing a movie away from your base. We had to fly all our equipment. It may interest you to know that Stella and I were Executive Producers and she played the lead,” he was quoted as saying.

•Yvonne nelson and Iyanya

BY OPEOLUWANI OGUNJIMI

Waje still single F or those who think there’s something intimate going on between sensational singer, Waje and rapper, M.I, don’t get it twisted as Waje has come out to clear the air.

According to her, they are just friends.

“Nothing is going on between M.I and I and nothing intimate ever happened between us.”

Okay, we agree. But who’s the lucky guy in her life at the moment? Waje says she’s still s i n g l e .

“There’s no man in my life at the moment,” she said.

9? e d o M g n i dat Is Muna

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canning through Muna’s tweets on social network, Twitter, a stumble was made one of her posts.

Probably enthralled by the making up(kissing and hugging), of American singer, Rihanna, and Chris Brown at the recently held MTV VMA awards, she couldn’t hold back her words.

“Sooo, riri(Rihanna) & chrisy(Chris Brown) kissed last night ehh? Issooraiii”, she tweeted.

Not too long, Muna again tweeted that she’d have loved to be the one to have given Chris the kiss instead of Rihanna.

“Lol me sef wan kiss d boy na lol “, she tweeted again.

As if waiting for the right time to strike, a fan of hers with handle @Baberuth_Zelda, insinuated that since Rihanna and Chris have come out openly to declare their love for each other, it’s therefore the turn of Muna and Mode 9 to also display theirs.

Unveiling Chris Nwachukwu, Nollywood hunk

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LTHOUGH he has been in the industry since 2001, Chris Nwachukwu has only recently been gaining attention, thanks to his captivating role as a cultist in “Grand Master” where he starred alongside big names including, Pete Edochie, Zulu Adigwe, Bob Manuel, Jerry Amino and other notable Nollywood stars.

Chris said, his dream is to take Nollywood to its next level. Based in Enugu, Chris is one enviable and dazzling acting talent that any good producer looking for an actor who acts with boundless enthusiasm, would want to have in his or her film. He has established himself as a serious actor capable of headlining all genres of movies. In fact, since his debut in Nollywood, Chris has not looked back in his desire to conquer the big screen.

In his words, “ I am blessed with a lot of untapped talents.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have the right platform early enough to unleash my talents. But I am happy today, I have a platform and it’s fulfilling for me.”

Apart from acting, Chris who hails from Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State is also a model. He studied Agricultural Economy at University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Following his passion for acting, Chris upon graduation in 2001, veered into acting. Most of his female admirers have described him as “every ladies’ man”apparently because of his disposition and irresistible psyche.

38—Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012

DIS N ‘ DAT With Laju Arenyeka

Perks in the Channel O music video awards N

IGERIAN artistes took home 50% of the Channel O music Video Awards last weekend, proving to the rest of the world that we’ve got it down here as far as music is concerned. But, yikes! Every silver lining has a cloud, and whether you walked down the red carpet into Walter Sisulu Square in Kliptown, South Africa or you arrived through the magical land of television while lying on your couch, you noticed the perks. Yes you did! And since you don’t have the guts to do so, we will point them out on your behalf.

Woman Palaver Apart from the ‘Most Gifted Female Video of the Year’ which had to be won by a woman, no female act took home any awards that night.

Tiwa Savage’s joy was for her featuring in Flavour’s Oyi, which won Most Gifted R&B video. Same for Mo Cheddah who featured in the D Black hit song, Falling, which won Most Gifted West African Vid-

word comes to mind-Jealousy. And so does a solution to avoid such a thing from happening next year: Hold the awards in Naija!

WANTED: Award receiving classes While some recipients were more interested in hugging the next

•DBanj-Channel-O-Awards person than in receiving the awards, some others showed flagrant disrespect by turning the statue upside down. All these could be mildly overlooked, but the fan club on stage? There’s a reason why there is only one microphone for the recipient; one name on the winners list; one superstar or group per award. Lucky guess: the award belongs to only one person (or group depending on the case). If the person mentions your name in their speech, good luck. If not, forgive and take your salary at the end of the month.

•ice prince and bonang eo. Apart from these ‘jara’ awards, the ladies seemed to be missing in action.

Ice Prince the MC Ice Prince got a well deserved ‘Most Gifted Hip Hop Video Award’ for Superstar. But not many would refer to him as a superstar when it came to hosting the awards. Ice Prince seemed a lot out of place, less at home, more overwhelmed, and less eloquent beside South African model, On Air Personality, and business mogul, Bonang. Perhaps that’s what he was trying to explain with his free ‘debating hand.’ Let’s hope the panel of judges was more convinced and less confused.

Not D’banj’s crowd?

The crowd went berserk when the Koko Master performed Oliver Twist, but seemed too cold when he was given the sterling award for Most Gifted Video of the year. A

Tiwa’s look One thing the fans like about Tiwa Savage’s look that night: Her mum on the red carpet. Apart from that, this sultry singer’s dress and makeup got bad reviews from fans at the end of the day. Although she didn’t win, a nomination for ‘Most Gifted Female Video of the Year ’ doesn’t seem so bad after all.

•Tiwa-Savage-and-Mum

Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012—39

BY BENJAMIN NJOKU In this interview, Paschal speaks on his jungle experience, winning strategy and plans for his new-found wealth.

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hat was the strategy, you adopted to edge out Onyinye?

My strategy was to come to the jungle like an underdog, someone nobody would see as a threat, and yet at the end of the day, I would emerge from nowhere to clinch the prize.Obviously, it worked for me because nobody really saw me as a threat, yet I went home with the crown.

Were you surprise that you won the crown?

Definitely I wasn’t surprise. This is because if I didn’t know I was going to win, I wouldn’t have participated in the competition in the first place.

When you discovered the fortune, what actually came to your mind?

What first came to my mind was, ‘ this is it’, the moment that will make the difference in my life. I guess, I’m still living in my dreams.

Would say your relationship with Onyinye while in the jungle helped you to realise your dream?

Normally, I will say what happened in the jungle lives in the jungle.

How would you react to the fact that Onyinye laid the foundation for you discovering the treasure box?

You have to clarify what you mean.

That Onyinye was the first person to get to the point where the treasure was hidden before she later ran back and you quickly storm there?

That was a strategy I employed which I’m not ready to disclose now.

How do you intend to spend the money?

I intend to invest wisely.

But I cannot start to outline the process now. I assure you guys, I will not mismanage the money.

We have seen some of the past winners going into showbiz. Are you likely to do same Definitely, with this platform they have given to me, it’s almost impossible for me to stay out of the showbiz. I guess, I will end up in showbiz.

What is going to change about you now?

Absolutely, nothing . I will still be myself.

How do you intend to cope with the challenges associated with the crown?

I have already started handling it now. I love challenges and adventures.

•Paschal Ojezele

I was never seen as a threat by other contestants — Paschal Of course, I will take them as they come.

If you didn’t win the crown, who else did you think would have won it?

Onyinye would have won it. There is no doubt about it.

And are you considering paying your tithe?

I’m a christian, and I will definitely pay my tithe. But don’t ask me, how much I’m going to pay because it is between me and my God. Now that you have the money, are you also going to consider settling down?

Even though, I’m 24 years, if the right woman comes my way, why not! What would I be waiting for.

How was your growing like?

Growing up was not always fun for me. I was always a mischievous person. Most of the problems I had as a child were caused by myself. But somehow, I managed to

My saddest moment in the jungle was when I was left unblindfolded because of the task we did before hand keep my head straight.Every little thing is like an adventure for me.

What did you learn from the jungle?

For the 29 days, I spent in the jungle. I learnt more

than one new thing everyday in the jungle. And from each of the individual contestant, I learnt something new from them. From Koffi Adams to Onyinye, I learnt a lot of new things.

From Koffi, I learnt how to keep my privacy, and from Ayo, I learnt how to be careful. From Patience, I learnt how not to be over confidence, I had to slow down and take my time, especially when it comes to stuff that I really can do easily.

What would you have done if you had lost the crown to Onyinye?

I would mourn for a while .

Perhaps, I would have felt bad that I lost to a girl and later, life goes on. I will take it in its stride just like every other adventurer.

Going into the finals with a woman, did you feel over-confidence or compensated in a way?

Well, in a challenge as GUS 9, there is no room for complacency. When you

start feeling the urgency dying down, that’s when you are not fit to forge ahead. I did not feel complacent at any point in time.

As far as she was a woman who made it to the finals, I could not lose to a woman.

What would remember as your saddest moment in the jungle?

My saddest moment in the jungle was when I was left unblindfolded because of the task we did beforehand.

And I had to lead a team of blindfolded warriors tied together to amend the puzzle. But because of the situation we found ourselves coupled with a lot of miscellaneous factors, we could not finish the puzzle in time.

At that point in time, I felt I lost the game because I was leading the team. So, definitely, it wasn’t the team that lost but I. I thought I could have done better at that point in time to have won the game. Well, I learnt my lessons from that experience.

40 — Vanguard, FRIDAY , NOVEMBER 23, 2012

Save yourself from the hold of social media I T is no longer news that management of information, rather than dearth of information, is the peculiar challenge of the age. The result is the unprecedented barrage we see on our private space by social media such as twitter, facebook, Badoo, and others. The bigger casualties are work and your social life.

Can’t do “bb” T1.he prevalent wisdom is that blackberry chats are fine, as long as it is under control. It is not sharing your bb pin that will eventually do you in. it is having one in the first place. When someone asks you for your “bb”pin and you say you do not have one, you will actually be telling the truth.

2.Delete the face book, twitter and badoo icons from your screen. Out of sight is out of mind, literally, and when you actually have time for them, you can always find them again.

3.Don’t join groups, not even your old girls network. If must join a group, make sure its on a business site like linkedin so that you can at least gain something from being online.

4.Go out, actually Socializing on a social networking site is not socializing in any real sense of the word, yet it is fast overtaking the real sense of the word.

Though you might think otherwise, you will go out less once you know you can actually reach your friends online.

5. If you must be on twitter on facebook, practice ignoring chats. A more cowardly way of doing it is to hide yourself when you are online.

6.Separate work from play Make a resolution you wont go on a social site unless your in tray is empty. If you work at home a lot, make a time table clearly delineating work time and social networking time. Use

social network time to treat yourself or as reward for a good job done.

7.Make a phone call instead A social networking site might be a cheap option to have a conversation, but it could be costly on your time.

Rather than chat with two or three people at once, make phone calls instead.

It’s not only faster to talk than to type, at least you will be communicating in proper English.

Social Networking Statistics It’s not all bad with social networking. The following statistics prove it

5%

45-54 yearsFolks of this age group

constitute the fastest growing segment in social media from 2011-2012

Percentage of young people without a roof over their heads that remain connected through social networks.

The University of Alabama interviewed 237 college kids and 65 homeless people. The homeless use social media as a medium to find social services, somewhere to sleep and the next hot meal.

25%

106%

60%

Users that follow brands on social media increased by this percentage between 2010-2012

This percentage of people believe social networks have boosted their confidence

34%

Percentage of marketers who have generated leads using twitter, while 20% have closed deals using twitter.

Though nearly every large charity and university in America has a Facebook presence, less than 60% of the Fortune 500 do

Domestic Violence Update

L

ate Nneka Okeke nee Okafor is the latest in the long line of ordinary women battered to death by a man who once vowed to protect them .

Her husband was Edwin Okeke from Ezioha Ozubulu in Ekwusigo local government of Anambra State and resided with his late wife and their five children in Ibadan, Oyo State when she was reported dead by him.

He has not disclosed the hospital where she died, nor the mortuary where she was kept in Ibadan before the corpse was taken to the East for burial.

Following a controversy and scuffle

between their two families as Edwin refused to either go to the Ozubulu mortuary or follow the cade to his wife’s father’s house as is customary, the family refused to release the corpse unless he shows up.

When he refused to show up, people started suspecting fowl play and decided to check out the body and found obvious signs of abuse including matchet wounds and maggots. While there is a clear need to take this matter up at Police Headquarters, Ibadan police department, Anambra State police and government, this has not been done.

•Kate

White Now!

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HE white blouse is the most essential wardrobe-essential that can be, but wearing what when, why and how can be a bit tricky, while pairing with bags can be even trickier. Here are the hottest of the hots, and how to pair them.

1. The lace white blouse The cool and breezy lace look is the bomb at the moment and how better to wear it than in white and a blouse. It can be worn under a suit as formal wear, over slinky black pants for evening and over cropped white linen/flower print pants for the cocktail look 2 the elegant white blouse The update of the classic look in the white blouse will always be useful where there is need for class and elegance. Pair with simple accessories to avoid a crowded look as well as neat cut skirt/pants.

Wear it to a wedding and you wont be far off the mark 3 the ruffled blouse the height in femininity, the white blouse is the look for casual

Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012 — 41

Women in the news

Hilary for 2016?

Keziah Awosika

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OR the millions of her admirers who will be sad to see United States Secretary of States go in January, it might be gladdening to know Public Policy Polling surveyed Democrats in Florida and found that Hillary Clinton beats all others by a wide margin as the choice for President, The poll results had Clinton getting a majority — 61% of Florida Democrats pick her as the hypothetical 2016 Democratic nominee. Only 14% of Florida Democrats choose Biden.

The poll shows that as two high-profile members of the current Obama administration, Clinton and Biden enjoy the most early name recognition.

Clinton has an 82% favorability rating among Florida Democrats, while Biden’s favorability rating sits at 74%. Cuomo is the only other candidate about whom the majority of Florida Democrats have an opinion.

Both Biden and Clinton have fanned the flames for 2016. Upon casting his vote in this week’s election, Biden didn’t rule out voting for himself again, leading to some speculation he’s considering a run.

Clinton, meanwhile, has brushed aside any questions she might be planning to make a second bid after a 2008 Democratic primary loss to President Barack Obama. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo comes in third, earning just 8% of the vote.

•Dialogues to Awake the Dead

Fashionista Folorunsho Alakija is named Richest Woman

OMEN Law and Development Center Executive Director Dr. Keziah Awosika was among notable female activists of the non-profit class who converged in Lagos Tuesday to deliberate on the theme: Delivering Sustainable Economic Strategies for Advancing Women’s Political Participation in Nigeria. Delivering the Keynote address, she submits: “It appears women issues have been falling on deaf ears up till now. It is now time to awaken those ears Dr. Awosika has made this call in numerous forums, including as a guest lecturer of Ekiti State earlier in the year where, in a lecture titled, “Empowering our next generation: moving ahead and walking the talk, she stressed the need to appreciate women in their efforts to transform the society and urged women to continue their clamour for equal opportunities and political participation while emphasizing the need for women to always ask for their rights in terms of education, health, economy and political participation.

Dr Awosika on that occasion advised women to have a rallying point to create a formidable voice.. The dialogue continues.

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ROLIFIC business woman, socialite and well known fashionista Folorunsho Alakija has been admitted to the Big Boys list of Africa’s wealthiest when she was named number 24 on Forbes 40 richest list. The newcomer, 61, has a net worth of $600 million and draws the bulk of her fortune from oil She started her career in the mid 1970s as a secretary at the now-defunct International Merchant Bank of Nigeria, one of the West African nation’s earliest investment banks. In the 1980s, after studying fashion design in England, she founded Supreme Stitches, a Nigerian fashion label that catered to upscale clientele.

Her biggest break was said to have come in oil.

In 1993 Nigerian President Ibrahim Babangida awarded her company, Famfa Oil, an oil prospecting license which went on to become OML 127, one of Nigeria’s most prolific oil blocks.

The other female to make Forbes list is Isabel dos Santos, the 39-year old daughter of Angola’s President Jose Eduardo dos Santos. Mrs. Alakija is ahead of Dos Santos on the list, making her Africa’s richest.

Sandy at Thanksgiving her fill of the his capricious lady may have had rmaths linger.

American East Coast, but the afte Thanksgiving many As the United States celebrates without power. The victims remain homeless and/or has come to the fore it spir an indomitability of the hum ers working round the again, with thousands of volunte ims. clock to raise money and help vict

T

•Black clutch Friday with pencil skirt/jeans or fancy coloured bottoms for semi casual 4 the silk white blouse •Woven Yes, the white blouse can do eveningif in slinky silk. The silk white blouse is the ultimate in sophistication whether worn with a suit for work, flared trousers for cocktail or tucked into a silk coloured skirt for weddings.

•Balmain-whit 5 the basic office blouse The type you wear over the black pants everyday or under the power suit to that presentation/meeting.

Keep it fitted, and combine with power accessories and shoes/bag to give that essential everyday look an •balenciaga edge. white

•White shirt Bag

•Ruffled white blouse

•White lace

42—Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012 With PRINCE OSUAGWU princeosuagwu@gmail.com

NIKON comes to town with camera exhibition

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IGERIAN photogra phers who have found favour in the eyes of NIKON professional cameras need not to spend time making orders from abroad. In fact they need not buy from grey markets where after sales services are obviously not guaranteed.

This is because the camera makers are in town.

Much as the news impresses, what makes the difference is that the company has promised to return value to photographer ’s investments and much to his life and career.

If the company is to be taken seriously, Nigerians who

love cameras and what the devices could produce would benefit from two exhibitions in a year – Nikon specific exhibitions and camera exhibitions.

These are events where the camera culture from Nikon’s age long experience would not only be introduced but impacted to those who had the interests of making the camera a partner either for entertainment purposes or for business.

Yet, the opportunity of getting to know deep practices, techniques and tenets of photography comes handy to both professional Nigerian pho-

tographers and prospective ones as Nikon promises to entrench photography culture by establishing training centre where photographers and prospective photographers who have interest in the business would be trained periodically. For the company, it is one thing to have a camera and another to know how to take professional shots with it.

Announcing its presence in Nigeria, last week, the company’s Managing Director Mr. Takashi Yoshida, revealed that his researches proved that serious companies wanting to make global impact must play in the Nigerian market due to its robustness, size and growth.

He added that Nikon fits into the mould of companies that would excel in Nigeria.

He announced Nikon’s official presence in Nigeria with the opening of a regional office in Ikeja, Lagos and the appointment of New Creation Worldwide Link as its distributor partner.

Meanwhile, while Nikon as a company is new in Nigeria, its partners are not. Managing Director, New Creation Worldwide Link, Mrs. Kish Primalani, stunned journalist when he declared that she had spent over 20 years in marketing and distribution of digital products in Nigeria. It is that wealth of experience she says would be deployed in pushing the Nikon range of digital cameras in the Ni

FocusMaker keeps photographers focussed T ECHNOLOGY seems to be making everything easy for professional photographers. Ordinarily they go through harrowing times trying to change focus between subjects while shooting a video, for example, with a DSLR camera. The auto-focus often makes a stuttering noisy clip which doesn’t give much texture to the video. But today a technology company, Follow focus systems, has made it easy for the photographer by introducing what it called the Focus maker which has a handle meant to help changing focus smooth.

The newly-launched FocusMaker is the latest example, which promises the fastest and most accurate focusing of any affordable rack focus system.

While traditional follow focus systems are big expensive

affairs the FocusMaker does the same job but aims to bring a more professional look and feel, while retaining an affordable price.

The FocusMaker primarily consists of a sight, which attaches to a non-moving part of your DSLR lean, and a ruler which straps around the focus ring of your lens. Because these parts strap around the lens, they can fit pretty much any DSLR lens out there.

Users then clip multiple markers onto the ruler at the points they’ll want to focus, before adding the handle.

Looking through the sight, they can then move the handle to smoothly change the focus between the predetermined points. This makes transitioning between shallow depth of field shots, and accurately hitting them, a lot easier.

HP fuses mobility into virtualisation for customers’ secure computing A S a way of giving its customers some secure computing business edge, HP has announced a new mobile thin client that combines PClike performance with the security needed to protect data in enterprise, financial, healthcare and government settings.

The product, HP mt40 Mobile Thin Client, is aimed at telecommuters and oncampus mobile workers who need to connect securely to a network to access files. With the HP mt40, an employee or contractor simply turns on the device and logs in to the secure network at the business, roaming the campus or at home. The worker can then begin working on even the most sensitive files, saving his or her work to the server without

having anything residing on the device itself.

HP also announced that the latest version of HP’s powerful thin client management tool, HP Device Manager 4.5, will come preinstalled on the HP mt40

and future thin clients to help users easily configure and deploy HP thin clients.

A key new feature of HP Device Manager 4.5 is that it enables wireless imaging, allowing updates over the same wireless connection that

the remote desktop infrastructure uses—so all HP mt40 devices can be can be accessed and imaged remotely.

According to the Director, Commercial and Retail Solutions, Printing and Personal Systems Group, HP EMEA, Kobi Elbaz, “with the growth in telecommuting, as well as the rise in the number of workers who regularly travel between locations, a mobile thin client makes a lot of sense both from a mobility productivity and a security standpoint.

“HP now enables global organisations to equip workers with highperforming mobile thin clients that connect them to the cloud, from any location, all while greatly minimising the risk of data loss.” He

added HP mt40 Mobile Thin Client combines performance, mobility and durability The HP mt40 Mobile Thin Client is suited for enterprises that have deployed virtualisation solutions from the major independent software vendors (ISVs), Citrix, Microsoft, and VMware for their desktop virtualisation deployments.

It’s also ideal for organisations that are considering moving to virtual desktops for their more mobile employees.

Key features of the HP mt40 Mobile Thin Client include a 14-inch diagonal highdefinition (HD) antiglare display and a starting weight of 2.17kg (4.78lb), which makes it ready for business on the go.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012—43

KNOW YOUR NUMBERS Hypertension: Learning your risks

• Funmi on admission in the hospital.

Funmi, spinal cord injury patient seeks D N2.5m for rehabilitation

By SOLA OGUNDIPE

F

UNMI Yusuf Ibidapo, has “quadriplegic paralysis of the upper and lower limbs”. In layman’s terms, she is a spinal cord injury patient. Her condition is the after effect of the series of injuries suffered seven years ago in a traumatic road traffic accident.

Funmi who is confined to the wheelchair said: “My family is completely broke. There is no money for my drugs and injections. My condition is now so bad the complications I suffered are threatening my health and very survival,” she disclosed in an interview.

Funmi had been on her way to her office in Ijaiye area of Lagos when she and others at the bus stop were run down by a commercial bus. Six persons were hit and five died on the spot. She was rushed to the Ahmadiyya Hospital where she was admitted for 12 days before she was transferred to the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi where she stayed for three months. She is paralysed.

Dr. Adewale Okubena, a medical doctor and Consultant in Spinal Cord Injury and Medical Rehabilitation, says Funmi requires medical rehabilitation so that she can still live a fairly normal life. “Her case is an injury to the spinal cord which is part of the central nervous system. Her options are to be able to live her life to the best within limitations of her disability. She requires heavy financial backing to maintain herself and be able to explore the available possibilities.

“She had an injury at the neck involving the spinal cord at the level of C5 and C6. It resulted in quadriplegic paralysis of the upper and lower limbs. Hers is the incomplete type, because during recovery she has been able to use the fingers and hands minimally. This is a condition that has many complications. Although

she can use her hands, grip is poor. At a stage she developed pressure sores from lying too long in bed because the nerves supplying the skin have been cut off. There is no more feeling in that area as the pressure prevents blood flow to that area and it breaks down.”

For the follow-up treatment, Funmi requires a doctor to visit her at home, chemotherapy to minimise complications such as the spasms. For rehabilitation, apart from the housing issue, she requires physiotherapy for the rest of her life. Cost for this is in the region of N40,000. For drugs, at least N20,000 is required, in addition to another N30,000 for treatment at home at least three times a month. She could develop pneumonia, pressure sores, GIT problems and her limbs can develop a condition called disused atrophy.

“The lack of regular physio-

therapy is not helping her. Standing up and moving gives a psychological feeling. Currently Funmi is using up the residual energy. She needs 10 doses of a particular neurotropic injection, that would cost roughly N120,000. For home visitation by a doctor and a nurse, at least N100,000 per annum is required.

“She also needs an orthopaedic mattress that is well padded and lowered to minimise the pressure and instructed how to turn in bed that would prevent further complications. She would also benefit from a motorised or blow-operated wheelchair. Overall, she currently requires N2.0 – 2.5 million to be properly rehabilitated.”

If you are moved to assist Funmi, kindly obtain more details on 07085206634 or 08181716692, or send donations to Funmilayo Aina Yusuf, Keystone Bank Plc, 2052421104, Abuke Egba branch, Lagos

EATHS caused by cardiovascular diseases have remained high all over the world, Nigeria inclusive.

It is common place to know someone who knows someone who died of cardiovascular disease in the country today.

Unfortunately, many of these deaths which would have been prevented by simple medical checks have continued to receive common colouration, spiritual attack.

There are six major risk factors for heart diseases: High Blood Pressure, High Blood Cholesterol, Tobacco Smoke, Physical inactivity, obesity or overweight and diabetes. But the good news is that is you can prevent, control or treat most of the risk factors even in your home.

For instance; High Blood Pressure, HPB, is called the silent killer because it usually has no symptoms. It forces the heart to work harder than

normal, which makes it and the arteries more likely to be injured and raises risk for heart attack and stroke. The only way to know if you have it is to have health professional check it.

Your chances However, chances of HBP increase if you have a family history of high blood pressure. If you are 9 kilograms or more over the ideal kilograms or more over the ideal healthy weight or 39 and above Numbers Blood pressure is recorded as two numbers, such 115/78. The first number is called Systolic pressure. It is the pressure in the arteries when the heart beats. The second number is called the Dialostic pressure. It is also the pressure when the heart is beating is resting between beats.

If your systolic pressure is 140mmHg or greater and your dialostic pressure is 90 mmHg or more (or both) when measures on two or more occasions, then you have HBP. (MmHg= millimeters of mercury) Your guide Normal blood pressure is less than 120/80. High/Normal is between 120/80 and 140/90. High is Equal to or above 140/90. Very high is Equal to or more than 180/ 110. However World Health Organisation, WHO recommends keeping blood pressure at 120/80 as optimal.

Unilever creates support for oral health policy

By SOLA OGUNDIPE

I

N line with approval by the National Council on Health for establishment of standard operational guidelines for medical check-ups that would include dental records alongside other relevant medical data, multinational service provider, Unilever Nigeria Plc is developing new technologies to promote and protect oral hygiene of Nigerians.

Dropping the hint in Lagos, Managing Director, Unilever Nigeria Plc, Mr. Thabo Mabe said the company would soon unveil its latest innovative technique which focuses on integrated public health education and behavioural change programme aimed at driving improved oral health and hand hygiene and nutrition among school aged children in Nigeria.

“We shall be doing this through creating more techniques in terms of creating radio stations and creating reading cultures; this is because we have got lots of competitions that are thriving in schools to make sure that not only do they drive the passion for the habit of brushing day and night but it gives an opportunity to see this working”, he stated.

The new oral health policy developed by the Federal Ministry of Health and other stakeholders, is aimed towards providing a solid foundation for building an health system that provides efficient, effective, accessible and affordable healthcare for Nigerians and service providers and stakeholders have been urged to pay attention to oral health - the gateway and mirror of the whole body. A review of the standards of medical checks in the coun-

try arose in the aftermath of the Dana air crash in which only victims with verifiable dental records could be readily identified. Health Minister, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu had observed during the launch of the new oral health policy that none of the Nigerian victims could be identified through dental records.

Thabo said the new policy “reflects the meeting of the col-

• Thabo Mabe

lective yearnings of all key stakeholders in the oral health community in the Nigeria for the highest policy commitment to frontally address the emerging oral health needs.

He said Unilever would continue to partner with the Federal government and the Nigerian Dental Association in setting up more mobile fields/clinics to really drive the habits and to drive the whole idea behind the policy In his keynote address titled: Nigerian Oral Health System, Smiling Horizon, former President of the Nigerian Dental Association, Col (Rtd) Olujimi Osisanya, said previously there was no sustainable level of oral care in the country due to low level of awareness, paucity of manpower (4300 dentists to 160 million Nigerians), misconception and poor budgetary allocation among others.

44—Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012

stitutions, 113 in Higher Education and Training, 132 in Health and Primary Education, 127 in Infrastructure, 131 in Quality of Electricity supply, 127 in Infant Mortality and 124 in life expectancy.2

Natural endowments

BY FEMI FALANA

•Members of the National Assembly...considering what sections to amend in the 1999 constitution

Political reforms for good governance, justice and peace

By OLUSEGUN AGAGU

I

NTRODUCTION: In terms of natural endowment, Nigeria is one of the richest countries on earth. Per square area, there are only few countries that can boast of Nigeria’s wealth. Yet in terms of the quality of life, our people are some of the poorest on earth.

Nigeria is sixth in the world in crude oil production and fourth in LNG production.

Several other mineral resources such as gold, tin, columbite, lead, coal, gemstones, dimension stones and myriad of industrial minerals also exist in the country.

It has a coastline that is 853 kilometers long and a network of inland waterways of 8,575 kilometers. The climate and soil quality presents one of the widest agronomic viabilities covering a landmass of about one million square kilometers.

Yet our ranking in terms of

Human Development Index by the UNDP is 158 out of 182 countries globally. This goes to show that abundance of natural resources on their own impact only nominally on the quality of life of the people since they are latent in nature.

Until such assets are efficiently harnessed and utilized for the good of the people, the wealth of a nation and its people still remain locked up.

The critical problem of most underdeveloped countries has been their inability to emplace systems that can efficiently transform their latent natural endowments into wealth in terms of jobs created, industrial production, agricultural yield, health indicators, growth in tourism, length of roads constructed, volume of potable water provided, etc.

These deliverables will only emerge if their administrations emplace strong and efficient institutions, design efficient

and effective processes in public service, develop the capacity of its workforce, instil discipline in the polity and plug avenues for corruption.

These issues are aptly captured in the global competitiveness concept where competitiveness is defined by a set of structures, policies and factors that determine the level of productivity of a country. More competitive countries make more efficient use of their latent resources

,

Being a contribution by Dr. Olusegun Agagu, former governor of Ondo State towards the Review of the 1999 Constitution

Our entire polity, therefore, needs to be refocused, redirected and reformed urgently for our richly endowed country not to fall into the realm of failed nations

,

It is not surprising, therefore, that Nigeria, one of the richest countries in the world in terms of natural endowments now ranks amongst the poorest in terms of the quality of life of her people. Simply put, our woes are not in our stars but in the way we have conducted our affairs as a nation.

The corollary, of course, is that if we change our ways and collectively chart a course towards good governance, our fortunes will improve. Our entire polity, therefore, needs to be refocused, redirected and reformed urgently for our richly endowed country not to fall into the realm of failed nations.

We must continuously identify aspects of our national life that constitute impediments to efficient governance and emplace structures and processes that will remove or at least ameliorate them.

The on-going process of reviewing the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (As amended) should be considered by all Nigerians as a very important national exercise as it will afford us an opportunity to re-tool our laws to make our system more efficient. We have highlight-

thereby creating higher levels of income for their people. In today’s globalised world, such efficient systems will be able to attract more investments both local and foreign, attract more tourists, build more industries, improve agricultural productivity and create more wealth for her people.

Over the years, Nigeria has ranked poorly in her Global Competitiveness Indices (GCI). For example, out of the 131 surveyed in 2007-2008, Nigeria ranked 95; in 2008-2009, we ranked 94 out of 134, while in 2009-2010, we DR. OLUSEGUN AGAGU ranked 99 out of 133. In the more specific areas ed here some of the grey and of governance, in 2009-2010, controversial aspects of our we ranked 119 in Diversion of constitution that need to be Public Funds, 128 in Public reviewed for better goverTrust in politicians and 120 in nance, peace and progress in Wastefulness in Government our land.

Spending. These have resulted in our ranking of 102 in InContinues on page 45

Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012— 45

Continues from page 44

R

ESTRUCTURING governance: In view of the pluralistic nature of the country especially its multi-ethnic and multicultural aspects, the founding fathers of Nigeria endorsed a federal constitution.

The foundation was based on three regions and later four which were semi-autonomous entities in governance as well as fiscal matters. The Federal Government was mainly a coordinating centre for policy, security, defence and foreign affairs.

Over the years however, defects in this WAZOBIA structure have generated agitations from minority ethnic groups who cried against marginalization and sought some degree of autonomy for themselves. This has led to spates of State creation with the initial three regions giving way to 36 States today. Unfortunately, as the States grew in number in our attempt to redress marginalization, the hitherto relatively weak centre became more and more powerful and in effect marginalizing everybody.

No thanks to the military under whose charge the various phases of State creation took place. They virtually superimposed the unity structure of the military on the entire nation.

Even patently local matters such as creation of Local Government Areas became federal matters. Fiscal federalism which was a strong plank of the various provinces of Nigeria to federate was jettisoned and we now have an octopus Federal Government preying on hapless States.

This strange structure with the Federal Government sitting on more than 52 per cent of the nation’s resources and dipping its hands in virtually every aspect of our lives has engen-

dered so much confusion, inefficiency and waste in our governance culminating in the very disgraceful development indices that we now enjoy.

A truly federal government in a country like ours should only be concerned at best with aspects such as security, immigration, research and development, foreign affairs and general policy coordination. Aspects such as agriculture, water supply, transportation, industrialization, health, and local govern-

Map of Nigeria showing the 36 states and Abuja

Klaus Schwab, World Economic Forum: The Global Competitiveness Report 2009-2010.

NIGERIA – Global Competitiveness Indices 2009-2010.

Ranking (133) Diversion of Public Funds 119 Public Trust in Politicians 128 Wastefulness in Government Spending 120 Institutions 102 Infrastructure 127 Health and Primary Education 132 Higher Education Training 113 Quality of Electricity Supply 131 Infant Mortality 127 Life Expectancy 124 Source: The Global Competitiveness Report 2009-2010. ment administration should be substantially left for the lower tiers of government.

What has a federal government, for example, got to do with construction of basic health centers, purchase of fertilizer or distribution of text books to primary schools? Such an architecture is bound to breed inefficiency, injustice, marginalisation, poor accountability, and corruption all of which are inimical to our growth and development. The need to restructure our polity can therefore not be overemphasized.

In response to our visibly warped structure, agitation for restructuring of Nigeria has been going on for the last four decades. The various debates on Regionalism, Recognition of

the six Geo-Political Zones, Devolution of Powers, Local Government Administration, Fiscal Federalism, and even Creation of States are all traceable to our warped post-independence structure.

Two fundamental principles run through the debates on the various issues listed above, namely: a. The desire by groups in our pluralistic society to want to determine their own destinies; and b. The genuine insistence by people in communities where the bulk of the nation’s wealth is being produced to have some compensation for remediating their environment and consideration for their heritage.

Our on-going constitutional

Gas pollution in the Niger Delta...inhabitants should have a say in proceeds of the oil and gas exploited in their areas

review exercise must revisit these principles with the view of bringing more equity into the polity.

Devolution of powers In our efforts aimed at addressing the defects in our structure, we must however try not to over-react. While the demand for a higher share of resources from different parts of the country need to continuously be addressed, the return to regionalism appears to be impracticable and indeed unnecessary. The reverse appears to be more in vogue as the agitation for states has taken a life of its own even to the point of the ridiculous in many cases. I wonder how many people in Ondo State will want to vote in a referendum to return to Ibadan as their capital.

If efficiency in governance is what we desire, this can be achieved with less rancour through a reasonable devolution of power from the federal to the lower tiers of government while still maintaining the present Federal/State structures.

Revenue allocation formula As noted earlier, the Federal Government is carrying too much luggage in terms of responsibilities and having a pocket that is too fat in terms of resources. There is an urgent need to trim both. We must revisit the vertical aspects of our Revenue Allocation Formula right away and allocate more resources to the states and local governments since they are better positioned to impact moredirectly on the lives of our people.

With fewer resources in its hand, the Federal Government will be forced to concentrate on truly national issues, coordination and integration. The exceedingly fierce battle for the presidency of Nigeria will also be substantially reduced.

We should therefore under-

take a critical review of the legislative list and other relevant sections of the 1999 constitution with the view of trimming the power and functions of the Federal Government to reflect the truly federal nature of our country. If this is carefully done, there is no reason for the Federal Government to deserve more than 40 per cent while the states and Local Governments will share 60 per cent of the Federation Account.

State and local government administration: The creation and administration of Local Governments should be left totally for the States. Our experiment of trying to impose a uniform local government system on the entire country is patently wrong and unworkable. A situation, for example, whereby the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission recommends the same set of remunerations for Ibeju/Lekki Local Government in Lagos (with an Internally Generated Revenue that is more than those of some states in the country) and Ose Local Government in Ondo State where IGR is less than N10 million a year is to say the least ridiculous.

It is our considered view that revenue allocation should ideally be between the two federating entities in our constitution namely; Federal Government and State Governments. This should be done using only clear cut indices such as landmass, population, and derivation only.

To be concluded

,

Political reforms for good governance, justice and peace

A truly federal government in a country like ours should only be concerned at best with aspects such as security, immigration, research and development, foreign affairs and general policy coordination.

Aspects such as agriculture, water supply, transportation, industrialization, health, and local government administration should be substantially left for the lower tiers of government

,

46— VANGUARD, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23,

O

2012

Tel: 08098097290 email: isholaism@yahoo.co.uk

Celebrating Hijri 1434AH, Ashurah day Anfal 8 : 74) This shows the importance of the word has in the activities of Muslims.

Its denotative meaning however, is much more dynamic and active in the lives of Muslims. It means “to leave, to move, to shun and to quit”. It is used for cases like dumping an idea or habit and turning a new leaf. It means a

,

NE unique thing about Islamic calendar is that it did not commence with something less significant event. With divine guidance, it started with the sacrifice of the early Muslims and the triumph of truth over evil. That is Hijrah.

In ordinary terms, Hijrah was a journey between Makkah and Madinah, about 300 miles apart; a migration that changed the situation of the early Muslims for better. It marked the beginning of an era, a civilization, a culture and a turning point for Muslims in history. Some would argue that there is no special religious ceremony to mark the New Year. Yes! but it is one of the appreciated developments which will continue to be new every twelve lunar months especially when the need for a shift for Islamic calendar becomes necessary for the Muslim Umah. Hijrah as a principle that is integral to Islam, should not be relegated to a mere date; its celebration should be loud and be seen to impact positively in the lives of Muslims. Essentially, the celebration should remind us about the meaning and significance and make us to be focused on the need for absolute compliance.

The meaning of the word Hijrah is often translated as “exile, exodus, flight or migration”. It is also used to mean leaving a wrong condition and moving to a better condition, even though it may involve some difficulty. In this context, Allah says: “And Lot believed him. [Abraham] said, “Indeed, I will emigrate to [the service of] my Lord. Indeed, He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.” (Al-Ankabut 29: 26) In some other places, like in Baqara, Anfal and At-Taobah, the word is used together with Iman and Jihad. “Those who believe, and migrate, and struggle in the cause of Allah, as well as those who give (them) asylum and aid, these are (all) truly the Believers: for them is the forgiveness of sins and a provision most generous.”(Al-

to virtues, let us all shun all acts of division and strife to harmony and unity; and let us dump what can incur the wrath of Allah to what will earn us His acceptance and pleasure.

Ashurah The Hijri calendar is not just a sentimental system of time reckoning and dating important religious events. The

Let the leaders and politicians including those who lead in offices at all levels do hijrah from the part of corruption to righteousness, let the followers move away from sin to virtues, let us all shun all acts of division and strife to harmony and unity

,

total and radical departure to a new way whether as an individual or as a group.

We should use this occasion to remind ourselves not only about the movement of early Muslims from Makkah to Madinah but to do what is required from all of us now and at all times. Let the leaders and politicians including those who lead in offices at all levels do hijrah from the part of corruption to righteousness, let the followers move away from sin

beginning of Hijrah and the 10th of Muharram have much deeper religious and historical significance. Some of the historical events that took place in Muharram particularly on the tenth of the month which is called the Day of Ashurah suggest that there is more to it than a mere date.

On that day, Allah chose Adam (as) to be father to human beings on that day after forgiving him. He raised Prophet Idris (as) to heaven on that day; rescued Prophet Nuh

From right: Sheikh Mustapha Sanusi Zuglool, Proprietor/Mudir Daru-Dawah Wal-Irshad Islamic and Arabic School, Isolo, Chief Imam of Lagos State, Sheikh M. Garuba Akinola and Sheikh Abdul Afeez Abou, Baba Adini of Lagos during the launching of a book on inheritance in Islam authored by Sheikh Muyideen Zuglool in Isolo.

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(as) with his people in his ark on mount Judi. Jacob’s reuniting with his son, Joseph also occurred on that day. He saved Prophet Ibrahim from the burning fire (as) on that day; forgave Prophet Dawud (as) on that day. It was also on the tenth of Muharram that Allah (SWT) returned Prophet Sulayman’s (a.s) kingdom to

him. It is also on record that Allah (SWT) relieved Prophet Ayyub (a.s) of his afflictions on that day. Allah raised Prophet Isa (Jesus a.s) to heaven on that day. Allah made Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) to marry Khadijah (r.a) and of course the much talked about Hijrah from Makkah to Madinah occurred on that day.

Besides, scholars have continued to point out that Allah would have created the heavens and earth on Ashurah; and created the Pen (al-Qalam) on that day which scholars say it was on a Friday.

Apart from the pomp and glory of celebrating either the new Hijri year or the Ashurah day, it is a time for reflection, a time for sacrifice and a time and opportunity to change from bad deeds and move to acts that will earn the pleasure of Allah.

Happy new year!

Etiquette on Ashurah day

BY HARUN RASAQ shura is the 10th day of Muharram (the 1st month of Islamic caledar). The famous practice of the Prophet (SAW) on the day is fasting that is named Ashura fast. This fasting emerged as a result of the fact that when the Prophet came to Medina, he found (the Jews) fasting on the day of ‘Ashura’ (i.e. 10th of Muharram). The Prophet said, “I am closer to Moses than they.” So, he (SAW) observed the fast (on that day) and ordered the Muslims to fast on it. But, he commanded the Muslims to be different from the Jews, who took it as a festival.

The fasting of ‘Ashura’ is very meritorious in Islam because, the Prophet (SAW) said: “…For fasting the day of ‘Ashura’, I hope that Allah will accept it as expiation for the year that went before.” (Muslim 6/ 2602). This is from the bounty of Allah towards the Muslim, to fast one day and have the sins of a whole year forgiven. But, it should be noted that this expiation is for all minor sins according to Imaam al-Nawawi in al-Majmoo’ Sharhal-Muhadhdhab. And Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah in al-Fataawa al-Kubra,part 5.

Days to fast: It is mustahabb (encouraged) to fast on the ninth and the tenth of Muharram. Al-Nawawi (RA) said: “Our companions said: ‘Ashura’ is the tenth day of Muharram and Tasu’a’ is the ninth day. This is our opinion, and that of the majority of scholars (al-Majmu’). This is what Ahmad said, and it is the opinion of Ishaaq.”

It is reported that when the Messenger of Allah (SAW) fasted on the day of ‘Ashura and commanded that it should he observed as a fast, they (his Companions) said to him: Messenger of Allah, it is a day, which the Jews and Christians hold in high esteem. Thereupon the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: When the next year comes, God willing, we would observe fast on the 9th. But the Messenger of Allah (SAW) died before the advent of the next year. (Sahih Muslim 6/2528) These are some of the authentic sayings and compilation of scholars such as Bukhari, Muslim, works of Shaykh Saalih alMunajjid (Saudi Arabia) etc. concerning the month of Muharram. But, unfortunately after the prophet, a lot of customs and practices which lack authentic proof from shariah have been attached to the month of Muharram in Muslim world. Sadly, this customs and practices do cause many Muslim to violate the sanctity of the month yearly.

Fabricated customs and practices: Some of the fabricated customs and practices in the month of Muharram include the following: Believing that Ashura is a day to openly express grief and that means no shower, no clean clothes, no grooming, and no saying Salam on Ashura etc. Celebrating Ashura with parts of sacrificial animal of ‘Eid-il-adha, making a kind of light and all unIslamic celebration including Kayokayo festival that was formally attributed with Islam but has now been infiltrated with unIslamic practices such as music by fuji musician, dancing, taking of alcohol etc. all in the name of Kayo-kayo festival.

From the foregoing, a Muslim is expected to keep the sanctity of the month of Muharram by carrying out the dictates of Shariah appropriately and moving away from what is forbidden including fabricated customs and practices that lack authentic proof from shariah.

We ask Allah to make us followers of the Sunnah of His Noble Prophet, to make us live in Islam and die in a state of Mumeen.

May He help us to do that which He loves and which pleases Him.

A

Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012—47

LEISURE

YOUR LUCK TODAY

By Joshua Adeyemo Phone 08056180139 VIRGO; Success is within your reach but you must do away with mental arrogance and take good and practical advice from the professionals. Work harder.

LIBRA; Your being enterprising will go a long way to further enhance your prospects and if financial advancement is your priority you will fare better. Be more loving.

SCORPIO; Prepare to take the lead and exhibit your special talent. Advice from younger people may look good but not practical enough thus if you must take advice today take it from matured personality who may appear authoritative.

SAGITTARIUS; Element of luck will work in your favour, however that is not to say you can not back your reasonable plans with practical action. Keep your secrets.

CAPRICORN; You will have your ways; much will depend on how ambitious you are, the bigger your aspiration the better. Take your tried and trusted friends seriously.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

By Richard Eromosele

T

HEfather has his own duty, just as the son too has his own. It is the same thing with God. The duty of God is to make provisioin for us. Our duty is to access that provision and take our share of it. Now let’s do this simple exer-

God will provide cise together. Are you living? I do not mean to embarass you. I mean, in the real sense, can you honestly say you have fully utilised your God given endowment or talent? Are you produc-

TERROR MUDA

ing result with what you are doing now?

Have you got to the height of your ability?

Are you convinced you have got to the limit and you can’t go any futher?

God is unlimited. He

in “Never say goodbye”

is a God of possibility and because you are made in His likeness and image, nothing should be impossible for you. If your life seems stagnant, examine your thought life because you were created to succeed.

Think about it!

By Lanre Kehinde

AQUARIUS; Here is an ambitious day for many of you and with moderation things will go according to your plans. Financial success is actually close to you than you think.

PISCES; Make sure your plans for both immediate and far future are legal friendly. This is day of success you will need to savour with your partners/spouse.

ARIES; Even if you think your health is ok you better make sure you confirm your fitness from your doctor before giving in to strenuous activities. Success at work indicated for those of you who are truly healthy. Be practical please.

TAURUS; It will not be a bad idea trying to consolidate on progress made recently. And the more co-operative you are today the better it will be for you..

GEMINI; You will be in good position to take good advantage within your working arena.. Don’t wait till tomorrow before you make important future plans.

KAPTAIN AFRIKA

in

“Princess Shii’

By Andy Akman

CANCER; Tomorrow may bring more challenges than anticipated that is why you will need to prosecute your plans now. Lovers are fairly favoured.

LEO; Those of you who are moderate and practical with their financial plans are in for a good day. Live up to expectation within your family circle.

ASTROLOGICAL COUNSELLING Send yyour our dat th ttoo the As tr ological datee and place of bir birth Astr trological Counselling, PP.M.B .M.B 1100 00 7, Apapa, Lagos 007,

Why all these?

Dear Joshua, I am not having any terminal disease but some times am afraid of life. Bluntly ‘am I meant for early death?

What are my weak points health-wise? Please tell me about my career line.

Cedric, Abeokuta.

Dear Cedric, You are not meant for sudden death but that should not be a license for reckless life style .Although Cancer is said to be one of weak Star signs, with potent and positive aspects the Sun and Mercury got from planets in Virgo and more powerful Scorpio yours is a strong constitution meant for good health. .

Certainly you must have gone through rough times when you were younger, once you are out of it your health path is clearer. And nothing is pointing to early death.

Naturally Cancer born people must be more careful about their tummy (stomach related ailments) and you are not an exception. Other thing you will need to watch carefully include the circulatory system (because of Aquarius influence). Your sense of taste is distinctive and capable of making you a little bit stout as a result of little enlargement of liver because of your sugar intake, which you can control perfectly. As a tropical man fever can come and go, but nothing fatalistic here please.. If you notice toothache symptom do not ignore it.

But yours is a sound and good health, astrologically.

Mercury –the planet of education and Accountancy, together with mighty Sun at positive angle to planets in Virgo (another Accounting Star sign) attracted you to both Accountancy profession and the academic world. Truly you did not make wrong choice of career.

Money will eventually come along this line but it’ll not be as faster as if you take to OIL RELATED BUSINESS. Because Neptune (the planet of OIL) was very comfortable when you were born. It will not be out of place if you have filling stations as time goes by, because you are basically a GAS PERSON. Another money spinning vocation for you include writing either along your line or for film making industry; it is important you exhibit the higher quotient of creativity in your inner-self. Politics is another area you are not looking at now but will surely come. Do you say why? Because Aquarius is equally political.

VIRGINIA

Commen3

dadadekola@yahoo.com

by Lawrence Akapa

48—Vanguard , FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012

SEMINAR: From left— Mr. Bob Anderson, General Manager, Northern Spark; Sandy Redgate, Partner Manager, Software Ag; Mr. Mike Ojeme, Managing Director, Northern Spark, and Barry De Waal, Vice President, Global Consulting Services, African, at a seminar on Achieving Business Process Excellence with Software Ag's Enterprise Software in Lagos, Tuesday.

INVESTITURE: Mr. Bashir Oladipupo (left), Patriot M. D. Oyemike, A.g National & Lagos Commandant, Peace Corps of Nigeria (middle), and others at the investiture of Sen. Ganiyu Solomon, represented by Oladipupo.

Patani council assures returning flood victims of health care

BY FESTUS AHON

U

GHELLI—CARETAKER Committee Chairman of Patani Local

Government Area, Delta State, Dr. Chris Ekiyor has assured flood victims returning from their relief camps of free health care

services.

Ekiyor told newsmen that he had asked all Primary Health Care, PHC, centres in the area to provide free

Jigawa employs 12,000

BY TINA AKANNAM

D

UTSE—ABOUT 12,000 indigenous people of Jigawa State have been recruited to fill strategic vacancies in various federal civil service departments and parastatals in the last five years, the Permanent Secretary in the state Ministry for Special Duties, Alhaji Babandi Saleh, has said.

Saleh said, in Dutse the state capital, that the applicants were recruited between 2007 and this year to fill the state’s quota based on the federal character requirements.

This was even as the government has awarded contracts worth over N3.5 billion for the construction of township road and street lights in Dutse, the state capital.

The government has also, so far, disbursed over N13.23 million on the National Fadama Development project, Fadama III, as grants to 180 farmers’ associations in the state.

However, speaking on federal character, Saleh said his ministry would ask its local government counterpart to provide all the 27 local government training officers with laptop comput-

ers and train them on the practical use of the internet for online registration.

He said government took deliberate efforts to enable it fill its entire quota at all Federal Government’s recruitment exercises, especially in security establishments.

Speaking at a one-day sensitisation workshop on online registration organised for local government officers by the state government, he noted that Jigawa State would no longer forfeit its quota for any reason, as it was determined to ensure that such quota was filled at all levels.

Ijaw alleges marginalisation

I

JAW in Warri North Lo cal Government Area of Delta State have deplored their alleged marginalisation in the state and rejected the appointment of a non-Ijaw as the Caretaker Committee Chairman for Warri Council.

Speaking through

Egbema Radical Group for Change, they said an Ijaw man should be appointed.

According to the spokesman of the group, Mr. Bebe Megbuwa, over 99 percent of the political positions, both appointive and elective, had been

occupied by the other ethnic groups.

The group said: “In other to set the record straight before the public, since the creation of the local government area over 21 years ago, no Ijaw man has become chairman of the council.”

medical services to the victims.

He also directed the Health Department of the local council to partner with NGOs in the area willing to provide health care services to the people.

According to Ekiyor, the council was still in need of infrastructural, social and economic rehabilitation even as he assured that his administration would address the issues, “because the state governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, had promised to release funds to us to achieve that.”

Reiterating the determination of his administration to bridge the gap between the local government and the government at the centre, he noted that Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan had worked out his policy thrust aimed at making life much better for Deltans.

He said: “Government is very clear that our major concerns are security, sanitation and environment, but we are adding development and transformation of the local government.

“Challenges will be there. We will step on toes because we cannot please everybody but I want to assure everybody that we will do what is right at all times to get Patani back on the wheels.”

Ex-Chief of Air Staff condoled over wife's death

BY ETOP EKANEM

L

AGOS chapter of Akwa Ibom Peoples’ Forum, AKPF, has commiserated with the family of the former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Nsikak Eduok (rtd), over the death of his wife, Deaconess Nkese, who was buried days ago.

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Secretary-General of the chapter, Mr. Otio Nathaniel, in a statement in Lagos, extolled the virtues of late Nkese.

The group described her as a woman of virtue, a disciplinarian and a heroine. It said she would forever be embalmed in the hallow place of their hearts.

The statement said: “Our

dear and respected Air Marshal Eduok, we the AKPF family in Lagos, commiserate with you and family members on the demise of your dearest wife, Deaconess Nkese who died recently.

“Be consoled with the fact that the deceased lived an exemplary life.

Her impact will continue

to create ripples both in the present needs of her community, local government, state and in the future hopes of those who knew her.

“Let the monument she has left behind, not in stones, but in your hearts, continue to inspire you to carry on with her good works.”

Oil firm dismisses subsidy scam report

M

ANAGING Director of Dozzy Oil & Gas Limited, Sir Daniel Chukwudozie, has dismissed a report that he was arrested and detained by the Special Fraud Unit, SFU, Ikoyi, Lagos, over an alleged N1.8 billion subsidy scam.

Chukwudozie’s counsel, Mr. Ugwuzor Adindu, who spoke on behalf of the industrialist, said the report

was not only false, malicious and defamatory but intended to portray Chukwudozie and Dozzy Oil in bad light.

He explained that there was never a time his clients were indicted by the presidential committee on fuel subsidy verification or by any other panel set up by the Federal Government on subsidy payment.

FG, Enugu urged to immortalise Abangwu

BY CHINENYEH OZOR

N

SUKKA—FED ERAL Government and South-East governors have been urged to immortalise a front-line politician and former Deputy Speaker, Eastern Region House of Assembly, Igwe Charles Abangwu, who died July, for the roles he played in the emancipation of the Igbo.

Abangwu was the traditional ruler of EhaAlumona, the fourth legal practitioner to be produced in the present Enugu State

and gubernatorial candidate of the defunct Unity Party of Nigeria, UPN, for the old Anambra State in the 1979 general election.

President-General, EhaAlumona Community General Assembly and onetime Chairman of Nsukka Council , Chief Steve Odo, said Abangwu not only teamed up with the founding father of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, to establish the university, but also fought hard for the creation of Enugu and Ebonyi states.

Ecobank boss honoured

C

HIEF Executive Of ficer, Ecobank Transnational, Mr. Arnold Ekpe and Chairperson/ Chief Executive Officer of Brittania-U Nigeria Ltd, Mrs. Catherine Ifejika have be penciled down among those to receive awards at the forthcoming St. Agnes Catholic Church,

Maryland, Lagos Professional and Entrepreneurs’ Award Nite of Excellence.

The event, organised by the Catholic Men Organisation, CMO, is scheduled to hold tomorrow at McGovern Hall inside St. Agnes Catholic Church Compound, Maryland, Lagos from 7pm.

Warri Voice holds lecture

A

RRANGEMENTS are on for leading community newspapers in Delta State, Warri Voice Newspaper to hold her 2012 Annual Lecture/Award ceremony.

A statement by the Publisher/Managing, Editor,

Mr. Femi Odonmeta,said Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State will be Special Guest of Honour and the Warri Monarch, His Majesty, Ogiame Atuwatse II Olu of Warri, Royal Father of the Day.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012 — 49

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50 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012

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Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012—51

Work on 2nd Niger Bridge begins March

BY OKEY NDIRIBE & EMMAN OVUAKPORIE

A

BUJA—WORK would begin on the second Niger bridge by March 2013, Minister of Works, Mr. Mike Onolememen said, yesterday.

The minister disclosed this when he appeared before the House of Representatives Committee on Works to defend the ministry’s proposal for 2013 budget.

He said the Transaction Advisor had since commenced work and had done a lot of initial studies and presented an inception report.

He said: “They have even gone ahead to develop documentation of request for proposals that was sent to the different consortia that have expressed interest in this project.

“It is a unique form of PPP where the FG is taking up 30 percent equity and the consortia will be responsible for 70.”

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Absorb ex-militants or face trouble, Senate tells FG

BY HENRY UMORU

A

BUJA—SENATE warned, yesterday, that if ex-militants currently engaged in professional trainings were not fully engaged by the government at the end of their programmes, Nigeria would be in serious trouble.

Speaking, yesterday, when the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, Kingsley Kuku, appeared before his committee to defend the 2013 budget, Chairman, Senate Committee on Niger Delta, Senator James Manager, PDP, Delta South, said the National Assembly, as part of moves to sustain the amnesty programme, would, in collaboration with governors from the Niger Delta, convene a summit on the Federal Government’s Amnesty Programme.

Manager added that

the proposed summit/ workshop was in appreciation of the amnesty programme, which had succeeded in transforming and integrating exmilitants into respectable citizens.

He said if there was any project of government that was largely acclaimed to be very successful, it was the amnesty programme.

Manager speaks

Senator Manager, who noted that the programme had recorded great achievements, however, expressed concern about what would become of the ex-militants at the end of their training, especially with regards to securing jobs.

According to him, if the ex-militants are not provided jobs, the entire process will be tantamount to nothing.

He said: “The amnesty programme is a success.

We’ve also gone on oversight to Dubai, Ghana, South Africa and even the United Kingdom. We have interacted with the boys and we are very sat-

isfied with what we saw.

“In the next two months, based on what we have seen thus far, the Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs will

work with development partners, Niger Delta states and critical stakeholders on a summit pertaining to the amnesty programme.”

East-West Road choking us— Orubebe

BY HENRY UMORU

A

BUJA—MINISTER of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe, yesterday, cried out that the EastWest road was eating deep into the financial status of the ministry and choking it.

The minister, who disclosed that the Ministry had an outstanding liability of capital projects to the tune of N30,836,932,001.34 billion, said the Niger Delta Ministry would have no option than to stop ongoing capital projects, if funds were not adequately provided.

Speaking, yesterday, during the 2013 budget defense before the Sena-

tor James Manager-led Senate Committee on Niger Delta, Orubebe noted that the project, which was transferred from the Ministry of Works with 95 percent already achieved, was incapacitating the ministry.

Expenditure

The minister, who disclosed that the EastWest road would meet its December 2014 set deadline, said the ministry planned to spend N63,415,284,959 next year, with N61 billion and N2,415,284,959 as capital and recurrent expenditures, respectively.

He also said N1,475,169,908 had been proposed as overhead expenditure for

2013, adding that the proposed amount was grossly inadequate to run the headquarters and nine state offices in the region.

2012 budget

He told the senators that of the total releases amounting to N41.15 billion in 2012 budget, N40.4 billion had been expended, representing 95 percent.

Orubebe also disclosed that inadequate funding might also lead to derailment of the programme of engagement of youths/ women of the Niger Delta, who had very high expectations that the ministry will empower them through skill acquisition programmes.

52 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012

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Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012—53

*Prototype of the proposed Jigawa airport.

Jigawa’s Airport stirs controversy N

O doubt, many critics of Governor Sule Lamido in Jigawa State would have been peeved at the endorsement of the administration’s development efforts by President Goodluck Jonathan.

President Jonathan was, however, not given in to the criticisms.

“I am impressed with what I have seen in your state judging from the quality of projects that the PDP led administration has executed in the state in the past five years, I am confident,” Jonathan said at a brief ceremony where he laid the foundation stone for the N7 billion airport located at Gidan Bawa village, which is about seven kilometers away from Dutse, the state capital.

The proposed airport when completed would be another dimension to the progressive changes that have characterized the Dutse landscape since the advent of the Lamido administration five years ago.

Indeed, the on-going transformation in the state has especially delighted people who knew the state before the coming of Governor Lamido.

PLANS by the Jigawa administration to add an airport to its ongoing infrastructural development schemes stirs controversy on whether Governor Sule Lamido is chewing more than he can swallow.

Lamido, they claim, has practically built from scratch social infrastructural amenities like water, rural electricity, schools, roads, urban housing structures, teaching hospitals and other standard structures befitting for a state capital.

Irrespective of the increasingly cosmopolitan outlook many still question the priority being given the airport by the administration.

One notable argument against the airport is that it would swallow up the state’s internally generated revenue and the federal allocation.

Another argument being articulated is that such a project would be absurd because there is no evidence of the economic variables that would make the project viable and notably, the absence of a growing middle class in the state.

Critics kick

One prominent critic of the Lamido administration, Faruk Adamu Aliyu who lost at the last gubernatorial election under the Congress for Progressive Charge

,

BY TINA AKINAM

Lamido, they claim, has practically built from scratch social infrastructural amenities like water, rural electricity, schools, roads, urban housing structures, teaching hospitals

,

(CPC) did not see the Jigawa state airport project as necessary at this time.

He argued that the state needs education more than an airport arguing that it would be better to build another university instead of the airport.

Speaking during the CPC

congress in Kazaure recently, he said “Jigawa state is in dire need of investment in education and healthcare, which would have direct impact on the lives of the people rather than the airport, which would benefit less than one per cent of the people”.

Aliyu, who was a minority leader in the House of representatives between 20032007 said that the decision of the Governor to construct an airport in Jigawa is a misplacement of policy, adding that with Kano having an international airport and being only 100 km away from Dutse, there should have been no need to venture in to that kind of project.

“In Kano KLM that has been operating for the last 70 years has suspended its operation because of slow-down in business. What economic sense does it make for you to have an airport in Jigawa, Gombe, Bauchi?”, he said.

The former CPC gubernatorial candidate then alleged that the airport project was wrong because it is targeted at

Appraising Tambuwal’s innovative approach to leadership

BY IMAM IMAM

O

VER the course of the year, many within and beyond the National Assembly have been astonished at the new ideas being introduced in the running of the House of Representatives by the Speaker, Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal.

It is not as if many were not expecting new ways of doing

things when the members gave him their mandate to lead the House in June last year. Rather, what is surprising to them, and to large swathe of Nigerians, is the frequency with which new and effective methods are becoming the order of the day in the legislative scheme of things in the country.

The crux of the new approach to leadership is encapsulated in the House Legislative Agenda,

which was introduced by Tambuwal to initiate a new order that fosters transparency, leading to institutional integrity in the legislature in particular and the country in general.

As enunciated by the Speaker himself, the legislative agenda primarily seeks to restructure the management and functions of the legislature towards adequacy in capacity and improved

productivity.

In addition, the Agenda seeks to design and implement the electronic parliament (eparliament) blueprint that elevates the National Assembly operations to international best practices and ensures public access to parliamentary information and process.

Importantly, the Agenda seeks

Continued on page 54

providing an enabling avenue to siphon public funds.

He said: “There are better things to do with the state’s meager resources rather than to construct an airport or a television station at this critical time that is why I condemn the idea of building an airport in Jigawa because I am yet to see that as development at all”.

Another critic who feels the airport is not necessary; a former member of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Nasiru Dantiye said an airport project is not one of those things that attract investors to a state.

“I have not seen where airport will help the economy when other infrastructure have not been put in place. Jigawa State is 80 percent an agrarian society, the PDP government has not provided essential agricultural implements nor agro-chemicals as well as markets for the produce, why spending over N7 billion naira to build an airport.

He further cited that Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) which is the first airport in West Africa is now a shadow of its self because only few airplanes fly there.

Unperturbed by the critics, Governor Lamido, who is certainly not an internet nor newspaper political celebrity, has remained focused on his plans.

Airport to boost economy — Lamido

Speaking through his Director of Press, Umar Kyari, Lamido said the proposed airport was an attempt by the administration to boost the economic activities of the state.

According to him, the airport would also go a long way in attracting more investors, based on the World Bank’s report which described Jigawa as an investment haven because of the prevailing peace in the state.

He noted that Katsina, Gombe and Kebbi which were created out of Kaduna, Bauchi and Sokoto states respectively have built their own airports which have opened up commercial activities in their state, adding that the case of Jigawa state will not be a different story.

Interestingly, before the president’s visit, the contract for the Dutse International Airport had been awarded to two construction companies; namely Dantata and Sawoe Nigeria Limited which would the construction of runways at the cost of N4.9billion and 2.5km access road to the airport at the cost of N699m.

The second company CGC Nigeria Limited will handle the contract for the construction of a terminal building and a parking lots at the cost of N1.212bn.

The project according to the state government will be completed within a year, perhaps in time for another presidential visit.

54 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012

T

HE President Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has rightly stated that oil subsidy would go and many right thinking people are bound to support the President in what is believed to be a policy of economic waste.

The Labour Union has expressed its wish to oppose the removal of any subsidy which might affect the living conditions of the people, and thus, bring about sufferings to the masses. Before the drift into confusion over policy application, it is necessary for the ordinary people to know what is involved.

It should be understood that subsidy on essential commodities that affect the standard of living of ordinary Nigerians should be desirable in a democratic environment. Any good government would always support subsidy for improving the living standards of the people. However, a policy of import subsidy for a commodity that is copiously produced in a country would suggest economic mismanagement, if not madness.

My full support on complete removal of subsidy on imported petroleum products is based on economic rationalization, or what could be termed economic commonsense. The question is, is there a subsidy on petrol (gasoline)? If the landed cost of imported gasoline is N147 and the pump price is N97, then there is a subsidy of N50. The real question is, should there be any need to import refined petroleum products? Some apologists of government thinking are of the opinion that since domestic refineries have become inadequate to meet home demand of petroleum products, therefore imported products are

07059197616

OIL SUBSIDY MUST GO:

Yes, but... needed to balance the equation of demand and supply. They have forgotten that total production is greater than total home demand.

The labour union has been adamant in its believe that the policy of constantly raising prices to allow for private investors would only open the gate for spurious investors who have now appeared on the list of favoured petroleum products importers.

It is calculated that no sane investor would want to build a refinery when the cost of building for a limited market could be astronomical owing to high cost of local borrowing, and that the cost of local crude would be fixed at the international market rate.

Thus, the government has got it wrong by thinking that the fears of genuine investors lay in the policy of subsidy.

If the government is really serious about stopping subsidy on oil products, it has to first of all stop importation because there is no justifiable economic reason

for it.

However, if the government is bent on giving us an unpleasant New Year present, it is necessary to remember that under the present ruling party, the price of gasoline has risen from N20/litre in 1999, to the present price of N97/litre while that of diesel (AGO) rose from N19/litre to about N150/litre, and kerosene (DPK) has risen from N17/litre to about N150/litre (If available).

Before the impending rise in the prices of gasoline, it is necessary for officials and advisers of the President to weigh the options carefully before taking any action. Some years ago, many comments have been made on prices of petroleum products and I expressed personal opinions in this column on several occasions. My views held more than ten years ago are as quoted, “The Obasanjo administration which came in 1999 increased the price of products four times within a period of 4 years. According to

the President, the latest increase was due to unjustified subsidy of N250 billion on petroleum products every year. He argued that the withdrawal of the subsidy would release the same funds for development in other spheres.

“While it would be futile to argue with the President over the purported subsidy, many including the Labour leaders declared the reasons for any increase untenable in view of the facts contained in the report of the “Special Committee on the Review of Petroleum products, Supply and Distributions”, set up by the federal government itself.

The comprehensive report wisely recommended deregulation of the downstream sector to make way for private investment and to end monopoly”.

“The current problems of the federal government is the inability of its agency, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to ensure continuous supply of products because the four local refineries, Port Harcourt1 and 11, Warri and Kaduna (owing to lack or poor maintenance) could only produce about 20 percent of home demand.

The NNPC has been importing 80 percent (rather than refining) of products to meet total home demand. It is assumed that out of 300,000 barrels per day of crude oil`s allocation to the NNPC in 2002, about 93,000 barrels were refined locally, leaving about 207,000 barrels to be sold on the international market and the proceeds used for importation of refined products and other projects” Within the last ten years, volumes of imported products have risen and subsidy figure has almost reached N2

trillion.

Advice to FG

My advice to the Federal Government is this, before any increase in petrol pump price, get up to six months stock ready.

And to convince people (there seems to be a complete lack of trust between government and the people) genuine deregulation of the downstream sector of the oil industry should be seen to have commenced.

Before the civil war, prices of various petroleum products were agreed with government agencies by the local oil companies. On local products, each company would buy crude oil, refined to its specification at the refinery (owned by government, BP and Shell but managed by BP) and pay agreed processing fees.

The price fixing was based on ex-refinery cost (cost of crude and processing fees) “handling charges” – depot maintenance and equipment, government tax and transportation cost. The pump price would have included all elements necessary to sustain the profitability of each oil marketing company.

What is expected to be done is to stop importation of single product but allow each marketer to purchase barrels of crude oil and refine to the needs of its market, since a refined barrel of crude oil would yield not only gasoline but other associated products like diesel, fuel oil, Kerosene etc.

Or if the government does not want to release its hold on the downstream sector, its agency NNPC should refine all products at designated refineries and then distribute refined products to the Nigerian market.

Appraising Tambuwal’s innovative approach to leadership Continues from page 53 to review the legislative branch budget in line with the requirements of openness, effectiveness and accountability; review the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in all relevant areas in line with the aspirations of Nigerians; engage actively with other arms of government to restore public order and national security and finally to institutionalize mechanisms that facilitate effective engagement with various stakeholders including constituents and civil society organizations (CSOs).

What are those things done differently by the House leadership to warrant this intervention? Let us begin with the composition of the committees of the House in September 2011.

For all those familiar with how such endeavors were undertaken in the past, they will readily attest to the fact that seeds of discord among members get planted on the day the committees are announced largely because many always felt shortchanged by the outcome.

Not so when Tambuwal announced the committees in the

first test of his leadership acumen as Speaker. Not only did it go well, members openly praised the House leadership for taking their view points into consideration, but for placing square pegs in square holes in order to maximize potentials for the benefit of the polity.

Take another example. The rot in the oil sector manifested in the shameful subsidy scam has been considerably unravelled to the extent that government has commenced prosecution of those indicted in the law courts. This did not just happen.

It took the intervention of the House of Representatives, beginning with its historic January 8, 2012 extraordinary plenary session, to arrive at this junction.

In spite of the controversy that engulfed the ad-hoc committee, the report of that panel laid the foundation for the rash of committees set up by the executive with the aim of cleansing the Augean stables.

Holding that extra-ordinary session on a Sunday, the first of its kind in the country, set in motion various activites which have today led to stringent calls for more transparency and

•Tambuwal:

accountability to be institutionalised in a sector characterised by many underhand dealings.

But for the bold move taken by the Speaker, we would still have been in the dark as to the true nature of the corruption that

pervades the sector.

Also of note here is the issue of the amendment of the 1999 constitution currently going on in the country. When the Speaker announced last September that all the 360 members of the House of Representatives will return to their constituencies to hear directly from their people on what they want in the new constitution, many did not envisage the kind of interest the move would generate.

When the Peoples Public Session eventually held penultimate Saturday across the country, Nigerians did not only hail the transparency of the novel process, but identified with its overall objective which is to give the country a document (constitution) that was written with the input of the people.

It is worth recalling here that

each of the sessions in the 360 Federal Constituencies was organized by an independent Steering Committee of Stakeholders that included the member of the House representing the Constituency who served as the facilitator, members of the State House of Assembly in the particular Federal Constituency, the Local Government Chairmen within the Constituency and one representative of major trade unions and civil society organizations.

No doubt, Tambuwal’s strong stance on discipline, accountability, and truth, and his penchant desire to do things differently, is now setting the bar and becoming an example for elected office holders in the federation.

As we’ve seen times without number, his apparent willingness not to be encumbered by the political exigencies that had stunted our progress, is quite inspiring. For him, what matters is the nation’s interest. Call that an unyielding idealism and you won’t be wrong. *Imam is the Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs to Speaker Tambuwal.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012—55

It would be recalled that Yuguda overcame what many alleged to have been the persecution meted out to him by his one time friend and immediate former governor of the state, Alhaji Adamu Muazu. When he faced obstacles in his bid to secure the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP ticket, he crossed over to the All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP and used that platform to win the governorship.

Yuguda’s victory in the 2007 election was pushed through by a coalation of several political groups who sympathized with him in the face of what they perceived as the hard efforts by Muazu to stop him. That was despite what many of them regarded as the infrastructural successes and other development initiatives of the Muazu administration.

However, not long after that, the coherence in the opposition that dislodged the PDP began to crack. Yuguda’s return to the PDP and the refusal of many of his associates, including his one time aide, Bala Mohammed who was then a senator, to go back to what they said was their vomit in the PDP led to political battles. Bala, however, returned to the PDP after he was made a minister.

•Yuguda: Flayed on Facebook

•Fago: Fired for criticising governor on Facebook

Yuguda’s Facebook torment T

HE allegations allegedly raised by a now sacked civil servant in Bauchi State, Abbas Faggo against Governor Isa Yuguda on his Facebook page may not be true. But the governor’s response has been vicious.

Faggo who until recently was a staff of the Bauchi State Ministry of Finance and Economic Development had alleged in the posting that the governor could not pay salaries but had the money to sponsor the lavish wedding of one of his 21 children, relocated one of his three wives to America to give birth and squandered the state’s resources on frivolities.

Following the post on September 4, 2012, Faggo was arrested and charged to court allegedly for defamation. That was after he was held for some weeks allegedly for acts that compromised state security through a cyber attack on the governor.

However, the state was

GIVEN the amount of goodwill that attended Governor Isa Yuguda’s triumph in the 2007 gubernatorial election, it was the expectation that he would forever align and protect the masses who championed his cause. However, the sack on Wednesday of a civil servant who dared to criticize him raises issues of the governor’s touch and temperament. unable to sustain the charge as the case was struck out by the court.

Following the acquittal, the Bauchi State Head of Service th in a letter dated 13 November, 2012 relieved Faggo of his employment in the state civil service.

Governor Yuguda was quick to dissociate himself from the brewing controversy yesterday.

Speaking through his Chief Press Secretary, Ishola Michael, he told Vanguard that Faggo’s dismissal emanated from the Head of the Civil Service and was as such not something directly related to the governor.

Remarkably, no excuse was given for the sack of the civil servant whose facebook posting immediately catapulted him to fame.

The sack letter with reference

,

BY EMMANUEL AZIKEN, POLITICAL EDITOR

No excuse was given for the sack of the civil servant whose facebook posting immediately catapulted him to fame

,

number GO/CSM/S/DIS/I/T.2 which was signed by Ibrahim Shehu for head of service titled ,” Termination of Appointment” read: “I am directed to refer to the Civil Service Commission’s

letter No CSC/PRO/s/001/T.V dated 1st November 2012, and to convey the commission’s approval for your suspension and termination of appointment from Bauchi State Service with effect from 10th October 2012 as your service is no longer required please.”

Before the termination of Abbas appointment, the state Anthony General and Commissioner of Justice Barrister Almustapha Suleiman had asked the Police to investigate and prosecute Faggo for the posting he says caused injurious false hood and defamation to the governor.

The Faggo saga is the latest in what some consider as the controversies that have dogged Governor Yuguda since his remarkable electoral landslide in 2007.

Flambouyant ceremony Before then, he had married one of the daughters of the then president, Alhaji Umaru Yar‘adua, Nafisat in a flamboyant ceremony that raised eyebrows among the rainbow coalition that brought him to power.

Irrespective of the seemingly libelous assertions of the sacked civil servant, the hard reaction of the administration is now winning him respect among many in the civil rights community and the political opposition.

The Congress for Progressive Change, CPC gubernatorial candidate in the last general election Alhaji Yusuf Maitama Tuggar has taken up the issue as another case of misrule by the administration.

In a statement made available to the media in Bauchi, he said: “It is truly shocking that even after Mr. Faggo had been cleared by a court of competent jurisdiction of these allegations against him, the State Government went ahead with this action of firing him.

Considering the inalienable right of freedom of speech and expression as guaranteed and enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which is one of the fundamental human rights of Nigerian citizens, it is imperative for the Bauchi State Government reinstate Abbas Faggo.”

56

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Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 20 12 2012

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AKUNEME—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Akuneme Chinonso Colette, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Abiaziem Chinonso Colette. All former documents remain valid.

General public please take note.

OPARA—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Opara Tochukwu Geraldine, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Emeribe Tochukwu Geraldine. All former documents remain valid. Office of the Head of Service and general public please take note.

O H I A G U — I , formerly known and addressed as Miss Ohiagu Chibugo Akuoma, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Egbutu Chibugo Akuoma. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

TONDO—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Anas Nguavese Tondo, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Anita Nguavese Iorkyase. All former documents remain valid. Benue State University (BSU), Nigeria Immigration Service and general public please take note.

PHILIP—I, formerly known and addressed as Engr.

Dr. (Miss) Theresa Kangyang Philip, now wish to be known and addressed as Engr. Dr. (Mrs) Theresa Kangyang Kaankuka. All former documents remain valid.

Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Benue State and general public please take note.

UMUNNA—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Umunna Anwuli Fidelia, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Onyekaonwu Anwuli Fidelia. All former documents remain valid.

Nigerian Television Authority and general public please take note.

NGWU—I, formerly known and addressed as Ngwu Anulika E., now wish to be known and addressed as Ugwu Anulika E. All former documents remain valid. Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu and general public please take note.

U J E B O H — I , formerly known and addressed as Ujeboh Chukwuka Jason, now wish to be known and addressed as Alfred Chukwuka Jason. All former documents remained valid. General public, Zenith Bank Plc and to whom it may concern should please take note.

EKE—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Blessing Chidimma Okoye, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Blessing Chidimma Okoye. All former documents remain valid. Institute of Management and Technology (IMT) Enugu, NYSC and general public please take note.

OGUNSEYE—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss O g u n s e y e Oluwakemi Labake, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ajisafe Oluwakemi Labake.

All former documents remain valid. NYSC and general public please take note.

ECHENDU—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Echendu Onyinye Obianuju, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. George Maduike Onyinye Jesse. All former documents remain valid. Institute of Management and Technology (IMT) Enugu, NYSC and general public please take note.

O F O M ATA — I , formerly known and addressed as Miss Adaolisa Cynthia Ofomata, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Adaolisa Nkiruka Okafor. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

NJOKU—I, formerly known and addressed as Njoku Dennis, now wish to be known and addressed as Okome Michael Odidi. All former documents remained valid.

General public please take note.

BELLO—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Omoyemi Safiat Bello, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Omoyemi Safiat Nasir. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

ODUWA—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Mercy Nkem Oduwa, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Mercy Nkem Alfred. All former documents remain valid. General public and to whom it may concern should please take note.

ISHOLA—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Titilope Oluwaseun Ishola, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Titilope Oluwaseun Ogbolu. All former documents remain valid.

Embassy, Banks and general public please take note.

ETIGBAMO—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Elizabeth Jubilee Etigbamo, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Elizabeth Jubilee Etigbamo Egberike.

All former documents remain valid. Bayelsa State Local Government Service Commission and general public please take note.

IROAKAZI—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Iroakazi Juliet, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Timibra Juliet.

All former documents remain valid.

General public please take note.

AKAGHA—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Chinonso Valsama Akagha, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Chinonso Valsama Onwu. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

OKEKE—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Jecinta Afoma Okeke, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Jecinta Afoma Okoro.

All former documents remain valid.

G e n e r a l public please take note.

A D I G W E — I , formerly known and addressed as Master Chukwuma Adigwe, now wish to be known and addressed as Master Chukwuma Amram Osuji. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

IKECHUKWU—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Ikechukwu Rita Nwamaka, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Nwammah Rita Nwamaka. All former documents remain valid.

General public please take note.

O K E C H I — I , formerly known and addressed as Miss Okechi Immaculata, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Okechi Immaculata Elenga. All former documents remain valid.

General public please take note.

OHWERHI—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Rosemary Avwerosuo Ohwerhi, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Rosemary Avwerosuo Marcnino. All former documents remain valid.

General public please take note.

OCHIJENU—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Ochijenu Esther Ojoma, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ali Esther Ochijenu.

All former documents remained valid.

NYSC and general public please take note.

Vanguard,

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012 —57

Normalcy returns to Gaza, Israel after truce A

FTER Israel and Hamas agreed to truce after eight days of attacks in which 162 Palestinians and five Israelis were killed, People in Gaza and southern Israel were starting to return to normal life.

A ceasefire has gone into effect in and around the Gaza Strip, after Israel and Hamas agreed to cease hostilities.

Many Palestinians in Gaza City took to the streets to celebrate the truce yesterday night, blasting car horns and setting off fireworks from rooftops amid celebratory gunfire.

The Egyptian foreign minister announced the ceasefire agreement hours before it took hold at 19:00 GMT last Wednesday.

Mohamed Kamel Amr thanked all parties involved in mediating the truce as he made the announcement in a joint news conference with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the Egyptian capital, Cairo.

Under the ceasefire terms, Israel was to stop all aggression against the Gaza Strip from land, sea and air, including crossborder incursions and targeted killings.

•Gaza residents have returned to the streets following Wednesday’s truce.

P a l e s t i n i a n factions were to cease all rocket fire and attacks from Gaza towards Israel, including along the border.

Twenty-four hours after

the ceasefire took effect, Israel will also be committed to opening of all border crossings and ease restrictions on movements of people and goods in and out of the enclave.

ICC issues war crimes warrant on Gbagbo

F

OR alleged crimes against humanity committed in the wake of disputed presidential elections in 2010, the International Criminal

Court has issued an arrest warrant to Simone Gbagbo, the wife of Ivory Coast’s ex-President Laurent Gbagbo.

Her husband was

•Simone Gbagbo, a politician in her own right, campaigned for her husband

already awaiting trial at the court in The Hague on four charges of crimes against humanity.

Some 3,000 people died in the unrest after he refused to accept defeat.

Although unelected, she behaved as the alter ego of her husband, exercising power and taking state decision” Mr and Mrs Gbagbo were arrested in a bunker in April 2011, five months after the elections, following a military assault - backed up by UN and French troops on their residence in the main city, Abidjan.

Mr Gbagbo, 67, was transferred to The Hague a year ago - the first former head of state to appear at the ICC. He has denied responsibility for the postelection violence.

Before the transfer, both he and his wife, 63, were charged in Ivory Coast with economic crimes, including looting, armed robbery, and embezzlement.

Analysts say the former first lady was a powerful politician in her own right. She is the first woman to be charged by the ICC.

EU budget summit opens with hard bargaining

E

UROPEAN Union leaders have begun talks on the bloc’s seven-year budget, with many urging cuts in line with the savings they are making nationally.

The UK said the latest EU proposals were a step in the right direction” but “did not go far enough and more must be done to cut spending.

Poland and its excommunist neighbors want current spending maintained or raised.

They rely heavily on EU cash.

The bargaining in Brussels will continue today or even longer.

AT the summit, the UK Prime Minister David Cameron spent about half an hour talking to the President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy,

and President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso.

A Downing Street statement after the meeting said Mr Cameron had stressed the importance of the UK keeping its budget rebate, worth 3.56bn

euros (£2.8bn; $1.3bn) in 2011. The statement called the rebate “fully justified”.

The Commission and some EU governments want the rebate scrapped.

The UK statement said “it was clear that there was a long way to go

before we had a deal that reflected the difficult decisions being taken by member states”.

The EU Commission, which drafts EU laws, has called for an increase of 4.8% compared with the 2007-2013 budget.

DR Congo’s M23 rebels reject call to leave Goma

R

EBELS in the Democratic Republic of Congo have rejected a call by regional leaders to withdraw from the main eastern city of Goma.

An M23 rebel group leader said their fighters would push ahead to seize more territory until President Joseph Kabila agreed to talks.

Mr Kabila and the Rwanda and Ugandan

leaders have jointly appealed to the rebels to pull out of Goma.

Already, about 500,000 people have been displaced by the rebellion since April.

On Wednesday, longawaited UN report accused neighbouring Rwanda and Uganda of backing M23, saying the rebel chain of command culminates with Rwandan Defence

Minister James Kabarebe.

Both Rwanda and Uganda strongly denied the accusations when the report was leaked last month.

After the fall of Goma on Tuesday, Mr Kabila flew to Kampala for two days of crisis talks with Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni and Rwanda’s leader Paul Kagame.

58—Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012

L-r: Dr. Mrs. Nnenna Ezeigwe, representing the minister of heath, Mr. Young Ik Lee, vice president, room air conditioning, LG Electronics, Korea, and Mr. Mohammed Fouani, MD, Fouani Ltd unveiling anti mosquito air conditioner in Lagos.

Photo: Diran Oshe

BA to assist in developing Nigeria aviation industry

By BEN AGANDE

A

BUJA—REPRIEVE appears to be on the way for the nation’s troubled aviation sector as one of the leading airlines in the world, British Airways, yesterday, offered to assist Nigeria in developing the industry.

Chief Executive Officer of BA, Mr Keith Williams who disclosed this in Abuja said his company will partner with the Federal Government in ensuring the success of the transformation agenda in the nation’s Aviation sector.

Williams who spoke with State House correspondents after a close door meeting with Vice President Namadi Sambo said Nigeria with its huge potentials is an investors’ delight, adding: “As Nigeria’s economy grows the British Airways will grow with Nigeria. If you look at the British Airways, it has served Nigeria now for 76 years and we get a great partnership with Nigeria which has been a long one and an important one and it will always continue to be an important one between the two countries and the British Airways supports that.

“Nigeria, is a huge important country with a huge population. It has got important trade flows and the airlines need to support those important trade flows either through Nigeria airlines or international airlines.”

While expressing satisfaction with the way the Aviation sector was being managed in Nigeria, the British Airway boss, however, called for the strengthening of the domestic and regional aviation industry.

He said: “The aviation industry, if I look at the global aviation industry, the global aviation is in a peri-

od of change and what we are seeing around the world is the growth of cooperation, and that is the case with British Airways, which merged with Iberia, tying up with an American and the Japanese airlines.

“So, there are lots of merger activities happening to support global growth in the airline industry, and clearly, Nigeria is a huge important country

with a huge population and it got important trade flows and the airlines need to support those important trade flows whether that is through Nigeria airlines or international airlines.”

He assured that BA would continue to meet its socio-economic obligations to Nigeria to further enhance its corporate responsibilities in the country.

FG orders audit of police personnel

By KINGSLEY OMONOBI

A

BUJA—FOLLOW ING alleged conflicting figures over the true size of the Nigeria Police Force and the need to meet UN policing ratio of one to 400 citizens, the Federal Government has flagged off the comprehensive audit of police personnel, with biometric identification and registration for all police officers nationwide.

Police Affairs minister, Navy Captain Caleb Olubolade (rtd), announced this at the stakeholders’ roundtable review workshop of the draft plan on the strategic plan for the reform programme of the Nigeria Police.

Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Alhaji Aliyu Ismaila, the minister disclosed that the Federal Government has also approved the implementation of an ambitious reform programme with a revised financial implication of N1.5trillion for the police over a six year period.

Olubolade noted that it was in an effort to enlist the support of the private sector for the reform programme that members of the organized private sector demanded for the provision of a strategic plan on

the reform programme driven by a private sector organization.

The workshop concluded that a modern intelligence led, technology driven and community focused police organization, and adequately funded police, with a bottom-up estimation of financial and operational requirement of the Nigeria Police, will realistically establish the cost of maintaining police operations nationwide.

It said the reform must also integrate the newly acquired technology capability delivered by the National Public Safety Communications System project with the operational procedures and processes of the Nigeria Police and build a sustainable strategic partnership with the organized private sector by acknowledging their support, appreciate the support as well deepening the engagement through clearly articulated documentation made available to all.

It said there was urgent need to pay attention to current inadequacy of budgetary overheads provision through hybrid financing mechanism and the passage of the Nigeria Police Reform Trust Fund Establishment Bill.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012 — 59

TREBLE CHANCE Stoke Brighton Ipswich Middlesbro Wolves Coventry Notts Co. Oldham Stevenage

v Fulham v Bolton v Peterboro v Bristol C. v Nottm For. v Portsmouth v Swindon v Shrewsbury v Tranmere

SOCCER TIPS FIF A bloc ks Chelsea IFA blocks move to bring back Drogba on loan CHELSEA’s move for Didier Drogba is off after FIFA blocked him from leaving Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua on loan before the January transfer window.

The Cote d'Ivore international, 34, wants to stay fit to prepare for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations as the Chinese season has finished.

He asked for permission to move, but has been informed that he is not exempt from international transfer rules.

Chelsea had been in talks over a deal for their former striker.

The Blues are short of attacking options with Fernando Torres out of form and Daniel Sturridge injured.

FIFA said in a statement: “We can confirm that the player Didier Drogba submitted a request for authorisation to be registered outside an open registration period for a club on a loan basis.

“FIFA has informed him about the relevant regulations, that players may only be registered during one of the two annual registration periods fixed by the relevant association.”

Drogba, who had also been linked with Liverpool, spent eight years at Chelsea after arriving from Marseille in 2004.

Juan Mata welcomes Rafa Benitez to Chelsea

FOUR HOMES LATE

1 X 2X14X 15 FOUR AWAYS 5X 6 X 38 X 40 PERMUTATION 3 X 8 X 11 X23 X 24 X 29 TIPS 35 X 36X 42

TIPS

PAIR 25 X 26 AVOID 14 RISKY 31

THE Blues wasted little time in naming Benitez as interim manager after ruthlessly axing Di Matteo.

Mata, 24, quickly took to Twitter and Facebook to thank the Italian for his contribution last season, when he guided Chelsea to glory in both the FA Cup and Champions League.

But today the in-form star was looking to the future, insisting that Benitez has the pedigree required to steady the ship at Stamford Bridge.

Mata said: “Benitez is a great coach.

“He’s got lots of experience and won a lot of trophies with Liverpool, taking them to a very high level.

“He knows the Premier League too.”

Benitez’s appointment is widely viewed as Roman Abramovich’s latest desperate attempt to bring out the best in £50million flop Fernando Torres.

And Mata believes his fellow Spaniard still has what it takes to recapture the form he showed under Benitez at Liverpool.

I don't fear for my job

CREDIT Stranraer East Fife Falkirk York Plymouth Oxford Aldershot Walsall

EXCELLENT 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3

Stoke 7 Brighton 7 Ipswich 7 Middlesbro 5 Wolves 5 Coventry 5 Notts Co 5 Oldham 5

— Mancini

ROBERTO Mancini does not fear for his job despite his latest Champions League flop.

But Jose Mourinho says he would not have survived a similar disaster at Real Madrid.

City suffered a second straight group exit. Yet boss Mancini said: “I don’t have fear for this.

Everyone here knows football.

“The season is long. You have the Champions League, FA Cup and Premier League. If we think we can win the Champions League after only two years we are crazy.

X-RAY OF THE DRAWS Week 19 F.A cla ys Premier ship .A.. Bar Barcla clays Premiership

1 Everton 2 Man Utd. 3 Stoke 4 Wigan

v Norwich v Q.P.R. v Fulham v Reading

1 1 XX 1X

NPower Football Championship

5 Barnsley 6 Blackburn 7 Blackpool 8 Brighton 9 Charlton 10 Hull 11 Ipswich 12 Leeds 13 Middlesbro 14 Sheff Wed. 15 Wolves

v Cardiff 2 v Millwall 1 v Watford 1 v Bolton XX v Huddersfield X2 v Burnley 1 v Peterboro XX v Crystal P. 1 v Bristol C. XX v Leicester 1 v Nottm For. XX

N Power Football League One 16 Brentford 17 Bury 18 Coventry 19 Crewe 20 Doncaster 21Leyton O. 22 Milton KD 23 Notts Co. 24 Oldham 25 Stevenage 26 Walsall 27 Yeovil

v Sheff Utd. 2 v Bournemouth X2 v Portsmouth. XX v Crawley 2 v Scunthorpe 1 v Preston 2X v Colchester 1 v Swindon XX v Shrewsbury XX v Tranmere XX v Hartlepool XX v Carlisle 1X

N Power Football League Two 28 Accrington S 29 Aldershot 30 Bristol R. 31 Cheltenham 32 Dagenham 33 Exeter 34 Morecambe 35 Oxford 36 Plymouth 37 Southend 38 Wycombe 39 York

v Gillinham 1 v Port Vale XX v Bradford C 1 v Barnet 1 v Fleetwood 2 v Rotherham 2 v APC Wimbl'don1 v North'pton XX v Chesterfld XX v Rochdale 2 v Burton A. 2 v Torquay XX

Scottish League Division 40 Airdrie 41 Dunfermline 42 Falkirk 43 Morton 44 Partick

v Raith 2 v Dunbarton 1 v Hamilton XX v Cowdenbeath 1 v Livingston 1X

11 23 36 42

Scottish League Division TTw wo 45 Brechin 46 East Fife 47 Queen 'OSth 48 Stenh'muir 49 Stranraer

v Forfar X2 v Arbroath XX v AYR UTD 1 v Alloa XX v Albion R. XX

Revised Pairs 11x 18, 23 x 29 36 x 39, 42 x 49

60 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012

Falcao nur ses Champions nurses League glor gloryy R

•Benitez

City will fall ...Benitez boasts ...vows to get Torres scoring again C

HELSEA interim boss Rafa Benitez will ignore any fans’ protests and focus solely on winning his first game in charge.

When asked why he had agreed to return to football with the Blues, Benitez said: “I think it’s a top side who want to challenge for trophies. We will think about one game at a time so we’ll just try to win the next game.”

“The fans all want the same thing as the manager - and that’s to win games.”

He also vowed to get Fernando Torres firing again.

“Torres knows the Premier League and he was doing really well with that. It’s a question of confidence and he will do well again. He will come back.”

ADAMEL Falcao has voiced his desire to add the Champions League to his trophy cabinet in the future as he aims to be as successful as possible. ”I would like to be remembered for the titles,” the striker told Goal.com.

“I would like to collect plenty of trophies. In terms of trophies I covet the Champions League and the World Cup, you never get enough of that. ”There have been some special moments already, important games, finals … so far the European Super Cup against Chelsea and the Europa League final against Athletic Bilbao have given me great memories. ”Perhaps my desire for victory makes me raise my level. I perform better than average at the critical moments. I had the chance to do it in three finals,” he continued.

Wenger w ants W alcott tto o sign wants Walcott A

•Wenger and Walcott

City’s fform orm baf fles baffles Zabaleta M ANCHESTER City defender Pablo Zabaleta is at a loss to explain the team’s latest Champions League

•Torres

Mourinho wishes him well J

•Mourinho C M Y K

•Falcao

OSE MOURINHO insisted that he wished his old rival Rafael Benitez well as Chelsea manager after expressing sympathy for Roberto Di Matteo following his dismissal

by Roman Abramovich at Stamford Bridge.

Real Madrid coach Mourinho, speaking after the Spanish champions secured qualification for the

Champions League knockout stages after a 1-1 draw against Manchester City, won two Premier League titles for Chelsea before his three-year reign as manager came to an abrupt end in September 2007.

“I’m never happy when a manager is sacked - never, because it happens to them and it can happen to me,”

Mourinho said.

“I’m never happy and I never enjoy it for him.

“I always feel sorry for him and his family because our lives are very, very similar.

“But everybody knows I like my old teams. I like Chelsea, Inter, Porto. I like my old clubs to win, so I always wish good to the managers of my former clubs. So I wish good to Benitez.”

disappointment.

“It was our last chance to get close enough to Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, and play the last game with an option to go through to the next stage.

“Now, the chance has gone and it’s hard to understand.

“It’s the second year in a row that this has happened - it’s hard to see, when you see the players that we have.”

•Zabaleta

RSENAL manager Arsene Wenger has urged forward Theo Walcott to commit to the club by signing a new deal and is still considering a move to bring in Thierry Henry.

England international Walcott, 23, is out of contract at the end of the season and talks over an extension have so far failed to reach a conclusion.

Wenger said: “I don’t think you can put a timeframe on when it will be resolved. Ideally he has to commit. It is difficult. I believe you have to commit at some stage.

“It is very important in our sport to be very committed to where you are, and as long as you do not do that, you are not completely at ease.

It is important for our squad as well that he is completely committed.

“I do not doubt it, but as well at some stage it has to be concrete.”

Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012 — 61

Repor eportt on Presidential retreat ready — Sports Minister

By JACOB AJOM

T

HE Minister of Sports and Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi has disclosed that the report on the one-day Presidential Retreat held in Abuja in October is ready and his ministry has already commenced implementation of the recommendations made by the working group.

Speaking at the Eko 2012 international seminar in Lagos yesterday, the minister said, “now that the report is ready, the next step is implementation; which we have already started.”

The minister added that the inauguration of the board for Nigeria Academicals Sports which is saddled with the responsibility of driving sports development at the grassroots and the formation of an U-17 National Sports Festival billed fort next year were part of the recom-

mendations from the retreat. “It is wrong when people say we are not doing anything after the retreat.”

He said that the organising committee for the U-17 National sports festival will be constituted after Eko 2012 sports fes-

tival. “It will give the kids an opportunity to compete at that level,” the minister said.

porat e suppor Eko 2012: More cor corporat porate supportt for Delta Executive Officer of philanthropists and Gbesi has offered to urged other Deltans to

Two indigenes of Delta State, Chief Joe Penawou who is the Managing Director of 1st Marine and Energy Limited and Chief Gbemisi Eyewuoma who is the chairman of Delta State Volleyball Association have offered to support the Delta State team to the National Sports Festival that kicks off Tuesday in Lagos.

Chief Joe Penawou is to provide the entire Delta contingent with energy drinks, beverages and bottle water throughout the duration of the Festival.

Gbemisi Eyewuoma who is the Chief

sponsor the state volleyball team to the festival. He is kitting them, feed them and he has also donated N700,000 to the Volleyball team.

Amaju Pinnick, the Executive Chairman of Delta State Sports C o m m i s s i o n has commended the efforts of the two

emulate them. While addressing the athletes in the Oghara and Koko camps he expressed satisfaction with the state of readiness of the athletes for the festival.

Only last week, Dere Otubu of Senforce Insurance Brokers and Waland Services contributed up to N10m to Team Delta.

Drogba Continues from B/P Fifa said in a statement: “We can confirm that the player Didier Drogba submitted a request for authorisation to be

registered outside an open registration period for a club on a loan basis.

“Fifa has informed him about the relevant regulations, that players may only be registered during one of the two annual registration periods fixed by the relevant association.”

Drogba, who had also been linked with Liverpool, spent eight years at Chelsea after arriving from Marseille in 2004.

His last act in a Chelsea shirt was scoring the winning penalty in the Champions League final defeat of Bayern Munich in May.

Continues from B/P The FA says in a statement that Mikel did not hear the comment.

It was also announced on Thursday that Mikel had been charged by the FA for an “alleged use of threatening and/or abusive and/or insulting words and/or behaviour in or around the match officials’ changing room.”

In a quick ration, Chelsea released the following on their website.

“Chelsea Football Club accepts the Football Association’s decision regarding Mark Clattenburg and welcomes the fact that the FA recognises the club and players were correct in reporting the matter.

“The FA states Chelsea C M Y K

Continues from B/P this is what I want because it keeps them fit and in shape.”

He is expected to submit his final squad list to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in the first week of January.

Keshi admitted he would face a selection headache ahead of the AFCON because many of his players are now doing well in Europe.

Keshi ”Selection headache?

Yes, to an extent because all the players are doing well,” he said.

The Eagles are expected to open a training camp for players from the domestic league on December 17 in Abuja before they fly out to Faro, Portugal, to intensify training for the Nations Cup.

Eagles Continues from B/P Cornellà El Prat, home ground of Spanish side Espanyol, on 2 January.

Catalonia, like other Spanish regions such as the Basque Country, compete in friendlies against international teams but are not permitted to play in official competitions.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), though, is delighted with another “high-profile” friendly for the Super Eagles.

“It has been finalised that the team will travel to Spain for this friendly against Catalonia,” said NFF spokesman Ademola Olajire.

“This match is another crucial step in our preparations for the Nations Cup in South Africa.

Mikel took the correct action following the Manchester United match and encourages all players who believe they have been either subject, or witness, to discriminatory abuse to report the matter immediately to the match officials on the day, and in turn to the FA. The club also notes the charge brought against John Mikel Obi. While the player does not deny the charge, he will request a personal hearing to explain the mitigating circumstances.

“With regards to the Mark Clattenburg decision, the club accepts the case is now concluded and notes the FA states the allegation was made in good faith.

“The players and officials are all looking forward to another opportunity to continue building momentum after the victory against Venezuela in Miami.

“The Catalonia side will provide a tough test at the right time for us.”

It will be the second meeting between the West Africans and Catalonia. The first match, in December 1998, ended in an emphatic 50 defeat for Nigeria.

And the Catalans may be looking to achieve a similar result to provide a fitting send-off for Cruyff, whose tenure as coach comes to an end after this match.

BBC African Footballer of the Year •5 shortlisted

T

HE five candidates for the BBC African Footballer of the Year 2012 award have been revealed. Yaya Toure has made the shortlist for the second consecutive year and he is joined by his Ivory Coast team-mate Didier Drogba, Senegal’s Demba Ba, Morocco’s Younes Belhanda and Zambia skipper Christopher Katongo.

The winner will be decided by African football fans, who have until 1830 GMT on Thursday, 13 December to vote for their choice.

Standard international text rates apply, please check with your service provider. Texts are limited to one text per mobile phone number.

62 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012

C M Y K

Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012 — 63

C M Y K

VANGUARD, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012

Nations Cup: Keshi prefers commitment to form N

IGERIA coach Stephen Keshi has said he will pick players for the AFCON based on their commitment before their form at their various clubs.

It promises to be a Titanic battle for squad

Monkey palaver:

places in the Super Eagles for next year ’s Nations Cup in South Africa, and Keshi has now revealed how committed a player is to the country’s cause will be top consideration when he picks his final

FA charges Mikel •clears Clattenburg

City 'll fall, Benitez boasts — Page 60

•Chelsea accept charge R

EFEREE Mark Clattenburg has been cleared by the English Football Association of using racist language toward a Chelsea player.

Chelsea midfielder Ramires said he heard Clattenburg tell teammate John Obi Mikel ‘’shut up you monkey ’’ during the Oct. 28 match against Manchester United.

The FA says it has ‘’concluded its investigation into alleged misconduct by Mark Clattenburg ... No disciplinary action will follow against Mr. Clattenburg.’’

Continues on page 61 TODAY'S

Drogba: FIFA blocks Chelsea

Eagles to play Catalonia

C

HELSEA’S move for Didier Drogba is off after Fifa blocked him from leaving Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua on loan before the January transfer window.

The Ivory Coast international, 34, wants to stay fit to prepare for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations as the Chinese season has finished.

He asked for permission to move, but has been informed that he is not exempt from international transfer rules.

Chelsea had been in talks over a deal for their former striker.

The Blues are short of attacking options with Fernando Torres out of form and Daniel Sturridge injured.

Continues on page 61

PUZZLE

YESTERDAY'S

ANSWERS

N

GET THEE BEHIND ME ••• Clattenburg and Mikel during the match between Chelsea and Man Utd. ACROSS 1 Figure (6) 5 Ship (4) 8 Inferior (5) 9 Skill (3) 10 Implement (4) 11 Tardy (4) 12 Student (5) 13 Soothed (6) 16 Thaw (4) 18 Empty (4) 20 Consumed (3) 22 Meat dish (3) 23 Recede (3) 24 Tip (4) 25 Stagger (4) 28 Helm (6) 30 Earliest (5) 32 Seize (4) 33 Lay (4) 34 Epoch (3) 35 Niggard (5) 36 Regimen (4) 37 Revised (6)

THE VIGILANTE

IGERIA have lined up an international friendly match against Catalonia in preparation for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.

The game, against the side coached by Dutch legend Johan Cruyff, will take place at Estadi

Continues on page 61

DOWN 1 Almost (6) 2 Maim (8) 3 Respect (6) 4 Offer (9) 5 Credit (7) 6 Spoken (4) 7 Row (4) 8 Hew (3) 14 Dejected (9) 15 Pen-point (3) 17 Untruth (3) 19 Dutiful (8) 20 Copy (3) 21 Show (7) 26 Thrust (6) 27 Mission (6) 29 Old (4) 30 Renown (4) 31 Hill (3)

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS

ACROSS: 3, Torso 9, Hatred 10, Orator 11, Adore 12, Pale 15, Norm 17, Elevate 20, Lie 21, Yearn 23, Each 25, Role 26, Topic 28, Led 30, Elected 33, Idea 35, Hide 36, Opium 38, Amends 39, Sailor 40, Deter.

How to Play Sudoku

23-man squad.

“It’s not how well you play for your club, but the 120 per cent you give me when I invite you that will be crucial in my decision,” he said. ”We have a lot of our players starting for their clubs now and that is very good. Ahmed Musa, Mikel Obi, Nosa Igiebor,Ike Uche, Brown Ideye and others and Continues on page 61

DOWN: 1, Shape 2, Stale 3, Tea 4, Oddity 5, Sort 6, Ore 7, Stool 8, Crime 13, Alleged 14, Evicted 16, Riveted 18, Eerie 19, Err 22, Notch 24, Hop 27, Clause 28, Lilac 29, Defer 31, Title 32, Decry 34, Apse 36, Odd 37, Mar.

e-mail: rowolove@yahoo.co.uk

Place 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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