Relief, as oil workers, others suspend strike

...towards a better life for the people VOL. 25: NO. 62413

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N150

TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

Relief, as oil workers, others suspend strike

By Clara Nwachukwu, Johnbosco Agbakwuru, Joseph Erunke, Favour Nnabugwu, Michael Eboh,Lawani Mikairu, Daniel Eteghe, Ediri Ejoh & Grace Udofia

•Senate intervention brings back stakeholders to work •Marketers pledge full supply in six hours, warn members •Capital Oil to release additional 19 million litres •Subsidy claims to be inherited by Buhari

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AGOS—THE crippling strike embarked upon by oil marketers and other industry stakeholders since May 16, was called off, yesterday, as the marketers commenced full lifting of petroleum products nationwide.

While the strike lasted, socio-economic activities in the country were

Continues on Page 5

100 killed in Benue communities, refugee camps 7 COLUMNIST: Goodluck, Presidentelect Buhari •P.17 THE AGONY CONTINUES —The crowd and long queues of jerry cans at Capital Oil filling station, along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, yesterday. BELOW RIGHT: Stranded commuters' option B in Lagos, also yesterday. Photos:Lamidi Bamidele with NAN.

GRAFT: EFCC closes in on 10 ex-govs 9 CONSTITUTION AMENDMENT: 12 Bayelsa youths e swim over 4 rivers to Insid e Se honour Jonathan C M Y K

S-Court urges Jonathan, NASS to settle out of court 8

Mr & Mrs

2 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

C M Y K

Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

—3

4 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

C M Y K

Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015—5

POCKET CARTOON

HANDOVER—Vice-President Namadi Sambo (R), presenting his hand over documents to Chairman of the Transition Committee, Alhaji Ahmed Joda during a joint meeting of the Transition Committees at The Presidential Villa, Abuja, yesterday. Photo: NAN.

Relief, as oil workers, others suspend strike Continues from page 1 paralysed.

By this move, the contentious outstanding subsidy claims of over N200 billion will now be inherited by the incoming administration of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, which will form part of his briefing notes.

The development followed the intervention of the Senate, during a public hearing organised by the Joint Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream and Downstream), held yesterday, in Abuja.

While the hearing was ongoing, Capital Oil and Gas Industries Limited, which on Sunday broke ranks with marketers and depot operators by releasing 13 million litres of fuel, also promised to release additional 19 million litres to ensure that Nigerians are completely

free of the pain being experienced on account of the scarcity.

At the hearing, petroleum marketers agreed to fully mobilize their members for immediate distribution of fuel across the country within six hours, promising that any of their members who remained adamant would be sanctioned.

Legislative investigation

Recall that the Senate had last week, through a motion moved by the Deputy Senate Leader, Abdul Ningi, ordered its committees on Petroleum Resources ( Upstream and Downstream), to investigate the reasons for the lingering fuel scarcity in the country over the past one month and about two months in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

TAKE HEART

BY ELLA RANDLE

Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own —R A Heinlein

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HE more we care for the happiness of others, the greater our own sense of well-being becomes. Cultivating a close, warm-hearted feeling for others automatically puts the mind at ease. This helps remove whatever fears or insecurities we may have and gives us the strength to cope with any obstacles we encounter. It is the ultimate source of success in life.

As long as we live in this world we are bound to encounter challenges. If, at such times, we lose hope and become discouraged, we diminish our ability to face difficulties. If, on the other hand, we remember that it is not just ourselves but everyone who has to undergo challenges, this more realistic perspective will increase our determination and capacity to see these obstacles as stepping stones to a better life.

Thus we can strive gradually to become more compassionate. As a result, our own serenity and inner strength will increase.

The committees succeeded in making the critical stakeholders in the sector, including National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG; Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN;and Depots & Petroleum Products Marketers Association, DAPPMA; MOMAN; and National Association of Road Transport Owners, NARTO, to call off their strikes.

Other parties in the meeting were the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, and Pipeline & Products Marketing Company,PPMC; the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, and the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN. The oil workers' unions had earlier on Sunday night, called off their strike following the intervention of the Group Managing D i r e c t o r, N i g e r i a n National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Dr. Joseph Dawha, over a dispute on the operatorship of two oil blocks.

Thereafter, all the parties at a closed door meeting with the Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala assured Nigerians that within the next 24 to 48 hours, the issue of fuel scarcity would be a thing of the past.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Petroleum R e s o u r c e s (Downstream), Senator Magnus Abe, who read

a communiqué signed by all the stakeholders after the session, explained that the parties had unanimously agreed to the peace pact in the interest of the nation.

Abe said: “We have agreed on the following: First is that the Minister of Finance will give an undertaking to the Major Marketers and Depot Managers that the work of the committee being headed by CBN and PPPRA, on the outstanding claims would be concluded and be reflected in the hand over notes to the i n c o m i n g administration.”

He continued: “The Minister of Finance will give an undertaking to the major marketers and Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, PPPRA, that the work of that committee being headed by the CBN would be concluded in verifying the outstanding claims.

“If it is concluded before the end of the life of this administration it will be reflected in the handover note. If it is not concluded before the end of the life of this administration, then the fact that such a committee is set up and working will be reflected in the handover note and a copy of the letter conveying the existence of this committee will be sent to MOMAN and DAPPMA and also to this committee.

“So, on the basis of that agreement MOMAN will offer whatever cooperation that is needed to enable lifting of products nationwide to begin within the next six hours.

“MOMAN has also agreed to give a similar undertaking to NARTO to pay existing transport cost as have been determined by them. Not all existing but the portion that had been agreed by them to be paid.

“MOMAN will give that written undertaking to NARTO and a copy will also be sent to this Committee. So, NARTO and its members and affiliates nationwide will commence lifting of products from all available depots within the next six hours.

“DAPPMA is to instruct all their depots that have products to open those depots for lifting. Lifting must commence within the next six hours.

Sanction for defaulters

“We have also agreed with the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) that any depot that has product and failed to begin lifting within the next six hours

should have their licence revoked immediately in the national interest.

“We have also agreed that NNPC is to direct all relevant staff at all depots to work 24 hours including Saturdays and Sundays for the next two weeks until normalcy returns to the sector.

“We have also agreed to reach out to the Lagos State Government to facilitate this agreement and reach some kind of arrangement with the tanker drivers that will allow access to the relevant depots to enable the lifting of products to commence.”

Action meant to ease pains— Capital Oil

Meanwhile, the management of Capital Oil has defended its action in breaking ranks with other marketers, saying that it was in the interest of Nigerians to ease their pains and sufferings.

Speaking with journalists at one of its filling stations at Berger, in Lagos, a spokesman for the company, Mr. Afam Eluno, said: “The idea of this patriotic move is to make the other operators – marketers and depot owners to come off their high horse and realise that Nigerians are suffering and join Capital Oil to sell fuel.

Once they start, Nigerians won’t continue to go through all these pains and sufferings.”

He insisted that the issue is not about selling out on the others, but,"a question of being on the side of the people, the suffering masses, and Nigerians. You cannot put Nigerians into a very difficult situation just to prove a point. You can prove the point and still make things easy for Nigerians. So Capital Oil is not afraid as long as Nigerians are happy.”

He further argued that patriotism supersedes every other interest whether political or personal, adding that it would have been unthinkable to prolong

the sufferings of the people, and grind the economy to a halt, while also welcoming a new administration into an environment of scarcity.

He continued: “If Capital Oil had not embarked on this, I don’t know what the plan is; whether it is to truncate the inauguration of the new President. We are expecting about 50 heads of state to attend the ceremony, you can imagine what their opinions will be when they come into Nigeria and there is fuel scarcity, you can then imagine their impressions about Nigeria and Nigerians.

This is some of the things Capital Oil considered and decided to bell the cat.”

He concluded by saying that the fact that other stakeholders involved in the dispute have had a change of heart, showed that Capital Oil had made the right decision to open up its depots and filling stations, even at very high cost and attendant risks.

According to him,"we’ve had to use a lot of security men – army, police, civil defence corps, and even private security outfit, but the crowd is almost uncontrollable. Can you imagine what some of them have gone through; one said he bought 10 litres for N10,000, which means N1,000 per litre, and he now sees where he can buy at N87/litre, so you can imaging his determination.

“It’s been a very difficult experience but this is what Nigerians are being forced to go through, and this is what Capital Oil came out to solve, as the whole of Lagos is here, if not all Nigerians, trying to buy fuel at the same time.

We’ve been begging them to have patience that Capital Oil has enough to take care of their needs, but you know how Nigerians are, they’ve been struggling and the crowd surge is almost unbelievable.”

Continues on Page 58

6—Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

Gunmen kidnap Kogi judge, kills orderly

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UNMEN, yesterday, kidnapped a Kogi High Court Judge, Justice Samuel Obayomi, and killed his orderly, Cpl Usman Musa, in an early morning attack.

Obayomi of Ebogogo High Court in Adavi Local Government Area of Kogi State, was kidnapped while on his way to work.

His driver, Mr. Ajayi Kolawole, told newsmen in Lokoja that the incident took place in front of the Executive Guest Villa at Okene GRA in Okene Local Government Area of the state.

Kolawole said the judge’s orderly, Musa, was shot dead on the spot by the kidnappers in an operation that took place between 8:40 a.m. and 8:45 a.m.

He described the three gunmen as heavily armed, unmasked, but wearing dark glasses.

The driver said the gunmen ordered the judge and his aides to lie facedown.

The judge had recently survived a ghastly accident and had just resumed work after three months in hospital.

2 brothers docked over N5.2m theft

By Onozure Dania

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AGOS—TWO brothers, Obiefuna Umeh, 28, and Ebuka Umeh, 27, were yesterday, arraigned before an Igbosere Magistrate’s Court for allegedly stealing N5.2 million from their employer.

They are facing a twocount charge bordering on conspiracy and stealing preferred against them by the police.

The prosecutor, Marcus Okon, told the court that the defendants conspired between themselves to commit the alleged offence between 2013 and 2015.

He said they stole N5,282,000 from one Nzube Ojukwu, while working with him as sales representatives.

Magistrate O. O. Oshin granted the defendants bail in the sum of N500,000 each with two responsible sureties, each in like sum.

She adjourned the matter till June 17.

Mother of 3 dies after housemaid's bite

By Ola Ajayi

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BADAN—THE police in Oyo State are investigating how an alleged bite by a housemaid, Elizabeth Fatoki, led to the death of her employer ’s neighbour.

According to a source, the deceased, identified as Tawa Lawal, 30, was engaged in a brawl with the maid when the latter bit her breast.

Mrs. Lawal was then rushed to a hospital, where she died after some days.

The deceased, a mother of three, lived at Salvation Army area of Ekotedo in Ibadan North-West area of the state.

The children of the deceased are Barakat, 15; Waris, 10; and Aliya, 2. Their mother has since been buried according to Islamic rites.

Widower

While narrating the circumstances that led to the death of his wife, Mr. Aliu Lawal, said after the quarrel during which the suspect allegedly

bit her, she complained of headache and pains at night.

He explained further that she was rushed to Alaafia Hospital, Mokola, Ibadan, where she died later.

Doctor's diagnosis

The doctor, who attended to her on arrival at the hospital, Dr. Adedamola Odebode, said tetanus infection could not have been the cause of her death.

The suspect was said to have gone into hiding after the

unfortunate incident.

Confirming the incident, the state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Adekunle Ajisebutu, said the suspect was still on the run.

He said: “The case has been reported and we are on the look out for the suspect because she is on the run.

“I am using this medium to urge members of the public to give useful information on the whereabouts of the suspect.

“So it is true. We are investigating the incident.”

Family of slain Abuja bizman alleges ‘perversion of justice’

By Esther Onyegbula

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HE family of an Abujabased businessman, Tony Eze, who was murdered November last year at Tungamaje on the outskirts of the Federal Capital Territory, has sent an SOS to the Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, over what they described as “perversion of justice” in the case of their slain brother.

In a petition, solicitor to the family, Mr. Kester Elisa, said after the death of the businessman in November 6, 2014, the Inspector General of Police Special Task Force on Heinous Crime, Garki 11, Abuja, carried out investigations leading to the arrest of six suspects namely: Anayo Eze, Idris Shaibu, alias Calamity, Executioner, Okechukwu Nelson, alias Barrack, Emmanuel Igwe, Samuel Okoro and Augustine Nwamba, alias Jangaza.

According to him, “it is with regrets that five months after the death of the deceased, the matter was formally charged to the High Court of FCT, 2, but

with notable shortcomings and lapses both in the investigations and prosecution.”

zSends SOS to IG

The petition

The petition read: “That it has been established that the principal suspect in the matter, Augustine Nwamba (Jangaza) has compromised so many aspects of investigations.

“Some pages of the statements of the accused persons attached as proof of evidence filed at the High Court, Abuja, especially that of the principal suspect, are missing as only one page out of three was attached.

“The IPO has also failed to investigate further why Zuba Police Station where the killing of the deceased was first reported at 7p.m., failed to respond till about 11p.m.

“The mix up in the numbering of the accused persons names on the charge sheet on April 22, when the matter came up for hearing, prompting the court to order the prosecution to go and rectify same and put his house in order before the next nearing date were all indicators of a shoddy job, which could derail the cause of justice in this

Late Tony Ezeh. matter.

“That the deceased transferred N5 million to the principal suspect for conversion of same to dollars, which he never did before the killing of the deceased, and it is

Policeman shoots 34-yr-old man over N2,000

By Emem Idio

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ENAGOA—A mobile policeman in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, has shot a 34year-old indigene of Bauchi State, Adamu Mohammed, over an argument on N2,000 unpaid fees for a menial job.

According to the family of Mohammed, who resides along the Bay Bridge Road area of Yenagoa, the state capital, the victim was shot last Tuesday at Erepa Road and dumped at the Federal Medical Centre, FMC. While Mohammed’s family claimed he was shot by the mobile policeman after argument with the woman who engaged him for the clearing of a portion of land close to her home at Erepa Road, residents who claimed to have witnessed the incident, said after the

argument with the woman over the right sum to pay for the job and Mohammed’s squabble with a Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, officer, the policeman shot him in the thigh to demobilise him.

Mohammed, who refused to file a formal complaint at the Police Station over fear of further harm by other policemen, accused the woman who awarded him the menial job of cheating.

Victim's story

Mohammed said: “We agreed on N3,000. But after I finished the work, she said she will pay N1,000. I got angry and she called in some policemen guarding the home of a senior police officer on Erepa Road.

“The first person that came was a Civil Defence man and

he claimed I stabbed him, and the mobile policeman, without asking questions, shot me in the thigh.”

The policemen, about three, on guard duty at the residence of the unidentified senior officer, pleaded with Mohammed’s family to allow them raise money for his treatment and leave out formal complaint against them.

Meanwhile, Mohammed, according to the family, has been taken to Bauchi for traditional treatment.

Contacted, spokesman of the state Police Command, Asimi Butswat, said though he was not aware of any formal complaint by the purported victim, the action of the victim was suspicious and has the semblance of an armed robbery suspect.

suspected to be the reason why he (the principal suspect) arranged the killing.

“After the death of his friend, the principal suspect started demanding another N12 million from his family, alleging that the deceased collected the said sum from somebody he has not been able to produce and the IPO has not shown any reason for not investigating this issue further.”

... appeal to IG

The family, therefore, pleaded with the police boss to, as a matter of urgency, withdraw the matter from the court for fresh, further and proper investigations.

They also pleaded that the matter be transferred from the IGP Special Task Force on Heinous Crime to any other reliable and competent department of the police.

While commending the IGP for the focused and dynamic steps he has taken so far after his appointment, they also pleaded that he should give any other directive(s) that he felt will ensure that proper investigation and prosecution was done in the matter.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015—7

100 killed in Benue communities, refugee camps

By Peter Duru

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AKURDI—OVER 100 persons, mostly women, children and the elderly, were feared killed early Sunday morning in villages and refugee camps located at Ukura, Gafa, Per and Tse-Gusa in Logo Local Government Area of Benue State, in one of the bloodiest attacks on Benue communities by suspected Fulani herdsmen.

The areas, which until the latest onslaught, hosted most refugees from previous attacks by the herdsmen, is where the

home town of Governor Gabriel Suswam is located.

Vanguard learned from a reliable source that some of the attackers dressed in military uniform, stormed the affected villages in large numbers and after sacking the communities, matched into the camps and opened sustained fire on the helpless refugees.

He said: “What happened was like a war situation where people were killed like animals, irrespective of their ages and gender. This is, indeed, a sad day for the people of Benue State.

“At the moment, a mass burial is taking place for the over 100 victims whose bodies have so far been recovered.

“Most of them were women, children and the elderly, and they are decomposing already.

“Search for more bodies is still ongoing in the area, because so many persons are still missing and unaccounted for.”

Govt confirms killings

The Senior Special Assistant to Governor Gabriel Suswam on Media Affairs, Mr. Joseph Anawa, confirmed the incident.

He said: “Indeed, over 100

people were killed last Sunday morning when heavily armed suspected Fulani herdsmen, some of whom were dressed in military uniform, stormed the communities from Kente in neighbouring Taraba State.

“They attacked the villages and refugee camps at Ukura, Gafa, Per and Tse-Gusa, where they began shooting indiscriminately at the people at 4a.m. and continued till 10.30a.m.

“As we speak, the communities have been sacked, hundreds of houses, huts, farmland and property worth

Alfa, prophetess defraud bankers of $30,000 zVictim contracted me for money ritual— Suspect

By Esther Onyegbula

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AGOS—TWO staff of a new generation bank (names withheld), simply identified as Temitope and Yusuf, have been allegedly defrauded by an Alfa and a prophetess, identified as Mubarak Abdulahi and Bola Ojo, respectively, in Lagos.

It was gathered that Temitope, a marketer with the bank, met one Ajibola who introduced himself to her as the aide of a renowned politician.

He furthered told her to assist him with the exchange of $30,000 and asked her to bring the money to another bank and collect the naira equivalent.

She agreed after much persuasion with what she stood to gain from the fast deal, unknown to her that she was dealing with fraudsters.

Vanguard gathered that she told her colleague, Yusuf, about the deal since she did not have the money.

Customer's funds

Yusuf withdrew the said amount from a client’s account (names withheld) without permission, went with Temitope to the bureau de change and changed it to $30,000 and then went to the designated bank to give Ajibola the money.

It was learned that when she got to the bank, she called Ajibolatan to inform him that she was at the bank with the said amount.

However, trouble was said to have started after he sent her the office address and asked her to bring the money to his office, that as politicians, it was not safe for them to move around with large sums of money.

She was said to have left Yusuf, who was waiting in the car, boarded a motorcycle and

millions of naira have been destroyed and the inhabitants and survivors have all fled their homes and the communities.”

Neighbours flee

Vanguard further learned that the development had sparked a mass movement of thousands of people, who are fleeing their communities for fear of being attacked and killed by the marauding herdsmen.

Reacting to the development, the paramount ruler of the area, Tor Sankera, Chief Terkura Suswam, who described the attack as unfortunate and condemnable, said he was collaborating with other traditional rulers in the area and the Fulani herdsmen to find a lasting solutions to the problem.

Commenting on the attack, the Police Commissioner, Hyacinth Dagala, said four persons were confirmed killed and that some people were speculating that over 20 to 25 persons were killed.

Dagala, who appealed for calm, said a detachment of policemen had been dispatched to Logo to maintain peace, adding further that calm had returned to affected areas.

STF disrupts Plateau rally; beats women, children

By Marie-Therese Nanlong Prophetess Ojo.

Alfa Abdulahi. went straight to Ajibola’s office at 28, Samson Street. Oke-Odo.

saying the colleague he gave the money was duped.

Spiritual bath, disappearing act

Enter police

Vanguard learned that when she got there, she did not meet Ajibola, but met Mubarak Abdulahi who hypnotised her, gave her a sponge and soap, prayed for her and collected the money.

Abdulahi, it was learned, told her to use the soap and sponge to bath, while Bola Ojo spoke from the background as the voice of a purported holy ghost.

Vanguard gathered that immediately the fraudsters collected the money, they disappeared.

After waiting for two hours, she reportedly ran back to Yusuf and told him that she had been duped.

Meanwhile, the owner of the account debited of N6,036, 000 called Yusuf, her account officer, to ask about the debit.

He was said to have assured her that all was well, that he would pay back the money,

The account owner reportedly petitioned the Commissioner of Police, who then referred the case to the special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, for proper investigation.

During interrogation, Temitope was said to have revealed how she met Adebisi Ajibola in the bank, who is currently at large.

Abdulahi, who had closed his office and relocated to Ilogbo in Ogun State was arrested, and his arrest led to that of Bola Ojo, the prophetess.

Suspects' story

Denying the allegation, 47year-old, Abdulahi said: “I am an Alfa and a native doctor. It was my brother, Ajibola that introduced me to Temi.

“She told me that she wants to do money ritual, came to my house at Egbeda for prayers, that she needed to get pregnant and needed money to start her

own business as she was tired of her banking job, which had become too stressful.

“I told her to bring N5.8 million to purchase the articles to prepare the rituals that would help her get pregnant, and become as wealthy as she desires.

‘Hunch-backed camel’

“She then brought the money which I collected.

“I told her I was going to buy seven camels that have hunch backs to prepare the concoction that will help her get pregnant.

“I have been into fraud for a while. I am married with four children, I am from Ilorin.”

The second suspect, Bola Ojo, said: “I am a prophetess of K&S and founder of K&S Boluwatife Parish, located at Iyana Ipaja.

“I have three children for three different men. He asked me to do prayers for her and afterwards gave me N200,000.

“I know he is an Alfa and most times, I call him to help me perform rituals for my clients.

But Alfa is not my man friend.”

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OS—A peaceful rally at Wase, yesterday, turned violent leaving about six people injured as Special Task Force, STF, officers stationed in the town descended on women and school children, who gathered to participate in the rally, with whips.

The rally was intended to draw attention to the conflicts at Wase. The procession was scheduled to terminate at Wase Divisional Police Headquarters.

Thirty-two participants of the said rally organised by Wase Women Development Association, WAWODA, were reportedly heading to the STF base from nearby Wase Guest House, when the soldiers descended on them.

Interim Coordinator of WAWODA, Hajia Safiya Adamu, said: “We told them we were holding this peace rally and the Sector Commander assured us of our safety. So we cannot understand why they should do this.”

8—Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

Constitution amendment: S-Court urges Jonathan, NASS to settle out of court zConsiders motion for vacation of status-quo order tomorrow

By Ikechukwu Nnochiri

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BUJA— THE Supreme Court, yesterday, urged President Goodluck Jonathan and the National Assembly to seek an amicable settlement of the controversy surrounding the proposed amendments to the 1999 constitution.

A seven-man panel of justices of the apex court, led by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, gave the two parties 24 hours to explore an out-of-court resolution of the matter.

In a short ruling, yesterday, the CJN adjourned the matter till tomorrow to entertain arguments on whether or not the apex court should vacate the order that directed the NASS to maintain status-quo on the issue.

At the resumed sitting on the matter, yesterday, Mr Bayo Ojo, SAN, who represented the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, applied to amend the originating process to reflect President Jonathan as the plaintiff in the case.

His application was opposed by counsel to the NASS, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, who prayed the apex court to strike out the substantive suit and allow the federal lawmakers to proceed with overriding President Jonathan’s veto against the passage of the Fourth Alteration Bill for the amendment of the 1999 Constitution .

Awomolo contended that the suit was incurably defective abinitio, and therefore, ought to be dismissed by the apex court.

Affidavit evidence could not be amended

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court panel noted that the AGF had earlier filed an affidavit in support of the suit, stressing that affidavit evidence could not be amended as prayed.

The CJN specifically noted that the AGF failed to cite all the 36 states of the federation that participated in the constitution amendment process as relevant parties to the suit.

While refusing to vacate the status-quo order, the CJN-led panel advised the warring parties to go back and amicably reconcile their differences.

The CJN had in a ruling he delivered on May 7 ordered the lawmakers to maintain status quo till June 18, saying: “No step should be taken with regard to the subject matter of the suit by either the respondent or the plaintiff.”

Besides, the apex court directed the AGF who filed the suit on behalf of President Jonathan, to prepare to address

it that day on the import of the provisions of section 232 of the 1999 constitution to the suit.

The CJN noted that going by the aforementioned section, only the President himself, and not the AGF, has the locus-standi to invoke the original jurisdiction of the apex court against the NASS. He further observed that it was not only the NASS that was involved in the constitution amendment process, saying the 36 States of the federation, having participated in the exercise, ought to have been joined as necessary parties to the suit.

According to the CJN,

section 232(1) of the constitution conferred the Supreme Court with the original jurisdiction over any dispute between the NASS and the President, not the AGF. However, counsel to the AGF, Chief Ojo, SAN, had insisted before the court that the suit was properly instituted.

NASS prays court to dismiss originating summons

Meantime, members of the outgoing NASS are praying the apex court to discharge the interlocutory orders of injunction that restrained them from amending the constitution.

The NASS in their application, also prayed the court to dismiss the originating summons filed by the Attorney General of the Federation on April 22, on the ground that it is incompetent, fundamentally and incurably defective and thereby robs the Supreme Court of its jurisdiction.

According to them, “there is no known or reasonable cause of action disclosed in the originating summons to ground jurisdiction of the Supreme Court.

“The originating summons filed by the plaintiff is an improper and or reckless invocation of the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court.”

MEETING: President Goodluck Jonathan flanked by the Coordinating Minister for Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Works Minister, Chief Mike Onolememen (4th right) and other members of the National Economic Management Team after the valedictory meeting of the team at the State House, Abuja, yesterday. Photo: Abayomi Adeshida.

Buhari may declare amnesty period for public fund looters

By Levinus Nwabughiogu

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BUJA — A proposal to declare an amnesty period during which individuals who corruptly enriched themselves could return their ill-gotten wealth is one of the proposals being considered to flag off the anti-corruption war of the incoming Muhammadu Buhari administration.

Under the scheme, a panel to recover the ill-gotten wealth plundered from the public treasury would be established.

The panel, it was learnt, would comprise men and women of high integrity.

Under the proposal, a timeline would be fashioned out for the ill-gotten wealth to be returned.

The panel to be established will have the responsibility of tasking the corrupt individuals

on making valuable returns in the form of plea bargains.

A timeline, Vanguard learnt, will be given for the returns and once it expires, there will be full probe of the persons who had returned their ill-gotten wealth and also of others who refused to return theirs.

This, Vanguard learnt, is to ascertain whether such returns were commensurate with the recorded history of looted money.

The investigations would also touch on all other government properties which included buildings. It was not, however, known if the probe would be restricted to the outgoing government of President Goodluck Jonathan.

A highly placed and normally dependable source in the inner caucus of Team Buhari, who disclosed these, said Buhari would shock many Nigerians with the grit and determination

he would show in the fight against corruption.

He affirmed that the conventional anti-corruption agencies like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission, ICPC, would be reorganised and reactivated to play the lead role in the fight against graft.

Asked how quick it will take Buhari to settle down before commencing the fight against corruption, the source, who also has a rich military background, said Buhari has since fathomed how best to make Nigeria work again.

“You don’t want him to start that day? This is a man who has been trying to be president for the last 14 years. So, if he has not made up his mind on how to govern this country all these years, then there is a problem."

Sambo submits handover report to Buhari's c'ttee

By Ben Agande

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BUJA — THE Vice President Namadi Sambo, yesterday, submitted the handover note prepared by the transition committee of the Federal Government to the president-elect’s committee with a promise that he and members of Federal Executive Council under President Goodluck Jonathan were open to questioning.

Sambo handed over the report to the Ahmed Jodaled Buhari’s transition committee.

According to Sambo, the report chronicled the activities of President Jonathan from 2011 till date.

His words: “The handover notes of the Federal Government of Nigeria of this administration between 2011 and 2015 have been properly articulated and printed.

“The Permanent Secretaries of each ministry have signed each page of this report to authenticate it and it is our pleasure to present it to you and pray that it will guide you, guide the incoming administration towards the achievement of positive objectives, development and progress of Nigeria.

“I want to add that all of us are always available, after this report between now and May 29, anytime you need to meet with us, we are ready to come and sit and clarify.

“All the Ministries, Departments and Agencies will also be ready to meet with you, give you any additional clarifications that you would want to have on this report that we are presenting.”

While promising to study the report before final submission to the incoming Buhari’s administration, Joda noted that it appeared everything has been captured in the report.

“It is my honour and my privilege to receive this comprehensive set of report from the government transition committee which was chaired by the Vice President."

Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015—9

Corruption: EFCC closes in on 10 ex-govs zRecovers N65bn, $245m, £693,000, 62,000 euro from corrupt persons zTemporarily suspends Fayose’s corruption trial zSet to declare Modu Sheriff wanted, if…

Assets recovered

By Soni Daniel, Regional Editor, North

A

BUJA — APPARENTLY rattled by criticism that it is not doing enough to tackle corruption, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has closed in on 10 former governors who are standing trial for looting the treasury of their states when they held sway.

Among the suspects, whose cases are being seriously tackled in courts by the antigraft agency with a view to bringing them to account for the huge sum of money they allegedly stole are, Lucky Igbinedion, Chimaroke Nnamani, Saminu Turaki and Joshua Dariye.

Others on the trial list of the commission are Abubakar Audu, Danjuma Goje, Akwe Doma and Jolly Nyame.

Head of Media and Publicity of the commission, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, made the disclosure at a media briefing in Abuja, yesterday.

The commission said, however, the case of corrupt enrichment preferred against Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State had been temporarily put on hold following his election as the governor of the state in line with the immunity clause in the Constitution of Nigeria.

Uwujaren disclosed that apart from seizing the assets of most of the suspects, it had also frozen the accounts of companies linked with the former governors.

He said the former governor of Borno State, Ali Modu Sheriff might be declared wanted if he fails to honour its invitation to answer some questions following a petition against him.

Recovers N65bn, $245m, £693,000, 62,000 euro

The commission said it had so far recovered N65 billion from the suspects.

In the same vein, EFCC said it also recovered $245 million, £693,000 and €62,000 from corrupt individuals and organisations between 2012 and 2014.

The commission used the briefing to dismiss insinuations by two of its former staff, Ms. Juliet Ibekaku and Mr. Michael Nzekwe, that it had not been able to effectively prosecute and convict any corrupt politician in the last eight years.

The commission, which dismissed the claim of the two

agency had made tremendous progress in recovering public funds and assets with billions of Naira from the former governors and their cronies.

VISIT: From left: Alhaji Kadiri Omogbai, the Ogieneni of Uzairue; HRH Otaru of Auchi, Alhaji Aliru Momoh and President-elect, Muhammadu Burhari, during a Jumat Service at the Arafat Mosque, Auchi during the President-elect's visit. former staff as a deliberate attempt to distort fact, warned them to desist from casting the agency in bad light just to score selfish goals.

Ibekaku was quoted as having said during the justconcluded APC Policy Dialogue in Lagos that EFCC had failed the nation in the fight against corruption.

She said at the event: “In the past seven or eight years

since EFCC started, we’ve been hearing about governors who have been in the courts for the past eight years, no conviction, nothing! No assets recovered. And we are still back to square one.

“So, something has to change. And in my mind, what needs to change is the leadership. The second thing that needs to change is the staffing, who are we hiring to work in this place?”

But the agency fired back at

its ex-official, describing her as being driven by a burning, selfish desire to run down the EFCC because she was dismissed from the commission for gross indiscipline.

The commission pointed out that apart from former Bayelsa and Delta governors, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha and James Ibori, that it successfully prosecuted and convicted for corruption, the anti-graft

Giving a breakdown of the assets recovered and accounts of former governors frozen, the EFCC spokesman, said no fewer than 12 landed property in Nigeria and abroad were recovered from Alamieyeseigha and handed over to Bayelsa State Government.

Similarly, the commission disclosed that it had recovered nine choice property from former Plateau governor, Joshua Dariye, and frozen six banks accounts traced to former Jigawa governor, Saminu Turaki.

The anti-graft agency boasted that the former Enugu governor, Chimaroke Nnamani, would soon face the law, as six of the companies charged with him for corrupt practices had already pleaded guilty to the charges, paving the way for his prosecution.

It added that a similar fate awaited the former Edo governor, Lucky Igbinedion, who is being retried afresh after a judge had given him a ‘soft landing’ verdict, adding that his two major property had been confiscated in Benin City by the commission.

The commission said it was wrong for anyone to claim that the agency was not doing enough to tackle corruption in Nigeria, describing the assessment as a mere perception.

Economic mgt: No one is perfect, says Okonjo-Iweala zInsists Jonathan's administration improved lives

By Gabriel Ewepu

A

B U J A — C O O R D I N AT I N G Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has said managing the Nigerian economy under the present administration might not be perfect but the government made good efforts to improve the lives of Nigerians.

She spoke in Abuja, Sunday night, at a reception organised in her honour by Ndi-Igbo Youth Organisation in partnership with Voice of All Arewa Youth, in Abuja.

The minister, who also received a certificate for meritorious service, said she will never regret serving the country under President Goodluck Jonathan despite the criticisms and attacks she has been receiving because, the lives of Nigerians, especially youths and women improved

significantly under the Jonathan administration.

According to Dr. OkonjoIweala, “the youths have been at the centre of the work done by this administration and these are facts on the ground.

You cannot change facts but you can try to twist them and at the end of the day facts will come out. You cannot re-write history, and wake up and say these are things we have done or have not done. A lot of things have been accomplished to transform this economy.

“Is it 100 percent? No, and are we to do more? The answer is yes. Have we done everything perfectly? The answer is no and no one is ever perfect. But have we made very good effort to do? and the answer is a resounding yes.

“The support for the various sectors that created jobs that needs to continue and

programmes like YouWin, they need to continue and those that are not good by all means you can do away with them or make them better.

“No one is perfect but let us build on what is there in order not to lose time on this economy.

Advises youths

“For the youths, don’t allow anyone to re-write history, don’t let anyone change the story because what has been done has been done well and let others who are coming in build on this. When they see they are good let them pick them up and build on them.”

The minister noted that based on statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics, the nation needed to create about 1.8 million jobs each year and that the administration put in place, various programmes towards achieving that goal.

Her words: “The first thing we did to encourage young entrepreneurs was to introduce YouWin and we made a target of about 80,000 jobs both direct and indirect.

This was an idea I got when I was at World Bank.

“As of today, 3, 900 people have benefited from grants of between N1 million and N10 million, and they got it and they did not know anybody. We also gave grant to 1,200 women because women are good entrepreneurs. Today, 22,000 direct jobs have been created and also 88,000 indirect jobs.

“This is one of the programmes I hope the incoming administration will continue because it is a laudable programme and I think is something that will stay a little bit more. We were also able to place 32,000 youths under the Graduate Internship Scheme.”

10—Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

How fuel scarcity crippled Nigeria L

By Chioma Gabriel

AGOS—NIGERIANS across the country have been suffering untold hardship as fuel crisis persisted since the weekend, triggering increase in the price of food commodities, transport fare and general cost of living.

Threats from MTN

Just recently, Nigeria-based S o u t h - A f r i c a n telecommunications giant, MTN Nigeria threatened to shut down its operations across Nigeria due to diesel shortage.

MTN threatened that if it did not receive a significant diesel supply within 24 hours, it would shut down its operations.

A statement by the MTN Nigeria Corporate Services Executive, Akinwale Goodluck read; “MTN’s available reserves of diesel are running low and the company must source for a significant quantity of diesel in very near future to prevent a shutdown of services across Nigeria.

“If diesel supplies are not received within the next 24 hours, the network will be seriously degraded and customers will feel the impact.”

Nigerians from different walks of like told Vanguard in an encounter that if the fuel scarcity does not subside, other major mobile phones operators – Glo, Etisalat and Airtel may be confronted with the same fate as MTN Nigeria.

Shortly after MTN Nigeria threatened shut down due to the fuel crisis, Airtel mobile service provider also indicated that its users may experience difficulties.

“Transport fares have risen to the high heavens. We pay through our noses to get to various destinations and the situation at the home-front is beyond imagination. I used to give my children N200 each everyday but since Thursday, it’s N50 per day for each child.

I have not earned a kobo since the fuel crisis escalated and I’m completely down,” Nathaniel Solomon said.

Hair dressers's plight

Victoria Adeyemi, a hairdresser at Okota expressed dismay over the development.

He said: "I don’t know if it has ever been like this before. I live on daily income and I’m the one that sustains my family. My husband has no job and we have three children. Since the fuel scarcity started, I have not earned a dime. I run my business on fuel and I couldn’t buy fuel anymore and we have not seen a blink in form of power supply as a palliative to the problem.”

Another Lagos resident

narrated how a woman in his compound stole his 25 litre Jerrycan filled with fuel to sustain her husband that returned to Nigeria from Brazil. Emenike Ofoma said he struggled to buy fuel at N150 per litre last Friday only to watch another tenant in the compound where he lives empty the entire product into her generator in order to please her husband.

“It’s really a crazy thing to do.

The woman has been living with her daughter in the same compound with me for over seven years. Just recently, we noticed that a guy had moved in with her and we overheard them quarrelling at night on many occasions. We thought she just got herself a new boyfriend but another neighbour revealed it was her husband who had been based in Brazil that just came home.

“That night, there was power outage as usual and many people stayed outside. I stayed outside till 11pm when I decided to put on my generator. I had fuel inside it and decided to save the N25 litres I just bought but after

everyone had gone inside, I noticed the woman pouring fuel inside her generator. I never knew it was my fuel until daybreak when I saw an empty jerrycan. I confronted her and she broke down telling me she didn’t want her husband to leave her again because of the heat and lack of power supply in Nigeria. She told me how the man abandoned her for seven years with their only daughter to travel and live in Mexico and that now that he is back, she is willing to do anything to keep him with her. I looked at her and decided not to make trouble but she returned the money I spent on the fuel. From that Friday till today (Monday), I have not been able to buy fuel. The fuel I bought for N150 per litre is now selling at N500 per litre.”

In all these, transportation cost has skyrocketed across the country and trekking had become vogue. Motorists and those who do their daily business with petrol complain of spending their fortunes to get the product.

Airtel's message to subsrcibers

Airtel Nigeria sent out messages via SMS to its users to expect “some strain” on its services.

The message read; “Dear valued customers, this is to inform you that due to the nationwide fuel crisis, our services may experience some strain. We are doing everything possible to manage the situation. Thank you for understanding.”

Although other service providers were silent on the issue,many feared that they were facing the same challenge as others.

Lagos worst hit

Lagos appeared to be worst hit as many workers who could not afford transportation to their places of work either stayed home, paid exorbitant transport fares or trekked long distances to their various places of work.

According to residents that spoke to Vanguard, the hardship had never been this bad.

COMMISSIONING: Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State (middle), receiving the certificate of the Festo Authorized and Certified Training, FACT, Centre for Industrial Automation from Managing Director, Festo, Mr Peter Senpiel (right), and Special Adviser to the Governor, Lagos Eko Project, Ms Ronke Azeez, during the commissioning of the centre at Government Technical College, Agidingbi, Ikeja, Lagos.

NYSC deploys 2,300 corps members in Lagos

By Ikenna Asomba

L

AGOS—THE 2,300 corps members deployed to Lagos were yesterday, posted to their various Places of Primary Assignments, PPAs, by the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC. Lagos State Coordinator of the scheme, Mr. Cyril Akhanemhe, who spoke at the Closing Ceremony and End of 21-days Orientation Course of the 2015 Batch ‘A’ Stream I corps members charged them to always maintain good character in their PPAs, noting that good character is better praised than outstanding talent.

Akhanemhe said: “My dear corps members, the next 11 months depict the next step in your service year. There has never been a better time to let the leaves of mediocrity fall from your tree of life. Strive to excel in all your life endeavours. Excellence is a lifestyle, not a coincidence. You will excel if you don’t internalize the habit of excuses.

“May I also remind you that good character is more to be praised than outstanding talent. Most talents are to some extent a gift. Good character, by contrast is not given to us. We have to build it piece by piece, by thought, courage and determination."

Fashola unveils codes of conduct for political office holders

By Olasunkanmi Akoni & Monsur Olowoopejo

L

AGOS—GOVERNOR Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, yesterday, unveiled two sets of code of conducts for political office holders in the state to serve as guiding principles.

Similarly, Fashola signed into law, two bills on the establishment of the Lagos State Health Management Agency titled: Lagos State Health Scheme for residents and Publication of the Laws of Lagos State.

While presenting the Code

of Conduct at the Banquet Hall of Lagos House, Alausa, Ikeja, the governor, explained that “The code of conduct will help make the burden of the incoming administration lighter. It will streamline their process and serve as references to quick solution to questions. The book contains the history of the state.

It will give any public office holder the opportunity to know their role and how they could navigate seamlessly.”

According to him, “the need for the code of conduct became compelling for me as the current administration strategises to quicken government activities.

With this book which is subject to constant review, the incoming government will be speaking with one voice. And I believe that this will assist the government to forge ahead as a team rather than speak as a divided house.”

On the Health Agency Law/ Health scheme, Fashola said

the frequent scarcity of fuel experienced in the country would be completely solved if everyone adheres to the law and order in the country.

The governor noted that fuel and other needs of human beings are worthless without adherence to law and order,

...confirms appointment of 20th Anyagburen

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AGOS—GOVERNOR Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State yesterday confirmed the appointment of Prince Kabiru Adewale as the 20th Ayangburen of Ikorodu.

The new Ayangburen is from the Sotobi of Lasunwon ruling House. His predecessor, the late Ayangburen, Oba Salaudeen Oyefusi joined his ancestors on August 2, 2014.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015 — 11

Oyo, Osun workers begin indefinite strike today

By Ola Ajayi & Gbenga Olarinoye

I

BADAN—WORKERS in Oyo and Osun states are to embark on an indefinite strike from today, following the inability of the two state governments to pay them arrears of salaries owed.

Oyo State government is alleged to be owing its workers five months salaries, while Osun State had also been unable to pay its workers in the last few months.

The leadership of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, in Oyo State has directed all its members to begin an indefinite strike starring from today, saying that this followed a decision reached by the congress in line with the directive of the national secretariat of the congress yesterday.

According to the state NLC Chairman, Mr Waheed Olojede, “the position of the law establishing the NLC ensures that we comply with the directive of our national leadership.”

Olojede further pointed out that immediately a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, on the payment of the salary arrears was signed and consultations held with the NLC national leadership, the strike would be called off.

“Until the MoU acceptable to both the state NLC and government is signed, sealed and delivered, the strike will go on. We appeal to our colleagues to remain calm and peaceful in their conduct while awaiting further directives from our national leadership.

“We urge all workers in the employ of the state to continue to stay at home until we receive a directive from our national leadership."

COMMISSIONING: Osun State Deputy Governor, Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori, representing the governor, (2nd left); Chief Executive Officer, Bank of Industry, BoI, Mr Rasheed Olaoluwa (middle); Executive Director, Small and Medium Enterprise (SME), BoI, Mr Waheed Olagunju (2nd right); MD, Osun Investment Company Ltd, Mr Bola Oyebamiji (left) and IyalojaGeneral, Chief Awawu Asindemade, during the commissioning of BoI staff office in Osogbo, yesterday.

Court summons Adoke, NDLEA boss over siege to Kashamu's Lagos residence L

By Innocent Anaba & Evelyn Usman

AGOS—A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, yesterday, ordered the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Mohammed Adoke, SAN, and the chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Mr Ahmadu Giade to appear before it today, over the siege laid to the Lagos residence of Senator-elect for Ogun East senatorial zone, Prince Buruji Kashamu.

Trial judge, Justice Ibrahim Buba, in a short ruling, after Kashamu’s counsel had complained to the court of the occupation of the Senator-elect’s residence, said: “It is hereby ordered as follows: In view of the urgent nature of this matter and in the light of subsisting judgment and court orders, instead of hearing an ex-parte application, the respondents are ordered to be put on notice to appear in court on 26/5/2015 at 12noon to be heard.

“And in view of the substantive judgement and court orders, time be and is hereby abridged for the respondents to appear,” the judge added.

Meanwhile, the NDLEA said it was doing all within its constitutional power to ensure that Kashamu submits himself, adding that its officials would remain there until he appeared in court.

Kashamu is said to be wanted in the United States of America for alleged drug related crime had refused to be arrested at his Lagos residence, where operatives of the NDLEA had laid siege since

Saturday, insisting that he would only submit to NDLEA upon being shown a warrant order for his arrest.

NDLEA, insisted that Kashamu was on house arrest pending his scheduled appearance in court on Monday (yesterday).

Ealier judgment

Kashamu had earlier secured a judgment from Justice Okechukwu Okeke (now retired) of the Federal High Court restraining the Federal Government from taking steps to extradite him to the United States.

The judgment was upturned by the Court of Appeal but is currently pending at the Supreme Court.

However, when there was fresh move to extradite Kashamu, he again filed another matter before Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court in Lagos, who has fixed May 27 for judgment.

But the NDLEA could not produce Kashamu in court, yesterday, as the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, chieftain reportedly refused to

yield to attempt to take him out of the house.

Kashamu on warrant of arrest

Kashamu insisted that he would not allow the NDLEA officials to take him to court for any extradition hearing until the agency was able to show him a warrant of arrest.

The warrant of arrest of Kashamu was said not to be ready because the agency was yet to file necessary papers in the court to that effect.

However, while that was ongoing, Kashamu’s lawyer, Ajibola Oluyede moved an exparte application before Justice Ibrahim Buba, seeking an order directing the AGF and the NDLEA Chairman, Giade to release his client unconditionally within two hours of the service of the order on them, should it be granted.

NDLEA reacts

A statement by the agency’s Head, Public Affairs, Ofoyeju Mitchell, said: “Senator-elect, Buruji Kashamu has failed to appear in court from his house where he is being closely

monitored by operatives of the agency. The agency is working hard to ensure that he submits himself to the due process of the law. His house remained cordoned off by anti-narcotic officers pending his appearance in court.

“The extradition move by the NDLEA for Kashamu to answer drug trafficking charges is legal.

The agency has not violated his rights and will continue to work within the confines of the law. He has been assured that due process of the law shall be adhered to at every stage.

“NDLEA is the appropriate government agency to implement his extradition request and will diligently pursue the processes to a logical conclusion.

It is expected that Kashamu will willingly submit himself to the laws of the country under which he seeks to serve as a senator.”

Kashamu’s counsel, Oluyede also filed motion on notice to commence committal proceedings against the AGF and Giade, and in the ex-parte application, he sought restraining orders against the respondents pending the hearing and determination of the committal proceedings.

Navy to mark 59th anniversary with sea trip

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By Evelyn Usman

AGOS—IN an apparent move to strengthen civilMilitary relations, the Western Naval Command,WNC, of the Nigerian Navy yesterday said its ships would be opened to members of the public, Thursday for a sea trip.

The sea trip according to the Flag Officer Commanding, FOC Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Jonathan Ango , was part of activities to mark the NN 59th anniversary, as well as to avail interested persons of the workings of the Navy.

The FOC in a statement signed by the Command

Information Officer, Lieutenant Commander Abdulsalam Sani explained that the ships would be opened to the public by 8am.

According to him: "Interested members of the public who wish to participate in the sea trip are expected to be at the Nigerian Navy Ship, NNS, BEECROFT Naval Base

Apapa or Naval Dockyard Limited Victoria Island Jetties on Thursday, May 28, 2015 by 8:30am. In addition, same day, the ships of the Nigerian Navy would be opened to visitors from 8:30am to 6:00pm.

Members of the public, including friends of the Navy, are invited to avail themselves of this opportunity.”

12—Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

PDP dismisses Rivers LG polls as charade R

IVERS State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, yesterday dismissed the local government elections held on May 23 in the state by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC. State Chairman of the party, Mr Felix Obuah, in a statement in Port Harcourt, said: “Following claims by the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Rivers State that council elections were held in the state on May 23, 2015, we call on Rivers people to disregard the report as there were no such elections in the state but a charade and futile exercise.

“We consider claims by the APC and the outgoing Governor Rotimi Amaechicontrolled RSIEC of conducting the so-called council elections in Rivers State on Saturday as a farce, fraudulent, illegal and in fragrant disobedience to an order by a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt that status quo be maintained on the matter.”

Obuah added that the duration announced for the socalled elections contravened relevant sections of the Electoral Act and laws establishing RSIEC, which stipulate duration for preparation, conduct of primaries and submission of names of candidates, screening and campaigns by

the various political parties participating in the elections, and that before an election will hold, an Election Tribunal must be inaugurated.

He added that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had openly denied releasing certified Voters Register to RSIEC, in compliance with a court order.

“The law states that upon request, INEC will release to RSIEC Certified Voters

Register to conduct local government elections.

“If any council election was held, what then was used, since INEC did not release the voters register for the election? Against this background, we declare the council polls purportedly held on May 23, as a deliberate contravention of the law, as INEC did not release the duly certified voters register to RSIEC, the body that allegedly conducted the

VISIT: From left: Chief Joe Obuseh, former Director of DSS; Olorogun O'tega Emerhor, Delta State APC governorship candidate in the last election and President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, during a visit by Delta State APC leaders to the president-elect in Abuja.

Edo HOS clears air on deductions from workers’ pension scheme

By Gabriel Enogholase

B

ENIN—EDO State Head of Service, Mr. Igbaekemen Obazele, has said that deductions from workers’ Contributing Pension Scheme in the state would be paid into an account known as “Transitional Contributing Account.”

Obazele, who addressed permanent secretaries in the state civil service in Benin, denied allegations by trade unions that the money deducted would be paid into an individual account. He explained the decision of the government to commence the deduction with effect from March but with the date of commencement being May, 2015.

He also denied that the state government had appointed pension fund administrators, saying that the state government will not do so because it

C M Y K

elections on Saturday.”

He reiterated that in the eyes of the law, the PDP and Rivers people, there was no council elections in Rivers State on May 23, 2015.

“We, therefore, urge members of the PDP, Rivers people and Nigerians at large, to ignore any announcement of results of the purported council elections and the alleged issuance of certificates of return to any person,” Obuah said.

was the right of the workers to choose their PFAs. He urged the permanent secretaries to hold interactive sessions with workers in their various ministries to educate them on the position of the state government.

On cases of indiscipline

which he said had become the bane of the civil service, the Head of Service challenged the permanent secretaries to wake up to their responsibilities by tackling the ugly trend, lamenting that indiscipline was increasing by the day and will no longer be tolerated by government.

I've been a slave to my people —Delta SSG

By Festus Ahon

A

SABA—WITH less than three days to his exit from government, Secretary to Delta State Government, SSG, Mr Ovuozorie Macaulay, has said that he has been a slave to his people, the Isoko ethnic nationality, in his 12 years in government.

Macaulay, while presenting what he termed My Stewardship in Government, to his people at Oleh, Isoko South Local Government Area of the state, said he contributed

immensely, both in cash and kind, to the upliftment and development of the Isoko nation.

He added that he influenced several juicy appointments and projects to his people, adding: “I was instrumental to several appointments and projects in Isokoland. I also contributed to the Oleh campus of Delta State University, financially and otherwise and through my efforts, roads, electricity, jobs and so many other things were done in several Isoko communities."

Look beyond oil, Orubebe tells South South

By Dapo Akinrefon

I

MMEDIATE past Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe, has called on the Niger Delta region to initiate a roadmap aimed at diversifying the region’s economy, saying that the oil boom has kept the region in poverty.

Orubebe, who spoke on The place of the Ijaws in Nigeria: A Call to Strategic Action, at a seminar organised by the Ijaw Professional Association, IPA, in Lagos, said that it was imperative for leaders of the South South, especially the Ijaw nation, to come up with a roadmap that will create employment for its people.

He said: “Because of oil, we have abandoned what God gave to us. We have people who are naturally fishermen and palm oil tappers. You heard when I spoke about Ogogoro (local gin), which is celebrated in China, but the authorities here are not doing anything to improve on it."

Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015—13

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14—Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

Gov Lamido tasks APC govt on campaign promises

By Aliyu Dangida

D

U T S E —O U TGOING Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State has criticised the incoming administration of the All Progressives Congress, APC, for giving excuses for its inability to implement its campaign promises even before taking over power, saying that Nigerians would not tolerate any failure on its part.

Lamido spoke while performing his last public function in Dutse, the state capital where he commissioned the N302 million Jigawa State Independent Electoral Commission, JSIEC. His words: “We heard them asking Nigerians for patience on their inability to implement their electoral promises.

"They also said that they can’t achieve everything overnight and that everything should be done gradually.

Which gradually? Is it now that they know that everything should be gradual?"

Electricity supply down by 2,000mw, says FG ...appeals for calm

By Chris Ochayi

A

BUJA—THE Federal Government said yesterday that the nation has recorded a loss of over 2,000 mega watts in the national grid due to shortage of gas supply to the thermal plants.

The government in a statement signed by the Chairman of the National electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, Dr. Sam Amadi explained that only five out of 23 power plants are currently generating electricity.

Dr. Amadi said that the Commission noticed with concern the acute shortage of power supply and the attendant hardship Nigerians are passing through.

He said “In the last couple of months, electricity supply has been generally poor on account of increase in vandalism in the run up to the April 2015 elections.

But this bad supply condition has worsened in the last few days.”

According to him: “At present, 18 out of the 23 power plants in the country are unable to generate electricity due shortage of gas supply to the thermal plants with one of the hydro stations faced

with water management issue.

This has led to loss of over 2,000mega watts in the national grid.

“This situation is further compounded by the recent industrial actions embarked upon by workers in the oil and gas industry, a development which is taking toll on other sectors of the economy. Gas supplies to the thermal plants have been further constrained by the industrial actions of workers in the oil and gas industry.

“The Commission had proactively engaged the gas supply companies and its licensees when two weeks ago discussion was held on how to firm up gas supply in order to increase power supply.

“Unfortunately, not much progress was made through this meeting as NNPC and its subsidiary Nigeria Gas Company, disclosed high incidence of vandalism in some areas that were relatively peaceful along its pipeline networks.

“That meeting was told of the damage done to Trans-Forcados pipeline in the western axis and elps gas pipeline in the eastern axis. Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation had explained at the meeting that repair works are being intensified even as it expressed worry on the integrity of the pipelines on account of incessant damage it has sustained.

“In essence, what has brought about this development is the

increased incidence of vandalism which is beyond the control of the regulator and the industry operators. This situation is further compounded by the industry actions declared by the oil and gas workres.

“However, we have continued to engage with relevant authorities on how fast we can address shortage of gas supply to the thermal plants. We are also engaging with the industry operators on how to improve electricity supply.

“The Commission regrets the hardships which Nigerians are being subjected to on account of this development as we intensify efforts to bring the situation under control in the shortest possible time.”

SPEAKERSHIP: Gbajabiamila, Dogara get

support from different groups

By Emman Ovuakporie & Emman Ovuakporie

A

BUJA—THE two leading contenders for speaker of the House of Representatives in the next dispensation, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila and Yakubu Dogara, yesterday, received support from two divergent groups in their continuing bid.

While the Gbajabiamila campaign claimed to have received the support of 179 members-elect, the Dogara group claimed to have gotten the endorsement of 213 members-elect as confirmed supporters.

The Director General, Gbajabiamila Speakership Campaign Organisation, Rep James Faleke in a statement issued in Abuja yesterday affirmed that the North was now fully supporting Gbajabimila upon the support the outgoing minority leader gave to Aminu Tambuwal’s aspiration for speaker in 2011. He also affirmed

Gbajabimila’s qualification for the top job in the House.

“Taking a look at Femi Gbajabiamila’s candidacy, Gbajabiamila is a meritorious candidate whose competency and integrity is at no time in doubt. In the last 8years out of his 12 years experience in the House, he has led the opposition fearlessly and resisted all antidemocratic moves even at the risk of his life.

Meanwhile, Rep. Babangida Mahuta in a statement on behalf of Dogara’s supporters yesterday said the group had confirmed the support of 213 members-elect.

He said: “The Consolidation Group is glad to announce that not fewer than 213 members have endorsed the candidature of Hon. Yakubu Dogara as Speaker of the House of Representatives.

“All the 213 members have signed up to work for the emergence of Hon. Dogara aa speaker of the 8th House of Representatives.

“Our membership is drawn from all political parties and from all the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Terrirtory, FCT. “We are determined to unite the 8th House and consolidate on the achievements of the 7th Assembly under the leadership of our most able and amiable leader Rt. Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal.

“We call on other members of the House and members-elect who have not sign up to the Consolidation Project to do so as the Dogara project is for all members.

“We call on members and the general public to take this as the official position of the Dogara project.”

'Those denying Emerhor as APC financier are ingrates'

By Christopher Njoku

A

CHIEF TAIN of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Delta State, Ogbueshi Sam Abumujor, has described persons denying the role APC governorship candidate for Delta, Olorogun O’tega Emerhor, has been playing as the main financier of the party in the state “as ingrates at best or non-members of the party.”

Addressing newsmen, yesterday, in Asaba, Abumujor claimed that “one of the greatest challenges we faced in this party is so-called leaders not willing to sacrifice from their pocket for the greater good of the party, yet insisting on getting what they clearly did not work for.”

Alleging that certain members of the

party were “PDP spies in our midst,” Abumujor claimed that “Olorogun Emerhor is not only our chief financier, but also the most reliable person party members could regularly approach to fund party activities before, during and after the elections.”

According to him: “All these people making all the noise, claiming they financed the party, how come we never received any support from them while suffering for the party in the field.

Many of them were nowhere to be seen and the only person we still ended up running back to was the same Chief O’tega.

“Even more tragic is the fact that many of them collected money from O’tega and disappeared without conscience.”

Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015—15

APC youths vow to make in-road in South East

By Vincent Ujumadu

A

S PART of moves to ensure that All Progressives Congress, APC, had a firm root in the South East geo-political zone, the zonal office of the party has been opened in Awka, Anambra State.

The event attracted youth leaders of the party from all the 36 states of the federation, under the aegis of All Progressives Youth Forum, APYF. National secretary of the union, Mr. Obi Oscar, vowed on the occasion that APC would do everything humanly possible to take over all the South East states during the next election.

“Our main focus is the journey ahead and we are not ready to fold our arms in the zone again," he said.

The South East coordinator of the group, Mr. Ozoemenam Unegbu, said the group would inaugurate its local government coordinators immediately to ensure that what happened during the 2015 election did not repeat itself in the zone.

Group protests non-inclusion in FG's amnesty programme N

IGER DELTA youth volunteer group in Imo State, under the aegis of Imo Youth Congress, IYC, has expressed grievances over their non-inclusion in the Federal Government amnesty programme.

The youths who yesterday besieged Imo State Government House, Owerri, with placards bearing inscriptions, “No Documentation No Peace” “Our Name is our Demand”, “IYC say Document us,” threatened to breach the existing peace in the area, if government failed to include them in the amnesty programme.

Leader of the group, Mr. Bobby Uzoma, said they were at Government House to press home their demand, regretting that since they handed over their arms to government in 2011, they had not benefitted from the amnesty programme like their counterparts in other Niger Delta states.

Mr. Uzoma appealed to the state government to consider their demands, with a view to finding a lasting solution to the problems of violence in the oil producing areas of the state.

Responding on behalf of the state governor, the Chief of Staff, Government House, Sir Jude Ejiogu, commended the group for its peaceful disposition and assured them

that government would liaise with the necessary authorities for prompt, positive action.

He further assured that the government of Governor Rochas Okorocha was poised to

promote the welfare of Imo youths.

He urged the youths to continue to uphold peace, even while making their demands.

Anambra courts under lock as JUSUN resumes strike

By Vincent Ujumadu

A

WKA—ANAMBRA State branch of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria, JUSUN, yesterday lived up to its threat to resume the strike suspended in March this year by putting the court complexes across the state under lock.

The union suspended the strike, following an agreement reached with the state

government but by yesterday, JUSUN said the government had reneged on the terms of agreement.

Litigants at the state high court, including politicians who had matters at the Election Petition Tribunal, which is located in the judiciary

Cleric decries environmental degradation in Nigeria

By Chidi Nkwopara

O

WERRI—THE Anglican Bishop of Okigwe South Diocese, Rt. Rev. David O.C. Onuoha, has decried the way Nigerians take interest in carelessly destroying the environment.

Bishop Onuoha, who expressed his lamentation while addressing participants at this year’s Diocesan Synod, also opined that indiscriminate bush burning, felling of trees without replanting, as well as killing of wild animals in the name of games, adversely affected the nation’s environment.

“The radiation being emitted daily, as well as carbon monoxide being released by users of generators, machines and automobiles, contribute to environmental pollution,” Bishop Onuoha said.

While noting that through careless dumping of toxic wastes and oil spillage the nation’s environment were no longer habitable.

He also lamented that rivers were often polluted

and aquatic life poisoned.

“We have no other planet to relocate to if we’d amaze this one. Many of our gutters are dirty and smelly. ‘’We should learn the discipline of keeping our environment clean, both our homes, food, water, toilets, church compounds, offices and roads,” he pleaded.

The cleric lamented that the markets where Nigerians buy their food needs were like refuse dumps and breeding ground for flies, mosquitoes and cockroaches.

He said: “The war against malaria and cholera has become has become difficult to win because of our dirty habits.

Most people still eat and dump waste materials and urinate and even defecate anywhere they see.”

He then reminded Nigerians that God made them stewards of the environment and would require outright account on the day of reckoning.

complex, went home disappointed as the gates of the High Court complex were firmly locked.

In a notice pasted on the gate of the court, JUSUN regretted government’s failure to comply fully with the Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, which government entered into with the union.

It also condemned government’s inability to release one-third of arrears of capital votes for the first quarter to Anambra State Judiciary Service Commission as contained in paragraph 8 (a) of the MoU. A statement by JUSUN vice chairman, Comrade Blessing Nwosu, and financial secretary, Comrade Tony Ughanze, said: “Union, hereby, resumes the suspended strike with effect from May 25 and, therefore, directs the union members to stay at home, pending full compliance of MoU.” Chief Registrar of Anambra High Court, Mrs. Doris Ezeani, had last Friday hinted of the impending strike, expressing sadness over the plan of the workers to embark on another strike soon after a prolonged one.

She, however, said there was nothing the judiciary could do about it, noting that the strike would affect justice delivery in the state and the morale of the workers, who were eager to work.

Addax donates tractor, farm input in Imo

By Chidi Nkwopara

O

WERRI—THE second phase of Addax Petroleum’s funded Agricultural Support Scheme has been actualized in Imo State, with the donation of a farm tractor, agroprocessing machines and agricultural inputs to beneficiaries.

Speaking during the handover of the materials at Izombe, Oguta local government area of Imo State, the company ’s Community Relations Manager, CRM, Mr. Emeka Obi, disclosed that the first phase of the programme was the sending of 32

beneficiaries from their host communities for training at the National Root Crops Research Institute, NRCRI, Umudike, Abia State.

“We are today, handing over two million pieces of improved cassava stems, 60 bags of fertilizer, many cartons of herbicides, sprayers and wears, a tractor and it’s accessories, as Weill as five mini garri processing plant,” he said.

Although he resisted the temptation of disclosing the monetary implication of the entire package, Obi, however, reminded the beneficiaries of the programme that the market would always be there for their products.

16—Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

FUEL SCARCITY: Chaos at filling stations in Lagos

People at Capital oil filling station on Ojodu Berger Bridge, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, yesterday, in search of fuel with their jerry cans. Photos: Lamidi Bamidele & Akeem Salau

Traffic jam along Lagos-Ibadan expressway caused by queue for fuel at Capital Oil filling station by Berger Bus Stop along the expressway yesterday.

Capital Oil filling station, yesterday, without any breathing space, a scary Long queue at Nationwide filling station, selling fuel at the rate of N150 per litre on Ogba College Road, Yaya Abatan, Lagos. situation that even prevented the management from selling.

Arms, cash and ammunition recovered from Boko Haram at Dikwa, Borno

Arms, cash (foreign currencies), and ammunition recovered from Boko Haram after Dikwa attack in Borno State. Here, the gory scene abandoned by the insurgents who lost 30 persons, upon response by the Nigerian Military.

C M Y K

Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015—17

I

T is all going to happen within four days. Four days to the great national revival and renewal. Four days to the rejuvenation and restoration of the Nigerian economy.

Four days to the great “changi” we have all been waiting for. Four days to the arrival of the Nigerian messiah, Muhammadu Buhari. I am sure we all can hardly wait.

In four days time, there will be an end to the problems of Nigeria. Corruption will be killed. NEPA will be reborn.

Youth unemployment will be a thing of the past. The international oil market will stabilise. The naira will find its level. Petrol will sell for 40 naira per litre.

The Boko Haram will lay down their arms. Fulani herdsmen will stop their killings. Our cotton mills will roar back to life.

The groundnut pyramids will reappear. Our cocoa farmers will laugh all the way to the bank. Our hospitals will stop being consulting clinics. Our universities will once again become ivory towers of learning.

Hallelujah We will achieve all this “changi” because Muhammadu Buhari will make a transition from president-elect to president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. May 29th will no longer be known as Democracy Day. It will henceforth be Buhari Day. On Friday, we will finally bid goodbye to the PDP, and usher in the APC who will rule Nigeria for the next 60 years!

I can hear vice-presidentelect Osinbajo saying: “Let everybody shout hallelujah!”

However, the hallelujahs have been dying down lately.

The “Amen and Amen” are getting few and far between.

Believers are becoming uncertain.

Cynics and skeptics are beginning to come out of the woodwork.

The Buhari brigades are fast losing their mojo. Indeed, if the election were to be reheld today, many would not even bother to vote for their Daura favourite-son. Not much is heard anymore of “Sai Buhari; sai Baba!” The wedding is on Friday, but we are not even sure anymore whether the bridegroom will show up.

Buhari's supporters are no longer as bullish as they used to be. They are no longer sure if there will be “changi” after all. Some now hasten to insist they did not vote for Buhari; they voted against Jonathan.

They are now likely to point out that Buhari is not a magician. They would have us know that Rome was not built in a day. But nobody bothered about these truths during the election campaign.

Then, Buhari was presented as the answer to every question.

He was sold as the solution to every problem.

Goodluck, President-elect Buhari

Illusory change I am a Nigerian who lives in Nigeria. It is in my interest for Buhari to succeed. I am the potential beneficiary of every Buhari success. But I don’t see him succeeding because APC told too many lies in order to get him elected. They built up expectations to unrealistically high levels.

They are not going to be able to tamp down those expectations now. They are simply going to be left to drown in them.

There is an expiration date for the current penchant to blame the PDP for everything.

That date is May 29, 2015.

The blame-game has served its purpose. It has secured APC the certificate of occupancy to Aso Rock.

What Nigerians need to know now is what the APC has to offer.

Alas, in that department, Buhari and his cohorts do not seem to have a clue. They are now just holding conferences at this late hour in order to put together a road map. By all indications, that road map leads to nowhere.

“Power must return to the North. Power must return to the North.” We have heard this chant for the better part of six years. Congratulations are now in order: power has returned to the North. Now what is the North going to do with this power? Will this power be used to revamp the Nigerian economy? Or is it merely fulfilling the imperatives of “Turn-by-turn Nigeria Limited?” Will the power now light up our home and industries? Will it be used to overwhelm the Boko Haram?

Not likely! Those who wanted power to return to the North are now calling for amnesty for the cold-blooded Boko Haram killers. Could it be that their insurgency has fulfilled its purpose? Those who insisted power must return to the North certainly did not make this demand in order to make Nigeria great.

They made the demand because they are hungry.

They want a Northern lion share of the national cake.

Anti-corruption is anathema to their agenda. In the anti-

corruption campaign, Buhari is on his own. He is a loneranger. He cannot even secure the unflinching support of members of his own APC party.

Corruption incorporated One of the myths of the last presidential election is that it was won and lost on the platform of anti-corruption.

Nothing could be further from the truth. The APC and the PDP are yin and yang. Neither party is anti-corruption. As a people, Nigerians are definitely not anti-corruption. From the mechanic to the plumber to the dentist to the policeman to the Senator; Nigerians are corrupt.

In Nigeria, we live and breathe corruption.

The new class of 2015 in the National Assembly is not anticorruption.

One of our Senators-elect is already wanted for drug-smuggling in the United States. These people cannot be expected to fight corruption. What is likely to happen is that they will fight Buhari’s pretensions to anticorruption to a standstill.

In my youth, there was the story of Ali Monguno, a federal minister from the North-East, who was hated by his people.

Their angst against him was that he was not corrupt. His people found it unacceptable that while other ministers were corrupt; their own representative was foolish

In order to achieve anything meaningful as president within the first 100 days, General Buhari is going to need all the good luck he can get

enough to be upright. They wanted to be fully represented in the corruption at the national level. They wanted a representative thief for Borno in Lagos.

Buhari does not understand this propensity. As long as we continue within the current federal framework where the centre controls far more resources than all the states combined, the issue of corruption will remain with us. As long as Buhari sits in Abuja with 55% of national resources to which he and most Nigerians are abstracted, so long will there be corruption in Nigeria. As long as the whole point of government is the allocation of resources deemed to belong to nobody and to everybody, even so will the emphasis be on dividing the cake rather than on baking it.

If you steal the money of cocoa farmers, you will have to answer to cocoa farmers.

But if you steal Nigeria’s oil wealth, you are the man. To deal with corruption structurally, you have to deal with Nigeria’s lopsided federal structure. But the issue of fiscal federalism does not feature at all in Buhari’s anti-corruption road map.

Political dynamite In any case, any attempt by the in-coming Buhari administration to address the allegations of corruption under Goodluck Jonathan is bound to be problematic. Out of 55 years of Nigeria’s existence, the South-South has only been in power for five years. You cannot prosecute corruption in the five years of SouthSouth rule without being accused of ignoring corruption in the 50 years of North-West and South-West rule.

In many respects, SouthSouth corruption while in government is justifiable in view of North-West and South-West corruption while in government. Since the oil is from the South-South, the geo-political zone is entitled to its own oil billionaires as those of the North and the South-West. Why should Theophilus Danjuma and Folorunso Alakija be oil billionaires when the sons and the daughters of the Niger

Delta are not?

These questions will continue to haunt any and every attempt at addressing past corruption in Nigeria.

Anti-corruption is good public relations, but it is no substitute for a viable programme for economic growth. In the final analysis, it is all sound and fury signifying nothing. Making a difference means ending the petrol shortage. It means increasing electricity generation and distribution.

It means providing jobs for unemployed youths. It means providing social security for the teeming poor. In these practical decibels of government, the APC is at sea.

It simply has no idea what to do.

Running against time Buhari has just 100 days to make a difference. After that, all bets are off. With the same measure the APC used, it will be measured back to it. APC used social media masterfully to defeat PDP. They will now come to understand what it means to govern in the age of social media. They called Jonathan “clueless.” They must know that new names are in the offing for Buhari.

Some are already going viral.

But I leave it to others to conduct the namingceremony.

Complaints about how bad things are will just not cut it.

Buhari cannot expect to get any sympathy from Nigerians. He showed no sympathy for the plight of Goodluck Jonathan. He deserves none in return. If the economy is in bad shape as a result of the drastic drop in oil prices, that fact was known before the election.

Nevertheless, he asked for the job. No point in telling us now what is wrong with the job or how difficult it is. You were elected to overcome the difficulties.

In my youth, I used to sing a popular Yoruba song. It says: “Omo n’wase, o ri’se. Ise to wa lo ri.” It means: “the chap looking for a job, got a job. You got the job you were looking for.” Buhari wanted to be president.

He ran for president four times. He is finally the president-elect.

But one week to his inauguration, he runs away to London. He is already tired, even before the job begins.

Is he sick? Does he need regular medical attention?

The General talks a lot about the need for transparency in government. However, he does not seem to understand that this must also apply to his personal life as a public official.

In order to achieve anything meaningful as president within the first 100 days, General Buhari is going to need all the good luck he can get. However, Goodluck will be leaving Aso Rock unfailingly on 29th May, 2015.

18 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015 NIGERIANS and their democracy are unique. If elsewhere people delight in the capacities of their government to deepen their liberties, broaden opportunities, our democracy is delivered as structures, visible and tangible. We call them dividends of democracy.

The lure of dividends – a throw back to the days when the economy supported companies making returns to shareholders – has created an array of expectations.

People expect democracy to translate to instant wellbeing.

Politicians egg them on in the desires for a better life, which they paint in rosy strokes during campaigns, but often do not deliver.

Where people expect employment, health services, rural development, security, education, governments point to peace and unity (currently eluding many parts) as dividends of democracy.

Dividends of democracy manifest in renovated schools, repainted hospitals, more vehicles for the

Our Unique Democracy judiciary and security agencies. They are celebrated as if their impacts would in a wave wipe out the deep-seated issues distracting the country.

One of them is the tendency to deny the people their rights to choose, especially their leaders. Choice as a foundation of democracy is reflected in the importance and regularity of elections. The decisions about leaders should be made in fairer setting and in ways that produce leaders whose acceptability derives from the processes, at every level, across the country.

Equating physical developments with gains of democracy could result in dissipating the more important aspects of democracy and by extension

accepting any form of rule, as long as it builds better roads and bridges.

Democracy is deeper. The liberties of democratic rule since 1999 are reminders of the possibilities of democratic governance.

Democracy awards us vast liberties which our Constitution enunciates. We must expand our peoples’ rights to life, to ownership of property, to participation in the economy and most importantly, their participation in politics. The rights to security of lives and property are facing challenges; they should be tackled more decisively. Rights have prospered or withered in various measures in the past 16 years. Nigerians

like to be heard, they have been talking.

Is anyone listening? More people are agitating for more States or local governments. Others want restructuring, to award the States more powers. Would Nigerians be free to live in any part of Nigeria? Democracy should induce more economic competition among Nigeria’s federating units and improve lives.

Democracy is about the people. The consistent exclusion of the people in decisions about them is undemocratic.

It is at the centre of the agitations that question the relevance of democracy and minimises people’s stake in Nigeria.

Our democracy can be saved from being a ritual when governments are about the people and for the people.

OPINION

APC, face the real issues(2)

By Ugochukwu Ejinkeonye Continued from yesterday pg 18

F

OR instance, the defunct “NewPDP” owes its emergence to Babangida Aliyu, the PDP Governor of Niger State, whose bitter agitation for a PDP presidential candidate of Northern extraction for the 2015 elections moved his colleagues from the North (and one governor from the South South who must have been promised that he would benefit from the “nationalistic” mutiny) to file behind him. Soon we began to hear about the G-7 governors who later named themselves the “NewPDP” whose sole agenda was to produce, not a more efficient president, but just a president from the North.

Their eventual merger with other likeminds gave birth to what became the APC. Although Governors Aliyu, Sule Lamido and some others chose to stay back in the PDP, it is obvious that they never purged themselves of their original agitation and agenda. They probably chose to operate from within.

That is why despite their enormous incumbency powers and influence, Governors Aliyu and Isa Yuguda of

Bauchi lost their senatorial bids to lesser-known candidates and even the “very popular” Governor Sule Lamido could not get his anointed PDP governorship candidate elected in Jigawa State because, even very close to the elections, he was reportedly still reluctant to campaign for the presidential candidate of his own party even as he could be heard occasionally speaking glowingly about the APC presidential candidate – his brother. Of

Of course, our brilliant analysts would not dare to describe these people as “tribalistic.” As if “nationalism” is one long, winding road which if you continue to follow tenaciously will lead you to Daura while “tribalism” is a wide expressway that speedily takes one to Onitsha Bridge !

course, these untidy political activities by these PDP stalwarts may have succeeded in confusing the electorate which went on to vote for “change” in all the elections (which to many of them, might just mean, voting for “our own person” no matter his vision and competence).

Of course, our brilliant analysts would not dare to describe these people as “tribalistic.” As if “nationalism” is one long, winding road which if you continue to follow tenaciously will lead you to Daura while “tribalism” is a wide expressway that speedily takes one to Onitsha Bridge ! I think we should be sick and tired of contaminating national discourse with this kind of selfdeceiving claptrap.

Well, although, Buhari has suddenly realised (after reeling out tantalising promises during the campaigns) that he is not “magician” or “miracle worker” and is now asking us to tone down our expectations, the APC should not lose sight of the high hopes it unduly (some would say, recklessly) raised among Nigerians just to grab their votes. As the report of Buhari’s appeal for patience from Nigerians (since he now believes that the promised “change” may not come as quickly as he made Nigerians believe it would) appeared in the Vanguard of

Wednesday, May 6, 2015, the questions on the lips of several Nigerians are: did he not do his research very well, and counted the cost, before he began to reel off those clearly unrealistic promises to Nigerians during the campaigns? And how does his coming out to sing a different tune after he has won the elections make him to look before Nigeria ?

That is why I think that instead of going about looking for some clearly inconsequential matters to feel “sad” about, the APC leaders should hasten to rouse themselves to the yawning reality that the campaigns are over and all eyes are now on them to demonstrate that they are capable of providing the quality leadership they so loudly promised Nigerians.

What exactly does their promised “change” mean in practical terms? How soon will the naira acquire the same value as the US dollar? When are we expecting to witness uninterrupted electricity supply, the one free meal a day for school pupils or the payment of allowances to discharged but unemployed NYSC members? The list is endless.

Concluded *Mr. Ejinkeonye, a commentator on current affairs , wrote from Lagos.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015— —19

Ending in an anti-climax

By Sunny Ikhioya

T

HE events that have taken place since the outcome of the 2015 presidential election opened us to new revelations, a sort of an eye opener to the reality of the type of people we have allowed to govern us these past sixteen years. In the last one month, the nation has been in stasis, no, in recess. The consequences of the electoral outcome have revealed to us that the PDP as a party was founded on nothing, governed on nothing and is leaving a legacy of nothing to write about. For those who have wished for President Goodluck Jonathan to continue and have expressed our views forcefully in the public domain, the apocalypse is too heavy to comprehend.

Elections are no do or die affair.

If you lose, there is always another time as long as you hold on to your principles and be consistent in providing a viable alternative to what the incumbent government has to offer. That is what the APC had done and now that they are coming into power, it is expected that the other party will begin to give them a dose of their own medicine but what do we have?

A band of unprincipled, predatory, selfish and

unpatriotic human beings, people whom we have looked up to these past sixteen years as leaders in our political space, people whom others have taken as role models, have all turned out to be hustlers, and neo capitalist traitors who do not care if the nation goes down or not as long as their selfish interests are served. These are the people who have helped President Jonathan govern this country these past six years and because he would no longer be there, it is now ‘to your tent everyone’.

They are now massively drifting towards the incoming APC government, trying to be strategically positioned to continue from where they branched of from the Jonathan administration.

It is better for the PDP to die and another party resurrects from its ashes than for these left-over to continue. Even in defeat, the party is still imploding and there is competition amongst the remnants to bring the party to its knees. This will make the nation witness one of the most acrimonious and depressing civilian hand-over in our history. What we have witnessed this past month is nothing but sabotage, people have eyes but cannot see and ears and cannot

hear, that is the situation we have found ourselves.

How does one explain the halt of governance? A government that has seen the least disruption in the history of fuel supply since 1999, suddenly found itself in serious fuel crisis at the twilight of its departure. No fuel, no transport. Therefore no means of conveying workers to their place of place. Companies are shutting down operations and flights cancellations, the outgoing government and the fuel marketers cannot come to an agreement on the actual amount that is been owed them, meanwhile, the people are suffering.

The PHCN has been handed over to private companies in the past two years and presently, there is power blackout all over.

Its officials are carried away with the euphoria of victory and have become so arrogant issuing unnecessary threats

Buhari and Saraki, an ideal complement

By Mike Nkwocha

T

HERE is no doubt that the All Progressive Congress, APC's victory in the last general election will take Nigeria in a different direction from the People's Democratic Party, PDP, leadership of the past 16 years. In recent times, the only presidential contender that has attracted enormous public confidence in his ability to tackle plethora of problems confronting our nation is General Mohammed Buhari, the President -Elect. The expectations are too high and the pressure for a quick-fix is already on. But we should all realise that the General does not have a magic wand to wave and solve all our problems in one day.

What we expect from the good General and his party is to show us clearly that they are in the process of laying strong foundation for effective governance and good service delivery. Ours to recommend and advice and wait for positive action. After all, like the popular Nigerian adage says “it is the same Alhaji that we are all tending the cattle for”. To this end, much is expected from APC in their choice for leadership of National Assembly and persons appointed into the Federal Executive Council to assist the President.

The most immediate of these decisions for the President-elect and APC is the matter of leadership of the National Assembly because of the strategic importance of the legislature in a democracy and the agenda of change that was used by APC to serenade Nigerians into handing an over whelming victory to an opposition party, the first time in the history of our country. APC leadership should realise that Nigerians will start counting their sincerity and performance from the selection of leadership of National Assembly to the actual performance in office.

A weak foundation would have been erected for anybody to hope for a scintillating performance in office if the party allows petty politics and naked show of power to drive their decision. A situation where leadership of APC starts to campaign against zoning arrangement in deciding the issue of leadership of National Assembly bothers on cockiness and chicanery because the party

C M Y K

used the same zoning to determine the position of office of President , Vice-president and its National chairman . Our legal lexicon has institutionalised Federal Character or Zoning to ensure inclusiveness and effective administration of our country.

So for a party whose major electoral asset is the credibility of its leaders to turn around to canvass against those core values that made it attractive to the populace is courting nothing but scorn.

Any objective person should easily agree that National balancing, strong character, integrity, experience/competence, leadership skill and equity are the core criteria the APC should seek, to determine who will head the 8th National Assembly.

The lessons of leadership failure of the PDP should not be lost on the APC. Luckily for the party, the three contenders to the leadership of National Assembly are credible personalities but the party must choose the best to send a message that they are well equipped and ready for leadership.

However, I believe that Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki is better situated to discharge the functions of the office of the Senate President and Chairman of the National Assembly than the other two distinguished Senators- Dr. Ahmed Lawan and Chief George Akume. My reasons are as follows; National balancing: The APC started National balancing when the Presidential and Vice-Presidential tickets were given to the North-West and South-West respectively. The Chairmanship of the party was zoned to South-South leading to the emergence of Chief John Oyegun. Recollect

Let’s not forget the fact that it was the new PDP that changed the game for APC when they entered the alliance with their five Governors

It's complainants all the way as businesses are shutting down, the people are suffering and nobody cares.

The disagreement between the outgoing government and the incoming APC over handing over procedures also added its toll in the dying days of this administration. Why should procedure for handle over be so difficult to agree on? It is becoming again like the NNPC account which is still under dispute till today. This is not how it should be, Jonathan has set the tone by conceding victory, and every other process should have followed that pattern.

Unfortunately, we have a retinue of betrayers and carpet crossers who want to ingratiate themselves, they will not leave quietly but will want to make statements to make them look good in the eyes of the APC team.

These are the ones overheating the system and the APC must be careful of such individuals.

The APC on its part has not been magnanimous in the way it has handled its victory. Its officials are carried away with the euphoria of victory and have become so arrogant issuing unnecessary threats, which have forced the petroleum marketers to take the action that has plunged the nation into an unnecessary fuel crisis. They should have waited for the handling over to be completed

that Chief Bisi Akande was prevailed upon to step down as interim Chairman for the position to go to South-South. The Chairman of Nigerian Governors Forum and Northern Governors Forum have gone to the NorthWest and North-East. The party initially zoned the position of Senate President to the North-central but later threw the contest open. The reason was not stated but it was speculated that the Godfathers of APC felt that zoning it to North central will make it easier for Dr. Saraki to emerge. But for proper political balancing, the position should go to the zone because it is the zone that made it possible for APC to win when they changed their allegiance from PDP to APC. Dr. Saraki and Chief Akume are from this zone but fortunately for Dr. Saraki, Chief Akume is no longer in the contest.

Strong Character: one of the most endearing qualities of Dr. Saraki is his strength of character. Strength of character is a necessity for an aspirant to such exalted and exacting office. Dr. Saraki showed his stuff when he disagreed with his father on the choice of his successor as the Governor of Kwara State. In a country struggling with nepotism, his insistence on power rotation in his state against his father’s desire to install his sister is a big plus for him. It showed a man with character and class who cannot easily be swayed by base and mundane instincts. His strength of character was also put to test when he left the new PDP to APC at the time they disagreed with President Jonathan on the running of the party. A firm and discerning mind is needed to run the Senate and interface with the executive arm for good governance to become institutionalised in Nigeria.

Integrity: Today, Saraki is one of the most investigated public officer yet nothing has been found to tanish his reputation. A reformer who believes in positive change will always find himself at odds with the system.

Some people will call it controversy but it is actually a progressive controversy when a top politician continually engages the system for a better society. If it is not so, then I wonder what it was when Saraki alerted the nation on the rip off called fuel subsidy.

His motion for a probe of fuel subsidy on the floor of the Senate brought another round of investigation of his tenure as Governor. A Governor who voluntarily waived his immunity and was given a clean bill of health by no less a person than the famous anti-fraud czar, Nuhu Ribadu, at the time

before taking any action they deem necessary, including, of course, holding all those responsible for the mess accountable.

We also noticed that there has been a preponderance of agitation and confusion in those states where the APC lost the election. For example, why did the Rivers state outgoing government refuse to set up a transition committee for the smooth transfer of power to the incoming government? At least until the courts decide otherwise, the status quo regarding the elections must be maintained.

With this state of affairs presently, the whole process of transition that would have been smooth, brotherly and exciting for us all will now become an anti climax. It is also clear that the Jonathan administration had been resting on faulty foundations all these while and it leaves a very sour taste as we witness the transition to a new government.

Because a new government is coming in does not mean that governance must stop like it did in the past weeks. We should never allow the re-occurence of this type of situation as it does not augur well for our nation. *Mr. Ikhioya, a commentator on national issues, wrote from Lagos.

almost all the Governors were indicted for corruption cannot be underestimated in matter of integrity .

Experience/Competence: Saraki has shown exceptional ability in this area. As a Governor, he managed his state excellently to enable him to install his successor. He turned Nigerian Governors Forum into an effective body to midwife a robust relationship between the Federal and States Governments. He epitomizes the Igbo adage which is translated to mean that “one cannot use a mirror to search for a golden bracelet worn on the wrist”.

Leadership skill: Many of these attributes have horned the leadership skill of Saraki to a point of excellence. Nigeria and APC need a person of such great ability to assist General Buhari in the onerous task of nation building. There is no gain saying the fact that every Senator is qualified to be a Senate President but it is only one person that can occupy the position at a time. I believe that the time is ripe for Saraki to lead the National Assembly to join other arms of Government to take Nigeria to prosperity and development. The leadership of the National Assembly should be a bridge between the centripetal and centrifugal forces in National power game viz: APC and PDP, Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa/Fulani, Ijaw, Tiv, etc. Saraki’s support base cuts across these interest power blocs and he is in a better position to reconcile their conflicting demands by utilising his exceptional leadership skills.

Equity: In law, it is said that whoever comes to equity must go with clean hands because equity can only intervene when somebody is acting in good faith. There are five parties that merged to form APC namely: ACN, CPC, ANPP, PART OF APGA, AND NEW PDP. In the distribution of offices, CPC and ACN have got the President and Vice President respectively. APGA has the Chairman of Progressive Governors Forum while ANPP has the National Chairman of APC and is rumuored to be on the verge of emerging the SGF. It means that it is only the new PDP that is left out in the sharing arrangement. Let’s not forget the fact that it was the new PDP that changed the game for APC when they entered the alliance with their five Governors. So for equity sake, the chairmanship of the National Assembly will be an adequate compensation to them through Saraki.

•Mr. Nkwocha, a lawyer, wrote from Awka, Anambra State.

20 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

STORM IN FMC OWERRI: Workers, MD’s face-off grounds hospital

oriented and must be appreciated by those who care for innovations in the health sector,” Ozurumba reasoned.

Continuing, Dr. Ozurumba explained that the patients have noticed with anger, the incessant out-of-stock syndrome in our hospitals, only to see the professionals diverting patients to their private stores and clinics for pecuniary interest to the detriment of revenue coming to government.

“The revenue leakage is what Dr. Angela Uwakwem appears to block that has triggered anger and venom on beneficiaries of this scam.

Otherwise, how does PPP adversely affect the workers welfare? Must the intellectual vision of Dr. Angela Uwakwem and the Board of Directors of FMC be wasted or put in a cooler because her counterparts from neighbouring states have

By Chidi Nkwopara, Owerri

I

T is no longer news that activities in the Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, FMCO, have ground to a halt, courtesy of the labour crisis that has engulfed the establishment. The workers claim that they had been managing to smile in the face of suffering, harassment, denial of legitimate rights and the financial mess the hospital had been immersed in over the years.

The simmering labour crisis came to a head when the hospital’s Medical Director, MD, Dr. Angela C. Uwakwem, issued queries to labour leaders who went to a local radio station to debunk what they described as lies peddled by the FMCO boss.

Currently, the Association of Resident Doctors, ARD, the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwifes, NANNM, the National Union of Allied Health Practitioners, NUAHP and the Medical and Health Workers Union, MHWUN, have all deserted their offices in protest to what they called “accumulated administrative pains and high handedness of the MD, Dr. Angela Uwakwem”.

According to a release, HU/ GFM/01/07, dated May 19, 2015, made available to Vanguard Metro, VM, in Owerri, and signed by all the labour leaders, including the chairmen of NUAHP and NANNM, Comrades Ezeugwu Clifford and Uhiara Catherine respectively, the aggrieved workers insisted that Uwakwem should step aside for thorough investigation and audit of her administration.

“The House Unions have discovered that the personnel monies released by the Accountant General of the Federation last year, for the payment of workers’ 2013/2014 promotion arrears were vired into capital projects by the Medical Director of the hospital, knowing fully well that the money was meant to take care of personnel costs,” the labour leaders alleged.

While identifying the CT-Scan as the project which gulped the money, the unionists also alleged that the process of the purchase never passed through procurement steps, stressing that if virement of personnel costs to capital project is a C M Y K

Health workers during the protest serious offence, why couldn’t the Medical Director step aside?

The labour leaders also alleged that the MD, a top level 17 officer, pays herself overtime, even as the extant rules made provision for workers on level 14 and below.

FMC workers accused the MD of employing staff and backdating their appointments, pointing out that the monies for the backdated months were never paid to the affected staff.

The aggrieved unionists alleged that the MD pays monies generated from Amenity Wards, including the Okpara Nursing Home, to a special bank account that is not known to the Accounts Department.

“The Medical Director claimed in one of her transactions that she buys clinical dress to all clinicians in the hospital yearly at the tune of N15 million. Approval for the

The current hospital administration has administered more queries, warning letters, suspensions, termination of appointments, as well as withdrawals from service and resignations

*Gate leading to the troubled FMC Owerri gas piping of wards has been done severally and such contracts were never executed,” the workers alleged.

Buttressing their allegation of victimization and high handedness, the workers said there is no job security in FMCO, stressing that the current hospital administration has administered more queries, warning letters, suspensions, termination of appointments, as well as witnessed withdrawals from service and resignations.

“In conclusion, the staff has lost confidence in her ability to manage men, materials, finance and resources and insist she should resign for thorough investigation on these weighty allegations, since she cannot be

a judge in her own case,” the unionists insisted.

Several efforts made to speak to the Medical Director when news of the impending crisis filtered out, failed as VM was never allowed access to her by her staff. However, a three-page document written on her behalf by a group of veteran journalists led by Dr. Davey Ozurumba, was distributed to some media houses. “The issue of Public Private Partnership, PPP, is in focus at all levels of government because government alone cannot carry the burden of economic development within and outside the health sector.

Therefore, bringing the private sector to partner with government is development-

remained moribund to this laudable project?” Ozurumba asked.

The MD’s spokesman also said that her vision to bring in staff that can match experience with those innovations, possibly within the contractual option, is acceptable for the best medical and other professional practices.

However, while these allegations and counterallegations continue, the hospital remains shut and patients forced to relocate to other health facilities in search of good health. It would be interesting to know who blinks first, Dr. Uwakwem or the entire striking workers.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

$127. 10

-1.35

$3,156.00

-7.00

$12.33

-0.16

CURRENCY BUYING

REWARD: Adamu Nahuta (middle), receiving a cheque of N500,000 from Maijidda Modibbo (left) of Corporate Communication, Dangote Group and Nike Sanmi Adebayo, Customer Care, Dangote Cement for helping to arrest a Dangote truck driver involved in illegal haulage in the on-going campaign by the group against the use of its truck for illegal haulage.

— 21

$66.10

0.73

60.05

0.33

CENTRAL

DOLLAR 196 196.5 197 POUNDS 306.544 307.326 308.108 EURO 218. 8732 219.4316 219.9899 FRANC 210.03 210.5658 211.1016 YEN 1.6208 1.6249 1.629 CFA 0.3135 0.3235 0.3335 WAUA 274. 9586 275.6601 276.3615 RENMINBI 31.6249 31.7054 31.7865 RIYAL 52.2597 52.393 52.2563 KRONA 29.3514 29.4263 29.5012 SDR 275.7524 276.4599 277.1593

CBN Exchange Rate as at 25 / 05 /15

Crisis looms at ports over freight forwarders’ practising fees

By Godwin Oritse The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents, (ANLCA), and the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarders in Nigeria, (CRFFN) are on a collision course over the collection of freight forwarders practicing fees.

ANCLA has expressed its opposition to the fees since it was introduced by the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarders in Nigeria, (CRFFN). Eye witness account told Vanguard that the collection of the fees had commenced in Seme when the leadership of Seme chapter of ANLCA , was alleged to have mobilized thugs to stop the exercise. Chairman, Seme chapter of NAGAFF, Ekene Ajunwa told newsmen that the thugs attacked the CRFFN Task Force involved in the collection, adding that their Coaster bus was damaged in the process.

Speaking to journalists at the weekend, the National Publicity Secretary of ANLCA, Mr. Kayode Farinto said that it is not the function of the Registrar of the Council, Sir Mike Jukwe to give directive for the fees to be collected.

Farinto also said that there is a directive to the Registrar not to initiate the collection of practicing fee until a governing council is put in place.

He explained that the Registrar is a staff of the Council, and therefore cannot be the Chief Executive Officer of the same Council where he draws a salary. He said “Until there is a governing Council in place, we will insist that our members do not

pay any practicing fees “The Registrar is only meant to take notes and minutes of meetings, the Registrar

Until there is a governing Council in place, we will insist that our members do not pay any practising fees

cannot be the CEO because he is a staff of the Council.”

Farinto further explained that the directive from the Presidency to the Registrar not collect fees is still very much in force adding that until there is a counter directive, the Council as presently constituted cannot collect fees.

Excerpts of the document dated 15th of April reads “ I am directed to re-emphasized the need for strict compliance with the provisions of the Act on Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarders in Nigeria Act 15 of 2007.

“For the avoidance of doubt, in the absence of a statutorily constituted Board of Council, to which power the exercise function under the Act is conferred, no staff of the Council has power to exercise any function pending re-election of the Governing Council. “Any violation of the provision of the Act will be treated with appropriate action .”

CRFFN Registrar, Sir Mike Jukwe when contacted simply replied in via text message that the Council will issue a statement on the matter. .

Power supply’ll be regular with right tariff— SAHARA BOSS

By Ediri Ejoh

A

FRAMEWORK of appropriate pricing and incentives has been identified as a critical factor to achieving effcient power supply in the country.

MANAGING Director/ CEO, Sahara Power, Mr. Kola Adesina, stated this while speaking at the launching of a book titled: The Development of The Nigerian Electric Power System (19731990) in Lagos. The book was authored by Engr. Foluseke Somolu and Engr. Lawrence Amu. Adesina, who is also the chairman of Ikeja Electric stated that if the price of a product is not right, there is no way the investor can make profit.

He noted that they took a bold decision to invest in the power sector because they believed that the future of the country was in the hands of Nigerians. According to him, “the reality of the present situation is that the President-elect is coming with a huge challenge before him.

“The electricity sector is fundamentally flooded and it needs to be dealt with squarely.The price has to be right for any investor to make it in the sector and this can only be profitable if the customers are satisfied with the supply.

“Consumer satisfaction could only be possible if only the product is really available and the price is right for them to purchase. As such there is need for us to go back and get it right” he said.

He argued that the country is floated with idealism rather than people who intend to effect change. “We are talking sense in Nigeria but not really acting sense” he noted.

Adesina added that without proper incentives and right pricing of the power sector, its journey to becoming a robust sector would only be a mirage.

“The reason why the price has not been right is because people see electricity as a political and social product. They don’t view it as an economic product yet.

The moment you begin to see it as an

economic product, then the prices would be done correctly.

“The simple thing to do in the sector is to draw up an economic model, whereby the critical assumptions and consequent part of any pricing is factored in to say; how much is gas today and gas to other users of gas. If gas to other users would attract higher pricing, I would rather sell to other users of gas and not to the power sector.

“If those that are desirous of change in the electricity sector can pay the price, they would get the change they desire” he added.

He, however, charged the incoming administration of Muhammadu Buhari, to pursue the quest of making the power sector a front burner of the country.

Also speaking, former Minister of Mines and Power, Chief Philip Asiodu, lauded the constructive initiative of the authors who according to him has revealed the desire to liberate the country of its bad memory of the power sector.

,

22 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

Conoil will invest over N5 billion to build a new lubricant manufacturing plant and filling lines, in addition to its state-of-theart lubricant plant in Apapa, Lagos, to significantly increase its engine oil production capacity

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TOP 10 PERFORMING STOCKS

B

BY PETER EGWUATU

ETA Glass Plc last week led the top ten gainers chart on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE rising by 10.3 per cent to close at N3.40 per share from N33.00 per share it closed penultimate week. This is the second consecutive week that the company has topped the gainers chart.

Beta Glass Company Plc has proposed a dividend of 62 kobo per share to its shareholders for the financial year end of 2014 as the closing date for its register has been fixed for 12th June, 2015. The company reported revenue of N16.6billion in its full year result of 2014, indicating a growth of 18 per cent from N14.09 billion in the period of 2013.

Profit before tax increased by 63 per cent to N3.3 billion from N2.05 billion in 2013. Profit After Tax, PAT increased by 62 per cent from N1.474 billion to N2.391 billion in 2014, Earning Per Share, EPS up by 62 per cent from 295kobo to 478 kobo in 2014.

Trailing behind Beta Glass was Okumu Oil Palm Company Plc , which went up by 6.4 per cent to close last week Friday at N30.26 per share from N28.55 per share it closed penultimate week. Palm oil refining and production has in the past, and in recent times become a lucrative business in Nigeria. In fact, some might refer to it as a ‘liquid gold’ that could potentially be the saviour of the Nigerian economy, improving its economic outlook in the International community and bringing it out of the doldrums that has plagued it for over three decades, however, Okomu Oil Plc has shown that this is in fact possible. Okomu Oil Palm Company has come a long way since it was established in 1976 as a Federal Government pilot project aimed at rehabilitating oil palm production in Nigeria.

Today, the company has been transformed into an economic success.

Ashaka Cement Plc came third on the gainers chart rising by five per cent to close at N21.50 per share from 20.47 it closed penultimate week.

Ashaka Cement recently posted N4.5 billion profit in its 2014 financial year. The company paid N4.5 kobo dividend on every ordinary share held, representing 7.1 per cent increment on that of the previous year.

The chairman of the Board, Mallam Suleiman Yahaya, had stated during the firm’s 40th Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Abuja, that the performance was made

INVESTOR'

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possible despite the loss of a whopping N2.5 billion to insurgents on its facilities towards the end of last year.

He said the incident nearly led to the shutdown of the plant as more than 500 workers fled the facilities, thereby forcing the management to scale down their operations.

He, however assured that the company was ready to partner with the federal government to redevelop the Northeast region, notwithstanding the loss it suffered.

Trailing behind Ashaka Cement on the gainers chart was Conoil Plc, which gained 4.9 per cent to close last week at N41.91 per share from N39.92 per share it closed penultimate week.

Conoil in 2013 financial year paid N4 per share for every 50 kobo share per share held by shareholders. This was a promise kept by the petroleum products marketing company, after posting impressive performance across its business segments in the financial year ended December 2013. Recall Conoil reeled out plans to play big in the nation’s lubricant market, which is projected to hit the N250 billion marks by the end of 2015.

The projected all-time high revenue from lubricant business is predicated on the expected upsurge in the demand for lubricants by the automobile and industrial subsectors of the economy.

According to a statement issued by Conoil Management recently , Conoil will invest over N5 billion to build a new lubricant manufacturing plant and filling lines, in addition to its state-of-the-art lubricant plant in Apapa, Lagos, to significantly increase its engine oil production capacity.

UACN Pl came fifth on the gainers’ chart rising by 3.0 per cent to close at N41.20 per share from N40.00N per share it closed penultimate week.

Other companies in the top ten chart include Forte Oil Plc which rose by 2.6 per cent to close at N177.80 per share from N173.23; Presco Plc appreciated by 2.3 per cent to close at N30.69 from N30.00 per share; Mobil Oil Nigeria Plc went up by 1.8 per cent to close at N154.00m per share from N151.30 per share; 7up Bottling Company gained 1.1 per cent to close at N178 per share from N176.00 per share; and Guinness Nigeria Plc went up by 0.46 per cent to close at N155.72 per share from N155.00 per share it closed penultimate week.

What should the depositors of Savannah Bank do?

T

By Babajide Komolafe

he suffering of depositors of Savannah Bank is aptly reflected in the email received from one of our readers, Izuchukwu Emmanuel. “Please I was very optimistic to read your repor , when I saw the headline on your firm’s online page.

Please I want to know if there is any hope that the bank will to re-open for business.

My late dad had an account with the bank and my mum is suffering from financial burdens since the demise of my dad. Please keep me informed if there is any.

Thanks.”

Though brief, the email is loaded with meanings, and

silent on many various ways the Savannah Bank saga is impacting families and businesses across the country. For example, how are we sure that the money trapped in the Bank did not in any way contribute to the death of this man’s father?

How are we sure that the inability of the family of the deceased to access his money in

COMMISSIONING: From left, Mr O.O. Osituyo, Regional General Manager, North Central; Mr Saleh Dunoma, Managing Director, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria; Mr. Chibuzor Nwachukwu, General Manager, Finance, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria ; and Hajia Salami Ladi, Head of Protocol Lounge, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, during the inspection visit ahead of the commissioning of the Protocol Lounge & Pilot’s Lounge at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

MARKET NEWS

Shareholders seek appointment of steering committee to address hitches

By PETER EGWUATU

S

hareholders, under the aegis of Western Icon Shareholders Association of Nigeria, WISAN have called on the Federal Government to set up a steering committee that would address some of the policies that have hindered the growth of the capital market and the economy in general.

The President of Western Icon Association of Nigeria, Mr. Olusegun Ade Owolabi, who disclosed the decisions taken by the shareholders’ group said “Some issues are germane and should be

revisited if the Federal Government is serious about bringing back the lost glory of the Nigerian capital market. There is no gainsaying in the fact that the engine house for growth of any economy is the capital market. Our market has been toiling since all these years, with market capitalization dropping dismally on a daily basis. For the market to regain sound health like “a sick patient” is for the incoming government to address some key and critical issues.”

Continuing, he said “ To achieve the objectives of applying capital market to turn

around the economy is very simple like Panadol that cures headache. There are some

Shareholders or investors have been punished with unpopular policies and decisions by the regulators

Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015 — 23

Savannah Bank has not affected the education of his children? It won’t be surprising that one or more children of the deceased had dropped out of school because the family could not pay school fees.

How are we also sure that the money trapped in Savannah Bank has not transferred a middle incomefamilytotheswellingranks of the over 70 percent of Nigerians living below the poverty line?

Savannah Bank was closed in February 2007, and many have forgotten that the bank was closed on a Friday night, few hours after millions of individuals and businesses deposited their cash takings for the week into their bank account. Many of these customers would have done so with the intention of accessing the money the following Monday to address one family or business need or the other. The manner in which the bank was closed, which is akin to a coup detart, aggravated the severe impact of the closure on the customers. There is no doubt, the closure and continued closure of

If they adopt a ‘siddon-look’ attitude, they might suffer forever. But if they decide to take action to recover their money, their suffering may end in a matter of weeks or months decisions that have been taken by the regulators that have caused harm in the time past. We therefore suggest that the incoming administration should appoint a steering committee to revisit some policies taken by Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, and Financial Regulatory Council, FRC with a view to reversing some and strengthen the market with formidable recommendations by experts drawn from stakeholders.”

Owolabi , who revealed the decisions of his group said “ One of the areas the steering committee should address is “Due Process”. Shareholders or investors have been punished with unpopular policies and decisions by the regulators. A case study that is very fresh in public domain is CBN’s decision to sell some banks as a fall-out

Savannah Bank have contributed significantly to the problem of poverty and unemployment in the country. Hence it is a national shame.

While the ability of the owners of Savannah Bank to raise the needed capital to reopen the bank, and the response of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to the plight of the depositors of the bank would greatly determine how long the family of Izuchukwu Emmanuel and other depositors will continue to suffer, the attitude of the depositors themselves can play a critical role.

If they adopt a ‘siddon-look’ attitude, they might suffer forever.

But if they decide to take action to recover their money, their suffering may end in a matter of weeks or months. It is good that the depositors have formed a group, which last year, petitioned the President and Minister for Finance over their money trapped in the bank. Given the fact that there seems to be no concrete response to their petition, it is time for the depositors to take more action. The first step is to explore the option of dialogue with the management of the CBN. The depositors of Savannah Bank should send a delegation to the CBN Governor, to seek the position and plan of the apex bank on the continued closure of the bank and the entrapment of their money. The delegation should go with well articulated list of demand with deadline for the apex bank on the release of their money. If the apex bank and the owner of the bank fail to comply with this deadline, then the depositors should explore the option of legal action. To be continued next week. Send comments and enquiries to vanguardinvestorsforum@gmail.com to undercapitalization. How could CBN wake up in a day and decide to sell some banks undercapitalized without recourse to the owners of these banks. That was the beginning of injustice which has adversely affected the growth of the capital market. In a situation of uncertainty and policy instability, no reasonable investor will come near the market.”

Continuing, he said “Sincerely under this condition of policy instability, the market cannot grow. Check the list of robust and active capital market in the world, and you would be amazed to know what their outstanding peculiarities which are as follows: Utmost respect for shareholders’ rights, Shareholders collaborative participation in decisions making, Shared responsibilities, Collective interests of the stakeholders in a capsule of policy making.”

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'S FORUM

SEC should look into how to convince them and make them understand the benefit of the market; in the area of shareholders activism, we have a code of conduct and that code of conduct must be seriously complied with

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INVESTORS SPEAK

Shareholders congratulate Gwarzo, call for reforms

T

he Senate penultimate week, confirmed the appointment of the Director General of Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Mr. Muniru Gwarzo, in this interview, Shareholders commended the move but however urged him on more reforms in the Nigerian capital market space.

•Mr Segun Owolabi

By PROVIDENCE OBUH

M

Comrade Oguntoye Lawrence market. In the area of shareholders activism, we have a code of conduct and that code of conduct must be seriously complied with though is a voluntary code of conduct. But at the same time there must be persuasion to all the shareholders, we are having series of mushroom shareholders association,, proliferation of shareholders association, however, the code of conduct that we agreed to observe must be strictly adhered to. For audit committee, some people are there and they don’t want to give chance to other experienced people to contribute their quota, this must change.

r. Segun Owolabi, Western ICON Shareholders Association of Nigeria: We commend the appointment of Gwarzo as the Director General of the SEC . We believe he is experienced and qualified for the position given his records.

The incoming government has to embark on major reforms, that are based on due process in the capital market. There should be discipline among the stockbrokers and the process of recapitalisation must be carried out among the stockbrokers. Is not the number of stockbrokers that matters but Comrade Oguntoye Lawrence how strong and competitive of Distinct Shareholders Association they are is what matters of Nigeria: given that some stock If he can move I have known Gwarzo for a long broking houses will collect further by time even when he was Executive money from clients and do not buy the shares. We see a penetrating into Commissioner of Operations in SEC. With over 30 years experience in lot of manipulations, the business of capital market, am glad that he has therefore that area of been confirmed by the Senate and recapitalisation of stock these being a man of intelligence and broking firms must be carried companies; I experience I believe he is going to out; we want the believe he will transform the capital market beyond government to apply moral reasonable doubt. He has experience suasion to companies that sanitise the both in private and public sectors. are not quoted on the NSE market Part of his agenda which I look to seek listing on the forward to is the participation of exchnage. For example shareholders in the audit committee, MTN, who is doing good most of the companies do not want to welcome business in Nigeria, we need it to come to shareholders as members of audit committee, the market so as to increase the tempo of they like to have their staff as cover ups. There the market. There are international are some rules on audit committee that the companies that have made their mark and commission wants to amend. If he can move benefited from Nigeria in a way. further by penetrating into the business of these Other telecommunication companies like companies; I believe he will sanitise the market.

Glo, Etisalat and Airtel should come and He should mandate most of the unquoted list their shares on the market. So SEC companies to get quoted because most of them should look into how to convince them and floated private placement to defraud make them understand the benefit of the shareholders.

24 — Vanguard, TUESDAY,

MAY 26, 2015

INDUSTRIAL ACTION:

Oil workers, NNPC trade blames ...Power supply drops to all-time low of 1,327MW

By Ediri Ejoh

N

IGERIAN National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, and oil industry workers are yet to resolve the impasse generated over the operatorship of Oil Mining Leases, OMLs 42 and 40 granted to Neconde and Elcrest respectively.

The strike has caused power supply to drop to an all-time low of 1,327 megawatts, MW, as power plants fired by gas have had to shut down nationwide.

Recall that the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, and the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, branch of the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, NPDC, last week, shut down production facilities nationwide to force the Federal Government to rescind the decision.

The unions had argued that the decisions to grant operatorship of the oil blocks to the indigenous firms were done unilaterally, and that they were not carried along.

NNPC’s group spokesman, Mr. Ohi Alegbe, in a statement described the actions of the workers as baseless. According to him, the process of ceding the operatorship right to Neconde (OML 42), and Elcrest (OML 40), followed industry best practices as obtained globally.

He further noted that the transaction is not an outright sale but a joint operatorship between the NPDC, which holds 55 per cent shares of the assets on behalf of the Federal government, and the private companies which jointly hold 45 per cent stake each.

He however disclosed that the corporation engaged the unions all through the entire process of the operatorship transfer, and wondered why they had to shut down production nationwide to express their grievances.

Alegbe said: “The transfer of management of OML 42 and OML 40 to Neconde and Elcrest respectively, is about leveraging a national asset and obtaining optimal value, for which Neconde and Elcrest have clearly showed proof of capacity to deliver.

“The transfer is in line with the Federal Government’s

Oil workers policy on local content development in the oil and gas industry and the liberalisation of the upstream oil sector in order to optimise value and make the industry work for the good of all, not for a few vested interests either in government or in the private sector.

He further said that the two firms are indigenous independent oil firms who purchased 45% stakes in OMLs 42 and 40 respectively from Shell, TOTAL and ENI in 2012, but the operatorship of the assets were not granted with the purchase. He added that the Corporation instead invoked its rights to operatorship of the assets, and assigned those rights to NPDC, its subsidiary.

“For much of the last three years, Neconde and Elcrest, along with First Hydrocarbon Limited, Shoreline Resources and ND Western, who bought similar stakes in OMLs 26, 30 and 34 between 2011 and 2012, have lamented NPDC’s lack of capacity to continue as the operator of the acreages they purchased from the Shell-led consortium,” he noted.

Unions insist on protection of workers Meanwhile PENGASSAN’s, General Secretary, Comrade Bayo Olowoshile, said the union embarked on the strike to protest events that had preceded most transfers of operatorship of most of the oil blocks across the country.

According to him, “Over the years, when assets are transferred in this manner, the interest of the oil workers are often not protected, leading to job cuts and terminations in most cases.”

He noted that as at 2011, when the assets were transferred to NPDC, they were not producing more than 10,000 to 30,000 barrels. But in the past three years, the combined productive capacity of assets has increased to over 300,000 barrels. “Why are they being sold out if they have improved capacity?” he queried.

He also argued that the transfer is questionable, saying: “The hastiness in the transfer is suspicious, and this is why as a union we decided to revolt against the action of the outgoing government in the

The hastiness in the transfer is suspicious, and this is why as a union we decided to revolt against the action of the out-going government in the general interest of the country

general interest of the country.

“They are talking about reform, there are other marginal fields that are contributing just two per cent of their capacities; these are the oil leases that should be transferred to the oil firms but not the productive ones.

“There are no cutting corners to our request as we won’t call off the strike until the decisions have been revoked. We expect that every transaction whatsoever should be executed by the incoming and not the outgoing government.”

The Executive Secretary, NUPENG, Comrade Isaac Aberare, on his part maintained that the union was never carried along in the transaction process.

He said: “I have not heard anything from NNPC or attended any meeting whatsoever in respect of the transaction. It is possible they may have had in-house meeting to discuss this matter, but that does not mean the union is carried along.”

He also insisted that the industrial action will continue as long as the government refuses to reverse the deal.

However, an industry analyst has noted that, ‘It is curious though, that no staff of NPDC has lost their jobs in the Seplat/ NPDC JV in OMLs 8, 38 and 41, which has been a success story with production increasing substantially over the past three years. With

Seplat as operator, NPDC still retains its original 55 percent stake in the acreages while Seplat has 45 percent.”

He added that in the Seplat/ NPDC JV, the federal government did not sell the acreages to Seplat. He maintained that the unions have nothing to fear because, as the case with Seplat, equity will stay the same with the ceding of operatorship rights to Neconde and Elcrest.

Strike worsens power situation Meanwhile, the oil workers industrial action has further compounded the erratic power supply situation in the country, which has disrupted gas supply to the various power plants across the country.

The Minister of Power, Prof.

Chinedu Nebo, had said in a briefing to Vice President Namadi Sambo on the state of power generation, transmission and distribution in the country.

“The ongoing strike which has gone on for several days have brought a dramatic turn, as of this afternoon, we have gone down to all-time low to 1,327 megawatts. So, if you look at it from 4,800 there is a dramatic turn, the loss is terrible.”

He said that as at 12 noon May 22, 2015, Utorogu, Chevron Oredo, OB EN gas plants were all shutdown, while Ugheli and Escravos were already isolated. He added that on the eastern axis Shell Gas, Alakiri were also shutdown, and that the situation has led to many power plants being stranded and shutdown.

“These include Egbin, Olorunshogo I & II, Omotosho I & II, Geregu I & II, Ihonvor and Sapele NIPPs on the western axis and Alaoji on the eastern end.”

According to him, besides, pipeline vandalism which has continued to have very negative impact on the power supply situation in the country, the ongoing strike by the labour unions in the oil and gas sector has added additional toll.

“The overall effect is that power supply which had started picking up steadily since the beginning of the week following repairs of various vandalised portions of the ELP Line and the TransForcados Gas Pipelines, has fallen to all-timeunprecedented low of 1,327MW as at 1.00 p.m.

May22, 2015.”

He therefore warned that “the situation could get worse if the strike continues. Indeed, it is hoped that the labour unions will help restore supply of gas to the power plants even while negotiations are ongoing.”

Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015 — 25

FCMB grants N305bn loans to energy firms ...Records N18bn impairment loss

By Michael Eboh

F

IRST City Monument Bank, FCMB Group Plc gave out a total of N305.307 billion in loans to energy firms in two years, between 2013 and 2014.

The bank, according to its annual reports and accounts for the 2014 financial year, was exposed to the energy sector to the tune of N131.286 billion in 2013, which rose by 32.55 per cent to N174.021 billion in the 2014.

Specifically, in 2013, the bank gave out N104.461 billion in loans to oil and gas companies, while power and other energy companies received N26.824 billion.

In the 2014 fiscal year, FCMB gave out N149.151 billion to oil and gas companies, while power and energy firms borrowed N24.87 billion.

Cumulatively, the banks’ extended N253.613 billion loan facility to oil and gas companies for the two-year period, 2013 and 2014, while power energy firms got NN51.694 billion in the same period.

sector.

Confirming the projections and fear of CBN and the analysts, Mr. Jonathan Long, Chairman, FCMB Group said, “The FCMB Group has achieved strong and sustained growth over the past three years. However, looking forward, the fall in oil prices, and consequent devaluation of the Naira, combined with an uncertain political outlook in the country, present clear challenges for 2015.”

FCMB’s exposure to the energy sector was in spite of concerns raised by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, and other financial analysts over the rising case of NonPerforming Loans, NPLs, in the banking sector.

Furthermore, analysts maintained that majority of the non-performing loans in the banking sector have over the last couple of years emanated from the capital market and from the energy sector. They argued that while stability has returned to the capital market, the energy sector is still bedeviled by uncertainty, especially with the volatility in the prices of crude oil in the international market.

The analysts also noted that banks risk losing the loans granted to energy companies, and projected that about 30 per cent of the loans to energy firms would be impaired.

In their report titled: “Recalibrating Market Sentiment: Macro and Market Resilience,” Afrinvest Securities Limited, warned that a number of banks in Nigeria are presently at risk of losing their capital and incurring huge toxic assets following the decline in the prices of crude oil.

Afrinvest linked the sharp decline in oil price to the 2008 banking crisis, noting that recent developments in the banking sector point to a repeat of such situation.

It said: “Looking back, the 2008 banking crisis can be linked to the sharp decline in oil prices, resulting in the sudden accumulation of huge toxic assets which wiped out banks’ capital.

“As observed in the ratio of oil sector loans versus total loan portfolio of the banks, some banks may have begun to tread that same path with huge exposure to the oil and gas sector relative to Shareholders’ Funds (SHF).”

Impairment losses The bank recorded cumulative net impairment loss on financial assets of N18.623 billion, broken down into N10.64 billion in 2014 compared to N7.983 billion in the 2013 financial year.

FCMB’s exposure to the energy sector was in spite of concerns raised by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, and WELCOME CEREMONY: Samsung officials and trainees who just returned from other financial analysts over the Korea, at the Murtala Mohamned International Airport, Lagos. rising case of Non-Performing Loans, NPLs, in the banking

Seven Energy begins gas delivery to Alaoji Power S

EVEN Energy International Limited, an indigenous integrated gas company, said it has commenced the supply of gas to the Alaoji Independent Power Project in Alaoji, Abia State.

The company said the supply is being carried out through its wholly owned subsidiary, Accugas, which begun the delivery of gas to the 504 megawatt, MW, power station this month.

The company further said in a statement that Accugas is one of the two gas suppliers to the plant with an initial contractual commitment to supply 30 million cubic feet per day, MMcfpd.

The Alaoji project is the largest of Nigeria’s National Integrated Power Projects, NIPPs, the first phase of which was commissioned in March 2015.

Speaking on the accomplishment, Chief Executive Officer, Seven Energy, Mr. Phillip Ihenacho, was quoted as saying: “The reliable supply of gas to the National Integrated Power Projects has been one of the core obstacles to their completion, and the consequent addition of significant generation capacity into the grid.

“Seven Energy is pleased to be able to provide this solution, ensuring that Alaoji has access to the gas it needs to commence electricity generation. Seven Energy is committed to providing the gas that will

support the generation of electricity across Nigeria through our expanding gas distribution network. The addition of Alaoji to our gas supply network means we are now delivering affordable and reliable gas to three of Nigeria’s power stations.

“As a core of Seven Energy’s strategy to meeting growing domestic energy demand, the Company has continued to invest in the expansion of its gas infrastructure in the south east Niger Delta region, from its processing hub in Uquo, Akwa Ibom State.”

Also speaking, the Managing Director, Accugas, Mr. Steve Tierney, said in the statement: “Alaoji’s decision to choose Accugas as one of its initial gas suppliers is a further endorsement of the quality and reliability of the service we deliver to our customers. By ensuring our network is strategically located to deliver gas to the NIPP’s coming on stream in the south east of the country, and having proven our ability to deliver almost 100 percent uptime of service, we expect to continue to expand our customer base in the coming months.

“Alaoji Power Station joins a growing list of gas offtakers, including Ibom Power Company, the United Cement Company of Nigeria, Notore Chemical Industries Limited, and Calabar NIPP, who now rely on Seven Energy for the supply of gas to meet their power and industrial needs.”

Crude price decline:

SacOil pulls out of Nigeria

By Michael Eboh

T

HE crash of oil price in the international market has begun to take a toll on the Nigerian petroleum industry, as South African firm, Sacoil Holdings, has terminated its Joint Venture agreement with Nigdel United Oil Company Limited, in Oil Producing License, OPL 233 in Nigeria.

To this end, the company is abandoning its oil license in Nigeria, and is asking for a refund of all the expenses it had incurred in the joint venture till date.

The termination of the agreement and abandonment the license, the company said in a statement last week, is based on its decision to cut costs in the wake of low oil prices.

SacOil said it planned to focus on lower risks and cash generating assets, while focusing on its strategy to increase production.

Commenting on the development, the Chief Executive Officer, SacOil Holdings, Dr Thabo Kgogo, said: “The termination of the joint venture in respect of OPL 233 is in line with the strategy communicated to shareholders previously. It will improve the company’s financial position and will reduce future financial exposure emanating from such higher risk assets.

“With the expected return of capital from OPL 233 and OPL 281, combined with SacOil’s existing cash resources, the company will be in a far stronger position to pursue its strategy of increasing production and focusing on cash generative assets.”

SacOil had in August, said it acquired 20 per cent in a prospective Nigerian oil licence, and later said in November it had completed research on the site.

The oil and gas company, with operations in Malawi, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Botswana, said in April its full-year earnings would be at least 20 per cent lower.

Signs of SacOil’s decision to abandon its OPL 233 license emerged when a couple of weeks ago the company entered into a settlement agreement with Energy Equity Resources Norway Limited, EERNL, relating to outstanding loans owed by EERNL and its subsidiaries.

The EERNL Group’s loans originated from the joint participation in OPL 233 in Nigeria, with SacOil advancing funds on behalf of EERNL Group to secure the participation interest in the oil block.

In October 2011, SacOil advanced $5 million in loans to EERNL to fund the obligation of its subsidiary EER 233 Nigeria Limited, to pay a performance bond in respect of OPL 233. The loans carried an interest rate of between 25 per cent per annum and 32 per cent per annum, with payment due in various installments.

The loans were secured in SacOil’s favour against EER 233’s equity, effectively giving the company security over EER 233’s 20 per cent interest in OPL 233. The EERNL Group has to date been unable to settle the amount outstanding under the loans, which amounts to approximately $24.2 million.

26 — Vanguard, TUESDAY,

MAY 26, 2015

Ikeja Electric rolls out 2,000 smart metres

By Clara Nwachukwu

I

KEJA Electric is set to introduce a new set of smart metres designed to enhance efficient energy usage and transparent billing in real time to improve revenue collection.

The smart metre, known as Advanced Metre Infrastructure, AMI, is said to be a state-of-the-art technology that enables utilities to read, disconnect and connect metres remotely and to detect individual customer outages quickly using a wireless communications network.

Speaking on the milestone, the Chief Executive Officer, Ikeja Electric, Mr. Abiodun Ajifowobaje, told journalists that the roll out represents a remarkable step in the company’s quest for redefining service delivery in the sector.

“This development resonates with our new spirit, new drive and new energy identity, as we strive to create value for our customers.”

He noted that Ikeja distribution zone has about 600,000 customers, and that half of them are not adequately metered, either because they do not have meters at all or they have obsolete or faulty metres.

He said the metering project will replace existing metres with “next generation” electronic metre technology that improves customer service, and enables customers to proactively manage their energy use and save money by participating in new programmes with time differentiated rates and demand response options.

He said that the AMI is the outcome of an extensive study

carried out by Ikeja Electric, adding that when installed, everything happening on the metres with regard to energy consumption can be monitored remotely.

“This way, we will be able to know those sabotaging the country, and this time around we are ready for them because by-passing of meters is now a thing of the past,” he said.

He recalled that upon privatisation, the distribution company inherited about 138,000 pre-paid meters of which 40,000 had been bypassed, as such one of the reasons it is difficult for the company to adequately account for the energy supplied.

Deployment of meters According to Ajifowobaje, the scope of the metering project is to deploy approximately 276,084 electric metres for Ikeja Electric’s residential,

commercial and industrial customers, which will be implemented in phases across the network.

The roll out plan will be carried out in two phases. The first phase which is the pilot phase will involve the installation of about 2,000 smart metres in already mapped out areas in all the Business Units of the Company, while the second phase will commence thereafter.

The pilot phase will last for a two-month beginning of June, while the full deployment of the smart metres, which are manufactured by an indigenous company, Billview, will last over three years.

“Apart from more frequently and accurate consumption information, the advanced metering system is capable of collecting a variety of other data such as power outage, restoration alerts and metre

tampering data to detect theft of energy,” he explained.

Ajifowobaje said the Company chose to introduce the smart meters because of its immense benefits to customers, as it will guarantee accurate reading without estimate as well as improved security and tamper detection on equipment.

To the customers, the issue of estimation will be totally eradicated through improved billing, as they will also be able to track the usage of electricity and eliminate energy wastage.”

Ikeja distribution zone has about 600,000 customers, and that half of them are not adequately metered, either because they do not have metres at all or they have obsolete or faulty metres.

CONFERENCE:

From left: Ayodeji Soyemi (Project Engineer), Mike Simpson (Engineering Manager), John Niezner (Managing Director), Dr Kelley Njideka (Consultant), Dr Edwin Ndukwe (Head Business Development/Communications).

FG to give incentives to embedded power operators

By Sebastine Obasi

T

O encourage more investments in the nation’s power sector, as well as ensure regular power supply, the federal government is set to give incentives to embedded power operators.

The Minister of Power, Prof.

Chinedu Nebo stated this in Lagos in a chat with journalists.

He listed such incentives as tax breaks, cost reflective tariffs and removal of impediments to thriving business.

He said, “There will be tax breaks. There will be cost reflective tariffs and there will be removal of all the encumbrances that make business thrive.

“Embedded generation is the key. NERC has been directed to ensure that whatever needs

to be done by the regulatory agency to make sure that people are incentivise to do embedded generation is done.”

The Minister explained that embedded generation is the fastest means of bringing electricity to the large Nigerian population. According to him, “Let’s face it NERC is proactive.

Embedded generation is the fastest way to bring light to Nigerians. We have policies that give that direction. What we are working on now is to incentivise investors because it is much easier and much more proficient to do 10, 20 megawatts of power stations than to do one 200MW power station. That will take five years, but you can deploy these other ones within a year.”

Speaking on the recurring

vandalism recorded on the oil and gas pipelines in the country, the Minister said that the federal government is employing the optic fibre cabling method to digitise the system.

“Quite recently, there have been contract awards for the monitoring of pipelines, such as the Gbaramatu axis. But you know that vandalism, in my opinion, especially with regard to gas pipelines is pure sabotage. So no matter what you do to stop it, people are going to find ways of making it difficult for the power that is available to Nigeria to be distributed to Nigerians. These are very unpatriotic people.

One way and that is extremely expensive, is by digitising the entire gas pipeline, oil pipeline and you can do this by

integrating fibre optic cabling throughout. Of course, you know we are talking about thousands of kilometres. The cost is quite prohibitive and so on, unless that is done, we are still going to be at the mercy of the vandals,” he said.

According to him, generation can peak at 6,000 megawatts if gas is available.

“We can very easily generate 5,500 to 6,000 megawatts of power if the gas is available.

But when the gas pipelines are shut down on a regular basis, there is no way we can get there.

“We can stop vandalism by digitalising the surveillance, using the best possible global system of surveillance to make sure that we secure our gas infrastructure.”

Implement Nigerian content 100% — Kaztec

By Sebastine Obasi

T

HE full implementation of the Nigerian Content Act should be the main focus of the in-coming Muhammadu Buhari government in the oil and gas sector, the Managing Director of Kaztec Engineering Ltd., an oil servicing company, Mr. John Niezner, has said Niezner, who stated this recently, also said that the Act should be implemented 100 percent to ensure that Nigerians benefitted fully.

He said, “What we will like the in-coming government to do is to ensure that the Nigerian Content Act is maintained fully, 100 percent.

That work is done in Nigeria

by Nigerians, not by foreign companies, to encourage the establishment of Nigerian companies. But not only the establishment of those companies, but also to establish capabilities within those companies to execute work.

“That is one of the down sides. What we are seeing is a lot of new companies coming to the surface in Nigeria that do not have the capability that in turn have the detrimental effect of the outcome of those projects needing higher costs and longer schedules. So it is a little bit of a tradeoff there.”

Speaking on the Kaztec fabrication yard, Niezner explained that operators in the industry are looking for experience, which some indigenous companies such as Kaztec can provide. “There is a great deal of interest from the operators. Of course, what the operators are looking for is past experience. We said we can deliver and we have delivered. There are many people in the industry that are working for Kaztec that in their previous roles have delivered very complex facilities, which we have to prove now to the operators over the next six to nine months. Yes, there is incredible interest in Kaztec fabrication yard.

As regards the sustainability of services of indigenous companies in the new administration, he said, “Our focus is to provide service to the operators regardless of government. We continue to provide that service and realise our vision. We hope and really trust that the incoming government will support us because we are doing the right thing that will benefit not only the operators but benefit the nation and of course, Kaztec.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015 — 27

FG tasks stakeholders on strengthening power reform …Says sector deregulation yielding results

By Chris Ochayi

A

BUJA: The Federal Government has challenged stakeholders in the power sector to come up with acceptable policy direction that would strengthen and consolidate on the gains recorded in the on-going reform in the sector.

The Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, who gave the charge at a twoday workshop for the validation of the Power Sector Local Content Development Initiative and Policy Documents, held last week in Abuja, said concrete and tangible results have been recorded from the reform.

According to him, “Today’s power sector is a deregulated one that has benefited immensely from the gains of privatisation. With the reform, concrete and tangible results have been recorded in the area of quantum injection of capital - both foreign and local, He added that, “It is on record that at the recent privatization exercise, the bulk of the money invested in the sector came from local financiers.”

Represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr. Godknows Igali, the minister noted that after three years of privatisation, it is time for stocktaking, and that the platform will help develop and delineate key performance indicators, KPIs. Nebo enjoined the stakeholders especially the states, to be informed on the need to do more, as the coast is now clear for them to provide electricity to their people with the promulgation of the Electricity Power Sector Reform, EPSR Act 2005.

He said: “Since privatisation and subsequent take-over, more technical know-how, application of value-added ICT initiatives for improved processes have also been introduced to the power

sector. Ughelli Power Plant for instance, which was doing a paltry output of a little above 100 megawatts, MW, before take-over, today is operating on over 600MW, with plans

“I would appeal to the NLNG, government, Samsung to engage us in the act by which we were trained, rather than leaving us to our fate.”

to push close to 800MW soon.”

He also admitted that there are obvious constraints occasioned by dwindling oil revenue, but the private sector, through their bankable proposals can raise funds from their financial institutions not through budgetary provisions.

While lamenting that all the gains that would have been enjoyed by Nigerians in terms of increased access to electricity is washed away by the unpatriotic acts of pipelines vandalism, which have denied the thermal plants access to gas.

He said that Government is not folding its arms as increased surveillance, community involvement and close working relationship with new owners and security agencies, have led to the arrest of some culprits.

He said that although generation capacity now hovered between 5,500MW and 6,000MW, but vandalism has denied Nigerians the pleasure of enjoying the full benefits of the increase in electricity production.

“We now have improved transmission network resulting from recently completed projects by Transmission Company of Nigeria,” he added.

A

S part of efforts to bridge the huge manpower gap in the Nigerian shipping industry so as to position the industry for growth, Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) in partnership with Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited, NLNG, said it would engage the services of the trainees sent to Korea for ship building and construction.

Stating this at the welcome ceremony, at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, the General Manager of Samsung Nigeria, Mr. Frank Ejisu, said that the move was to foster growth and enhance local content development.

According to him, “Nigeria content is primarily geared to optimally increase and build capacity. We found out that in the oil and gas industry, there is a gap and that is why Samsung, in collaboration with NLNG decided to engage in the training of some Nigerians that would creatively fill in that gap that has been hindering maximum capacity operations of the local content.

“The objective is primarily for capacity building. Samsung had

By Funmi Olasupo

A

BUJA - The Federal Government said it has so far released about N5 billion out of the N9.2 billion approved for the procurement of clean cook stoves to be distributed to rural women in Nigeria.

The Minister of Environment, Mrs Laurentia Mallam, made the disclosure to journalists in Abuja during an inspection of the project.

Mallam explained that the ministry had given N1.3 billion to the contractor as part of the 15 per cent kick off contract agreement, to enable both parties play smooth, adding that the remaining N3.7 billion is kept safe in the ministry’s account.

According to her, the N9.2 billion is a presidential intervention to help safeguard the environment and stop the felling of trees for cooking in the rural area.

“The project of distributing clean cook stove is to reduce the number of trees that are being cut down to cook in the rural areas by distributing clean cook stoves to rural women. And as we begin now, it will spread throughout the country and by Year 2020, most of the rural women will be using the stove and by then the forest will be saved.”

Asked whether distribution of the stove had started, the minister said distribution had started in the northern part of the country due to the encroachment of desert into the country.

NAPTIN to check skill gap in energy sector — DG

By Sebastine Obasi

. Power plant

Samsung to engage trainees sent to Korea

By Ediri Ejoh

FG releases N5bn for clean cook stove project

sometimes last year in collaboration with NLNG, decided to train some Nigerians in Ship building and all aspect of ship development. Since that time they had been in Korea and they just got back.

“Now that we are back, we would not relent in just the training of these Nigerians. However, we would now assist to plug them into various aspects of jobs they are specialized in.

We took 60 Nigerians for the training and we would leave them useless without putting them to work.

“We came in to welcome them after their training. They went to our shipyard in Gojea, South Korea. Most of them are happy because they have improved on their knowledge. Overall it was a successful training.

Also, he added “In line with the plans of Samsung to build a training centre in the country, this training just engaged on is a pre-training.

Ultimately, most of the people would be trained in Nigeria when we complete the training centre. We are programming to train another set between 60 and 100 of them and they would depart in July.”

Some of the trainees who spoke to vanguard, expressed satisfaction in

the programme.

According to the team leader, Mr. Jamiu Suleiman; “There is practically need for us to receive this training because we had a wider scope of things pertaining to ship building. We were exposed to high sophisticated machineries that we are not exposed to here in Nigeria.

“To my best of knowledge, we exceeded expectations of what we had gone to do. Most of us went higher in the training and were certified by America Bureau of Shipping, ABS. As a world class industry in ship building, I didn’t expect less than standard.”

Another female trainee, Miss Gladys Hard said that the scheme has helped to develop her skills in painting. “I was trained as a painting engineer. In painting, I was exposed to professionalism in the act.

She however, urged sponsors to engage them in the area they were trained rather than abandoning them. “I would appeal to the NLNG, government, Samsung to engage us in the act by which we were trained, rather than leaving us to our fate,” she added.

T

HE dearth of skill workforce being experienced in the energy sector will soon be a thing of the past, if the assurances of the Director General, National Power Training Institute of Nigeria, NAPTIN, Mr. Reuben Okeke, are anything to go by.

Okeke, at a recent Africa Utility Week and Clean Power Conference, was quoted as saying that the gap in skilled workforce has been a challenge facing the energy sector which NAPTIN is focused on tackling head on.

He explained that the sole purpose of establishing NAPTIN is to provide training for power sector personnel as well as coordinate training activities in the sector.

He noted that in pursuit of this mandate, NAPTIN has taken over the management of existing seven regional training centres of the defunct Power Holden Company of Nigeria, PHCN. According to him, NAPTIN is poised to offer world-class training and maintain the highest standards within the dynamic and evolving power sector.

“The courses and trainings we offer are designed and tailored to directly meet power sector’s current technical, business, managerial and commercial operations. Capacity skills development with emphasis on best practices is key to the success of electricity power sector reforms,” he said.

28 — VANGUARD, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

By Jude Njoku

W

EIGHED down by huge debts owed its members by the three tiers of government, the Federation of Construction Industry, FOCI, the umbrella body for about 125 major construction companies operating in Nigeria, has called on the incoming Federal government to declare a state of emergency in the construction industry.

President of the 61-year old pressure group, Mr Solomon Ogunbusola, a builder, was irked with the directive given to commercial banks by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN to publish the names of contractors indebted to them (banks).

Ogunbusola who stated that the Federal Ministry of Works alone is owing contractors over N500 billion for projects already executed and delivered, wondered why the same government which is owing them (contractors), would direct its agency, the CBN to publish their names as chronic debtors.

The FOCI President who disclosed that construction companies in Nigeria are working below 30 percent of their capacity, attributed this scenario to the inability of clients to pay for works already completed. “ The construction companies in Nigeria are

N500 billion debt: FOCI demands state of emergency in construction industry

Reconstruction of Lagos-Ibadan express way... Contractors allege non-payment for completed projects (Inset): Mr. Solomon Ogunbusola, FOCI president. working below 30 percent, not because we are interested in doing this, but we have been handicapped due to lack of payment by our clients and the major client we have today

is the government (Federal, State and the local governments).

Our members are indebted to the banks. I can say authoritatively that the banks

are writing and threatening some of our members, that they would publish their names that they are chronic debtors because, according to them, it is a directive from the Central

BCPG seeks measures tto o st em stem ear thquak e induced building collapse earthquak thquake

By Kingsley Adegboye

A

gainst the backdrop of earthquakes sweeping across the world, the Building Collapse and Prevention Guild, BCPG has called on the in-coming Buhari-led administration to take proactive measures to stem the rising occurrence of building collapse in Nigeria.

President of the Guild, Kunle Awobodu, a builder past chairman of Lagos state chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Building, NIOB, posited that “all efforts must be geared towards saving the nation from enormous calamity in the event of earthquake in future”. “ Construction of bungalows should be encouraged at places where standard in higher structures could not be guaranteed. Design and construction of earthquake resistant buildings that possess adequate lateral load resisting systems should be promoted,” Awobodu said in a press statement issued in Lagos. .

“A reliable mechanism for construction inspection should be instituted, if possible by outsourcing.

Developers should be made to employ adequate number of qualified building

professionals. Being proactive today is cheaper and saves huge losses in the future. Let the government invest in prevention by demolishing defective buildings for regeneration and ensure quality control of materials and labour force on sites, guided by prompt implementation of the National Building Code,” he said.

Awobodu debunked the belief that Nigeria is safe from the seismic zone.

He premised his view on the available data. According to him, the nation experienced earth tremors in 1933, 1939, 1964, 1984, 1990, 1994, 1997, 2000 and 2009. “Since geophysical and geological studies have discovered that a fault zone that connects with the Atlantic fracture system exists along Ifewara – Zungeru in northern Nigeria, it becomes obvious that Nigeria, especially South-West is susceptible to earthquake occurrence,” he said.

He noted that in the area of construction, Nigeria is hardly different from Nepal and Haiti. He explained that the prevalence of substandard construction works in Nigeria has been a source of worry to professionals in the nation’s built environment. Quackery has

dominated the construction sector while due process is of lip service.

“The situation has been made worse by the collapse of stock market, causing the diversion of investment into the real estate by developers, whose major focus is on profit rather than quality. Moreover, since such houses would not be occupied by them, the developers with a business mindset make innocent occupiers become the inheritors of potential danger.

“When government has failed in its primary responsibility of safe guarding its citizenry against sharp practices that could endanger their lives, concerned construction professionals could no longer continue to make recommendations that would not be implemented”, the BCPG boss said “Those that monitor construction sites should be properly counselled, take Hippocratic Oath and be well motivated in order to protect them against temptations and immediate pecuniary gains. They should uphold professional ethics for the sake of safety in the nation’s built environment. Political office holders also should not compromise on enforcement,” the group said.

Bank of Nigeria,” he fumed, wondering how the government which is owing them would direct its agency to publish their names as chronic debtors. He charged CBN to first publish the names of government ministries and parastatals indebted to FOCI members. Ogunbusola who used the medium to announce th the hosting of FOCI’s 59 Annual General Meeting, AGM and Construction Industry Exhibition in Abuja later next month, said retrenchments will continue in the sector due to the paucity of funds to pay workers. “They are owing us a lot of money, even the Federal Ministry of Works alone is owing us over N500 billion. We have retrenched a lot of people.

Until last week, we are still retrenching people and the process will continue until when we get a stable place.

We are merely keeping the offices because we just want to be in existence with the hope that the new administration would be a better one for us. We cannot hide any longer. The best we can do is: We need an emergency intervention. If you like, they should declare a state of emergency in the construction industry,”he said.

Mr. Ogunbusola who is also the Managing Director of S&M Nig. Limited, said his members are afraid of speaking out for fear of being blacklisted by the government.

The FOCI boss explained that most of the projects executed

by FOCI members were done with funds borrowed at very high interest rates from commercial banks.

He lauded the Bureau for Public Enterprises, BPE for coming up with a database to categorize all the construction companies.

The categorization, according to him, will makes it easy for the companies to know where they belong. Ogunbusola noted that some of them were not placed and asked BPE let the affected companies know their areas of deficiency to enable correct them and get placed into their own category.

On the AGM Exhibition which is billed to hold between 23 -25th of June, the FOCI President said it is a “one stop shop for both buyers and sellers of equipments to converge due to its quality and large attendance”.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015 — 29

Redevelopment of Enugu's Hotel Presidential to gulp N4bn •Gets 2017 completion date

By Jude Njoku

H

otel Presidential, Enugu, was one of the first postindependence iconic buildings built as part of the Late Dr. Michael Okpara’s industrialisation plan for the defunct Eastern region. Now, the hotel has been concessioned to Messrs EHospitality Services Limited, EHSL, with a mandate to bring the hotel back to life and upgrade it to world class standards.

The proposed redevelopment concept which involves reconfiguring and modernising the existing hotel facilities, is expected to cost N4 billion on completion in 2017.

EHSL will undertake redevelopment of the hotel through a special purpose company – Primeview Hotels Limited. EHSL will also engage a suitable international hotel management company to operate the hotel after renovation.

Vanguard Homes & Property learnt that Primeview has already taken possession of the facility and concluded preliminary surveys and assessments including a structural integrity test carried out by Sanni Ojo and Partners, a leading firm of structural engineers. The results of the tests have been positive. The concessionaire has also assembled a team of design and engineering consultants and produced a redevelopment concept. A contractor has also been C M Y K

mobilised to the site and has commenced stripping of the hotel in preparation for the redevelopment works. The proposed redevelopment concept involves reconfiguring and modernising the existing hotel facilities such as restaurants, conferencing facility, outdoor swimming pool, four tennis courts and increasing the stock of rooms from 100 to 150 rooms. In additio, a family leisure centre will be incorporated and the number of

The proposed redevelopment concept which involves reconfiguring and modernising the existing hotel facilities, is expected to cost N4 billion on completion in 2017

restaurants and other elements increased in line with the requirements of the preferred hotel manager. It is expected that the main contract for the redevelopment will be awarded in the last quarter of this year (2015) and the hotel ready to be opened by the second quarter of 2017.

Hotel Presidential sits on prime land within the Independence Layout in Enugu and is approximately 15 minutes by car from the Enugu International airport.

At the time it was open

t o t h e p u b l i c , t h e ho t e l offered 100 rooms on four floors with recreational facilities such as swimming pools, tennis courts and a night club. These memories however quickly fade once the reality of the hotel’s current state of disrepair is revealed. Many years of poor management, particularly during the years of military rule, culminated in a complete rundown of the hotel and its subsequent closure; In a bid to remedy the situation, the current Enugu State. Government, sought proposals from private sector investors willing to invest in the redevelopment of the Hotel as well as manage it under an international hotel brand name. After due consideration of a number of proposals from private sector investors, the concession was granted to EHSL. EHSL which claimed to have done extensive research, noted the lack of international standard hospitality services in the South-East. “Given the strong demand for quality hotel, leisure and conferencing facilities in the region, EHSL aims to breach this supply gap by providing what would be undoubtedly the premier business and leisure facility in the SouthEast zone when completed.

EHSL also expects that with the growing foreign direct investments, FDI flowing into the zone and the commencement of direct international flights into Enugu airport and significant foreign traveller traffic, the Hotel would become the destination of choice,” the company said in a press statement.

Kwankwaso commissions 108 housing units in FCT

By Caleb Ayansina

A

BUJA – AS part of efforts to address the huge housing deficit in Federal capital Territory, FCT, the Kano State Government in collaboration with Urban Shelters Limited, has commissioned a N45 billion housing estate in the city.

The Evergreen Residences, an integrated real estate development project, located at Durumi District in Abuja, consists of 108 housing units of four- bedrooms terraces and threebedroom blocks of apartments.

Commissioning the project, the Governor of Kano state, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, an engineer, attributed the housing problems in the country to high rate of population growth and lack of purposeful leadership.

The Governor, who is now Senatorelect, said his administration had embarked on several projects in to ensure that the people of the state enjoy the dividends of democracy. “ To w a r d s diversifying the investment outlook of the state as well as fully explore and utilise the state’s

assets in more productive and efficient manner, my government embarked on an unprecedented task of construction of three-mega cities -Kwankwasiyya, Amana and Bandirawo which are today household names in Nigeria and beyond.

“The three cities consist of over 2,000 housing units with full infrastructure consisting of tarred road networks, electricity and water supply and modern city facilities that include amusement parks, shopping malls, modern sewage systems, police and fire service station, sporting and other recreational facilities which are all built at the total cost of about N45 Billion.

“Part of our rationale for investing heavily in the real estate business is that during execution the project provides our teeming populace with job and business opportunities; and on completion, it provides decent accommodation to deserving members of the society, “ he said.

The Evergreen estate which was flagged off in 2013, has state-of-theart-facilities and will provide services

like 24 hours security watch, 24 hours power and water supply services by a dedicated transformer and an automatic changeover system.

“The Evergreen Residences is an integrated real estate development project undertaken by Urban Shelter Limited in collaboration with the Kano State Pension Fund Trustees.

“The landscape has also been transformed from clogged cluster of buildings to a collection of homes.”

The Governor said Kano State Trust Fund Trustees is getting 20 housing units within the serene environment of Evergreen Residences.

Also speaking, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Muhammed, said the project would add to housing stock in the nation’s capital.

Represented by the Director of Mass Housing, Umar Jubril, the minister added that “the edifice is of world class in term of standard and it is in line with the FCT master plan.”

30— Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

Revisiting the NLC, Good Homes partnership in housing delivery infrastructure through the Sure- P intervention funds.

Government will also support a number of workers and selfemployed to own homes through the first 10,000 mortgage scheme.

In order to ensure that the project is not hampered by unavailability of funds, the Federal Mortgage Bank is to provide construction mortgage finance while they will exit the transaction through the provision of National Housing Fund mortgage finance for qualified contributors, through selected primary mortgage institutions, PMIs. The company driving the project , Good Homes Development Company Ltd is a reputable consortium of four private real estate companies that came

By Chukwudi Enekwechi

I

n this era of public – private partnerships, it is indeed remarkable that the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC in conjunction with the Federal Government is partnering Good Homes Development Co. Ltd in the provision of affordable houses for Nigerian workers. For a start, under the arrangement, the company has commenced the construction of the initial 40,000 housing units for civil servants in Abuja, the Federal Capital Ter ritory. It is expected that gradually the projects will be spread to the remaining 36 states of the federation.

It is indeed commendable that the NLC has chosen to partner with Good Homes Dev. Co. Ltd, a company reputed for efficiency, timely delivery of projects, and Nigeria’s number one estate developer. It is also noteworthy that the chairman of the company, Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu, a former member of the House of Representatives was the first, about 20 ago to pioneer mass housing development in the Federal Capital and other states of the federation under another subsidiary of his - SNECOU Group, Prince & Princess Estates Ltd. From available designs of the mass housing project they have embarked upon on behalf of Nigerian workers, the estates will serve as onestop destination for the inhabitants as they will enjoy most needed facilities where they live. For example, there will be provision for recreational facilities, shopping centers, gymnasium, club house, heath centre, police station and power plant.

There is no doubt that these types of architectural designs will serve as an incentive for workers to give their best at work places since their basic needs have been catered for at home.

Going by the company ’s project mission statement the programme is ‘’a comprehensive housing scheme that will alleviate housing pressures faced by civil servants”. Obviously, this mission statement is attainable considering the company’s skillful work force and tested sub-contractors.

“Good Homes Dev. Co. Ltd is a company with pedigree based on experience”. As their motto goes, the company is truly dedicated to

Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu, Chairman Good Homes solving the housing needs of Nigerian workers.

Additionally, the synergy being created towards the realisation of the project is significant as the NLC, TUC, FCTA, FMBN and Good Homes Company are formidable entities that will ensure that Nigerian workers are provided with decent living accommodation.

Repayment of mortgage On the financial burden which this arrangement may have on the nation’s civil servants, it is gratifying that such impact has been cushioned with the average worker only required to make a 10 percent down payment of the total cost for

It is indeed commendable that the NLC has chosen to partner with Good Homes Dev. Co. Ltd, a company reputed for efficiency, timely delivery of projects, and Nigeria’s number one estate developer

his preferred accommodation and a convenient repayment plan is provided, which enables him or her to complete the payment over a 20-25 years period.

In specific terms, the project offers a lifestyle as you have enough facilities such as shopping malls, worship centres, gas station, green areas, playgrounds, hospital, schools and other attractive infrastructure and facilities.

Already construction work has reached advanced stage in the first phase at Apo-Tafyi District of Abuja.

It will be recalled that the project was flagged off by President Goodluck Jonathan some months ago and the underpinning principle behind it is to ensure that access to huge capital is not a hindrance to workers who want to own decent houses by providing mortgage facilities at subsidised rates.

Government support The project has tremendous Presidential support as a result of government’s interest in addressing the countr y ’s huge housing deficit which some experts estimate to hover around 60 to 70 percent. While trying to bridge the deficit, the project will also help in creating job openings for numerous unemployed Nigerians..

To demonstrate the Federal government’s commitment to the realisation of the project they will take the responsibility for development of basic

together to form the SPV called Good Homes Company Ltd for the main purpose of delivering 100,000 homes nationwide, in collaboration with the Trade Union Congress and Nigeria Labour Congress for Nigerian workers .

Both NLC and TUC are responsible for the scheme, and they are to use their platforms to ensure that all subsidies and waivers are given to achieve the delivery of affordable homes for Nigerian workers.

The target markets for the project are the federal and state government’s ministries, department, agencies and the selfemployed. The beneficiaries only need to have verifiable means of income.

To realize the objective, and enable workers access the project from all from all over the country three collection banks were appointed.

Enekwechi is an Abuja based public affairs analyst

Firm unveils new product in Lagos

S

chneider Electric, a global specialist in energy management, used the recent Lagos Architects’ Forum and Exhibition to officially launch its flagship brand for design and elegance known as ‘Ultimate Range of Sockets and Switches.

Speaking on the product, the Vice President Retail, Schneider Electric, Mr. Tonye Briggs, explained that “the Ultimate Range of Sockets and Switches provides one of the most comprehensive ranges of beautifully crafted, sleek, sophisticated fittings in the market.

Mr. Briggs added that it comes with more choice, more style, and packed with innovative technical features for easy installation. “This achievement underscores Schneider Electric’s

commitment to Nigeria and reflects the company’s effort to provide top-quality products with a view to advancing the Nigerian construction industry.

He noted that the exhibition provided a platform for Schneider Electric to showcase its architectural products and solutions to seasoned professionals, local and international experts in the business of architecture, government agencies and many other stakeholders.

The Chairman, Nigerian Institute of Architects, Lagos State Chapter, Ladipo Lewis in his remark at the event, said “the aim of the institute is to strive further and achieve greater heights taking advantage of the immense opportunities available in the city of Lagos.”

Facilities management roundtable gets June date

I

n its quest to ensure Facilities Management plays a key role in Nigeria’s rebased economy, leading Facilities Management Company, Alpha Mead Facilities & Management Services Limited (AMFacilities) will next month, hold this year’s edition of its annual facilities management roundtable.

According to Femi Akintunde, an engineer and managing director/CEO, AMFacilities, the roundtable will be used to stimulate the opportunities in Nigeria’s real estate and infrastructure sectors with

standard facilities management practices that can increase their contributions to the nation’s GDP. This year’s roundtable which is to commemorate 2015 World FM Day, will have “Building Resilience for the Future” as its theme. The one-day event will take place in Lagos on June 10.

Akintunde listed the five key sectors to be discussed at the roundtable to include, real estate and infrastructure, telecommunications, banking and financial services, oil and gas as well as government agencies and parastatals.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015—31

Toyota assembly plant ready July — Ade Ojo •Faults implementation of auto policy

C

HAIRMAN of Toyo ta Nigeria Limited, Chief Michael Ade Ojo has disclosed that a Toyota assembly plant will be ready in Nigeria between July and August this year.

Chief Ade Ojo, who spoke during the 2015 Toyota Awards at the Civic Centre in Lagos, assured customers that Toyota has come to stay in Nigeria and would never be pushed aside despite what he described as “temporary go slow.”

Although the Toyota boss did not disclose the models to be assembled in Nigeria by his company, he said: “We are taking measures to make available to you, your loved Toyota models. We have started on an assembly, which, from all business parameters, we were convince that it was not the wisest way to go but we have to sustain our business. You must have been denied your cherished brand, but by the grace of God you will again enjoy the best models in the Toyota brand line-up."

Chief Ade Ojo, while regretting the high cost of automobiles resulting from the introduction of new auto policy which raised the duty paid on imported vehicles from 20 to 70 percent and the exchange rate of the naira against other currencies, noted that government favoured some autombile companies against the others.

According to him, “it is like our brand and some

From left: Chief Micheal Ade-ojo, Chairman TNL, presents star prize of Toyota Avenza key to Mr Olanipekun Smith of FirstBank Plc, while Mr. Henry Ade Ojuoko, Head Dealer Development and Special Projects, TNL, watched during the 2015 Toyota Customer Award Nite, in Lagos. Photo: Kehinde Gbadamosi other brands have been targetted and others favoured.”

He told the customers, which included banks, corporate organisations and individuals present at the award venue, that they were having a common problem occasioned by the introduction of auto policy, which had brought concern to both the company and the customers.

“Government has increased duty from 20 to 70 per cent i.e 35 per cent duty and 35 per cent levy.

This, to us as your suppliers, there is no doubt that this kind of painful

addition to the cost, definitely means that less people can afford to buy new vehicles,” he said.

He further noted that they (Toyota) were not opposed to new government auto policy, but with the way it was introduced and executed.

According to him, they were told that if they don’t open Form M within a certain period, they will pay 35 levy. But that they discovered that a particular company, which he couldn’t mention had opened Form M for 15,000 vehicles. This company, he said sold less than 2,000 vehicles

•President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari(middle);Chairman PAN Nigeria Limited, Alhaji Munir Ja’afar (2nd left); Managing Director PAN, Alhaji Ibrahim Boyi (right) and Chairman ASD Motors, Alhaji Sani Dauda (left) when the delegation from PAN paid the President-elect a visit in his house in Kaduna, weekend.

C M Y K

the previous year.

He said that they shouted and complained and government did not listen to them. This particular company, he disclosed brought in their 15,000 vehicles early in the year while others were at a loss.

Continuing, the Toyota boss said that they order vehicles every month but

it takes five months to get their vehicles delivered.

So they couldn’t do anything because Toyota Motor Corporation does not produce vehicles and keep.

After the five months, he said could not the policy kicked off which made their prices to go up.

“We could only manage to bring in vehicles for

seven months, which could not incure new levy." We were also visited by unexpected happening when the depreciation in the value of naira against the dollar hit the country,” he said.

He recalled that even when they complained that the policy was not fair to all concerned, there was no response, while this particular dealer that brought in 15,000 units was still selling its vehicles.

“We were able to maintain our price one year after and this affected the brand as the customers were denied their Toyota cars," he added.

However, the good news, he said, is that Toyota is taking measures to make available the Toyota cars to the customers with the completion of an assembly plant in July this year, adding “ you must have been denied, but by the grace of God, you will again enjoy the best brand Toyota.”

“We are not prepared to run away from our country. It is those who are making things difficult that will run away."

Looking back, he said that Toyota Nigeria, not long ago, introduced the new Yaris, Corolla and Hilux pick up; manual and automatic transmission, as well as the executive version of Hiace with 10 seats.

Truckmaster Academy graduates technicians

T

RUCKMASTERS Nigeria Limited has graduated the first set of truck technicians aimed at arresting the dearth of trained manpower, especially in truck maintenance in Nigeria.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony on Friday at the Ikeja Office, the Managing Director, Mr. Tony Arenyeka, explained that the Truckmaster Academy’s programme is a baby of the Industrial Training Fund, ITF, and Nigeria Employers Consultative Association, NECA. The training programme, which started 18 months ago, turned out 20 young technicians in different areas of specialisation.

The Truckmaster boss, while addressing the technicians, said: “Today,

we are producing technicians who have identified their areas of motivation and specialisation in electrical/electronics, mechanical, panel beating

The training programme, which started 18 months ago, turned out 20 young technicians in different areas of specialisation

and spraying and workshop administration.’’

According to him, ‘’ this noble initiative will no doubt contribute to improving quality of life of Nigerians through availability of competent hands to handle problems of maintenance bedevilling our transport industry, as we have increased the pool of skilled labour and reduced the menace of quack mechanics.”

Commending the efforts of the Industrial Training Fund and NECA in supporting their programme, he said they plan to commence a new stream of intakes very soon, adding that the academy will introduce advanced specialist areas in diesel injector repairs, tyre centre management, battery and

Continues on Page 32

32—Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

By Theodore Opara

Ford raises the bar with all-new Figo T

HE all-new Ford Figo is destined to be a compact car champion by offering unprecedented levels of style, feature-rich smart technologies and high levels of safety, while retaining the Figo’s established reputation for superb fuel efficiency and overall value.

“The Ford Figo has been a remarkable success story in South Africa since it was launched in 2010,” says Tracey Delate, General Marketing Manager at Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa (FMCSA).

“From the outset the Figo’s strong price point, smart features and the option of fuel-efficient petrol and diesel engines made it one of the top contenders in the Sub-B segment. Last year the Figo held an average of 15-percent share of this segment.

“The all-new Figo builds on that legacy by combining sophisticated contemporary styling, a whole new range of Ford’s trend-setting technologies, as well as a modern and welcoming cabin that offers more space and improved safety,” Delate states. “The Figo will once again be extremely competitive in terms of overall value.”

For the first time, the Figo will be available in two body styles, including the familiar five-door hatchback as well as a new four-door sedan.

Although the full lineup will be confirmed closer to launch, the range will be broader compared to the current Figo due to the addition of more derivatives and specification levels (and the option of the hatch and sedan body styles).

Both petrol and diesel models will be available, offering impressive fuel economy, power and torque. Customers will also have the choice of manual or automatic transmissions.

The eye-catching styling is clearly derived from Ford’s Kinetic 2.0 design language, as seen on the recently launched Fusion and Focus. The more upmarket look is emphasized by the trapezoidal grille, complemented by a raked bonnet and bold, elongated headlamps.

Sweeping, curved lines C M Y K

flowing from the front to the rear create a sense of movement. The five-door hatch incorporates a rising roofline with a sporty spoiler and neat tailgate accentuated by two distinct crease lines. The sedan version echoes the theme and adds improved loading capacity.

The interior is also completely new, with an attractive design that provides high levels of comfort and space, complemented with impressive quality and attention to detail.

Innovative smart features that will impress tech-savvy buyers include (depending on model) a new devicedocking station that serves as the driver’s connection point to the world of mobility, Ford’s

SYNC® integrated multimedia and connectivity system, Bluetooth with Voice Activation, the programmable MyKey®

function, as well as electronic automatic temperature control.+ Safety is also a top priority, with a minimum of

dual front airbags, extending to full-length side airbags. This is backed up by ABS brakes across the range, plus

Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) with Hill Launch Assist on the top derivatives.

Vanguard Motoring, FirstBank win Toyota award V ANGUARD Mo toring has been adjudged the best motoring page at a recent award by Toyota Nigeria Limited. Consequently, Vanguard Motoring Editor, Mr. Theodore Opara, went home with the Motoring Journalists award for 2015 and a star prize Samsung Galaxy S6 phone.

Announcing the award at a well attended Toyota Nigeria 2015 ceremony, the Managing Director of Toyota Nigeria Limited, Mr. Kunle Ade Ojo, said it is the tradition of the company to reward excellence and Vanguard Motoring had stood out since the commencement of the award

11 years ago.

Also rewarded during the eventheld at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, were Mr.

The Toyota Award started in 2005 with the aim of rewarding customers and journalists who stood out in their different categories

Mike Ochoma of Business Day newspaper and Rasheed Bisiriyu, who emerged first and second runners- up, respectively. Both went home with lower versions of Samsung Galaxy phones.

The Toyota Award started in 2005 with the aim of rewarding customers and journalists who stood out in their different categories. So far, Vanguard Motoring has dominated the award by winning it for more than

six times.

In the customer category, First Bank Nigeria Plc emerged the Customer of the Year with a star prize of a brand new Toyota Avenza, while the Department of Petroleum Resources and Access Bank emerged first and second runners-up with a cash prize of N2 million and N1.5 million, respectively.

In his remark, Ade-Ojo noted that Toyota’s philosophy still remains ‘customer first’ which

has helped them to retain the number one position for over a decade in Nigeria.

He said: “The philosophy of customer first is key to us and we are taking the necessary steps to ensure that you enjoy your Toyota in Nigeria because your satisfaction is important to us.’’

According to him, irrespective of last year ’s challenging atmosphere, Toyota still retained the number one position in the country.

Truckmaster Academy graduates technicians Continues from Page 31

electrical shop repair and air conditioning recovery specialist.

Speaking on the benefits of the training to the young technicians, Mr. Arenyeka noted that 50 years ago, a secondary school education was sufficient for getting a good job to support a family.

But in 21 Century Nigeria, it takes some form of post secondary education to get such a job. ‘’Millions of university graduates have no jobs.

Therefore, in making the decision to take the path of this vocation study and

certification, you have opened up a door to a whole new world of opportunity,”he said.

Also speaking at the occasion, the Director General, ITF, Mrs. Juliet Chukkas Onaeko said the training is a government strategy not only aimed at promoting youth development and reducing unemployment rate among Nigeria young people, but also in developing a pool of technical skilled hands that can arrest the dearth of trained manpower, especially in truck maintenance.

•From left: Mr Ade-ojo, Managing Director Toyota Nigeria Limited, presents the Motoring Journalists Award to Mr Theodore Opara of Vanguard Motoring Editor, during the 2014 Toyota Customer Award Nite, held at Civic Centre, Victoria Island Lagos. Photo: Kehinde Gbadamosi

Mary Slessor ‘White Queen of Calabar’ heritage site deteriorates PAGE 5

BAD ROAD: Residents relocate from Rivers community PAGES 6

VOL. 1: NO. 551 1

TUESD AY, MA 15 TUESDA MAYY 26, 20 201

FROM SWIMMING TO TREKKING:

12 Bayelsa youths swim over 4 rivers to honour Jonathan

•Mr. Benson (middle), Ogbulu Sampson (left) and Freeman Opueze.

BY EMEM IDIO

Y

ENAGOA—SINCE one Sulieman Hashimu set fire to the trekking craze when he trudged from Lagos to C M Y K

Abuja, about a month ago, for the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, many Nigerians have joined the fad.

However, there is a new dimension to the trend from the

creek of Bayelsa state.

Last Wednesday, an indigene of Okoroma community, Nembe Local Government Area, Mr. John Benson, in company of Ogbulu Sampson, Freeman

Opueze and other acquaintances, turned up at Yenagoa, the state capital.

Arriving Yenagoa means they had to swim across four rivers and trekking in the mangroves

from his countryside, an expanse of about 41 kilometers.

Their story makes an interesting read.

Continues on Page 7

2 — Niger Delta Voice, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

TRAVAILS OF EX-VICE PRINCIPAL:

FG declared me dead, stopped my pension while I’m living — Ven Solomon Igue

BY GODWIN OGHRE

E

RHOBAROOROGUN- SEV E N T Y- F O U R YEAR-OLD retired Vice Principal of Kokori Grammar School, Kokori, Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State, Venerable Solomon Igue, is livid that the Federal Government had not only proclaimed him dead, but gone ahead to stop payment of his pension without any medical proof that he is dead.

Ven. Igue, who hails from Erhobaro-Orogun in Ughelli North Local Government Area of the state, told Niger Delta Voice, “I retired from the Teaching Service in 1989; my last appointment was in Kokori Grammar School, where I taught from 1981 to 1989. I retired meritoriously on January 1, 1989, as a Vice Principal on Grade Level 9.” Strangely, he had been on pension since he retired 25 years until 2013 when his pension was halted on strange grounds.

Injustice in promotion He disclosed, “When I was on grade level 9, most of my contemporaries were already promoted to grade level 14, but gov-

DELTA...

FINGER OF GOD ernment, for no justification treated me unfairly by delaying my promotion.”

“As if the unfair treatment of delaying my promotion was not enough, the federal government again took a major declaration against me, it declared that I died in 2013 when I am still living flesh and blood and talking to you (reporter) now. It eventually stopped my pension the same year,” he said.

Mystery myself and family can’t explain His words, “I tried severally to tell the government to reverse its claim that I was dead to no avail. I have even continued to attend federal government screening before and after 2013, but that has not made them to change for the truth.”

“The screening of federal government pensioners is the avenue to know those who are still living and those that are dead.

I am always attending, but all to no avail. Since that time, each time I attend screening, they see me, shake hands with me and talk with me but their records

reflect that I had been dead since 2013. That is the mystery my family and I cannot understand, we do not know what is happening and what to do,” he stated.

How it started The septuagenarian diagnosed of diabetics in 2013 said his ordeal started when he attended the Delta State University Teaching Hospital, Oghara for treatment.

“When the federal government heard of it, they declared me dead and stopped my pension. I am now surviving with the assistance coming from my

When the federal government heard of it, they declared me dead and stopped my pension

•Venerable Solomon Igue children. At a time, I also received assistance from Chief Jones Esombi in my village here. I now rely on my children to live,” he said.

Teaching career According to Ven. Igue, he was born August 6, 1941 and had his first teaching appointment on January 1, 1954 at the then CMS School Orogun, where he schooled too. He taught there until 1957. After a stint at the then Benin Teachers’ College, Benin City between 1958 to 1961, he taught at LEA Secondary Model

School, Oghara, 1961 to 1966.

Duty took him to CMS School, Orogun in 1967, where he taught there until 1976 when he proceeded to study Sociology at University of Lagos. He finished in 1980 and completed his NYSC programme, 1980 to 1981 at Sobe High School, near Owo in Ondo State. After his NYSC, he moved to Kokori Grammar School in 1981 where he retired January 1, 1989. Ven Igue said, who appealed to the federal government to revisit his case and restore his pension, said, “Since my retirement, I have been enjoying my federal government pension until it suddenly declared me dead in 2013 and stopped my pension till date. Even when the government promoted me to level 10 during my pension period, I never received level 10 pension payments. It did not reflect in my pension payments before they suddenly declared me dead in 2013.”

SOS to Buhari “I am appealing to the federal government, particularly the new government under Muhammadu Buhari (retd) to re-examine this matter. I need the money to take care of my health, I am not dead, I am only diabetic and am living and still undergoing treatment against diabetics,” he said.

NDE tutors Mrs Akpabio’s superb parting gifts to Akwa-Ibom widows 50 Bayelsa

BY CHIOMA ONUEGBU so much for that.” separate speeches, thanked AKWA IBOM...

"For her to consider in the last Mrs. Akpabio for carrying the graduates on YO- WIFE of the out LAND OF PROMISE days of her administration to women of the area along in her going Governor of continue to touch the lives of administration and prayed God free enterprise Akwa Ibom state, Mrs. Nung Ukana Ikot Obio Akpan. widows, especially in Ibesikpo to reward her efforts and be-

U

BA YELS A ...

BAYELS YELSA

THE GLORY OF ALL LANDS

By EMEM IDIO

Y

ENAGOA-THE Na tional Directorate of Employment, NDE, has concluded a week- long Enterprise and Finance Counseling training for 50 Bayelsa- born graduates at Yenagoa, capital of Bayelsa State.

Director General, NDE, Malam Abubakar Muhammed, represented by the Bayelsa State Coordinator of NDE, Mr. David Apakasa, noted that the programme was initiated the federal government to expose unemployed graduates to the benefits of self-reliance through entrepreneurship.

He said the first phase of the training started last month with eight states and the second phase was conducted, this month, amongst eight others states, including Bayelsa.

Muhammed disclosed that NDE had through similar programmes reduced unemployment rate to 6.4 percent.

C M Y K

Unoma Akpabio, has built four two-bedroom houses for four widows, who have no roof over their heads in Ibesikpo Asutan Local Government Area of the state.

The beneficiaries identified as the poorest widows in their respective communities include Mrs. Justin's Eyo Edem from Nung Udoe village, Mrs. Mercy Effiong Williams from Ikot Akpa Eyoho, Uduak Bassey from Ikot Udoh and Eno Asuquo from

An indigene and former Commissioner for Science and Technology, Barr Comfort Etuk, who spoke to Niger Delta Voice during the commissioning at Nung Ukana Ikot Obio Akpan described the effort of Mrs. Akpabio as worthy of commendation and emulation.

She said, "The effort of the first Lady in providing shelter for helpless and hopeless widows in our communities is far above success and we appreciate her

Asutan, she deserves praise.

"You need to have seen where this poor widow was living with her children before she was identified, I pray that the incoming wife of the governor will also excel as her predecessor has excelled in her efforts," she added.

The son of the king of Ibesikpo Asutan, Prince Uwem Ita Etuk and the village head of Nung Ukana Obio, Akpan Eteidung Edet Umanah, in their

nevolence.

Unoma Akpabio counseled the villagers, "We should love our neighbour as ourselves and to you our widows, look after your children and make sure you raise them in the fear of God and ask God to bless them. In addition, you must send them to school; there is free and compulsory education in the state because the only good thing you owe them is education. Do not allow them go into prostitution."

THE TEAM

Wife of Akwa Ibom governor, Mrs. Ekaette Unoma Akpabio cuts the tape to inaugurate a newlybuilt and furnished 2-bedroom bungalow for a widow and her eight children at Nung Ukana, Ibesikpo Asutan LGA.

Emma Amaize, Editor Jimitota Onoyume Samuel Oyadongha Simon Ebegbulem Gabriel Enogholase Festus Ahon Egufe Yafugborhi Emmanuel Una Akpokona Omafuaire Godwin Oghre Tom Moses Chioma Onuegbu Ike Uche Davies Iheamnachor Emem Idio Brisibe Perez Barnabas Uzosike Nath Onajoke Chijioke Nwankpa

Niger Delta Voice, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015 — 3

Little Victory needs N1m to walk, remove conjoined fingers *Mother cries to Gov Oshiomhole, corporate organizations, philanthropists

EDO... HEARTBEAT OF THE NATION

By GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE

B

that the leg would straighten up. She carried POP on the leg for about two years. After a while that the POP had been removed, we later saw that another bone was coming out from the side because of the position she walks," the mother asserted.

Further medical assistance came the way of victory when a specially made shoe belt to aid her movement was gifted her at the Benin Central Hospital.

Her mother said that the shoe belt was a palliative that was done in a way that it prevented the lower limb from coming out when she walks, adding that Victory has been using the shoe belt since then.

She, however, stated that the shoe belt has not stopped the pain and unease that her daughter has been battling from birth.

ENIN CITY- SIX-YEAROLD Victory Nwabueze born February 19, 2009 with what doctors at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, UBTH, Benin City, Edo State, diagnosed as congenital deformities, is unconscious of the fact that she may lose her left foot because of a disconnect at the ankle since birth, which makes blood not to flow into the leg.

A spectacle of her as she exchanges banters with her younger sister and mates showed she is bubbling with life, but behind the outward apWhy she canpearance, her not walk well mother, Mrs. now- Dr. Ijekeye J u d i t h A Consultant Nwabueze, said Plastic and her child with a Reconstructive protruding anSurgeon at the klebone finds UBTH, who has walking a treated her pregrueling assignviously, Dr ment. She laIjekeye, said Vicmented that the tory was born condition, which with some conhas inhibited her genital deformilife, is also •Victory ties that are afthreatening her fecting her lower future.

Besides the anklebone, Vic- limb and fingers. tory is battling with another "She has some conscription abnormality, which is the fuband and deformed limb. Besion of her fingers. cause of this, she cannot stand well on her legs. Some of the Hospital turns abode "We saw that the ankle bone bones there are abnormal in the was out when I gave birth to sense that some of them have her, blood could not flow into fused or are not well- formed. the veins in her left leg because Therefore, she needs a reconthere was a disconnect at the struction of those abnormal ankle. With time, the leg be- parts and separation of her fincame lifeless and started to turn gers that are fused. pale and black later. This was Over N1m required the beginning of the problem," "Exactly what she needs is her mother explained.

She has lived the most part multiple stages of reconstrucof her life so far on the planet tion. She had a surgery before earth in hospitals, including but it was not enough. The first UBTH and University College surgery was important anyway because it helped in saving her Hospital, UCH, Ibadan.

Doctors at the UBTH had to foot. She needs further surgery separate her from the rest of the to straighten the limb so that 'regular' children because of her she will be able to walk and not condition. They moved her to lose her foot. Of course, her the Special Care Unit of the hos- situation can never be like that pital when they first noticed her of someone, who was not born problem. with the deformity but if a corrective surgery is done, she will Went under surgeon’s knife be able to leave a life close to at 3 months normal one," Dr Ijekeye said.

Mrs. Nwabueze said at birth, On the amount needed for doctors advised that something the corrective surgery, he said had to be quickly done if Vicit varies since what Victory tory was not lose her left leg, needs are in stages. He noted, therefore, two months and four days, the operating knives of "Over time, she could need up the surgeons started work on to N1 million or more than that her fragile ankle, putting her because there are multiple in pain early in life, but the things to be done from time to time. The surgery can be done operations proved otherwise.

"After the operations, they in Nigeria here and we have plastered her leg with POP so done similar surgeries before."

Ibeno yyouths ouths tak eo take ovver Mobil/ NNPC tterminal erminal in Akw a Ibom Akwa

By TOM MOSES

I

BENO-YOUTHS of Ibeno community, Akwa Ibom State, laid siege to the Mobil Producing Nigeria, MPN/ NNPC Joint Venture, Qua Iboe Terminal, for five days, last week, preventing workers from entering their offices.

The protesting youths, numbering about 2,000, barricaded the entrances to the company, alleging that it refused to clean up their environment after recent oil spills between December, last year and April, this year, which destroyed their plants and aquatic lives.

Our grouse Their spokesperson, Mr. Erastus Afia, said sundry appeals and communication to the MPN to clean up the affected areas of the oil spills were rebuffed, hence the protests.

The aggrieved youths mounted a large banner with inscription in Ibeno dialect, “Abasi Ulok Ulok Aye, Aye,” and another one in English, “Build the youths, build the Nation.”

He said, “It is on record that ExxonMobil crude oil spills occurred in our community on the following days -15 Decem-

AKWA IBOM...

LAND OF PROMISE ber, 2014, 28 February, 2015, 10 April , 2015, 27 April, 2015 and all the appeals by the elders and chieftains of Ibeno to the management of MPN to come and do cleanup of the affected areas fell on deaf ears.”

“Oil spill is dangerous to health. We do not even have good water because oil spills have polluted our sources of water. We took our time to write to ExxonMobil to come and clean up the environment, they refuse to acknowledge our letters,” he added.

Afia asserted, “All the crude oil that is going down the drain on daily basis has affected our farm lands such that we cannot plant anything because the lands have been over-taken by oil spill. The incessant oil spills have devastated our lands thereby depriving our anglers their occupation. Our overall aquatic life has gone; we cannot plant and we cannot fish anymore and ExxonMobil has not been given us the employment slot they had been giving initially to ameliorate our plight.”

We are not responsible for supposed spill- Mobil

MPN Manager, Media and Communication, Mr. Ugechukwu Udeagha, confirmed that a group staged a demonstration at the MPN/ NNPC Joint Venture’s Qua Iboe Terminal in connection with the Venture sighting of intermittent patches of oilbased substance, along the shoreline of Ibeno beach, east of the Qua Iboe Terminal, on the evening of April 11, 2015.

Udeagha said that sample of the said substance was collected, tested and findings showed it was not produced from any of the Joint Venture’s onshore and offshore facilities. “Relevant community, government and regulatory agencies have been duly notified, and we are working with all parties to investigate the possible source.

“MPN restates its continued commitment to maintaining high safety, health and environmental standards in our operations and is committed to the well-being of our neighbouring communities,” he said.

Youths continue siege However, the youths vowed that they would not vacate the MPN, Qua Iboe Terminal, except the company stop does the needful.

KIDNAP OF COLLEAGUES:

Workers abandon NDDC project in Delta DELTA...

FINGER OF GOD

By PEREZ BRISIBE

P

ATANI – MORE revela tions have emerged on how a seven-man armed gang stormed the Patani-Oduophori road project site of Okmas Nig. Limited in Patani, Patani Local Government Area, Delta State, last Thursday, and abducted two Syrians and a Nigerian, working for the firm.

According to villagers, the Syrians were settling a dispute between staff of the company and representatives of the community when the gunmen struck.

Giving the names of the abducted Syrian staff as Sari Naser Karin and Tarek Maroun, and the Nigerian as Sahara, the Public Relations Manager of the company, Owhondah Ebere, told Niger Delta Voice that the gunmen, armed with AK 47 rifles, clad themselves in military camouflage.

When Niger Delta Voice vis-

•Tarek Maroun

•Sari Naser Karin

ited the project site, over the weekend, staffs of the company have abandoned work on the project, awarded by the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC. Speaking on the downing of tools by the company, Mr. Owhondah noted that though the company was bound to complete the project by the end of 2015, the company suspended work until the release of its workers and adequate security put in place to forestall future occurrence.

He disclosed that the gunmen came in speedboats

through the Sagbama creek to Agoloma-Toru-Apalabiri community and escaped via the same route with the seized workers.

Owhondah asserted that this was the first time such an incident befell workers of the company since the commencement of the project in 2013.

He said the company had made formal complaint at the Patani Police Station, Patani, Delta State, and the Commissioner of Police in the state alerted of the incident, but the management was yet to hear from the kidnappers.

C M Y K

4 — Niger Delta Voice, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

Escapee suspect rallies gang to kill resident in Delta community *Family alleges police complicity; Ovwian leadership issues ultimatum *DPO orders detention of senior police officer; 15 suspects nabbed

By PEREZ BRISIBE

O

VWIAN – HOW do the police authorities in Delta State explain that an armed robbery suspect broke away from a police station and daringly mobilized his gang to stab a citizen less than 24 hours later after the disgraceful get away?

Why should a Divisional Crime Officer, DCO, not have taken appropriate steps to prevent a feasible flight, particularly as he ordered the suspect brought out from the cell for interrogation, under an almond tree in the police station?

These are some of the questions troubling the people of Ovwian community in Udu Local Government Area, since May 7, when an escapee hoodlum and members of his gang, cold-bloodedly killed 37-yearold tricycle (Keke NAPEP) ticket seller, Mr Bestman Tobore, aka Agbari, for allegedly making cynical comment about their member in police custody The community, which read conspiracy in the escape story, had given the police an ultimatum to re-arrest the fleeing suspect, who took the police on a wasted hunt for the armory of the gang a day before his James Bond flight.

Agbari gave up the ghost at a private clinic in Warri, Friday, May 8. Investigation by Niger Delta Voice revealed that the suspect was arrested by a team of police officers attached to the Ovwian Police Station on Wednesday 6th, 2015 after a complainant identified him as a member of an armed robbery gang that robbed him of his Plasma television, handset and

DELTA...

FINGER OF GOD jewelries at his Orhuwhorun residence.

How suspect fled According to a police source, a senior police officer, who was interrogating the suspect charged for armed robbery apparently, underrated the capacity of the boy, who he took as a Junior Secondary School, JSS student.

“The interrogation was holding casually under an almond tree within the premises of the police station when suddenly, like a bolt from the blue, the suspect got up and took to his heels with the complaint and other police officers in pursuit,” the source stated.

He said the DPO immediately ordered the detention of the officer, adding that over police have arrested over 15 suspects in connection with the incident.

Why police didn’t shoot PPRO Though, the Divisional Police Officer, DPO of the Ovwian Police Station could not be reached for comments on the matter, the state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Celestina Kalu, said police did not fire at the fleeing suspect avoid stray bullets hitting innocent passers-by as well as the level of his criminal involvement On the death of Agbari, she said, “He was killed in a different circumstances and his death has nothing to do with the escaped suspect.”

Contradiction A police officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, however, contradicted the claim of the PPRO. He said the suspect, who confessed to armed robbery, took police to another criminal near the residence of the deceased, which was where the deceased saw him and allegedly remarked that he was one of the bad boys terrorizing the area.

His words, “In fact, he (Agbari) had a brawl with the suspect over his remarks; it is obvious that the suspect mobilized with his gang to kill him after he escaped.”

How my husband was killedMrs Tobore Agbari’s wife Mrs. Endurance Tobore, was inconsolable when she spoke to Niger Delta Voice.

Mrs. Tobore accused the police of complicity in the death of her husband, saying the attackers severally stabbed on the chest and head.

“The day my husband was

All these happened in the presence of the police, who later took him to the station only to hear later that the suspect escaped, mobilized with his gang, and attacked my husband the next day

A'Ibom youths condemn call for NECO registrar’s sack AKWA IBOM...

LAND OF PROMISE

BY TOM MOSES

U

YO-YOUTHS from Akwa-Ibom State have berated the Nigerian Youth Congress, NYC, Niger State chapter, for protesting and seeking the removal of the newly appointed Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the National Examinations Council (NECO), Professor Monday Tommy Joshua, simply because he hails from NigerDelta region.

Shortly after President Goodluck Jonathan announced Professor Joshua’s appointment, youths from Niger State stormed the NECO headquarters in Minna, demanding his replacement with an indigene of the state, saying Niger state has never produced the chief C M Y K

executive officer of the council since its establishment in 1999.

Speaking with reporters in Uyo, chair of Akwa Ibom Youths for Quality Leadership Initiative (AKIYOQLIN), Comrade Ndueso Akpa, said the action of the youths of Niger State was very unbecoming of people from a country that operates Federal Character policy.

He said the South-South geopolitical zone prior to the appointment of Prof. Joshua, has also not produced a Registrar/ CEO of NECO. His words,”When we read the report of the protest by the Nigerian Youth Congress (Niger State Chapter), we were very disappointed that such could come from young people, who are the future leaders of this country; the people we think should hold the unity of this nation so dear to their hearts.

“Is NECO a Niger state establishment? Are we going to rule this country like this in future?” Akpan queried.

•Late Mr. Bestman Harrison Tobore aka Agbari killed started like every normal morning with me taking the kids to school and him leaving for work at the same time. Later, I started hearing gunshots ahead with a neighbour calling out to me, saying I should run and that the persons shooting are having a showdown with my husband.

“I immediately locked up, left my kids with my neighbour and ran to the scene oblivious that my husband, who had struggled to a nearby apartment, was already been stabbed on the chest and bleeding profusely,” she said.

‘They told me my husband messed up with Obus’ According to Mrs. Tobore, on sighting her, her husband’s attackers started calling out on her saying, ‘Senior Sister, it’s your husband, he messed up with Obus.’

She said, “Having heard this, I immediately knelt down before them pleading that they should spare my husband while they shot sporadically into the air. As they were leaving, I followed them to the residence of the said Obus unaware of the health condition of my husband who I thought had escaped from them.”

“When I returned to the scene of the incident, I was wailing and telling persons who had gathered the situation of things.

It was at that point that they called my attention to where my husband was lying in his pool of blood.

“Immediately, I screamed for assistance to enable me take him to the hospital but persons around suggested otherwise that since they have not totally left the area, they might shoot him to death and that I should go and beg them first before he is taken to the hospital.

“I then ran back to the resi-

dence of the same Obus, met them, knelt down and started pleading, though I noticed that the said Obus was not around, the same boys accepted my plea, told me to go back, and take my husband to the hospital for treatment,” she asserted.

His brush with suspect On her husband’s encounter with the suspect, Mrs. Tobore said, “The previous day, my husband had earlier tonguelashed Ghana Boy while in police custody, as one of the master minders of criminality in the area. However, the suspect was in handcuff and helping the police in their investigation for a case of robbery, he immediately replied my husband saying, ‘you Agbari, be careful with the way you talk, note that I am coming back for you’.”

“Realizing how small the suspect is, my husband slapped him while he retaliated immediately with a kick on his mouth. All these happened in the presence of the police, who later took him to the station only to hear later that the suspect escaped, mobilized with his gang, and attacked my husband the next day,” she said.

Community issues ultimatum Meanwhile, an anonymous member of the Ovwian community executive, who fingered some highly-placed individuals in the community of shielding and using the boys for criminal activities, stated that the community was not happy with the killing of Agbari and had issued an ultimatum to the police to find the escaped suspect.

In response to the ultimatum, police have carried out raids at suspected hideouts in the community, but they seemed perplexed, as some highly placed men were allegedly behind the suspect and his gang.

Niger Delta Voice, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015 — 5

Mary Slessor ‘White Queen of Calabar’ heritage site deteriorates *Obon Otu, Okoyong village head appeals for help

BY IKE UCHECHUKWU

A

KPAP OKOYONG- FOR the people of Akpap Okoyong, Odukpani Local Government Area, Cross River State, generation after generation, they would live to celebrate the Scottish missionary, lawyer, educationist and developer, the late Mary Mitchell Slessor, the “White Queen of Calabar,” whose advent in the community, 1888, changed their history.

Affectionately called Obongawan (Queen of Okoyong) by Okoyong natives, the Aberedeen, Scotland-born Amazon, born December 2, 1848, liberated the old Calabar, brought Christianity and modernity the area and also stopped the killing of twins in that part of the country by picking twin abandoned for dead and raising her up daughter. She left uncommon legacy in not only Cross River, but also Akwa Ibom, Abia and Ebonyi states.

The extraordinary administrator and nurse lived and worked in Nigeria for 39 years and spent about 15 of those years in Okoyong, where supernatural beliefs, witchcraft and ritual sacrifice of twins prevailed, died, January 13, 1915 and was given a state burial at Duke Town in the present Calabar.

Falling to pieces Cross-River State Government declared her dwelling at Akpan Okoyong a heritage site because of her contributions to the society, but a visit by Niger Delta Voice to the Mary Slessor home recently showed the site in a ramshackle condition.

Obviously, it is not getting the needed attention as a legacy site of high repute.

The place looked forsaken and unkempt with overgrown grass and no one to talk to or even a tour guide to take a visitor or tourist round in case they come just as Niger Delta Voice did.

Although the structure still looks unyielding, it needs maintenance and reinforcement for the original structure remain as a heritage site, while the pillars and stair case, though still strong, surely need a touch.

Furthermore, the place needs a fence and cleaner to keep it clean always because if well kept, it could generate income and increase commerce in the area due to in-

Her Effigy at the Parish at Okoyong flux of tourists and fun seekers, who may like to visit the home.

Tour guides disappear into thin air Speaking with Niger Delta Voice, the village head of Akpap Okoyong, Obon Eyo Otu, said there have been concerted efforts by the Cross River State government to continue to maintain and develop the place but it was not an easy task.

According to him, the place used to have two boys sent by the Cross River State Tourism that served as tour guides, but

because of lack of funds, “they are no longer there, that the reason the place is longer the way it is.”

Tourism map He said the late Mary Slessor not only put Okoyong on the tourism atlas, but also etched the map of Okoyong on the Scottish currency.

“A lot of people from far and near visit Okoyong on a daily basis either, researchers, journalists and tourists, they come from different parts of the world to see these things and it has made Okoyong very popular,” he said.

Upgrading The village head said it would be advantageous to provide corresponding attractions and relaxation spots to help boost tourism influx to the place, adding, “We will appreciate if the place is upgraded but the structure must be touched.”

Originality He, however, cautioned, “It must, as a matter of fact, be left in its original form because that is what makes it what it is. We know the place can be improved upon to add value and attract more people

but it should be done line with a heritage site.”

“Obongawan was a multitalented individual who served in different capacities while in Okoyong,” he said, adding, “A lot has to be done to ensure that the place is up to international standard because her legacy is not just for Nigeria or Africans, but for the entire world.

He asserted, “It is important that the relics, antiquities and other things like the church built by her must be left in their original form and maintained not only by the church, but by other concerned authorities.”

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6 — Niger Delta Voice, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

PODIUM… BAD ROAD:

Residents relocate from Rivers community; slam Amaechi RIVERS…THE TREASURE BASE OF THE NATION

By DAVIES IHEAMNACHOR RUMUAGHOLU- RESIDENTS of Rumuagholu, Obio/ Akpor Local Government Area, Rivers State, are moving out of the area in droves because of the ramshackle condition of the community’s road, a strategic way that leads to the International Airport, Omuagwa, through Ada George, Port Harcourt metropolis and Obio/ Akpor International Market from the T-Junction point.

The people berated the governor, Rt. Hon Rotimi Amaechi, for failing to repair the road despite that fact that he visited the community and saw the pitiable condition of the people.

Rumuagholu, located in the popular Rumuokoro axis, is one of the communities in the Garden City.

They complained that the dilapidated road has ruined every economic activity in the area, as tenants and business persons were moving out of the area, instead of renting houses and shops in the area because of the tumbledown road.

SPDC tarred road years ago Secretary General of Rumuagholu Council of Chiefs and Traditional Rulers, Chief Israel Okwu-Amadi, who is a retired director of the Ministry of Education, Port Harcourt, accused the government of neglect.

Okwu-Amadi said, “The community is really suffering.

The state government has not done anything for the people of Rumuagholu. Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC, tarred this road when there was oil spillage in the community. The company said it would pay the community money, but we objected and requested that the money be used in constructing road for the community.”

The community scribe asserted, “Because we have no road, businesses are not moving well in the community again and nobody wants to come into the community again because of the nature of our road. Most of the people that have cars cannot use their cars on this road.”

Caretaker chair stopped work “Last year we contributed C M Y K

money and started some repairs on the road, the Caretaker chairman of Obio/Akpor came and stopped the work that the road is a state road. He invited the police and chased the youths that were working on the road. He said the government will do the road,” OkwuAmadi added.

Amaechi failed us He declared, “The out-going government failed us and we do not have total trust on the in-coming governor because he cannot just come and start the project immediately. He must stay for at least six months to one year before anything will be done, so we will still be living without a road.”

Unspeakable hardship A youth leader in Rumuagholu, Mr Christopher Ovunwo, said, “The youths are not happy with the condition of this strategic road because our people have been subjected to untold sufferings. This road is important to the state but we do not know why the government decided to abandon it.”

“The road leads to the International Airport, Omuagwa, via Ada-George. It also leads to Obio/Akpor International Market from the T-Junction point.

The road is strategic and in fact, a ring road that government ought not to overlook. If the road were good, it would have decongested the Rumuokoro traffic.

Hear him, “Amaechi disappointed us, when he visited the community, after his address, he promised he will do the road. He promised that from October 2014, he would do the road but till date, nothing has been done.”

Why people flee Rumuagholu One of the citizens, Mr. Austin Ndaokni, who spoke to Niger Delta Voice, said the condition of the road has negatively affected the social wellbeing of the people of Rumuagholu.

Ndaokni said, “Whether or not it rains, the road is bad and it is affecting us generally- indigenes, non-indigenes and the business community. Many people have moved their business out from this community.

So many houses and shops are no longer been occupied by

•A section of the Rumuagholu road

Early this year, we heard that the road had been awarded again for maintenance, not for expansion, by the government anybody because our road is too bad. Otherwise, the community is an area where people like to stay because they enjoy peace.”

Unfulfilled promises A sad Ndaokni asserted, “The road is affecting us seriously.

For about three years now, it has been in this condition. As a community, we have sent several delegations to interface with the government and the government is aware of the road. On our own, we have been trying to put the roads in

•Chief Israel Okwu-Amadi, the secretary of Rumuagholu council of chiefs

Mr Austine Harry Ndaokni, a citizen and resident of Rumuagholu community

a better condition but it has not yielded a good fruit.”

“The government had made us several promises about the road. Just recently, the government came and promised that there will be an expansion of the road, which will involve demolition of some houses close to the road. After that, we thought that payment of compensation and work will soon commence, but that did not happen.

“Early this year, we heard that the road had been awarded again for maintenance, not for expansion, by

the government. The company came and kept their equipment and some materials.

“They brought some trips of sand and gravel. We were encouraged that work will soon commence, but suddenly they removed the equipment and used the trips of sand and gravel to cover the road, we did not see them again,” he stated.

His words, “They are back again, last week, we saw them doing some work from the end part of the community, although it is a maintenance work. I am not aware if this one is the same contract with the former.”

Niger Delta Voice, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015 — 7

FROM SWIMMING TO TREKKING:

12 Bayelsa youths swim over 4 rivers to honour Jonathan

•Mr. Benson (middle) with his acquaintances Ogbulu Sampson(left) and Freeman Opueze, stepping out of Okoroma for the expedition 15 started, 3 stepped aside For five days beginning Saturday, May16, Benson and 14 other youths began an expedition that saw them swim and tramp several communities in two local government areas before arriving at Creek Haven, otherwise known as Government House, in Yenagoa, on Wednesday, May 20. However, due to the challenges, three young men had to chicken out.

Top government officials of the Bayelsa state government, led by the Commissioner of Information and Orientation, Barr. Dan Kikile and his counterpart in the Ministry of Youths Development, Chief Collins Cocodia, were on hand to receive the conquering voyagers Kikile commended them for their courage and feat, describing the exercise as a selfless service and call for continuous support for Jonathan and the governor.

Why we took the risk Speaking to Niger Delta Voice in Yenagoa, Benson said, “I decided to embark on this journey based on personal conviction that the actions and behavior of President Goodluck Jonathan deserve reverence and appreciation. As a sitting president, he accepted defeat in the March 28 presidential election even before the official results were declared by INEC because he wanted to allow peace to reign.”

“He is one of the fewest African leaders sitting presidents who towed such a peace-loving path. He has transformed himself to an ambassador of peace in the international community. Therefore, I felt that the only thing we can do in our own little capacity to appreciate his exemplary character was to swim and trek to honour him.

“In the same vein, we also used the exercise to honour Governor Seriake Dickson for his continuous loyalty and support for President Jonathan in spite of several attempts by political blackmailers to sow seeds of discord between them,” Benson asserted.

Villagers trooped out to cheer us On the voyage itself, he said,

Hurdle His words, “On the other

hand, it was not easy to swim across four rivers; we swam from Okoroma river to Ekperepir river; from Ekperepiri to Opuama, to Oloibiri, to Abobiri and finally to Emakalakala. We were exposed to cold and also endured mosquito bites, nonetheless, it was a determined trip and we give glory to God for the success of the journey.”

APC to reclaim ‘stolen’ mandate in Delta — Hon Agoda

By Emma Amaize

J

ESSE—FORMER Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resource, Rt. Hon Halims Agoda, has said that APC candidates allegedly

NDDC post: Youths kick against Ebebi Y

ENAGOA- THE Niger Delta Youths for Positive Attitude, Change and Progress, NYPACP, has raised dust over alleged replacement of Bayelsa State’s Representative on the Governing Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Hon Ball Oyerede, with the former Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Hon Peremobowei Ebebi.

“The adventure became a trumpet blast because in the various communities we trekked through, the people showed us goodwill and solidarity. People trooped out to see us. It was strange to them and at the same time interesting because this has not happened in this part of the country.”

In a protest letter to the governor, Hon Henry Dickson, president of NYPACP, Mr. Emmanuel Enisuo, said Ebebi was already parading himself as Bayelsa’s representative without screening by the Bayelsa State House of Assembly and Department of State Services, DSS, warning that it would mobilize youths to Port Harcourt and Abuja to ventilate its anger

DELTA...

FINGER OF GOD rigged out by the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in the governorship, Senate and House of Assembly elections in Delta State, will do everything legally possible to reclaim their mandate at the Election Tribunal.

Hon Agoda, Senatorial candidate of the party in Delta Central Senatorial district in National Assembly election, also assured the national leadership that he would ensure the propagation and sustenance of the party’s ideol-

ogy in the state.

Speaking with leaders of the party from Delta Central, who visited him at his Jesse country home in Ethiope West local government area, he said the PDP perpetuated broad day light robbery against the party and its candidates..

Hon Halims Agoda thanked the leaders of the party for their steadfastness and confidence in the party and encouraged them to further reach out to other members of the party and party supporters to inform them that APC has come to stay in Delta State and that the party is strong.

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8—Niger Delta Voice, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

IWEGBUE TO FED, DELTA GOVTS:

Redress injustice against Ndokwa nation

By EMMA AMAIZE

K

WALE- CHAIRMAN of Ndokwa Elders and Leaders Council, NECC, and Okpondogu of Emu Kingdom in Delta State, High Chief (Dr) Godwin Iwegbue, has rapped the Federal and Delta State governments over the knuckles for alleged neglect of Ndokwa ethnic nationality and demanded urgent rectification of the irregularity by incoming leaders.

The elder statesman and PDP chieftain, who contested the governorship and Senate in the old Bendel State, said the only federal government projects sited in Ndokwa land, comprising Ndokwa East, Ndokwa West and Ukwuani Local Governments Areas, were the Federal Prisons and Nigeria Police Force, both in Kwale.

Iwegbue, who spoke ahead of the May 29 hand over, listed many areas the state government had neglected the ethnic group in terms of infrastructure and appointment into political office, and pointed the way forward for the incoming Okowa administration.

Iwegbe added, “We of Ndokwa Elders and Leaders Council plead humbly and request your Excellency, our Governor- elect, to graciously instruct those whose duty it is to painstakingly look into this criminal distortion of facts and make the necessary corrections.”

Tips for Okowa He urged the new government to hit the ground running by declaring war against employment, particularly graduate unemployment and youth empowerment; embarking on agricultural reforms, rehabilitation of old roads and construction of new roads; and construction of industrial parks and industrial estates in each of the three senatorial districts of the state to speed up industrialization.

The elder statesman asserted,

“The Okowa administration of my vision will begin concurrently with the process of encouraging Deltans to key into health insurance scheme, this is the practice the world over, it is already in practice in our neighboring Ghana. While encouraging families to pay minimum contribution for a health policy, Okowa’s administration will support Deltans to key into

We of Ndokwa Elders and Leaders Council plead humbly and request your Excellency, our Governor- elect, to graciously instruct those whose duty it is to painstakingly look into this criminal distortion of facts

A GEND A this health insurance policy to prevent needless loss of lives and increase the average life span of Deltans.”

He stated, “The Okowa administration of my vision /dream will begin by ensuring that the existing hospitals in each local government area is upgraded and equipped to the level of one specialist hospital per local government area. Each specialist hospital must have both emergency department and intensive care unit both fully equipped with blood bank with an oxygen reticulation system attached to each bed and adequately connected.”

“Such specialist hospitals should be manned by specially qualified dedicated medical personnel - physician, general surgeon, obstetrician and pediatrician. The nursing staff must also include specially trained nurses for the various departments. One must add

here that these specialists manpower must be well and adequately remunerated to be truly committed,” he added.

Shopping list The octogenarian, however, presented a shopping list for the Ndokwa nation to Okowa, which include step down of Okpai IPP to serve Ndokwa and the rest of the state, completion and take off Delta State Polytechnic in Aboh, appointments of qualified indigene as Secretary to the State Government, SSG, and member, Board of Internal Revenue, NDDC and DESOPADEC Commissioners.

Others are completion of of Iselegu, Onuaboh, Inyi, Okpai road/ spur to Aballa, construction of Aboh, Akarai, Umuolu Adiai, Utuoku, Onyeh road, rehabilitation of Emu-EbendoAshaka road, rehabilitation of Abbi-Ogume road and rehabilitation of Abbi – Ezionu road.

FG projects in Ndokwa: Federal Prison, Police His words, “The fact is that the only Federal presence in Ndokwa is the Federal Prison at Kwale and Federal Police Station at Kwale. There is no tertiary institution anywhere in Ndokwa nation, nor any skill acquisition centre, nor any technology incubation centre for the acquisition of good level skills.”

Criminal distortion of facts He said, “We know from long standing official records that Ndokwa nation is the largest reservoir of natural gas in the African sub-region and also a major crude oil producer in the Niger Delta region. It is therefore quite frustrating and irritating that some so called authorities out of nowhere would blatantly classify Ndokwa as the fifth oil-producing nation in Delta state.

“It is on record that at the peak of the Niger Delta militancy disturbances, the Nigerian nation depended mostly and mainly on the crude oil production from Ndokwa nation and even from available documents of ‘Ndokwa nation crude oil quantum,’ it is clear that a total of 42,000 barrels of crude oil daily is Ndokwa nation production.

“And this excludes the horizontal drilling of oil wells in Ndokwa from Bayelsa, Imo and other locations outside Ndokwa.

It is, therefore, clear that the classification of Ndokwa nation as the 5th oil producing nation in Delta State is unfathomable as it is a criminal distortion of facts and figures,” he asserted.

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*Power Plant

Boat owners protest alleged JTF N3b debt

By FESTUS AHON

P

ORT- HARCOURT- BOAT owners in the Niger-Delta, who dragged the Joint Task Force, Operation Pulo Shield, to the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, over alleged N3 billion debt for hire of their house boats for security operations in the region, have staged a protest against the task force.

The boat owners, including Etukcom Integrated Service Limited, Peaches Integrated Limited and Godsam Industrial Services Limited, under the auspices of JTF House Boat Owners Coalition, prayed the

RIVERS… THE TREASURE BASE OF THE NATION court to order the Ministry of Defence to clear the debt, accumulatcd over three years.

JTF, comprising the Nigerian Army and Nigerian Navy with headquarters in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, reportedly hired the houseboats, numbering 13, for security surveillance on crude oil facilities and other operations in the creeks of the Niger Delta region.

They said, “We are being

owed over N2.4 billion as at December, last year, and if we add the amount they owe us so far till 2015, it will be over N3billion and up till now, no kobo has been paid."

Managing Directors of Etukcom Integrated Service Limited, Peaches Integrated Limited and Godsam Industrial Services Limited, Dr. Etiese Etuk, Prince Edwin Ochai and Mr. Godwin Amusa respectively, said their companies provided services for the JTF for over 36 months.

Pointing out that JTF neither paid nor released their boats to them, the angry boat owners

said they wrote the Ministry of Defence on February 27, 2014, after repeated demands did not yield any fruit, stating that the delay and the refusal to pay what is due to them,has caused hardship to them.

Speaking during the protest held outside the court, chairman of the coalition, Mr. Eberiere Otomewo, said, “We are Niger Delta people who hired our house boats to JTF for surveillance and protection of pipelines in Nigeria, but to our utmost surprise and indignation, we have not been paid for 36 months.”

Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015—33

By Theodore Opara

Coscharis wins JLR Importer of the Year award

J

AGUAR Land Rov er sub-Sahara Africa (JLR SSA) has honoured Coscharis Motors with the Importer of the Year Awards in Mauritius.

According to Richard Gouverneur, Managing Director of JLR SA and SSA; the objective of the awards, is to recognise the excellent work being done by the Jaguar Land Rover Sub Sahara Africa partners to drive sales in the African markets.

Coscharis Motors was recognised for its worldclass representation of the Jaguar and Land Rover

C M Y K

brands, and was presented with the prestigious “Importer of the Year” award for Jaguar. This award epitomizes the company’s excellent service in growing the Jaguar brand through relentless sales and quality customer service.

Other awards won by the company included, Sales Achievement Award for Land Rover; individual achievements for Excellence Learner of the Year (by Tanimowo Sunday); Sales Recognition Award (by Odesa Henry) and a prize as the Technician of

the Year - 1st Runner Up (by Agana Timothy).

The President/CEO of Coscharis Motors, Dr Cosmas Maduka dedicated the Importer of the Year Award and other awards won by the company to the committed service of the

Coscharis JLR team. In his words, “this achievement is feasible given the team’s commitment to selfless sales, brand management and service deliveries ensuring that customers get value for their money. Aside the team’s

dedication to value delivery, I also want to greatly appreciate and dedicate the awards to our ever loyal customers who have, ultimately, made this honour possible.”

These awards take into consideration the dealers’

combined scores in a number of areas including sales volumes, brand management as well as sales of parts and accessories for Jaguar and Land Rover models. Dealer satisfaction ratings also played a role, with consumer feedback on service levels being used as a scoring mechanism.

CFAO Yamaha set to assemble motorcycles in Nigeria

I

N April 2015, CFAO and Yamaha Motor Corporation Japan jointly incorporated a company named CFAO Yamaha Motor Nigeria Limited, to assemble Yamaha

motorcycles in Nigeria.

The incorporation of the company was achieved less than four months after a joint venture agreement was signed by the two parents of the

new company with the objective of contributing their quota to the development of the country’s transportation industry.

As a result of this incorporation, CFAO

Yamaha Motor Nigeria Limited is now set to install its factory equipment; test-run the assembly process and appoint several dealers in preparation for the first roll out of brand new YAMAHA motorcycles from the plant with effect from September.

This development was announced recently in Lagos by Mr. Olivier Levigne, pioneer Managing Director of the new company, who has decades of experience in the automobile industry including Peugeot, Chevrolet and Mitsubishi. He disclosed that his team, which includes a couple of Japanese experts from YMC is confident that Nigerians and the country at large would enjoy the benefits that Yamaha motorcycles would bring especially with quality assured local assembly line and a wide distribution network nationwide. The Yamaha assembly plant is located in the premises of CFAO within the Amuwo Odofin industrial zone, Lagos and it has a production target of 70,000 motorcycles by 2018. The new company will take advantage of the manufacturing and marketing expertise of Yamaha Motor Corporation, Japan and CFAO’s business experience and vast distribution network in Nigeria spanning over 113 years.

The company will introduce also other Yamaha products such as out board engines, water vehicles (like jet-ski), ATV (all-terrain vehicles), power generators and water pumps.

Levigne also noted that the management of CFAO Yamaha Motor Nigeria Ltd is ready to admit more dealers for its marine products, motorcycles, power generators and spare parts,whilst empowering authorized workshops and professionally trained mechanics for the task ahead.

34—Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

THIS WEEK May 25-26, 2015 The Africa Health Research Organization, AHRO, International Ebola Forum will gather stakeholders under the theme: "Meeting to close the intellectual gap", for a breathtaking discussion on Ebola

May 27, 2015 World Children’s Day to raise awareness about the welfare of children the world over.

May 31, 2015 World No Tobacco Day, an initiative run by the World Health Organisation, to inform the public about the dangers of using tobacco and make them aware of the business practices of tobacco companies.

Science World

Vaccines developed for new bird flu strains

•The scenario at a petrol station in Lagos

Fuel crisis fuels health challenges

E

VEN as the world continues to seach for universal and effective malaria and HIV vaccines, Kansas State University researchers have developed vaccines for H5N1 and H7N9, two new strains of avian influenza (bird flu).

The strains are zoonotic and transmissible from chickens to pigs and humans.

The new vaccine development method is expected to help researchers make vaccines for emerging strains of avian influenza more quickly. This could reduce the number and intensity of large-scale outbreaks at poultry farms as well as curb human transmission.

It also may lead to new influenza vaccines for pigs, and novel vaccines for sheep and other livestock.

The research is published in the Journal of Virology study, "Newcastle disease virusvectored H7 and H5 live vaccines protect chickens from challenge with H7N9 or H5N1 avian influenza viruses." It is the first study to look at an H7N9 vaccine in chickens, from where the disease originates.

C M Y K

By Sola Ogundipe

I

N the aftermath of the nagging fuel crisis that has enveloped the nation, the cost of accessing healthcare has shot through the roof over the past few days.

The cost of running a hospital is now so high, it has in turn increased cost of treatment, drugs and general health care.

The prevailing scenario appears set to definitely worsen the already precarious healthcare delivery system.

Findings show that the average patient is currently worse off procuring health services today than at any other time in the recent past.

Coupled with the fact that majority of Nigerians are already confronted by a health system that is without safety valves for the informal sector prevailing, the challenges are as serious as ever.

To describe the multiplier effects of the current fuel crisis as “killing” would be an understatement.

Except measures are taken, scores of healthcare providers may be forced to close shop. In fact quite a number have already shut down.

The fuel shortage is already affecting every section of the economy. In health care, it is those providing the services and those seeking the services that are suffering.

Everybody is suffering the effect. Healthcare facilities that have been running on permanent generator cannot cope and so the lives of patients have been on the line.

Many private hospitals that have been managing to operate with power generating plants in the past, now restrict the use of such generators to only emergencies.

One medical practitioner who pleaded anonymity stated: “Health care delivery depends on availability of power supply and we all know how inefficient public power supply is. You cannot run a hospital without

power, so you need to have fuel because you are your own electicity provider.

“So if there is no fuel, cost of services that have to do with

Many private hospitals that have been managing to operate with generators in the past, now restrict use of such generators to emergencies

CASE AGAINST ABORTION:

An appeal for mercy Page 38

health care must go up. There were some consumables we purchased two weeks ago, when I sent my staff to replenish our stock on Saturday, the prices of the commodities had gone up 150-200 percent.

“And these are essential consumables, bought last week.

Cost of everything from consultation to drugs have gone up astronomically,” he lamented.

The situation is just as dire in public hospitals. Experts say what this translates to is that the health indices may become worse, because people will no longer see the qualified medical practitioners and may resort to self medication because of high bills.

Human capacity will drop, illness will be on the increase, and poverty will set in and fuel the rise in disease.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015—35

Implement national drug distribution guidelines now, FG told

By Chioma Obinna

W

ORRIED by the delay in the full implementation of the National Drug Distribution Guidelines, NDDG, launched February 2013, Community pharmacists have urged the Federal Government to commence action on the issue without delay.

The pharmacists under the auspices of the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria, ACPN, cautioned that foreign investors granted access to retail pharmacy, should comply with provisions of the existing laws that guide community pharmacy practice in Nigeria.

Speaking in Lagos, the National Chairman of ACPN, Dr Pharm, Olufemi Adebayo said holistic implementation of the NDDG will solve the long standing problem of chaotic drug distribution in Nigeria.

"We are all aware that medicines are on the excusive lists, the implementation of this document lies on the presidency not on any of the agencies. We will appreciate if the Federal Government will encourage all

•L-R: Vice Chairman and Chairman, Conference Planning Committee, Pharm. Okocha Bridget and Pharm. Babayemi Oyekunle, respectively; National Chairman, ACPN, Pharm. Olufemi Adebayo and National Secretary, ACPN, Pharm. Afuye Adeoye during a press conference to announce the 2015 ACPN National Conference. stakeholders to see that the NDDG is implemented to the letter."

Adebayo said government needs to put structures in place that would encourage total compliance, because from the organogram of the drug distribution, the onus of implementation lies on the

government, since the importer has to sell directly to state drug distribution centre and a mega drug distribution centre, even though many states are yet to establish centres.

"In Nigeria today, only Ekiti and Kano states have State Drug Distribution Centres. All other states have not taken off.

"Where drugs should not be sold, drugs should not be there.

By the time one or more companies are sanctioned I believe everybody will fall in line.

“A clause in the NDDG is that if you want to be a mega drug distribution centre you must have offices in all the states or at least one in each of the six geo-political

zones. That is, if I am in Maiduguri, I should be able to access drugs like someone in Lagos and at the same price. If there is a problem with a particular product it can be traced easily."

He called on government to develop a policy that will make fund available to community pharmacists at a single -digit interest rate, and also appealed for improved funding for regulators of pharmaceutical practice such as the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria, PCN and NAFDAC. "We expect PCN to monitor registered premises and we also implore NAFDAC to be more effective in controlling influx of unregistered products without proper documentation."

National Secretary, Pharm.

Afuye Adeoye urged the President elect to direct NAFDAC to shut down all illegal drug premises in the country from 1994 till date and come up with policies and regulations that must be adhered to.

"The President elect should look into the job prescription of health professionals and ensure that everybody maintains their lane.

Prescription plays a major role in healthcare delivery.

The forthcoming ACPN National Conference holds 31st May through June 5th , 2015 in Akure, Ondo State with the theme: "Exploring New Frontiers in Community Pharmacy Practice".

Two injured as students protest at LUTH

By Sola Ogundipe, Chioma Obinna & Gabriel Olawale

P

ANDEMONIUM broke out in the early hours of Sunday, as medical students of the College of Medicine, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, CMUL/LUTH, went on rampage to protest the recurrent incidences of robbery attacks and other malicious attacks on the premises.

An eye witness disclosed to Good Health Weekly that yesterday's incident was the fourth to be experienced in the last 10 months, and was sparked off in the wee hours following an attack unleashed by unknown persons on some students at one of the mosques located next to the outpatient department.

The students were mistaken to be the thieves and were forced to kneel down, and were severely brutalised. Both were injured and now in the hospital C M Y K

It was gathered that several of the students, under the auspices of the College of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Science Students Association, currently writing their exams, had gone to the mosque to study overnight due to power outage in the hostels and classrooms.

According to the source, the incident, which occurred around 2.30 am, took them by surprise.

“There were several of the students inside the mosque.

When they noticed suspicious movement around the mosque, they raised alarm in view of unending incidents of robbery that had occurred in similar fashion within the hospital premises.

While this was happening, two students, one of them a 300 level Pharmacy undergraduate, ran to the hospital's security post to inform them of the development, were alleged to have been apprehended.

“The students were mistaken to be the thieves and were forced to kneel down, and were severely brutalised. Both were injured and now in the hospital.”

Following the incident, there was confusion all over the place and in the process, the thieves who had raided the students in the mosque, escaped with the items that included laptops, handsets, Ipads and other valuables.

“When other students got wind of what happened to their colleagues, scores of the protesting students came out enmasse and marched towards the security post in anger.

The students also alleged that the security officers apart from brutalising the students, connived with the thieves to enable them escape.

“Subsequently, the students overpowered the security men and shut all the entry points into the hospital. The gates which were shut around 4am remained shut till 2pm.”

When Good Health Weekly visited the hospital a semblance of calm had returned and thestudents were seen gathered

in groups discussing the incident.

Further efforts to talk to the injured students were rebuffed.

They were said to be receiving treatment in one of the wards within the hospital.

As at the press time, there was no official statement from the hospital management regarding the incident and the Chief Medical Director could not be reached through the telephone.

•Students of the College of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Science Students Association during the protest at LUTH on Sunday.

36—Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

Rescued girls: UNFPA has abortion agenda, PHD alleges

By Gabriel Olawale & Jennifer Aladetan

T

HE Project for Human Development, PHD, has raised the alarm over alleged plans by the United Nations Population Funds, UNFPA, to offer abortion services to pregnant women and girls recently rescued from Boko Haram by the Nigerian Armed Forces.

Raising the alarm at a press conference in Lagos, DirectorGeneral of PHD, Jerry Okwuosa condemned any attempt to subject the pregnant women and girls in the Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, camps to a traumatic, violent-wrecking and life-threatening abortion process.

Okwuosa who accused UNFPA of having hidden intention which is to depopulate Nigeria said: "We are aware that currently UNFPA is providing counselling to these Nigerians in the displacement camps in Borno State. Also reproductive health kits and dignity kits have also been deployed in Borno and Adamawa states to support safe childbirth. These are laudable achievements but at a hidden cost.

"We are being told that all the visibly pregnant mothers in the IDP, camp must be aborted and others sterilised for fear that their

babies will become Boko Haram terrorists, since some of them have been raped by the sect.

UNFPA's abortion and sterilisation services are geared towards depopulation," he posited.

"The UNFPA is an organisation whose primary interest is population control. In the developed countries of the world now in their demographic winter, UNFPA's job is to promote population increase by all means.

Developed countries will do

anything to increase their population because they are dying out.

Corroborating his views, Mr Sonnie Ekwuwusi, a director in the organisation disclosed that the appointment of former Minister of Health, Professor Babatunde Osotimehin as Director - General of UNFPA was aimed at making Nigerians and Africa as a whole buy into the idea of depopulation.

Ekwuwusi however condemned any attempt to

subject these pregnant women and girls in the IDPs to a traumatic, violent-wrecking and life-threatening abortion process.

"The pregnant girls and women should be offered free antenatal clinics and rehabilitation centres where they could go to safely give birth to their babies and afterwards they could give them out for legal adoption if for any reason they do not want to keep the babies," he recommended.

• CANDID CAMERA: Fake herbal hackers displaying wares to the public. They are a common sight in most parts of Lagos, where they claim to have cures for different ailments.

RCCG donates to Randle Hospital

By Providence Obuh

T

HE Redeemed Christian Church of God, Lagos Province 44, penultimate week, donated various medical equipment to Randle General Hospital, Surulere in Lagos.

Speaking at the presentation ceremony, Principal Officer, Province 44, Pastor Amos Emovon said the gesture aimed at giving back to host community, explaining that the health sector was chosen for the Province's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Programme due to the importance of good health.

Emovon said that CSR is at the heart of its ministerial activities and forms a core mandate given to all Provinces by the General Overseer, Pastor E.A Adeboye who tasked the church to impact positively on the society, especially the immediate environment.

"Our Father in the Lord, Pastor E.A Adeboye called us together and gave the mandate that we should impact upon our host communities through CSR initiative. To underline his seriousness about this, he had to create a new position in the Redeemed Christian Church of God, the position of Assistant Pastor in Charge of the Province's CSRy and became mandatory on us to carry out this biblical

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Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015—37

•Some of the women and girls rescued from Sambisa Forest recently.

Case against abortion:

An appeal for mercy

By Obianuju Ekeocha

W

HEN I was growing up in the South-Eastern Nigerian city of Owerri, I remember once when unspeakable crimes were committed, a poor boy was kidnapped, killed for ritual, and cut up like an animal. These acts signified a very dark time for my people. Eventually a group of men were arrested in connection with the crimes, they were swiftly charged, judged, convicted and sentenced to death by firing squad. I remember, albeit with the immature mind of a teenager, that many people accepted and even welcomed this verdict because of the gravity of the crimes the men were convicted of.

For months after the verdict the people of Owerri lived in peace under the logic that if these men were killed then justice would have been done and equilibrium will be returned to our world. And so there was little or no appeal for the condemned men and there was no recourse to mercy.

Once they were put on death row, many forgot about them and there they lived in our maximum security prison for months and months and months. They were heavily guarded, powerless, subdued and unable to hurt anyone else. This was how it was until the day of crept up on us all. The day of execution.

I will never forget that day because even though by law, justice was to be served, but there was no real feeling of victory or jubilation in our city. Rather, there was the feeling of a dark cloud settling over us as everyone

counted down to the last few hours until the executions. And what a feeling!

This was such a high interest case that everyone knew about it and the press converged upon it to give us what felt at the time like a minute by minute report.

Everyone waited for the thundering gun shots that would deliver justice. Many went to watch. Those who couldn't watch went close enough to the prisons to hear the multiple shots. So none of us was exempt from the reality of this execution.

And when it finally happened, there was an overwhelming stench of raw emotions that cocooned the entire city for days afterwards. Justice was served, but yet joy eluded us all. This was in 1997. And I have gladly buried this memory for almost 20 years.

But in the last few days, something has been triggered and a dam has broken in my mind and I feel the thoughts and emotions rushing out.

This started two weeks ago in the wake of the high profile rescue of hundreds of abducted persons from Sambisa Forest many of whom were women and girls. A real miracle that our military was able to bring them out of the "lion’s den" alive. B eing so far away in Europe, I wanted to enjoy the profound relief and feel the victory of this miracle, so I started reading and watching every news I could find about these women and girls.

But the heavy feeling of gloom came when I read the early statements of UNFPA that highlighted that many of the women and girls were pregnant and that what the women and girls needed as much as food and

medicine was "psychotherapy and counseling".

Knowing the pro-abortion stance of UNFPA (which they do not hide), I was almost certain that they were signaling for a unanimous acceptance for abortion in this case.

Agitation for abortion Soon after, this statement sparked unbelievable agitation in the pro-abortion western countries as their journalists weighed in on the matter . Their voices were unified. Their verdict was quick.

Their version of justice in this particular case was for the provision of "safe-abortions" .

Their only vision of peace was for the execution of these babies conceived in a most traumatic circumstance.

Many may recoil from my description of abortion as execution, but like it or leave it, abortion is the execution of the unborn child.

Nigeria must show mercy today by refusing and rejecting the verdict of execution (by abortion) of these babies conceived in horror, terror and trauma

Abortion in every case, entails the poisoning, pulling out or dismembering the baby growing in the safe haven of the mother's womb. So it is an execution.

As it stands now, there is an ongoing debate throughout Nigeria as to whether abortion can be justified in this very difficult case or not, but I assure you that many people in the western world had already made up their minds about these babies mere hours after the rescue of the women and girls.

It is at this heated point where emotions are high and thoughts are clouded, that something triggered and broke the dam of memory in my mind and flushed out the vivid thoughts of the Owerri-execution. Thankfully, many Nigerians have advised against abortion, and in full disclosure I stand with them in this life-affirming and pro-life stance (and I will tell you why).

But , to my great sadness, I have read lately about some Nigerian NGOs and interest groups advocating for the swift execution of these unborn babies, if the pregnant mothers choose not to carry their babies to term.

So the only way these babies can receive mercy is if their traumatised and deeply wounded mothers are able to choose life (instead of death for them).

I don't know about you, but if I was ever wounded and traumatised as these women were in that forest, if I had to face my death every single day, if I received absolutely no mercy from a group of terrorists, I may not be able to choose life for anyone let alone a child growing inside me.

I may not be able to give mercy when my wounds are still so fresh. But I will be completely dependent on my brothers and sisters to help me and strengthen me to show mercy and choose life for the tender unborn, and even when that fails, I will depend on my resilient community and the impeccable just life-affirming laws of our land to choose life on my behalf.

My dear people, no one may fully be able to understand the excruciating pain and trauma of these women but one thing we can do as a people and as a nation is to surround them with the most tender mercy that we can offer to them and yes to their unborn children.

We might not consider it fully at this point but we are a nation of mercy. We are nation that is fueled and functioning as a direct consequence of mercy. We are a nation that has received more mercy in our reserves than even petroleum!

Was it not only 10 or 11 months ago when the deadly Ebola virus struck us along slide three other West African countries? Was it not purely miraculous that our nation was spared the horrific road that the other Ebola-stricken nations had to travel? Were we any better or more worthy?

Mercy: Yet we obtained inexplicable mercy. Thousands of lives were spared. And within mere weeks, to the great surprise of the entire world, we were declared Ebola-free. We received mercy.

In the last few years, we have woken up to the indescribable horror and terror of Boko Haram.

And everyone of us will agree that their actions and operations are merciless, viscous and violent beyond words. And so we pray for an end to the death and destruction they are dealing upon our country. We pray for mercy.

But if we are to receive mercy, are we not to show mercy?

This is why we as a nation and as a people must stand apart from the ways of the terrorists. Their merciless ways, their vicious actions, and their violent executions.This is why Nigeria must show mercy today by refusing and rejecting the verdict of execution (by abortion) of these babies conceived in horror, terror and trauma.

Abortion is not for us or our children for it is a violent solution sanitised within the wounded heart of the western world and we just cannot accept it now or ever. Not even when it is offered as "justice".

This is an appeal from the heart of a woman who learnt almost 20 years ago that executions carried out to deliver justice might never deliver joy. Our joy and healing will only be assured if we unconditionally and mercifully choose life for every man, woman and child (born and unborn) rescued from the den of our enemies.

Ekeocha, a specialist in Biomedical Sciences writes from the UK

38—VANGUARD, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

INTERNAL DEMOCRACY:

APC feels the heat The internal disagreement within the All Progressives Congress, APC on who emerges Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives is a new dimension to the end of impunity the party promised in its election campaign

By EMMANUEL AZIKEN, Political Editor

S

enator Lawali Shuaibu, the Deputy National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC smiled wryly not too long ago when Vanguard sought his opinion on what it was like to be transformed from 16 years of playing opposition politics to inclusion in the camp of the ruling party.

“I have also asked myself and I remember telling my colleagues in the National Working Committee that we have to be a little careful this time because we are now the hunted and no more the hunters,” the former Senate Minority leader said in an interview.

His smile and reference to a transformation of roles from hunter to the hunted is now a matter of worry among the different contenders for prime position in the new government about to be formed by the APC. Just as the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, the APC National Working Committee had zoned many of the offices about to be shared among the zones. That zoning had projected the office of Senate President towards the North Central, but no sooner had the decision on the Speaker of the House of Representatives been made it was immediately engulfed in controversy over the real intentions of the NWC. Some reports had it that it was zoned to the Southwest while some others had it that it was zoned to the Northeast, but whatever, the decision on the speakership tore the party hierarchy into two, leading to the crisis that has just emerged.

Remarkably, an internal party retreat for senators-elect on the platform of the party last weekend ended in a fiasco after contenders for the office of Senate President broke the meeting into two. The senators-elect are divided into two camps, the Bukola Saraki bloc and the Ahmad Lawan/ George Akume bloc.

Another meeting with members-elect of the House of Representatives that started last night to end today, it is now feared, may end up similarly

in controversy.

Ahead of the meeting supporters of one of the popular candidates for speaker, Yakubu Dogara issued a statement announcing that 213 members-elect had endorsed their man for the post of speaker.

That was followed almost by the revelation by supporters of his main rival, Femi Gbajabiamila, who claimed to have garnered 179 memberselect in support of his aspiration. Their claim was also buttressed by the assertion that

•Buhari

the full hog without the intervention of party leaders.

Particularly, some are anxious that the president-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari may intervene into the process.

However, sources disclosed that repeated efforts by interested stakeholders to get the president-elect to intervene into the issue have been rebuffed by Buhari who has insisted that the election of the principal officers of the legislature should be left in their hands.

In an interview with the

its own standard of picking its leadership and it is not for me, the president-elect, to come and pretend that whatever happens it is I, the presidentelect, who should determine it.

I don’t want to start on the wrong footing with the National Assembly,” Buhari had been quoted as saying in an interview.

It is a development that has understandably gotten some members of the party on edge.

Especially affected are those whose aspiration are being pushed on the patronage of party leaders who it is feared may come out worse in a competitive contest on the floor of the House or in an internal caucus of the party.

Noting his determination not to intervene into the emergence of the new N a t i o n a l Assembly leadership, Buhari in the same interview said: “Constitutionally, we are three Saraki separate arms of government the executive, the legislature and the judiciary. For example, I cannot say that once I am sworn-in I will change the set of the Supreme Court judges. It is not possible. Neither is it possible for me to come out, and I say I want this person for Senate President, or I want that person to lead the House of Representatives. I think it is wrong, and I cannot come out to support anybody for the leadership of the legislature because they have their ranking, as they call it.”

Buhari’s decision to stay aloof in the emergence of the new National Assembly leadership is undoubtedly a result of the experience of what happened in the relationship between his predecessors and the National Assembly.

All the presidents who sought

•

•Lawan Gbajabiamila should ease into the position on the premise that as the outgoing minority leader, that he has paid the price.

Their point was, however, not much of a soothing comfort to supporters of Dogara, who are pointing at what they describe as his outstanding qualities in their support for him.

Remarkably, members of the APC are concerned about the development but reassure themselves that the unfolding development is all part of the internal democracy that many of them criticised was absent in the PDP. It is thus significant that a number of the concerned party members have called for the unfolding democratic experience to be allowed to go

•Oyegun

Sunday Trust, Buhari had said as much.

“The National Assembly has

The National Assembly has its own standard of picking its leadership and it is not for me, the president-elect, to come and pretend that whatever happens it is I, the president-elect, who should determine it

to foist leadership on the National Assembly had problems with the legislators.

Of particular mention were President Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan.

Indeed, in the House of Representatives members who are smarting from the way and manner they rebuffed Jonathan’s aspiration to foist Mulikat Akande on the House in 2011 are vowing to do a repeat with Dogara if the party leadership that they claimed is inclined towards Gbajabiamila decides to foist him without an internal competitive process.

Besides the reference to the Aminu Tambuwal uprising, party stakeholders are also drawing the attention of the party to the fact that President Jonathan’s problems within the PDP was exacerbated by his decision to recognise Governor Jonah Jang who polled 16 against the majority decision of 19 governors who supported Rotimi Amaechi in the Nigerian Governors Forum, NGF leadership election.

The APC as it is now is pitched between the devil and the deep blue sea on how it resolves the issue of the leadership contest.

On one hand, a number of stakeholders are calling on the party to adhere to the principle of zoning and implement the zoning policy articulated by the party’s NWC. On the other hand a number of stakeholders are in support of the claim by the interim national chairman of the party, Chief Bisi Akande who told newsmen in Lagos last week that there was nothing like zoning in the party.

Those who flay the claim say that the emergence of some of the party ’s victorious candidates, notably, Akinwunmi Ambode as governor of Lagos State was on the basis of zoning.

Whether it is in the Senate or in the House of Representatives, positions have been taken by many members of the Eight National Assembly putting the party in a quandary on what to do should any of the losing contenders lose. Such worries are indeed reflective of a change that the party promised in the period leading to the election; to wit, that impunity would be brought an end.

VANGUARD, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015—39

How Adoke is frustrating Constitution amendment – Ekweremadu I

n this interview Senator Ike Ekweremadu, the Deputy President of the Senate responds to issues arising from the dispute between the presidency and the National Assembly over the Constitution (Alteration) Act purportedly vetoed by President Goodluck Jonathan. Senator Ekweremadu asserts that the president signed the bill and the National Assembly has the evidence of his assent.

Excerpts:

By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor

W

hat exactly is the is sue with the court case between the National Assembly and the presidency on the Constitution Review?

When they adjourned the case to sometime in June, we looked at the situation and one of our options we had was to override the veto, but we believe that two wrongs do not make a right and we decided to suspend action on it and then return to the courts probably on the belief that the courts did not know that the term of this particular National Assembly was ending. So wenow briefed our lawyer and filed a motion for accelerated hearing to look at the case so that this matter will be determined within the life of this particular National Assembly.

Are you hopeful that the case will be concluded before the end of your tenure?

Most hopeful because it is a straightforward matter. The truth of the matter is that the Attorney General tried to frustrate the National Assembly from dealing with the matter till the end of its tenure and that is why he was applying for adjournments that will make it impossible for us to look at the matter. Unfortunately, he has misled the Supreme Court and he now tried to bring the executive and the legislature into collision. But I believe that with this development that this matter will be straightened.

How do you think the Supreme Court would rule?

The attorney general doesn’t

have any case against the National Assembly, so there is no course of action because we have not finished our legislative duty. The matter in the Supreme Court is simply unsustainable. In the first place, his claim is that we didn’t have the required number to alter section 9 of the constitution which requires 4/5th of the National Assembly. But as a lawyer, he knows that he who asserts has to prove but he didn’t provide one single evidence, no affidavit, nothing attached to support what he was saying. As far as we are concerned, we had the number when we passed the alteration of the constitution, we had the requisite number and it is not for us to begin to worry our-

It is laughable because the constitution was written by the executive at the time when there was no parliamen

selves about that, it is he who asserts that show that we didn’t have the number. Section 58 of the constitution requires us to send bills to the president for assent, it didn’t say that we should bring evidence of the number of parliamentarians that voted or their names or their address. There is no such provision and no parliament anywhere in the world sends a return of the evidence specifying the number of people who were there. It never happened before and it is never going to happen anywhere.

Have you done it before?

Never! We have never done it before. The law does not require us to do so, the constitution does not require us to do so. What the Attorney General wanted to do was to frustrate the Fourth Alteration because he didn’t get what he wanted.

Did he make presentations to you during the course of your public hearing?

They did. During the national public hearing he sent someone to represent him he was represented also in Lagos. he wanted us to separate the office of attorney general from that minister of justice. It is not true that he is against it, his problem is that what we submitted was that the National Judicial Council should recommend to the president somebody to appoint as attorney general because we want to separate the office of attorney general from that of minister of justice to keep the independence of the office and in doing so, we believe that the three arms of government should be involved in the appointment.

While the judiciary recom-

mends, the president appoints and the Senate confirms. So that there will be checks and balances. But he wanted a situation where the president appoints somebody. The attorney general is supposed to be an independent person That is why they vowed that the president will not sign it and when the president signed it somebody from his office mutilated the president’s signature and ended up at Supreme Court so that we wont discuss it.

Are you sure that the president signed?

The president signed it. Yes, we can produce forensic evidence that the president signed it.

The attorney general’s office took it over and caused the president to change his mind and carried out the drama of sending out photocopies. But we requested for the original copies of the bill but we have not received it.

Nigerians are worried over the burden of maintaining the pension of former presiding officers of the National Assembly in the amendment?

It is laughable because the constitution was written by the executive at the time when there was no parliament. They just took care of the executive and the judiciary and nobody made mention of the legislature. A situation where the president and the vice-president, the governors and deputy governors are entitled to pension on leaving office, the CJN, the president of the court of appeal and all the heads of the courts are entitled to pension when they leave office and then for the heads of the legis-

lature, nothing is talked about them.

What is good for the judiciary and the executive should also be good for the legislature.

We also want to look at the National Council of States where the former Chief Justice, former heads of state are members, but no mention was made of former presiding officers, so you see the constitution was prepared in a hurry and since there was no parliament in place, there was no person to call attention to these.

It is also alleged that you are trying to shrink the power of the president by removing him from signing future constitution amendments. Why? We went to court, the matter is still pending at the Supreme Court. We lost at the lower court but we firmly believe that the president has no business signing the constitution because that is the only act that the constitution requires a twothird.

In America, the president doesn’t sign constitution amendments and it is the same We also said that under section 58 if the president doesn’t sign a bill after 30 days it becomes law. That is the standard practise all over the world. In a situation like Nigeria where you don’t have time limit to sign a bill and most times it will lapse and they will never return the bill to you. To ensure governance, you need to put a limit to it. In America it is ten days, but in our case we just changed it to 30 days. If a president doesn’t know what to do with a bill after 30 days it means he or she shouldn’t be president.

40—VANGUARD, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

God has given Buhari to Nigeria at this time — Etiebet, PDP BoT member C

HIEF Don Etiebet, former Minister of Petroleum Resources and front-line politician in Akwa-Ibom in this interview stated few things the incoming Buhari Administration must do upon assuming office in May 29.

He further said he believes the Buhari administration will cut down the cost of governance and with strict adherence to the rule of law, will gradually turn the fortunes of economy around. Etiebet is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Excerpts:

By Gbenga Oke

W

HAT are your expectations from this new government?

Yes, I believe in General Muhammadu Buhari as a person who God has given to Nigeria at these trying times to save Nigeria, to get Nigeria working again and to reposition Nigeria and change her face in the comity of nations for respect and seriousness of purpose in tackling the ills of the country.

Having worked with him in the past as the National Chairman of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), I believe he will make Nigeria a different place where security, economy, discipline and the rule of law will abound to contain corruption. I only pray that Nigerians would understand him and give him the necessary support in the face of challenges and difficulties to put his programmes through unimpeded.

My expectations from his government are very much captured in his resolve to fight corruption and insecurity, and to rejuvenate the economy. I would like to add, that one of the cardinal things he must do would be to reposition INEC in all its ramifications to conduct free, fair, credible, violent free and acceptable elections because he suffered the pangs of rigged elections thrice to become president.

So he should use this opportunity to put in place the machinery for credible elections always. Faulty elections are at the basic roots of all democratic short comings in this country.

What are the urgent steps you feel the General Buhari led government should address immediately it is inaugurated?

On this question, I would like to note first that there

are many landmines laid for him which if he steps on them directly, they would explode disastrously on his face. The first is the petrol (PMS) supply situation. The outgoing government is owing the importers and marketers hundreds of billions of Naira which they are not likely to pay before May 29th. And there is no money in the kitty to pay when he takes over with dwindling foreign exchange reserve, lost crude oil production, falling crude oil prices, huge debts overhang, the clamour by certain interest groups in the country not to remove the petrol subsidy and salary debts by many states. But there must be petrol at the filling stations otherwise the country cannot survive a week. I can tell you that salaries can wait for a month but lack of petrol cannot.

So I see what to do here as CATCH 22, and it is the greatest challenge of what to do immediately he is sworn in. I see it as the first button to press and it must be pressed right.

If I were in his shoes, I would call the NLC and TUC leaders immediately to a one-on-one meeting soon after I say “SO HELP ME GOD” to dialogue to allow/ let me tell the Importers and Marketers to Import the petroleum products (PMS,

AGO, DPK,) I hear that there is no aviation fuel too to sell at market prices meanwhile as I dialogue on how to pay their debts and get all the refineries working optimally for local production. We can decide on appropriate pricing of the products that would benefit the masses and the economy alike, pleading with them to understand the

My expectations from his government are very much captured in his resolve to fight corruption and insecurity, and to rejuvenate the economy

circumstances and appreciating their sacrifices for giving me time to settle down.

With that in place and resolved, he can now start on how to dismantle the other landmines one by one.

Do you see this wind of change blowing away the level of impunity we have seen so far in government?

Yes, I see the wind of change blowing and cleansing the institutions of government, starting from the Executive itself, the National Assembly and the Judiciary if he is still the Muhammadu Buhari I knew with strict adherence to discipline, rule of law and proper law administration with no “I beg you syndrome” in the administration of justice no matter whose ox is gored.

All the impunity will disappear overnight and an atmosphere of fear not to commit crime will pervade the society as it happens in other countries.

Why do people commit suicide in some countries when they commit crime instead of waiting to face the law? And we respect those countries and would like to be like them.

Many Nigerians have argued that for this

government to succeed, the cost in governance must be reduced. What is your take on that?

Every Nigerian knows that the costs of governance at the Executive and National Assembly institutions are absolutely inconsistent with our national revenue and productivity so much so that our recurrent expenditures always outweigh capital expenditure many times over. Muhammadu Buhari has a great opportunity to address the high cost of governance in the country while embarking on projects that will impact the masses’ lives greatly. The example must come first from the executive wing, we don’t need 100 vehicles following the President when he goes out. I can imagine the traffic jam when he stops at a traffic light as he said. As I know him to be personally very frugal, I would like him to bring his life style to bear on his governance to show example to other African presidents.

Of course you know in Africa, particularly in Nigeria, the people like to copy their President’s style of life from clothing to cars to parties. I am sure General Buhari will change us for better for us to be better and more caring citizens.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

— 41

42—Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

DESOPADEC bill: Oil communities give Delta Assembly, Uduaghan 72-hr ultimatum

By Emma Amaize

W

ARRI—IJAW, Itsekiri, Urhobo and Isoko oil/gas producing communities in Delta State have given a 72-hour ultimatum to the Delta State House of Assembly to pass the bill on restructuring of the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, DESOPADEC, pending before the House.

They served a similar notice on the outgoing governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, who initiated the bill for a law to establish DESOPADEC development agencies and investment corporations in the five oil and gas producing ethnic nationalities of the state.

Ijaw and Itsekiri oil/gas communities, in a communique, said that the Jones Creek Flow station was on May 21, forced to shut down through community

LG boss lauds Uduaghan over legacy of peace in Delta

By Onozure Dania

C

HAIRMAN of Warri North Local Government, Delta State, Mr. Francis MakuEyituoyor, has said that the absence of ethnic restiveness and the prevailing peace in Delta State will be a significant legacy Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan will be leaving behind after his eight years in office.

He recalled that when Governor Uduaghan assumed office, the state was embroiled in ethnic crisis and youth restiveness, adding that after his eight years tenure, with total commitment and political astuteness, the governor was able to entrench a culture of peace in the state.

“This will be of immeasurable value to the incoming administration of Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, who will not need to deploy state resources to combat ethnic crisis,” he said.

Maku-Eyituoyor commended Uduaghan for doing an excellent job with his three-point agenda on peace and scurity as well as infrastructural and human capital development.

action, warning that Forcados Terminal, Abiteye, Odidi, Egwa I, II, Olero, Utonama, Dibi, Opuekaba, Bajanj, Yokri, North Bank and South Bank flow stations would be shut down at the expiration of the ultimatum.

Also, the Urhobo and Isoko oil/ gas producing communities, in a separate communique, threatened to clamp down on the 27 flow stations in Ughelli North, Ughelli South, Udu, Ethiope West, Ethiope East, Okpe

Kingdom , Isoko North and Isoko South, Local Government Areas pending the passage of the bill at the expiration of the ultimatum.

In the communiques by Mr Benjamin Iwetan (Itsekiri), Sheriff Mulade (Ijaw), O’connel Obiomah (Urhobo) and Lucky Akpode (Isoko), the communities said they commenced a joint warning action to ensure the total closure of all production facilities in Delta State, pending the passage of the bill.

“We are worried by the refusal of Delta State House of Assembly to expeditiously pass the 13 per cent DESOPADEC restructuring bill, which seeks to allow the producing communities have control of the 50 per cent of the 13 per cent derivation component.

“We are angered that the joint leadership of the communities has exhausted all avenues and appeals to the state Assembly to pass the said bill,” they added.

COMMISSIONING: From left: Mrs Roli Uduaghan; Bishop Michael Ellue; Bishop Hyacinth Egbebo; Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan; Mrs Josephin Anenih; Dr. Antonia Ashiedu, Commissioner, Poverty Alleviation and Executive Secretary, Delta State Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency; Chief Edwin Uzor, PDP Chairman, Delta State and Mr. Chuks Oseme, Chairman, Aniocha North Local Government Area,Delta State, during the commissioning of Delta State Micro, Small and Medium Entrepreneurship Centre Leather Works / Shoes factory, in Issele-Uku,Delta State, yesterday. Photo: Nath Onojake.

Esan demands Edo Assembly speakership

By Gabriel Enogholase

B

ENIN—AHEAD of the inauguration of the 8th session of Edo State House of Assembly next month, the people of Esan, on the platform of Esan Ambassadors for Change, have insisted that it was the turn of Edo Central senatorial district to produce the next Speaker of the Assembly.

The people, who spoke through Mr. Eigbe Samuel, among other members, Clifford Okosun and Elvis Usifo, in an interview with Vanguard in Benin, yesterday, also appealed to Governor Adams Oshiomhole to intervene in the matter by ensuring that an Esan becomes the next Speaker in fulfilment of his electioneering promise.

He said that Esan people will not take anything less than the speakership position, adding that there was no Esan high ranking man in the government of today.

“Edo North has the governor and the Secretary to the State Government; Edo South has the Deputy Governor, the Speaker,

and the Chief Judge, among others, so there is nowhere an Esan man is occupying one of the key positions in government today.”

Expressing gratitude to the governor for his overwhelming support for the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the area during the elections, he said:

“Governor Oshiomhole promised us during his electioneering campaign, especially at Ugbegun in Esan Central Local Government Area, that we should all work for Mr. Victor Edoror to win his election because he is going to be the next Speaker of Edo State House of Assembly.”

Amnesty programme reduced insurgency in N-Delta —Alapiki

By Jimitota Onoyume

P

ORT HARCOURT—THE Federal Government has been commended for coming up with the amnesty programme for youths in the Niger Delta, as it was a better approach to achieving peace in the region when compared to the use of force.

Speaking at the public presentation of the findings of a study on post amnesty Niger Delta conflict management framework by the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Port Harcourt, Dean of the Faculty, Professor Henry

Alapiki, said insurgency declined in the region with the introduction of the amnesty programme.

He noted, however, that some of the issues that gave rise to militancy in the region had not been addressed, stressing that the issues, among which were unemployment, poverty and inequality are capable of triggering another round of crisis in the region.

He appealed to the Federal Government to take urgent steps to tackle the challenges of unemployment in the region and other related issues.

Ex-militant leaders condemn attacks on Kuku

By Onoja Innocent

N

IGER Delta exmilitant leaders, under the Phase 2 of the Amnesty programme, have faulted allegations of favouritism, funds mismanagement and other allegations levelled against the chairman of the amnesty programme, Mr. Kingsley Kuku, by a group of ex-militant leaders, saying that the allegations were baseless, unfounded, and politically motivated.

Addressing newsmen, the Bayelsa State Chairman, Phase 2 of the amnesty programme, Mr. Stephen Ebisinte, warned mischief-makers to desist from running down the amnesty programme and stop the orchestrated attacks on Kuku.

Ebisinte said that the amnesty programme had been in progress and that some disarmed youths of the region were still in foreign countries undergoing various training programmes, stressing that it was disappointing that some exmilitant leaders had decided to take politically motivated propaganda against one of their own.

Bayelsa community hails Jonathan over $500m project

By Ochuko Akuopha

T

HE Agge federated community on the Atlantic fringe of River Ramos estuary, Ekeremor Local Government Area, Bayelsa State, yesterday thanked out-going President Goodluck Jonathan for the establishment of $500 million oil and gas project in their area.

The project is a partnership between LADOL Integrated Logistics Enterprise and Samsung Heavy Industries, Korea. The two companies are to build fabricated and integration yards for Egina Floating Production storage and Offfloating, FPSO, facility for the use of local and foreignowned oil companies.

Vanguard, TUESSDAY, MAY 26, 2015 — 43

Fuel sells N230 per litre, businesses grounded in Anambra

FirstBank goes after student customers with incentives

By Vincent Ujumadu

A

WKA— MOST filling stations in Anambra State have run out of petroleum products, with the few that had Premium Motor Spirit, PMS,

S

TUDENTS OF secondary schools who operate accounts with First Bank of Nigeria Ltd will benefit from the bank’s scholarship and special loan scheme programme soon to be floated.

The students will also get free writing materials and textbooks as incentives to boost their academic prospects, in the hope that their colleagues will be encouraged to open accounts with the bank.

Group Head, North Directorate, FirstBank, Murtari Zubairu, said these in Abuja at a one-day financial literacy campaign organized for students of Model Secondary School, Maitama, Abuja.

“We intend to give incentives to the students.

It is a product that lists benefits for the students owning accounts with the bank.

"These may include scholarships, special loans scheme or giving out some exercise or textbooks. It will be a total package to encourage others to save; they will on their own walk into the bank to open their accounts.”

selling at N240 per litre.

None of the NNPC mega stations and the multi-national companies that dot parts of the state had fuel and the few independent marketers were just selling based on their mood at any point in time.

Some of the stations started the day with N160 per litre and by 2p.m., it went up to N240.

The development has virtually grounded business activities in the state as many people stayed at home due to a hike in fares.

For instance, commercial

Enugu community protests alleged imposition of tradition ruler

By Francis Igata

E

NUGU—NATIVES of Ndiagu-Uwani,Akpugo, in Nkanu-West Local Government Area of Enugu State, yesterday, defied the acute fuel scarcity plaguing the state to protest alleged imposition of traditional ruler by the Commissioner of Chieftaincy Matters, Mr. Emeka Abugu.

This came as another community, Mbu, in Isi-Uzo Local Government Area, last week protested alleged interference of the commissioner in a traditional ruler election in their community.

Scores of Ndiagu-Uwani, Akpugo indigenes who besieged the commissioner’s office wielding placards, alleged that the commissioner had imposed an unpopular candidate for the traditional ruler position against the collective will and majority of the people.

While addressing newsmen, the Town Union President, Mr. Boniface Ede, said: “The commissioner secretly connived with the impostor to adopt a different constitution from the one adopted by the community.

“The constitution they adopted thwarted the view of the people.

It gave traditional rulership to a particular family which is not

supposed to be so.

“We are saying that there should be a proper election before a traditional ruler can emerge. Government should conduct election for the traditional position. How can a particular family have the exclusive right to become traditional ruler? “ Reacting to the allegation, the Commissioner for Chieftaincy Matters, Mr. Emeka Abugu, dismissed the allegation of imposition of candidate, adding that he had not written to the governor to request for certificate of recognition on anybody in the community.

motorcycles operating in the cities have started charging N200 per drop, instead of the previous fare of N50, while the fare for tricycles, popularly known as KEKE NAPEP, has increased from N30 per drop to N100 in Awka.

Even the few filling stations that had fuel still experienced long queues, with black market operators swarming the stations with jerry cans and were prepared to buy at any price.

Major markets in the state were not as full as they used to be because many people found it difficult to transport themselves to their places of business.

Similarly, many bank customers were stranded as they could not withdraw cash due to the breakdown of the system.

According to a staff of one of the banks, the system was shut from the head office because of lack of diesel to run generating plants.

A customer of one of the banks who went to transfer money to another branch in Lagos for the purchase of goods, said he was unable to make the transfer because of the system shut-down.

ESUT VC ELECTION: Winner cries over gross injustice

By Francis Igata

E

NUGU—THE election of a new Vice Chancellor for Enugu State University of Science and Technology,ESUT, which held

last Monday, has elicited cries of injustice from the alleged winner, Prof. Denchris Onah.

Prof. Onah told Vanguard that he came first in the interview, although he tied with Prof. Luke

Court judgments: Terminal operators fault Intels

By Tony Nwankwo

P

ORTS AND Terminal Operators Nigeria Limited, PTOL, has faulted the claim by the General Manager, Intels Nigeria Limited, Mike N. Epelle, that there were conflicting rulings by the Federal High Courts in Port Harcourt and Lagos against terminal operators.

Reacting to a Vanguard

publication of May 22, 2015, PTOL Managing Director, Mrs. Lizzie Ovbude, said the statement by Epelle was intended to mislead the public and cast undeserved aspersions on the Nigerian judiciary.

According to her, PTOL is not aware of any conflicting judgments or ruling by any court in Nigeria. ‘’There is no judgment or

ruling in Port Harcourt in favour of the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, and Bureau of Public Enterprises, BPE, against any terminal operator,’’ she said.

She challenged Intels to produce the particulars of the suit, that is the suit No., the parties in the suit, the court or judge that delivered the judgment in Port Harcourt and the date of the ruling/judgment.

Anike, prompting a news release from Government House, indicating that he (Onah) had been appointed the new VC. He said: “I tied at the first position with Prof. Anike. The governing council of the institution put me (Onah)in priority -No. 1- even though we tied. ‘’The Pro-Chancellor, Mr. Chilo Offia, had called me to congratulate me on my appointment, directing me to come to Enugu the following day,Tuesday, to pick my appointment letter.

“Government House had issued a news release

announcing my appointment as the new VC. The news of my appointment was on Radio Nigeria from last Monday to Tuesday until the news changed at 6.00p.m. indicating that Prof.

Luke Anike is the new VC. “It is great injustice that has been done to me by announcing me first as new VC. If they had announced Prof. Anike first, I would have no problem with that, rather I will congratulate him.

“The argument they (Anike & co) canvassed before the governor changed my appointment was that the VC position was zoned to Enugu-East senatorial district.

By Bartholomew Madukwe (08102479985) nwamad@yahoo.com

PEOPLE SPEAK

What would you say about fuel scarcity in Nigeria?

N

ice one. The future is full of challenges and demanding than the present moment, hence, let us do what we are supposed to do today to make the journey into the future easier and less demanding.

That is just my view on this issue. -Mrs. Ruth Ishola, Worker

G

od save us as the nation is drifting towards a comatose state, only because no one cares. No light, no water, no petrol and diesel.

We, as Nigerians, do not deserve this kind of treatment. -Mr. Rotimi Agunlejika, Busuinessman

It's a pity for a blacksmith who who could not hit while the iron was hot! Hopefully, the incoming government will deliver the goods and not just be running from one church or mosque to another, calling God and expecting miracles without doing the right thing. -Miss Okereke Bukola, Student

I

n Nigeria GEJ is being celebrated. You can see the thought process with the outgoing government. Today, we are here not to celebrate the breaking of this nation, we are here to celebrate the unity of this country.

-Miss Lizzy Popson, Student

T

hese are the major reasons Jonathan was voted out in the first instance. If things are going on well, Nigerians will see no need for voting for APC and Buhari. In-coming government must stop complaining. -Mr. Stanley Olisa, NYSC memeber

I cannot imagine people celebrating failure. No fuel, light, banks, telecoms, airline, oil and gas, hospital, etc, to shut down, and some people still support this government and criticise the incoming government that complained. -Mr. Nelson Nwamara, Entrepreneur

44—Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

Don advises Muslims against worldly passions

I

SIGNING: From left: Managing Director, Lagos Metropolitan Transport Authority, Dr. Dayo Mobereola; Director, Rail Transport Service, Federal Ministry of Transport, Mr Mohammed Babakobi; Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Olusegun Aganga; Commissioner for Transport, Lagos State, Mr Kayode Opeifa; Minister of Transport, Sen. Idris Umar; MD, The Infrastructure Bank, Mr Adekunle Oyinloye; Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transport, Mohammed Bashar; MD, Nigerian Railways Corporation, Mr Seyi Sijuwade and others, after signing of agreement on ceding of Lagos Railway Red Line from federal to state government, in Abuja.

Suswam asks for forgiveness over ‘failed' expectations M

A K U R D I — G O V E R N O R Gabriel Suswam of Benue State, weekend, pleaded with the civil servants and those who felt he failed to meet their expectations for forgiveness.

Suswam made the plea at the inter-denominational valedictory thanksgiving service in his honour at the Chapel of Grace, Government House, Makurdi.

The governor siad: “Please forgive me for my inability to meet up with your expectations as the Governor of Benue State.

“But always remember that I had good intentions for civil servants in the state as shown in the 100 per cent salary increment I approved when I took over in 2007.

“It is not my making to owe staff salaries but due to the economic challenges in the country, I have no option but to leave behind a lot of challenges for the new government.

“However, when the new governor takes over, you will clearly understand that the financial challenges does not end with me.”

He further pleaded with his family members for the actions and inactions he might have taken against their will, explaining that he was only carrying out his duties as the governor of the state.

The governor commended the state legislature and the judiciary for their support and the cordial relationship that existed between them.

Suswam commended the People’s Democratic Party, PDP,

for providing the needed platform for him to actualise his political ambition starting from the House of Representatives and as a governor.

He denied media publications that the party lost elections due to bad leadership, explaining that it was only natural for a party to rest after 16 years of being in

power.

The governor commended his deputy for his loyalty and the government house staff for their support throughout his administration.

Earlier in his sermon, the President of NKST, Rev. Ayohor Ateh, urged the people not to be afraid of the incoming

administration for fear of being sacked or punished but have faith and trust in God. Ateh charged the congregation to always rely on God, adding that many people were unnecessarily unrealistic.

Reading from Psalm 124 in the Holy Bible, the cleric urged the people to continue to pray for the governor and the state.

Police deploy 7,000 personnel for Niger Gov-elect's inauguration

M

INNA—THE Niger Police Command has said that it deployed 7,000 personnel in Minna to ensure a hitch-free inauguration of the state Governor-elect, Alhaji Sani Bello, on May 29.

This is contained in a statement in Minna by Mr Olusola Amore, the Commissioner of Police.

His words: “We have deployed no fewer than 7,000 personnel in strategic areas of the venue of the ceremony and Minna to ensure adequate security coverage of the event.”

He enjoined the good people of the state to continue to be law abiding and to support the Police in protecting lives and property.

Amore commended the media for its balanced reportage before, during and after the 2015 general elections in the state.

“Your professional conduct contributed immensely

toward the peaceful conduct of the elections.

“The elections are over and we are looking forward to a peaceful transition of government, come Friday, 29 May, 2015.

“The command has made adequate arrangements to

ensure a hitch-free exercise,” he said.

The Peoples Democratic Party-led government of Dr Babangida Aliyu will hand over government to the incoming APC-led administration of Bello.

By Demola Akinyemi

LORIN—THE Director of the Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies, University of Ilorin, Dr Mahfouz Adedimeji, has urged Muslims to be mindful of their worldly activities so that they do not destroy or undermine their religious efforts thereby ending up as losers.

Adedimeji also attributed the peace and success that trailed the 2015 elections to divine intervention, saying Nigerians prayed fervently for peaceful elections and God answered their prayers accordingly.

He spoke, weekend, while delivering a lecture entitled, “Three Verses, Two Stories and One Hadith,” at the reception organised by the Islamic Welfare Foundation to mark its 31st anniversary in Ilorin.

The don, who explained the relevance of three verses of the Qur’an to his audience, said that Muslims who were not mindful of their mundane and religious activities would be destroyed or their efforts undermined thereby ending up badly.

According to him, the story of akogbatugbaka (the-one-who-makes200-ridges-anddismantles-them) was apt, adding that he set out in the morning and mistakenly put his snuff box on a spot in which he made his first ridge in the firm.

Bauchi community decries non-payment of compensation by govt LAND ACQUISITION:

B

AUCHI—RESIDENTS of Firo village in Ganjuwa Local Government Area of Bauchi State, whose lands were taken over by the government for the expansion of public facilities, have decried the lack of compensation.

The state government acquired the land for the expansion of the Training School and shooting Range for the Department of State Security Service.

The complainants have,

therefore, called on the incoming administration to direct the state Ministry of Land and Survey to compensate them for the land.

Shamaki Abubakar, Buhari Bello and Rabiu Umar, complainants against the action, said during a press conference in Bauchi that some officials of the ministry were trying to deny them of their benefits.

They said that the land, measuring over 10 hectares, was legally acquired by the government on September 27, 2012 for the projects.

The spokesman of the victims, Buhari Bello, said that the land was valued, along with that of one Hajiya Fatima Abdullahi that had over 8 hectares within the same premises, at over N31.987 million.

Buhari explained that after much efforts, through their lawyer, they established that N3 million was earmarked as compensation for the land while over N29 million was allocated to Abdullahi who had eight hectares.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015—45

MEETING: From left—Mr. Bisi Yusuf, Chairman, Lagos State House of Assembly Committee on Transportation; Mr. Abdul-Fatai Olukoga, Special Adviser to the Governor of Lagos State on Education; Engineer Olugbenga Dairo, Director, Public Transport, Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority, and Prince Kabiru Shotobi, Odofin of Ikorodu, during the enlarged stakeholders' meeting on the implementation of Mile 12-Ikorodu Road expansion and the Bus Rapid Transit project in Lagos.

FUTA: From left— Professor Adebola Adewumi, Vice Provost, Office of

Global Programmes, the Pennsylvania State University, United States of America; his colleague, Professor Thaddeus Itykumbul, and Professor Tunde Arayela, Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academic, Federal University of Technology, Akure, FUTA, during professors Adewumi and Itykumbul’s visit to FUTA.

BLOGGERS' CONFAB: From left— Mr. Sola Badmus, Director of

Protocols, West Africa Bloggers Conference; Mrs. Alero Ladipo, Chief Marketing Officer, Smile Communications Nigeria Limited; Mr. Ayo Oyebade, Managing Director, Advert Striker Limited, and Mr. Jonathan Doer, Managing Director, Jumia Nigeria, at the West Africa Bloggers conference in Lagos.

BRIEFING:

Mr. Aminu Sani, Segment Manager, Mass Market (3rd left); Mrs Saidat Lawal-Mohammed, Senior Manager, Segment, both of MTN Nigeria (middle), and the lucky customers MTN is sponsoring to Jerusalem, during a briefing in Lagos. PHOTO: Diran Oshe.

C M Y K

PEAK @ 60: From left— Dolapo Otegbayi, Marketing Manager; Tarang Gupta, Marketing Director, both of FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria Plc; Nwankwo Kanu, Nigeria’s ex-international and Peak's ambassador, and Rahul Colaco, Managing Director, FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria Plc, at the Peak 60th anniversary celebration in Lagos.

COMMISSIONING: From left— Mrs Bunmi Adedoyin; Mr. Jude Oparaeke, Senior Manager, Media Perspectives; Mr. Tunde Adedoyin, MD/CEO Mediaviews; Mr. Olusola Ladipo Ajayi, GMD, LASACO, and Mr. Luqman Dosumu, ED, LASACO, during the commissioning of multi-million naira mega LED billboard by Mediaviews, financed by LASACO Properties Ltd, along LagosOworonshoki Expressway, Lagos, yesterday. PHOTO: Biodun Ogunleye.

LAUNCH: From left— Andre Andrade, CEO, Dentsu Aegis Network, Iberia & Sub-Sahara Africa; Dan Oshodin, Managing Director, Postercope; Emeka Okeke, CEO, Media Fuse Dentsu Aegis Network; Dawn Rowlands, CEO, Dentsu Aegis Network Sub-Sahara Africa, and Bruce Burgess, Development Director, Postercope Sub-Sahara Africa, at the media launch of Media Fuse Dentsu Aegis Network in Nigeria. PHOTO: Joe Akintola, Photo Editor.

HOSPITALITY: Mr. Ambby Okuhor, Chairman/CEO (3rd right); Mr. Charles Hickman, Operations Manager (3rd left); Mrs. Bola, Accountant (right), during the presentation of Grassroots Hotel of the Year 2014 award to Swiss Spirit Hotel and Suites-Mardezok by Grassroots Newspaper Publishers Network, Southern Zone for hospitality, excellence and stewardship in service, in Asaba.

46 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

•One of the pedestrian bridges with bus station along the corridor at Owode Idera.

R

ESIDENTS of Ikorodu have appealed to Lagos State government to regulate the speed of vehicles on the new Mile 12/Ikorodu road.

It is expected that such measure would address the issue of over-speeding on the road which is currently being expanded.

The state government had in 2012 approved the reconstruction of the ever busy road constructed decades ago by the Federal Government.

It awarded the contract to a foreign construction company at the sum of N29 billion.

The commencement of the project triggered enthusiasm among residents, particularly against the back drop of the fact that the road was designed to have six lanes with two designated lanes for Bus Rapid Transit ,BRT, The BRT lanes at the middle of the road would facilitate the movement of buses without hindrance.

Given that the project is at an advanced stage, many were not surprised that the government recently held a stakeholders forum where concerns about the road were discussed.

The state governor, Mr. Raji Fashola, former deputy governor, Mr. Abiodun Ogunleye and former state Commissioner for Information, Mr. Ayodele Elesho were in attendance.

Addressing the attendees, Fashola, explained that the state executive council had an in depth deliberation before the project was approved.

Fashola, who was represented by his Special C M Y K

IKORODU/MILE 12 ROAD: Lagos govt, residents raise safety concerns

By Olasunkanmi Akoni Adviser on Education, Otunba Fatai Olukoga noted that the road must be well maintained and used for its primary purpose. According to him: “It is pertinent to have this discussion so that when the road is opened, there will be no problem. This road can only be compared with roads in Dubai and it is built with taxpayers money. We need to obey the traffic rules on this road. Don’t sell on the walkways or display spare parts on it.

“One way drive is prohibited on this road and you have to obey all traffic signs and pedestrian crossings. Okada riders should not ply this road.

We have many roads which they could ply in Lagos State.

Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority, LAMATA, will soon put signs on this road to help people obey the law. We don’t expect traders to trade on this road.”

Lending his voice, Managing Director LAMATA, Dr. Dayo Mobereola, who was represented by Mr. Olugbenga Dairo, Director of Public Transportation in the agency,

said the project is nearing completion, adding that about 400 buses would be used for the take-off of the BRT scheme billed for June 2015.

Dairo added that the approved speed limit for the road is 50 kilometres per hour, stating that such speed limit is applicable to every one.

“This will help avoid over speeding which could result into road accidents that may cause loss of lives,”he added.

In addition, Dairo said: “The bus shelters and terminals were included to serve as comfort to residents and not for

It is pertinent to have this discussion so that when the road is opened, there will be no problem, this road can only be compared with roads in Dubai and it is built with taxpayers money

sleeping, loading and unloading of goods and other acts which they were not created for. To motorists, traffic signs have been erected for direction and necessary education. We expect motorists to drive according to the signs.

There is no reason for anyone to cut the road because dots have been included in the project to avoid cutting of the road.”

“Oil spillage on the asphalt damages the road and reduces its lifespan. That is why we are appealing that repairing vehicles on the road is not the best practice.''

Indigenes of Ikorodu, who were in attendance commended the government for keeping its promise.

In that light, Mr. Temitope Ayanda, said “I am excited.

Each time I drive on this road I commend the government for reconstructing it and adding more lanes.

Also speaking, Mr. Sheriff Anigboya, another resident said, “Things have changed for the better on the road.

Businesses have returned.

The travel time has reduced.

The difficulties experienced on the road a few years ago

have ceased. We do not entertain fear of traffic any more. ” Nonetheless, other residents have contrary opinion, as they feared some facilitaties could be used for unapproved purposes.

Miss. Yinka Adeshola, a student said, “The road is good but my fear is that residents may convert the sidewalk to parking space and petty market shops . For instance when you visit Owode Onirin axis of the road, you will see that the traders have converted some portion of the yet to be commissioned road into parking lots.

The Chief Administrator of the Kick Against Indiscipline, KAI, Mr. Deji Badejo, however allayed such fears.

He said, the brigade would ensure that traders are kept off the road, pledging that the road would not become another Oshodi and Ketu.

Badejo said the state government has purchased 100 brand new vehicles for the agency to carry out its enforcement activities on the Mile 12-Ikorodu axis.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015 — 47

Lagos establishes Arbitration Court for economic growth

By Dotun Ibiwoye

T

he Lagos Court of Arbitration which was recently opened is Africa’s first International Centre for Arbitration and Alternative Dispute Resolution.

Instead of using similar courts abroad, the Lagos Court of Arbitration will now be used for conservation of scarce foreign exchange for Lagosians and other Nigerians.

The Lagos Court of Arbitration, LCA, which is located in Lekki, is meant to support and promote alternative dispute resolution in Nigeria by aggrieved parties.

The LCA minimises the amount of time spent on ensuring dispute resolution and all concerned parties are satisfied with the judgement by the panel of arbitrators.

Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos, noted that the LCA also represented a strong message that if such initiative was taken at the national level it would be saving money that would have gone out of the country.

Fashola, blamed the present economic decline in the country and the nose-dived value of the naira, on the lpreference of Nigerians for foreign goods and products including seeking arbitration in foreign courts.

The governor also said that with the coming of the LCA, such monies that used to be spent abroad will now be spent in the country.

He affirmed that the objective of establishing the court will be delivered through the quality of arbitration coming from it adding that the Centre would provide the nation the opportunity to improve her image among the comity of nations.

At the recent commissioning of the LCA, the governor noted that the building, standing on its own, would not deliver the objectives of the Centre part of which, according to him, is “to be the natural and the neutral Arbitration and Dispute Resolution (ADR) Centre for Nigeria and for the sub-region and ultimately the Continent”.

“This building, standing on its own, will not deliver that dream; it is a beautiful building, but what will deliver the dream is us, the people. The objectives have been set; we want to be the natural and the neutral Arbitration and Dispute Resolution (ADR) Centre for Nigeria and for the sub-region and ultimately the Continent”, the Governor said adding that the quality of Arbitration that would be delivered would depend on the people and not the building, he said “This Court is Lagos State’s bold economic statement towards improving our capacity to do things at home. It is our strong message that if we take this kind C M Y K

of initiatives we will be conserving our money at home.

It is a strong statement that Made-in-Nigeria is the best way to grow the economy. “The earlier we begin to domesticate some of the services we seek abroad, the stronger our Naira will become. What would be the efficacy of the awards; what would be their enforceability?

And it does not matter what reputation we have, we can change such reputation in terms of how people see us; the Centre provides an opportunity for us to send a global message that we are one of the best professional people this Continent has

assembled.’’

While recalling that Lagos State, once described as one of the dirtiest cities in the world, was able to change that reputation, the

The nose-dived value of the naira, on the liking of foreign goods and products including seeking arbitration in foreign courts by Nigerians

Governor said: “So for the arbitrators, for the practitioners and for the judicial officers, awards that are written and produced here must have comparably competitive status with awards handed down elsewhere in the world. That is when the purpose of this building would really have been served.’’

Fashola, who urged Nigerians to make use of the court instead of similar courts abroad in order to conserve scarce foreign exchange, described the court as the only purpose-built arbitration centre in the whole of Africa and called

for confidence in the awards of the court pointing out that its objective as an alternative conflict resolution centre would be defeated if after it has handed down an award one of the parties goes to a high court to stop the enforcement of such award.

Noting that although there are many arbitration centres across the Continent, the Lagos Arbitration Centre is the only one that was purpose-built, conceived, planned, designed and delivered as a purpose-built arbitration centre in the whole of Africa, the Governor emphasized that the practice of going to court to stop enforcement ofawardsfromArbitrationmuststop

•Lagos Arbitration Court.

Arms proliferation : Lagos sets ultimatum for hand-over

By Olasunkanmi Akoni & Monsur Olowoopejo

G

overnor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, at the weekend, said anyone in possession of illegal arms and ammunition should voluntarily hand it over to the nearest police station or face the consequences.

Fashola disclosed this at the flag-off of one day workshop on Law and Order and the hand-over of 200 specialized patrol vehicles for officials of the Lagos State Traffic management Authority, LASTMA and Kick Against Indiscipline, KAI to enforce relevant laws in the state.

The governor lamented that arms proliferation in the country has increased involvement of youths in cultism and other illicit acts.

According to him, “This is a matter that we have deliberated on extensively at the monthly security meeting. I believe that the commissioner of police remains committed to this. So, I am not saying this lightly.

“And after I make this announcement, he will work with all the security officials

and evolve a process that will aid the smooth hand-over of arms and ammunitions.

In the next few weeks, we will give a window of opportunity where everyone who is in possession of arms and ammunition illegally will voluntarily go and drop it.

“I want to use this opportunity to appeal to the youths to surrender their weapons and guns voluntarily to the nearest police station,” he urged.

Fashola however, assured, “There will be no prosecution if anyone does so within that period. We need to clean our city and state of small arms. After that period, the law will take its stand.”

He stressed that their continuous possession and intake of drugs could completely destroy their minds and lead to sudden death, saying.

“This country needs them alive especially to use their energy to proper the country.

“I think that, this is a season of great hope and change. I use this opportunity to appeal to them to break up those gangs and form themselves into entrepreneurship cooperatives societies. They can only approach the government through this. And with this, they will be respected citizens of this country,” the governor said.

Faults diplomats covering number plates He however, condemned the act of covering number plate especially by diplomats in the country, noting “Nobody is above the law in any society even if you are a diplomat in a country where you cannot be arrested. You must carry the plate.”

He said, “One is better protected by doing so. If an accident occurs with such vehicles, how will it be possible for anyone to know who the owner of the vehicle was; call his relatives? If it is stolen, how will the security officials locate the vehicle?”

The governor noted that displaying once number plate is important for security reasons but “people take this for granted.”

On 200 patrol vehicles Fashola while handing over the vehicles said, “When you get the vehicles, I want you to understand that those vehicles are public property and bought with tax payers’ money. It is meant for public use and not for personal use. It must not be taken to your personal homes.”

48 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

C M Y K

Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015—49

Where Jonathan and I disagreed —Amaechi

By Levinus Nwabughiogu

A

BUJA—GOVERNOR Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State explained yesterday that the refusal of President Goodluck Jonathan to repay over N105 billion spent by the state government on the repairs of federal roads in the state was the major cause of their disagreement.

Ameachi spoke in Abuja after the presentation of a documentary titled: Dynamic of Change, which chronicled the achievements of his administration in the last eight years.

He said that even with three days to the expiration of the life of the present regime, the money was yet to be refunded.

He also hinted that his quarrel with President Jonathan escalated following the unnecessary interference of the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, in the affairs of Rivers State.

According to him, his resistance to the unsolicited actions of Mrs. Jonathan whom he accused of unleashing Police, military and other security agencies on the state to achieve her aim,

fueled their disagreement.

Amaechi expressed gratitude to God for seeing him through his tenure as the governor of the state despite many efforts to remove him from office.

On his achievements in the state, the governor stated that the projects were executed in

an attempt to bequeath people-oriented legacies to the people of the state, adding that he engaged 13, 200 of the 91,000 teachers required to boost education in state.

He, however, hinted that the state’s financial earnings from oil proceeds which used to be N20 billion had reduced to N6

billion due to the dwindling oil prices.

The occasion attracted the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Umar Na’Abba, his former deputy, Chibudom Nwuche, Senator Magnus Abe and other officials of Rivers State Government.

INTERIM REPORT: Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State (left), receiving an interim report from the chairman, Bayelsa State NDDC Committee, Chief Lionel Jonathan-Omo, at Government House, Yenagoa.

Uduaghan commissions leather works, shoe factory in Delta

By Festus Ahon

A

S A B A — GOVERNOR Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State, yesterday, commissioned the state Micro, Small and Medium Entrepreneurship centre (leather works/shoe factory) with a training capacity of 4,000 youths annually in Issele-Uku, Aniocha North Local Government Area of the state.

Commissioning the project built in collaboration with the United Nations Industrial Organisation, UNIDO, Uduaghan said the factory was a wealth creation venture with the potentials of creating job opportunities for youths.

Noting that the centre will train youths of the state annually in various skills, the governor said the State Micro-Credit Scheme, which began in 2007 was beginning to yield results.

He said the factory was part of effort towards the realisation of Delta Beyond Oil and in line with the state government’s peace, security and human capital development agenda to attract investors to the state.

Commending youths C M Y K

and leaders of Issele-Uku community for their cooperation during the building of the centre, Uduaghan said his administration had touched the lives of the young people at the lower segment

of life. He expressed hope that the centre will be replicated in the other two senatorial districts in the state.

Earlier in her address, the state Commissioner for Poverty Alleviation, Dr

Anthonia Achiedu, said apart from being a training centre, “It contains various industrial components from shoe making and leather works, palm wine brewery, bakery and confectioneries, flour processing, fruit juice

Rivers LG polls: Winners get certificates of return

By Jimitota Onoyume

P

ORT HARCOURT: RIVERS State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC, Chairman, Professor Augustine Ahiazu, has presented certificates of return to the All Progressives Congress, APC, candidates who won the 22 local g o v e r n m e n t chairmanship seats and 297 councillorship seats contested for in the just concluded council elections in the state.

Describing the election as peaceful, Professor Ahiazu commended those who participated in the exercise.

“The chairmanship seats were won by APC in all the 22 councils

where elections held. As you know, there were no elections at Ogba/ Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area because they just had their election last year.

“APC won 297 Wards out of 302 wards. The

remaining wards were won by ADC in Etche Ward 3, PPA in Ahoada West Ward 2, and in Ahoada East Ward 4 SDP won the seat there. In Ahoada East Ward 8, election was inconclusive,” he said.

processing, ethnic clothing (akwa-ocha) weaving, jewellery and millinery."

Akwa Ibom people ungrateful —Akpabio

By Tom Moses

U

YO—GOVERNOR Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State has berated the people of the state for being ungrateful despite his efforts to develop and transform the state in his eight years tenure as governor, even as he prayed for their forgiveness.

Akpabio, at the Ibom Hall, Uyo, during the valedictory thanksgiving service organised in his honour by the state government as part of the transition activities to his successor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, said he decided to forgive the people as he would be transiting to the Senate from May 29.

He said: “I forgive you of your many sins against me, for your betrayal, false reports, blackmail, and ingratitude towards my efforts at developing the state. I forgive you because I bear no grudge against anyone.

“As a young man, I devoted my time and did my best for the development of the state. I am going back a fulfilled man without paying attention to what people may have said against me.”

50—Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

Okada riders protest alleged govt ban at Awka, Onitsha, Nnewi

By Chimaobi Nwaiwu

N

N E W I — COMMERCIAL motorcycle operators, popularly known as Okada riders, in Nnewi, Anambra State, yesterday, embarked on protest against alleged plans by the state government to ban their operations in major cities of Awka, Onitsha and Nnewi.

The riders who protested on the platform of Motorcycle Transport Union of Nigeria, MTUN, wielded placards with inscriptions as “Governor Obiano please do not return criminals with ban on Okada operation” “If you ban Okada Operation in the state violent criminals will return because some people will be unemployed” Anyboby who ban Okada operation in the state is inviting criminals to return in the state”, among others.

Addressing MTUN members shortly after the protest, National Vice President of MTUN, Chief John Onedibe, warned that they would resist any such plan, arguing that most of their members would be thrown out of jobs.

Onedibe said he summoned an emergency meeting of the union executive over the issue in Awka and warned that any attempt by the state government to ban Okada would not only bring about labour crisis but also inflict pains on many families and economy of the state.

He said: “If over 10,000 Okada riders in Anambra would be pushed out of job, the increase in crime, would be better imagined than experienced, let alone hardship the dependants of Okada riders will face.

“If government wants to ban commercial motorcyclists for security reasons as we heard, what about those who use police and army uniforms to rob, has government disbanded Police and the Army as organizations?”

Chief Onedibe said armed robbers and kidnappers used Sport Utility Vehicles, SUVs, to commit crimes, wondering why government had not stopped the use of those vehicles, even those with tinted glasses. ‘’Is it because Okada operators are mainly the down-trodden in Nigerian society, who have no other option than to do Okada business?" he asked.

Business activities collapse in Onitsha as fuel price hits N300 per litre

By Nwabueze Okonkwo

O

N I T S H A — COMMERCIAL activities yesterday grounded to a halt, following an hourly increase in pump prices of petroleum products to the tune of N300 per litre.

The increased had started on

Saturday when the pump price rose to N120 in the morning and by evening time, it climbed to N140.

By Sunday morning, the price rose to N160 and by evening it reached N180 and this rose to yN200 yesterday morning At the time of sending this report yesterday afternoon, the

price stood at N300 per litre.

Officials of various petrol filling stations kept sealed lips as they declined to comment on the ugly situation when newsmen visited their stations.

The situation led to commuters parking their vehicles, while some traders who were healthy enough and whose shops were not too far

from their homes, trekked to their shops.

Those who could not trek simply remained at home.

As usual, some commercial vehicles and motorcyclists who had the courage to buya few litres of fuel for operations, raised transport fares by over 100 percent, just as only few private vehicles were seen on the roads.

Reverse last minute appointments, auction of govt property, Assembly tells Elechi the present administration.

The House said should Governor Elechi refuse to reverse his action, the BAKALIKI—EBONYI incoming government should State House of Assembly not hesitate to do it without has mandated Governor delay.

Martin Elechi of Ebonyi State The House further called on to reverse the appointment of Governor Elechi to also reverse permanent secretaries he made last Friday and the dismissal of the treasurer, Ezza South local government area of the state, Chief Vincent Nweke, who was sacked from office by the present administration for allegedly refusing to sign off N15 million without due process.

The House announced the appointment of Jerry Obasi as the new deputy speaker, following the declaration of the seat of the former deputy speaker, Blaize Orji, vacant.

Recall that the House had on February 11 declared three members’ seats vacant for defecting to Labour Party without any proof that there was crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on which platform they were PRESENTATION: From left Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora, book presenter; Justice Isola Olorunnimbe elected. (retd), Chairman of the occasion; Mr. Fola Arthur-Worrey, book reviewer; Dr. Wale Ahmed, Others affected include Commissioner for Special Duties, Lagos State, and Lagos State governor, Mr. Raji Fashola (SAN) Ikechukwu Nwankwo, the author of the book, entitled, 'A Call to Duty' - during the book's presentation to mark the 50th Eloy Ogbonna and Mrs birthday of Dr. Wale Ahmed, in Lagos, Sunday. Photo: Lamidi Bamidele Lilian Igwe (Ivo).

However, eight members’ seats have been declared vacant so far, including Orji, Oliver Nwachukwu; former House Majority, Sam Nwali (Ikwo North); yesterday, to newsmen . number weapons and equipment

By Ndahi Marama Among the terrorists killed, including the captured 13 rifles, a Mabel Aleke (Ohaukwu according to the statement, was a machine gun, rocket propelled South); former Speaker, A I D U G U R I — T H E commander of Boko Haram, who grenade tubes and several other Ikechukwu Nwankwo; Eni Uduma Chima military has killed over 30 had thousands of euros on him assorted ammunition.

The statement read in part: A Toyota Bufallo vehicle was also (Afikpo South West); Boko Haram terrorists suspects and Nwobashi recovered arms, vehicles and two “Thousands of Euros currency were recovered from the terrorists. Two Helen South); Armoured Personnel Carriers, found on the body of a terrorist of their armoured vehicles were (Abakaliki after troops also destroyed in the battle.”

Ogbonna; and Lillian APCs, in Borno border town of commander successfully repelled a terrorist The statement, however, noted Igwe.

Mafa, weekend. attack on Mafa towards the border. that, “the only casualties on the side Meanwhile, a Mafa is a farming border The terrorist, who is also an Amir of own troops were damaged substantive Majority community with Cameroon, and 40 by status and believed to be of equipment.

Mopping up kilometres east of Maiduguri, the foreign descent, is among about 30 operation is ongoing in the general Leader, Ikechukwu Ogbu (Ishielu North), state capitral. terrorist fighters, who died in the area."

The killings of terrorists were encounter while many others fled Meanwhile, the offensive on all has been elected, while disclosed in a statement of the with gunshot wounds.” terrorists’ hideouts is continuing in Chris Usulo (Ezza On total casualties, Olukolade many fronts.

South) was elected the Director of Defence Information, deputy leader.

Maj-Gen. Chris Olukolade, issued said: “The terrorists also lost a

By Peter Okutu

A

auctioning of government property, including vehicles, to some selected members of the public.

According to the House, such appointments and sale of government properties were done in bad faith.

The House said it would further increase the debt

burden of the state for the incoming administration of Engr Dave Umahi.

In a motion moved by Obasi Odefa and supported by Barr Frank Onwe, the House described the last minute action of the governor as an act of excessive lawlessness and unnecessary adventure by

Military kill 30 terror suspects, recover euro currencies, arms, vehicles in Borno

M

Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015—51

Wike to conduct forensic audit on all govt accounts

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ORT HARCOURT — THE Rivers State Governor-Elect, Mr Nyesom Wike, has said that his administration will carry out a forensic audit of all government accounts to ensure the recovery of all resources stolen by top officials of the out-going administration in the state.

He also said that those who participated in the use of N4.5 bllion to conduct illegal local government elections by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC, will be brought to justice.

He said RSIEC embarked on the illegal local government elections despite the court stopping the election.

Speaking when he received an interim report of the Transition Committee led by Deputy Governor Tele Ikuru, Wike said the

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days of impunity and massive corruption were over in Rivers State.

He said Rivers State will be a test case in the fight against corruption, noting that a comprehensive approach in fighting corrupt elements in the outgoing administration will be adopted to entrench fiscal discipline in the state.

He said: “I am not going to be intimidated.

The only way we can work together is to check the ills of the past. The right thing must be done. Those who have stolen the resources of the state must be made to account for it.

“I have the political will to drive the process to its logical conclusion.

The massive stealing of government resources was a deliberate attempt to create problems for the incoming administration.”

The governor-elect

added that all the backdated appointments and certificates of occupancy being hurriedly issued by outgoing Governor Rotimi Amaechi will be set aside.

He said all the top officials of Amaechi administration, who have refused to cooperate in the interest of Rivers State during the transition period, will soon cooperate whether they like it or not.

“Those who have closed the courts will be the same persons rushing to the courts when we open the courts.”

Earlier, Chairman of the Transition Committee and Deputy Governor, Ikuru, recommended that the new administration should carry out forensic audit of all accounts in view of massive looting by officials of the outgoing administration.

52 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

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Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015 —53

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54—Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

Airtel highlights pains of fuel scarcity

By Prince Osuagwu

T

HE lingering fuel crisis in the country has started taking toll on the telecommunications sector as Airtel yesterday said its services have been impaired by the effects of the scarcity.

According to Airtel, the services could get worse if the situation persists and may erode its efforts at delivering quality and seamless telecommunications services in the country.

Statement from Airtel management, said: “Airtel Networks Limited wishes to inform our customers and the general public that the prevailing situation in the country regarding the scarcity of diesel and other petroleum products is presently impacting negatively on our commitments to delivering best-in-class quality of service and seamless telephony experience to all Nigerians.

“While we are currently doing everything within our means as well as going the extra mile to ensure that all our base stations and switches are up and running, it is sad to note that it is becoming increasingly difficult to replenish current stock of diesel due to the lingering scarcity of the products.

We are also concerned that, if the situation persists, it may have adverse effects on our network, impacting both voice and data services.

“Airtel, therefore, wishes to assure all customers that we will continue working with all our partners and stakeholders to mitigate any negative impact as we remain committed to our promise of providing exceptional services.

“We seek the cooperation and understanding of all whilst apologizing for any inconvenience at this time.”

Bank shareholders worry over N56.42bn levies to AMCON in 2014

By Peter Egwuatu, with agency report

S

OME shareholders, yesterday said the huge levies paid by commercial

banks to the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria, AMCON, had stifled the banks’ ability to lend, hence the call for the wind up of the corporation.

They said the shareholders’ funds were being eroded annually by the sustained operation of the Banking Sector Resolution Cost Fund as observed in the

NCC halts MTN’s TruTalk tariff plan promo

By Prince Osuagwu

L

AGOS — The Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, said it has directed telecommunications company, MTN Nigeria, to discontinue the implementation of a tariff plan promotion called MTN TruTalk+ or face serious sanctions.

The commission said the action was necessary because the said promo did not follow due process before it was unveiled to the public.

Director, Public Affairs of the commission, Mr Tony Ojobo, said the commission did not give

any approval for such service and therefore has directed that MTN desists from further advertisement of the service in the print, electronic media or its websites.

The commission in a letter dated May 19, 2015 with ref No NCC/MTN/18/15 and signed by the Head, Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement, Mr. Efosa Idehen and Head, Legal and Regulatory Services, Mrs. Yetunde Akinloye, said the records of the Commission shows that the operator has no approval of the regulatory authority before embarking on

the new promotional tariff plan.

The Commission’s Compliance Unit also revealed that the new tariff with daily access fee of N5, allows subscribers to call all networks at 11k/sec and N20k/sec to UK, USA, India, Canada and China.

Idehen said “the Commission’s investigations showed that MTN Nigeria Communications Ltd has already configured this tariff plan on their network and has therefore implemented same without the appropriate regulatory approval.

FINANCE: From left— Mr. Muntari Zubairu, Group Head, Abuja Directorate, First Bank Nigeria; Mrs Victoria Nwaorgu, Principal, Model Secondary School Maitama, Abuja, and Mr. Ismail Omamegbe, Head, Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability, First Bank, during the bank's Financial Literacy Programme at the school in Abuja.

Fuel scarcity will continue until...

—NUPENG zBlames it on Lagos govt

By Oboh Agbonkhese

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AG O S — N AT I O N A L Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, has said fuel scarcity will continue to be part of Nigeria’s socio-economic realities as long as the country ’s refineries are grounded, importation of petroleum products continues, subsidy persists, deregulation ignored and depot not rehabilitated.

This much was said by National President of NUPENG, Mr. Igwe Achese,

at a briefing in Lagos, yesterday.

Achese also blamed the current scarcity that had crippled economic activities nationwide on Lagos State government, who he said gave tanker drivers 24 hours, instead of the two weeks they asked for, to leave OshodiApapa Expressway.

He said: “We are not on strike. It was just a withdrawal of services. I directed that the trucks stay away to avoid violence.

“Even when the tankers were out of the roads, trailers

took over which means it is not our problem.

“We work and pay our taxes in Lagos. It is unfortunate that they do not consider it good enough to create a corridor for us just as they did for Bus Rapid Transport, BRT. “As long as government refuses to do the needful, fuel scarcity will continue to be part of this country.

“To stop it, our refineries must be put in order, railways working, the downstream sector deregulated, subsidy removed and depot rehabilitated.”

2014 financial year.

The banking sector resolution cost is a funding-pool agreed upon by commercial banks to mitigate the challenges that the nation’s banking sector may face as occasioned by the 2008/2009 global economic recession.

Investigations showed that seven commercial banks contributed N56.42 billion to AMCON in 2014.

Some of the shareholders said in separate interviews in Lagos, yesterday, that the banks’ contributions to AMCON were making their stocks unattractive to investors due to dwindling and unimpressive dividends.

Mr. Boniface Okezie, the National Chairman, Progressive Shareholders Association of Nigeria (PSAN), said that the shareholders were worried by AMCON’s resolutions regarding what the banks should contribute.

Okezie said that banking stocks were no longer attractive to both local and foreign investors because of decreased dividends, concerns over regulatory penalties and threats to banks shareholders’ funds.

According to him, strict regulatory policies and levies have made it difficult for banks to lend to the real sector of the economy.

Okezie said that commercial banks would have declared higher dividends in 2014 if not for various levies paid to regulators, especially, AMCON. He also identified the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) headwinds and compulsory levies charged by AMCON in 2014, as other major challenges that made it difficult for the banks to intervene in the economy and create value for investments.

Okezie alleged that AMCON had overstayed its usefulness and should wind down its operations, as it was daily becoming a burden to the Federal Government.

“AMCON should close shop and should not continue to exist to the detriment of the shareholders and the national investment,” Okezie said.

Also, Mr. Sunny Nwosu, the National Coordinator, Independent Shareholders Association of Nigeria (ISAN), said that the shareholders were groaning under poor dividends and low capital appreciation while AMCON was collecting 0.5 per cent of banks’ total assets annually.

He said that this had made most of the banks that contributed to AMCON unable to declare dividends during the period under review. Nwosu also said that the banking sector was over regulated and called for a review of the various policies introduced by the CBN in the interest of the economy.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015 — 55

LCCI assures stakeholders of sustaining ICTEL Expo

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VISIT: Members of the All Progressive Congress, APC, Senators elected to the 8th Assembly under the platform of Like Minds Group, during a courtesy visit to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to express their support for the candidacy of Senator Bukola Saraki as Senate President in Abuja, yesterday.

Nigeria loses $2bn annually to fake subsidy operators —SARAKI zWants fuel subsidy removed

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru & Joseph Erunke

A

BUJA—FORMER governor of Kwara State and senator representing Kwara Central, Bukola Saraki, has said that Nigeria was losing a total of $2 billion to fake fuel subsidy operators, insisting that the fuel subsidy management in the country was a very big platform for fraud.

Saraki, who regretted that the alleged fraud in the scheme was being allowed to fester by the Federal Government, urged the incoming administration of General Muhammadu Buhari to completely remove the fuel subsidy and restore normalcy to the petroleum sector.

Speaking to newsmen, yesterday, in Abuja, the senator accused the government of issuing import licenses to very bogus number of companies totaling 82 and being used by oil marketers and government officials to rip off the national treasury on yearly basis.

He argued that it would be better to remove the fuel subsidy and deliver the sector and the citizenry from the grip of racketeers in the industry, who would never allow things to work well because of their personal aggrandizement.

According to him, subsidy in itself was never a problem to the country but the bad management of the subsidy, which he said had been turned into a huge racket that created the lingering crisis in the oil sector.

He said: “No matter what is happening now, if you go back to look at it, the major issue that dwindled us was the subsidy management. We are talking of about minimum of over $32 billion wasted on it over the last five to six years.

“That is the difference between where we are now and that time.

It has impacted on our exchange rate, it is going to impact on our infrastructure, there is no money for capital budget.

Speaking on his ambition of becoming the next Senate President, Saraki maintained that he had the capacity, competence and the will power to drive the 8th Senate to reposition the country towards rapid socioeconomic development, advising the elected Senators of the All Progressives Congress, APC, to focus on competence, capacity and merit in their choice of the next President of the Senate and other principal officers rather

than on sentiments.

He said he had observed with dismay that Nigerians were not receiving the needed services from their elected representatives in the last many years of democratic governance in the country because leaders usually emerged through ethnic, religious and sectional sentiments rather than on the basis of qualification and competence.

By Naomi Uzor

AGOS—THE Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, LCCI, yesterday, assured stakeholders that it would sustain the ICTEL Expo because of its relevance to the economy.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 2015 I n f o r m a t i o n Communication Technology Expo (ICTEL Expo) in Lagos, the President of LCCI, Alhaji Remi Bello, said the chamber would provide a credible platform for programmes like the ICTEL Expo to advance the opportunities and linkages in the world of ICT. “We hope to make this event an annual one in order to build economic bridges across all subsectors and players in the ICT sector. We plan continuously to broaden the horizon and scope of the Expo over the coming years. We see great investment opportunities coming from interactions and business integration among ICT players and their customers,” he said.

He also, said the relevance, sensitivity and importance of the ICT and telecommunication sectors in the country cannot be over emphasized, adding that, virtually all sectors rely on ICT for all aspects of their operations.

IBB worries over Nigeria's situation

By Wole Mosadomi

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INNA—FORMER Military President, General Ibrahim Babangida yesterday, expressed concern over the present situation in the country, adding that it needed the intervention of all Nigerians to join hands with the incoming administration to get the people out of the current problems.

Apparently referring to the acute scarcity of petrol and blackout being experienced across the country, Babangida, however, said that the outgoing administration should not be seen as deliberately punishing the people but rather a trying period for any administration which would come and go.

Farewell visit

Babangida in company of former Head of State, Gen.

Abdulsalami Abubakar who spoke during a farewell visit to the Niger State governor, Dr. Babangida Aliyu in his house told journalists that he was worried and concerned just like any other Nigeria about the numerous problems confronting the country but added that there was always a solution to any problem.

“I am as concerned about these problems as everyone is. I want Nigerians to support the incoming government in whatever measures it takes to provide solution to the problems on ground.

“Government is doing all it can to make sure these problems, come to an end. We should endeavour to support them during this period,” he said.

The former president noted that every country, developed and under-developed have their peculiar problems which confront

them, adding that Nigeria cannot also run away from its own problems which would certainly come and go.

According to him,”every developing country has one problem or the other and there has to be a government to solve such problem because there must always be a government on ground to solve any problem and so, the incoming government will be prepared to face some challenges and also be prepared to solve them.’’

Governor Aliyu in his own contribution said the fuel and power challenges facing the country at this period should not be seen as conspiracy from any group, adding that no individual or group can be so heartless to arrange such things and put other Nigerians in problems.

He attributed lack of rain and gas to the hydro power plants around the country, adding that the issues would be addressed soon for normalcy to return.

Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar had also called on the governor to share his experience with the incoming administration in order to move the state forward, adding that they, (IBB and himself) were also ready to avail themselves to the incoming administration in the state to ensure development.

Earlier, Governor Aliyu had thanked the two elder statesmen for the visit and their continuous advice which had brought a lot of development and unity in the state and the country at large, adding that whatever actions the elder statesmen had taken over the years should be attributed to their concern for unity and the development of the country.

56 — VANGUARD, TUESDAY, MAY 26 , 2015

China protest against U.S. spying plane

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Nepal Quake: UN calls for more aid O

NE month after the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Nepal, the United Nations has said the world needs to provide more food aid and shelter for those left homeless.

A UN official said there was still a need to focus on providing relief rather than reconstruction.

It would be recalled that more than 8,000 people died in the disaster and many remain homeless.

Nepal’s government, which has been criticised for being slow to respond, has called for more direct aid funding.

Finance Minister Dr Ram Sharan Mahat told the BBC that less than 10% of the money spent on relief by his government came from overseas.

Dr Mahat said he hoped future international donations would be managed directly by his government.

Yesterday evening, hundreds of Nepalis joined a candlelit vigil at the Brikutimandap grounds in Kathmandu to remember the dead and mark a month since the earthquake hit.

The earthquake that hit on 25 April, and a second major tremor on 12 May, killed more than 8,600 people and brought down

•Nepalese children still living in makeshift shelters as monsoon rains approach buildings in Kathmandu and the country’s central districts.

Shelter materials and food aid have been slow to reach some areas, and

many Nepalese have complained that the government is not doing enough to help those affected. As aftershocks continue to be felt,

thousands of people are still living in make-shift tents and there are fears these will not survive the summer monsoon, which is due to start next month.

IS faces battle in Iraq, bombs Syria

I

SLAMIC State poured more fighters into Ramadi as security forces and Shi’ite paramilitaries prepared to retake the Iraqi city that fell to the Islamists a week ago in a major setback for the government.

In Palmyra, the Syrian

•Young men jump into a river to escape the heat in Gujarat T least 500 people are reported to have died in a heatwave sweeping India, with temperatures reaching 48C (118F) in some areas.

Most deaths have taken place in the southern states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, where more than 140 people have died since weekend. Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh recorded 48C while temperatures rose to above 44C (111F) in the capital, Delhi.

Authorities have urged people to stay indoors and drink plenty of fluids.

Monday China had lodged a complaint and that it opposed “provocative behaviour” by the United States.

“We urge the U.S. to correct its error, remain rational and stop all irresponsible words and deeds,” she said.

“Freedom of navigation and overflight by no means mean that foreign countries’ warships and military aircraft can ignore the legitimate rights of other countries as well as the safety of aviation and navigation.”

China had noted “earpiercing voices” from many in the U.S. about China’s construction on the islands and reefs.

Air France escorted to New York after threat

air force struck at buildings captured by the Sunni militant group, whose arrival has raised fears that the city’s famed Roman ruins will be destroyed.

The air force leveled Islamic State “hideouts” and killed a large number of its members around Palmyra’s

Heatwave ‘kills 500’ in India

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HINA said it had lodged a complaint with the United States over a U.S. spy plane that flew over parts of the disputed South China Sea in a diplomatic row that has fuelled tension between the world’s two largest economies.

Friction in the region has grown over China’s land reclamation in the Spratly islands. China last week said it was “strongly dissatisfied” after a U.S. spy plane flew over areas near the reefs, with both sides accusing each other of stoking instability.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on

Heatwave conditions have been prevailing in the two worst-affected southern Indian states since midApril, but most of the deaths have happened in the past week.

The worst-hit state has been Andhra Pradesh where 246 people have died from the high temperatures in the past week. State officials said 62 people died of sunstroke on Sunday.

“The majority of the victims are people who have been exposed to the sun directly, usually aged

50 and above and from the working classes,” news agency AFP quoted P Tulsi Rani, special commissioner of Andhra Pradesh’s disaster management department, as saying.

“We are asking them to take precautions like using an umbrella, using a cap, taking a huge quantity of liquids like water and buttermilk, and wearing cotton clothing,” he added.

The Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency said the heatwave had killed 186 people in 10 districts in neighbouring Telangana state, with 58 people dying since Saturday.

The north-western desert state of Rajasthan has also recorded several deaths due to the heat, the PTI reported, including a woman who collapsed and died on a roadside in Bundi city. The meteorological department said the sweltering conditions were likely to continue for a few more days.

“No relief” is expected in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Delhi and other northern states for the next four days, and the “heatwave will continue,” an official said.

military air base, Syrian state media said.

Islamic State has killed at least 217 people executionstyle, including children, since it moved into the Palmyra area 10 days ago, according to the Britishbased Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Another 300 soldiers were killed before the Syrian city was captured, the monitoring group said.

The insurgents reinforced Ramadi on Monday, deploying fighters in preparation for battle against security forces and paramilitary groups advancing on the provincial capital, which lies 110 km (70 miles) northwest of the capital, Baghdad.

Iraqi forces have regained ground east of Ramadi since launching a counter-offensive on Saturday.

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N Air France flight from Paris was escorted by two U.S. F-15 fighter jets to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport yesterday after an anonymous threat was made against the flight, according to the U.S. military.

Flight 22 from Charles de Gaulle Airport landed safely in New York, an airport official said.

Two U.S. Air Force F-15 fighters were launched as precautionary measure to monitor the flight as it returned to New York, said Navy Lieutenant Commander Richlyn Ivey, a spokeswoman for U.S.

North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command.

The anonymous threatening call was made to a Maryland State Police barrack on Monday morning, police said.

“The caller made a bomb threat involving commercial aviation,” Maryland State Police said in a statement.

Citing an unnamed senior U.S. official, ABC News said the caller made a chemical weapons threat on board the plane.

ABC said the plane was to be taken to a secure area to be searched, and that the threat was not considered

Air France planes parked on the tarmac at the Charles de Gaulle International Airport in Roissy, near Paris on the second week of a strike by Air France pilots

German MP linked to Ukraine denied entry to Russia

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GERMAN deputy with strong links to Ukraine was denied access to Russian territory at the weekend, a decision slammed as “unacceptable” by Berlin on Monday.

The German foreign ministry said the government had made an official protest through the Russian embassy in Berlin.

“From the German government’s point of view, the ban on deputy KarlGeorg Wellmann is

incomprehensible and unacceptable,” a German foreign ministry spokesman said.

“The German government expects this ban to be lifted,” the ministry added.

Wellmann, a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative CDU-CSU, heads up the Bundestag’s friends of Ukraine group.

He visited Ukraine in May last year as an election observer for the Organization for Security

and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

He is also his party’s rapporteur for Russia within the parliament’s foreign affairs committee.

He was turned back when he arrived at Moscow airport on Sunday, despite having been invited to take part in political discus-sions, media reports said Monday. The Russian authorities put him back on a plane for Berlin and slapped an entry ban on him until 2019, according to the reports.

VANGUARD, TUESDAY, MAY 26 , 2015 — 57

Burkina Faso begins exhumation of Sankara's body T HE exhumation of what are believed to be the remains of Burkina Faso’s former President Thomas Sankara has begun.

Once exhumed they can be formally identified - a long-standing demand of Mr Sankara’s family and supporters.

Seen as Africa’s Che Guevara, the antiimperialist revolutionary was hastily buried with 12 others in a 1987 coup.

Permission for an exhumation was denied during the rule of his successor, Blaise Compaore, who left office last October amid street protests.

Mr Compaore has always denied being involved in the ex-leader’s killing, insisting that the “facts are known” and he has “nothing to hide”.

While he was in office, a Burkina Faso court blocked a request by Mr Sankara’s family for his remains to be exhumed.

But the new interim government said Mr Sankara’s family would be given the means to help identify the corpse, according to the AFP news agency.

Hundreds of people went to the graveyard where the exhumation is taken place in the Burkinabe capital, Ouagadougou, but were not allowed in by security forces, a local journalist

•Mr Sankara remains popular in many parts of Africa

Tunisian soldier shoots seven dead at Tunis barracks

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TUNISIAN soldier has been shot dead after he killed seven of his colleagues at a military barracks in Tunis, according to the defence ministry.

Ten others were wounded, one seriously, in the attack at a flagraising ceremony at the Bouchoucha barracks.

The man had family and psychological issues and was “forbidden from carrying arms”, said ministry spokesman Belhassen Oueslati.He described the incident as an “isolated act, not a terrorist act”.

Opposition boycott Burundi peace talks B U R U N D I ’ S opposition boycotted peace talks with the government yesterday in protest at the killing of an opposition leader, despite U.N.-led calls for dialogue to end a month of protests and violence in the east African country.

Rights groups say at least 20 people have died since protests broke out on April 26, a day after President Pierre Nkurunziza announced he would seek a third five-year term.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and others have condemned the

killing by unidentified gunmen on Saturday of Zedi Feruzi, whose small UPD party is part of a wider opposition that says the president is breaking the two-term limit set down in the constitution.

Some opposition and civil society groups started withdrawing from the talks on Sunday. The rest pulled out on Monday in protest at the assassination of Feruzi, presidential spokesman Gervais Abayeho said.

“The government remains open to talks and the government hopes

they will heed the call by the international community to resume talks so that a lasting solution can be found to the current crisis,” Abayeho said.

One activist involved in the talks said the opposition wants the government to allow peaceful protests, the police to stop killing demonstrators.

There would be an investigation to try to determine the killer ’s motives, he added.

Mr Ouselati said the soldier attacked one man with a knife before taking the victim’s gun and “shooting at his comrades”.

Tunisian security forces have been on alert since Islamist gunmen attacked the Bardo Museum in March, killing 21 tourists.

The shooting at the barracks, which is close to the museum and the parliament building, prompted the evacuation of a nearby school.

Police reinforcements were sent to the area to comb nearby streets, while a helicopter hovered overhead.

Interior Ministry spokesman Mohamed Ali Aroui said on national radio that there was no gunfire outside the barracks.

Ebola crisis: Guineans jailed for putting corpse in taxi

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IX people have been put in isolation in prison in Guinea after being accused of travelling with a corpse of a relative who had died of Ebola.

The authorities said the body was seated upright in a taxi, dressed in a T-shirt and jeans with sunglasses and sandwiched between three others.

If after 21 days they show no signs of having the virus they will be tried for violating the health emergency.Guinea is battling to control a flare up in Ebola cases.

Nearly 2,500 people have

died in Guinea since the West Africa Ebola outbreak began more than a year ago.

The BBC’s Alhassan Sillah in the capital, Conakry, says just nine days ago only nine patients were in Ebola treatment centres countrywide, but now that number has risen to nearly 30 cases.

The head of Guinea’s Ebola response, Dr Sakoba Keita, says those now in quarantine in prison had been travelling in a taxi with the body of the police recruit from the town of Forecariah towards

•There has been a big Ebola public health campaign across West Africa

Conakry.

They were stopped at an Ebola checkpoint where security officials became suspicious when the seemingly well-dressed passenger remained motionless, he said.

Dr Keita says that it is such actions that account for the continued spread of the Ebola epidemic.

Ebola victims must be buried by the Red Cross but people who disobey the rules generally do so because they want to conduct the funeral themselves in a specific place, our correspondent says. The current Ebola outbreak is the deadliest in history - and has killed more than 11,000 people.

It initially centred on Guinea’s remote southeastern region of Nzerekore in early 2014, and later spread to Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Earlier this month, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Liberia free of Ebola as the country had had no new cases in 42 days.

•A protester jumps over a barricade during a protest against President Pierre Nkurunziza and his bid for a third term, in Bujumbura, Burundi, yesterday.

S/African rhino survives horrific attack by poachers OACHERS in South inches), the biggest of 10 heal. The rhino called Hope Africa had darted the similar cases that the team was attacked in Lombardini, P rhino with a tranquilizer and has treated in the last three a wildlife reserve in Eastern hacked off her horns while she was sedated, leaving the animal with a horrific wound covering much of her face.

A couple of days later, staff on a wildlife reserve found the grievously injured rhino Last week, veterinarians operated on the 4-year-old female, a rare survivor of increasing attacks by poachers who killed more than 1,200 rhinos last year in South Africa, home to most of the world’s rhinos.

They removed maggots and dead tissue, applied dressing and fastened a fiberglass cast with steel screws.

The wound measures 50 by 28 centimeters (19.6 by 11

years.

“If we can save Hope and she can go back and produce more offspring, then in her lifetime she would have contributed to the survival of the species,” said Dr. Gerhard Steenkamp, a veterinarian from the University of Pretoria. He is a member of Saving the Survivors, a South African group that treats rhinos with gunshot wounds, facial gouges and other injuries inflicted by poachers.

Demand for rhino horn is high in parts of Asia where it is seen as a status symbol and a cure for illness despite a lack of evidence that it can

Cape province where several rhinos were poached recently.

Hope’s nasal bone was badly fractured and part was removed, exposing the sinus cavities and nasal passage.

Surgery occurred May 18 after the rhino was transferred to another reserve. It could take at least a year for Hope’s wound to heal after multiple treatments, Steenkamp said.

It cost $75,000 to treat Lion’s Den, a rhino with a similar but less severe injury, and Thandi, a rhino whose horns were hacked off in 2012, recovered and gave birth in January, according to Saving the Survivors.

58—Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

READY —Fuel tankers ready to load at the Mile 2 end of the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, yesterday.

Photo: Akeem Salau.

Relief, as oil workers, others suspend strike Continues from page 5

Sack inept officials – NLC

Toeing Capital Oil’s patriotic steps, the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, yesterday, also called on President Goodluck Jonathan to, without delay, sack members of his cabinet that had neglected their responsibilities which led to the mess in the oil and gas industry.

The President was equally urged to fish out the oil cabals responsible for the over four week fuel scarcity that brought untold hardship to Nigerians, and ensure that such oil marketers are blacklisted to serve as deterrent to other mindless Nigerians.

The NLC in a statement signed by its factional president, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, further appealed to the outgoing President to ensure that the reports on the oil and gas sector especially, the recent probe panel on the alleged $49.8 billion unremitted fund by the NNPC was implemented.

The union said it had watched with utter disgust and dismay how business and commercial activities in the country had been brought to a halt as a result of the activities of a “a mindless and cruel cabal that had taken absolute grip of the petroleum import business.”

The statement read in

part: “Clearly, the objective of the cabal in the current impasse is to arm-twist the Federal Government to part with billions of dollars, which it had not earned, in the name of fuel subsidy payments.

“More curious, however, is the fact that the Federal Government has allowed this cabal to continue to hold the entire country to ransom thereby escalating the regime of impunity and unimaginable corruption which had taken complete hold of the operations of our petroleum sector causing the country to lose billions of dollars over the years."

“As Mr. President has had cause to remind Nigerians in the weeks following the March 28, 2015 Presidential election, that he was still in charge of running the country, the NLC hereby call on him to take firm and decisive action by calling to order all those in the petroleum sector that have one way or the other brought this crisis upon the nation.

“The implicit message in such a definitive action will show that no one – business men and women and their collaborators, in and out of government – is strong enough to hold the entire people of Nigeria and its government to ransom.

“We therefore urge Mr. President to, in the few days remaining of his tenure, pinpoint the officers in his government who have

failed so spectacularly in performing their duties which has led to the current mess."

Airlines reschedule flight operations Meanwhile, many of the domestic airlines, including Dana and Aero Contractors, cancelled all their flights because of the scarcity of aviation fuel particularly from Abuja to Lagos, leaving passengers stranded in various locations.

Dana Air in a statement to its customers apologised for the changes in its flight operations.

It said: “Due to the current scarcity of Jet-A1 fuel being experienced in the country, we regret to inform you that all our flights will not operate regularly as scheduled.

“We regret any inconvenience the changes will cause. All efforts are being made to ameliorate the situation and revert to our regular flight schedule.”

Similarly, Aero also pleaded with its customers to bear with them at this time. “Due to the current fuel scarcity in the country which is also affecting Jet fuel, we regret to inform you that there may be changes to our flight scheduled operations.”

Also, a text message from Arik Air reads in parts: “Dear guest, due to prevailing fuel scarcity in Nigeria which is made worse by the renewed strike of petroleum tanker owners, your Arik

Air flight W3616 Lagos to Uyo on May 25 will not operate.”

In particular, hundreds of passengers were, yesterday, stranded at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, as most of their flights were cancelled while others were delayed indiscriminately.

Vanguard was at the various terminals of the airports and observed that only few fights were operating to scheduled destinations like Abuja, Port-Harcourt, and Calabar.

At the various airport terminals like the General Aviation Terminal (GAT), Murtala Muhammed Domestic Terminal 2 (MMA2), it was observed that due to the cancellations and delays, many of the passengers sat down on the floor at the terminal hoping that the situation would get better so that they can fly to their various destinations.

A passenger, who refused to mention his name said: “The way I am seeing this country, I don’t know where we are heading to. I have been here since Saturday, I bought Medview airline Lagos to Enugu 12:30 flight ticket. I was delayed till 6p.m before we were being refunded.

On Sunday, I bought Air Peace ticket, the same thing happen, this morning, am here to fly Arik so there is still hope but am just tired for this country”.

“As it is now there is no way I can take the risk and go by road but there is no possibility of travelling today again.

My advice for the incoming government is to do what is right to alleviate the sufferings of the masses.”

Another passenger noted: “As you can see, it is a terrible situation.

My flight ought to be for 9:30a.m but this is 11a.m and we have not received any official statement. No light from what we are told. I have been here since 7a.m and no news whether the flight will be delay or cancel.”

“No communication to passengers whatsoever, as you can see, there is no light here, so the public address system is completely off. And you can’t even see any official to talk to.”

“We are still waiting to see if there is hope for the flight to take us to our destination but the flight is beyond schedule. My meeting is for this evening, ordinary I should have been in Port-Harcourt, I should have been in my Hotel preparing for my paper presentation for the evening.”

Black marketers source product from Cotonou The lingering scarcity of petroleum products in the country has forced Nigerians to source the product from Cotonou.

The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that Nigeria, which is the world’s sixth largest oil producer has been in fuel crisis for more than two months.

On Monday, petrol sold for between N4,500 and N5,000 per litre along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, as black marketers claimed they sourced the product from neighbouring Cotonou in the Republic of Benin, which is not an oil producing country.

NAN also reports that hundreds of passengers were stranded at bus stops while vehicle owners groaned under the high price of the products occasioned by the strike by petroleum marketers.

A petrol hawker, who identified himself as Simpson Samuel, told NAN that he bought five litres from Cotonou and resold it for N5, 000 in Lagos.

“I purchased this fuel for 800 Cedis a litre, which is equivalent of N3,500.We have been at filling stations along this Badagry road, but we did not get fuel. Some of our colleagues directed us to Cotonou and that is where we bought these ones.

“Many people who have also gone there cannot buy because of the rush by our people,” Samuel said.

NAN reports that in

other parts of Lagos, some black marketers sold between N5, 000 and N6, 000.At a filling station located at the Agric bus top, along the Badagry Expressway, fuel was sold for N300 per litre.

Mr Francis Johnson, General Secretary, Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff A s s o c i a t i o n (PENGASSAN), advised the incoming government to declare a state of emergency in the oil and gas industry.

Johnson attributed the leakages in the nation’s revenue to the importation of refined petroleum products.

He added that the situation was creating jobs for the nations Nigeria was importing the refined product from and causing unemployment for Nigerians.

According to him, the continued importation of refined petroleum products was putting the Naira under pressure and creating social problems for the economy.

He said that there was the need for stakeholders to meet and fashion out a strategy to be adopted in stopping the importation of petroleum products.

Banks, small businesses count losses As Nigerians await the commencement of petroleum products lifting as promised by oil marketers, individuals and businesses continue to lament the negative impact of the biting fuel scarcity across the country.

Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) Plc had informed customers of its decision to close earlier than 5pm, some other banks and financial institutions were also forced to close by about midday due to the scarcity of diesel to power their generators.

Specifically, in Area 7 and 8 in Garki, Abuja, security officials in First City Monument Bank Plc (FCMB) and Mainstreet Bank told Vanguard that the banks had closed since 1pm, while one of the Customer Relations Officer at Sterling Bank said the banks closed by 2pm.

FCMB, Zenith Bank and Aso Savings & Loans Plc, also sent text messages to their customers, blaming their decision to close by 1pm on the shortage of petroleum products.

They, however, assured that all their alternate channels would remain open.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015 — 59

Okocha dazzles at NCC Tennis Cup launch

BY JOHN EGBOKHAN

F

ORMER Super Eagles captain, Austin Okocha was the cynosure of all eyes weekend at the Lagos L awn Tennis Club, Onikan, when the inaugural edition of the N i g e r i a Communications Commission (NCC) Tennis Cup was launched amidst pomp and pageantry.

Since retiring from the beautiful game of soccer that brought him unprecedented fortune and fame, the former Bolton and Dortmund midfielder has turned to tennis as his alternative sport to keep fit and more importantly show that there is more than football to his retinue of talents.

Unlike most of his peers who after quitting soccer and have become public recluse because of putting all their eggs in one basket, Okocha, whose business acumen is legendar y, has been playing tennis regularly at the Lagos L awn Tennis Club, where he is even the champion in his age category.

It was this proven prowess on the tennis

court that ultimately gave him the right to play the exhibition match to officially launch the historic NCC Tennis Cup, a first of its kind tennis league, where the winning team walks away with a princely sum of N5m.

Although he lost the match, the former PSG maestro showed flashes of brilliance, reminiscent of the great days that he bewitched us with his soccer wizardry on the soccer pitch. He appeared to be in control in the first set but somehow gave up his comfortable lead, allowing his opponent from the NCC to level up and take the set.

Even though he lost, his brilliance on the Lord Rumens Centre Court was not lost on the fans, who hailed him after the game.

Keshi Continues from BP injured but that’s not the reason for his omission,” Keshi said.

“We’ve spoken and contrary to reports in the media there is no problem between us at all.”

Mikel has not played for Nigeria since November but Keshi insists the door remains open for the midfielder.

“He’s an integral member of this team who brings a lot to it.

Right now we are only giving opportunities to some new players,” he added.

Another notable foreign-based absentee is defender Elderson Echiejile, who plays for Monaco in France’s Ligue 1.

But there is a surprise recall for Slovakiabased Rabiu Ibrahim, who has yet to make his senior debut, while Watford’s Odion Ighalo

M

•Okocha exhibiting football skills

Blatter is scared of life after Fifa — Platini M

•Platini

is expected to make his competitive debut against Chad in Kaduna on 13 June.

There were first-time call-ups for William Troost-Ekong, Kingsley Madu and Anderson Esiti.

The 15 foreign-based stars will join other locally based players at their Abuja camp next week.

Keshi, who won the Nations Cup as a player with Nigeria in 1994 and coach in 2013, is confident he can revive the Super Eagles after their failure to qualify for the recent finals in Equatorial Guinea.

“We have a big task ahead to rebuild this team and I am confident we are going to bounce back,” said Keshi.

“The door is not shut on anyone; those invited must show they deserve it by giving their best.”

Iheanacho 1st Eaglet in New Zealand

ICHEL Platini has accused Sepp Blatter of clinging on to power at all costs, claiming the Fifa president is standing for a fifth term on the basis of “a lie”.

Blatter, who will stand against the Jordanian Prince Ali bin al-Hussein in Friday’s election, told Uefa’s Congress in 2011 he would step down at the end of his current term. He has since changed his mind, saying his mission remains unfinished despite a barrage of criticism over corruption allegations.

Platini, the Uefa president, claimed the 79year-old was standing because he feared for his future outside Fifa and it was “not credible” to claim otherwise.

“He is simply scared of

the future because he has given his life to the institution to the point where he now identifies himself fully with Fifa,” Platini told L’Equipe. “I understand the fear of that emptiness he must have – it’s natural – but if he really loves Fifa, he should have put its interests ahead of his own.”

Platini helped Blatter win his first term as president in 1998 and was once seen as his heir apparent, also backing him in subsequent campaigns. After Blatter made clear he planned to stand for a fifth term the pair have become increasingly estranged and the Frenchman has repeatedly called for change.

“Above all, I am disappointed for the

Nations Cup Continues from BP in camp for the game.

He says he achieved success with homebased players and some relatively unknown overseas-based players in 2013, and he’s hoping to recreate that.

“We qualified for, and won, the Nations Cup in 2013 with a lot of homebased players in the team and we also had some new faces then from abroad,” he said.

“We’ve always wanted to work with the homebased players because

they did a lot for us that time and we want to continue that,” he said.

The ‘Big Boss’ has also called up Kingsley Madu, Rabiu Ibrahim, William Troost-Ekong, and Anderson Esiti for the first time, and he says they deserve the call-up.

“They are Nigerians and they have been doing well for their clubs and we must give them the opportunity. If they’re not good they won’t be here,” he added.

European associations I asked to support Sepp in 2011, on the basis of a promise Sepp had made in person.

ANCHESTER City starlet Kelechi Iheanacho became the first Flying Eagles player to land in New Zealand Monday ahead of the U20 World Cup. Injury stopped the MVP of the 2013 FIFA U17 from the recent African Youth Championship in Senegal.

Flying Eagles team secretary Aliyu Auwal Ibrahim confirmed Iheanacho ‘s arrival in Auckland.

“Kelechi is already in Auckland and waiting for us,” said the official.

The main squad of 18 players are due in Auckland on Tuesday afternoon before they connect to their match venue in New Plymouth.

The African champions are drawn against Brazil, North Korea and Hungary in Group E.

Ancelotti

Continues from BP that wasn’t enough to save him.

Real Madrid’s board met for several hours to discuss Ancelotti’s fate on Monday, but eventually decided to let him go.

That is despite a show of support in recent days by both Real Madrid players and fans.

Cristiano Ronaldo posted a picture with the coach on social media, with a message which expressed his desire for Ancelotti to continue at

the club next season.

Rafa Benitez is favourite to be appointed in Ancelotti’s place, with Unai Emery an outside shot.

Ancelotti is the president’s ninth victim in 12 years. Before him, Vicente Del Bosque, Carlos Queiroz, Camacho, GarcíaRemón, Luxemburgo, López Caro, Manuel Pellegrini and Jose Mourinho fell. In the case of Mourinho it was a mutual decision to part ways, and Camacho quit.

Player Continues from BP The 27-year-old fell unconscious half-an-hour into the match against Boca Unidos in Argentina’s second-tier Primera B. “We tried to revive him and he died on the way to hospital,” said Miguel Darre, doctor of home side Boca Unidos.

Matches in Argentina had only just resumed this weekend after the death of Emanuel Ortega on 14 May. San Martin de Burzaco defender Ortega, 21, died

in hospital after failing to come out of a coma following injuries when he hit his head on a concrete wall surrounding the pitch.

When Gomez collapsed, team-mates and opponents immediately took off their shirts to fan him and cried for help.

“The doctors told us they couldn’t resuscitate him. This is totally u n e x p e c t e d , unbelievable. He’d never had anything wrong with him,” said match supervisor Ramon Gomez.

60 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

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Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015 — 61

Transfer Talks.... Transfer Talks.... Transfer Talks....

Juventus close on Khedira J

UVENTUS will reportedly meet with Sami Khedira’s agent in the next two days to finalise a transfer for the midfielder.

The German international is out of contract with Real Madrid at the end of the season, and is believed to be close to joining the Bianconeri.

Gianluca Di Marzio’s website reports that the Turin giants will meet with the player’s agent either today or tomorrow to find an agreement on the terms of the contract.

SportMediaset reports that the Old Lady will offer •4m per season for three years to tempt the 28-year-old to Italy, with the opportunity of increasing his pay through bonuses.

Meanwhile, La Stampa believes that the deal will be decided before the Champions League final with Barcelona on June 6.

M

Inter consider bid for Luis NTER are reportedly considering a move for Chelsea defender Filipe Luis this summer.

The 29-year-old,

whose current contract with the Blues is set to expire in June 2017, failed to secure a solid place in Jose Mourinho’s

squad during his debut season in England which has led some to believe that he could be willing to make his exit

Toure hints at new Anfield deal

L

•Kolo Toure C M Y K

ARIS SaintGermain are reportedly closing in on a deal for Manchester United misfit Angel di Maria, having missed out on the midfielder last summer.

Louis van Gaal splashed out £60million to bring Di Maria in from Real Madrid but he has struggled in his first season in the Premier League.

And now French publication l’Equipe claim that the 27-yearold has become a priority for PSG, who could offer Gregory van der Wiel to United as part of the deal.

The Ligue 1 champions reached an agreement with the Argentina international at the beginning of the season, only to pull the plug on the deal because of Financial Fair Play regulations.

Di Maria set for PSG switch

•Angel di Maria Those restrictions are still in place, with the Qatari-funded club capped with a transfer budget of around £42.5m this summer.

But l’Equipe report that PSG will look to get around that by offering Van der Wiel to United.

Man United target Alves

OLD LADY’S MAN . . . Real Madrid midfilder, Sami Khedira looks set to move to Juventus

I

P

IVERPOOL defender Kolo Toure believes he is close to agreeing a contract extension at Anfield.

The 34-year-old former Ivory Coast international is keen to finish his career in England and wants to stay on Merseyside.

Toure is confident of sorting out a new 12month deal, saying: “I think the situation will be resolved soon. We are talking.

“There are few things more but we will see.

Liverpool is a great club for me to stay at.

Liverpool is going to be massive.''

•Luis

from the club this summer, with teams including the Nerazzurri and his former club Atletico Madrid apparently ready to begin talks for his services.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Inter are viewing the Brazilian international as a first choice alternative to original target Matteo Darmian, as the Chelsea man could be easier to sign than the Torino talent due to the Italian’s high price.

ANCHESTER United target Dani Alves has opened the door to a move to Old Trafford by hitting out at Barcelona for showing a lack of respect over his contract situation.

The Brazilian rightback is out of contract this summer and, having failed to negotiate an extension, is a target for Louis van Gaal’s side.

•Alves

Lampard: I’m fit, ready for MSL

F

RANK Lampard admits ending his Premier League career left him ‘emotional’, but he is determined to move on and excel in

Ancelotti won’t take new job

C

ARLO Ancelotti insists he will take a year out of the game if sacked by Real Madrid despite offers from England, Italy and Germany.

Ancelotti is expected to be replaced at the Bernabeu

by Rafael Benitez after a trophyless season, but the 55-year-old is not short of offers to continue his career elsewhere. AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi has made it clear he would welcome Ancelotti back to the San Siro, while West Ham are reported to have made contact with intermediaries of the Italian having confirmed the departure of Sam Allardyce on Sunday.

The 32-year-old has been at the Camp Nou for seven years after a £29m move from Sevilla in 2008 and has made 218 appearances for the club.

However, Alves says he feels undervalued by the club and says he will move on this summer unless he’s shown more respect, say reports.

‘I may have two feet in the team but I’ve also got one foot, my body and nearly my head out of the club,’ said Alves.

‘I would like to stay here but not at any price.

Not only in terms of money but in terms of respect.

‘If I’m not shown that respect, I’ll go to another club.’

•Lampard

the MLS. The former Chelsea and England midfielder scored for loan club Manchester City in a 20 win over Southampton in his final game in English football - his 259th goal in 882 club matches.

“It was emotional but I am very proud,” said 36-year-old Lampard, whose contribution to English football was acknowledged with a presentation after the game.

“There were loads of emotions - a tiny bit of sadness to finish but much more of a good feel.''

62 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

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Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015— —63

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Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

I’ve no issues with Mikel — Keshi

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OACH Stephen Keshi has rejected talk of a rift with Chelsea midfielder John Mikel Obi. Keshi has left the 28year-old out of his squad for next month’s 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Chad.

“It’s true that I couldn’t reach him when he was

Continues on Page 59

•Keshi (r) and Mikel

Player dies after collapsing on pitch

A

RGENTINE d e f e n d e r Cristian Gomez has died after collapsing during a game for his club Atletico Parana on Sunday.

Continues on Page 59

Chelsea celebrate their Premier League title at a packed victory parade in West London. Thousands of football fans turned out to watch three open-top buses take the team on a parade from Stamford Bridge towards the King’s Road in the capital. Chelsea ended their campaign eight points clear at the top of the table after a final-day win over Sunderland.

I’ll win Nations Cup again — Keshi S

UPER Eagles Coach Stephen Keshi says he’s looking to re-enact the feat that saw him qualify for, and win, the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa.

The 53-year old, on

Sunday, released a list of 15 overseas-based players invited for next month’s 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Chad, added to the 26 home-based players who are already Continues on Page 59

•The Afcon trophy

Ancelotti sacked!

C

ARLO Ancelotti has been sacked by Real Madrid president Florentino Perez.

The Italian manager failed to lead Los Blancos to the La Liga, Champions League and Copa del Rey titles and thus the axe has fallen.

Ancelotti is the coach who led Real Madrid to La Decima —the side’s 10th European Cup— last season, also

•Ancelotti winning the Copa del Rey, the Club World Cup and the Super Cup, but

Continues on Page 59

QUICK CROSSWORD

TODAY'S

PUZZLE

YESTER DAY'S YESTERDAY'S

ANSWERS

ACROSS 1 Swift (5) 5 Crowd (6) 8 Alcove (5) 10 Gambling-house (6) 11 Thin (4) 14 Temple (6) 15 Undertake (7) 18 Child (3) 19 Spike (3) 21 Isthmus (4) 23 Wrath (5) 24 Prophet (4) 27 Number (3) 29 Males (3) 31 Supplant (7) 32 Cold (6) 34 Story (4) 35 Shrewdness (6) 38 Apportion (5) 39 Athlete (6) 40 Subject (5)

DOWN 2 Meadow (3) 3 Puzzle (6) 4 Can (3) 5 Assist (4) 6 Monster (6) 7 Start (6) 9 Permission (7) 12 Consume (3) 13 Observe (4) 16 Ascended (4) 17 Keen (5) 20 Renovation (7) 22 Fashionable (4) 24 Undergo (6) 25 Discharge (4) 26 Recover (6) 28 Detective (6) 30 Nothing (3) 33 Expensive (4) 36 Bed (3) 37 Tree (3)

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS ACROSS: 1, Digest 6, Dawn 8, Cover 9, Pea 10, Room 11, Find 12, Speed 13, Edited 16, Deft 18, Chit 20, And 22, Tie 23, Eye 24, Site 25, Erne 28, Twitted 30, Drama 32, Aria 33, Inch 34, Rue 35, Scent 36, Pact 37, Tyrant.

DOWN: 1, Dapper 2, Gradient 3, Sorted 4, Competent 5, Defence 6, Arid 7, Nude 8, cos 14, Determine 15, Lie 17, Fir 19, Hysteria 20, Aim 21, Detract 26, Eighty 27, Advent 29, Damp 30, Disc 31, Ant

How to Play Sudoku

P

lace a number (1-9) in each blank cell. (No line can have two of the same number).

Each row (nine lines from left to right), column, (also nine lines from top to bottom) and 3 X 3 block within a bold block (nine blocks) contains number from 1 through 9. This means that no number can appear twice in any block, column or row.

No mathematics is involved – no adding, subtraction, division or multiplication, just plain logic and your imagination.

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