Elumelu, Otedola, others grab PHCN plants

C M Y K

...towards a better life for the people VOL. 25: NO. 61718

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ONLINE | www.vanguardngr.com

N150

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2012

Excess crude account: Govs give FG fresh condition

The Bakassi •Pgs 38&39 sovereignty and international politics

•P.6

Elumelu, Otedola, others grab PHCN plants

BY CLARA NWACHUKWU, EMMA UJAH, ABUJA BUREAU CHIEF & EMMA ELEBEKE

zAs BPE ends Gencos privatisation with $1.62bn on the table

A

BUJA — NO fewer than $1.62 billion (about N254.39 billion) was placed on the table to enable the Bureau of Public Entreprises, BPE,

See bid summary on Pg 5 conclude the long awaited privatisation of six generation companies unbundled from the Power Holding Company

Continues on Page 5

My man has lost his libido •P. 51 Mr & Mrs

ROBBERS' ARSENAL. 10,000 rounds of ammunition, RPGs, GPMGs and others recovered fromsuspected robbers that took part in the Black Sunday robbery at Oke Koto area of Agege and other parts of Lagos. (INSET): The suspects.

A prayer for Dame Patience Jonathan •P. 17

Revisiting Bakassi •P. 19

2— Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2012

C M Y K

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2012 —3

C M Y K

4 — Vanguard , WEDNESDAY WEDNESDAY,, SEPTEMBER 26, 2012

Obama restates resolve to stop Iran’s nuclear build-up E

XACTLY six weeks before Election Day, President Barack Obama stood on the world stage yesterday and warned Iran that the United States will “do what we must” to stop Tehran from getting a nuclear weapon.In what could be his last speech to the annual U.N. General Assembly, Obama also told Arab Spring countries groping their way uncertainly toward democracy that they have a friend— and a role model—in America. But, he said, they must battle the forces of intolerance and ex-

tremism threatening what should be “a season of progress.”

“The United States of America will always stand up for these aspirations, for our own people, and all across the world. That was our founding purpose,” he said.

The president, under fire from Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney for his handling of Iran’s atomic ambitions, dedicated part of his 30-minute address to warning the Islamic republic that he cannot live with a nuclear-armed

•Obama Tehran. “Make no mistake: a nuclear-armed

Libya appoints soldiers to tackle militia

A

RMY officers have been appointed to take over two powerful militias in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, after the president ordered that all militias join the armed forces or disband.

The move reflects increasing pressure on the government to control or disband the country’s militias, many of which it had relied upon for securing Libya in the turmoil following last year’s ouster of Muammar Gaddafi.

The military also took over at least one compound being used by the armed groups in Benghazi.

The city ’s brigades have been blamed for violence that led to the

death of Chris Stevens, the US ambassador in Benghazi, on September 11.

Colonel Ali al-Sheikhi, the spokesman for Libya’s joint chiefs of staff, told the news agency LANA on Monday that the

chiefs of the Rafallah Sahati Brigade and the Feb 17 Brigade, two groups that authorities had allowed to manage security in the eastern city of Benghazi, would be replaced with army commanders.

Iran is not a challenge that can be contained,” Obama said.

“It would threaten the elimination of Israel, the security of Gulf nations, and the stability of the global economy. It risks triggering a nuclear-arms race in the region, and the unraveling of the non-proliferation treaty,” Obama continued.

“That’s why the United States will do what we

Qatar seeks Arab intervention in Syria

A

RAB nations should intervene in Syria given the U.N. Security Council’s failure to stop the civil war in the country, Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani said on Tuesday.

“The Security Council failed to reach an effective position. In view of

this, I think that it is better for the Arab countries themselves to interfere out of their national, humanitarian, political and military duties and do what is necessary to stop the bloodshed in Syria,” Sheik Hamad, speaking through an interpreter, said in a U.N. General Assembly

Romney, Clinton share campaign podium

M

ONTHS after he used former President Bill Clinton in ads to attack President Barack Obama, Mitt Romney finally shared a stage with the 42nd president.

In an address at the Clinton Global Initiative’s annual conference, Romney argued that the United States needs to retool how it allocates foreign aid.

Ahead of his speech, Romney poked fun at Clinton’s influence on the 2012 race. After Clinton praised the former Massachusetts governor’s support for the service programs City Year and AmeriCorps, Romney joked about the former president’s glowing introduction.

“If there’s one thing we’ve learned this election season, it’s that a

•Ahmedinajad

•Romney few words from Bill Clinton can do any man a lot of good,” Romney said.

“After that introduction, I guess all I have to do is wait a day or two for the bounce.”

In his speech, Romney outlined plans for a “new approach” to America’s foreign aid system, arguing that the U.S. should tie development assistance to requirements that

would remove trade barriers to allow for greater U.S. investment and the spread of free enterprise.

“Ours is a compassionate nation. We look around us and see withering, suffering. Our hearts break,” Romney said. “But too often our passion for charity is tempered by our sense that our aid is not always effective. We see stories of cases where American aid has been diverted to corrupt governments. We wonder why years of aid and relief seem never to extinguish the hardship, why the suffering persists decade after decade.”

Romney argued that temporary aid under the current program can “jolt an economy” but “it can’t sustain an economy” because “at some point, the money runs out.”

speech.

Western powers have made clear they are opposed to direct intervention and the Security Council will not sanction action against the wishes of Russia and China. U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday called again for the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad but provided no clear direction forward.

Sheikh Hamad suggested that bypassing the U.N. Security Council would enable a peaceful transition of power in Syria.

“We had a similar precedent when Arab forces intervened in Lebanon in the mid-’70s ... to stop internal fighting there in a step that proved to be effective and useful,” he added.

Qatar, along with Saudi Arabia and Turkey, strongly supports the mainly Sunni Muslim Syrian rebels, while Shi’ite Iran backs Assad, whose Alawite minority is an offshoot of Shi’ite Islam.

Sheikh Hamad further urged all countries that believe in the cause of the Syrian people to provide “all sorts of support” to Syrians until they gain legitimate rights.

must to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.”

The president’s stern comments closely echoed his past warnings, and stopped short of drawing the clear “red line” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sought from Washington.

(Romney has at times taken a tougher stance. In a July speech in Jerusalem, he declared that “Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons capability presents an intolerable threat to Israel, to America, and to the world.” The key

word there was “capability”—not an actual nuclear weapon, but the ability to build one. That lined the Republican up more closely with Netanyahu.)

Obama denounced an anti-Islam video on the Internet that has partly fueled violent demonstrations throughout the Muslim world, calling the film “crude and disgusting.” But he explained that he could not simply ban it—and scolded those who denounce anti-Muslim speech but stay quiet when the target is Christianity.

China shows force in disputed region

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HINA sent its first aircraft carrier into formal service on yesterday y amid a tense maritime dispute with Japan in a show of force that could worry its neighbors.

China’s Ministry of Defence said the newly named Liaoning aircraft carrier would “raise the overall operational strength of the Chinese navy” and help Beijing to “effectively protect national sovereignty, security and development interests”.

In fact, the aircraft carrier, refitted from a ship bought from Ukraine, will have a limited role, mostly for training and testing ahead of the possible launch of China’s first domestically built carriers after 2015, analysts say.

The Pentagon played down the event, with spokesman George Little telling a briefing that the United States was monitoring China’s development of its military but noted, “This wasn’t a particular surprise.”

China cast the formal handing over of the carrier to its navy — attend-

•Hu Jintao

ed by President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao — as a triumphant show of national strength at a time of tensions with Japan over islands claimed by both sides.

“The smooth commissioning of the first aircraft carrier has important and profound meaning for modernizing our navy and for enhancing national defensive power and the country’s overall strength,” Xinhua news agency cited Wen as saying at the commissioning ceremony in the northern port of Dalian.

Sino-Japanese relations deteriorated sharply this month after Japan bought the East China Sea islands, called Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, from their private owner, sparking anti-Japan protests across China.

“China will never tolerate any bilateral actions

by Japan that harm Chinese territorial sovereignty,” Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun told his Japanese counterpart on Tuesday as the two met in a bid to ease tensions.

“Japan must banish illusions, undertake searching reflection and use concrete actions to amend its errors, returning to the consensus and understandings reached between our two countries’ leaders.”

In a sign of the tensions, China has postponed a ceremony marking the 40th anniversary of the resumption of diplomatic ties with Japan.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2012—5

POCKET CARTOON

Elumelu, Otedola, others grab PHCN plants Continues from Page 1 of Nigeria, PHCN.

The amount represents various sums of money

bidders were requested to pay at different stages from the Expression of Interests, EOIs, from prequalified bidders to the opening of the bids, yesterday. If judiciously utilised, the actual sum eventually realised from the process after the National Council on Privatisation's, NCP, approval, could go a long way in financing part of Nigeria’s N4.8 trillion national budget for the 2012 financial year.

The process saw powerful Nigerian investors emerge winners at yesterday’s financial bid process for the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, five successor Generation Companies, Gencos, in Abuja. Big names in the nation’s corporate world such as Mr. Tony Elumelu and Femi Otedola grabbed some of the big companies expected to become money spinners in the years ahead.

How winners emerged

The Transcorp and Wood Rock, with Elumelu as chairman, won the bid for

Ughelli Power Plc with a bid price of $300 million.

The consortium beat two competitors: Amperion Power Distribution Ltd with a bid price of $252million which was, however, declared reserved bidder and Feniks Electricity which wanted to pay $54million for the plant. The Transcorp Consortium has over 35 years worldwide power sector experience in Africa, Europe and Middle East.

Our intent is to leverage time tested expertise — Elumelu Commenting on the successful bid, Elumelu, said: “Our intent is to leverage our time tested expertise in turning around businesses in growing the Ughelli Power Plant to a 1000mw generating plant by 2017.”

Also speaking, President/CEO of Transcorp, Mr. Obinna Ufudo, said: “We are excited at this opportunity to contribute to the improvement of power generation in Nigeria while diversifying our operating entities. This is

LIFEWORDS

BY PASTOR ITUAH

Is it any wonder that the richest one per cent of the world’s population owns 40 per cent of the total household wealth, while the bottom half of the world makes do with barely one per cent? The majority can be wrong. The reason they can be wrong is that they have the wrong assumptions about life, money and success.

Any person who desires to be a great success and be a leader both to themselves and to others must not take anything for granted. Let your knowledge become your power.

It takes vision, focus, determination, hard work, and grit to make a difference.

TAKE HEART

BY ELLA RANDLE

“The fear-determined persons go about putting out the sun in other people.” This happens when we focus on other people’s faults and weaknesses.

If you are ruled by fear, you not only go about putting out the light of others, you also extinguish your own light. - John McMurrayThe English psychoanalyst McMurray spoke of people being either ‘fear-determined’ or ‘lovedetermined’: There are two emotional attitudes through which human life can be radically determined. They are love and fear. The feardetermined have no sun in themselves and go about putting out the sun in other people. Whereas the love-determined have life in them, abundant life.

They are the people who are really alive, of whom it can be said that they possess eternal life as a well within them perpetually springing.

Here are the thoughts that put out your own sun: “No use trying!”, “I’m hopeless at that!”, “I’ll never learn!”, “This is too difficult!” Each time you play these negative tapes, you extinguish your light, and negate your potential. And when you look at others and their perceived talent and success, you may feel envy – which is really a wish to extinguish the light of others.

Mary Jacsch sums aptly: "As your heart’s capacity for love and kindness grows, you’ll find a great fullness of being, discover a warm kinship with all beings, and reveal the radiant heart within.

a win-win for the Nigerian public and for our 300,000 plus Nigerian shareholders.

Our Consortium prepared this bid with precision, pulling together all the components necessary for the effective turnaround and doubling of the plant’s generating capacity. Our immediate plan is to deploy private sector resources to improve the output of the plant from the current 300MW to over 650MW within the first two years of our take over.”

Similarly, Amperion Power Distribution Ltd, in which consortium, Femi Otedola’s Forte Oil Plc is a member, won the bid for Geregu Power Plc with a bid price of $132 million for 51 per cent of the company’s shares.

Amperion offered $128.520 million for the majority stake in the company but was asked to review its bid because the original bid was below the reserved price, according to the Chairman of the Technical Committee of the NCP, Mr. Atedo Peterside, who presided over the proceedings.

Other members of the Amperion consortium were: BSG Power of Guersney and Shanghai Municipal Electric Power Co. Ltd/ SGCC of China.

Sapele Power Plc went to CMEC/EUAFFRIC Energy with a bid price of $201million as preferred bidder, while JBN-Nestoil PowerServices Ltd was declared reserved bidder

with $106.5 million.

JBN-NestOil Power Services Ltd initially offered $80 million for the plant but was told to review the bid upward to at least match the reserved bid price of $106 million.

Mainstream Energy Solutions, promoted by former Kano State military Governor, Col Sani Bello (rtd), won the bid for the concession of Kainji Power Plc at $50.760 million fixed annual fee and a commencement fee of $37.8 million. Mainstream was the only bidder and had an easy sail since its bid was above the reserved price, according to Peterside.

Mainstream consists of nine companies with RusHydro International and RusHydro JSC of Russia in the team to provide needed technical know-how. Others are: Amni International Petroleum Development C. Ltd, NIGLEC, Aqua Energy, Confluence Cable Network Ltd, TAK and Anchorage Holdings Nigeria.

Ex-Head of State wins bid Similarly, North-South Power, said to be promoted by a former Head of State based in Minna, Niger State won the concession bid for Shiroro Power Plc with a bid price of $23.602 million fixed annual fee and a commencement fee of $111.664 million.

The North-South

Bid summary Bidder

SC

Bid ding price

Consortium is made up of XS Energy Ltd, BP Investment Ltd, Urban Shelter Ltd, Transatlantic Development and Investment Co., China International Water Electric, China Three Gorges Corporation, Niger State government and Roads Nigeria Plc.

Transaction guidelines According to the rules guiding the transaction, successful bidders will be given 15 days from the day the NCP approves the bid to post a bidder guarantee in form of a Letter of Credit or Bank Guarantee for 15 per cent of the bid amount.

Negotiation with BPE would commence thereafter.

Within 15 business days of signing the Concession Agreement or Share Purchase Agreement, a bidder is required to pay 25 per cent of the purchase or concession consideration. The balance

R eser v e price Reser

Amperion Power Geregu US$ 128,520,000 Bidder offered below Distribution Coy Ltd the reserve price (US$ 132,000,000)

of 75 per cent must be paid within six months or at a date agreed between both parties to bring the transaction to a close.

No bid was opened for Afam Power Plc because none of the prospective investors’ technical bids got the required 75 per cent pass mark.

Peterside explained that the hydroplants were being given out on concession because the Federal Government could not sell the water in the rivers to any private organisation.

His words: “The water in the hydro plants is number one asset in the river. The river belongs to Nigeria. You can never sell a river. You cannot sell River Niger.

You can only give it out on concession to operate on River Niger, because depending on what he does, he controls many things downstream. So

Continues on Page 47

Final bid ding price C o m m e n t s

US$ 132,000,000

Matched the reserve price. Declared the Preferred Bidder (Subject to NCP decision) Commencement fee: US$ 257,000,000 Declared the Preferred Bidder (Subject to NCP decision)

Mainstream Energy Solutions Ltd

Kainji

US$ 50,760,665.18

Bidder offered above the reserve price

US$ 50,760,665.18

North-South Power Company Ltd

Shiroro US$ 23,602,484.87

Bidder offered above the reserve price

US$ 23,602,484.87

Amperion Power Distribution Coy Ltd

Ughelli US$ 252,000,000 Bidder offered above the reserve price

Commencement fee: US$ 111,654,534 Declared the Preferred Bidder (Subject to NCP decision)

US$ 252,000,000

Declared the Reserve Bidder (Subject to NCP decision)

Feniks Electricity Ltd Ughelli US$ 54,000,000 Bidder offered below the reserve price Ughelli US$ 300,000,000 Bidder offered above Transcorp & the reserve price Woodrock/ Symbion/ Medea/ PSL/ Thomassen CMEC/Eurafric Energy JV

Sapele US$ 201,000,000 Bidder offered above the reserve price

JBN-Nestoil Power Services Ltd

Sapele US$ 80,000,000

Bidder offered below the reserve price US$ 106,500,000

N/A US$ 300,000,000

Declared the Preferred Bidder (Subject to NCP decision)

US$ 201,000,000

Declared the Preferred Bidder (Subject to NCP decision)

(US$ 106,000,000)

Revised bid. Declared the Reserve Bidder (Subject to NCP decision)

6—Vanguard , WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2012

BY IKECHUKWU NNOCHIRI

A

BUJA—GOVER NORS of the 36 states of the federation, yesterday, returned to the Supreme Court to challenge what they termed “massive illegal deductions” from the Excess Crude Account by the Federal Government.

The governors are, among other things, contending that “the establishment and operation of, and unilateral deductions from the Excess Crude Account during the period 2004-2007, were inconsistent with the provisions of section 162 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

Besides praying the apex court to abort any move by the Federal Government to withdraw $2billion from the account or go ahead with the proposed transfer of $1 billion into a new account to be known as the “Sovereign Wealth Fund”, the governors called for an immediate probe into claims by the Federal Government that it withdrew and spent the sum of $8.425billion on the National Integrated Power Project, NIPP. They expressed readiness to go into full-blown legal tussle over the matter. The Federal Government urged the apex court to suspend hearing on the suit, saying it would need time to explore the possibility of an amicable resolution of the dispute without recourse to the court.

FG urges S-Court to suspend hearing Lead counsel to the Federal Government, Mr. Austin Alegeh, SAN, told a seven-man panel of justices of the Supreme Court, who presided over the matter that though the case was adjourned on March 26, 2012, to enable an out-of-court settlement of the dispute, the governors, lastThursday, served fresh terms of settlement on the Federal Government.

Alegeh said: “The defendant is committed to the out of court settlement option, that is why we have begun the process of reviewing the new terms of settlement with the assurance to revert back to them (plaintiffs) thereof.

We believe now more than ever that the process is beginning to yield result.

We therefore pray the court for more time to enable us to actualize the settlement moves. The terms of settlement were sent to us last Thursday.

C M Y K

Excess crude account: Govs give FG fresh condition for settlement ...seeks probe of $8.425bn deduction from NIPP We need time to study the terms thoroughly,” he said.

Meanwhile, counsel to the governors, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, who drew the attention of the court to the fact that the matter was ab-initio adjourned till yesterday for report of settlement, noted that the plaintiffs had been before the apex court over the issue since 2008.

He said the governors were ready to settle out of court “so far there is genuine desire on the part of the defendant for amicable settlement,” saying, “if they fail this time, we are ready to allow this court to proceed with hearing this matter on its merit.

“It should not be seen as an unending desire for settlement on the part of the defendant considering that the plaintiffs have been before this court since 2008\2009. There had been discussions, offers and counter offers, we are glad to hear that they are now ready to settle,” Awomolo added.

Alegeh, who spoke to newsmen after the proceeding, noted that the most contentious item in the new terms of settlement was the interest by the 36 states to share from the proceeds accruing from the Federal Government’s share of the excess crude account.

“The critical component of the proposed terms of settlement is that, the governors want to share from the profit made on the Federal Government’s share of the excess crude account. Their argument is that they are entitled to any profit made by the Federal Government, irrespective of the source yielding the interest” Alegeh said.

Meantime, the apex court panel presided by Justice Chukwuma Eneh warned that the court would not hesitate to hear the case on its merit should the parties fail to reach an amicable resolution of the matter before November 22 when the case was adjourned to.

However, in its fresh terms of settlement, the governors stressed that the Federal Government

VISIT—Speaker of the House Representatives, Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal (right) chatting with Japanese Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Ryuichi Shoji (left) during his visit to the Speaker at the National Assembly. Photo: Gbemiga Olamikan.

must admit and recognize “that it is a trustee of the Federation Account, which is established, maintained, operated and managed in pursuance of section 162 (1)- (10) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999 CFRN) and that as a trustee, it is duty bound to maintain, operate and manage the Federation Account for the benefit of States and Local Government Councils in strict accordance with the provisions of the said section 162 (1)- (10) of the 1999 CFRN and render on demand and periodically, true account of the Federal Account to states and Local Government Councils.

“The plaintiff acknowledges that the Federal Government is at liberty, if it so desires, to seek amendment to the 1999 CFRN to give constitutional backing to the operation of the Excess Crude Account in the future.”

The governors further insisted that the Federal Government must “cause all the assets (including contract of the National Integrated Power Project, NIPP, which was paid for using a sum total of

US$8.425 billion from the Federation Account) to be clearly identified, inventoried and valued by a competent and reputable Nigerian accounting firm.

“Cause a company whose sole object shall be to take over and operate the assets and undertaking of the NIPP, to be incorporated as a Limited Liability Company under the Companies and Allied Matters Cap C20 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 with a share capital in a sum equivalent to the value of assets and undertaking of the NIPP as valued in pursuance of subsection above.”

Railway modernization deductions On railway modernization deductions, the governors, said the Federal Government must “cause all the assets (including contracts) of the Railway Modernization Project, RMP, (which was paid for using a sum total of US$250 million from the Federation Account), to be clearly identified and valued by a competent and reputable accounting firm.”

It would be recalled that

the governors had in their substantive suit before the Supreme Court, sought an order declaring the proposed creation of the “Sovereign Wealth Fund”, illegal and unconstitutional.

SWF illegal—Govs Chief Awomolo, said his clients were forced to approach the apex court for redress in view of the fact that the Federal Government and its officers, had consistently and in total disregard for the pending suit, withdrawn, utilized, disbursed and allocated funds from the account.

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

According to the Governors: “The conduct of the Government of the Federation and her officials is a violation of the principle of the Rule of Law and breach of the Independence of the Judiciary and constitutes a violation of the principle of Rule of Law handed down by the Supreme Court in the case of Governor of Lagos V Odumegu Ojukwu (1986) pt 1 NSCC 304 and

Rotimi Chibuke Amaechi V INEC (2008) 5 NWLR (PT 1080) 277.”

S-Court adjourns case till Nov 22 They contended that the proposed disbursement of $1billion by the Federal Government, her Minister of Finance and other officers, would create a state of fait accompli and helplessness, if not stopped immediately.

“It is in the interest of justice, preservation of integrity of the Supreme Court and the Rule of Law that this application be granted”, they prayed.

The governors had among others things, sought for an order compelling the Government of the Federation to pay into the Federation Account the sum of N5.51 trillion being the balance of the sum which accrued to the Government of the Federation during the period 2004 and 2007 from the proceeds of crude oil sales, petroleum profits tax and oil royalties which the Government of the Federation classified as “excess crude proceeds” and “excess PPT and Royalties” and paid into an account which was styled “Excess Crude Account.”

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2012 — 7

Bakare for Yaba Baptist Church 70th anniversary lecture 11.00 a.m. and it will feaBY SAM EYOBOKA

L

MEETING: From right; Mr Borodo Tijjani, Company Secretary, First Bank Plc; Prince Afonja Ajibola, Chairman and Mr Bisi Onasanya, Group Managing Director, Chief Executive Officer, at the court-ordered meeting of the bank's shareholders in Lagos. Photo: Kehinde Gbadamosi.

AG O S — PA S T O R Tunde Bakare, will deliver a lecture titled, “Establishing God’s kingdom through Christian involvement in national politics,” to mark the 70th anniversary of Yaba Baptist Church.

The former vice presidential candidate of Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, who is said to have begun his Christian voyage at the Yaba Baptist Church several years ago, is expected to espouse reasons why Christians should enthrone God’s kingdom in the political scene.

According to the leader of

Police nab councillor over alleged robbery in Enugu

BY TONY EDIKE

E

NUGU—THE opera tives of Special AntiRobbery Squad, SARS, of Enugu State Police Command have arrested one Mr Ogbonna Collins, the Councillor representing Amachalla/Ikpuiga Ward in Igboeze North Local Government Area of Enugu State over alleged armed robbery.

The robbery reportedly took place at Obosi in the neighbouring Anambra State. The police gave the names of other suspects as Livinus Nzubechukwu Orji, Orji Chidinma and Arinze Udechukwu for the same offence.

Police said the councillor was arrested last week following the confessional statement by three other robbery suspects identified as Chukwuka Eneh, Emeka Okoro and Abuchi Nweke who allegedly attacked and robbed one Christian Okoh on April 28, 2012 along Ogui Road, Enugu.

The councillor, according to State Police Public Relations, Mr. Ebere Amaraizu was alleged to have been involved in a case of “receiving stolen property to wit armed robbery and car snatching.”

The PPRO said: “Ogbonna’s arrest was made possible by the confessions of Chukwuka Eneh, Emeka Okoro and Abuchi Nweke who allegedly attacked and robbed one Okoh Christian on April 28, 2012 along Ogui road thereby dispossessing him of his

Infinity Jeep with number plate DQ460FST with some amount of money and recharge cards.

“The said Infinity Jeep was sold to Ogbonna Collins. Later on September 14, 2012 following investigation by the operatives, the said Ogbonna Collins was arrested at Obosi in Anambra State with Livinus Nzubechukwu Orji, Orji Chidinma and Arinze Udechukwu.

“All the arrested sus-

pects have confessed to the crime and went ahead to give insight about their nefarious activities.

Items allegedly recovered from suspects include two unregistered Toyota Camry, Kia Rio, one unregistered Passat station wagon.”

The police spokesman said the councillor had given an insight on how he had received many cars from the gang which enabled him to unlawfully equip his car sales

depot at Nsukka.

He said that the revelations by the suspect had assisted the SARS operatives to record tremendous achievements in their investigations.

Meanwhile, sources said the state government has already withdrawn the official Hyundai car given to the councillor, whose seat at the Igbo-Eze legislative council was also likely to be declared vacant soon.

90% prison inmates awaiting trial in Anambra

BY ENYIM ENYIM

O

NITSHA—ABOUT 92 per cent of inmates currently awaiting trial in the three federal prisons in Anambra State are yet to be prosecuted because of inadequate judges, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Peter Afuba has said.

Afuba spoke at a special court session to mark the commencement of the 2012/2013 legal year in the state Judiciary, yesterday, at the Judiciary Complex, Awka.

He said: The problem was as a result of the workload on the few available judges in the state which he put at 14, and appealed that more judges be appointed for quick dispensation of justice.

He said: ”We have about 14 judges left to handle all the cases in the state. Onitsha Judicial Division which is the

second most vibrant in terms of advocacy in Nigeria, after Ibadan, second in feats, and second largest in terms of litigation has just five judges.

“Out of the 1,379 prison inmates in the three federal prisons in the state, only 109 are convicts, and the rest 1,270 are awaiting trial inmates.”

Stating that Anambra had only 56 law officers, which he said was grossly inadequate to meet with the number of cases presently pending in the courts. He, however, expressed optimism that Administration of Criminal Justice Law, 2010, contained ample provisions, which if diligently followed by the courts would go a long way in addressing the anomaly.

Earlier, the state Chief Judge, Justice Peter Umeadi said Governor Peter Obi was aware of the shortage of judges

and had approved the appointment of 10 High Court judges and two Customary Court of Appeal judges.

the six-man 70th anniversary delegation to the corporate headquarters of Vanguard Media Limited in Apapa, Lagos, yesterday, the lecture is part of weeklong activities lined up to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Yaba Baptist Church.

The delegation which comprised the senior pastor of the church, Pastor Gabriel Adebayo, chairman of the planning committee, Dr. Mike Dare, Deacon Sola Ibikunle, Brother Idowu Sonaye, Tim Alabi and Mr. Abiodun Ajiboye commended the Vanguard Media for its forthrightness and unbiased reportage of political developments in the country.

Dr. Dare outlined invents lined up for the celebration to include the launch of the church history to be chaired by erstwhile presidential aspirant and a Baptist minister, Deacon Gamaliel Onosode while the chief launcher is expected to be Surveyor Akin Oyegbola at the church this Sunday.

Other activities, he said include an outreach/crusade on Friday, October 5, at 5.00 p.m., a novelty match between the church and its Shepherdhill Baptist Church counterparts at the Astro Turf National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos at

US govt congratulates Oshiomhole on re-election

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM

B

ENIN CITY—THE United States Government has congratulated Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State on his re-election in the July 14, 2012 governorship election.

Consul-General of the

State creation: PDP chieftain tasks S-East govs on unity

BY ANAYO OKOLI

U

MUAHIA—A chief tain of the ruling People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in Abia State, Chief Chijoke Ekeledo, has urged the governors of the five South Eastern states of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo, to unite in the current demand for the creation of an additional state for the zone during the on-going process of constitutional amendment.

According to Ekeledo, the unity in their request would help to solve the major concern of the people of the zone which was to correct the imbalance in the number of states in the zone

ture people who are between the ages of 40 and 60.

The church, also is proposing a multi-million multipurpose building project and will attempt to raise funds for that project on Sunday, October 7, and that will be followed by the anniversary lecture on Monday, October 8, a music concert with prayer session featuring Evangelist Dupe Olulana and the an anniversary Sunday service on Sunday, October 14.

Answering questions from a team of senior editors of Vanguard Newspapers, the pastor said the Yaba Baptist Church as part of the Baptist Conference had contributed immensely to the development of the nation, through education, empowerment of the less privileged including scholarship awards for youths in different institutions in the country.

When asked why Pastor Bakare for the anniversary lecture, Pastor Adebayo said the preacher is only coming home because he actually got converted at the Yaba Baptist Church several years ago, assuring “we are trusting God for the nation’s restoration…all the years that the cankerworms have eaten in this country would be restored.”

compared with others.

He said: “As the mouth piece of the zone, the governors should harmonise their interests and ensure they do not work at cross purposes in the demand for the creation of additional state in the zone.

"Every good spirited Nigerian believes in the cause for additional state in the South East because it is inline with the principle of federal character which calls for equity in the allocation and share of positions and resources in Nigeria.”

He also called on the National Assembly to ensure that the issue of state creation was logically concluded."

United States to Nigeria, Mr Jeffrey Hawkins expressed his government’s felicitations to Gov Oshiomhole during a visit to his office, yesterday.

The Consul-General said: “I have come to congratulate you on your reelection.”

He however declined to make further comments in front of the cameras, preferring to hold a private audience with the governor.

The private meeting lasted close to two hours after which the ConsulGeneral and his entourage departed the Edo State Government House.

The Governor thanked the Consul-General for the visit and for congratulating him on his re-election.

It would be recalled that Governor Adams Oshiomhole beat his closest rival, Maj.-Gen Charles Arhiavbere (rtd), at the July 14 polls, which has been regarded as the freest ever held in the state with 477,478 to 144,235 votes.

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8—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2012

Arik Air blacklists FAAN MD, 26 others from its flight ...accuses them of disrupting operations

BY LAWANI MIKAIRU

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BIDDING ON GENERATION COMPANIES—From left: Alhaji Isa Funtuwal; Former Kano State Governor, Ambassador Mohammed Sani Bello and Ambassador of Niger to Nigeria, Alhaji Mansour Hadj briefing newsmen during the financial bid opening for successor generation companies by the Bureau of Public Enterprises, BPE, in Abuja, yesterday. Photo: Gbemiga Olamikan.

Bakassi indigenes reject Cameroun zStorm Abuja with fresh facts to press for ICJ review

BY SONI DANIEL & HUGO ODIOGOR

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BUJA—AGGRIEVED natives of Bakassi Peninsula yesterday stormed Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory in a bid to convince the Federal Government to take necessary steps to review the International Court of Justice ruling that ceded the oil-rich area to Cameroun 10 years ago.

But neither President Goodluck Jonathan nor the Attorney General of the Federation, Mr. Mohammed Adoke, was in Abuja to listen to the embattled Bakassi indigenes, who claimed to have been armed with new incontrovertible facts to aid the government in pressing for the reversal of the ICJ judgement in Nigeria’s favour.

Both Jonathan and the AGF are in New York for the first-ever High-Level Plenary Session of the United Nations on the Rule of Law, which opened on Monday.

The Bakassi indigenes pointed out that the information at their disposal was enough to swing the ICJ to reverse its October 10, 2002 ruling in favour of Nigeria and pleaded with President Jonathan not to listen to the enemies of Nigeria who claim that the issue had been laid to rest.

The Coordinator of the ‘Save Bakassi Group’ in the FCT, Mr. Solomon Inameti, told Vanguard that they C M Y K

were ready to assist the Federal Government with fresh evidence that was not available at the time of the judgment.

Inameti said, “we have 100 new information and we are ready to give to the Nigerian Government to use and approach the ICJ and conveniently pursue this case to a logical conclusion.

“To the best of our knowledge, the evidence is concrete enough to secure us victory at the ICJ and the Federal Government can take us for our words.

“We went out of our way to secure this vital information that was not there before to assist the Federal Government because we believe that it is in our own interest to continue to remain in Nigeria.

“Let us make it categorically clear that no matter what happens we will not accept Cameroun as our own country. Subjugating us to Cameroun would not only be humiliating but dehumanizing to us and our generations yet unborn.

“Anyone who thinks that we the people of Bakassi can come under Cameroun is wasting time because that will not work. We are ready to go to the United Nations and seek a referendum on where we want to be and how we should be administered.

“If the Federal Government of Nigeria does not want us we will approach

the UN at the end of October 10, 2012 to seek the way forward for ourselves and our respective communities in Bakassi,” Inameti said.

FG should reclaim Bakassi A historian, who is very familiar with the Bakassi history, Mr. Emmanuel Doh, said the AGF had no reason to hesitate in approaching the ICJ for the immediate review of the 2002 judgement given the weight of evidence now at his disposal.

Doh pointed out that Cameroun even committed a serious blunder by the way and manner it adjusted the boundary between it and Southern Cameroon encompassing Bakassi, after the African Union had asked all countries to respect their boundaries with other nations.

Doh said Cameroun’s fraudulent boundary adjustment coupled with numerous actions, which the UN and the ICJ were not aware of at the time of the ruling in 2002, were enough to swing judgment in Nigeria’s favour, if a review was sought.

A member of the House of Representatives from Cross River State, Ambassador Nkoyo Toyo, warned yesterday that it was in the interest of the government of Nigeria to take urgent legal steps to reclaim Bakassi, as the people of the

area would never surrender their fate to another country.

Toyo, who is a former Nigeria’s envoy to Ethiopia, said the Bakassi people would continue to fight for the territory until their rights were restored.

The lawmaker maintained that the people were hit below the belt when the AGF declared recently that Nigeria was not going to ask for a review of the ICJ judgment, a development, she claimed smacks of insensitivity on the part of the government.

She noted, “The people of Bakassi have always been demanding a review of the judgment. But unfortunately, former President Olusegun Obasanjo adopted a unilateral approach towards it.

“You will recall that Obasanjo did not bring up the matter to the National Assembly, the National Boundary Commission has not adjusted the boundary despite the ruling, the Bakassi Local Government is still in Cross River State and it is still being paid monthly subvention by the Federal Government.

“So there are many illegal things still going on as far as the issue of Bakassi is concerned. But the Bakassi people have never had a chance to decide for themselves where they want to go and how they want to be administered,” the lawmaker said.

AGOS—ARIK AIR yes terday released a list of persons banned permanently from taking any of its operated flights to any destination. Top on the list was the Managing Director of Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, Mr George Uriesi. The reasons given for the ban range from fighting Arik staff, disrupting Arik flight operations, to being declared wanted by security agencies.

The reason given for blacklisting FAAN Managing Director was simply "management Decision.”

But aviation industry watchers know that there has been a running battle between FAAN management and Arik Air over unresolved debt issues which culminated last Thursday in Arik flight operations being shut down by aviation unions that claimed they were

trying to recover the N17 billion Arik was owing the three aviation agencies.

Though the debt issue was temporarily resolved last Saturday after the intervention of the Federal Government through the Secretary to the Government of the federation, Chief Pius Anyim, this latest action by Arik shows that the issues are far from being resolved.

Other people blacklisted include Omojuwa Japhet, Victor Ogbondah, Lawal Lateef, Obayomi Osoba, Obiriki James, Guanah Raymos, a Somalian, Warsame Amed Abdulkair, a Sudanese, Abdel Rahman, Wala Eldin and Orji Daniel Ikechukwu, Grace Nkiruka Guobadia, Adesanya David, Uzoh Hilman, Davis Fasan Adesola, Musa Azeez Arisekola and others.

As at press time, the reaction of FAAN management and Federal Government was being awaited.

Insecurity: Mark begs Britain to assist Nigeria

BY HENRY UMORU

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BUJA— S E N AT E President David Mark yesterday went down memory lane that as our former colonial masters, Britain must help Nigeria nurture the present democracy.

He particularly drew the attention of Britain to the current security challenge in the country, especially activities of the Boko Haram sect that have engaged in killings and wanton destruction of property, just as he called on the former colonial masters to deploy her expertise to assist Nigeria out of the quagmire.

Speaking when British delegation led by the United Kingdom’s Permanent Under Secretary and Head of the Diplomatic Service, Simon Fraser visited him in his office, Senate President Mark said, Britain should not forget in a jiffy, the existing bond between Nigeria and the British Government, just as he said as colonial masters, it must be interested in the propagation and sustenance of democracy in Nigeria.

"Nigeria and Britain have a long history of bilateral relations. Britain must not

only show interest but continue to support and strengthen democracy and its institution in Nigeria”.

Senator Mark, who noted that the British Government’s assistance was needed to grow Nigeria’s democracy to fruition, said, “Sustenance and survival of democracy in Nigeria will boost the confidence of investors to invest in Nigeria.”

The Senate President, who also requested for Britain’s economic cooperation to boost trade and commerce between the two nations, requested for collaboration between British and Nigeria Legislature to improve the quality of legislation by the latter.

He was glad that Nigeria’s democracy has remained uninterrupted 13 years on, hoping that it would get stronger and better in the years ahead.

Earlier, the leader of the delegation, Simon Fraser said they were in Nigeria to further strengthen bilateral relationship between Nigeria and United Kingdom, promising that his country was prepared to cooperate in the area of security, as well as improve economic ties.

Vanguard , WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2012— 9

Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola,Governor of Osun State, decorating the Country Representative of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Mr. Janthomas Heizra. With them are Deputy Governor, Mrs. Titi Laoye-Tomori (left) and UNICEF Ambassador; Mrs .Sherifat Aregbesola of Community-Led Total Sanitation, during a two-day high level meeting of Environment Stakeholders from six South West states, at Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding, Osogbo yesterday.

L-R: Dr. Mike Dare, Dr. Gabriel Adeboye, both of Yaba Baptist Church receiving copies of Vanguard calender from Mr. Victor Omoregie, Manager, Corporate Communications/Protocols and Mr. Sam Eyoboka, Religious Affairs Editor, both of Vanguard Newspapers, during courtesy visit to Vanguard Newspapers, yesterday, on their forth-coming 70th anniversary celebration.

Photo: Sylva Eleanya.

441 Lagos commercial drivers fail breath analyzer test .2500 drivers tested

BY OLASUNKANMI AKONI AND MONSUR OLOWOOPEJO

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T LEAST 441 commercial drivers in Lagos State tested positive to cannabis also known as marijuana and cocaine in the screening recently conducted on 2,500 of them.

As part of the effort to curb drunk-driving, the state government said it had administered breathanalyzer on 2,500 commercial drivers in the state, to check their blood alcoholic content

even as it signed a Memorandum of Understanding, (MoU) with an international liquour brewer, to sensitize the public on the negative effect of drunk-driving.

The state Commissioner for Health Dr. Jide Idris, disclosed this yesterday, at media briefing on public sensitization of Motor Health and Safety Initiative at Alausa, adding that the drivers were also screened on substances abuse,

hypertension, diabetes and vision impairment.

The first phase of the exercise was conducted at Alaagba Motor Park, Iyana-Ipaja between September 4 to 12, 2012, and Under Bridge Motor Park between September 18 to 19, 2012.

Idris added; “So far, we have screened 2002 drivers with the following results obtained: 781 were found to be driving under the influence of alcohol; 601 were found to be hypertensive. and 441

were positive to psychotropic drugs, especially cocaine and marijuana.

Also, 940 were screened for visual impairment and 13 per cent had to to be given special glasses”.

Idris noted that the state government had no option than to invoke section 21, subsection 1 of the state traffic law which prescribes a conviction fine of N100,000 or two years imprisonment or both on the offenders.

Lagos teachers suspend strike, resume today

BY MONSUR OLOWOOPEJO

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AT I O N A L UNION of Teachers, NUT, Lagos Chapter, yesterday suspended its indefinite strike embarked upon over the non-payment of the 27.5 per cent Teachers Salary Scale, TSS. The teachers instead of resuming for work on

Monday, the first day of the new academic year, embarked on an indefinite strike to demand for immediate payment of the new salary scale.

After a meeting which commenced at about 5:00 p.m. yesterday and held behind closed doors between officials of the NUT and the delegation from the Lagos State Government, the call off

of the strike was announced.

The state government team which was led by the Governor of the state, Babatunde Fashola, also had in attendance the Commissioner for Establishment, Training and Pension: Mrs. Florence Oguntuase, Commissioner for Education: Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye, the state Head of

Blessing Onumajuru dies at 50

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HE DEATH has been announced of Mr. Blessing Onumajuru on the 22nd of September, 2012.

Mr. .Blessing Onumaru, a senior correspondent of the Nigerian Pilot Newspapers, has passed on at a Lagos hospital after a brief illness. He was aged 50.

Late Onumajuru was one of the most senior members of the Maritime

Reporters Association of Nigeria, MARAN, an association he served variously as its Treasurer, Publicity secretary and finally as its Vice President.

He was born on October 2, 1962 in Mgbala village in Agwa Community in Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State. He had BA Honours in Igbo Linguistics and an M.Sc. in Public and

International Affairs from the University of Lagos.

Onumajuru worked at various times at the defunct Daily Times of Nigeria, the defunct Post Express Newspapers, the Daily Champion Newspapers, Total Transport (prints and electronics) and lately, the Nigerian Pilot newspaper.

HHe was happily married and blessed with children.

Service, HoS, Mr. Adesegun Ogunlewe.

The NUT officials, who came in their large number to the meeting, were led by the state Chairman, Mr. Kayode Idowu.

Speaking after the meeting, Idowu said “the state council of the NUT has met after the meeting and we have agreed that the strike should be suspended immediately. And that we should all return to work tomorrow (September 26, 2012)” On the reason why they suspended the strike despite government not meeting their demands, Idowu said; “the Governor has intervened and has assured us that our TSS will be included in the 2013 budget.

“During the meeting, the Governor appealed to us passionately that we should return to work.”

FinBank: How directors got 20 billion customers’ shares – Witness

BY ABDULWAHAB ABDULAH & ONOZURE DANIA

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N ECONOMIC and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC witness, Mr. Joe Abba, yesterday told Justice Lateefa Okunnu of an Ikeja High Court that the over 20 billion units of shares were initially bought for some clients of the bank before he was instructed to transfer same to some directors of the bank.

The witness, who is the Managing Director of Springboard Trust and Investment Limited, Mr. Joe Abba told the court that FinBank Plc paid for the shares transferred to some of the bank directors in 2007.

Abba, while testifying at the on-going trial of the former Managing Director of FinBank Plc,

Mr. Okey Nwosu and three others.

Nwosu and the three other directors of the bank, Dayo Famoroti, Danjuma Ocholi and Agnes Ebubedike were accused of stealing N10.9 billion from the bank between September 2006 and November 2007.

According to the witness who was led in evidence by counsel to Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), his company ’s relationship with FinBank started in 2003 with the opening of a current account with the b a n k .

“By 2006 the relationship had grown and the bank instructed us through letters to buy some of the bank shares for about seven of their clients.

Man kidnapped, 48 hours after dad’s birthday party

BY DAUD OLATUNJI

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B E O K U TA — BARELY 48 hours after he organised a birthday party to mark 70th birthday party of his father, a famous hotelier, Segun Oyebolu ,was yesterday allegedly kidnapped at Erinlu in Ijebu-Ode local government area of Ogun State by gunmen who demanded N400 million before his release.

The kidnappers, Vanguard findings showed, had established contact with members of his family demanding for a N400 million naira ransom.

Oyebolu was reported to have made an attempt

to call his local security man when he noticed suspicious movement around his office but, the abductors stopped him.

The Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer Mr. Muyiwa Adejobi confirmed the incident, and the ransom demanded by the abductors.

Adejobi said the police are working tirelessly to secure the release of the man, while advising members of his family to cooperate with the police to secure his release.

One of his neighbours who pleaded anonymity said ‘’it was unfortunate that such kidnapping is happening in our quiet area here”.

C M Y K

10—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2012

Akeredolu receives US envoy over Ondo polls

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L-R: Chief Onyema Ugochukwu, CON, former editor, DailyTimes/executive director; Ray Ekpu, former editor, Sunday Times; Chief Segun Osoba, former editor, Daily Times/managing director; and Ben Lawrence, former editor, Evening Times/managing editor, Daily Times, at the meeting of former editorial executives of the Daily Times of Nigeria Plc, during the Annual Nigerian Editors Conference, Uyo recently.

Ekiti NSCDC, vigilante group in bloody clash

BY GBENGAARIYIBI

DO EKITI — two civil s e c u r i t y organisations, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps and Vigilante Group of Nigeria yesterday in Ado Ekiti,Ekiti State capital engaged themslves in a free for all fight over security claims The development left some of the corp members wounded and hospitalized The fracas which started at the office of Vigilante Group located in front of Christ School, Ado Ekiti, as a minor d i s a g r e e m e n t snowballed into violent attacks between the men of the two security outfits.

The feuding security groups were said to have openly brandished dangerous weapons over supremacy in the performances of their

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duties.

Vanguard reliably gathered that some of the dangerous weapons displayed by them included broken bottles, teargas canisters, cutlasses, charms and dane guns.

According to the Director of Operations, Vigilante Group of Nigeria, Mr. Yusuf Wasiu, the Civil Defence Corps had stormed their office at about 10a.m. yesterday in a convoy of four buses loaded with heavily armed men and attacked them with dangerous weapon over the allegation that they were operating illegally.

However, the public relations officer of the Civil Defence Corps, Mr. Ojo Lawanson, who debunked the allegation, said it was the Vigilante Group that attacked their men and that one of them is still in hospital at the time of filing this report.

Robbers attack Christ Apostolic Church clerics

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BADAN — SOME pastors of the Christ Apostolic Church who were on a mission to reconcile the two feuding factions of the church were yesterday attacked by armed robbers on their way to the annual pastors’ conference at Ikire, Oriade Local G o v e r n m e n t headquarters, Osun State.

The pastors under the aegis of the Movement for the Divine Restoration of the Christ Apostolic Church have been at the forefront of ending the 22-year crisis between the two factions C M Y K

within the church's Supreme Council and the General Executive Council led by Pastor J. A.Ogunlade and Pastor J.A Akinosun respectively.

Though, no one was injured n the attack, according to the the spokesperson of the team, Pastor Tokunbo Pearce, the clerics were attacked yesterday morning on the LagosIbadan expressway.

This came as the feuding parties are at the verge of bringing the crisis which had depopulated the oncevibrant church to an end.

HE GOVERNorship candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria in the October 20 election, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, yesterday received the Consul General of the United States of America in Nigeria, Jeffrey J. Hawkins accompanied by the Political/ Economic Section Chief, Rolf Olson, on a fact finding and sensitisation visit to the Akeredolu Canpaign Organisation (ACO)

office.

According to a statement by the organisation’s Director of Media, Publicity and Strategy, Mr. Idowu Ajanaku, “The visit afforded the American Ambassador the opportunity to familiarise with the ACN flagbearer and his team to share his views on the Nigerian democratic experience.

He expressed his pleasure to meet Akeredolu and described the aim of his visit as a

Agunloye carpets ACN over traitor tag

BY DAYO JOHNSON

KURE — FORMER MINISTER of Defence, Dr. Olu Agunloye yesterday took on the Director General of Akeredolu Campaign Organization, ACO, Chief Tayo Alasoadura over his comment that he was a traitor for dumping Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, for the ruling Labour Party, LP. Agunloye speaking through the spokesman of the Omoluabi Platform, Mr. Wemi Ajegbemiga, said the officials of the ACN should stop castigating him and destroying his hard earned reputation on the altar of politics.

Ajegbemiga said the statement credited to former Commissioner was misinformation about Dr. Agunloye.

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To put the record straight, Omoluwabi spokesman said it was Alasoadura who was full of deceit by misinforming the national leaders of ACN of a non-existing network he said he put in place towards actualizing his candidacy within the party.

He alleged that Alasoadura had no network, except some amount of money he spent to bring people together for his decamping rally sometimes in Akure.

Ajegbemiga said the word betrayal used by Alasoadura is “baseless and unfounded,” saying, "Agunloye never betrayed anybody."

Also, another former governorship aspirant of the ACN, in Ondo State,

Senator Omololu Meroyi yesterday dumped the party for the PDP. Senator Meroyi who was in the National Assembly between 1999 and 2003 represented Ondo South Senatorial District of the state.

Addressing newsmen in Akure, Meroyi described the ACN as a “sinking ship which has no chance of winning the October 20 governorship election in the state.

He lambasted the regional integration of the Sout-West geo political zone being championed by the ACN. But the Director of Publicity of the ACN, Rotimi Agbede described the defection of Meroyi to PDP as a good riddance to bad rubbish.

Agbede said that Meroyi is a spent bullet with no followers.

way to gauge the pulse of the candidates in the forthcoming elections and level of preparedness of the electoral body, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. He said he was excited about Akeredolu candidature being former Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, President, hoping that he would replicate what Fashola is doing in Lagos if elected on October 20.”

In his response Akeredolu expressed his confidence in the level of preparedness of the ACN to win the election.

He said he has almost completed the tour of all the wards and polling units in the state where he interacted with the people.

According to him, he saw a total neglect of the people, especially the rural areas which he said the American Ambassador could verify independently.

He further expressed confidence in the Jega led INEC based on their performance in previous elections, especially the recent one in Edo. He, however, expressed fears over the role that the Police are playing so far in the state, saying, "it is disappointing."

In fact, he called for the immediate transfer of the Commissioner of Police in Ondo State and members of the police hierarchy because they have been compromised.

Oke dismisses purported report allegedly disqualifying him

BY DAPO AKINREFON

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HE OLUSOLA Oke C a m p a i g n Organisation has dismissed a purported security report which allegedly indicted the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship candidate in Ondo State, saying such report does not exist.

In a statement by its Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Kunle Adebayo, the purported security report exists only in the imagination of its sponsors.

While calling on the

people of Ondo State to ignore the report, the campaign organisation said: “We hereby state that such concocted report only exists in the minds of the suspicious Deji Ademuyiwa and his sponsors.

"For the avoidance of doubt, Olusola Oke was thoroughly screened by all the security agencies, particularly the State Security Service (SSS), INEC and the Peoples Democratic Party”.

"For the purpose of emphasis, he was adjudged clean and pronounced fit and qualified to contest the

2012 governorship election in Ondo State.”

It added that “all the projects he executed while in OSOPADEC and NDDC are still standing to his credit.

“It is not like the current OSOPADEC where an official was found to have owned over 20 exotic cars and mismanaged over N63 billion.

If such report exists, it is only reasonable that a transparent person with baggage of documentary evidences, as claimed by these paid entities, should have approached the court or send same to

the security agencies.

“It is not uncommon for this dirty politics and criminal intention to be brandished around by carpet baggers just to seek undue recognition because of the dwindling fortune of the outgoing incumbent as October 20 inches closer.

“Unfortunately for these willing tools, the people of Ondo State are knowledgeable and are ready to vote Olusola Oke and the PDP because of the direct economic benefit they derived when the party was in government in Ondo State,” it stated.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2012—11

Ekpan issues two-week expulsion notice to Chevron

BY EMMA AMAIZE

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AGM: From left: Mrs. Sheila Ezeuko, Company Secretary; Mr. Kenneth Odogwu, Chairman and Mr. Chike Mokwunye, Group Managing Director, at the 43rd annual general meeting of Royal Exchange Plc in Lagos. Photo: Sylva Eleanya.

A R R I — E K PA N community in Delta State, host to Chevron Nigeria Limited, has given the oil company, a twoweek notice to vacate the community, following alleged maltreatment of its leaders and neglect of the people.

The Usiavwe (Head) of Ekpan, Chief Newton Agbofodoh, Chief J. Ikogho and Secretary of the community, Gift Edejewhro, confirmed the quit notice, which was conveyed to Chevron, in a letter to the Area Manager, Chevron, Ekpan.

The community, in the letter by their counsel,

Mr. E. Ekpuda, expressed displeasure that the company was paying attention to a group of five impostors, instead of the elected executive of Ekpan Development Committee, EDC, recognised by the traditional leaders of Ekpan.

It said: “The five persons wrote your company, alleging they had a pending suit before a Delta State High Court, Effurun, against the community, but the question is, in what capacity are they acting when it is obvious that Ekpan community is made up of nine quarters.

Can a group of persons from one quarter speak or institute an action against the entire community?”

Primate Okoh’s mother for burial, October 13

20 communities in Delta submerged epidemic looms in flood-ravaged Bayelsa by flood …as communities M

BY AUSTIN OGWUDA & SAMUEL OYADONGHA

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O fewer than 20 coastal communities in Delta State, including the state headquarters of Nigeria Immigration Service in Asaba, have been swept by flood.

The Immigration office located on Asaba-Benin highway, has been overtaken by flood from the overflowing River Niger.

It was, however, not immediately ascertained if vital documents were destroyed in the office.

Officers of Immigration Service, who reported for duty were seen in canoes, trying to access their offices.

Oko community made up of Oko-Ogbele, OkoAmakom and Oko-Anala appeared to be the worst hit.

Meanwhile, there is fear of outbreak of epidemic in the flood-ravaged Obuwari settlement, also refereed to as Mile I, in Sagbama, headquarters of Sagbama Local Government Area, Bayelsa State.

Though no fewer than 300 buildings, including public and private schools in the area, had been sacked by the flood, which is now threatening to invade the Miles II and III sections of the town, some of the affected families were yet to vacate their submerged homes, which are lit-

tered with floating human and household wastes.

Though the areas, like several other communities on the bank of Forcados River, are subjected to perennial flooding, the rising volume of water has been a source of grave concern to the natives, many of whom are now exposed to the vagaries of the elements.

Some of the boreholes and surface wells from where the natives source their drinking water

have been submerged by the flood, the impact of which has eroded several septic tanks in the area leaving them exposed.

A concerned native, Mr. Reuben Adou, while lamenting the plight of the affected families, said unless urgent remedial steps were taken by the authorities, there might be an outbreak of epidemic in the areas as some of those displaced were still relying on the polluted water from their

boreholes and wells for drinking and domestic use.

Also speaking, another indigene, Ogbo Akpoeyi, described the flooding as the worst in recent times, noting that the last time they experienced such incident was in 1999.

He pleaded with the authorities to find a lasting solution to the flood menace and save them the bitter experience of losing all their life savings and property in one swoop to the flood.

AMA Sarah Okoh, mother of Head of the Anglican Church in Nigeria, His Grace, Most Reverend Nicholas Okoh, will be interred on October 13.

Dame Ezinne Okoh, who passed on, August 10, 2012 at the age of 90, will be buried in her home town, Owa-Alero, Ika North East Local Government Area of Delta State.

A statement by the family said funeral rites will

Madam Isiete passes on

M Bakassi: Failure to challenge ICJ judgement, impeachable —Elechi Amadi

BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME

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ORT HARCOURT— LITERARY icon, Captain Elechi Amadi (rtd), has described the reluctance by President Goodluck Jonathan to challenge the verdict of the International Court of Justice, ICJ, on Bakassi as impeachable offence.

Amadi, yesterday, in his country home, Aluu, Rivers State, said President Jonathan had no cogent reason not to act, adding that the President would have behaved differently, if he had been from Bakassi.

Elechi Amadi, a civil war veteran, argued that among other things, a President was elected to right the wrongs in a country, noting that it would be crazy for the Federal Government to

cede Bakassi to Cameroun without giving people of the area opportunity to decide where they want to belong.

He said: “What if the President had come from Bakassi? Would he be so nonchalant about the

ceding of Bakassi to the Cameroons? Are the people of Bakassi second class citizens? Are they not covered by the United Nations Charter on Fundamental Human Rights? Whose interest is the President serving, anyway?”

Delta ACN faults DSIEC list

BY FESTUS AHON

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GHELLI—DELTA State Chapter of Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, has described the nominees for the state electoral body, Delta State Independent Electoral Commission, DSIEC, sent to the state House of Assembly by Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan as an affront on democracy.

The party, in a statement by its Publicity Secretary,

Mr. Frank Eghomien, alleged that some of the nominees, particularly one Mr. Ewere Eluebo, was a card carrying member of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, from Ward 10, Idumuesah, Ika NorthEast Local Government Area of the state.

ACN said, “Mr. Eluebo is a known card carrying member of the ruling party, the PDP. Mr. Eluebo is a retired teacher from Marymount College, Boji-Boji, Owa."

begin with service of songs on Thursday, October 11, at St. Michael’s Anglican Church, OwaAlero, Ika North-East Council.

The funeral church service will hold at the same venue on Friday October 12, 2012 at 10.am while interment will follow at her family compound.

Dame Ezinne Okoh is survived by children, grand children and great grand children.

RS. Mariam Isi ete, nee Ovuakporie, is dead aged 76 years.

A statement from the family said Christian wake keep will be held on Saturday, September 29, at Odoabore Primary School, Iyalla Street, off Tadeyo Street, Mushin, Lagos.

She will be interred on October 5 after funeral service at the Diocese of Oleh, St. Stephen’s An-

glican Church, Owhelogbo, Isoko North, Delta State.

She is survived by children, grandchildren, sisters, friends.

Mate Mrs. Isiete

12—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2012

No record of National Honour awardees —Perm Sec

BY HENRY UMORU & INALEGWU SHAIBU

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COMMISSIONING: From right: Mallam Mohammed Bolango (middle), General Manager, Western Operations, NPA, representing Managing Director, NPA, Malam Habib Abdullahi; Sen. John Shagayai, Chairman Ports and Cargo and Mr. John Jenkins, MD, Ports and Cargo during the commissioning of the brand new Rubber Tyred Gantries(RTGs).

Loan freeze: AMCON urges CBN to revise list

BY CLARA NWACHUKWU

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SSET Manage ment Corporation of Nigeria, AMCON, has advised the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, to revise the list of debtors, who are not qualified for further credit until otherwise directed, as some of the names on the list should not have been there.

AMCON, in a statement, however, confirmed that it “provided the list of its debtors to CBN in the course of its compliance with due administrative regulation," adding that as at date of transmission to CBN, the list was accurate.

AMCON said: “Given changes that had occurred during the intervening period, certain names which ought not to have been on the list were circulated to the banks.

We have identified these names and have recommended to the CBN that they be removed accordingly. This list will continue to be updated whenever concrete settlements with AMCON are reached.”

The advice, AMCON said in a statement yesterday, followed what it referred to as objections by some debtors, on the list and the need to clarify issues on the subject.

However, the asset management company could not give further details on those who should be delisted, but said that “there had been changes to the

debt positions of few specific debtors to AMCON due to restructuring and/ or repayments.”

Last week, CBN, regulator of the financial services sector, published the names of 113 companies and organisations which are not qualified for further credit facilities until they had settled their indebtedness to AMCON. Although industry sources revealed that the CBN list was actually much more than the 113 published, it could actually be in excess of 400.

The AMCON statement read in part: “We refer to

the circular recently issued to banks by Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, on the prohibition of further credit facilities to debtors, whose accounts had been assigned to AMCON.” Soon after the publication, some of the debtors listed have since published paid advertorials on the status of their debts, while more are expected to follow in the days ahead.

Our source revealed further: “Many of those on the debtor lists are even going to take wrap around in major newspapers to clarify their status in the

days ahead,” even as AMCON noted that “the publication of the list by newspapers was unauthorised as it was intended for the information and use of the banks only.

“AMCON in line with its statutory objective is committed to ensuring that every indebtedness that had culminated in the hitherto unhealthy state of the Nigerian banking industry was repaid irrespective of the personalities involved, and this policy is critical to the attainment of this objective,” the statement added.

Reps reject geo-political zones

BY OKEY NDIRIBE & EMMAN OVUAKPORIE

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BUJA—THE House of Representatives, yesterday, rejected attempt to give constitutional backing to geo-political zone as a political administrative system.

The legislators also kicked against the creation of another layer of Court of Appeal, to be tagged State Court of Appeal,as well as attempt to redefine and rearrange legislative powers shared by the three tiers of government.

At plenary, the bill for an Act to alter the 1999 constitution by creating State Court of Appeal, introduction of State

Legislative list and adjustment/modification of legislative powers of government between the federal and state governments, was rejected, arguing that passed, it would amount to the subversion of the Nigerian constitution and destabilising the existing federal system of government that has been built over the years.

Mr. Emmanuel Jimeh, who sponsored the bill, in his presentation, said the bill was authored by the former President of Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Mr. Olisa Agbakoba. The bill seeks to introduce federalism into the country ’s judicial system through the creation of State Court of Appeal in the geo-political zones.

He explained that the

establishment of the State Appeal Court would not only ensure court decongestion but ease and hasten delivery of judgement as state governors in a geo-political zone were expected to jointly constitute the judges.

He stressed that the current arrangement had bogged down justice delivery, adding, "if passed, it will ensure a quicker and more efficient justice delivery system.”

On the need for constitutional backing for geopolitical zones, Jimeh said it would ensure the effectiveness of the proposed State Court of Appeal.

During the debate, no one spoke in favour of the second reading of the bill.

BUJA—THE Senate was, yesterday, told that the Federal Government does not have the required database to ascertain, since inception, the total number of recipients of National Honours awarded in the country.

Speaking when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Special Duties, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Special Duties, Dr. Henry Akpan, said that there

was the need for the establishment of a database to keep records of all recipients of the National Honour.

The Permanent Secretary told the Senators that against this backdrop, a budget of N80 million had been proposed, out of which N44.46 million was approved in the 2012 budget.

He said: “It is difficult to determine the recipients of national awards so far, due to the lack of a database. We proposed a budgnaira so as to achieve the purpose.”

Gaslink upgrades gas odourising system

BY YEMIE ADEOYE

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ASLINK Nigeria Limited, a natural gas distribution company, and a subsidiary of Oando Plc, has said that it is undertaking the upgrading of its odourising system at its facility in Alausa, Lagos, but places residents of the area on emergency alert the event of leakage detection after the upgrade.

Odourisation is a global safety measure that involves the systematic in-

jection of a synthetic odour into gas pipeline systems to help detect leakage.

The exercise which commenced on September 24 and will ends on September 28,, is a controlled process that uses a precision mechanism to prevent emissions.

The company stated that in the unlikely event of an emission of a pungent smell similar to that of a rotten egg, the public, especially those living around Alausa, are to remain calm and contact the company .

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2012 — 13

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14—Vanguard , WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2012

Abia govt flays oppostion over Aba road comments

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Mr. Lucky Amiwero, President,National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents, NCMDLCA (left) and MD/CEO, Eyis Resources Limited, presenting a certificate to Mr. Agba Josaphat of John’s Express Agencies Ltd, after a computer training programme for licensed customs agents in conjunction with Nebman Nigeria Limited in Lagos.

NOA D-G tasks youths on nation-building

BY EMMANUEL ELEBEKE

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BUJA—THE Direc tor General of National Orientation Agency, NOA, Dr. Mike Omeri, yesterday, called on Nigerian youths to develop positive mindset and do the right things at all times in order to build a better society.

He spoke in Abuja, at

a three-day youth empowerment seminar organised by Youth Mentoring Initiative in partnership with NOA. The DG said Nigerian youth must be nurtured to imbibe positive mindset and attitude to be able to do the right things at all times since they are future leaders of the country.

He said since the world

has become a competing village, where all nations are competing to be relevant, if Nigeria must be able to compete in the comity of nations, the children who are future leaders of the country must be ready to look at the strengths and weaknesses of the past leaders and have the right mindset to be able to approach the future.

MUAHIA—ABIA State Government has described as selfmockery, those insinuating that the state government was responsible for the poor state of roads in Aba, the commercial nerve of the state, In a statement by Mr Ben Onyechere, Special Adviser to Governor Orji on Public Communication, the state government reiterated its determination to continue to provide the people with basic necessities of life, even as it maintained that the present administration would not be stampeded upon with mindless criticisms from oppositions.

He said: "The insinuation by the ragtag projecting itself as opposition that the governor is the reason Aba roads are bad is nothing but self mockery of their sponsor.

It is the same opposition who claim that the immediate past governor built all the roads in Aba and Abia in general, how come all the roads they

claim to have been constructed by their mentor go bad at the same time.

"It is the same people who are sponsoring comments against the impending demolition of illegal structures which is the strategy of government to put a final stop to the perennial flooding

in Aba. If lawyers protested in Aba against bad roads owned by the Federal Government which by the way is receiving direct labour attention by the state governor, it is their right to do so because there are also political lawyers every where."

Cleric backs Delta North for 2015 governorship seat

BY EMMAARUBI

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ARRI—THE Na tional Coordinator of Movement for Democratic Equity, MDE, Evangelist Josiah Mashomi, has stated that it is the turn of the Delta North Senatorial District to produce the next Governor of the state and called for support for Senator Ifeanyi Okowa.

The clergyman stated that of the three senatorial districts in the state, Delta Central and South districts would have ruled for 8years each by 2015 calcu-

lations, saying that it is only proper to concede rulership to Delta North to give every district a sense of belonging.

Making the appeal at Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area of the state during the formal commissioning of the MDE temporary secretariat, Evangelist Mashomi charged Deltans to desist from unwarranted criticism of Dr. Okowa, adding that he is a man of credibility, detribalised and experienced with enviable credentials.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2012 — 15

Jonathan preaches religious tolerance at UN Assembly

BY BEN AGANDE

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RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has condemned the deliberate denigration of the religious beliefs of others, warning that freedom of expression should never be construed as licence for actions that may lead to violence and disorder.

Addressing the 67th General Assembly of the United Nations in New York, President Jonathan said freedom of expression and religious tolerance should be complimentary for the peaceful coexistence of people of varying faiths and religious beliefs.

Jonathan said: “Events of recent weeks have demonstrated how interconnected our world is and the extent to which one incident can spark off general mayhem and conflagration. Freedom of expression should not be a licence to incitement.

“The freedom that we all hold dear and true should be exercised wisely and cautiously. Freedom of expression and religious tolerance must not be mutu-

ally exclusive but should be complimentary.

“Much as we eschew violence and deplore the needless losses of lives and destruction of property, we also condemn the deliberate denigration of religious beliefs and sensitivities, which in turn lead to counter reactions.”

Speaking on the spate of terrorist attacks in the country, the President said his administration has adopted a multifaceted strategy in dealing with the threats of terrorism and militancy.

He said: “Our response has been multifaceted, as we seek to address the root causes of these threats, exploring opportunities for dialogue, improving law enforcement to ensure public safety and security.

“International cooperation has also been a key factor in tackling our security challenges.

“We have signed agreements with our neighbours, Cameroon, Niger and Chad bilaterally, and multilaterally, on the platform of the Lake Chad Basin Commission.”

Senate to Maku: You're a careless talker zI was under pressure— Minister

BY HENRY UMORU & INALEGWU SHAIBU

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BUJA—SENATE has described the Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, as a public officer who talks carelessly without first thinking of the implications of such utterances.

Senate President, David Mark, who made the comments yesterday during plenary, in response to claims by Maku that National Assembly resolutions are not binding on the executive arm of government, urged President Goodluck Jonathan to call his Minister to order.

He threatened that the Senate would not hesitate

to call for the sacking of any minister that get involves in disparaging the National Assembly.

Mark said: “I think the Minister of Information is a careless talker. He talks very carelessly. He did not think properly. He is not an educator and we need to educate him. I hope the President cautions him and calls him to order.

“And I think next time he does that, we will take a resolution here that any minister who talks carelessly be removed because there was really no need for that.”

Mark also called into question the tradition of ‘bow and go’ approach in screening of ministerial nominees, observing that

the comments by Maku was indicative of the levity of his screening at the Senate.

He said: “I think this is a hard lesson for Senators who ask ministers to take a bow and go.”

Maku was later summoned by the Senate to clarify his statements on National Assembly resolutions.

He told the Committee that his statement was misinterpreted, adding that the comments were not intended to disrespect the National Assembly. He further admitted before the committee he was made a minister upon the adoption of a resolution of the Senate by the President and

noted that resolutions of the National Assembly are binding on the executive arm of government, as well being important tolls for good governance of the country.

He said: “I have no reason to denigrate the authority of the highest legislative body. The Senate, being the highest legislative body, has played very constructive role in the stabilisation of Nigeria’s democracy.

“I have no reason personally or individually to disparage the Senate. If that commenthasbeenmisinterpreted tomeanthattheFederalGovernment does not respect resolutions of the Senate, I tender my apology.”

Okiro, Falana fault calls for state police

BY UDUMA KALU

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GITATION for state police got some knocks, yesterday, in Lagos when Nigerians from all walks of life gathered at the MUSON Centre to create awareness on the matter.

Participants argued that if there were good governance, police reform, credible leadership and true federalism, there would be no need for state police.

Organised by Public Affairs Directorate of CMC Connect (Perception Managers), the public discourse, entitled State Police: To or not to be? had as panel retired InspectorGeneral of Police, Mr. Mike Okiro; Lagos lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana; Mr. Muyiwa Ige, who stood in for Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State, and Opeyemi Agbaje, among others.

Okiro said: “We have tried state police before, it failed. We have tried local government and they failed. We are now trying the federal police. If somewhere along the line, we experience some hitches with the federal police and we want to try state police once more, it can be done

because society is dynamic.

“I gave a certain example. We all know that a governor woke up one morning and dissolved elected local government chairmen and councillors and put in their stooges as caretaker committee people.

“Can the President wake up one morning and dissolve the governors?

“If they have that power of controlling the police, all their opponents will run away from the states.”

For Muyiwa Ige, if corruption and faulty federalism persist, the call for state police will continue. He argued that those against state police were beneficiaries of the criminality in the society.

Falana said: “What people do not want is the current arrangement whereby the President appoints the police and the police is loyal to the President and not to the constitution of the country.

“So people do not want a situation whereby the state appoints the commissioner of police without control, without check and can therefore deploy the police in the state to harass his opponent.”

BRIEFING: From left— Dr. Jide Idris, Lagos State Commissioner for Health; Mr. Kayode Opeifa, Commissioner for Transport, and Mr. Mike Onuoha, Head, Public Policy, Guiness Nig. Plc, at a briefing on Motorpark Health and Safety Initiative in Lagos, yesterday. PHOTO: Bunmi Azeez.

Sacked Commission's staff call for DG's removal

BY HENRY UMORU & EMMAN OVUAKPORIE

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BUJA—OVER 400 sacked staff of National Identity Management Commission, NIMC, yesterday, stormed the National Assembly to protest against what they termed unjust lay-off of 4,029 junior members of staff.

The protesters, who were blocked at the entrance of the National Assembly, said they decided to match to there to fight against what they termed injustice and humiliation by the management of the Commission.

According to them, it was simply unjust to be used to produce the National Identity cards only to be sacked on the ground that they were not qualified to continue, just as they called on President Goodluck

Jonathan to, as a matter of urgency, sack the Director- General, Mr. Chris Onyemenam.

Some protesters, who spoke to Vanguard on condition of anonymity, alleged that “the DG has turned the commission into a private concern and not a government body it was created to be.

We are tired of his antics because today, majority of workers are from his village after he sent many of us packing.”

At the gate to receive them were Chairman, Senate Committee on National Identity and National Population, Senator Maina Lawan, Borno South; Chairman, Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence, Senator Mohammed Magoro, Kebbi South, and Chairman, Committee on Employment, Labour and Pro-

ductivity, Senator Wison Ake, Rivers West.

One of the leaders of the protesting staff, Abidoye Charity, told the senators: “The DG of NIMC disengaged 4,029 staff that is why we are here to let the National Assembly know what is happening.

“We were the ones that produced the identity card that Nigerians are proud of from 2003 to 2006. Since this DG came

into office, there has been no identity cards production.

“We are here because we were dismissed unjustly.

And he is saying that he has a backup from the Senate and even the President. He said they gave him authority. He even bought over all the unions that could have fought for us.”

Senators Lawan, Magoro and Ake assured the protesters that their grevances will be addressed.

Senate confirms Nta as ICPC Chairman

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ENATE, Tuesday, con firmed the appointment of Mr. Ekpo Una Owo Nta as Chairman of Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC. President Goodluck Jonathan had earlier requested the Senate to con-

firm Mr. Nta’s appointment in accordance with Section 3(3) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000.

Until his confirmation, Nta had been the acting chairman of the Commission since November, 29, 2011.

16—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2012

AWARDS: From left— Mr. Zack Orji, Monalisa Chinda, both of Nollywood; Mr. John Ugbe, MD, MultiChoice Nigeria; Biola Alabi, MD, M-net Africa, and Mr. Segun Arinze, Nollywood actor, during the AfricaMagic Viewers’ Choice Awards, AMVCA, briefing in Lagos, yesterday. PHOTO: Kehinde Gbadamosi.

WINNERS: Mr. Nicolaas Vervelde, MD/CEO, NB Plc (middle); Mrs Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, Lagos State Deputy Governor (2nd right) and the Green Family members, winners of Maltina Dance All Season 6, at the grand finale in Lagos, Saturday. PHOTO: Sylva Eleanya.

Shehu of Borno tasks District Heads on polio

FG arrests 35 ex-militant leaders over allowance

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HEHU of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Ibn Garbai, has threatened to take action against District Heads whose areas recorded poor performance in polio immunisation.

Ibn Garbai gave the warning in his palace in Maiduguri, yesterday, while addressing district heads from the 27 local government areas of the state.

He said the district heads had crucial roles to play in ensuring the eradication of polio in the state.

Shehu said: “As traditional leaders at the grassroots, you have great roles in ensuring the success of government’s efforts to eradicate the wild polio virus in Nigeria.”

He said traditional rulers from all Northern states met recently in Sokoto and agreed to spear-head government’s action on polio eradication.

“About 25 traditional rulers met in Sokoto under the

Consecration

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OPEM Church In ternational will, Sunday, September 30, consecrate their General Overseer, Rev. John Uzoeghelu, as the bishop of the church.

The ceremony, slated for 12noon at Wonders Cathedral, OrileIganmu, Lagos, will have Rev. (Mrs.) Chuka Obi-Okeke as Chairman.

Other ministers of God expected to grace the consecration service are Bishop and Mrs. Chris Matthew; His Grace, Archbishop Chidi Okefi, Archbishop, College of Bishops Africa Chapter, among others.

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BY EMMA UJAH, Abuja Bureau Chief BUJA—THE Presidential Amnesty Office, yesterday, handed over to security agencies in Abuja 35 leaders of Niger Delta ex-agitators enrolled under Phase Two of the Presidential Amnesty Programme.

A statement from the office said the arrest “became inevitable given the incessant harassment and intimidation of officials of the office, including the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Chairman, Presidential Amnesty Programme, Mr. Kingsley Kuku, by these persons, to subvert the provisions of the 2012 budget and channel the allowances meant for 6,166 other persons in the programme to just these leaders.”

Head, Media and Communications, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, who signed the statement, said the ex-militant leaders had, last week, threatened to disrupt social and economic activities in sensitive governmental places in Abuja if the Transition Safety Allowance, TSA, proposed for 6,166 persons enrolled in the second phase of the amnesty programme was not immediately paid out directly to them and not to all the enrolled persons as enshrined in the 2012 budget.

“At this meeting, Mr. Kuku painstakingly explained to the leaders that the Federal Government will never accede to this demand to divert or channel funds meant for 6,166 persons to just the leaders, who are less than 100.

“Kuku further clarified in his discussions with the leaders that extant financial regulations do not permit any ministry, depart-

ment and agency of the Federal Government of Nigeria to pay money to persons or services other than as clearly spelt out as a line item in the budget.”

According to him, the 2012 budget had a provision for the payment of a stipulated sum as TSA to each of the 6,166 persons

enlisted in the second phase of the programme.

He said some of the leaders of the ex-agitators were insisting that the sum so budgeted for the 6,166 be shared out to them alone.

Alabrah said: “All efforts by Kuku to persuade them to understand that

their request was illegal and thus untenable failed as they continued to threaten to unleash mayhem in Abuja.

“The Special Adviser, therefore, resolved to hand the leaders of the exagitators to security agencies so as to nip in the bud any untoward act.”

JTF discovers cache of arms, ammunition in Mubi

BY UMAR YUSUF

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OLA—LESS than 24 hours after the Joint Task Force, JTF, uncovered a bomb factory and arrested no fewer than 156 suspected Boko Haram members, the force said it had uncovered and confiscated a cache of improvised explosive devices, IEDs, arms, ammunition and other dangerous weapons from another bomb factory in Mubi, Adamawa State, yesterday.

Commander of the 23rd Armoured Brigade of Nigerian Army, Yola, Brigadier General John Nwaoga, told journalists

that the military intervention in Mubi was aimed at flushing out notorious criminals in the town, which he said had been under siege by gunmen.

Items recovered from the factory included 96 IEDs in cans, two drums of bombs, nine explosive refrigerator compressors, six weapon training manuals, 469 ammunition, seven preaching manuals, seven Quarans and one magazine.

Other items were seven motorcycle batteries, one power stabiliser, three SIM cards, among others.

The Commander, however, disclosed that JTF was closing in on one

Bashir, suspected to be the kingpin of terrorists in Mubi. He reiterated the determination of the military, police and other security agencies to rid Mubi of high profile criminals.

Curfew reviewed

Meanwhile, Adamawa State government has extended the dusk to dawn curfew imposed in Mubi to 24 hours.

A statement by Secretary to the State Government, Kobis Thimnu, said the extension was targeted at availing JTF the opportunity to carry out the ongoing ‘sweeping exercise’ in Mubi.

Bishop condemns Bauchi church bombing as Dep Gov visits

BY SUZAN EDEH

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AUCHI—BISHOP John Golten of St. John’s Catholic Church, Bauchi, yesterday, condemned last Sunday ’s bomb attack on the church, describing it as an ungodly.

It will be recalled that over three persons lost their lives, while others sustained injuries, when a suicide bomber launched an attack on the

church last Sunday.

Bishop Golten spoke while receiving the state Deputy Governor, Alhaji Sagir Saleh, who was on a condolence visit to the church over the incident.

He called on both Christians and Muslims to continue praying for the curtailing of the insecurity challenges in the state and the nation in general.

He said: “We are in

very religious times in this country and we need a special intervention by God to overcome these challenges. We cannot make progress in an atmosphere of fear, violence and terrorist attack.

“Therefore, we must continue to be responsible for our security and assist security agents with useful information and we must continue to be our brother’s keeper.”

ACN describes Jonathan's govt as training ground

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CTION Congress of Nigeria, ACN, has criticised President Goodluck Jonathan over what it described as failure of a timely and robust response to the recent catalogue of woes and national calamities.

In a statement, yesterday, by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party wondered how else the administration’s lack of capacity to be proactive could be described.

ACN said: “The continued bungling of the Boko Haram insurgency, which is harvesting more deaths almost on a daily basis, the unstoppable carnage on our roads, the executive somersaults of the administration on policy issues and, in general, the slow, unfocused and uncertain responses of government to issues depict a government on internship.

“The closure of the Lokoja-Abuja highway, which had cut off Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city, due to flooding of roads and bridges along the AbujaLokoja highway, signposts the extent of our decayed national infrastructure and exposes the incapable hands entrusted to salvage them.”

On the President’s reaction to the flood disaster, the party said: “However, even worse is the fact that the President has not deemed it fit to comment on this disaster, neither has there been any visit by a federal minister or any cocoordinated response to the disaster from the central government.”

18 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2012

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Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2012 — 21

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22 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2012

African bankers plan inter-country recognition

BY PROVIDENCE OBUH

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HE Alliance of African Institute of Bankers (AAIOB) is to implement the inter-country recognition in order to allow the certified professional bankers in Nigeria have the opportunity of trading their skills in other countries in Africa.

This was made known during an Annual General Meeting of the AAIOB, held in Abuja. In a Communique issued at the end of the AGM, the alliance promised to implement the inter-country recognition and acceptance of qualifications and certificates of member countries to encourage and promote mobility of labour and skills among banks in the continent.

According to the Communique, the alliance would periodically conduct professional examination moderation exercises to strengthen examination policies, regulations, curricula and practices with a view to ensuring that quality standards and improvement in candidates’ performance are maintained and adhered to, at all times. “A smooth implementation of the Staff exchange programme (SEP) which is aimed at, among other things, to enhance cross

fertilization of skills, bonding, mentoring among member Institutes’ personnel would be vigorously pursued.”

Emphasizing on the need to embark on aggressive membership drive to expand the membership scope and as well

soliciting for the support of all the Central Banks and other Banking institutions in the continent to enable AAIOB to realise its objectives, The Communique, further stressed on the need for the AAIOB member institutions to participate actively in the

establishment programmes and activities of the Global Banking Education Standards Board (GBEStB) which is expected to be launched at the World Conference of Banking Institutes (WCBI) scheduled to hold in Nairobi, Kenya in June, 2013..

From left Mr Suresh Chellaram, Managing Director, Chellarams Plc; Mr Herbert Wigwe, Deputy Managing Director, Access Bank Plc; Mr Ronald Chagoury, Chairman, Eko Atlantic and Mr Faysal El-Khalil, Chairman, Seven Up Bottling Co. Plc at the Lagos Photo fundraising dinner 2012 held in Lagos. Photo by Lamidi Bamidele

Mainstreet Bank tasks employees on service delivery … Launches culture change campaign

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S part of efforts towards repositioning Mainstreet Bank on the part of growth, the bank has tasked employees on service delivery as it launched a culture change campaign initiative with the theme, Unbeatable Standards (US).

The GMD/CEO, Faith TuedorMatthews at the kick-off of the culture change workshop for the bank staff noted that the launch of the Unbeatable Standard creed is an internal campaign designed to inspire and motivate the bank’s committed workforce.

Her words, “Unbeatable Standards is our way of translating our core values into winning advantages. It is our promise to keep investing in the right people for enhanced customer experiences. It means we will never settle for less no matter how convenient it is; it is all about US because we are setting unbeatable standards”.

Emphasizing on the need for building the right culture, climate and behaviour platforms that will define the structure that the bank has chosen to run, Tuedor-Matthews stated that, “To be successful in delivering this exciting future, we need to build the right culture, climate and behavior platforms on which the bank will run. We need to see leaders engage posC M Y K

itively with peers, colleagues and immediate reports, ensuring that they not only set clear objectives but also ensure understanding, motivate and inspire performance”.

According to the GMD, the bank has engaged experts in the field of culture change to help

initiate the desired new culture amongst the bank’s staff. “A performance consultancy firm and an organization with significant international experience and expertise in culture change management, will partner with the bank in the transformation process”, she added.

The 5-Day workshop which

was held recently at the bank’s head office, amongst other o b j e c t i v e s w a s intended to transform the bank’s internal culture towards ensuring that staff continue to do things differently and help transform the bank’s climate and environment to enshrine motivation and the feeling of oneness.

Financial literacy: Access Bank, Nickelodeon extends campaign to primary schools

BY ELIZABETH AMIHOR

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CCESS Bank Plc and Nickelodeon have extended their groundbreaking financial literacy campaign by offering primary schools in Nigeria the opportunity to win a special visit by children’s TV heroine, Dora the Explorer.

According to a statement by both organisation, signed by Mr. Olusegun Fafore, Team Lead, Media, Access Bank and Seun Oratokhai, Nickelodeon Specialist, Dora and her monkey pal, Boots, currently seen on Nickelodeon and

SilverBird Television, STV, would visit five schools across the country this month, to entertain children and teachers with fun sing-along songs, bringing to life the concept of financial literacy using Dora’s positive, can-do persona.

They said Dora explore her world just as pre-schoolers do every day, adding that the show is designed to actively engage its audience in an interactive quest using a variety of learning techniques.

Speaking on the initiative, Mr Obinna Nwosu said that Access Bank is proud to provide this exciting interaction between Dora and the children.

He stated that the initiative would provide an innovative avenue for promoting financial literacy among children.

He said, “The engagement will explore financial topics in an engaging and appropriate way, covering subjects such as; The Value and History of Money, Money Around the World, Earning, Saving, Spending and Sharing.”

Obinna added that this is one of the banks’ numerous contributions to the development of a sustainable Nigerian economy by educating young children about finance with a view to empowering them make sound money-related decisions as they grow up.

B-R-I-E-F-S Naira gains on bond buying

By TOCHUKWU ANAETO

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HE naira rallied as inflows from purchases of local debt offset any increase in corporate demand for dollars.

The currency climbed 0.1 per cent to 157.59 a dollar on the interbank market in Lagos.

The naira has appreciated by three per cent this year, the best performer in Africa, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Nigeria’s seven-year borrowing costs dropped 324 basis points to a record low at a monthly debt auction last week after JPMorgan Chase & Co. said it may include the bonds in its emerging-market index series on Oct. 1 over a three month phased period.

“An important recent development in strengthening naira sentiment was the decision by JP Morgan to include Nigerian government bonds in its Emerging Market Government Bond Index,” Ecobank Transnational Inc. analysts, led by Paul-Harry Aithnard in Paris, wrote in a report today. “It will help increase demand for naira as funds that track the index seek to buy Nigerian government securities in order to maintain their replication of the index.”

Euro hurt by report of challenge to ECB plan

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HE euro fell on Tuesday on a media report that Bundesbank lawyers were checking the legality of the European Central Bank bondbuying plan, with uncertainty about when Spain would seek aid set to keep it under pressure.

The euro was down 0.15 percent at $1.2915, having earlier dropped to $1.2886 on EBS trading platform. Further losses could see it target the 200-day moving average at $1.2827. It was also lower against the British pound and the Swedish crown, reflecting widespread caution among investors.

German tabloid Bild said the issue of whether the ECB’s plans to buy the bonds of indebted countries violates the EU ban on direct financing of state deficits could be referred to the European Court of Justice.

Although some analysts doubted any such challenge would go ahead they said it highlighted the lack of unity among policymakers.

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League Cup:

•Ba

Wenger unleashes youthful side against Coventry •Wenger

Ba raises the bar Injury crisis hit West Brom

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RSENAL manager Arsene Wenger is expected to field a youthful side in the League Cup against Coventry.

Among those likely to feature is Nico Yennaris, who was a mascot when Arsenal last hosted Coventry 12 years ago.

Coventry could include midfielder James Bailey, who joined on a three-month loan from Derby last Tuesday.

Fellow loan signing Conor Henderson is ineligible against his parent club Arsenal, while David

McGoldrick is cup-tied.

With Coventry relegated last season and currently second bottom of League One, there has been precious little blue-sky thinking surrounding the Sky Blues. They will not be expected to test Arsenal, but new manager Mark Robins has made a memorable instant impact in this fixture once before.

Robins scored twice against Arsenal on his Norwich debut on the opening day of the inaugural Premier League season in 1992 as the Canaries came from 2-0 down to win 4-2 at Highbury.

peaking to the West Brom official site,coach Keith Downing has revealed that the Baggies could have up to nine players out through injury and suspension as they get ready to face Liverpool in the Capital One Cup tomorrow evening.

Downing said We’ve got nine players out at the moment, including Peter Odemwingie [suspended]. That’s obviously going to have some effect on our selection. We’re hopeful that one or two who are 50/50 for tomorrow will come through. James Morrison came off with a hamstring strain on Saturday, so he is doubtful.

Steven Reid [hamstring] and Goran Popov [groin] are among the nine players also.

Pardew confirms Krul readiness for action N

EWCASTLE United boss Alan Pardew has revealed duo Tim Krul and Danny Simpson are closing in on a return to the first team.

Goalkeeper Krul has been out of action after injuring his elbow while away on international duty for Holland, with Steve Harper forced to deputise in his absence.

The former Manchester United defender has been sidelined since picking up a hamstring injury during his side’s 1-1 draw against Aston Villa on September 2.

Both could be fit to make a return to the starting line-up when the Magpies travel to face Reading on Saturday.

Speaking to The Evening Chronicle, Pardew said: “Danny will train Thursday or Friday all being well.

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”Tim is looking for the all-clear on Wednesday to start back.”

Pardew takes his team to Old Trafford to face Manchester United in the League Cup before then and could be boosted for that game by the returns of Cheikh Tiote and Fabricio Coloccini.

•Krul

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EMBA Ba has sent out a message to Newcastle United’s upcoming opponents, warning them: “I’m better than last season.”

The Senegalese striker was a standout star for the Magpies in the first half of the 2011-12 campaign, before his form tailed off following the Africa Cup of Nations.

However, the former West

Ham man has been back among the goals for Alan Pardew’s side at the start of this term, and Ba feels that he is playing even better than his purple patch of 12 months ago.

“I feel good, I’ve had some good games and I’ll just keep on doing what I’m doing,” he told Newcastle’s official website.

“I think I’m in better form than last season so I’ll just continue to do what I do. ”Yohan [Cabaye] last Monday, the ball he gave me, and Hatem [Ben Arfa] on Sunday - when you have balls like this it’s easier to score some g o a l s . ” After Newcastle’s impressive tilt at the Champions League places last season, there has been talk that they will struggle to match that level this time out.

However, following their win over Norwich at the weekend the Magpies are just one point shy of their tally at the same stage last season, and Ba thinks they are well placed to mount another challenge for Europe’s elite club c o m p e t i t i o n . ”We’re on the road to what we did last season and we just want to keep doing what we do best and get as many wins as possible, especially at home,” the 27-year-old a d d e d .

Barcelona set to elongate Xavi contract

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ARCELONA are preparing to offer Xavi a new longterm contract, according to the player's agent. The 32year-old midfielder, whose existing deal still has two years to run, remains an integral part of both the Barça and Spain sides.

"Last Friday the club sent us its intention to renew the contract because they want Xavi to sign a new deal, given that the current one ends in 2014," Ivan Corretja said. "Therefore it is normal that we begin to talk about these issues because in June it would be too late."

While Corretja did not elaborate on the length of the deal, he does not foresee too many complications.

"We have always agreed in previous talks and there have never been problems of any kind. For the player it is very important to know that the club remains confident in him. Therefore I do not •Xavi think there is any problem," he added.

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AC Milan’s Allegri bags one match ban

•Allegri

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C Milan football head coach Massimiliano Allegri’s woes were exacerbated when he was handed a onematch touchline ban.

The beleaguered tactician, whose side has lost three matches out of four played this season, was banned on

Monday for shouting insults at the referee during the loss at Udinese. He will have to watch the Cagliari game on Wednesday from the stands, reports Xinhua.

Milan will also be without Cristian Zapata and Kevin Prince Boateng as they were dismissed in the 1-2 loss at the Stadio Friuli.

Catania’s Pablo Alvarez and Pescara keeper Mattia Perin will also sit out the midweek r o u n d .

Meanwhile, Sampdoria’s Maxi Lopez will have to watch the next 180 minutes of action from his home given his actions during the 1- 1 draw with Torino.

The Argentine was reported to the disciplinary panel for kicking the referee’s door at the end of the game, while hurling insults at the officials at the same time.

Walcott reveals Arsenal discontent

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RSENAL winger Theo Walcott insists that his ongoing contract negotiations are not concerned with money and that he is happy at the club, according to Sky Sports.

Apart from Arsenal’s 0-0 draw with Sunderland on the opening day of the campaign, Walcott has been limited to appearances from the substitute’s bench after stalling on contract negotiations which has mounted continued speculation on the 23-yearolds future.

However, the England international has revealed that his reluctance to agree a new deal for the Gunners isn’t based around greed for a pay rise, “It’s been a frustrating start for me, because of false speculation about me and the money situation.”

The former Southampton man says that his hesitance is based on a footballing matter, revolving around his desire to play centre-forward rather than out on the wings, “For me, it has never been about money, it has always been a football decision for me.”

Since the summer Walcott has constantly been linked with a move away from Arsenal, with Liverpool rumoured to be after his services. Walcott said that although he had the C M Y K

•Cole

Cole rejects Chelsea contract A

SHLEY Cole has rejected a new one-year contract from Chelsea, and could leave in January if no agreement is reached.

Cole, 31, earns around £130,000-a-week at Stamford Bridge and his old Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, now at Real Madrid, is keeping a close eye on developments, while another old boss, Carlo Ancelotti, would willingly

take him to PSG next summer, when the England left-back would be a free agent.

Blues manager Roberto Di Matteo stated on Sunday that he was “optimistic” that Cole’s contract would be sorted out and that he will stay; however, the offer of a one-year deal has been firmly rejected, and it is the length of any new contract that is presently the sticking point.

“The club have a policy that

Vidic out for eight weeks

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•Walcott

opportunity to leave the Gunners in the summer, he has and will continue to remain loyal to the club, “I had opportunities to go in the

summer. If I wanted to, I would have gone, if it was about money. It has never been that.”

EMANJA VIDIC has been ruled out for around eight weeks after undergoing surgery on his right knee.

The Serbian ace, 30, was rested at the weekend as a precautionary measure ahead of an operation this week.

The news comes as a real blow to Manchester United, who are already struggling in central defence with injuries to Phil Jones and Chris Smalling.

A United statement read: “Nemanja Vidic has had a meniscus operation on his right knee and will be out for around eight weeks.

“Sir Alex, as a precautionary measure, rested Vidic at the weekend, after he complained of tightness in his knee. However, further medical investigation revealed the underlying problem.”

•Vidic

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The Bakassi sovereignty and international politics (2) Prof. Walter Ofonagoro in this segment argues that there had never been any dispute about the validity of the Rio del Rey boundary since 1893, and that Nigeria's position at the ICJ was strange as the team tried to argue against the legal validity of the Anglo-German Agreement of April 18, 1893.

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IGERIA emphasized long occupation, peaceful consolidation, and Cameroon’s acquiescence of Nigeria’s long presence at Bakassi, rather than title to the land, as proof of ownership, meaning that she acknowledged Cameroon’s ownership of Bakassi!

1. Nigeria preferred to defend her title to Bakassi Peninsula on the basis of the original title of the City States of Old Calabar (NC.M.10.121), and it complete-

“illegal” Agreement. Effectively, Nigeria was acknowledging in Court, only the boundaries covered by legal instruments such as a) The paragraphs 3-61 of the Thomson-Marchard Declaration of 1931, which covered the Boundary inland from the Akwa Yafe River to the Ebeji River, b) The protectorate Order-inCouncil of August 1946, which also covered portions of the land boundary north of the Akwa Yafe River c) Paragraphs13 to 21, of the Anglo-German Treaty of March 11, 1913, and d) Articles XV to VII of the Anglo-German Treaty of March 11, 1913, to the exclusion of Boundary Agreement No. 260 of April 29, 1885; No. 263 of August 2, 1886; No. 270 of July 1, 1890; and No. 273 of April 14, 1893, which she failed to acknowledge as Boundary treaties. e) In their place, Nigeria presented the Yaoundé I and II Declarations, and the Maroua Agreement of June 1, 1875, as valid and binding agreements between the two countries, while also arguing that the Government of Nigeria regarded

there was no land boundary from the sea to the Akwa Yafe River.

This is a purely calculated concealment. The Rio del Rey boundary, existing since 1893 till date, was, at this point, completely ignored.

The Nigerian defence appeared more interested in issues affecting oil prospecting off-shore Bakassi. Nigeria explained that “the Cameroonian government has been prospecting for oil in the area which it considered as falling within her territory under the 1975 Maroua Declaration. Nigeria too has been prospecting for oil in the same zone. But according to geological surveys, productivity of oil in the zone has a life span of only two years”.

(Paragraph 10.105-10.106) Nigeria kept stressing Cameroon’s acquiescence to her peaceful possession of Bakassi; and that Cameroon has no system of administration in place in Bakassi, other than acts of harassment from Cameroonian soldiers, sometime in 1968, which were aimed at some Nigerian fishing ports.

Defending her sovereignty It is obvious that Nigeria did not even try to defend her sovereignty over Bakassi at the ICJ, and accepted all of Cameroon’s averments as regards all the legal authorities cited by Cameroon. Only the owner of a terri-

Map of Bakassi in April 1926

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Nigeria itself, did not recognize the Rio del Rey as the boundary between Cameroon and Nigeria before the Court, but it, at the same time, expected the court to accept the median line boundary at the Rio del Rey, as the boundary between the territorial waters of the two states!

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ly trivializes the legal significance of the Treaty of Protection between the city states of Old Calabar, and the British Government, signed on July 23, 1884, and July 24, 1884, with the Kings and chiefs of Creek Town and Duke Town, respectively, which had effectively transferred sovereignty over the entire Efik kingdoms embraced in those treaties to Britain. Furthermore, Nigeria in arguing (before the court) that the Treaty of Protection signed in July 1884, between Great Britain and the Efik kingdoms, did not give the British the right to alienate Efik territory to third parties without the express approval of the owners of the land, either ignored or was ignorant of the broad and retroactive sweep of the Foreign Jurisdiction Act, 1890, by which the British Government authorized itself to treat “Protected States” as conquered or ceded territories.

2. The Nigerian defence team further suppressed the legal value of the Anglo-German Agreements of April 29, 1885, July 1, 1890, and April 14, 1893, as Boundary definition Treaties, thereby undermining the legal basis of Nigeria’s claim to sovereignty over Bakassi

Peninsula in international law. In sub-paragraph 4 (e) of paragraph 27 of the ICJ’s summary of evidence, Nigeria asserts that “the respective territorial waters of the two states are divided by a median line boundary within the Rio del Rey”, but destroys the evidential value of the Anglo-German Treaty of August 14, 1893, by refusing to cite it in connection with this median line boundary.

Rio del Rey river as boundary In other words, Nigeria itself, did not recognize the Rio del Rey as the boundary between Cameroon and Nigeria before the Court, but it, at the same time, expected the court to accept the median line boundary at the Rio del Rey, as the boundary between the territorial waters of the two states!

3. Finally, Nigeria even while insisting that the Maroua Agreement of 1975 was illegal, explained that under that Agreement, she and Cameroon had been drilling oil on both sides of the 1975, Ngo/Coker boundary line based on the said

Prof. Walter Ofonagoro...ICJ misdirected itself the Maroua Agreement of 1975 as illegal .

4. By this presentation, Nigeria failed to accord due relevance to the portion of the Nigerian/ Cameroon Boundary from Archibong Creek, through the Rio del Rey Creek to the sea.

Instead, Nigeria offered the Yaoundé I and II, Declarations, and the Maroua Declaration of 1975 as the maritime boundary between her and Cameroon, taking off south westwards to the sea from the Akwa Yafe River.

The Rio del Rey Boundary is not presented to the court as the land/sea endpoint of the boundary between Nigeria and Cameroon on the sea coast. In this manner, Nigeria created the impression before the Court, that

tory can acquiesce in its use. Nigeria was saying by its emphasis of Cameroonian “acquiescence”, that Cameroon owned Bakassi.

Nigeria’s defence was a most embarrassing display of monumental ignorance, probably traceable to the glaring absence of any professional historians on the Nigerian defence team, even as resource persons; and consequent inability to challenge the empirical bases of the most basic averments of the Cameroonian claims. Those who ignore the lessons of history, inevitably end up reliving them. Nigeria’s inability to challenge Cameroon’s disregard for 28 years of Boundary delimitation in the area from the Continues on page 39

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2012—39

The Bakassi sovereignty and international politics (2)

Anglo-German agreement These limits more or less coincide with the boundary adopted in the Anglo-German Agreement concluded on April 14,1893 (NCM Paragraph 27), but with a northward extension to the Akpa Yafe, by way of the creek two kilometres east of Archibong…….In this connection it is relevant to keep in mind the distinction between a formal basis of title, for example, a description of a boundary in a treaty, and the effort of acts of administration, which have the role of showing the territorial expanse of a title.”

There had, however, never been any dispute about the validity of the Rio del Rey Boundary, since 1893. Nigeria’s position was indeed very strange! One could be forgiven for wondering who the Nigerian team was representing at the Court, Cameroon or Nigeria? We have seen how the Nigerian team tried to argue against C M Y K

the legal validity of the Anglo-German Agreement of April 14, 1893, describing it as a mere “administrative arrangement”, and applying to Bakassi, stare decisis relevant to islands! But a peninsula is not an island, and a formal agreement, negotiated painstakingly over the period, April 29, 1885 to April 29, 1893, which contained specific details of the Rio del Rey Boundary from the sea to the Archibong Creek, signed in Berlin by four very senior officials of the German and British Colonial Governments at the level of the Consul-general and Commissioner (equivalent to the Governor) of Oil Rivers Protectorate; the Head of the British Embassy in Berlin; and two German Privy Councilors, one of them, an Imperial Privy Councilor, and the other, the Chief of the Colonial Department of the Imperial German Foreign Office, could not be

(the Executive Head of the Imperial German Government); and (4) Dr. Krauel, the Privy Councilor in the German Foreign Office. They signed the Agreements on behalf of their respective Governments.

4) Finally, No. 273, April 14, 1893, was signed by four officials of the two Governments in Berlin, of similar levels of authority and incorporated all previous agreements. It stated very clearly, and without equivocation, that “From the upper end of the Rio del Rey to the sea, that is to say, to the promontory marked West Huk on the above mentioned chart (German Admiralty Chart 1889-90), the right bank of the Rio del Rey waterway shall be the boundary between the Oil Rivers Protectorate and the Colony of Cameroon”.

This agreement was never repudiated or superseded by any

Continues tomorrow

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Continues from page 38 coast of the Gulf of Guinea inland to thalweg of the Akwa Yafe river, in her memorandum of “Facts”, may also have been due to the uncritical application, to the stretch of land from the Akwa Yafe river to the Bakassi sea coast, of esoteric theories of what constitutes a Boundary Agreement, and what does not.

Thus, the Nigerian defence team subsumed the Rio Del Rey Boundary Agreement of April 14, 1893 (which clearly made Bakassi a Nigerian territory), under a general “definition of Bakassi Peninsula”, in a theoretical discussion of the El Salvador/Honduras boundary dispute, where the ICJ held that: “where the relevant administrative boundary was ill-defined or its position disputed, in the view of the chamber the two newly independent states in the years following independence may well serve as a guide to where the boundary was, either in their shared view, or in the view acted on by one and acquiesced in by the other. This aspect of the matter is of particular importance in relation to the status of the islands by reason of their history.”

On this peg, the Nigerian defence team hangs its attempt to discredit the Rio del Rey Boundary of 1893: “In the submission of the Nigerian Government these statements of principle apply to the circumstances of the Bakassi Peninsula in the period after the independence of Nigeria on October 1, 1960. The Republic of Cameroon became independent on January 1, 1960. The definition of the Bakassi Peninsula “For the present purposes the Bakassi Peninsula has the limits in the Atlas on Map 36.

roon. Documents pleaded, with maps, refer only to the period from 1913 to 1975. Thus, before passing judgment, the ICJ reassured itself on the position of Nigeria vis-à-vis Cameroon’s claims, and the documents on which she based her claims. The Court narrowed the basis of Cameroon’s claims to four legal instruments viz: 1) The Yaoundé I Agreement of August 14, 1970 2) The Yaoundé II Agreement of April 4, 1971 3) The Maroua Declaration of 1 June, 1975 4) The Anglo-German Agreements of March 11 and April 12, 1913.

The Court summarized the legal basis of the dispute as follows: 1) Paragraph 76 of ICJ judgment : “With the exception of what it calls the “Bakassi provisions” of the Anglo-German Agreement of March 11, 1913, Nigeria for its part does not dispute the relevance and applicability of the four instruments invoked by Cameroon with respect to the course of these three sectors of the land boundary”; and again in

In fine, Nigeria had by itself, ceded Bakassi to Cameroon through legal agreements and decisions it had executed with Cameroon from August 14, 1970 to June 1, 1975. Since the Court bound Nigeria and Cameroon to strictly observe the stipulations of Articles XVIII to XXII of the Anglo-German Treaty of March 11, 1913, in paragraph 215, of its judgement, the said Court contradicted itself by not holding them strictly to Section XXI of the said treaty, which forbade the boundary from going due west from the Akwa Yafe river mouth.

It should have been insisted that the boundary go due east from the Akwa Yafe river mouth as stipulated in Article XXI of the said treaty, because it was a mandatory and boundary defining article of that Agreement. It states that “for the purpose of defining this boundary, the navigable channel of the Akwa Yafe River shall be considered to lie wholly to the East of the navigable channel of the Cross and Calabar Rivers”.

By approving the Ngo/Coker boundary line to the sea, while claiming to be upholding Articles XVIII to XXII of the Anglo-German Treaty of March 11, 1913, the ICJ had misdirected itself, and helped in violating the treaty it claimed to be upholding, especially the most important part of the treaty. The ICJ was also surprisingly silent on the enforcement of Article 25 of the said treaty.

L-r: Paul Biya of Cameroun exchanging greetings with Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria as former United Nations secretary general, Kofi Annan and others watch described, by any stretch of the imagination, as a mere “administrative arrangement.”

In the earlier stages of the negotiation of the Rio del Rey Boundary, all consolidated in the April 14, 1893 Agreement, the negotiations had been carried out, and Agreements reached by the following high British and German potentates: 1) No. 260, 1885: Lord Granville, British Foreign Minister and Count Munster, the German Foreign Minister.

2) No. 269, 1886, was negotiated by the British Foreign Secretary, the Earl of Roseberry, and the German Ambassador to London, Count Hatzfeldt.

3) No. 270, 1890 was negotiated and signed by (1) Sir Edward Baldwin Malet, Her Britannic Majesty’s Ambassador Extra-Ordinary and Plenipotentiary in Berlin; (2) Sir Percy Anderson, Chief of the African Department of Her Majesty’s Foreign Office; (3) General Von Caprivi, the Chancellor of the German Empire

other agreement with respect to the stretch of boundary from Archibong River, through the Rio del Rey to the sea, since April 1893.

It was the boundary that Nigeria inherited at independence, and it has remained in force from April 14, 1893, until the World Court judgment of October 2, 2002.

Indeed, the main objective of the Nigerian defence team at the ICJ in claiming that there was no valid boundary treaty covering the stretch of the Nigeria/Cameroon boundary leading from Akwa Yafe River to the sea at the east end of Bakassi Peninsula, was to facilitate the cession of Bakassi to Cameroon, and to confer international respectability to the new sea boundary drawn from Akwa Yafe River to the sea between April 4, 1971, and June 1, 1975.

Pleaded documents We must note that Nigeria never presented to the Court any maps that accompanied the 1893 Boundary with German Came-

2) Paragraph 82: “The Court likewise notes that, with the exception of the provisions concerning Bakassi, contained in Article XVIII et seq. of the Anglo-German Agreement of March 11, 1913, Cameroon and Nigeria both accept the validity of the four above mentioned legal instruments which effected this delimitation”, and 3) Paragraph 85: “Since the land boundary has already been delimited by various legal instruments, it is indeed necessary, in order to specify the course definitely, to confirm that those instruments are binding on the parties, and are applicable. ” 4) Paragraph 215: “The Court also held that the Maroua Declaration constituted an international agreement by which Nigeria was bound…..and accordingly finds that at the time Nigeria accepted that it recognized Articles XVIII to XXII of the Anglo-German Agreement of March 11, 1913, and that it recognized Cameroonian sovereignty over Bakassi.”

Agreement No. 273 of April 14, 1893, was signed by four officials of the two Governments in Berlin, of similar levels of authority and incorporated all previous agreements. It stated very clearly, and without equivocation, that ‘From the upper end of the Rio del Rey to the sea, that is to say, to the promontory marked West Huk on the above mentioned chart (German Admiralty Chart 1889-90), the right bank of the Rio del Rey waterway shall be the boundary between the Oil Rivers Protectorate and the Colony of Cameroon'

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L-r: CEO, Emel hospitals with the dean, Clinical services, LASUCOM, Dr. Fidelis Njokanma; LASUCOM board chairman, Dr. Bolaji Ajenifuja, OFR; national postgraduate medical college; Dr. Kike Osinusi listening to the immediate past provost of the Rivers State college of Health Sciencwes, Prof. Ralph Oruamabo at LASUTH, Ikeja

Lagos Chief Registrar gets threats over bail for oil marketers ••as the ICPC Chair urges suspect to own up to crime

By ABDULWAHAB ABDULAH

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HE Chief Registrar of the Lagos State judiciary, Mr. Ganiyu Safari, yesterday, said that an official from the presidency threatened the state judiciary until he was allowed to stand surety for one of the oil marketers arraigned in the state high court over the oil subsidy scam.

The chief registrar who admitted that corruption has reached a controversial level that some prominent Nigerians do not mind what it takes to deviate from recognised societal norms to achieve their goals, said the few members of the judiciary who are corrupt cannot do this without those who approached them.

Speaking as a guest at the the Media-Roundtable tagged, “Promoting Ethics and Integrity Within the Courts System Towards Citizens Access to Justice,” organised by Socio-Economic Rights Accountability Projects, SERAP in Lagos, the Registrar said corruption has reached a hydraheaded level in the country that most public officials, especially those working in the bench are threatened by litigants, their lawyers and their prominent families to achieve their aims by all means possible.

Safari, who disclosed that on several occasions he received serious pressures and threats from prominent Nigerians who mostly asked favour from him to have their ways in either securing bail for their relatives or on other issues,said he always insisted that thing should be done normally.

He said: “There was an instance when I was approached by an aide to a senior government official C M Y K

in Abuja who said I should bend the rule to get bail for one of the oil marketers. The court imposed a condition that they should produce a surety with landed property in Lagos, but they got a surety from Ogun State.

They want my office to confirm the surety, but luckily for me I was in Abuja for a programme then. They called me severally, I said there is nothing I can do to confirm it. They even promised to fly my secretary with the file to Abuja but I refused.

“There are serious pressures from prominent Nigerians, including lawyers.

How many people can stand face to face with these people. Sometimes when they want to stand surety for their relatives, I asked them to appear personally, but they request that we should interview them on phone. I always maintained my stand that how should

I know or recognise a surety if I did not see face to face. They will threat that they will call on the governor who will direct the CJ to influence it. But eventually they will still have to show up.”

His disclosure was coming as the acting chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC, Mr. Ekpo Nta advised that Nigerian lawyers should cultivate the habit of persuading their clients to admit guilty when necessary to ease and fast-track justice delivery system.

Speaking at the same forum, Nta who was represented by the Director of Legal Services of the ICPC, Mrs Christiana Onuogu, said the delay tactics being employed by majority of the legal practitioners contributed immensely to the slow pace being experienced in the nation’s judicial system.

Women group lauds Fashola’s new traffic law • Kicks against pregnant women and babies using bikes

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WOMEN'S organisation, Women in Logistics and Transport, WILAT, has kicked against pregnant women and babies using bikes as means of transportation.

WILAT also frowns at those riding motorbikes without helmets or crossing the highways and not using the pedestrian bridges where available.

Chairperson of the group, Mrs Aisha Ali-Ibrahim, declared the position of the group, while addressing market women at Anjorin market, Apapa, weekend, as part of its awareness programmes on gender issues in movement of

people and goods.

Applauding Fashola’s new traffic laws, Mrs AliIbrahim emphasised that WILAT Nigeria had chosen to be agent of change.

WULAT is a group of international women professionals from Maritime, Air, rail, road transport, training institutions, transport ministries and logistics and an arm of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport Nigeria.

Mrs Ali-Ibrahim told the market women: “What we are discussing with you here today may seem so simple, but are life threatening, which is why we must be very careful.

MIDWEEK SERMON

Vanguard , WEDNESD AY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2012 — 41 WEDNESDA with SAM EYOBOKA sameyoboka@yahoo.com

Assemblies men visit special correctional centres •Shed light on how to curb youthful misdemeanour

Fashola, Amosun extol Methodist Church Nigeria at 170 years

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OVERNOR Raji Fashola of Lagos State and his Ogun State counterpart, Senator Ibikunle Amosun have both lauded the achievements of Methodist Church Nigeria in building a spiritually vibrant and healthy nation as the church celebrates 170 years of her existence in Nigeria.

The two governors spoke at the Gateway International Stadium, Sagamu, Ogun State during the formal opening of a 3day Sports Festival and other activities which include singing competition and Bible quiz put together as part of the programmes lined up to celebrate 170 years of Methodism in Nigeria and 50 years of autonomy.

In a release made available by the church’s Media and Public Relations Officer, Rev. Oladapo Daramola, Gov. Fashola of Lagos State, who was represented by the Special Adviser on Religious Matters, Rev. Sam Ogedengbe said that “Method-

ist Church Nigeria has been a reliable partner in the building of a prosperous and spiritually healthy Nigeria.

“As the first church to come into Nigeria, Methodism has impacted the lives of many through socially responsible programmes, policies and actions which have in turn transformed into benchmarks for many in government today to emulate, and in emulating them, it must be done correctly and adequately in a way that would be beneficial to the people.

“The church is a pioneer in providing quality healthcare services, good, sound and quality education and community-friendly welfare projects which have in many ways transformed the lives of many across the country. These are enviable achievements which the people are yearning for today,” the release stated.

Speaking in similar vein, the Ogun State governor, Senator

Amosun who was represented by his deputy, Prince Segun Adesegun said; “there is no denying the fact that the church has a great role to play in the moral rebirth, value reorientation and character modification which we so much desire in Nigeria today. The Methodist Church should be in the forefront in this direction.”

He added that spiritual leaders must instill in their followers the need for peaceful coexistence with people from other faiths and cultural background. It is only through this that we will jointly take our nation to the desired heights.

While declaring the Sports Festival open, the Prelate of Methodist Church Nigeria, His Eminence Sunday Ola Makinde thanked the participants from all across the Methodist Conference area and urged them to show good character and personalities during the events.

*Mr. Charles Nwobodo

A

SSEMBLIES of God Men’s Ministries president, Mr. Charles Nwobodo has lauded the Lagos State Government for establishing Special Correctional Centre for Boys, Oregun, Lagos, reports SIMEON NDAJI. Nwobodo made this commendation when the men of Ikeja Assemblies of God visited the Centre as part of the Men’s programme in compliance with the Assemblies of God Nigeria National Men’s Week/Day in September 2012.

“The state government has really taken care of these children and have affected their lives. It is indeed commendable, and there is no better way to impact their lives. This is a quicker way of changing the ills in the society,” the president stated.

He therefore urged other governments to borrow a leaf from the Lagos State Government,

saying that more churches and other organizations should get involved, noting "such is the only way to secure our future, and nip societal anomalies in the bud and guarantee brighter future where crimes and youthful misdemeanor are drastically curbed.”

Addressing inmates of the Centre, he said, one of the objectives of Assemblies of God Men’s Ministries' objective is about touching lives by reaching out to people, and to achieve this, you will have to find out where people have need, that informed the Men’s visit to the Centre.

“Touching lives cannot be within the church, and in line with our programme, we chose two prominent areas. First, we visited Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, and our visit was worthwhile because its impact on the lives of the patients and others.

"Having an idea of these boys who are kept away at a centre in Lagos State, we said this is an opportunity to touch lives and if you perfect the lives of these boys you can talk about better tomorrow. Obviously, the boys today are men of tomorrow,” he added.

Nwobodo also said: “These are children who have one inadequacy or the other but, sharing our experience….(like some of us, pastors and deacons in the church today have suffered similar problems...) will be a great inspiration because we are no longer talking of where we are coming from; but where we are going to be …"

Catholics urged to pray against abortion

By AKOMA CHINWEOKE

C

*CONFERENCE: L-R: Secretary of Conference, Bishop Chibuzo Opoko; CAN President, Ayo Oritsejafor; Governor Babatunde Fashola and Prelate of MCN, His Eminence(Dr)Sunday Makinde; at the opening ceremony of the biennial conference of Methodist Church Nigeria

Rosicrucians task Nigerians on patriotism

By OLAYINKA LATONA

S

EVERAL speakers at a public seminar tagged, ”Character and Value in National Peace and Progress,” have urged Nigerians to imbibe absolute patriotism and set their priority right in addition to the fear of God. Speaking at a one-day seminar organised by the Lagos zone of the Rosicrucian Order, AMORC, the speakers maintained that despite various social challenges facing the country, there is need for the citizens to have a renewal of attitudes and ways of thinking.

With one voice they advised Nigerians to aspire and be aware of the responsibility of a true and one country.

The speakers included the Grand Administrator and Director, Supreme Board,

AMORC, Dr. Kenneth Idiodi; Prof. Olu Akeusola, Provost, Michael Otedola College of Primary Education, Noforija, Epe, Prof. Femi Otubanjo and Prof. Friday Ndubisi, Head, Department of Philosophy, University of Lagos.

Dr. Idiodi, in his presentation titled: “Awakening national conscience,” said the erosion of cultural values can only be remedied through the reawakening of national conscience cum national character.

He further described national conscience as the only precursor to the achievement of national development, security, peace and happiness in the country.

In his presentation on "Character: The bane of our National Progress?", Prof. Olu Akeusola who was represented by Mr. Ilori Abiodun, said good char-

acter and morality have almost gone down the drain in the society, noting that Nigeria is battling with lots of challenges because of lack of good character qualities among the masses and the leaders.

Prof. Akeusola recommended that schools should emphasis more on moral education, government should recognize and reward citizens who are found to be of good character.

He also challenged religious bodies to be more responsive to the society by helping to mould the character of their followers, avoid religious bigotry by not being gullible in their actions and inactions.

The chairman of the occasion, Alagba Oladipo Yemitan, advised Nigerians to be optimistic that the country will get better, think positively and do good at all times.

ATHOLIC faithful have been enjoined to always pray against abortion and for the removal of the veil of deceit which Satan has placed over people’s hearts which portrays promiscuity as a freedom.

At a special vigil organized by the Marriage, Family And Human Life Unit (MFHLU) of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos in collaboration with the Order of the Knights of Saints Mulumba Lagos Metropolitan Council at the Archdiocesan Marian Shrine, Maryland, Lagos the group condemned the practice of procuring abortion in its entirety, insisting on the sanctity of human life.

Mr. Egbert Imomoh, deputy Metropolitan Grand Knight of the Order of the Knights of Saint Mulumba, Lagos Metropolitan Council, enjoined Catholics and all people of goodwill to respect human life which begins at the moment of conception.

He disclosed that more than 60 million unborn babies are killed each year through abortion in hospitals, clinics and private homes.

This figure, he said, represents one-third of Nigeria's population or four times the population of Lagos.

Imomoh observed that God is not happy with man for such wanton destruction.

In her own address, co-ordinator MFHLU, Mrs. Bridget Itsueli explained that the theme of the vigil mass; “To Respect And Protect Life–Our Christian Duty”, was conceived “to reflect human responsibility to protect life from conception to natural death”.

She described abortion as a highly immoral act, saying the society need to educate young girls and boys on the virtues of chastity and self control to curb the trend.

In his homily, the rector of S.S Peter and Paul Seminary Bodija, Ibadan, Rev. Fr. Michael Sasa, stressed the need for proper moral education of young men and women to make them have respect for human life at every stage from conception to natural death.

He further affirmed that “God in his infinite wisdom has made it imperative for parents and even grandparents, to play a part in the sexual education of their children," noting “there is a lot that the family can do to protect the girl child from sexual abuse and promiscuity.”

According to the priest, “these dangers when left unchecked often account for the increasing number of pregnancy crisis among young girls”.

C M Y K

42—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2012

includes, but not limited to, elimination of pipeline vandalism, crude oil theft, illegal oil refining and illegal oil bunkering. It also covered the elimination of piracy and all forms of sea robbery within its area of responsibility to create conducive environment for the operation of the nation’s oil and gas industry.

Living up to the new mandate, Pulo Shield may have earned a handful of testimonies to prove it meant business. The Force’s spokesperson, Lt. Colonel Onyema Ugochukwu claimed nearly that 1,000 “major illegal refineries” and about 2,700 cooking points operated by the criminal saboteurs have been destroyed within the past six months since JTF got a fresh mandate from the Defence Headquarters.

Prosecuting authorities

*JTF operatives invade sea vessel used for illegal oil bunkering, arresting some dealers

Securing Niger Delta’s oil wealth •Stakeholders toe divergent paths over JTF’s altered mandate

BY EGUFE YAFUGBORHI, Port Harcourt

I

T has been nine months since the report of a changed mandate for the Joint Task Force, JTF, in the Niger Delta gained prominence. In January, the Defence Headquarters after an appraisal of the interventionist security force put together to tackle security challenges posed by modern day militancy in the region, declared it is divesting the task force’s foundation garb as “Operation Restore Hope".

The authorities felt at the time that the string of brutal insurrections among a violent segment of predominantly distressed youths of the region which made the JTF’s occupation unavoidable had died down. The guerrilla

struggles initiated by the likes of Asari Dokubo in the '90s and peaked from 2004 with increase in the number of warlords with dedicated armed followers, led to the frightening destruction of lives and property.

At the height of the war of attrition between the relentless gangs of insurgents and a suppressor Operation Restore Hope, the civil population caught in the crossfire suffered cruel deaths and economic losses. Most vulnerable were oil workers who died or were traumatised in repeated attacks or abduction for ransom as well as the local population who lost folks, property and suffered displacement, in some instances, at the hands of their own brothers in arms.

With the Federal forces raising the superiority of military hardware employed in the clampdown on the militants,

some party in the hurtful episode had to give in to end the growing bloodbaths concentrated in coastal Niger Delta. The denouement of that ugly chapter of the JTF/militants oil wars in the creeks came May 2009 with the JTF’s punitive aerial bombing of Gbaramatu Kingdom after militant forces reportedly loyal to reformed warlord, Chief Government Ekpemukpolo a.k.a Tompolo, ambushed and killed soldiers in the waters of their Warri South West stronghold.

The crushing impact of the Gbaramatu bombardment and the fear that it could be extended to other militant hideouts in fiercer dimensions quaked virtually all the gangs wherever they were operating in the mangroves of the Delta.

Patronising amnesty Added to the disarmament kick-starting Federal Government patronising amnesty that followed, the army authorities, by 2012, felt the task of restoring hope from the sage of militants has been satisfactorily met. This informed

the metamorphosis from Operation Restore Hope to Pulo Shield, Pulo meaning oil in Ijaw. That meant the new mandate was primarily “operation protect the oil”,

,

Transformed from Operation “Restore Hope” to “Pulo Shield”, the Joint Task Force is scoring reported victories against crude oil thieves but giving corresponding leverage for renewed killings, kidnapping and other violent crimes in the coastal region.

The stock-taking recorded over 927 illegal refineries wiped out, 21 vessels, 86 barges, 293 Cotonou boats and surface tanks with total capacity of 17, 515, 320 litres of products destroyed while 86 suspects have, within the period under review, been apprehended and handed over to appropriate prosecuting authorities, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. In further operations post-dating this report, more victories have been scored against illegal refineries and crude oil thieves with Bayelsa, Rivers, and Delta sharing the highest cases of uncovered sabotages in that pecking order.

However, as the new JTF intensifies the chase after those connected with oil sabotage, the growing concentration on

The JTF task of Restore Hope has been virtually completed; we now have a new challenge to fight such crimes like oil bunkering, pipeline vandalism

implying that the concern for the threats to lives and property were pushed backstage.

Explaining it in January, Commander of 2 Brigade, Port Harcourt, Brig-Gen. Yusuf Buratai, said: “The JTF task of Restore Hope has been virtually completed. We now have a new challenge to fight such crimes like oil bunkering, pipeline vandalism, and you know the oil sector plays a very vital role in our economy. We will not allow it to be destroyed”. He emphasised that the force will now be dedicated to curbing incidents of oil sabotage in the Niger Delta.

The new mission as explained

,

shielding the pulo have been provoking consequential rebirth of all nuances of criminalities associated with militancy that endangered lives of the civil population in the region. Top on these renewed crimes are the repeated cases of kidnap for ransom, killings and piracy against marine operatives.

Operating with respect for no one, these criminals have recently attacked, robbed and killed oil workers, fishing operatives, including locals, in various commercial ventures in the waterways. They have also renewed kidnap for ransom in the coast and upland. In the Continues on page 43

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2012—43

Securing Niger Delta’s oil wealth Continues from page 42 recent high profile cases, four expatriates in the employ of marine giant, Sea Trucks, were held for days before being freed on payment of undisclosed ransom. Last month in Bayelsa, aged King Richard Seiba of Okordia Kingdom was forced out of his palace in the dead of the night and navigated to a hideout in the creeks by armed abductors who initially demanded N70million for his release. The monarch suffered ten days of abuse and hunger in the hands of the kidnappers before being released at an undisclosed cost.

Admitting the motivation the new mandate has given to the renewed armed attacks on and offshore of the region, JTF’s Deputy Commander and Chairman, Bayelsa Security Stakeholders Forum, Commodore Abimbola Ayuba, said it all attests to the remarkable success Operation Pulo Shield is recording in putting out oil theft and illegal refineries in the Niger Delta.

“With the new mandate, JTF has been clamping down on

region, modern day militancy thrived on a professed declaration by its protagonists to take their reasoned fair share of the crude oil by force of arms as an expression of their dissatisfaction with underdevelopment of the region. So, to pay greater security attention to only one of their nuances -oil theft- is to give force to the others –banditry, kidnapping, vandalism and related violence which are all deliberate distractions to sustain the leverage to steal the oil” he said.

In a separate perspective, safety expert, Mr. •Illegal refining of crude oil in progress...JTF rebranded to stop this in the Niger Delta Emmanuel Aruya, wish way the crime of oil theft sees nuisance value in the region is Mr. Chika Onuegbu, the large life styles of those in one breath as is being present security situation in the Rivers State’s Chairman of the already serving attest to the suggested by critics, Deputy region against the new JTF’s Trade Union Congress, TUC. belief that the body is Commander of the Task Force, focus with Pulo Shield. “The Recently, he accused the compromised in its task of Commodore Ayuba pointed to renewed violence and security task force of aiding and securing the oil. the overbearing vastness of the kidnappings in the advent of abetting oil theft rather than Taking exception to the operating environment in fighting it. According to the criticisms, JTF through its relation to the human and labour leader, the operating spokesman, Col. Ugochukwu, material resources employed as space where oil theft thrives is maintained that: “Since incepa basic challenge. He not so hidden with an aerial tion on January 9, 2012, the explained that with a Nigerian surveillance to make the task JTF Operation Pulo Shield, has maritime space spanning 480 of putting out the oil thieves fought relentlessly, including nautical miles with several creeks, the responsibility of policing the entire space for the streamlined JTF operations is criminals is enormous and an indication that the much requires time against the cherished relative peace that changing tactics adopted by the had been scored to inform the criminals. altered mandate was a false interpretation. That to me calls for ther stakeholders have concern because it means we simply suggested a cannot have peace in the Niger legalisation of the some of the Delta without an army of criminalities currently occupation watching over lives constituting the shades of oil and property,” he argued. crimes in the Nigeria. While Aruya added that the current former Bayelsa State Governor, reality of the security situation DSP Alamieyeseigha believes in the region also calls to in the legalisation of bunkering question the hyped success of •DSP Alamieyeseigha in the Niger Delta, Ijaw the Federal Government Amnesty. “Amnesty was such a herculean endless paying the supreme sacrifice of activist, Comrade Austin Ozobo intended to rid the creeks of exercise for the military. laying down the lives of a wants government’s technical militants and all shades of Onuegbu would add that the number of its operatives, to curb support for those currently criminality. If with the billions zealousness being the excesses of crude oil being hunted by the JTF over expended and so much claims demonstrated by Operation thieves, sea robbers and illicit cooking of stolen crude of success on the programme Pulo Shield against pirates, pipeline vandals and with the objective to upgrade we still have recurring killings, apprehended oil thieves is illegal oil refiners in the Niger their illegal refineries. This he kidnappings, oil theft, targeted at victims who refuse Delta”. According to him, men said will go a long way to serve vandalism, piracy and frequent to yield to the Force’s of the security force have been as small investor refineries armed attacks in the coast, then racketeering interests in the above board in carrying out this which will ease importation of all the efforts may have been a crime of oil theft in the area. assigned role in the region in refined petroleum products.

The thinking of both wide goose chase”, the safety He, however, explained that defiance of tempting expert harped. the JTF may not as a body be gratifications offered by the oil commentators is that the Ironically, not every inclined to being involved in criminals. He cited a recent case suggested measures, if ratified, concerned stakeholder is the shady oil deals, but main- on July 30, 2012 where an oil would protect and reduce mass impressed with even the much tained that some of the men in thief with international links in poverty among the locals in the success Operation Pulo Shield the fold are involved by the lure Lebanon was arrested and his region while also shrinking the has been recording in of the fast money it attracts. He vessel impounded despite policing task of the JTF to check protecting the oil. Among those added that the zealousness reportedly offering a senior high profile oil theft involving who do not have kind words for among officers and the rank officer of the JTF a staggering highly placed Nigerians and their foreign collaborators. the hyped success with the and file of the armed forces in $30,000. adjusted role of the JTF in the serving in the JTF as well as On why the task force cannot

,

Those prominent in oil theft are as violent as the pirates, kidnappers, and killers in the region; for me they are one and same clan of bandits

crude oil theft and those involved in cooking oil with a new commitment to nip the crime in the bud from the point of supply. So if they (saboteurs) can no longer steal the oil, they may resort to piracy and other armed attacks in the waterways and that includes inclination to cultism which is what is being experienced now,” Ayuba said.

These strings of renewed violence in the midst of rebranded oil protecting JTF and the self-acknowledgement of its inherent limitations have left concerned stakeholders asking the basic question – how reasonable is the metamorphosis from Restore Hope to Pulo Shield? For the National Publicity Secretary, Nigerian Democratic Awareness Forum, Mr. Frank Anwusonyen: “The objective for an altered mandate for JTF is as cosmetic as it is illogical”.

Anwusonye while reacting on the subject in Port Harcourt argued that it does not make sense to isolate oil theft from other crimes in coastal Niger Delta. “Those prominent in oil theft are as violent as the pirates, kidnappers, and killers in the region. For me they are one and same clan of bandits.

Since its introduction in the

,

O

44 — Vanguard,WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2012

B L A C K S U N D AY ! ! !

Police in Lagos arrest suspects, recover

By ALBERT AKPOR, EVELYN USMAN & IFEANYI OKOLIE

S

HOCK could best de scribe the expression on the faces of anxious journalists and other visitors at the Lagos State Police Command headquarters, Ikeja, yesterday, following the display of a large cache of arms and ammunition recovered from a notorious robbery gang that has been terrorizing the entire country.

The 12-member gang, out of which the command has arrested three, was reportedly responsible for September 9 serial attacks in Lagos, where three policemen and some civilians were gunned down.

Recovered from the suspects were five dynamites with a detonator, one rocket -propelled grenade, RPG, launcher; two General Purpose Machine guns, nine AK 47 riffles, 225 AK 47 magazines fully loaded, 260 rounds of GPMG live ammunition, one RPG and more than ten thousand rounds of AK 47 ammunition.

Also recovered from the suspects who were paraded were three of their operational vehicles. One of the operation-

neatly concealed in two modified Volkswagen buses with number plates LSD 467 AR and AGL 506 XB parked in Uche’s residence.”

During investigation, Manko stated that Uche confessed to have taken part in bank robberies in Ibadan, Oyo and Uyo in Akwa-Ibom states where he got N500,000 and N800,000 respectively as his share. He also confessed to the September 9, 2012 Sunday’s robbery in Lagos.

Mode of operation Crime Alert gathered that the robbers’ mode of operation included abandoning the inbuilt armoury vehicles at locations they intended to operate, from where they would snatch vehicles from unsuspecting motorists to operate. At the end of the operation, they would reportedly hide the arms and ammunition in their operational vehicles and load them with cassava stems and other food stuff, apparently to avoid suspicion.

One of the suspects, Chinonso Nwagwu, admitted to have gone on operation with members of the gang but stated

,

The robbers usually abandon the in-built armory vehicles at locations they intended to operate, from where they would snatch vehicles from unsuspecting motorists to operate

al vehicles was discovered to have a censored device with which they monitor locations of policemen during their operations, while the two other buses had an in-built construction where they kept their arms and ammunition.

Explaining the circumstances that led to their arrest, the command’s boss, Mr Umar Manko, said: “On September 23, 2012 at about 4pm, acting upon information received by the officer in-charge of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Abba Kyari, one Uche Okeagbu of Ilemba Hausa area of Ajagbandi and others were arrested.

During interrogation, Uche made a useful confessional statement which led to the recovery of large cache of arms C M Y K

•Inspecting the recovered vechicles

,

that he left them two years ago. He said: “I was their driver. I used to drive them during operation. We have operated in Oshogbo, Akure, Kogi and Auchi in Edo State. Our targets were banks. Some of the banks we attacked are Diamond Bank, UBA, GTB and SKYE banks. The last operation I partook in was in Auchi.

Anytime we were going for operation, they would call all of us on phone. Some members of the gang live in Sapele, Warri, Benin, Kogi and other places.

“I don’t know some of them.

All I was responsible for was to drive them to the scene. Few poles to where we would raid, I would stop the vehicle while they would go on foot. After the raid, they would jump into

the car, we would zoom off. I have gone on operation with them four times. I got N300,000 from the first operation, N200,000 from the second, N150,000 from the third and N1.5 million from the fourth. But at a point, I decided to opt out when the gang had an accident. But I did not join them in that operation.”

Asked how members of the gang managed to maneouvre the police after operation, he responded: “Honestly I do not know. The only thing I do is to follow the boss’ instruction.

He usually told me where to avoid and take. Immediately we got to our location, they would open fire which will send people scampering for safety. As people are running, the members would go about the business of the day. At the end of the operation, we would stock the vehicles with food stuff pretending to be coming from the village. We also usually leave our location at night.”

Used part of the money to bury father Asked what he used the money realized to do, the 23 yearold Abia State-born replied: “I used it to do my father’s burial ceremony. My father was sick for a long time before he died. When he was sick, I used part of the money realized to pay for his medical bill. After the burial, I decided to quit

because ordinarily, I am the gentle type. I was only lured

by Uche, who is a member of the gang. I stopped picking their calls and avoided them.”

Initially when approached, Nonso as he is popular known, told everyone that one of the recovered vehicles belongs to his elder brother. Asked where the gang members usually meet to strategise, Nonso said the gang had no meeting point. “ We have never held any meeting before going on operation.”

s and d arm e r e v o c the re cers ecting ith his offi p s n I • w nition ammu On his part, 23-year-old Uche Ukegbu from Imo State, in whose apartment one of the gang’s operational vehicles was recovered, claimed he knew nothing about the gang.

He rather stated: “I am into oil

Shocking revelations •• ••How armoury was uncovered

By ALBERT AKPOR

T

HE Police in Lagos recorded an unprecedented feat, yesterday, after it uncovered two buses used as armoury by notorious armed robbers who were said to be brains behind several robberies in Lagos and the neighbouring states of Ogun, Kwara, Kogi and Edo. The arrest which was led by the officer in charge of anti-robbery squad, SP Abba Kyari and ASP Babagana Buka followed a tipoff at Illemba area of the state.

The second in command to the kingpin who gave his name as Chinoso Nwanogugwu told

Crime Alert exclusively that the police would not have been able to arrest him if he had not taken a puppy dog which his friend-in-crime, Uchendu Okeagu, bought from an unnamed neighbour.

He further said they were the robbers who raided Lagos two Sundays ago during which some policemen were shot dead. He said he was second in command for the notorious gang adding that the police was yet to arrest the kingpin who he identified as Chinwendu.

According to him, before any operation, they would

Vanguard,WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2012 — 45

Jealous husband sets wife on fire

r large cache of arms

•The suspects

• an T h e da r m eco m v un e r iti e d on a rm

s

business. I was arrested as I was about leaving my house.

Onyebuchi, my brother owns the car in question. He dropped it at my place last week saying he would come back for it. They were three in number. One of them told me he was travelling to Ghana and the other one to Cotonou.”

Asked if he knew what was

concealed in the car, he kept mute for a while and nodded his head, maintaining, however, that he had never partaken in any operation with them.

The third suspect, Emmanuel Ezeani, also claimed he was arrested by some policemen who came looking for his brother. He said: “I sell female clothes at Iyana-Iba. I parked into my brother’s house (names withheld) in February this year. He told me he sells auto parts. But I usually see him with one of these people. I swear, I do not know what they were into.

Please help me tell the world that I know nothing about this.”

Crime Alert investigation revealed that the bandits that struck that Sunday comprised three different gangs. The gangs are reportedly headed by one Femi, Small Sule and Onyebuchi.

Two suspects that were earlier arrested by the police last week, Rasaq Sule and Kazeem Anifolabi were said to be members of Femi’s gang. Immediately after their arrest, other members of the gang reportedly disappeared to Togo and Benin Republic while some of them went to Edo and Delta States.

Uche, one of those paraded, yesterday, who was described as their armourer, thought the police would not track him down and remained behind.

The suspects earlier arrested, Sule and Rasaq provided information that was used in getting the rest of the members including Uche. Police sources said the weapons were sourced from Niger Delta area of the country assuring that they are working seriously on arresting the main suspect that supplies them with arms and ammunition.

s from a kingpin have gone three days ahead to meet with residents of the area who would show them round and get them acquainted with escape routes in case of eventuality. His words: “My name is Chinonso Nwaogugwu. I am from Aba in Abia State.

Furthering education “I am 23 years old. I could not further my education to secondary school because of money so I went to Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers State where I learnt how to buy and sell AGO and other allied products. One day, Uche called me to say that there was a club

he would want me to belong and in a short while, my sufferings would be over.

“Later, I saw a man who introduced himself as Chiwendu. I was later told that he is the capon of the club. The following day, we went to Benin city where we robbed a bank and made big money. I got N500,000 after the operation.

“What we normally do is that three days before any operation, we would send advance party to go and survey the area as well as get any resident of that state who would take us round and get acquainted with the short cuts in case the police are after us. That had been our tricks for years now. Even

during the Lagos robbery, that was the same trick we employed and that was why we were able to shoot our ways to escape.

“This arrest could not have been possible if not that I took a puppy dog to Uche in his house and there, I met some policemen and Uche identified me as a member of their gang.

“The fact is that Uche had organized a different robbery against his landlord who is based in the UK and the police was investigating that when Uche mentioned that he belonged to a notorious gang and that I was equally a member. That was how I was arrested.”

•for collecting wine from another man during party

By BARTHOLOMEW MADUKWE

L

OVE is said to be the fire of life that neither consumes nor purifies; but for 35-year-old Janeth Odehgbe, hers was a different case as she has been set on fire by her husband following disagreement over her collecting a cup of wine from another man during a party they both attended.

Recounting her ordeal in the hands of her 39-year-old husband, Mr. Kehinde Adesanmoye, Janeth told Crime Alert that on September 11, 2012 around 10 pm, her husband poured petrol on her as she was preparing Indomie noodles for a customer and fire caught her immediately. She was nearly consumed by the fire but for passers-by that rescued her.

She said: “I saw him coming towards me, as he got nearer, he ordered my customer to leave and as I tried to run for my dear life, he poured petrol on me and fire caught up with me immediately.

Passers-by rescued me and ran after him to fight him, but immediately they noticed it was him, they all went to their various homes. Then some of them took me to the Police station and from there I was taken to Peaceful Convalescent Centre, Alhaji Obe Street, Ejigbo Lagos.”

J

anet, who hails from Isoko area of Delta State and earns her living from selling cooked Indomie along Ikotun roundabout, claimed she was illegally married to Adesanmoye (popularly called Ogunlade) after divorcing her first husband. Trouble was said to have started for the duo on September 8, 2012 when Adesanmoye and his wife went for a naming ceremony of a friend who stays beside their residence at 22, Olaoluwa Street, Abaranje, Ikotun.

“As we got to the party, my friends who were also present were hailing me, calling me ‘Indomie’, because I was known for selling Indomie. I was invited to

•Janet & Adesanmoye before trouble started

sit on the chairs they had organized for friends. Adesanmoye was sitting right beside me. After some time, my friend, a vulcanizer, Taye offered me a bottle of wine, but I rejected it at the first instance because I was on my menstrual period and I didn’t want to take anything alcoholic. But when the pressure from my friends was too much, pestering me to take the wine, I decided to take a cup.

“Immediately Adesanmoye saw me finish the cup of wine, he got up and started going. I ran after him to ask what went wrong. To my surprise, he started abusing me and asking why do I have to collect a drink from a friend in a party while he was sitting right beside me, and why do I have to kiss a friend in the party too?”

Janeth narrated in pains.

The Isoko woman, who noted that her husband (Adesanmoye) could kill her if she should say anything whenever he is angry, pointed out that she never said anything in response to her husband’s allegations. “My husband has always been jealous. He used to beat me every time under any guise and excuse. I have tried several times to leave him but he always threatened to harm me. I stayed with him because I was afraid of him and my life. He always told me that I could never escape from him, except I leave Lagos State. Anytime I said I was leaving him, he would say, no problem, that he would do something to me that I will not forget.

Now, see what he had done to me.

He wanted to kill me: An unconfirmed source intimated Crime Alert that Adesanmoye was later arrested and detained at the Ikotun Police station. His relatives were alleged to have called for amicable settlement, offering the victim a sum of N100, 000 (One hundred thousand), which the victim reportedly rejected. She, however, called on the government to ensure that her husband paid for what he did to her, adding “am an orphan. I have no father or mother. I sell Indomie to live. Now, I’ve spent all my money. In fact, I need help.”

•Janet's backview to show fire burns

46—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY,

SEPTEMBER 26, 2012

NAFDAC destroys N28.6m unwholesome products

F

•Officials of Coca-Cola Nigeria displaying the new-look packs of Eva Table Water and 5Alive during the unveiling last weekat the company’s office in Ikoyi, Lagos.

Doctors task govt on disasters

BY CHIOMA OBINNA

A

manner.

"Local governments can at least have basic equipment to respond first to emergency pending when other specialized agencies will arrive. But do they have a reserved fund for emergency management? We are happy that the resident doctors recognized emergency management and we hope to strengthen the collaboration."

President ARD, Dr. Adetunji Adenekan called for better protocols patients go through to get emergency care services. "This SERVICOM that was brought is a strategy that all patients have the right to be served. It means that as you come in, whether you have money or not, you will receive emergency care. "But the other thing is the equipment and this is where government need to come in more. What government should do is to make all centres capable of handling emergency care."

PASSIONATE plea has gone to the three tiers of government to improve disaster management plan and awareness in the country. Director-General, National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, Alh. Muhammad Sani Sidi who spoke at the August Ordinary General Meeting, AOG, of the Association of Resident Doctors, ARD, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, Idi-Araba, Lagos noted that while the Federal Government had invested in emergency response and care services, most of the states and local governments had no structure in place for crises management.

Sidi, who admitted that NEMA came under severe criticisms in the recent past over levels of response to disaster in the country, however noted that the Agency was the only one coordinating different specialized agencies responsible for disaster management.

Assistant Director, Planning Research and Forecaster NEMA, Benjamin Oghenah who represented the DG said: "Disaster management is the coordination

BY CHIOMA OBINNA & NNAMand integration of all activities necessary to DI OJIEGO build, sustain and improve the capacity for N this year's World Oral Health Day, disaster prevention, mitigation, experts identified ignorance, poor preparedness, response and recovery. awareness as bane of the country's oral Disaster management is multisectoral and healthcare.

According to them, findings NEMA is the coordinating organ, ensuring that all disciplines work in coordinated show that many Nigerians have lost their lives to preventable oral health related

AKE, substandard and unwholesome regulated products valued at N28,674,750.00 have been destroyed by the Oyo State unit of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC. A statement issued by the Agency's Public Relations Officer, South West Zone, Mr. Adegboyega Osiyemi, noted that the destruction which took place at the Shagamu dump site in Ogun State, included drugs, cosmetics, medical devices, herbal medicines, food and chemicals seized during the Agency's regulatory activities within Oyo State from October 2009 till August 2012.

In the statement, NAFDAC's Oyo state Unit Head, Mr. Benjamin Haruna, confirmed that the items were seized from

drug hawkers, pharmaceutical companies, supermarkets, water factories, open markets and those that were voluntarily submitted for destruction.

Warning the general public to be wary of spurious regulated products which ultimately have negative side effects, ranging from cancer to lack of required nutrients, Haruna said those unsure of the wholesomeness of any product, should report such to the nearest NAFDAC office.

Further, he cautioned that consumers must always take note of the manufacturing and expiry dates, as well the NAFDAC registration Number, Batch Number and manufacturer's address on any product they purchased.

Coca-Cola rebrands Eva, 5Alive

BY SOLA OGUNDIPE

P

REMIUM table water, Eva, and itsfriut juice stablemate, 5Alive, are wearing sleek, brand new looks, labels and feel, thanks to a complete repackaging and rebranding initiative by Coca-Cola Nigeria - the manufacturers.

At the unveiling during a media parley last weekat the company’s offices in Ikoyi, Lagos, Otome Oyo, Coca-Cola Nigeria’s Senior Brand Manager, Still Beverages, said the change in the look and feel of the Eva packaging is a response to the Global Visual Identity of the brand. “The logo in all of Sub-Sahara Africa will have the same look, and the bottle is the same in Eastern Europe. This new bottle is easier to recycle and with the new grip, the bottle is made easier to hold during cardiovascular exercise and your journey to a healthier you,” hesaid Reflecting on the famous Eva Fun Walk initiative, an expression of the “Be Eva Active” campaign wellness culture, Oyo said the initiative is raising consciousness on why people need to remain active and

healthy. He recalled that the platform has reminded millions of Nigerians on the importance of exercising and living in peace with people in the community.

“With this new bottle, we hope to encourage adequate hydration during exercise. The brand will do all it can to encourage active healthy living amongst our consumers.”

Coca-Cola has supported the recycling of PET bottles since 2005, helping to establish a collection and buyback system that includes 22 collection centres in 10 States across the country. Through the project, nearly one billion bottles have been recycled with about 6,000 tons recycled in 2012. The new Eva bottle is another sustainable way the company is demonstrating its commitment environmental sustainability.

“The new Eva water bottle is safe for the consumers and safer for the environment. We at Coca-Cola would never compromise our existing standards and would continue to bring our consumers the best innovative products.

Ignorance, bane of oral healthcare in Nigeria—NDA

O

•President, Nigerian Dental Association, Dr.Olojede Olurotimi, conducting oral examination on the Deputy Chairman, Ikoyi-Obalende LCDA, Olanrewaju Lampejo, during an Oral Health Promotion programme to mark the 2012 World Oral Health Day.

diseases due to ignorance. Good oral health prevents tooth decay as well as mouth odour which if not prevented, could lead to a negative impact on the general health and well being of an individual.

National President of the Nigerian Dental Association, NDA, Dr. Olojede Olurotimi, said oral health as an integral part of general health includes optimal functioning of the mouth and its tissues in a manner which preserves self esteem and enables an individual to contribute meaningfully to the society.

Olurotimi who stressed the need for Nigeria to develop sustainable strategies for national preventive and therapeutic oral health services to cope with the magnitude of oral health challenges in the country called on the government to invest more in oral health.

He affirmed that based on available oral health surveys in the country, Nigeria has a serious oral health challenge especially with the problem of periodontal disease and dental caries (tooth decay).

During an Oral Health Promotion Exercise held at the Obalende/Ikoyi council secretariat, Olurotimi explained the free dental screening was necessitated by the shocking discovery of number of deaths caused by oral health related problems in the country. "Nigerians die in their numbers due to oral health related problems. This is because; many Nigerians

don't take adequate care of their mouths.

However, these diseases are treatable if detect on time.

Olurotimi further urged the people to always brush their mouths twice daily to remove dirt in the mouth and abstain from eating what he called in-between foods such as soft drinks, chocolates, peppermint, among others According to him, taking such sugary foods regularly will increase the tendency of developing oral health problem. Parents should educate their children on how to attain and maintain good oral health and the benefits of brushing at least twice a day with fluoridated toothpastes.

In the views of Professor of Restorative Dentistry at the College of Medicine, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUCOM, Prof. Sam Akpata, tooth decay can be effectively prevented when people develop the right attitude to good oral health and also being careful about the type of foods they consume. Also, a Professor of Periodontology, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Lagos, Prof. Kofo Savage, who spoke extensively on bad breath also known as halitosis , noted that 8090 percent of bad breath results from problem in the mouth or body, adding that 50 percent of bacteria in the body are found in the mouth.

Vanguard , WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2012—47

Northern Govs shop for support to revive oil dichotomy, dump PIB A

BY SONI DANIEL

BUJA—THERE were strong indications last night that the battle line had been drawn between the north and the south over the former’s quest to get the controversial onshore/ offshore oil dichotomy reviewed by the government through an Act of the National Assembly.

The oil dichotomy law, which has now given more money to the littoral oil-producing states of Nigeria, was passed in the wake of the Supreme Court Judgment of 2004, which gave oil gave all offshore oil revenue to the Federation Account and limited the states’ share to a seaward boundary.

However, following the rejection of the apex court verdict by the littoral states, the Federal Government devised a ‘political solution’, which resulted in the NASS Act paving the way for paying oil producing states for oil taken from as far as 200 nautical miles, a development, which has not gone down well with the northern governors.

Finding by Vanguard shows that most of the

northern governors were in favour of the review of the oil dichotomy law to channel all offshore oil proceeds to the Federation Account for distribution to the 36 states instead of being taken up by the few oilbearing states.

One of the governors told Vanguard that it was in the interest of the nation for the dichotomy law to be revisited so as to make more money available for what he called ‘national development’.

It was learnt that in a bid to ensure the ‘success’ of the amendment of the controversial law, some of the northern governors had prevailed on their lawmakers not only to support it but to also co-opt their ‘trusted’ southern colleagues into the campaign.

The need to recruit some southern lawmakers into the campaign, according to findings, arose because the governors came to the realization that they did not have enough members to be able to amend the law.

A Senator from one of the 19 northern states said that he was aware of subterranean moves over the oil dichotomy issue and the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB, but did not say whether he was ap-

proached by his governor or not.

The Senator said that it was normal for governors to try to talk to their lawmakers over ‘serious national issues’ whenever the need arises and that he did not see anything wrong with lobbying in a democratic system.

He said, “The governors have a point there. We are all in a democratic dispen-

as a general rule, you don’t give away your major river in the country. Without a flow of water from the river, there is no power. So, it was a concession plan from the beginning and everybody accepted that.

There was no controversy about it at all.”

In her address earlier, the Director-General of the BPE, Ms Bola Onagoruwa said the bidding process was arrived at after 12 years of hard work among staff of the bureau and its partners, beginning from the National Electric Power Policy.

She said: “The NEPP and the EPSR Act 2005 are unique in that several milestones, apart from the specific objectives of the reform, were put into the documents.

From 2000, the BPE, working with its reform partners in the public,

private and non-governmental sectors, has worked very hard to meet those specific and general milestones. These past 12 years of hard work have reached a very important milestone — a significant achievement today with this event.”

Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, Mr. Sam Amadi, commended the transparency of the process as according to him, “matter speaks for itself— very transparent and to say that we are looking forward to receiving you at the end of this process.”

He said his organisation was waiting for the bidders to complete the transaction and start buinsess in the sector, with a view to significantly improving power supply in the country.

Privatisation

BY OKEY NDIRIBE

A

BUJA—THE House of Representatives yesterday condemned the detention of 400 female Nigerian pilgrims in Saudi Arabia.

The House also mandated its Committee on Foreign Affairs to liaise with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and report back to the House tomorrow.

It will be recalled that on Sept. 23, the female

From left: Anderson Wogu, Mr Alexander Omini, Adeniran Adewale, Admin Officer, Waheed Tunde, Deputy Head, SOS Children’s Village Isolo, Dr. Bolanle Hassan and Okey Ugwu during the group’s visit to the SOS Children’s Village Isolo, Lagos. Photo: Kehinde Gbadamosi.

Elumelu, Otedola, others grab PHCN plants Continues from Page 5

sation, where lobbying forms a part and parcel of the political process.”

But a major problem confronting lawmakers from the north is that they do not have the mandatory two-thirds majority to be able to either review the law or kill the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB, which they are also vehemently opposed to.

Reps condemn detention of 400 female pilgrims in Saudi Arabia pilgrims who were going for the 2012 Hajj in the holy land, were denied entry and detained at Jeddah airport for not having their male partners with them.

According to the new rule, women aged under 40 without their spouses would not be allowed into the holy land.

The House resolution was consequence upon a motion on a matter of urgent national importance moved by Hon. Abdulrahman Kawu (ANPP-Kano )- the deputy minority leader of the House.

In his motion Kawu had expressed surprise that the affected pilgrims had been granted Saudi Arabian visas after they applied adding that the new rule was not disclosed to them.

He said that the action of the Saudi authorities violated the long standing understanding between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia on Hajj.

Hon. Nnenna ElenduUkeje (PDP-Abia), the Chairman,House Committee on Foreign Affairs in making clarifications said the action was the first of its kind.

She explained that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was currently handling the matter.

Fuel scarcity: NNPC releases additional 4m litres daily

timeline December 2010: Advertisement for Expressions of Interest, EOIs by NCP. March 1, 2011: BPE received 271 EIOs and about 91 Prequalified Bidders were told to pay $20,000 each totalling $1.82m.

September 1, 2011: Bidders given access to Virtual Data Room.

July 17, 2012: Deadline for submission of bids, 25 proposals received, and 7member evaluating committee set up with EFCC, ICPC as observers.

July 18, 2012: Opening of bids with two disqualified and 23 bids accompanied with $2 million bond each or $46 million assigned to evaluating team by balloting and six approved to submit post-qualification bidders guarantee.

Post-qualification security of $15million for Kainji and $10million for others totalling $85 million paid by bidders.

BY CLARA NWACHUK-

WU

L

AGOS—THE Nige rian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, said yesterday it is releasing additional four million litres of premium motor spirit petrol or daily to marketers from the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company, KRPC. The Corporation said this is part of the measures to reduce scarcity of petrol which has hit many parts the country, thus creating very long queues at filling stations.

The Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Mr. Andrew Yakubu, said this during a hearing by the Senate Committee on Petroleum Downstream at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja.

However, major and independent marketers; MOMAN and IPMAN, who are in throughput arrangement with the NNPC

insist that petrol stock in the Apapa Depot in Lagos is sufficient for only one day.

With the line break at Arepo of the System 2B Pipeline, which supplies petrol from Lagos up to Ilorin depots covering six states, the NNPC said it has increased the distribution of products by trucking.

Some of the marketers who spoke to Vanguard on the telephone said, there has been no loading of petrol at Apapa since Sunday, until yesterday, when an NNPC Vesel, Ainazi discharged 18million litres of petrol, while another vessel, Ocean Prem could not be cleared for discharge by industry regulators, which the NNPC denied.

As at yesterday, stock availability of Petrol in Apapa stood s follows: MRS-0; Mobil- 0; NIPCO -0; Oando-1000 metric tonnes, MT; Total-500MT Forte Oil - 220MT Conoil, which has the highest stock of 3008MT,

has, however, been hoarding the product, as majority of its outlets in Lagos supposedly do not have petrol.

At the Senate hearing, Yakubu, who was represented by the Group Executive Director, Corporate Services, Dr. Peter Nmadu, said the Corporation in its bid to keep the nation wet with petrol after the rupturing of the System 2B Pipeline at Arepo by vandals, made alternative arrangements for products distribution by diverting petroleum products to some private depots in Lagos for onward trucking to petrol stations.

He said the NNPC had relied on massive trucking of the products across the country to ameliorate the pains of motorists in the country adding that onethird of the nation’s daily fuel consumption is pumped through the System 2B Pipeline that has been ruptured.

48—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY,

SEPTEMBER 26, 2012

Jude Orhorha marks 25 STORIES BYAYO ONIKOYI

Shakira (Singer)

J

As some of you may know, Gerard Pique and I are very happy awaiting the arrival of our first baby! At this time we have decided to give priority to this unique moment in our lives and postpone all the..

UDE Orhorha, Popularly known for the role he played in Checkmate and Fuji House of Commotion, as ‘Gbenro’ took the centre stage of Nollywood’s attention on Sunday when he rolled out drums to celebrate his 25th anniversary as an entertainer. Jude started acting at the age of 16, long before he decided to have a degree to back-up his natural talent.

He later attended Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-ife where he bagged a degree in Dramatic Arts.

The actor cum producer showed the humane side of his personality by starting off the celebration with a visit to the Children Hospice, the Old People’s Home before he settled down with fellow entertainers for the real frolicking wining and dining session. And it wasn’t as if the jovial dude had to pick up all the tabs as the ‘Admirals, a Surulere hangout,’ actually hosted him to a lavish, thrilling evening of fun, which dragged on until late.

Jude was born on 5th of February, 1970, into a polygamous family, being the seventh child with six siblings after him. He had his Primary education at Centagus Maryland, Lagos.

Attended St. Peter and Paul, Shomolu and completed his secondary school education in Maryland Gillaian Comprehensive High School. He is married to Efe Orhorha who is also an actress.

Summer Beach par ty lands in party Lagos A

ll is set for the ultimate summer party in Nigeria as YDx, a youth marketing company and its partners SoundCity, Beat FM and Naija FM organizes the Inception 2012. The summer beach party is billed to attract over 6,000 people across the country ranging from university students to young business professionals into the cosmopolitan city of Lagos. It will take place at the popular Elegushi Private Beach in the heart of Lekki on the 29th of September, 2012.

The summer beach party which is tagged “Inception 2012” is the 2nd edition of an interactive initiative designed with the goal of making Lagos State the preferred summer break destination for African students because of its legendary Nightlife and fantastic beach-line. It will also create opportunities annually, where students from all over the continent can enjoy discounts in luxury hotels, holiday parties and exotic moments with beach excursions in the centre of excellence.

According to the Chief Operating Officer, Ydx, Tunde Alabi, the Inception 2012 is a novel concept in this part of the world and it is geared towards bringing out the creativity and true artistic nature in the younger generation. The Summer Beach Party will also serves as a support platform for the tourism industry which is growing at a very fast pace. It avails the youths a chance to mix and interact with top music stars, fashion icons Nollywood celebrities and entertainment moguls like Ice Prince, Vector, Black Magic, SDC, Phenom, Jimmie and DJ Caise of Beat FM, QPA’s and SoundCity VJ’s among others.

yvonne okoro(Actress)

The worse thing is when you getting a pedicure and the lady scrubs your feet so bad you know she’s now scraping off your bones and she thinks she’s doing good

Omotola. j .Ekeinde (Actress)

#ImThePersonWho doesn’t care too much about what you think of me,I keep it real. Next time you look, I’ll still be doing Me! Do you.

Kunleafolayan (Actor)

Am not too sure if people still watch NTA2 channel 5 but am on it now! Its a call in program so you may call to greet or yab me! Ire

•Jude Orhorha

‘The Mumm y’ fr anchise Mummy’ franchise comes in ne w pack age new package W

hoever saw 'The Mummy' and has a thing or two for adventure films knew that with even the three parts of the movie to the good, the last of the film was far from being seen. But 'The Mummy' isn't going to be what it used to be with Lens Wiseman, the director that recently remade 'Total Recall' signed on to direct the reboot of the movie franchise.

Wiseman, who is also responsible for the 'Underworld' series, is joining with producers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman for the project, who worked with Wiseman on the reboot of TV series 'Hawaii Five-0'. But rather than the old fashioned, swash-buckling action that preceded it, with Brendan Fraser as adventurer Rick O'Connell, Wiseman says the myth will be retold in a darker fashion.“ “When I first heard Universal was relaunching this, that is the image that popped into my head, the period tale, the old monster, but when Bob and Alex pitched it, there was a great new take and approach, and a very different mummy as w e l l , ” Wiseman told Deadline. “It’s a darker twist on the material, a scarier version.“““One of the things that interested me with this mummy is, he’s still in essence a man. They haven’t turned his brain into a monster brain. He still has a personality and is very cunning and calculating. “““He’s a true character in any form, and in creature form, even if he is that staggering creature, it becomes more important that he’s a thinking, calculating person.”““Jon Spaihts, one of the writers of Ridley Scott's 'Prometheus', is on hand to pen the project.“““I see it as the sort of opportunity I had with 'Prometheus' to go back to a franchise's roots in dark, scary source material and simultaneously open it up to an epic scale we haven't seen before,” Spaihts told Variety.

Nadia Buari (Actress)

”I don’t know what is out there, or what is waiting for me, but whatever it is, I’m gonna find it!” .

DJINEE (Musician)

I’m fingering my guitar and singing for you baby. Would you rather take the place of the guitar. I have no use for it. #ThisIsnotADM

D’banj kokomaster (Musician)

What a cruel summer, wish I could be there for my brother’s 12yrs on stage ..@soundsultan.. You are a true legend. God keep blessing you.

Yul Edochie (Actor)

Started the day with an awesome service at Dr Fireman’s church. And ended with Leo’nell’s 2 music single’s launch at Ojez. Great day

DJINEE (Musician)

I’m not ashamed to say I’ve been heart broken by a couple of girls I trusted. I’m happy cos they just led me straight to you.

JuliusAgwu1(Comedian)

By this time last week I was in Dallas... By this time in 2 weeks time I’ll be in Abuja @crackyaribs where will you be?

Eniola Badmus GBG (Actress) Now I can say am enjoying Anambra......fresh bush meat in the building......Antelope,rabbit,grass cutter etc now I know say I dey bush jezuz...

Vanguard,WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2012 — 49

Italian passport photo specifications

By VERA SAMUEL ANYAGAFU

W

HEN an applicant’s documentation is in line with all the embassy laid down specifications especially as it concerns affixed passport photograph alongside completed application form, it adds up to a successful visa application processing. With regard to Italian passport photo specification, applicants who intend to migrate to Italy are promptly advised on the need to get themselves familiarized with rules of the Italian embassy as it affects passport photographs.

Photo quality/appearance: The embassy warns that applicants should produce photographs not more than six months old, 3540mm in width, showing full-face front view in which applicant is facing the camera directly.

Photograph must close up applicant’s head and top of shoulders so that applicant’s face takes up to 70-80% of the photograph, in sharp focus, clear and of high quality with no ink marks or grease.

It is expected also, that photograph must be in color, on a white background, showing

natural skin tones of applicant, and must have appropriate brightness and contrast.

Applicant’s head, including both face and hair, should be shown from the crown of the head to the tip of the chin on top and bottom and from hairline side-toside. Submitting photographs with dark, busy, or patterned backgrounds will decline an application form.

Photographs must be printed on high quality paper and at a high resolution and if taken with a digital camera, it is expected also to be printed on photo-quality paper.

Style and lighting: This is another important factor that if not followed could result to unacceptable application form, therefore, applicants are well informed to make sure that photographs be neutral in color, showing eyes open with no hair across eyes.

Photograph must also show an applicant facing square on to the camera, not looking over one shoulder or tilted to enable clarity of both edges of applicant’s face.

Uniformity: Camera must be positioned to capture a plain lightcolored background, with

uniform lighting and must not show shadows or flash reflections or red eyes.

If for any reason an eyeglass is unavoidable, it must not be tinted or have heavy frames and frames should not cover any

part of the eyes.

Photograph must also show you alone, looking at the camera with a neutral expression and mouth closed.

Head coverings: Except for religious reasons, photograph

depicting a person wearing a traditional facemask or veil that does not permit adequate identification is not acceptable. It is expected that even when your religion permits head covering, you must make sure your facial features from bottom of chin to top of forehead is clearly displayed.

US embassy introduce new consular service for citizens

By VERA SAMUEL ANYAGAFU & PRISCA SAM-DURU

T

HE US embassy has introduced a new programme, America Citizens Service (ACS), which is provided only by appointment, so as to enhance the embassy’s consular services to US citizens, by way of offering them with non-emergency services.

Counselor for Consular Affairs, Daphne Titus who made the disclosure during a conference in Lagos, stated that the introduction of the new services which takes off from October 1, 2012, was informed because of the need to reduce customer wait-time and appropriately designate resources to improve efficiency and customer service

Daphne Titus explained that “In order to make an appointment, American citizens are advised to go online to the US mission to Nigeria website to book appointments for all ACS services both in Lagos and Abuja.

The provision, she said, also recommends that all • Daphne Titus, Counselor for Consular Affairs U.S citizens should apply well in advance, with details encouraged to call ACS Abuja, of their expected travel dates, so as which has already began to avoid unnecessary delays or operation on all of its nondisappointments, adding that ACS emergency services provision for officers are on ground to attend to U.S citizens, including provision their needs. of new passports and extra Citizens who are in need of passport pages as well as notarial emergency assistance however, are services.

50 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2012

DESOPADEC Board: Don't reappoint Boro, group tells Uduaghan

BY FESTUS AHON

U

INDOMIE ART COMPETITION: From left: Mr. Manpreet Singh, Head of Marketing, Dufil Prima Foods Plc.; Mr. Deepak Singhal, MD/CEO, Dufil Prima Foods Plc. and Mr. Tola Bademosi, Managing Director, BD Consult, with winners of the Indomie Art Competition held at BD Consult Office, Magodo, Lagos.

BIRTHDAY: Prince Sunday Adeniyi Adegeye(King Sunny Ade)(middle), with his wives, Mrs. Bola Adeniyi Adegeye(right) and Engr Olaitan Adeniyi Adegeye, during the thanksgiving service to mark his 66th birthday at Redeemed Chriatian Church of God, Power Sactuary, Ondo.

GHELLI—PEO PLE of Ughelli South, Udu, Uvwie and Urhobo people in Warri South, under the aegis of Concerned People of Ughelli South, Uvwie and Udu for Good Governance and Development, have called on Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, not to reappoint Mr. Johnson Boro into the board of Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, DESOPADEC, over his alleged insensitivity to the plight of the people of the area.

The group, in a statement signed by Mr. Lucky Iyasere, Mr. Clarkson Ukuewere Uvwie, Mr. Ejiro Oniyan and Mr. Benson Obire and made available to newsmen, frowned at the detention of Mr. Sunday Apah of the Daily Independent Newspapers on frivolous charge by Mr. Johnson Boro, alleging that Boro had used his position to intimidate the people of his area.

It said: “Most annoying is the intimidation and humiliation of Mr. Sunday Apah, who hails from Agboghiamen, as Boro who used his position as

2015 Presidency: ACF flays squabbles among northern leaders

BY EMEKA MAMAH

A

REWA Consulta tive Forum, ACF, has expressed concern over what it described as ‘’public altercations’’ or squabbles among northern leaders as efforts were being made to ensure unity in the region as a way of winning the 2015 presidency.

ACF, which had earlier called for reconciliation in the north, said that public altercations among the leaders were unhelpful "because they are capable of conveying the wrong impression that the North cannot work hard and bring back peace and security."

Reacting to the exchange of words by the Chairman of ACF Board of Trustees, BOT, Gen. Jerry Useni and Alhaji Tanko Yakassai, as well C M Y K

as media concern over the issue, the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Anthony Sani said: "The common mantra in all the questions is the concern on how ACF hopes to ensure that the resolution of the Arewa Conference on Peace and Unity, as summarised in the road map for socioeconomic and political development of the North, seems to pass a vote of no confidence on those to help implement it.

More troubling is the fact that Alhaji Tanko Yakasai has berated the BOT chair publicly, thereby sign posting internal division before the road map goes out. I have read the statements credited to Gen Useni on Vice President Namadi Sambo, Northern governors, Northern Leaders Political Forum, NLPF,

and about Middle Belt as they concern the struggle to bring about peace and unity in the North.

I have also read the reactions by Alhaji Tanko Yakasai to that of the General,and so understand the concern for clarifications."

Sani, however, faulted those who believe that the north presently lacked cohesion because of poor leadership, pointing out that "such a school of thought believes in a strong man theory of leadership that can provide order and direction to a dysfunctional North."

According to him, the creation of states had weakened the cohesion and unity of the north like other old regions.

"That is why all the regions hanker for redox of Awolowo,Sardauna and Zik to no avail. Even

countries like Thailand, Malaysia,Indonesia and Singapore where strong men with force of personality held sway are about to write requiem of same in favour of collective leadership," Sani added.

commissioner in DESOPADEC and money to influence the police in Otu-Jeremi. Based on the Divisional Police Officer ’s directive, Mr. Apah was arrested at 10:30pm on Sunday with three pick loads of armed police officers.

“The next day he was charged to court at about 8:30am on frivolous five-

count charges. Sir, we shall not fold our hands and see a man who can lie against his own blood to be reappointed. There are more qualified persons from the area to replace him.

“Your Excellency sir, you have built the state to this level. Don’t allow anyone to destroy this government for you.

Group makes case for biosafety bill

B

OTHERED by chal lenges stalling the nation’s growth, the Biotechnology Society of Nigeria, BSN, has asked President Goodluck Jonathan to, as a matter of urgency, assent to the bill on biosafety.

In a communiqué signed by the National Publicity Secretary of the association, Hajara Yusuf, after its 25th annual conference in Abuja, the BSN also challenged the National Biotechnology Development Agency, NABDA to “provide more tools and the conducive environment that

will enhance biotechnology.”

BSN urged the National Universities Commission, NUC, the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria and other regulatory bodies to develop the curricula and accreditation of biotech programmes in the country.

This is even as they commended NABDA for popularising biotechnology in the country through various instruments and advocacy activities to make the authorities and other stakeholders understand the import of Biotechnology.

Nigeria @ 52: Don urges respect for human rights

A

S Nigerians cele brate the nation's 52nd independence anniversary on Monday, a lecurer in the School of General Studies, Federal Polythechnic, Oko, Anambra State, Valentina Onwana, has said that good governance, was not only about provision of infrastructure but about compliance ‘’with due process and respect for basic fundamental human rights.’’

She spoke in a paper on Politics,Good Governance and Sustainable Development in the

school.

According to her, Nigeria as a developing nation, must build strong institutions, instead of individuals, in compliance with the provisions of the laws of the land, and the constitution.

Onwana decried the inability of the previous administration at the centre to set up a special fund for addressing the traffic gridlock, environmental problems, and provision of more affordable shelter for the masses.

Controversy trails Ovie-Whiskey's burial arrangements

BY EMMA AMAIZE

W

ARRI—CON TROVERSY has erupted over the plan by some members of the family of former Federal Electoral Commission, FEDECO, chairman, and Chief Judge of defunct Bendel State, Justice Ovie-Whiskey, to bury him in Agbarho community, instead of his paternal home, Ohorhe, in Delta State.

Ovie-Whiskey’s inter-

ment ceremonies were slated to commence tomorrow, but elders of the family, headed by Augustine Ovie-Whiskey, had petitioned the Governor of Delta State, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, Bishop of Catholic Diocese, Warri, His Lordship, Most Rev. John Afareha, and others, asking the church not to go ahead with the planned funeral ceremony, this weekend.

They are angry with

some of the children, whom they accused of plotting to bury OvieWhiskey without the consent of the family.

In a petition signed by Ms E. Oluku of G. J. Odjesa and Co, the family said the burial ceremonies had been postponed, adding that a new arrangement would be made between the church and the eldest son of the deceased on new dates for the funeral ceremonies.

V anguard, WEDNESD AY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2012 — 51 WEDNESDA

My hubby moved in with his mistress

Could my son be my lover’s?

Dear Bunmi, I have two children, a boy and a girl. I know for sure that my daughter was fathered by my husband but I’m not sure if my husband is also the father of my son. As at the time I conceived the second time, I had a brief

fling with an ex-boyfriend and now I am afraid this boy could be his.

Can I have tests done without involving my husband? He believes he’s the father of both children.

Abigail, by e-mail.

Dear Abigail, Many siblings, unknown to them and their mother’s unsuspecting husband, have different fathers. They have also been known to take on many of the characteristics of both the mother and the man who raise them. Children are moulded not only by their genes but also the environment in which they are reared The doctor may then offer medi- and the role models they find cation for the problem. So encour- there. age your man to take it and to You need to forget the secret keep on taking it. If the dose of infidelity that hangs like a ghost over your marriage and doesn’t suit him, obstructs the deepening of intiPop one finger macy beinside, then practice for a tween you few minutes each day sliding in and your husband. two, three, four fingers.

DNA testYou could also try ing can establish who the a vibrator. get him father of your son is to go back and talk again to the but will require sample of doctor until they can get it right. blood or saliva to be taken eiIt’s important to support his ther from your husband or man, who may treatment plan with healthy liv- from the otherK ing— smoking, drinking alcohol be the boy’s father, as well as to excess and obesity can all add from your little boy and ideto the chances of developing ally, from you. The test is also quite expensive as it’s not erectile dysfunction.

If his problem isn’t for a physi- readily available in the councal reason, or if he seems to have try.

The question really is, lost confidence because of the problem, encourage him to go for would you want to drag your counselling at any of the health son, your husband and lover centres. There are many erectile through this embarrassing support networks out there. A process when it’s not really good website to check out is necessary? You alone can answer this question. acouplessolution.info.

My man has lost his libido Dear Bunmi, My partner is having real difficulty with having sex at the moment. In the four years we’ve been together, this is the first time it’s happening. He can no longer get an erection and our love life has gone completely off.

What can we do to get things back on course?

Becca, by e-mail.

Dear Becca, Erectile dysfunction is a problem that hits the majority of men at some time or another in their lives. But if you tackle it together, it is almost always solvable. First and foremost, there’s no need to panic about erectile dysfunction.

Whatever you do, don’t turn it into a problem about you or try to blame yourself.

Most men’s erectile dysfunction isn’t down to not fancying their partner, or having found someone else. It can be an early warning sign for a number of conditions, such as diabetes or heart disease. The sooner your man get to the doctor’s for a check-up, the better.

My husband drugs my drinks Dear Bunmi, My husband and I have been married for 12 years and have children. Recently, he’s become more and more obsessed with sex— he wants it all of the time and I’ve just found out he sometimes spikes my drink to make me hornier in bed. I still love him,

but what can I do?

Reggy, by e-mail.

Dear Reggy, Your husband’s totally out of order here. You must tell him that spiking your drink is unacceptable behaviour and if he carries on, it could end up resulting in your not want-

ing sex with him at all. In the meantime, I would watch my drink if I were you!

Your husband obviously has a problem with sex and this is making him desperate. He might need professional counselling to get to the root of the problem and bring your relationship back into balance.

How can I cope with his size?

Dear Bunmi, When I met my current boyfriend, I was warned by a couple of friends about how big he was. I am on the small size and when we tried to make love, I found his size really scary and we couldn’t manage it as it hurt a lot.

I love this man and he’s the kindest and most generous man I have ever met. We have tried a couple of times and though he climaxed, he didn’t have full penetration. Is there anything I can do to accommo-

date him? I want to make him as happy as he’s made me.

Favour, by e-mail.

Dear Favour, Your problem is not uncommon and both of you must find a way to have sex, given your different sizes. Expert opinion says you could start by enlarging yourself. Pop one finger inside, then practice for a few minutes each day sliding in two, three, four fingers. You could also try a vibrator.

When you’re with your man, make sure you’re well aroused before you try full sex again.

You could put your man’s penis inside you when he’s limp.

As he starts to stiffen, you will expand.

If necessary, use lots of lubricant and try different positions until you find one that makes sex comfortable. As you have discovered yourself, there are many other ways to please each other that don’t involve full penetration.

Dear Bunmi, My husband and I have been married for close to 25 years and I always believed we had a good marriage. We have five children, live in our own house and he runs a very thriving business.

A few years ago, there was this rumour that he was responsible for the education of a girl in one of the universities. I thought it would soon blow over as a lot of his affairs had.

Unfortunately, it didn’t and my husband has left his matrimonial home to go and live with this girl.

As I write, she’s expecting their first child. My children are quite bewildered by it all and I feel really depressed being abandoned this way. Why did he throwaway 25 years of marriage for this girl?

Sandra, by e-mail.

Dear Sandra, Your husband is obviously suffering from a middle age crisis. He had a stable relation-

ship for over a quarter of a century and reached the point in his business that he’d always aimed for. He looked round and wondered ‘what now?’ He felt bored, or frightened that this is as good as it gets.

Of course his actions are not kind or fair. But as your husband felt like this, he wanted a relationship totally different from his marriage.

He chose an undergraduate because she offered him a new approach to life, something not necessarily better, but different. And he had the means to go for what he wanted.

Facing up to this won’t bring your husband back. But it might help you to realise his leaving is not your fault. He just reached a key point in his life and broke away. You’ll need a lot of support to get through this rejection, but, at least, you can take comfort from the fact that his leaving has nothing to do with anything you did wrong.

Did he set out to use me?

Dear Bunmi, Two years ago, I met this undergraduate at a party. He left work to go back to school and was broke most of the time. I have a fairly well paid job and I’ve bought him clothes and some of the expensive books he needed.

He used to stay at my place most of the time, but he’s finished his National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, service and is working. He hasn’t even tried to pay me back and now he doesn’t want to see me as often as he used to. I feel used.

Aisha, by e-mail.

Dear Aisha, You both seem to have different ideas about your relationship. You’ve given a lot and expected something back. That hasn’t happened and you’re now angry. But was there an understanding he would pay back all this ‘hospitality’ or did he see it as payment for services he rendered?

He may not realise how you feel and you need to explain your expectations and listen to his. Your relationship may end, but at least you’ll find out whether he deliberately set out to use you.

His possessiveness is driving me mad!

Dear Bunmi, I’m 28 and I recently started seeing a man in his early 40s. I met him at a computer school and he’s single with a child. We have a lot in common and we get on fairly well.

The problem is that he never stops calling or texting me, sometimes five or six times a day. This is driving me round the bend!

We have the same health problems and he’s helped me a lot with some herbal remedies for which I’m grateful.

I know he means well, but now I feel he’s getting too possessive.

I don’t want to lose his friendship, but I’d like to ask him to give me some space without hurting his feelings.

Lillian, by e-mail.

Dear Lillian,

The big question is: are you dating this man or not? It’s obvious that the nature of your relationship or the speed and direction it is moving is causing you misgivings.

It’s obvious to this man and that is why he gets frantic and calls you often to check on your feelings. He senses you might be about to break things off.

Your need for space suggest you’d like to run away. It is not enough for a couple to hitch the relationship on health-care alone. If you like a less clingy and more girl/man relationship, then emphasise romance and passion when you both meet.

If that’s not what you want, then recognise that the relationship is limited and let the poor man know as soon as you can.

But do it nicely.

Share your problems and release your burden. Write now to Dear Bunmi, Vanguard Newspapers, P.M.B 1007, Apapa, Lagos. or bunmsof@yahoo.co.uk

C M Y K

52 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2012

Don’t take Liberia for granted — Hamilton warns

BY JACOB AJOM

BY TONY EDIKE, Enugu

F

ORMER handler of the national team, Paul Hamilton has warned the Super Eagles against taking things easy with the Lone Star of Liberia when they meet in the reversed fixture of the 2013 African Cu[ of Nations qualifier on October 13 in Calabar.

Hamilton who led the Eagles against Liberia in a France’98 FIFA World Cup qualifier told Sports Vanguard that “Liberia won’t come cheap. They will be coming like wounded lions as they want to stop the Eagles and go to the Africa Cup of Nations.”

He recalled that recent meetings between the two teams have not been easy matches. “I remember the second leg of the France ’98 qualifier in Port Harcourt where they had already started boasting that they will stop Nigeria with the slogan, ‘France here we come.’

Unfortunately, they lost..

They were very sad they lost.”

He warned, “we should be very, very careful against them when they come because they want to come for a revenge in Calabar.”

Hamilton called for total support for Coach Stephen Keshi, expressing concern over what he termed “uncomplimentary comments credited to some people. Such comments could distract the man. He needs our support so that he can concentrate.”

The former international said he was sure the Eagles win the match.

“For me, it is 90 minutes to South Africa. I have the strong belief that we will get the ticket for South Africa 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.”

•Martins

Ekwueme U-18 tennis tourney serves off October 8

T

GRUELLING ••• Action recorded during the first leg of 2013 AFCON qualifier between Nigeria and Liberia in Monrovia. The match ended 2-2.

Chelsea stars excite Moses

•Moses

Victor Moses is enjoying life at Chelsea and believes that playing alongside some of the world’s best players at the club will help him improve his own game.

Moses moved to Stamford Bridge from Wigan for a fee in the region of £9 million over the summer and is excited to be back in London after his spell at Crystal Palace.

Speaking to the club’s

Levante praise for Obagoal

L

EVANTE midfield er Michel Herrero has tipped Nigeria striker Obafemi Martins to shine in the Spanish La Liga after he scored on his debut.

“Martins is a good

striker, he will help us a lot, gives us a lot of speed in attack,” Michel told Marca.

“He came back and got ahead of the defenders.

I hope it’s the first of many goals. During the first training he surprised me. In the game, I knew he would impress everyone. And see, he made it.”

Obagoal scored the winner for Levante on his debut against Real Sociedad.

His club are now ninth on the La Liga table with seven points from five matches.

official wesbite, Moses revealed: “Everything is going well at the moment. I’m enjoying life at the club.

“It’s exciting for me to be back in London and playing for a massive club such as Chelsea, particularly as I’m a London boy, I’m just

delighted to be here.

“It’s a quality feeling to be playing alongside some of the most talented players in world football at the moment, and that’s what you need around you. The more you play with these type of players, the more you improve and the more experience you gain.”

HE Dr. Alex Ek wueme under -18 National Junior Tennis tournament will serve off at Enugu Sports Club from 8th to 12th October 2012.

Chairman of the Organizing Committee, Chief Ben Ezeibe, who made this known during a press briefing at Enugu, said the event will attract 32 top junior tennis players from across the country. He added that it would be part of the activities to mark the 80th birthday ceremony of the distinguished elder statesman and former Vice President, Dr. Alex Ekwueme.

Cheif Ezeibe appealed to the Nigeria Tennis Federation and the Sports Councils in the south-east zone to use the opportunity of the tournament to launch aggressive tennis programmes that would take the game to tennis to the next level.

He said this was necessary because of this conviction that there “is big money in the game of tennis at the professional level where over one billion U.S. dollars is carted away by successful tennis players yearly all over the world.”

Keshi joins Soccere x cas Soccerex castt C

OACH Stephen Keshi is the latest addition to a star-studded cast of football legends who will grace the Lagos Soccerex Seminar on September 27 and 28.

Keshi, the longest serving captain of the Super Eagles, will speak at a session on ‘Managing Football in Africa’ during the seminar.

“We are excited to have someone of Keshi’s legendary status join us at the Soccerex Lagos Seminar,” Soccerex Director Daniel Krebs said.

The former defender is in the process of revitalizing the Nigerian senior national team, having infused an exciting blend of players from the domestic league.

Keshi masterminded Togo’s first ever FIFA World Cup qualification in 2006, and was also part of the Nigerian coaching team, led by Shuaibu Amodu, who

qualified Nigeria for the 2002 World Cup. Soccerex will provide a platform for the former defender to provide an insight into his vast technical knowledge.

Lagos NUJ Media Games: Football dra ws hold Oct. 2 draws

T

HE Main Organising Committee (MOC) for this year’s Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Lagos State Council Media Games, has concluded arrangements to hold the draws for the football event on Tuesday, October 2 at the Auditorium of the Lagos State Sports Writers Association (SWAN) secretariat inside the National Stadium, Surulere, La-

gos. Chairman of the Council, Comrade ‘Deji Elumoye, who is also the chairman of the MOC, said all hands have been on deck for the success of this year’s event.

“On Tuesday, October 2, we will unveil plans for this year’s event and as well hold the draw ceremony for the football event which is a 5-Aside tourney.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2012 — 53

C M Y K

54 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2012

C M Y K

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2012 — 55

Goal king Utaka outshines big-name recruits T

HE current Chinese Super League season has been highlighted by the quantity of imported players, with no fewer than 80 foreigners plying their trade amongst the nation’s 16 top-flight clubs.

Few of them, however, have proved more successful than Nigerian forward Peter Utaka, who has taken no time in making every post a winner in his adopted country.

Since joining newlypromoted Dalian Aerbin at the start of this year, Utaka has racked up 16 goals in 23 appearances which leaves him second in the league’s goalscoring chart. Indeed, Utaka has adapted so successfully, that he plans to move his mother to China and also encourage older brother, John, who is currently playing with Montpellier, to join Dalian next season.

“Everything here is enjoyable in China,” he told FIFA.com in a recent exclusive interview. “I feel comfortable about the life here and I appreciate the help from everyone around me - my coach, team-mates, supporters etc. I hope my mum will come here to join me next season. As for John, we’ve chatted much about the Chinese league via phone and so it is also possible for him to move here.”

The notion of the Utaka siblings forming one of C-League’s most formidable attacking lineups with Aerbin resonates strongly with the younger Utaka. “That would be fantastic,” he says. “It is not about the family reunion but goalscoring work. John is a good player and he can prove that with any team.”

Like most of the kids in football-mad Nigeria, the two brothers started playing football in the streets of Enugu, a city in the nation’s southeast. “John is two years older than me so he started a bit earlier,” he recalled. “Even then he showed he is very talented in the game but when I started playing I quickly caught up with him.”

The two brothers made a smooth transition to Europe, where they soon made a name for themC M Y K

Match-fixing Continues from B/P ing concerns.

Lokomotiv, Bulgarian champions in 2004, suffered their first loss of the season on Saturday to lowly Botev Vratsa, who had been bottom of the table after a run of five consecutive defeats.

Lokomotiv owner Veselin Mareshki said he had to be sure there were no other factors behind the team’s loss.

‘Nobody is insured against defeats but this loss is very strange,’ he said.

‘The fair play principle is the most important thing for me and all players and coaches will take lie detector tests.’

Earlier this month, the Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) said a prosecutor has opened an investigation into claims of matchfixing in four domestic games this season.

Spartak Pleven’s junior team have been expelled from the domestic U-19’s championship for matchfixing even before the results of the investigation have been announced.

Flamengoes

IN HIS OWN WORLD: Peter Utaka selves. While John spent four seasons with Portsmouth before moving to France’s Ligue 1 last year, Peter made waves in the Danish league with OB Odense, managing an impressive return of 52 goals in 108 appearances.

His goalscoring form didn’t go unnoticed by Aerbin’s Serbian coach Aleksandar Stanojevic, who secured his move to Dalian. Shouldering the goalscoring responsibility for his ambitious new side, though, provided some early difficulties and Utaka failed to find the back of the net in his first six matches.

“The opening games were hard,” said Utaka.

“To be honest the level of competition in the CLeague was well beyond my expectations and the players here are of good quality. The attack is more pacy here and the defence tough. I had to work hard in both training and playing as I tried to adapt to the style quickly.”

The breakthrough finally came when he, firstly earned a penalty, before striking a late equaliser as Aerbin came from two goals down to draw with Guizhou Renhe. From there, the Nigerian has never looked back, adding 15 goals to his tally, including a run of scoring in 10 consecutive fix-

tures to establish a new C-League record. Notably, he famously set up newly-signed Seydou Keita for his maiden goal, before scoring the match-winner as his side edged Guizhou 2-1 in the return in August.

“Me and Keita have become good friends,” he said of the former Barcelona midfielder.

“He is indeed one of the league’s biggest stars after four years at the Camp Nou but he is quite easy-going and quiet. He provides the team with experience and drive. Our team are becoming stronger with his reinforcement.”

With Utaka having now well and truly found

his goalscoring touch, the Dalian frontman will be aiming to overhaul Jiangsu Sainty’s Cristian Danalache to finish as the league’s top-scorer. Trailing the Romanian striker by five goals and with as many matches to play, h e downplayed expectations placing the team above individual honours.

“I care only about if we can win matches,” says Utaka. “It would be ideal if my team wins and I score. We are now sitting in sixth and I hope we can finish with a better position. As for me, I hope I can prove my worth with Dalian and hopefully, my club form can earn me a return to the Nigeria national team.”

Continues from B/P may and disbelief as they crashed out of the tournament having lost to Colombia in their opening game.

It was clear that the hosts were no match for the Nigerian girls who had physical advantage and right from the opening moments of the game, the Nigerian girls pinned their opponents to their own half and handed them a thorough bashing, which seem like a revenge for Africa after Gambia suffered a similar 11-0 whitewash in the hands of North Korea.

Ihezuo opened scoring in the 5th minute after she tapped in Madel Effiom’s cross that bounced off the cross bar. Three minutes later it was 2-0, Oluchi Ofoebu squaring from inside the box to see Halimatu Ayinde squeeze her first under Aytaj Sharifova.

Ayinde then made one and scored her second, lay the first on for Aminat Yakubu before Ihezuo turned provide.

Keshi in vit es ‘mammoth invit vites crowd’ Azubuike Egwueke is Continues from B/P

•Drogba

• Yakubu

Ihezuo then doubled own tally, Yakubu crossing for her to put in at the far post. Ayinde missed the chance to complete her hat-trick when missing an untended goal, but her pass on 37 minutes saw Ihezuo complete hers.

The tune didn’t change after half-time, Ihezuo netting her fourth after Ebere Okoye’s neat through-ball. Substitute Joy Bokiri then got in on the act, converting Ayinde’s cross.

Ihezuo got her fifth, rising to head Biahwo’s deep free-kick, before roles reversed as the midfielder curled an effort into the bottom corner for the final goal.

Nigeria now top group A with 4 points, tipping Canada to the second spot with the overwhelming goals advantage.

Canada beat Colombia 10 and they will face the hosts, while Nigeria need a win or draw against Colombia on Saturday to be assured of a quarter-final ticket.

uled for the South South city of Calabar to book a place in the tournament proper scheduled for next January in South Africa..

Expectedly the foreign based are led by skipper Joseph Yobo, but Chelsea’s John Obi Mikel returns, same for Inter’s Joel Obi, while former Golden Eaglets star, Ogenyi Onazi of Lazio in the Italian Serie A makes a debut for the national team.

The home-based as usual is led by Warri Wolves keeper, Chigozie Agbim, his team mate

included, while regulars like Godfrey Oboabona and Juwon Oshaniwa also make the cut. The home-based players are expected in camp by Sunday, September 30th, at the Bolton White Hotel in Abuja, while their foreign based counterparts will join the team

by October 8 in Calabar unfailingly. “We hope to have at least five training sessions together and that should be enough for the team to do well against Liberia”, Eagles media officer, Ben Alaiya quotes Head Coach, Stephen Keshi as saying.

C M Y K

VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2012 VICE President Namadi Sambo presenting torch of unity to the Lagos State Governor, Raji Fashola to flag off the forthcoming 18th National Sports Festival to be hosted by Lagos State at the Presidential Villa in Abuja yesterday.

Keshi invites ‘mammoth crowd’ for 5-day training ...Mikel, Enyeama among 38 players listed S

UPER Eagles boss, Stephen Okechukwu Keshi, going by his approach, will not start more than seven foreign-based players in the Nations Cup tie against Liberia in Calabar October 13. Yet, he has invited 15 of them for the match, a development that will surely attract criticisms and

concern from followers of the Eagles. Is he losing focus? He has as well listed 23 homebased players for the crunch October tie against the Lone Star of Liberia. Bogus camping does not make for concentration. Yet, Keshi is going for it. Some panicky measure?

The first leg of the final qualifier in Monrovia, ended 2-2, and Nigeria needs a win in this return leg sched

Continues on page 55

Match-fixing: Players ordered to take lie detector tests

P

LAYERS and coach es at Bulgarian Premier League side Lokomotiv Plovdiv have been ordered to take lie detector tests after their surprise 1-0 loss to basement side Botev Vratsa sparked fresh match-fix Continues on page 55

FIFA U-17 WWC results Azerbaijan 0 Nigeria 11 Canada 1 Colombia 0 USA 6 Gambia 0 France 1 North Korea 1

FIVE STAR...Flamingoes 5-goal heroine, Ihezuo is being congratulated by team mate Ofoegbu during the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup match between Nigeria and Azerbaijan. Nigeria won 11-0

Today’s Matches Mexico v Brazil 1.00 p.m.

New Zealand v Japan 4.00 p.m.

Uruguay v Ghana 1.00 p.m.

China PR v Germany 4.00 pm.

Flamengoes pound Azerbaijan 11- 0 N

IGERIA’S Under17 squad the Flamengoes, ran riot yes-

•Keshi TODAY'S

PUZZLE

terday and whipped the hosts of the FIFA Under17 women world cup AzYESTERDAY'S

ANSWERS

erbaijan, with 11 thumping goals.

Chinwendu Ihezuo

ACROSS 1 Scorch (4) 4 Sick (3) 6 Clutch (4) 9 Mat (3) 10 Argued (8) 11 So be it (4) 14 Sphere (3) 16 Demise (5) 19 Reverted (8) 21 Keen (5) 23 Restricting (8) 24 Plot (5) 27 Sleep (3) 31 Method (4) 33 Approved (8) 34 Expire (3) 35 Fibre (4) 36 Youth (3) 37 Plague (4)

was the tormentor in chief as she scored five of the goals which left

the young Azerbaijan women reeling with dis Continues on page 55

DOWN 2 Greet (4) 3 Mature (4) 4 Inside (8) 5 Woman (4) 6 Class (5) 7 Strange (3) 8 Representative (5) 12 Gang (5) 13 Fat (5) 14 Mineral (3) 15 Start (5) 17 Pungent (5) 18 Turning-point (5) 20 Claimed (8) 22 Tear (3) 25 Dwelling (5) 26 Crawl (5) 28 Sense (4) 29 Excursion (4) 30 Muddle (4) 32 Obscure (3)

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS ACROSS: 1, Cactus 5, Living 8, Pleasant 9, Sale 10, Ass 12, Stool 15, Ant 17, Tot 18, Old 19, Lea 20, Undid 21, Apt 22, Inn 23, Gag 24, Win 26, Terse 29, Eke 33, Safe 34, Sanction 35, Depend 36, Expand.

How to Play Sudoku

THE VIGILANTE

DOWN: 2, Atlas 3, Tear 4, Start 5, Lotto 6, Vast 7, Nylon 10, Allow 11, Stain 12, Stunt 13, Order 14, Lodge 15, Adage 16, Title 25, Irate 27, Eased 28, Since 30, Known 31, Cede 32. Step.

e-mail: rowolove@yahoo.co.uk

Place a number (1-9) in each blank cell. (No line can have two of the same number).

Each row (nine lines from left to right), column, (also nine lines from top to bottom) and 3 X 3 block within a bold block (nine blocks) contains number from 1 through 9. This means that no number can appear twice in any block, column or row.

No mathematics is involved – no adding, subtraction, division or multiplication, just plain logic and your imagination.

Printed and Published by VANGUARD MEDIA LIMITED, Vanguard Avenue, Kirikiri Canal, P.M.B.1007, Apapa. Phone: Newsroom: 018773962. Deputy Editor: 01-8944295. Advert Dept: 01-7924470; Hotline: 01-8737028; Abuja: 09-2341102, 09-2342704. E-mail: editor@vanguardngr.com, news@vanguardngr.com, letters@vanguardngr.com. Advert:advertproduction@yahoo.com Website: www.vanguardngr.com (ISSN 0794-652X) Editor: MIDENO BAYAGBON. Phone: 01-7742861, All correspondence to P.M.B. 1007, Apapa Lagos.