Why Jonathan has failed to defeat B'Haram—OBJ

...towards a better life for the people VOL. 25: NO. 62286

**

ONLINE | www.vanguardngr.com

N150

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014

Gunmen kill 7 soldiers, 43 others in Zamfara

8

Why Jonathan has failed to defeat B'Haram—OBJ •Says President has poor understanding of insurgents •Naked corruption has killed Nigeria's economy

By Soni Daniel, Regional Editor, North & Ikechukwu Nnochiri

A

BUJA—FORMER President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, yesterday, sneered at President Goodluck Jonathan for not having adequate understanding of the Boko Haram

Continues on Page 5

COLUMNISTS:

USA's diversity plus a rich food •P.17 culture

Rage of impeachment hawkers •P.19

CLEARANCE—President Goodluck Jonathan (left) collecting his Provisional Clearance Certificate from the Chairman of PDP Presidential Screening Committee, Dr. Ahmadu Ali at the PDP National Secretariat in Abuja, yesterday. Photo: State House.

Those who climbed NASS fence were thugs — IGP

See Page 9

•Refuses to address Tambuwal as "Speaker" CBN to withdraw N500bn Buhari's aircraft denied from banking system 8 landing at Makurdi airport 8

C M Y K

....Tribute to a mother in a •P.19 million

Mr & Mrs

2 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014

C M Y K

Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014—3

C M Y K

4 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014

C M Y K

Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014 —5

POCKET CARTOON

VISIT—Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State sympathising with a victim of Tuesday's suicide bombing in Maiduguri. Photo: NAN.

Why Jonathan has failed to defeat Boko Haram—OBJ Continues from Page 1

insurgency and being unable to proffer a response to the menace starring the nation in the face.

Besides, Obasanjo also derided Jonathan’s administration for celebrating what he called "naked corruption”, which according to him, has hampered the nation’s economy and created problems for majority of Nigerians.

Obasanjo spoke at the presentation of an autobiography of the former president of the Court of Appeal and pioneer chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), retired Justice Mustapha Akanbi in Abuja.

The former President claimed that “Boko Haram is not simply a menace based on religion or one directed to frustrate anybody ’s political ambition but essentially a socio-economic problem that is tainted with religion."

He noted that apart from not having a proper understanding of the

phenomenon, the Jonathan administration also wasted time in taking steps to curtail the malevolent group.

He maintained that “President Jonathan’s understanding of the Boko Haram phenomenon suffered from wrong reading and wrong imputation. That is what led us to where we are today”.

According to the former president, “Boko Haram is essentially a socioeconomic problem that is tainted with religion. It is a gargantuan danger to the nation and to all Nigerians.

President Jonathan delayed “It took even the President more than three years to appreciate and understand that it is a terrible mix of poor education or lack of e d u c a t i o n , misinterpretation of what Islam and the Quran teach and stand for, poverty unemployment, injustice, drug, gun trafficking, human trafficking, fallout from Libya, revenge, frustration, struggle

TAKE HEART

BY ELLA RANDLE

Believe you can and you’re halfway there — Theodore Roosevelt

I

BELIEVE people know what they want to do in their lives. This includes you! However, some may not be consciously aware of their purpose because of the little voice in one’s head: Your “ego”.

Your ego suppresses your ability to fulfill your purpose because it fuels feelings of self-doubt, selflimiting beliefs, and paralyzing fears that prevent you from taking action. Within your heart, you know what you were born to do, try your best possible to bring it to actualization.

Don’t worry about the ego in the back of your mind that’s whispering reasons why it’s not going to work.

It will say stuff like, “well, you could never do that.

Who do you think you are? That’s a great idea but how on earth will you make money? This exercise is stupid. You’ll never figure it out and you’ll stuck forever.” Sound familiar? We all have that voice in our head, but realize it’s a whole bunch of garbage and you don’t have to listen to it.

against inequality, imitation of international terrorism leading to training and part absorption by international terrorist group or groups and general poor governance including corruption.

“I have always maintained that solution to Boko Haram or any organization like it lies in application of stick and carrot. We must remember that there is nexus between security and development.

“Those who say that Boko Haram is a menace waiting to happen are evidently correct. Some people have blamed the governments of the zone at the state and local government levels for the unacceptable socioeconomic situation in the North-East. Of course, they must accept part of the responsibility.

“But, I would rather say it is a collective responsibility and, collectively, the situation must be addressed and redressed. The beginning of redressing the situation is education.

I appreciated the importance of education in human development, state and nation-building, national development, employment generation, wealth creation, national unity, security and stability.

“When I had the opportunity as both military Head of State and elected President, I paid particular attention to education nationally through Universal Primary Education (UPE) as military Head of State, and Universal Basic Education (UBE) as President.

“In the first case, it was abandoned by the successor regime and in the second case, some states went to the Supreme Court to secure order for the Federal Government not to participate in basic

education.

“It was claimed that constitutionally, it is the preserve of states and local governments and some of them did not live up to their responsibility.

“If we do not collectively invest in primary education, how can we address the situation?

“The counterpart funding instituted as a legitimate means of intervening by the Federal Government in basic education turned out not to be adequately supervised by the successor regime and became a veritable source of corruption at the state level and between the Federal and the State officials.

“And yet, the cost of primary education to the states has gone up with the policy of Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) as minimum qualification for teachers in primary schools. With that policy and closure of Teacher Training Colleges not certified for NCE, there is great shortage of primary school teachers in many parts of the country but particularly in the North.

“This is a situation that cannot be rectified by states and local governments alone.

Application of force "I have never been against application of force in dealing with insecurity situation, but we must understand the genesis, the content and the context of each situation to determine when, where, how and what quantum of force to apply and what amount and type of carrot to feed in”.

He said further: “Let me make bold to say that if we continue to apply force alone, since Boko Haram has become an industry within the government circle and within Boko Haram itself, it may be suppressed for a while but it will not be eliminated.

“To deal with the menace root, stem and branches requires effective development programme for the zone of incubation and existence of the menace.

“If not, that zone or any other zone like it will be a fertile breeding ground for a similar menace in future or a rich harvesting ground for recruiting candidates for mischief and perpetration of insecurity internally and externally.

“Carrot must involve not excluding negotiation at the appropriate time for ceasefire, laying down of arms and peace-making terms and intervention with positive socioeconomic measures to deal with apparent root-

causes of the conflict and violence.

“It would appear that this understanding is beginning to be appreciated within the right circles. Better late than never!

“Just as no country is guaranteed to be permanently at peace, no country is destined to be permanently in conflict, chaos and violence because of its societal divisions.

“It is all a matter of how it is managed by governments and the institutions put in place to reduce, placate, address and redress tensions and divisions and the flows from them.

“Timely intervention in addition to early warning is both cost-effective and life-saving. We must not define ourselves in simple stereotype of Western media and so-called experts, who see us only through religious prisms.

Those who do so, whether they are politicians or religious leaders, are the enemies of this country.

“Boko Haram is a menace and a dangerous one at that, but why must it be emphasized as an Islamic jihadist?

“Both words are unhelpful in the context of our own situation which requires bi-partisan and collective national understanding of the issues at stake and action to be taken.

“When they are described in such a way, it heightens the division and tension within our own society.

“A menace is a menace, a thief is a thief, a terrorist is a terrorist; not a Christian thief or an Islamic thief.

“Within our society, what is wrong is wrong.

Boko Haram is dangerously wrong and we should all stand firmly against it while doing what is right to deal with it. Where there is need for advice, let us offer it; if the need is for correction, let us make it, where there is need for socio-economic intervention, let it be applied; if it is sanction, let it be given unstintingly.

“My learned Muslim friends tell me that Jihad means “struggle, inner struggle.

“And I say if that is the true meaning, who then is not a Jihadist? I don’t know about you but I am perpetually struggling to achieve one thing or the other.

“Those who emphasize and politicize religious division cannot be right.

God does not create religion to destroy but to build nor to divide but to unite.

“Anything contrary to the desire of God in religious practice will amount to sin.

“Without security, you cannot have development and without development your security is seriously impaired. Prolonged lack of development is a fertile breeding ground for insecurity ”, Obasanjo added.

Naked display of corruption Obasanjo also blamed the Jonathan administration for what he called naked display of corruption, thereby hampering the nation’s economy.

He said: “For quite some time, the covered and hushed up corruption has had its toll on the economy. The noninvestment in the oil and gas sector by major international oil companies has added its own deleterious impact.

“Our continued heavy dependence on one commodity has not adequately prepared us against any shock in that one commodity in the international plane. With the figure of $78 per barrel as benchmark, we will be in a bind if oil price falls to $75 per barrel.

“I am made to understand that Saudi Arabia used $68 as benchmark for the 2015 budget. Our inadequate protection of almost all local industries with heavy cost of energy has dealt a hard blow on most indigenous industries.”

Obasanjo said that if the situation was not halted it would get to a point where Nigeria would not be able to fund its budget.

“We may have to borrow to pay salaries and allowances", he said.

6—Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014

Man threatens sister's ex for jilting her

By Tina Akannam

D

UTSE—THE Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, has arrested 36 years old Abubakar Sadiq, at Dala, Kano State, for threatening to kill his sister ’s ex-lover for dumping her.

The suspect said he took the action because the suitor dumped his sister after dating her for months and even proposed to marry her.

Commandant of the corps in the state, Dr. Muhammad Gidado, said Sadiq called his sister ’s suitor, Musbahu, on phone and threatened to kill him for breaking his sister ’s heart.

The suitor, Musbahu Adamu, 35, residing at Sakwaya Village, Dutse Local Government Area, admitted that he had dated Sadiq’s sister, Zulaihatu, for some time, adding that he decided not to marry her because of her attitude.

Police vow to nab Kogi varsity don's killer

By Boluwaji Obahopo

L

OKOJA—KOGI State Police Command has said that one of the escapees from Kotokarfe Prison break was responsible for the murder of Kogi State University lecturer, Professor Justice Otitolaye.

The command, however, said it had begun a manhunt for the killer of the lecturer and would soon apprehend same to face justice.

The Police Public Relations officer, Elvis Aguebor, who disclosed this yesterday in his office, said the police had spread out their tentacles in the manhunt for the lecturer’s killers.

He alleged that the lecturer was killed by the criminal, who escaped from recent Kotokarfe prison break, where 144 inmates were set free.

He said: “The criminals first attacked the police formation at Ibro Suite at Ayingba, with explosives and guns before abducting and killing the lecturer.”

Daughter of governor’s aide, bizman rescued from kidnappers

By Esther Onyegbula

L

AGOS—LAGOS State Police Command has rescued the daughter of Special Adviser to Kwara State Governor on Political Matters, Miss Sa-adat Bibire, winner of a beauty pageant and Alhaji Hammed Fashola, an oil and gas dealer, from kidnappers’ dens in Delta and Lagos states, respectuvely.

Parading the suspects yesterday, Commissioner of Police, Kayode Aderanti, said a massive manhunt was launched to rescue the victims and apprehend the kidnappers.

The first set of suspects identified as Kinsley Chukwuma, Kelvin Igah and Victor Igah, were allegedly involved in the kidnap of Alhaji Fashola, while Patrick Ifada and others at large were involved in the kidnap of Miss Bibire.

Vanguard learned that Aderanti deployed one team to Warri, Delta State, and after seven days, the victim was rescued in a house on the outskirts of Ozoro town in Isoko Local Government Area.

Another team tracked the kidnappers of Alhaji Fashola to their hideout at 18, Odeniyi Street, off Bola Road, Isheri Oshun, Lagos State. The victim was chained and kept in a toilet.

He was rescued, while three of the kidnappers were arrested.

Modus operandi

It was gathered that the kidnappers of Miss Bibire posed as Alhaji Aliko Dangote on Facebook and offered to make her brand ambassador of Dangote Noodles.

The victim proceeded to Warri from Lagos to meet the fake Aliko Dangote and was subsequently kidnapped, and N20 million ransom demanded from her father.

The father was directed to transfer the ransom into a bank account in Malaysia.

According to the Police boss, efforts to arrest the remaining gang members are in top gear as investigation continues.

‘Why I joined gang’

One of the suspects, Patrick Ifada, 23, explained his role in the kidnap saga: “I accepted to join the gang because of the money involved. We opened a fake Facebook account pretending to be Alhaji Aliko Dangote and we convinced her to come over to Delta State to meet the businessman.

“At first, our ransom was N20 million. When they were not forthcoming with the money, we brought it down to N15 million and then N10 million. I was the

zWe’re all students of Delta State Polytechnic— SUSPECT one staying with the victim in our hideout.

“We were using the quarters of one of our members, Destiny.

We are five in number and I was promised a huge sum.

“Other gang members are Destiny, Marcus Omajuwa, Ugada and Chuka. We are all students of Delta State Polytechnic, Ozoro, ND 1. I was studying Computer

zLured victim with Facebook account Science.

“She was in our hideout for about two weeks. We asked the Special Adviser to pay the ransom into a Malaysian account that one Fred helped us to set up.

“None of us raped her.

Destiny told us we were only going to make money from her

family, and not to assault her.

“We were feeding her. We gave her fast foods, Eba and Indomie. She was kept in Onitsha Street, Ozoro, Delta State. It was inside a private school hostel.”

The wife of one of the suspected kidnappers was also arrested.

NABBED: Some of the suspected kidnappers paraded by police, yesterday.

PHOTO: Esther Onyegbula.

3 men attempt to force baby out of 8-month pregnant lover's womb

By Tina Akannam

D

UTSE—OPERATIVES of Jigawa State Command of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, have apprehended three men for allegedly attempting to pull out the baby from the womb of an eight-month pregnant woman at Gusau quarters in Gumel Local Government.

The suspects, Adamu Usman Barma, 31; Fawas Bala, 28; and Buhari Ahmed, 29, were said to be the 20-year-old woman’s lovers.

State Commandant of the corps, Dr. Muhammed Gidado, said when his officers got to the scene of the incident, one of the suspects was holding the pregnant woman by the neck, another held her legs, while the

third attempted to pull out the baby.

He said the lady, identified as Maryam Muhammed, currently on admission in an unnamed hospital, admitted that she had been having affairs with the three men.

The suspects confessed that the pregnancy belonged to them and they had told her to abort it, but that she refused.

2015: PDP screens Jonathan, Tafawa Balewa

By Henry Umoru

A

BUJA—AHEAD of the December 10, 11 National Convention of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, the party yesterday screened President Goodluck Jonathan.

Also screened yesterday was the son of Nigeria’s late Prime Minister, Dr. Abdul Jelil Tafawa Balewa.

President Jonathan, who arrived the Wadata Plaza, National Secretariat of the party, went to the National Working Committee, NWC, hall at 3.15p.m., where he was screened for one hour and came down at 4.15p.m.

Soon after he left, Dr. Balewa came for similar screening.

Though wife of late Moshood

Kashimawo Abiola, Akasoba Duke-Abiola paid for the form, she was said not to have collected it and did not appear before the screening Panel.

Meanwhile, after Dr. Balewa had spent 90 minutes with the screening committee, he came out and declared: “I have decided to withdraw my aspiration for the strength and well being of the party.

“I hope to see you all some other time. I am a strong PDP member.”

Balewa, who arrived the secretariat at about 4:32p.m., spent about two hours waiting at the reception before he was ushered into the screening hall.

Chairman of the screening committee and former National Chairman of PDP, Dr. Ahmadu

Ali, who had earlier announced Balewa’s decision to withdraw from the race, hailed the aspirant’s decision.

Ali said: “After going through 90 minutes that the screening exercise lasted, he came to the conclusion that he wanted to withdraw from the race.

“He has promised to do everything to ensure the success of the party at the poll.

We commend him for the decision, although he chose to go through the entire process of screening before deciding to withdraw.”

PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, told newsmen that the leadership of the party would get the result of the exercise in the next 24 hours.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014—7

IMPEACHMENT: APC senators embark on mobilization against Jonathan

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru

A

BUJA—ALL Progressives Congress, APC, Senators are allegedly making frantic moves towards mobilizing their members and aggrieved Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, senators to ensure the purported impeachment plot against President Goodluck Jonathan commences anytime the Senators meet next week.

It was gathered that the senators that were part of the plot to initiate the impeachment move against the President had

wanted to commence that on Tuesday, but could not due to the closed-door session that the senate had with the Service Chiefs that lasted for about eight hours.

Some PDP senators, who spoke on condition of anonymity, lamented that the President does not appreciate the sacrifices they made to save the Presidency when the opposition party tried to raise issues concerning certain policies.

They cited the ongoing congresses of the party, where it was alleged that the National

Working Committee and the Presidency had surrendered the party machineries to state governors, who now try to stop majority of the senators from returning to the Senate in 2015.

Some of the senators accused the President of being only interested in his re-election and was ready to sacrifice any other person to achieve his ambition.

However, it was gathered yesterday that some PDP senators were foot-dragging over the impeachment move, as they are trying to use the Senate leadership to reach the President for their automatic tickets.

Fire gutted buildings at Oko Baba, Oyingbo, Ebute Meta, Lagos, yesterday. PHOTO: Diran Oshe.

Kidnappers of Chief Registrar demand N100 million ransom

By Jimitota Onoyume

P

ORT HARCOURT— KIDNAPPERS of the Chief Registrar of Rivers State High Court, Mr. Leonard Adoki, have demanded a ransom of N100 million for his release.

A family source confirmed the

development to newsmen in Port Harcourt.

It would be recalled that the Chief Registrar was taken hostage in his hometown, Amalem, Abua/Odua Local Government Area on his way from church last Sunday.

The abduction came barely

one month after the former president of Nigeria Bar Association, NBA, Chief Okey Wali (SAN), was abducted at his Rumuologu neighbourhood and released after about 11 days in the custody of his abductors.

The Port Harcourt branch of

NBA has condemned the latest kidnap.

Spokesman of the branch, Mr. Angus Chukwuka, who described the kidnap as an aberration, further appealed for the immediate and unconditional release of the Chief Registrar.

EFCC arraigns 77-yr-old woman over N65m fraud

By Abdulwahab Abdulah, Bartholomew Madukwe & Ebele Okafor

T

HE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, yesterday, arraigned a septuagenarian, Alhaja Mulikat Shonekan, before a Lagos High Court in Ikeja for allegedly stealing and fraudulently converting N65 million entrusted in her care for the purchase of 90 acres of land in Ogun State.

Alhaja Shonekan was arraigned alongside Martins Ogiogwa and Mujekanm Petroleum Nig. Coy. Ltd, on a five-count charge of conspiracy to obtain money by false

pretences, stealing and issuance of dishonoured cheque.

Count three read: Alhaja Mulikat Shonekan, Martins Ogiowa and Mujekanm Petroleum Nigeria Coy Ltd sometime in September 2008 in Lagos, within the Ikeja Judicial Division with intent to defraud, stole and fraudulently converted N65,000,000, property of Kuta Stones Ltd. entrusted to you, for the purchase of 90 acres of land located at Kemta Ososun Village, Odeda Local Government Area of Abeokuta in Ogun State of Nigeria.

According to EFCC, the offence is contrary to Section 390 of the Criminal Code, Cap.

The suspect, Alhaja Mulikat Shonekan (2nd left) in court.

C17, Vol. 2, Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2003.

However, when the charge was read to the defendants in English and Yoruba languages, they pleaded not guilty.

EFCC counsel, Anslem Ozioko, then urged the presiding judge, Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye, to remand the defendants in prison custody as required by law, till they perfect any bail granted by the court.

Ozioko told the court that Alhaja Shonekan (first defendant) was granted bail by the commission and she absconded, noting that if granted bail her presence for the trial cannot be guaranteed.

Counsel to the first defendant (Alhaja Shonekan) and third defendant (company), Bamidele Ogundele, urged the court to grant his client bail on liberal term, saying “the nature of the offence is a non-capital.

There is a charge, but the charge is mere allegation until proven.”

Ogundele said Alhaja Shonekan is 77 years old and was admitted twice in EFCC clinic, adding that she was brought to EFCC in 2013.

Counsel to the second defendant, Austin Akpomreta, also urged the court to grant his client bail, noting that during the course of administration of bail granted to the defendant,

he never absconded.

He said: “In fact, it was the second defendant that went to EFCC on his own. He was not arrested.

“We pray my Lord to grant him bail and also that he should be remanded in EFCC custody, pending perfection of his bail,” Akpomreta maintained.

After listening to the bail application of the defendants, the judge said: “I noticed the inability of Alhaja Shonekan to walk properly. So I rule that she should still be in EFCC custody.

I have noted that the offences charged are non-capital in nature.”

Justice Ipaye granted the septuagenarian bail in the sum of N5 million with two sureties, who would be blood relations and show evidence of three years tax payment.

The judge granted the second defendant bail in the sum of N10 million with two sureties that would be blood relations and give N5 million bond, including showing evidence of tax payment in Lagos in the last two years, while his international document must be submitted to the Chief Registrar of the court.

Justice Ipaye ordered that the second defendant, Ogiogwa, be remanded in prison custody till perfection of his bail and adjourned to January 23, 2015, for trial.

Gunmen kill policeman, steal service rifle in Bayelsa

By Samuel Oyadongha

Y

E N A G O A — UNIDENTIFIED gunmen have reportedly shot dead a mobile policeman at Akenpai, a suburb of Yenagoa, and took away his service rifle.

It was learned that the victim, a corporal, was shot dead on Monday at about 7a.m., on his way to his duty post.

According to residents, the deceased policeman, who hails from Ekeremor Local Government Area of the state, was shot at close range.

A resident said: “The unidentified gunmen laid ambush for the deceased and caught him off guard.

He was shot from behind.”

Contacted, state acting Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Rowland Eboka, confirmed the incident.

He said: “He was shot dead and his rifle missing.

We are making all efforts to apprehend the killers and recover the stolen weapon.”

In another development, gunmen suspected to be pirates reportedly attacked a passenger boat along the A k a s s a -Ye n a g o a waterways, killing one person.

Sources said the hoodlums, numbering five, shot the victim dead in an attack on a passenger boat last Sunday.

It was gathered that the bandits, who were on masks, also carted away valuables, including money, handsets and the fuel line of the boat.

The boat driver, however, escaped with gunshot injuries.

8 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014

Buhari's aircraft denied landing at Makurdi airport

By Peter Duru

M

AKURDI — A chartered aircraft conveying former Head of State and All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential aspirant, Gen. Mohammadu Buhari (rtd) and his entourage, was yesterday allegedly denied landing rights by the authorities of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, in Makurdi, the Benue State capital.

Vanguard gathered from a reliable source that Buhari, alongside his entourage, was travelling from Bayelsa State to Makurdi to woo delegates of his party ahead of the APC delegates congress scheduled for December but had their flight denied permission to touch down in Makurdi.

According to him, “the flight was earlier granted landing permission but we were all surprised when half an hour to his arrival, a counter directive was issued mid-flight thereby forcing the aircraft to head to Abuja.

“What they did was evil and dangerous, what if the plane was low on fuel, what do think would have happened? Desperation has set in in our politics and it is posing grave danger to our democracy.”

Contacted on phone, Benue State Chairman of the APC, Comrade Abba Yaro, confirmed the development, describing it as unfortunate.

He explained that loyalists of the party, who had laid siege to the airport yesterday morning were disappointed and had to disperse when they learnt of the unfortunate development.

He said: “We will certainly react to this ugly incident because what they have done was not only callous and wicked but also unacceptable in modern day Nigeria.”

All attempts to speak with officials of FAAN in Makurdi on the matter failed as they all declined to comment on the issue.

Gunmen kill 7 soldiers, 43 others in Zamfara

By Salisu Maradun

G

USAU — ABOUT 50 people, including seven soldiers, were reportedly killed in Zamfara State yesterday by gunmen suspected to be cattle rustlers.

The attackers were also alleged to have burnt some houses and destroyed other property worth millions of naira.

According to police sources, the alleged reprisal attack, believed to be the deadliest in recent times, occurred at Lilo town in Gusau Local Government Area of the state.

Vanguard learnt that the incident followed the recent killing of some rustlers by some people in the area.

Eye witnesses told Vanguard that the attackers stormed the area when everybody was going about their businesses and opened fire at anybody on sight.

“They just entered the town armed with sophisticated weapons and before we knew it, they had started shooting whoever they came across, which also led to the death of soldiers on surveillance who confronted them,” it was said.

Vanguard reliably gathered that hundreds of the victims who sustained injuries were currently receiving treatment at Mada Hospital in the state.

“We have lost so many things, especially lives,” one

Sa’adu Musa, a resident of the town, who narrowly escaped death told Vanguard.

Musa, who sobbed as he spoke said: “Just few hours after I left, a phone call came to me that I should not go back to Lilo because it has been overtaken by enemies. I fainted because I knew how I left my family."

He said the town had been deserted as those who survived the attack had since

taken refuge at nearby villages, including Mada town and Kwatarkwashi for fear of further attack on them.

Musa told Vanguard that he left the town for another neighbouring village to see one of his friends when the rustlers struck.

Spokesman of the state Police Command, DSP Lawal Abdullahi, confirmed the attack but explained that only eight people were killed while

another eight were injured.

Abdullahi also confirmed the burning of some houses and the stealing of 92 cows by the suspects, pointing out that the command had started investigations into the matter.

“The command is still investigating this painful incident. We are yet to make any arrest but by God’s grace, we will fish the attackers out just like we did the other time," Abdullahi said.

FEC MEETING: From left: Chief of Staff to the President, Chief Deinde Arogbofa; Head of Service, Danladi Kifasi; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim and Vice President Namadi Sambo at the opening of the weekly meeting of the Federal Executive Council chaired by the Vice President at Aso Chambers, State House, Abuja, yesterday. Photo: Abayomi Adeshida.

CBN to withdraw N500bn from banking system •Warns against counterfeiting Naira

By Babajide Komolafe

L

AGOS — THE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) said it would withdraw N500 billion from the banking system through the recent increase in the cash reserve requirement of banks.

Deputy Governor (Corporate Services), CBN, Mr. Bayo Adelabu, disclosed this while addressing members of the House of Representatives Committee on Banking and Currency on an oversight visit to the Lagos office of the bank.

Monetary Policy Committee of the CBN, Tuesday, in addition to devaluing the naira by 8.3 per cent to N168 per dollar, raised the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) to 13 per cent from 12 per cent, and the cash reserve requirement to 20 per cent from 15 per cent.

The decision to raise the MPR was, however, queried by members of the House Committee led by its chairman, Hon. Chukwudi Jones Victor

Onyereri. The committee faulted the decision, saying it would lead to further hike in lending rates charged by banks in the country.

Adelabu, however, defended the decision of the apex bank, saying: “The decision of the MPC was the best we could do under the circumstance that the economy is presently.

“We noticed that a lot of things contributed to the pressure on the naira. Number one factor is the declining revenue from oil. Our source of revenue in this country is just oil and when oil price declined by about 25 per cent in the last one month, we expected that there would be pressure on the foreign reserves.

"We believe that the pressure on the naira, apart from the declining oil prices, is also as a result of liquidity in the banking industry whereby a lot of frivolous demands for foreign exchange are being made by customers of banks, because the banks are able to extend credits to them.

"We are saying no. We want you to lend to the critical and

productive sectors of the economy, not trading, not to import toothpicks. So we are saying that the only thing we can do to reduce the capacity of the banks to grant loans to these customers for trading is to mop up more of the monies available to the banks, which is why we increased the CRR on private sector deposits to 20 per cent from 15 per cent, which will amount to about N500 billion withdrawal from the banking industry.

“We believe it will reduce the pressure on the foreign reserves.

If we don’t do that, the impact on the common man is going to be increased cost of production.

What the CBN is saying is that we need to become more patriotic. We should patronise locally made goods and services.

We do not need to be importing everything."

CBN warns against counterfeiting of Naira

Meanwhile, the CBN has warned members of the public against counterfeiting the naira.

The CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, gave this warning yesterday in Abuja, while declaring open the maiden temporary exhibitions of the Currency Museum on “Counterfeit Money: Who Pays?” and “Non-Interest Banking in Nigeria” held at the bank’s auditorium.

Represented by the deputy governor in charge of the Operations Directorate, Alhaji Suleiman Barau, Emefiele noted that educating the public would enable them identify counterfeited notes should they encounter such.

According to him, the CBN remains committed to safeguarding the value of the Naira by ensuring that banknotes are not susceptible to counterfeiting.

In his opening remarks, Director, Currency Operations Department of the CBN, Mr. Olufemi Fabamwo, observed that technological advancement posed a serious threat for national currencies to be counterfeited.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014—9

Fence-climbing lawmakers suspected thugs —IGP •Refuses to recognise Tambuwal as speaker •Says tear-gas canisters simply exploded •Reps insist Tambuwal should be properly addressed •Vow to apply relevant laws to checkmate IGP

By Nkiruka Nnorom

L

By Emman Ovuakporie

A

BUJA—MEMBERS of the House Committee on Police Affairs were shocked yesterday when the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Mr Sulaiman Abba, told them that he would not address Aminu Tambuwal as the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Abba drew the ire of the committee members when in his submission addressed the Speaker as Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal and also described the lawmakers who scaled the gate last Thursday as suspected thugs.

At this point, Rep. Akeem Muniru, APC, Lagos declared that ”if the Inspector General of Police cannot appropriately address the Speaker on whose ticket we were appointed as members of this committee then I will honourably leave here.”

Chairman of the committee, Hon. Usman Kumo, PDP, Gombe quickly interjected, appealing to his members that the Inspector-General of Police has the floor and should be allowed to deliver his submission without interference.

Members openly complained, particularly Hon. Shuaibu Gwandu, PDP, Sokoto and Hon. Rufai Chachangi, APC, Kaduna, declaring that the IGP should retract what he said.

After about five minutes, the chairman successfully calmed frayed nerves.

Reading his submission, Abba said: “My deep sympathy goes to those who sustained injuries in what happened on November 20 and let me say here that it hurts my own person as the events of that day traumatised me.

“What transpired on that day was unprecedented worldwide as policemen were disobeyed, beaten and many things that followed after that date. In the process of safeguarding the security of the National Assembly on November 20, we collaborated with the National Assembly Sergeant-at-Arms according to laid down procedures where members were being asked to identify themselves before they could be allowed into the premises.

“And at the gate there, a tear gas exploded when ‘Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal’ was being asked to identity himself. We still don’t know the circumstances surrounding the explosion and

AMCON completes sales of Enterprise Bank for N56bn

BRIEFING: From left: Chairman, All Progressives Congress, APC Oyo State, Chief Akin Oke; Deputy State Chairman, APC, Alhaji Alimi Isiaka and State Youth Leader, APC, Alhaji Ambali Abiodun at a press briefing on crisis in Oyo State, in Ibadan, yesterday. PHOTO: SHOLA OYELESE.

we are investigating it.”

I acted on credible information —IGP He claimed he acted based on credible information to deploy his men to the NASS on the said day, adding that the action was also due to what happened on the 19th when Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State and other APC supporters besieged the Force Headquarters promising to do worse things the following day, including going to the National Assembly.

He said: “Considering what happened in Burkina Faso on October 30 where the palace was invaded, we had no choice than to go for reinforcement to curb the situation.”

Suspected thugs The IGP insisted that there were reports that those who scaled the fence on that day were thugs.

Asked whether the so-called thugs include the lawmakers who resorted to scaling the fence after being locked out by the Police, he said the actions that were taken were based on the need to forestall breakdown of law and order as witnessed recently in Bukina Faso.

“We acted on credible information about suspected

thugs who wanted to invade the Assembly and because we didn’t want what happened in Bukina Faso to repeat itself here, we had to take stringent security measures,” the IGP said.

Tambuwal should be properly addressed —Lawmakers

Lawmakers were, however, furious on the manner in which the Police chief addressed the person of the Speaker as a mere Alhaji whose name has no protocol and national significance whatsoever.

Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Usman Kumo, then called the IGP to order, insisting that the Speaker and his office must be respected and addressed accordingly.

After observing that the IGP was not forthcoming, Hon. Hakeem Muniru (APC Lagos) demanded that “the IGP must retract his statement calling the Speaker, ‘Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal’ or I take my leave as I would deem this sitting as an illegal one. Because I can’t participate in a hearing where the office of the Speaker through whose authority we are having this meeting is not even recognised by an appointee of the executive.”

Hon. Victor Nwokolo (PDP Delta) said: “I agree with the earlier speaker on the issues at stake which has to do with the IGP retracting his disrespectful statement about

the office of the Speaker.”

Kumo, however, failed to obtain compliance from the IGP and told his colleagues that he would report back to the House what transpired and therefore adjourned the hearing sine die.

Vanguard recalls that last Thursday, the National Assembly was invaded by policemen and lawmakers had to scale the gate as they were locked out of the complex.

Vow to apply relevant laws to checkmatwe IGP

Meanwhile, spokesman of the House of Representatives, Zakari Mohammed, yesterday, said all relevant laws would be looked into to checkmate the Inspector General of Police.

Apparently reacting to the outcome of the public hearing held at NASS complex where the IGP refused to properly address the speaker appropriately, Mohammed said: ”When we resume we shall invoke the right laws to deal with the situation.

Since the IGP has assumed the position of another arm of government, we will handle the situation the right way very soon.

The issue here is that the IGP has turned himself into the judiciary.”

Another top ranking member of the House said: “We will ensure that this particular IGP goes down in history as one who wanted to desecrate the sanctity of the National Assembly. He must certainly pay for his act of indiscretion and mischief.”

AGOS — THE Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria, AMCON, has announced the successful completion of sale of Enterprise Bank Limited to HBCL Investment Services Limited for N56.1 billion.

HBCL Investment Services Limited is a special purpose vehicle incorporated for the purpose of acquiring AMCON’s entire shareholding in Enterprise Bank sponsored by Heritage Banking Company Limited.

The transaction, according to a statement

by Mr. Kayode Lambo, Head, Corporate Communications Strategy & Research, AMCON, was structured as a broad public auction process, which attracted interest from multiple domestic and international bidders with HISL emerging as the preferred bidder.

He noted that the transaction had been approved by the Board of Directors of AMCON and relevant regulatory approvals had been obtained from the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC. He said: “Completion of this transaction follows from the fulfilment of the terms and conditions stated in the Share Purchase Agreement (SPA) executed between AMCON and HISL. "In line with AMCON’s strategic objectives, this transaction marks the divestment of the first of three banks that were acquired by AMCON in August 2011 and represents a landmark transaction in the Nigerian banking sector.”

Citigroup Global Markets Limited (Citi) and Vetiva Capital Management Limited (Vetiva) acted as Financial Advisers to AMCON while G. Elias & Co. acted as Legal Advisers to AMCON on the transaction.

10— Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014

2015: S-West

youth groups endorse Jonathan

By Dapo Akinrefon

L

A G O S — A COALITION of South West Youth Groups yesterday threw their weight behind the reelection of President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 Presidential election.

Addressing a press conference yesterday in Lagos, Coordinator of the group, Mr Babalola Medayedupin said the youths from the South West decided to endorse President Jonathan’s second term ambition because of his “transformation, developmental projects and stability of the country.”

Medayedupin said: “Since our decision in 2011 to demonstrably support the election of Dr Goodluck Jonathan as President, the breath of fresh air that has brought transformation in agriculture, power, infrastructural d e v e l o p m e n t , manufacturing, mining, regional peace and diplomacy, security, political stability and democratic sustainability, Nigeria is better for the decision taken some years back.

"It is on this premise again that the coalition of South West Youth Groups has deemed it fit to embrace continuity, sustainability, development that is informed by genuineness of purpose and transformation with human face.”

Fashola blames Lagosians for delayed projects

By Olasunkanmi Akoni & Monsuru Olowoopejo

L

AGOS—GOVERNOR Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, yesterday, declared that the major challenge facing his administration in project delivery on schedule in the state was the residents’ factor.

Fashola made the remarks during the official commissioning of three major projects across the state.

The commissioned projects are: Agege Transfer Loading Station, Agege Local Government Area, Lagos-Skipper Engineering Academy, and the 1,600 Igando Emergency Relief/ Resettlement Camp, Alimosho Local Government.

Explaining the constraint, the governor noted that residents have allowed private interest to override public interest in the state, lamenting, “this impedes the state government’s effort to deliver projects that would improve the standard of life.”

Fashola said: “Last night, I got a report that some group of residents have gone

AGOS—A governorship aspirant on the platform of All Progressives Congress in Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode has pledged to pursue programmes, which would alleviate poverty in all strata of the state.

Ambode, who served as the state’s Accountant-General and Auditor-General between 2001 and 2012, also said people’s well-being and grassroots development will form the heart of his administration if elected in 2015.

He reeled out the programmes in his Victoria Island office while addressing some members of Lagos Deserves More Campaign Group, an independent group that has been soliciting support for him in the rank of

gave injunction that the contractor should leave the site.

“I think that we will continue to have this issue in a democratic system to balance the interest of few people against million others.

“We were trying to build pedestrian bridge at IyanaIpaja axis of the state, a resident took the state government to court, and alleged that the users of the bridge will be looking into his house.”

PRESENTATION: From left: Chairman, Central Working Committee, Chief P.O. Akinyelure, winner, Men’s Singles final, Michael Moses, Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, Director, PMO & Operational Strategy, Etisalat Nigeria, Ms. Ndidi Okpaluba, and Runnerup, Men’s Singles final, Duncan Mugabe, at the prize presentation of the Etisalat-sponsored 14th Governor’s Cup Lagos Tennis Tournament at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Onikan, Lagos.

AOCOED lecturers suspend 2-month-old strike

By Monsuru Olowoopejo

L

AGOS—LECTURERS of the Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, Ijanikin, OtoAwori Local Council Development Area, LCDA, have suspended their over two months old strike

Ambode pledges to tackle poverty

L

to seek court order to stop the state government from building ferry terminal in Osborne.

“This was the ferry terminal that is almost completed and the court without hearing the state argument, the court

professionals, market women, tradesmen and artisans among others.

The governorship hopeful told the group’s leader, Mr. Bode Ojelabi that he had already designed programmes hinged on human capital development, which he said, would help people at the grassroots in particular develop their potentials and skills.

He added that if emerged as the party’s flag bearer in the state and elected in 2015, he would streamline the state’s infrastructure development and urban renewal projects to transform lives, especially at the grassroots.

embarked upon over unpaid 18 months’ salary arrears and non-remittance of 17 months of pension funds deducted from their salaries.

The striking lecturers under the platform of Representatives of AOCOED Joint Staff Union, RAJSU, had on September 22, 2014, locked the two entrances to the institution to express their displeasure over issues that

had bedeviled the institution from competing favorably with its counterpart colleges of education.

Speaking on behalf of the striking lecturers, Mr. Michael Avosetinyen who disclosed this to Vanguard after a meeting which lasted for hours held within the school premises, said that the union suspended its strike because the government had

met 70 per cent of the demands.

He noted that the management had agreed to pay three months of the17 months pension funds deducted from their salaries within the next three weeks, adding “after that, the management will be paying two months monthly that is the current and the arrears.”

Ope's governorship bid gets backing

L

By Michael Eboh

AGOS—RESIDENTS of Alimosho, Apapa, Ikorodu, Badagry, Eti-Osa, yesterday, endorsed the gubernatorial aspiration of Lanre Ope on the platform of All Progressive Congress, APC. This is coming on the heels of his ongoing State-wide consultative tour of all the Local

Government Areas of Lagos State.

The consultative tour, according to a statement by Mr. Segun Martins, Director of Plans and Programmes, Lanre Ope Campaign Organisation, is part of an elaborate stakeholders’ engagement to elicit endorsement of Ope’s aspiration.

“According to survey reports from various Local Government Areas in the state, the representatives of people unanimously agreed that Honourable Lanre Ope is the only candidate with the right experience in both public and private sector that can sustain the drive to build Lagos State of our dream,” he said.

APC assembly aspirant assures constituents

L

AGOS—Mrs Folashade Grace Olabanji- Oba an aspirant to the Lagos State House of Assembly in the 2015 General Elections under the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has assured the people of Ikorodu adequate

representation of their interests in government.

She also promised to continue with her charity works in the constituency as well as in the country by helping the poor to do well.

According to Oba; “Having

observed the yearnings of our people, I believe I understand their needs and aspirations and as such will be enabled to galvanise them to dividend of democracy by being a genuine representative of the people at the state level”.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014 — 11

Ekiti PDP vows to ensure trial of APC chieftains zWe're being hunted —Omirin, 18 APC lawmakers

By Gbenga Ariyibi & Gbenga Olarinoye

A

DO EKITI—THE Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Ekiti State has vowed to use all legal and constitutional means to ensure the trial of some chieftains of the All Progressives Congress, APC, including the state chairman, Chief Jide Awe for alleged involved in criminally related offences.

Meantime, the embattled speaker of Ekiti State House of Assembly, Dr Adewale Omirin yesterday cried out that his life and that of the other APC members of the house are in danger as people suspected to be agents of the state government are allegedly on their trail to eliminate them.

Awe and other APC leaders were arrested and dragged to court over the killing of Ayodeji Jeje and Julianah Adewumi during a political meeting at Erinjiyan Ekiti, last year.

But the immediate past Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Wale Fapohunda had entered nolle prosequi (notice of discontinuance) in support of the suspects.

While reacting to a statement credited to the State Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mr Taiwo Olatubosun, on the purported injunction granted by the Court, which restrained the arrest of Jide Awe by the law enforcement agents, the PDP said there is no escape route for the suspects.

A statement issued in Ado Ekiti yesterday by the Acting State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr Joseph Adaraniwon described the injunction as kangaroo order, that will be vacated in view of the enormity of the alleged offence committed by the defendants.

The PDP described murder as a serious offence, which should not be treated with levity for Ekiti to have a society that will be free of crime and erase the impression that some individuals are being treated as sacred cows in the dispensation of justice.

Our lives in danger —Omirin, others The embattled yesterday cried out that his life and that of the other APC members of the house are in danger as people suspected to be agents of the state government are allegedly on their trail to eliminate them.

Omirin also described his purported removal by seven PDP lawmakers as a breach of the nation’s constitution, saying he remains the authentic speaker of the House.

Omirin, who spoke yesterday at an interactive session when he led members of the APC on a visit to Osun state House of Assembly, stated that some unknown gun men had in recent time been visiting their homes at odd times in the night.

He accused Governor Ayodele Fayose of behaving like an emperor alleging that he had incited political thugs and okada riders against them.

He also alleged that the PDP legislators were able to carry out their illegal removal from office through the tacit support of the state governor, Ayodele Fayose.

Omirin and his Deputy, Adetunji Orisalade while briefing the Assembly on what led to the crisis in Ekiti State noted that the lawmakers in Ekiti State never contemplated to impeach the state governor.

They accused Fayose of attempts to stampede the house to get his proposals approved on removal of caretaker committee for newly created local development areas created by former governor Kayode Fayemi,screening of list of commissioners and N2 billion loan forwarded to the house.

He said none of the seven members of PDP who spearheaded their illegal impeachment was a principal officer noting that they only convened an emergency parliamentary sitting during which they appointed themselves officers.

The legislators noted that there was nothing wrong for both the executive and legislative arms of government to dialogue in order to resolve differences adding that gover-

nor Fayose wanted to have his way without respect to due legislative process.

Omirin ,who said the security of the lawmakers was in the hands of of God stated that if anything untowrads should happen to any APC legislators, the Ekiti governor should be held responsible.

Fayose warns Okada riders In another development, Governor Fayose has warned motorcycle commercial operators otherwise known as okada riders that his administration would not tolerate factional crisis that could threaten the security of the state,even as he has assured them that his administration would not disrupt them from operating in any part of the state.

SERVICE: Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun (2nd left), his wife, Olufunso (2nd right), wife of the Speaker, Ogun State House of Assembly, Mrs Seun Adekunbi (right) and Chairman, Ogun State Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board, Bishop Oludotun Ogunseye, during the Welfare Service held for the 2014 intending state Christian pilgrims in Abeokuta, yesterday.

‘N1bn TETfund technology centre ready soon'

By Ola Ajayi

I

BADAN—A one billion naira mechatronics and robotics centre funded by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund will be ready for commissioning in the next six months at The Polytechnnic Ibadan.

This was disclosed by the institution’s Deputy Rector, Mr. Adebisi Adeniran in Ibadan yesterday as part of activities marking the institution’s 30th convocation ceremony which takes off next Friday.

The centre, according to him, will help students in the 43-year-old institution to acquire competence in current technology in automobiles and allied courses.

According to him, the institution also benefited from TETFund through staff development and training.

He said as from Wednesday 3rd December, 2014, the institution will be presenting an exhibition of the output of the students and staff to the public.

He further stressed that the exhibition would include models, fabrications, artworks, some finished goods and other works produced from “various departments and units and from our laboratories and workshops and we are sure of very marketable products for industrial use would be there.”

Oyo PDP crisis worsens as Akala, 6 others reject congress results

By Ola Ajayi

I

BADAN—THE hydra-headed crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Oyo State worsened yesterday as former Governor Adebayo AlaoAkala and six other governorship aspirants in the party distanced themselves from the re-scheduled ward congresses which a committee led by Dr. Aliyu Idi Hong has declared successful.

Other aspirants who said the exercise was fraught with irregularities include Senator Ayo Adeseun, former Deputy Governor, Hazeem Gbolarumi, Femi Babalola, Dr. Isaac Owolabi, Professor Taoheed Adedoja and Professor Soji Adejumo.

In a protest letter signed by the seven aspirants and addressed to the national headquarters of the party, they stated; ‘’At about

11 a.m on Monday, all the governorship aspirants except Senator Teslim Folarin got to the secretariat of our party and went into a closed door

meeting with the Ward Committee headed by Dr. Aliyu Idi Hong to determine the modalties for the conduct of the Congress.

Ogun motorists to get speed limiting device

By Daud Olatunji

A

BEOKUTA—THE Ogun State Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Commission, Adegoke Adetunji, yesterday, said motorists would be forced to install a speed limiting device in their vehicles before the end of June next year.

Adetunji said the device, which he called speed limiter, was introduced to control excessive speeding by motorists which he said was a major cause of road accidents in the country.

The FRSC boss in the state stated this at the motor park enlightenment campaign on safety on the road during ‘ember’ months and beyond held at Ayetoro motor park, Lafenwa, Abeokuta.

It was organised by the Ogun State chapter of National Association of Seadogs in conjunction with the state FRSC, to enlighten the commercial drivers on the need to drive safely during the Yuletide season and beyond.

“Parties and members of the ward congress committee agreed on the system earlier adopted by the stakeholders and the Senator David Mark led Integration and Reconciliation Committee for the South West on 24th October, 2014, that the local government monitoring committee would include a representative of each stakeholder and only results signed by these representatives would be valid and acceptable.

“Since no election took place, no result could have been produced by the Oyo State Ward Congress Monitoring Committee led by Dr. Idi Hong.

In the unlikely event of any result being produced by any person or body of person, such result must have been manufactured and must not be accepted.”

12—Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014

EPZ controversy: Itsekiri, Ijaw talks end in deadlock

By Emma Amaize

W

A R R I — T H E preliminary talks between the Itsekiri and Ijaw in Warri, Delta State, on the controversy surrounding the naming of $16 billion Export Processing Zone, EPZ project, Ogidigben, Warri South-West Local Government Area, has ended in a stalemate.

Following the deadlock, the meeting scheduled for yesterday in Abuja between the two ethnic groups and authorities of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, had been canceled.

The Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, had given the two ethnic groups a one week ultimatum, which expired yesterday, to reach a compromise on their differences.

Vanguard gathered that the meeting was attended by the chairman of Ogidigben EPZ Interface Committee, Mr. Austin Oborogbeyi, who led the Itsekiri delegation. Others were the Ajuwaoyiboyami of Warri Kingdom, Chief Ayiri Emami, former chairman of Warri South-West, Mr. David

Tonwe and Mr. Thomas Ereyitomi.

In the Ijaw team were Chief Godspower Gbenekama, Mr. Daniel Ekpebide, Mr. Williams Totor, Chief Fatchie Etoromomi and Mr. Paul Bebenimibo.

Meanwhile, a member of the Ogidigben Export Processing Zone, EPZ, Interface Committee, in Delta State, Mr. Alex Eyengho, has said that

Alison-Madueke, did not issue an ultimatum to the Ijaw and Itsekiri ethnic groups to resolve their differences over the project, but only appealed to them to let peace reign.

Eyengho, who spoke to Vanguard, yesterday, said: “It was the Ijaw delegation that appealed to the minister to give the two ethnic groups one week to settle their disagreement and report back

and not as if the minister spoke like a dictator.

“It will not be fair to my conscience if I do not make this clarification because I was at the meeting. What I can say is that she expressed her anger with the publication of the Itsekiri Leaders of Thought and appealed to the Ijaw and Itsekiri people to resolve their disagreement."

GOVERNORSHIP DECLARATION: From left: Mr. Ndudi Elumelu, governorship aspirant, PDP Delta State and Chief Moses Odibo, Director-General, Elumelu Campaign Organisation, at Eleumelu's 2015 governorship declaration of in Asaba, Delta State, yesterday.

Amaechi blames Rivers' dwindling economy on Presidency

By Jimitota Onoyume

P

ORT HARCOURT— GOVERNOR Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State has blamed the Presidency for the stagnation of the state’s economy.

The governor, at an interactive session with students of Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, UOE, Port Harcourt, also dismissed insinuations in some quarters that the All Progressives Congress, APC, was an Islamic party with hidden intentions to Islamise the country.

According to him, the National Chairman of the party, Chief John OdigieOyegun and some other national leaders of the party, were Christians.

He said: “The political economy of Rivers State has been stagnated by the Presidency and their detractors. They do not mean well for our state.”

Governor Amaechi, who spoke against another Ikwerre man succeeding him as governor accused a member of the Peoples Democratic Party,

C M Y K

PDP in the state of allegedly diverting public funds meant for the construction of internal roads in the new Adokiye Amiesimaka stadium built by his administration.

“I am an Ikwerre man who

has ruled for eight years and I am surprised to hear that the PDP is jostling to bring another Ikwerre governor in 2015. The PDP man who they want to bring as their gubernatorial candidate is an Ogboni man

and not a Christian.”

He appealed to residents of the state to ensure they collect their permanent voters card, adding that those yet to register should endeavour to do so.

IYC lauds re-appointment of NIMASA boss

T

HE Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, Lagos chapter, led by it’s Chairman, Mr. Boma Johnbull, has lauded the re-appointment of the Director-General of the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Mr. Patrick Akpolokemi, for another term in office.

In a statement by Mr. Henry Oyobolo, Information Officer of IYC Lagos, the group commended President Goodluck Jonathan for giving Akpolokemi another opportunity to continue with the development of the maritime sector through innovative ideas and growth strategies.

“We also use congratulate the NIMASA boss and enjoin him to keep up the good work he is doing through his strategy of

developing the maritime sector through innovative ideas and

most especially carrying all stakeholders along in the sector.

2015: I've the experience to govern Delta —Obi

A

SABA—FORMER acting governor of Delta State and a Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship aspirant, Mr. Sam Obi, has said that he has the required experience to pilot the affairs of the state, if elected in 2015.

Obi, in a chat with newsmen in his office, said that his desire to govern the state was borne out his determination to contribute to the development of Delta State.

The former Speaker of the state House of Assembly and

incumbent member representing Ika North-East, said that his exposure had made him conversant with the developmental needs of the people of the state.

Noting that his political antecedents speak volumes of what the people should expect when he emerges governor of the state in 2015, Obi said that his administration will restore confidence in governance by ensuring accountability in the conduct of government business and prompt payment to contractors on completion of their jobs.

Court fixes Dec 1 for ruling in suit against fake DSS operative

By Samuel Oyadongha

Y

ENAGOA—A Magistrate Court sitting in Sagbama, Bayelsa State, yesterday, adjourned till December 1, for ruling in the suit by the state Police Command against a 47year- old man, Victor David, over alleged impersonation as an officer of the Department of State Security, DSS, and extortion of N20,000 from a suspected cultist in the area.

The police prosecution team had alleged that the fake DSS officer was arrested following a case of extortion reported against him by a suspected cultist identified as Moses Ociseibai, who claimed he paid him N20,000 to secure his freedom from the custody of the Nigerian Police in Sagbama.

The accused was arraigned on a two-count charge of impersonation and fraud.

The accused, Victor David, an indigene of Orogun in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State, was reported to have confessed to the crime and subsequently charged to court.

2015: Burutu youths endorse Daubry

L

EADERS of the ruling People’s Democratic Party PDP in Burutu Constituency II, Delta State, have been charged to reciprocate the achievements of Mr Kennedy Daubry, member representing the constituency at the state House of Assembly.

Hundreds of youths from Burutu Constituency II, at a meeting in Warri, yesterday, also urged party leaders and delegates to give Daubry the ticket at Saturday’s primaries, because of his o u t s t a n d i n g performance.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014—13

2015: Dakuku Peterside emerges Rivers APC consensus gov candidate

By Jimitota Onoyume

P

ORT HARCOURT—ALL Progressive congress, APC, in Rivers State yesterday, chose the member representing Andoni Nkoro federal constituency in the House of Representatives, Mr Dakuku Peterside as it’s consensus guber candidate.

Nkoro emerged at the end of a marathon meeting of party’s stakeholders in Government House, Port Harcourt.

Dakuku was a former Commissioner of Works during the first tenure of Governor Rotimi Amaechi.

Peterside is the Chairman House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream).

Governor Amaechi at the end of a close door caucus meeting of the party in Government House, Port Harcourt, lifted the hand of Dakuku as the candidate of the party.

A source who broke the news to media men in Port Harcourt, said it was a close door caucus meeting, adding that no media man was allowed into the meeting.

Meanwhile, the state Chairman of the party, Mr Davis Ikanya, who fielded questions from newsmen later

on the outcome of the meeting, merely parried questions, saying that the party will conduct primaries for all the various offices.

A top member of the party who spoke to Vanguard on the development, said party chieftains were being careful

with their comments not to provoke bitter feelings in the party.

Senator Magnus Abe was among top members of the party rumoured to clinch its ticket for the governorship election.

“You can see that our party

leaders are trying to manage the situation not to provoke any bitterness within the party. This decision may have shocked some persons. But the situation has to be managed for the good of the party,” a leader of the party told Vanguard.

INTERACTIVE SESSION: Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State addressing students of Ignatius Aguru University of Education, during an interactive session on the campus in Port Harcourt.

Bayelsa lawmakers move against Speaker over comment against President

By Samuel Oyadongha

Y

ENAGOA—MEMBERS of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly may move against the Speaker, Mr. Benson Kombowei over statement credited to him against President Goodluck Jonathan.

The lawmakers were said to have expressed their displeasure to the Speaker for making what they described as “degrading and inciting” comments against the President.

However, the Speaker has since cleared the air on the issue and declared his support for President Jonathan, maintaining that the latter has demonstrated true leadership, statesmanship, vision, capacity, and sacrifice in his transformation agenda.

The angry lawmakers were said to have held series of secret meetings in Yenagoa, where they condemned the Speaker ’s tirade against Jonathan in an interview he granted a regional tabloid.

Kombowei had, in a statement by his media aide, Priye Kiyaramo, in the wake of the controversy that greeted

the interview he granted the regional tabloid, described Jonathan as a true democrat who cannot be disrespected.

According to him, the President has been able to match words with action in his quest to transform the political landscape of Nigeria through

his exemplary leadership style.

But the lawmakers, it was learned, were not satisfied with the Speaker ’s comment describing same as face saving.

They insisted that the interview in the regional

tabloid suggested that President Jonathan was plotting to impose candidates on members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the state’s party primaries and as such distanced themselves from the offensive comments saying, “the Speaker is on his own.”

Diversification key to Delta’s economic growth —ELUMELU

M

R. Godwin Elumelu has said that he will dedicate his first tenure to the diversification of Delta State’s economy, if elected governor in 2015.

The governorship aspirant on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, who represents Aniocha/Oshimili federal constituency in the House of Representatives, said that only economic diversification could build on Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan’s achievements and carry on the Delta Beyond Oil initiative.

Elumelu, said: “This policy thrust envisages the

development of the socioeconomic sector through publicprivate partnership, PPP, and joint venture initiative from within and outside the country.

Together with aggressive pursuit of skills acquisition programmes, this should tackle unemployment.

“My government will restore trust and confidence in governance by addressing genuine needs of the people through involvement of community leaders, royal fathers, opinion leaders and youths.”

He noted that with the assurance of a level playing

field from Uduaghan, equity and justice demand that Delta North, from which he said he was the most qualified aspirant, was set to clinch the governorship seat.

Crack in Rivers PDP deepens

By Davies Iheamnachor

P

ORT HAR-COURT— AFTER the screening of People’s Democratic Party, PDP, governorship aspirants in the SouthSouth, there have been accusations and counteraccusations, while the 12 disqualified aspirants have threatened to appeal the result of the just concluded screening exercise.

Prince Tonye Princewill, Nimi Walson Jack, Bekinbo Dagogo-Jack, Dumo LuluBriggs, Prof. Dom Baridom, Major Lancelot Ayanya, Gabriel Pidomson, Oseleye Dennis-Ojuka, Tamunosisi Gogo-Jaja, Sampson Ngerebara, Mrs. Abietedogho Bob-Hart and Henry Odien Ajumogobia were disqualified.

Meanwhile, Pawariso Samuel Horsfall, Capt.

Sunday Nwankwo, Nyesom Wike, Bernard MIkko and Ibinabo Michael-West scaled through to take part in the PDP primaries.

Pa Ogbokodo passes on

L

ATE Pa A.J.E. Ogbokodo, is dead aged 96.

Ogbokodo, a renowned football coach, will be buried November 28, at his ancestral home, Ifiekporo, in Warri South Local Government Area, Delta State, immediately after a novelty match in his honour at Warri Township Stadium.

Pa Ogbokodo, who was the first coach of Ethiope Football Club, Sapele, is survived by children, grand children and great grand children.

Late Pa Ogbokodo

14 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014

C M Y K

Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014 — 15

PDP destroying Nigeria through corruption — BUHARI

By Samuel Oyadongha, Jimitola Onoyume & Festus Ahon

T

HE ALL Progressives Congress, APC, presidential aspirant, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, warned, yesterday, that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was gradually destroying the nation with the sustenance of the culture of corruption and impunity.

He also said Boko Haram insurgents, kidnappers and armed robbers could over-run the country, if the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was allowed to rule Nigeria for another four years.

Buhari spoke in Asaba, Delta State and Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, at a meeting with APC faithful to woo delegates for party presidential primaries.

Speaking at the APC’s Secretariat in Yenagoa, he urged Nigerians to vote out the ruling PDP and end the era of corruption that had threatened the foundation of the nation.

He said: “What is wrong with Nigeria? What is wrong is

massive corruption. And the commentators have said it, written about it, and I believe them, if we don’t kill corruption in Nigeria, corruption will kill us. If Nigerians make the wrong choice as they have done since 1999, they will pay the price.

"If you want to know how much we have been suffering for the last 15 years under the PDP, try and imagine what our condition was in 1999. We will use the Nigerian Shipping Line, and the Nigerian Airways. The roads were not too bad.

"The most important among these, I suppose, was the industrialization. The creation of jobs, goods and services through what was called National Electric Power Authority, NEPA or Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN. “But after spending so much dollars, we are still where we are.

Nigerians have abundant resources. God has endowed us with petroleum and some mineral resources, a lot of land for farming. But the educational standard has gone hay-wire. The infrastructure have gone. The institutions, I have just learnt,

have disappeared. If you find out how much we have earned till date, you will be amazed,” he said.

He said though members of the National Assembly tried through various public hearings and the unearthing of corrupt practices by the present administration in the power sector, petroleum sector and the military,” such massive mismanagement and corruption discovered have been frustrated by the PDP. “The National Assembly was worried and constituted public hearings. The hearings were conducted in Abuja and the geopolitical zones. The National Assembly conducted hearing on NEPA. They conducted on the missing pension fund. They conducted on the petroleum industry. They got facts about those responsible for the massive mismanagement and sent the report to the executive as required by the constitution. Nobody has been charged.”

On insurgency in the North East, Buhari said the corrupt practices of the PDP-led government had rendered the military weak and incapable, lamenting that “the

National Assembly became concerned about the performance of the military in the field. In the media interview conducted, the soldiers said they were ordered to face Boko Haram without appropriate weapons and ammunition. Even their leadership ran away.

"The National Assembly was again concerned. They went and dug out the budget allocated to the military in the last three or four years. They dug out monies allocated to the government to go and buy weapons and arms to distribute to the military and prepare them to defend the nation, but the hearing was frustrated. The message is absolutely clear to Nigerians now.

If you don’t remove the PDP next year, they are going to kill this country.”

Also addressing APC delegates in Asaba, the APC presidential hopeful said the PDP had failed to provide the needed security for Nigerians, saying, “the North East is being over-run by Boko Haram; kidnappers and armed robbers are here thriving. The PDP is progressively destroying

the security and economy of the country for the last 15 years. I don’t think we need them anymore. If not properly checked, Boko Haram and other criminals will over-run the country.

"My message to Nigerians is that they should vote PDP out because they have failed. Recall our infrastructure in 1999, what it is now, and how much we have earned and everything is being destroyed. If given a chance, we (APC) will make it better; just give us a chance.”

Earlier, Buhari said he had all that was needed to govern the country and solicited the support of all delegates to make him the presidential flag-bearer of the APC. While promising to improve on the infrastructure of the country, Buhari said he was the right person to govern the country and blamed the woes befalling the country on the bad governance being offered by the PDP. He said the APC was determined to secure Nigerians.

Buhari was also in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where he spoke in the same vein.

Chime mops up Vanguard in Enugu

E

N U G U — VANGUARD newspaper was missing from the newsstands in Enugu yesterday following the blanket purchase of yesterday’s edition of the newspaper meant for circulation in the Coal City State.

The entire stock of the newspaper meant for circulation in the city were bought allegedly by alleged agents of the state government.

The action of the authorities in the state was apparently linked to a news feature published yesterday entitled, Enugu 2015: The debacle of parallel leadership.

The story was a focus on the recent travails of the faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, led by Governor Sullivan Chime arising from that faction’s failure to participate in the November 1, 2014 ward congresses of the party organised by the Elder David Aja-led leadership of the party.

The development in the party, according to the feature piece has led to doubts on the prospects of 2015 election aspirants affiliated to the governor. The seemingly provocative article which was a review of the developments in the state was, however, stopped from mass circulation with the forced purchase of the edition from the newspaper distributors.

Besides yesterday, the newspaper was also forced from the newsstands last Friday, November 21, 2014 which reported stories on Enugu and had a C M Y K

feature, Governors also cry.

The practice of buying up copies of Vanguard with reports perceived not to be favourable to the authorities in the state has been a recurring decimal which has brought agony to readers of Vanguard in the state.

Yesterday, some readers who brought the newspaper from outside the state were able to make photocopies of the feature story which sold for as much as N300 in some places in the state capital.

A copy of the newspaper where it was seen sold in some cases for as much as N1,000.00.

8 Abia PDP gov aspirants cleared for primaries

U

By Anayo Okoli

M UA H I A — E I G H T governorship aspirants have been cleared to contest for the ticket of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the 2015 governorship election.

They are Chief Emeka Wogu, Dr. Uchechukwu Ogah, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, Chief Okezie Iheanacho Orji, Elder Acho Nwakanma, Chief Friday Nwosu, Ambassador Okey Emuchay and Chief Marc Wabara.

One aspirant, Dr. Greg Ibeh withdrew from the race while Senator Nkechi Nwaogu’s name did not feature either in the governorship or the senatorial contests.

This was announced, yesterday, by the state chairman of the party, Chief Emma Nwaka, while briefing journalists in his office.

16— Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014

C M Y K

Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014 — 17

I

arrived in London on Saturday after the two weeks that I spent in the United States, in California and Texas. Let me start by confessing that I love food, especially that opportunity to taste foods of the different cultures of our wonderful world.

And in my nomadic wanderings in far-flung destinations from Western Sahara to Eritrea or South Sudan to India and beyond, I have retained an unending fascination with tasting the foods of these different countries.

Food is so essentially human and yet they have a variety to them, which underline the various ways humans have found culinary delights within geographical spaces, in the construction of the treasure house of human culinary culture.

There are places where we find food particularly pleasant while some others don’t feel too right. When I studied in Germany in the 1980s, I grew a particular dislike for potatoes because they were too central to the German diet in the defunct GDR! I spent 15 days in Eritrea in 2009 and at a point, I became uncomfortable with their national diet, Njeera (shared with Ethiopia!) and Pasta.

It was in a small village between Masawa on the Red Sea Coast and Asmara, the Eritrean capital, that I ate the most delicious lamb-based dish of my stay in the country. That compensated for the previous days’ difficulty!

Nigerian restaurant A new Nigerian restaurant that opened the day before I arrived was my first port of call in Los Angeles. The décor was modest but decently clean.

SUMPTUOUS as it is called, was opened by a Nigerian guy from Akwa Ibom; he also has a couple of outlets in Nigeria. The pounded yam, okra soup and the fish were top grade; that meant I was not going to miss Nigeria so much and in the week that I spent in California, I returned to eat two more times.

We went to a lovely Sunday afternoon buffet that catered in the main to professional people in their forties and fifties.

The variety was excellent just as there was a jazz band entertaining and the music was broadcast live on a local FM station. I did a couple of seafood restaurants a few times, to supplement the wonderful food that my friend, Adeyombo Aderinto’s wife, Funke, cooked in the house.

But when I arrived in Dallas, Texas, the culinary adventure just took a life of its own! Dallas was very cold and rainy, in sharp contrast to what I had experienced in California. And when Frank Oshodi, my old friend from the Radio Nigeria and UNILAG of the 1980s, picked me from the airport, he asked where we should start eating from.

The closest was an African restaurant owned by a Kenyan, but C M Y K

USA's diversity plus a rich food culture because of the large Nigerian presence in the city, tried to cook dishes that had a Nigerian flavor: vegetable soup, grilled fish; what looked like pounded yam and goat meat pepper soup, that was “soupy” alright but had “meat in brief” as I told the waiter! The following day we ate at a Texan buffet where, true to the cattle production background in the State, there was a lot of meat! Over the next five days I ate at the Nigerian restaurant, ASO VILLA, which I first encountered in Toronto, Canada, in 2010. I did a very sumptuous Guatemalan seafood dinner; I also had brunch in a Mediterranean restaurant; dinner in a French restaurant and the highlight of it all, was the Brazil Restaurant of Texas.

There we were served all types of meat and you ate to a point that you literally threw in the towel! Anyone who has eaten at CANIVORES in Nairobi, Kenya or Cape Town in South Africa would have an idea of what I am talking about. After about four rounds of beef, the ribs, chicken, lamb, more beef and different sides of meat, I had enough! Oshodi had a good laugh at my expense be-

People from different cultures within Nigeria relish different culinary tastes from our diverse cultures and in that we affirm our human unity as well as tie ourselves into a Nigerian culinary culture

cause he went for two more helpings before we ordered for coffee and walked out literally bursting! The ride home was lightened up with Fela’s music, especially the early pieces that showcased the artistry of the late Igho Chico and the inimitable Tunde (Lester) Williams!

The United States must be the most diverse country on earth.

It has a deliberate policy of taking immigrants from all corners of the world. These people help to shore up a very diverse culture that enriches the country enormously. Some of the best brains of the world go to the country and the ambience has helped American capitalism to flower. These peoples have also taken into the United States their different culinary cultures, thus helping to create the most cosmopolitan culinary culture on earth. I got a most satisfying taste of the diversity of taste in the United States in the two weeks that I stayed and travelled in California and Texas. In my moments of reflections I

couldn’t help but attempt to draw lessons for and about our country.

Nigeria is the only African country with the capacity to become an African Great Power, with its tremendous potentials in terms of natural and human riches. Our diversity is actually the greatest strength that we can harness as the building block of the potential greatness that we all cannot stop talking about.

The moment that we take steps to destroy the diversity that should underlie our interactions and development, we then open the potentials for culture and development to atrophy.

Rich history Take Kano, for example. It is the largest city in Northern Nigeria; its rich history spans over a thousand years, and it was built upon an ability to absorb influences from near and far. But when intolerance began to descend on the city from the early nineties, a lot of middle class professionals from other parts of the country began to move out. Things are different there today, despite the recent developmental strides.

The culture of intolerance cannot be the basis for the building of modern and prosperous societies. The peoples of our

country actually seem more advanced than the ruling class in these matters; all over the country, our peoples live together, share and absorb cultural influences, and as we move around, we see how culinary cultures are continuously borrowing from each other all around Nigeria. There can be no auditing of the urban culinary cultures in Nigeria today, without taking into consideration our love for different types of pepper soup, Afang and Edikaikon, stock fish, Tuwo da Miya Kuka, pounded yam, amala, bush meat, etc. Name them! People from different cultures within Nigeria relish different culinary tastes from our diverse cultures and in that we affirm our human unity as well as tie ourselves into a Nigerian culinary culture, which can only get better if we can also build a responsible culture of leadership recruitment and abandoning the nation-ruining tendency of going for the Lowest Common Denominator in the type of people we give the responsibilities of leadership. The natural thing is to gravitate towards the best restaurants that preparethe most sumptuous food with an equally inviting ambience of cleanliness. So why should we settle for less in our search for those who rule our country? Let us give a thought to that! Oh, by the way, I have already visited Peckham in South London to eat Amala, Abula and Orisirisi. I should join Malam Abba later this week to eat in his favourite Lebanese restaurant located on a street somewhere between Debenhams and House of Frasier, off Oxford Street!

Yummy!

The Nigerian Labour Movement and the Labour Party

L

AST Wednesday, I re ceived the text of the press conference addressed by our old comrade, Salisu Mohammed, as Chairman of the National Caretaker Committee of the Labour Party. The address expressed “deep concerns” about the “decay and derailment from the ideals of the Labour Movement (Social Democracy)” by the Labour Party leadership in recent years. The new National Caretaker Committee was inaugurated to help re-position the party; it is composed of some of the veteran leaders of the Nigerian trade union movement and the Nigerian left.

These are individuals with pedigree in fighting the cause of the working people and the poor. A good step, but it is incroyable (as the French say),that the Labour Party was left in the hands of very reactionary characters for so long.

The party was turned into a joke; it was neither a LABOUR party, because it did not stand for the CLASS interests of the working people, nor was it a PARTY, because it was opened up for some of the most controversial characters to use as a platform to search for power without an ideological affinity

to the working people. It was the party that the controversial Nnamdi “Andy” Ubah once used trying to become governor of Anambra State. The height of the charade was its adoption of Goodluck Jonathan as its candidate for presidency in 2011! And in recent times, its leadership has spent so much time attacking the opposition and defending the ruling government at the same time.

The decadence of the Labour Party reflects the dead end arrived at by the present crop of leaders of the Nigerian Trade Union Movement. The labour movement has become a eunuch, unable to galvanise the class actions that made the movement the most important class organisation of the Nigerian working people and the poor. On the one hand, there were objective difficulties located in how triumphant capitalist neoliberalism has done everything to destroy the organisational capacities of working people, through the casualisation of labour; the conscious destruction of collective bargaining processes plus the weakening of trade unions and closure of companies that depleted the number of

unionised workers. On the other hand is the consolidation of petty bourgeois, even haute bourgeois, lifestyles of the trade unions leadership. The Labour Aristocracy enjoys privileges that class action might endanger! The characters who hitherto ran the Labour Party have approached it from a mercantilist mentality, thus ensuring that the Nigerian Labour Party has not grown in proportion with the Nigerian people’s need for an alternative to the reactionary ruling class parties, but especially PDP and APC! There was no Labour Party to posit an alternative platform to the destructive neo-liberal policies that creates a few billionaires (ridiculously celebrated!) as the mass of Nigerians live in a desperate disillusionment that has led to insurgency and sundry crimes in our country.

Yet, Nigeria needs a genuine Party of Labour to posit an alternative to a rampaging and destructive neoliberal capitalism. The interim leadership of the Labour Party should re-position the party by infusing it with a genuine CLASS content. That is their their duty to the working people, the poor and Nigeria!

18 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014 JUSTICE Ademola Johnson’s ruling that struck out the charges against bomb blast suspect Aminu Ogwuche, “for want of diligent prosecution”, opens an opportunity for the judiciary to examine many cases before courts, where prosecution has not been diligent, resulting in suspects awaiting trial for years.

Ogwuche was charged at the Federal High Court, Abuja, for terrorism. He is the alleged mastermind of the 14 April bomb blast which killed 75 people and injured 120 others at the Nyanya motor park in Abuja. The Department of State Services, DSS, has the court’s approval to keep Ogwuche until December 5 when his bail application would be heard.

The opportunity in the judge’s ruling is that suspects could use the generous provisions of the Constitution, especially Section 35, the rights of the individual to speedy trial, to free the thousands of ordinary Nigerians awaiting trial. Many of them have spent years in detention, during which they have made few appearances in court.

Ogwuche As Oppor tunity Opportunity Are they excluded from “diligent prosecution”?

Ogwuche is being charged for terrorism. He boasted about his role in the Nyanya incident. “ If I am left alone, I will still kill those infidels who have refused to repent of their sins against Allah. My mission is to wipe out infidels from the face of the earth. You call me bomb detonator, and I love that. I am ready to kill again. In fact, I enjoy killing people who are unbelievers; those deceived by western education and disobedient to Allah and His Holy Koran. I don’t care what will happen to me now because if I die, I shall go to heaven for doing God’s work. I won’t beg

anybody for forgiveness but I can assure you that my so -called trial will not be an easy exercise. If I like, I plead not guilty in court to make things difficult for the Federal Government but inside my mind, I know I did the damn thing.

It is my word against Federal Government evidence, ” he said on arrival at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja last July 15.

For a case that commenced last July when Ogwuche was repatriated from Sudan to be devoid of diligent prosecution after only five months means that our growing army of “human rights” lawyers and numerous non-governmental organisations, could use the same provisions to press the cases of thousands languishing in jail, without trial.

They are poor, voiceless, without the connections to get their matters heard speedily.

As we strive for improvements in the condition of our people, as we target equality before the law, we must explore opportunities that lead us to the robust protections of the law, particularly for the weak.

OPINION

By Kingsley Emereuwa

L

EOPARDS can never change their spots, so goes the old saying. And the truth of this adage is plain from the antics of one man who has continued to constitute himself a political distraction in Abia State. On Wednesday, November 19, a horrendous news item was planted in some dailies, including that owned by the former governor of Abia State, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu, just to deceive and cause commotion in the polity.

According to the report, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was to issue a special waiver to the founder of the Progressive Peoples Alliance, PPA, to clear him to contest the 2015 senatorial election for Abia North Senatorial District. Quite expectedly the report must have jolted members of the PDP, especially those from Abia. And in less than 24 hours, the PDP in the South East led by no less a person than its Vice Chairman for the zone, Col. Austin Akobundu (rtd), issued a strong disclaimer on Kalu.

In the words of Akobundu whose lot it is to give clearance to Kalu’s desperate return bid, “no one can talk about waiver for Kalu when he is not a member of the PDP. Yes, we give waivers but such is only a privilege extended to members of the party, and Kalu is not a member of the PDP. If he claims otherwise, let him show you his membership card or still let him produce the so-called waiver”.

That was a straight gauntlet. KnowC M Y K

Between Abia PDP and Kalu’s 'special waiver' ing Kalu and his antics, it is as easy as asking a Christian to prove that God exists or a Moslem to prove there is Allah. Has Kalu any waiver from the PDP, and given his desperation to return to its fold, notwithstanding his false impression of himself as the alpha and omega of Abia politics, such waiver would have been splashed as a wrap-round in his media outfits. So where did the news stories emanate from? Or better still, who planted same at an auspicious time when the party was about to screen its candidates for National Assembly elections? Your guess is as good as mine.

I recall how the media had in the past been hoodwinked unknowingly into watering the ground for him. In the wake of his fallout with the PDP (when he could not control the state machinery as he wanted), and when he took on the the party’s Board of Trustees Chairman, Chief Tony Anenih by accusing him (Anenih) of a plot to kill him, his outfit doing its master’s bidding had done a similar yeoman’s job when it went to town with several misleading headlines such as “PDP begs Kalu”, “I will expose Anenih”. This was mere propaganda tool to give hope to those gullible followers then whereas Kalu was daily losing sleep on how to save his neck from Golgotha.

Every careful observer will see that Kalu in the past few years has been living and reigning only on the pages of newspapers

and social media. If he is not posing half naked in a swimming trunk or tying a towel, he is seen posing inside the aircraft holding a newspaper or beaming with smiles in a group photograph with Chinese artisans. It is common knowledge that such a man is living an isolated life and is desperate to return to what used to be public glamour. Where all measures fail, his “newspaper column” gets dedicated to one mission- attacking the person and family of the incumbent governor of the state. Where he has not delivered enough salvos to pursue his cause, his numerous aides writing as columnists in his media outfits have converted demonizing Abia under the incumbent governor as an editorial target But why would it be such a humiliating process for a supposed political high flier like Kalu to secure membership at a time most parties are hunting for membership for electoral fortunes. I was privy to a gathering of the stakeholders from Abia and the issue of Kalu’s return bid was the topic. There is so much disdain for his bid.

The consensus is that once admitted, the relative peace being enjoyed in the party, nay the state, will take a flight. They have envisaged a scenario, given his antecedent where he will come with a motive to either attempt to hijack the party or create factionalism which was all the party suffered under him as a governor before he finally dumped it to found his own party.

Simply put, he has no electoral value.

And given his constant bragging behind closed doors, there is reason to fear that Kalu is on a mission to DESTROY the relative peace in the state chapter of the PDP. Even from the attacks on the Governor by his megaphone, all they have dwelt on in the past few weeks is to provide him with a smokescreen via their daily prophesy of a likelihood of division in the state chapter of the PDP or an impending implosion.

Kalu once admitted that he thrives in crisis and it is obvious that business is no longer moving since the season upon which he thrives is now alien to the politics of the state, hence this desperation.

Notwithstanding what anyone may say or think, no wise man would want to administer the same drug that killed his mother on his sister. No way. And contrary to the views expressed by Kalu’s aides, Abia PDP stakeholders are not afraid of him. His perceived power then was in his office which he used oppressively not knowing that a day like this will come when he will be given the treatment of a political leper. The fear of the stakeholders can be likened to that for the dreaded Ebola virus which is capable of killing both the carrier or/and any person/s that come in contact with him.

*Mr Emereuwa, a lawyer and public commentator, wrote from Umuahia, Abia State

Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014—19

, Rage of impeachment hawkers

T

HE impeachment clauses in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999) are some of the powerful instruments granted the Legislature under the presidential system of government to hold the Executive Branch to account or actually remove them in extreme cases of serious misconduct. Sections 143 and 188 spell out the process in detail. The implications of this will be addressed shortly.

This impeachment clause has regularly been used, usually in intra-legislative power struggles in the Senate or House of Representatives and the State Houses of Assembly, to change the presiding officers. The all-powerful state governors, who have managed to convert the legislators in their states to mere rubberstamps, often nudge the lawmakers to use it against their Speakers or to remove their Deputy Governors who have fallen from favour. In the past three and half years, we have seen such measures in Taraba, Adamawa, Enugu, Imo, and other states. We have also seen what I call quasi-impeachments, whereby minority groups backed by executive power either in Abuja or the state government house,

undemocratically removed speakers supported by rival majority groups. This happened in Rivers and recently Ekiti.

Impeachment is rarely aimed at governors. The state Chief Executives have found ways to immunise themselves from it.

At the federal level, the only time an impeachment move was made against the President, Commanderin-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria was in 2002, when Senator Pius Anyim was the President of the Senate. The move was eventually squelched, and the ringleaders of the attempt systematically flushed out of the ruling party by President Olusegun Obasanjo, who, of course, was the leader of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, from which ranks the “rebellion” in the Senate started.

At the time of writing this piece, the impeachment article was being dusted once again, this time to threaten President Goodluck Jonathan. It started among angry All Progressives Congress, APC, House of Representatives members after they smashed their way through the gates of the National Assembly, brushing aside the policemen on duty, to escort their newfound member, Aminu

By frequently dangling the impeachment threat, the legislators are becoming guilty of the same impunity they accuse the executive of

,

Tambuwal, the embattled Speaker of the House of Reps, into the green Chamber. To register their anger against the police release of teargas on them, they immediately opened a register of signatories for the impeachment of the President whom they believed sent the police to stop them from doing their work.

While the action of the APC federal MP’s was understandable for obvious reasons, Nigerians opened the media to be hit with stories of a similar move in the Senate, this time masterminded by some aggrieved PDP senators.

According to them, the President committed an act of “impunity” (our political dictionary’s most abused term) and also “condones corruption”. The rumour had it that the enraged PDP senators were joining forces with their APC counterparts against President Jonathan, their party leader.

We can also understand where the disgruntled PDP senators are

coming from. Their party is reluctant to grant them their undemocratic demand of automatic tickets for re-election in 2015. PDP senators have been threatening they would impeach the President unless they are handed these automatic tickets. The anger in APC camp over the Tambuwal issue strengthens their capacity to force the President and the party to concede automatic tickets to them. You can be sure that once this is granted, they will abandon the impeachment threat.

This is the problem with our politicians. The impeachment clause has always been used as an instrument of power-play, blackmail, to vent frustration or wheedle usually unmerited favours. Once they get what they are looking for they drop the threat. It has never been used for the original intended purpose, which is to check the excesses of the executive, assert the principle of separation of powers, hold the executive to account or remove the President/Vice President, or Governor/Deputy Governor for proven serious misconducts.

If Tambuwal had defected to APC and no move was made to get him to vacate his seat as the Constitution stipulates, nobody would remember if Jonathan’s government is condoning corruption or perpetrating impunity. Nobody would be hawking impeachment threats like groundnuts all over the place.

Our politicians, especially those elected, should remember that the democratic system of government was not created for them. It was created for the people. And the laws guiding it were made with the highest regard for due process. Yes, the legislature has powers to impeach the listed executive offic-

ers. But it is not as simple as that.

The legislature is not the only arm of government involved in the impeachment process.

The recent case of the attempted removal of Governor Tanko Al Makura of Nasarawa State proved that the Judiciary and even the Executive have a say in it. If the Chief Justice of the Federation or of a state is determined to frustrate an impeachment of the President/ Vice or Governor/Deputy, it will not go through.

If the Executive branch decides to abuse its own powers as the federal legislators are threatening to do, the National Assembly will be shut down and the lawmakers will be on the run for dear lives.There will be shouts of “impunity”.

That is why we must prevail on politicians to follow the law and due process, and ensure that the constitutional powers are always used for advancement of the welfare of the people and not for self-service alone. By frequently dangling the impeachment threat, the legislators are becoming guilty of the same impunity they accuse the executive of. When they get it in kind it should be remembered who started it first.

The general elections are just a couple of months away. Those who are displeased with the way President Jonathan has run this country in the last three and half years have an opportunity to vote him out in February 2015. Those who want him to continue for another four years also have their chance to keep him on the job.

Let the people decide. The mandate is theirs. Away with impeachment hawkers!

Mama Alice Mosheri Omorotionmwan:

Tribute to a mother in a million L

ET us return to the countryside.

Some Nigerian historians could work a bit harder. This is not intended to be a challenge but a statement of truth. They roam the streets of our cities endlessly in search of history; whereas with each passing day, our rural population is replete with history only waiting to be recorded. We look forward to such a time when students of history in our tertiary institutions would be required to do project works on their villages instead of the British Commonwealth or some abstract faraway places.

There are some obviously incontrovertible truths about today’s subject – the late Madam Alice Mosheri Omorotionmwan, my step mother. She was born into the family of Owenfan Umweni of Idumwuomo Quarters, Oghada in the present Isi North Ward of Uhunmwode Local Government Area of Edo State. Her mother, the late Owie Owenfan, hailed from the Ehigiator family of Igbontor-Igbanke in the present Orhionmwon Local Government Area of Edo State. This much we can vouch for, even under oath.

Was she born on May 14, 1925 as shown by the evidence before us? Perhaps not. At best this could be a passport age. After all, there was no birth registry at Oghada at the time she was born. And there was no question about her age until some 20 years ago, when her children in the USA wanted her to come over for “Omuguo” (to help take care of her grand children).

The error factor here is excusable, given the fact that she was born when she was born. When I hear a particular reliC M Y K

gious sect dissipating energy, energy that should have been spent on evangelism, arguing that Jesus Christ was not born on December 25, I pity such.

Mama Omorotionmwan’s early life was not a bed of roses, so to say. But she prosecuted life with sheer determination, hardwork and with the abiding faith in God. She had no formal education. She relished talking about her efforts to resist going to school at an early age. According to her, when asked to go to school, she would run into hiding, thinking that she was avoiding being sold into slavery. This was one deep regret that she carried throughout her life.

Interestingly enough, she compensated adequately for her deficiency in the way she brought up her offspring. That explains how she eventually became an ardent lover of education; she invested tremendously in the training of her children and grand-children.

It is most gladdening that she lived long enough to reap the benefits of her labour. She had She left a money to help those children of the unlegacy of derprivileged in the humility, community. She to see any kindness and hated child sent out of school for non-payservice to ment of fees. humanity and Mama got married at an early age of dedicated to Pa Lato Omoroservice to God tionmwan of Oghada. This was a marriage ordained in Heaven by God Al-

mighty. It was not only a blessing but it also formed the foundation of the very successful life story of our family.

Mama was engaged in farming and trading on various kinds of goods. She traded in the local markets on different items of the season. Indeed, her hard work earned her the appellation, “The lady that does not sleep” because she virtually worked throughout the day and night.

Habits are difficult to break. We can testify to the faming part of her life, which followed her across the Atlantic when she started growing okro at the back of the house in Texas USA, which produce she proudly distributed to members of her local Baptist Church. She was, indeed, the Mother Theresa of our time.

Mama remained a blessing to her generation, particularly the women of Idumwuomo quarters, Oghada. When the nurse in the Oghada Community Clinic was not available to deliver babies, mama took charge and her kindness soon spread to neighboring villages where she was invited whenever the midwife was not around.

Mama was a very sociable person. She danced hard like the Biblical David; sometimes, it did not matter to her whether her dancing was off beat as long as she had fun. Mama could dance to any music of any beat or language. She did not like to see any opportunity to dance wasted.

She was, indeed, a jolly good fellow!

The greatest thing that happened to her was in the United States in the month of February 1998, when she gave her life to Christ.

Wherever she went, she was everything good to everybody: a counselor, an arbi-

trator and a conciliator to her relatives, friends and the community-at-large. She loved and worked for peace. She hated quarrels, always maintaining that they were sure sources of early death. Mama’s door was always open for food for anyone who was hungry and ready to eat. She was the greatest cook in the family. Food was her welcome word to visitors before sitting down in her home. Food must be around 24 hours of the day. It was therefore not by accident that the stroke which finally took her life struck when she was in the kitchen, doing what she loved to do best.

In all things, she left a legacy of humility, kindness and service to humanity and of dedicated service to God. She left a legacy of good name, which is better than riches and her life was acclaimed a model by all who knew her. This is the greatest heritage we the children are so proud of.

She will be forever remembered for maintaining that he who cannot forgive certainly breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass.

She very peacefully departed from this sinful world of ours in Grand Prairie, Texas, USA, at about 3 a.m. on Monday June 2, 2014.

She is survived by her loving and dedicated husband, Pa Omorotionmwan, nine children, 39 grand-children, 52 great grand-children, sons- and daughters- inlaw.

May her gentle soul rest in the bosom of the Lord, Amen!

20—Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014

C M Y K

Vanguard, THURSDAY NOVEMBER 27, 2014 — 21

Manufacturers lament increase of monetary policy rate M

ANUFACTURERS Association of Nigeria (MAN), Ogun Chapter, yesterday lamented over the increase of Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) from 12 to 13 per cent. Mr Wale Adegbite, the State Chairman of the association made the lamentation in Ota. Adegbite said that with the recent development, the lending rate in the financial sector would go up.

Meanwhile, the exchange rate for the dollar at the parallel market yesterday stood at between N182 and N186.

This is against the new official exchange rate N168 announced on Tuesday by the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Godwin Emefiele.

Some of the operators said that the difference between their rate and the official rate was to accommodate the “extra charges’’ they pay to “dealers’’ they get the hard currency from.

The CBN on Tuesday announced a new exchange rate of N168 to one U.S. dollar as against the old rate of N155 to one dollar. The CBN governor told newsmen at the end of the Monetary Policy Committee meeting in Abuja that the measure was to strengthen the economy, following continued slid of oil price in the international market.

Part of the measures, as announced by Emefiele, was an increase in lending rate from 12 per cent to 13 per cent.

The MPR, one of the mone-

tary policy instruments of CBN, is the benchmark lending rate and the rate at which the CBN lends to commercial banks.

Adegbite stated that the increased in the lending rate by the regulator would made manufacturers to borrow at a high rate which would increase their cost of productions.

“The nation suffers infrastructure deficiency ready and

transferring the high cost of production to consumer would worst the situation of thing because of what the people are going through,’’ he said.

According to him, it would make the manufacturers to be less competitive compared to imported products and reduce their profit margins. The Chairman said that the devaluation of the nation’s currency would make manufacturers that import raw material to

From left: CEO, Rubitec Limited, Mr Balode Soremekun; Marketing Specialist, Spintelligent, South Africa, Lida van Heerden, Professor Jacob Udo-Udo of American University of Nigeria, Yola; Conference Director, Fotoula Fatouros and CEO, Al Grain Foods Nigeria Limited, Mr Anthony Obidulu, at Manufacturing Partnerships for African Development Conference in Lagos.

Osun to earn N15bn from tourism in 2015 — Commissioner

By Princewill Ekwujuru

$193.45

$3.8

$2,867.00

$-44.00

$16.02

$0.02

CURRENCY BUYING

$78.65

$-1.03

$74.57

$-1.21

CENTRAL

DOLLAR

161.5

STERLING EURO FRANC YEN CFA WAUA RENMINBI RIYAL KRONA SDR

253.1836 253.9674 200.8414 201.4632 166.9423 167.4592 1.3679 1.3722 0.2788 0.2888 229.3558 230.0659 26.3127 26.3947 43.0426 43.1758 26.9873 27.0708 236.1938 236.925

162

SELLING 162.5 254.7513 202.085 167.976 1.3764 0.2988 230.776 26.4766 43.3091 27.1544 237.6563

CBN Exchange Rate as 26/11/2014

spend more in the process.

“When manufacturers spent more in importing raw materials, it would automatically reduce funds available to invest in buying machineries,’’ he said.

Adegbite said that the step by the CBN to increased MPR and devaluation of naira would have an adverse effect on the employment rate and increase poverty in the country.

T

he government of Osun state, South West Nigeria has projected N15 billion revenue from tourists coming into the state next year.

The state’s Commissioner, Ministry of Home Affairs, Culture and Tourism, Hon Adetona Ayedun, who gave this projection , said the global tourism industry is worth $3 trillion per annum, noting that the N15 billion is expected to come from hospitality businesses, transport and entertainment in 2015.

Speaking during this year ’s edition of Brand Journalists’ Association of Nigeria, BJAN conference with the theme ‘ Tourism Marketing As Catalyst for Economic Development’ held in the state, the Commissioner said that to realize the above amount, the government of the state has aggressively improved infrastructures in the state such roads, power and security which are the bedrock of smooth tourism

attraction.

Represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Olajumoke Bello, he stated that the state’s business visit to Cuba exposed the state to ideas on how tourism and culture could be promoted as revenue earner for the state and an economic diversifier for the state in particular and Nigeria in general, particularly at a time like this when oil price is falling.

Ayedun described tourism as an important, vital source of income for many countries, saying it is an activity essential to the life of nations because of its direct effects on the social, cultural, educational, and economic sectors of national societies and on their international relations. Tourism brings in large amounts of income into a local economy in the form of payment for goods and services needed by tourists, accounting for 30 per cent of the World’s trade of services.

ITF targets reduction in unemployment through technical skills

By Franklin Alli

I

NDUSTRIAL Training Fund, ITF, is working to bring down the high rate of unemployment in the country through Technical and Vocational Education (TVE).

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, unemployment in Nigeria today stands at 23.9 percent or 16 million people.

ITF Director General, Juliet Chukas- Onaeko, in her presentation ‘Enhancing requisite skills across productive sectors,’ stated that TVE is the key to reducing unemployment, citing for instance, “In 20132014 we trained and certified 74,000 Nigerian youths in various skills such as welding, machining, fabrication, construction, telecom, etc, to become their own boss or work for others.”

The Director General blamed skills gap in the economy on “Nigerians who graduated from universities and polytechnics, but they are not practicing the skills. A situation where a mechanical engineering graduate goes to the banking or an agriculture graduate take up employment in journalism, there is bound to be skill gaps, and if the situation doesn’t change, it will be very difficult to industrialize the country.”

According to her, ITF takes training of Nigerians very seriously so that they can have the required skills to start their own business or be employed by others.

Accordingly, the Fund has established five international standards training centers across the nation to be able to deliver its mandate to train two million people annually to become employable under the Federal Government’s Nigerian Industrial Revolution Plan, NIRP and the NEDEP, National Employment Development Programme.

“We have 2000 trainers and the training periods range from 6-9 months; and from 12 years,” she said. On challenges, she replied, “ITF has five training centers across the country whereas SENAI Brazil has 800.”

22—Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014

Almost every business needs electricity for various purposes. You should endeavor to check that there is a decent, if not constant power supply in the area.

BUSINESS

,

,

Things to consider in business location P ROFIT making is the pri mary aim of every business, for this reason, the importance of a good business location cannot be over emphasized.

Your business location is a point of contact between you and your prospective customers. There are certain factors to consider in a business location.

Target market - Most goods and services are meant for a particular section of the population. Your business should be located within the environment of your prospective buyers.

Marketing potentials of the area - Some areas are known to have high trading potentials.

Having your business in such an area is a plus because it increases your chances of patronage.

Visibility/Accessibility - An ideal business address should not be difficult to locate, but should be easily seen and accessed. Your prospective buyers don’t want to go through so much stress to find you.

Business image - Locations vary according to the different hierarchy of the society. Your business location tells your prospective buyers a lot about your business standards.

Transportation - This is very

important because it affects the mobility of your prospective customers and suppliers. Your business should be located in an area with good/accessible roads.

Area cost - If you are just starting out, you may not want to spend a fortune on getting your office or store. New areas that are still developing are cheaper than already established areas.

Power Supply - Almost every business needs electricity for various purposes. You should endeavor to check that there is a decent, if not constant power supply in the area.

Local facilities - Certain businesses require the availability of certain facilities such as Banks, Post Offices, etc for the convenience of your customers.

Convergence - This refers to locations where different people come together, for different purposes. Having your business in such an area will work to your advantage.

Employees - The location of your business has to be favorable to your prospective employees. You should know whether or not you can recruit skilled local hands in that area.

Real estate investment can lead to financial growth — Expert

By Onozure Jane

N

IGERIANS have been advised to tap into the robust opportunities that abounds in real estate investment in Nigeria and across the world, as it could serve as a quantum leap to financial growth.

According to Ifelanwa Osundolire a broker at Goth Real Estate, investing in properties remains one of the safest ways of securing one’s future and financial success.

He added that there is hardly any loss in this kind of investment, rather, the resources committed into it increases in geometric progression.

The broker further stated that the economic viability in the real estate sector is capable of transforming the country, but he lamented that investors and prospective investors have the over the years, been blindfolded to this fact, hence, the economic potential lies in waste.

On that note, he noted that Goth Real Estate was initiated to bridge the gap.

Osundolire said that the company is committed to exciting

prospects enough to make enquiries and decision about the economic robustness in the sector., adding that the company is also poised at guiding would-be investors to make wise decisions.

He said, “Goth was established and registered in 2010 as a real estate advisory firm and it set out to be the most online represented estate agency in Nigeria alongside its corporate vision of being a customer-centred organisation. In 2013, Goth became the exclusive marketing agents for Devtraco Ghana Limited, one of the biggest housing providers in Ghanaian real estate.

“In line with their goals of establishing a more solid footing in the Nigerian market, Devtraco Real Estate Company Nigeria has since been established to forge closer ties with their customers in Nigeria.

“Our most recent achievement is getting the blessing of Ecobank Nigeria to grant mortgages to our many clients to increase the numbers of potential customers that are able to buy into this great opportunity,” he said.

NAIRA EXCHANGE RATES Date 26/11/14

Currency DOLLAR STERLING EURO FRANC YEN CFA WAUA YUAN RIYAL KRONA SDR

BY YINKA KOLAWOLE, with agency report

I

N the midst of penury and joblessness, Nigerians are sitting on a cash goldmine known as cassava farming and production.

The industrial processing of cassava in Nigeria holds much potential for successful investment. The crop is increasingly attracting attention and processing businesses are slowly starting to spring-up all over the country. You also know how useful cassava is to Nigerians in general in terms of consumption. Cassava forms the major part of our daily food. Almost no family can survive a whole year without cassava related food.

Cassava can be processed into a number of products such as starch, flour, chips, ethanol and glucose syrup, and bread to name a few. These products are all in high demand locally and also have significant export possibilities. These therefore, place a lot of raw cash in the hands of anyone who has the product.

Buying(N) 161.5 253.1836 200.8414 166.9423 1.3679 0.2788 229.3558 26.3127 43.0426 26.9873 236.1938

Central(N) 162 253.9674 201.4632 167.4592 1.3722 0.2888 230.0659 26.3947 43.1758 27.0708 236.925

Selling(N) 162.5 254.7513 202.085 167.976 1.3764 0.2988 230.776 26.4766 43.3091 27.1544 237.6563

Starting cassava farm in Nigeria Site selection For Cassava plantation, it is important to choose an accessible well-drained fertile soil.

Varieties For good cassava production, the following varieties are recommended for their high yield and processing quality: TMS 30572, NR 8082, NR8083, TMS 4(2) 1425, TMS 81/00110, TMS 92/0326. An additional 10 varieties are in the process of being released. Check from the cassava production specialists in Ibadan.

Weed control and land preparation A total herbicide (glyphosate) should be applied to the land where you want to plant your cassava at the rate of 4–5 l/ha 10

days before land preparation.

For cost effectiveness and optimum plant population of your cassava , mechanization and planting on ridges are recommended.

Liming It is recommended that 5 (50 kg) bags of agricultural lime be applied per hectare during land preparation.

Planting and planting material Experts recommend as follows: Cassava Planting starts in April and can be extended to October. The quantity of cassava recommended for 1 ha is 60 bundles of cassava stem. Cassava Stem cuttings 25 cm long should be planted at a spacing of 1 m x 1 m. Maintain 100 percent cas-

From left: Head, Personal Banking, South-South and South-East, Ecobank Nigeria, Mrs. Affi ErasmusAlli; Zonal Head, National Lottery, South-South, Mr. Adamu Rabiu; Regional Head, South-South, Ecobank Nigeria, Mr. Chinedu Ibe and Senior Legal Officer, Consumer Protection Council, Mr. Abeke Nikiomari, at the Ecobank Giant Prize Giveaway zonal draws in Port Harcourt.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014—23

,

Cassava Yield of 25 tons per hectare and above can be obtained with good agronomic practices and management. Therefore, every step must be taken seriously in the process of planting your cassava.

& YOU

,

COMMODITIES (26/11/14) Commodity Light Crude

Last 73.30

Natural Gas

4.39

-0.01

-0.32

Sugar

16.01

+0.01

+0.06

Coffee

193.15

-1.10

-0.57

Cocoa

2,867.00

-44.00

-1.51

Post-planting weed control Where a total herbicide was not used before land preparation for cassava plantation, it is recommended that a selective pre-emergence herbicide be applied within three days after planting. Five litres of Primextra is recommended per hectare.

Fertilizer use, type and rate The following fertilizers and their rate per hectare are recommended: NPK 15:15:15–12 (50 kg) bags; NPK 20:10:10–9 (50 kg) bags; NPK 12:12:17–15

A total herbicide (glyphosate) should be applied to the land where you want to plant

,

,

(50 kg) bags Apply fertilizer 8 weeks after planting your cassava. Apply fertilizer in a ring, 6 cm wide and 10 cm from the plant or broadcast with care around the cassava plant, making sure the fertilizer does not touch the cassava stem or leaves.

Production cost of cassava per hectare Land preparation - N10,000.00 Cassava cuttings (60 bundles @ N300/bundle) - N18,000.00 Planting (4 person at N1000/ day) - N4,000.00 Pre-emergence herbicides (5 litres at N1000/l) - N5,000.00 Fertilizer (20:10:10, 9 bags at N2500/bag) - N22,000.00 Insecticides (2 litres at N1000/l) - N3,000.00 Application of herbicide N3,000.00 Application of insecticide N3,000.00 Application of fertilizer (4 persons at N1,000/day) N4,000.00 One weeding (10 person at N1,000/day) - N10,000.00

% Change -1.07

Harvesting (15 person at N1,500/day) - N17,500.00 Total - N100,000.00 Note: Fixed capital investments are not included. Such capital investments include knapsack or boom sprayers, tractors or power tillers, stem cutters, planters, and harvesters. With planters and harvesters, manual labor use can be minimized. Also, labour wage rates vary with location.

Yield Cassava Yield of 25 tons per hectare and above can be obtained with good agronomic practices and management.

Therefore, every step must be taken seriously in the process of planting your cassava. This means that at an average export price of $300 (about N55,000) per ton, one hectare of cassava can fetch more than N1.4 million.

Note: To reduce cost of production and attain high yields, it is recommended that land preparation be fully mechanized. A power tiller can be used if the total land area under cultivation is not more than 250 hectares.

Ogun State government has made conscious efforts to make land available cheaply for serious minded farmers in the state.

In fact, an hectare of land can be leased for cassava farming for N5,000 yearly in the state.

Governor Ibikunle Amosun, at the last Ogun State Investors' forum, said: "Having realised that land is a key factor for meaningful agricultural development, our administration has allocated over two hundred thousand hectares of land to willing investors in agriculture at a minimal cost. Also, in order to compliment available acquired agricultural land belonging to the government, the state government is taking steps through collaboration with host communities to make more agricultural land available for large scale commercial farming."

Are you skilled in giving excuses in your organisation?

BY ‘UJU ONWUZULIKE “No one ever excused his way to success”…Dave Del Dotto HE truth about life and business is that when we are not doing what we ought to be doing for ourselves or for our businesses, others are doing them. It is surprising to know that many people have not realized that life does not reward intentions without actions. More often than not, our natural proclivity is to give ourselves permission to say what we want to do or intend to do but fail short of carrying them out. Some individuals and employees in organizations who procrastinate and at the same time give excuses for poor performance are being unfair to themselves and their organizations. This is because they are shortchanging the growth of their organization to their own peril.

Most people are caught in web of excuses majorly because they have not been measuring themselves based on results. They have not been measuring their input based on the result the organization is getting. As a matter of fact, some do not even care to know what is going on in their organizations as long as they are being paid as at when due. We should begin to measure our successes or failures based on the results we generate either for ourselves or for our organizations.

Measuring success or failure as a function of results basically means that we are taking a tough, end point approach to self-evaluation.

T

Funny enough that is how the world has been measuring us.

No one or an organization can set its own rules or laws; the world, the customers and even the shareholders have set the rules. And importantly, they have the ability even without our permission to enforce them on us.

If we are to start measuring our lives based on results that

,

sava planting rate by replacing dead or nonviable stems.

Change ($) -0.79

We should begin to measure our successes or failures based on the results we generate either for ourselves or for our organisations

,

will make us to stop giving or taking excuses from other people. The truth is that anyone when given an opportunity can come up with one excuse or the other for poor performance. I have been a proponent of running one’s organizations as if it is one’s business. This is because having ownership thinking helps us to do more and equally go the extra mile for our organizations. So you can see that most excuses we give some times are based on the fact that the organization does not belong to us – and we don’t have a stake, but we seriously do.

Again giving excuses do not only affect our organizations but also ourselves in that it makes us losers. Because losers do not normally take actions when they should, and remember when you are not taking actions, others are taking. It is also the same thing as saying when we do not treat our customers’ right, our competitors are ready and eager to put smiles on their faces – and ultimately grab them from us.

Make up your mind to quit giving excuses and take well defined actions. Remember the time honoured formula: Be, Do, Have. Meaning BE committed, DO what it takes, and you will HAVE what you want. Instead of making excuses, resolve within yourself to take the first step, make the effort and be persistent in the pursuit of your goals. Your life should be filled with victories and rewards. If you are losing, that means somebody else is winning, so you know that winning happens. It might as well happen to you, but it’s not going to happen by accident. It will happen because you made it happen.

It will happen because you know what you want and move towards it in a strategic, consistent, meaningful, purposeful manner. Take action, and insist on results and avoid excuses. You and your organization will be better for it.

Uju Onwuzulike, Partner, Haines Centre for Strategic Management (USA) CEO, Mentoring Consult Limited.

Email: uju@hainescentre.com Mobile: 09091142093 www.hainescentre.com C M Y K

24 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014

Briefs BITS

Winners emerge in Ecobank promo

F

From left: Group Head, Agric Finance, Sterling Bank Plc, Mrs. Bukola Awosanya receiving the Agric Bank of The Year Award from Project Director, Agrainnovate Nigeria, Mr. David Ross during the maiden edition of Nigeria Agriculture Awards Nite in Lagos.

NEXIM Bank offers N300bn loan guarantee to exporters

By Babajide Komolafe

T

he Nigerian Export Import Bank (NEXIM) has offered N300 billion funding support to Nigerian exporters in 2014 as part of its commitment to boost credible non-oil exports in the years ahead.

Managing Director/Chief Executive, NEXIM Bank, Mr. Roberts Orya disclosed this at the 2014 Nigeria Non-oil Export and Investment Development Conference organised by Business Journal in Lagos. He said that the bank has been working on deepening exportimport trade and attracting foreign investments.

Orya, who was represented by the Head of Strategic Planning of NEXIM, Tayo Omidigi, said that over $1.3 billion in foreign exchange has been facilitated through the bank, financially

intervened in guarantees with over N100 billion and created 2,000 direct jobs.

Meanwhile, the NEXIM boss has stressed the need for the diversification of the economy, away from oil and the importance to promote the nonoil sector, urging stakeholders to look deeply into avenues that will induce growth to develop the sector.

He regretted that the country failed to invest in the non-oil sector especially in oil palm, as Nigeria has low agriculture productivity.

According to him, in other countries, 10 per cent or more of their budgets are allocated to agriculture while Nigeria budgets just three per cent to the sector resulting in persistent low records in the raw solid minerals of the non-oil sector.

According to him, while South

exports over 65 per cent of its solid minerals, the limited investment in the minerals sector stagnates its contribution to 1 per cent to the growth of the economy.

Orya further listed the nonavailability of long-term funds, poor infrastructure and transportation constraints as part of factors that have continued to hamper trade and investment with other countries.

Speaking on the theme, “Nigeria – Beyond Oil and Gas,” the Group Managing Director of Mutual Benefit Group, Dr. Akin Ogunbiyi, decried that Nigeria’s dependence on oil over the years has adversely affected its agriculture.

He stated that the drastic drop in the price of oil was a wake-up call on the country to turn the economy around to become multi-faceted.

FCMB restates commitment to oil sector growth

F

CMB Capital Markets Limited, the investment banking arm of FCMB Group Plc, has restated its commitment to enabling the realisation of Nigeria’s oil and gas reserves growth agenda by actively supporting indigenous operators.

The Executive Director of FCMB Capital Markets Limited, Mr. Tolu Osinibi, stated this at the Oil Council World Assembly 2014 conference that held in London on 17 and 18 November 2014. The Oil Council World Assembly is the largest business network platform for oil and gas leaders and other stakeholders across the globe.

Speaking at the conference, Mr. Osinibi stated that “FCMB Group’s support of the oil and gas industry remains strong”. He explained that the financial institution’s involvement in the sector “is in line with our commitment to contribute to Nigeria’s economic growth”. Mr. Osinibi added

that the ongoing structural shifts in the industry, especially assets divestment by the International Oil Companies in the past few years, has resulted in a significant increase in participation of indigenous operators across the industry value chain and the consequent increase in investment in the industry that will happen over the next few years as the acquirers develop the assets bought. FCMB has played, and will continue to play, a significant role in supporting the growth of the industry by arranging appropriate financing for operators to enable them execute their projects. “ We have over the past few years demonstrated the ability to help with identifying and allocating the technical and financial risks associated with complex projects in the oil and gas industry. We have what it takes to play a leading role in helping to execute initiatives that will boost the growth of the industry and, consequently, Nigeria”, Mr. Osinibi reiterated.

irst set of winners have emerged in Ecobank Giant Prize Giveaway promo which was unveiled in September to reward existing and new customers of the bank who actively operate their current and savings accounts. The regional draws held in Portharcourt saw twenty one customers carting home various prizes including inverters, IPAD Air, Smart Phones; air-conditioners, generating sets, LED Televisions, mobile phones and washing machines.

Some of the winners contacted on phone during the draw were full of excitement describing Ecobank as customer-centric bank. In particular, Samson Sunday Ochowei of Mission Road 1, Bonny Branch who won a washing machine, said Ecobank’s service delivery cannot be rivalled in the industry. “Ecobank to me offers personalized services. One is always encouraged to do business with the bank. I will continue to bank with Ecobank.”

Speaking at the event, Regional Manager, South-South, Ecobank Nigeria, Mr. Chinedu Ibe, said the essence of the promo was to reward the bank’s customers. He noted that it was also part of financial Inclusion strategy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). In his words: “This is an opportunity to reward our customers who have been doing business with us and also to encourage people to join the banking populace.”

Explaining the dynamics of the promo, Product Manager, Liability Products, Ecobank Nigeria, Mrs. Osinuga Mofoluwaso, said the draws was in two categories for Classic and Advantage customers. According to her, to qualify for classic or advantage category, customers must have a minimum balance of N10, 000 and N50, 000 respectively.

She stressed that the more a customer saves, the more chances he/she has to win any of the prizes.

Sterling bags ‘Agric Bank of the Year’ award

B

arely three months after it was conferred with an Award as the Best Bank in Commercial Agriculture Credit Scheme (CACS), Sterling Bank last weekend, bagged yet another Award in the Agriculture sector as it received the “Agric Bank of the Year 2014 in Nigeria” Award.

The Award which was powered by the Agriculture Policy Research Network (APRNet) and AgroNigeria Limited was presented to the Bank at a Dinner and conferment ceremony where the President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan also received the Award of the Grand Transformer of Nigerian Agriculture.

According to a member of the Organizing Committee for the Awards, Richard-Mark Mbaram Esq, Sterling Bank was conferred with the Award in recognition of its critical role in the dispensing of financial services to actors in the Nigerian agricultural value chain.

Speaking at the event, the Managing Director and Chief Executive of Sterling Bank Plc, Mr. Yemi Adeola thanked the organizers of the Award for recognizing the various contributions of the Bank to the continuous growth of the Agriculture sector in the country.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014 — 25

* Pupils of Aiyetoro African Church Nursery and Primary School in Lagos, having their temperatures checked for symptoms of Ebola, Wednesday, October 8.

EBOLA: Have schools jettisoned preventive measures?

Education to immediately organise and ensure that, at least, two staff in all public and private BOUT two months after schools are trained on how to schools re-opened behind handle any suspected case of schedule due to the Ebola Virus Ebola and also embark on Disease, EVD, it seems that the immediate sensitization of all instituted regulations and teaching and non-teaching staff hygiene policies have been in all schools on preventive abandoned by staff, students and measures. management of some public and Also, as a result of pressure private schools. from the state chapter of the Recall that the EVD was Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, brought into Nigeria in August the Lagos State governor, Mr. with the arrival of Babatunde Fashola the late Americanfurther postponed the Liberian, Patrick We still resumption date to Sawyer, and it October 13 to enable it check their killed over eight adequately distribute people.

This temperatures, EVD preventive kits to resulted in the shift all public schools in the and will in the resumption of state. schools by the continue But despite these, Minister of doing so till most schools have Education, Mallam relaxed on enforcing or Ibrahim Shekarau, the end of have completely who charged all the session jettisoned the state Ministries of preventive measures

By Amaka Abayomi & Tare Youdeowei

A

EDUCATION FOR ALL: E-learning, way to go Why Nigeria might Pg. 27

C M Y K

never land on a comet-1 Pg. 29

as directed by the Minister of Health so as to prevent further contact and spread of the virus, giving rise to the question: should hand washing be just to prevent further contracting and spread of EVD or should it be part of our daily hygiene?

A visit to some schools in Lagos revealed that while there were still different degrees of compliance by different schools, some have totally abandoned these preventive measures.

For Amarachi Francis, a student of Promiseland College, Weighbridge, Ikorodu Road, “we don’t wash our hands any more neither do we have our temperatures checked in my school because Nigeria is free of Ebola so there is no need for us to continue to practice such, especially as they are timeconsuming.”

Likewise, a student of Jestoban College, Ketu, Adeola Dairo, students are at will to decide whether to comply or not as there are no strict enforcement of these preventive measures.

She said: “Initially, we used to have our temperatures checked, wash our hands and use the sanitizers before entering the school and even before we enter

the school bus. But now, nobody enforces that anymore, so we decided to skip those checks and would not be penalised.”

Giving reasons why they have relaxed on enforceing the measures, the Head Nurse, Rybeka Model College, OlodiApapa, Joy Ogechi, said: “We have been checking their

temperatures but it is really timeconsuming, especially as they are having their continuous assessment tests, we hardly check them now. The bucket and soap are still there and the children use them.

“Though the country has been

Continues on page 26

Reading culture: Ex-minister provides antidote

By Caleb Ayansina

F

ORMER Minister of State for Education, Prof.

Jerry Agada has identified intra and inter-schools debate competition, as one of the best ways of improving the dwindling reading culture among students in the country.

He said the Federal Government understood this perfectly, when it instituted the presidential debate, as part of efforts to drive home its Bring Back the Book programme,

launched some years back.

Agada stated this in an interview with newsmen shortly after an inter-school debate competition, organised by the Mastering Debate Concept, in Abuja.

Commending the debate in which 16 primary schools and six secondary schools took part with strong points for and against their various topics, bordering on current issues in the society, the former minister said extracurricular activities such as debates, were no longer Continues on page 26

26 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014

EBOLA: Continues from page 25 declared Ebola free for over a month, we have continued the hand-washing and temperature checking, at least, till the end of the year. This will give us more time to instil the hand- washing habit in the students so they will grow with it.”

Though a student from DeLight International School, Olodi Apapa, said her temperature has not been checked for a while though she still washes her hands, the Principal, Mrs. Rita Ofoegbu, however, said the reason why they didn’t check their temperatures was because it was on a Friday, which is a half day for schools.

“But we have been checking their temperatures because we have had reasons to send back children who are not feeling well as some parents are in the habit of dumping their sick children on us. The digital thermometer has made it easier and saves us a lot of trouble because even if it is not Ebola, we send any sick child

back”, Ofoegbu said.

Pointing out that his students have already imbibed handwashing habit, the Head Teacher, Umbrella Schools, Lagos, Mr. Ben Teah, said: “We still check their temperatures, and will continue doing so till the end of the session as directed by the proprietress. The children are already used to hand-washing so we can’t take that away. They

We insist that these hygienic steps be part of our lives and not just to prevent EVD

wash their hands when they come in the morning or after using the convenience. If the water is finished they go to the person in charge to fill it up for them. It has become a habit, which is not a bad one to imbibe.”

Public schools are not left out as a visit around town showed that a good number of them are guilty of failing to comply with the preventive directives.

Defending their failure to completely comply despite insisting that teachers would not resume till the necessary EVD preventive kits have been supplied to all public schools in the state, the Chairperson, Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, Lagos State Chapter, Comrade Segun Raheem, said most schools don’t have access to water to for their students to wash their hands. According to Raheem, “it is true we insisted that these preventive measures be provided and at the right quantity, and have held several meetings since resumption to ensure full implementation by all

*From left: Mrs. Aderonke Bello, MD, Innovative Technology Literacy Service Ltd; Mr. John Ugbe, MD, MultiChoice Nigeria; Mrs. Patricia Enase, Zonal Director, Eti-Osa, Zone 2, District 3 and Mrs Mary Oyetunde, Director of CoCurriculum, Science and Technology, Lagos State Ministry of Education, during the launch of MultiChoice Resource Centre at Eti-Osa Community High School, Sangotedo, Lagos.

because we insist that these hygienic steps be part of our lives and not just to prevent EVD. “For schools that have abandoned these measures, especially handwashing, it is as a result of lack of access to water due to no public power supply to power their generators (if they have any) or have run out of funds to buy water.

But despite these, I’m assuring you that the implementation committee would look into this.”

Despite the various reasons

World Teachers’ Day: Golfers honour teachers

A

s part of efforts to mark the 2014 United Nations World Teachers Day in Nigeria, a non-governmental organistion, Hopegate Foundation, recently held a charity golf tournament titled: Honour The Teachers Kitty, at the Ikeja Golf Club.

A total of 100 golfers teedoff with the competition being rounded off with the presentation of trophies and a dinner. In attendance were notable Nigerians including Sen. Felix Ibru, former governor of Delta State, Dr. Yemi Ogunbiyi, Chairman, Tanus Group, representatives of NUT, the Lagos State Ministry of Education District Six, as well as the State Universal Basic Education (SUBEB).

According to founder, Mrs.

Ojuolape Akinyemi, the series of events offer an excellent way to say ‘thank you’ to teachers who are making a difference in the lives of our children, encouraging them to do even more. Awards to be presented include those of outstanding teacher, longest serving, and best head of school (headmaster, Headmistress and Principal).

She argued that not enough effort is being made to appreciate the efforts of teachers "without whom we all cannot be whatever we are today", while urging more corporate organisations and individuals to join in the effort to improve the wellbeing of the teachers especially those of public schools by partnering with government at various levels and NGOs

such as Hopegate Foundation.

Emphasising on the foundation, Akinyemi said it has the objective of enhancing the socio-economic well being of the Nigerian teacher , adding that it will engage in activities such as awards, training and supply of equipment and teaching aids to improve the quality of service delivery of the Nigerian teachers an improving on the learning opportunities for the children who are the future leaders.

“This year ’s activity by Hopegate Foundation is a pilot in the Oshodi Local government area, with a view to holding a state wide award and recognition event in the coming year, “ she said

given by these schools, a community health specialist, Dr. Ifeoluwa Sulaimon, insists that regular and proper handwashing habit go a long way in preventing us from being sick and from spreading germs to others around us.

“For example, you sneeze or cough into your hands or even touch fecal matter after using the toilet/handling a pet and use same hands to scratch your eyes, pick your nose, bite your nails and touch others by shaking/ hugging them or using same hands to handle food materials which become contaminated and consumed by you and other persons. The chain of events could be unending.

Introduction of bacteria “Our hands are the most exposed parts of our bodies to germs and the aforementioned body parts are lined by very thin mucous membranes through which germs could easily gain entry into the body system thereby leading to the introduction of bacteria into the body and then the individual becomes sick!

“This concept is the reason why emphasis was placed on regular hand washing in order to ameliorate the scourge of the dreaded EVD as the chain of events resulting from germ transmission from person to person can only be interrupted by regular washing of hands.

“This would reduce the load of germs transmitted thereby reducing the chances of you and others falling sick. Therefore, take responsibility by washing your hands regularly after coming in contact with diverse surfaces.”

Reading culture: Continues from page 25 organised by school authorities to improve students’ academic prowess.

His words; “The debate of this nature is a first attempt to get what we want in the country. I have always stated at different fora that one of the reasons for the falling standard of education in Nigeria is people's inability to read. So, to reverse it, several actions are taken, part of which is this debate. You will agree with me that you cannot take part in a school debate without reading.

“What we have seen today is the totality of action we want in Nigeria to be able to reverse the falling standard of education in Nigeria.”

Agada disclosed that government’s efforts to improve standard of education in the country had been yielding positive results, as the country had been able to win a hosting right of the international school debate in 2016.

He said this was made possible due to excellent performance put up by Nigerian students in all the international school debates the country had participated in.

Also speaking, the National Coordinator of Mastering Debate Concept, Mr Akinsola Ahmed explained that the programme was designed to bring back the concept of inter-school debate competition into primary and post-primary schools.

According to him, debate competition in schools is no longer what it used to be, and this, no doubt, is affecting standard of education in Nigeria, urging management and parents to revive the competition to improve performance of students.

Teachers' retraining a must for quality education —NTI

T

HE training and retraining of teachers through upgrading of their qualifications, capacity`-building through workshop and seminars is a must for a nation like Nigeria to have the best in the educational sector, the Director-General of National Teachers Institute, NTI, Kaduna, Dr Aminu Ladan Sharehu has said.

He said this at the opening of a two-week 4th Cohort Cycle II Strengthening Mathematics and Science Education (SMASE) training programme for teachers from Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Benue, Imo and Yobe states holding at the NTI headquarters, Kaduna.

Dr. Sharehu said that the institute was concerned about the welfare and wellbeing of every teacher in the nation and would do all within its mandate to ensure teachers received the best available training programmes to enable them deliver the best method of classroom and out-ofclassroom teaching techniques.

The institute, he revealed has

so far trained 413 teachers in seven cohorts of the first cycle of the SMASE programme.

His words, “We have conducted the first cohorts with seven cycles.

We are into the second cohorts with three cycles done and we are now conducting the fourth cohorts of the second cycle. We hope to continue this training until when we get the best and improve the quality of science and mathematics teachers in the country.

“The only way you can get the best out of the teachers is to continue to engage them in capacity-building and this is what NTI is doing as much as possible. But our major constraint is collaboration with the state governments. This SMASE training programme that is being conducted is in collaborations with the state governments”.

To improve on the SMASE programme, the D-G said the institute has introduced computer training into it with a fully equipped computer laboratory for the use of the trainees.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014 — 27

UNIBEN shut down over cult clashes

EDUCATION FOR ALL: E-learning, way to go “If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.” This famous quote by Derek Curtis Bok, an American lawyer, educator and former president of Harvard University, holds so true especially for Nigeria. An ignorant man is a time bomb waiting to explode. Bok is simply saying that the disadvantages of not having an education far outweigh the cost of getting a good education.

Stakeholders agree that for education to be affordable and available to all, there is need to employ e-learning strategy which involves extensive use of the internet.

Unfortunately, in Nigeria, factors such as poor power supply, poor internet connectivity and lack of funds, militate against the deployment of e-learning strategy.

To overcome the above factors and make e-learning possible in Nigeria, especially with the upsurge in the activities of Boko Haram in the North- East where it is becoming increasingly dangerous to go to school, Mr. Salvation Alibor, Chief Executive Officer of Syscomptech Communications Ltd, and his team introduced the Campus Hotspot Service (CHS) which he describes as a prime support to African governments battling to revive the education sector. Excerpts: internet 24 hours a day and

By Ebele Orakpo seven days a week,” he said.

CCORDING to Alibor, *Mr. Salvation Alibor... Students can learn online and Campus Hotspot BOT: interact physically with lecturers only as the need arises Service (CHS) is designed for Having recognised the fact African schools, to support that many players in the governments across the continent in their battle to revive the education sector.

“It is the foundation for improved learning for every school,” he noted.

The problem: They realised that true education involves sharing knowledge with the global community and in this digital age, this can only be possible through the use of the internet.

“Our schools lack access to global knowledge sharing due to the prolonged absence of good quality internet connectivity,” he said.

A

Solution: “Campus Hotspot Service is developed to provide the school community with a reliable internet connectivity to support e-learning, video/voice conferencing, research and routine web surfing.

“CHS is built to work in remote locations and can cover wide expanses including multiple campus locations. It takes into cognizance the issue of power supply in Nigeria and is designed to run on low power consumption of 30W, powered primarily by solar. It will enable every student, lecturer and researcher to have uninterrupted access to the

*Campus Hotspot Service...grants both lecturers and students access to a cloud sharing service

education sector may not be able to afford the CHS, as budget is a major issue for most institutions of learning in Nigeria, “Syscomptech designed a friendly buy, operate and transfer (BOT) partnership that enables the schools to deploy CHS instantly, begin providing the high quality internet connectivity to its community in only a matter of weeks and own the entire system in a couple

of months,” said Alibor.

CHS/Boko Haram: Campus Hotspot Service is a campus-wide internet service designed to support e-learning for schools. With CHS, it is possible to grant both lecturers and students access to a cloud sharing service that enables the lecturer to upload course materials and have the students download them for reading, activities and exercises.

This will drastically reduce the population of students that

Policeman kills first class graduate

By Olatide Faith

T

hirty-year-old first class graduate of Economics from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Moses Murtala Aminu was shot dead by a constable with the Nigeria Police. Moses had on Sunday, left his No. 67 Ahmadu Ahidjo Street, Narayi High Cost family residence for a party in Barnawa, Kaduna State.

According to his friend and eyewitness, the police constable who was identified as Alex Okpe was beating up Aminu’s girlfriend outside the party venue

when he tried to intervene. At that point, the constable got angry, reached for his jeans trousers, brought out his gun and fired, killing Aminu on the spot.

The constable also shot in the air as he escaped on his motorcycle.

The killer policeman has been tracked down and arrested by officers from the Barnawa Police Division.

The incident has also been confirmed by Femi Adenaike, the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police and he said that it was true Alex Okpe was arrested and he confessed to the killing on

interrogation. He said that Okpe claimed that he fired in ‘selfdefence’ when Moses and his friends were trying to fight him over his girlfriend. According to the Police, Okpe was not even sent to Barnawa as at that time and he will be tried and dismissed if found guilty.

“The suspect is in the cell and we have commenced investigation. And if he is found guilty, we will give him an inhouse trial and summary dismissal so that he can face the law for homicide,”the police boss said.

gather per time for lectures thereby reducing the risk of bomb attack.

“Students can learn online and interact physically with the lecturers only on fewer occasions or as the need arises.

Where there are no large gatherings, there would be no strike spots for bombings on the campuses.

“The CHS project also offers schools the opportunity to own e-Learning platforms, which they can use to provide distant learning to their students online. The e-learning platform would ensure that the post-graduate schools continue running despite the security challenges faced. Thus, students can learn from the comforts of their homes and offices in cities and states far away from the distressed regions. With the CHS infrastructure, the lecturers are guaranteed 24 hours uninterrupted access to instruct their students, review exercises and post assessments over the internet,” he said.

By Olatide Faith

F

OLLOWING the deadly clashes between suspected cult groups and indigenes of Ekosodin community in Benin, Edo State which claimed lives of students, the management of the University of Benin (UNIBEN) has temporarily shut down all academic activities in the school.

According to eyewitness account, the crisis started at about 7:45pm last Thursday when cultists stormed students’ hostel at Ekosodin community with weapons, ranging from axes to guns of different brands, demanding for students by names and threatening to burn down the hostel if those called were not produced.

Several students returning from night study in the school were beaten as they ran for safety.

Some sustained varying degrees of injuries while few others were reported to have died in the process. On Friday morning, ambulances were spotted around the community conveying corpses and injured victims to hospitals.

The institution has issued a notice to all students concerning the suspension of the second semester exams earlier slated for November 21 to 24 till further notice.

AUN gets NUC accreditation

T

he American University of Nigeria has been given approval by the National Universities Commission (NUC) to offer PhD and MSc academic programs in Business Administration, effective from the 2014/2015 academic session.

The letter dated October 29, 2014 and signed by the NUC Director, Academic Standards, Dr. G.B. Kumo, for the Executive Secretary, Prof Julius Okojie, followed a resource assessment visit in August by a team of NUC officials.

In her reaction, President Margee Ensign said: “I am pleased to announce that AUN, only 10 years old, has received approval to run its first PhD programme.”

Dean of the School of Business & Entrepreneurship, Prof. Linus Osuagwu, explained that the school is fully set to commence admission into the M.Sc. and PhD programs starting 2015.

A little more than one year ago (April 2013), the NUC reassessed AUN’s human and material resources and issued it with another five-year full accreditation to all the academic programs which had been first accredited in 2008, including Finance, English Language & Literature, Telecom & Wireless Technology, Information System, Computer Science, Software Engineering, International & Comparative Politics, and Mass C o m m u n i c a t i o n s (Communication & Multimedia.

28 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014

Pitan laments rot in educational sector

By Ebun Sessou

F

ORMER Commissioner for Education and governorship aspirant under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, Dr Leke Pitan has said that the rot in the educational sector in the country can only be erased with a holistic approach to human capital development oriented programme for the administrative and teaching personnel of primary and secondary schools in the country.

Speaking at the 2014 Stakeholders Forum National Dialogue on education with the

theme: Deconstructing the Continuing Crises of Standards and Performance in Nigerian Secondary Schools at Ikoyi Hotels and Towers, Lagos, Pitan opined constant training and retraining of school principals and teaching personnel is a recipe for quick revival of education sector.

According to him: “Specific trainings, workshops and seminars on the nagging and incipient school problems will help the principals, teachers and other school workers to fashion out new ways of dealing with school programmes.”

Citing an ugly scenario, Pitan said a situation where a primary

school graduate could not speak fluently or construct a complete sentence, is unfortunate, noting that in the past, a primary six school leaver was a good material to gain immediate employment as a clerical officer in any government or corporate establishment.

He blamed both parents and school administrators for the poor enrolment into primary and secondary schools.

He added that the pupils that are often selected in most of the public schools are often not the right materials for the pre-basic and basic classes.

His words: “We have to return

to the era when only the qualified and competent are selected into the primary cadre and the basic education programme.

“A situation when a parent insisted that a child who is not competent be pushed up to the next grade, would only portend danger in the future. And this was already happening with mass failure in external examinations like the West African Examinations Council Examinations and the Unified Tertiary Matriculations Examinations’, he said.

Pupils of Ireti Primary School, Ikoyi reading at the new donated library by Zaccheus Onumba Dibiaezue Memorial Library launched at Holy Cross School, Ikoyi.

ZODML laments 20% import duty on books, donates four libraries

By Dayo Adesulu

C

hief Executive Officer of ZODML, Mrs. Ifeoma Esiri, has lamented reports about a 20 per cent import duty the Federal Government placed on imported books, saying that literacy level in Nigeria is extremely low and the absence of functional school libraries has a lot to do with the situation. She averred, “An imposition of import duty of whatever amount can only turn a very bad situation into a monumental catastrophe.”

The Zaccheus Onumba Dibiaezue Memorial Libraries (ZODML) last Thursday boosted reading and learning of students with four new libraries, making a total of 10 Oasis libraries donated in Lagos State.

Speaking at the commissioning of Holy Cross Primary School library in Lagos where a collection of 1,048 books were donated by ZODML, Esiri said, “ZODML’s vision is to see a Nigeria in which everyone has the ability to educate themselves.” According to her, its mission is to provide free C M Y K

channels through which Nigerians can access information and learning tools to acquire knowledge.

The beneficiaries of the four oasis libraries include; Lagos Island Local Government Primary School, Anwar-Ul-Islam Primary School, Anwar-Ul-Islam Girls Primary School and Holy Cross Primary School, each library having a collection of 1,048 books.

She explained that the library is called oasis because it is a small part of a school where the pupils

are able to visit and quench the thirst for reading.

The CEO who aims to double the number of libraries in 2016, lauded all the publishers who have given their tremendous support over the years with massive discounts and book donations.

Moreover, she thanked the International Book Bank based in Baltimore, US for their support in sending 57,000 books for the future libraries.

Meanwhile, the Executive Chairman, Lagos State Universal

Basic Education Board, Mrs. Gbolahan Daodu who lauded ZODML for its gesture said, “It has promoted learning among teeming Nigerians through provision of libraries.”

Her words: There is a compelling need for public spirited individuals, corporate bodies, foundation and social organization to assist governments at all levels in making education accessible to all as the yoke is heavy for government to bear alone.”

Vivian Fowler underscores commitment to girl-child education

T

he Founder, Vivian Fowler Memorial College for Girls, Chief Mrs Leila Fowler has reiterated the commitment of the college to ensure the proper education of the girlchild to enable them attain the desired level in the society.

The renowned educationist stated that the vision of the college is for the integration and promotion of womanhood into the topmost heights in all aspects of human endeavor.

She added that since inception, Vivian Fowler College has remained focusssed on improving the life of the girl-child both morally and academically.

Fowler asserted further that the college has the mission to offer the girlchild qualitative and functional secondary school education. It also inculcates in the girl-child the pursuit of perfection and excellence. The mission of the college in bringing out the best in the girl- child has been yielding enormous results with the performance of the students academically.

The students, according to her, have been excelling in both local and international competitions. Hadiza Adeleke came 3rd in Microsoft competition while Funlola Rhodes was the only girl within the first position at the last Cowbell Mathematics competition.

The students of the school have also continuously excelled at the annual Bishop Okonkwo essay competition where the college has won the first position.

Fowler further called for concerted efforts in order to raise a generation of young women who will respect and uphold the dignity of labour.

Vice-Chancellor advises group on capacity- building

By Dayo Adesulu

P

articipants at the recently held 9th Nigerian Network Operators Group (Ng NOG) Workshop 2014 have been advised to get back to base and teach others in order to raise a team.

The advice was given by the ViceChancellor, Covenant University, (CU) Professor Charles Ayo, in his remarks at the dinner organised to round-off the fiveday capacity-building workshop hosted by CU.

Ayo noted that Nigerians always thrive if given adequate training and right environment to operate. He added that Nigerians have the wherewithal in ICT, but lack of leadership has been the bane of underdevelopment in this regard.

This, according to him, has resulted in some smaller African nations to be ahead of the country.

He also noted that right networking of the participants might be what is required to move the nation forward because what

makes a nation is not the abundance of what lies under the ground, but what individuals have ‘upstairs’. He commended the participants, particularly the instructors, for demonstrating quality leadership by training others without any form of gratification.

He also expressed the desire of the University to once more host the event co-sponsored by Google Incorportion.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014 — 29

Rivers domesticates revised national curriculum T

HE Rivers State Ministry of Education has commenced the domestication of the new nine-year Revised Basic Education Curriculum, BEC. The state kick-started the implementation of the revised BEC with a two-day sensitization program for teachers, head teachers, principals of junior secondary schools and education secretaries in the 23 local government areas of the state, at the Model Girls Secondary School, Rumueme, Port Harcourt. The workshop was organised by the Rivers State Ministry of Education to intimate the school managers on how to implement the revised curriculum.

The Commissioner for Education, Rivers State, Dame Alice Lawrence-Nemi while declaring the workshop open, said that the implementation of the revised BEC is crucial to education development in the state. The Commissioner stated that the new basic curriculum will serve as a driving force for achieving the development of human capital needed to make the country one of the 20 biggest economy in the world.

The Commissioner, represented by the Permanent Secretary Rivers State Ministry of Education, Minabelem Michael West directed the school manager to start the implementation of the curriculum in all schools in the State. Lawrence-Nemi also said that the immediate implementation of the BEC is a practical demonstration of the government’s commitment to education development in Rivers State.

Basic education curriculum ‘’The new basic education curriculum will serve as the driving force in achieving the development of human capital, which will empower Nigerians to make the country one of the biggest 20 economies in the world. Ladies and Gentlemen, the content of the revised BEC has been reduced without compromising quality to make it readily teachable and learnable as well as minimize confusion. It reflects continuity from one sub-theme and topic to the other to help the teacher and pupils and students connect and relate previous and presently taught lessons. Also the revised BEC makes teaching and learning learner-centred, activity based and relevant’’, she said.

The Rivers State Commissioner for

Education hinted that the State Government has provided an enabling environment for a conducive teaching and learning for pupils and teachers. Nemi stated that state-of-art-facilities at the model schools is a testimony of the State Government’s determination to give the students the best form of education so as to compete favourably with their peers around the world. ‘’However, the State Government has already provided an enabling environment for such a conducive teaching and learning experience for both teachers, pupils and students in the State.

The State-of -the-Art facilities in our model schools is a testimony of our determination to train our children to compete favourable with their peers around the world. Our new 20-class blocks has demonstrated our resolution, to make learning fun for our children.

Also the inclusion of vocational studies in the revised BEC shows that the setting up the Port Harcourt Technical/Vocational centre will be an added advantage in the implementation of the new BEC’’, she stated. Earlier, the Executive Director, Rivers State Education Quality Assurance Agency, Prof. Okorosaye Orubite said the implementation of the new curriculum will start with primary 1 and junior secondary one JS1.

He noted that pupils and students in primary 2-6 and junior secondary 2-3 will continue with the old curriculum. Prof.

Orubite said that the Commissioner for Education Rivers State, Dame Alice Lawrence-Nemi mandated the agency to organised the two-day sensitization workshop to intimate the teachers, head teachers of, principals of Junior Secondary School, Education Secretaries in all the 23 local government areas on the revised curriculum so as to tickle that into the classroom.

He stated that the samples of the curricula are available and will be distributed immediately after the two-day workshop for immediate implementation of the new curriculum across the State.

Prof. Orubite reiterated the State Government’s determination to in providing qualitative education.

The Chairman, Rivers State Universal Education Board SUBEB, Sir Ali Oruitemeka tasked the participants to show proper interest through-out the two day workshop.

*Engr. Laolu Oguntuyi (left), Director, Lagos State Technical and Vocational Education Board (guest); and Mr Foluso Fasoto, President, Association of Professional Bodies of Nigeria (APBN) during the investiture of the 14th President in Council of APBN held at Best Western Hotel,V/Island, Lagos.

C M Y K

Why Nigeria might never land on a comet (1) N

OTE: Akwa Ibom; Ekiti and Last week, Professor Okebukola, Kaduna states will serve to former NUC Secretary, was reported to illustrate the problems. Akwa Ibom have said that the essential requirements comes first in alphabetical order. are: facilities and staff. Both require a lot Nothing more. of money. The N1.5bn reportedly allocated “Saturday PUNCH investigations to the state university, which might not showed that the state government had even be fully released, are, by any measure not been funding the Akwa Ibom State simply inadequate to provide good University adequately. It was learnt that facilities and to recruit quality staff. To the state government only released develop individuals capable of N1.5bn for construction projects, establishing and operating space stations, expansion and renovation of academic Nigeria needs top quality people in blocks, including the acquisition of physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, laboratory equipment in the university.” engineering (in all its aspects), robotics, PUNCH, November 8, 2014, p 12. and computer science as well as That story titled GOVT HOUSES nanotechnology. At the moment, there is COSTLIER THAN NIGERIAN probably no science department in the UNIVERSITIES went on to reveal that Akwa Ibom State University which has full Akwa Ibom State spent a total of N34bn accreditation. The students enrolled for the on two projects – N16bn on the science courses are, to say the least, going government house and N18bn on a to end up clutching “tissue paper” as Banquet Hall. On the latter, one must certificates. No employer of labour, except ask, how many banquets does the state the state government itself, can possibly government hold every year to justify employ them. The reasons are not difficult that expenditure? to understand.

Then on November 13, 2014, Abimbola Adelakun, on the back page University of the same PUNCH newspaper, in an laboratory article titled GOVERNOR MONEYMISS-ROAD, drew attention to the During one of my visits, this year, to N33bn Akwa Ibom Stadium which was the state, I went to the science block and commissioned on Friday, November 7, looked into the laboratories – especially 2014, by, who else?, President Goodluck Chemistry. What was there simply has to Jonathan. Ms Adelakun’s grouse with be seen to be disbelieved. Remembering the project, the same as mine, rested on our science laboratory at Igbobi College, the sense of priorities on display at that in the late 1950s to early 1960s, when I event. She wrote, and I agree, “Today, left, I returned to Lagos to take a look again Akwa Ibom is rich; perhaps richer than at Igbobi College. This secondary school several African countries put together. is better equipped than the university The state has a relatively small laboratory. That leads to the question: what population and as Akpabio admitted, a are the kids being taught and who is doing [large] number of them are low-income the teaching. A casual stroll revealed that earners. In such a context, it is the university probably does not have the unsurprising that his dreams are easily minimum four professors. An expert in exhausted that he resorts to building robotics teaches physics because there monuments to vanity.” I added “large” aren’t many people holding doctorates in Physics in Nigeria. Granted, to her statement because one must read a lot of physics unlike most commentators, to master robotics, but, the basic I know Akwa Ibom insidepure research will still be out. That is why it is always lacking. At any rate, in physics, amusing to read comments as in every subject, nobody can by those who only visited be a master of every aspect. So, Uyo and go on to conclude you need a cluster of them. They that an “uncommon” don’t exist in any department transformation has taken at Akwa Ibom State University. place. It is as foolish as Yet, the university offers over 22 assuming that Lagos City, courses to victims-students. By Kaduna, Enugu or Jos the time the N1.5bn is allocated represent the whole of to various needs, and we Lagos, Kaduna, Enugu and should not forget that university Plateau states. Akwa Ibom funds get embezzled, what is is not different. Virtually all left for research cannot amount the resources had been Again, I to N160 million or $1m. That is concentrated on Uyo – just about what a small leaving vast areas of the had been to university in the US would state as poor as before. the state spend, in its science laboratories Nowhere is this more on re-agents or acids and bases strongly illustrated than in university alone in one month. the allocations to education. quite a few Meanwhile, N68bn was spent Again, I had been to the on three projects; not to mention state university quite a few times and a cinema being subsidized. At times and the most the most N1.5bn per year; it will take 43 appropriate word to use is years before the state university DISAPPOINTING. For a appropriate gets as much money as that. By state which collected and then Europeans might have left spent N1 trillion in four word to use the earth to us!! years, the university is really is NEXT: Ekiti State University: appalling. disappointing graduating functional illiterates.

30 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014

C M Y K

Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014 — 31

C M Y K

32—Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014

C M Y K

Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014—33

C M Y K

34—Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014

Dickson, Sylva bicker over plight of Bayelsa pensioners

By Samuel Oyadongha & Emem Idio, Yenagoa

G

OVERNOR Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State and his predecessor in office, Timipre Sylva, have traded words over who is responsible for the plight of the state pensioners.

While Dickson has repeatedly blamed pensioners' woes on the failure of the past administration to pay their gratuities, former governor, Sylva has continued to dismiss the claim that his administration did not pay pensions for five years, describing the claim as scandalous and petty.

Setting up the State Pensions and Gratuities Committee, SPGC, to expedite action on the payment of benefits to the state's pensioners, Governor Dickson lamented that though the backlog of unpaid benefits were inherited by the present administration, it would not relent in its efforts at ensuring that every genuine pensioner gets paid his or her benefits to the fullest.

Outstanding gratuities He appealed to the pensioners to co-operate and appreciate the current efforts of government.

The governor reaffirmed the resolve of his administration to settle all outstanding gratuities and pensions in batches until the backlog owed was cleared and thanked the pensioners for their maturity, discipline and understanding, especially with the committee.

He advised them to exercise patience and not allow themselves to be used by mischief makers to fan the embers of discord.

The state government, it would be recalled had threatened to set up a judicial commission of inquiry to investigate nonpayment of gratuities to pensioners in the state from 2007 to 2012 in spite of budgetary provisions to that effect.

But the former governor, Timipre Sylva had dismissed claims by incumbent, Seriake Dickson that his (Sylva) administration did not pay pensions to retirees for five years, describing the claim as scandalous and petty.

Sylva had in a statement issued by his media adviser, Doifie Buokoribo Ola entitled “Resign Now, Dickson, Resign” said when he took over as Governor of Bayelsa State from Dr Goodluck Jonathan, there were outstanding pension and gratuity arrears, and no noise was made about it.

C M Y K

Governor Seriake Dickson Sylva noted that as a leader, he took responsibility on the conviction that government is a continuum.

Compulsory savings: Meanwhile, chairman of Nigeria Union of Pensioners, NUP, in the state, Chief Emmanuel Namatebe, while speaking about current government efforts at finding solutions to the pensioners woes, saying “the governor also announced that he is making a compulsory savings of N250million every month to pay pension gratuities and arrears but after the first two to three months, the savings were nowhere to be found; he refused to release money. From the piecemeal payments, the governor has released N3.1billion in five instalments. However, pensioners from 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, are yet to be paid their gratuities, even up to this day, and since his last disbursement

We are appealing to President Jonathan to intervene in the lives of Bayelsa State pensioners because this is the home state of Mr. President

Former Governor Timipre Sylva of N300million in March this year, this is October he has not released any money again. If the governor has been releasing money regularly even if it is the N250 million he purported to have been saving, we would not be having problems.

“The plight of pensioners in Bayelsa State is hopeless for now because the governor has said that because of the projects he is embarking upon there isn't enough money and that the monthly allocation is dwindling, hence he can no longer pay pensioners. During the last Monthly Transparency briefing, the governor pronounced that he will release additional N300 million, but four months after, nothing has been done.

Pensioners threaten protest “So the pensioners have taken the decision that they will embark on a peaceful demonstration and thereafter take the state government to an industrial court.

That is the two options that we have now taken. I had summoned the Bayelsa State government to the National Assembly and indicted them before the Committee on Pensions and Establishments. I also used the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria to write the state government and I have also applied dialogue to ensure that these monies are paid. Unfortunately, some pensioners are accusing me of taking bribe from the state governor and attempted to pass a vote of no-confidence on me but our national secretariat investigated and concluded that the allegations were false and unfounded. Right now the pensioners are in a very unpredictable condition.

"They don’t know where to go

and where to start from. We have lost about fifty pensioners with unpaid gratuity from January to October this year. Now the Federal Government has approved 33 per cent salary increment for pensioners, the circular letter has arrived and we are preparing to forward it to the Head of Service to implement payment. There is gross negligence from the Bayelsa State government in respect of pensioners. Pensioners have not even been granted audience since the governor came to power.

We have written five letters for audience with the Governor and all have been thrown into the waste basket. This is the plight of pensioners.

“We are appealing to President Jonathan to intervene in the lives of Bayelsa State pensioners because this is the home state of Mr. President and people have the assumption that there is so much money but the governor is giving priority attention to projects than pensioners. We are appealing to the state governor to release the purported compulsory savings of N250million regularly to pay pensioners. There should be a standing order to the AccountantGeneral to release the monies to the six-man committee. Even if other social welfare packages are not given to us, they should pay us our entitlements, but for the monthly allowance, that one the government is paying but the gratuity and other entitlements are being denied us.”

"We've written 35 letters" Bemoaning the plight of local government pensioners in the state, the chairman of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Local Government branch Prince Renner Hobobo said the Union

has written over thirty-five letters seeking audience with the state government without success.

One of the letters by the union, with reference number NUP/ BLGB/10 VOL.II/14 dated 1st July, 2014 addressed to the Secretary to the Bayelsa State Government and obtained by Vanguard reads: “The backlog of the indebtedness due our retirees has increased from N285, 668,469.92 by 1st May, 2013 to an astronomic height of about N830, 010,201.72 by 31st July, 2014. Some of the reasons for the high arrears is due to the failure of the Bayelsa State Government to contribute financial allocation to the Local Government Pensions Board and the obligatory failure of the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development to source the share of the Federal Government contribution to the Pensions Board. ”The case of the state government is that in spite of the Bayelsa State Budgetary provision for 2012, 2013 and 2014 which amounted to N411, 464,962.43, not a dime has been released to the Local Government Pensions Board, since the commencement of this administration.

Commencement of administration Similarly the federal share which ought to have been twice that of the state at two and a half, and five per cent respectively, would have been N822, 929,924.86.

“From the above calculations, N1, 234,394,887.28 is the supposed provisions from the state and Federal Government for these three years, and therefore it is inexplicable why the Local Government Pensions Board is short-funded and consequently our pensioners and their families are being starved to death.

“Furthermore, the Board is grossly shortchanged by the local government councils which are the substantial contributors to the fund. Of the N50million being allocated to the board by the councils, about N28million is expended on the monthly pension while the balance, a paltry N22 million is left to service the over N850 million indebtedness as at July 31, 2014.

“In spite of the above incurred debts a worse burden of debt is imminent when the 53.4% pension increase will be approved. While we commend the state government for the infrastructural development of the state within these two years, however, we earnestly appeal that the state government should come to our aid, or otherwise the existence of our new retirees and their families are being threatened most by financial starvation than by the Ebola Virus and insurgency.”

Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27 , 2014—35

BITS Bits

a large percentage of the population, industrial growth can then be said to be accompanied by development.

The advantages of industrialization include lessening of dependency on imports, employment creation and saving scarce foreign exchange.”

Addis Ababa to host 2015 ILO African regional meeting

T

ICSAN holds conference on good governance

T

HE Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria, ICSAN ,has announced plans to organize its 2014 conference, with the theme: ‘Good governance in Nigeria: The missing link.”

According to a statement by ICSAN, the conference, scheduled to hold, today in Lagos, will present an opportunity to x-ray the governance issues affecting the country and proffer solutions.

The statement noted that Mr. Victor Odozi, Former Deputy Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, and Mr. Babatunde Savage, Chairman, Guinness Nigeria Plc, would be guest speaker and chairman of the occasion, respectively.

Other speakers expected at the conference are: Mr. Umar Bindir, Director-General, National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion, NOTAP and Mrs. Ibukun Awosika, Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer, the Chair Centre.

C M Y K

National industrial revolution plan While expressing the union’s support for government initiatives on National Industrial Revolution Plan, Abdulkareem Motajo of National Union Air Transport Employees, NUATE; Oladele Hunsu, NIRP, he said “the latest President,National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria, NUTGTWN; automotive policy must lead to Issa Aremu, General Secretary of NUTGTWN and John Olarewaju, Director General, Nigeria revival of the automobile Textile, Garment and Tailoring Employers Association, NT&GEA, at a recent event industry. Also intervention funds on textile is commendable. However, key problems facing manufacturing sector in Nigeria particularly the textile industry include; infrastructural inadequacy, raw materials, electricity supply, smuggling, counterfeiting and faking among others which

By Victor Ahiuma-Young es of policy inconsistency and weak need to be urgently addressed by the infrastructure to grow the non- oil sector." government.”

HE 26th annual education Labour resistance: Comrade Aremu Commend Dangote: “This is why we conference of the National Union of warned that “this drop in oil prices should supported the move by Dangote Group Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of not create additional problems for the overto re-industrialise Africa through an Nigeria, NUTGTWN, in Ilorin, Kwara burdened population. In fact, the price of unprecedented investment of $9 billion State, provided avenue for labour leaders, petrol must necessarily be reduced in an oil refinery and petrochemical employers, academics, industrial relations because the prices of imported oil complex in the country, stating that its practitioners and other stakeholders, to depends on the prices of the crude. job creation potential is very gratifying. examine the rebased Gross Domestic Labour will resist any attempt to pass the The refinery, located at the Olokola Product, GDP, emerging figures from the burden onto workers either through Liquefied Natural Gas, OK-LNG Free rebasing, and what these figures mean for delayed payments of salaries or Trade Zone in Nigeria, will be Nigeria’s industry, labour and Nigeria’s democracy retrenchment. Government should cut first private and Africa’s largest in the midst of falling crude oil prices. huge overhead costs of office holders of petroleum refinery, with a projected daily Addressing the gathering, General both the executives and the National production output of 400,000 barrels a Secretary of NUTGTWN and a Vice Assembly.

I agree with the Minister of day. This patriotic investment is made President of Nigeria Labour Congress, Finance that Nigerian economy is still possible because of Federal Government's NLC, Comrade Issa Aremu, among others, stable even at $80 dollars per barrel. But efforts at promoting backward integration looked at what rebasing the GDP entails, in the long run that stability is the stability policy. Africa is a resource-rich continent, importance and limitation of rebased GDP, of the grave yard.

Nigeria cannot be said yet it has low levels of industrialisation, the reality on ground, and declared that to be stable until we see practical results with materials being exported in its raw the rebased GDP showed that Nigeria was of the transformation of the economy from form. a bit diversified than previously reported oil dependency to resource value addition "It is commendable that Dangote Group and the structure of the Nigerian economy and manufacturing value added in is changing the narrative of the continent had also changed significantly. particular. from that of ‘resource curse’ to resource “This then raises the issue of beneficiation, value addition and mass We don't need transformation which President austerity measure Jonathan promises. This administration What we need is not austeriwill be better assessed in terms of ty measure but accelerated He however contended that “Nigeria is promised transformation agenda still dependent on oil extraction and crude dealing with power supply, implementation of the Nigeoil exports. Minister of Finance and Coagriculture and beneficiation in the ria Industrial Revolution Plan ordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr. extractive industries such as oil and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala just revealed that to grow the non- oil sector gas. With wholesale importation of Nigeria is a country that is dependent on tooth picks to petroleum products, one commodity, oil. The commodity is textiles to furniture, it’s certainly not dependent on how much the buyers want yet a transformed Nigerian economy.” employment through industrialisation to buy. The prices of crude oil have fallen and internal articulation of African from $115 per barrel to $86 per barrel with Need for economy. Industrialisation is it for the fear that the prices can fall as low as industrialisation Nigeria if it must be part of the leading $80. This has created shock in the economy. economies of the world, to get millions of "The announcement of austerity measure For NUTGTWN’s General Secretary, youth to work out of violence and crime by the Finance Minister Dr. Okonjo Iweala “Industrialization assumes a special and above all out of poverty.’ shows Nigeria dependence on oil instead importance in development given its Performance of textile industry: “The of non-oil sector. Nigeria suffers the problem importance in transformation of the government had talked about a new of resource curse such that a drop in crude economy through production of goods textile policy in February 2013, however oil prices has totally altered the parameters and services, employment generation there has been no progress. Unless of the annual budget. and poverty eradication. effective steps are taken by the "What we need is not austerity measure Industrialization is at the heart of government to revive the industry, gains but accelerated implementation of the development discourse. achieved in 2010 will be lost and result Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan to grow If goods produced are not broadly in job losses, thus aggravating the the non- oil sector. We should build on the distributed among the population, we can unemployment. Smuggled products strengths of Nigeria’s raw materials and only talk of economic growth. However occupy over 90% of the market. large market, and minimize the weaknessif the goods meet basic human needs of

FALLING CRUDE PRICES:

Labour to FG: Nigeria doesn't need austerity now, but...

T

,

HE Governing Body of the International Labour Organization, ILO, has announced that the 13th African Regional Meeting, ARM, will tak place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, between November 30 and December 3, 2015.

This was contained in a statement from the Office of the Assistant Director-General and Regional Director for Africa, Aeneas Chapinga Chuma.

Promoting an inclusive and job-rich growth through decent work in Africa will be at the heart of the meeting which brings together – every four years - the political, economic and social actors of the world of work in Africa.

With more than 18 million new jobs needed every year in Africa, creating quality jobs for young African men and women is one of the most urgent post-2015 challenges, stated Mr Chuma with an urgent need to embark upon inclusive growth paths that create decent jobs and reduce poverty.

,

36 — VANGUARD, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014

‘We must tackle sexual violence head-on'

By Chino Obiagwu

I

S it possible to end sexual violence against women?

This week, the world asks this question to our people and governments as we start the 21 days of activism on violence against women.

The world appears to be answering the question this week.

Yes, we can stop gender violence. But that is when most violators are punished.

In the last few years, there appears to be a round of public soul-searching over the rising tide of sex crime against young girls across the world including in Nigeria. Recent figures show rapid increase in incident of sexual violence, including gang rapes, defilement, incest, etc with no increase in punishment of the culprits. The Indian gang rape tragedy exposed the stack vulnerability of young women in our modern society and also the role of the larger society in ravenously demanding for justice. The uproar that followed the incident and the trials resonated across the globe, touching the conscience of humanity. I do not support death sentence for any offence because it is inhuman, but I support locking away rapists and murderers in prison for life.

Murderers in prison In Nigeria, it is debauched impunity for sex offenders. Despite daily reports of sex crimes, little actions are taken against rapists, paedophiles and defilers. The rate of rape and other sexual violence is unimaginable in the communities, workplace, homes and schools especially in the higher institutions.

The wide use of social media has made more visible than before the sexual abuse of young women and the impunity around it. Many culprits post their rape scenes of social media with bluster bravado.The ‘Abia 5’ episode in 2010 exposed the intrepid audacity of men against vulnerable women.

Gang raping of women and posting the recorded video on internet is now the new measure of prodigal masculinity among depraved young men. If you google‘rape in Nigeria’, you will be amazed at the tons of recent YouTube postings. You

*Right activists, civil society groups during a walk against rape in Lagos organised by Partnership for Justice.

marvel at the fact that despite the high rate of sex crimes and the nude openness of the incidents, there are little prosecutions. In the last 10 years or so, many victims have demonstrated boldness in pursing justice against their attackers, yet most cases are unpunished. Many more incidents are still not re-

The Indian gang rape tragedy exposed the stack vulnerability of young women in our modern society and also the role of the larger society in ravenously demanding for justice

Much ado about Law School examination failures —Page 37 C M Y K

ported or when reported, wickedly compromised and truncated by unabashed conspiracy among the community, poverty and law enforcers.

Lagos State Ministry of Justice recently announced that it received complaints of 678 cases of rape in 2012 and only prosecuted 6. Similar situation exists across the country. In Anambra State NGOs working in the area recorded 115 incidents and complaints of sexual violence but only 12 cases were taken up with the police but none prosecuted to finality. In 2009, four policemen gangraped 2 students of Enugu State University, resulting in near death of one of them, who later tested positive to HIV. Despite repeated demands for justice by NGOs, the policemen were merely suspended and later dismissed but never prosecuted. In June 2011 in Egbeda near Lagos,Miss ‘M’ a 16-year old girl was raped by a young man called ‘onyibo’. She was brutally injured but refused to report to her parents because the rapists threatened to kill her if she told anyone, but she could not hide her wounds. Her father on discovering what happened took her to the police station, where ‘onyibo’ was arrest-

ed but released the same day.

The girl was asked to report back to the police, and when she turned up, a lustful policeman who was pretending to be assisting her sexually assaulted her several times, and later that night at the station raped her twice.

Prosecution of culprits Her father reported to NGO LEDAP who filed petition against the policeman requesting the Lagos police commissioner to investigate and prosecute the culprits.

This was not done and a case is currently filed at the Ikeja High Court seeking relevant orders to prosecute. Miss ‘M’ and her father remain resolute to prosecute the men that rendered her future traumatic, but the justice system are failing them, in the same way the system had failed hundreds of thousands of previous victims.

The courts have been bashed for lenient sentences and most times, applying strict unfriendly rules of evidence that are unfavourable to the sex crime victims. Last month, a Lagos Magistrate court granted bail in the paltry sum of N20,000 to a man

who raped a 19-year old girl and posted the scene on the internet. In 2012, a Gudu Area Court in Abuja sentenced a45 year-old man to one month imprisonment or N1000 fine for raping an 11-year old girl. The Court officials told NGOs that protested the lenient sentence that the girl’s family told the prosecutor that the rapist had asked for their forgiveness and had paid them N50,000 for the medical expenses. Many more rapists are never put to trial because the families of the victims accepted money as compensation.

The society appears to connive within itself to protect rapists and paedophiles, and to frustrate and traumatise abused women. Did you listen to commentaries from the police and Abia state public officials following the gang rape of a girl by 4 men in Abia state University? It was a tale of blaming the victim and excuses for the culprits.

The social and legal order simple protect licentious lustful men. The law and procedure of prosecuting sex crimes are lenient in favour of the offenders.

There is need for tougher laws, tougher enforcement of sex crime laws, and effective prosContinues on page 37

Enugu PDP: Can the lawyer wag —Page 39 the court?

VANGUARD, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014 —37

Much ado about Law School examination failures

By Aham Njoku

G

LANVILLE Williams, the Late Rouse ball Professor of Law at the University of London, in his famous book, “Learning the Law” quoted C. C. Colton thus, “Examinations are formidable even to the best prepared; for the greatest fool may ask more questions than the wisest man can answer.”

This quotation quickly jumped into my mind when I learnt from some online publications about the so-called mass failure at the recent Ni-

gerian Law School Bar final examinations and my sympathy immediately went out to the students who had failed.

In addition to the online publications, the rumour mills had it that over 50% of the students failed the examinations.

Some said that the pass mark was mischievously increased from 40% to 50%. Others said that only lecturers from Abuja and Lagos campuses were competent, hence the failure from the other campuses. Yet others alleged that the Director General Mr. Olarenwa-

ju Adesola Onadeko ordered lecturers to mark them down!

The above information sounded incredible especially for those of us who passed through that system more than twenty years ago. We decided to keep our fingers crossed until more facts emerged.

However, not long after, more authentic information emerged to show that most of the things initially put out for public consumption were not only false but an orchestrated propaganda by some of the students

who had failed the examinations using the social media platform.

In the first place, it has been established that the high rate of failure was among the re-sit candidates and not the candidates who were taking the examination for the first time. For those who were taking the examination for the first time, 57.01% passed. The problem was really located with the re-sit candidates where a substantial number of the students failed.

The above true position was confirmed by no less

‘We must tackle sexual violence head-on' ecution of sex offenders.

Lagos State took a giant step in 2011 when it made rape and many other sex crimes punishable by life imprisonment in its new Criminal Law. Section 258 provides that “(1) Any man who has unlawful sexual intercourse with a woman or girl, without her consent, is guilty of the offence of rape and liable to imprisonment for life.”

Subsection (2) provides that “A woman or girl does not consent to sexual intercourse if she submits to the act by reason of force, impersonation, threat or intimidation of any kind, fear of harm or false or fraudulent representation as to the nature of the act.”

Unhappily, the new law did not go far enough against spousal rape, which has been criminalised in many parts of the world.

Subsection (3) provides that “Sexual intercourse between a man and a woman who are married is not unlawful”, thereby

permitting a husband to ‘ rape’ his wife, giving wide leverage for family related sexual violence.

But the law is tough against other sex crimes.

Section 259 punishes unconsented oral or anal sex including gay sex, with life imprisonment.

The section provides thus:

,

Continues from page 36

Unhappily, the new law did not go far enough against spousal rape, which has been criminalised in many parts of the world

“Any person who penetrates sexually the anus, vagina, mouth or any other opening in the body of another person with a part of his body or anything else, without the consent of the person is guilty of a felony and liable to imprisonment for life”.

The new Lagos Criminal law also punishes sexual harassment, though with paltry imprisonment of 3 years without option of fine.

The offence is defined

EDITORIAL TEAM Innocent Anaba ( Head) Wahab Abdulah Ikechukwu Nnochiri Dayo Benson (Supervising Editor) 08056180119 dayobenson@yahoo.com

C M Y K

widely as follows: “262 (1)Sexual harassment is unwelcome sexual advances, request for sexual favours, and other visual, verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature which when submitted to or rejected– (a) implicitly or explicitly affects a person’s

,

employment or educational opportunity or unreasonably interferes with the person’s work or educational performance; (b) implicitly or explicitly suggests that submission to or rejection of the conduct will be a factor in academic or employment decisions; or (c) creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive learning or working environment.

Furthermore, inappropriate sexual advances,

touching or smooching of another are criminalised in the law, by section 261, which provides that “Any person who sexually touches another person without his consent is guilty of a felony and liable to imprisonment for three years.”

Though these tough laws are welcome, they are meaningless with poor enforcement. The police and prosecutors have clearly failed to stand for victims of sex crimes, most of whom would rather die in tortuous silence than expose themselves to secondary traumatisation in the hands of justice system officials. It is time the society stands up to demand for justice for victims of sex crime in the way the Indian society rose up in unison to demand an end to impunity for rapists. This is a social responsibility for all men and women of conscience. *Chino Obiagwu is of the Legal Defence & Assistance Project, LEDAP

a person than the Secretary to the Council of Legal Education and Director of Administration of the Nigerian Law School, E. O. Max – Uba. She further added that most of the students protesting the poor results were the ones who, “sat for the exanimation four times without success because they re- *Mr. Olanrewaju Onadeko, D-G fused to partic- Law School. ipate in revision classes pendent minded that organized for them pri- even if he gave such oror to the examinations.” ders, nobody would lisOn the issue of the ten to him. school raising the bench The examination result mark for pass from 40% is further reviewed by to 50%, O.C.J. Okocha the Examination Board (SAN) former President before it is released. Fiof Nigeria Bar Associa- nally on the allegation tion (NBA) and the im- against Mr. Onadeko, mediate past chairman nothing can be more riof Council of Legal Ed- diculous. Mr. Onadeko ucation categorically for anybody that knows stated in a recent inter- him is not only a comview that the allegation petent administrator but was a big lie. The pass- an intelligent and sound mark still remains 40% lecturer who had conwhich is globally accept- tributed immensely to able. the success of thousands

Marking down students On the allegation that students were “marked down”, by lecturers on the orders of the Director General, the propagandists showed a poor knowledge of how the law school operates. In the first place, it is not the same lecturers that set the examinations that mark it. Secondly on this point, the Director General has no power whatsoever to order any lecturer to mark down students. The Law School lecturers are so inde-

students over the years and to legal education in Nigeria as a whole.

He is indeed a shining light in the Legal Profession in Nigeria.

It was after I had interviewed two law students who graduated from Enugu and Abuja campuses respectively that I came to understand the real issues involved.

First they told me that many of the students come to the Law School with their secondary school and university mind-set where there was hardly any

38 — VANGUARD, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014

VANGUARD LAW IN PIX

Former Lagos Solicitor General, A Arthur-Worrey launches book

By Innocent Anaba

I

T was a rare moment of outpouring of encomiums and accolades in Lagos, last week as the Executive Secretary of Lagos State Security Trust Fund, LSSTF, Mr Fola ArthurWorrey, marked his birthday with a new book on Lagos, titled, “Aerial Lagos – A Bird’s View of African’s Largest Metropolis.”

The book is a unique photobook that depicts the essential of Lagos landscaped, its beauties and aquatic splendour.

It was the first of its kind in the country which will serve as useful guide to any visitor to the commercial nerve centre of the Africa’s most populous country.

According to the author and celebrant, a former Solicitor General of Lagos State, he was inspired to embark on the photobook project because of his observation that there was no such publication in this part of the world compare to the western world where such publications are available to serve as guide and reference materials to visitors and tourists.

“I was inspired when I flew in an helicopter over the metropolis and marvelled at the beauties and the splendour of this great city. I imagined how wonderful it will be if one can depict such aesthetics in a photobook? We don’t have such here.

“I discovered that such book can help in narrative of our society. Really, what is missing about the socie-

ty is the paucity or lack of narratives,” he said.

Saying that he was not used to celebrating birthday, he explained that he was motivated and convinced that the most important thing in life was the value you are able to add to your society, adding that the book should be viewed as his contribution to the society in that direction.

The occasion which was graced by notable personalities across different classes in the society became electrifying as the classy guests in-turn shower encomiums on the celebrant for his dogged efforts at ensuring a better society in all ramification.

I discovered that such book can help in narrative of our society

Speaking on the occasion, former Governor of Lagos State, Ashiwaju Bola Tinubu, who was represented by the Apase of Lagos Senator Olorunnibe Memora, congratulated the author and described his as eagle, who is always on top of situation.

According to him, Arthur-Worrey is a man of impeccable integrity who is always willing to provide solutions to the societal problems through selfless service.

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr Dapo Sasegbon recalled with nostalgia their days together in the Lagos State Ministry of Justice.

According to him, Arthur-Worrey, late Justice Abiodun Kessington and himself formed a threeman legal team in which the author , the youngest was their lead “attack commander” during several high profile trials underscoring his courage, brilliance and intelligence.

To Mr Ebun Sofunde, SAN, Arthur-Worrey is intellectual, agile, versatile mind and highly innovative.

He said the book is a reference point that connects Lagos of the past with the present and even the future.

Erelu of Lagos, Chief Abiola Dosumu described the author as an icon who is fastidious and highly principle with impeccable integrity.

“I look forward to seeing such a man in higher position of authority because that is what the society need,” he added.

AELEX holds 10th anniversary dinner

ELEX Law firm, recent held its 10th anniversary dinner in Lagos. The event was attended by the crème de la crème of the legal profession, the firm’s clients, partners, colleagues and friends. The annual lecture has in the past 10 years been a significant part of the Aelex brand and an integral component of the firm’s social responsibility.

From left: Mr Fubara Anga, Mr Theo Emuwa and Mrs Funke Adekoya, SAN, all AELEX partners.

From left: Mr D a p o Tu n d e Olowu, Partner, Aelex, and Mr Tu n j i Mayaki, Deputy M D , Corporate Services, Addax Petroleum.

Mr Mike Igbokwe, SAN (left) and Prof Pat Utomi.

Justice Ayotunde Philips, immediate past Chief Judge of Lagos State (left), with a guest.

From left: Dr. Wale Ahmed, Commissioner for Special Duties, Lagos State; Mrs.Esther Olafunke Arthur-Worrey, Mr. Fola Arthur-Worrey, Professor Ade Elebute, Her Royal Highness, Erelu Abiola Dosumu, Erelu of Lagos State and Chief Adesoji Ajayi, the Obanikoro of Lagos State at the presentation of the book in Lagos.

*From left: Mrs Boma Ozobia, Mrs Chioma Madubuko and Lagos NBA Chairman, Mr Alex Mauka.

VANGUARD, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014 —39

Class 84 celebrates 30th anniversary

The class 84 law students of University of Ife, recently celebrated its 30th anniversary in Lagos.

Photos by Bartholomew Madukwe.

Enugu PDP: Can the lawyer wag the court?

By Martin Okenwa

I

N a national newspaper of November 16, 2014, Mr Charlie Agbo published a back page piece titled “Enugu PDP: Can the Tail Wag the Dog?” He averred that Elder David Aja erred in his petition to the PDP National Working Committee, as he purportedly confused Section 24(3) of the PDP Constitution, which provides that “State Executive Committee meeting shall meet at the instance of the Chairman not less than once every quarter” with Section 24(4), which provides that “An extra-ordinary meeting of the State Executive Committee shall be held if requested for by two-thirds of the members of the State Executive Committee”.

To him, “Section 24(4) does not envisage a role by the Chairman in its fulfillment and therefore bears no reference to that office”, hence State Executive Committee (SEC) meeting of October 31, 2014 was valid enough to bring Section 47(6) into effect by appointing a replacement from the zone where the vacancy occurred.

It is baffling even when the Federal High Court declared on November 18, 2014 that following the resignation of Engr.

Vita Abba as the Chairman, Aja was entitled to act as Chairman of the Enugu PDP pending the appointment of another Chairman from Engr. Abba’s zone at a “validly ” convened SEC meeting. Justice E. S. Chukwu, while delivering judgment in the suit filed by Elder Aja on October 27, 2014 granted all the

reliefs sought by the plaintiff (Aja) against the defendantsPDP (1st Defendant), Alhaji Admau Muazu (2nd Defendant), INEC (3rd Defendant), Chief Ikeje Asogwa (4th Defendant ), and Barrister Steve Oruruo (5th Defendant who convened the illegal meeting).

Aja had among other reliefs asked the court to determine “whether having regard to the provisions of Sections 35, 45(2) and (4), and 47(5) and (6) of the Constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party 2012 (as amended), following the resignation of Engr. Vita Abba as the Chairman of the Enugu State Chapter of the 1st Defendant, the Plaintiff (who is the Vice Chairman) is entitled to act as Chairman pending the appointment of another Chairman from the area Engr. Vita Abba hails from.

Appointment of another chairman “Whether having regard to the provisions of Sections 24, 35(1), and 45 of the Constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party 2012 (as amended), and following the resignation of Engr. Vita Abba, as the Chairman of the Enugu State Chapter of the 1st Defendant, any meeting of the State Executive Committee of the Enugu State Chapter, 1st Defendant can be validly held without the Plaintiff in his capacity as Acting Chairman, summoning the meeting on his own, or at the request of two thirds of the members of the State Executive Committee of the Enugu State

Chapter of the 1st Defendant.

“Whether having regard to the provisions of sections 35(1) and 45 of the Constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party 2012 (as amended), and following the resignation of Engr. Vita Abba, as the Chairman of the Enugu State Chapter of the 1st Defendant, the Plaintiff as Acting Chairman, is the proper person to preside over meetings of the State Executive Committee of the Enugu State Chapter of the 1st Defendant for the purpose of exercising the powers of the State Executive Committee set out under the said Constitution pending the appointment of another Chairman from the area Engr. Vita Abba hails from.”

It further declared that Ikeje Asogwa was “not entitled to hold himself out or perform the function of the Chairman of the Enugu State Chapter of the 1st Defendant not having been validly appointed”. Justice Chukwu ordered the setting aside of all acts performed by the Asogwa purporting to act or carry out the functions of the Chairman of the State PDP. I was therefore surprised when Agbo argued again in the national newspaper of November 21, 2014 that based on the November 7, 2014 interim injunction issued by Justice A. R. Ozoemena of the Enugu State High Court (in the suit brought

by Chief Ikeje Asogwa) purportedly restraining Elder Aja from parading himself as the Acting Chairman of the Enugu State PDP pending the determination of an action before his court, Aja could not be an Acting Chairman.

Agbakoba advocates law to make mortgage accessible to indigents

By Bartholomew Madukwe

F

ORMER President of Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Dr. Olisa Agbakoba, SAN, has called for a law that will enable people at the grassroots have access to mortgage facility.

Speaking with journalists at the 2014 Legal Business Summit in Lagos, titled “Waking Up Dead Capital,” he said it was part of government’s political responsibility to stand as guarantor for people to take mortgage, knowing that they will not default.

According to him: “Study has shown that Nigeria’s wealth is in the ground but we use machines to bring up the crude. So, Nigeria’s housing wealth is in the ground. We need laws to escalate it and distribute to Nigerians at an affordable interest rates. One

way that a government that need your vote can assure you housing if you vote for them is to assume responsibility for a debt to enable people take mortgage, knowing that the people will not default since most do not default in paying rent. So, it is part of government’s responsibility, it is part of their political responsibility. I want to hear what the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP will be saying. I want to hear what the All Progressive Congress, APC will be saying in 2015 about how they intend to unlock dead capital.”

One of the discussants, Mr. Osaro Egbobamien, SAN, on his part, noted that the legal framework that would encourage banks to give people mortgage was not efficient, saying “There appears to be gross confusion as to what the Nigerian Mortgage Refinance Company (NMRC) is

expected to do. The NMRC is a secondary mortgage liquidity facility. What that means is they lend to primary mortgage institutions who then lend unto the borrower.

They do not and they will not interact with borrowers on the street.

“And the reason that was introduced was because the institutions that lend from mortgages do not have long time capital and we are talking about borrowing that will last between 20 and 25 years.

What we want to achieve is that if you are paying rent at any point, that property must be yours.

"Once the under writing standards are well understood and the micro-policy is attended to, why should you pay rent for a period of 20 to 40 years and you cannot convert it into ownership,” he stated.

From left: Justice Tokunbo Majekodunmi presenting a prestigious award to Prof. Olu Adediran; Dean of Law, OAU.

From left: Justice Nosiru Agbelu and Mr Ishola Agbelu.

DEFAMATION: MCSN chairman secures N25m damages against COSON’s boss

By Wahab Abdulah

A

N Ikeja High Court presided over by Justice O. Femi-Adeniyi has awarded a N25 million damages against the Chairman of Board of Directors of Copyright Society of Nigeria, COSON, Chief Tony Okoroji, in favour of Mr. Mayo Ayilaran of Musical Copyright Society of Nigeria Limited, MCSN, over a defamatory publication cre-dited to COSON’s chairman.

In the judgment delivered after 12 years of litigation, the court also directed Chief Okoroji to pay a sum of N250, 000 as costs of litigation as well as 10% interest per annum to be paid on the judgment, while granting an order of perpetual injunction retraining the defendant from further writing, publishing or causing to be written or published the aforesaid letter or words used therein or similar words defamatory of Mr. Ayilaran.

In his writ of summons dated April 16, 2002, Ayilaran had demanded the sum of N100 million in damages from Okoroji for defaming his character.

Ayilaran had said Chief Okoroji had in a letter dated December 4, 2001 and addressed to Performing Rights Society Limited, United Kingdom with the heading: “PRS Activities in Nigeria: Serving the Interest of the Authors/Composers or Mayo Ayilaran?” copied to the International Federation of Societies of Authors and Com-

posers and the Nigerian Copyright Commission, defamed him by describing him as a ‘dishonest, fraudulent, difficult, problematic and dissatisfied individual.’

During trial, Chief Okoroji did not deny authorship of the said letter; while he also alleged that Ayilaran was facing a criminal charge as a result of the said collection. He also contended that he wrote the said letter in his capacity as the Chairman of Performing and Mechanical Right Society of Nigeria, PMRS. Justice Femi-Adeniyi held in his judgment that the language used in the letter was not spoken in the heat of an argument or in the prelude to a fight. “The said letter contains three pages of writing carefully divided under subheads and was written in response to letters allegedly written to members of PMRS. “I find and hold that the words used therein which are disparaging of the claimant are not mere vulgar abuse but that they were used intentionally and with the motive to remove the claimant in favour with the recipients of the letter. The defendant has not been able to successfully give lawful justification for the words he has used in relation to the claimant in the said letter to remove him from liability and I so hold.”

Justice Femi-Adeniyi pointed out that Chief Okoroji’s allegations were not supported by any shred of evidence.

40 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014

C M Y K

Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014 —41

BUSINESSMAN, philanthropist and governorship aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta State, Chief Peter Eloka Okocha, in an interaction with editors of Vanguard Media Limited, during a courtesy visit, outlined his vision, mission and plans for Delta State and how he hopes to actualise them.

DELTA: It’s me versus all others

— Okocha

By Dapo Akinrefon & Gbenga Oke

W

HY do you want to be governor of Delta

state?

The best thing any man can do for his country is to give back what your country has given to you. I think it was JF Kennedy that said, ask not what your country can do for you but look for what you can do for your country.

I came back at the age of 12 (from Jos during the Civil War) and I was privileged to be given a scholarship by General Samuel Ogbemudia and that gave me a platform to be what I am today. I have sunk several boreholes in Delta State, built schools from my personal resources and I think I have the biggest pharmaceutical company in Delta State today. Through these, I am trying to give back to the state and country that made me what I am today.

Personal resources I believe that if I could do this much from my personal resources, if elected as the governor of Delta State, I will be able to build on whatever that is there to make the state the Mecca or Dubai of Nigeria. I believe that I have whatever it takes to manage the resources and structures we have today to make Delta State what it should be.

In your first attempt at the governorship, the PDP screened you out. What makes you think you will succeed this time?

Sitting on the fence and being an observer is not good enough. Life is about risks. I could have stayed back in the United States after my MBA because I was offered a job with six figures but I came back home; it was a risk but I succeeded. What was the assurance I would be successful as a businessman?

It was a risk. So in life, there is nothing that is cast on stone, you have to take a risk and I believe I will be successful and will not be

•Okocha: I will bring private sector thinking to government business screened out this time.

What are your plans for Delta?

Do not forget where I am coming from. I am not a sitback chief executive. If I give a project, don’t be surprised I can visit the project at night to see if it is being implemented. All the projects I have undertaken in my life either in public quoted companies or companies that I created, I have always completed them because I ensure that whatever I start, I must finish.

This attitude that nothing works and people will not complete jobs depends on the driver. My responsibility is to change the psyche and bring the private sector attitude into public service.

If you have read the book From Third World to First World written by Lee Kuan Yew, what did he do? He made sure that private sector people and public servants were paid the same salary, he ensured that what their contemporaries earn in the private sector was also obtainable in the public sector.

The people have descent life.

A leader must be held accountable for him to hold other people accountable.

I will not say today that corruption has been completely wiped out in Singapore but I will say that it is infinitesimal and because

the people in the private and has hired between 300 to 400 public sectors earn almost people. Being in government equally and can afford the alone means you don’t even best of life, I think there is know how the private sector decency in people’s way of operates. life.

Are you not worried there So it can work but it depends on the manager and I believe are many aspirants from I am a good manager and I Delta North will be able to live We are many in by example and this race, but I by living by believe many are example, I will called and a few are ensure that people chosen. The reason do what they are we have more Delta expected to do.

North aspirants is You are because we are perceived as a assumed that the s e r i a l next governor of governorship Delta State will aspirant in Delta come from Delta State North. I am not one The beauty of of those who democracy is that advocate for power it is come one, shift but since it has come all for happened in the anybody that feels South and in the he has the Central, it should capacity and happen in Delta capability. But I North. I still believe can tell you that that the I believe there are only two arrangement or people in this that I have divine intervention race, a Peter that made it whatever it Okocha and possible for others. Of all of takes to somebody in Delta them, none of manage the Central to serve for them has had eight years making private sector resources and it a total of 11 years experience; I am structures we because Felix Ibru not talking of had three years plus buying and have today to Ibori’s eight years, selling. I don’t make Delta after that somebody think there is any from Delta South is one of them that State now going to serve

eight years, the same thing whether it is an arrangement or divine intervention should also allow somebody from Delta North to also do eight years.

So because of that mentality and belief that it is our turn is why we have more candidates from Delta North than any other place.

What is your relationship with Governor Uduaghan with regards to your aspiration?

I have a close relationship with the governor. I also believe there are two ‘G’s that I hold on to that will make me succeed. One is the bigger ‘G’ and the other is the smaller ‘g.’ The smaller g is government and the bigger G is God. I believe that I have what it takes and if the smaller g does not like me, the bigger G will ensure that I get into government.

Do you think the people of Delta North will forgive you aspirants if you allow the opportunity to slip by failing to reach a consensus?

First and foremost, a consensus will be fine even though it is undemocratic.

Secondly, I don’t see who will forgive or who will not forgive because nobody has the right to tell another person to shelve his right for someone else’s.

Shelving their attention It will be nice to have a meeting of minds and say let A or B go and let C, D or E shelve their ambition. But look at all of us, when you tell someone to shelve his ambition when all through his life, he has been in politics, you must give him something else to do because he has done nothing else in his life apart from politics.

What I have done in my life is to give people a balanced opinion and let you make your own deductions. So it is always very dangerous to tell anybody to shelve his ambition for anything else especially when he or she thinks he is just a step away to glory.

How will you raise the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the state?

Delta is one of the most unique and blessed states in this federation. Delta State is endowed with three ports Koko, Warri and Escravos, all these are lying idle. In my

Continues on page 42

42—Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014

2015: Voter cards grow wings on the Plateau

By Marie-Therese Nanlong

T

HE conclusion of the third phase of the distribution of the voter cards and fresh voter registration by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has generated much controversy in Plateau State.

Residents of the state claim that the two exercises especially, the voter ’s registration was poorly conducted as many potential voters were not able to register despite the huge turnout while it lasted.

Indeed, many residents consider the exercise as a calculated attempt by INEC to disenfranchise them.

Indeed, at most polling units visited by Vanguard in the JosBukuru metropolis, the laptop computers that are critical to the exercises were either malfunctioning or not working at all.

Not even the two day extension as directed by the national body helped to solve the crisis.

Registering his displeasure, the Chairman of Qua’an Pan local government area, Hon. Theophilus Dakas-Shan who led the people of his local government in a protest march to the INEC office in Jos said the exercise was a failure.

The Council boss who was accompanied by members of the executive council, the legislative council and the traditional council of the local government decried the poor distribution of Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs and poor conduct of the continuous voter’s registration exercise in the council.

“The protest became necessary to defend the people of the local government from being disenfranchised in the 2015 general elections. The people of the local government had overwhelmed me with their protest over their inability to get their permanent cards or be captured in the continuous voters registration exercise,” the council boss said.

“I had no option but to lead •Jega: Where are the cards?

Indeed, many residents consider the exercise as a calculated attempt

by INEC to disenfranchise them

them here. The continuous registration of voters is not working in my local government, it was successful only in one ward out of the eleven wards in the local government. The computers brought for the exercise are old and not functional, the batteries are weak, the scanners are not working, in short it is total failure in our local government.”

His words, “There are over 200,000 eligible voters in the

local government, so far, one quarter of these people have not been captured and if nothing is done, these people will not be able to exercise their franchise in the general election, that is our fear.

“Hundreds of youths who were not eligible to vote in 2011 are now eligible this year, but unfortunately all efforts to capture them in this exercise failed and they are so worried.”

However, the State INEC Resident Electoral

Commissioner, Hon. Habu Zarma appealed to the residents to be patient as their grievances will be channelled to the commission’s headquarters.

However, Senator representing Plateau North and governorship aspirant on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Gyang Pwajok encouraged residents not to lose hope. The former State Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice and aspirant for Jos South/Jos East federal constituency on the platform of the PDP, Barr.

Edward Pwajok spoke in the same vein. The duo appealed to qualified Plateau citizens to be patient and called on those with valid cards to protect their voter’s cards so that they can use them at the appropriate time.

The citizens were also cautioned to discard trivial sentiments and go for credible candidates who have what to offer to the electorate in the coming general elections.

Senator Pwjok speaking while addressing youths in the state under the aegis as Coalition of Young Redemption Advocates, CYRA and the former AG spoke during his handing over ceremony to his successor, Barr.

Olivia Dazyem. Senator Pwajok

Continues on page 43

It’s me versus all others — Okocha Continues from page 41 terminals alone, we have at least 150 staff who are people bringing down the containers to people loading it to transporters but most of these ports are lying fallow because of the militancy in the Niger/ Delta region.

Most vessels will prefer to come to Lagos and that is why you have a nightmare on this Oshodi-Apapa Expressway.

This country is endowed with about six to eight ports but you find out that everybody wants to come to Lagos because Lagos is a bit safer in terms of doing business.

Today, it is like a dream come true that you can leave Lagos and land in Asaba in 45 minutes, airlines are scrambling to go to Asaba.

Some years ago, this airport project was part of my manifesto and the reason is because of the catchment area which includes Onitsha being one of largest markets in West Africa, Nnewi being one of the most industrialized cities in Nigeria and the other areas.

Today, to go to Asaba, you

have to book two days or three days ahead to get a seat. What will I do with that airport is to expand the runways, build second runways and invite a private sector airline like Emirates and make the place their hub.

Being also in the air freight sector, I discovered that 90 percent of the air freight that comes in through the Lagos International Airport ends up at Onitsha or Nnewi and mostly spare parts.

International airport You can see that if you make Asaba an international airport, the destination for Emirates after expanding the runways, the benefits of that expansion can only best be imagined. Apart from Lagos, Abuja and Port-Harcourt, Asaba airport will be one of the busiest and profitable airports in Nigeria.

You are an associate of Atiku Abubakar. He is in APC now and you are in PDP… (Cuts in) Politics did not bring us together, so politics will not separate us.

•Okocha: It was not politics that joined Atiku and I Some say you cannot be trusted as a PDP member given your relations with Atiku and why were you not present at the meeting of aspirants at Chief E.K Clark’s house Atiku being formidable in the APC and my being in the PDP does not affect anything.

I am 62 years old and a father of four, my youngest is 18 years. I am a man and I take my decisions. Yes, Atiku Abubakar is my friend and our friendship did not start when he became Vice President, it

started when he was a customs officer and I was a clearing and shipping agent.

Atiku is my very good friend today, tomorrow and it does not spoil anything. He has gone to APC and I am in PDP. I believe in PDP today, tomorrow and for life.

On the communiqué issued by the governorship aspirants, let me tell you because this is what I told them. I do not sign to something that I am not privy to, I was not invited and I was only called by a friend. I

believe maybe Chief E.K Clark prompted them or he wanted to know why I was not there and I said I was not invited. So I could not sign what I never partook in, I saw the communiqué just like every other Nigerian saw it on the pages of the newspapers.

You have read it just like I did; part of their complaints is imposition. Am I for imposition? I don’t believe that in any democratic setting it exists.

How far have you gone with your consultation?

We have criss-crossed the state, this is not the first time I am doing it. Now that adhoc delegates have emerged, I am sure that after the screening, it will become obvious who is left and who the delegates are and that is when you work on the final delegates. After the screening, the wheeling and dealing starts, talking to other aspirants who didn’t make it or talking to other aspirants who might have changed their minds to run for National Assembly, there will be horse trading and that is the beauty of democracy.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014 — 43

SENATE: Ogun Central has been poorly represented — Laoshe MR. Lanre Laoshe was in the House of Representatives between 1999 and 2003 on the platform of Alliance for Democracy (AD). He is now gunning for the Senate on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to represent the people of Ogun Central senatorial district in 2015. In this interview, the politician and insurance guru, speaks on his plans for Ogun Central if elected.

Excerpts:

By Daud Olatunji

W

HAT is your inspiration in this contest?

I think we have not been properly served. And I had a testimonial of service when I was in the House of Representatives representing Abeokuta South federal constituency between 1999 and 2003. I had the honour of probably being the first legislator in Nigeria that succeeded to have four legislations to my name despite being a member of the opposition!

I had four bills that became laws assented to by the president of the country then.

The fifth one would have sailed through too, but there was not enough time.

So I believe that with what I did at the House of Representatives, for the past eleven years, Ogun Central has not been properly represented since then. That is why I am in the race.

What would be your agenda in the Senate?

I will do a lot of things like improve the federal presence here. For instance, there are enormous environmental problems in Ifo local government - erosions and stuffs like that. Federal government’s attention is required there.

Why is FUNAAB not awarding medical degress?

Some of my predecessors advanced it a little to attach Federal Medical Centre in Abeokuta as a teaching hospital of FUNAAB, I am going to see that I pursue that to the last. I intend to ensure that federal government interventions in Ogun central are concluded as fast as possible.

I want to represent my people in a unique way; all the constituency projects will not be heard of in the television or radio.

They will be physically seen and concluded. A lot of people run to the national assembly as if it is chieftaincy title where you wear flowing agbada, no,

I want to see my own as a service to the community. I want to be accessible.

What is your assessment of the current government in the state?

My observation is that because of ineptitude, we are easily carried away with some populist projects. Governance is beyond road building; anybody can build road.

It is just calling some contractors and they will build

•Femi Okunrumu: 1999-2003

minimum profit.

But guess what; OGROMA employed indigenes of the state to build the roads and that is technology transfer.

What another government would have done is to upgrade and improve the agency.

All the roads in the western region were built by PWD and that was how Awolowo’s government was able to put roads in all the nooks and

•Ibikunle Amosun: 2003-2007

•Iyabo Obasanjo: 2007-2011

roads. In fact, if you don’t crannies of the region. know what to do, you can tell And now you call a Chinese contractor to design new roads company which will have its for the entire Abeokuta and own profit element and will they will do that. not even employ several Any sane numbers of our contractor will people. design the road because he wants What are really the to handle the chances of the PDP contract. in 2015?

Building of roads It is very bright. in the state is a PDP was not good idea but you defeated in 2011 but ask yourself a lost the election. question: “ who is The difference building the roads between losing and and who will pay For the past being defeated in an for the cost”? There eleven years, election is like was an nobody steals your administration in Ogun Central money but you this state that has not been misplace it; it is lost. wanted to build So we lost the roads and then properly election because of created Ogun represented the infighting in the Road Maintenance party. Now we are A g e n c y since then. coming back when (OGROMA).

That is why I you look at the That agency wicked army of owned by Ogun am in the race occupation that is state government Ogun state would build roads government that is in an affordable building bridges. manner with

•Laoshe

•Gbenga Obadara: 2011 to Date

If you build flyovers and you say heavy duty vehicles must not go on it, then why build them? Build things that are standard or don’t build at all.

When PDP was here - you may not see it - we built better prospect for Ogun State people than what is going on now. When you demolish people’s houses and you pay them paltry compensation, then you say we should come and do home owners’ charter to collect documents to build the houses.

The government would have developed a new area with a discount for those of us who lost our homes but no discount whatsoever. Are we criminals?

Or the state government is like invading force that doesn’t care about the people? I am sure in the days of Hitler the oppression was not as bad as this.

Voter cards grow wings on the Plateau Continues from page 42 further urged the youths to break away from the barrier of religious and ethnic sentiments and support credible and competent candidates during the 2015 general elections.

According to him, “It is only in this part of the world that your village, your senatorial zone and your ethnic group determines your future. As Plateau youths, we must break the barrier of ethnicity in our state to give room for credibility and competence, we must collectively work hard to give our state the best of what we have.

“We are happy that Governor Jonah Jang did not disappoint the people of Plateau State and

he believes that the young people have the capacity to deliver the state, that is why today he is a strong advocate of handing over power to the youths in 2015.

“What the governor has done is a standard and we will continue to build on it. The Plateau youths have a future that is rushing with high speed and we must be prepared to surmount the challenges without fear of anyone.”

Meanwhile, the leader of the youth group, Barr. Redzie Jugo called for calm and urged political aspirants in the state to continue to play the game by the rules and ensure the forthcoming general elections is a success in the state.

44—Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014

Superfoods (3)— Coconut Water I Hakeem Jimo’s

and sodium, but also because it has higher levels of those important replenishing nutrients such as Potassium, Calcium, and Chloride. An 8-oz serving of the water contains about 46 calories and is filled with electrolytes and more potassium than a banana!

Not only is coconut water a great alternative to traditional energy drinks, it also boasts several other health benefits like helping to keep skin looking young and healthy, removing toxins from the

T seems there are superfoods around us and we have no idea. Or rather we have been drinking or eating them for hundreds or more of years but not having it labeled ‘Superfood’.

Coconut water is such a candidate. veggienaija@gmail.com Coconut water is the clear nutritious liquid inside the fruit.

This water is loaded with vitamins water. She brought this addiction a better choice for re-hydration not and minerals while being low in back from America. She says the only because it is lower in sugar coconut water is hydrating, comes calories and fat.

Known as nature’s energy with low calories and it gives her drink, coconut water has been a energy. She also recommends for favorite in places like those who are perpetually hungry India, Brazilian Coast, Southeast on a cleanse.

Indeed, Coconut water has Asia, Pacific Islands, Africa, and

By Moses Nnosike the Caribbean. There is hype been found to bring energy levels that Coconut water is not just up and increase metabolism in the nationwide campaign to even a superfood but a miracle body. Looking for an energy boost scale up malaria prevention and superfood. That my come a after a workout? Sports drinks treatment in Nigeria has been launched. littlesurprising because Coconut typically have a high sugar and Coming under the auspices of the Support sodium content.

Coconut water is used to be a demon, or at the very to National Malaria Programme least an indulgence: a fluffy-cake (SuNMaP), the campaign, which was topping, a gooey candy-bar launched recently, seeks to address key filling, the second-best ingredient constraints around awareness and demand in a poolside drink. For years, the for diagnostics and proper treatment of the biggest coconut-based disease. troublemaker was its oil, which SuNMaP is a UKaid Department for is loaded with saturated fat — International Development, DFID, funded even more than butter, according programme in Nigeria operating at the to nutritionists and dieticians. national level and in 10 states, which Times have changes. include Anambra, Enugu, Jigawa, Nowadays, especially in many Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Lagos, Niger, Western cities Coconut water is Ogun, and Yobe. SuNMaP is managed all the rage. People are drinking by a consortium of international agencies it in plastic bottles or tetra paks led by Malaria Consortium, Health imported from thousands of Partners International and GRID kilometres away. People do not Consulting Nigeria. mind spending several Dollars In her keynote address, Dr. Folake on a tiny pack. A friend of mine Olayinka, Director of SuNMaP, stated that • Coconut water in Lagos is a devotee of coconut

Ve ggie Victory

body, and aiding in cardiovascular health. Coconut water also helps to regulate internal fluids to prevent dehydration, increases metabolism to help with weight loss, and encourages a healthy digestive system. A few of the important nutrients in coconut water are Lauric acid, Chloride, and Iron, as well as electrolytes found in sports drinks like Potassium, Magnesium, Calcium, Sodium, and Phosphorous.

SUNMAP launches campaign on malaria diagnosis, treatment

A

tackling the malaria disease burden in Nigeria has witnessed a multi-dimensional approach with strong emphasis on the provision of insecticide-treated mosquito nets to raising significant awareness of malaria among the populace, and improving access to diagnosis and treatment.

She said SuNMaP vision is to build private and public capacity for transition from supply driven market to demand driven market and harmonisation in health care services so that consumers seek for parasitological diagnosis and ACTs for effective malaria case management.”

The campaign is expected to strengthen the knowledge base of service providers on the efficacy of ACTs & RDTs. Country Director, Malaria Consortium, Kolawole Maxwell, said the organisation will remain in the vanguard of initiatives to eliminate malaria in Nigeria through collaboration with relevant stakeholders in the development and application of strategies.

COMMON SEXUAL PROBLEMS AND THEIR NOVELTY BASED SOLUTIONS (ADVERTORIAL)

H

ELLO everybody. This week, we will be reviewing new products for the festive season with a special focus on women’s needs. Often we discuss very powerful sexual supplements usually for the men.

Rarely do we have supplements for women that are that potent but today, we have discovered a very strong supplement for women called kangaroo for her. kangaroo for her is a super supplement designed to help women with arousal, lubrication, reaching orgasm and multiple rounds. What makes it unique is the potency. One pill of kangaroo for her works for three days! This is revolutionary. So if you are a woman that struggles to get aroused or has difficulty wanting sex or even enjoying sex, kangaroo for her will transform your sex life beyond imagination. But before you take it, be sure that you have a man who is up to the task, otherwise you just might grab a guy from the street and jump him.

The second new novelty for women this festive season is the Cherry Bomb Clitoral Arousal Gel. This product is perfect for vaginal lubrication and will make you reach orgasm easily and multiple times.

When you are single, a stable sexual life is hard to find and you will have to rely more on masturbation for sexual relief. Whether you are single or not, the following erotic novels for women will get your imagination fired up and your glands working overtime. They are titles such as They Wanted to be Watched, The Forbidden Cure, One Hell of a Ride and All Star Slut. There are others too. Instructional adult videos are also available with titles such as Incredible Orgasms and Toys for Better Sex. Whereas men focus mainly on sex when they want intimacy, women generally want a variety of things. They love the flirtation, the dirty talk, the adoration and sense of anticipation. Women simply want more and men don’t always know what ‘more’ means. So to help the men folk out with bedroom romance ideas that their women

will love are new adult games for the festive season.

They are Cosmo’s Kinky Sex Games, Luv at First Bite, The Game Made Me do It and Bedroom Commands.

The above games will definitely give you lots of ideas.

When you are a woman, feeling sexy is directly linked to looking sexy and that is why appearance is very important. The following new lingerie are guaranteed to thrill. They are the Sheer Seductive Dress, Halter Gartered Chemise & G String, Pink Lipstick Seamless Halter Dress and the Short Butterfly Sheer Dress. These four night dresses are unique and will turn any woman into the desirable sex pot they crave to be.

So when viewed in totality, the above novelties for women go a long way in giving females a love life they will be proud of. But not forgetting the men, below are some new products for their sexual improvement as well.

The first of these novelties is the Stiff in a Jiffy supplement. It is a great supplement that enables men perform effectively by giving them boundless performance energy, quick recovery between erections, hard erections and a bigger and fuller penis. Stiffy in a Jiffy also comes with different pricing options to make it easier for men to buy half of it instead of the full pack. So men will love this product. It can also be taken with alcohol.

We also have the Reusable Vibrating Cock Ring which is a great toy to help men maintain their erections. So whether you experience sudden erection loss during intercourse or you worry that each time you ejaculate, you lose your erection and struggle to get it back, the Reusable Vibrating Cock Ring will help your erections firm for as long as you desire. However, you are advised to only use it for up to twenty at a stretch.

That is all for today. Adults in need of these treatments/ novelties can call 07086754515 or 08051924159 or any other number here to order or they can order online at www.zeevirtualmedia.com. Zee Virtual Media delivers to you wherever you are in Nigeria. For enquiries, send your emails to custserv@zeevirtualmedia.com

Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014—45

C M Y K

46 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014

C M Y K

Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014— 47

Jonathan flags off Great Green Wall initiative in Kebbi

Okiro urges new revenue collection system

B

A

IRNIN KEBBI— PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan yesterday flagged off the Nigerian component of the Great Green Wall, GGW, progamme at Bachaka, Kebbi State. The GGW is aimed at checking desertification in 11 northern states of Adamawa, Borno, Bauchi, Gombe, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Jigawa, Sokoto, Yobe and Zamfara.

Speaking on the occasion, Jonathan said that as a Regional Afforestation Project, the GGW was conceived as a 15 kilometre wide and 7,775 kilometre long, strip of trees and bushes from Senegal, in the west to Djibouti in the Horn of Africa in the east.

According to him, the programme, which would pass through 11 countries, including Nigeria, had taken off in some member countries including Senegal, Chad and Niger.

He said: ‘’The GGW programme, initiated in 2005, was to tackle the detrimental social, economic and environmental impacts of land degradation and desertification in the continent. ‘’The GGW initiative was launched in 2006 in Abuja before the African Union, AU, endorsed it in 2007 as developed by the AU, through its New Partnership for Africa’s Development, NEPAD. ‘’This biological corridor along the southern border of the Sahara is a panacea for halting the movement of the Sahara desert

southward, protecting water sources and restoring habitats for biodiversity, energy resources and agricultural production. ‘’To this end, a GGW of about 1,500km-long (East-West) and 2km-wide (North-South), using both economic and forest tree species to be based on community-driven, integrated rural development approach was agreed for the Nigeria

segment. ‘’The idea is that the project will principally check the advancement of desertification and erosion as well as restore eco-balance even as it creates sustainable jobs for thousands of jobless youths. ‘’The initiative undoubtedly presents us a great opportunity to advance our vision of a green pathway for human development, and address new

and emerging environmental challenges in our country. ‘’Desertification is one of the greatest environmental and developmental problems of the 21st century. This ecological problem can trigger a vicious circle of environmental degradation, impoverishment, forced migration and conflicts, often threatening the political stability of affected countries and regions."

CONFERENCE: NLC President, Comrade Abdulwaheed Omar, Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal and Nasarawa State Governor, Umaru Tanko Al-makura, at the opening of 2014 Delegates Conference of the National Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE, in Lafia, yesterday.

Customs generates N900m revenue in Sokoto, others

S

By Ifeyinwa Obi

OKOTO—THE Nigeria Customs Service has generated over N900 million revenue from its operations under the Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara Area Command.

The Controller, Ahmed Isyaku, said that the amount was generated between January and November.

According to him, the command has devised other means to meet its 2014 revenue target of N1.4 billion.

“We are doing everything possible to meet the projected target and even exceed it, all in the national interest,” he said.

He said part of the efforts to raise more revenue was the sensitisation of traders, entrepreneurs and the general public to imbibe the habit of paying duties on imported goods.

Isyaku said the efforts were paying off, as the average monthly revenue collection of the command has soared from N90 million to about N 107 million.

The controller further explained that the command was liaising with the various border communities, religious and government officials in the area to safeguard customs personnel in the area.

C M Y K

He said: “We are also routinely training and retraining our officers and men with a view to carefully handle arms, and to be more civil in discharging their duties.”

He commended the management of the service for according priority to the welfare and comfort of staff.

Isyaku, however, urged the management to provide more

logistic support and personnel to the command to enable it discharge its duties more effectively, in view of the wide land mass it covers.

NNGWF donates N100m relief attacks which left most of them materials to victims BOKO HARAM:

M

By Peter Duru

AKURDI—THE Northern Nigeria Governors’ Wives Forum, NNGWF, yesterday donated relief materials worth over N100 million to victims of insurgency attacks in some parts of Benue State.

The truck loads of items were handed over to the state government in Makurdi the state capital, on behalf of the forum, by the Chairperson of the

NNGWF, Mrs. Yemisi Suswam, who was accompanied by other officials of the forum including the wives of the Niger State Governor, Hajiya Jumai Aliyu and Fatima Shema of Katsina State.

Mrs. Suswam said that the gesture was to alleviate the sufferings and pains of the victims.

“We are aware of the sufferings of the victims of the

without food, shelter and any other source of livelihood, As mothers we cannot sit down and watch without reacting while our children are subjected to pains and anguish.

“It is on that basis that we have taken it upon ourselves to provide succour to the victims of these attacks in parts of the country, with the hope that it would go a long way in soothing their pains,” she said.

2015: Nigeria 'll will not break up —Kumuyi

By Demola Akinyemi

I

LORIN—THE General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church, Pastor William Kumuyi has said that Nigeria would not break up as a result of the outcome of the forthcoming 2015 general elections.

Kumuyi spoke at the Eiyen Nkorin Camp of the church yesterday during an interactive session with journalists on the commencement of a threeday crusade which began on Tuesday.

He said: ‘’Nigeria, will not break up,that is what God

told me and I believe Him. The consequences of the disintegration of the country is enormous and we should not contemplate it.

We should be constructive in our criticisms, to enable them do more. We should not just be criticising our leaders as if they have not done anything.

BUJA—CHAIRMAN of the Police Service Commission, PSC, Dr. Mike Okiro has called for a system of revenue collection that guarantees the highest degree of public confidence in government’s integrity, efficiency and fairness.

This was contained in a statement signed yesterday by the Head, Press and Public Relations, PSC, Mr Ikechukwu Ani. He said that such a system must, however, comply with current statutory provisions on revenue generation as it concerned the Personal Income Tax Act among others.

In his goodwill message to the three-day stakeholders’ conference on “Improving Federal Government Internally Generated Revenue, IGR: Nigeria Police Services in Focus” organized by the Ministry of Police Affairs, Okiro said that his suggestion would greatly help in checkmating tax evasion and other tax administration challenges.

EPZ location crisis blamed on govt

W

ARRI—A youth leader in Gbaramatu kingdom, Warri South West Local Government Area, Delta State, Mr. Timi Oluba, has blamed the Delta State government over the current controversy generated by Export Processing Zone, EPZ, project location, saying the dispute would have been resolved amicably before fixing a date for the groundbreaking ceremony.

Oluba, who spoke yesterday in Warri, said the entire Ijaw nation and Chief Government Ekpemupolo alias Tomopolo would continue to seek for justice for the people of Gbaramatu and Ogulagha kingdoms, saying the entire Ijaw nation was behind Tompolo’s quest for justice for the people of Gbaramatu and Ogulagha over the ownership of the EPZ location.

His words: “On the EPZ location, the Itsekiri cannot deny the Ijaw their right of ownership and it was time the they realized that peace was very important for the co-existence of Ijaw and Itsekiri in Warri.

48—Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014

CEREMONY: Bishop Mike Okonkwo, Presiding Bishop, The Redeemed Evangelical Mission, TREM (middle), flanked from left by Rev. Iyke Osuji, Chairman, Planning Committee, 25th TREM Kingdom Life World Conference; Maxwell Gbinije, Helen and Douglass Atagana, winners of a brand new car in the 25th TREM KLWC conference promo, during the closing ceremony of the conference, at the church headquarters, Anthony, Lagos. Photo: Lamidi Bamidele

VISIT: From left, Olisa Egbunike, Assitant Editor-In-Chief, NAN; Sir Sunny Nwosu, National Coordinator, Independent shareholders Association of Nigeria; HRM, the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe, and MD, Greenwich Trust Plc, Lagos, Mr. Kayode Falowo, after a courtesy visit to the Obi, at Onitsha.

CEREMONY: From left, Mr. Erhuanya Eragbai, Legal Debt Recovery Officer, Somotex; Mr. Anil Mohinani, Managing Director, Somotex; Mr. Charles Iyo, Regional Manager, EATON West Africa, and Mr. Temitayo Awojole, Country Manager, Eaton, during the partnership signing ceremony between EATON West Africa, and Somotex Nigeria Limited, in Lagos. Photo: Kehinde Gbadamosi

PRESENTATION: From left, Oloye Jumoke Akinjide, Minister of State FCT/Chairperson Governorship Screening Committee North Central; Umar Mohammed Nasko, PDP governorship aspirant, Niger State, and Johnson Kombot, Secretary, PDP North Central Zone/Screening Committee, during the presentation of PDP clearance cercitificate to Nasko, in Abuja.

CLEARANCE: Dr. Charles Amanze (middle), displaying his clearance certificate to contest Imo governorship primary. With him from left are: Mr. William Ekeanyanwu, Engr. Chris Asuzu, Mr. Pat Ekeanyanwu, and Engr. Ferdinand Amanze, at the PDP South East Zonal Office, Enugu.

FESTIVAL: From left, Chief Bayo Akande, Minister of State, Federal Capital Abuja; Oloye Jumoke Akinjide, presenting 2014 Centre Council of Ibadan Indigene,CCII, Merit Award to Chief Onikepo Akande, at the Annual 2014 festival of CCII, at Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba, Ibadan. Photo: Shola Oyelese C M Y K

EMPOWERMENT: From left, Iyaloja Ikosi-Isheri, Alhaja Sherifat Taiwo; former Speaker Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Jokotade Pelumi; Chairman of the occasion, Chief Busura Alebiosu; beneficiary, Alhaja Iyabo Ahmed, and Senator, representing Lagos East senatorial district, Senator Gbenga Ashafa, during an empowerment programme for residents of Kosofe, Ikosi-Isheri and Agboyi-Ketu, by Senator Ashafa, in Lagos. Photo: Bunmi Azeez

SUMMIT: Executive Director,Small and Medium Enterprises, Bank of Industry, Mr. Waheed Olagunju (centre), making his presentation, while the President of Nigeria Association of Small scale Industry, Chief Chukuw Nwachukuw (right), and Mr. Ike Nbagu of Fidelity Bank, at the national summit on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, MSMEs, in Abuja.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014—49

C M Y K

50 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014

C M Y K

Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014—51

C M Y K

52 —Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014

How P-square lost dad •Lola-Omotayo pays tribute

F

ACTS emerged yesterday concerning how father of the music stars, Jude, Peter and Paul, Pa Moses Okoye died Monday night, two years after he lost his wife, Josephine to the cold hands of death.

Source close to the Okoye family, told E-daily that Pa Okoye died on the way while he was been rushed to the hospital from Psquare’s home in Omole Estate, Ikeja.

He recently had a successful knee surgery following a domestic accident he had, where he slipped and hit his head on the marble

floor.

It was also gathered that Pa Okoye was scheduled to undergo a physiotherapy session before his demise. There are no clear details on the cause of his death as the Okoye family are yet to make an official statement on the sad incident. But Lola OmotayoOkoye took to her Instagram page to share a touching tribute to her father-in law: Our dearest “Gradpa Jos” it was just a week ago we were all hanging out with you, your grandchildren were running around you and playing with you.

May D, Dammy Krane, others thrill ESUT fans

T

HE Enugu State University of Science and Technology, ESUT, came alive last week as leading Nigerian entertainers including ‘Ile ijo “ hit-maker, May D “the enterkraner “ Dammy Krane, “Cocoa Butter” crooner Charass and Sean Breezy stormed there for the ongoing Coke Studio Campus Concert.

Brand Manager, Colas, at Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited, Olufemi Ashipa, who also doubles as Project Manager, Coke Studio shared in the fun and commended the level of awareness of the Coke Studio Concert at ESUT. “We are impressed with the level of engagement we have witnessed to date, and we are even more excited that the feedback from the students indicates clearly that this was a great success,” Ashipa commented, The concert at ESUT started with keen contests among upcoming musicians and dancers who battled each other for a chance to perform live with the super stars on the stage.

Cameron, Andre and Aliona all wondering why you had a cast on your leg and Cameron was playing with your crutches….Your warm smile and your energy kept us going. We were all happy that you were strong. You made us all laugh.

This was the last thing we ever imagined. We are still in shock but we cannot question God as He knows best.”

Dillish blasts BBA Housemates ‘Biggy, can you tell them to stop napping’

W

•Dammy Krane

•May D

Davido spoils manager, producer with car gifts R

EIGNING Nigerian Afro-pop star, Davido has decided to reward members of his team who have been instrumental to the huge success he recorded in his musical career this year.

The “Aye” crooner is said to have unveiled surprising nd packages as part of his 22 birthday ‘give-away.’ And the beneficiaries are no other people than his manager and producer. Those in the know revealed that Davido splashed over N30 million on brand new cars for both his manager, Kamal Ajiboye and his producer, Sheyi Akerele who is better known as Shizzi. For his manager, Davido bought a brand new black Mercedes 450 GL valued at N12 million while his producer got a brand new black Porsch Cayenne valued at N24 million. That is a whopping N36 m in just a few days.

C M Y K

•Davido

INNER of last year ’s Big Brother Africa – The Chase, Dillish Mathews is disappointed with the current Housemates in the ongoing BBA Hotshots.

According to the Namibian beauty, the Housemates are devoid of all elements of fun as they have been sleeping and starving lovers of the show with fun since it kicked off on Sunday, October 5. This year ’s show has been described as the most boring, yet expensive series to date. Dillish tweeted that the show has not lived up to its customary exciting, thrilling and entertaining standards, urging “Biggy to tell the Housemates to stop napping.”

BBA is a reality show that thrives on twists and surprises, but this year’s edition is totally a new experience.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014—53

Tayo Akpata: University administrator and public intellectual TRIB UTE TRIBUTE

By Prof. Ladipo Adamolekun

T

for determining my successor – we remained on good terms. I was impressed by his fair-mindedness in respecting the ground for my resignation.

And I have fond memory of his active participation in the demonstration against Britain and other NATO

AYO Akpata was arguably the first in the country to combine the roles of university administrator and p u b l i c intellectual.

During 1964/ 65 academic year, my first as an undergraduate in the University of Ibadan, he was one of the founders of the magazine, Nigerian Opinion, which became the country’s acknowledged lead ideas publication for about one decade.

As one of the volunteer vendors of the magazine, I interfaced with Tayo Akpata and o t h e r members of •Chief Tayo Akpata the small group of university staff that published countries that were either lukewarm or the magazine. Late Professor Billy hostile at the peak of Nigeria’s civil Dudley of the Department of Political war in early 1969. I came from the Science was a prominent member of University of Ife, Ibadan campus, where the group. The magazine’s pungent I became a staff member mid-1968 to editorials were widely re-printed in join in the demonstration on University newspapers across the country and its of Ibadan campus. Tayo Akpata was contributors (including Tayo Akpata) one of the main speakers at the rally: championed national unity during the his nationalist passion inspired his civil war years. haranguing the NATO countries as “imperialists”.

Sustained Then, in May 1969, he came to my residence to congratulate me on support winning a Rockefeller Scholarship for It was at the end of the session that I my post-graduate study in the interfaced with Tayo Akpata in his role University of Oxford. I know that he as Assistant Registrar responsible for maintained friendly relationships with Students Affairs. As a member of the a good number of Ibadan Students’ Welcome Week Union leaders who Committee for incoming interacted with him new students for 1965/ in the 1960s.

1966, I recollect his From a distance, I able guidance and followed his handssustained support for on political career as our work. Next, he a Commissioner in demonstrated his the old Mid-West. passion for initiating Strikingly, incumbent students into Oshiomole's competitive politics Administration through his masterly considers his management of the contribution to the 1965/1966 Students promotion of I have fond Union electioneering education in the state campaign in which I memory of his to merit renaming the was a candidate for the state’s recently position of Public active participation e s t a b l i s h e d Relations Officer, PRO. in the University of I was elected PRO Education after him: demonstration and during my brief Tayo Akpata spell in office, I against Britain and University of interacted intensively other NATO Education. Tayo with him.

Akpata, intellectual Although my snap countries that were a d m i n i s t r a t o r, resignation “on either lukewarm or nationalist, and antiprinciple” after only imperialist, is also a about one month in hostile at the peak prophet with honour office complicated his of Nigeria’s civil in his state. Adieu. work – he had to manage the procedure war in early 1969

54 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014

‘Over 220,000 Nigerians applied for US visa in 2014'

CORRUPTION: New CJN vows to sack more judges

By Victoria Ojeme

A

BUJA—THE United States Mission to Nigeria has said that the number of Nigerians applying for non- immigrant visas to the United States has increased over the years.

US Embassy Consular Chief, Stacie Hankins, told newsmen at a briefing in Abuja yesterday that between October 1, 2013, and September 30, 2014, the US Embassy in Abuja and the Consulate in Lagos received more than 220,000 applications, which is above the 182,000 nonimmigrant visa applications, received between October 1, 2012, and September 30, 2013.

She added that majority of the visa applications were approved, stressing that the US- Nigeria partnership remained strong as the Bureau of Consular Affairs and consular officers in Lagos and Abuja supported the partnership by facilitating legitimate travel to the US. She disclosed that a new DHL Document Collection Center in Port Harcourt opened on November 8, 2014, adding that applicants interviewed in Lagos or Abuja could choose to pick up their passports in Port Harcourt, in addition to the existing facilities in Abuja and Lagos.

A

By Ikechukwu Nnochiri

BUJA—THE newly inaugurated Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, has vowed to sustain the fight against bribery and corruption in the Judiciary.

The CJN, who spoke at a send forth dinner partY organized in honour of his predecessor, Justice Aloma Mariam Muhktar by the National Judicial Council, NJC, on Tuesday, said he would not hesitate to sack any Judge or judiciary staff found to have engaged in any form of unethical conduct.

He maintained that Nigerians deserved a corruptfree, simple and affordable justice system.

Besides, the CJN, said his administration would encourage the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanism to reduce the backlog of cases plaguing different courts across the nation, and also facilitate amicable settlement of civil matters.

He said: “The avowed determination of the immediate past Chief Justice of Nigeria (Justice Mukhtar) to defend the independence of the Judiciary and secure the integrity of judicial officers and the entire Judiciary in the federation are, undoubtedly commendable efforts, which, as the CJN and by the grace of God, I will sustain.

“Therefore, the NJC under my chairmanship will be committed to, entrench and preserve the independence of the Judiciary. It will ensure a Judiciary that is committed to the rule of law, a financially autonomous Judiciary; a

Huawei boss wants 4G mobile broadband for Nigeria

T

HE General Manager of Huawei Nigeria, Mr. Julius Akhalumenyo has said that mass deployment of the fourth generation mobile broadband, otherwise known as LTE would solve Nigeria’s growing demand for broadband connection.

He said so at the just-concluded West Africa Information and Communication Technology Conference, WAFICT, held in Lagos.

According to Julius, constructing LTE networks could make effective use of existing equipment and technologies and could therefore lower the cost of initial investment.

“Building mobile networks can significantly enlarge broadband

coverage to people living in rural and underprivileged urban areas.

“And LTE-enabled smart phones become increa-singly more affordable. There is no doubt that higher capacity is needed in the near future. ''That also suggests that the public and private sectors should work more closely to continue the momentum of rolling out more advanced networks in Nigeria’ he explained. ''As a result of the significant increase in voice and data services, he said that Huawei has seen a corresponding growth in demand upgrading networks and expanding coverage across all sectors.''

proactive and vibrant Judiciary, with staff of proven integrity.

“It will ensure a dynamic Judiciary manned by officers with various backgrounds, discipline, commitment and competence; a Judiciary that is technologically driven, with courtrooms fitting court proceedings recording equipment and case management system.

“I intend to not only fight

corruption and indolence within the bench, but to build a judiciary that is modern technology driven.

“Permit me to speak on a matter that has been agitating my mind. It is the need for alternative dispute resolution.

Overtime, the process of litigation has become more and more time consuming, complex, expensive and cumbersome.

“Increasing the number of judges in the courts have led to the congestion and delay in

dispute resolution. Some disputes are sensitive and confidential in nature and the disputants mare prefer to have the case heard in private than the public glare of the court.

“The complexity of court litigation tends to lead to increase in cost to disputants. These have led to the development of alternative methods of resolving disputes now used in most parts of the world, and it is call alternative dispute resolution, which I intend to encourage in the judiciary.”

BRIEFING: From left: Patrick Mathias, Creative Director of 960 Music Ultima Production; Noka Agudah, Project Management/ PR, 960 Music Group, and Geoffery Oji, winner of Project Fame West Africa yesterday in Lagos during press conference to announce the collaboration between winner of Project Fame West Africa and Creative Director, Password, organized by 960 Music Group.

IMPEACHMENT: Tambuwal in closed-door meeting with APC national chairman

By Levinus Nwabughiogu

A

BUJA—SPEAKER of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, yesterday paid a special visit to the national chairman of All Progressive Congress, APC, Chief John Oyegun, at the party’s national secretariat.

Tambuwal, who arrived the secretariat at about 12 noon, was received at the office of the Deputy National Chairman, North of APC, Senator Shuibu Lawal, due to the absence of the national chairman.

He waited for about two hours before the national chairman returned.

Though no official reasons were given for the visit, feelers around the secretariat said Tambuwal’s presence at the national office was connected with the crisis at the National Assembly which has assumed a disturbing dimension, with the lawmakers in the House raising 50 impeachable offences against President Goodluck Jonathan.

Another reason, sources said might be Tambuwal’s governorship ambition.

It was gathered that his ambition has sparked off some

controversy amongst the aspirants of the office in the state.

This has resulted in the rejection of some aspirants’ completed forms by the party.

Centenary City project to create over 87,000 jobs – DEVELOPER

By Caleb Ayansina

A

BUJA—AS construction works begin on the first phase of $180.6bn Centenary City project, the company undertaking it has disclosed that over 87,000 jobs would be created.

The Executive Director Africa, Eagles Hill, Mr. Jaimal Shergill, who disclosed this while briefing journalists on the take-off of the project in Abuja yesterday, said the Centenary City project would be completed in ten years.

“The first phase which is the five star hotel and residence would be completed within four

years. 87, 000 jobs would be created.

“In addition to that, we will have 137,000 residents, a bulk of the workers will be Nigerians. In our estimate for every residents, two or three jobs would be created, close to about 300 to 400,000 jobs.

“There will be two stages of job creation, which include the construction phase and the services sector,” he said.

According to him, the first phase of the project named; The Address and Residence, would offer combination of residential and hotel spaces, spanning 25 hectares of land with world class amenities, restaurants and more.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014—55

C M Y K

56 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014

From office to studio, NGA artists preach peace

By Uche Nnadozie

I

T was another successful outing for the National Gallery of Art as the second Kaduna Art Fair came to an end. The fair which is the second in the series featured a collection of 60 works of 42 artists out of over 100 artists working in the National Gallery of Art (NGA). These artists/public servants set their creative tools and corresponding media of oil, acrylic, water colour (painting); found objects, fiber, wood (sculpture); clay (ceramic); fiber (textile); pencil (drawing); printing ink and gauges (printmaking); camera (photography) and computers (digital art) into artistic motion with the intention of reverberating into the consciousness of their numerous and enthusiastic viewers with the message of unity and peaceful coexistence in Nigeria under the theme, Together Again.

Most of the works advocate unity and peaceful cohabitation bearing in mind also the location of the event – Kaduna – a city that has been under security challenges in recent times. Thus, the second Kaduna Art Fair is NGA’s means of using exhibitions among other cultural fiestas to preach the message of peace.

The exhibition also gave the staff of NGA the opportunity to once again drop the pens and files for their various art tools; in other words from the office to studio.

Signs and symbols In “Signs and Symbols,” Uche Nnadozie celebrates the numerous creative freedoms within the printmaking technique reminiscent of that of the celebrated master printmaker and his “ibiebe” iconographic tendencies but retaining an imprimatur of Nnadozie. The work is a horizontally arranged totem, lavishly enriched with designs in folkloric motifs, thus lending credibility to the continuum of modern art from the old order of traditional art. Hauwa Tijani’s “Bond” (Acrylic on Canvas) is pictorially electrifying with warm, vibrant and aesthetically pleasing colours garnished skillfully with a motif that a careless glance at the work could mistake it for the master water colorist - Sam Ovraiti’s. It comprises of light- yelloworchre, warm red/orange

basking in the company of purple of all shades at the base and background.

In Zinbe Gushi’s “Distraction,” the imagery depicts a young self-assuming and attractive lady with a handset either pinging or sending a text message to one of either her numerous admirers or “customers” judging by her posture. It is a figure of a young lady, whose dress treacherously and intentionally exposes about 80 % of her breast from a sleeveless dress with heavy facial make-up, fiddling with a blackberry or so it seems. The background of the feminine figure, of the 100x80cm

Most of the works advocate unity and peaceful cohabitation bearing in mind also the location of the event, Kaduna

painting are the symbols of various social media services available such as facebook, twitter, whatzap, youtube, skype, BB (blackberry) etc. The artist seems to use the feminine attraction to depict the worrisome effect of social media in our society, both at individual or collective level.

Probably due to the prevailing insurgency in some parts of the country and its attendant socioeconomic, political, cultural and religious implications, Muktar Signs and symbols (Plastograph) by Uche Nnadozie Ahmed quickly reminds Nigerians about the Nigerian civil war which ended they bear.

“Make I Jist Una” are both 44 years ago. The “Nigerian Other artists who through socio- politically inclined in civil war” is a nostalgic painting their creative construction of terms of message. The works rendered in mix media, forms and ingenious depict the importance of depicting tanks, jet fighters, manipulation of media Nigeria remaining as one, hand grenades, solders in produced aesthetically inviting indivisible nation and a action as well as littered works include Apev Amos with testimony to Mbele’s mastery carcasses and skulls. The work his sculptural piece, of figurines, anatomy, body is rendered in bright orange, “Celebrate,” Iyun-ome by language/movement. red, blue, green, rich Prussian Chris Obadan, Ajene Isegbe’s While Isioma Dogo’s –blue which is at intervals and Mercy, Tom Sunday’s “Eka photographs are more sociorandomly assisted with white Nkoyo” and Uche Mbele philosophical with her works colour which serves as whose dexterity at producing such as “Fallen Hero,” Bala highlights.

Bridget 2 dimensional sculptural/ Afen’ Oko, another “photoMundung’s “Food for all” and pictorial art pieces using artist” reveals a mastery of color “Fish for all” are aesthetically welded steel, cannot be manipulation, printing skills pleasing. The ceramic wares overemphasized. His 2 and dexterity in his photograph (fire clay) reveal not only the dimensional sculptural pieces – “Spot of yellow”- a black and utilitarian purposes of these titled, “Have a Seat: and white photograph depicting a works but the aesthetic quality moving van loaded with fired pot traversing an open plain somewhere in the Savannah region.

Miss N/Delta audition kic ks of kicks offf

By Prisca Sam-Duru

C

ONTESTANTS for this year’s edition of The Miss Niger Delta Peace cultural Pageant themed, One Voice For Peace, Empowerment and Transformation, are expected to converge at Berverly Hills Hotel, Mingles Lounge, GRA, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The audition which comes up th 9am on Friday, 28 November, 2014, will feature contestants from Niger Delta states.

The Miss Niger Delta Peace cultural pageant show which has brought dignity and respect for the pageant industry, also promotes the rich cultural heritage and dignity of women, hence the pageant does not permit bikini wears and indecent dressings or exposures during the event.

The winner will go home with a cash prize, a brand new car, a trip to Durban South Africa while the first runner-up will go home with a cash prize, a trip to Dubai.

The second runner-up goes home with a cash prize, a trip to Tinapa, Cross River State and other contestants will go home with consolation prizes.

Speaking ahead of the main show which comes up on Saturday, December 20, at Doctor Gabriel Cultural Centre, Yenegoa, Bayelsa State, President of the Miss Niger Delta organization, Prince Sodin: said “Winners of this year ’s competition will be expected to build bridges of peace not only in the Niger Delta region but through synergy with queens

It promotes the rich cultural heritage and dignity of women

from other regions to promote peace, love and socio-cultural integration.”

The event which is not all about crowning beauty queens Sodin said, “Is designed to promote socio cultural integration, tourism, human capital development, through various advocacy projects. The Miss Niger Delta competition has carried out various programmes that have promoted early education for children, protection of the girl-child rights, campaigns against indecent dressings and prostitution, HIV/ AIDS/ Sickle cell, breast cancer, environmental protection, examination malpractice, cultism and other social vices.”

The pageant show has produced 13 beauty queens such as Miss Niger Delta Ambassador for Peace and Development, Miss Niger Delta, Face of Beauty, Pride of Niger Delta, Symbol of Talent, Miss Niger Delta in Diaspora and Miss Niger Delta Model for Change.

Skilfull manipulation Amarachi Okafor used her mixed media painting, “Transatlantic Rippled 1: Ebola” to remind us of the deadly virus Ebola and its trailing scourge. Through her work she is saying –”it is not over until it is over.” Tony Okpe, Mufu Onifade and Joy Iorvihi are commended for their skillful manipulation of their media as well as their commitment to pursuance of technical excellence.

According to Abdullahi Muku, DG, NGA, the Art Fair is aimed at enhancing art professionalism within a strict civil service environment. It is also a balancing act in the sense that the art staff had to go “through an undulating process of sharing and balancing their time in between their art profession and administrative duties,” he further asserted.

—57 Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014—57

Art collecting, a must have investment--Oscar Onyema

By Japhet Alakam

T

O many, despite the inherent potentials in art and the money garnered at different art auctions in the country and beyond, many do not still see it as an alternative investment. What is then the position of art in the area of investment, apart from its aesthetic value, can it be used as an alternative? This and other issues might have been what informed the invitation of Oscar Onyema (OON), CEO, Nigerian Stock exchange as the guest speaker at the 10th Distinguished Ben Enwonwu Annual Lecture Series.

And as it turned out to be, Onyema gave an insightful and illuminating lecture which was somehow described by one of the partrons as a departure from the usual lecture.

The event which was held at the Wheatbaker, Ikoyi, Lagos as usual, brought together many stakeholders in the art industry especially the fans of the late international artist, Ben Enwonwu who came to be part of the lecture which incidentally, according to Mr Oliver Enwonwu, the Executive Director and Member, Board of Trustees of the Ben Enwonwu Foundation (BEF), commemorates the 20th Anniversary of the death of Prof.

Enwonwu MBE, NNOM (191794).

Speaking on the topic: Art as an alternative investment, Onyema who has followed

developments in the art business for long described art collecting has gone beyond mere appreciation for its aesthetic value, but is now more than ever before considered as an investment, noting that visual arts have the prospect to create wealth “even when political, fiscal and economic headwinds buffet world economies.”

According to him, “Art is no longer just appreciated for its aesthetic value and the expression of its lofty ideals; it is now, more than ever before, considered an investment.” But advised investors to take a portfolio approach while

The visual arts have the prospect to create wealth even when political, fiscal and economic headwinds buffet world economies

investing in art which means that they have to take asset diversification.

Onyema who has followed developments in the art market for long recalled how emerging economies, which have been the engines of growth since the 2008/ 2009 financial crisis, faced upheavals in 2013 and took a toll on total global growth, noted that art collecting is a “must-have investment.

He cited the examples of some monumental sales recorded in art auctions like the Ben Enwonwu’s “Seven Wooden Sculpture which was sold for £361,250 and Mystery sold for £300,000 at auctions and even the examples in the foreign countries where Edward Munch’s The Scream sold for nearly $120 million, said that “Prices paid for certain art pieces have gained international publicity, and art as an object of investment has become particularly alluring,” Looking generally on the state of the art market in Nigeria, Onyema noted that on the positive side, there has been an emergence of a formal secondary market which has steady growth in the visual art sector, focus on production has been high and there is also rise of young artists. And on the negative side, he pointed out some of the short falls.

PERFORMING ARTS Stakeholders’ forum

T

HE monumental assembly was convened at the National Theatre by the newly appointed Artistic Director of the National Troupe of Nigeria – Mr. Akin Adejuwon. It was an overwhelming success and well attended by many surviving practitioners, the likes of His Royal Highness Oba Sonuga, Peter Badejo MBE all the way from London, professors and practitioners of the performing arts, old and young.

The keynote address was most brilliantly articulated by Professor Sunday E. Ododo who was invited all the way from the University of Maiduguri and he did a grand job as he expressed in-depth analysis of the ills and needs of the industry.

The forum was brilliantly anchored by the in-house Master of Ceremonies, Mr. Shaibu Husseini, pioneer member of the National Troupe of Nigeria and now Public Relations & Marketing officer.

The directors of the various departments – dance, drama, and music were all there; Representatives of the various institutions offering the performing arts were in attendance from Unilag, LASU, private theatre companies and all.

The new man saddled with the responsibility of the driving seat of the troupe, Mr. Akin Adejuwon himself an old hand in the industry was brought home from England to steer the troupe’s voyage as Artistic Director of the National Troupe through footlights to the Box Office. He pledged his axe to the task.

In my opinion, however, the key to the success and achievements envisaged depends on the financial support from the government.

The troupe needs three times the amount doled out to run theatre productions to attract the interest and maintain the artistic talents. Also, to help encourage theatre tradition, achieve the standard of production and the sophistication of today’s art.

However, if the Ministry of Art can match President Jonathan’s generous financial offer and invest more interest in entertainment industry, this nation will soon see growth in the art market. We will also begin to see the difference in arts input into the general coffers, reduce unemployment queue, empower the youth, etc and drop oil into second position in our economy. India, China, Japan and Italy can attest to that. Indeed America’s second highest income generating source is entertainment, theatre in particular. The stage has supplied materials for movies all along – great movies like Tobacco Road, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Sound of Music were all stage plays that ran for years on stage before becoming movies. The American stage has grown from Broadway to off Broadway to off off Broadway and tickets are sold out regularly.

One has to book for tickets way ahead to see most stage shows.

“Agatha Christie’s Mouse-Trap” has run for over 60 years in England and tickets are still booked ahead to be able to watch it.

Theatre tradition

It’s about time the governments, state and federal start investing in building theatres to compete with oil wells.

The National Theatre Troupe should as a duty endeavour to encourage theatre tradition in the country and make tourism viable. Without Art, Tourism becomes a desert walk and fivestar hotels mere “slaughter houses”. Build up the stage and entertainment will take a new dimension. When we eventually access Mr. President’s generous donation to the Arts, I say once again let’s build a hall of fame, give jobs to artists for the next five years – sculptors, painters, musicians, actors, writers, separate acting from theatre arts department etc and we will train One of the works by Late Ben Enwonwu(INSET) Oliver Enwonwu (r) welcoming Oscar actors professionally. I have Onyema during the presentation lectured in three Theatre Arts Departments of our own universities and I know that acting talents are wasting NE of Nigeria’s foremost theatre ing it occurred “at a private hospital” in Ibadan. Swamp Dwellers, where he acted as the because they lack adequate Blindman, he was president of University Colarts scholars, a professor and one-time “I would miss a lot of things about him. training.

While the Artistic Director of the National lege, Ibadan Dramatic Society, where he head of the Theatre Arts department of the The Nigerian stage should University of Ibadan (UI), Professor Dapo Troupe of Nigeria Mr. Akin Adejuwon who re- adapted Moliere’s ‘Les Fourberies de Scapin’ be strongly supported. Stage Adelugba, is dead. He was aged 75. Jahman ceived the news with rude shock, described Prof. (The Trickeries of Scapin) to ‘That Scoundrel is the cradle of entertainment Anikulapo, former editor of The Guardian on Adelugba’s death as a huge loss to the theatre Suberu’. and should therefore be According to Adejuwon,“He was a quinSunday who fondly referred to Adelugba as profession and the arts in general. Born on March supported to build the “my father”, said that the septuagenarian 9, 1939, Adelugba studied English at the Uni- tessential academic and a great mentor. You entertainment industry and cant talk about the performance art in Nigeria died “on Sunday in Ibadan at about11:50 pm.” versity College, Ibadan. help improve the film While at the university, apart from taking part and indeed in Africa and in world theatre withTunde Awosanmi, head of UI’s department industry. of Theatre Arts, also confirmed the death, say- in a lot of productions such as Wole Soyinka’s out mentioning Prof. Adelugba.

Theatre icon, Pa Dapo Adelugba dies at 75

O

58—Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014

SECURITY CHECKS ON BENIN ROADS:

Fallouts of the government’s decision

L

Council begins fresh registration in Benin Republic

C

O M P L E M E N TA RY registration announced to start throughout the Benin Republic, has undergone significant vacillation, in some departments. Together, the members of the Council in charge of the electoral roll's correction planned the operation again by setting the effective start of the supplementary registration, to November 17, 2014 in the departments of the Coast and the Atlantic.

The beginnings observed at the start of the additional recording, announced last Wednesday, on the whole national territory faded gradually. If the display and recording of biometric data operations timidly started in some localities of the north, it is clear, as explained by the Chairman of the Council, the Honorable Sacca Lafia, the additional recording actually starts in the Littoral (Cotonou) and the Atlantic. He also urged

citizens of B e n i n Republic concerned to go and check the lists, make a n y corrections, and to register if t h e i r biometric data were Beninoise president, Boni Yayi not in the database. Anyway, the local their disposal, to raise their discount agents (ALA) are at concerns.

Fear in Cotonou over suspected Ebola patient at St. Rita

E

came from two other major events.

First, during the past week, men and women dressed like those we see that manage Ebola cases have made several trips in this house. Asked by telephoning (00229 95 36 11 02 or tel: 00229 95 36), an agent of medical emergency (SAMU) said he recognized that visits were conducted in the week sick and The straw that broke the camel's back dress precautions seems to be the failure of administrative were imposed to orthodoxy. This “improperly” placed officials face any of Benin Telecom SA, on early retirement. suspected cases.

In the words of the collective agents of the The officer also office, who called to assert their right to a confirmed that pension in 2015, in the regulations of the the patient was company, no agent can benefit from more transported by three months’ leave in a row. How could the ambulance to the general manager override these texts, h o s p i t a l . sending nearly a dozen officials, eight or Nevertheless, he ten months off, which coincides with the has not confirmed end of their retirement? whether or not it is a case of Ebola.

LEMENTS of medical emergency (SAMU) covered from head to foot like the agents treating Ebola cases came for a patient at St. Rita in Cotonou, Benin Republic, recently. If their clothing created doubts about the exact nature of the disease in question, psychosis

Benin Telecoms general manager faces sack

T

HE general manager of Benin Telecoms SA, the enterprise in charge of telecommunications faced tough times recently as his management came under scrutiny. He is facing the sling of workers who denounce his obscure and slightly humanistic management.

A series of complaints were made to the Director General, Jalil Assouma, including the refurbishment of his residence, a huge amount in the news, especially following the free fall in turnover, from FCFA53 billion in 2007 to FCFA 20 billion in 2013. In sum, the agency recorded a loss of more than 50 per cent.

This seems as a counter performance, according to workers and this does not generate any excitement. Benin Telecom SA, which in its days of glory contributed FCFA5 billion to the national budget, cannot even offer a single franc today.

Already, the days of the manager's appointment appear to be numbered as the managing director has reportedly issued a call for nominations for the positions. He gave only one day to the persons concerned to prepare their applications. In the light of those selected, it is easy to see that the profile of the candidates was tailored, and the objective of this recruitment hastily organized, and according to indiscretions, they might be maneouvre to spread the brains of society.

The office in regression:

ASTSeptember, the Benin Republic’s government suspended all control over the roads. If this initiative is meant to end the harassment on the roads, it is clear that it has created a lot of problems that are difficult to resolve.

The decision to remove the checkpoints created more problems than it has solved.

Even if one accepts that it forced some elements of the police and gendarmerie to curb their ardent desire to collect ransom from road users, we must recognize that it has created situations that challenge the conscience of

public authorities.. Since they took that decision, disorders have increased on the roads.

Due to the absence of the security forces on the roads, the hit and run has become commonplace. The most reckless vehicles cause accidents and flee. The evidence: the same day the decision was made, a semitrailer dump truck killed a lady named Houédégnon Hounsounon Mass Guéhouncon-Fongba, in the Municipality of Lokossa. Like him, many other road users have fled their responsibilities after snatching the lives of poor citizens.

VANGUARD, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014 — 59

BRIEFS

West African artists urge unity against Ebola

W

More US cities hit by protests N

O fewer than 170 cities in the United Sates have been hit by the riots arising from the grand jury decision to set Darren Wilson free from trial for killing black teenager, Michael Brown.

People protesting the Ferguson, Missouri, grand jury decision took to the streets in cities across the U.S. for a second day, showing that the racially charged case has inflamed tensions thousands of miles from the predominantly black St. Louis suburb.

For many, the shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown by Officer Darren Wilson recalled other troubling encounters with law enforcement.

The refrain “hands up, don’t shoot” became a rallying cry over police killings nationwide.

NEW YORK Thousands of people marched for a second night in Manhattan, gathering in Union Square before splitting into several smaller groups, chanting “No justice, No peace.” Some held signs saying “Jail killer cops” and “Justice for Mike Brown.”

One group marched uptown to Times Square, meandering between lanes of traffic as police followed. The protesters, who seemed to grow in number as the night wore on, disrupted traffic on the FDR Drive and congregated at the entrances to the Williamsburg and Manhattan bridges and the Queens Midtown Tunnel.

Commissioner William Bratton said police were giving protesters “breathing room.”

“As long as they remain nonviolent, and as long as they don’t engage in issues that cause fear or create vandalism, we will work with them to allow them to demonstrate,” he said.

CALIFORNIA Protesters flooded the U.S. 101 freeway Tuesday night, carrying barricades that they laid across lanes and bringing traffic to a halt.

Within a few minutes Highway Patrol and LAPD officers chased the few dozen protesters off the freeway and corralled them on an overpass, where one of the barricades was

EST African artists have urged heads of state holding a French-speaking nations’ summit in Dakar this weekend to take action to stop the spread of the deadly Ebola virus in the region.

The rare tropical disease has infected more than 15,000 people in West Africa since it was first recorded in Guinea in March. More than 5,000 people have died from the virus, which causes severe vomiting, diarrhoea and internal bleeding.

The theme of this year ’s biannual summit of “francophonie”, a 77-strong group whose role includes promoting peace, democracy and human rights, is women and youth.

The artists wrote in an open letter to the leaders that women had been disproportionately affected by the Ebola outbreak as they are often the carers – around 55 percent of the victims have been women, according to the World Health Organization.

Succession war: Zimbabwe VP ousted from party post

Z

•Protesters calling for end to racism in America. thrown on to the freeway below. There were no immediate reports of any arrests.

The protesters had broken away from a larger, primarily peaceful group of hundreds who had marched for miles through city streets since mid-afternoon, converging on police headquarters.

In Oakland, a group of protesters is vandalizing police cars and businesses in downtown Oakland, smashing windows at car d e a l e r s h i p s , restaurants, and convenience stores on a second night of protests.

The crowd briefly shut down two major freeways, and set several trash bins on fire across a major street before police in riot helmets forced them to

disperse.

MINNEAPOLIS A rally in Minneapolis turned scary when a car struck a protester and then burst through a pack of others who surrounded it. A woman suffered minor injuries.

Several hundred people had gathered Tuesday afternoon near the 3rd Precinct police outpost to show solidarity with Brown.

The driver called police soon after to report the incident, and police spokesman John Elder said the incident was under investigation.

CLEVELAND Several hundred people marched down a freeway ramp to block rush-hour traffic while protesting the Missouri developments and Saturday ’s fatal shooting by an officer of 12-year-old Tamir Rice

of Cleveland, who had a pellet gun that looked like a real firearm.

“The system wasn’t made to protect us,” said one of the protesters, 17year-old Naesha Pierce.

“To get justice, the people themselves have to be justice.”

ST. LOUIS Protesters disrupted downtown traffic for several hours by blocking major intersections, an interstate highway and a Mississippi River bridge connecting the city to Illinois.

Riot police arrested several demonstrators who sat in the middle of Interstate 44 near the Edward Jones Dome.

They used pepper spray to disperse the crowd.

Demonstrators also swarmed the steps of the federal courthouse chanting, “You didn’t indict! We shall fight!”

Defense Chief contender opts out

M

I C H E L E Flournoy, a top candidate to replace Chuck Hagel as Defense secretary, has taken herself out of contention for the job just a day after President Obama announced its vacancy.

A former senior official at the Pentagon, Flournoy was widely considered a leading contender to become the first woman ever to run the Defense Department. But on Tuesday, she wrote a letter to the board of directors at the think tank she runs informing them she had asked President Obama not to consider her for the job. She wrote that she would remain in

•Michele Flournoy her position as CEO of the Center for a New American Security, citing family considerations.

The news was first reported by Foreign Policy and confirmed by a person familiar with the situation Tuesday

evening, who said that Flournoy spoke to Obama by phone on Monday night.

Flournoy is also the second contender to disavow interest in the post. Senator Jack Reed said through a spokesman on Monday that he wanted to remain in Congress after winning a new six-year term earlier this month. Their decisions could leave Ashton Carter, a veteran Defense official who served as deputy secretary until last year, as the front-runner to replace Hagel. Obama could also make an internal move by elevating Robert Work, who is currently the department’s secondranking official.

IMBABWE Vice President Joice Mujuru has been ousted from the ruling party’s powerful central committee after being accused of plotting to assassinate President Robert Mugabe, state media reported Wednesday.

A provincial executive committee refused to accept Mujuru’s election papers ahead of a key ZANU-PF party congress next week after a campaign against her led by Mugabe’s wife Grace.

Mujuru’s home district “rejected her application in elections that saw a number of other Zanu-PF bigwigs linked to her nefarious activities to oust President Robert Mugabe also failing to make it,” the paper said.

Mujuru has been the target of sustained attacks in pro-government newspapers as factions within the party jostle to take power when 90-year-old Mugabe steps down or dies.

South Sudan warns UN against sanctions

S

OUTH Sudan warned Tuesday that imposing sanctions will only make it harder to find an elusive peace in a yearlong conflict that has ripped the country apart and killed thousands of civilians.

Ambassador Francis Deng told the U.N. Security Council that targeted sanctions suggested by council members this month likely would “harden positions toward confrontation rather than cooperation,” and he insisted that his government remains optimistic that a peace deal is possible.

The conflict in the world’s youngest country, one rich in oil, already has staggered through a number of failed cease-fires. Deng blamed the slow pace of talks on the “frequent adjournment” by East African regional mediators.

Impatient, a United States official this month said the U.S. is seeking a U.N. resolution that would authorize sanctions against individuals who are undermining South Sudan’s political stability and abusing human rights. The resolution would press President Salva Kiir and former vice president Riek Machar to reach a peace agreement.

Hong Kong riot police clear protest site

H

ONG Kong police yesterday cleared one of the largest protest sites that has choked the city for months, arresting scores of pro-democracy activists in what could be a turning point in the fight to wrest greater political freedom from Beijing’s control.

Riot police clashed with protesters late into the evening as activists sought to regroup and regain lost ground.

Student leaders Joshua Wong and Lester Shum were among those arrested as hundreds of officers swept through the bustling area of Mong Kok, clearing barricades and tents that had blocked key roads in the Chinese-controlled city for more than two months.

60— Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014

C M Y K

Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014 — 61

Amasiemaka blasts NFF over Keshi

F

ORMER Nigeria winger, Adokiye Amasiemaka, has blasted the Nigeria Football Federation for wanting to hire a foreign coach to replace the embattled out-of-contract Stephen Keshi.

Amasiemaka, a member of Nigeria’s victorious 1980 Green Eagles team that won the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time, believes Keshi has not been shown enough respect.

‘Chief Justice’ as he’s also known, questioned the credibility of the NFF leadership and called for foreign administrators to run the affairs of the NFF if they are so interested in hiring foreign coaches for the national team.

“What makes these chaps who call themselves football administrators more credible to run our football than our indigenous coaches are to manage our football teams?” he queried.

“Why do they keep on talking about foreign coaches? Why don’t they ever talk of foreign administrators?” he asked

C

Home-based Super Eagles players celebrate a goal against Ghana U-23 team in Uyo. The match ended 1-0 in favour of Nigeria. rhetorically.

“Gentlemen, don’t you think it is high time we had foreign administrators to occupy

such occurrence in future.

“We are not happy about missing out of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations. I can tell you honestly that we are not happy about it at all.

“Missing out of the next Nations Cup that we won in South Africa in 2013 and to also miss out as the defending Champions is so frustrating and unfortunate”, he lamented.

As regards the retention of the Super Eagles Chief Coach Stephen Keshi, the DG of the NSC disclosed that it was the responsibility of the Nigeria Football Federation to hire and fire coaches, noting that the NSC would support the decision of the NFF on the matter.

“We are the supervisory body and we are not expected to do the job of the Nigeria Football Federation for them. So if the NFF wishes to retain or let go Coach Stephen C M Y K

the Glass House that is now the burnt house?

“Stephen Keshi has done marvelously. We should actually give

Stephen Keshi, Daniel Amokachi and Sylvanus Okpala and the rest of the crew much more credit than is given to them.”

HAIRMAN of the NFF Marketing, Sponsorship and Television Advisory Committee, High Chief Emeka Inyama and three other eminent Nigerians have been invited by the Confederation of African Football to play important roles at the 30th Africa Cup of Nations finals in Equatorial Guinea.

NFF President, Mr. Amaju Melvin Pinnick, was earlier appointed member of the Organising Committee for the championship, which will be staged in four Equatorial Guinean cities 17th January – 8th February next year.

Also invited is Etubom Paul Bassey, who served blamelessly on the CAF Media Committee for several years before becoming a General Coordinator. He will serve as a Security Officer at the tournament.

•Inyama Screen diva and respected administrator, Aisha Falode, who like Inyama is a member of the CAF Media Committee, will serve as media coordinator during the three –week, 16 –nation party, like Inyama.

Samson Adamu, the organizer of the annual COPA Lagos Invitational Beach Soccer Tournament, will be an Assistant General Coordinator in Equatorial Guinea.

LMC speaks on NFF ratification of board structure •Says it will bring stability, ensure neutrality and restore confidence T HE ratification of the League Management Company(LMC)

NFF Continues from B/P

Inyama, Bassey, two other Nigerians in CAN party

Keshi it is their sole responsibility. We can’t do their job for them. We will support and respect their decisions on the issue. Our responsibility is to ensure that all the NFF needs to give us positive results as regards the national teams is given to them. That is all”, Elebeleye clarified.

“What we need to do is to make Nigerians happy again by building a strong Super Eagles team that would be a pride of all. I think this again has afforded us the opportunity of having holistic look at where we are lacking in all aspects of the team.

‘We are not short of quality and talented football players in this country so we shouldn’t be missing out of this kind of competitions that we should even be dominating.

“It is too bad we didn’t qualify but we will move ahead and adjust and correct our mistakes for future tournaments”, Elegbeleye disclosed.

governing structure has been described as a welcome development that will add greater impetus to the reform processes initiated when the body was set up by the immediate past board of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

The NFF at its Annual General Meeting on Sunday, November 23 approved and adopted the governing structure of the LMC as presented by the Executive Committee of the NFF which at its inaugural meeting in Abuja had accepted a 7member Board for the League Management Company (LMC).

Commenting on the decision, Harry Iwuala, the LMC’s Head of Special Projects noted that “The ratification by the AGM has addressed the issue of league governance structure and made clear how the league will be operated and regulated. It has more importantly assured stability and allowed nimbleness in the business operations of the league administration”.

Observers have acclaimed the decision as a major breakthrough in the process of reforming the league which began with the setting up of the then interim body, the League

Bankers Games: Organisers announce date for semi final fixtures

M

EDIAVision Limited, organizers of the Nigeria Bankers Games (NBG) has explained that the semi final fixtures that were postponed in difference to the Federations Cup last Sunday will now hold on Sunday, November 30.

A Manager at MediVision coordinating the games, Ugochukwu Osuji clarified in a statement that they had to shift the fixtures “to show respect and also allow players in the Bankers Games to also enjoy the spectacle of the country’s number one Cup competition either on television from their homes or at the stadium”.

The Federations Cup finals between Enyimba International of Aba and Dolphins of Port Harcourt was played at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos last Sunday, the same day the NBG semi final games were originally scheduled to hold.

Management Committee by the former NFF Executive Committee led

by Alhaji Aminu Maigari in December 2012. It was pursuant to its mandate to take any decisions and measures it deems appropriate for the successful implementation of the reforms, that the League Management Company was incorporated in March 2013.

•Irabor

Moses Continues from B/P several weeks,” assistant manager Mark Bowen added.

Nigeria missed out on

qualifying for the African Nations Cup that will be held in Equatorial Guinea in January and February.

Bassey Continues from B/P Keshi imbued in the squad.

“A lot of Nigerians say Keshi is the best thing that’s happened to Nigeria football, But with due respect to him, a Manager is as good as his last match.”

“If the Federation disassociates itself from

Keshi today, it’ll not be because he’s a bad coach but so much is fundamentally wrong with the team,” “The chemistry of the team and the quality of the boys he put together was totally defective. We need a change and with Keshi in the last 5 months there’s need to alter how things are done,” Bassey said.

62 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014

Henry: We’ll never see another Messi

T

HIERRY Henry says that the footballing world should cherish every remaining second of Lionel Messi’s career because the Frenchman feels that we will never see the likes of the Argentine again.

Messi became La Liga’s all-time leading goalscorer by netting a hat-trick for Barcelona in Saturday’s 5-1 win over Sevilla, thus taking his tally to 253 in just 289 games.

Just three days later, the 27-year-old netted another history-marking treble, this time against APOEL, to claim outright possession of the Champions League record from Real Madrid icon Raul.

Ex-Barcelona attacker Henry watched Messi break both records on television and he could not have been happier for his former teammate, admitting his delight at seeing the four-time Ballon d’Or winner make his critics once again look foolish.

“Messi is doing things for Barca and the football world in general that we will never see again - let alone someone who does everything that Messi has done in such a short time,” Henry told ARA.

•Drogba

Drogba: Trophies key to Chelsea legacy D

•Messi

IDIER Drogba be lieves Chelsea are more entertaining than ever, but is aware they will ultimately be judged on how many trophies they secure.

Jose Mourinho’s side lead the Premier League

by six points, having claimed 10 wins and two draws from 12 outings this season, and booked their place in the last 16 of the Champions League on Tuesday with an eye-catching 5-0 victory at Schalke.

The win in Gelsenkirchen left Mourinho purring over his team’s performance and Drogba - who, like the manager, is in his second spell at Stamford Bridge - has also been impressed by Chelsea’s attacking

Ronaldo’s Ballon d’Or political — Ribbery B

AYERN Munich attacker Franck Ribery feels the Fifa Ballon d’Or is no longer going to the best player in the world and is decided by politics, rather than performances.

The Frenchman was beaten to the prestigious individual award by Cristiano Ronaldo for his 2013 efforts despite guiding Bayern to a historic treble.

Ribery, who is not even in the 23-man shortlist that will be whittled down the three stars shortly this time around, believes the trophy has lost all meaning after witnessing first hand how the Real Madrid star was treated last year.

“I learned a lot during

C M Y K

last year’s Ballon d’Or gala. As soon as I got there, I told my wife that I would lose,” Ribery told Sport Bild.

“I saw how Sepp Blatter was hugging Ronaldo and how his entire family was there. I’m not stupid. It was clear that he had to win it. He wouldn’t have brought his entire family with him otherwise.

“It will be the same this year. What can I say about it? Manuel Neuer or Arjen Robben should win it. You can’t disagree with this. Manu has won it all, he is a great guy and he isn’t arrogant.

Arjen has played an incredible season in the Bundesliga and then a fantastic World Cup.

prowess.

However, the veteran Ivorian striker - who inspired Chelsea to Champions League glory in 2012 - knows results are key to ensuring a place in the history books.

“I think Chelsea can say we had great teams in terms of spirit, a ma-

chine, in terms of hard work and efficiency,” Drogba told reporters.

“This one is efficient too, but with the attacking players, the passing rate and quality of passing is higher. We have more creative players, which makes it maybe better to look at.

Gerrard still key for Liverpool, says Rodgers

L

IVERPOOL manag er Brendan Rodgers believes captain Steven Gerrard has a vital role to play in helping to turn around the disappointing start to the new season.

The Merseyside club have struggled to replicate the form of last season’s dramatic title bid and lie 12th in the Barclays Premier League, with four wins and six defeats from 12 outings

•Ribbery

Grobbelaar: Simon Mignolet costing Liverpool

F

ORMER Liverpool goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar says the club must sign a replacement for Simon Mignolet, telling BBC Sport the Belgian is “worse than

Dracula.”

Grobbelaar made the comment in reference to the old joke about author Bram Stoker’s vampire character being scared of crosses.

Mignolet, 26, has been ever-present in the Premier League for Liverpool since he arrived from Sunderland for nine million pounds in June 2013.

•Gerrard ahead of Saturday ’s home match against Stoke City. Rodgers has a remodelled squad having bolstered his numbers with new faces in the wake of Luis Suarez’s close-season move to Barcelona and as these players continue to acclimatise to life at Anfield, their manager believes it is Gerrard who continues to set the benchmark.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014—63

C M Y K

VANGUARD, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014

Victor Moses ruled out until 2015 V

ICTOR Moses is unlikely to play again this year after hurting his thigh while

NFF can fire Keshi — Elegbeleye T

HE leadership of the National Sports Commission (NSC) has condemned the non-qualification of the Super Eagles for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations despite doing everything humanly possible to ensure the team flies Nigeria’s flag in Equatorial Guinea, venue of the competition.

A highly disappointed Director General of the National Sports Commission, Honourable Gbenga Elegbeleye in a chat with Abuja based sports journalists said it was a big lesson for all concerned to guide against Continues on Page 61

playing for Stoke City in the Premier League.

Moses, who is on loan at the Britannia Stadium from Chelsea, is facing “at least six weeks on the sidelines” after picking up the injury in the 2-1 loss to Burnley on Saturday, according to the club’s official website.

“He has a significant thigh injury which is likely to keep him out for Continues on Page 61

•Moses

Paul Bassey calls for Keshi’s replacement A

•Bassey

MEMBER of the Nigeria Football Federation Technical and D e v e l o p m e n t Committee, Paul Bassey has said that the Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi has nothing left to offer the national team, saying that his last five months with the team had not been productive.

Bassey, who is a Confederaions of African Football’s match

commissioner explained that it would be expedient for the NFF to replace the 2013 African coach of the year.

Bassey also suggested that Keshi’s failure with the team was about his choice of a poor collection of players without the quality to carry the team as well as the ‘bad chemistry’ Continues on Page 61

Amasiemaka blasts NFF over Keshi — P.61

•Keshi

QUICK CROSSWORD

TODAY'S

PUZZLE

YESTER DAY'S YESTERDAY'S

ANSWERS

ACROSS 1 Classes (6) 5 Sew (6) 8 Neuralgia (8) 9 Gemstone (4) 10 Sprite (3) 12 Move (5) 15 Mat (3) 17 Lubricate (3) 18 Imitate (3) 19 Scull (3) 20 Expect (5) 21 Wonder (3) 22 Lettuce (3) 23 Finish (3) 24 Colour (3) 26 Coach (5) 29 Longing (3) 33 Border (4) 34 Wholeness (8) 35 Ghastly (6) 36 Crease (6)

DOWN 2 Surpass (5) 3 Cheese (4) 4 Farewell (5) 5 Jargon (5) 6 Press (4) 7 Rodent (5) 10 Era (5) 11 Might (5) 12 Explosion (5) 13 Play (5) 14 Consumed (5) 15 Prompt (5) 16 Verdant (5) 25 Beneath (5) 27 Shrill (5) 28 Bury (5) 30 Praise (5) 31 Muddle (4) 32 Spruce (4)

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS ACROSS: 1, Soup 4, Lap 6, Leap 8, Streak 9, Ravine 10, Eat 12, Hover 14, Brash 15, Noble 18, Settee 20, Fracas 24, Enter 26, Spoke 28, Pride 30, Spa 32, Income 33, Covert 34, Mean 36, Lady.

DOWN: 2, Outdo 3, Prevent 4, Like 5, Part 6, Lover 7, Amnesia 11, Ail 12, Has 16, Bee 17, Eft 19, Expense 21, Rep 22, Arrival 23, See 25, Nap 27, Known 29, Dared 30, Sent 31, Ache.

How to Play Sudoku

P

lace a number (1-9) in each blank cell. (No line can have two of the same number).

Each row (nine lines from left to right), column, (also nine lines from top to bottom) and 3 X 3 block within a bold block (nine blocks) contains number from 1 through 9. This means that no number can appear twice in any block, column or row.

No mathematics is involved – no adding, subtraction, division or multiplication, just plain logic and your imagination.

Printed and Published by VANGUARD MEDIA LIMITED, Vanguard Avenue, Kirikiri Canal, P.M.B.1007, Apapa. Phone: Newsroom: 018773962. Deputy Editor: 01-4548355. Advert Dept Hotline: 014544821; 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.

C M Y K